If there’s one thing in life I hope I never learn it’s the amount of tortilla chips I’ve consumed.

After years of study around the world, I think I’ve found the perfect chip. Light, crispy, just the right amount of salt and oil, able to hold salsa and/or cheese dip easily. Ahhh.

This may sound like a description of any chip from Doritos to the best Mexican restaurant chip you’ve ever had. Semantically, yes, but to a true tortilla chip aficionado, these words have a much deeper meaning.

On a good day, the finest chips I’ve had are from Pappasito’s Cantina, who are also the purveyors of the finest Margaritas this side of the Rio Grande, but that’s another post.

Typically I have 2 favorite supermarket brands of chips, Mission and Santita.

- Missions are a “gourmet” -read expensive-  tortilla chip; medium-thick chip, can be heavy, good crunch, oil and salt, about $4.00 a bag.

- Santita are the best chip for the price; medium-thin crispy chip, slightly dry, slight salt, $2. per bag.

However, today my friends, I will share with you Holy Grail of tortilla chips. Restaurant taste and quality right in your supermarket.

Xochtil, Totopos de Maiz (white Corn Chip) by Salsa Xochitl.

Xochitl {so-cheel} was queen of Tollan, lived in the 11th century Mexico. She was the daughter of Papantzin, a noble in King Tepacaltzin’s court. Xochitl, whose name means “flower”, is credited with inventing pulque, the fermented juice of the agave plant, and and an early forerunner of tequila.

I was all set to buy my usual Santitas, when I saw the Xochitl. They were new to my Publix store since the new reset. Being the aforementioned “chip aficionado” I felt it my duty to check them out.

I opened them as soon as I got to the car. Manna from heaven. Just like my beloved Pappasito’s chips.

The downside is that they are not cheap. They are priced up there with the gourmet chip- $3.99- $4.25. But they are worth it.

Don’t waste them on amateurs. Save them for yourself, when you can enjoy every last snappy CRUNCH!

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

If you’re like me and my BFF, you’re always looking for a nice bottle of wine to crack open and enjoy in the evening. Not for a special occasion, not for an evening with friends, not to enjoy with a special meal. No…. just because.

Having a glass of wine “just because’” really is about enjoying the Sweet Life. Something as small as this is a celebration in itself. The problem is, most of the time a decent bottle of wine is at least $18 – $25 a bottle. That’s not a lot when you’re out with friends at a restaurant, but when you’re at home, that’s not a casual price.

I’ve found the answer – how does $10.99 sound?
Yes, you can truly buy a nice bottle of wine for $10.99. To top that off, it comes with a delightfully charming name and label; Cupcake Vineyards.

Don’t just take my word for it, The Wine Spectator gives the Chardonnay 88 points.

I’ve tried the Chard and the Cab. Both are very good and I highly recommend them.

What’s even better is that you can give this as a nice host/hostess gift and it’s classy and reasonable.

Give it a try – what have you got to lose?

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

I’m in the planning stages of some exciting changes at La Dolce Diva.

To get me started, I’d love your input! Could you spare a few moments to answer 10 questions?

It’s completely anonymous.

I may have a few more surveys in the coming weeks – stay tuned.

You’re opinion matters! You may see the very changes you suggest in the near future.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SURVEY

Thanks again for taking the time!

La Dolce Diva, Inc.

Life’s a bath, Soak it up!

If you’ve read anything about my La Dolce Diva Bath & Body company, then you know, I’m all about trying to pass on a positive message to our Divas- In- Training…I guess that has to apply to boys with cooties too.

Some family friends of my Diva-Girl Niece have started a fresh niche business that I wanted to tell you about.

Graphic designers, John and Danny Clavijo said “Enough with the negative!” and decided to do something about all the rude, crude and not-so-cool stuff they were seeing kids wear at schools, parks, shopping malls… you name it.

Something positive needed to be done. So they did it.

“Random Positive Messages” (RPM) featuring stylish graphic tees designed for kids (ages 8-12 a.k.a. “Generation Z”) and in support of parents trying to teach the right things.

“Positively Charged!” is the official slogan for RPM tees. It represents the spirit of the product well considering the partners determined that each and every design must answer affirmative to the question, “is it positive?”

“We fully realize there are a lot of tee shirt products out there. We are aiming to give RPM shirts a purpose – to serve as a simple reminder for the wearer and the those around him/her to THINK POSITIVE”, says Danny, “after all, where else can you find a shirt that says things like “RESPECT for others… I owe it, I show it, I’m never above or below it.”

The messages are intended to support parents, teachers, coaches and youth leaders…(I think they forgot Aunties, I’ll be speaking to them about this.)

“Our goal is to create shirts that kids will see as cool and stylish to wear, and that parents will feel good about buying,” commented John Clavijo, “because it supports what they try to impress upon their children daily.”

