Spa Day Turned Home Treatment

Like many people, I spent the holidays sick in bed. I had several facial appointments previously scheduled so that I could look glowing and beautifully radiant for my late Jan wedding. The last two appointments that I made I just could not attend. When I called to cancel the last reservation, I received a rude response from some spa girl stating “well, I GUESS it’s alright”. I thought about telling her she two choices; she could graciously accept my cancellation or kissing my ***. I hung up instead.

After realizing that I have been paying $150 each visit to the spa just to deal with the rude spa bitch, I thought that there HAD to be an alternative.

I’ve always been a fan of Arbonne products. They all natural, yadda, yadda, yadda… and your skin looks great. I noticed online that they have an enzyme peel that you can do at home. What a brilliant thought! The peel is roughly 30 bucks and is applied the way you would apply a normal night cream. You wake up in the morning and wash your face. I’m not joking when I say that your skin looks fantastic.

https://arbonne.com/shop_online/showitem.asp?ProductId=6326&menuId=217&withLinks=1

Of course, you have to purchase Arbonne products through a rep. I’m sure if you go on their web site you can search for one.

I must admit that I do feel smart doing my own at home spa treatments. I know, it’s not as fun as going to the spa but, at least I have some cash left in my pocket. And, best of all, I can have a glass of wine while I pretend I'm at the spa... and I don't even have far to drive home.

Happy Spa-ing!

Great thrifty holiday gifts

Let’s face it. It’s a shit time for the economy. There are some of us who maybe have dropped a bunch of money on something frivolous like shoes, clothes or an extravagant night are now sucking wind, saving money, paying off our credit cards. Others, like myself, are wondering when getting a home loan will not longer require a blood sample and my first born. Either way, everyone is thinking of the economy and their now nonexistent retirement accounts. Merry Christmas, right?

Well, here are a few ideas on how to get you through the holidays without excessively drinking egg nogg.

1) Make something. My mother always made almond brittle during the holiday season. It’s less common than peanut brittle and much tastier, if you ask me. You might need a little inspiration so here’s my mother’s recipe. I place several pieces in a decorative Chinese food to-go container or maybe a pretty tin.

Mom’s almond brittle

1 C. whole raw almonds (unsalted)
½ C. granulated sugar
2 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
Salt

Combine almonds, butter and sugar in a heavy 10 inch skillet. Cook, stirring fairly constantly, over medium heat until the almonds are toasted and the sugar is melted and golden brown (about 15 mins). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Spread the nuts on a sheet of aluminum (make sure you have sprayed the foil with no stick cooking spray). Try to place the almonds in clusters of 2 or 3. Lightly sprinkle with salt.

2) Tone down the festivities
You do not need to serve a 5 course meal in order to enjoy time with family and friends. My friend Robert has a saying. It’s something like “my guests don’t have a better time if I spend 4 more hours on dinner”.

Sometimes just have hours d’ouvres is much more fun then just dinner. Some of my favorite parties have been those that I've asked my guests to bring their favorite appetizer.

3) Try unconventional gifts
One of my favorite gift suggestions this year has been Tastebook. www.tastebook.com is a web site where you can upload your recipes and have them bound in a binder that can be opened. The fabulous thing about Tastebook is that you can put a few recipes in the book and then add more later. They start at $20 so, you could can add your favorite recipe and give it to a friend to complete with their favorites.

4) Bring a hostess gift, not an enormous present
A hostess gift is just that. It’s not meant to be a present that will bust the bank. It’s a gesture to your host. Pick a nice bottle of wine. Places like Trader Joe’s and World Market have really good wines for around $10.

5) Just send cards
My family agreed this year to just send Christmas cards. Since all of us “kids” are grown, we’re not broken up about not getting a gift.

Regardless of your financial situation, simplifying the holidays always seems to make them less stressful, as well.

Christmas Chaos

Growing up Christmas was always my favorite time of year. My mother dusted off her recipes for the seasonal family favorites. The house always looked like Santa threw up in it but, it was a magical time, none the less. For many this is a time of stress. Having to deal with unruly family members can make you feel like you’re in Christmas Vacation.

As much as I try to lead a stress free life, it doesn’t always turn out that way.

The tree is not finished. There are still presents to be purchased and the stores are mayhem (Did you hear about that Wal-Mart worker who got trampled the day after Thanksgiving? What the hell, people?)

