NO MATTER WHERE you hang your chef's hat, seasoning blends probably lurk in your pantry, zipping up the taste and looks of almost anything they dust. In the mid- Atlantic, we love to sprinkle crabs (and french fries, rockfish fillets and creamy soups) with Old Bay, a melange of celery salt, pepper, mustard and paprika. In Louisiana, Bloody Marys and blackened fish often get kicked up a few notches by Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Cooks have experimented with their spices since prehistoric times, a culinary cross-pollination that's resulted in time-saving blends. "Some flavors play well with each other, which is why these mixes came to be," says India-born, D.C.-based food writer Monica Bhide, author of "Modern Spice" ($25, Simon & Schuster). "With a blend, you don't have to stand in your kitchen and grind seven different spices. It's something ready to go." Here are five such globe-trotting combos, plus what pros suggest you do with them.
Herbes de Provence
A combination of oregano, basil, thyme, sage, savory, rosemary and, sometimes, lavender.
» Origin: Southern France
» Taste: "It's got a subtle flavor, sort of a shortcut to Mediterranean cuisine," says Paris food blogger Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolateandzucchini.com.
» Traditional Use: This garden-to-table blend has starred in chicken, fish and veggie dishes for centuries. It's close amie: potatoes gratin (aka scalloped potatoes). "It's also good with goat cheese," says Dusoulier. "Cut some chevre, lay it on slices of bread, toast in the oven and sprinkle the herbs on."
» New Wave Use: "Make vanilla and Herbes de Provence ice cream," says Dusoulier. "Infuse the milk you use with the herbs for five minutes."
» Buy It: $4.85 for 4 oz.; Penzeys.com
Continue Reading "Spice Whirl: Globe-Trotting Spice Blends" »
AFTER A LONG, late Oscar night, I met a friend Monday for caffeine and a recap. We covered the highs (Sandy Bullock, so cute) and the lows (Why was George Clooney acting like a jerky jock in a high school assembly?). And then, the big question: "Who," my pal asked, "wins Best Dressed?"
Pause. Long pause. In the sea of strapless Cinderella dresses (Miley, Penelope et al), and strapless columns (Maggie G., Kate Winslet, etc.), no one great gown really stood out. I flirted briefly with naming Sarah Jessica Parker's daring Chanel sack dress, which should be commended for its originality if not for its look. (Butter yellow? Ick.) Finally: "Meryl Streep looked good, except for her hair," I said. My friend agreed: "It was very pretty and age-appropriate."
And so puts a cap on awards season 2010, when benign traits like, sigh, "age-appropriate" win the style game. Has the red carpet become so routine that we're no longer bowled over by a beautiful dress? Or has A-list status become so tenuous that stars play it way too safe? In any case, in a night made extra-exciting by the unexpected sweep by "The Hurt Locker," what a disappointment that there was no fashion equivalent.
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
BYRON HARTMAN SNUCK snuck Lauren Starck out to a Charlottesville apple orchard to propose, but there was a problem: The orchard was teeming with people. "I started wandering as far away as I could and luckily Lauren followed me," says Byron. Once alone, he persuaded her to turn around by lying about seeing something in the distance — when she turned back, she saw him on one knee holding the ring. "It was oh, so romantic," says Lauren. "She started crying and hyperventilating," says Byron. "She eventually said yes, though, and proceeded to cry the rest of the day."
Byron, 24, is a senior consultant. Lauren, 25, is a government affairs specialist. The couple, who met in college, live in Arlington and will wed July 31 at a Virginia bed and breakfast in the countryside.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Ashley, 23, is an exhibits and registration coordinator. Alex, 24, is a technical and operations manager. They live in Alexandria.
» The Main Event: They're tying the knot May 22 in Michigan, at the university where they met, Grand Valley State.
» How They Met: In climatology class. They were put into a lab group together to analyze weather, and when they took a wrong measurement, "Alex volunteered to go with me to fix it, even though the job only required one person."
Continue Reading "B.I.O.: Ashley De Boer, Alex Vande Bunte" »
Simy, 33, is a clinical coordinator. Nilo, 30, is a trial attorney. They live in D.C.
» The Main Event: March 6 is the big day, when they'll get married in a ceremony celebrating both Simy's Jewish heritage and Nilo's Catholic faith.
