Blogs

Whew! With the title being that long I didn’t know if I’d ever get to start writing. It’s been a jam-packed few weeks, so I’ll start with food.

Have you heard of Candice Kumai? She’s been on shows like Top Chef and Cook Yourself Thin, and has written a recipe book called Pretty Delicious. Every Wednesday morning, I spend time with Mary Beth on her show, and a few weeks ago, Candice joined us to present her book. Usually when food is being presented on air, it’s all I can do not to jump out of my seat like a wild animal and stuff my face with everything on the table. Well, with Candice it was no different. Only this time, I was quick with my fingers and ordered the book from my QVC app before she and Mary Beth even sampled the food. Everything looked delicious AND it was healthy. Too good to be true? I tested out her Fuji Crab Cakes this past weekend to see if you really could have it all… and the answer was YES. I think that adding Fuji apples to crab cakes was really what sold me on them. That and the cilantro. It just tasted so fresh, and the apple gave it a crisp crunch that no amount of frying could achieve. I would post a picture, but here’s where I had the epic fail. I forgot to put an egg in the mixture, so my crab cakes had a little bit of a hard time staying together. Good news, still tasted FAB. So, I’ll say I dined on a Candice Kumai recipe: Courtney Cason hashcrab style.

My mom came into town this weekend and per usual we had a blast! I'm a miniature version of my mother so we get along famously. To keep up with the Girls' Night Out theme, I invited Susan and Jaclyn Graver over for dinner. They are so much fun. I wanted to keep dinner easy so I grabbed a recipe from our local supermarket and actually followed it to a T! Have you ever had a white naan pizza before? All you need to do is grab some Naan bread, a white sauce (alfredo or Parmesan cream sauce), low-fat mozzarella shredded cheese, broccoli, bella mushrooms, and marinated artichokes. Spread the cream sauce on the bread and sprinkle cheese. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for two minutes and then remove. Cook the sliced mushrooms in the oven at 500 degrees for four minutes and remove. Top pizza with broccoli, mushrooms, and artichokes. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes… and WAH-LA! It’s Italiano! Antonella would be so proud!

I’m going to interject my blog with this random thought: Is anyone else as excited to see The Ides of March with the two loves of my life George Clooney and Ryan Gosling? I almost don’t care what the movie is about. Let me know how you feel about it.

Getting back to my mom, I always like to take her to do touristy things in Philadelphia, and this past weekend I lucked out because there was a huge festival going on downtown. Not to disappoint, while we were walking around and drinking some vino, we ran into one of the funniest things I’ve seen in long time… a Sumo wrestling ring put on by a local sushi joint. For your viewing pleasure...

Have you visited QVC’s Bootique? It’s kind of like shopping in an ice-cream shop. You just have to decide what flavor/style you want. This week, because it's getting kind of chilly up here, I’m going for the high boot and choosing a riding style. Last year, when I was home visiting my mother for the last time during winter, our sweet dog Mya decided that my riding boots would look better sans buckles. So, I’m in the market for a new pair, and I am totally digging the look of riding boots with high socks and skinny jeans. Here’s my boot pick A320509.

I saw on the community or in an email somewhere about painting your ring finger pink in support of breast cancer awareness. I took my Sephora by OPI Metro Chic polish to my nail place and asked them to accent my ring fingers in a pink. I really like the look of it. Not only does it support the fight against breast cancer, but I wear this color proudly for my Aunt Penny who is in remission from breast cancer.

Lastly, while my mom was in town, we were going over what our facial combinations were for our best skin-care regimens. My mom is 57 and looks amazing for her age. She uses Peter Thomas Roth Cleanser and Peel Pads, bareMinerals Extra Firming Neck Cream, and Josie Maran Argan Oil. For my skin, I use philosophy purity cleanser, Dr. Gross Peel Pads and Glow Pads, philosophy under-eye cream, and Josie Maran Argan Oil. My big question to you is — what’s your story? What’s your facial combination regimen to keep you looking and feeling your best?

Have a great week!

—Courtney