@luvmesomejimi

Next trip is Maui! One of the reasons I love being with Nelli is I’m always experiencing new thing! Can you believe people were jumping off that cliff behind us?? #travel #maui #hawaii #roadtohana #travelgram #wanderlust #interracial #interracialcouple

va103:

City lights from a skywalk

clutchmag:

Jealousy Sparked Threesome to Torture Harlem Woman

A Harlem mother of three is dead after a love triangle gone bad.

Malik Wilkerson, 33, and wife…

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northwesternu:

‘tis the season to be purple

Yup

such a badass

Francesca's 2013 Birthday/Holiday Wishlist

1. commuter bag…for those road trips where I need to lug my SLR

https://shop.nordstrom.com/S/marc-by-marc-jacobs-preppy-nylon-sasha-crossbody-bag-large/3370313?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=BLACK&resultback=1028

2.  Stylish every day work bag

https://shop.nordstrom.com/S/marc-by-marc-jacobs-preppy-nylon-sasha-crossbody-bag-large/3370313?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=BLACK&resultback=1028

3.  cute little cross body

https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/rebecca-minkoff-mini-m-a-c-shoulder-bag/3450695?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Sapphire&resultback=5921

4.  2nd choice for a work bag 

https://shop.nordstrom.com/S/tory-burch-tory-nylon-tote-large/3112572?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=1036

5.  3rd choice for a work/airport bag

https://shop.nordstrom.com/S/tory-burch-tory-nylon-tote-large/3112572?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=1036

6.  cute ring…I will be getting sized in the near future and will let everybody know

https://www.davidyurman.com/shoponline/product.aspx?itemid=Y0DVE&folderid=/women/rings&keyword=heart

7. cosmetic bag 

https://www.verabradley.com/product/Category/Small-Accessories/Large-Cosmetic/154771/defaultColorVariantId/178457/c/638/sc/645/p/154771.uts?fromSearch=1

8.  Gift cards from Spa Luxe,express, H&M, VS, uniqlo, etc

9.  Juicer/food processor/vitamix if you are feeling adventurous

10. Money…link to pay pal coming soon

School named after KKK leader asked to change its name - The Washington Post

Reason #675632 why Florida is messed up

Wharton Puts First-Year MBA Courses Online for Free - Businessweek

This is awesome…might want to test the waters

Meg Jay: Why 30 is not the new 20 | Video on TED.com

I absolutely love this Ted talk…very good advice on how to live your life and take advantage of your 20s

Angela Benton on Success, Hard Work, and Thinking Outside the Tech Bubble - Forbes

Inspiring article on black women CEOs…hope I get there one day!

“Not to do any evil whatsoever, to cultivate virtue and everything admirable and to fully purify ones mind - this is the teaching of lord Buddha”

I had an amazing day at this beautiful Buddhist retreat center nestled in a redwood forest. This is a huge prayer wheel if u turn it clockwise you will receive happiness.

Black Excellence: Victor J. Glover Makes NASA’s 2013 Astronaut Candidate Class

wow I love seeing Black people excel in STEM 

5 things

Yum naua - my mom makes this everytime I come home

Playing with my new blender with my steak marinade 

Beer when I was in Madrid :)

Authentic dim sum in San Fran 

Homemade fresh tomato sauce 

5 things

Southwest style chicken

Pièce de résistance - Spanish Paella

This post is really special to me because this is what cooking is all about.  Over the course of my senior year me and my friend Nikki decided to get together every once in awhile and choose a kickass recipe to cook together.  Over the course of our adventures we slaved multiple hours in the kitchen and led us to countless trips to Chinatown, whole foods, and jewel-osco.  Our cooking adventures even led us to an indian vegetarian cooking class at Northwestern.  


Our last cooking session we needed to go BIG.  From my trip to Italy I became a lover of seafood especially mussels.  I stayed right on the Italian coast and everything in the restaurants was tinged with some sort of fresh seafood.  We decided to incorporate some seafood and delve into a cuisine we hadn’t tried: Spanish!  This led us to our Pièce de résistance:  Spanish Paella!