While soft, colorful and eye-grabbing, the RPM tee shirts display inspiring and encouraging messages based on positive values such as respect, kindness, manners, optimism and “The Golden Rule”.

The unique and diverse designs developed by a group of talented and award winning graphic artists, are printed on 100% ringspun cotton tees that provide an ultra soft, ultra comfortable feel.

Available at RPM’s web store, www.wearrpm.com, the shirts come in a variety of colors and catch-phrases and are available in both youth and adult sizes.  Prices for shirts range from $18 – $22.

What do you think? Actions speak louder than words. Send a postive message!

Movie: Julie & Julia 2009

We all know how this ends, Julia Child’s Mastering of Art of French Cooking is published and becomes a world wide success. It’s in practically every chef’s kitchen library, whether the book has been cracked open or not. It is there. After you see this movie, you’ll  probably be inspired to crack it open and make the Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child. I hope that didn’t spoil anything for you.

So, we know what happens at the end of the story, which is really the beginning of Julia’s success, at what the French call “a certain age”..meaning old and over 40. If you have read My Life In France based on letters and mementos saved and sent home by Paul and Julia Child, you may wonder why this wasn’t made into a movie on it’s own. Or maybe not. If it’d been made into a movie, it would probably not have been anymore than a docudrama that had a foodie based cult-following. It needed a spin and a sexy way of bringing it to the masses for box office bonanza. Enter Meryl Streep. Followed by Julie Powell.

Let’s start with the lesser known, Julie Powell. I will address her as I know her from the movie, I won’t go into the foodie-blogger- backlash she has received or her actual Julie & Julia Blog itself (I never read it), you can look into that yourself. Just Google Julie Powell Backlash.

Julie Powell is a novelist that never finished her novel, has a seemingly adorable and adoring husband and  some sort of Post 9/11 support job in a cubicle in Lower Manhattan. She’s not happy about her current work situation, friends and herself. Aside from her marriage, she feels lost and out of sorts. Who doesn’t really. She mentions to her husband that one of her friends has started a blog (weblog) and maybe she should start one too. She is a writer after all! They hit upon the subject of cooking, Julia Child, Julia’s book… and voilá!, the Julie & Julia Project Blog: 365 Recipes in 524 Days was launched.

For one year, Julie made and blogged about every recipe. It seems normal now, but a few short years ago, blogging wasn’t as ubiquitous. Sharing every waking thought that enters one’s head wasn’t as normal then as Twitter has made it seem today. To top that, there were actually people that read theses things, who knew?

Before we talk more about the movie, ahem, enter Meryl Streep. What better person to portray this larger than life (literally, Julia was 6′2″), ebullient, joyful American and not seem like a  SNL skit?

Meryl Streep does an amazing job of inhabiting the Julia character. Her voice and mannerisms seems over-the-top until you see actual Julia footage and realize how spot- on Meryl’s portrayal actually is. Hair and Makeup are the main reasons. I read in Vanity Fair Magazine that Meryl has her own Hair and Make-Up artist, J. Roy Helland, that she works with on her films. Helland changes Meryl’s eyebrows in almost every role. I guess if the eyes are the windows to the soul ,the eyebrows are the window-dressing. It is a trick to change and shift the shape and look of someones face.

Also, an interesting point, the makeup union rules state that actresses have separate hair and makeup artists on a film. Somehow, Meryl and Helland worked out an exemption decades ago.

Back to the movie, Julia is feeling  as if she needs “something to do” in France, as the wife of a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Paul Child, she doesn’t want to be a Parisian housewife – is there such a thing? It’s mentioned briefly, that Paul is actually an artist and served as designer of war rooms for British and American Generals.

Over their first lunch as new inhabitants of Paris, Julia falls in love with French cuisine – a life changing lunch – she calls it. Later, during another lunch, Julia laments her discontent with just doing nothing. She tries a few different things until she hits upon attending cooking school, because she loves to eat! She enrolls in Le Cordon Bleu.

So, the premise of the movie is based on the “parallels” of Julie and Julia’s lives.

Let’s see, a woman a bit discontent with the status-quo, happily married, turns to food. That describes a lot of people. The twist is the Julie & Julia blog. This element transports Julia’s story to modern day by intersplicing  Julie’s day to day posts with Julia’s life in  leading up to and writing  Mastering The  Art Of French Cooking.

The scenes of retro Paris are wonderful. The lifestyle of the Childs was definitely not working class. The apartment they lived in and parities they attended were ultra chic and glam. Not something you really associate Julia Childs with. At the same time, you see Julie’s world of a less than glamorous Queens neighborhood, subway rides, cramped apartment and cubicle life.