What’s a girl to do with all this holiday stress? Just for you, my dear friends, I’m including my famous lemon drop martini recipe. Please feel free to change it and make it your own. CHEERS! And let’s not stress; the holidays are almost over.

Tart Lemon Drop Martini

This is a very tart martini. For those of you who will only drink sweet booze, I suggest you add sugar and maybe leave out some lemon. I know it's tart. It's supposed to be tart.

1 Meyer lemon (squeezed into the shaker)
Approx 6-8 ice cubes
1 Tbsp of sugar (not the hippie raw brown sugar – regular white sugar)
6 oz good vodka (don’t be cheap – there’s nothing worse than a bad hang over)

Put all of the ingredients into the cocktail shaker. If you’re a light weight (and you know who you are) add some water. Shake the cocktail shaker with your index finger on the lid. Shake until the cocktail shaker becomes too cold to hold (AKA: shake it ‘til it hurts).

And VOILA! Family? What family? What turkey? Oh, look I have a fabulous cocktail in front of me. Cheers.

A First Glace of Lisbon

The drive from Tavira to Lisbon took about 3.5 hours. If you weren’t driving a POS 2.5 cylinder Ford Focus rental car, I’m sure it would take you less. The scenery on the way from the south of Portugal to Lisbon was a particularly interesting one. Cork oak trees lined the highway on both sides. Apparently, Portugal produces 50% of the world’s harvest of cork. The trees, which are stripped of their bark (which produces the cork) can be harvested every 10-12 years and has a life expectancy of 150-250 years. Please don’t try to cut down a cork tree when you’re in Portugal – it’s illegal. You don’t want to spend you vacation in jail, do you?

Lisbon was not at all what I had expected. I think I was expecting more of a cosmopolitan city, such as Madrid or Barcelona. In comparison, Lisbon is a tad … well, shabby. I know, I know… it’s politically incorrect. But, I think if you were there you might agree that the city was more shabby than shabby chic. Many of the buildings were tiled and many of the tiles cracked and dirtied from years of wear. Also, graffiti seemed to be everywhere, making me feel uneasy about the area in general.

If you want a cultural experience you can stay in charming little hotel that the locals just love. I like a Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons… something to that effect. If you, too, enjoy these high quality/luxury chains, do yourself a favor and do not stay in a charming little hotel. You will be beyond disappointed and a raving b!tch from lack of sleep. A traveling companion (who will remain nameless) likes these sort of out of the way, “charming” places. There were several to choose from… but they weren’t cheap. We settled on 180 Euro a night boutique that was labeled as a “good value” by a very reputable travel web site. (Note: I’ve figured out that a “good value” means that the sheets are clean and you don’t have to share a bathroom with the people down the hall.) Now for $250 bucks a night I would expect to stay in a nice hotel. It might not be the Ritz, but it should be nice.

After an hour of driving up and down the streets trying to find the hotel, we saw a tile sign above the doorway. It looked awful. When I say awful, I mean that I was ready to get back in the car and head to the nearest luxury hotel. One of my other travel buddies first mentioned “Is this neighborhood safe at night?” and then later said “well, they have your credit card info. We should go check the rooms.”

We walked up to the front of the hotel. Old, dilapidated tiles reading the name of the hotel were mounted to the top of the stucco door frame. A locked iron gate stood about 8 feet tall and a speaker box was on the side of the wall. We rang the bell and waited. The woman on the other end of the phone ushered us upstairs. We climbed one, then two flights of stairs. At the top was a large cobblestone courtyard. A large palm tree was the focal point for this garden, while other large trees and vines surrounded the courtyard, providing much needed shade from the hot day.

We asked to see the rooms before getting the key. The woman at the front desk looked shocked. The door man showed up to our rooms. They were clean, simple, not luxurious. I would say that was a 99 buck a night room by European standards, not a $250 a night room. We figured we would make do and stay at the hotel. Later that night I noticed a little dry rot in the floor of the bathroom. Scott had a good point. He said, “For $250 I would expect them to get rid of the dry rot.”

What to do
So, the first day in Lisbon started out shaky. For day #2 we decided to visit St George’s castle. Lisbon is quite hilly so, I was thrilled to take a cab there. Once inside we immediately noticed the enormity of the castle grounds. Now, I’ve been to castles. I’ve been to castles in Austria, the UK, Spain, Germany and other various places in Europe. St. George’s castle put them all to shame. The castle is huge. You could imagine how in its time the castle would be a city in itself.

