Friday Favorites

• Nars Blush in Love Joy. I'm also a huge fan of "Orgasm"
• Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer in "Nude"
• Laura Mercier Undercover Pot #3, this is the best all in one concealer pot ever! It even has the translucent setting powder underneath!)
• L'oreal Voluminous mascara- I typically buy this in "Carbon Black" but they were all out so I settled for Original. This mascara is my absolute fav! Makes my lashes look like butterflies, Not to mention it's only $8! Can't beat that!
• Mac lip liner in "Chicory", I love this color, it's like a burnt orange/red. I use it as a base around the edges and then blend with my Smith's Rosebud Salve. I've been into the Minty lately (seen in this photo) but I have to say, they are all awesome!
• Anastasia Brow Wiz. The absolute best eye brow pencil. Smooth and light and even has a spoolie attached to one side!

What are some of your favs??

Have a fabulous weekend! xoxox

Nutella Oatmeal

Anyone who knows me knows I love sweets. Chocolate being the be all and end all of treats for me. So Saturday and Sunday breakfast when we aren't out for brunch, usually is a staple of Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I've also made Nutella Pancakes (recipe to come next week!) I've mastered the home made pancake. They are way better then the boxed kind. But this Sunday I wanted something that could offer me more nutrients if possible. I've been obsessed with this blog and usually I'm left so unbelievably stumped at what recipe to try BC they all just sound so incredible (I also made these this weekend which were insanely good even John scarfed em down!) When I came across her recipe for this I was set on trying it but then decided pumpkin just wasn't going to do it. I thought Peanut butter! But alas I had just finished off my last bit of Better N' Peanut Butter from Trader Joe's so I settled on the next best (actually BETTER) thing. Nutella!

 (this is the peanut butter I ran out of. It's the BEST)

My Version went something like this:

• 1/2 Cup Oats

• 3/4 Cup Vanilla Soy Milk (I've also used Rice Dream Horchata which is out of this world!)

• 1 tbsp Nutella

• 1 tbsp Flax Meal

• 2 tsp Brown Sugar

Bring milk to a boil then add the oats. Allow it to soak up all the milk then transfer to a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend just a bit, transfer to your favorite bowl sprinkle with a few chocolate chips, a drizzle of more milk and enjoy!

I also made a mocha version to bring to work with me the next morning. It went something like this:

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

• 1/2 cup Vanilla soy milk

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp flax meal

Boil coffee and milk, add the oats. Let it soak everything up. Transfer to a food processor add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Delic!!!

 I have a feeling I'll be blending up different variations of oatmeal for many weekends to come. (I see a fruit version in the very near future) I think the key to the flavor is in the blend!

It's Almost Feb 14th!!

 Any of these lovely gifts would make me swoon!

1. Red Bow Bikini
2. Red Heart Tote Bag
3. Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
4. Pink Heart shaped Sunglasses
5. Love Poems
6. Felix Rey Clutch
7. Madewell Undie Set
8. Anniversary Number Ring
9. Pink and gold heart shaped teacup set
10. Red Heart Pillow
11. Hot Pink Mini Dianna Lomo Camera

Last week I stopped at the Organic deli to grab something quick for dinner.  It had been a long day and I really just wanted something pre-made. I opted for the spring rolls since I knew it was pretty healthy. After I forked over the $6 I went home, ate my spring roll that was relatively OK and I thought to myself, with such minimal ingredients, and minimal cooking, I don't know why I haven't tried to make these myself! So a few days later I stopped at the same deli and picked the owners brain for a few and asked about how to work with rice paper. It's really the simplest thing to do! Just soak them one sheet at a time in warm to hot water for a few minutes until it's soft and stretchy-ish (I did a trial run and ruined 4 sheets of rice paper but after that I was a pro!) My first spring roll was a bit too thin and was breaking easily. I realized quickly that they use more than one sheet per roll. Probably 3 or 4 but I opted for 2. Here's how Mine turned out..

