I made some garlic cheese bread and sweet green peas to go with it, too!

I renamed this to Zesty Zucchini and Tomato Pasta!

Spaghetti Noodles ( I just guesstimated enough for two people)

2 medium zucchini, diced

1 can of mexican style diced tomatoes

2 cloves minced garlic

3 tbsps olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp parsley flakes

All I did was begin boiling the water for the pasta and while waiting for it I began to saute the zucchini in the garlic and olive oil.   When the zucchini is cooked but still a little crunchy, add the tomatoes and the rest of the spices.  When the pasta is done, serve the zucchini and tomato mixture on top.  Serve with garlic bread and green peas or whatever else your heart desires. 

Love,

Erin

“Can larger women wear wide leg pants?  What about “babydoll” tops?”

Great question!  You can absolutely wear both!  Let me show you how with a few pictures.  I’ll explain as I go.

This model is sporting the wide leg pant perfectly!  Notice how the wide leg doesn’t make her look “wider” at all!  There are a few reasons why – 1.  The length of the pants.  The perfect length is NO shorter than 1″ from the floor.  I prefer, and think it looks much better, to have you pants barely grazing the floor.  It adds length to the legs, which makes them appear thinner!  2.  The wide leg skims over curves instead of clinging to them, therefore creating the illusion of an hourglass figure.

I bet you were thinking that I was going to say that you should only wear black wide leg pants!  Nope!  As long as the pant falls straight down from the hip, the same illusion is formed.  Also, notice how the pants graze the floor!!  LOVE!

Now let’s move on to the babydoll top!

The trick is to find the right fit and the right fabric so you may have to try and try again until you find the right ones.  Once you do, it will be easier to tell at a glance what will most likely work and what will not.  Notice that the top above isn’t too tight nor too loose.  It doesn’t cling to anything!  Also, notice the sleeves.  You want to make sure they aren’t too tight either!  They also need to hit at a small part of your arm, not a large part!  The one in the picture ends right at the bottom of her deltoid (?) which naturally makes an indention in the arm.

You can even wear a print!!!  AND you can wear your babydoll with your wide leg pants. 

Hope this helps!

If you have a question for me, please leave it in the comments or send me  a personal message – erinlove@panachebyerin.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Love,

Erin

(Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com)

Sarah Hyland accentuated her “blush” with black. 

(Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com)

Shailene Woodley donned her blush beautifully.  The one thing you cannot see in this picture, that I think is just divine , is the sheer fabric that creates a halter neck.  Love it! 

(Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com)

Julie Bowen is in more of a peachy blush.  Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of the hairstyle she chose, though. 

(Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com)

I love that Heidi Klum accessorized her blush dress with turquoise! 

(Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com)

Jessica Biel disappointed me a bit.  I’m not a fan of this dress at all.  What do you think?

(Photo courtesy of fabsugar.com)

Charlize Theron was a stunner!  This is by far my favorite of the night. 

(also courtesy of fabsugar.com)

Another fave of the night!  Elle Macpherson!

I really could keep going and going because there were at least three more celebrities that walked the red carpet wearing their LBD (Little Blush Dress), but I think you catch my drift.    I can’t wait to find my perfect little LBD!

Love,

Erin

Tonight I cooked a Vegetarian Beef and Cheese Macaroni and Olive Cheese Bread.  It turned out really well!  My husband, who LOVES any meat he can get his hands on, liked it too.  Thankfully, he helped me do the chopping, so cooking didn’t suck TOO bad. 

Vegetarian Hamburger and Cheese Macaroni 

1/2 onion (diced)

1 bag of Morningstar Farms griller crumbles

1 bag of macaroni noodles (elbow noodles)

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

I also added a little paprika, red pepper, Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, and chili powder

1 cup each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese

Saute your onions in the canola oil for a few minutes.  Then add your veggie crumbles and let them thaw out and mix with your onions.  Add desired seasonings.  Meanwhile, begin boiling your water to cook the macaroni and preheat your oven to 400.  After the crumbles have thawed and are warmed with the onions, add diced tomatoes and let the mixture simmer until the macaroni is ready.  Drain macaroni and mix with the veggie crumble mixture.  Transfer to a baking dish, cover with cheese, and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Olive Cheese Bread

1/2 of a loaf of french bread

10 large green olives with pimento

20 black olives

1/4 cup mayo

1/2 stick of butter (I used Smart Balance sticks)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice french bread in half and place on baking sheet.  Mix mayo, softened butter, cheese, and olives.  Spread onto bread and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and the bread begins to brown.

Hell has frozen over….I actually cooked.

I was actually planning on doing a bit of cardio after dinner, but decided I needed a glass of wine instead.

Love,

Erin

Nail polish has recently climbed the fashionable ladder and is now considered an actual accessory, and we all know what accessories do  – they complete an outfit.  So, do you know which polishes are the best for your skin tone?  Below I will give you a few polishes that look good on every skin tone!  Check it out.

Nail Polishes That Look Good on Everyone

  OPI’s Mrs. O’Leary’s Bbq - If you are unsure about what red to choose, this deep cranberry color is for you.  The perfect combo of cool and warm tones makes it my “go to” red for all occasions.

  China Glaze’s Concrete Catwalk – If you like the look of almost black nail polish but are too afraid you can’t pull it off, try this one.  It’s dark enough, but not harsh!

