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.

source: sirielaine.com

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

]]> http://www.sheimagazine.com/2013/05/summer-at-home-a-college-students-guide/feed/ 0 http://www.sheimagazine.com/2013/05/hot-mess-caramelized-onions/ http://www.sheimagazine.com/2013/05/hot-mess-caramelized-onions/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 14:00:37 +0000 Jasmine McNenny http://www.sheimagazine.com/?p=26995 There are many things you can do to make food taste good.  One of the ways is to simply add something to the dish that you know tastes delicious on its own.  I call these little additions, Morgan Freemans.

Yes, Morgan Freemans.  Why?  If you have to ask, you clearly have never seen Morgan Freeman in a movie.  Any movie Morgan Freeman is in is immediately one I want to see.  Perhaps it’s his fatherly presence or his deep, butter voice, but regardless, he can make even a bad movie just a little better.

Therefore, I present to you one of my favorite Morgan Freemans: caramelized onions.

Chances are you’ve had them before.  Sweet in flavor, silky in texture, and golden in color, they can be added to salads, pastas, meats, casseroles and pretty much anything else that beg for a little sweetness.  Restaurants love to throw them in dishes because just seeing those words on a menu can light up a person’s eyes faster than a new car for a sixteenth birthday.

Making caramelized onions is very simple but it does require a little patience.  First, cut the onion any way you want as long as the pieces are roughly close in size.  Typically you’ll see caramelized onions served as long strips but it’s just as easy to cut them in to small squares.  Additionally, you’ll want to overestimate the amount of onions you’ll need.  Caramelizing makes them shrink significantly so if you start out with two cups of onion, you may end up with a little less than a cup when they’re caramelized. Whatever you do, don’t chop the onions in a food processor.  This will release too much water and the onions will steam instead of caramelize.

Once you cut up your onions, melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a large skillet on medium heat.  Always use butter and not oil if you want them to caramelize properly. Oil will fry the onions making them crisp up and turn brown too quickly.  Butter will soften them and bring out the sugars.

Add the chopped onions to the melted butter and stir them occasionally.  It’s important to understand the temperature of your own stove.  While I recommend cooking them on medium heat, you may need to adjust the temperature.  Here’s what you’re looking for: after a few minutes the onions should be turning translucent but golden colored.  If they start to char black and remain crisp then your heat is too high.  These onions are better for serving with hot dogs or grilled burgers.  If this happens, add a little extra butter and reduce the heat.  If the onions turn translucent but remain pale, you heat is too low.  If you let this go too long the onions will “sweat,” meaning they release their flavor but not their sugars.  These sweated onions are used mainly for soups.  If this happens, turn up the heat immediately, turn to evaporate any excess liquid that may have been released, then add a bit more butter and continue cooking.

Properly caramelizing onions takes a good 8-10 minutes depending on how much you’re making.  Once they’re done caramelizing they should be golden brown, soft, and very sweet.  Depending on the onion you use, the sweetness will vary.  The large yellow onions, called “sweet onions” at the store are usually your best bet.  But red onions will also work fairly well.  White onions or any other onion that is not labeled as “sweet” may need a little extra help.  Adding a little sugar, less than a teaspoon, to the onions once they’ve started cooking in the butter can ensure that they come out sweet.

Making caramelized onions is easy but it may take a little adjusting to get them where you want them.  But once you have a nice panful you can add them to whatever you want.  They’re perfect additions to otherwise bitter ingredients such as sautéed greens (kale, collards, spinach), salty dishes such as pastas (alfredo, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese), and foods that are bland on their own (potatoes, eggs, bread).

A fast and easy dish to try is bacon and caramelized onion flat bread.  They serve this dish at Carrabba’s Italian restaurant, but it’d be easy to prepare at home with a package of frozen pizza dough and olive oil.  Bacon is another Morgan Freeman so the combination this salty pork with sweet onions is pretty much full-proof.

We’ll probably get to more Morgan Freemans later, but I wanted to start with the caramelized onions.  I have met very few people who don’t like them, and I frankly could eat them by the bowlful.  I mean, if it’s all based on taste, who doesn’t like sweetness?  Who doesn’t like Morgan Freeman?

Crowd/atmosphere at the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival. Saturday, July 14, 2012. Photo by Joseph Mohan.

