A Recipe from the Kitchen of the Recently Retired

My Saturday ritual goes a little something like this; I get up anywhere between 7 AM and 8 AM, do what it is necessary to make myself look presentable for Saturday morning viewing, and walk five blocks to the Farmer's Market where I purchase my groceries for the week.  

I have to thank my friend L for bringing this little local treasure to my attention. I have lived in my current orchard for a little less than four years and had no idea that this Saturday-only purveyor of some of the freshest regional produce, baked goods, jams, hummus, spices, flowers, and everything else you need to prepare a quick meal or host a dinner party for 10, was so conveniently located. (Although, some of the vendors are seasonal, the market is open all-year-round.)

My weekly shopping list includes a variety of fruits and vegetables that I can throw into my Breville juicer. A juicer was never on the “must-buy” list of appliances. Actually, I have never had a list with anything kitchen related on it except for paper towel. The word juicer conjured up images of me slaving over a sink cleaning it and Jack LaLanne. I was spending $7 or more a day on a 16-ounce juice. Then I Googled “Best juicer, easiest to clean” and found the Breville Compact Fountain Juicer, Model BJE200XL. After reading several positive reviews, I made my purchase. I am obsessed with my juicer and use it daily.

Preparing to juice.

A few additional tidbits of information you should know about the Pink Lady. Besides a few glasses of wine on the weekend and indulging in a large bag of movie theater popcorn (with butter) on occasion, I exercise daily, watch my diet, and do whatever is necessary to keep the wrinkles at bay. I am also a vegetarian but if that was not the case maybe I would have called this blog Prime Beef, Fresh Selections from a Purveyor of Fine Meats.  

My unexpected retirement has me cutting back in certain areas and one of those is dining out. I used to despise cooking and when I was coming home from work at 9 PM every night, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. If I did not meet friends for dinner, I was ordering in. In a previous post, I mentioned that retiring has allowed me to things that I did not have the time to before, and one of those things was cooking. Lately, the bill from the Farmer's Market has increased from approximately $30 to $50 a week but I am saving at least $200 because of my new found hobby. I am becoming quite the chef  and “bakress.” I will admit that some of my initial attempts were rather unsuccessful. For example, the cranberry pumpkin scones that you see below. They look more like flat bread than the latter but I have improved since then.

Pumpkin Cranberry Scones

Asking my friends with discerning palettes to be my test kitchens, I have been told that my banana cranberry quinoa bread and pumpkin cranberry muffins are bakery-worthy. Going forward, I have decided to dedicate one post a week to cooking. Here is the first in the once-a-week feature that I like to call, Recipes from the Kitchen of the Recently Retired.

Banana Cranberry Quinoa Bread

Two medium ripe mashed bananas

1 cup vanilla soy milk or almond milk (or any other type of non-dairy milk)

1 tbsp ground flax seeds

¼ cup canola oil cup agave nectar or pure maple syrup (I prefer coconut nectar. I purchased it at my local health food store but if you cannot find coconut nectar the agave and or maple syrup works just as well.)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups whole-wheat flour

¼ cup almond flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. cardamom

1 ¼ cups cooked quinoa

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup pumpkin seeds and or slivered almonds

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Spray a 9x5-loaf pan with an organic non-stick cooking spray

3. Mix the bananas, milk, ground flax seed, canola oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract in a bowl

4. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl

5. Add the dry and wet mixtures together and mix well

6. Pour into loaf pan

7. Bake for 60 minutes, let cool, and slice (should make 10 slices)

Banana Quinoa Cranberry Bread

Only In New York

What the taxis would look like in the Pink Lady's ideal world.
Visit http://www.portraitsofhope.org/git/index.php to read the full story
about the 2007 Gardens in Transit Program. 

Up until yesterday, the Pink Lady was not having a very fruitful week. The Norton fiasco, which I recounted to you in great detail earlier this week was one thing, but pair that with the fact that I did not have any interviews scheduled this week, and you get a Pink a Lady that was feeling like one rotten apple. That was until Wednesday afternoon when things started looking up. I received a phone call from one of the recruiters I am working with (If you would like to receive a list of the Pink Lady's Top 5 recruiting agencies, please email me at orchardofstyle@gmail.com.) and an email responding to a job application that I had submitted on Monday. By the end of the day I had two interviews scheduled for Thursday. And what does that have to do with me calling this post "Only in New York?"

