August is just around the corner and, if you’re anything like us, every last weekend of the summer is booked! If any of your plans include staying with friends, you never want to show up empty handed. Especially if you want to be invited back! You don’t need to break the bank to show your gratitude—it’s the thought that counts! Inspired by my remaining summer plans and a desire to show up each weekend with something more memorable than a bottle of wine, I came up with this list of thoughtful and charming gifts all my future hosts (and yours) will be sure to love.

1. Double Walled Oil/Vinegar Carafe $22- These carafes by Ichendorf bring art to the dining room table or kitchen counter. So modern and chic – they will look gorgeous in any home. Buy at aplusrstore.com.

2. Roberta Roller Rabbit Napkins $8 each – Who needs to travel around the world when you have Roberta Freymann? Finally, Roller Rabbit has an e-commerce site that features some of Freymann’s most popular prints. Mix and match colorful napkins and placemats for a fun and unforgettable gift. Find them at robertarollerrabbit.com.

3. Tocca Yma Candle $36 – One of my best friends gave me this candle when she was visiting me at school a few years back. I instantly became addicted to the red current scent and have loaded up ever since! I also love the turquoise color of the packaging – it reminds me of a Tiffany’s box. I guess good things really do come in small, sweet smelling packages! Buy it at tocca.com.

4. Riviera Beach Bag in Red or Blue $95 – Your hosts will use this handy, handsome bag to tote books and towels to the beach or pick fresh produce and flowers from the farmers’ market. The best part? You give while giving back – part of the proceeds got to Sabala, a non-profit society in Southern India that provides opportunities to widows and economically challenged women. Buy at calypso-cell.com.

5. Lacquer Tea Caddy $48 – This caddy, in it’s bright assortment of colors, will surely become counter candy in your host’s kitchen. Fill one with an assortment of loose teas (try Tazo teas) or something sweet like YummyEarth Organic Lollipops for a gift that keeps on giving. Buy the caddy at johnathanadler.com. You can find Tazo Teas and Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops on amazon.com.

6. Monogrammed Mug, Missus $6 – Personalize your gift with your hosts’ initials on these Alice in Wonderland-style mugs. Their morning coffee has never been so dreamy. Buy them at anthropologie.com.

7. Cheese Knife Set $42 – All my friends know that I am obsessed with French culture and cheese. That’s why this cheese knife set adorned with French statements is the perfect gift for all us Francophiles. C’est parfait! Buy the set at pinkolive.com.

8. Sweet Lydia’s Gift Baskets $4 to $50 – Everything on Sweet Lydia’s site is homemade and utterly delicious (I know too well from experience). You will need all of your willpower not to buy one of each of the assorted baskets of S’mores, Chocolate Covered Pretzels or Flavored Marshmallows. Good luck resisting temptation and getting your basket there in one piece without sampling some for yourself. Indulge at sweetlydias.com.

xoxo Lauren

The new ladies of Lilith could change all of that. Truth be told, I am not rushing out to buy tickets this time either but that’s because I am not in love with the Chicago lineup. The newcomers, such as Sia and La Roux, are paired with performers whose music and style are, by comparison, a bit antiquated. And while I wish them the best of luck, I have to question whether anyone who wants to see Sia will stick around for Cheryl Crow? So I created my own mini Lilith playlist, featuring some of my favorite, lesser-known females in the festival this year.

Metric - Their most recent album, Fantasies, was released last year.  Download “Gold, Guns, Girls”, and  ”Help I’m Alive”.  itunes.com/metric

Janelle Monae - Her first album, The ArchAndroid, dropped this May. Download “Tightrope”, “Dance or Die”, and “Cold War”. itunes.com/janelle-monae

Marina & The Diamonds – The Family Jewels, their first album, was released May 2010.  Download   “Hollywood”, “Mowgli’s Road”, “Oh No!”, and “Are You Satisfied”. itunes.com/marina-and-the-diamonds

Anjulie - Her self-titled album was released last summer and she also contributed to the motion picture soundtrack for Fame. Download: “Boom”, “Crazy That Way”, “Addicted2Me”, and “Big Things” (from the Fame soundtrack). itunes.com/anjulie

