Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A Word about the Work Wardrobe

I'm 31 years old.  I consider myself to be somewhat of a professional.  I don't want my clothes to scream "middle-aged-mother-struggling-to-get-laundry-done-and-trying-to-be-hip".  I do, however, want my clothes to scream "this-girl's-got-it-together-she's-young-hip-and-professional".  I work with college students, so I need to have somewhat of an air of maturity (so as not to be mistaken for a student), but I also feel compelled to look cool, and relatable to these 18-23 year olds.  And since I have a toddler who has recently mastered the skill of projectile vomiting, I need clothes that can (for the most part) be tossed in the washer with little attention to pre-treating or special care (like I really have time to turn my clothes inside-out and handwash them with special detergent).  That being said, here are three of my top suggestions for maintaining a cool, professional look (even with a slobbering monster in tow!).  Oh yeah, I also don't have an unlimited supply of money.

1. Blazers, blazers, blazers!!!!
I recently came to the realization that I have amassed quite a collection of these wardrobe powerhouses.  My best find?  A gorgeous Banana Republic blazer (with cute little pleats on the rear) at an outlet for $12.  Fits perfectly.  The beauty of blazers?  Toss one over a black t-shirt and a pair of perfectly fitted dark wash jeans for the perfect work outfit.  Wanna be a little more casual-quirky?  Trade in the black T for a vintagey graphic t-shirt.  Just make sure the blazer fits well - you'll go from fabulous to frumpy in no time if the jacket is baggy.  And you'll look a little ridiculous if you cross that fine line separating fitted from tight.  If it looks like you're about to pop a button, you may want to go up a size!

While We're on the Topic...A Note about Size
If you're like me, and have a few pounds you'd like to shed (from a recently hatched baby or one too many hot fudge sundaes or both!), DO NOT try to fit into clothes that have your ideal number on the tag.  In other words, my pre-baby body fit nicely into most size 10 clothes.  My current body?  Not a chance.  Trust me, you'll look thinner and trimmer (is that redundant?) if you ignore the number on the tag and buy what fits you.  As my friends Stacy and Clinton say, dress the body you have, not the one you want.  You're not fooling anyone into thinking you're a size 4 if you've shoved yourself into a tiny pair of pants, but have a little somethin' extra hanging over the waistband!  Muffin tops are delightful when eaten for breakfast or seen on a Seinfeld episode, but have no place on a well-dressed woman!

2. Scarves
I know that when I say "scarves", you might cringe and immediately think of your great aunt Ethel and her floral silk atrocities clasped with a giant rhinestone brooch about her neck.  I'm going in a slightly different direction.  I'm also not necessarily thinking about a chunky fuzzy knit winter staple (although those do have their place).  I have a crazy scarf collection (and I just want on a scarf buying binge last week).  I don't like to wear necklaces for some reason, but love to wear scarves, especially a nice substantial pashmina sort of neck-ccesory (do you like how I just did that clever play on words?).  I have them in solids and crazy prints, and I pretty much wear them year round.  Sometimes I go with "strictly coordinating" when selecting my neckwear, other times I choose a bold print that adds some fun (and whimsy, shall we say?) to an otherwise ho-hum outfit.  To prove to you the impact of a carefully selected scarf...last week I wore a boring outfit (khakis and black t-shirt) to work, with a vibrant, colorful scarf.  I unexpectedly had to go to Richmond to run an errand and decided to stop by the T.J Maxx (the primary enabler in my scarf addiction).  I bought a new scarf and wore it back to the office.  As soon as my co-worker saw me, she exclaimed, "You changed your outfit!".  Nope, just the scarf.  Just the scarf.