Mussels
10 Mussels
3 tbsp of butter
1/ ½ cups of wine
¼ cup of water
1 tbsp garlic
dash of garlic powder
½ tsp of salt


1.  Combine all ingredients above except the mussels and let the mixture come to a boil.  Add mussels and   cook until mussels pop open.  Sit them in the broth to make sure they absorb the flavor after they are done cooking.


Paella
course salt
cooked shrimp
saffron threads
¼ cups hot water
olive oil
chicken
chorizo
red onion
red pepper
rice
1 ½ cups of chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
2 tomatoes


2. Scrub mussels.  Combine saffron and the hot water in small bowl; stand for 30 minutes.  Heat oil in 40cm-wide shallow pan; cook chicken until browned; remove from pan. Cook chorizo in same pan until browned.


3.  Add onion to same pan with red pepper, garlic and paprika; cook, stirring, until soft. Add cooked rice; stir to coat in onion mixture.


4.  Return chicken and chorizo to pan. Add stock and saffron mixture; stir until combined. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, about 12 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Sprinkle peas and tomato over rice; simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes.  Place mussels over rice mixture. 

Five things Friday

new section on ze blog:  Five things that made me happy recently.  Be grateful for the little things :)  My new motto is to constantly be surrounded by good people, good food, and good drinks!  Not necessarily in that order ;)  I love my life!  I can’t say it enough!  I have the best of everything :)  So blessed to have been given the opportunities and means to transform and enjoy my life.  I’m going to accomplish everything I want and have fun every step of the way.

Baked Manicotti

It’s like enchiladas but italian, it’s MANICOTTI!  I wanted to do something italian but not your traditional noodle or shell and I was tired of making lasagna.  I love this recipe because it not only incorporated ground beef *Random aside* (Julie and Julia is on lifetime, I dieeeee) but the meat was mixed in with the ricotta cheese.  It was so tasty and such a simple straightforward recipe.  When you’re filling the manicotti it’s kind of tricky to not break the manicotti noodle so I used my hands to stuff the tube.  The only thing about this recipe is I made a whole pan enough to serve a small army.  Guess I know what I’ll be eating for the next week :)  If you notice in the picture there’s one manicotti missing and it’s because I was too excited to eat it and then took a picture later.  Do you ever get that? When you’re so excited to eat your meal you forget to take a picture!  Take care guys :)

Blackened Tilapia + Asparagus

I’m a big fan of fish, it’s extremely healthy for you and it’s light, quick, and easy.  I’m pretty good with salmon and catfish but I wanted to expand into tilapia and get some real flavor.  I found this awesome recipe by Paula Deen and you can totally tell her hands are all over this recipe because you dip the tilapia in melted butter.  bless her soul :D  I usually eat fish with some sort of green vegetable like spinach or asparagus or mango salsa.  This time I made asparagus by sprinkling salt, pepper, and olive oil and putting  it in the oven (375 F) for 15 minutes.  quick and simple and delish :)

State Fair

If there’s two state fairs that you need to go to it’s the Wisconsin and Texas state fair.  I’ve had the privilege of going to both and the Texas state fair did not disappoint :)  Not only were the petting zoos and tons of exhibits I was most excited about the food.  I came with my cowboy boots and an empty stomach, ready to take on what the lone star state had to offer me.  I scarfed down a HUGE burger in 5 minutes and then I went and got a standard funnel cake fresh off the fryer.  Speaking of fryer….there wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t dipped in a fryer.  I LOVE IT!  The fried food booths were sprinkled throughout the state fair grounds so it was almost like a treasure hunt to search them out.  This is what we got our hands on:

fried oreos…my fav :)

Fried lemonade!

Buffalo chicken in a flapjack!

Homemade pizza

pizza a la Roma

Voila!  Check out the recipe!