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Rockin’ Grace and her nocturnals released their latest eponymous album this June. Download “Paris (Oh La La)”, “Tiny Light”, “Medicine”, and “Goodbye Kiss”. itunes.com/gracepotterandthenocturnals

Susan Justice – New to me, after hearing her first single (released this month) I think I may want more. Download “Wonder” and “Forbidden Fruits”. itunes.com/susanjustice

Now if these gals were playing together, I’d be there…

xoxo Melina

]]> http://www.missknowitall.com/the-new-ladies-of-lilith/feed/ 0 http://www.missknowitall.com/drink-up-our-less-guilty-summer-cocktail-list/ http://www.missknowitall.com/drink-up-our-less-guilty-summer-cocktail-list/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:17:05 +0000 Melina http://www.missknowitall.com/?p=694

Summertime and the livin’s easy with our selection of fresh and light seasonal cocktails. Unlike some served at bars and restaurants, these refreshing drinks aren’t loaded with calories and ingredients you’ve never heard of. They’re essentially guilt-free (or so we’re telling ourselves)! So round up your grateful friends, gather around the patio, pool, or rooftop, and toast to the rest of a carefree summer!

The Bicicletta Cocktail (from Bon Appétit):

Ingredients: Ice cubes, 2 ounces Campari, 1 ½ ounces dry white wine, ½ ounce club soda, Lemon slice.

Directions: Fill wine glass with ice. Add Campari, wine and soda; stir to mix. Garnish with lemon slice, if desired.

Berry-filled Sangria (from The Domestic Goddess):

Ingredients: 1 cup sliced strawberries, ½ cup bluberries, ½ cup rasberries, juice of ½ lemon, ¼ bottle dry white wine, ¼ bottle dry champagne, 1 bottle rose zinfandel, ¼ fruit infused vodka, 2 cups white cranberry juice, 1 ½ cups soda water.

Directions: Put ice cubes in bottom of pitcher, toss in fruit on top of ice along with lemon juice. Add wine, champagne and vodka and stir.

The Flirtini (from Marie Claire and created at Whiskey Blue at the W Hotel in LA and Westwood):

Ingredients: 1 ½ oz. Grey Goose L’Orange, 1 oz. pineapple juice, splash of Champagne

Directions: Serve in martini glasses and pour the Champagne last.

Citrus White Wine Spritzer (from the Food Network):

Ingredients: 2 (1/4 inch) slices of lemon, 2 (1/4 inch) slices of lime, 4 oz. Pinot Grigio (or other white wine), 2 oz. lemon-lime flavored seltzer water, ice cubes.

Directions: Arrange slices of lemons and limes between ice cubes in large stem glasses. Pour 4 ounces of white wine (1/2 cup), and 2 ounces of sparkling lemon lime seltzer water (1/4 cup), down over fruit and ice. Stir, serve and enjoy!

The Ginger Drop (from Marie Claire and created at Megu in NYC):

Ingredients: 1 ½ oz. Bacardi Limón, 1 oz. Lillet, Champagne, Fresh Ginger

Directions: Muddle fresh ginger with the Bacardi Limón and Lillet. Then pour into a champagne glass. Next, top with Champagne and garnish each glass with a piece of crystallized ginger for the pièce de résistance

And remember, it’s 5:00 p.m. somewhere!  Cheers and enjoy!

xoxo Lauren

These references are obvious throughout the album. She even covers Madonna’s “Oh Father”, which cannot replace the original but is interesting nonetheless. The beats, unique and not sampled, stand up to Sia’s strong, melodic vocals and the glorious combination sets her apart from her contemporaries. My favorite tracks are (no surprise here) the most danceable: “The Fight”, “Clap Your Hands“, “You’ve Changed”, and “Bring Night”. There is one ballad, however, that stands out as a testament to Sia’s original strengths and her last album, “Some People Have Real Problems”. More Fiona Apple than Madonna, “Be Good to Me” is a lingering, sultry adventure that should not be missed. I will no doubt be belting it out in the shower sometime soon.

