Une-deux senses

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

1. Miu Miu 'Cashmere and silk blend cardigan'

cardigans will always have a place in my heart. i seriously own 100.

2. 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Eyelet embroidered silk and cotton blend peplum top'

the most darling top ever and it looks super flattering!

3. 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Knot-front silk-jersey shorts'

love the fabric of these shorts, looks so lush.

4. Tom Binns 'Still life sterling silver-plated chain cuff'

every girl needs a little bling in her life.

5. Chloe 'Aurore leather duffel bag'

so luuuuuuxe.

6. Valentino 'Chain-strap scalloped leather sandals'

i die for these. scallop = love.

7. Z Gallerie 'Stylish white veneto suitcases'

seriously gorgeous. probably not at all practical though...

8. Marc Jacobs 'Daisy eau so fresh perfume'

one of my definite favorites.

9. Supergoop! 'SPF 30 quickstick'

for on the go skin care!

10. Sephora 'Large round brush'

biggest mistake i've ever made traveling? forgot to bring a hairbrush... worst experience ever.

11. Spoon Sisters 'Take charge kit'

how awesome is this?! be ready for any outlet international challenge.

12. Topshop 'Natural cut out floppy hat'

i die for this floppy hat. this is the epitome of a Californian summer.

13. Topshop 'Tortoise shell keyhole metal arm sunglasses'

i love sunglasses with a retro feel, these are so gorgeous!

14. Sephora Collection 'Lush flush lip and cheek stain'

haven't tried this, but it looks like the perfect 'bit-lip' color

15. LUSH Cosmetics 'Sex bomb bath bomb'

i LOVE lush bath bombs - a bit pricey, but the wow factor is totally worth it.

{skogafoss, iceland}

i'm one of those weird people who prefer overcast, cool days over sweltering summer heat. i think i'd love it here.

{purple loosestrife, troy meadows, new jersey}

nature is far more beautiful than i could have ever imagined.

{the eiffel tower, paris, france}

such a magical picture of a magical place...

{bagan, myanmar}

ummm can this be real life?

{jantar mantar, india}

almost looks like a picture. amazing architecture!

{the blue city, jodhpur, india}

blue city is right!

{stonehenge, united kingdom of great britain and ireland}

such a gorgeous wonder...

{trevi fountain, rome, italy}

oh how i wish i could come here just to make another wish!

{london, england}

london's calling!!!

{keukenhof garden, the netherlands}

if that was a chocolate river, i'd swear this was willy wonka's chocolate factory.

All images from Pinterest and Net-a-porter.

Images are linked to their sources.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Berry-Yogurt Parfaits + Homemade Granola

It's a simple formula: granola and yogurt, but it seems to work so well together huh? In the mornings I just love the creamy-sweet-tartness of yogurt mixed with the crunchiness of homemade granola. I brought home a whole load of fresh berries the other day and I was just inspired to make some granola to crunch along with it. I love summer and it's welcome wagon of sweet berries!

Anyways, I love my granola simple as can be. I don't like to add in too many add-ins such as dried fruit and nuts because I love adding fresh fruit instead - and why wouldn't I when I have fresh berries as beautiful as these? Making homemade granola is so simple and so easy - it really takes very, very little effort. Using it in yogurt-granola-berry trifles is just how I like to enjoy it, but I imagine it'd be excellent over ice cream or oatmeal as well!

Maple Pecan Granola

YIelds: about 2 cups

Original recipe here.

1 cup pecan halves

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 stick butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until toasty and brown. Butter a rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper, set aside. Toss together the oats, coconut and wheat bran into a large bowl. Crunch up the pecan halves to break them up and add them to the mixture. Add the maple syrup into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat for 7 - 10 minutes to reduce it by 1/4. Add the butter and salt and stir until the butter is melted. Immediately pour into the oat mixture and mix thoroughly to make sure everything is coated. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven and scrape the outer edges towards the center and the center to the edges. Repeat this two more times for a total of 30 minutes. Allow the granola to cool completely on the sheets - this will allow clusters to form. Once the granola is cooled, stir in the dried fruit.

Berry Yogurt Parfaits

Yields: 2 servings

1 cup vanilla yogurt (non-fat or low-fat)

1/2 cup homemade granola

1/2 cup fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)

In two short glass, add 1/4 cup of yogurt to the bottom of each glass, sprinkle with some fresh berries and most of the granola. Top each with 1/4 cup more of the yogurt, sprinkle with the remaining granola and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

Hellooo summer!

1. Stella McCartney 'Fine-knit cotton polo shirt'

looks comfy!

2. Chloe 'Leather and metal bow belt'

undeniable cute. bows are always a win in my book.

3. Theory 'Lynie stretch-cotton canvas shorts'

i heart mustard yellow oh so much.

4. Bally 'Clemance structured leather bag'

ugh... the perfect nude color.