For some, summer means long days of working and for others, it means long days by the pool. Regardless of what’s on the agenda, everyone needs to get his or her good dosage of music in for the summer, ideally by way of festivals. Whether it’s a reward after a week’s work at your hectic internship, or simply something to look forward in the midst of an otherwise uneventful summer, a music festival is always an excellent item to mark up your calendar with.

Hot on this summer’s list are Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, and right in the University of Michigan’s neighborhood: the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF).

For the in-state student, Bonnaroo may be the farthest trek, located in Manchester, TN, but it’s certainly worth the journey, as it features the largest total amount of artists among the festivals. For mid-westerners, the ritual visit to Chicago is a summer staple—what better way is there to see the city than en route to hear top-notch music? (And for people looking to get their 80s on, I guess this is the place…just don’t cry when you see how old Robert Smith is). Pitchfork, also in Chicago (Union Park), is the underestimated gem of festivals—small and manageable, yet an equally killer time—and it’s not too late to buy tickets!

Bonnaroo

Most anticipated: Paul McCartney, Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Björk. Including Wilco, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Animal Collective.

Most underestimated highlight: Tallest Man on Earth. Watch Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson play for one of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Lollapalooza

Most anticipated: The Cure, Mumford & Sons, and The Killers. Including Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, New Order, The Postal Service, Azealia Banks, Lana Del Rey, Crystal Castles, and Beach House.

Most underestimated highlight: MS MR. Listen for the New York duo’s debut single “Hurricane” and check out their compelling music video compilation.

Pitchfork

Most anticipated: Björk, Belle & Sebastian, and R. Kelly. Including Joanna Newsom, Solange, M.I.A., Toro y Moi, Sky Ferreira, Parquet Courts, Chairlift, and Yo La Tengo.

Most underestimated highlight: Phosphorescent.

Detroit Electronic Music Festival in Hart Plaza, downtown Detroit, began in 2000, focusing on dance beat/DJ artists and bringing in over 100,000 listeners last year. Voted “Best Niche Festival” in 2011 by Rolling Stone, performances not only feature musicians from all over the world, but also cater to viewers at any age. The festival is a capital way to support Detroit’s regrowth while getting in on the forefront of techno musician performances—so in addition to the summer’s chief music festivals, this is one you want to be sure not to miss.

Photo: Sarah Letson.

The SHEI Magazine Staff (along with the rest of the University of Michigan) is enjoying the start of a summer holiday. While we are on break from May through late August, our content will be updated less frequently. Since most of our talented staff have dispersed to metropolitan centers, home and away, to take on exciting internships and opportunities, the website will be less active than usual. Consider our summer content a treat: we will feature special columns, summer series, and regular posts from a group of summer contributors. We hope you’ll continue to check in, both over the summer, and when we return in full force this fall.

In the meantime, we encourage you to catch up on print issues of SHEI that you might have missed. Archive issues of SHEI are just a click away: they can be purchased at our store. Be sure to check out the latest edition of SHEI, “The American Issue,” also available online.

Photo: Facebook/JayFoss.

For those not familiar with Jay Foss, what would be the first thing you would want them to know? What’s your story as an artist? What brought you into rap?

The first thing I’d like people to know is that I’m trying to drop the “Jay” out of my rap name and just go as “Foss.” Diddy made name-changing seem too easy though. So for now I choose not to worry about it and just stick to getting my name out there as a whole. That being said, Jay Foss is a down to earth guy with complex lyrics. I’ve watched others rap and one day said to myself I think I could be a lot better at it than the people I saw doing it. My freshmen year of high school this kid got signed to RRR, Scott Storch’s label back when he was cool. Every morning before school started. this kid would amass crowds of people off of him free-styling or battling other kids. My friend said to me, as a joke, why can’t you do that? So then I started. Writing raps became a way for me to escape. It was like my diary. I spent about 2 years writing and performing them to the bathroom mirror before I’d even told people I was doing it, let alone pursuing a career in it.

What can you say about your recently released project, That Smoothy Good, in terms of the creative process and how it all came together? How did you and Pfister come to collaborate? 

I met Pfister my sophomore year—I’m a senior now—in a random apartment on campus. The guy who lived there had grown up with him and knew that I rapped so he introduced the two of us. Pfister said he had been working with Ski Beatz for some time now and was looking to get a rapper on his own beats. I spit a couple bars over one of his beats during a party they were having. A couple days later he hit me up asking to do work. His style of production, at least in my mind, yielded the entire concept of That Smoothy Good, from the title to the way I sound on each track.

