Saturday, February 27, 2010

Food: My First Cannoli

Today I had my first cannoli, or cannolo, if you want to be grammatically correct. Yes, the first one ever (at least that I can remember).  IMG01281
A quick search online for “the best cannoli in Milan”,  deemed the Princi bakery on Via Ponte Vetero the winner, so off I went. (Princi has several locations throughout Milan.)
Upon realizing that this was an event to be photographed, I snapped an underhanded, pretending-to-text photo with the blackberry, hoping not to draw sneers from fellow diners.
The crunchy, not too sweet shell contrasted perfectly with the smooth and sweet filling that was speckled with chocolate flakes, and a candied orange peel added just the right amount of tartness.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Dish Rag Soup

And, no, it doesn’t contain a dish rag!
City Models 102
City Models 117

This soup gets its name because it can contain anything from your kitchen except the dish rag.

Instead of throwing away all that produce that you “forgot” to eat, throw together a batch of this soup. Freeze the leftovers, and you’ve got a ton of delicious meals that are healthy and ready in minutes!

It’s simple- just throw in your (uncooked) leftovers, maybe some frozen veggies, and a couple of cans that have just been sitting in your pantry for awhile (you know you have them).

There are a couple of things that help make this soup better, so here goes:
Start by sautéing any onions, potatoes, peppers that you might want to add.
Add a can of tomatoes (whole, crushed, pureed, whatever) for color and flavor.
Bring the soup to a boil once you’ve added everything, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

I like to add hot sauce and/ or cayenne pepper for some extra kick, but salt and pepper will do. Be careful adding salt before you taste it!

This is great topped with toasted bread or grated parmesan cheese. Usually I’ll just get day-old baguette, slice it really thin, brush it with olive oil, and bake at 400 until golden brown and crispy, and top the soup with homemade croutons.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Modeling: Meltin Pot

     A couple of weeks ago, I flew down to the South of Italy to shoot for the website of Meltin' Pot Jeans. It was pretty basic. We were doing product shots so shoppers on the site could check out how the jeans look on a person before they buy them. This kind of shoot is really common everywhere in the fashion industry.

     It was a great day- I got to see the town of Brindisi on the drive from the airport, the people were nice, the food was delicious (pastry! pastas!) and, at the end of the day, they gave me two pairs of jeans!

Now the site is up, and you can check it out for yourself!

Chocolat Milano: Worth Doing Time on the Treadmill

  City Models 126

City Models 125

My friend Eamon and I visited Chocolat this weekend. The gelato was amazing- I had a scoop of chocolate with chili pepper sprinkled in and a scoop of Nutella. For those of you that aren’t crazy about chocolate, Eamon was loving the pistachio gelato.

I was sad when my gelato was gone… until I tasted the cone. Honestly, it was one of the best cones I’ve ever had (which is a lot).

Chocolat also has 5 flavors “hot chocolate”- a.k.a. a mug of thick melted chocolate. With white, chili, dark, milk, and cinnamon.

The cakes also looked AMAZING.

I can’t wait to go back!

 

Via Boccaccio 9, Milano

Monday, February 22, 2010

Models Who Cook!

Last week, I visited some male models at their apartment for dinner. In the Italian spirit, they made pasta with salami, olives, mozzarella, and tomatoes. YUM!
It was great- a home cooked meal, and all I had to do was show up with some wine!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

New Shoot: Tino Vacca, Milan, It

tino vacca 2 

IMG_8017 (2)

ATTN: Angelenos

After a four year love affair with Los Angeles, I am still amazed by all of the fun things to do in the area!

Well kids, the Cupcake Challenge is BACK! This is an event where you can go and sample basically every kind of cupcake imaginable. I went to a small-scale cupcake challenge last year in Berkeley, and it was unbelievable!
Tomorrow, Feb. 20, from 4-7 at the Renaissance Hotel.
The tickets are already sold out, but I can't wait to see the pics and be inspired!
Here is the link in case you live in the area and want to try and pull some strings. :-)
http://www.drinkeatplay.com/cupcakechallenge/

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Meringue: A Little Piece of Heaven

Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, the meringue is a little cloud of sugar and egg white awesomeness.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Breakfast: My Favorite Meal

We all hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is, but it can be such a drag figuring out what to eat when you're rushing out the door. The same old cereal can leave you less than full and eating nothing wreaks havoc on your metabolism.
So what's a busy model (student, person) to do?
Here are some options for fast, healthy, and filling breakfast shakes, followed by a recipe for healthy "pancakes." I usually do one or the other, but depending on my workouts, I'll add a couple of slices of turkey bacon or a handful of almonds on the side of the shakes.

