Greg and I are huge foodies. We love eating out, sampling cuisine from all over the world, and tantalizing our taste buds with good eats. That’s why we always highlight the food when we write about our travels. Furthermore, I LOVE to cook and to throw dinner parties. I consider it a therapeutic treat to spend hours in the kitchen putting together a four course meal that’s tasty, colourful, nutritious and texture-rich. When we lived in France I had a small catering business that I ran with two good friends. We made South East Asian food and laughed up a storm. Cooking is a creative outlet that gives me great joy. 

I don’t want to run another catering business. Crazy schedules and challenging logistics are to name but a few of the reasons. But I do want to share my passion for food and cooking with you. I’ll be 43 in July and if I don’t spread my wings and fly now, when is it going to happen?

This brings me to our big news. We’ll be changing the focus of YLF from fashion and style, to food and good eats. Given the recent redesign, this was a difficult decision — the new YLF was obviously created with fashion and style in mind. On the other hand, many aspects of the new design lend themselves to food, which is just as visual as fashion.

To kick things off I’m going to share my recipe for melktert, which is a South African “milk tart”. I have a sweet tooth and this is one of my favourite desserts of all time. Let’s get cooking!

I also should mention Rosie, my little Sous Chef. 

The Crust

Before you begin the prep, start pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here are the steps:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar. 
2. Add the egg, flour, baking powder and vanilla. Add a little water to bind the mixture if necessary. Kneading dough is the BEST manicure by the way. I like the way my hands look and feel after making this crust. 
3. Press the dough into a greased fluted 11 inch tart tin. Pierce the dough several times with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming. 
4. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
5. Set aside to cool.

The Filling

Here are the steps:

1. Mix together the flour, custard powder and cornstarch adding a little of the cream to create a smooth paste. 
2. Place the remaining milk in a saucepan with the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and cornstarch paste. 
3. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Allow to boil for 3 minutes till very thick. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
5. Whisk the egg whites till they form soft peaks.
6. Fold the egg whites into the mixture.

The Tart

Time to bring the ensemble together. 

1. Spoon the mixture into the tart tin with the cooked crust. 
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with powdered sugar. I am very generous with the sugar and cinnamon. 
3. Place tart in refrigerator to set and cool for at least 6 hours.

4. Serve cold, or reheat a slice in the microwave for a warm version. I highly recommend both warm and cold versions.

Serve for dessert after supper, at teatime, or even for breakfast. Actually, just have a slice of tart whenever you feel like it. I’d happily skip supper and have two helpings of tart with several cups of Earl Grey tea instead. Tea and tart is one way to celebrate the good things in life.

I’ll be changing my style a little to suit our new direction. For one thing, I’m back to sporting a super short pixie because it’s an easier style to maintain now that I’ll be spending a lot more time in the kitchen. And my minimal, modern and no-nonsense style has become even simpler. Lots of apron wearing over comfortable layers with scrunched sleeves. 

Let the feasting begin. Bon appétit!

Note that by “nude”, I mean “nude for you”. So in this context the colour of nude hose is matched to the skin tone of your legs.

I believe that nude hosiery is fabulous. To think that they are frumpy is a dated style concept. Nude hose keep people like me warm in Spring, when the Seattle temperatures are far from mild. The beauty of nude hose is that it provides the aesthetic of “bare legs” with the insulation of tights. I like to visually lighten my outfits in the Spring. Dark hose makes my outfit feel heavy and too Wintery, making nude hose the perfect solution. 

I did not always feel this way about nude hose. I wore the shiny lycra variety a lot in the late ’80s, and then stopped cold turkey for many years because going barelegged or sticking to darker hose was more fashionable and modern. I did continue to sneakily layer nude hose under fancy textured hose for extra warmth, and under jeans and trousers for insulation. So I’m never without a couple of pairs of nude hose in my basics capsule. 

Then I went to Japan last year and my perception about nude hose was changed forever. The women there ALL wear nude hose. With everything. From the shortest of skirts and shorts to contemporary and classic outfits. And they look extremely stylish. Zero frump factor. So right then and there in Tokyo I bought nude hose to wear with my dressy outfit for a wedding. It was a chilly day and I was relieved to be wearing hose. I did not feel frumpy at all. 

