Thursday, April 30, 2015

Business gingham in the front - party In the back

I absolutely love all types of gingham. Any color works for me but navy and white is my all time favorite. It seems that gingham is becoming more and more popular for the springtime. From crop tops, button-downs, dresses, pants, skirts, etc... it's gingham madness!!

I bought this dress on sale at Zara a few weeks ago ($39.95!) and I love the versatility of it. The back has these gorgeous frills. It's very low so I recommend wearing pasties so your bra doesn't show. I didn't take a picture of the back (since I have to take my outfit photos alone), but a photo of the back is posted to the right.

I am 5'1'', 32C and bought the XS. It fits over my bust with difficulty, but once that feat is done, it fits like a glove. Most Zara sizes are made for flat chested women. Your normal size should still fit but it takes some effort to get it on.

For a professional work look, I recommend wearing a blazer over this dress. I wore navy, but it would look great with camel or even a blazer/cardigan with color. I noticed that with navy outfits... any color matches (just use your imagination and judgement!)

However, I personally stay away from black. I don't really like the navy/white gingham mixed with black. Doesn't match well in my opinion. However, this is your outfit. Wear what is comfortable for you!

For a little spice, I wore my YSL Le Fuchsia and my staple Kendra Scott necklace. Throw on some nude pumps and you are ready to go. For a casual look, pair with flats, sandals, or open toe booties! All work great!

Shoes  Ralph Lauren: Pumps (same color - diff style)
Lipstick  YSL: Le Fuchsia



Recipe: Sautéed Mushrooms

Sometimes there is just not enough items in the fridge except white button mushrooms! I have always had sautéed mushrooms on burgers, but have never cooked them myself. I googled some recipes and took the best pieces from each to create this side dish!


Recipe

1 package of white button mushrooms, sliced medium
1 small onion, diced
1/2 small shallot, diced
3 small cloves of garlic (or 2 large), diced and smashed
1/2 tbs of butter
1 tbs of olive oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs chicken broth
pinch of salt
freshly cracked pepper

Note: I would begin using a damp cloth or a vegetable brush to wash the mushrooms. I don't really recommend washing them under water as the moisture quickly goes into the mushrooms and will make them soggy!

Directions: Add the butter to the pan. Once warm, add the onions, garlic and shallot. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until translucent.

Once translucent, add olive oil and the mushrooms. Quickly add the soy sauce and toss. Let the mushrooms sit for about 5-6 minutes unstirred so the caramelization process can begin. Once soft, add the broth on high heat to cook. Once the broth has been soaked up by the mushrooms, turn down the heat, add a little salt and pepper (if desired) and cook until desired caramelization (really your preference) Once done, throw in the fresh thyme. Serve immediately (or over polenta, couscous, rice, etc...)



Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Camel on Camel

I recently started a new job and am so excited to start my new journey! A lot of my clothing now during the week will be more on the business side. I will try my best to show you all how to be professional yet trendy at the same time!

Today's look is all camel. Unfortunately, the camel blazer and trousers are sold out (in most sizes but I still posted where they are from).

I paired this look with a dark red lipstick. Since it's hard to wear crazy colors at when working at a professional corporate environment, a colorful lip really makes an outfit pop and still allows you to celebrate Spring!

Shoes  Nine West: Flax Pumps (similar)
Blouse  Piperlime Silk Blouse (similar)


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Recipe: Moroccan Stew

In celebration of festival season, I wanted to keep on trend with some bohemian moroccan stew!

It's just like any chili or stew but with the addition of the moroccan paste: harissa! Harissa is a hot chili paste with chilis, red pepper, garlic, etc... it's necessary for the strew and helps elevate all the flavors. If you can't find this at the grocery store (like us), you can easily make this by rehydrating dried chilis (recipe here)


Recipe

2 packages of ground turkey
1 small can of harissa
2 medium onion, diced
8 carrots, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
3 32oz box of chicken broth
1 small can of crushed tomatoes
2 cans of garbanzo beans
1 can of corn
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley

Note: Add more or less of the onions, carrots, and celery. It's really your preference! This is just how we like it at our home.

