Bourbon Slush

The week of Christmas. Not a dust bunny in sight, the silver is polished and all I need to do is sit back and enjoy the season.

Who am I kidding?

The house is a mess, the holiday hand towels are MIA and the Christmas Eve menu has yet to be planned (though it will be fish of some kind). None of that really matters because the bar is fully stocked with everyone's favorites, although what gets everyone in the spirit for an evening filled with family togetherness is Bourbon Slush.

It's festive, easy, can be made a day ahead and is good for a crowd. Since it is a popular party favorite, there are lots of versions. The one I use from Cooks.com:

1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade
2 c. strong tea (3 tea bags)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. bourbon
7 c. water
1 bottle maraschino cherries, drained (optional)

Freeze until slush, stirring occasionally and serve with 7-Up or Sprite. For those of you classy enough to actually own a punch bowl, it makes a nice presentation on the cocktail table. I serve it in highball glasses, pour in the soda and give it a quick stir with a cocktail swizzler, or, at our house, a chop stick.

The earthiness of the bourbon mellowed by the tea coupled with the tartness of the lemonade sweetened by the sugar makes a very sippable and delicious frozen delight. If you do decide to add in the cherries keep in mind they soak up the bourbon. One Christmas my mom, who is not much of a drinker, ate just the "fruit" which put her in in such high spirits our family had not witnessed since the Reagan era.

For those of you worried about the overindulgence of holiday season, it's got vitamin C from orange juice, water for hydration and antioxidants from tea. And bourbon does not contain any additives, preservatives or artificial colors.



Maybe Bourbon Slush is already a favorite to toast to family and friends or perhaps it will become a new one.

xxoo and Fa la la la la,

Jill

Skif International

Finding an ownable look can be challenging. Trendy without looking like everybody else. Age Appropriate without being F&D (Frumpy & Dumpy) or a Cougar. Now that it's winter, my standard uniform is a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater. In order not to look completely boring, I put on a sweater from Skif International and my drab outfit is transformed into an actual "look".

Skif International, has hand made knit wear that is funky (its sweaters were featured in the Matrix film), unique and comfortable.
The retail shop, housed in a former furniture store, is located on Marconi Street in the St. Louis' The Hill neighborhood across from DiGregorio's Italian Market (another fave). Walk into the store and you'll find it's part retail part workshop - as unfussy as the clothes. Be prepared to spend some time in order to see the full range of offerings, when I go there I do one lap to take it all in and then another to find what I want to try on and then a third to see if there is anything I missed. In addition to the fabulous sweaters, you can find jackets, pants, dresses, hats and scarves. If you aren't sure how the clothes all look together ask Nina Ganci, the owner, or one of the other sales associates for help. I was in the store the other day for a pre-Christmas scope out and spied a beautiful sweater that could be worn three different ways; the way it was intended, backwards and as a poncho. Many of Skif's sweaters can be worn almost all year round. One sweater that I've had for at least 7 years is worn with a long sleeve tee and skinny jeans in the winter, with a cami and cropped leggings in the spring/summer.

If you want to jazz up your significant others wardrobe, Skif would be a great place to start. Nina has a great selection of mens' sweaters.

For those who want to design their own look, Skif also sells its yarn as well.

Not in St. Louis? Skif does sell its sweaters at botiques in a few different markets. You can also contact Skif at 314-773-4001.

Skif International is definitely one of my favorites. Perhaps it will become one of yours as well.

Talk to you next week.

xxoo,

Jill

Jill's Favorite - Collapsible Laundry Basket

I debated writing about this, because it's kind of lame. But it is one of my favorite things. The collapsible laundry basket.

Living in an older two story home the washer and dry are conveniently located in the basement down two flights of stairs, through three rooms and two narrow doors. Usually I overfill the laundry basket so that it totally messes up what little natural coordination I have, making me navigate through the house while fending off a nosy retriever who believes that anything falling out of the sky is a gift from the chew toy gods. Being a domestic goddess is not without its challenges.

One morning at 0 dark thirty, while at my 24-Hour Mass Merch Super Store buying a box fan to help dry a damp basement, I decided to take a spin through the household organization aisle. The fluorescent ceiling light over the shelf was like a beacon and and drew me to an entire shelf of baskets from small to large priced from $2.99 to $5.99.

While mesh should never be used in articles of clothing like men's tank tops and underwear, in the case of the basket, it works great because its lightweight and can expand; so you can really put a lot of stuff in one basket without it getting too heavy. Plus the handles make it easy to carry multiple baskets comfortably. And unlike a conventional laundry basket, when not in use it folds up taking up less space.

Each major laundry category has its own basket whites, darks and colors - so when laundry time the clothes are already sorted. They also work great for organizing and putting away clean clothes. You can find them at any big box, container store or online (there is cyber store devoted to laundry bags called HandyLaundry.com.)


Has it transformed my laundry experience? No - not like Betty Draper discovering the wonders of an unbalanced load during the spin cycle.

But it does make the task of laundry less of a hassle.

Perhaps the collapsible laundry basket will be one of your new favorites.