I did enjoy both stories and sometimes forgot there was a second story line until there was transition to the alternate storyline. This applied to both sides. At a certain point though, I began to tire of  the modern Julie’s storyline. Maybe because it is closer to my experiences, dramas and meltdowns. I don’t know if it was the actual Julie or Amy Adams’ portrayal. I find her kind of annoying after a while.

In contrast, I wanted Julia’s storyline to go on. There’s a lot to the back story that is subtly portrayed, Julia wanting children, McCarthyism and family relationships.

The underlying question of the movie, that we know happened or there wouldn’t have been a movie, is the success of Julie’s blog and her thrust into the big time. Obviously this does come, but, after the emotions and kind of whiny hysterics that lead up to and follow it, you don’t really get that excited. Nor is it really satisfying.

After seeing Julia and her co- author, write, edit and TYPE ( on multiple layers of onion-skin paper and carbon paper) the cookbook for EIGHT – TEN years, mail packages back and forth, try to get an editor and then waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s hard to get that excited over Julie’s “triumph” of getting a blog she wrote over the period of a year, in simple daily posts, that was auto-published online, based on another person’s work and then having received numerous offers for book rights following a NY Times feature.

Um, no. Just really an eye-roll from me. But the world is full of lucky stories like that. It won’t happen again until it does.

The upswing is, I really enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t that dramatic, pretty well-acted, upbeat, happy and enjoyable. I don’t know if Meryl will get an Oscar nomination, but it’s still worth seeing.

Bon Appétit!

P.S. Let me know how your Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child turns out.

Reuters

If you think that that Meryl Streep was over the top in The Devils Wears Prada as Runway editor Miranda Priestly, you are sadly mistaken. In case you didn’t know it, she was based on real life Vogue Editor-In-Chief  Anna “Nuclear” Wintour.

Known to be quite ferocious, demanding, condescending, powerful and any other adjective you want to throw in that implies she may eat her young, have been used to describe her.

What can’t be denied is her work ethic and survival instincts. Ms. Wintour has been Editor-in-Chief at vogue magazine for 20 years.

She is probably not on your radar at all. But in my world, as a fashion designer, she is IT. I would say Rockstar…but, that implies like-ability.

Of course, I don’t know Anna. Who does? She appears to be one of the most aloof people you will ever come across. I am only going by second-hand accounts and the history of her coverage in the press. Plus, how would one acquire the nickname “Nuclear Wintour”, that takes dedication.

Considering that aloofness and Anna’s seeming pleasure of being a force-to-be-reckoned-with that is mainly recognized on the fashion front, it is quite amazing that now that there is a documentary on her and Vogue. With Project Runway, The Fashion Show and various fashion documentaries on prominent designers, Anna probably grew tired of the spotlight being taken off of her crown.

The September Issue will premiere in the United States on August 28th in all it’s glorious wickedness, I’m sure. I cannot wait until it comes to my town, at the very least, it’s going on my Netflix waiting list.

The September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine weighed nearly five pounds, and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. With unprecedented access, The September Issue, directed and produced by R.J. Cutler, tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

The September Issue won the Grand Jury Prize for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

You can also view a 60 minutes piece here.

I am embarrassed to say that this is the type of stuff that gets me excited, I love the fashion industry. I love that the more you dig the shallower it gets. But what I especially love is that people write off fashion as unimportant. They don’t get it.

Here is my favorite scene from The Devil Wear Prada..

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs (her female bohemian assistant who doesn’t “get” it at first): No, no, nothing. Y’know, it’s just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y’know, I’m still learning about all this stuff.
Miranda Priestly: This… ’stuff’? Oh… ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean. You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.

Let me know what you think. Do you get it? Or do you not even care?

P.S. If you are wanting to know even more, here is a review from The Independent.

Imagine my delight and surprise when my sister presented me with a Goddess Mother’s Day gift (I call myself Goddess Mother instead of “Godmother” to my almost 2 year old Dinky Diva niece). A complete volume of everything Elvis, all Elvis, all the time.

I may have mentioned, a time or ten, that I am a devoted Elvis fan. Not the creepy, know every detail, groupie, obsessed kind of fan…but with this encyclopedia, I am am equipped to become one, if I so desire.

Just about every detail Elvis’ life has been meticlously researched,  detailed and chronicled.  As the author, Adam Victor notes, ” this encyclopedia is longer than the Old Testament”; a comparison to higher powers? I will leave that up to you to decide. I know my vote is in on that count *wink*.

I have already made a spot on my coffee table for this handsome compendium, if someone could just help me by prying it out of my hands.

Darla at Chic Critique was kind of enough to give a fabulous review of our Dolce Divina Tiramisu Collection!

