One of the continual sources of entertainment available to those living in New York or another gritty urban center is investigating the rows of trash on the street each day. I'm not so interested in the bagged-up refuse from the bathroom or the collapsed cereal boxes and milk cartons. The best trash to be found are the free-standing items leaned up against a tree or placed on the sidewalk with a sign that says "still works!" With so much foot traffic in every neighborhood, people really bank on the hope that something they're getting rid of might be another woman's treasure.

And so it is. Some of my best finds include an avocado-colored sewing box, still filled with psychadelically-patterned napkins, a beat-up white hutch that is a bit heavier on the shabby than on the chic, and countless books, including The New Basics, and A Handful of Dust. It's a free-for-all scavenger hunt that never fails to, if nothing else, keep you on your toes.



When I stumbled across these records last Saturday, I was walking home from the coffee shop with a latte in my hand, a little preoccupied by some needling, worry-bound thoughts. Not the way to be on Saturday morning, I know. But the sight of these records leaning against an iron railing with the sun on them like a spotlight snapped me back into the present. My, there's a lot to be grateful for, I suddenly remembered.

Namely, that someone has cast off these vinyl gems that will now find a happy home on my candy cane-striped turntable. Brigadoon! New Girl in Town! And the album to listen to if you're aching to run through every catalogued human emotion in about an hour, the original cast recording of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris! It was a sign as clear as any that I should get out of my head and into the day, and that if I did, I'd find it was a mighty fine one. And then whatever it was that had been making me fret scurried right out my ears and high up into the atmosphere.



Speaking of being in the present, is anyone else listening to the Oprah and Eckhart chats?

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I feel bad about the butternut squash, I really do. It doesn't exactly scream springtime. Trouble is, ever since I saw Elise's combination of lamb shanks and butternut squash, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this heavenly-sounding combination. But the moment of truth came when I actually read the recipe (rather than just drooling over the photos): this was purely a Sunday night affair with browning and braising and hours of simmering away. But I just couldn't wait.

Fall and deep winter might be butternut squash's high shine time, but would you know you can buy peeled chunks of fresh butternut squash at some grocery stores in March? And isn't March sort of a transition month, anyway, what with the way it blows in like a lion? So please, forgive me the butternut squash. No matter what the fantasy life looks like, we can't all be Alice Waters all the time. Sometimes, you just gotta reach for the frozen pureed squash, farmer's market be damned. And with this knowledge, the lazy girl in me could feel a triumph coming on.

I swapped out affordable lamb shoulder chops for the slow-cooking shanks. I used pre-prepped butternut squash so I didn't have to wrestle with a sharp peeler and bowling pin-size squash in the hours when my hand-eye coordination is waning. I sautéed some zucchini in a flash. But I wanted my supper to have the brightness of spring even if it wasn't dancing with asparagus, ramps, and peas. The lamb chops, at the very least, promised that. So I tried my hand at what I remembered my imaginary boyfriend, Jacques, had whipped up with my gal pal Julia and made look fantastically simple: persillade.

Jacques Pepin has been known to make a lot of things look utterly effortless that just, well, aren't. He can butcher a whole chicken or cut up a fish into neat little fillets in the time it takes me to refill my root beer. But this persillade was no slight of hand. It is just a matter of chopping, is made out of two staples you probably have rolling around in your vegetable drawer at this moment, adds fresh exuberance to your dish, and is perhaps my new favorite thing. Next to, you know, this.



Lamb Chops with Butternut Squash and Persillade
Serves 2

2 lamb shoulder chops, 6-8 ounces each
20 ounce package peeled butternut squash chunks or a 12 ounce package frozen pureed squash
2 zucchinis, sliced thinly into rounds
olive oil
1/4 cup finely minced parsley
1/4 cup finely minced garlic

Place squash chunks in a largish saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Drain, mash, and season with salt and pepper. (Unless you go totally bananas for the stuff, there will most likely be some squash leftover -- 20 ounces is a quite a bit for two people.) If using frozen squash, prepare according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small pan over moderately high heat, and cook zucchini, stirring every few minutes, until soft and browned in spots, about 10 minutes total.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another small pan (okay, one drawback to this recipe is that we've already got three dirty pots and pans...) and sear lamb chops, 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove to plate and cover to keep warm. Combine the parsley and garlic and throw into the hot pan. Shake and stir for about 15-20 seconds or just until garlic is aromatic. Serve up butternut squash, zucchini, and lamb, with persillade on top.

