Joan Didion's Mexican Chicken

I love when people move. One day in Philadelphia I found a box of free books on the sidewalk and picked out a few gems. My favorite selection is a copy of The Great American Writers' Cookbook. There are tons of recipes and I always end up pleasantly surprised at the author who contributed it. Some are written as recipes, some are written as essays on cooking the recipe.. it's just a fantastic read. If you can get your hands on a copy, I highly suggest you keep it.

Anyway, one of my favorite authors in the book is Joan Didion. I've made this simple Mexican Chicken recipe many times and it's officially in my regular mix of dinners. Nora Ephron called it "Joan Didion's Chicken Thing."

Joan Didion’s Mexican Chicken

Chicken breasts: 1 whole breast per person
Onions: ½ per person
Tomatoes: ½ per person
Fresh chiles: see below
Garlic: 1 clove per person
Salt & Pepper

This is very simple and takes about half an hour if you have cooked the chicken breasts ahead. If you haven’t, poach them in water with an onion, a carrot, celery tops, bay leaf, whatever; remove the chicken from the bones (I usually throw the bones back in to the pot to make stock, but the stock has nothing to do with the recipe) and tear into rather large bite-sized pieces. Set the chicken aside.

Slice the onions and sauté until limp in a little olive oil. Add the chopped garlic (if you’re doing this in quantity you cut down the amount of garlic) and the chopped fresh chiles. The amount of chile depends in the heat of the particular chile available; I use very hot small Serrano green chiles, and chop maybe three for six people. Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to the onion mixture. (The amount of tomato you use should also decrease if you make a large amount, or the sauce will be watery.) Add salt and pepper; cook five or ten minutes, uncovered, over low heat; add the chicken, mix thoroughly, and cook only until heated through. This can be kept warm for quite a while but if you keep cooking it, the tomato turns watery and the chicken gets stringy.

Serve with hot tortillas, a bowl of guacamole, a bow of fresh cilantro, a bowl of sour cream, and a fresh salsa. (The salsa is made by chopping up more chiles and mixing with a little chopped onion, a little tomato, some cilantro leaves and a splash of cold water.) The idea is to break off bits of tortilla and wrap it around bits of chicken and anything else you want and eat it with your fingers. I do this all the time as a main course, usually with a chilled cucumber or water cress soup first and a banana tart or flan for dessert.

Tis the Season.. for Tights

These tights are beautiful! Check out the Flash Back Collection on Gal Stern.

Some more from the collection...

GIFT GIVING TIPS

I pride myself on being a good gift giver. Even if you don't know a person too well, if you pick out cool, unique gifts, you too can be a good gift giver (GGG?). Here are a few tips for giving good gifts:

1. Instead of one big gift, a few smaller gifts look better. For special occasions like birthdays and Christmas, I like to get an eclectic mix of three little gifts. It's easy to put together in a store like Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters (a store that sells nice quality novel items).

2. Pick unique gifts that are as relevant to the recipient as possible. Do they like to write? Notecards are a good pick. Do they like food? A chic cookbook. You get the idea.

3. If you don't know the recipient (like a Secret Santa-type situation) go generic, but nice generic. By generic I meant in the creativity of the gift. Pick a fancy candle that you would like for yourself, but have to be generous. Easy to maintain plants are nice too, actually. Succulent plants are great gifts.

4. Don't be afraid to make your own gifts! It's really inexpensive to give homemade food as a gift. Cake mix in a jar, homemade jam, a pretty bracelet-- I would love to receive all of those things tbh.

I don't know, use your imagination!

White glazed Terracotta hanging ceramic pinch pot planter - $35

Hinoki Memo Cube - $16

Nestled Ring Dish - $10

Vintage Book iPhone Charger - $68

Brass Plant Mister - $20

Now go buy great gifts! xo

New Music Post

These songs are new to me and I figure I'd let you in on what I'm listening to these days. It's pretty electronic and hip hop.

I hope you like!

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

Instead of watching CNN, BOW.

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN

Rihanna is our hero here at Alicia and Layla headquarters. "Rude Boy" was my ringtone for years and she's pretty much flawless in our eyes (save for gross Chris Brown dramz). I don't have much to say about this except it is just ratchet flawlessness incarnate. Honestly, based on the snippets I've heard, this is the first Rihanna album that I would actually buy. The first song, "Fresh Off the Runway" had me DYING. It's all so, so good. The Chris Brown song (ugh) is even okay, but not the best on there. Seriously Rihanna, well done. 

