Katherine Chloé Cahoon

When I met Serge Normant – the hair god who styles celebrities like Blake Lively, Julia Roberts and Sarah Jessica Parker – I had to know how he always makes them look like they just shot a shampoo commercial. He took me through the four magical steps.

Pre-Shower Prep. Styling your hair begins before you enter the shower. The elixir that gives hair super-shine and softness is Serge’s Meta Morphosis Hair Repair Treatment. Once a week, apply this to dry hair 30 minutes before shampooing.

Bring on the Volume. Towel-dry your hair and spray in some Meta Lush Volumizer, holding the bottle about 10 inches from your head. Then either blow or air-dry your hair. Next round brush medium-sized chunks.

Curl Craze. Magazines are bombarded with ladies sporting bodacious curls that appear effortless. To get this natural look – versus uniform barrel curls – use a curling iron on every other strand of hair.

Spritz and Go. Spritz in some Meta Sheer Dry Oil Finishing Spray for shine, and hold the look with Meta Luxe Hair Spray.

Now you’re ready to dazzle your way through the day!

This guy may look buttoned-down and he is a successful businessman, but he’s also a total daredevil and outdoor sports buff. Just to give you a sample, Austin has whitewater-rafted down Class 5 rapids in only a life jacket and hiked Mount Whitney – the highest summit in the contiguous US – in only a day. You’ve heard of heli-skiing, well, he’s upped the adrenaline by heli-jumping!

Since this is Meeting Men Monday, Austin stepped away from the office and his extreme outdoor escapades to chat about dating.

The Mysteries of the Female Mind. What I love most about Austin is his sense of humor. When asked about his knowledge of women, his response was a paradox. “I think I understand girls pretty well…yet I’m still single.”

True Love. For Austin, love has many facets. As he explained, “If I see a beautiful girl and want to be with her, I like to believe it’s love at first sight—but in reality, to make a relationship work there has to be more than physical attraction.”

Throw in the Fear. On the subject of beauty, this guy – who is obviously courageous – says he becomes gripped with fear when he sees a woman he wants who “is ridiculously attractive and knows it.”

The Golden Rule of Dating. Our elementary school teachers had it right when they taught us to treat others like we want them to treat us. As Austin says, “I’m attracted to girls who are confident, but at the same time nice—even to people they don’t care to be around.”

In honor of our USA Olympians, for Fashion Friday, I’m pouring on patriotic colors.

In theory, Theory is a great way to go. My dress and jacket are both by this brand.

The dress stuns solo and is a great twirler…so even if you’re not an Olympic figure skater, you can spin in style.

For a pop of cobalt, I chose jewelry by Kenda Scott, who has burst onto the designing scene.

And every fashionable female knows you can’t go wrong with a pair of Christian Louboutin heels.

Here’s where to find this patriotic look from head to toe: Kendra Scott cobalt necklace and bracelet, Theory jacket and dress, Christian Louboutin heels, and cobalt clutch (similar).

A Last Word on the Olympics. We have three more days to enjoy them and we’re proud of all our athletes—but I am especially impressed with how two of them handled difficult situations. Shaun White was expected to remain king of the snowboard halfpipe, but crashed. Commentators blamed the notoriously poor conditions, but Shaun warmly congratulated the winner and didn’t make an excuse.

Figure-skater Jeremy Abbott fell during his short program, hit the wall, and laid on the ice in agony. As he cautiously stood up – in so much pain, that he was sure he couldn’t go on – he heard the cheering crowd and thought, “I’m finishing this program… I don’t care what happens…I’m not giving up this moment.” He turned in a beautiful performance.

Most of us could never become our nation’s most-decorated alpine skier like Bode Miller, dominate women’s Olympic snowboarding slopestyle like Jamie Anderson, or win the first US Olympic gold in ice dancing like Charlie White and Meryl Davis—and after yesterday’s stunt, we all know I couldn’t:) But everyone can enjoy getting fit.

