Lorraine's Cuisine: Chocolate Pate with Raspberry Sauce

I don't believe I've discussed this before ... but I do love to cook. I consider myself an "amateur" foodie. Not an expert ... but definitely a connoisseur of good food. And so ... since we speak about elegance, style, and beauty ... I truly believe we can't leave out some of the simplest pleasures in life:  Food.  Therefore, I decided to share some of my favorite recipes with you. From my kitchen to yours as a new blog feature:  Lorraine's Cuisine.

And bien sur ... let's just start out with a bang, n'est-ce pas? Let's go straight to chocolate ... and not just any chocolate, let's start at the mother load of all chocolate dishes up my sleeve: Chocolate Pate'.

What I love about this recipe is that it is bursting with flavor, elegance, and yet ... it truly is easy.  My fave!!  Something that takes a minimal amount of effort, but tastes like you slaved in the kitchen for ages!!  And, for those of you who are true 100% made from scratch Foodies ... I know some of this may offend ... but I'm being realistic here.  Sometimes we need elegance but don't have the time to do everything from scratch.  That's where this recipe comes in.  A realistic guilty pleasure!

So, let's get started ... I promise ... just reading this recipe will transport you to Chocolate Heaven!

Ingredients:
PATE:
      16 oz. quality bittersweet chocolate (and don't go cheap on this ... a really good one or not all all!  I promise it's worth it!)
      1/4 cup red wine or Zinfandel 
        (for non alcoholic drinkers, a dark red cooking sherry will do ... but you truly want this to balance out the flavors)
      1/4 cup heavy cream

SAUCE:
      seedless raspberry jam

GARNISH:
      whole red raspberries

Directions:
      Line the bottom of a small, straight-sided loaf pan (9” X 2½“X 2”) or pate mold with parchment paper (wax paper also works if you don't have parchment). Combine the pate ingredients in the top of a double boiler or heavy-bottomed pan. Cook gently on low heat for one or less minute, being careful not to overheat. Whisk just until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Return to heat briefly in between whisking if necessary. Pour into prepared mold or pan. Refrigerate over night (I've put this in the freezer for 4 hours in a pinch - pull out of freezer 15 minutes before you begin dinner and it should be just right when you're ready for dessert).

      To serve: Unmold the pate and remove paper. Slice with a knife that has been dipped in hot water. Melt the seedless raspberry jam in the microwave until sauce consistency. Put a dollop (turn on your inner chef and create a swirl or zig zag) of the melted jam on a plate and top with a slice of pate. Garnish with whole berries.

Notes:
      This pate is strictly for hard-core chocolate users!  Just a little bit goes a long way.  Eat slowly, letting the chocolate melt on your tongue.  It is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life!!


Now … what we all have been waiting for … Go to my Paper Crafting 2.0 page (up above) … Tevis has knocked one out of the park with her Coco inspired Paper Crafted necklace.  Here’s a teaser:

Freebie Friday 04/12/2013 and Coco's Electronic Fashion Picks

Well, Mes Amies,

I hope you are having a wonderful week! Are you having fun draping yourself in Coco's pearls of wisdom, checking out her "picks," and soaking in her wisdom? I definitely am!!

I wanted to share a few things today to help you in your quest for elegance AND style. Actually some tips that I think Coco would approve of, if she were with us today. Yes ... I'm talking about electronic fashion tips - whether you are on a strict clothing budget, maybe a little more "curvy" than the average girl, or for those who aren't quite sure yet what your style is. So let's get started!!



TIP #1 POLYVORE: For those of you who don't have a clue what to wear, what looks good on you, etc. One of the best things you can do is to not over-think it. Go with your gut. It's usually right. It's when we start looking at what everyone else is doing that we get into trouble. If we are in tune with our "true" inner self, we're usually on target. Not the inner self riddled with baggage who says "You're too fat," "You're not pretty enough," "You would look ridiculous." It's the true inner self that loves the "true you." The one that says ... "I'm worth this," "I CAN be elegant," and "I WANT to be stylish." So, as a little aid ... try out the App from Polyvore. It's awesome. It will allow you to explore looks, colors, and trends that "speak" to you, before you ever spend a penny. Whether you have Apple or Android products, there is an app for you. Check out your app store ... I promise you will love it!



