Photo of the day

Ben and his udders

Coming Into the Closet

I’m coming out of the closet. Well, technically I’m letting you into my closet. About 60-75% of my clothes from the last 2 years have come from resale shops. Shocking, right? Or not so shocking, depending on how you think I dress! I’ve been doing quite a bit of my shopping at Plato’s Closet in Frisco. They’re an upscale resale shop that buys and sells current styles, current being in the last two years. I’ve been able to find brands like Express, Banana Republic, Abercrombie, Hollister, Black Dress/ White Market, many with the tags still on them. I found Banana Republic black and white pinstripe trousers and matching black wool cardigan for about $16 last year…both with the tags still on for $69.50 and $49.50, respectively. In August I found a nice pair of classic Old Navy khaki capri’s with the tag still on for $4.00. The best bargain I’ve found yet happened this past weekend. I went in looking for and needing another pair of jeans. A favorite pair was recently washed with a mad red towel and turned everything pink…including my jeans. Argh. Plato’s Closet, here I come! I was looking for Miss Me jeans or Seven for all Mankind, but also tried on Hollister, Express and Gap, along with a pair called Sacred Blue. The Sacred Blue ended up being the best fit and I liked them enough to get them for $20. I wore them over the weekend and loved them so much that I went online to see where I could buy more. I discovered that the brand is exclusively sold and each pair is hand made. They retail for $198 and are purchased by the likes of celebrities. $198 for a pair of blue jeans?!? And then you don’t even keep them for a lifetime, you resell them?!? CRAZY! I’m not going to complain about the habits of the rich and famous, but I will definitely take advantage of them.

Curry Recipe

Coconut Curry with Fennel

½ bulb fennel, shredded
1 green bell pepper
Sautee in olive oil for a few minutes then add 1 ½ tb of red curry paste, 1 can coconut milk, 1 tb curry powder, ¼ c. chopped almonds, 2 squirts of honey, chicken of choice, dash of pepper

We have curry about once a week. I usually change it up, adapting and adding things. Last night I used fennel instead of onion and it really added to the sweetness of the dish. I was worried that the licorice flavor of the fennel would interfere, but I think the sautéing it with the bell pepper took away a lot of that flavor while enhancing the sweet factor. This is a great family friendly recipe although, I would like to try a spicier version of Curry for adults…just not sure what kind of chilies to add.