Because I missed the initial airing of the “We are One Concert” for the inauguration, I was happy to find it on HBO On Demand last night. While the performances were amazing there were two parts that really struck me.
The first was a reading of JFK’s speech he made to Amherst College about the importance of the arts. The second was the performance of Marion Davies.
If you missed the original airing of the concert, check it out On Demand. It’s definitely not one to miss!
While out to dinner with a good friend this past weekend, I learned something new about a food I am very familiar with; the cocoa bean. Turns out, the quality and taste of chocolate has everything to do with where the bean was grown. Just as grapes become Cabernets or Pinot Noirs depending on the conditions of the exact hillside on which they grow, the origin of a specific cocoa bean determines the type of chocolate it will become. I found all of this so interesting I thought it would be great to share it with my readers!
Both grapes and cocoa beans are greatly impacted by factors like climate and soil, as well as quantities of sunlight and rain. Cocoa beans are generally catagorized into three types: Forastero (accounting for 85% of the world's cocoa), Trinitario (about 10%), and Criollo (less than 5%). As with most things, the rarer the better, and Criollo beans are considered to make the finest, most expensive chocolate in the world.
Like wine connoisseurs, chocolate aficionados pay attention to aroma, taste and look. The flavor of Criollo is described as delicate yet complex, low in classic chocolate flavor, but rich in "secondary" notes of long duration, with a reddish coloring.
The largest areas of cocoa bean growth
Next time you bite into a piece of chocolate, take a moment to reflect on one of nature's great marvels: the amazing cocoa bean!
What is your favorite place to get chocolate? Please leave a comment.
This past weekend I was able to attend the Antique shows and I was inspired and reminded about how wonderful the art of collecting antiques can be. This economy provides an great buyers market. If you have a little money to spend I would definitely suggest investing in antiques. Instead of buying furniture pieces that will fall apart within a year why not invest in a piece that has been proven to last a lifetime. As a friend once said to me "if you can't afford good art, start with good furniture."
The 55th Annual Winter Antiques Show
Jan. 23 - Feb. 1, 2009
Park Avenue Armory
Park Avenue at 67th Street
New York City
Open Daily12 noon - 8 p.m.
Except: Sundays & Thursday12 noon - 6 p.m.
$20 Admission
What is your favorite antique you own? Please leave a comment!
While it is important for us to bundle up in the winter, it is even more important that we keep our pets safe during the cold winter months. Here are a few suggestions that will help make sure your pet has a healthy and safe winter.
Today's blog is not about food per say, but rather the lack of food I've had this week! My best friends and I are doing a five day cleanse together and... today is day three. I agreed to take part to wean myself off the large amount of sweets I consume.
The cleanse we chose is the Organic Avenue Five Day LOVEdeep fast. Instead of eating solid foods, every day we drink a series of seven "elixirs," each providing a different nutrient. The fast is designed to drench your body with vital nutrients while giving it a break from digestion. The best part? Each day, Organic Avenue delivers your drinks in this chic burlap bag, and takes the previous day's bottles to be recycled!
I have to say it has been extremely hard giving up coffee but I am feeling energized and healthy! Only time will tell if it ends up helping curb my sugar habit. I'll let you know...
Have you ever done a fast? Please share your stories!
To escape the cold this weekend I headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and spent about 5 hours wandering through their amazing new exhibits. The exhibit that was the most inspiring to me was The Philippe de Montebello: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions. The exhibition is considered a parting gift to the director that helped acquire 84,000 works while he was with the museum.
There were two furniture pieces that stood out to me above everything else. The first was a Bureau Brise writing desk that is one of the only surviving pieces commissioned for the personal use of Louis XIV. It is part of a pair and the other is at the Louver in Paris. It is so amazing to see something and think that Louis XIV once used this desk.