The view of the Tagus river from the castle is amazing so, be sure to spend some time on the “patio” and take some pictures. When you venture in the castle, you will see that the walls are pretty well in tact. Many tourists walked up the narrow stair cases up to the top of several levels, overlooking the center of the (now open air) castle to one side and the city to the other.

Visiting the castle was a spectacular way to spend the day. I highly recommend it.

Tavira and Southern Portugal

The Algarve is the region in the south of Portugal, facing Africa. It was not at all what I expected. We traveled by car from Marbella, in the south of Spain, to Tavira. The hot humid air of Spain was soon replaced by a sweltering dry heat. Also, along the car ride, I noticed that the soil in Portugal is of a red variety; sometimes it's coral, sometimes dark red.

We stayed in a Pousada. Pousadas are spread over Portugal. They are former convents, monasteries or castles that have been converted to hotels. After talking with the attendant at the front desk, I learned that the government does provide some sort of funding for restoration of these buildings but, they are managed by hotel management companies.

We stayed at the Pousada de Tavira – Convento de Graca. I must admit to you that I was a bit impressed by the restoration of the Pousada. It had been restored just a few years prior and looked incredible. The rooms were simple, yet classy, and had a soft (but just firm enough) bed with down pillows and comforter.

The first night after the long drive from Marbella to Tavira, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. The menu of the evening was Moroccan cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised by the food. Bream was the served in several ways throughout the 5 courses, consisting of fish with dates, dried nuts and fruits. (I later learned that Bream is a local Portuguese white fish. It actually tasted a lot like sea bass, though I understand they are different species of fish.) The dinner was excellent and the staff was quite nice.

We spent the following day exploring Tavira, a sea side town where you will find snorkeling, fishing and boating excursions available. I’m not much of a sun bunny, or a water person. Rather, the four of us preferred to wander the streets of Tavira, snapping photos and helping out the economy with purchases from yet another Zara.

On the way back to the Pousada, we took a detour and visited one of the golf resorts. The South of Portugal is littered with golf resorts where the weary Northern European traveler can sun themselves and golf. The massive golf resorts and hot weather provide a change from the other variable weather you might find in Europe (especially Northern Europe). The golf resorts are huge; many of them encompass miles of courses, condos, restaurants and hotels.

Once you get out of the resort, it’s noticeable. Portugal is a poorer country than Spain. I was honestly expecting that the countries would be similar. I think that would be saying California borders Arizona so, they are similar.

Return to Espana

After an exciting year of getting engaged, starting a new job and moving 2,000 miles away, I finally went on vacation (thank God). I went back to a favorite haunt, the Marriott Playa Andalusia in southern Spain.

Getting Around
Driving in Spain is always a bit of religious experience - by that I mean that you say “oh God” a lot. The Spaniards, as do most other Europeans, drive like a bat out of hell in their 4 cylinder piece of shit car. Everyone there has a piece of shit car, unless you have tons of money or just want people to think so. They have the POS car because of the fact that parking can, at times, be like bumper cars and door dings are frequent. As usual, I drove. I get car sick, plane sick, train sick, sea sick; let’s just say it’s best if I drive.

My Dad’s girlfriend, Marilyn, told me that I “drive like a local”. I’m not too sure if that’s a compliment but, I’ll take what I can get. Many Americans like to drive within the lines (just like coloring) and can’t seem to grasp the concept that people will go when the light is red and drive in the middle of two lanes. This is why driving in Europe is not for the faint of heart. This is why a close family friend prefers tours. He said that he can’t handle the driving and would prefer that someone else would do it. I guess no one told him he could hire a driver for the day, too.

The Costa del Sol
The south of Spain is fondly referred to as the “Costa del sol”. This scenic area consisting of more condos and golf courses then you’ve even seen, is the home away from home and FAV vacation destination of many Brits, Germans and a few Americans, too. The weather is HOT in the summer. And when I say HOT, I mean it’s freaking’ HOT. The humidity can be surprising at times (varying from degrees of sticky to just plain unbearable); coupled with the high temperatures in July and August, it’s uncomfortable. We traveled in September and it was still on the warm side - temperatures ranging from 80 to 85 degrees.

