Bill Compton, a.k.a. “Billeth”; Image Courtesy of Wetpaint

Back and as juicy as ever, True Blood did not disappoint during its Season 6 premiere this past Sunday. When we had left off in Season 5, the vampires were plotting their takeover of the human world. Not to mention, Bill was sipping on his beverage of choice, Lilleth juice. Now, as Season 6′s first episode, “Who Are You, Really?” has clearly illustrated, the tables are definitely starting to turn.

To begin with, Billeth, as he will now be known, has some ridiculous powers. Not only can he fly, but he is impervious to both flames and death by staking (nice try, Sookie); plus, he can move objects with his mind. However, as he explains to Jessica, he has no idea what else he’s capable of, and he’s pretty terrified of what’s to come, like being surrounded and possessed by a whole pack of unshaven Lilleths.

Speaking of packs, Alcide bites into human flesh (ew) and accepts his role as the new pack master . He also shows off his beautiful, chiseled backside, because no one seemed to get enough of him as a male stripper in Magic Mike. (No seriously, there’s no such thing as too much Joe Manganiello.)

Moving on to the episode’s bizarre love dynamics. First you’ve got Alcide’s threesome in which his “number one bitch” establishes her dominance. Then we have Pam, who’s pining over the Eric she thought she knew, and Tara fighting for Pam’s affection. There’s also Eric, who’s in love with Sookie, and Sookie, who wants absolutely nothing to do with him or any part of the supernatural world.

Now let’s talk about the Louisiana governor’s crusade against vampires. This governor wants to restore all of the Tru Blood factories and help people like Jason who complain of being “brain raped” by “fangers.” With all this in mind, I think it’s safe to say that this ambitious little guy isn’t going anywhere this season. As for Jason, he’s gone off the deep end. And it doesn’t help that just as he seems to be edging back towards normalcy, he realizes he’s been entrapped by none of than Warlo, his parents’ killer and Lilleth’s progeny.

On the other hand, the show’s other characters seem to be doing relatively ok, for True Blood standards, that is. Sheriff Andy is raising some not-so-little fairy children, Lafayette is getting his drink on to quell his sorrows, and Sam, well, Sam’s not doing as well, seeing as his girlfriend dies at the beginning of the episode and he now has sole custody of her daughter.

And now, on a lighter note, here are some of the best lines from the episode:

“I’m your number one bitch, don’t ever forget it.” – Rikki to Alcide

“Well hog tits, Arlene!” -Andy to Arlene

“I hate the beach. Fish piss and sand in your cooch.” – Pam to Tara

Needless to say, True Blood fans are in for a wild ride this season, so tune in every week to read more of SHEI’s recaps!

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There are piles of fruit, huge crates of melons, cartons of berries, but which ones are good?  Which ones are worth buying?  If you’ve ever had a bad piece of fruit, you understand the risk of shopping for fresh fruit.  There’s nothing worse than spending $10 on a huge watermelon just to cut it open and realize it’s pale pink instead of bright red and tastes more like water than melon.

Sometimes it’s this fear of buying bad fruit stops people from buying it in the first place, but this is even sadder.  Like anything in life, there is a trick to the game.  There are strategies to picking out the best fruit, and though these techniques aren’t fool proof, they greatly increase your chances of walking out of the store happy with your purchase.  If you want to continue the casino metaphor, it’s kind of like counting cards.  (Except the store employees won’t beat you up if they catch you.)

Since there are a lot of different fruits, there are a lot of different strategies, but here are a few.

The obvious: Feel

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Okay, maybe it’s a waste of time to tell you that you don’t want bruises in your fruit, but I’ve seen plenty of people just walk by and throw some apples in a bag without a second though.  For almost any fruit beside thick rind fruits like watermelon or ultra delicate fruits like raspberries, the feel of a fruit is a good indicator of what you’re getting.  Besides checking for bruises on apples, pears, peaches, etc. the feel of citrus fruit can also tell you how juicy the fruit is.  If you pick up a lime that’s really firm, it may not be the best to get because this could mean the fruit is dried out on the inside.  The same goes for lemons and clementines.  With oranges it’s a little harder to tell because of the thick rind, but still a very hard orange will probably not be the juiciest.  That is not to say that mushy feeling fruit is good, because its juiciness could be coming from the fruit rotting from the inside (yuck).  So you’ll want to look for ones that are firm, but still soft enough to give in a little when you press them.

