Muscle Shoals: A Rock Documentary With "Muscle"!

By: Anne M. Raso

I am a real aficionado of rock docs, and director Greg "Freddy" Camalier's Muscle Shoals covers the story of FAME Studios in--you guessed it--Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The studio is right along the banks of the Tennessee River, which is also known as the "Singing River." Native American folklore claims that musical spirits live in the river and that their talents spread to all who believe!

Muscle Shoals Movie Poster

Power Lunch: Cheesy Egg Spinach Pasta Recipe

By: Finance Foodie

As a follow up to my protein packed breakfast, my creative juices kicked into overdrive to create a healthy, delicious yet filling meal for lunch. Unlike the days of leisurely long lunches as a student, my lunch breaks are now limited to an hour, so I also needed something I could cook quickly the day before that is easily packed and reheated. So without further ado, I present the Cheesy Egg Spinach Pasta!

Brother Jimmy’s BBQ Murray Hill: The Perfect Place For Weekend Family Fun!

By: Anne Raso

The Brother Jimmy’s BBQ location in Murray Hill is considered their “flagship store” and one of the few eateries in NYC with permission to smoke meats in their basement. On top of that, they are one of the few restaurants able to spit roast a full size pig, something they did in honor of their fifth birthday recently. VIPS from the food press as well as longtime neighborhood customer came to eat the hog “on the house”! (Bet you can’t name too many people who would have a party where anyone in the neighborhood could turn up and eat for free.)

Wooden Pigs Hanging

James Gandolfini's Last Hurrah: Enough Said Movie Premiere

By: Anne M. Raso

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of, sadly, one of the last movies starring the great late James Gandolfini--the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy Enough Said, which hits theaters on September 20th. The movie is simply one of the best romantic comedies to come down the pike this year.

James Gandolfini and Julia Louis Dreyfus, Enough Said

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2014 Part 2: The Catwalks

By: Anne M. Raso
(Continued from Part 1)

Now that the parties are done, on to the real reason why all people fashion gather in NYC during the first week of September - the fashion shows! This past Mercedes Benz Fashion Week showed off the collections for Spring / Summer 2014, and while few people will really ever purchased the expensive ensembles shown on the catwalks (well, at least Daisy Fuentes for Kohl’s is affordable to the average American woman), it was a taste of trends to come.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2014 Part 1: Celebrities And Chaos!

By: Anne Raso
(Part 1 of 2)

The parties during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this season were fantastic and in full swing again (do people really go to the shows anymore?) Team Finance Foodie doesn't sleep so we can bring you all the deets - so without further ado, let's take a look at some of the festivities we hit up during the week!

Melissa & Joan Rivers at Benefit Cosmetics Join The Realvolution Party

Vroom Vroom Goes the Trucks at the 2013 Vendy Awards NYC

By: Finance Foodie

The Vendy Awards, the first and largest street food event series in the country, is an annual event to benefit the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, a membership-based organization that provides advocacy and legal services for more than 1,500 vendor members. The Vendys, which have been New York City’s most beloved street food competition for nine years, has expanded nationally to include events in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Chicago.

The Vendys

Just Say “Aah” To Aangan: Classy Indian Fare On The Upper West Side!

By: Anne M. Raso

My recent visit to the classy Aangan was an exceptional experience. It is a clean, modern space with only about a dozen tables and an exquisite multicolored Indian chandelier on the ceiling. The service was super-attentive, the location was super convenient (right in view of the 1 train stop) and the portions were well-sized. All dishes seem to come out of the kitchen in ten minutes or less as well. I started out with my favorite Indian drink of all, Mango Lassi ($4.95) that was rich and tasted like it was made with fresh mango puree. You can get rum put in it for a couple of dollars more and this was the first time I have ever encountered and alcoholic Lassi! Quite good and strong, but I prefer the original. The regular Lassi was so thick it barely went through my straw and the paper umbrella was a cute touch.

Assorted Appetizers

The Diet Debunker: A Closer Look at the Hottest Diets

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The Tail of Two Brains: Mind vs. Gut

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Light Up Your Life at Bell Book and Candle NYC

By : Finance Foodie

Last year, I had the good fortune of being introduced to the quaint West Village gem Bell Book and Candle (BBC). Although that visit only consisted of drinks, their whimsically quirky named cocktails had me dying to experience more of this place.

Photo: BBC

Courtney Thorne-Smith Hosts The New Atkins Made Easy Book Launch

By: Anne M. Raso

I was lucky enough to attend the recent The Atkins Made Easy book launch at the Bouley Test Kitchen in Tribeca hosted by actress Courtney Thorne-Smith of Two And A Half Men who also just happens to be the Atkins Diet celebrity spokesperson. Press got the rundown on the book and new eating plan from Thorne herself (as well as Atkins Vice President of Nutrition & Education Colette Heimowitz and The Skinny Chef, Jennifer Iserloh, who developed the new book's recipe) while sampling low carb appetizers.

Photo: Atkins

Just Say "Wen"! Chaz Dean Introduces New Products (And Brings His Beloved Dogs Along)!

By: Anne M. Raso

I was lucky enough to attend Chaz Dean's Fall/Winter 2013-2014 Hair & Body Care launch at the Gansevoort Park Avenue Rooftop recently and admit I was impressed with the new products I got to sample from the line. Dean has really kept with natural scents of the season, and his Fall Apple Spice Cleansing Conditioner will undoubtedly be a sellout. It truly smells like apple cider with cinnamon sticks--and guests at Dean's launch were more than enthusiastic to try the drinks that matched perfectly to the product. Like his other cleansing conditioners, Fall Apple Spice Cleansing Conditioner is soy based and features botanicals and natural oils that leave you with healthy hair. The fact that there is no detergent or stripping agents in his products make them some of the best on the market for maintaining color. There is a Fall Apple Spice Replenishing Treatment Mist and Treatment Oil to round out the set and I confess that I have been using the mist as a personal fragrance and just not as the final touch in my hair regime.

Chaz Dean