Many Brits and Germans come to soak up the sun and the heat, escaping from the cold North. Being pasty white, I’ve never been one to sit by the pool. This doesn’t seem to stop the Brits. You can practically feel the heat radiating off of their bodies as the cook in the hot sun and maintain their sun burn for a constant week.

What to do
If you’re a golfer, you’re in heaven. The only problem is that many of the golf courses are expensive (about 150 Euros, or $210) and many of them require a handicap. Being a novice golfer, I was told by my father that those of us infrequent players would be out of luck without a handicap. Oh well…

There are many white cities in the south. The white cities of Spain are famous. Living in close proximity to your neighbors, in the hilly regions, the hills provided protection from invaders. Later, “White Villages” became convenient farming communities, allowing the farmers to live in a protected community. Today the white village, or pueblos blancos, remain. (You can find more information on the white villages of Spain by visiting http://www.andalucia.com/villages/malaga.htm.)

If you decide to venture to a white village, note that the parking can be treacherous. (We had a slight incident in Casares and nearly ended up in the Castle – long story.) Be aware of the giant blue “P”, for public parking, and you should be fine.

My fiancée, Scott was interested in checking out the wines of Spain. Finding a bottle shop in the Costa del Sol is few and far between. Many of the wine growing regions are in the North, not the South. Determined to drink good wine on our trip, we asked the concierge if there was a wine shop in the area.

He recommended a place called “The Museum of Wine” in Mijas. I’ve been to Mijas. It’s one of the white villages. It’s very picturesque. Parking is a bitch. If you visit Mijas, don’t be cheap - park in the parking garage. Trust me, it’s worth the money. After traveling along the A7 highway to and then up a steep grade to get to Mijas only to squeeze your POS 2.5 cylinder rental car into a parking spot the size of a shoe box, a glass of wine sounds like a fantastic idea.

The concierge gave me a map and noted where the “Museo de Vino” is located. White cities are elusive, though. They are deceiving in terms of size and also in terms of where each street is actually located. After a small debate about is it down this street or that, I spotted a cop. In Europe they’re happy to give you directions so feel free to ask. After all, there’s no crispy crème in Mijas; what else is the guy going to do?

We venture up another small narrow street (almost an ally) and there it was. This wine shop is much more then a wine shop. For 15 Euros you can get tapas and 3 wine tastings. Or for 25 Euros you can get 5 tastings and 5 tapas. There were 4 of us who had the wine tastings and, believe me, we didn’t starve or lack for wine.

The tapas started out as typical Spanish hours d’ouvres. Aged cheese, salty ham and spicy chorizo were starters. From there were had the ratatouille with tuna (amazing) and pork with a balsamic reduction sauce. ALL FOR 15 EUROS (including wine). The proprietor of the shop is a wine connoisseur without being a snob. All you have to do is tell him what types of wine you want and he’ll bring out customized tasting, just for you.

Scott and I actually came back a second day and enjoyed tapas and wine. We had nowhere to be all day so, we just talked with the shopkeepers about wine and watched the tour groups from the cruises go in and out of the store. We were asked several times how we got that glass of tempranillo or if we were going to get back on the bus. They were all shocked when we said that we drove our own car and were going to continue enjoying our wine throughout the afternoon.

Here’s the web site for the wine Museum. It’s all in Spanish but, it lists their phone number and address.
http://www.museovinomalaga.org/

More Food
If you didn’t eat enough during your wine tasting/tapas afternoon, you can head west to Estapona. One fabulous restaurant is Tikitano. It’s a challenge to find but, the food is incredible. This culinary gem is actually right on the sand making for scenic lunches and romantic sunset dinners.

My recommendation would be the risotto appetizer. They know how to make it. Being an Italian girl, I know if someone screws up the risotto. Theirs is top notch. Just about anything else on the menu would make your mouth water, as well. I had the sea bass and it melted in your mouth. If you feeling like a big shot, Louis XIII is available for a mere 225 Euros a shot.

Check out the web site for directions – trust me, you’ll need them. And you can make reservations on line.
http://tikitano.net/

More to come from Spain. These are just a few of my favorites and suggestions.

Shoe Alert!

For those of my amigos who have a shoe obsession, I've found something wonderful to share with you. The web site http://www.6pm.com/ carries shoes that are last seasons or discontinued items from zappos.com. They have things like privo's for $25. You can't beat that with a stick. You can feed your shoe obsession AND maintain your budget. How FABULOUS is that?