Diana Lee's Posterous

My five favorite looks from the red carpet at the 2012 Oscars.

(5) Maya Rudolph in Johanna Johnson

(4) Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera

By far the biggest shock of the night, as she so often misses the mark.

(3) Viola Davis in Vera Wang

Yay for taking a big chance with color and for rocking that phenomenal figure!

(2) Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford

(1) Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji

This is how you dress a larger curvy figure. You can even pull off sleeves if you want. Gorgeous.

Honorable mention to Kristen Wiig. I liked her dress & her styling choices. You go, girl.

This is a riff on my mom's Thanksgiving leftovers Turkey Pot Pie, which she makes with refrigerator pop out biscuits. My husband prefers a real pie crust, so I simply swapped a refrigerated pie crust for the biscuits. It's just as easy and delicious. You can make it either way. Just substitute a baking dish for a pie plate if you use the biscuits and follow the baking directions on whichever package you choose once the pie is assembled.

Ingredients:

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, such as Pillsbury or Trader Joe's

4 Tbsp. butter, divided

1/2 one small onion, minced

1/2 c. sweet potato, diced

1/3 c. celery, diced

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. dried sage

salt & pepper to taste

2 c. chicken broth

2-1/2 c. cooked chicken, cubed (If you only have raw chicken, poach it in chicken broth & cut it up using tongs to hold the hot chicken.)

3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1/2 c. skim milk

16 oz. bag frozen vegetable mix (diced carrots, peas, green beans & corn)

Directions:

Preheat oven to temperature directed on pie crust package. Put pie crusts out on counter to come to room temperature.

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, sweet potato, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and cook until they've thawed.

Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in chicken and flour. Add milk and heat through.

Stir the chicken mixture into the vegetable mixture and heat until thickened.

Put the bottom pie crust into a deep dish pie plate. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture. Top with the other pie crust. Crimp edges together and vent the top crust.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place the pie on top. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or as directed on the pie crust box. Let the pie sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		333.1
Total Fat		17.2 g
	Saturated Fat	7.3 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.8 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	6.6 g
Cholesterol		48.4 mg
Sodium		357.2 mg
Potassium		369.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		27.7 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.0 g
	Sugars	3.9 g
Protein		17.3 g

Vitamin A	92.5 %
Vitamin B-12	4.9 %
Vitamin B-6	21.3 %
Vitamin C	15.3 %
Vitamin D	2.6 %
Vitamin E	10.0 %
Calcium	5.6 %
Copper	6.0 %
Folate	10.0 %
Iron	11.2 %
Magnesium	9.7 %
Manganese	20.2 %
Niacin	40.0 %
Pantothenic Acid	7.3 %
Phosphorus	18.4 %
Riboflavin	15.6 %
Selenium	16.9 %
Thiamin	14.6 %
Zinc	6.1 %

On vacation in the San Diego area recently I had the pleasure of trying the notorious french toast served in a seaside restaurant called Brockton Villa that overlooks La Jolla Cove. This dish is completely amaze-balls, people. It had me doing a happy dance in my chair. Thank goodness for all the beautiful places in the area to walk around and work off that food coma!

1 loaf soft French bread (sliced)
1 qt. whipping cream
10 eggs
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
a pinch of salt
2 tbs. vanilla
2 tbs. orange flavoring

Combine liquid ingredients. Pour over bread slices. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Remove bread and discard liquid. Spread butter on flat grill.

Cook bread until golden brown, then bake at 450° for 5 -7 minutes or until bread is puffed up like a soufflé. Dust with powdered sugar.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6

1. Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva ****
2. Special Relationship by Robyn Sisman **
3. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore *****
4. The Amber Room by Steve Berry **
5. Cartwheels in a Sari by Jayanti Tamm **
6. Room by Emma Donoghue ****
7. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova ****
8. Witch and Wizard by James Patterson **
9. Promises to Keep by Jane Green ****
10. Listening Is an Act of Love by Dave Isay ****
11. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Kindle version) *****
12. How to be Sick by Toni Bernhard *****
13. The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh *****
14. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd ****
15. Everything Is Going to Be Great by Rachel Shukert ****
16. Chocolate & Vicodin by Jennette Fulda ****
17. A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin ****
18. The Magicians by Lev Grossman ***
19. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond ***
20. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore ****
21. House Rules by Jodi Picoult ***
22. Zeitoun by Dave Eggars *****
23. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ***
24. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ****
25. You Suck by Christopher Moore ***
26. Unchartered TerriTori by Tori Spelling ***
27. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie ****
28. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman ****
29. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak *****
30. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie ****
31. A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin ****
32. The Messenger by Daniel Silva ****
33. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory ****
34. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie *****
35. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult ****

*     = didn't like it
**    = it was okay
***   = liked it
****  = really liked it
***** = it was amazing

Currently Reading:

The Virgin in the Garden by AS Byatt

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh

GOAL:

35/50 books read. 70% finished.

These are all Behr color names.

This recipe tweaks a Martha Stewart / Everyday Food recipe, but puts my own spin on it. Couldn't be easier or more delicious. Try it!

Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast

3 lb. beef chuck roast
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes in puree
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, quartered

Cooked it in the slow cooker on high for about six hours. At the end I thickened the sauce with a little cornstarch & water slurry and we had it over mashed Yukon gold potatoes.

I snagged this recipe from a friend months ago, and it was a huge hit in our house. Super simple, but incredibly delicious.

Easy Pork Carnitas

2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
1 jar of salsa verde (green salsa–any kind)
1 can Rotel tomotoes
1 can chopped green chiles
1 onion, chopped in large pieces

Cover in crockpot and cook on low until pork easily forks apart (about
10 hours). (We didn't have to cook ours that long. Maybe about 8 hours.)

Serve buffet-style with flour tortillas, cheese, cilantro,
avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream.

This recipe is perfect for entertaining during the holiday season. It's completely delicious & addictive. Everyone will want the recipe, I promise.

Zesty Raspberry Chipotle Black Bean Dip

1 - 8 oz. brick cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 - 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 block pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
Raspberry Chipotle Salsa (any brand carried by your store)

Melt cream cheese and pepper jack cheese in microwave. Stir. Add in black beans and salsa and heat until both cheeses are completely melted and the entire dip is hot. Serve with tortilla chips and tell doubters to try it before they dismiss it. It looks weird, but tastes amazing.

I've been looking for the perfect quick, but delicious recipe for cheesy chicken enchiladas. By combining a couple of recipes and adapting them a bit I finally hit on the perfect recipe. You won't believe how delicious they are. They're super quick, too.

Speedy, Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup white onion, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded chicken breast (about 8 ounces) (poached, rotisserie or precooked)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground Cajun seasoning
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed & drained
Cooking Spray
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1-1/2 cups Colby Monterrey Jack cheese blend, shredded
1-1/2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, cubed
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add enchilada sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Combine chicken, cumin, Cajun seasoning, corn and black beans, tossing well. Stir in 3/4 cup enchilada sauce mixture.

Wrap tortillas in paper towels; microwave on high 30 seconds or until warm. Place 1/8 cup chicken mixture and two cubes of pepper jack cheese in center of each tortilla; roll up. Place tortillas, seam sides down, in an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining sauce mixture over enchiladas and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese blend. Bake until hot & bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Serve with sour cream.