Essie's Fear or Desire

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This past week I wore Essie's Fear or Desire on my fingernails and while I was reluctant to give this one a try, I loved it!!  I was off from work for some of last week and so I initially wanted to do a blue or green polish since I can never wear those during the weekdays.  But I needed to try this out and the bright color did seem summery.  Well I am so glad I tried this out because this is my favorite orange polish!This required at least two polishes for complete coverage.  For some reason I'm having cuticle drag issues with the Essie Summer 2012 polishes.  Maybe I just got a goopy batch.  This is also with base and top coats. I like red orange polishes but sometimes they can seem a bit harsh against my skin tone.  Fear or Desire is a muted neon orange (if that even makes any sense).  Looks great with a tan and is a perfect pop of color for the summer (makes me think of popsicles)!

Oh and thank you to my lovely pug assistant, Sunny, for helping me to model this polish!

Essie's All Tied Up

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Oh man I've had some polish photos sitting around for a while, waiting for me to post them!  Oops!  Here's Essie's All Tied Up from its summer 2012 collection.  I was a bit confused by this polish because it didn't seem exactly summery.  It's a beautiful dusty rose with some gold shimmer, but definitely not my taste.  It looked a bit grandmotherly on me.  It's also a bit of a pain to remove because of the shimmer, but application was pretty smooth.  Two coats, with base and upper coats.  
Anyways, here are some photos of the polish with my helpful model, Sunny.

Essie's Cascade Cool

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Here are a couple photos I took ages ago of Essie's Cascade Cool, from its summer 2012 collection.  It's a beautiful and fun cool pink.  Pretty good application.  This is two coats, with base and top coats.  This was one of my favorites from the collection because I have a hard time finding pink polishes with my skin color.  It's a bit Barbie-ish but I think that's part of why I love it!

LET'S TOUR HADDON HALL

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Haddon Hall is a well-preserved 12th century medieval manor house we had the great luck to tour. It also had the added benefit of a pretty chapel.

Haddon Hall has shown up in loads of British films including Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightly), several versions of Jane Eyre and The Princess Bride. I will have to watch these movies again and keep an eye out for bits and pieces of this estate.
     


                                                                The Long Gallery
             Ever wonder how you could possibly make this room livable?  See the pic below.


This photo was on display to show how a previous family turned it into a very comfortable room.
Again, I'm thinking of a dark and stormy night, crackling fire, lamps lit for reading, tea and toast.



   The gardens were more inviting than I expected.  Look at that well-designed herb garden next to the mottled walls. Those straight lines are so appealing along with the bright and pale greens.

 
                                                               The upper gardens


The lower gardens

                        The pretty chapel is attached to the property.  Also very well-preserved.
                                    Don't you think the purple lilacs are just the right touch?


This is the marble sculpture of Lord Haddon, the young son of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, who died too young.  His mother, the Duchess, designed and sculpted the effigy.  Sweet and heartbreaking.


Most of the wall paintings were done during the Reformation period (16th century).  I'm assuming that is Henry VIII standing there in the middle between the windows looking ready for a fight. 

                                               A pretty pattern that reminds me of Istanbul.



                                The leaves and flowers bring a light feeling to the chapel.


                                                                   This is perfection.

MINESTRONE with SPINACH

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My friend, Jennifer, directed me to Aesthetic Nest a while ago, and although I don't knit, sew, or crochet, I can appreciate the talent of this lovely blogger.  Yesterday morning, I popped over to see what Aesthetic Nest was doing and found this soup recipe.  It has been cold here in the low desert, and I had most of the ingredients including spinach fresh from the garden.  With a slight tweak, I've adapted the recipe to suit what I had in my pantry.  I am so glad that I doubled the recipe--it is delicious!



Minestrone with Spinach - adapted from Aesthetic Nest

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 T olive oil
• 5 cups (40 oz) chicken stock
• 1 lb diced tomatoes with their juice
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 large carrot sliced about ¼” thick
• 4-5 large handfuls of spinach leaves 
• 1 14.5 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 T Herbs de Provence
• 1/2 T sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 c. macaroni or shells (I used wheat shells)
• 2T balsamic
• Salt and pepper
• 2 T coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• Grated parmesan

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, carrot, zucchini, herbs, sugar and bay leaf.Cover partially and simmer until the carrots are tender, at least 20 minutes. Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, until al dente, 8-10 minutes more. Add the spinach and stir it until it is wilted.Add the beans and simmer until they are warmed through. Add the balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with freshly ground salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan.