The still pretty obvious: Smell

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The people give you weird looks in the store: Mom’s techniques

So the first two are pretty much common sense, which brings us this this final installment: the weird things that my mother does in the grocery store.  These are for the fruits that give us the most trouble.

Grapes: Grapes are tricky because you can’t smell them.  So what do you do?  Just taste it.  You still want to buy grapes that are firm and crispy, but the only real way to tell with any fruit is to taste it, and with grapes, you can.  Just take one, this isn’t a sample counter, but most stores won’t care especially if you tell them why you’re doing it.  You can also taste cherries or blueberries, but I’d stay away from blackberries and strawberries as they can be expensive and you might get in trouble.

Cantaloupe: My mother likes to say that the ugliest melons are usually the best, but I haven’t done enough research to yet prove this.  So give it a quick sniff, if it smells cantaloupely, that’s a good sign.  But to test whether the melon is ripe, press your thumb into the bottom of the fruit, the side opposite where the stem was.  If there is a pleasant springiness, the melon is ripe.  If it feels hard it will need to ripen a few more days.  If it’s mushy, don’t get it!

Pineapple: First look at the color- you obviously want a pineapple that’s more yellow than green.  Next, a pineapple should smell like a pineapple.  However, to test its ripeness, pluck out a leaf.  Grab a leaf from the top part of the fruit and lift up.  If the leaf snaps off easily, the fruit is ripe.

Watermelon: Probably the most annoying fruit to pick out.  The watermelon’s thick rind makes feeling and smelling impossible, so another technique was developed: sound.  Yep, you may have seen people knocking on watermelons in the store and wondered what in the world their listening for.  A good watermelon should make a popping sound when you hit it.  A bad watermelon will thud.  To clarify, a good watermelon is like throwing a tennis ball on the ground- it pops back, sharp and clean, echoing slightly.  A bad watermelon is like dropping a baseball- it thuds, heavy and without a residual ringing sound.

And there you have it fruit fans.  No more blindly choosing fruits and hoping you get lucky.  Now you can walk in confident and freak people out a little.  Always fun.  Always worth it.

But I’m not going to bore you with more recipes on how to create healthy salads while convincing you that they’re also delicious.  There’s enough of those out there to satisfy your every nutritional need and dietary restriction.  No, instead I am going to going to address a grievance that has plagued salads for who knows how long.  The crouton.

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These little squares of bread can be one of the best or one of the worst parts of any salad.  The biggest offenders?  The pre-made salad crouton.  Those pre-toasted, pre-seasoned little gremlins are always topping cheap salads and taking up space at salad bars.  Any flavor they do have, which can be minimal at best, is stale and salty, and if not soaked with enough dressing so as to make them soggy on the palate, these brick-like bread pieces have the capacity to chip a tooth.  In case you hadn’t guessed it, I really hate premade croutons.

So how do we rectify the problem?  Just make your own fresh croutons.  Yes, it’s a bit more work but it’s completely worth it and if you serve anyone a salad, any salad, with homemade croutons, you’ll make a new friend for life.

Are homemade croutons healthy?  No they are not.  But do I really care?  Nope.  The basic recipe is to take day-old bread, cut it into cubes and fry it up in a pan with butter and garlic.  So buttery, so garlicky, so not on Weight Watchers.

But although the concept is rather straightforward, like anything in cooking, the technique can take a little practice.

The recipe I’ve always used is actually the one my mom invented for croutons for her Caesar salad, hence the garlic.  To make them, you’ll need day-old French or Italian bread, cut into bite-size pieces, several cloves of fresh garlic (for about two cups of bread, I usually use 2-3 cloves), and butter.

