Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Apartment Living

Mixing it up just a little today because I'm trying to avoid shopping online for clothes and shoes. (gasp!) I know, I know- don't be worried, it's just temporary but any little bit of less clicking helps my soul and my wallet.

Why am I being frugal you ask? Well, the BF (he wanted his title capitalized) and I are moving in together! Yay! Very exciting. As I'm sure you know moving is filled with unforeseen costs and charges plus the expected fees like movers, the big grocery shop, etc. So, that is why I'm attempting to curb my online perusing of fashion wants and needs.

That being said, let's have some fun with apartment design today! Woohoo! Here are some of my ideas for the new abode.


Blik, Nessa Headboard, $40
How cool is this vinyl decal headboard?
Ikea, Akurum, $59
Storing shoes is been a source of anxiety for me for years now. I have a lot of shoes, and I don't believe in throwing them in the bottom of my closet. Currently I have an over the door shoe rack which is ugly and very dorm-y. Enter the perfect shoe cabinet! I will be buying a couple of these and having the BF put them on the wall in the bedroom. The I will decorate them with these:

Blik, Iron Vines, $60
I'll put these decals on the cabinet to make the storage artsy and functional


Just Wine Racks, Oenophilia Bali 12 Bottle, $59
It's ok to be so totally jealous of our new wine rack. It pops with color and is modern. Love it.





I love our dinner plates. The orange pops against the yellow (hard to tell in photos). The plates aren't super heavy and best of all they were reasonably priced!









Crate and Barrel, Orange Vista Dinner Plate, out of stock
Crate and Barrel, Loire Yellow Plate, $4.95





Crate and Barrel, Party Tumbler, $0.95
And how could I say no to these glasses? So fun!

Got ideas for me? I'm always looking, let me know!


Monday, September 13, 2010

The Oxford Shoe Trend

Welcome back from the weekend everyone! Hope you all had a relaxing and fun couple of days.

Today we will conquer a very popular trend for fall: the oxford shoe. Now the reason why I'm hesitant about this shoe is because I'm a girly girl. If you haven't already gotten that from the pink background, and 'Barbie' title. The oxford shoe presents an interesting predicament: it's traditionally a flat which I love but it's a men's type of shoe. So let's try to find a happy medium.

Got suggestions on how to wear oxfords?


Target, Taree Oxford Shoe, $19.99
I like these because they have a nice rounded toe; much sweeter than the harsh pointy toe.


Steve Madden, Tastee Oxford Shoe, $49.95
I love these because they're no lace coolness would go perfectly with boyfriend jeans


Steve Madden, Docile Oxford Heel, $69.95
With tights? Yum.

Volatile, Marlena, $62.95
Probably could match with any outfit

Steven, Melanee, $99
And for you brave souls- I had to throw in a colored oxford. Love the detailing on this one, and the wooden sole!



Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday Foodday!

If you want to contribute to Friday Foodday in the future please comment, email, or tweet me your recipe!

Alright kids! It's a big football weekend that means hearty dips and delicious casseroles. Here are some of my favorites and some of my favorite readers recipes!

For me, football means cheese, salsa, and chips not necessarily in that order. I also have a not so secret love for Velveeta. Don't judge, it's amazing. So chemicals or not this is one of my favorite football dips to serve and eat!!!

Famous Queso Dip
1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

Make It

Mix ingredients in 2-qt. microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted, stirring after 3 min.

Serve with assorted cut-up fresh vegetables, tortilla chips.


Farmhouse Chicken
c/o Annie!
  • 2 chickens, 3 1/2 pounds each
  • 3 tablespoons goose, duck fat or even bacon drippings
  • 1 head of garlic, halved
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 small onion halved
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme

  • 1 handful Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed in a mortar and pestal
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Kosher salt
  1. The night before you want to cook the chickens rinse out the cavities with cold water and drain. Place the chickens on a sheet pan and place, uncovered, in the fridge.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the cavities of each bird with some fennel seed, black pepper and kosher salt. Place the birds in a roasting pan large enough to hold them comfortably. Next place half a head of garlic, half a lemon, half an onion, half the thyme and parsley into the cavity of each bird. Now rub the exterior each bird top to bottom with the goose fat. Wash and dry your hands. Season the birds evenly and on all sides with the remainder of the fennel, black pepper and salt. Tuck the wings under the bird and truss the legs with kitchen twine, Place the chickens in the oven and roast for 40 minutes and then rotate the pan 180 degrees and roast for another 35 minutes. Check them for doneness. Cook them longer if needed. Remove the chickens from the oven and at this point if you wanted you could make a pan au jus from the drippings or let them rest for 10 minutes then carve and serve.

Marbled Peanut Butter & Nutella Brownies

c/o of Autumn!

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Swirl Mixture:
1 1/2 oz dark or dark chocolate with hazelnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with non-stick foil.

In a mixing bowl, using medium speed and high speed of an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until soft. Beat in vanilla and peanut butter, then add eggs and beat just until mixed in. Scrape sides of bowl and beat in baking powder and salt, making sure they are evenly distributed; Add flour and stir until it is mixed in. Spread peanut butter batter in pan.

Make swirl mixture. Melt chocolate and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl at 50% power. Alternatively, you may use a double boiler or bowl set over a pot of barely simmer water. Remove melted chocolate from heat and stir in Nutella. Drop spoonfuls of Nutella mixture over peanut butter brownie batter and drag a knife through to make a marbled pattern.

Bake on center rack for 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the side of the pan and center seems set. Cool pan on a wire rack. When brownies hit room temperature, chill them for an hour or so. Lift from pan and cut into squares.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups of buttermilk biscuit mix (like Bisquick or Jiffy mix)
1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
2/3 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon of garlic salt

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- Combine the biscuit mix, cheese, and garlic powder. Stir well.
3- Add the milk and stir. The mix should be thick, not sticky. You may need to use your hands to get the ingredients well combined.
4- Bake for 10 minutes of until lightly golden.
5- While baking, melt the butter in a small bowl and add the oregano and garlic salt.
6- Using a pastry brush, brush on the butter.
7- Return to the oven for about 5 minutes.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Mini Party

Tonight I will be celebrating one my friend's birthdays with a happy hour at La Tasca with a ridiculous amount of sangria. In honor of these festivities let's have a mini-party right here right now!

Also kids, don't forget to comment, email, or tweet me your recipes for Friday Foodday!

Mini-Party

The bfs best sangria mix: CHEAP red wine and sparkling lemonade. That's it! No floating seeds or piece of fruit getting stuck in your teeth. No sticky fingers or waiting for the fruit to soak up the liquid. Just amazing sangria. Try it, you'll thank me later.



Next is the tapas; not my favorite, in fact I hate tapas because I don't like sharing food and I don't like teeny plates of food. Give me a big ol' plate of anything any day. But 63 tiny plates of one piece of something. Skip it. BUT if I were to make my own tapas here's what I would do:
The Spanish Omelet
  • 6-7 medium potatoes, peeled
  • 1 whole yellow onion
  • 5-6 large eggs
  • 2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying
  • Salt to taste
  • Lots of bacon (lots is the correct kitchen term if you were wondering)


If I wasn't feeling large and in charge this week, I would show up in this:


Modcloth, Artificer Dress, $65


Jessica Simpson, Jessica pumps, $69

Etsy.com, Decadent Delinquent Earrings, $15

Happy Thursday everybody! See you for Friday Foodday!