Mozzerella sticks

One of my all-time favorite appetizers to enjoy is a very large order of piping hot mozzarella sticks with flavorful marinara sauce. There's just something about the little gems of fried, cheesy deliciousness that make my mouth water in anticipation. Ever since I was young, I have always loved pulling and stretching the mozzarella sticks apart only to dunk them in marinara sauce.

Besides the whole pulling, stretching and dunking part, I also love that mozzarella sticks are easy-to-prepare in the comfort of your own kitchen. Homemade mozzarella sticks always seem to have the perfect amount of crunch paired with ooey, gooey cheese that seems to stretch for miles. I feel as though kids and adults alike have so much fun eating mozzarella sticks not only because they taste great, but also because in this case, it's okay to play with your food.

With just a few ingredients and a couple steps, you can have a basket of warm mozzarella sticks that are perfect to serve the kids as an after school snack, to dinner guests before the main course or to set on the table while the football games are on the television. Just be sure to have some warm marinara suace nearby for the endless amount of dunking!

Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

• 8 pieces of string cheese
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1-2 eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup Italian-style Panko Bread Crumbs 
• Oil for frying
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce (for dunking)

Directions:

1. Cut the string cheese in half for a total of 16 pieces.
2. Pour the flour in a bowl.
3. Whisk together the egg(s) and milk in a separate bowl.
4. Pour the bread crumbs in a bowl.
5. Make an assembly line of the three bowls: flour, egg mixture and bread crumbs.
6. Roll the string cheese, one at a time, in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs, making sure to completely coat each piece of string cheese. It helps to pat the bread crumbs onto the pieces of cheese to make sure that they stick.
7. Place the finished cheese sticks on a plate and put them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to allow the bread crumb topping to set and the cheese to chill.
8. Heat oil in a large pot (or in a fryer if you have one) until it reaches approximately 375 degrees (Tip: If you don't have a thermometer or a deep fryer, heat up oil and then toss in a tiny chunk of bread. If the bread sizzles at the top of the oil, then the oil is hot enough).
9. Place the cheese sticks carefully into the hot oil and carefully roll the sticks around until the bread crumb topping turns a golden brown. This happens quickly so be sure to remove the sticks from the oil before the cheese completely melts through the bread crumbs.
10. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on paper towel so that some of the grease gets absorbed into the towel.
11. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

Victoria's Secret Show 2011/ 2012

Always amazing, beautiful, spectacular, entertainment at it's best ... the Victoria Secret show. In a previous post I showed you some highlights. Here a compilation of the best parts by FashionTV



With Candice Swanepoel, Doutzen Kroes, Miranda Kerr in the Fantasy Treasure Bra, Lindsey Ellington, Anne Vyalitsina, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Erin Heatherton, LIly Aldridge and many more.

The 16th annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was as glamorous and star-packed as ever, with performances by Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and a surprise appearance by Jay-Z

The theme was "It's Show Time!" and the show was divided into six shorts including Themes this year included: Ballet, Passion, Super Angels, Aquatic, "I Put A Spell On You" (New Orleans), and Club Pink (Disco).

Other top models on the runway included first-time Angel Karlie Kloss, Polish model Anja Rubik, Izabel Goulart (who loved Tweeting backstage before the show), Constance Jablonski, Behati Prinsloo, Estonian model Karmen Pedaru, Anais Mali, Lily Donaldson, Brazilian model Emanuela De Paula, Lindsey Ellingson, and Chinese model Liu Wen. Jablonski, Smalls, Pedaru, Mali, Rubik, and Wen were fixtures at the fashion shows in New York, London, Paris, and Milan this year for the Spring/Summer 2012 season.

The show was filled with adoring fans but stars like Orlando Bloom and Beyonce stood out because they were there to sport their spouses. Bloom cheered on wife Miranda Kerr and Beyonce supported husband Jay-Z who was a suprise guest, performing a duet with Kanye West. Other guests included Carine Roitfeld and Patrick Demarchelier.

The 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show took a year to plan and cost $12 million to produce. Thirty-eight models wore 69 striking outfits. It was certainly an "unforgettable entertainment experience."

What to wear today?

Saturday morning going to do my weekly grocery shopping and to the market to buy some flowers, what to wear today?

Everything available @ Net-a-Porter

- Gucci, Fine-knit cashmere sweater, €544.91
- Zoe Karssen, SWAG cotton and modal-blend T-shirt, €56
- Jimmy Choo, Walsh patent-leather ballerina flats, €350
- DOLCE & GABBANA, Low-rise cropped skinny jeans, €235
- A.P.C., Ribbed panel cashmere snood, €110
- Bottega Veneta, Set of four silver intrecciato stacking rings, €260
- MICHAEL Michael Kors, Grayson flannel and leather duffle bag, €295

How Doutzen get's ready for a Victoria Secret show

A simple workout by Doutzen and her personal trainer, at least the rope jumping you can do at your own at home. If it get's me a body like this ... I'll give it a try ;)

