For the past few months I've made a commitment to scour as many cookbooks as I can to learn new recipes that are nutritious, delicious and importantly, easy.  I don't have all afternoon to get all Julie & Julia in the kitchen.  I have 2 hours tops when I get home from work to whip something up with a glass of Chardonnay in hand (or Shiraz if it's winter). 


I recently...

Dolce Salato Antipasto

Sometimes a full course meal doesn’t set the tone for a rustic, romantic evening. This sharable platter mixes both sweet and salty tastes (“dolce” is sweet in Italian and “salato” is salty), and its sample-sized portions are open for a variety of tasty choices.


Brie cheese
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Prosciutto
Spicy cacciatore sausage
Olive and rosemary focaccia bread

Online shopping may be old news in the United States but Canadians have been waiting a loooong time for many major retailers to offer it to us.  Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy recently launched their portal, GapCanada.ca that lets you buy from all 3 retailers at once!  Isn't that convenient?  And for the moment, shipping is free for purchases over $50.  Sweet!

I've...

Dianne Molina is DaFashionista.  Encouraged by her best college girlfriend and fashion journalist to take a leap of faith, this (Los) Angelena started her blog in 2008 as a way to express herself creatively, never dreaming she'd achieve anything more than a fun daily habit.  It turns out, she got more than she bargained for.

Dianne and Mama Diabolina

ChickAdvisor: What is the best...

We hear Christian Siriano is doing Payless again.

Image: Arun Nevader

Check out these concept beauties for Spring 2011.  The skeptics worry that Payless will tone them down so far they'll hardly be recognizable.  At a price point probably in the $50ish range, we're hoping they keep their moxy.

What do you think of Payless' collaborations so far?  Would you buy these designs...

Valentino is coming to GAP in November 2010, but you won't see it anytime soon according to reports.

The capsule collection is set to appear in London, Paris and Milan with no known plans to bring it to Canada or US.

Valentino RTW Spring/Summer 2010

Are you peeved?  Do you think Valentino is the right fit for GAP?

Are you ready to embrace your grays?

We have wondered if it was coming back as a bona fide trend, and though it's slow to take root, we're seeing more celebs embracing this edgy look.

Pink pulls this off with panache, but Kate Moss looks like she's partied the night away.  Oh wait...

Screen sirens Meryl Streep (in Devil Wears Prada) and Jamie Lee Curtis make us think that if we could...

Flared pants are back in the spotlight for Fall and we are loving the fresh take on the '90s style.

They were seen on Fall 2010 runways for top designers like Derek Lam (left), Rochas (centre), Balmain (right), Prada and 3.1 Philip Lim.  They can be casual or classy and best of all, they are a much more figure-friendly trend than skinny jeans or *shudder* jeggings.

Now it's a gentle...

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What's the best way to convince an otherwise shy girl to work it like a pro in front of the cameras?  Give her a makeover! 

On Monday August 16th, 13 lovely readers from ChickAdvisor.com, BeautyEditor.ca, Cocoandlowe.com and Imabeautygeek.ca attended a VIP makeover event at Hair on the Avenue for Clairol's Natural Instincts.

Participants nibbled hors d'oeuvres while...