Spice Mix

1 tbs cumin
1 tsp salt (add more or less)
1 tbs harissa spice (you can buy this at whole foods at the ground spices section)
1 tsp panch phoron (it's a Bangladeshi spice from my mother land, and can be easily re-created with the following ingredients)
1 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp fresh tumeric
1 tsp fresh ginger

Directions

Brown the turkey first. Add half of the spice mix blend and 2 tbs of harissa (if you want to add more, wait till later when the broth is in). Once browned add the mirepoix (fancy name for onions, carrots, celery) and cook down for 10-15 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes. Let cook for 5-10 minutes. Once completed, add the garbanzo beans and corn (feel free to add other ingredients if you are adventurous. Kale, squash, potatoes, etc... will all taste great in this!) Add the remaining spice blend and harissa and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve immediately (garnished with parsley) with your favorite loaf of bread (sourdough is our favorite) if you are craving carbs!



Festival Attire

It's festival season! Coachella kicked off this weekend and I am so jealous I have never lived close enough to attend. The gypsy, bohemian styles are so much fun... not to mention that I love to people watch! 

I think the trends that have been worn in the past are still pretty relevant but I am sure there will be a lot of 70s attire and FLARED DENIM! I may be too short to pull off that trend, but if you are tall with long legs, this style is made for you. 



Here are 10 trends that I think are perfect for festival season:


It's difficult (and expensive) to buy a ton of outfits for a weekend festival so I wanted to share with you three ways to jazz up one basic outfit. The key? Kimonos! I love how much a kimono can liven up an outfit when mixed in with some accessories ....and flash tattoos (I posted about flash tattoos a while back. They are just fabulous and perfect for an event like this!)

Sandals  Tory Burch: Tan Sandals (sold out - similar)
Top  Julie's: Cream Crop Top (similar)
Necklace  BP: Long Turquoise Pendant (similar)
Shorts  H&M: Cuffed Denim Shorts (similar)
Kimono II BP: Pink Kimono


Images Courtesy of google.com

Friday, April 10, 2015

Black & White on Fridays

Today's post is all black & white. Black & White are just two colors that are so timeless and perfect anytime of the year for any season! I know a lot of people live by the phrase "No white after labor day", but should be just thrown out the window! With pretty winter whites, or heavy cotton slacks, white can be worn anytime of the year.

Black & White almost functions as a monochromatic neutral palette where you can jazz it up with jewelry and other accessories (bright colored sandals and/or clutch, a colorful brooch, etc...)

Here are some black & white looks I have found throughout the internet. You really can do so much with this color combination (work, travel, errands, night out, dinners, etc...)


Images courtesy of Styleoholic - website has many ways to wear black and white for all occasions and throughout all the seasons

Fashion Makeup and Beauty also has a great post on "31 Ways to Wear Black and White" I think it's a great read, but if you're like me, I just go through the photos to get inspiration for future outfit ideas


I also love booties during the fall/winter, but absolutely adore peep-toe booties during the spring/summer. This black pair is from Nine West and incredibly comfortable! I think peep-toe booties are a great transitional piece for the Spring where it may be cold/rainy and you may want coverage, but it's still fun and flirty!

In other news, can you all tell that I am just obsessed with my long Kendra Scott necklace? It really just matches with everything in my wardrobe! My boyfriend just got me the black one and I can wait to start wearing that as well!




Thursday, April 9, 2015

Color Blocking for Spring

Remember when color blocking was super in about two years ago? Well I'm still not over it. I love mixing magenta/orange during the spring time. The colors just pop and it's so bright and festive with the warm temperature.

Other colors I love mixing: blue/green, blue/orange, yellow/blue. Below is a photo (courtesy of google.com) from an old Gucci runway show and the other image below is from style.com. Trends change all the time, but you can still mix old trends with new trends.