These girls got into character for a Fire and Ice event hosted by Rizzmic. Melain and Cory, the babes to the right of me, created this up-and-coming dance-fitness sensation which is catching on like wildFIRE. As they explain, Rizzmic is “a torch to your metabolism” which “seamlessly blends fitness with truly stylized dance, hitting each big craze on the map, from disco and country to hip hop and jazz.” Anyone can pick up the moves, and instructors are being certified from the west coast to the east.

Apparently, the Olympic broadcast needs this disclaimer. After watching the awe-provoking lifts done by the figure skating pairs, I decided to try a few of those moves myself. I was certain that I was taking all necessary precautions by attempting the wimpy starter version…aka partner-less, on a mat. What could go wrong when the legit athletes were several feet in the air, soaring above their partners’ heads over hard ice, while wearing ice skates, no less? And after training with Rusty, I thought I was up for this challenge.

My first attempt was doable.

So then I got a bit gutsier.

You can see the outcome…flat on the floor, 100% wiped-out. In the future, I think I’ll leave these moves up to the actual competitors:)

Oh well, who needs a partner when you have Lucy as a workout buddy? I’m referring to the awesome apparel line. Here I’m wearing her top and headband.

Yes, I’m talking about our US figure skating darlings, Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner, both of whom have been national champions. When I say that they’re triple threats, I’m not just talking about their killer triple jumps. These girls are both radiant and personable as well. It’s no wonder that COVERGIRL has teamed up with them.

Recently, I read an article about revered ice queen, Kristi Yamaguchi, who credited another skating legend, Dorothy Hamill, for her success. Kristi explained that when she was a little girl, she “had a Dorothy Hamill doll—with the red dress and the medal.” That doll “would come to the rink with me,” Kristi said. “And sit on the rails.” When Kristi won her Olympic gold medal, the real Dorothy was there with her.

Now young girls – and, frankly, anyone – can look to our current Olympic competitors for inspiration. As Kristi wisely explained, “Before success, you’re going to have failures.” Both Gracie and Ashley have been preparing for the Olympics since they were tots and this is the first time either of them has qualified. No matter what happens during the competition, that, alone, is a monumental success. So when you see these beautiful, feminine-looking girls wearing their national colors on their fingernails, realize that they’re tough as nails, or they wouldn’t be where they are today.

Ladies, these tips are straight from a man who specializes in training people to get the gold—in the Olympics. Rusty is a recruitment coach. But he’s no Gunnery Sergeant. His tactic is to train with positive encouragement. Lately, I’ve been training for the Couch Potato Olympics. It goes like this…sit on the couch, watch the athletes compete, and vicariously feel like you’re in top shape. I figured it was time to actually get those molecules moving, so Rusty is giving me a kick-start. Let’s hope I can walk tomorrow:)

Rusty was kind enough to take a break from training and reveal some of his dating tips:

You Won’t Reach the Dating Podium by Ignoring a Guy. When I asked Rusty for one thing that confused him about girls, he answered, “Just one?” Then he proceeded to narrow down the list to, “How they talk to guys that they like. They ignore them. Men want the initial conversation to come from a woman sometimes.”

Get High Scores in Confidence. “Be comfortable in your own skin.” Rusty may be a super-fit trainer, but he is “attracted to girls of all shapes and sizes.” What’s most important to him is the connection she has with him, and that she is self-confident. He explained, “If she’s a sweat pants girl, go for that. If she likes to get dressed up, that’s fine too, but it has to feel right to her.” In other words, a woman shouldn’t get done up in something that feels uncomfortable just to impress a man because she’ll give off an uncomfortable aura instead of an appealing one.

No One Likes to Talk with a Wall. A one-sided conversation is an immediate turn-off. Rusty is drawn to a girl who is “engaged in what we’re doing and shows interest.” We can all handle that!

