I want to smack Miley Cyrus AND Annie Leibovitz.

Miley works for Disney.  Seems like she is old enough to know that she is too young to take her shirt off for pictures.  And Ms. Leibovitz is old enough to know that a child who makes her living appealing to children shouldn’t pose in provocative photos.  Man!

(CNN) — Annie Leibovitz on Monday defended her provocative photograph for Vanity Fair magazine of teen heartthrob Miley Cyrus — aka Hannah Montana — who has expressed embarrassment about the pose.

A photo of Miley Cyrus in Vanity Fair was meant to be artistic, said the teen superstar.

“I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted,” the celebrity photographer said in a written statement. “Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.”

The statement came a day after the 15-year-old apologized to her fans for her participation in the photo shoot, which took place February 9 in Calabasas, California.

“My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy,” Cyrus said in a written statement. “For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie.

“I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. The pictures of me on the Internet were silly, inappropriate shots.

Read the rest here.

I much prefer the logic of Sophie Simmons on Gene Simmons Family Jewels.  When a photographer came with wardrobe and told Sophie she had something really sexy for her, Sophie reminded her that she was 14 and sexy wasn’t really appropriate.  Thank God some famous kids have their head screwed on  properly.

Remember when I told you about TasteBook?

Want your own, or better yet, need a gift for Mother’s Day?

Gear Diary has a chance for you to win your very own, super cool, customizable cook book. Many of you have seen mine at the salon and know that it is a lovely, quality book. All you have to do to win is click on over to Gear Diary and leave a comment that includes your favorite dish and/or recipe. (At this writing, there are only three comments and there are three codes to give away! Pretty good odds, eh?)

Gear Diary has received codes to create three TasteBooks, and we are giving them away so that you can give mom (or yourself!) a truly personal and tasty gift this Mother’s Day.

Entry is simple - just leave a comment naming your all-time favorite dish. It doesn’t have to be something you actually know how to make - but there will be bonus points if you leave a recipe, or if you post a link back to the contest from your own blog.

The give-away will end on May 1st at midnight CST.

Go take this very quick quiz and find out!

When you are done, it gives you suggestions of travel you might like.

Here’s mine. I have highlighted the parts I found especially precise.

As a mid-venturer, your personality fits between venturers and those more in the center of the personality spectrum (”centrics”). You share a number of characteristics in common with pure venturers. You like to travel, especially to foreign destinations and you seek new experiences and new destinations for almost all trips you take. You are also physically active at home and on trips. But, unlike your pure venturer friends, you don’t want to take such extreme vacations and are more likely to plan your trips-set an itinerary of places you want to visit and schedules when you will be there. You also have more company. About 17% of the population has a personality that matches yours, vs. only 4% for pure venturers.

Your venturesome spirit leads you to seek out unique and interesting places to visit and especially to make each leisure trip different from others that you have taken. You may want to return to a place that seemed interesting but you didn’t have time to explore on an earlier visit, but usually you simply want to try something new. However, there’s a big difference between you and your true venturer friends: you like a comfortable bed at night (no sleeping under the stars), a warm shower, and meals that you can trust rather than taking a chance on native foods. You listen carefully to the unique travel tales of your friends and associates, or read heavily, to learn about the hidden, but interesting out of the way places that others have not yet become popular or have only recently gotten some publicity. The press has given your group a name — the jet-set. Your interest in what’s new and what’s happening leads you to be one of the first to visit destinations that seem to have a new ambience, or book a few days at a new spa or resort you read about in a travel magazine, or tour a country that until recently was closed to visitors. Travel providers absolutely love you because you are central in making new destinations popular. Airlines, hotels and restaurants should give you special treatment since they benefit from the travel choices you make. You’ll tell your friends about a great trip you just had and they will want to do the same when they get some time off.

Like pure venturers, you like adventure travel — but of a different type. Physical exertion is fine, if it isn’t extreme. If you took a bicycle tour of New England in the fall, you want to stop at interesting places for lunch and bed down at night in a quaint inn, rather than sleep out under the stars. And you prefer to have a van follow behind to pick you up and ride to the next overnight stop in case you or your partner feel a bit exhausted.

History holds a great fascination for many mid-venturers. But if you’ve seen Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower, or traced Paul Revere’s route in New England, you don’t need to repeat the experience. Rather, you’d prefer to stop in lesser known old cities and enjoy the ambience created by old buildings that exude their own sense of importance and romance, especially if they’re not listed in guide books. To discover an ancient monastery, old fort or historic building quite by chance and wander through quiet interiors unhampered by crowds, offers an opportunity to imagine what mysteries it holds and tales of romance or tragedy.