Listen at myspace.com/siamusic and download at itunes.com/sia.

xoxo Melina

Higher, Taio Cruz. The British singer-songwriter who’s last single, Break Your Heart, climbed to number one in the US and the UK used to write and produce for Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and many other mainstream artists. His most recent album, Rokstarr, is jam-packed with adrenaline pumping tracks that are sure to be the stars of the clubs this summer. Among them, Dynamite and Dirty Picture are two of my other favorites. Listen at myspace.com/taiocruzmusic and download at itunes.com/taiocruz.

Pass Out, Chris Brown. Even though I’m not a huge fan of CB the man, nor did I buy his BET Awards’ stunt, this song is a dance party waiting to happen. Sampling Eric Prydz’s college anthem, Call on Me, Brown proclaims “I’m your battery here to charge you up” and he’s not lying. Listen at myspace.com/chrisbrown and download at itunes.com/chrisbrown.

Little Secrets, Passion Pit. This song got everyone jumping on the dance floor this weekend. And friends of mine went to their concert this past week and said it was a blast. Listen at myspace.com/passionpitjams and download at itunes.com/passionpit.

Don’t Let Me Fall, B.o.B. I listen to this song on my walk to work in the morning and it always puts me in a good mood. It’s also great for those summer drives while cruising with the windows down. The piano riff interlaid with B.o.B’s rhymes are a nice combination. Airplanes, listed on MKIA’s May playlist, as well as Magic are other tracks by B.o.B that definitely deserve a shout-out. Listen at myspace.com/bobatl and download at itunes.com/bob.

Your Love’s a Drug, Leighton Meester. Who knew Blair Waldorf was capable of making cool pop music? I first heard this song at a bar in NYC and was immediately addicted. Once you get to the chorus, you too will be belting “All I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed…” Listen at myspace.com/leightonmeester and download at itunes.com/leightonmeester.

Up Up & Away, Kid Cudi. The rapper who gave us Day ‘n Night does not disappoint with his entire album - Man On the Moon: The End of Day. Up Up & Away is just one of this artist’s gems along with Pursuit of Happiness and Make Her Say. Listen at myspace.com/kidcudi and download at itunes.com/kidcudi.

Hope you enjoy them! xoxo Lauren

Every so often music comes into your life that you weren’t expecting, that gives you goosebumps, and that makes you fall in love. This is what happened when I first met Angus and Julia Stone. Their first album, the critically acclaimed A Book Like This, is full of poetic lyrics, moving melodies, and songs that you just want to play over and over again. Their follow-up album, Down The Way, was released on March 30th of this year and is everything a great sophomore album should be – an evolution of fantastic new tracks and new sounds with all the best attributes of the first album.

Their chilled-out, beachside vibe is as infectious as their voices. The Australian brother and sister duo take turns singing lead vocals, giving them the unique combination of variety and depth that makes for a great album, start to finish. If I had to pick, below are my favorite songs from each album (listen at myspace.com/angusandjuliastone or download at itunes.com/angusandjuliastone):

A Book Like This: (1) Paper Aeroplane, (2) Just a Boy, (3) All the Colours, (4) Mango Tree, (5) Here We Go Again.

Down The Way: (1) Hold On, (2) Yellow Brick Road, (3) On the Road, (4) And the Boys, (5) Black Crow.

Now when is the last time you listened to an entire album? No need to create a “playlist”, just download, press play and enjoy.

xoxo Melina

In case you didn’t already know, Gwyneth Paltrow has a weekly e-newsletter/blog called Goop. A subscriber since January 2009, I have become increasingly appreciative of what she has to offer. Not normally a “fan”, I was reluctant at first to jump on the “I want to be like Gwyneth” bandwagon which is why I assumed the site was created. But I quickly realized that she was providing honest and truly useful insights. The site is completely funded by GP and does not discuss her celebrity beyond giving you access to people and recommendations that normally would be beyond the reach of us “commoners”.