Posted by sarah at 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a tendency to drag my feet when the seasons shift (this one here? not so good with change), but what better way to get psyched for the season than seeing all the lovely, creative things people are making in honor of the blossoms that will be here any second now...

This portable checkerboard pillow begs to be taken to the park on a sunny day for a lazy game under a tree.

Need a new skirt to spruce up your spring wardrobe? Support small businesses and like-minded ladies and gents at the Spring Fling Bust Craftacular.

I bet there's a correlation between rising temperatures and increased incidences of graffiti, but what I'd like to see is more knit-iffiti. (via Craft)

If you're looking for some inspiration to help you get those creative wheels turning, Creative Kismet's got a stockpile of pretty, springy floral fabrics found while thrifting and more charming buttons than you can shake a stick at.

Do you know how to make a retro-style pet bed? And do you know about the glorious ThreadBanger yet?

I can barely talk about how cute these plushy tea and coffee cups are.

If you're in the New York area, let's talk about how cool it is that you can take a super simple sundress class taught by textile star Heather Ross herself at Purl Patchwork.

Make your spring meals a ritual worth celebrating with pretty napkins with the cleverest use of ribbon, perhaps ever.

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I am proud to introduce the first Pink of Perfection Guest Post (i.e., the first post written by someone other than one of my relatives), and delighted to introduce you to the very clever and creative Rachael Speirs. Rachael lives in Toronto where she counsels people by day as a social worker. At night, she swaps her black-framed glasses for a set of makeup brushes. She loves cotton candy flavored gelato and her kitten, Waffles, who shares Rachael's deep and abiding love of butter.



I have never been one of those girls who can wake up looking fresh as a Georgia peach, my hair slightly tousled, and my cheeks ever-so rosy, with a morning glow that says "Hello world!"

Instead my very coarse and flat-ironed hair has curled on one side, and managed to mash itself into a hairdo somewhat resembling Robert Smith. For this, I have my Jewish grandmother to thank. So up I rise (likely a half an hour earlier then necessary), and all for the purpose of primping.

Also, I am broke, and not just a little broke but paying-off-massive-obscene-horrid -amounts-of-school-debt-broke. But broke can be beautiful! Therefore I bring you: "The Thrifty Girls Guide to Primping."

Two items I will consistently stand behind are zinc oxide and hydrocortisone cream. These two products have gotten me through hailstorms of chin acne. Remember how the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding used Windex for everything? That's me with zinc oxide. In my experience as a makeup artist I have consistently recommended these two items, and at 5 bucks a pop, you can't go wrong. Paris Hilton can afford to slather herself in beluga placenta, but she never had to deal with a student loan.



If you're anything like me, the bottom of your makeup case is getting more coverage from broken shadows you can't bear to throw out, then your eyes ever will. But fear not, good woman, I bring you a solution: Thrift-a-licious Shadow Palette. Your local craft store carries plastic compartment cases, typically used for storing beads or embroidery thread that make awesome palette cases. Simply dig the broken shadows out of their container and use a paper funnel to direct the shadow into the case...and voila! Truly, the thing I enjoy most about this makeshift palette, is the fact that it cleverly hides the whereabouts of your products, so you can use your products to their fullest, free of judgment and name brand influence, while also cutting down on clutter.

Once in awhile Mount Everest has decided to make a landmark of your face. My boyfriend insists concealer is useless and does nothing but draw more attention to the problem. "Who ya foolin?" he asks, and I suppose the only real answer is "myself." But there is something to be said for a well-matched concealer. It can brighten up your under-eye area and hide the occasional redness. Indeed, a bit of concealer lightly dusted with a matching powder can create a lock-and-load foundation for eye makeup.

But is it worth paying for? Is it worth buying an extra product? Personally I have found (what I believe) to be an excellent solution. The bulk of cosmetic spending should always be on the skin; a great foundation will go a long way and darn it, if the product keeps away breakouts and has a great finish then it really is worth the extra money. But why buy another expensive product when you can make concealer from the one you've got?



DIY concealer
what you'll need

a small container (an empty lip-balm container will do, or if you are anything like me, you stock up on MAC samples and save their adorable sample containers for other purposes)
your favorite foundation

Pour a small amount of tried-and-true foundation into your container. Let it stand open, lid off and covered with cheesecloth to keep out dust and other airborne pests, for approximately 2-3 days (depending on oil or water content of the product) in your refrigerator.