Talk to you next week. xxoo, Jill

Jill's Favorites - Foam Rollers

Hello:

This week I'd like to tell you about one of my favorite things, the foam roller.

I was having nagging aches in my quads this summer (the kind where your legs just hurt all the time) from cycling and wanted to find an alternative to popping ibuprofen and regular massages weren't an option due to my limited budget. A personal trainer at the gym suggested using a foam roller to get rid of the places in my legs where my muscles were chronically tight. Basically, you use your own body weight and roll on the roller to break up trigger points in the muscles, and soothe tight fascia (connective tissue) while increasing blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues.This technique works as a kind of deep tissue massage and feels similar to Active Release Therapy. The foam roller can be used on the legs, calves shoulders, lower back etc.

The first few times, the pain was so intense, especially on the knots (which is where it's important to focus the rolling), it literally brought tears to my eyes. But it was a good kind of pain - I could literally feel those knots breaking up. Breathing while you do it certainly does help (as there is a tendency to not). Wanting to be able to roll my legs at home, I bought one at Relax the Back. SPRI products also sells them. Now I use it before and/or after I cycle or run on my quads, hamstrings, IT band and lower back and my muscles feel less gunky, tight and heavy.

It's ideal if you can have a fitness instructor show you the variety of ways to roll. Also there are many instructional videos on You Tube that explain in greater detail different ways to use it. The first few times can feel a bit awkward, though, once you get the technique down it's pretty easy to use.

Rollers are pretty affordable and make a nice gift for the fitness fanatic (even if that fanatic is you).

Perhaps the foam roller will become one of your new favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving. Talk to you next week.

xxoo,

Jill


Photos: Relax the Back, About.com

Jill's Favorite - KP Duty

Hello

Thanks for taking the time to ready my blog. Each week I will be sharing with you some of my favorite things that make life a little bit better. Hopefully you will like what you read to follow it on a regular basis and pass the info along to your friends.

One morning, I noticed a myriad of tiny little bumps that resembled chicken skin on the back of my legs and elbows. Being the obsessive - compulsive type, I couldn't stop rubbing the ones on my elbows (which of course only made them look worse). A search on "dry skin bumps" revealed this is a hereditary condition, Keratosis Pilaris, and according to Mayo Clinic's web site, it's a common skin condition that causes rough patches and small, acne-like bumps, usually on the arms and thighs often from a build up of keratin. Keratin, a hard protein, protects skin from infection. Many people have it and there are a multitude of web sites that go into more detail about it in case your really want to know more.

Harmful? No! Icky? Yes!

Enter DERMAdocotor's KP Duty scrub. It's a combination microdermabrasion and chemical peel. While the combination of those two things may sound harsh, it gets rid of the bumps while leaving your skin smooth. It was developed by Andrea Kunin, an actual MD who knows a thing or two about keeping skin in tip top shape. On both the DERMAdoctor and Sephora web sites, it received excellent reviews. I ordered from DERMAdoctor; with your purchase you get to select three samples of other products sold on the site. The scrub is $40 for a 16 oz jar.

At first, I used it 2x/day (AM & PM) for about a week then once a day for a week, now I use it only when I notice the bumps coming back (KP isn't really cured). The scent is somewhat medicinal, but it's not bad and goes away pretty quickly. I also tried it as a foot scrub during my regular home pedi, and it works quite well to smooth out calloused heels. Any product that does double duty rates high in my book.

Perhaps KP Duty will become one of your new favorites to keep your skin looking its best.

Talk to you next week.

xxoo
Jill

Jill's Favorites - Trippen Shoes

November 8, 2009

Hello

Thanks for checking out my blog. Each week, I hope, to share with you some of my favorites - food, fitness, fashion and whatever tickles my fancy to tell you about. Hopefully you will find it interesting and if you do please pass it along to your friends. If you have a comment I'd love to hear from you.

This week, I'd like to let you know about a brand of shoes called Trippen. Based out of Germany and founded by Michael Oehler and Angela Spieth, they design hip, funky and comfortable shoes for both men and women made of high quality materials in a socially environmental manner. I discovered them at a store called Kaliyana (which is another topic for another time) in Montreal. These shoes are an understated way to show your individuality and that your fashion is developed from the inside out rather than taking your style by simply looking around to see what the crowd is wearing. The biggest bonus, however, is that Trippen shoes are super comfortable and versatile; you will be looking for ensembles to wear them with because they are that fabulous. Since getting my first pair this summer, I've probably worn them more days than not, and while they aren't inexpensive, these shoes will last for many years. The Trippen web site goes into great detail about the types of materials and colors that are available. Though, if you're like me, you can't go wrong with basic black.

If you hope to find them at your mega shoe store or even a boutique, chances are you will be out of luck, unless you happen to be traveling to Berlin, Tokyo, London or Cologne where Trippen has stores. There is an e-commerce functionality on the Trippen site (though not sure what the shipping charges would be) and you can find a variety of styles from shoes to boots online at Ped Shoes, which is on the west coast. This site also has a great selection of other unique brands like Cydwoq, Coclico and Giraudon.

Perhaps Trippen shoes will become one of your new favorites.

Talk to you next week.

xxoo

Jill