winter blacks

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I'm, as always, not a huge fan of wearing all black. But this slightly shrunken, chunky yet finely knit sweater from Theory caught my attention during black friday shopping. If only they had it in white! All this black is tempered with a lovely nude clutch by Kate Spade that adds just the right punch of color with the neon orange buckle. My favorite purse purchase of 2012.



[wearing theory sweater, random lace shorts, zara shoes, kate spade clutch

foodie friday: chicken in milk

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While perusing thekitchn.com's chicken recipes I came across something strange, chicken in milk. Milk and cinnamon, really? Sounded gross and intriguing, intriguing mostly because the author made it sound delicious. The original recipe is by Jamie Oliver (those brits and their strange food habits!), but thekitchn recipe made a few minor changes, the most important of which was to keep the chicken covered until almost done to retain all the juices.

I didn't have have a whole chicken, but keep a stock of drumsticks in the freezer. It was surprisingly delicious, especially with a good baguette from Panera to soak up all the juices!

rediscovering my closet

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Lately I've been digging up old things in my closet at random. Remember when liquid leggings were all the rage? I hadn't worn them since I discovered coated jeans which are real pants and not just pretending to be. But still I cannot cast aside these leggings, they are lined in fleece providing much needed warmth and that extra stretchiness my coated jeans lack makes for a comfy night out!




[wearing h&m sweater (old), liquid leggings, aldos boots (old), vintage fur coat (also old), and my favorite mac ruby woo red]

wining in virginia

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A few months ago we checked out a vineyard recommended by my caterer. Having visited both Napa and Sonoma I didn't have high hopes. Especially since the last time I went to a vineyard in VA it was pretty much a disappointment.

But I was pleasantly surprised by Paradise Springs. They had a great selection of wine, yummy snacks, a live band, and the interior was lovely. So an afternoon of wining and munching on baguette, cheeses, and cured meats ensued...which lead to the major cheesing in these pictures.

If you live in the DC metro area I highly recommend checking it out!






I rediscovered this ebay sweater (an alexander wang look a like from a few seasons ago) under my monstrous pile of knits and found it perfect for the semi warm weather--kinda re-falling in love w/ the one shoulder thing.

[wearing ebay sweater, h&m skirt, zara boots, michael kors bag]

maltese monday

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standing on tables...

foodie friday: baked french toast

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A friend of mine would always make the most amazing baked french toast for our girly brunches. When I saw this cinnamon baked french toast recipe on Pioneer Woman I thought I give it a shot in mini versions. Just an excuse to break out my tiny ramekins. They were super delicious even after spending a few days in the fridge. I added sliced apples to half the batch, next time though I think it would be better just to mix in the apples.

a day in georgetown

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A wonderful afternoon spent in georgetown just before christmas, doing some light shopping and enjoying lunch at my favorite restaurant, Bistro Francais! I could never figure out why this place doesn't have excellent reviews on Yelp. The food is amazing and so is the service. Perhaps because they seem to operate on a european style service that americans are unused to? I have spent 3 hrs here just for lunch because if the waiter sees that you are in the middle of conversation they will not approach you. They never rush you like most american restaurants and basically let you sit there forever with just a cup of coffee if you so desire. This might be interpreted as "slow" service, but it's just the european way. Plus this has been the only place I've found that serves escargot in the shell and cooks their steaks a perfect rare/medium rare!

[wearing vintage coat, theory sweater, james perse skirt, michael kors boots]

foodie friday: the green smoothie

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I first encountered this phenomenon known as the green smoothie last year. A friend and I wanted to do a juice detox after hearing about the guy that lost 200 pounds from juicing and also to detox from over indulging during the holidays. Only one problem, we're both pretty much normal weight or slightly under and didn't think we could survive on just juice! So we turned it into an all natural diet of uncooked food. He included raw fish in his, but I remained a raw vegan for a week. We made smoothies in his $20 dollar blender and had to semi chew our drinks. Sometimes I chose to make a salad instead. He gained 5 lbs, I lost 5 lbs. But I think I only lost weight because I was lazy and didn't want to put together salads for dinner so usually I would just snack on some fruit. Being a raw vegan is hard!!! Your food choices are oh so limited. Even after our week of "juicing" I continued to be vegetarian because I felt so great! My hair had practically grown an inch from all the spinach, and I was running further and faster than usual.

Even though I'm back to my normal carnivore diet, I still "juice" or make green smoothies that is, because fiber is good for you! Since that week last year I've invested in a vitamix so my smoothies are completely smooth and if I had extra water, it really does become juice! Everyone has their go to for the smoothie and it usually includes chocolate or peanut butter, though I've never tried either in my smoothie, it just sounds too heavy. My go to is simple:

1 Honey Crisp Apple
1 Clementine (sometimes 2 if I want extra tang), orange, or small grapefruit
1 Banana
Tons of spinach or kale
Almond milk

And blend away! I like to put the kale or spinach on the bottom so it's weighed down by the fruit. If you want some extra sweetness throw in some grapes and if it's creaminess you crave substitute the almond milk for whole organic milk. I make this about twice a week, and each batch is enough for about 2 days. Of course your smoothie will only taste as good as the fruit so I'm very particular about the types of apples I use. My absolute favorite apple is the honey crisp. It's sweet and slightly tangy at the same time, super crisp and they never get that mushy sandy texture like washington apples.