 OPI’s Play the Peonies – This is the perfect neutral, in my opinion. It’s a baby pink, but not pastel. It’s like a mixture of ivory and pearl pink. Love it!

  OPI’s Fort Worth It – I think everyone should try a metallic and silver is the best for all skin tones.  This polish can be very light and sheer, or you can put on several coats and make it a tad brighter and more opaque.  I like to apply three coats of this polish. 

The most important thing with nail polish, as with any and all fashion related items, don’t be afraid to TRY different colors.  If you don’t try, you never know if you’d like it or not.  Have fun!

Love,

Erin

New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to try something new and sort of “glam” things up a bit!  Below are my favorite ways to add a little “panache” to your New Year.

1.    Try a little sparkle on your eyes!  If you are a little leery of going full-blast sparkle, try just an eyeliner or sprinkle a little glitter on your lashes.  Sparkle instantly brightens your face and adds a touch style.

2.    Give your dress that extra panache by wearing a striking and oh so fine pair of shoes with that awesome New Year’s Eve outfit I know you already have picked out!

3.    Go with a purple lipstick instead of the typical red!!  I promise that there is a purple shade that looks good on all skin tones!  So hightail it to your closest CVS and get to trying!  I like to try lipstick on the inside of my wrist instead of the top of my hand.  I think the skin on my wrist is a much closer match to the skin tone of my face.

4.  Finally, keep the rest of your makeup and accessories simple.  If you follow my advice and try the sparkly eyes, the awesome shoes, and the purple lips, that will be ALL you need to stand out from everyone else.

Say a toast for me on New Year’s Eve!  I’ll toast to you guys, too!

Love,

Erin

I have been a complete animal lover for my entire life.  I truly feel that they have personalities, feelings, sorrows, joys, loves…just as we as humans do and they deserve to live a life that is treated with respect, love, and dignity.  With that said, I decided about 8 years ago after a chance encounter with a cow, that I would no longer eat meat.  I started slowly by just cutting out red meat, but slowly removed chicken, turkey, and most recently fish from my diet.  My philosoply is that if it has a heartbeat and bleeds blood, I will not eat it.

Being vegetarian in the South, well in North Louisiana, is extremely rare and hard, so I thought it may be interesting for some people to read about my life as a vegetarian.  What do I eat?  What do I cook?  Is my husband a vegetarian, too?  Etc.  I will answer all of these questions for you and show you that vegetarianism can be easy, healthy, and fulfilling in Monroe, Louisiana.

Please follow me and let me introduce you to The Panache Vegetarian…

Tonight I had a meeting/Christmas get-together with the stylists at my salon. We went to a Greek/Lebanese restaurant called Athena. I have eaten at Athena many times and enjoy it more and more with each visit. I always get the same dish, “The Vegetarian Plate”, every time I go because it gives me a taste of pretty much everything they have on the menu that is vegetarian.

The Vegetarian Plate includes a greek salad, hummus, vegetarian moussaka, grape leaves, and spinach pies. Not to mention the grecian dip. It goes great with the grape leaves and the spinach pies! YUM!

Now you didn’t REALLY think I would leave out the wine, did you?

Oh, by the way, all three of us got the vegetarian plate at Athena tonight and I’M the only “vegetarian”!!!!

Love
Erin

“Any woman can look her best if she feels good in her skin.  It’s not a question of clothes and makeup, it’s how she sparkles.”          Sophia Loren

“Everyone is like a butterfly.  They start out ugly and awkward and then morph into beautiful, graceful butterflies that everyone loves.”          Drew Barrymore

“When in doubt, wear red.”          Bill Blass

“Fashion is architecture.  It’s a matter of proportion.”          Coco Chanel

“Fashion anticipates, and elegance is a state of mind…a mirror of the time in which we live, a translation of the future, and should never be static.”          Oleg Cassini

QUIZ – Who is the author of the following quote?

“The unexpected is what makes an outfit stylish.”

The first person to comment with the right answer gets a $20 gift certificate to Panache Boutique.   

Love,

Erin

Organizing Your Bills

1.  First things first!  Choose ONE spot to corral your bills immediately upon they enter your home.  I keep a box for my husband and a box for myself right in front of the door we enter in every day.  Immediately upon entering the house, after checking the mail, of course, I disperse the bills into their prospective boxes.  (My husband gets all the really big bills! lol!)  Every Friday our boxes are emptied and bills paid.

2.  Keep bill paying accessories handy.  For instance, keep envelopes, stamps, etc. all close by so there is no reason to put off completing the entire bill paying process.  *Note:  You may want to look into online bill paying for some bills.

3.  Always designate one day a week to be “bill paying” day.  Fridays seen to work best.

4.  Payment doesn’t mean the bill paying process is complete.  You must now file the bill (receipt) that you just paid.  Make sure you set up a filing system at the beginning of each year.  When time to pay taxes arrives you will be SO happy you did!

In the end, getting and staying organized can make any unpleasant process a little more pleasant. 

Oh happy day!

Now I can pay that darn property tax and MOVE ON!

Love,

Erin

Above is my third YouTube video.  Please let me know what you think!  I would love for you to subscribe to my channel and share it with your friends and family.  I really appreciate your support.

Love,

Erin