Yes, it’s that time again… for turkeys and black friday and dreidels and mistletoe. It’s also the time for giving. Here are a few ideas for the lady in your life this most wonderful time of year.

Love is in the air. Showing your passion can be well-designed and inexpensive.
Red Acrylic Diamond Ring designed by Alissia Melka-Teichroew, MoMA Store

You had me at handmade. And bonus, it will keep your neck warm in style.
Going Hunting Red/Camel Jersey Hand-printed Circle Scarf by Bark Decor, Etsy.com

These make me want to tap dance. And smile.
Reuben Saddle Shoe, Zuriick

Don’t forget her creative side. Maybe she’ll even draw you a pretty picture to thank you.
Let’s Make Some Great Art Book by Marion Deuchars, fredflare.com

There’s no doubt Miles put cool on the map but it was Sam Cooke who unmistakably got the party going. So when the invitation came in for Amber and I to attend Maneesh & Andrew’s 5th Annual Salad Toss-Off, we knew just where to turn for inspiration.

Sam Cooke’s Twistin’ Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• Spiral Pasta
• Ball of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Sweet Grape Tomatoes
• Spicy Italian Sausage (for our pasta salad, we used local Brooklyn Cured Hot Italian)
• Pine Nuts

For Dressing:

• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Italian Seasoning
• Fresh Black Pepper
• Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• Fresh Lemon Juice (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350. Spread out a handful of pine nuts on a cookie sheet and set aside. Once oven is hot, bake the pine nuts until they are lightly toasted (about 5 min). While your oven is heating up, fill a large pot with water and begin to boil. If desired, add a dash of salt and tablespoon of olive oil to the water for taste. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, cook your italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook it in the same way you would brown ground meat. Cut open the sausage skin before you place it in the pan. Depending on your sausage you may need to add a bit of oil to the pan so it doesn’t stick. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and stir while cooking. Make sure all of the sausage turns a nice brown and there are no pink spots in the meat. This should take about 5-10 min then set aside to cool completely.

Wash your fresh vegetables. Cut the tomatoes in half and set aside. Break basil into medium size pieces and set aside. Cut the mozzarella into small 1/2 inch cubes and set aside. While your pasta and meat are cooling, gather your ingredients for the dressing. In a small bowl, combine 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar. Sprinkle in some italian seasoning, Tony Chachere’s and fresh black pepper to your desired taste. You may also add some fresh lemon juice if desired. Whisk all ingredients together until they are mixed well.

Once all ingredients are cool, combine pasta, sausage, tomatoes, basil, and cheese in a bowl and stir with a large spoon. Cover and place pasta in refrigerator until ready to serve. Keep dressing at room temperature. When you’re ready to serve, toss your salad in the dressing mixture until you’ve lightly coated the salad. Finally, sprinkle your toasted pine nuts on top and enjoy! This pasta salad also tastes just as great with no meat. Try adding some crushed red pepper flakes for some extra spice if you’re going meat-free.

This is my first Halloween in New York. I’ve always LOVED this holiday, because I get excited about the chance just once a year to dress and act completely ridiculously without consequences. However, this year is a little different. Living here in Brooklyn, I’ve noticed costumes are sorta the norm. OK, maybe I shouldn’t even call them costumes, because in Brooklyn (well… more specifically Williamsburg as this hilarious tumblr points out) people seem to wear such outfits for no particular occasion or season. Whether you’re waiting in line to get a table for brunch on Sunday or simply braving the morning commute, you may just spot a swarm of stormtroopers or hipster zombies. This weekend there’s no question, but if you live in my neck of the woods and you spot such scenes come November… it’s Williamsburg.

And just when you thought inside jokes were kept, well, inside. There’s now a website for that. It’s called Bnter and I discovered it today thanks to the beauty of twitter. The folks at Bnter believe brilliant banter should be saved, and shared between family, friends, and fans. A way to virtually scrapbook precocious sayings for posterity. I say, bring it on, because if these examples from Bnter’s Hall of Fame made me seriously crack up today. And I needed it.

Sometimes I like to slow down and enjoy life in lo-fi. Which is exactly why Brett Camper’s 8-Bit Cities project caught my attention. It encourages people to think about their surroundings a little differently and indulge in their inner adventurer. New York, San Francisco, New Orleans and more in the style of 1980s video games. Like.

When mashup dj Girl Talk comes to play, the hipsters flock in droves. I was there on Thursday night at Terminal 5 in NYC with my camera in hand. Not only does he have nothing to do with “zit stickers” but I learned that toilet paper is no longer for wiping your ass nor sunglasses for protecting your eyes. It’s a dance party with a packed out house and if you happen to be wearing a headband like Gregg Gillis himself AND you managed to score a ticket you’re seriously on top of your pop culture game.

Check out our previous interview with Girl Talk.