Celebrating the start of summer & the return of *Chick* Lit!

Oy vey, has it been way too long since I last posted, or what?

In the last few months I have been so preoccupied blogging for my job, that by the time I get home, I'm too tired to write for fun. Well, I need to put an end to that because there are too many awesome *Chick* things to write about these days.

I couldn't think of a better excuse to make my blogging comeback than the comeback of summer Chick Lit-- oh my favorite time of the literary year.

I was browsing Twitter the other day, which in addition to entertaining me in 120 words or less, helps me keep up with all my favorite Chick Lit authors-- Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, Jen Lancaster and Emily Giffin (among others)-- and saw that NOT ONE, but THREE of them have new novels coming out-- two of which have already hit the shelves!

Jen Lancaster, who I discovered when browsing the biographies in Barnes and Nobles one day, is probably one of the funniest authors I have read. Ever.

I started out with her second memoir, Bright Lights, Bigs Ass, and had to then rush to read her debut biography, Bitter is the New Black. Seriously, with titles like that, how can her books not be hilarious, or at the very least intriguing?

I do believe in judging a book (and only a book) by it's cover and title. I usually prefer the pretty ones.

Anywhoo, the investor relations firm vice president, turned unemployed blogger, turned bestselling author has come out with another memoir and yet another amazing title, My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover If Not Being a Dumb Ass Is the New Black, or A Culture-up Manifesto.

As a reality tv junkie who watches an inordinate amount of Real Housewives-- ahh a woman after my own heart-- Jen sets out on a journey of cultural enlightement, sampling the sophisitication of opera and art, Indian food and $50 wine, all while her 6 DVRs record her favorite shows of course.

I cannot wait to devour and add this to my *Chick* Lit collection. And, I will provide as-i-read updates to help capture the genius that is Jen.

Check out her blog: Jennsylvania

Next up is Emily Giffin. So I had definitely run into her pretty, pastel-colored hardcovers almost everytime I stepped into a bookstore. But, for some reason, didn't want to pick them up immediately and start pouring over them.

I guess I had this preconcieved notion that her stuff would be too cookie cutter and cliche, and I was so, so very wrong.

I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy her second book last summer: Something Blue (again with the reading the second story before the first in a series-- I have no idea why I have that pattern- I guess it works for me because it always leaves me wondering where it all began).

It had all of the elements I love about Chick Lit and more: friendship, romance, self-conflict then self-discovery, humor... and I had to read everything else she had ever written including her first, Something Borrowed.

So, I found out that her newest novel came out May 11th-- Heart of the Matter. I actually got about 50 pages through it at Barnes & Nobles the other day- and already LOVE IT. I was too cheap to pay the full $25 for the book, and am going to buy it on Amazon as soon as I finish the book I am on now- A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein. I am reading it for our office book club, and I am really enjoying it (I'll write a post about that another time).

Side note: I read on her website that Something Borrowed is being made into a movie and has already begun shooting with an all-star cast including Kate Hudson, Jennifer Goodwin, Colin Farrell and John Krasinski!! AHHH sounds fabulous!! A Chick Lit turned Chick Flick hit indeed!!

Check out: Emily's blog

Jane Green (one of my top favorite Chick Lit authors) also has a new book hitting the shelves next month- Promises to Keep. It brings her central characters (two very different sisters, their divorced parents and a best friend) together in a "phone call that changes their lives forever." Sounds like this one will probably be a tear jerker.

Check out: Jane's Blog

*chick* food: Sublime Keylime Preview

So sorry I've been blog-less and MIA for the past week! I was working on a new profile for The Perfect Wedding Guide on a wonderful OC based wedding planner, Gloria McCune of Grand Engagements- she is fantastic and I wanted to make sure I took the time to write something that accurately captured her passion for celebrations and her sunny spirit.

Brian and I DID get to make keylime cupcakes this past weekend, but we made a few adjustments to save time and money (and so we could have a chance to get through season one of Showtime's Dexter- great show by the way- the antithesis of what I believe is "chick", but nonetheless compelling, crazy, creepy and addictive- hey we chicks don't just dig weepy romances and fluffy comedies!) Tomorrow, I'll post the recipe and give our little anecdote behind the cute cupcakes, but for now here is some eyecandy to send you off into a sweet week!

Chick *Food*: I Scream For Buttercream

The silver lining to being sick these past few days? Watching chick flicks in bed and resting on the couch unapologetically :). Yesterday, I caught Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds, my new cutie crush, and bought Confessions of A Shopaholic on Demand. Finishing out the night with Two Weeks Notice (Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant are a comedic match made in heaven!).

Even though I have read the entire Shopaholic series and the movie completely deviates from the book, I still love it. Isla Fischer is the saving grace- she is so bubbly and beautiful, a great Beck Bloomwood indeed. You just have to accept the fact that most movies adapted from books are nothing like the story- if you go into the theater wanting it to be exactly like what you read- you will without a doubt be disappointed.

So, this weekend Brian and I will be embarking on another baking adventure- perhaps a new little weekend routine. I glanced at foodgawker for inspiration but nothing struck my fancy- so I did a google search for buttercream recipes (because I LOVE buttercream) and cupcake recipes and saw a key lime buttercream cupcake. What better way to celebrate Summer than with a keylime dessert- so tangy, so fruity, so fresh, so essentially summer! I can't wait to try this one out- it's got to be better than the whoopsie pies because there is no cream cheese involved (I checked... twice!).



A few months ago, I did a phone interview with one of the owners of a bakery in SD - Sweet Cheeks Baking Company- for The Perfect Wedding Guide. Since I was in San Diego the following weekend for a Pheromones concert, I decided to pay Sweet Cheeks a visit and meet the ladies behind the confections in person. Brian and I got to hang out with one of the apprentice bakers and she gave us a taste of this blackout chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream frosting....OUT OF THIS WORLD! I must have been dreaming about it for weeks and weeks it was so good. That was the moment I fell in love with buttercream and its light, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.



Sweet Cheeks also incorporates healthy ingredients like wheat germ and whole wheat flower, and they use all natural ingredients for their delicious creations. Somehow they manage to slyly sneak the healthy in there because you can't even taste it. Needless to say, when I get married- Sweet Cheeks will be the top choice for the wedding cake vendor!

Here is a link to the article I wrote on Sweet Cheeks if you want to check them out:

http://tinyurl.com/njqk3z

Have a wonderful weekend and I will update next week w/ pics and story on the Buttercream Baking :)