The National Ballet of Canada, Toronto

The Coveteur, went to Toronto and had a peek in the closet of the National Ballet of Canada for their Romeo & Julia performance ... but they also took a look at the outfits for Nutcracker and, of course, Swan Lake. All  the following pictures and text are by the Coveteur:

The dancers wear about 120 to 150 pairs of pointe shoes a year. When I order, I order in lots of thirty and it will take about four months for those shoes to come. They are $85 a pair and they last about eight hours maximum. – Lorna Geddes

Alexei Ratmansky asked me to design the show and I went to New York to meet him. At that time I was living in Moscow and we talked about it and he said that he wanted to do it in the period of play - the period that Shakespeare set it in, which was early Renaissance. I was interested in doing that because it was a period of costume I’ve never done before, so it meant a lot of research. – Richard Hudson

Head Pieces, Designed by Richard Hudson for Romeo & Juliet 

This is Tybalt at the ball. It’s kind of like an 80’s Chanel look. – Grant Heaps

This is Paris at the ball, who is Juliet’s betrothed, the man that her parents want her to marry. Who in some productions is sort of portrayed as rather ridiculous, I think the way Alexei is doing him is a bit sympathetic. The inspiration for his ball costume came from a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. Those are guard’s helmets. – Richard Hudson

Coats from the Nutcracker

This is the Sugar Plum Fairy. The black swan tutu’s are from Swan Lake. They are made of all net and are sewn to a panty and then are all connected together. There are usually 16 to 18 layers. – Grant Heaps

This is the black swan queen and the white swan queen from Swan Lake. There is one move every black swan does, this one trick, they do thirty two fouetté. In the film, she didn’t do a single one, even the body stunt didn’t do a fouetté. She did zero fouetté. – Grant Heaps

Saturday Morning

Went to the Kiosk @ Schiphol (because they have the best selection of Vogue's and there is a Starbucks) Great way to wake up on a saturday morning :)

Fifty & Fabulous

Italian Vogue has paid an homage to Meg Ryan on their website to celebrate Meg's 50th birthday. they're showing us how fabulous you can look at fourty or fifty - or actually no matter what age or what size you are ... And to be honest she really looks better then ever, what do you think? The pictures are from shoots Meg did for Italian Vogue in 2009 and 2004.

Vogue Italia, January 2009

Vogue Italia, January 2009

Vogue Italia, January 2009

Vogue Italia, January 2009

Vogue Italia, September 2004

Vogue Italia, September 2004

Lovely Owl

There are no words to describe cuteness ....

Mary Kate & Ashley about the Row

If you ever shop at Net-a-Porter, you will have noticed their tv section. They just had an exclusive interview with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. The duo behind The Row talk design icons, personal style and the perfect-fit tee that started it all.



THE ROW MASTERCLASS
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen show you how to wear their new collection. Get an all access pass as the hip design duo talk through their favorite FW11 looks and give exclusive tips for working their dapper tailoring and feminine dresses.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2011/2012

Believe it or not, the Victoria's Secret fashion show belonged to the boys on Wednesday night. It was Kanye West, Jay-Z and Maroon 5 who got the audience clapping and cheering at the annual lingerie extravaganza at the Lexington Avenue Armory, quite a feat considering they were sharing the stage with the some of the world's top models -- in barely-there get-ups, no less.

The show, which also featured a song by Nicki Minaj, who was decked out in a bright orange bustier, cosmic-print skirt and leggings, and a frothy pink wig, will be televised on CBS on Nov. 29.
The worlds of fashion and music always come together on this runway, which is more for entertainment, excitement and brand-building than a serious preview of styles. It really clicked this time, though, when Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine escorted his girlfriend Anne Vyalitsyna down the catwalk and then planted a kiss on her cheek.

© Getty Images

She was wearing a push-up bra covered with a crystal-encrusted body overlay. Model Constance Jablonski strutted to "Moves Like Jagger" in an illusion beaded gown with a feather mermaid hemline, and Karlie Kloss wore a corset-style bodysuit covered in tropical colored beads.

A lot of the backstage buzz before the show was about West, who was originally scheduled for the 2007 show but pulled out after his mother's death. Doutzen Kroes and Chanel Iman were among the top Victoria's Secret models, dubbed VS Angels, who posed with him in their micro-mini pink satin robes and told him they expected his set to be a highlight of the night.

"I lost my super hero," he said when he eventually landed on the runway, "and now she's my super angel."
He started singing and that cued Alessandra Ambrosio to come out in a leather harness, push-up bra, thigh-high leather boots and a long, flowing cape splashed with the word "incredible" in cartoon-style letters trailing behind her. Lindsay Ellingson was on her heels in a leather bodysuit paired with silver wings and soon after came Erin Heatherton in a latex bodice and silver-dagger, weaponlike wings.