Even your media habits don’t follow the norm. Typically you read more than most — books, magazines and newspapers — and watch TV less. When you turn on the “tube,” you are much less likely to prefer any of the top ten sitcoms or “soaps.” Instead, you’ll seek out dramas, special news magazine format shows, and selected sports (as football and basketball; you have less interest in baseball or hockey). Consistent with your travel interests, you particularly like fact based television shows or dramas in a historic setting, and programs that explain the workings of some of our modern marvels. You hold definitive opinions about much of what you see happening in the world, especially politics, and strongly prefer commentators who agree with your views.

Exercise and good health habits — proper diet, some use of vitamins and supplements, and following a disciplined routine to get enough sleep and exercise, even when you travel — are more likely to be part of your daily commitment than is true for most people you know. You may prefer participating in individual sports, such as skiing or singles tennis, rather than those that are more social such as golf or bowling. You are likely to own exercise equipment at home, a treadmill or a stair climber.

You like technology and probably have a heavy loading of it as part of your daily life. Typically you will not be the first to try out new hi-tech products-that distinction belongs to the pure venturers. You’re likely get on the bandwagon when they new product or service has shown that it has some relevance to your daily business or home life. But you are still willing to buy these items long before they have become so popular that they have dropped dramatically in price. More than is true for most groups included in this personality scale, you are likely to be an opinion leader. Since you show a willingness to accept innovation and change, but with a common sense attitude about it (use what is good and discard what doesn’t help in some way), others look to you for guidance and direction on what to buy, choices to make in their lives, and the kinds of trips that they might like to take. This combination of character traits-mild risk taking, common sense in the decisions you make, and a friendly and outgoing personality-usually contributes to success in your career. More than most, you are likely to hold a senior position of responsibility in your company and will continue to advance in the future.

In looking for destinations that will satisfy your intellectual curiosity, seek out those that measure higher for venturers. You share so many traits in common with that group that most of these places will help ensure that your next trip will hold the enjoyment and contribute to the kinds of memories that you want. But make certain these places have adequate hotels and restaurants.

Click here to learn which destinations provide the most satisfying vacation experiences.

Texas and Georgia are six years old now. For a Great Dane, that’s not young. Georgia is as spry as ever and has only a small amount of gray in her black coat. Texas, The Old Man with lots of gray, occasionally shows signs of a painful hip. It’s by no means debilitating for him, and he seems perfectly fine except for a handful of times a year when he seems to really be in pain.

My sister has worked in the veterinary industry for ages and has recently become involved in the holistic area of veterinary practice. She is currently in the planning stages of opening an integrative practice where animals can be treated with the best of all modalities.

When Texas had his last episode this week, I emailed her for advice on what direction to go for the poor old guy. Her answer was so thorough and helpful, that I thought I would share it here in case any of you had similar troubles.

We will be at the Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue at 6:30 - 7:00 (ish).  We have reserved space for the Azarra crew and friends.  We’d love to have you join us, but there are other places you can go that are part of the event.

Participating restaurants

Ah, hair shows.

Much more fun (and much more work!) for the people who put on the show than for the people who attend.

The audience gets to sit for hours and (with any luck) be educated and entertained (I think they call that “infotainment.”) while the staff runs about in controlled chaos making the magic happen. It is a long, exhausting process.

It started Sunday afternoon in Seattle for the model call (that’s where the models come to be screened and consulted so that we can build the show around them.) These were all volunteer models that come from a craigslist post. In stark contrast to many platform artists I have seen over the years, my group will go out of their way to please the models. We want no crying here!

Sunday is also setup day. Pack in all the color and other supplies we will need and take over a hotel guest room to use as the salon.

Monday morning (bright and freaking early) we set the conference room with all the literature, AV equipment, and plastic for the floor of the stage area. Between the guest room and the stage, we use two rolls of plastic sheeting to protect all the floors and furniture. (Getting haircolor on the hotel property means we have to pay to replace it. Yikes!)

Show starts at 10:00 AM. We were setting up at 8:00 AM. We vacated the hotel at 7:00 PM. (And then we went up the road to have a drink and a wrap-up meeting!)

Since I was working the back room at this event, I was able to take pictures of the process. I have posted them (including a number of before and after shots of models) on Flickr (which is completely new to me and I am giving it a try, so I haven’t yet figured it all out).

You can see them here.

I wore myself out just telling you about it! I think I need a nap.

Ever wonder what your favorite stylists do on their days off?

Sunday Carrie was back at the Harmon Building shaving heads for the St. Baldrick’s fund raiser for childhood cancer research.

Click here to see the pictures taken by (Azarra client) Leslie Bernard.

The Azarra staff will be Dining Out For Life next Thursday, April 24.  If you want to join us, we’ll be at the Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue around 6:30 or so.

If you need a list of other places to go, check this out.

Hello Cupcake is one of our neighborhood businesses.  I thought you might like to read this article from Cakespy, a Seattle based blog about cake.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Batter Chatter: Interview with Reina Miller of hello, cupcake in Tacoma, WA

Cakespy Note: This interview also appeared on our Cakespy Seattle outpost!