I told Rusty that I’m am arm wuss, so amongst dispensing dating tips, he helped me pump iron. Well, he pumped iron. I rocked my one-pound pink weights! Don’t think I’m qualifying for the Olympics anytime soon:)

And yet, besides my dress, there’s nothing blue about it! I’m quite happy with this holiday, but I couldn’t unglue my eyes from this gown when I spotted it. I think a girl should wear something she loves on love day—regardless of the color.

Whether you’re in a romantic relationship or not, I hope you enjoy the day and surround yourself with friends and family. Everyone has someone to love!

Tadashi Shoji Cobalt Dress and Alexis Bittar Cuff Bracelet.

We all know the saying “get a room,” but seriously, could Valentine’s Day be any more memorable for a couple than if they spent it on a steamy getaway to a charming hotel? Here are three such hot spots sure to supercharge your love life…and I’m sure there’s something like them near you.

Romance at The Plaza. New York is vacay paradise. And The Plaza offers suite accommodations with chocolate truffles, champagne, breakfast in bed and flowers.

Paris – the City of Love. Hotel du Triangle d’Or, with its music-themed contemporary vibe, provides an escape that will “seduce you in three words: art, wellness and evasion.” Here, the love-enhancing package includes drinks, a relaxing steam room and a “romantic box.” I don’t know what that means, but I’m intrigued!

Caribbean Interlude. Fresh flower petals, chocolate-covered strawberries, and an intimate couples’ massage—need I say more?! All of this can be yours at the Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort in Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean.

Who could top that for a Valentine dinner? If your relationship has entered monotonous mode, this concoction should send it sizzling tout de suite. And if your romance is already on fire, the dish is sure to ignite more sparks.

I’d love to take credit for coming up with this creation, but it all goes to Jencen. The meal is elegant, romantic, easy to make, and adaptable to any budget. If you’re flush, splurge on a premium steak. If you’re watching that bottom line, choose something economical, use spices already on hand, and take veggies from your fridge. Either way, you’ll have a hit. Here’s how Jencen and I did it in 12 easy steps and about 45 minutes:

Shopping List for Two: 1) flavoring – five garlic cloves and one large shallot, three tbs. dissolvable coffee, one tbs. cocoa powder, two tbs. parmesan cheese, ¼ tsp. rosemary, and salt to taste, 2) six medium red potatoes, 3) steak, 4) shrimp, 5) butter, 6) wines – chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon (½ cup each), 7) ½ cup cream, 8) olive oil, 9) ½ cup beef stock, 10) broccolini 11) heart-shaped cookie cutter, and 12) two kabob skewers.

First, mince the garlic, removing any sprouts to avoid a bitter taste. Press the side of your knife into the minced garlic to squeeze out moisture. Then mince your shallots.

Second, mix the spices for your steak rub. The three key ingredients are dissolvable coffee, cocoa powder, and parmesan cheese. If you don’t use anything else, your rub will still be scrumptious. We hit up the spice rack and added a dash of All-Spice, Cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder and Brazilian cinnamon.

Third, mix your spices.

Fourth, rinse the potatoes. Don’t scrub them because that will remove the red skin and detract from your beautiful presentation. Potato sprouts collect dirt easily, so cut them all out. Then slice the potatoes into one-inch cubes, place them in hot water, and put the pan on the stove for 15 minutes on medium high heat.

Fifth, dry your steaks with a paper towel so the spice rub will stick evenly, and put on the rub.

Be generous in doing this because when you grill the steaks, juices will escape and drip most of the rub off. The remaining rub will infuse the meat.

Sixth, wash and peel your shrimp. Put them in a frying pan with butter on medium-high heat. Once the butter melts and the shrimp starts to simmer, add garlic. You’ll want to wait until then so the garlic won’t burn and become bitter. Once the garlic starts to turn golden brown, add chardonnay. Flip the shrimp, put a lid on the pan, and let them simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Seventh, begin grilling your steaks while the shrimp and potatoes simmer. Rotate the steaks between 10 and 2 o’clock on your grill to create perfect grill marks.

