Kugel (Noodle Pudding)

I didn’t grow up eating kugel & I’ve really only had it a handful of times but I like it. Kugel or noodle pudding is baked like a casserole full of decadent dairy & egg noodles that’s more on the sweet rather than the savory side (sometimes it can be really really sweet!). My co-worker Lisa generously shared her family recipe with me so that I could try my hand at this rich dish. It is the perfect recipe because it wasn’t super sweet & I really liked the crispy cornflake topping (that I added a little extra vanilla  because I love vanilla). Lisa & her family typically eat this before or after a fast & then for breakfast & every meal in between following.

I took my giant casserole dish to work & we ate it for breakfast! When do you eat kugel? Do you put anything different in yours?

Keep reading to get the recipe for Lisa's Kugel. It makes a ton so invite your friends & family & eat up!

P.S. Thanks for the recipe Lisa!

(No-Cook) Swiss Oatmeal

Warmer weather makes me want to eat cooler food - as in chilled like salads & smoothies. If you follow me on Instagram you probably have noticed that I was on a smoothie bowl kick for a while. Then I had the Swiss oatmeal at Gregory’s Coffee (by way of recommendation from my team at work) & I knew I would have to work this into my morning routine at home.

Swiss oatmeal is served chilled, which makes it more appealing (to me) to eat during the spring & summer than a hot bowl of oatmeal (or anything for the matter).  Oh & you don’t have to cook it- that’s right a no-cook oatmeal. You only need to know how to cut up some fruit & stir & then get your beauty rest while it does it's thing in the fridge overnight.

It’s super simple to make & it’s another recipe you can use for that yogurt in your fridge too! This recipe makes enough for about 4 breakfasts. I stored mine in an airtight jar & portioned some out each morning during the week.

If You're Feeling Helpless Help Someone Else

I’m back to taking yoga after a long hiatus thanks to a generous membership gift from Chris. While at my class on Friday at Devotion Yoga (in their new beautiful & airy space) my teacher quoted a song that was playing, “if you’re feeling helpless help someone else.”  It was still ringing in my ears this morning as I plan to head into work to work on a fundraiser with the rest of my team. Sometimes life seems out of our control so take some control & use it to help others.  This week I’m proud to be helping raise some funds & awareness for a great cause at the Shobha’s Home for Girls & Women Fundraiser on June 11th at Shobha Financial District at 7pm.

Shobha has committed to a $100,000 endowment for the orphanage. This will allow the resources to sustain & run this home hopefully forever!  We have already given over $60,000 towards the endowment & now are in fundraising mode to finish our commitment.

There are 80 girls ranging in ages from 2 years old all the way through their senior year in college.  They are usually brought to the orphanage because they have no one to take care of them anymore.  It is extremely dangerous for these young girls to be on the streets of India.  Surely you have heard the horror stories about trafficking & all the bad things that can happen to these girls if they are left in the wrong hands.

On our founder, Shobha Tummala’s visits to the orphanage she has seen the girls grow & mature into young women that are studying to become nurses, engineers, teachers, productive people in the society & then coming back to the orphanage to give back.  It is just amazing!  The group of women who run this home & this organization are truly inspiring.  They are so committed to not just doing it, but doing it right!

There are a few girls that have now left the home after finishing their education & are self-sufficient with their own jobs, some have gotten married & now even have their own families.

Here is the video that we did on one of Shobha Tummala's visits to the home in 2011:

If you are in the NYC area I’d love to see your smiling face at our event, here’s the link to grab your tickets. If you’re far from here & still want to help you can also donate from wherever you are, here.

Thanks for your support :)

Love to Oklahoma

 

1. The state of Oklahoma, & the United Way of Central Oklahoma, established the OK Strong Disaster Relief Fund to help with the long-term medical, emotional & educational needs of victims of the tornado in Moore (5/20/2013) & the tornado near Shawnee (5/19/2013). Make a donation now by phone: 1-405-236-8441 or online: UnitedWayOKC.org
2. The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate care to those in need. This network of generous donors, volunteers & employees share a mission of preventing & relieving suffering, here at home & around the world especially with disaster relief.Send a $10 donation to the Disaster Relief fund via text message, you can do so by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.
3. The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma will be working with the Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to collect donations. To donate, visit the regionalfoodbank.org/, or give $10 by texting the word FOOD to 32333.
4. Shobha will donate 50 percent of all Shobha Rosewater Freshening Cloth canister sales to the recovery & rebuilding of Moore Oklahoma (5/22-5/31/2013). Shop to donate online at myShobha.com or at any Shobha Salon.
5. Sprinkles Cupcakes will be selling Red Cross Red Velvet Cupcakes all day Wednesday (5/22/2013) with 100 percent of the proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross Oklahoma chapters helping with tornado relief efforts. Shop at all Sprinkles locations.

Truly's Natural Deodorant: Good Enough to Eat

If you are within an earshot of a tv, radio, computer or smart phone you've probably heard the latest news on Angelina Jolie's decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy.  This procedure reduced her risk from getting breast cancer from 87% to 5%.

I will now climb up on my proverbial soap box because this is my blog/soap box. Cancer is caused by all sorts of factors these days or at least it seems like it to me.  There are some easy things we - yes you & me - can do to prevent it.   It starts with paying as much attention to what we put ON our body as to what we put IN our bodies.

