Ooof.

Kind of a slow day. Hook and I hosted a party last night and it was a total success(!), but one that left me unable to do anything today besides reading and watching "Steak Paradise" on the Travel Channel. (Aside: I am totally, totally disgusted by the 72-ounce steak challenge at the Big Texan.) Back to the party, though: Friday, my food processor arrived in the mail, and Hook and I made good use of this new toy in prepping party foods. Hook made Lemonhead- and Red Hot-infused cream cheese frosting for the green velvet cupcakes; I made hummus. Both were delicious. I also made mascarpone-stuffed dried apricots, some of which were topped with chopped cashews and some of which contained a chocolate chip. I never otherwise have the chance to make the apricots -- what would I do with all that leftover mascarpone, you know? -- which is one reason why parties rock: I have the chance to make big batches of food that I'd never make for myself.

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Right now, I am craving Twizzlers. I blame Lindsay Lohan*.

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Last week, I read a NY Times story about the increasingly popular concept of the clothing diet, individuals following which devote themselves either to buying no new clothing for a specified amount of time (i.e., a year), or who wear only a certain number of clothing articles for a given amount of time (i.e., six articles over the course of a month). I'm fascinated by this concept: I know that I shop too much and don't even wear most of the clothing I own. (Embarrassing aside: in some cases, I've "discovered" in my closet clothing I'd forgotten I had.) While I'm not going to commit to wearing the same six articles for a month, I am going to become more conscious of what I buy and cut down on needless buying. That way, when I do decide to get a new pair of jeans, the event of selecting and purchasing the jeans will be a more enjoyable event. Wish me luck on this venture!


*On Friday, I read a news story claiming that L.Lo is spending her jail time writing and eating large quantities of Twizzlers.