I am so thankful for this because it took my mind off of the election, which is stressing me out massively. Bless.

Girl Crush: Anna Faris

Anna Faris is really underrated, in my opinion. Ever since I saw the movie Smiley Face where she plays a stoner girl, I saw her in a completely different light! That lead me to watch The House Bunny and I was surprised that I found it so hilarious. I think she's a great example of a female comedian, and she really inspires me ~as a woman~.

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween from Alicia and Layla :)

Recent Beauty Buys

I guess it's been instilled in me since my high school/ college years that CVS is like, the best place for beauty products. I work right across from one, so whenever I go in, I have to take a moment to just peruse the makeup section. CVS is like a blackhole and I always end up getting something! C'est la vie.

My latest buys are:

L'Oreal Infalliable Lacquer Liner 24HR Eyeliner, Blackest Black 171

This is actually a fantastic eyeliner. I'm never good at drawing decent lines, but this brush and pot combination is perfect for me. The brush gives me a lot of control and the liner isn't messy.

Revlon Photoready Cream Blush, Pinched 100

This picture isn't really true to color, as mine looks a little more coral than the orange, foundation-looking example in the picture above. It's sheer and gives a pretty little glow to my cheeks! Usually I don't wear blush, but now that I have some, I will! Thanks, CVS, for trying to make me a prettier me.

Essie Nail Color Wicked

Again, this picture isn't true to color. Get it together, CVS photographers! While this looks black, it's actually a deep garnet. I couldn't be happier with the color and it's perfect for fall! Apparently jewel tones are in this season... like every fall season before it.

Another place that I found that I LOVE is the little miscellaneous section near the check out at Sephora. I picked up some Smith's Rosebud Salve and some L'Occitane Nail and Cuticle Cream (though I didn't pay $18 for it. Hmm..)

Vive la CVS!

A Bit of Advice

Go to a museum! Go to an art museum. Go to a history museum. It's all Layla and I do when we get together, whichever coast we're on. In LA, we went to the Getty. In DC, we went to the Corcoran. 

I guarantee you will find at least one thing amazing and fascinating and be happier for having gone to the museum!

Our Favorite Scary Movies

Since Halloween is on a Wednesday this year, it's very possible you'll be staying in-- all tuckered out from costume parties over the weekend. To prepare for this, we here at Alicia & Layla have compiled a list of our favorite scary movies.  These movies range from legitimately scary to hilariously campy. There are thrillers and horror movies, old and new. Let it be noted that I'm not too keen on slasher gorefests, so if you're looking for that, my apologies! I'm a wimp, I know.

Dawn of the Dead

I haven't see the original, and I probably should. But I love this movie. It's set in Milwaukee, Mekhi Pfeiffer is in it and it's a zombie movie. I feel like a zombie apocalypse would be pretty cathartic.

Scream

I think this movie was the perfect modern day scary movie for a teenage me to watch. It's funny and meta and Neve Campbell is fab as Sidney. 

Psycho

You should watch any and all Alfred Hitchcock movies. I almost suggested Rear Window instead. Anthony Perkins is perfect in this. 

The Shining

I actually caught this on TV the other day for the first time in a while and it's such a great film! Stanley Kubrick did a beautiful job adapting this from the Stephen King novel. Aesthetically, I mean. The movie isn't terribly faithful to the book, but it's still subtly and overtly terrifying.

Drag Me to Hell

This is my super campy pick. This movie is about a scary old lady cursing and terrorizing a young bank employee after denying her a loan. Warning-- it's kind of gross, but whatever, it's fun and scary. Nothing beats Alison Lohman's screaming "I got you, you old bitch!"

Funny Games

I made the mistake of watching this movie on a weekend when my roommate was out of town, and I spent three days freaking out about every noise I'd hear. It's more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie, but it's fucking terrifying, I promise. I've only seen the original Austrian version, but there's also a shot-for-shot remake that came out in 2007 and stars Naomi Watts.

                                                                      Repulsion
This movie is so fucking intense, oh my God. The fact that it has so many scenes that are shot from the perspective of the main character makes it almost too suspenseful to handle. And Catherine Deneuve is the apotheosis of flawlessness.