Eighth, make your mashed potatoes using a recipe by a former Four Seasons sous chef who trained Jencen. Start by putting a stick of butter in a pan. Place cut-up garlic on top of it, let the butter melt, start to sauté the garlic, and add salt to taste. Pour cream into this concoction and stir until blended. Then let it simmer for ten minutes. This will reduce the cream, creating a savory Alfredo-like sauce. While this is cooking, pour the water off the potatoes and mash them.

Ninth, create your wine reduction gravy. Coat a sauce pan with olive oil and pour off the excess. Heat the oil on medium, add ¼ cup shallots and stir until they turn clear. Add ½ cup red wine and ½ beef stock. Simmer until only half the liquid remains.

Tenth, once your steak is cooked with the perfect grill marks, reduce the heat to keep it warm while you pour your Alfredo-like cream from the frying pan into the mashed potatoes. Mash some more, and add salt to taste. Make the consistency of the potatoes thin because they will thicken as they cool down.

Eleventh, sauté the rest of the shallots and garlic in butter for five minutes while soaking broccolini in a bowl of hot water. Then add the blanched broccolini to the pan.

Twelfth, design a romantic display. Press your mashed potatoes into a heart-shaped cookie cutter on a plate and pass a knife across the top of the cutter to level off the potatoes. Pull the cookie cutter straight up and the heart will remain. Add your steak and pour the wine reduction gravy over it. Make a heart with two shrimps by placing them face-to-face on a kabob skewer stick and prop it up against the steak and potatoes. Garnish with broccolini.

Tantalizingly delicious! The five aphrodisiacs are chocolate, coffee, shrimp, rare steak and wine—that’s straight from the chef.

As I was perusing my past pictures this morning, I came across these ones from a glammed-out Topshop event.

Nordstrom showcased extra merchandise – items not even sold online – packed the place with stylists and makeup artists, set up a photo-taking station like those at movie premieres, and brought in beloved NYC fashion blogger Christine Cameron, of My Style Pill.

Topshop is famous for its fashions so, naturally, I wore one of their dresses to the event—but I quickly became turned on to their makeup. They feature shimmer palettes that can cause any eye color to pop and be described in two words that make my heart sing and keep my credit card intact…“Reasonably Priced.”

This gorgeous makeup artist rolled out the red lipstick and shined up my eyes by combining their Game On and Nebula palettes. All of these colors are compatible, so you can experiment with confidence.

Then this makeup maven gave my cheeks a natural glow. A similar product to the one she used in Topshop’s line is the Glow Highlighter. The entire look she created – from the red lips to the bright eyes – radiated romance. So pucker up girls! The ideal Valentine’s Day threesome is you, your man and Topshop. And if you’re sidestepping the traditional dating day, you can wear this line as a proud, independent woman!

Today, I’m featuring a guy who’s a total CATCH. From that reference, the title of this post, and this picture, I bet you can guess his background! Billy had a professional overseas baseball career playing for teams in South Africa and Australia.

You might recognize Billy from the Meeting Men Monday and Travel Thursday banner pictures on my homepage. It’s only four days until Valentine’s Day, so he’s an ideal man to share with you four of his dating insights.

Opposites Don’t Always Attract. When it comes to a woman’s interests, Billy believes that she can be just as captivating whether she shares his or not. As he explained, “Sometimes opposites attract, but other times similarities attract.”

Sexy Straight Out of Bed. Billy is most attracted to a woman when she is in her “natural state”—meaning, when she has no makeup on and has just rolled out of bed. See girls, I said you’d love Billy.

Worth the Wait. When this guy really likes a girl, he’s in no hurry to get physical fast because he wants to take the time to get to know her and build a relationship that could last a long time.

Speaking of a Long Time. Billy likes, “long, slow, deep kisses that last three days”.

Okay, I think that’s a good place to wrap up!