I've posted about safe products before & how I try my best to use only  good-for-me products. But I'm not perfect, sometimes I have to err on the side of what works instead of what's most natural.  This was true when looking for natural deodorant. Many deodorants on the shelf today contain aluminum which is linked to cancer. The deodorant & antiperspirant world has us believing that rubbing aluminum based formulas on our 'pits is the only way to stay clean, dry & stink-free.  Who cares if aluminum is linked to cancer if I'm not sweating or smelly? Me! That's who!  Hence why the idea of rubbing a cancer causing agent on my armpit close to my breasts just doesn't sit well with me. 

The good news is there is a deodorant god, her name is Truly. Truly's Natural Deodorant is the answer to my natural deodorant prayers. I'm an totally convinced & converted. I think this product is so nice that I blogged about it twice (read my other post here).

Truly's Natural Deodorant is made with just four ingredients: organic coconut oil, powdered sugar (sugar, cornstarch), baking soda, beeswax.  I have cooked with, ingested and digested all of these ingredients & I can say this without fear of what may happen to me because they're all completely natural & safe.

Not convinced yet? Here's some other reasons you'll love Truly's Natural Deodorant:

1. It smells delicious. It smells like cookies - yes cookies but it doesn't leave you smelling like your deodorant - you know what I mean if you've ever rubbed one of those deodorant solids on that come in a blue tube on your 'pits.
2. It's long-lasting. Just rub a small amount on clean pits in the morning & you're good for the day.
3. It's small enough to stash in your purse & TSA friendly to bring on that tropical vacation.

I'm so happy that this is now part of my daily routine.  If you'd like to opt out of preventative surgeries (like me!) make this simple change today & use an aluminum-free deodorant. You can get Truly's Natural Deodorant online or if you're in NYC (& soon DC) you can pick it up at any Shobha Location.

April Shower Products with Safe Ingredients

1. Acure Organics Cleansing Creme; 2. Shobha Exfoliating Cloth;
3.Mineral Fusion Volumizing Shampoo; 4. Acure Organics Cell Stimulating Body wash.

I love finding new products with safe ingredients that actually work.  Usually products with good ingredients are bit more expensive - but I've found some that are the exception to the rule. Here are some products are what I have in my shower this spring:

Dress Up Like Kiernan Shipka

Shobha Brow Pencil (earth) // Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar (Ophellia) // C. Wonder Bling Stud Earrings (Rose) //  vintage 1960s gold embroidered evening dress (that I would hem to a tea length) // Badgley Mischka Violetta Heels (in Platino). Kiernan Shipka's photo snagged from Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

More often than not young girls these days try to dress older than they are.  That is why I'd like to give personal kudos to Miss Kiernan Shipka who I think looked amazing at last night's 2013 SAG Awards. Taking a page from her show away from home, Mad Men, Kiernan knocked it out of the park looking classy in this perfectly pink 60s style frock.  If only Oscar de la Renta could dress the rest of the youth & all of us of today - but I digress.

Kiernan is a living doll in this get-up & I think  girls & women of all ages can/should take a nod from her style. I searched the web for the pieces that I thought might look best on my 30-something body in the spirit of this inspiration along with what I'd imagine would finish off this look with the perfect pink lip & bold brow.

Cyber Monday Steals & Deals

shop my cyber monday steals & deals: myShobha.com, Kohls.com, BestBuy.com, Macys.com, Sephora.com

Insta-life

This week was a whirl wind but not so much that I couldn't stop to snap some pics to capture the moments between my ever evolving nail art, a quick trip to the gym in my new fab tank courtesy of Bex Life (perk of being a twin), to a healthy breakfast that is tastier than it looks, to a great grand opening party with familiar faces, to taking some time to recognize creativity staring at me through a store front window.

Hope you had a great week & have an even better weekend.

Happy Birthday Bob :)

A Glossy Photo for the Books

Believe it or not I'm not always cooking & blogging, although I do my fair share of both (obviously).  The root of this blog lies in my love for graphic design - yes I'm an arty nerd but I didn't have to tell you that.

I've been designing graphics professionally since I graduated college (go Gamecocks!).  I remember my first computer that I bought from my sister's friend. It was used but it had all of the programs that I needed & it was a proud day in my life that I could afford my very own computer by saving my hard earned pennies.  Many (graphic & non-graphic related) jobs & computers later I still have to pinch myself that I get to do something creative every day as the art director at Shobha.

My latest pinch-me moment can be seen in this month's InStyle Magazine.  Instyle featured one of our colorful salons in its glossy pages & the photo that they chose to illustrate our salon was a photo I took.   I still can't believe that a photo I took now lives on one of the glossy pages of InStyle Magazine. #pinchmeplease

Plastic Bag Container

I'm usually the gal with fifteen reusable bags with me at the super market but sometimes I forget or end up on an impromptu shopping trip & end up toting plastic bags home. I try my best to reuse these mainly as garbage bags in my bathroom's waste bin.  More often than not they end up in a giant mess under my kitchen sink.  While perusing Pinterest I came upon this idea to reuse containers to make a plastic bag dispenser like as pictured in the above photo.  I reused my container from my fave Shobha Rosewater Freshening Cloths, but you can use whatever large container you have at home as long as it's empty! 

As the art director on the marketing at Shobha we really try to come up with sustainable packaging for our products.  The fact that you can reuse our containers for something useful like this is a tiny win in my world.

Score yourself a free mini canister of Shobha Rosewater Freshening Cloths (50 cloth count) for your house & future plastic bag storage container by answering a simple question on facebook (hurry the winner will be picked Wednesday, August 15, 2012!

Read on to learn how to make your own plastic bag container!