Let’s face it–between the paper-mill aroma and the collapsing bridges, Tacoma doesn’t have the best reputation. But have you been there recently? Like whoa. Downtown Tacoma has undergone a massive revitalization and has become quite the budding art scene, what with its gorgeous museums, newly-renovated airy artist lofts, and a thriving UW campus. But really, to the Cakespy crew, the most exciting part of this revitalization is hello, cupcake, a cupcake shop whose wares have been aptly described as “coo-worthy”. Walking into hello, cupcake is like becoming a child again: there’s no turning back once you’re greeted by an intricate cupcake mosaic tile design on the floor, on a crash course toward sugar overload…but then again, why would you want to? The cupcakes are not only adorable but delicious, with a tender, moist crumb and creamy, rich frosting which melts oh-so pleasingly in your mouth (not your hand). Recently, we had a chance to talk cupcake with one of the owners, Reina Miller; here’s what we found out about life, love and the pursuit of cupcake nirvana:

Read the rest of the article here.

I posted the basic recipe for squash soup earlier, but never gave you pictures.

The fabulous thing about this recipe is that it lends itself so easily to many variations. Since I had my new smoked paprika on hand, the decision was made to try a Mediterranean version.

Here is what varied from the original recipe:

I didn’t plan far enough ahead, so there was no time to roast and cool the veggies. So it was time to get to chopping them while raw. I peeled the squash and apples.

I browned the garlic a bit in olive oil before turning down the heat and adding the onions. After the onions were softened, I added Kosher Salt, Oregano, Rosemary and Smoked Paprika.

I continued this on medium heat until the aroma rose up and filled the kitchen (5 minutes-ish) then added two pints of hard cider, effectively de-glazing the pan and building the broth. When well incorporated, I added 1 quart of my own frozen chicken stock in big chunks and all the chopped vegetables and brought the pot to a boil.

After we got a good rolling boil and all the frozen stock was incorporated, I put on the lid and set it to simmer.

You know it is done when you push the squash against the wall of the pot and it disintegrates. (Taste now to decide if you need any additional salt or pepper.)

I use an immersion (stick) blender to puree in the pan. I had an assortment of toppings at the table, sour cream, crème fraîche, and grated Parmesan.

Variations:

French (delicate): Herbs de Provence, shallots, champagne

Asian (spicy): Five Spice, cayenne pepper, Japanese beer

Thai: ginger, stir in coconut milk before serving

Anyone have any other ideas they would like to add?

Thanks to Exit133 I see we are having a meeting so they can give us the scoop:

Pacific Paving Project Open House

Remember the paving project on Pacific Avenue? Well, as the date approaches, more details are emerging. The City of Tacoma is hosting an open house on Thursday, April 10, to provide details of the upcoming project. The project team will share the preliminary plans and schedule for the project, which runs on Pacific Avenue between South 17th and South 25th streets and South 25th Street from Pacific Avenue to C Street. Sidewalks and curb and gutter will also be repaired where needed.

Construction is slated to start in the summer of 2008 – after the Tall Ships Festival – and is scheduled to be complete by the end of fall 2008. No construction work will take place during the Tall Ships Festival.

Details
Thursday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Greater Tacoma Convention Center lobby
1500 Broadway
For more information about the open house or the Pacific Avenue improvement project, visit www.cityoftacoma.org/PacAve.

Another school has banned a kid over a haircut.  Has the whole world gone mad?

Tavis chose the hairstyle himself

A three-year-old boy has been banned from his Tyneside nursery school class for his trendy “tramlines” haircut.

The mother of Tavis Cook was told the youngster’s distinctive hairdo broke the rules of Riverside primary School in North Shields.

Donna Cook has been told to keep her son away until his hair grows back.

Read the rest of the story here.

The really great thing about making a rack of lamb (I really like the Australian from Costco) for just two people is that there will be leftovers.  I cook it so that the ends are medium rare and the center is more rare.  Then when I want to reheat the leftovers, they take just a minute on each side in a hot skillet and they are perfect!

So, to begin:  mince four cloves of garlic and a good handful of rosemary.  Cover it with good extra virgin olive oil and let it sit for a few hours.  When you are read to rub the lamb, add enough kosher salt to make it a paste and spread evenly.  Let that sit at leat 30 minutes.  (I always bring my meats to room temperature before cooking.)

Add olive oil to cover the bottom of a smoking hot cast iron skillet.  Sear lamb a couple of minutes on all sides, then place pan in oven preheated to 350 degrees.  Cook until about 130 degrees in the center, then remove from pan and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Bring 3 cups of chicken stock (or broth) and one can of Niblets (or other super sweet corn in water) to a simmer.  Sprinkle in 1 cup of polenta, stirring constantly.   When polenta begins to thicken, add 1 cup of grated Parmesan (Regiano, if you please!)  Stir until cheese disappears.  Reduce heat to very low and stir occasionally until plating.  Add butter, salt & pepper to taste.