This week’s newsletter discussed a widespread, but little reported, health issue that affects almost everyone – Vitamin D deficiency. Instead of offering her own opinion, she posted an article by Dr. Frank Lipman, a leading doctor of integrative medicine, which explains why the issue exists, the potential health risks and his recommendations for increasing ones’ own levels.

Each week the newsletter covers a topic that falls into one of six, playfully-titled categories: Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, See. The June 3rd edition was Make and Goop gave a great, healthy recipe for a Mexican dinner with Baja-style shrimp tacos, guacamole, black beans, and Pico de Gallo. The recipes are good (and fast) but this post was particularly fun because it included a video demonstration by the star , Food Network-style.

The subjects Goop covers are as diverse as they are interesting. Last Christmas Goop posed a question about who Jesus was and what we can learn from him today with responses from several prominent spiritual leaders, including Deepak Chopra. And then there was the personal wine pairing recommendations from some serious experts – it was comprehensive and extremely instructive.

So we say thank you GP for taking the time to create an interesting and thoughtful site. We’d like to think it takes one to know one.

xoxo Melina

BUT, it works. This little, naughty-looking contraption has helped tone and sculpt my biceps and triceps with very little effort. As the infomercial touts, the entire workout takes only 6 minutes. I use it after a run or the elliptical to round out my cardio workout. Despite its short length, it is extremely effective. My arms start to feel an intense burn in as little as a minute and my core automatically engages as soon as I begin. So go ahead and laugh but you might not think it’s funny when your arms start to look like Jen Andersons’. What else that costs $19.95 and only takes a few minutes a day can make you that happy?

In the spirit of creating killer arms, SELF also promoted Banglz – 1/2-pound bracelets that can be worn during workouts and/or while just going about your day. They claim to “maximize muscle tone and burn more calories during your daily activities with a slight, ongoing resistance”. Arms are always the hardest thing for me to incorporate into my workouts so I am excited about any apparatus that makes toning them less of a chore.

The best thing about these silly looking but legitimate tools is that you can use them at your leisure within the privacy of your home (and you should). Now that leaves little excuse not to give them a try and start getting toned!

xoxo Melina

The best rule of thumb for wedding gifts is STICK TO THE REGISTRY. The bride (and maybe the groom too) spent a lot of time selecting those items so why risk leaving them disappointed just because you want to be original? However, I have been in situations where the registry was either completely picked over and therefore void of anything I’d deem appropriate for a gift or too small to find something in the amount I wanted to spend. In these instances, and these only, it is appropriate to go off the list and choose your own gift. To assist you we found some options that would be universally welcomed into any new marriage (the corresponding images are above):

1. La Plates – Customized Plates: $22 each – Buy them eight of these small plates in various patterns and colors with their new shared initial to make a cool set of dessert plates.

2. Jonathan Adler Backgammon Set: $295 – The perfect game for two, this trendy set will also look good on display in their new home.

3. Bone Rod Pattern Ice Bucket: $145 – New couples always need entertaining accessories and this exotic bucket would make a great showpiece at their parties.

4. Crystal Hurricane: $173 – Two of these crystal hurricanes would cast a gorgeous glow displayed on a mantle, dining table or sofa table.

5. Cracked Ice Tray by Home: $165 – This piece looks like it was plucked right out of a royal palace. What better way to make the new couple feel all grown up than with some fabulously fancy accoutrements?

6. Calvin Klein Solar Bowls: $100 – $200 – Filled with fruit or simply left to stand alone, these modern bowls are a designer’s dream, as they can go with almost any aesthetic.