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

In a large skillet on medium heat, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and add the cloves, finely chopped.  Once the garlic starts to turn golden brown, add the cubed bread, and mostly likely, more butter.  The idea here is to toast the bread in the butter that you have flavored with the garlic.  Keep stirring the bread around to make sure that each piece is evenly coated in butter.  Eventually the bread will start to turn brown and crisp up.  At the same time, the garlic may turn very dark brown, which is okay as long as it doesn’t turn black and start to give off a burnt smell.  Preventing this while still toasting the bread long enough takes a little practice.  You’ll want to make sure the heat is not up too high as to burn the garlic/butter but not too low as to simply soak the bread with butter and not crisp it.  You’ll want to judge the amount of butter necessary for the same reasons- too much butter will make the bread soggy, not enough will dry it out, making the bread hard and flavorless.

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

So once you’ve mastered the basic technique, there are no restrictions to what other kinds of croutons you can make.  Any kind of fat-butter, olive oil, even bacon grease- will create the perfect croutons.  You can season them with sea salt, butter, oregano, parmesan cheese, or anything else you think would make the perfect flavor addition to your salad.

In any case, the best thing about them is that instead of being crunchy all the way through, the bread is only toasted on the outside, leaving the inside warm and chewy.  These croutons are so good I don’t always need the salad.  I make them for a snack sometimes or as a side dish to eggs or chicken sausage.  No restrictions.  That’s why I love them.

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

Final thoughts…if you try out this recipe and still think it’s acceptable to eat premade croutons again, you obviously didn’t make them right.  Mediocrity should no longer be an option.

Source: theroadishome.com

The latest in the fun, lighthearted, and hilarious collection of Sophie Kinsella’s romantic novels is  I’ve Got Your Number. Extremely quick to read and wonderfully entertaining, Kinsella’s whole range of novels are quintessential beach reads, but with heart, humor, and enough wit to escape the label of ‘guilty pleasure’.  They’ll have you truly laughing out loud which, especially when combined with the serotonin-boosting summer sunshine, is the best medicine.

The science fiction classics of George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, and Aldous Huxley are perhaps more often associated with high school classrooms than summertime lounging. However, they provide an alternative selection of summer literature to those who aren’t interested in the romantic story lines that so often top the beach read lists. Novels like Animal Farm and Brave New World are quick reads small enough to slip in a suitcase, but pack a profound, relevant, and satirical punch. If you plan to hit the beach and don’t want to sacrifice literary depth or cutting prose, one of these in your bag will offer enough food for thought to last well beyond the drive home.

Source: www.ksl.com

Then there are the more voracious readers who plan to squeeze sandcastles and barbecues in between books instead of the other way around. This is the season to finally delve into the large-scale literary project you’ve been saving for summer’s four month stretch. Perhaps the goal is to read all of Shakespeare’s completed works, or  finish the biographies of every U.S. president (a project begun three summers ago), or even to get through the Dickens novel you tried to start in fifth grade and have been too intimidated to pick up since. Whatever the challenge, summer is the perfect time to attack – best of luck and happy reading.

Source: stylemepretty.com

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

It’s almost summer- hot, sunny, swimsuit weather. Now more than ever, a dedication to healthy eating seems within reach.  Fad diets are everywhere and almost every newspaper and magazine is boasting articles on health foods, eating strategies, and fast-result exercises.  Amidst all this commotion, there appears to be a growing popularity for two health fixes: eating kale and juicing.

First, why kale?

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

While spinach is recognized for its large supply of iron, potassium, and its appearance in the Popeye cartoons, kale is may be edging it out nutritionally.  Seemingly the newest trend in the veggie world, kale is delicious served fresh, sautéed, or baked into those tasty chips.  A salad of this dark-colored green is packed with more calcium than a glass of milk and is a great source of Vitamin A and C, as well as potassium and fiber.

Now, what is this juicing thing?

