Summer Yum

If you're anything like me, you have a kitchen drawer (or two) filled with seldom used gadgets and gizmos that you thought you really needed, but didn't.  They kind of mock you from a twisted jumble of spoons, tongs and zesters that are rarely never used.  These, however, are different.  This is a gadget that's actually going to become an indispensable friend.  Girls, meet the new magic kitchen scissors....

As many of you are aware, several of the Clever Girls around here are absolutely no slouch when it comes to the cooking department: If they say it's good, it is. These herb scissors have the "CG" stamp of approval all over them.  The multi-blades make quick, neat work of even the most tender herbs; and this is the perfect tool to assist you in putting the summer's delicious and bountiful yield to good use. Snip the herbs you need neatly, quickly and right where you want them with this great gadget.  Basil, scallions, parsley, mint and dill are our summer favorites; but these babies work on just about anything.
To get you started, two of our top clever, culinary girls offer you some recipes to get cookin' with.

WATERMELON SALAD with MINT LEAVES

• Ingredients
• 1 (5-pound) watermelon
• 1 Vidalia or other sweet onion (I use red, and a bit less than this calls for)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (use the scissors!)
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 whole mint sprigs
• Directions
• Remove the melon from the rind.  Discard rind.  Remove seeds from melon and cut into bite size pieces.
  Peel and slice the onion into paperthin rings or finely chop. 
  In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until salt is dissolved.  Slowly whisk  in olive oil, a few drops at a time.  Add in the chopped mint, and adjust seasonings.   
  In a large bowl combine the melon, onion and feta.  Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and gently toss until coated.  Garnish with mint springs. 
  *Note, this does not keep well.  I'd recommend making only the amount you will be enjoying at the time.  Also, I cut back on the oil just a little.Perfect during this upcoming hot August!
• ~Lynn D.
• ************************************
• Michelle offers this scrumptious, herb infused dish (use your new scissors!) and it is a perfect way to serve up some of the seasons delicious, sun-ripened tomatoes ...
• SLICED TOMATOES with FRESH HERB DRESSING

Ingredients

• 4 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4c. good quality olive oil
• 1 1/2 T. good quality red wine vinegar (St. Julian)
• 2 T. chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 T. chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 T. chopped fresh chives
• 2 T. minced garlic
• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Directions
• Arrange the tomato slices in a shallow casserole dish.  Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, thyme, oregano, parsley, chives and garlic in a small bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour herb mixture over the tomatoes, covering evenly.  Top with Parmesan cheese.  
• *This recipe improves by letting the flavors meld together.  Be sure you have some great, crusty bread to dip into the dressing.  Enjoy!  ~Michelle M.

One last tip from  Michelle: Don't be intimidated by using fresh herbs in place of dried.   Here's her secret: Substitutions can be made in many recipes using a simple 1:3 ratio of dried to fresh herbs.  For example, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, use 3 tablespoons of fresh.  

Clever, right?  Happy cooking!

Exclusive: For Subscribers Only!

Pre-Sale starts today,
Friday, July 22, 2011 

Blog subscribers (that's clever girls, like you) are receiving advanced notice of  our Summer Sale.  We won't let the cat out of the bag to everybody else until Tuesday...  Shop early for the best selection of sizes and colors.  

There's still A LOT of time to wear our cute summer clothing...

Bonne Fete de la Bastille!

Happy Bastille Day!  To celebrate the revolution, today we become Clever French Girls for 24 hours.  Live as the French do.......  So what, exactly, should one do, you ask?   Suggestions follow...

Start the day leisurely; there's no need to rush.  Have good strong coffee along with a flaky croissant, or perhaps some crepes, non?   Read the papers.  Take your dog with you everywhere--even into restaurants.  Wear something impossibly chic and black.  

                                            

Drive le Automobile as if you are insane. Rev your engine, ignore road signs, speed limits and pedestrians.  Employ the horn frequently.  Work up a few hand gestures to have at the ready.  Remember, today you are French!  You own the road. 

Aah, and then there is la vin.  Wine with lunch?  Oui!  More wine during the afternoon?  Oui, oui, s'il vous plait.  Let's add a baguette and some great fromage into the mix as well--quite French to do so.......

If you should  feel the sudden urge for a cigarette: indulge.  Do some shopping in a boutique...Perhaps aquire a new hat....Catch a French Foreign film (Although, if you're French, it isn't foreign, now is it?  Well...so just go see a movie, but make it a drama; no action films.)  

Purchase armloads of fresh flowers.  Listen to some jazz...Head out to dinner around 9:30 at the absolute earliest with only your most interesting and clever friends.  Enjoy steak au poivre, and those cute little pommes frites,  tres delicieux!

Savor a wee bit more le vin, and call it a perfect French day.  Au revoir......Viva La Bastille!  

Pick a color...

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COLORFUL (adj.): Vibrant, eye-catching, dynamic, unique and vivid.

Are you a COLORFUL Clever Girl?  (Note: The opposite of colorful is colorless, defined as: dull, lacking in variety and interest, and we know that's not you!)  So, for summer, a bit of spontaneous color awaits your wrist.  Our silicone watches are the most popular item in the store right now; and we just got in a fresh batch.  These are a perfect mid-summer treat at only $24.oo. Really, the only problem is choosing which of the 15 colors is best for you...and we can help with that too; read on....