5. Victoria Beckham 'D-frame acetate sunglasses'

loving the gold detailing!

6. Alexander McQueen 'Studded leather ballerina flats'

badass and practical.

7. Giles & Brother 'Hook 10-karat gold-plated leather wrap bracelet'

my dream purchase...

8. Topshop 'Multi-block stripe blazer'

LOVE.

9. Forever 21 'Leopard-print cosmetics case'

love this! such a stylish way to house your cosmetics.

10. Nars 'Eye shadow in galapagos'

gorgeous much?

11. Muji 'Notebook'

love keeping little notebooks with me when i travel - always handy.

12. Muji ' Gel pens'

i have like 1,000 pens at home. i still keep buying more... it's a compulsive obsession.

13. Ona 'The union street camera and laptop bag'

rustic and will match nearly everything.

14. Ban.do 'Sequin scarf'

cause every girl needs a little sparkle in her life!

15. Canon '85mm f1.2 lens'

crazy fast!

16. Veer 'Woodgrain iphone skin'

nature + technology = win.

{provence, france}

gushing over this gorgeous shade of seafoam.

{wisteria tunnel, hampton court, herefordshire}

unbelievably magical.

{capri}

just dreaming of beach towns like this...

{masai-mara, kenya, africa}

one day i will go on a safari. it's a must.

{biblioteca di bella arti, milan, italy}

um, if i was a student in milan, i would love to live in this library.

{sachuest point, rhode island}

are you kidding me with this photo? rhode island... wow.

{istanbul, turkey}

love rustic cities like this.

{horsetail falls, yosemite national park}

gosh sometimes this world seems so unreal...

{lake powell, arizona/ utah}

i'm going to utah this summer!!!! woop woop so excited for the immense beauty to come.

{abbey library of st. gallen, switzerland}
and... if i was a student in switzerland, i'd love to live in this library as well.

All images from Pinterest and Net-a-porter.

Images are linked to their sources.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Coconut & Mango Curd Cupcakes

Don't you just love summer? It's starting to get hot in my part of town and even though I live for cold weather, the sun just has this way of making everything seem right in the world doesn't it? My favorite part of summer is all of the seasonal foods that come along with it - bright citruses, light salads and sweet mango! My all time favorite fruit is definitely the mango. I usually resist doing anything to it at all since it's perfect as is, but I wanted to try baking with it at least once before I resumed consuming them 5x a day.

So... I decided to make some lovely mango curd. I'm a big fan of curd - it's velvety, sweet and decadent. Mango curd just sounded ten times better! After successfully making a delicious mango curd, I then decided it would be an awesome idea to stuff some into some light coconut cupcakes. I wanted to try this small batch recipe for cupcakes I'd seen because sometimes you just want cupcakes... without having to eat all 24 of them or having to pawn them off on friends (haha... like that's ever been a problem).

The mango curd recipe yields much more than needed to fill these cupcakes, but I'm sure you'll find many more uses for it. This recipe for small-batch cupcakes is nothing short of amazing! The cupcakes came out fluffy, light and delicious - I could not believe it. The combination of the light cupcakes, velvety curd and fresh coconut on top is beyond. BEYOND! Really, you could use a light shmear of any type of frosting on top, but I just wanted something to moisten the tops just enough so that the shredded coconut would stick. Thinking about it now, you could just smear some curd on top to stick the coconut on and skip making the frosting all together.

Coconut & Mango Curd Cupcakes
Yields: 6 cupcakes

Coconut cupcakes adapted from here. Original curd recipe here. Frosting adapted from here.

For the cupcakes:

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

1/4 cup coconut milk

For the mango curd:

1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup mango puree

2 egg yolks

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

1/2 stick (4 tbsn.) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

For the flour frosting:

2 tbsn. flour

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup shredded coconut, for topping

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with 6 liners, set aside. In a bowl, whisk the egg and sugar until well combined. Add in the vanilla and melted butter and whisk until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and combine until no streaks remain. Mix in the coconut milk until smooth, then fold in the coconut flakes. Divide the batter among the 6 liners and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

To make the mango curd, in a saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch to combine. Whisk in the mango puree, egg yolks and vanilla seeds. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tbsn. at a time until incorporated. Scrape the filling into a glass bowl and press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a film from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

To make the frosting, in a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of brownie batter. Remove and let cool completely to room temperature. Once cool, whisk in the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until completely smooth and almost no sugary graininess is left. Add the flour mixture and beat the living daylights out it. If it looks separated, this means you still need to beat it some more. When finished, it should resemble whipped cream.

To assemble the cupcakes, use a knife to scoop out some of the center of the cupcakes (set aside to consume later). Use a spoon to fill the hollowed cupcakes with 1 tbsn. of curd for each cupcake. Use an offset spatula to smear a thin layer of frosting across the tops of each cupcake. Dip each cupcake in the shredded coconut to cover. Enjoy!