Spring Purchase Planning

My spending follows a predictable pattern each year. After the excesses of Christmas, there is a stark drop in my shopping come January.  I’m sure it’s like this for most of us.  There’s no clothing to buy after getting Christmas gifts, and there’s less entertaining to do, save for maybe a Super Bowl party.  

 

But as the calendar starts to tiptoe towards March, and spring issues of fashion magazines hit stands, my attitude of [starvation] turns wildly towards excess. I’m itching to swipe my credit card and freshen up my closet, swapping scratchy winter wool for the brights of spring. 

 

I like to have a plan of attack for shopping, so I usually think about what I might want for the season before I buy. It helps me keep things in check and ensure I don’t waste money on things I won’t really wear. 

I love this J.Crew popover  in this springy blue. Perfect for tossing on over jeans. 

 

 

I also need this ridiculous J.Crew lobster print sweater. I just love it.  

 

Now that I’m 27 and not 22, my social life involves more Friday night dinners out and casual apartment hangouts, so I’m adjusting my shopping to my reality and losing the bar looks. This Loft lace top will look great with jeans and cute sandals. 

 

 

Is J. Crew’s scallop dress too last year? Because I still love it. Now if only I could decide between navy and citrus green!

 

Spring seems to bring with it a ton of bridal showers, so I’m thinking of investing in this Jessica Simpson dress for its simple elegance. Bonus, it’s navy, apparently a hot color for spring (although I have to ask, can navy ever be “hot?” Doesn’t it just always work?)

 

 

Love these Louise et Cie pumps for work. Another pair to add to the collection under my desk.

 

 

And also for work, this Banana Republic bright pink pencil skirt is a cheery antidote to how I feel when the alarm rings at 5:40 am. 

 

I’ve also been obsessed with Lilly’s goofy Skipper Popover for awhile now, but probably have to wait till this shows up on Rue La La. I don’t mind paying Lilly prices, but i can’t justify it on a sweatshirt.

 

Almond Cake

I’m extremely Italian when it comes to dessert.  I prefer a barely sweetened sfogliatelle or anything with anisette to classic buttercream covered confections.  Italian desserts are perfect with my afternoon tea addiction, and they’re always so much less of a project than those multi-layered things. 

 

I particularly love this almond cake recipe from (who else?) Gina DePalma. It’s flavored with orange zest, the taste of which immediately brings me back to childhood trips to Bleecker street. We’d pick up my grandmother at her apartment and go to Faicco’s for sausage, and then the nearby pastry shop for sweets.  I always got these little cream puff things that were flavored with orange liqueur.

 

Try this out; it’s a really nice offering if you have guests over for a casual dinner.  It’s all whisked in one bowl, no mixer need, so it’s fast to put together.  I’m also going to claim it’s healthy, since it’s made with almond flour and olive oil, though I guess technically it’s still a cake. 

 

Almond Olive Oil Cake, from Gina DePalma

1 cup flour

½ cup almond flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

Grated zest of ¼ of an orange (or, zest of 1 lemon)

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

 

For the glaze:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

3 tbsp whole milk

Lemon juice

½ cup sliced almonds, optional toasted

 

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan and set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.

 

Crack the eggs in a large bowl, and whisk lightly. Add sugar and whisk thoroughly for 30 seconds. Add olive oil and mix until mixture lightens in color, about 45 seconds. Finally, whisk in your extracts, zest, and orange juice.

 

Add dry ingredients and whisk till combined, then whisk another 30 seconds. 

 

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, rotating in the oven halfway through cooking to ensure even doneness.  The cake is done when it springs back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean.  (I usually find that once you start smelling the cake baking, you’re about ¾ way done).

 

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then pop it out and place on a baking rack to cool. 

 

While it cools, make the glaze:

 

Melt butter in a saucepan until it turns a light tan color. Shut the heat off and let it sit so that it darkens in color. 

 

While butter cools, whisk together milk and confectioner’s sugar.  Then, slowly whisk in butter and add some lemon juice to cut sweetness. Use your own judgment here, add more or less lemon juice as desired. 

 

Spread glaze on top of cake, then sprinkle on almond slices. 

 

Enjoy!

Roast Beef

I spent the majority of my childhood as a non-meat eater. I wouldn’t touch any type of pork, beef, or chicken, and the fish varieties I ate were pretty limited. I took a corn muffin for lunch every day, and lived on pasta with butter and cheese or my mom’s tomato sauce nightly for years (clearly, she is a saint for putting up with this!) It’s kind of amazing I wasn’t sickly, though I can assure you I looked completely malnourished. 