Setting aside the more intense “juice diet” or “juice cleanse,” the idea behind juicing is simply to make it easier to get your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.  In one juice, for example, you could put in four cups of spinach, an apple, three carrot sticks, and a splash of orange juice, and drink the whole thing down for breakfast.  You save yourself the time of munching through all those fruits and vegetables, yet you have not lost any of the nutrients.  In fact, the best thing about juicing is that you can mask the flavors of vegetables you may not like very much on their own with the sweetness of fruit.  It’s a clever way to trick your five-year-old palate that keeps telling you that you hate anything green.

So with these two great health components, the most logical thing to do is to combine them.

Kale Juice!

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

Now, don’t wrinkle your nose.  It may be true that kale is a little more bitter than spinach, but with the right fruits the flavor of the kale will be tempered, and may even become something you enjoy.  As a purist, I choose to make my kale juice 80% kale, 15% orange juice, and 5% water/ice.  You of course can create your own perfect recipe using any sweet ingredients you happen to like.  Fruit choices I’ve found work well are: apples, mangos, and oranges.  If using mangos, I highly recommend mango nectar. You could consider Naked Juice brand, because they use very ripe, sweet mangos, which helps to hide the bitterness of the kale better than a fresh mango from the store.  Apples are also great sweeteners, though you could also experiment with Granny Smith if you prefer your juices to be more tart than sweet.  I like oranges because the citrus helps to cut the rich flavor of the kale, but I have settled for calcium-infused orange juice these past few days for convenience and for a second boost of calcium.

There is also the decision of how you are going to make your juice.  Unless  someone has another method to add, I have found that there are three ways to create liquid health: blender, blender and strainer, or using juicer.

My mother finally broke down and bought us a Vitamix, which if you find that you love smoothies, frozen sorbet, and soup more than anything else in the world, I highly recommend.  Needless to say I have been choosing the blender method.  If you want to retain the fiber in the fruits and vegetables you chose to use, you only have to blend the ingredients with some water or juice and pour.  The mixture will be thick and slightly fibrous, like pulpy orange juice.  If you’re a texture person and prefer your juices smooth, you’ll either have to use a juicer which automatically takes out the pulp and fibers, or you’ll have to go old school like me and strain your mixture after you use the blender.  If you choose to strain your juice, make sure you are using a fine net sieve to get out as much pulp as possible.  You’ll also need to use a spatula or spoon to work the mixture through the sieve.  It’s an extra step but the flavor is worth it in the end.

When it comes to kale I think I’m becoming an addict.  I’ve been drinking kale juice now every day for a week.  Maybe it’s because it’s summer and I seem to have nothing else better to do than to mess with the Vitamix or maybe it’s because if you google “kale” you immediately find at least a dozen articles prompting it’s health benefits and I for one don’t want to miss out.

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

Yeah, let’s go with the second reason.  Cheers!

The idea of Baz having a hand in the movie at first seemed to make a lot of sense. His sensationalism in Moulin Rouge! seemed like it would have direct translations to the phenemenon of Gatsby. Moulin Rouge!’s fashion, music, and overall cinematic beauty could be easily manipulated and transformed from a brothel into a party mansion, a musical into a finely orchestrated movie soundtrack, and elaborate circus like spectacles into the party of the century. However, all of this was easier said than done.

Although the movie is extremely beautiful, with amazing shots of white curtains flowing etherially in the wind or giant crowd scenes with men and women dressed in the most fashionable styles of the day, Luhrmann’s sensationalistic tendancies take an already heightened storyline to the extreme, causing it not to come off as lavish, but instead to be overwraught, overdone, and all in all a bit ridiculous. The classic storyline was overwhelmed by gimicks, slow motion shots were added in unnecessarily and the good ole Great Gatz we knew and loved was swallowed whole by Baz’s unconventional style.

The soundtrack of the film is almost like another character in and of itself, comprised of all-star musicians like Jay Z, Beyonce, Lana Del Ray, The XX, Florence and the Machine and more. It’s quite beautiful, and Baz does do a great job at combining modern day and classic influences to create a modernized jazz age. However, when placed within the context of the movie, the overarching rap and hip-hop themes stick out more than intended, and draw the movie goer out of the allusion of the times and back to modern day.