Enjoy!

1 Cup Chocolate Soy Milk, 1/2 Banana and Berries Blended with Ice.

Skim Milk, 1 Banana, 1 TBSP Almond Butter Blended with Ice.

Low Fat Greek Yogurt, Blueberries, and 1 tsp Honey; Blend Until Smooth.

“Pancakes”
Recipe Care of Lorraine Lopez

2 egg whites
1 serving of quick cooking oatmeal
Mix together, heat up a nonstick skillet, spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Put the mixture on the skillet, cook like you would a pancake, flipping when the sides start to pull up.
“Pancake” will turn golden brown when done.

This is really good if you spread low-fat or Greek yogurt and blueberries, but you can also use syrup.

Now you have no excuse to skip breakfast!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Obsessed: The Biggest Loser

While sometimes I take great pleasure in eating cookies while watching the television show, The Biggest Loser is hugely inspirational, and not just because of the brand extension and marketing genius that makes it so popular. While the competition provides the drama to keep people watching and contestants going, the show promotes a holistic lifestyle where contestants work to shed both emotional and physical weight while building athleticism and self esteem.
Between my minor obsession with Jillian's crafted bitching at contestants and burning desire to befriend Bob, I got off the couch and tried the workouts. They really do work- I swear by the 30 Day Shred and Power Sculpt videos. Of course consistency is key and you can't eat like crap all the time, but they're short, relatively simple, and hardly put a dent in your day... all the more time to watch the show!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

In Honor of Valentine's Day

While I do realize that Valentine's Day was likely created/ hyped up by Madison Avenue, any excuse for yummy treats and celebration is fine with me!

My favorite gelato in Milan comes from a shop called Bianco Latte, or white milk. They have all kinds of wonderful things to eat and drink, and have special treats in honor of Valentine's Day.
A few of their festive offerings displayed in the window.

The only problem: Bianco Latte is across the street from my gym...talk about motivation to work out extra hard!
Bianco Latte Restaurant, Via Filippo Turati, 30, Milano

Shout Out To The East Bay

It's telling that I still think of Berkeley's Cheeseboard Pizza while in Italy.

Sitting on the grass having a slice after a fashion show.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Behind the Scenes: Cattle Call

A cattle call is what models call a casting where the client gave no specifications on the type of person they want to book, and what seems like everyone in town comes. A great way to catch up, but waits can go upwards of the hour mark for a quick flip through your book and a couple of digitals.

Behind the Scenes: Casting

Plaid is apparently still in.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Southern Comfort

Growing up in the Southeastern US set me up for a lifetime of loving to eat.
So, to me, nothing is better on a cold night away from home than a hot plate of comfort food.
Unfortunately, that usually includes something deep fried- not so good for a model's body!
Fortunately, I have a solution!

Healthy "Fried" Pork Chops

Buy thin cut pork chops (.5 inch or less)
Heat oven to 350 F
Mix 2 egg whites with a splash of skim milk, add a couple of dashes of Tabasco
Dip pork chops in peppered all purpose flour, then dip them in the egg white mix, then into Italian bread crumbs
Bake for 30-35 min, or until the coating browns.
 
 
I serve these gems with no-sugar added applesauce and sauteed spinach.
Talk about Southern Comfort! Yum!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Coffee Love: San Francisco


Ahh… coffee. If you don’t love it, you haven’t had the right stuff. If you absolutely hate coffee, this is your opportunity to give it one last shot.
During a break from a fashion show, I wandered into the Blue Bottle Café… a little place, so small that you might just miss it.
The Tokyo iced coffee, brewed through a drip machine that looks like something from Wonka’s factory, is sure to please. They also have New Orleans iced coffee sweetened with chicory root. This stuff is unbelievable.
The sweets are delicious- I sampled the organic gingerbread cookies and the sesame absinthe shortbread, which were perfect when dunked.

Tokyo Style coffee brewing in the café, The New Orleans Iced, and Latte with Gingerbread Cookie
66 Mint Street, San Francisco. Cash only.