7. Susani Melamine Platter: $65 – An ethnic printed platter makes a great centerpiece at a dinner party.

Lingerie is the traditional gift given at bridal showers – but I find it somewhat ridiculous to buy someone something so personal. Instead, give her something pretty yet unexpected that she would not otherwise buy for herself. The one thing most brides do right after their wedding is travel on a honeymoon. Luxurious travel accessories are the prefect way to make her feel like a princess, even after the big day has passed.  Here are some of our favorites that any bride would love:

1. Aspinal Classic USA Travel Collection (Includes two luggage tags, a passport cover featuring the United States of America crest, and the classic travel wallet.): $160 2. Lapin Vilardi – St Germain Luxe Lingerie Bag: $55 3. Lapin Vilardi – The Zoe Report Travel Set  (Includes Jewelry Roll, Laundry Bag, and Bikini Bag): $115 4. Aspinal of London Travel Jewelry Box: $175

We hope this helps you survive the summer wedding season. Any of these recommendations will most certainly make you a popular guest!

xoxo Melina

Before we tell you what we made, here is a quick background on NoTakeOut.com: It was created by three sets of parents living in New York and Paris to provide simple dinner plans for busy people. Their mantra “Cook. Eat. Laugh. Great meals made easy.” explains why their recipes work so well. Before you begin cooking they provide a list of what you will need by category: “Shopping List, Pantry Items, and Tools”. Then each recipe is presented as a “Game Plan” and broken down into 3 steps: “1. When you walk in the door”, “2. Prep”, and “3. Start Cooking”, making it simple even for the most culinary challenged novice. For the most part the recipes originate from the three creators (occasionally they borrow from a master like Mario Batali), are healthy and wholesome and can be made in less than one hour.

Lauren’s first recipe of choice was the Pasta di Stromboli (also known as the Pasta of the Sun). Here she tells us how it went:  It was quick, easy and light (i.e. perfect for my hassle-free summer night). The dish boasted an olive oil, basil and garlic sauce with a plethora of tart cherry tomatoes. I made a few adjustments to it, such as replacing the spaghetti with healthier whole-wheat angel hair pasta, and substituting regular cherry tomatoes with local organic ones that vary in color. I also quadrupled the amount of garlic the recipe called for (as an Armenian this is standard practice when cooking). So as to allow my guests some portion control, I served the ricotta cheese in a side bowl so that everyone could “plop” their desired amount. I paired the pasta with a chilled bottle of Rose, and side dishes of prosciutto and melon and whole steamed artichokes. The meal was a success (if I do say so myself) and was molto delizioso!

I’ve eaten Lauren’s cooking before and can tell you she is no slouch in the kitchen, having been raised by a great cook – her mom and my Aunt Andy. For my first recipe I made Crisp Parmigiano Fish with Spinach and Onions. This was a knockout! Full of flavor from the Parmigiano coating on the fish and the hefty topping of sautéed onions that at first worried me would overwhelm the dish but instead pulled all the ingredients together for an outstanding first bite. At my husband’s request, I’ve made this dish twice now and used Tilapia the first time and a gorgeous red snapper the next. Both types of fish work well with the dish, but as long as you use a very light white fish cut into small filets you will be fine. I also doubled the amount of spinach the dish called for because once sautéed it reduces down to almost nothing. If this is the only green you are serving, I recommend doing the same.

I did not stop with the fish. I, like Lauren, love, love, love pasta. So when No Take Out posted a recipe for Greek Style Penne, I knew I had to try it. I am not only a fan of Greek cuisine, I am half Greek on my Father’s side and have traveled to the Greek Islands twice now with my husband. The first trip was our honeymoon and while staying on the gorgeous island of Crete, we had the most delicious pasta dish that I’ve never, until now, been able to recreate. The No Take Out version is simple yet flavorful with just the right amount of sautéed peppers, tomatoes, oregano, parsley, and garlic to create a beautiful base sauce for the mounds of feta cheese and pasta. I also used a whole-wheat penne and increased the amount of garlic called for. But in general this dish was very tasty and light – the perfect twist on a traditional Italian pasta salad and could be used as a side dish for a larger gathering or BBQ. I paired the pasta with a crisp white wine and a salad of fresh Romaine with shallot vinaigrette.

Lauren and I love how these recipes make the cook feel as though they should be enjoying themselves. Each one includes playful instructions like “Open the wine, pour yourself a glass and have some fun with this!” and “Get someone to set the table – you’re the cook and you’ll be busy!” With daily new recipes that are emailed to you once you subscribe, you will never be left wondering what to make for dinner tonight.

xoxo Melina & Lauren