These days I often wear visible nude hose with skirts and dresses. In fact, here’s a recent example. I keep them sheer and a close match to my skin tone. I firmly believe that nude hose make as stylish a statement as bare legs when it’s just too cold to go without. They do not need to be reserved for conservative settings or women of a certain age. So wear nude hose with fashionable pride.

Harper’s Bazaar investigates what your watch style says about you, and has some pointers on how to wear your timepiece right now.

For most of my teenage years I was completely into Swatches, until I discovered Casio’s G-Shock watches and suddenly felt like sporting the more bulky — and at the time very hip — Baby-G. This collection of Instagram Swatch snaps transported me right back to my colourful watch wearing days.

Speaking of G-Shock, the watchmaker company is celebrating its 30th anniversary and Maison Martin Margiela has created a limited-edition timepiece for this festive occasion.

Fab Links from Our Members

Kristin found this Tedx Talk by model Cameron Russell about being a model quite enlightening.

91 year old Gladys Wenger was chosen as one of three “Models in Health” for a Toronto fashion show. Merwoman is impressed with the organizers for dropping the age barrier, and feels inspired by Gladys, as she truly epitomizes the ‘style is not an age’ motto.

Angie, who likes to wear her go-go boots in Spring, thought that these visuals on Cool Old Stuff were a fun retro blast from the past.

If you think you can’t wear black, Vildy recommends reading Colourmuse’s guidelines on “Mastering soft black”.

Michelle Dustin created her own dream job and became a thrift store personal shopper. MNSara, who every so often gets the thrifting bug too, agrees that it’s all about the “treasure hunt” feeling.

CocoLion enjoyed this video in which Rachel Zoe, Joe Zee, fashion model Coco Rocha and Neiman Marcus’ Ken Downing discuss the trends for Spring/Summer 2013.

Designer Stephen Burrows’ clothes have so much colour and movement, says Deb. She suggests taking a peek at some of his creations over at Everything Just So.

This is an easy casual outfit formula. And you might be able to pull it together right away with the items already in your closet. It’s perfect for a casual gal on the go who is quite trendy, but prefers a minimal look that is neither super feminine nor based on denim bottoms. The combination is breezy, yet covered, and suited to warm and hot weather. 

Here are the components of the ensemble: 

Combat Bottoms: Think khakis and cargo bottoms in silhouettes like long pants, crops, clamdiggers, a skirt, long or short shorts. Cottons, silks, rayons, or blends of all these fabrics is ideal. Keep the silhouettes tailored or roomy. 

White Top: To my eye a relaxed fit is key. Not too tailored, but a little to quite oversized, in fabrics that are cotton, silk, and rayon rich. I’ve chosen a tuxedo shirt, silk blouse, mesh sweater and silk tee because those items are on trend. A lacy white sweatshirt, roomy lightweight linen pullover, or high-low blouse are other on trend options. Choose a white topper that is suited to your style, in any shade of white at that. Untuck, semi tuck or faux tuck the top. Add in a tan belt if desired. 

Casual Closed Shoes: Work a little red into the outfit right here, although you can stick to tan and white footwear too. I’ve chosen sassy sneakers, pointy toe flats and slipper flats because a gal on the go often needs closed shoes for maximum running around comfort. But by all means wear sandals that are more to your liking. Animal print footwear will also work wonderfully well. 

Casual Bag: Here is another opportunity to work in the red accents. Any red will work, from bright tomato to deep burgundy. If red is not your thing, stick to tan or shades of white, or throw in another colour. I’ve chosen a casual hobo, tote and day clutch. But a cross body or shoulder bag is just as fab. 

Finish off the look with jewelry and watch as desired. Add in a hat and eyewear if it’s sunny out. Pack a snack to keep those energy levels high. 

White plus a shade of khaki or olive matched with red is a classic colour combination. But you don’t need to stick to it at all. Neon pink footwear would be fun! Perhaps a black top is more your style. Or grey khakis. 

I’ve pinned two street style looks that are based on this formula onto my Outfits board. One is an oversized casual vibe with sneakers, shirt and clutch. The other is a dressier version with blouse, slipper flats and semi structured bag. It’s a versatile formula that can be dressed up or down.