The Exorcist

Let me tell you exactly what's going to happen when you watch the Exorcist. You'll rent it for laughs with some friends and expect it to be full of 60s-era special effects and not even remotely scary. You'll start to get a little scared as it goes on, but you'll play it off so your friends won't make fun of you. Finally, you won't be able to suppress a scream at a particularly scary scene, and your friends WILL make fun of you, all the while totally freaking out themselves.

Carrie

Here's my pick for super campy but still totally awesome scary movie. Carrie has so many unintentionally funny moments, like the one pictured above, where our teenage protagonist gets her period for the first time and proceeds to freak the fuck out. 

So I'm watching The Sopranos

I am blown away by how fantastically this show has aged. Yes, I laugh when I hear Jamie Lynn-Sigler singing "Oops, I Did It Again" and I smirked when Tony defended sending AJ to military school because "the US hardly goes to war these days."But really, I've watched four of the six seasons so far and I occasionally find myself thinking how thoughtfully written the characters are. Like, Tony Soprano gives me all sorts of feels. He is, by definition, a total psychopath. But why, as a critical viewer, am I completely drawn to him? I love Tony Soprano. I love James Gandolfini for playing Tony Soprano.

Tony is the father of two good kids and the husband to the flawless Carmela (Edie Falco). He's also the godfather of the New Jersey mafia. He has panic attacks because his mother is just insane and a total nut as well. Also because he is the godfather of the New Jersey mafia.

Tony is a relatively stand up guy. Of course, you're comparing him with scummy people in the mafia business, so his good morals usually come into play when like, someone kills their mistress. What I've noticed from the show is that it likes to punish you for liking Tony so much. You begin making excuses for him. "Oh, yeah he constantly cheats on Carmela, but at least doesn't have affairs with multiple women at the same time." "Yeah, he kicked the shit out of the poor bartender at his strip club again, but it's funny." I mean, when you think about it, it's unsettling.

I love the range of problems written into story arcs. I suppose in that business and lifestyle, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Things like the FBI bugging your basement or the neighborhood priest being a mooch and eating your whole tray of ziti. (By the way, I made baked ziti after hearing about it all the time and I now understand how there's always a tray of ziti in their fridge. There was so much I must have eaten it for five lunches and I still had leftovers. Ziti making hopefuls, beware of recipe sizes.)

On my journey to watch all four New Golden Age of Television shows (The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad [subject to vary I suppose]), I think The Sopranos is my favorite. It's the first show to inspire better television writing and I absolutely understand it while watching. I'm not kidding, this show is fantastic. It's like Breaking Bad where you're supposed to hate the main character, but the difference is you actually hate yourself for liking and rooting for Tony Soprano and a lot of the people associated with him. Also similar to Breaking Bad, the wives are the best. Carmela Soprano is my hero.

Really worth watching all six seasons. Try it!

Man Candy: Tom Hardy

Layla might disagree, but I think Tom Hardy is FINE. It also helps that he's the best part of every film he's in. If you haven't seen any, I recommend Bronson, The Dark Knight Rises, Lawless and the rest.

Azealia Banks "1991"

Azealia Banks might be the only 21-year-old I want to be like.

Watch the video here (it won't embed :\ )

Didn't we all go together to see Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

My boyfriend was really hesitant to watch The Landlord with me, his half-black, half-white girlfriend, because it's so probable that a movie about a 1970s WASP-y white kid becoming a landlord in the ghetto would be offensive. What we wound up watching was a hilarious and sweet film that handled the subject of race relations beautifully.

The film begins with a talking head starring Beau Bridges playing Elgar Enders, a 30-year-old who is still living in his (wealthy) parents' home. He shows himself to be very naive and arrogant, but he's still Beau Bridges, so he's adorable. He might actually be my favorite Bridges, but that's like trying to choose between a puppy and a (really adorable) baby. Anyway, to escape, Elgar buys a tenement house to manage in ~dark and dangerous~ Park Slope, Brooklyn. These houses are so cheap, they are "given as Bar Mitzvah presents." His parents object, Elgar calls them out as racists, and the rest follows.

"A$AP. Get like me."

I love A$AP Rocky. I think he's fine, fresh and has the benefit of some seriously sick beats (mostly produced by Clams Casino). You should really listen to him, starting with Palace or Peso. That said,  there's a lot working against this song for me. Kendrick Lamar isn't really my cup of tea [JK listened to good kid m.A.A.d city] and Drake... is Drake. There is also the issue of being totally offended as a woman, but I've learned to ignore it in this genre because, come on.

But I really love this song. I'm about to ruin it and listen to it a million times. Enjoy!