The second piece was a Tula table made almost completely of steel. What is so interesting about this table is that Tula was a gun manufacturing company until Katherine the Great summoned them to make furniture instead of guns. This table specifically is made of mostly steel but looks as though it is made of diamonds. The craftsmanship and design of this table is so breathtaking to me!
If you get a chance you should go see this exhibit and be inspired! If you do not live in New York City but you still want to experience the exhibit click here to look at the website.
What inspires you? Please leave a comment.
The paint room in the Material for the Arts warehouse
The Material for the Arts Warehouse
Last week, while on a business trip, I realized something about our airports: ALL of the food is carbohydrates or sugar! While waiting for yet another delayed plane I was looking for something healthy to eat. Hidden behind the Cinnabons and Sabarro pizza all I was able to find was a soggy sandwich and a browning salad! I love sweets just as much as anyone else (maybe a bit more) but the last thing I want before boarding a plane is to be loaded with sugar and bloated from carbohydrates!
My suggestion for staying away from the unhealty food that controls the airport... eat a full meal before you leave home. And, if you know you have a layover or there is a possibility for a delay throw a few heatly snacks in your bag! As much as the smells permiate the air try to aviod that cinnabon and pizza because eventhough they may seem like a good idea at the time, you will regret it once you get on the plane!
What are your suggestions for getting around the tempting unhealthy airport food? Please leave a comment!
Now that we are on to 2009, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at all of the amazing things we accomplished here at David Monn, LLC in 2008. With over 100 events it is hard to show pictures of each, so here are a few of the highlights!
One of my favorite ways to warm up during the dreary winter months is a warm cup of hot chocolate. Something about the smell and taste is so comforting and instantly warming.
Max Brenner, a man who shares my love for sweets, is the owner of an ingenious chain of restaurants with a menu comprised of nothing but chocolate. With two locations in New York City I am lucky to be able to stop in on a cold winter day and get my fix of hot chocolate, plus anything else I can think of made of chocolate. Not only does his hot chocolate cure my craving but he has developed the “hug mug”, a mug that is the perfect shape for cupping both of your hands around it. He even has the mug for sale in his “chocolate shop” located in his restaurant and online.
If you are in New York you must check out this fun spot; if not, don't worry you can find a lot of his products at his online store, just click here.
Hug Mug - $8.90
One of the harshest effects of the winter season is not always on our cars or the roads but on our skin, more specifically our lips!
Lips are an extremely sensitive area on our bodies and, because they are used constantly, they become irritated quickly. Most people that I know say that they simply use chap-stick or lip stick to fix their dry lips. This plan is probably the easiest routine for helping moisturize your lips, however, this only covers up the problem.
In order to really help your lips, exfoliate your lips before applying a lip gloss. After exfoliation, the next step is finding a great gloss for protection. Sally Hershberger has come up with both a refinisher and repair cream for helping ones lips. Another product that is great at fighting off the painfully dried lips is Rosebud Salve.
Don’t leave your lips out to dry this winter!
Sally Hershberger Products
425 West 14th Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10014
Lip Refinisher-$12
Lip Repair-$12
If you are interested in giving a gift that can effect lives around the globe this New Year you may want to consider Heifer International giving. Introduced to Heifer by a member of my staff, I’ve become extremely interested in Heifer’s initiatives around the world.
Heifer has created a program where you may provide struggling families with “gift animals” such as sheep, cow, llama, water buffalo, and goat. By giving the gift of a water buffalo, for example, families are provided with milk for food, help plowing fields, they are able to rent the buffalo to neighbors to earn money, and carry heavy loads to the market.
Another great children’s gift idea that has been provided by the help of Heifer International is a book called Beatrice’s Goat, written by Beatrice Biira. Heifer International gave the Biira family a goat when Beatrice was young. Growing up in a small village in Uganda, the Biira’s were able to earn enough money from the goat to give Beatrice the opportunity to come to America to attend college.
What better way to give life to a family than through Heifer International, and while you give a gift you can teach your children about making a difference in someone’s life through Beatrice’s Goat.
Heifer International
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