Essie's Fear or Desire

To contact us Click HERE
This past week I wore Essie's Fear or Desire on my fingernails and while I was reluctant to give this one a try, I loved it!!  I was off from work for some of last week and so I initially wanted to do a blue or green polish since I can never wear those during the weekdays.  But I needed to try this out and the bright color did seem summery.  Well I am so glad I tried this out because this is my favorite orange polish!This required at least two polishes for complete coverage.  For some reason I'm having cuticle drag issues with the Essie Summer 2012 polishes.  Maybe I just got a goopy batch.  This is also with base and top coats. I like red orange polishes but sometimes they can seem a bit harsh against my skin tone.  Fear or Desire is a muted neon orange (if that even makes any sense).  Looks great with a tan and is a perfect pop of color for the summer (makes me think of popsicles)!

Oh and thank you to my lovely pug assistant, Sunny, for helping me to model this polish!

Essie's All Tied Up

To contact us Click HERE
Oh man I've had some polish photos sitting around for a while, waiting for me to post them!  Oops!  Here's Essie's All Tied Up from its summer 2012 collection.  I was a bit confused by this polish because it didn't seem exactly summery.  It's a beautiful dusty rose with some gold shimmer, but definitely not my taste.  It looked a bit grandmotherly on me.  It's also a bit of a pain to remove because of the shimmer, but application was pretty smooth.  Two coats, with base and upper coats.  
Anyways, here are some photos of the polish with my helpful model, Sunny.

Essie's Cascade Cool

To contact us Click HERE
Here are a couple photos I took ages ago of Essie's Cascade Cool, from its summer 2012 collection.  It's a beautiful and fun cool pink.  Pretty good application.  This is two coats, with base and top coats.  This was one of my favorites from the collection because I have a hard time finding pink polishes with my skin color.  It's a bit Barbie-ish but I think that's part of why I love it!

LET'S TOUR HADDON HALL

To contact us Click HERE
Haddon Hall is a well-preserved 12th century medieval manor house we had the great luck to tour. It also had the added benefit of a pretty chapel.

Haddon Hall has shown up in loads of British films including Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightly), several versions of Jane Eyre and The Princess Bride. I will have to watch these movies again and keep an eye out for bits and pieces of this estate.
     


                                                                The Long Gallery
             Ever wonder how you could possibly make this room livable?  See the pic below.


This photo was on display to show how a previous family turned it into a very comfortable room.
Again, I'm thinking of a dark and stormy night, crackling fire, lamps lit for reading, tea and toast.



   The gardens were more inviting than I expected.  Look at that well-designed herb garden next to the mottled walls. Those straight lines are so appealing along with the bright and pale greens.

 
                                                               The upper gardens


The lower gardens

                        The pretty chapel is attached to the property.  Also very well-preserved.
                                    Don't you think the purple lilacs are just the right touch?


This is the marble sculpture of Lord Haddon, the young son of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, who died too young.  His mother, the Duchess, designed and sculpted the effigy.  Sweet and heartbreaking.


Most of the wall paintings were done during the Reformation period (16th century).  I'm assuming that is Henry VIII standing there in the middle between the windows looking ready for a fight. 

                                               A pretty pattern that reminds me of Istanbul.



                                The leaves and flowers bring a light feeling to the chapel.


                                                                   This is perfection.

Seven Layer Bars - Again (Improved, if possible)

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I've posted about similar bars before but I made them again this time tweaking a different recipe--the classic recipe from Eagle Brand (makers of the delicious sweetened condensed milk).

I made slight changes including doubling the portion of the crust--oh, my.

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter, melted (this is twice the amount in the original recipe)
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs (also twice the amount in the original recipe)
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 oz) butterscotch chips
1 cup (6 oz) chocolate chips (I used the 60% cacao chips)
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut (I used unsweetened, flaked coconut)
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)



Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by lining it with foil (leave a bit hanging over the ends) and spraying the foil lightly with non-stick spray (I use Baker's Joy).

Combine the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs, mixing well.  Press the crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumb mixture.  Layer evenly the remaining ingredients; press down firmly with a fork.

Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.  After bars are cooled, lift the foil edges and remove bars from pan. Cut into individual bars.

Essie's Off The Shoulder

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Here's Essie's Off The Shoulder, a bright hot pink from their summer 2012 collection.  I am not normally a pink person but I loved this one and wore it for over a week (which is a long time for me!).  This is 2 coats with a base and top.  Application was pretty good but I needed the second coat to smooth out streaks and bald spots.  This is an amazing color for the summer and even though it's a hot pink I think it's fine for most offices.

Essie's Bikini So Teeny

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I almost forgot to take a photo of Essie's Bikini So Teeny before I took it off so I took just a quick single photo (sorry no pug model this time).  This is the color Essie's summer 2012 collection is named after and it's a fantastic cool bright blue.  Essie describes it as a cornflower blue, but it's much cooler, lighter, and neon-y than another cornflower blue polish, Lapis of Luxury.  This is with 2 coats, with a base coat and top coat.  I had this on for a long weekend and it held up well.  I always love Essie polishes because they never chip on me even though I am brutal with my nails.  I also got a lot of compliments on this color.  I'll definitely be revisiting this polish soon!