Now not only do you have a virtually free concealer, but a virtually free concealer in the exact shade of your foundation and the piece of mind that you will not experience any reactions.

If you're interested in writing a guest post about crafts, cooking, style, or the creative things you do to make daily life sparkle, email me at sarah@pinkofperfection with your idea.

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You know when someone embodies all the things you like best about yourself and hope to be, only blown up, and larger-than-life? This person serves as beacon and idol, illustrating just what your potential, if fully realized, could look like. It is, I understand, the way young starlets often feel about Marilyn Monroe, and the way I feel about Nigella Lawson (and Mary Cantwell and MFK Fisher and oh, how the list goes on...).

Nigella Lawson is a lot like driving the winding road that leads to my parents' farm in August when the foliage is dark green and lush, and the air is heavy with humidity. She is also like a winter pear so ripe the white flesh threatens to burst right through the skin. She is, I think, the word sumptuous embodied.

But her luscious earthiness doesn't tell the full story of her appeal. I am a sucker for her seductive elocution and her silver dollar vocab words. I haven't seen her show, but adore listening in when she's a guest on NPR (that way, her dangerous curves don't distract from me from her brainiac tendencies). Nigella is a blast of fresh air in part because she is sexy and clever, and our popular culture seems to have forgotten that this is not such a rare combination.



Nigella is also deeply refreshing because of her admitted laziness. I understand her love of pajamas, her fondness for eating ribs in bed and bowls of ground beef and cheese as comfort food. For all her accomplishments, Nigella still values leisure, and I'm not sure many people do any more.

I will freely admit to having little experience with Nigella's recipes, despite having read four of her cookbooks cover to cover. But you don't have to had made and loved her garlic and lemon chicken to treasure her ethos as much as her aesthetic. So many of the people whose lifestyles I admire -- those who have somehow managed to integrate their passions with their livelihood -- are long gone, but a few of them are around and kicking. And Nigella, of course, is right up there.



Mustard Pork Chops and Gnocchi
adapted from Nigella Express
Serves 2

2 pork chops, each about 6-8 ounces and 1/2 inch thick
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup pilsner-style beer
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoons butter
8 ounces frozen gnocchi

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over moderately-high heat. Cook pork chops, about 2 minutes per side, until they've taken on a golden-brown char and are cooked through. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Deglaze the pork chop pan with the beer, scraping up any browned bits. Let bubble for about a minute, before stirring in butter and mustard. Pour most of the sauce over the two pork chops, leaving a little in the pan.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook gnocchi until it floats, about 2-3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi before scooting them through the remaining mustard sauce and serving with the pork chops, and an arugula salad, if you like green things as much as I do. A practically instant supper.

Posted by sarah at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBacks (0)

I "met" Shauna in a friend-of-friend-of-someone-I-once-passed-on-the-street kind of way that I can only interpret as providence. And then, one day, this lovely girl emailed me to tell me we were star-crossed style friends and share with me a little project she was working on she thought I might like.

That project, Movies with Grandma Joy, is, I can safely say, the most exuberant, joyous, fun thing I have seen on the whole wide interweb in a good long while. To give you an idea of its awesomeness, let me just mention that there is a Movies with Grandma Joy music video that will knock your socks off.

The blog is what it sounds like: Shauna and her 73 year-old grandmother, Joy, go to the movies once a week, and post a video review complete with scene studies. The videos are giddy, artful, funny, and reveal all the playful love in their relationship.



Let's get the hard part out of the way: best movie ever made?

Joy: I think the best movie ever made was Gone With the Wind. My other favorites are Little Women and The Sound of Music. Corny, I know...

Shauna: Most impossible question. It's A Wonderful Life and Singing in the Rain. Rushmore kind of made me go to film school... but there are so many more.

Shauna, you wrote beautifully on your site about the internet age and how it can promote -- and sometimes prevent -- human connection. What made you desire a sense of interconnectivity and inspired you to start Movies With Grandma Joy? Any one moment or event?