So many options!
3. A Beautiful Suit
le Suit
Now, everyone's level of professional attire is different, based on where you work, company policies, the nature of your job, etc.  While I typically don't need to be all suited up at work, there are times when a suit is appropriate - official functions, public speaking, etc.  For years, I've been wanting a nice suit.  When I first got my job, about 6 years ago, I splurged on a Target suit (the $65 was a total splurge for me then).  Recently, though, I've had a real hankering for something nice and classic, and I was ready to invest.  I got an e-mail from Banana Republic that they were having a top-secret 3-hour online-only sale - 40% off select business wear.  This was my moment. (Incidentally, if you have a favorite store, even if you can't always afford their clothes, sign up for their e-mail alerts - you can get some good deals.  Just don't sign up for too many stores, as that leads to obnoxious volumes of mail).  I seized the moment, and ordered my "Fossil" (fancy for tan) suit.  I decided to go all out - and also bought the ruffly blouse the model in the picture was wearing with it.  Even at 40% off, it was still a splurge, but a worthwhile investment.  When I finally wore the suit a few weeks to ago on a very important day at work (had to have lunch with some important folks, and introduce a guest speaker at a function with close to one thousand in attendance - and, by the way, I hate public speaking) I felt like I could take on the world! 

To be perfectly honest, clothes alone can't automatically make you confident or smart or professional, but I believe they do help you get in the mindset of being a strong woman, ready to take on anything!  So get out there - be bold, be strong, be sassy, and be a fantabulous well-dressed woman!!!




Monday, April 4, 2011

Impromptu Moroccan Dinner Party!

I got a wild hare this weekend, invited some delightful friends and their baby girl over for dinner.  I hadn't really planned what we'd be eating, and didn't have a lot of helpful groceries on hand.  Made a quick dash to the store, and somehow put together a delicious Moroccan-inspired meal.  Dinner was a throwback to our annual pre-baby minications to Savannah, Georgia, and one of our all-time favorite restaurants, the Casbah
Best Restaurant Ambience...Ever.

Rockin' the Casbah in 2008

Here's what I made:
Adapted from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
1 pkg Whole Cut-up Chicken (costs a little more than a whole chicken, but it's already cut up for you!)
Salt and pepper
2 T vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped (or part of a bag of frozen chopped onions, I eyeballed it)
1 1/2 t hot paprika (I used regular paprika, but you can add some chili pepper if you want the heat)
1/2 t cardamom (happened to have this left over from my Christmas attempt to make instant chai latte mix!)
6 minced garlic cloves (I used a few big scoops of jarred, minced garlic)
3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c dried apricots, cut in half
1 cinnamon stick
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas (I had these, but totally forgot to add them!)
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c minced cilantro (forgot this, too)

1. Dry the chicken w/paper towels, then season w/salt and pepper.  Heat 2 t of the vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over med-high heat until just smoking.  In shifts, brown the chicken pieces on both sides until all chicken is browned.  Add chicken to the crockpot.
2. Add the remaining oil to the empty skillet and heat over medium heat until simmering.  Add onions, paprika, cardamom, and 1/4 t salt.  Cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.  Stir in 2 1/2 c. chicken broth, the apricots, and cinnamon stick, scraping up any browned bits.  Bring to a simmer, then pour into slow cooker.
3.Cover and cook on low for 3 hours...I didn't have that much time, so cooked it on high for about 2 hours. You were supposed to add the chickpeas after cooking for 3 hours, but I forgot.
4. I didn't actually read this step in the recipe, but here's what it said.  Luckily, I instinctively did most of this anyway!  Transfer chicken to a large serving dish.  Remove cinnamon stick.  Set slow cooker to high.  Whisk flour with remaining 1/2 c broth until smooth, then stir into the slow cooker.  Cover and continue to cook until the sauce is thickened and no longer tastes of flour.  I also added a couple tablespoons of brown sugar.

For the Side, nothin' says easy like couscous!
I used a pre-seasoned box of Near East Toasted Pine Nut Couscous.  Followed the directions on the box, then added some slivered almonds, juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon, and a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar.

To complete the Meal:
Our friends brought a fresh-baked (still warm!) loaf of whole wheat bread and a bottle of local peach wine (which complemented the sweet, fruity flavors of our meal perfectly!).

All in all, it was a pretty tasty dinner!  I'm not going to lie, the chicken took a little more advanced prep than I like - I tend to think that a good crockpot recipe should consist of the following directions: 1) Dump ingredients into crockpot. 2)Turn crockpot on. 3) Wait. 4)Eat.  But that being said, I will totally make this meal again!!!