West then called out his "big bro" Jay-Z to come from backstage for the next song. Both rappers are known fans of sometimes flamboyant fashion, but West wore a brand new Versace for H&M jacket and black leather pants with a low-slung gold belt, and Jay-Z went the black hoodie with black jeans route.
The glitz instead came from Miranda Kerr's Fantasy Bra, studded with $2.5 million worth of diamonds. It was featured in a section of the show called "Angels Aquatic" that was a parade of mermaid goddesses in undergarments embellished with pearls and their wings crafted like shells.

The other fashion themes were ballet, which featured feathers, tutus, legwarmers attached to garters and lace-up stilettos; passion, interpreted in Spanish-style lace boleros and flamenco skirts; and Victoriana, with high tulle collars, parasols, cameo pins and big bustles attached to tiny panties. The finale, called Club Pink, was dedicated to the retailer's loungewear line with heart-covered hoodies, skirts decorated with pompoms and sequin T-shirts.

Toni Garrn © Getty Images

Alessandra Ambrosio had to carry a 30-pound pair of gold wings 
encrusted with more than 100,000 sparkling Swarovski crystals 
© Getty Images

Candice Swanepoel © Getty Images

Candice Swanepoel © Getty Images

Doutzen Kroes © Getty Images

Miranda Kerr wears the Fantasy Bra, 
studded with $2.5 million worth of diamonds 
© Getty Images

Flavia de Oliveira © Getty Images

Doutzen Kroes © Getty Images

The fitting:
The shoes fit. The wings fit. The lingerie fits. It's showtime! Victoria's Secret Angels Lily Aldridge, Doutzen Kroes, Lindsay Ellingson, Adriana LIma, Candice Swanepoel, Alessandra Ambrosio, Izabel Goulart, Erin Heatherton, Behati Prinsloo, Miranda Kerr and Chanel Iman give you a sneak peek at what you'll see on the runway at the final wardrobe (and wing) fittings for the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Mag ik dan bij jou ...

Just so beautiful,

one of my favorite songs ever.

That's why, although in Dutch,

I just had to share it.

... by Claudia de Breij

Locks of Love

Locks of Love @ Pont des Arts Paris

“Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones,

as a wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire.”

- Francois de La Rochefoucauld -

Hanneli Mustaparta

She just nails the look everytime (from the oversized round sunglasses, the top, to the trousers) ... that's why I love reading her blog and get some inspiration. This is what Hanneli has to say about her look:

"I love to get pieces for my wardrobe that can be used for different looks, like this amazingly cut Acne top that I also wore here. The more looks I can squeeze out of one piece of clothing the better. It gives each look a more personal feel, rather than putting it away after wearing it just a few times. I wonder if we’ll ever feel comfortable wearing the same dress on different occasions, with the same crowd? I’m wearing Rag & Bone Plum colored jeans, turtleneck by Majestic Filatures, sunglasses by Karen Walker, shoes and clutch is by Alexander Wang."

Picture by: Hanneli Mustaparta

Picture by: Hanneli Mustaparta

What to wear today?

Although it is November, usually I am wearing warm sweaters, the weather here in Holland is still quite warm (average 18 degrees Celsius). So .... what to wear... cause when you're not in the sun it can be a bit chilly but if you are it's quite warm :) Ps. I am completely in love with the Alexander McQueen skull/ leopard print scarf.

Everything available @ Net-a-Porter

- ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, Leopard and skull-print silk-chiffon scarf, €295
- ZOE KARSSEN, French Kissing cotton and modal-blend T-shirt, €55
- DOLCE & GABBANA, Low-rise cropped skinny jeans, €235
- BRIAN ATWOOD, Maniac quilted patent-leather platform pumps, €435
- DKNY, Knitted down jacket, €539.05
- MIU MIU, Studded leather shoulder bag, €1,050

Show me some detail

Sometimes it's the complete silhouette that does it ....

But sometimes it's those little details ....

De Vecht

As I told you, I have been travelling through my own country - Holland - a lot in October. Winter was coming and so my boyfriend wanted to bring the sloop to it's winterharbour, instead of Amsterdam where it usually lies in a small harbour in one of the canals. But when we were busy, we decided to just travel on as the weather was so lovely ... and so we did .... for three days travelled by sloop through the middle part of Holland. We stayed at small B&B's depending on where we ended up and if we could reach them from the water.

But to be honest I was amazed by the beauty of especially the Vecht streek. I have known this part of Holland, from the land side ... but it's so beautiful from the water. I took some pictures just check it out for yourself.

It was the perfect ending of a great summer!

Kortjakje Zwolle

Some weeks ago, my boyfriend and I, had an invitation for a dinner in Zwolle. Which is quite a ride from where we live and so at the last moment I checked out the possibilities for staying in Zwolle. The restaurant where we were going to was in the center of the old city and so that was the main criteria for the selection.... But although it was a last minute quick search... we stayed at a wonderful bed & breakfast: Kortjakje.

Kortjakje, named after a Dutch little childrens song, is situated in a renovated former storehouse in the old centre of the town. You can enjoy an attractive atmosphere and much privacy, as the entire house - 3 floors - is all yours.