This week the weather man had no misses. The forecast called for five days of steamy temperatures and that is exactly what we received. Unless you suffer from agoraphobia or your body is made up of 50% ice water, I am going to assume that you found the last few days as uncomfortable as I did, and then add a 10lb portfolio into the mix. After standing 10 minutes too long on the steamy subway platform enroute to my first interview I decided to grab a taxi for the return trip.

Great dinner plate featuring an image of an NYC taxi.
Salad plate and soup bowl available. Available at:

I don't know if the words "I love having conversations with random strangers." or "Let's make small talk; subject, your personal life." are written across my forhead but it seems as if some people do. One of them being the taxi driver from Thursday morning. It went something like this:

Taxi Driver: "I share this taxi with another driver who has been on vacation. I have not had a break for two weeks. I only drive this taxi to pay the bills. I am actually looking for a full time job and I have a job interview on Monday. I called my boss to tell him that I had to take Monday off and he had the nerve to ask me if I could wait until the other guy was back from vacation. It's an interview. I can't wait."

The taxi driver and I had something in common. We are both looking for a job. So I decided to tell him that I am also looking for a job and that I started a blog recounting the trials, tribulations, and tales associated with my job search.

Taxi Driver: "I have a blog too. Here is my card. Follow me!"

ONLY IN NEW YORK.

On the topic of tableware, I love this new collection from Hermes.

The Nanny Diaries-On Hold Until Fall

You will be happy to know that the Pink Lady’s Internet is working perfectly, thanks to Angelo from Norton, and the “getting out of retirement” program is back on track. I spent most of the morning catching up on emails, one of which was a letter from J regarding the nanny position.

Dear Pink Lady,

Although, you were our first choice, as of right now we are putting the position on hold because we are currently using their mom's nanny part time, and it seems to be working.  In addition, with M going away to sleep over camp soon, we will not need someone full time until the end of the summer.  Can I check back in with you in August to see where you are with your “getting out of retirement plans?”

All the best,

 J

I will make a note to follow up with J in August. Perhaps I will be picking up the kids from school wearing one of these three new nail colors from Chanel's Fall 2011 makeup collection. Availabe in late August 2011.

The Chanel Fall 2011 Nail Color Collection

To be or Norton 360 Premium Edition to Be?



What I would have rather been doing this morning.

Have you ever used your computer, gone to bed, and woke up the next morning only to find out that less than 24 hours later your computer is not operating properly? In addition, when that happened, did you forget to take a deep breath and instead proceed to burst into tears of frustration, and cry out “Why is this happening to me?” Well, that is exactly what happened to me this morning and that is how I reacted to said event. I then spent the next four hours trying to resolve the problem. This is not a good use of time for someone who is actively looking to come out of retirement.

I know what you are thinking. “Is the Pink Lady positive that she didn’t do anything differently?” no, not exactly. What I did do was take the necessary course of action when Norton alerted me about the recent program updates that it made to the original version of the software in order to protect its subscribers’ computers from new virus strains. The Norton pop-up box prompted me to install its new 360 Premium Edition and I followed the instructions. “If someone told you to jump off a bridge would you do that?” I know you want to ask me that question. If Norton tells you that your computer is in danger of contracting a virus then you do what Norton says to make sure that your computer doesn’t get one. I followed the instructions, restarted the computer, went to bed, and woke up this morning to find that both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome were failing to launch.

After I freaked out and partially composed myself, I hopped onto my kitchen counter to take the Norton box off of the highest shelf in the cupboard only to find out that I would have to visit the Norton website to access a customer service phone number. Why the second step? Most important, my internet is not working. How does Norton know if I have a smart phone whereby I could access this information?

I called Norton. A short computer prompt and one beep later a customer service representative picked up the phone. I explained the problem. He then proceeded to explain that the software, the new and improved Norton edition had corrupted the files on the computer and that I would have to reinstall the software. Maybe Mr. Customer Service could sense that I was about to lose it because he proceeded to inform me that I could download the new software myself or pay a nominal fee of $39.99 to have someone from the Norton family download the software onto the computer. How could I say no when I installed the software the first time and it did not turn out so well. Therefore, I am literally paying Norton to fix the problem that Norton is responsible for. He then processed the credit card payment, gave me a case number, and transferred me to the department that handles reinstallation. Angelo was the lucky customer service agent who picked up the call.