 I sauteed my shrimp in soy sauce and ginger with bean sprouts. But they could just be plain, cold, whatever you choose. When working with the rice paper when you pull the sheet out of the water lay it down as flat as can be on a sheet of paper towel. Pat it dry. Then soak another sheet and lay it right on top ( don't worry about water dripping all over the first sheet) and then pat it dry. Then your ready to put your filling in. Whats great about the rice paper is that once you start rolling it, it will stick together holding all your filling in nice and tightly. Two sheets are key because they tear easily so if your top sheet tears in any spot you still have your second sheet in tact!
We ate ours with the filing warm and I wrapped one up for lunch the next day. I don't know what happened but it was incredible! Something about eating it cold with the avocado was just perfect! I've been thinking that these rice paper sheets are a better alternative to regular bread wraps. At only 20 calories each I'm willing to try them filled with anything!

This weekend...

1. It snowed here in NY and was too cold for Quintin to go out without a little coat. Although this one must have shrunk bc it doesn't fit him anymore....but I can't see how it could have shrunk...I've never put in in the wash! Must be too many treats for him!

2. John and I ordered new dishware and it arrived super quick! Saturday morning coffee was pretty tasty in my new can cups!

3. On Sunday morning I made the most delicious Nutella oatmeal. (recipe to follow this week)

4. I purchased this new coat during Macy's outerwear sale. While its not super warm its just what I was looking for! A shapeless, wide, black, casual coat. I may have to make a lining for this puppy so its a bit more practical. 

Hope your weekend was warm and lovely!

xo M

DIY Gold Stemware

I've been having real big love affair with gold lately. Flatware, dinnerware, and stemware. Just obsessed. I've been seeing some gold dipped stemware floating around the Internet at some pretty steep prices and while I love gold, that kinda of commitment at such steep prices just didn't seem worth it to me. But I figured why not DIY? Here's how mine turned out.

My sister also did this with a gold spray paint which is probably much easier and quicker and probably doesn't smell as toxic because this gold paint smelled so terrible I don't think I could do more than 2 glasses. But it does look quite glam!

1 Banana, 2 Banana, 3 Banana 4...

I found this recipe recently via pinterest It sounded interesting so I had to try it. Since Mr. "I don't like fruit in my dessert" was lingering and I knew the word "Banana" would scare him off, I decided to tweak a few things. First I split the Nutella into 1/2 cup Peanut butter and 1/2 cup Nutella. Mr. "I don't like fruit in my desserts" loves peanut butter and I figured this might entice him little. Then I took it one step further since I had these mini peanut butter cups on hand, I figured why not! I love a little crunch in my ice cream. I also only used 5 bananas because that's all I had. The result was creamy and very ice cream like and I will definitely be doing this again! Now I have to find a way to add strawberries in without sending Mr. "I don't like fruit in my desserts" for the hills!

Tip: if your going to add chocolate chips or nuts, into your mixture make sure to freeze it first for 1hr or so or until its thick but still mixable. If not your chips will just sink to the bottom

P.S. I'm dyeing to try out this one!

This weekend...

1. John and I discovered the absolute heaven of all ice creams. Ben and Jerry's Red Velvet cake. AMAZING!
2. We went to bloomindales to register. Although we did NOT register for this insanely amazing Swarovski encrusted gold china set I almost wish I could have...
3. My new Kate Spade nook cover came in the mail and its making reading time so much more fun and glamorous
4. We used our new slow cooker for the first time and our braised shortribs were incredible and slid right off the bone before they even made it to the plate! My home made sweet potatoes were also a hit!

