Here at Rue, we can’t wait for Super Bowl XLVI. In preparation for the big game, we had our first ever (and soon-to-be annual) chili contest. Check out our favorites, then click on the chili of your choice (or all four) for a printable recipe you can cook up this Sunday. As for the winner of our cookoff? We’ll let you decide.

Ingredients:
olive oil (several tablespoons for cooking)
2-4 lbs ground/chopped venison
1-2 lbs ground wild boar (can substitute Italian sausage)
1-2 c. celery, chopped
1-2 c. onion, chopped
2-3 T minced garlic
60-70 oz. canned chopped tomatoes (Italian seasoned or plain)
1 can ranch or chili beans (best with chopped jalapenos – don’t rinse)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
spices: garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder
makes enough chili to fill a large pot

Directions:
1. Sauté celery, onion, and garlic in frying pan and set aside.
2. Brown venison in frying pan. Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
3. Do the same with the boar.
4. Combine cooked veggies, browned venison, and boar in chili pot and add at least 40-50 ounces of the chopped Italian tomatoes. Turn up heat until bubbles form, then reduce heat and let simmer while covered. While simmering, add 1 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder, and black and cayenne pepper, and 1 (or half) cup of chili powder.
5. Wait an hour or two before adding the beans and serving – the longer you let simmer the better.

Vegan Chili
“This is actually my girlfriend’s recipe. We love to cook it on cold Sundays during the winter.”
- Jeremy Z., Credit and Financial Operations Manager

Chili con Carne
“This recipe started 23 years ago as a simple chili recipe my mother gave the brides of each of her sons. I’ve been adding to it ever since, and about two years ago it reached this final form, and people keep telling me how much they love it, so I don’t change it any more.”
- Michael D., Senior Oracle Database Administrator

Turkey Chili
“I love it mostly because the taste is so unique compared to other chilis. The strawberries work because the turkey doesn’t overpower the fruit.”
- Eric R., Sr. Linux Systems Administrator

We fully realize not everyone is looking forward to The Big Game this Sunday (some might not even know who’s playing). Instead of declining that party invite altogether, brush up on a few football terms and get ready to cheer.

Possession
Whoever currently has the football.
In other words: That molten chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream? You’ll have to pry it away from me.

Line of Scrimmage
An invisible line at the start of a play; there’s one for each team. No player can cross it until the ball is put into motion via a “snap.”
In other words: Boundaries. “This half of the closet is mine. This half is yours.”
Continue reading “A Beginner’s Guide To Talking The (Football) Talk” »

Whether we’re rooting for the Giants, the Patriots, or the E*TRADE baby, one thing’s for sure – we’re not sticking strictly to sports hoodies, tees, and jerseys. Coincidentally, this year is marked with a similar color palette for both teams, so we’re gearing up with this roundup of red, white, grey, silver, and blue apparel (pulled from this week’s Boutiques) and taking a stylish cue from the Super Bowl XLVI.

Our Steiner Sports Memorabilia: Football Boutique opens on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 11AM ET.

The men’s Fall 2012 fashion shows just wrapped up in Milan and Paris, and the big news was suits. Whether super tailored or soft and slouchy, menswear is seeing a major return to the matching jacket and pants next season. To which we say: Huzzah! Sure, guys look great in jeans and a T-shirt, but there’s nothing more handsome and – dare we say – stylish than a man in a sharply cut suit. Which isn’t to say suits are the only men’s option for fall. Far from it…

Gucci kicked off the shows in Milan with a bohemian grunge collection inspired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as Arthur Rimbaud in Total Eclipse and the murky shadows found in Caravaggio paintings (think: dark floral suits, velvet blazers, fur-trimmed topcoats, chunky cable knits, skinny trousers, and distressed leather jackets accessorized with burnished brown oxfords and man bags).

At Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Bailey paid homage to the suit (in a collection dubbed “The Gentlemen”) by narrowing the silhouette to more modern proportions – perfect for the type of guy Karl Lagerfeld famously called “the boy with the body of today.” Said boy will surely flip for Burberry’s form-fitting jackets and stovepipe trousers in cool grey and warm plaid, many worn with graphic print drape-neck sweaters. Topping it all was a range of quirky-cool outerwear, including a beige trench edged in a bold cinnamon/tangerine stripe and a classic corduroy-collared barn jacket in olive leather. Talk about traditional with a twist!
Continue reading “The Best Of Men’s Fashion Week: Round I” »

A continued look at the men’s Fall 2012 fashion shows in Milan and Paris…

The Salvatore Ferragamo show was set to moody piano music with a video of vaguely threatening clouds hovering above an urban skyline. Which provided the perfect backdrop for creative director Massimiliano Giornetti’s moody, broody collection, full of peak lapel double-breasted suits, fine gauge sweaters, tweedy salt and pepper overcoats, and velvet galore, all in classic shades of grey and navy offset by dashes of deep purple and rich aubergine. Also worth noting: the austere leather envelope bags and two-tone boots and lace-ups.

Missoni also offered color by way of cozy sweaters, plaid pants, and mixed-media parkas, which filtered the house’s signature stripes and zigzags through an English/Mod prism. This being Missoni, suit jackets had the ease of cardigans and slim velvet pants looked wonderfully casual-chic. Even the wool hats bore the house’s slouchy signature.
Continue reading “The Best Of Men’s Fashion Week: Round II” »

We’re typically at a loss when sending flowers. After all, who knew that almost every detail sends a signal, right down to the color and number of petals? This Valentine’s Day, thanks to a little help from the pros at KaBloom, we’re bidding farewell to floral faux pas (and making sure we never, ever send red roses to our boss again).

FOR THE GIRLS…

For: The Girl Next Door
Pluck this: White Daisy
What it says: “I think you’re innocent, loyal, and pure. And I could definitely bring you home to Mom and Dad.”

For: The Pal
Pluck this: Yellow Gerbera Daisy or Yellow Rose
What it says: “You’re fun to be around, but we are Just, with a capital J, friends.”

For: The Crush
Pluck this: Stargazer Lily
What it says: “Get a chance to get to know me, and you’ll see…”

For: The Flirt
Pluck this: Pink Rose
What it says: “You’re sweet, but I can see your games.”
Continue reading “Flower Power: Your Romance Decoder” »

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to know – could your date’s attire really make or break a rendezvous? To find out, we took to the Twittersphere and asked our Members their take on the different outfit scenarios below. Turns out, outfits say a lot about you (as we expected). Guys, you might want to forget the chocolates and simply concentrate on your ensemble.

If your V-Day date showed up in tweed, you’d think…
“Swoon!!”
-@curlyemmy

“Am I dating a professor or a grandfather?”
-@carlyscala

If your date wore something sparkly, you’d think…
“We match!!:)”
-@JudithLeiber
Continue reading “Dressed To Impress: Valentine’s Day Edition” »

On Saturday, designer and Project Runway alum Ben Chmura made his StyleWeek Providence debut, showcasing his NIBIRU (and self-proclaimed comeback) collection. We were there to see his sci-fi inspired/contemporary streetwear designs come down the runway, and met up with him post-show to talk the future of fashion and Project Runway’s all-star season.

Rue La La: We were blown away with these designs. Tell us about the inspiration for this line.
Ben: The whole idea comes from a novel called The 12th Planet and its theories about how alien civilizations came to earth and helped man evolve through the dark ages. While they’re here, they’re re-creating streetwear and trying to understand how humans dress and behave.

Rue La La: Part of your futuristic approach is the idea of unisex clothing. Can you tell us more about that?
Ben: There are a few pieces in the collection that are gender-benders. I’m playing with a lot of exaggerated proportions so they could go female or male. I wanted to put more streetwear out there that would blur the lines – I really think it’s the future of fashion.
Continue reading “Five-Minute Pow-Wow: Project Runway’s Ben Chmura” »