Angelo has the patience of a saint. If that is not the case, then he must have a high maintenance mother, girlfriend, and or wife because he did not sound the least bit annoyed when I asked him 100 questions about what he was doing and how long it would take, in a voice that sounded like a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He never told me to “relax” nor did he raise his voice. He continued to reassure me that everything would be OK. (I think he was referring to the computer and not me personally.) When he realized that my subscription was expiring in 49 days, he said that he had a present for me. “A refund of $39.99, the price of the cost of this call to perform a service to fix a problem that your software caused?” I said sarcastically. Ha-ha, ha, he laughed and answered “No, I am adding 90 days to your account.”  At this point, it sounds better than an Hermes scarf and I want to jump out of the phone and give Angelo a hug.

40 minutes later, Angelo had successfully removed and reinstalled the Norton 360 Premier Edition and Internet Explorer is up and running. Angelo told me that he would call later that day to make sure that the system was operating properly. We even agreed on a time, somewhere between 4:40 PM and 5:00 PM. I said, “OK”, in the same tone of voice as if I met someone I was interested in but knew that they may not be that into to me. We bid adieu.

I had to get out of my apartment and clear my head. I went to my ballet bar class and walked by the Bergdorf Goodman windows to see the innovative installations that Linda Fargo and her staff were showing this week. I think they heard about my mini-morning breakdown because the doctor’s office was open.



Bergdorf Goodman's Sigmund Freud Inspired Windows



This morning’s events were just memories best forgotten. I arrived home to find one voice message. It was from Angelo. He was trying to reach me. Two minutes later, Angelo called my cell phone. He confirmed that it was me via the six-digit secret passcode I was given in the morning. He performed a series of successful tests on the computer and ended the call by giving me his direct line in case I had any problems in the future. (This is probably because his associates told him that he would be kicked out of the carpool if he ever transferred me or a subscriber like me to them.) We then said our goodbyes for the last time as he transferred me to his supervisor so I could confirm that Angelo did his job properly. I gave Angelo a glowing review and made sure to mention that he was incredibly patient throughout my histrionics. Just when I thought that I would never hear from Angelo again, I received an email at 6:10 PM with a message telling me that I was a pleasure to work with and that the case was filed as resolved. If Angelo was a potential boyfriend, he was definitely earning points, but sadly, this was not the case.

The morals of this story are the following; protect your computer. If you detect a problem with the protection, make sure to call for back up. If you do call call Norton, ask for Angelo, and tell him the Pink Lady sent you.

Image of a phobia-themed Bergdorf Goodman
window. Do you think that there is a fear that describes
the fear of answering a phone call
from a women on the verge of a nervous breakdown?

An Engaging Party for Your Senses: The Sights, Sounds, Styles, Savories & Sweets

Dress, check. Shoes and purse, double check. Passport and Green Card, documents present. I ran through my mental packing list as I stepped into the car that would drive me to New York’s LaGaurdia airport where I would board a plane that would fly me to an undisclosed location for my sister’s engagement  party.

Stems off to Madame Big Apple (the mother of Mme. Pink Lady) for hosting the most beautiful engagement  party in celebration of my sister and her fiancé's upcoming nuptials. A flawless execution with no details left unattended to, the Saturday, May 28, party was elegant enough to impress the ladies who lunch yet casual enough for guests to relax and mingle as they enjoyed an evening of culinary creations by Toben Food by Design and scintillating sounds provided by the Noah Leibel Quartet. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and in the case of my sister’s engagement party, I definetely agree. I will spare you from having to read paragraphs filled with big words describing the event of said evening and attempt to recap the evening through images. (There will still be some descriptive text.)

The Venue

My talent for producing creative events comes to me naturally via Madame Pink Lady. The party was hosted at The Richmond (location no longer undisclosed.),Toronto’s first green venue.  No plastic water bottles allowed, the Richmond keeps its environmental footprint to a minimum with the use of a waste-reduction policy, compact fluorescent light bulbs and seasonal menus. The venue is also pleasing to the eye with a loft balcony, high ceilings and soaring windows. 

The Richmond
The Noah Leibel quartet was situated on the loft balcony.

To add another layer to this jewel-of-a-find location, my mother arranged to have the walls lined with framed photos featuring my sister, her fiancée, and a very special image of his mother and father. A great use of what otherwise would have been white walls, this detail was essential in creating the relaxed atmosphere as guests were given a snapshot into their six year, cross-country courtship.

The Flowers

The Food
I realize that many people who read this blog do not live in Toronto but if you do or if you don't mind paying for a few round-trip tickets from YYZ to your local airport, then I highly recommend Toben Food by Design. TFBD's culinary creations are essentially "food art" and if we haven't seen images of their innovative and visually pleasing hors d'oeuvres, miniature desserts, and every other course in between, gracing the pages of Food & Wine magazine yet, then we will in the near future. I know. First impressions are important but did TFBD deliver? Would you expect anything less from a Le Cordon Bleu graduate who has worked in the kitchens of some of the world's most highly acclaimed restaurants? To truly experience TBDF's cuisine is to taste it but on this occasion you will not be scolded for your eyes being bigger than your stomachs.

