The whale motif, a staple of the modern preppy wardrobe. Embroidered on everything from baby clothes to swim trunks to handbags. Variations of this preppy motif can be spotted on fabrics all over the east coast from Key West, Florida to Bar Harbor, Maine. Who can resist flip-flops with pink martini glasses or corduroy pants embroidered with little ducks? Vineyard Vines has some of my favorite whale accessories.

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I love Indian food, however; slicing onions makes my eyes water like you would not believe. Here is an easy, relatively painless recipe for Chicken Curry which I serve over brown rice. It is based on Mark Bittman’s recipe from the book, Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times. It goes great with asparagus.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp of olive oil
2 jalapeno peppers
1 yellow onion
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
1 cup of reduced-fat sour cream (regular sour cream works well too, but I don’t recommend using fat-free)
2 teaspoons of yellow curry powder
cilantro
salt and pepper

1. Place the onion in the freezer for five minutes before slicing. This really cuts down on eye irritation.

2. Slice and de-seed jalepeno peppers. Be extremely careful when slicing the peppers. I recommend wearing latex gloves and do not rub your eyes under any circumstance — I know this from experience.

3. Cut the onion into thin strips.

4. Over medium-high heat, pour the olive oil into a large pan. When the pan is hot, add the sliced onions and peppers. Salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally. Cook the mixture for approximately 5 minute, careful not to burn the onions.

5. Turn the heat to down to medium and add 1 teaspoon of the curry powder. Cook for another minute or two, stirring occasionally. While the mixture is cooking, wash the chicken, and season it with curry powder, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken in the pan, cooking it for approximately 2 to three minutes on each side. Move the partially cooked chicken to a plate.

6. Turn down the burner’s heat to medium-low and add sour cream.  Stir the ingredients until the curry thickens. Return the chicken to pan, cooking the chicken for a couple more minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

7. Serve the curry over rice, adding cilantro as a garnish. Serves four.

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What distinguishes a prep from others? It is their unique sense of style of course. Total preppies can be spotted from miles away due to their varying shades of pink and green plumage.

Preppy Style Basics:

• Hand-me-down clothing is always cooler than store-bought originals
• Pastels are a must
• The more conservative, the better – preppy clothing never goes out of style
• Never mix prints with critters
• Madras is for summer time and vacation wear only (click here to learn more)
• Too many logos displayed on your clothing is considered gaudy, monogrammed clothing is key
• grosgrain belts and ribbons can improve any outfit
• synthetic materials are for athletic wear only
• puffy down vests are a staple of the preppy winter wardrobe

Staples of Preppy Fashion:

• Burberry – for outerwear, their quilted jacket is a must for all preppy gals
• J. Crew – casual and work wear
• Lilly Pulitzer – bathing suits, dresses, handbags, skirts, capris, she has your vacation covered
• Vineyard Vines – great preppy accessories
• Brooks Brothers – business wear for men and women
• Jos. A. Bank – more men’s suits
• South Moon Under – for the fashionable preppy
• Lacoste – for active wear

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Have you seen the Tea Party video on YouTube? This humorous spoof of pastel clad, Saab-driving, croquet-playing, New England Preppies is an advertisement for Raw Tea, a malt beverage from Smirnoff.

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Attention perky girls and party boys: with one more month of summer left, it’s a great time to start thinking about the future, and more importantly, selecting the appropriate college major. Like most young preps, you may have grown up playing make-believe investment banker. Given recent economic developments, it maybe time to explore some other options. For your convenience, I have assembled a list of preppy college majors.

Preppy College Majors*

• Finance/Economics
• Business (not quite Finance)
• Marketing (more creative than Business)
• Education
• English (a.k.a. Pre Law)
• International Relations – Study Abroad
• Political Science (another future lawyer)
• History (see above)
• Kinesiology /Sport Science – future lacrosse coach
• Ceramics (for the Bohemian Preps)

*Keep in mind, it is wise to stay away from extremely difficult courses of study, such as engineering, that way you will have more time to socialize.

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