Here’s an Instagram video with some footage of the fun we had taking our website pictures. You’ll see that we got drenched from the pouring rain, but that didn’t stop us!

https://instagram.com/p/kOk29XifHv/

This Anthropologie floral dress looks like it belongs in an award-winning flower garden! So that’s exactly where I headed in it.

If you’re interested in seeing this garden, and hearing the awesome story of the woman behind it, check out my last Travel Thursday post.

If you have the privilege of attending the flower show, besides viewing breathtaking gardens, you can visit an assortment of unique venders like JOHNBob, who describes his wares as “cool junk.” But let me tell you, there is no junk on the premises—only cool antiques.

And then there’s Bob Bowling Rustics, specializing in adorable everything.

Photos courtesy of Mom and her little purse camera:) Attending the Garden Show is a family tradition.

Ferocious perseverance is what took world-famous glass-and-metal artist, Ginny Ruffner, from a near-fatal auto accident to an against-all-odds recovery and reemergence on the global art stage. I will be forever grateful for knowing her and helping to build her garden at the acclaimed Northwest Flower & Garden Show—running now through February 9^th at Seattle’s Convention Center.

Ginny’s garden, Artful Delight, is a visual feast of her Smithsonian-quality art expertly woven into an array of both rare and native plants. The Show features an abundance of award-winning displays – including 50 Shades of Orchids – and the Wine Garden, where you can enjoy refreshments amid this extraordinary view.

Each of Ginny’s metal and glass pieces has a story, and is infused with her unique charm, wit and personality. As Ginny explained while we were hard at work on the garden, “My favorite piece is always the next one.”

Ginny’s own story will always be one of my favorites. Her doctors were certain that she could not survive that accident, and urged her family to disconnect the life support…explaining that even if she proved them wrong, she would be completely paralyzed. But her family knew what Ginny was made of and refused to give up on her. The world was given a gift when Ginny fought her way back, one fiber of her body at a time. Ginny is an inspiration to anyone facing any type of challenge.

It’s not every day that a girl gets to learn how to cook French cuisine from an award-winning chef. Here are the steps to creating the delicious Black Cod en Papillote. My favorite one is last… Eat it!

All you need to impress your friends with this entrée is to follow Jencen’s simple steps.

Here’s your shopping list to make dinner for two: 1) black cod – two fillets, 6 oz. each, 2) one bunch of carrots, 3) one bunch of asparagus, 4) one daikon radish, 5) ¼ cup butter, 6) one tbs. chopped green onion, 7) ¼ cup coconut oil, 8) ¼ tsp. ginger, 9) ½ tsp. smoked paprika, 10) salt to taste 11) one lemon, 12) ¼ cup white wine, 13) extra virgin olive oil, and 14) parchment paper.

First, Jencen created the herb butter with ingredient nos. 5-10, and one tbs. of lemon zest that he grated from the lemon (#11). Then he chopped up the veggies and salted them. You can play around with your choice of veggies. We used carrots, asparagus and daikon…the hues were beautiful together.

Next, we each traced a half oval on a piece of folded parchment paper and cut it out.

The third step was to slightly sauté the carrots in olive oil. Any vegetable you choose that is so dense it will not cook in the parchment paper with the rest of this concoction needs some pre-cooking.

We unfolded our paper and placed our veggies on ½ of it, creating a colorful bed for the fish.

Then we rinsed the cod and laid it on the veggies. Jencen had bought the fish at market that morning, right after it was caught. A top chef wouldn’t settle for less!

We smeared the herb butter on top of the filets.

Then we pushed two slices of lemon into the butter.

And added the wine.

We folded over the parchment paper and crimped the edges to make it airtight.

Then we cooked our creations for 15 minutes at 375°. To test if your fish is done, stick a sharp knife through the parchment. When you open the paper, put your masterpiece on a dish and squeeze your remaining lemon over the cod.

The parchment paper kept all the flavor and moisture trapped inside while everything was cooking. That made our entrées so soft and savory that they practically melted in our mouths!