TIP #2 POSHMARK: Have a beer budget, but Champagne taste? POSHMARK App is amazing. You can trade, buy, or sell clothing and accessories to other "girls" out there in the same position. Maybe you've lost weight and want to sell items that are still in great condition but a little too big, and then turn around and buy new clothes in your new size. You can on POSHMARK. My daughter started using this app and I have been absolutely amazed at how little she has paid for some really, really nice brands. Again ... it's an app that's available in your App store, whether for Apple or Android.



TIP #3 Gwynnie Bee (for Americans only - but for those of you living elsewhere ... this would be an amazing enterprise to start in your country!!): Are you a little curvier and want one of the most amazing opportunities to expand your wardrobe exponentially, but at a regular budget price point? Then go to Gwynnie Bee's. You are, in essence, renting clothing every month. You choose how many clothes you have out at one time, but you get to turn them in as many times as you want every single month (postage included). So, quite literally, for a set fee, you have unlimited wardrobe options. However, these are not tent dresses, mes amies, they are really stylish. You also have access to a style consultant to help you figure out what suits your body style. They are now offering sizes US 10-26. Seeing is believe with this site. You can click HERE to go directly to their site.

Alright mes amies ... it wouldn't be Friday if I didn't share a Freebie Friday, so here it is. What is so amazing to me is that the dress illustration is from 1932!!!! It definitely proves the point of Coco's Pearl! As always, feel free to click on the photo, right-click to save. However, no mass production - personal use only. Feel free to share or pin so that others can come here to get their own copy and help them on their way to Elegance and feeling Beautiful!



Have a Wonderful Weekend!!

Bonjour,

Lorraine

Creating our Lives

Well, mes amies ... how did your weekend go? Did you have time to take a look at your wardrobe and see if comfort still equaled elegance? I hope you did. I have to admit that this is something that I have been working on for the past several months. I happily hauled several bags of clothes off to either the battered women's shelter, the homeless shelter, or to women in my Church who needed the clothes more than I did. In return, I "had" to get some new clothes. LOL! I then proceeded to only purchase clothes that either:

1) I could foresee myself wearing 5 years from now (unless a miracle happened and I lost weight ... and then, Quelle Horreur!!! I'd have to go shopping again!!).
2) They were good quality clothing. They would actually last 5 years. With that being said, I refuse to not get a bargain, so this didn't mean that I've been spending all my money on clothes either. More about that later ... I have some great tips for you clothes horses, but that's another day.
3) They were truly "me." They accented my body type to its best advantage and they were colors that looked best on me.
and lastly,
4) They passed the "Do I LOVE it, not "just like it" test.

So ... if you're like me, you probably didn't finish the challenge I gave you over the weekend. That's okay. I still have drawers I haven't gone through. So, let's keep going, shall we? Only, now, let's add the four (4) new challenges I've just given you to the mix.

If you did try my challenge and looked for comfort and elegance (you can even change that out to excellence if you can't perceive yourself as elegant yet, but we're going to work on that, I promise!), then I congratulate you, and I also hope that you'll share your experiences. Please, when you have a moment, share your triumphs, challenges, and stories. We can all learn from and help each other!

In the meantime, I'm giving you another Coco's Pearl. It's a graphic I created for the Graphic's Fairy's Brag Monday party that I always participate in. I used her "freely given" label at the bottom of the graphic to highlight Coco's pearl (you can find her link to the right). I hope that you'll really take her wisdom to heart. Let's go forth and create our lives!!

Bonjour mes amies, and have a wonderful week!!!



P.S. As always, please feel free to click on the picture and then right-click to save to your computer. No mass production, please. However, please feel free to share via Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus so that others can get their own copy and join us in our quest.

Freebie Friday April 4/5/2013 or Coco's Spring Cleaning

One of the most revolutionary ideas that Coco Chanel offered, was that you could be comfortable AND elegant. No more corsets, no more fabrics that didn't breathe or move with your body. No more styles that didn't compliment your body. While, some may argue that it's almost become too easy to be casual, and we forget the word "elegant" when doing so ... there are still ways to maintain elegance AND be comfortable.