Curried Chicken Salad

I never really was a chicken salad person until I had this, to be honest. This is adapted from the Pioneer Woman's version, but the only difference is I used green grapes instead of raisins and omitted the pasta.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Chicken, Cooked And Diced/shredded
• 4 whole Ribs Celery, Thinly Sliced - Leaves Included (use Interior Ribs)
• 1 cup Grapes
• 3/4 cups Slivered Almonds
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Curry Powder, More Or Less To Taste
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Boil chicken to cook. 

Dice/shred chicken. 

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream, curry powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until well combined.

Combine chicken, drained pasta, sliced celery, grapes and almonds in a large bowl. Pour curry dressing over the top. Fold together with a rubber spatula. Make sure it's all combined, then add more of whatever it needs. 

Chill for several hours. Serve by itself or on a sandwich.

One drink, two ways

Ever since I bought this enormous bag of lavender, I've been looking for every excuse to use it up.  I found a recipe for a delicious lavender lemonade from The Kitchen is My Playground. How cool is it that lavender can make pink lemonade like this?

Lavender Lemonade

Source:  Adapted from A Taste of Lavender: Culinary Delights from Mountain Farm compiled by Linda Thompson & Marilyn Cade

For 2 quarts:

4 sprigs fresh lavender (flowers & stems) or about 1 T. dried lavender flowers

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 quarts water

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan.  When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat.  Add lavender, lemon juice, and lime juice.  Cool to room temperature, strain, and chill.

Serve over ice garnished with lemon slices and lavender sprigs.

Granted, by itself this is a delicious summer beverage and couldn't be easier to make. However, I cannot resist the urge to add liquor to this. Here is my cocktail recipe for the end of summer:

Alicia's August Cocktail

1. Pour 1-2 fingers of whiskey (however much you're comfortable with, but not too much!) into a glass.

2. Fill the glass with lavender lemonade, but leave an inch at the top.

3. Top off with club soda.

4. Optional, but you should, garnish with lemon and lavender.

Enjoy!

We can't all be this flawless

My queen, Kerry Washington, for Vogue Italia. 

Fictitious Dishes by Dinah Fried

Moby Dick

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Catcher in the Rye

Source

In the Navy

I recently painted My boyfriend, on his day off, recently painted our bedroom navy blue. It is a color I picked out after being inspired by J. Crew's creative director Jenna Lyons' chalk black bedroom, something I've been worshipping since the first time I've seen it.

At first he was worried, but since we had two gallons of the stuff, we had to commit. Two coats later, it's amazing! I'll be sure to post pics once it's finished, but for now I can only provide you with some inspiration. Enjoy!

apartment therapy

Carrie Bradshaw's bedroom in Sex and the City

An awesome bathroom.

Just Tell Me That You Want Me

I have to say, I am excited for this! In case we are just now meeting, I love -- LOVE -- Fleetwood Mac. Every time I listen to them, I think, Why do other bands even try? Luckily for me, another thing I love is indie music, whatever that means. So here is the meeting of both of those worlds. Not surprisingly, many indie rock bands have drawn inspiration from the flawless Mac (especially Best Coast), so this makes sense. Just Tell Me That You Want Me: Tribute To Fleetwood Mac comes out August 14th. The tracklisting and "Think About Me" by the New Pornographers below:

01 Lee Ranaldo Band Featuring J Mascis – “Albatross”
02 Antony – “Landslide”
03 Trixie Whitley – “Before The Beginning”
04 Billy Gibbons & Co. – “Oh Well”
05 Best Coast – “Rhiannon”
06 The New Pornographers – “Think About Me”
07 Marianne Faithfull – “Angel”
08 Lykke Li – “Silver Springs”
09 Karen Elson – “Gold Dust Woman”
10 Matt Sweeney And Bonnie “Prince” Billy – “Storms”
11 Washed Out – “Straight Back”
12 Tame Impala – “That’s All For Everyone”
13 Craig Wedren with St. Vincent – “Sisters Of The Moon”
14 The Kills – “Dreams”
15 Gardens & Villa – “Gypsy”
16 The Crystal Ark – “Tusk”
17 MGMT – “Future Games”

source

Happy Father's Day!

Earlie Hudnall Jr. (b. 1946), The Guardian, 1990

Joan Didion: The Efficient Traveler

Speaking of traveling and packing well, here is some inspiration for preparing for your summer travels!