Spread polenta on platter, then place lamb chops on top and garnish with rosemary.

Carrie emailed me today that our landlord, Fred Roberson, had just come into the salon to tell us that we would be losing our much beloved parking spaces in the alley.  I immediately began thinking of how we would handle this and asked her for the details.

Her response?

“April Fools!”

Man, I hate that!  I have been walking around all day with a thin veneer of disbelief applied to everything I read or hear.  I will be glad when it is over, and so will the people at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

Help me understand why people enjoy this kind of thing!

The only beef stroganoff my husband and his friend (a bachelor and frequent dinner guest) had ever had was Hamburger Helper.  It was a regularly featured meal in my childhood home, but one I had never made as an adult.  (Probably because I am the only one that likes mushrooms and it never occurred to me to make it without.)

I dug around on the Food Network’s page and found Robert Irvine’s Big Top Beef Stroganoff (from Dinner: Impossible, which I love!)

Then I called my mother and got the family recipe.  It turns out that this recipe came from the back of a Lucerne milk carton (many years ago) and become the de facto family favorite.

Then I was faced with a difficult choice of the old family recipe (that I hadn’t eaten in almost thirty years) and the new.  They are VERY different.  Compare:

Big Top Beef Stroganoff

2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

See this recipe on air Wednesday Apr. 09 at 10:30 PM ET/PT.

Show:
Dinner: Impossible

Episode:
Circus Juggline

1 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, as needed to sear steaks
1 (2 to 3-pound) beef bottom round roast, julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 large white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade, and minced
2 cups (about 6 ounces) white mushrooms, cleaned trimmed, and sliced
2 cups red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 pound egg noodles
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan which should be large enough to accommodate the mushrooms, wine and beef.

Season beef with salt, pepper, and paprika, and set aside briefly.

To the heated pan, add white onion and garlic and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until they give up their juices.

Add the beef strips to the pan, pour red wine, pouring over the meat, and allow the wine to reduce by half. Add beef stock and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and allow meat to braise until it is fork tender, about 25 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the noodles.

Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and mushrooms from pan, cover and keep in a warm place. Allow liquids to reduce and thicken with the pan uncovered.
While the beef stock is reducing, boil the egg noodles until al dente.

Remove sauce from heat and whisk in sour cream and horseradish (which will add stroganoff flavor and stabilize the sauce). Return meat and mushrooms to sauce.

Drain egg noodles well and spoon stroganoff over. Garnish with parsley.

Family (Lucerne) Recipe

1 - 1.5# round steak

1 cube butter

1# mushrooms

1 onion

1T soy sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 can tomato paste

1 C sour cream

Melt butter, saute onions; when softened, add mushrooms

Thinly slice steak (easier if slightly frozen)

Add steak to mushrooms & onions

In separate bowl, mix tomato soup and paste, soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste, then add to meat mixture

Cover and simmer 45-60 minutes

Stir in sour cream and serve over rice

I went to my local gourmet grocery, Metropolitan Market and talked to my butcher.  His opinion was that although tenderloin was the traditional meat of choice and round steak would do, sirloin was the best choice for flavor, tenderness and price.  I took his word for it and let him select one about 1.5 pounds.

I had also never used smoked paprika and was all fired up to try it (and this is the market where such things can be procured.)

So, the decision was made.  I would take Robert Irvine’s recipe and tweak it for my family (which means no mushrooms and no horseradish!)

Aura’s Choice Stroganoff

1.5# top sirloin steak, julienned

1 bag white pearl onions, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thwacked with the side of the knife

1T sweet smoked paprika

Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

2C red wine

2C beef broth

After slicing meat, sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and paprika.  Toss meat so all slices have been seasoned.

Cover the bottom of a smoking hot cast iron skillet with olive oil and add the meat (in batches) searing on both sides.  When browned, remove each batch to a dutch oven.

When all meat has been browned and removed, add onions to skillet.  Toss frequently until browned and softened, then add garlic and when garlic has taken on some color, dump contents over the meat in the dutch oven.

Add wine and cook until liquid has reduced visibly.

Add beef broth, cover and simmer 35 minutes (until meat can be pulled apart and is not chewy.)

In a large pot, boil a gallon of salted water.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out solids and evacuate (still have that skillet handy?)  Whisking often, cook the liquid for 15 minutes to reduce (now is a good time to add any more seasonings if it isn’t quite right, or to add more broth if you don’t think you have enough sauce.)

Add one 12oz bag of wide egg noodles to boiling water.

Whisk in sour cream and return meat to sauce to bring back to temperature.

Serve meat and sauce over noodles; garnish with parsley.