» How They Met: In college. She was in another relationship at the time, but they flirted casually for a few months. "When my boyfriend and I broke up, the flirting intensified and soon we were eating lunch together every day."
Marta, 25, is a senior analyst. Tom, 27, is a quality assurance analyst. They live in D.C.
» The Main Event: A May 22 semiformal, traditional ceremony.
» How They Met: They both used to work at the same place. She had a crush on his friend, "so I was trying to be friends with Tom so that I could get to know the other guy. My plans did not go as expected."
I'M ABOUT TO graduate with a masters degree in landscape architecture. I've not thought much about footwear, content to wear Wellies in almost all situations. Now, as I begin job interviews, I am nervous. What shoe will convey professional seriousness, outdoorsy intellectualism and artistic competency? — Jane
Manolo says, to the uninitiated, the landscape architects are merely glorified gardeners, but to those who know about such things, landscape architects are members of the ancient and useful fraternity, stretching back to God himself, who in one of his first recorded acts redirected the major water feature to produce the usable spot of dry land, where he subsequently planted the garden.
Of the course, less august landscape architects have more mundane concerns, such as how to convey the proper image through dress and style. Like the traditional architect, the landscape architect must appear both professional and artistic, with the extra burden of having to appear in touch with nature without resorting to overalls and John Deere caps.
Continue Reading "Dear Manolo: Professional Outdoorsy Shoes" »
1) Le Cheap, C'est Chic
Clothing designer John Paul Gaultier wins devotees with his provocative, pretty-gone-punky clothing (Madonna's bullet bras, this spring's pop-arty print shifts). Sadly, styles by the enfant terrible of Gallic fashion tend to cost as much as a jet ride to Paris. Still, March 7-April 11, those with not-so-haute budgets can scoop up Gaultier's line for Target, including a gendarme-worthy trench (shown, $60), tattoo print leggings ($25) and, for the Material Girl in all of us, a frothy bustier dress ($40).
2) Grain Trust
Foodies have recently elevated humble salt to a worshipful position once reserved for, say, caviar or Mallomars. Perhaps it's because concoctions like Urban Accents' Mango Masala Seasoned Salt ($7, Whole Foods) turn simple foods — roasted asparagus, a nice piece of rockfish — into restaurant-worthy treats. The Indian-inflected Mango Masala gave our shrimp risotto a subcontinental drift; we'd use the Ginger Szechwan variety to rock a chicken or vegetable stir-fry.
3) Stepping Out
Sophisticated shoe den Simply Soles scores fans with its chic-yet-comfy footwear, from printed pumps by brands like Bettye Muller to well-priced flats from in-house line lillybee. This weekend, the retailer unveils a new store in The Shops of Georgetown Park (3222 M St. NW; 202-232-0072). Green and rust paint, plush seats and a wallpaper "tree" create an earthy vibe for buys like lillybee's Esme wedges ($165), hip jewelry and bags from lines like Bulga and Frye.
YOU MAY KNOW Jane Seymour for her roles as a Bond girl in "Live and Let Die" and a Wild West healer in "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." But the seemingly ageless Brit babe, who showed comedy chops in "Wedding Crashers," is also an artistic Renaissance woman who paints and designs "Open Hearts" jewelry. She'll be in town showing her artwork Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wentworth Gallery, Montgomery Mall (Bethesda; 301-365-3270) and Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Wentworth Gallery, Tysons Galleria (McLean; 703-883-0111).
» EXPRESS: How'd you start painting?
» SEYMOUR: Nineteen years ago, I was going through a terrible divorce. I ended up taking painting lessons. Instead of being angry, I poured it out in watercolors. Strangely, I painted a serene life — flowers, children's portraits.
» EXPRESS: Which other artists influence your work?
» SEYMOUR: I love the Impressionists and John Singer Sargent, and also Miro and Chagall. I do lots of different styles, which you'll see at my shows. In a way, it's like being an actress and playing different parts.
FOR A DECADE, glam gals have hit Old Town Alexandria's Bellacara for dozens of hard-to-find, haute cosmetic lines including Stila, Frederic Fekkai and Billy Jealousy. The shop celebrates its 10th b-day Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with free mini-facials and makeovers plus 15 percent off purchases.
» Bellacara; Sat., March 6, 11:00 a.m.; 1000 King St., Alexandria; 703-299-9652.
Addison Road