I began to eat more variety in high school, and by the time I got to college I was eating fish, chicken, and sausage- everything but red meat. And by the time college was over, I was in love with meatballs, short ribs, and beef stew.  In fact, just the other night, I snacked on octopus and braised goat at a restaurant in NYC.  I am a recovered picky eater, and much better off for it.

My only remaining holdout is steak. I really want to like it, but I just can’t get into it. 

The downside of my longtime meat aversion is that there’s so many recipes and techniques I haven’t gotten around to trying, let alone perfecting.   I’m still trying to duplicate my grandmother’s pot roast, I’ve never had meatloaf, and until this weekend, I also never had roast beef. 

I did a bit of research on cooking roast beef, in terms of time, temperature, and cut, and opted to start with an eye-round roast. It’s from the back leg of the cow, and is a pretty lean cut, which means it’s not the tenderest. The trick is in temperature- you don’t want to let it go past 135 (medium rare) after resting.

Roast Beef, technique from Cooking Light
Serves 4 for dinner, much more if using for sandwiches

2lb eye round roast beef
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Let your roast come to room temperature an hour before cooking. This will help it to cook more evenly (I do this also with roast chicken and turkey). 

Preheat your oven to 475 and line an aluminum baking sheet with foil. 

Brush the roast with olive oil and cover generously with the salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet

Roast at 475 for 20 minutes, turning after the first ten. 

After 20 minutes, turn the temperature down to 300 and let it cook for another 30-40 minutes, until the temperature reads 130. Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest ten minutes until the temperature reaches 135. (If you want it rarer, take it out at 120 and rest till 130).

I combined mayo with a little bottled horseradish and served that on the side for dipping.

My husband ate a generous amount of this, but I have to admit I preferred it cold. I refrigerated it overnight and then shaved thin slices off and had them on whole wheat bread with the horseradish mayo and arugula. 

Will last 2-3 days cold in fridge.

Recent Reads, Nonfiction Edition

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Lately I've been reading all nonfiction books. I'm going through one of those spells where I can't seem to find a novel that interests me.  Hopefully I'll be back on the next installment with some fun fiction.

State by State, edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey
I bought this ages ago and never read it, and recently picked it up.  Fifty notable people each pen an essay about their state, with the goal of “describing America to Americans.” (Anthony Bourdain’s essay absolutely nails New Jersey!!). It’s a fun read, and it’s great because you can just pick a state and read the essay and not feel bad if you don’t read the rest of the book. The appendix has a table of state statistics (crime rates, suicide rates, etc) in the back, which was really interesting. Good read for something a little different. 

Clean by Alejandro Junger
I have absolutely no idea how I got lead to this book, but I was completely fascinated. Dr. Junger is a cardiologist who focuses on the nutritional aspect of health- basically how the things we ingest impact our bodies’ ability to reduce toxins and keep us healthy.  

He created the “Clean” program, a 1-3 week detox that involves lots of juicing, shakes, and no processed foods. You can eat one solid meal of lean protein and vegetables per day, and you juice for your other meals.  It seems extreme, but he shares (of course) tons of stories of patients suffering from all sorts of ailments- stomach, skin, cardiac, etc- and how following his program drastically lessened or eliminated their symptoms completely. 

I didn’t try the program, and have no immediate plans to, but I am fascinated by reading about the results, and just about some of the regular medical information Junger gives. It makes you trust in your own body and want to be good to it.

 I’d love to know if anyone out there has tried this program, and what the results were!

The Church of 80% Sincerity by David Roche
This book is about a concept, not a real church. It’s not even really religious. The author, David Roche, was born with an extreme facial deformity, and the book just details his experiences of learning to love himself and find his own personal worth instead of focusing on his exterior.  The concept of “80% sincerity” is about letting go of perfection and finding grace and love in flaws. Enjoyable, but not amazing, and quite short.  

Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties by Julia Reed
I am obsessed with all things Southern.  I always tell my husband I wish we could pack up and move to Atlanta, but I have far too much New York in me to ever fit in elsewhere.  The South just seems so genteel, classy, elegant, and fun.  But since I can’t live there, I get my fix in books like Reed’s, which is composed of short food writing pieces and essays. Her Southern life comes right through, and while the recipes don’t really appeal to my tri-state area Italian palate, it’s a fun read nonetheless.