So, for today's Freebie Friday, I've created a vintage couture poster that shows two women strolling through Paris (see how comfortable, yet elegant they look? I'd wear what they have on today, if I could afford to!!). I'd like to think it is the spring time due to the colors, but the actual illustration was for Winter. I'm vetoing that and we're calling it Spring, because where I am ... the trees still look like that, even though I DID see some crocus blooming in someone's yard yesterday which gave me SUCH hope!!

So, in order for you to download today's Freebie, click on the photo and then right-click to save to your computer. You may use for personal use only, to print out, to craft with (a card would be awesome) or to use as wallpaper. BUT, I'm adding a request with today's printable. Look in your wardrobe over the weekend (we can call it Coco's Spring Cleaning). If you can't attach the word elegant to comfortable. Ask yourself these questions:

1) What are you doing with it?
2) Why are you compromising your standards?
3) Why would you allow yourself to feel less than you are by wearing something so unflattering?

Here is a picture of a very young Coco who is very casual, but still maintains some elegance:



See how she is wearing very casual clothes, but they fit her well, and still exude some style. That's what I'm talking about.

So here is your inspiration Printable. Now hop to it, and Be Fashionable Forever!! And, if you need some moral support and can't be objective, ask your BFF to help you. You know the one ... the one who won't lie to you and will tell you straight up ... "NO ... put it in the bag for the homeless shelter, Goodwill, etc.

Bonjour Mes Amies ... Have an incredible Weekend. And on Monday ... I want to hear some reports about how your experience went!!

Life's Lessons for Women April 2013: Coco Chanel

Well, mes amies, it's taken me a little longer than I had hoped but I am confident that you'll feel it was as worth it as I do. I'm so excited to announce our new journey to feeling beautiful by learning from successful women who have already forged the path ahead of us. And, as my loves of vintage fashion and all things french are so strong, I had to start of with Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, herself. What an amazing woman. What a path she blazed at a time when women had very few rights and very few comforts ... especially in the way of dressing. I don't know about you, but the thought of being trussed up like a Christmas turkey every day in order to wear my clothes, and then to try to get in and out of my vehicle with said clothes, while still breathing, is absolutely mind-boggling. I created the above graphic to get us started. Please feel free to download and print it out or save to your computer as a wallpaper. Many thanks to Karen at the Graphics Fairy for the beautiful french frame that I used in the background.

I know you all have a very busy life, so today's post will just be an introduction. But, if you do have time, please following this link HERE to a great, but not long, bio of her. It's in written or video form, and really quite lovely!

What is even more amazing about this woman, is that she was born in 1883 and lived until 1971, yet she still inspires fashion to this very day. Over the course of this next month, I'll be sharing little snippets of what made this woman so memorable. And, I hope it will inspire you to believe and know that you are memorable. You carry within you, all that she had. We're going to learn from her success, her mistakes, and her witty words of wisdom. It's going to Coco Heaven!! So hop on board, girls ... let's take this crazy ride!!

Before I close ... I have what I've been asked for, and promised, for quite some time to share with you ... a TUTORIAL!!!!! I know many of you think that you are not crafty. Many women think that you either have "it" whatever "it" is, that can magically make you creative, or you don't. Well, I don't believe that for a minute. I have found the most wonderful crafter who has hopped on board and will be taking this trip with us ... all the way. Her name is Tevis, and she will be offering 2 tutorials every month.

For those of you who are intimidated by crafts, there is Paper Crafting 101, which will be offered the first (1) week of every month. For those of you who are crafty, but want to learn something new, different, and maybe a little challenging, we will be offering Paper Crafting 2.0 (offered the 3rd week of every month). Each month the craft will correspond with the icon from whom we will be learning from. So, this month's craft is inspired by Coco.



This picture was taken when she was younger, but if you notice the bracelet she has on ... it could be just as popular today. So, you can click HERE to go to our tutorial page and meet Tevis. Or, you can click on the Paper Crafting 101 button at the top of the page.

Also, be sure and join either my facebook page, or my twitter as I will be sharing little bits of wisdom over the next month regarding Coco. If you're not a huge Facebook fan, but love Twitter, that's the way to go. If you don't tweet, but like to check in on Facebook, then that's best. Of course, you can join all of my buttons and just have a complete Chanel fest if you'd like. Anyway you want to ... come join us as we learn from one of the top 30 women listed as Women Who Changed the World!!

Bonjour Mes Amies ... I hope you enjoy draping yourselves with Coco's pearls this month.

Lorraine