Creepy Hand Soap

So, I might have missed the boat on these creepy baby hands soaps, since Boing Boing.com posted a review of these little guys back in 2007. But I was virtual window browsing at Room6, a cute little online shop that sells "special things for nice people," when I came across them in their "This & That" section. At first, I was really, really creeped out (so much I felt the need to share), but then I realized these are actually hilarious. Imagine walking to into someone's bathroom and seeing little fingers perched near the sink. It will definitely make any house guest do double-take.



I'm contemplating buying them just for S's & G's. If appendage soap isn't your thing check out Room6 anyways -- they have adorable jewelry and accessories.

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes - Recipe

If you've been keeping up with our blog, you probably know Cake and I love baking, making, cooking, and eating. For Mother's Day, my sister and I decided to make our Mom a surprise breakfast with a few of her favorite ingredients. My Mom is more of a pancake kind of girl than an egg omelet one, and she loves pecans, but pecan pancakes just didn't seem like enough - and that's where the pumpkin comes in. I searched for the ultimate quick pumpkin pecan recipe and fell a little short. Knowing I was pressed for time, I decided to create my own little variation using boxed pancake mix and Betty Crocker syrup. Although from scratch is more my style, these pancakes were easy, fast, fluffy & delicious. I didn't follow the measurements to a tee, but here's what I did:

Kiss's Easy-Peasy Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients:

For Pancakes:
1 cup of Fiber One brand pancake mix (or any ready-to-make pancake mix)
1 cup of Lite Vanilla Soymilk
About 1/4 cup pecan pieces (chopped or broken)
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
A nice big sprinkle of cinnamon

For syrup:
1/2 cup - 1 cup of maple flavored syrup
1/4 cup pecan pieces

1. Stick your chopped or broken pecan pieces in an oven or toaster over for just a few moments to get a nice toasty, roasted taste.


2. In a saucepan, heat the maple syrup and pecans over low heat, stirring occasionally until warm.

3. Place a pan or griddle on stove and heat on medium. Spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray (or I use a little bit of Earth Balance if I want them to be a little more buttery).

4. In a large bowl, mix all of the pancake ingredients together. Pour batter onto the griddle and heat until you start to see little bubbles in the mix.


Tip: Due to the soymilk and the pumpkin in these pancakes, they are a little more tricky when it comes to knowing when to flip. The pancakes are going to be more fluffy than firm so keep that in mind.

When ready to eat, pour syrup over and take a big bite!

Vegetarianism

Today, I was pondering Kiss' vegetarianism as I was eating what may just be my last piece of bacon. The reason I thought about the poor piggy I was eating was mainly because Kiss posted this link: what-does-inside-factory-farm-look-like on her Facebook page this past weekend. I cried when I got to the picture of the female pigs in gestation crates and the chickens packed in huge drawers. And, what's even worse is that yesterday, there was a "How it's Made" baby chicks episode! That made me never want to eat chicken again.

I already don't like to eat any kind of meat except chicken and ham, so I'm wondering if I can make it as a vegetarian. I doubt my carnivore instincts can be deprived of meat for too long, but I plan on decreasing my intake of meat. I envy how Kiss is able to be a vegetarian and almost vegan every day of her life!

**Picture from Marlerblog.com...super interesting articles on food poisoning.

-Cake

P.S. Kiss was a vegetarian before it was trendy

Nail Polish for Spring and Summer! Sephora by OPI

Awhile back Kiss posted about Natalie Portman's yellow nail polish. Kiss, I totally think you should rock it.... and good news, yellow is a hot color for spring/summer! Sephora has teamed up with OPI for a new-ish line of nail polish colors that are "Fashion-forward, wearable nail colors for the modern woman who is looking for an effective, safe, environmentally conscious brand." (and exclusively available at Sephora, obv.) Since Kiss' birthday party was this past weekend (and I wanted to look my best), I thought I'd head to the mall to check out the new colors.

