Archive for June, 2015

White Shirtdress

 Outfit details: Ann Taylor Shirtdress | J.Crew Espadrilles | Claire V. Clutch

A shirtdress is such a classic, especially in crisp white. I love this sleeveless version with pretty eyelet detailing for summer. It would make a great outfit for the Fourth of July, with just a pop of blue (or even red) for a patriotic look. Keeping the color confined to your bag or sandal prevents it from feeling overdone.

Strawberry Picking at Carandale Farm

I haven’t been able to buy enough strawberries this summer. Juicy and super sweet, the local berry season has been sooo good that I decided grabbing a pint at the farmers’ market every Saturday just wasn’t enough. Luckily for me, there’s a pick-your-own farm just down the road, so I paid them a visit last week and picked seven pounds (!!!) of berries – just in time, since the season comes to an end this month. (Madison friends, go go go!) We’ve been eating them by the handful, stained fingers and all, and I made a few simple, berry recipes – from the easiest refrigerator jam to decadent creamy popsicles. Check back for those, as they’re coming soon!

 

Strawberry-Basil Smash

With strawberry season in full swing, I’ve been finding ways to incorporate berries into just about every meal–breakfast, lunch or dinner. So a strawberry cocktail only made sense to become my current drink of choice for summertime evenings. I love the delicious pairing of super-sweet strawberries and savory basil, and this freshly muddled cocktail only takes a minute to whip up. I used a botanical gin, but you could easily sub a good bourbon in its place if that’s your preference. The result will be the same light, refreshing summer sip. Make the simple syrup ahead and keep it in the fridge so you can make this drink whenever the mood strikes.

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe strawberries, stems removed, plus 1 for garnish
2 basil leaves, plus 1 for garnish
1 lemon wedge
1 teaspoon simple syrup (see recipe below)
1.5 ounces of St. George Botanivore Gin
1 ounce Dolin Dry Vermouth

DIRECTIONS

For the simple syrup:
Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let sit 10 minutes.
Once cooled to room temp, transfer to a small mason jar and store in the refrigerator.
For the cocktail:
In a cocktail shaker, add strawberries, basil, lemon, and simple syrup. Muddle.
Add gin and vermouth. Fill shaker with ice, then shake vigorously.
Pour into an ice-filled cocktail glass. Garnish with strawberry and basil.

4th of July Packing List

Whether your plans for the upcoming long weekend include travel or not, you likely have barbecue, fireworks, and swimming on your mind. For us, it means an annual trip to the lake for good company, good food, and good times–all the more fun this year with two babies added to the crew. The countdown is ticking, and in an effort to not overpack the car, I’ve refined my packing list to just 15 things (more than enough for the weekend, just right for a week). Using the same color palette allows for easy mix and matching of tops, bottoms, and shoes to suit your mood of the day.

Here are some of my favorite pieces for the Fourth of July:

Tops: J.Crew Blue Blouse | J.Crew Cream Blouse | J.Crew Tee
Bottoms: J.Crew Shorts | AG Jeans
Dress: LOFT Dress (similar option)
Shoes: LOFT Brown Sandals | LOFT White Sandals | New Balance Sneakers
Swim: Giejo Bikini Top + Giejo Bikini Bottoms
Loungewear: Lou & Grey Top + Lou & Grey Shorts
Hat: J.Crew Hat
Bag: Lo & Sons Weekender

Blue & White Summer

Zara Striped Shirt | J.Crew Toothpick Jean | J.Crew Heels | Marc Jacobs Bag (similar)

The ever-classic blue and white combination, especially softened in baby blue and off-white, feels quintessentially summer to me. It brings to mind past summertime trips to Cape Cod and Maine, and it’s a color combo that I’ve been giving major play this season (like here and here). This version is based on a really simple formula–button down + skinny jeans + heels–that I find myself leaning on constantly whether getting dressed for work or play.

Favorite Finds: Artifact Uprising Prints

In this digital age, photos all too often stay on our phones, our computers, and our cameras. We readily put them on display on Instagram or Facebook, but printing them for display offline is one of those tasks on the to-do list that never gets done. That’s why I love how easy Artifact Uprising makes it to preserve your favorite memories and enjoy them. Their tagline “off your device, into your life” says it all; they allow you to turn your beloved photos of everyday moments or memorable milestones into prints, photo books, calendars and cards. The best part is the ease with which you can upload photos, straight from your computer or even Instagram, into the format you choose…and in just a few minutes, your photos are on their way to your home.

I used Artifact Uprising to create our holiday card and plan to transfer our travel photos into photo books soon. These also make great gifts! For Father’s Day, I chose the Wood Block plus Prints, and selected some of my favorite travel photos from John’s Instagram feed along with some photos of Elsie for him to keep on his desk at work. I love that he can switch around the photos whenever he wants. Have you tried Artifact Uprising?

Veggie Chopped Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

In a quest to shake up my salad game, I decided to see what would happen if I put some of my very favorite ingredients–the ones you can always find in our fridge–together in one bowl. The result is this veggie chopped salad, loaded with good-for-you spinach, roasted beets and sweet potatoes, protein-rich garbanzo beans, creamy avocado, crunchy radishes, and topped with a lemon-tahini dressing. I’ll be making this one again and again. Save yourself some time and roast extra beets and sweet potatoes; they refrigerate well, so you can reap the reward of making the salad a second, or even third, time.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups spinach leaves or assorted lettuce
1-2 beets, roasted (or look for pre-peeled and steamed beets in the produce section – so easy!)
1 large sweet potato, roasted
Honey
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 avocado, chopped
2-3 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Water
Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the beets: Place beets in foil, drizzle with olive oil and add a couple tablespoons water. Cover foil around each beet and bake until soft in a 400 degree oven about 30 minutes. Continue cooking until they can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, let cool, then peel and chop. Season with salt. 
2. Prepare the sweet potato: Peel and chop 1 large sweet potato into small cubes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add sweet potato cubes, season with salt, and bake in a 400 degree oven about 20 minutes, until soft. Remove from oven and drizzle with a small bit of honey.
3. Make the dressing: Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil together, adding water – as much or as little as you like – to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add spinach/lettuce to two bowls. Top with chopped beets, sweet potato, radishes, avocado and garbanzo beans. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the lemon-tahini dressing.

Wearing Black in Summer

H&M Tunic | J.Crew Toothpick Jean (on sale!) | J.Crew Heels (on sale!)

Some colors are just plain hard to pull off, but black and white? Rarely will they lead you astray. I don’t often think of black as being summer appropriate, but it really can be. It’s all about the right fabric–look for a flowy, slightly sheer tunic like this or a lacy cotton top. Add a pair of off-white jeans and strappy slides (these are on repeat) for an effortless look that’s office ready.