My Body Is Not Up for Auction

Love this. Via Pinterest

[Friday Link Round Up]

1. Creating the perfect cheeseboard and a guide to stinky cheeses from A Cup of Jo

2. The Red Velvet Girls are offering another E-Course on "The Dream Job." I. Must. Take. It.

3. The Real Story on Human Trafficking from the Ms. Magazine Blog.
4. Interesting article from Jezebel on Match.com's responsibility in keeping women safe.

[News] Nike Likes Big Butts and It Cannot Lie

Okay, I am so sorry for making that joke. I am terrible. This I know. But check out the newest ad from Nike Women, which embraces the "big butt". I mean, I don't really need Nike to remind me of how awesome my butt is (I reward it with cake all the time), but there can never be enough advertisements embracing the way the human body is instead of what it could be after some Photoshopping and plastic surgery.

Now, I'm not one to equate one advertisement with social change, or even a change in company philosophy. Of course, this ad copy was written to sell a product. But at least they're doing it in a positive, powerful way. Keep up the good work, guys/gals of Nike and your ad team. Maybe sometime soon we can get all kinds of real-looking women in ads from all types of companies, and then many women will stop worshipping skinny runway models and their non-existent thighs, and then ALL women will embrace the individuality of their own bodies, and then the whole world will radiate with sunshine and flowers will burst open and kittens will hug everyone and everything will be powdered with the smell of spring.

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. Bottom line: I like my butt, and you should like yours too, no matter if it's big or small. kthxbye.

Read more about the ad and the others in the series, and see a larger version at Nikeblog.com.

[Green Thursdays] I Can Haz Sustainability?

My co-workers created these images to support our effort to get a shuttle to/from our office, which is 4 miles from the nearest public transportation option. How awesome are the people I work with? I'm currently doing some research on public transport for corporations and writing up a proposal. No seriously.

[Green Thursdays] My Own Little Urban Garden

A few months ago, I said in defiance that I was planning to start my own backyard urban garden. I live in a postage stamp of a house in Bernal Heights, but my roommate and I (okay, mostly my roommate -- she has quite the green thumb) have succeeded in waiting out the winter months and have done our planting for the spring. Here are a few shots of what we've done with the place. It's all in containers right now, but we plan to use some raised beds soon, once things get a lil crazy back there. 

Right now, we're growing: 

• Strawberries
• Swiss chard
• Cherry tomatoes
• Thyme/Rosemary
• Mixed lettuces
• Potatoes
• And lots of other stuff that I can't even identify because my roomie has done some of her crazy magic back there, and I no longer recognize the plants I so lovingly picked out at Flowercraft.

The backyard entrance 

Flowers and herbs

Edible Weeds

Our Thriving Tomatoes

[Food + Drink Wednesday] Chocolate Madeleines

Sunday Afternoon Tea Time

Last week, I made these cookies, and they pretty much made the world a better place. Because that's what baking consistently does. These cookies are a bit temperamental and, yes, you do need a special madeleine pan to make them, but they will be worth the effort. Lots of butter and love are two of the main ingredients. And I have a lot to offer of both of those things. Just follow these instructions to a T, and DO NOT OVERMIX these bad boys. They require just-so mixing with a wooden spoon only. No mixers, people. Put your big guns down.

I bought this pan (pictured below) from Bed Bath and Beyond, and while it is non-stick, I still used lots of butter to make sure these did not stick one bit.

Wilton Pan, My Favorite

Chocolate Madeleines 

Adapted from the Williams Sonoma Baking book, which I highly recommend for the amateur baker.

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa (I bought mine at Trader Joe's. It was cheap and fantastic.)

2 large eggs 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt (I used sea salt to balance the chocolate)

6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled + extra for coating pan molds

Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. 

2. Brush room-temperature or melted butter on your madeleine pan (this is not the 6 tbsp, this is additional butter). Each ridge should be thoroughly covered in butter. (*If you were a tiny person living on the madeleine pan, you should be able to swim in the buttery goodness in these molds.) Then dust the molds with flour and shake off any excess. If you don't shake it, you'll end up with white powder on your cookies once they're done cooking. No bueno. 

3. Sift the flour together with the cocoa powder. Set aside.
*I don't have a sifter, so I stirred with a fork to remove lumps. 

4. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and salt. Beat vigorously until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes by hand. Beat in the vanilla. Sprinkle the flour/cocoa mixture over the egg mixture and mix lightly to incorporate. 

5. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in half of the melted butter just until blended. Fold in the remaining melted butter. 

6. Divide the batter among the molds. Each mold should be about 1/2-1/3 full, as these cookies will rise like mini-cakes. 

7. Bake the cookies until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 12 minutes. You'll have a little bump on the back of each cookie.

8. Remove the pan from the oven, invert it over a wire rack, and shake out the cookies. Mine just popped right out after all the butter I had on the pan. 

9. Let cool for 10 minutes. If you plan to eat these right away, use a fine sieve to dust powdered sugar over the tops of the cookies. I used a tea strainer for this. Cover in plastic wrap if you plan to save these for later. They'll keep nice and tasty at room temperature for 2-3 days. 

These are best served warm, so eat them right away or heat them up later for guests. To re-heat, place them in a 250F oven until warm and then dust them with the sugar. 

[Art] The Invisible Man

via A Cup of Jo

Liu Bolin, a Chinese artist, makes himself invisible by painting himself to match his surroundings. So legit, I have no words.

[Fashion Attack] Zooey Deschanel for Oliver Peoples

This Oliver Peoples ad campaign is clearly a success: I want to go out and buy a new pair of glasses today. Then again, I have a mildly concerning obsession with eyeglasses, so maybe that's not a totally normal reaction. 

Regardless, can I be Zooey if I buy these glasses? 

Anatomy of a 20-Something's Dinner Party

Last week, my friends and I had a dinner party/BBQ in the sunshine. It is rarely so warm in San Francisco as it has been the last two weeks, and we just had to celebrate. Everyone brought a dish that they knew how to make easily (we had homemade guacamole and salsa, salads, macaroni and cheese, vegetarian chili, and some miso chicken), I threw a seasonal fruit tart in the oven, and my roommates provided the mojitos/beer and lots more food. It was a great way to have everyone share the responsibility of cooking. And there was minimal waste, since people pretty much ate every last bit of the food we had. 

I expect many more of these shenanigans in the coming (hopefully warm) months. 

much love, 

Carrie Melissa

Good Friends

Intense Conversations

Sweet Tunes

Rustic Apple + Pear Tart (this was my baby)

Running Out of Wine Glasses (and Substituting Just Fine)

Sad Cake Almost Gone :(

A Big Ol' Mess to Clean in the Mornin'

[News] France Enforces Ban on the Burqa

After months of discussion, France is now enforcing a ban on the burqa, the full-face cover worn by Muslim women. I am torn on the concept of the burqa, but against the ban.
The law was approved last year, but will be enforced beginning, oh five minutes ago. According to MSNBC, the ban affects approximately 2000 women in France and most law enforcement workers do not want to enforce the ban. Politicians say that this ban is an effort to protect women who are forced to wear the veil.

What are your thoughts?

Read more here:

France Enforces Ban on Full-Face Veils in Public (NY Times)

Two Women Arrested Protesting France’s Face-Covering Ban (Jezebel)


source: NY Times