I picked up "metro chic," which I wore to Kiss' super fun celebration, a dark gray with little bit of a purpleness to it. And, I bought "A true romantic," a classic light pink. I almost bought "IM Beauty," a nice bright yellow for Kiss... but then I realized I don't have limitless funds (...sorry bff). The best part of these polishes is that they seriously don't chip... unless your friends ask you to safety pin their bra straps and your nail and pin have a little encounter... but seriously, I've been wearing metro chic for a while now and my nails still look fab!

Check out all of the fantastic colors here: Sephora by OPI

Would you pay $30 for this grilled cheese?

The other day I was having a really reflective moment. I started looking back on my life and realized there are a lot of things I said I wanted to do that I just haven't done. As much as Cake and my other friends and I attempt to do new and exciting things, it seems we always fall back on the same old routine. The summer will be here before we know it, so I started making a little list of things I want to accomplish by next fall (stay tuned for Kiss and Cake's bucket list).

Part of this list of fun things to do was the "Gossip Girl" walk in NYC. The idea is to hit up as many GG spots mentioned or seen on the show in a day. One of these stops would have to be Gilt Restaurant at the New York Palace Hotel where they serve the "Gossip Grill" a tasty looking grilled cheese sandwich made with fontina cheese, truffles, and wild arugula salad. It's modeled after the sandwich Serena was eating in one of the earlier episodes where she is hanging out with Chuck and gets all wasty and hungry. According to Chris Lee, Gilt's executive chef, Blake and Penn came to eat at Gilt one night and suggested they change the sandwich name to "Gossip Grill - You Know You Love it." The only problem is, this sandwich will set you back at least $30 (and can go up to $50 depending on a truffles). On the up side, the recipe for it can be found here.


I can't decide if I am willing to shell out $30 for grilled cheese. But I have a feeling it's that damn good, so it's staying on the list for now. What do you think -- is $30 a little ridiculous. I mean, it is a recession!

xoxo,
Kiss

I got my TOMS on but they look like sneakers..

I have to admit, I'm such a sucker for a really good charity and a really good marketing campaign, which is why I couldn't get my mind off of these TOMS. For those who don't know, TOMS Shoes is a company started by "American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, [who] befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet." His idea became to create a company based on the premise that with every shoe a customer bought, he would donate a pair to a child in need. Voila - TOM Shoes were born. (Blake has certainly made a name for himself - you might recognize him from the recent Verizon Wirless commercials).

But these shoes are not your standard sneaker-and-ties. They are simple in design but come in array of colors, designs, and textures. The line has recently expanded to included boots and vegan friendly styles.

Feeling fanciful, I sprung for the gold glittery-ish ones. I had seen them on a girl in NY and loved the look. My only fear was that the shoes would be uncomfortable walking long distances, but so far so good. If you're looking for something in between casual and dressy that's not a heel or sandal and is moderately priced, this is a safe bet.

-Kiss

The Mild Benefits to Swine Flu

Benefits to swine flu? Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes my way, hear me out. Despite the illnesses and the world-wide hysteria (not to mention the absolutely grotesque and absurd slaying of innocent piglets) there is one positive to this madness: free hand sanitizer.

On my way out of Penn Station this morning I was handed a nice little free stack of Sani Hands hand sanitizer. Not only do I love free stuff, but it got me thinkin': if everyone in NYC and the world started being a little more conscious of germs and a little more cleanlier it could benefit us in more ways than just avoiding the swine. The flu even brought the Mayor of NYC to check out the health safety of subways.

Although there is no correlation to eating pig and getting the swine flu, the epidemic has caused a bit of scare in terms of pork products, and when more people eat less meat I think we all win.

P.S. Speaking of pigs -- there is this amazing organization called Farm Sanctuary that rescues animals from the torment of factory farms, etc. They just brought in an adorable, adorable little baby piglet named Fiona. Help Fiona out and donate!!