Though it is an undeniable fact that Baz Luhrmann has immense talent as a director and has big ideas when it comes to soundtrack and scenery, his talents are better put to use on works with roots that aren’t founded in America’s classic novels.

source: homeremediesblogger.blogspot.com

The hot weather takes a toll on the body; skin and hair alike. It can also cause serious makeup malfunctions – we hate to think of melting foundation or major post-swim raccoon eyes. Focus on body care this season by investing in gentle, moisturizing lotions, shampoos, conditioning treatments, and sunscreens. They’ll help to protect skin and hair from the drying sun, sea salt and chlorine that great summer adventures are made of. Plus, healthy skin and hair looks glowy and fabulous without the aid of any makeup or heavy styling products. If the thought of venturing outside with a bare face is the stuff of your nightmares, just try a lighter hand. A dab of concealer here, some oil absorbing powder there, and one flourish of colored matte lipstick or eyeliner makes for a fresh and heat-friendly makeup routine.

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We’re all familiar with the no-shave habits that winter encourages (no one will know if I wear jeans!), but summer weather unfortunately calls for more attentive upkeep. If between your internship, weekend beach getaways with old friends, and runs in the park, shaving daily is too time consuming to worry about, try waxing. It might seem scary at first, but spending just one evening on hair removal every six to eight weeks is quite an incentive. If an at-home kit is far too intimidating, a professional salon may be for you. It costs a bit more, but you should only need the service twice to stay smooth all summer long.

With more natural hair and makeup looks prevailing, summer can be the perfect time to focus on nail color. With a massive range of inexpensive and beautiful nail polishes available, manicures to suit every skin tone and wardrobe are as easy as Fourth of July cherry pie. Stick to a signature nail look or mix it up with new summery designs every week. Nail color is heat and humidity proof, so no risk of melting or frizzing here.

source: hauteinhollywood.com

Happy summertime!

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t totally screw it up.

So you may be thinking that the most important thing about a hash is the ingredients you choose to make it with.  Well, you’d be wrong.  It’s the way you cook them.

Yes, even though a hash can technically be as easy as throwing everything in a pan at once, it is much better, especially for a newbie cook, to add in the ingredients based on priority.

What does this mean?

Imagine for a minute you want to make a simple, clichéd hash of potatoes, bacon, and onions.  If you chop up all these ingredients and put them in a pan with oil at the same time your bacon and onions will fry themselves silly before your potatoes become soft enough to eat.  With each mix of ingredients you need to decide what textures you want to achieve and cook each ingredient accordingly.  Do you want your potatoes crispy or soft?  Do you want your bacon crunchy or chewy?  Do you want your onions fried or caramelized?

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

For example, I like my bacon crunchy, my potatoes soft and my onions caramelized.  Therefore I would first fry the bacon pieces and then throw in the potatoes, using the bacon fat to fry them lightly.  Once the potatoes are almost tender, I would throw in the onions with a little butter and cook the hash until the onions turn that wonderful golden color.  By deciding ahead of time how I want each ingredient cooked and adding them in one by one, I have more control over the final product.

So now let’s speak a little more generally.  Hashes, though you can use basically anything, typically center around some kind of starch – potatoes, turnips, rice, pasta – which acts as the base for the rest of the ingredients.  However, hashes can also be all-vegetable using a base ingredient of something like beans, eggplant, or even spinach.  The rest of the ingredients are up to you.  Traditional hashes are usually salty, using bacon or some other kind of fatty meat, then seasoned well with salt and cracked black pepper.  There are wet hashes where you fry off your ingredients and then add chicken broth or heavy cream to soften everything and give it a stewed quality.  And then there are sweet or semi-sweet hashes that involve adding fruits, cinnamon, and maybe a little sugar.  A semi-sweet hash is a combination of sweet and savory ingredients.  Typical additions are things like raisins, dried cherries, or sturdy fruits like apples or pears that keep their shape well amidst all the tossing and stirring.

