Last post of 2010....

I had big plans for my very last post of 2010.

But, like most of this year, my day took a few turns and I ended up flying by the seat of my pants...and not having enough time to write the post I intended to. Usually I would beat myself up about missing a deadline and "letting my readers down" but I have a strong feeling that you guys don't mind too much.

I just wanted to quickly stop by and wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year :)

I will be spending mine with family and friends - I hope that you're all able to spend it with your loved ones as well!!!

See you in 2011!

xoxoxo

2010 is winding down...

.....and I'm busy cooking up something special for my last post of the year!

::Serious blogging face::

So be sure to check back on Friday to see what I have in store for you!

Let us begin...

[[Today’s music]]

(1) FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE – KISS WITH A FIST

This song pumps me up like no other.

And come on, who doesn’t like a catchy danceable jam?

I know I sure do.

(2) JAY Z FEAT. MR HUDSON - YOUNG FOREVER

[[Today’s restaurant]]

DUFFY’S CHERRY CRICKET – DENVER COLORADO

[[Today's blog findings]]

While going through my daily "blog check" (which is where I peruse through the many blogs I follow) today I came across a lot of pictures that I find interesting, funny, cool, beautiful, and/or wonderful in one way or another:

[[Today's kitchen gadgets]]

(1) CAKE LIFTER

(2) RECIPE DIVIDER MAGNET

[[Today's news]]

NUTRITION LABELS ARE COMING TO MEAT

"Well, it only took 10 years, but finally the feds have put out a new set of regulations that will require most meat sold in grocery stores to carry nutrition labels.

Now, don't go badgering the butcher just yet. The new ruleswon't take effect until the start of 2012. That will give him and the rest of the food industry time to get their label makers ready.

The labels will be sort of like the ones already on most packaged foods. They'll show how many calories and how much fat, cholesterol, and other nutrients are contained in a standard serving of that kind of meat or poultry, such as a tenderloin steak or chicken breast.

Why do we need meat labels? It's pretty common to see ground meat that's already labeled as 90 percent lean, right. Well, the officials say current labels that just say don't give consumers enough information about how much fat they'd eat by buying a particular variety of meat. (Here's an overview.)

Food and nutrition guru Marion Nestle told USA Today the labels "be very helpful to people who are bewildered by what's in meat." But, she predicted, "people will be quite shocked at the calories and fat."

If you can't wait for the labels but are patient with the Internet, you can round up some of the nutrition information yourself. Here's a ground beef calculator the Agriculture Department's research shop devised. Or for a broader range of meats and other foods, you can search in this big but not very friendly database, also from the USDA."

Nutrition Labels Are Coming To Meat : Shots - Health News Blog : NPR

[[Today’s random]]

THRUSH

I love this.

[[Today’s food clip]]

(1) HILAH COOKING - HOW TO MAKE TAMALES

(2) FOOD WISHES – GARLIC SPAGHETTI

[[Today's curly head]]

TOM HANKS

Christmastastic

Hellooooo everyone!!

How was your weekend?

Mine was just down right Christmastastic!

I spent a majority of it with my family at my aunt and uncles house.

We sang, we drank, we ate (A LOT), we opened presents, we played games- it was tons of fun :D

And come on, let's face it - nothing says "Merry Christmas chef Jenna" like kitchen gadgets, appliances, utensils, and culinary gifts galore!!!

Black family Christmas.

I think we looked pretty spiffy if I do say so myself :D

I don't have much else to say tonight.

Crazy right? It is very rare that I have little to say, but it happens.

Enjoy your week everyone :)

Let us begin...

[[Today's music]]

(1) PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA - PERPETUUM MOBILE

I love this song.

I listen to it every single day.

It makes whatever I'm doing at the moment seem very important and monumental lol.

[[Today's restaurant]]

CHEF MAVRO - HAWAII

"Chef Mavro restaurant is completely dedicated to food and wine pairing. Menus change four times a year with the seasons. Instead of a wine list, each menu selection is presented with a wine pairing. Wines are preselected by top sommelier Todd Ashline, who then conducts a food & wine pairing committee of 25 staff members and invited guests in a blind tasting of 5-6 wines with each new recipe. A democratic vote of the committee determines the food & wine pairings for the next seasonal menu.

Chef Mavro offers private “Food Network-style” cooking classes in his kitchen themed “Cooking for the Love of It!” which provide hands-on experiences with the chef followed by a three-course gourmet lunch."

Chef Mavro Restaurant - Honolulu Hawaii

[[Today's blog findings]]

While going through my daily "blog check" (which is where I peruse through the many blogs I follow) today I came across a lot of pictures that I find interesting, funny, cool, beautiful, and/or wonderful in one way or another:

[[Today's kitchen gadget]]

HANDHELD SMOKER: THE SMOKING GUN BY POLYSCIENCE

[[Today's news]]

MARKET WATCH: HOW TO BUY AVOCADOS AT THEIR BEST

"Choosing the right avocado for the season can be surprisingly tricky, even or especially at farmers markets. Good choices are available all year, but a knowledgeable buyer needs to juggle four factors: variety, season, growing area and fruit size. Every month or two the scenario changes, requiring buyers to stay nimble.

Avocados are valued chiefly for their oil content, which gives them their buttery texture and flavor. The trees bloom in the spring and the earliest varieties start to bear in late autumn. At the beginning of the season, oil levels in most varieties are low; these increase as the months go by, but this change is not very evident from the fruit's outward appearance.

In fact, to keep growers from prematurely harvesting fruit that will disappoint buyers with its low oil content, the California Avocado Commissionpublishes a schedule of maturity release dates, organized by variety and fruit size. This calendar, which changes somewhat each year depending on the maturity of the crop, applies to all growers, at farmers markets as well as commercial shippers."

Want to read more?

Market Watch: How to buy avocados at their best - latimes.com

[[Today’s random]]

(1) MOROCCO & SPAIN

(2) MAZZO – AMSTERDAM

"In Amsterdam's restaurant scene, the names of Bert van der Leden, Douwe Werkman and Rob Wagemans pop up constantly, and usually all together. Werkman and van der Leden wield their influence through IQ Creative, a restaurant and hospitality conglomerate that is best known for the Supperclubs around the world, but also operates Witteveen, Nomads, Vyne, Envy and Nevy in Amsterdam.

For interior, architectural and conceptual creative output, they turn most often to Concrete of Amsterdam, a 25-member company founded in 1997 by the 37-year-old Wagemans. Concrete is a kit of three companies: Concrete Architectural Associates (architecture, design concepts), Concrete Reinforced (urban design) and Models+Monsters (scale models).

The prolific gentlemen's latest cooperation is Mazzo. It is a cool reincarnation of a notorious disco in a strange and ugly building on Rozengracht. The building may be odd but not that unusual in Amsterdam. Its spaces of varying heights and widths could have posed a problem, but for Concrete, they offered an opportunity to create an inviting yet industrial-feeling atmosphere and a place that is flexible without seeming temporary.

Mismatched chairs, exposed brick walls, rough wooden shelving, sepia-toned images and GUBI and MOOOI lighting manage to give the mismatched spaces a cozy sense of an impromptu meeting place where moms could meet for lunch and moguls could convene for an important deal."

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1811/mazzo--amsterdam

(3) MIRACLE ON 22ND ST

"Two New York City men feel a tremendous responsibility to respond properly when they mysteriously receive hundreds of letters addressed to Santa Claus at their Chelsea apartment."

Miracle on 22nd St from sarah klein on Vimeo.

[[Today's food clips]]

KWANZA TRADITIONS

[[Today's curly head]]

FAY WRAY