Tag Archives: Authors

WORD JONES

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Most writers will relate to the compulsion that can occur when you are writing. It can be ceaseless, day or night, you think of a line and have to write it down before the idea escapes you. It’s our addiction of sorts…

Word Jones

Nose open inhaling time
Your head and hands make contact and
Ignite the smoking mind
With a need
You deal a line to whomever wants a hit

Waking words inject rhyme
Trip in waiting rooms where
Junkies have no sleep lines to trace
Thoughts will always find you-
They clasp creative veins and constrict
Normal flow outside the high place

5 Times Tina covered The Beatles

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I will always love Tina Turner! #musicfriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!

5 Times Tina covered The Beatles.

Project Runway’s Dom Streater Designs

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Dom Streater may have just presented her first collection at New York Fashion Week, but the Philadelphia native is definitely used to having her designs sized up by the fashion elite.

She’s the reigning winner of “Project Runway” and has proven herself worthy of the spotlight. But now the 25-year-old designer, who is the show’s first-ever African-American winner, is looking to secure her place amongst the biggest designers in the industry — and if her Fall/Winter 2014 collection is any indication of that campaign then she’s on the right track.

Dom Streater 8Dom Streater 2Dom Streater 1Dom Streater 6Dom Streater 5Dom Streater 9

Credit: Huff Post Black Voices/Project Runway

Tadashi Shoji Fall 2014 Collection

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Amazing dresses from Tadashi Shoji’s fall 2014 collection. The colors, silhouettes and fluidity are perfect. Enjoy!New York designer Tadashi Shoji fall winter 2014 collection shown at NYFW.New York designer Tadashi Shoji fall winter 2014 collection shown at NYFW.New York designer Tadashi Shoji fall winter 2014 collection shown at NYFW.New York designer Tadashi Shoji fall winter 2014 collection shown at NYFW.New York designer Tadashi Shoji fall winter 2014 collection shown at NYFW.New York designer Tadashi Shoji fall winter 2014 collection shown at NYFW.

Style Pantry

No Bake Oreo Ice Cream Cake

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My weekend/Sunday has been extra crazy! So how does TenaciousM give stress an uppercut? You guessed it! Chocolate! Here’s an all-time favorite. #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!

No-Bake-Oreo-Ice-Cream-Cake-recipe

Ingredients
1/2cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
16 OREO Cookies, chopped (about 2 cups), divided
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Directions
WHISK fudge topping and 1 cup COOL WHIP in medium bowl until blended. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in 1 cup cookies.

ARRANGE 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; cover with half the COOL WHIP mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost with remaining COOL WHIP; press remaining cookies into top and sides of dessert. Wrap loosely with foil.

FREEZE 4 hours.

Ralph Lauren Fall 2014 RTW Collection

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As NYFW came to a close with some of the heavy hitters showing their fall collections, Ralph Lauren sent some of his best work down the runway. The color palette of winter whites, mauve and grey will grab your attention! They designed everything we want to live in for fall; including refined sweatpants, oversized knits and effortless evening wear. Hope you enjoy the collection as much as I did!

Ralph Lauren 2014 RTW

Style Pantry

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

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This is a very rich pie, but oh-so wonderful. If you like chocolate and peanut butter, you’ll like this!

Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Pie-recipe

For the crust:

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick), unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well blended. Press the mixture into the sides and bottom of a nine-inch deep dish pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool completely.

For the filling:

14 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix well.
Beat in the melted butter gradually. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
Gently fold the cream into the peanut butter mixture using a spatula. Do not over beat.
Pour into the prepared, cool crust and refrigerate for several hours until set.

For the Ganache:

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped (high-quality such as Ghiradelli – not chocolate chips).

Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over the chocolate in a bowl. Stir gently to melt the chocolate and mix well. Cool slightly and spread evenly over the pie. Chill until served. Cut with a knife that has been heated under hot water and wiped dry between each slice.

UPSTAGED!

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My sex appeal is nurtured.
The work is not condensed to digest
in real life.

Superb actor apply within
limits staged in familiar settings
Episodic, sit-com, mini-series
promotional clips – the act
beats living disappointing rehearsals.

Turn up wine bottles
before I light candles or place the
glasses near flowers (I bought myself).
And believe that what I do for you
Is more than what I do…

Ignored ambience, stolen credits,
suppressed applause.
How would I act with a man who sees
the same movie?

Chocolate-Whiskey Soufflé Tarts

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Chocolate-Whiskey Soufflé Tarts

There’s just a wee bit of the favorite Irish spirit in these treats. Enjoy!

Serves 8

Ingredients
For crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon (scant) salt

For filling
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons instant coffee crystals
Pinch of salt
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
Sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate shavings (optional)

Preparation

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend all ingredients in processor just until dough gathers together. Shape dough into log. Cut into 8 equal rounds. Press 1 round over bottom and up sides of each of eight 4 1/2 x 3/4-inch tartlet pans with removable bottom. Pierce crusts with fork. Bake crusts until pale golden, about 18 minutes. Cool in pans on rack.

Make filling:
Set aside generous 1/3 cup chopped chocolate. Place remaining chopped chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk in whiskey, vanilla, coffee and salt, then yolks. Beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold half of whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in reserved 1/3 cup chopped chocolate, then remaining whites. Divide mixture among crusts. Freeze at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and keep frozen.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Push bottom of frozen tartlets up to release from pan sides. Arrange tartlets on pan bottoms on baking sheet. Bake until filling puffs and begins to crack, about 20 minutes. Place tartlets on plates. Spoon whipped cream alongside. Top with chocolate shavings, if desired.

Over The Hump Old School Sound Check- Rufus

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Happy Thursday! #MusicfriendsofTenaciousM

Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including “Tell Me Something Good”, “Sweet Thing”, and “Ain’t Nobody”.

In 1967, The American Breed (Gary Loizzo, Al Ciner, Charles (Chuck) Colbert and Lee Graziano) had a top ten hit with the classic rock single, “Bend Me, Shape Me”. After much success, Ciner, Colbert and Graziano (without Loizzo who pursued a successful production career) created a new group, adding Kevin Murphy on keyboards and Vern Pilder from the bar band “Circus”. They re-emerged in 1969 under the name “Smoke”. In 1970 vocalists Paulette McWilliams and James Stella were added and the group’s name changed again to “Ask Rufus”; after which, Willie Weeks replaced Vern Pilder.

In 1971, the band signed a contract with Epic Records recording an album that wasn’t released after which Epic dropped their contract in early 1972. Willie Weeks was in turn replaced by Dennis Belfield, James Stella was replaced by keyboardist and vocalist Ron Stockert, Lee Graziano was replaced by Andre Fischer (former drummer with Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler), Paulette McWilliams and Chaka Khan had met and became the best of friends through their spouses Howard Towles and Hassan Khan. Chaka would come to most of Ask Rufus gigs when they were performing in Chicago. When Paulette decided she was leaving Ask Rufus, she went to the band and told them she had the perfect singer to replace her; she had also asked Chaka if she was interested. After the band members hesitantly submitted, Paulette remained with Ask Rufus for a few more weeks to teach Chaka all of their material. Paulette also got Chaka a gig with the group formed by Chicago’s Cash McCall called Life. Chaka had been performing at the Pumpkin Room on the south side of Chicago, with a local Chicago group called Lock and Chain, led by drummer Scotty Harris. With that change, and Paulette McWilliams leaving to pursue her solo career, the group recorded the first two albums as Ask Rufus and later dropped the “Ask” and simply became known as Rufus. Wikipedia