So when it comes down to it, the best way to make a hash is to decide first how you want everything cooked, do your best to cook it that way, and season it in a way that you think is appropriate for the ingredients you have chosen.  I told you I wasn’t going to give you recipes, and when it comes to hash, a recipe really isn’t necessary.  It’s perfect trial-and-error technique and can be a great way to get rid of leftovers.  Making a hash is a great introduction to basic cooking techniques.   It’s not hard to do, but it does make you think about what you’re doing.

Photo by Jasmine McNenny

Oh, and here’s a hash I made recently.  It’s fried potatoes, onions, and fajita-spiced chicken sausage.  I like to top my salty hashes with a fried egg.  The running yolk gives everything a little moisture.

This confident but slightly awkward beauty from Kentucky has  stolen the hearts of many all around the world. She is talented and diverse, with the ability to transform herself completely. Lawrence took on a particularly difficult role as ‘Katniss’, in The Hunger Games. The role needed archery training and certain stunts, but the true difficulty lay in the character rendition itself. The Hunger Games trilogy already had a loyal fan base that Lawrence had to go up against, and she did just that. There are many examples in Hollywood where the transformation of book to film have failed their fans, or left something to be desired, but this is not one of them, and Lawrence definitely contributed to that success.

“I admire her [Katniss]. She’s a leader. She’s a warrior. She’s a Joan of Arc. She’s this brave girl that gets shoved into this horrifying situation and not only comes out on top, but sparks an uprising. Not only does she win, but she changes the game. She not only beats their game, she changes it. I thought that she was an incredible girl.” – Jennifer Lawrence

But why is Jennifer Lawrence different from all the other young actresses at the moment? What makes her such a stand out star?

The answer lies in not just the performance on screen, but also off. She isn’t completely changing herself and her persona to follow Hollywood, doesn’t have news stories popping up about drugs and alcohol, and refuses to conform to the ‘skinny’ standard of Hollywood with diets and workouts; in fact, Jennifer Lawrence seems to keep her life very private and simple. This down-to-earth 22-year-old movie star is relatable and humble. If  you have ever seen an interview of Jennifer, you know she has a love for food and comfort, and also doesn’t seem to have a filter. I think America loves Jennifer Lawrence because she is hilarious, talented, and someone that girls across the world can relate to and admire.

Whether it is rocking blue skin in X-Men First Class, shooting an arrow like a Olympic-pro, or casually falling up the steps in a Dior Haute Couture gown, to receive an award and then laughing it off, Jennifer Lawrence is a force to be reckoned with and a strong female character that might just beat the ridiculous pressures of Hollywood and make it out alive.

Ryan Gosling gets bored in the summer, too…

Get a job: Coming home to a sleepy neighborhood from a vibrant college environment can induce major a let-down, so it’s important to stay busy and prevent the blues from settling in. A job occupies lots of time, gives purpose, and earns you money. By the end of vacation you’ll be able to fund foreign travel and post your own exotic Instagrams when next summer rolls around.

Save up!

Pick a project: Take the summer wish list you triumphantly compiled after your last exam and choose one long term project to focus on. Devoting your energy and resources to one idea will give you rewarding results and leave you less stressed than dealing with fifty unfulfilled to-dos. Get going with your goal, whether it be starting a thriving vegetable garden, learning to watercolor, or watching every season of Gossip Girl by summer’s end.

Is it finally time for that juice cleanse?

Read: Books (and magazines, newspapers, poems, blogs, etc.) can provide immediate release from boredom in the form of entertainment and inspiration. Reading is a thoroughly enjoyable means of wasting away the hours, and comes with benefits like an increased vocabulary and analytical skills. Pick up a classic novel or update your daily blog list (which hopefully includes the one you’re currently reading) and get lost in literature this summer.

image sources: ryangoslingballet.wordpress.com; examiner.com; g-glow.blogspot.com; shdesigns.net

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