When I was a senior at NYU, I took a great class called Urban Ensembles, and it was all about creating communities through art. I actually had the idea for the blog there. Whenever I came home for vacations, Grandma and I would see movies and I always thought there was something unique about it. I took this certain pride in it. But then every time I would tell anyone that I did this thing with my grandma, the other person's face would just light up, and they'd have a story on the tip of their tongue about a meaningful relationship they'd had with someone of a similar generation. I realized that I wasn't so unique, and that there was a need to encourage that kind of relationship and bond, especially between generations of women, that there was a possibility to use such friendships and ties as a way to bridge a technological gap that gets bigger every day. I moved to Los Angeles and I became involved with the artist Miranda July and I fell in love with how her site with Harrell Fletcher, Learning to Love You More, encouraged such connections through DIY projects. I began teaching the seniors' filmmaking class at Echo Park Film Center and was introduced to some really cool older people and further realized that there is a want on that side to be more technologically versed, to stay in the discussion.

Truly, it was always my relationship with my both my grandmas and a knowledge that their presence was a great gift that started it. I've never taken for granted that I am incredibly lucky to have a close relationship with both of them. They are so different and so strong and funny. Joy and I have always been paired as travel buddies when my family goes on vacations. My parents take a room. My twin brothers take a room and inevitably, I am left sharing a bed with Grandma Joy. We are very much alike, both happy to be left alone to read, both very observant of minute details, both a little ditzy. At the same time, we're a bit of an odd couple. She's so short. I'm pretty tall. She's very Southern. I'm very Californian. I don't know... We really know each other and like each other and I was always very happy about that and felt we were bold enough in that way, that we could maybe lead by example.



Grandma Joy, how do young women of Shauna's generation seem different to you from when you were that age?

I think young women today are more self-confident, independent, more educated, and unbiased, but I do feel they are encouraged to be more self-centered, (not always a bad thing) more impatient and more cynical. Shauna, for example, has many more opportunities than I ever had and while she doesn't take them for granted, I feel that young women of today too easily forget all the hardships that were fought in order for them to have the opportunities they do have. I had to work so hard to be noticed at all as a serious writer in my earlier career and I think there was a certain joy in that, a certain drive, a feeling of "I can do it because you say I can't" that I find somewhat lost in the generations of late. And I don't believe we've come far enough for it to be lost yet.

Is there anything available to Shauna you wish had been available to you?

Yes! There is more freedom and the chance to be anything they want to be, even president. I wanted to be a journalist when I entered college but the only subjects women could major in were courses leading to "feminine" careers such as nursing and teaching... two of the most important fields I believe, and hardly "feminine" but alternate choices did not exist for women at all. You had to fight to even be considered.

Did life really seem simpler 50 years ago, or do you think that's just something people say?

Maybe my nostalgic memory makes it so, but I believe things were simpler then; more black and white. Just look at all the decisions we have to make in the supermarket now between so many products!

Shauna, are you nostalgic for anything from the time Grandma Joy was growing up?

Yes and no. I like that I can wear the Patti Smith outfit some days and try to emulate Doris Day on others. But I think I would love to wear those old dresses all the time, honestly! I like the theme of magazines like Bust and your blog, Sarah, that postulate just because we are feminists and should in all ways be equal, it doesn't mean that many of the details so inherent to past generations of women aren't important and fun and should be held sacred: crafts, red lipstick, heels, being able to waltz or throw a dinner party. I also wish we could be re-socialized sometimes. I know that the old set of manners was part of a larger society that repressed sexuality and equality but I sometimes wish I could throw out text messaging and e-mails and I would make everyone in our generation take a course on how to talk on the phone. I'm half-joking! I'm just terrible at phone conversations sometimes! And I wish there wasn't all the confusion about what one should and shouldn't do on a date now, or what a date is, or that 20 years of Cosmo hadn't made social games a norm. And I would kill to have seen Ella Fitzgerald or Anita O'Day sing live, or to have been there when Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittle on Broadway. Stuff like that. But for most things, I'm so grateful to be trudging through this century.



So what's your ideal day look like?

Joy: I still work six hours a day so my ideal day would be to do some good work. Then eat some good food, work a crossword puzzle, read some of a good mystery, maybe see a good movie or do some dancing with a good partner. Shauna: Going to brunch with good friends, and then to a flea market and finding the perfect pair of clip-on earrings. Writing a little bit, going to a craft party or a fun pot-luck or something. Maybe seeing an old favorite film like "Bringing Up Baby" projected in the Hollywood Cemetery during the summer. A good, creative day at work. Teaching at the Echo Park Film Center. A day at the beach with my family in Santa Barbara.

