This first picture is my winter uniform.

This second one is really what people see of me (outside of my family) 90 percent time.

On cold winter days like today when it seems as if summer is an eternity away, I sometimes take a break from my writing and do the 21st century version of window shopping … I browse online.
I make a wish list of what I want to buy for summer. I have pretty much perfected and streamlined my summer uniform. I have two variations of my summer uniform.

1. Faded Levis with either a black, navy or vintage cream top.

2. Dresses. Here’s where I can go crazy and add variety, although honestly most of my dresses are still in the neutral colors I wear in the winter. Although last summer I did branch out and wore a red dress and an olive green dress. Here are two dresses I am coveting for this summer from marc by marc jacobs.

The first one is the Twilight Paintball Dress and the second is the Twilight Zip Front in Navy Twill. Casual, pretty and easy. I’m sorry I tried to copy the pictures to show you, but couldn’t quite figure it out on my new laptop. Zoiks. It said something about a security warning, so I don’t know. Anyway, one is black with colors and the other a navy blue if you are interested.

I am also coveting another handbag that is beach friendly. Marc Jacobs handbags are super fun. I love the black fabric and leather Parrott tote but in reality it is probably much, much too nice for a beach tote. Unless I was a yacht type of gal, of course.

But the one that I adore, which is edgy and chic but out of my budget right now is the black studded leather ‘Wrath’ chain flap bag. So tough and sweet at the same time.

I recently visited a Potter’s Field in Arizona. You can check out my photo essay here:

http://www.kristibelcamino.com/buried-by-the-chain-gang/

I’m going to part with my beloved buttersoft bag. I just never use it. I need a bag that fits my laptop AND my camera and my books … I’m just a big bag girl, even though this isn’t a small bag. At first I wanted to keep it because it is so lovely, but I can’t keep something I’m not going to use.  Maybe someday I’ll regret it, but right now I need to sell it and use the money to buy a bigger bag that holds all my gear!

Thanks for the interest, but I’ve already sold this to a friend who will love it as much as I did. K

The incomparable Isabella

Do any of you have a color and a fabric that sums you up?

I do.

It has always been, and it will always be, Blue Velvet.

I have owned some version of a navy blue velvet blazer for the past 25 years.

I love the movie Blue Velvet and definitely went through a David Lynch phase. But that’s not why blue velvet speaks to me so poignantly.To me, blue velvet says Paris in the 20s. It says Greenwich Village in the 30s. It says pernod and absinthe. It says Henry and June Miller. It speaks of dimly lit dance halls and bustling cafes filled with artists and writers.  It evokes romance, sensuality and mystery to me.

What fabric and color speaks to you?

Similar to my New Year's Eve Dress

It’s been a few months since I mentioned the incomparable Sofia, so in honor of gearing up to go see her new movie, Somewhere, here ya go:

“You`re considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity.” – Sofia Coppola

 

I think being chic is all about developing and maintaining good habits.
Over the past few months, I have dropped a lot of my good habits and picked up several bad ones.
For instance, when has it ever been OK in my world for me to eat tortilla chips and bean dip (leftover refried beans with cheese) for lunch and think that this is going to work for me?
It’s not. Before I hit 40, it didn’t drastically affect me. Now, I can definitely see the results of that laziness. And my newly expanded waistline attests to this.

The great thing about bad habits is it only takes about three weeks to replace them with good ones.

My new habit, which is making me very happy, is to make a soup with whatever I have on hand — onion, carrots, tarragon, red potatoes, celery, turnips. I chop and dice and add these to some chicken broth and then put in whatever spices suit my mood that day. Today it was red curry paste, cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne. I let it simmer for a few hours while I work on my writing and then have a small bowl at lunch with a slice of my homemade bread.

My husband, skipped the slice of bread, but sliced up some leftover chicken breast to add to his bowl.

Very satisfying and so much better for my body and energy level.

That and a cup of coffee gives me what I need to work the rest of the afternoon and then I reward myself with a glass of red wine at the end of the day.

Perfect.

What are habits you need to get rid of/or adopt this winter?

to find these Uniqlo HeatTech Skinny Straight jeans I read about this morning on Lola Is Beauty. Any ideas where I can find some?
Where I live, these jeans might become my new uniform for six months of the year …

I started this book last night and am blown away.

It is beatifully written and I am becoming obsessed with Robert Mapplethorpe. How did I live this long on earth without truly appreciating this artist?

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

www.mapplethorpe.org

My family lives far away and for six years I have basically not had any of my own family traditions when it comes to the holidays. I am blessed to have wonderful inlaws (about 30 of them) in town and spend holidays with them.

However, this year my husband and I decided to start our own family tradition. In traditional Italian-American style we held The Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. We invited family and friends and ended up with about 25 of us gathered before midnight mass.

Here is the menu:

L ‘Antipasto:
*  Soppresseta salami, smoked gouda, parrano, proscuitto plate
*  Olives
* Jalapeno Artichoke dip and crackers
* Yummy salmon and wasabi dip my friend Lisa made! with crackers
*  Shrimp and cocktail sauce
* Bacon-wrapped scallops

Il Primo
* Red Pepper Crab Bisque

Il Primo/Pasta
* Lobster Ravioli in a Champagne Cream Sauce

Il Secondo
* Cioppino (see below) with garlic bread

Il Dolci
* Assorted cookies
* Cannoli
* Fudge

History of Cioppino. Pronounced: CHUH – PEE – NO. Although it originated in Italy, this Italian seafood stew was made popular in San Francisco. The idea is the fishermen would come in to the wharf at the end of the day with their various catch of the day and each of them wouuld contribute some of their catch into a big pot with marinara sauce and spices.
My version (actually my brother’s recipe) involved a thick sauce made of marinara, spices and two pounds of fish fillets that dissolve into the sauce making it super thick and chunky. On top of that I added crab meat, crab legs, shrimp, mussels, giant scallops and live clams.
You must sop it up with garlic bread for the full effect.
I was so crazy busy in the kitchen (have you ever fed 25 people in three courses?) that I didn’t manage to get any pictures of everyone sitting down eating or of the food even! These photos are of the aftermath!
So please forgive my photos. Blurry and not really capturing the crowd or mood. We had two tables set upstairs and the kids played and caused a wonderful ruckus in our finished basement.

I apologize for the blurry photo but wanted to show the ambience — all candlelit and white Christmas lights. I finally found a use for the dozens of empty Bonne Maman jars I have — candle holders for votives.

PS. The history of the word Cioppino is unclear: from www.kitchenproject.com: “The name comes either from ciuppin, a word in the Ligurian dialect of the port city of Genoa,meaning “to chop” or “chopped” which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch, but also some say it can be a corruption of the word” il ciuppin” which means ..little soup. ”
However, I like this definition which says it comes from the San Francisco fishermen urging their colleagues to CHIP IN to the communal stew pot on the docks.
My family has a long history in San Francisco, so I love this stew for many reasons.

It has been called the San Francisco version of the French bouillabaisse.
My nephew, who is visiting from South Carolina came over for leftovers last night (we fed another 8 people with leftovers yesterday) said it is like the Italian version of Gumbo!