The Style

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree nor would my family ever put the name of this blog to shame but it is obvious that we have issues when it comes to shoes. It was less than 24 hours until the festivities and my sister had not found the right shoes to wear with her Cut 25 sequin mini, Alexander Wang blouse, and the most incredible strand of pearls that you have ever seen. The pearls were an engagement present to my sister from her mother-in-law to be. (My sister hit the jackpot. Not only is she marrying her soul mate but his family owns one of Canada's foremost jewelers. Do you want to know a secret? Her fiancée will be opening up a store in Toronto in less than a month. Details and images to come.)  Crisis averted. She found the perfect pair of Louboutin's. I have never seen my sister look more beautiful. 

The Pink Lady wore diamante-embellished Badgley Mischka.
Madame Big Apple wore Jimmy Choo's Isabel in gold.
My sister wore the 120mm Prive in Pewter Christian Louboutin. 

And what did the Pink Lady wear? This post is not about me. It is about my sister. All I will tell you is that my hair was inspired by Audrey Hepburn's iconic up-do from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

My $15 tiara inspired by Audrey Hepburn's
up-do in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

This was only the engagement party. I can not wait to see what Madam Big Apple and the Mother of the Pearls have planned for the wedding.

I flew back to the Orchard of Style on Sunday to beat the Memorial Day rush. Completely exhausted, I took Memorial Day off from my getting out of retirement search to relax and grab a movie and dinner with my friends T and W. (Go see Amour Fou.) 

Coming Soon: The conclusion to the Nanny Diaries and the full story about that strange but true interview process that I went through with that yet to be named company.

Sunday's Seminal Rooms and Style Leaders

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about color blocking. It was an excerpt from a larger post that I would be writing for furnitureandhomefashion.com recapping the kick off keynote for  the D&D’s Spring Market, entitled What’s Next in Decorating?, moderated by Deborah Needleman, editor in chief of the 

Wall Street Journal‘s monthly magazine WSJ and Off Dutysection. Visit furnitureandhomefashion.com to discover who and what columnist, Sara Ruffin Costello, contributing editor and decorator David Netto, and decorator Miles Redd think are hot right now in the world of interior design.

furnitureandhomefashion.com  (guest editors not included) is written by Jordan Barkin, an Account Executive at K&A. K&A is the leading integrated marketing communications company in the home and building industry. Jordan is a business associate. We worked together when Jordan was at Veranda (before I retired). Jordan's insight into the world of interior design and his trained eye make furnitureandhomefashion.com a great resource for anyone who has a passion for interior design.

Image of designer Brian Atwood's living room in his
Miami apartment, designed by Nate Berkus.
A trend that Miles Redd is loving right now.

6 Tips for the Unemployed

Although, I may I have digressed slightly from the original intention of this blog, today’s post will focus on the trials, tribulations, tales, and tips of an unempstyled (unemployed without sacrificing style) girl in Manhattan.
In addition to planning my sister’s wedding, my mother has made my job search a priority as well. She is a very busy woman. It was the morning of May 13, 2011, and the time was somewhere after 9:00AM. My mother called me earlier that morning around 8:00 AM and I think we spoke for about 30 minutes, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw her phone number show up on call display approximately 1 hour later. “Hi mom,” I said. “I was just about to leave for the gym.” “OK,” she responded but continued with “Did you watch the last 10 minutes of Good Morning America?” “No, not really mom because you called me mid-broadcast and I couldn’t concentrate on Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and you at the same time and then I started getting ready,” I answered. “Well, they had a segment about resumes and interviews and you can see what they said if you visit abcnews.com,” my mother said in her best TV host voice a la “and if you missed any of this segment, please visit abcnews.com and type in 6 Tips for the Unemployed to get all six tips. (The exact address url is: htpp://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/tips-unemployed-13601205. A url with the word unemployed in the address. It’s good to know that ABC is using its SEO to track its traffic sources but I don’t need the word unemployed staring at me as I read an article on the subject. I am living it.)
On the advice of my mother, I entered the above url, and instead of seeing a page of text listing the 6 Tips for the Unemployed, I was greeted with a video. What more could I ask for? Watching Cynthia Shapiro, Career Strategist, reveal her 6 Tips for the Unemployed (in what appears to be one segment in a series called “What Does Somebody Have to do to Get a Job Around Here?), would be like going to a career coach but without receiving a bill for services rendered. I dashed over to my desk drawer to grab a Little Fury linkable notebook and made it back to the computer just in time for the video to start. Let’s stop here for a minute. Please read this post in full before you grab your iphone, Blackberry, notebook or scrap of paper and then I will let you be the judge of whether these tips will help you in your job search.



