Field Trippin': Purple Reign

OH MAN! Yesterday I drove an hour to the Le Creuset Signature Store in Chino Hills.... good googly moogly aside from the Christian Louboutin store in NYC, Royal/T Cafe that is hosting Hello Kitty's 35th birthday & Jumbo's Clown Room this is thee HAPPIEST place on earth. Yeah I know you're thinking Jumbo's?!?!? But C'MON how brilliant is a spot where strippers come to die?!?!? That has it's own scent, a combination of dreams gone awry mixed with the smell of over the hill glamrock stars from the 80's tears, cigarettes & failure. A place where 1/4 of the population is praying the valtrex won't wear off & you could swear you heard the raucous, raunchy laughter of Bukowski sitting in the corner with Tom Waits downing well whiskey. I love, love, LOVE that place. Anywho... while I was waiting for my Lilac Mist sexpot word on the streets is that Sur La Table is replacing the Dijon line to showcase a purple one.

Aww... The Color Purple one of my favourite movies (yes I spelled favorite like they do in England & Oz... that's how much I LOVE it) "you told Harpo to beat me?!?!?" "That razor look dull ta me, Miss Celie!" "all mah life i haid ta fight..." Man, Oprah KILLED it as Miss Sophia! Someone posted that the signature store (which there are only SIX flippin' stores in the entire Country) carries a color called Fig.... here starts the obsession.

Here is the glamorous line they are touting as Fig here in the US, it's actually called Cassis & it's exclusive to a store in the UK called Fenwick
I called the store a couple of days ago & spoke to this really awesome salesperson named Chris... ok I didn't just call... I damn near accosted him several times that day.. & the next & the next so 3 days later, yesterday, he told me to come in for their 20% off event & if I came in yesterday I could get an additional 40% off a second item or I can come in on the 2nd & get 30% off of everything.... DUDE what's a girl to do? 20% off 1 & 40% off another or just take the damn 30% for the one thing I frickin' needed... a braiser in Fig!!!! Ugh this is why I haven't had a credit card in over 12 years I would be SO screwed!!!! He was only working until 3:30 & he wasn't working again until next week. I figured he deserved the commission since I bothered the crap out of him.

After a couple more phone calls to the store (I'm sick I tell ya but I'm also a realist) I started calling all of my friends & posting on Facebook for someone to accompany me so I won't go nuts, nobody could so I decided to be a big girl, armed with my headphones & head there myself. I chanted the entire hour there to prepare myself. I always wanted a piece from the Caribbean line to call Harry Belafonte but I was quickly realizing that naming my sexpots were starting to overshadow my focus on things I actually NEED-ed. I parked my car & put an hour in the meter... because I knew I would be battling myself the ENTIRE time & I walked into this...

SWEET CHEEZUS!!! I SWEAR from what I saw then heard that must be what the gates of heaven must sound like
The deliciously sexy Caribbean line, reminded me of my Breakfast at Tiffany's homage
New Pearl & Onyx cocottes... so SASSY!
I couldn't WAIT to get my braiser home & set up the table!!! Ladies & Germs in honor of both the radiant Miss Sophia Loren AND Oprah's stunning performance from The Color Purple please welcome my new baby Sophia.
When I was in college & when I first moved to LA I had my shoe guys that gave me the sickest discounts... now I'm in my thirties & have shifted my priorities, Chris has replaced in my heart those shoe guys *swoon*. As I contemplated what to do & REALLY wanted to make the drive out there worth it I couldn't bring myself to buy another piece... no matter how BADLY I wanted to make my Harry Belafonte sexpot dream come true. I also came to the realization after over a year of aggressively searching to amass this awesome collection that I was 1 pot away from being done. I'm done, what else will I do with my free time?!?!?

It was so scary to realize that but I am also super proud of what I accomplished. I got some pretty cool & super rare pieces in such a short amount of time. Trust me for that extra 40% I REALLY tried to find something else & Chris saw how badly I wanted to get something else. So I just bought the mini cocotte recipe book & I asked Chris if it were possible to give me 30% he surprised me & said no I'll give you 40!!!! I bursted out into tears, hugged him & professed my love. His Mom is also a huge collector & I told him to tell her I love her too... hahaha we had this running joke the entire time of how she must be SO proud of him that he works there. Some peeps want their kids to be Doctors or lawyers but her son working there blows those tightwads out of the water!!!! Damn I should date him... *snort* HA! FORTY frickin' PERCENT!!!! The list price was $270, they sell it for $200 & I walked out with that puppy for $120+ tax
So not to be one to pass on a dream I have decided to switch the name of my turquoise blue paella pan from Luke to Harry Belafonte. It's smooth & the color reminds me of the Islands & they're mine so SUE me for deciding to change a name!!! Now only to find that elusive pink 5 qt Loewy Coquelle I have my heart set on to name Princess Grace my 30+ LC collection is officially done, WELL unless I may want to name one Julia Child, somebody SLAP me. This was an awesome experience. Oh Le Creuset how I adore thee xoxo. OH FYI the Chef that did the demonstrations there quit so I offered to come in over the Holidays & hold demonstrations myself, fingers crossed that I get the gig... MAN to cook in an LC store, Lord HELP ME!!!
The cute berry mini cocottes

