Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Tailored Tuesdays

1. Current/ Elliot "The majorette denim jacket"
2. Thakoon "Wool and silk dress"
3. Yves Saint Laurent "Crystal embellished necklace"
4. Christian Louboutin "Zoupi 120 platforms"
5. Lanvin "Happy sac partage leather bag"

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Monday, October 5, 2009

Spring Ready-to-Wear 2010

YAY. The new Spring collections are here!

I noticed two main themes this season: edgy masculinity or extreme femininity. I happen to love a little of androgyny! These designers have perfectly combined the toughness of masculinity with lines that are still favorable to the shape of the woman's body. Here are some of my favorites of the edgy theme:




Saturday, October 3, 2009

Cinnamon, Pecan & White Chocolate Caramel Corn

Never have I ever. Or... never did I ever think that I would make my own caramel corn. It's up there with oreos, poptarts or bread. Those are some things that are in the "things I don't ever think I'll make." But guess what? I made it and it was delicious... no wait, amazing! And now I'm contemplating those other things on my list because well, I can do it!


This is how the mixture should look after the second round of microwaving:
Make sure to toss the mixture well!
Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/cinnamon-caramel-corn-with-pecans-white.html


12 cups popped popcorn

1 cup roughly chopped pecans

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup Karo syrup or honey

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

3 squares almond bark


Preheat oven to 250 F. Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside (and by large I mean twice as large as you really need to prevent splattered hot caramel). Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave safe bowl. Chop butter into chunks and place it on top of the sugar mixture, pour corn syrup over the top of everything. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes, remove and stir then microwave 2 minutes more and it should be nice and bubbly. Remove from the microwave and add the vanilla and baking soda, it should foam up and double in size. Pour over popcorn and pecans and stir well until everything is well coated.


Spread mixture onto a foil lined pan and place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, take out a piece and let it cool. Sample it and if it is still not crunchy enough, let it bake for another 5 minutes, repeat process until satisfied with crunchiness. When done, give it a final stir and let it cool while you melt the almond bark/ white chocolate. Use a fork to drizzle the melted bark over the popcorn, let it harden and enjoy!


A great movie/ tv snack!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Weird name isn't it? This cookie recipe comes from an urban myth, it's quite an interesting story actually, it's quite lengthy, but you can read about it here. These cookies are stuffed with two kinds of chocolate, nuts and blended oatmeal which make it quite extraordinary! Make sure to under bake them so they stay nice and moist and pair them with a cold glass of milk. Perfection!

Milk & Cookies. A classic combination.
All dressed up!
Neiman Marcus Cookies

Yields: about 30

Original recipe can be found here.


Printable Recipe


1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups oatmeal, blended

6 oz. chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 2 oz. Hershey's bar, grated

1 egg

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cups chopped nuts, of your choice

1/2 tsp. vanilla


Cream the butter and both sugars. Add egg and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, grated Hershey's and nuts. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly with fingertips. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 F.


Attack of the cookies!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tailored Tuesdays

It's FINALLY getting colder. Yay for coats and scarves!

1. Theory "Shalin suede trench coat"
2. Richard Nicoll "Layered silk t-shirt"
3. 7 for all Mankind "Roxanne corduroy skinny jeans"
4. Alexander McQueen "God save the queen pashmina"
5. Jerome C. Rousseau "Serpentine patent leather sandals"

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Cheesy Bacon Baked Tortilla Chips

It's football season, but it's not like I care, I don't even watch football! I just happen to think that this recipe would be perfect for a tailgating party, or pre-football watching party or any kind of party actually. It's filled with bacon, onions and cheese with a kick of jalapenos. How could this not be good?!?

Yummm, I think that's a 9:1 bacon ratio there, that's a gooooood ratio:
Now for the addition of the cheddar; cheese always makes things better:
First, spreading on the salsa, then topping with the cheddar-bacon mixture:

Cheesy Bacon Baked Tortilla Chips

Yields: Enough as an appetizer for about 10 people

Slighty adapted from here.


Printable Recipe


2 jalapenos, minced (you can discard the seeds if you prefer)

1 small onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 package bacon, chopped into small pieces

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 jar salsa (choose your favorite)

1 large bag of tortilla chips


Preheat oven to 400 F. Place tortilla chips on a large baking sheet in a single layer, set aside. In a large pan brown the bacon until fully cooked and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel, allow to cool. Remove all of the bacon grease from the pan except 1 tablespoon. Add onions, jalapenos and garlic. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes until translucent and cooked through. Add to bacon and allow to cool. Once cool, add the cheddar to the mixture and mix well. Spoon a teaspoonful of salsa on each tortilla chip and top with the cheese mixture. Place in oven for 5 - 8 minutes or until the cheese turns a nice golden brown. Serve straight away and enjoy!


Thursday, September 24, 2009

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

Wow honestly, this woman never fails to please me. Nuh uh, no way. She calls this her "most favorite salad ever." Who am I to disagree, hell it's now one of my favorites too! It's uncomplicated, un-fussy, delicious and healthy. And the flavor? Let's see... crunchy, chewy, salty, sweet and sour. Yep it's a keeper folks!

It's like a fiesta on a plate!

The uber yummy dressing:

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad
Yields: A LOT!, probably enough to feed 15 - 20 as a side
Original recipe from The Pioneer Woman, which can be found here.


For the salad:
1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed and cooled
1/2 - 1 head of napa cabbage, sliced
1/2 - 1 head of purple cabbage, sliced
1/2 - 1 bag baby spinach (I forgot to add this, but it was still delicious)
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
3 scallions, sliced
3 cucumbers, peeled and julienned
lots of chopped cilantro, up to 1 bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in a skilled

For the dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tbsn. olive oil
2 - 3 tbsn. sesame oil
8 tbsn. soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsn. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, minced
chopped cilantro, lots

Mix together the salad ingredients. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve on a platter. Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

Deeeee-liicous!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Tailored Tuesdays

Burberry ftw.


1. Burberry "Rosebank cotton trench coat"
2. Burberry "Round neck a-line dress"
3. Burberry "Westcott shoulder bag"
4. Burberry Prorsum "Canvas t-bar sandal"
5. Burberry "Large link bracelet"

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Crispy Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are incredible. I can't. stop. eating. them. oh. my. gosh!

I'm really bad at making cookies for some reason. They are so finicky and I never seem to get them out in time before they burn to a crisp. But these... so easy!

This recipe is the simplest thing ever but they are so amazing. Soft, slightly chewy, crispy from the rice krispies and sweet. Yummmm can't stop thinking about them.

I've made them before, you can find the recipe here. Except this time I used raspberry jam, but you could use whatever you'd like!

Cookies & soy milk... what else does a girl need?

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Bil Donovan

"The age of elegance is gone, there was a time when a woman wouldn't dare leave the house without makeup and the right gloves."

Now I hope I am not implying that I am some kind of glamarama. I don't have the time nor the energy nor the means to dress to the nines everyday but I do enjoy fashion and those who are well dressed and DO have the time and energy to do so. Bil Donovan work simply tugs at my heartstrings:
"Travel for site"
"P Picnic 4 site Ant"
"Set Glam Grlbending"
"Garden Party for site"
"Dog show for site"
"Audrey layout B"

You can find the rest of his works here.