Author Archives: Lea Barlow

My hair has always been a point of contention for me.  It’s thin and fine and the only time it ever looked good, without the help of the massive amount of extensions I have installed monthly, was when I was pregnant.  What I had amassed during pregnancy #2 promptly fell out a couple weeks after my kid made his entrance.  It has been in a state of flux ever since. Recently, though, I had my hair done for a wedding and an angel sent from the heavens (otherwise known as my hairdresser, Sarah), brought out a vile of white powder.  Now get your mind out of the gutter, it wasn’t that kind of white powder it was a product called Dust It by Osis.  She sprinkled a wee bit in my hair, worked it in and voilà, instant volume without the heaviness that my hair cannot handle.  I have been using it ever since in my battle against flat hair.  It works wonders in this ridiculous humidity we have smothering us in the sunshine state.  Two tips to keep in mind:  1.  Buy it online.  It’s much cheaper than at the salon.  2. For the brunettes and redheads out there, make sure to really work the powder in.  It looks like dandruff if you don’t.

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Ingredients

• 4 blackberries, quartered
• 1/4 cup triple sec
• 4 sugar cubes
• Angostura bitters as needed
• 1 bottle Champagne, Prosecco or other dry sparkling white wine, chilled

Preparation

In a small nonreactive bowl, combine the blackberries and triple sec and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the fruit macerate.

Place 1 sugar cube in each of 4 Champagne flutes and add 1 or 2 dashes of bitters to each one. Spoon 4 pieces of marinated blackberry in each flute. Top with Champagne and serve immediately.

Serves 4…or 1 depending on your mood.

Source:  williams-sonoma.com

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala , (see Tip), divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup thinly sliced seeded cucumber
• 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro , or mint
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper , to taste
• 4 6-inch whole-wheat pitas, warmed
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 small or 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 6- to 7-ounce cans boneless, skinless wild Alaskan salmon, drained
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
• 8 slices pumpernickel bread, toasted
• 8 slices tomato
• 2 large leaves romaine lettuce, cut in half

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