Hope your weekends were fantastic! xo

Friday Favorites

1. New shoes scored this week at Zara during their phenomenal sale!
2. Christian Louboutin book that I got for Christmas
3. Mirrored soap dish used to keep jewelry
4. My Justina Leigh "Monte" bracelet.
5. Some of my bangles stacked on this pretty little glass bottle.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!
xo M

Puff Pastry & Eggs

This past weekend my lovely sister came to stay with us. Whenever she does I always make it a point to make a very homey and delicious brunch the next morning. Usually it's some creative take on pancakes as seen here. But since it's 2012 and John and I have decided to pull back on the sugar and indulge in breakfasts of possibly equal caloric intake but more nutrients if at all possible (we love our pancakes!) I decided to make something egg related and came across this recipe that I wanted to try out.

It's pretty easy to do and you can create lots of different varieties but my version included
• Shredded Mexican Cheese,
• Turkey bacon
• Eggs
• Thyme
• Salt & Pepper to taste
      For the puff pastry you cook as directed on the box, I used the shells, I will not use them next time as I felt they were too small for all my components so next time I will use regular pastry sheets and make my own much larger shells.
       While they are baking, cook your bacon to your liking and let cool. When the puffs are all done and puffed up you simply remove the inside (I used a tong to grab it) then fill starting with cheese, then bacon (you'll have to break them up) then crack the egg on top. Put it all back in the oven at 350 for about 10 min or until the whites of the eggs are really white and no longer clear. Let cool for a few minutes and serve with your favorite brunch sides.
        I made roasted sweet potatoes as a side. They were apparently a hit so here my recipe:
• 6 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1tbsp rosemary
• 1tsp sea salt
• 1tbsp olive oil
Cube your sweet potatoes (I kept the skin on for more nutrients) then put all your ingredients in a big mixing bowl and mix it all up. Transfer into a parchment paper lined roasting pan and roast at 400 for about 25 in or until they are nice and soft. Stir them occasionally to get an nice even roast.
It was a great breakfast with even better company!

Pink Proposal

After I got engaged one of the first things I did was ask my beautiful best friends and my sister to be my bridesmaids. I thought Id share with you all how...

All my lovely girls said yes and I cant wait till the festivities begin!

Taste of Aisia

This is a very quick and easy weeknight meal that takes approx 25 Min to make. It was sort of a concoction of sorts in my head that had a good outcome (not something I can say about most of my concoctions)

 Shrimp & Soy rice bowl

• One 1lb of thawed uncooked shrimp (or less if its for one)
• 1 cup of Trader Joe's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette
• 1 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1-2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 package of bean sprouts
• 2 cloves garlic minced.
• 6 oz of edamame (i used the whole bag 12 oz and it was way too much so 6 should be good)
• Crushed red pepper to taste
• Salt to taste


Put the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, garlic, oil, crushed red pepper, and salt in a zip lock bag and let marinate for 10-15 min. Put entire zip lock bag contents in a large skillet and cook until the shrimp are about 1/2 way cooked then add the edamame and the bean sprouts and continue to cook over medium heat until shrimp are fully cooked. about 10 - 15 min. Pour over brown rice and enjoy!

I had some left overs the next day so I took it to work for lunch and had it over a bed of lettuce with sliced avocado. It was even better than the night before!

This weekend...

1. John made his amazing homemade meatballs and sauce for my sister and her boyfriend who came to stay with us.
2. Moonshine cocktails and our made up SNL drinking game rules (don't ask)
3. French press coffee in my favorite gold Bodum press  bought here
4. Sweet potato and puff pastry egg pockets for brunch at home (recipe to come this week)
Hope your weekend was relaxing and fun!
xo M

Love in Brooklyn

Thought I should share some of our E-shoot pictures. Our fantastic photographer Angelica Glass did such an amazing job. I love love love them! Here are some of my favs...

 All photos by: Angelica Glass

Terrific and Tiny

Lately I've been obsessed with tiny little elements on delicate, thin chains or wires. These rings are the perfect cure to my craving. There's something so sweet, simple, and girlie about them.  I'm adding these to my never ending wish list.

 

Cat Bird Alphabet rings