Shauna, your site has a great community aspect with its "What we do with heart" section. What do you think are some other ways people can build community on the internet, blogs and in their real lives?

I wish I had a good answer to that question. I like sites that encourage user participation and social responsibility and I think the power of networking on the internet is awesome. I work at a non-profit community center and we utilize the net as much as possible to get people in the door for our events and projects. I like how blogs can be so specific in their content and yet, can reach so many people. My cousin belongs to a whole chain of sites where she writes fantasy stories with other girls from the U.K. to Kansas to wherever. That is so cool. She's not finding that community in Ventura and she's found it on the net. It's a way to encourage creativity and activism person to person but in really large areas. At the same time, I like how just a few years ago, people were making zines to get their thoughts out and build connections and it was this physical and created work that you could touch and read and then give to someone else. There are a lot of blogs. I think bloggers really need to think about what community they are serving. If we don't lose touch of that, then I think we're doing okay.

Okay, both of you: favorite music to rock out and dance to right now?

Joy: Ballroom dancing is my hobby and I like to dance to the old favorites twice a week, like In the Mood or I'm in the Mood For Love. I tango, swing, waltz, cha-cha, all of that. None of the heavy metal or rap for me. Where's the melody? And the lyrics are sometimes repeated over and over. I listen to a lot of Dixieland... I'm from New Orleans.

Shauna: My friend just burned me the whole Dusty Springfield collection which is Seriously Rad, capital S and R. I was dancing to Arcade Fire yesterday morning and I play A-Punk by Vampire Weekend over and over lately. The Blow's "Hey Boy." I sing that to myself in my mirror as if I'm singing it to someone else. I get all angry and dork-dance out my aggression. I've been sending out my resume a lot lately so I've had "I Hope I Get It" from "A Chorus Line" in my head like a loser.

What's one dream you have for something you'd like to do in your life?

Joy: I should have something noble in mind that I still want to do with my life, but I don't. I raised some wonderful children, and I am content to sit back and see what happens to them and their children. I already feel that I have accomplished a lot.

Shauna: Go to many more movies with Grandma. Have a vegetable garden. Go to Italy with my mom. Make a movie with a killer dance number.

Posted by sarah at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

What I'm about to say may shock you. At least, the words shocked me last night when I hardly realized the full impact of what I was saying until it was too late. "I don't want winter to end," I said, and Sebastian looked up at me as if I suggested puppies make excellent appetizers.

I have settled more snugly into this winter than those past, I think, because I've finally gotten down pat the winter arsenal: a good book that's more comforting than challenging, a dowdy, flannel nightgown for particularly bitter nights, regular evenings in a room heated to 105 degrees, and (this is my favorite) a bite of chocolate in bed.

Bed, of course, is always an island of quiet and relaxation. But its appeal in winter, when it beckons, piled-high and cloud-like, is unmatched. The way you hop barefoot across the cold wood flowers and then jump -- safe! -- into bed, kicking your legs around wildly to warm up the cold cotton sheets -- well, is there anything quite like it?

Imagine then, once you are tucked in and reaching for your novel, that on a plate next to your alarm clock, you had a bite -- just a wee little morsel -- of dark, luscious chocolate. Pop it into your mouth, and sink back into the pillow, ready for sweet dreams.



Chocolate Truffles
makes 3 dozen
Messy and hands-on, these would be so fun to make with kids. I have made these with both super high-quality chocolate and Bakers Treat, and both are fantastic. Buy the best you can find, or scrimp on the chocolate to put some pennies away for Paris. Either way you will have made delicious truffles. Oh, and if you can bare to share, I ought to mention these make great gifts.

1 pound bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
cocoa powder, for dusting

Chop chocolate finely and place in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and then pour directly over chopped chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to combine chocolate and cream, and then leave alone for another 15 minutes to thicken.

Pour ganache mixture into a shallow dish or baking pan. Refrigerate ganache has set, and is very cold but still pliable, about 30 minutes.

Scoop out teaspoons and roll between your hands to form ball-shapes. The heat of your hands will warm up the chocolate and cause a big ole mess. You could wear rubber gloves, but what's the fun in that? If the truffles are quite melty at this point, you could pop them in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen them up again.

Next, dash the chocolate balls through cocoa powder until covered. Crown a plate with one or two, and carry to bed.

Posted by sarah at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBacks (0)