If you want to do a wee bit of leg work ahead of time, take this color quiz, to see what your best color is.  The match is based on how you think (hue), how much you do about it (saturation) and the effect you think it has (lightness).  Give it a try... {click here} to take the quiz, and see if you agree with the results. If you want a peak at the full color chart, {click here}  Whatever the result,  scoot on in and pick out your watch!

Happy Birthday, America!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Wishing everyone a very happy 4th of July as we kick off our country's 235th Birthday.  Land of the free, and home of the brave...

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Make mine unsalted, please...

As we celebrate the first days of summer, it seems only appropriate to show you the newest Clever Girl find: Lake Michigan Unsalted tees and sweatshirts!  These are super soft and comfy--perfect for breezy summer days...  How about a few fun facts about Lake Michigan:

• Lake Michigan is the third largest Great Lake by surface area, and the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world!
• Of the five Great Lakes, it is the only one lying wholly withing the United States
• The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system on Earth.
• The Great Lakes contain an estimated 5,500 cubic miles (22,700 cubic kilometers)of water—a fifth of all the liquid surface fresh water on Earth. And, it's enough to submerge the continental United States in nearly 10 feet of water.
• The United States draws more than 40 billion gallons (151 million liters) of water from the Great Lakes every day—half of which is used for electrical power production.  

Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois all share a part of this great lake, so these make quite a clever hostess gift when visiting a lake house for the weekend. So remember this-- Margarita?  With salt.  Lake Michigan?  Unsalted, please... 

Weekend Treat

Here is a delicious recipe for Blueberry Lime Curd Cake.  Now don't faint when you read this--it's really quite easy, and you can make it in stages and then assemble it.  Trust me; it's worth it.  The sharp lime flavor contrasts perfectly with the creamy frosting for a surprisingly light and refreshing dessert.  Perhaps a good Father's Day treat?  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Cake:

2 Cups sifted cake flour

1 1/4 Cups sugar, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 Tablespoons canola or light olive oil

1/3 Cup fresh lime juice (about 3)

3 Tablespoons water finely grated rind of 2 limes

3 egg yolks

8 egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lime Curd:

8 large egg yolks

1/4 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3-4 limes)

1/4 Cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 -2 lemons)

1 Cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Frosting:

2 Cups heavy cream 

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons gelatin

1/4 Cup water

2 pints blueberries for garnish

To prepare cake, line bottoms of the 3 (8-inch) cake pans with parchment paper, coat with cooking spray.

Combine 2 cups cake flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk, until well combined. Combine oil, 1/3 cup juice, 3 Tablespoons water, rind and egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add oil mixture to flour mixture, beat with a mixer at medium speed just until smooth.

Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg mixture into flour mixture, gently fold in remaining egg white mixture.
Divide cake batter equally among prepared pans. Bake at 325F for 20 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pans. Remove wax paper from cake layers. Cool completely on wire rack.

Lime curd:
Beat egg yolks and sugar until light in color and sugar almost dissolves. Add lime juice and lemon juice, half of the zest, and salt to the egg yolk mixture. Cook in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan) until mixture is thick enough to coat back of the spoon 8-10 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat. Add butter, stirring until smooth and the remaining zest. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour.

For stabilized whipped cream, combine gelatin and water, allow to soften for 5 minutes, then dissolve gelatin over low heat. Gelatin must be liquid, but not warm.

In the chilled bowl beat the cream and sugar just until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly. Add the gelatin mixture in a steady stream, beating constantly and beat just until stiff peaks form when beater is raised.

To assemble cake, place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread 1/3 of lime curd over cake layer, scatter blueberries. Top with second layer, 1/3 of lime curd, and blueberries and third layer. Combine the remaining lime curd with whipped cream and spread frosting over top and sides of cake.

Garnish with blueberries.

You're going to love this, promise! 

Graduation Celebration

School is out for summer, and it's time for graduation celebrations and parties. Need a "nifty gifty" for a recent Graduate?  Look no further.  The Sprout Zipper pouch in bright chartreuse makes the perfect gift.  The iconic leaf pattern is fresh and modern (designed by one of our favorites, Orla Kiely) and it's the perfect size to keep all of life's little necessities close at hand.  There are three darling Orla Kiely pencils tucked inside, and plenty of room if you want to add a little bit of graduation money too.  Pouch comes boxed with Orla's signature label and is, quite simply, the perfect graduation gift.  Congratulations to the clever Class of 2011!

Etc. Etc.

Well, here I am, home from Maine, bags unpacked; and I'm happy to report that I found many vintage treasures for Clever Girl. Some I'm having shipped in; and others I'll drive home in the fall.  Needless to say, Maine never disappoints.  The only thing I didn't find was a moose.  Evey year, for decades now, I have tried to spot one, but to no avail.  They are everywhere out there, but my timing is always a wee bit off.   I pull into the hardware store and they say, "Did 'ya see him?  Big fella, was just in the parking lot."  We went out to the Seagull Spot for brunch, and guess what had just been there?  Momma Moose with her twins. The Maine Moose eludes me, but I'm going to keep looking.

Meanwhile, back at the store...we've just gotten in the cutest sweaters ever!  The strawberry red is fresh and crisp, and the buttercup yellow and cool turquoise are pretty nifty too.  Lightweight and easy, they all look terrific paired with white pants...

A fresh batch of hats has just come in, and we're expecting more of everyones favorite Magdalana tops this coming week.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!