OBSESSED to try my new babies I ran to the store & bought short ribs to braise in my braiser


Mascarpone & Garlic Mashed Potato Bake

Our signed bottle of Sangiovese we busted out to celebrate!
My dames... Elizabeth Taylor & Sophia

Food For Thought: For Precious Girls Everywhere

For Precious Girls Everywhere... that was the quote on the screen when one of thee most powerful movies I have ever seen concluded. On Wednesday I went to a screening presented by Vanity Fair of my dear friend & artistic influence Lee Daniels new film Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire... which is also produced by my mentor Simone Sheffield. 2 days later I am STILL shaking! There were SO many elements to this film I identified with, personally & looking around the theatre & seeing all the women as shaken as I was I realized how hard most women in the world have it. It was beautifully shot, kind of reminded me of an urban Amelie. It was SUPER funny amidst so much tragedy, very reminiscent of life & this is why Lee's films always stand out for me. He has this incredible gift to interpret the juxtapositions of life... good, bad & hopeful & putting it all up there on screen in it's raw & visceral form...

Diana, Lee & I
Me telling Lee I worship the ground he floats over

Lee holding court, he deserves the very BEST!
Speaking of raw & visceral the performances were MESMERIZING! First off Mo'nique WILL get an Oscar for this anyone that can make you hate them that much in a performance then have you cry with them & find some sort of reasoning in all that insanity & you see the humanity in such a monster is worthy of every acting accolade given this year.... but as powerful as her performance was, actually EVERY ONE'S performance... such a fantastic cast (even Mariah Carrey killed it & Paula Patton was a revelation) but I can't stop beaming with pride over the performance of newbie Gabourey Sidibe.
Gabby's ethereal balls to the wall performance... I mean she was the biggest, darkest & everything I was conditioned to believe was NOT star worthy female lead I have ever seen but literally so tragic & this STUN-NINGLY gorgeous artist at the same time, possibly the most stunning actress I have ever seen... as an artist I have been WAITING to see a performance like this, secretly I've ALWAYS wanted to be the one but due to fear was waiting in the wings for someone to do it first! As a viewer I have SALIVATED for a film like this to make me put EVERYTHING in my life into perspective & inspire me to propel myself to bigger & better things that I deserve to experience. I couldn't stop hugging her & thanking her for having the courage to give a performance like that. She was so cute I wanted to put her in my pocket. SO much humility & grace she kept saying thank you when I wanted her to understand how grateful we all were for her performance. Anyone sees that performance of hers will be changed FOREVER! She has solidified her place in film history.

Both my mentor Simone & Lee get little Black girls (Monster's Ball), big black girls (Mo'nique) & now big Black queens (Lee) OSCARS!!!! Almost a millenia in the making. I can't WAIT for the day I can return the favor & show Simone I am worth the investment she has made in me. I don't think I have ever cried so much in my entire life & at the end of the film when it was dedicated to the "Precious girls everywhere" never have I had more truer words resonate in me & inspire me. Please, please, PLEASE RUN & see this film when it comes to a theatre near you on November 6th... Life is PRECIOUS!

My friend an incredible Actor Sammi Rotibi

My girl Di ROCKING the carpet

Who's Your Mama?: A very special delivery

My best friend Gigo of 20 years came to LA to see U2 perform for his & his wife's birthday. I BEGGED him to bring his daughter Alicia & I'll babysit while he's at the show since I don't get down to Miami very often I was afraid I was going to miss seeing her as an infant... too flippin' cute! Because I slept at David's & was preparing for the party for 3 days I missed another special delivery but waiting for me downstairs Sunday morning I found my new baby Dame Elizabeth Taylor... *swooooooooooon*.

These were only sold exclusively in Japan & South Africa, luckily but not luckily my girlfriend Dana just moved to South Africa.. that was the luckily part, the unluckily one was when she came to stay with me before she moved I loaned her my $400 VINTAGE leather Chanel Camellia Brooch... she lost it (bummer) I knew replacing it would take YEARS!!! SO I asked her if she could send me a Le Creuset pot in either the coveted Antique Rose (pink) or Lilac Mist (Lavender). I already have 2 pink pieces so I was salivating over this one.