Chic Critique gives beauty product reviews for the modern woman.  They are very honest (they loved our products- so of couse they are totally honest *wink*) and humorous too! I think you will enjoy reading about La Dolce Diva as well as their other reviews.

I especially liked their recent pictures on wearing “natural” and complimentary colored eye-makeup.

Enjoy…and thanks again Chic Critique!

How do some of us become aware of what brands are cool, trendy, status, luxury, cheap, knock-off, while others don’t have a clue? Maybe we are the ones that don’t have a clue. Or maybe we have an appreciation for an art form that seems superficial or commonplace to a lot of people who do not see fit to give it any thought or value. And some of us are just label-whores who could care less about the soul or aesthetic of a brand and just wear it like a badge of status. We won’t comment on what that status is.

In our world of commercialization and mass production, there are many designer brands that have been so worn down that they barely have a glimmer of the original spark that made them special. In some cases, the luxury brands we know today were known for a specialty far different than we know them for now. For example: Gucci; leather, Hermes; equestrian and artisan leathers, Louis Vuitton; steamer trunks, Chanel: hats, bell-bottoms, layered costume jewelry.  What- you think Madonna came up with that? Puleeze!

As popularity and notoriety of the different brands grew, their clients came to depend on them for quality merchandise and requested they expand into other areas or there was just a natural growth that occurred. While some of these brands made the decision to stay small luxury shops, others licensed their names to everything from cars to dog collars.  This distinction did not always lead to a cheapening of the brand, sometimes it simply broadened it. The real eye-opener is where the money comes from. For the most part, all the licensing of perfume, accessories, watches etc., is what pays the bills and for the marketing that keeps the brand’s identity in the luxury column.

All this was a long way around to recommend a book that I found utterly fascinating, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster.

Deluxe, takes you through the story and growth of many of the well-known luxury brands. Dana Brown is unflinching and unbiased in her revelations of where some of those brands are today and how they got there – good and bad. Underneath it all, I still sensed that she held a respect and regard for the fashion business.

In Ms. Brown’s easy story-telling manner, you will learn how luxury leather-goods are produced in the same factory as well-known Private Label brands. How Chanel No. 5 came to be. Why actresses started being “styled” by designers instead of dressing themselves. The reason high-end perfume cost so much. The use of Logos for branding. That Caesar only wore silk togas. How mega-luxury-brand corporations were  formed by scooping up the low-hanging fruit of floundering status names. The management and marketing of brand identity in magazine advertisements. That fashion is a business first, but must have the art to be successful.

As some of you may already know, I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York for four years. So, for me, fashion is my livelihood, a business, an art and a passion. I am definitely not a major status fashion plate, by any means, but true luxury brands are important to me. Even though so many luxury brand name items can be acquired for not-so-luxury prices, at the heart, there is still a history and an aesthetic that I respect.

I realize that many find fashion superficial and trivial. But the truth is, fashion is one of the first ways we assert our independence as a child. It is a powerful force in social situations throughout our lives. Remember that Benetton Rugby Shirt, Calvin Klein jeans, Polo oxford, Reebok high-tops, Pappagallo purse you just had to have? Is that too much of a throw-back?…How about Manolo Blahniks, Seven for All Mankind jeans, Juicy Couture sweats? Ring any bells? Whether you actually acquired the objects of your affection or not, can you admit that at some point in time, fashion has had some impact on your life?

I am La Dolce Diva and I am addicted to fashion…are you?

What luxury item did or do you just have to have?

Remember George Michael? Well, I just saw him in concert a couple months ago and he was totally FAB! He looked great, his voice was phenomenal and the show was such an eighties flashback that I felt like I was a Diva-In-Training again! You have to admit the eighties were one of the most fun decades we have lived through.

Take a listen to a few samples below from his most recent release of TwentyFive Live. There are 2 CDs, 1 is for Loving and the other is for Living ~ I think you will like it.

You may be surprised at some of the songs included on the TwentyFive CD or if you choose to download an MP3. Check out, Feeling Good, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me and, of course, your favorites, Careless Whisper, Faith and A Different Corner.

Let’s face it, George Michael is not always at the top of our mind when we think of a great gift and even if we do think of him, we shake our heads at the “unfortunate “situations” Georgie-Boy has put himself into.

Well, don’t pity the boy…think of the good times. When he debuted with Wham! in the 80’s we all thought he was a doll, including my 10 year baby-sister who declared, “He is going to be big!”  Well, 25 years later, he is still a major talent with a beautiful voice.

I also recommend the TwentyFive Complete DVD Collection of all George Michael videos including those from his WHAM! days with Andrew Ridgley. You will smile and dance to your old favorites and have fun seeing some that were never shown this side of the pond.

I recently spent an entire evening watching all 205 minutes. It was like the old MTV days when they actually played Music Videos. Before “Reality” killed the Video star.