My top is actually from J Crew Factory and comes in cobalt and neon yellow (so in right now). The pink and cobalt is sold out (whomp whomp), but I posted a similar tank for you all.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Featured Outfit: LOFT & Kendra Scott

Happy Monday everyone.. said no one ever...

Today's look is very spring and post-Easter with a lot of light blue. Obviously, I am addicted to my new Kendra Scott necklace, and want to wear it with practically everything!

Everything I am wearing (minus my necklace and shoes) can be purchased on loft.com for 50% off and free shipping!! Huge steal. 

The pants are very stretchy and perfect for the summer months. Ankle length and super cute! I also bought it in the pastel blue as well (they call it Tahitian blue)



 




Sunday, April 5, 2015

Easter Sunday: Deviled Eggs

Easter always makes me crave deviled eggs! I like to keep mine healthy with very little mayo and have other spices accentuate the flavor.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can really do anything as long as you have your two major ingredients, yolks and mayo. If you want a healthier alternative, I recommend using avocado instead. You still get that creaminess, but it's less fat!

Other options: sriracha, bacon, and/or jalapeños :)

Recipe

4 eggs

Boil these eggs for 15 minutes and let sit for another 15 to cool. Once cooled, peel and slice in half to take out the yolks. Put the whites nicely on a plate into the fridge to harden. I like to harden my eggs before I put the mixture in it so everything sits nicely.

Mixture

4 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbs of light mayo
1/8 tsp of paprika
1/2 of a small lemon, juice
1/2 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp smoked spanish chorizo spice - can be bought at wholespice.com (or any asado seasoning)
freshly cracked pepper
1 green onion stalk, diced small
1/8 tsp roasted red bell pepper powder - can be bought on wholespice.com

Mix the mixture in a small bowl and then move into a small ziplock bag. Make the ziplock into a piping bag while cutting a small hole at the edge. Take the eggs out of the fridge and put the mixture in each shell.

Top with some extra green onions and/or paprika

Chill for another 15-20 minutes before serving.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Recipe: Turkey Bolognese


I have found many turkey bolognese recipes, but the flavor always falls short. I have finally concocted my own seasoning that makes excellent bolognese

Recipe

2 packs of ground turkey
3 packs of Pomi Tomato Sauce
2 medium onions, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced small

Seasoning 

1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt (add more if needed)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper (add more or less)
1/2 tsp ancho powder
1 tsp aleppo powder (or crushed)
1 tsp granulated onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp red bell pepper powder (can be purchased at spice shop, optional)
1/2 tsp spanish chorizo seasoning (can be purchased at spice shop, optional)

Mix all of these in a small bowl.

3 basil leaves, torn
1 tsp worchestershire sauce

Directions

In olive oil, cook the onions, carrots, and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the turkey and 1/2 of the seasoning blend till browned.

Once browned, add the tomato sauce, worchestershire and remaining seasoning blend. Simmer for 20 minutes and then add the torn basil leaves. If you feel as if you need more tomato sauce, add some! It's all preference.

Simmer for another 10-20 minutes to serve with your favorite pasta or zoodles!





Featured: Kendra Scott Rayne Necklace

Hey all!

Sorry for being MIA the past week. I went on a great trip to San Diego with no computer and no posts. I think some people were wondering where my maxi dress was from this week. It's actually from loft.com and 50% off! My other outfit that week is a silk tank from Nordstrom's and my Joe's boyfriend jeans. I think both are sold out, but you can definitely emulate the look pretty easily.

Today I am wearing my favorite Kendra Scott necklace. It comes in tons of colors and I am eyeing the black one next. When buying expensive jewelry ($80 is a lot for someone who likes to wear fake, cheap jewelry), I like to buy neutral colors so it matches with everything. This pearl color will look great with any colored outfit. I think it's a great statement piece for all seasons. I really don't seeing this going out of style anytime soon. If you don't like gold, this comes in silver as well.




Bracelet 2: Banana Republic: Gold Bracelet (similar)