So... I had some work done.....

It is true, I am ashamed to say it.  I have succumbed to the latest beauty craze and had some work done.  At first, I was skeptical of the results.  Lots of sleepless hours working on the look thinking.. What will they say about me?  Can I handle the critic?  And it wasn't a little procedure, not at all.  It was very invasive and at times painful.

So you might not recognize me when you see me now, but keep giving me the love. After all I am the same person inside and I did this all for YOU!  So check me out at: www.haitianista.com

2012 Business Resolutions

It's that time of year when you start making your new year's resolutions.  Usually it would be something like: 1. Lose 50lbs; 2. Meet new friends; 3.  Spend more time with family, 4. Work less, etc....

But now that I am a Business Woman my thought process is different. After reading a few blogs I have come up with the following four:

1. Learn from past mistakes: We rarely acknowledge when we make mistakes, nor do we change our process when we do.  Einstein said "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Global Caribbean III: Haiti Kingdom of this World

If you live in Miami then you know this weekend is the Art Basel festivities.  When the art world explodes in Miami.  Fortunately, there are a few on Haitian culture.  This morning I went to the Global Caribbean III opening at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.  It's a beautiful exhibit of contemporary creative Haitian art.

Haitian Thanksgiving?

I offered a few nods this past week, but when someone asked me if I was having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I thought, well yes, because what would be a Haitian Thanksgiving dinner anyway? In Haiti, my family always celebrated Thanksgiving, but my parents just carried that over from living in New York for about two decades. It is not a holiday that Haiti celebrates, especially when I’m thinking their recollection of the original version of the explorers ‘visiting’ with the Indians is not spiced and glazed, but rather still tastes a bit salty and raw.
I had 17 guests sitting on my mix matched chairs. The Jones, Czerniejewski’s, Solages’, and Thomas’ (to name a few) got along just as well. My little one collected leaves from a tree, wrote everyone’s name with a sharpie pen and organized the seating arrangement. All of my staples were juxtaposed on two long tables, so I suppose that’s a nod to Haitian service where food was generally presented in the center of the table as opposed to buffet style in a separate room. The scheme of gold, and umbers accentuated the season and all the dishes were doubled, flanking the turkey to minimize the passing situation.
Usually I throw in a couple new dishes, up for review by the guests to see if they are deemed worthy of gracing the table next year. Fortunately for the homemade apple pie, and the veggie stuffing (sans bread), they did not get chopped, and both survived to be cooked another season. I know they say never to try a new recipe when you have a dinner party, but how else will I know? I need varied opinions. Criticism and crap talking-welcome.
The corn souffle (yellow) has been a hit for years. So has the tomato-mixed peppers-basil-feta salad (red/green/orange/yellow). The amber tones of the rosemary infused biscuits lay ensconced in Italian linen in a woven basket, the beautiful garnet color of the homemade cranberry sauce sat in a footed octagonal dish, the tangy bite of the citrus glazed carrots received some heat from a dash of grated ginger, and the stuffing consisted of potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and walnuts slow simmered in a sage and bay leaf infused broth. My turkey lounged on a bed of sage, thyme, rosemary and celery, while the bubbles and wine passed overhead. I had another nod to Haiti with a bowl of mushroom rice (Djondjon) along with a coconut, milk pudding type dessert called Blanc Mange, except mine was slathered with an apple cranberry pie topping.
It was a wonderful day. My hubby was amazed at how everything was placed on the table on time and piping hot. Many years ago, I just planned backwards (removal from oven to prep time) from the time I wanted to serve, and most chopping prep work was completed, labeled and lay stacked in Ziploc bags in the fridge from the night before. This year, I heard Alton Brown say the same thing, so I know I’m not completely obsessively organized, it’s just how things are done.

Haitianista will be at the PeacePalooza Festival

Come and enjoy some wonderful 60's music and do your holiday shopping @ Tobacco Road.

Holiday Happenings

For those looking for unique, interesting gift items at a reasonable price, come and visit Haitianista's booth at these upcoming events:

PeacePalooza: Sat, Dec 10/ 7:00pm to 2:00am
Come and enjoy a tribute to 60's music and do your holiday shopping
at Tobacco Road
626 South Miami Avenue, Miami


Botanical Bazaar:  Sun, Dec. 11/ Noon to 4PM

Celebrate the holiday season and explore the shopping treasures from 20 artists and crafters of one-of-a-kind handcrafted artworks, jewelry, scarves, knitted and quilted clothing, home accessories, stocking stuffers, photos, orchids, and seasonal plants. Five food trucks, live music and libations add to the festivities.

at Miami Beach Botanical Garden

2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach


Big Night in Little Haiti: Fri, Dec. 16/ 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Enjoy some good Haitian music, food, arts and do your last minute shopping.
at Little Haiti Cultural Center
212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami

Last Minute Holiday Shopping Trunk Show: Sun, Dec. 18th/ TBA
Avoid the mele at the mall, come and do your last minute shopping at Haitianista's trunk show.
More details to come.

Really?

I had a week where it seemed that every time I left my house I came across some type of eye rolling ‘really’ moment. Usually I’m lost in whatever song is playing on the radio, but this day I was driving down a not particularly busy neighborhood street, when I saw a young ‘lady’ flouncing down toward the main drag. At first I thought I was interrupting a music video, so I slowed down checking the surroundings and to watch this young woman do this deliberate cat walk/Rihanna, heel-toe, line up the knees, strut. Even more glaring was the tangerine tanga shorts she had on. I had to commend her for having the perfect apple bottoms to rock them, but it was 2pm and when are tangas NOT underwear? Anyway, she coordinated with matching heels and to top it off her blond dred locks bobbed in two sloppy piles as though she were channeling her inner Basquiat and Coolio, but still deliberately styled as though trying to pull off the cute Mickey Mouse ears. She had what appeared to be an infant’s tank top on, with contrasting black bra. Her arm was flailing as she spoke on the phone, seemingly oblivious to the traffic piling up around her. I can’t say if she was ‘working,’ but even if she was-really? Two o’clock in the afternoon? Like that? It was so Julia Roberts ‘work it, own it,' I really should have offered her a red Tootsie pop and a bus stop to complete her look. Really? 2pm?