Any book suggestions?

Fashion Friday: Signature Style

I saw this post about building a wardrobe of signature pieces over on A Dose of Pretty, and it got me thinking about my own signature pieces.

It’s important to have your own signature look. I think that’s the difference between style and plain old fashion. As I get older, I know more about what I like and what looks good on me.  I don’t recklessly jump into every trend (I probably avoid trends more than I participate in), and I find that I’m spending smarter. I know what will languish in my closet, unloved, and what I will wear over and over again. Today, I’m sharing my must-haves, the things I have now been wearing unrelentingly for years:   

The Jackie Cardigan

I live in cardigans.  The obsession started freshman year of high school, and continues today.

 I find J. Crew’s Jackie to be indispensible.  It’s classic, ¾ sleeved, the perfect length, comes in tons of colors, and holds up well through the wash. I’ve also recently discovered the J.Crew Factory Clare cardigan, which is basically the Jackie at a lower price point.  (Though you can frequently find the Jackie for at least 20% off!).

I always find outfits look better layered, and the Jackie is the perfect, elegant finish to almost anything.

Statement Necklaces

I wear a different statement necklace to work every day. I have a collection of J. Crew beauties that add a little individuality to a pencil skirt and button down combo.  

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Frye Boots

I also can’t live without my Frye boots. They are super comfortable, great quality, and the perfect shade of brown. I’ve had to have them resoled and shined up, but they’ve lasted a number of years and they look amazing with every pair of jeans I own. I can’t remember exactly which style they are, but you can’t go wrong with anything Frye makes.

Any friends who read my blog will laugh at this next item, but I bought this Banana Republic dress four years ago and it’s my best purchase ever. I have worn the crap out of this dress. It’s taken me through bachelorette parties, nice dinners out, Atlantic City trips, engagements, family events, and my honeymoon, as in the picture above. It never goes wrong and always looks classy.

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Michael Kors Sunglasses

These Michael Kors sunglasses are the best.  I left my original pair on the plane to Hawaii, and the first thing I did when I landed and had Internet access was order a replacement.   

What are your can’t-live-without items? Share below!

 

Dining Rooms

Mr. B and I started 2014 by feverishly house hunting.  Though we saw lots of great options, we ultimately put it on hold for a few months, as we felt not quite ready to pull the trigger.

But that hasn’t stopped me from obsessively mentally decorating our future home- when we get there, I want to be ready!  I’m particularly excited at the idea of one day having a dining room. Right now, our counter doubles as a bar, and when guests are over, I pull out a folding table.  It’s fun, but crowded. The idea of an entire permanent space devoted to entertaining seems awesome.

Besides, I’m a novice at decorating, and a dining room seems like an easy first project to tackle. There’s not that much furniture and what you need is pretty straightforward: table, chairs, lighting fixture, place to store your china.

I know I want a very traditional, formal dining room, and very “done” looking walls- patterned wallpaper or a decisive color, and some molding.  Here’s my current inspiration for my way off in the future home:

I'm really into the colors in this dining room- they feel fresh and light, yet are grounded by that rich, classic wood table. Definitely some real inspiration here. 

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I'm thinking this is the perfect blank canvas- beautiful windows, natural light, tray ceiling, elegant molding, and beautiful floors. How much can you mess up decorating when you start like this?

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I love, love, love this traditional, almost colonial scene here. I love a round (or square!) table, and I'm obsessed with the transferware pitcher. 

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I love this wallpaper with this molding. It's so finished looking. These were some of my wedding colors, so maybe I'm biased there. 

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Finally, I like the idea of a hutch- great for displaying more transferware to match that pitcher!

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Fennel and Orange Salad

 

I love this wintery, refreshing salad as a change of pace from typical mixed greens. It’s my take on the classic Italian combo of fennel and orange- I added arugula to make it a little more “salady. This can be prepared in advance, and dressed just before dinner, plus it’s elegant, making it perfect for a dinner party. 

 

Fennel and Orange Salad

Serves 4

4 cups arugula

2 blood oranges, peel and membrane removed, sliced horizontally

1 small bulb fennel, very thinly sliced

¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced

Olive oil

Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

 

Pile arugula on a serving platter or in a bowl.  Arrange fennel on top, then orange slices. Scatter kalamata olives on the top.  Can be refrigerated for an hour or so at this point. (Too much longer and the acid in the orange may break down the arugula). 

 

Just before serving, dress with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, and pepper to taste.