On my weekly ebay search under the keyword Le Creuset Rare I found this!!! Granted it's not $400 & it won't ever replace my stun-NING brooch but nonetheless I am super stoked & tickled pink by my new baby & I can't thank Dana enough for keeping her word & doing everything possible to make it up to me. I MISS you Dana Dane, I am SO proud of you & you are forever my sister... believe that girly! You have been such an invaluable addition to my life. I love you!

She's captivated by both the pots & herself in the mirror... I LOVE her!
A love story begins, gotta start them young!
How delicious is she?
How delicious are my new babies? HA! I'm ridiculous!

Let Me Cater To You: To Fang or Bang? That really was the question

One of my nearest & DEAREST friends, David Armstrong... actually one of the first friends I have ever made when I moved out to LA, many, many moons ago... hired me to cater his birthday party. David is a photographer & I was his first "muse". We used to spend HOURS shooting at his home with the master of horror Clive Barker, sometimes the 3 of us would shoot until the wee hours in the morning, the brother would even call me over at midnight because he just had a super cool idea & I had to come over to "play". One of my favorite shoots I dressed up like Marilyn Monroe & Courtney Cruz was Bettie Page & the way he shot it we looked JUST like them... HA a Black Marilyn Monroe... fierce! Speaking of black... here is a picture we took one late night & I was painted completely in black. He calls it his "favorite" picture & he gets to see me everyday... all 10+ feet of me... awwwwwwwwww! I will say it took weeks to get all that black off of my body it was e-ver-y-WHERE!
For the party this picture was placed in the window to greet the guests... I am a VERY lucky girl, I have some AMAZING friends. Speaking of amazing friends the theme of the party is based on David's favorite show "True Blood" guests came to the party dressed as either Vampires (Fangs) or Vampire lovers/victims (fang bangers... brilliant). 300 guests were invited & if it weren't for my sorry to be repetitive... amazing friends Mimi, Perri, Curtis & Vinda there's no way I could have fed them all & have everything ready.
David's daughter created this... word!
The bed in the master bedroom was replaced by these, I slept there the night before but chickened out last minute! I couldn't bring myself to sleep in there, so the crew brought the bed we placed outdoors inside & I slept in the living room... in front of my massive picture, I know... terrible!
The Feast. My whole menu was red & carnivorous & I had to keep in mind that there was A LOT of alcohol at this party I wanted items that would soak up all that hooch & sober peeps up properly. We had a whole roasted pig, an oohy, gooey cheesy Italian Fondue in the crock pot, red beans & rice in the dining room to greet the guests as soon as they arrived.



These coffins were cool but this one....


was thee COOLEST!!! I rented a chocolate fountain added red chocolate & loaded the interior of the coffin with goodies to dip in the chocolate.. let's just say this was to die for.... Man, I had corny lines ALL night especially the ones I chucked at Jesus, yes Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth was there too, remember the same Jesus from the prop 8 march I blogged about earlier click here ... he kept offering to help in the kitchen, yes he was my Savior too, the Lord was my shepherd he guided all the dishes into the sink of holy water *snort* HA...oh man you should've heard half the crap I said... it was AWESOME!



Living art David wanted to show a glutton in baby Hewey garb watching porn & eating fried chicken all night... yeah I don't question "art" or artistes.
Baby Brie Bruschetta
Caprese

Shrimp ceviche
Spicy Devil Shrimp with Thai Coconut Red Curry shots
Turkey Meatballs
Chicken & Pesto pizza
We made 8 pizzas from SCRATCH! Pepperoni, Spicy Arugula, Tomatoes, Garlic & Olives, Prosciutto & Spinach & plain cheese. I also made Pomagranate chicken wings since I had a whole batch of Pom BBQ sauce leftover from my last gig & tomato soup shots with mini grilled cheese on the rim, I'm catering another party on Sunday so I'll take pics of those then. It was a HIT especially since it was getting quite nippy outside.
Thank the Lord for Mimi (yes I got to thank him personally remember he was there) I got a chance to take a shower & dress up like everyone else. She was on FIYAH in the kitchen banging all the dishes out!

Vampires take another victim


Sarah Palin... the biggest blood sucker of them all!


I walked in & busted Perri whipping this guy a new one... literally... SO FUNNY!
The incomparable burlesque goddess Miss Courtney Cruz

Christ Almighty!!! Perri gave the Lord a lapdance, it's ok they're both Jewish!
My chocolate fountain bit the dust! That machine was craptastic... I got bummed for a minute but got over it quickly, everything at the party was amazing!
The party boy Sir David Armstrong... blood sucker
VAMPIRES!!!!!!
The Lord keeps kosher!