http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/start-here-note.php
Little Fury linkable notebook

 The 2 minute and 50 second segment (Note: 2 minutes and 50 second without the opening ad) opened with the ABC World News Special Report music. You know the music I am talking about. You recently heard it when ABC News interrupted the second to last episode of Brothers & Sisters to deliver the news about Bin Laden. Now I am thinking that I have either clicked on the wrong video or that these 6 tips must be groundbreaking. I couldn’t answer my own question just yet because the segment was introduced with a commercial from Blackberry. I don’t know who made this media buy but I think most of the people who are watching this program had their Blackberries taken away when they were laid off. I think that this would have been a great placement for Kleenex or something more appropriate like The Ladders.

From this point on this post shall be referred to as “Really with the Pink Lady.”
(Inspired by the Saturday Night Live segment “Really with Seth Myers.”)

2 minutes 50 seconds and counting  

How can I plug gaps in my resume?

You should never show gaps in your resume. It is important to make it appear as if you are always moving your career forward. Suggestions:

1. Consulting

It can be unpaid. Try giving advice to friends and family around the dinner table.

Really, Cynthia? I can confidently say that my friends and family do not want to sit around the dining room table on a Friday night listening to “my expert” opinion on that evening’s subject of conversation nor will they consider it consulting. As my father says,”Can you take it the bank? No. Then forget about it.”



http://images2.fanpop.com/images/quiz

/248000/248590_1246551585960_500_280.jpg

A memorable dinner table scene from the film Wedding Crashers.

 

2. Volunteer Work
Volunteer with an organization or association that is within your industry. Don’t disclose that it wasn’t paid or voluntarily unpaid.

Really Cynthia? Are you asking me to lie? Why can’t I tell said person that it was unpaid? Isn’t volunteer work unpaid to begin with?

If you can’t find a way to fill the gap…

3. Make it Deliberate

Never make it appear as if you were passed over or unemployable. Not working was a conscious decision. Say things like “I don’t like taking time off while I am working at a company,” or “I took some time off to do some chores around the house,” or “I went on vacation.” You can also say that you were taking some certifications. You want your resume to make it look like your decision to reenter the job market is a recent one.  



Ralphlauren.com

The bathing suit I may have purchased if I decided to go on vacation.



Really Cynthia? We are coming out of a recession. Unemployment figures are still high. The competition to find a new job is fierce. Do you think that saying “I decided to take 6 months off and vacation in Europe,” is an acceptable answer for me to use when my prospective employer asks me to explain the 4-month gap in my resume? I don’t think so. What’s wrong with saying that you wanted to take the time to find the right job? That is if your financial situation allows you to do that. If not, you may have to take the first job that comes around but that still does not justify using any of the latter suggestions on how to fill the gaps in your resume.

4. Stay Away from Going Negative

Don’t complain about the economy or your past employer. It makes you appear unsuccessful and unlucky.

Really Cynthia? If we don’t know that by now, we being, the job searchers, then we are not ready to go on any interviews at this point.

5. Practice in Front of a Mirror or with your Friends and Family or Call a Professional to Conduct a Mock Interview with You.

Maybe I will practice my interview in this Who’s the Fairest Mirror, from Anthropologie.

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp

Really Cynthia? There are not very many units in my apartment building and after living there for three years most of my neighbors know that at this point in time there is only one person living in my apartment, me. In addition to all of that, both of my mirrors are located close to the door. If I spend my days practicing my interview skills in front of the mirror I won’t have to worry about going on any interviews because my neighbors will call 911, and the only place I will be going to, is the loony bin.

I do agree with your comment about practicing your interview with friends. I recently did that with a friend who works in the industry that I was interviewing for a position in. She answered all of my questions and gave me some constructive feedback about my mock responses. As for the calling the professional point, I am unemployed. I can’t afford to hire a professional.

6. Tell Them What They Want to Hear. It’s Part of the Game that we play and it makes you the safest bet for hire. Even if you don’t do it perfectly, it’s going to be better than if you didn’t say anything at all.

Really Cynthia?