In the 1950s and 1960s cooking for your husband was an essential part of family life, but what was equally important was being dolled up for your hubby when he got home. Women of that era emphasized that a hot meal and looking good went hand in hand. Just take your mind back to the days when housewives were donned in their full circle dresses and big pocket apron ensemble; shoving a pot roast in the oven with hair and make up forever in place. Don't you ever wonder how they did it? Now, while I don't advocate this lifestyle as an everyday routine, it certainly is a wonderful way to surprise your husband and at the same time spice up your marriage. So I have recreated this atmosphere with the help of cosmetologist Cindy Edwards and Caribbean Cook Clara Questelles.
What's On The Menu?
Carla graciously shared her mouth watering recipe with me and so we decided to make smoked herrings, cassava and coconut dumplings. The lime and chadon beni underscored the smokiness of the herrings which made it more enjoyable. Carla just has a way of turning simple Creole food into gourmet meals, and she does it effortlessly.
Coconut dumplings - surely, you have tasted regular flour dumplings before! However the idea of incorporating coconut to the dough is brilliant!!! The texture was firmer than the regular dumplings because of the grated coconut kernel, yet, its rich oils made it tender and bursting with flavour.
Cassava - Carla hooked me up with a cassava vendor who sells the best cassava ever. It was soft and buttery and could have been eaten on its own. My favourite kind of cassava!
 |
| Butter Cassava |
Delicious!!!! Being from the Caribbean, my serving size was more than generous, as you can see.
This meal was a home hit!!! But don't take my word for it check out Carla's blog page for the recipe. Try it yourself and let me know what you think
Makeup Under 15 Minutes
After facing the heat in the kitchen Cindy came over to help with my make up. She used an inexpensive 2 in 1 foundation and concealer by Jordana on my face. This was perfect because with a limited time to get ready the need to use a concealer was satisfied with this product. Next Cindy defined my eyebrows with a dark drown gel liner.A neutral coloured eye shadow was applied to my lids and then a brownish shadow was used in my creases and blended out. On my brow bones, Cindy used a gold matte coloured eye shadow. Then she lined my eyelids with a black liquid liner and created a cat/ winged eye; which helps to create that 1950s/ 60s look. Black liner was also applied to my bottom eyelids. Mascara was brushed unto my lashes. A rouge coloured blush was dabbed on my cheekbones. My lips were lined with a red matte lipstick pencil followed by the red matte lipstick application. To make this look more authentic, Cindy imprinted a "false mole" close to the apple of my right cheek. Then Cindy created this Lucille Ball hairstyle that complimented my make up. To check out the make up tutorial see Cindy's vlog post at https://youtu.be/TJBslqUaj14 | ||||
| Make up Courtesy Cindy The Diva |
My Vintage Wardrobe
Seeing that my presentation was based around food, I felt that it was appropriate to select this cherry patterned wiggle dress from my wardrobe. Also a wiggle dress edges out a full circle skirt/ dress when it comes to sexiness. It makes a greater impression when greeting your husband at the door; after a long day at work. This dress was paired with black kitten heels. As for accessories I used a pair of pearl earrings and necklace. For persons who are not as gifted with the styling of hair, like myself, I decided to do a simple open out vintage hairstyle by making a side bath and fastening a flower clip to my hair. When it was time to serve, I used my big pocket apron that belonged to my aunt Bernadine Wilkinson.
Hope you enjoyed this blog. Feel free to post a comment in the box below.
Video courtesy Cindy Edward
Pictures courtesy Cindy Edwards & Carla Questelles