 Pizza Dough
4 ¼ cups (500 g) strong white flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons (1 x 7 g sachet) easy-blend (fast-action) yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar or honey
1 ¼ cup (300 ml) warm water

1.  To make the dough by hand, put the flour in a large mixing bowl, add the salt and yeast and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
2.  Pour the warm water into a measuring jug, then add the olive oil and sugar (or honey). Stir well. 3.  Pour the water mixture onto the flour in the bowl, a little at a time. Either with the wooden spoon or your hands, work the water into the flour and gradually bring it all together into a mass of soft, slightly stick dough. If the dough feels very sticky, add a little more flour. If it feels as if it won’t come together, then work in some more warm water — a soft dough is much easier to knead.
4.  Flour the work surface and turn the dough out onto it. It will look rough and saggy at this stage, so it has to be kneaded until it’s smooth and bouncy. Keep kneading for at least 10 minutes (or you could use the dough hook of a stand mixer)
5.  Shape the dough into a neat ball, put it back in the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with some cling film or a damp kitchen towel to prove in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size — this will take 90 minutes to 2 hours.
 6.  When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly grease a pizza pan or baking sheet with olive oil, then sprinkle over some cornmeal, if using.
7.  Knock out the air and roll the dough out into a 12-inch round (or whatever size will fit your pan/sheet) and place in the prepared pan or baking sheet.

Tomato Sauce
Makes more than enough for 2 pizzas
2 x 6 oz cans (or 1 x 300 g jar) tomato paste (a.k.a. tomato puree)
¾ cup (175 ml) water (or more if you prefer a thinner sauce)
2 or 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ cup (25 g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar

8.  In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste and water, stirring to combine
9.  Add the garlic, Parmesan, anchovy paste, basil, oregano and chili flakes
10.  Mix together well and add a generous pinch of sugar (or to taste) to counteract the acidity of the tomato paste
11.  Allow the sauce to stand for at least 30 minutes to blend the flavors (though the longer you can leave it, the better)
12.  Spread the sauce over your pizza dough, then pile on the toppings. Use any leftovers as a pasta sauce, or freeze.
13.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden (check after 10 minutes to make sure nothing is burning)
14.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes, then cut into slices and serve immediately.

Happy Birthday to meeee :)

In honor of such a joyous occasion I decided to make myself and my lovely friends a pink lemonade cake.  Yes, you heard right PINK LEMONADE.  I don’t think you could go wrong with that.  I have to give myself props because I made my own frosting by scratch without a mixer.  In the words of amy adams in Julie and Julia “I beat it into submission!”  Here’s to another year of becoming wiser and stronger.  I’m so blessed to have an amazing family, friends, career, and overall good life filled with opportunities to learn and explore the world.  I’m just getting started.  Enjoy guys :)

Best Stir Fry Ever!

Beef Bourginon
So my friend texted me the other day and told me that she bought one of Julia Child’s cookbooks.  It was great to know that when my friends think of Julia Child they think of me.  Probably because I let the entire world that I was obsessed with the movie Julie and Julia.  I think that movie was one of the reasons why I actually started blogging.  That movie and ratatouille




I was dying to try her famous recipe Beef Bourginon but all the recipes that I looked up were so complex and expensive…I mean Julia Child was classically trained in France.  I was sooo excited to find this modified recipe in Cosmo.  Check it out :)

Bangin Salmon (in the words of Marrion J.)

New Obsession

farmers market :)

What I ate today: Stir-fry on the fly

Life is like a box of chocolates...

Groupon to the rescue!  A 3 hour hand-on chocolate making class 2 blocks away is GOLD.  I was so excited. THIS is what I live for.  ok maybe not, but I was really geeked.  I showed up and I was even more excited that this is a black owned business!!! Please support Canady Le Chocolatier  on 8th and wabash and other black-owned businesses.  I love my community :)  He was really nice and it was so interesting because he actually gave us a history lesson about the history of chocolate and the different types. 

Then we proceeded to the back of the kitchen and make all sorts of goodies.  I made almond drages which are my new favorite dessert (recipe below).

200 g of whole almonds
75 g of sugar
25 ml of water
100 g of tempered chocolate
½ piece of vanila bean

Add together, put the stove on medium and mix till you get carmelized goodness!