A number of factors–including the Internet and advances in recording technology–have allowed hip-hop’s talent pool to become increasingly overcrowded. Does it intimidate you when there are so many other up-and-coming rappers out there reaching for the same thing as you? What distinguishes you from them? 

The only time I feel intimidated is when I’m not making music, if that makes sense. Because the Internet is so powerful, I have to stay focused in order to intimidate the rappers who do worry about it being overcrowded. If I don’t think about the fact that everyone and their mother are rappers and I just keep making raps, then I’ll be good.

Do you feel that coming from Syracuse—a city not widely known for its hip-hop scene—is a disadvantage for you in terms of gaining exposure, or is it better for a younger artist like yourself to work out of a college town and use your fellow students as a fan base? 

You really don’t even understand how hard it is coming out of Syracuse. There really aren’t many venues to perform and I believe an artist’s stage performance is what brings the Internet’s power to a halt. You can have the coolest songs in the world but if you can’t perform them, then nobody cares. There isn’t much opportunity in Syracuse for rappers, so being at the University is truly a blessing.

Is there anyone else from Syracuse that we should be looking out for?

Indo, Austin Holmes, & Sean Mags

Do you worry about being stereotyped as a “college rapper” in the mold of Hoodie Allen or Mac Miller?

No, because I am rapping about college stuff. It’s just obvious I don’t make watered down music like that of Sammy Adams or any other college artists. Asher Roth was/is considered a college rapper but at the same time a lyrical genius. That’s where I wanna be. A college rapper that sounds like he went to college (laughs).

Which rappers do you point to as having an influence on your career?

Pusha T, Eminem, Andre 3000 & Lupe Fiasco (pre-Lasers though. I can’t stand whatever he thinks he’s doing now.)

As a communications and rhetorical studies major, how has your education played a part in shaping your style or artistic persona? Has it ever been difficult to balance the demands of schoolwork and your career? 

How did you know I was a CRS major?? (laughs) Rhetoric is crazy. When I’m writing my rhymes I do look at the “and’s” “or’s” “so’s” and “but’s” in my lyrics; I’m that picky (laughs). It influences the character of the raps as well; where the sarcasm comes in or how I’m juxtaposing sampled songs with my lyrics. In my time at SU, I learned that communication is a beautiful work of art when done correctly. So my raps are really just stabs at trying to perfect an art form.

What can we expect from you in the future? What happens post-graduation?

Just more music and shows; expanding my outreach in every sense of the music. 

Photo: Parenting Files

Rejoice. For we have left behind dark mornings and numb fingers.  We have shed our wool sweaters and embraced the cotton T-shirt. We have passed by the thick, heavy stews for fresh salads and lemonade. And most importantly, we have discovered that there is more fruit in the world than just that sickly orange melon.

So rejoice. For now is the time for the frequent diner to become the chef.

Yes, I am well aware that no amount of motivation will make some of you enjoy cooking.  But I am hopeful that the majority of you like cooking, or have at least considered attempting it. Cooking is not an activity that will be enjoyed by everyone, but it is one of the few skills that everyone can do, (with varying degrees of success). In other words, you should never say you “can’t cook.” What you really mean is that what you cook doesn’t always taste good.

As you may be aware, I am very against using recipes as anything other than rough guidelines. From my perspective, you can’t learn to cook by doing what someone else tells you. There are basic rules of taste, general techniques, and practical functions of each ingredient, but everything beyond that is left for you to mess with. In fact, most of my experiences cooking haven’t been throwing things into a pan and presto-chango, the dish comes out perfectly. Instead it’s more like rummaging through the pantry, throwing things into a pan, tasting it, swearing, and figuring out how to save it. Simply put, the best way to learn to cook is by fixing things when they crash and burn (the latter quite literally). It should be no surprise then that I have subtitled this summer blog “Hot Mess.”

So if you’re looking for perfectly composed recipes that you can follow to the letter, I’m sorry I don’t play that way. I have my ideas for dishes, but they’re more like suggestions, not rules. When it comes to cooking, it doesn’t matter what you make as long as it tastes good. Just let that sink in.

So my foodies, though we may lose some of you along the way, it’s time to walk past the frozen food section, pick up a knife that will actually cut things, and figure out how to turn on the stove. I mean, it’s just cooking.  What could go wrong?