Look of the Day: rock & wool

You will rarely see me in shorts. Especially ones this tiny! It's important to balance them by covering up on top and keeping things relatively casual.

Good rule of thumb: if you're wearing micro shorts, don't show any cleavage, and stay away from high heels. A summer wedge would work, as long as it's under 4 inches. Anything higher looks tarty. Your inseam shouldn't be shorter than your heel.  Of course, if I was one of those lucky ladies with legs for days, I might say something different ;)

All the necklaces are vintage, except for the one with coral colored tube beads. I made that one :) Michael Kors has one that's really similar and made of real coral.

I don't know if you have the same problem as I do, but simple black flats can be so hard to find! Well, I finally found a good pair by Steve Madden that don't cost a ton. I'm hoping Nordstrom will carry them so I can go try them on. Hopefully they're comfortable, because my favorite pair are starting to get holes :(

Vintage wool jacket (similar) - H&M metallic clutch (similar) - DIY shorts (similar) - Forever21 cat eye sunglasses (similar) - Vintage coral necklace (similar) - Dorothy Perkins t-shirt (similar) - thrifted black flats

Recipe: Emerald City Bean Spread

 All my best recipes are usually the result of trying to find a way to use up something before it goes to waste. In the case of this bean spread, it was tons of organic basil and an avocado that wasn't quite ripe. This recipe is vegetarian (and can easily be made vegan), full of green goodness, and, to top it all off, delicious! You can use it as a sandwich spread, a filling for wraps, or serve it as a dip at your next Fancy Bean Dip Party... Oh, you haven't heard of those? They're all the rage here in Seattle!

I kid. We have regular, get-as-drunk-as-possible-without-calling-in-sick-in-the-morning parties. Just like everyone else.

 OK, time to be serious.

So there are two variations on this recipe: vegan and vegetarian. The ingredients are as follows.

 VEGETARIAN Ingredients

1 cup dry white beans, soaked overnight

3 cloves garlic

As much Basil as you want and/or have

1/2 medium avocado, cut into chunks
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 small zucchini, grated

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp parsley, fresh or dry

1-2 tsp coarse sea salt

For VEGAN:
Skip the cheese, reduce the olive oil to 1 tsp, and use a whole avocado

Directions:

1. Place the soaked beans in a saucepan with one clove garlic, a dash of salt, and enough water to cover the beans by an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until tender. Don't let the water boil away! Add more if needed.

2. Once the beans are soft, drain any remaining water and rinse the beans under cold tap water.

3. Throw the beans and all the remaining ingredients into a Cuisinart or blender.

4. Blend until smooth and delicious-looking. Like in the picture below.

 5. With a spoon, do some sampling. Did you add enough salt? Does it need lemon juice or more balsamic? At this juncture, you can be the judge.

6. Serve (or store in the fridge)

Note: This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day, so it's prefect for making in advance of a party or when prepping lunches for the coming week.

In the next few days, I will be posting a simple recipe using the bean spread, so keep your eyes peeled!

♠

In Photos: back home

 Just got back from a trip to my state's capitol and the surrounding towns. I didn't grow up in Olympia, but it's where my mom lives now, so I consider it home. Mom's house is always home :)

They have a baker's dozen of baby bunnies. All charming shades from the grey scale, save for one brown baby.

There's lots of beautiful poppies, full of lots of busy honey bees, which I took lots of beautiful pictures of. I will save you the hassle of having to look at all of them.

 Sweet Cicely

 Fred, of Fred & George

Arugula Flower

And then there's my niece. She's a tall two-year-old.

 She loves clothes and pretending she is me, which is quite flattering! She picked out this bag from Olympia's newest vintage boutique, Psychic Sisters. I bought a couple things as well: a sleeveless button up in powder blue gingham and a sherpa-lined Levi's jean jacket that is, unfortunately, sized for my niece. If you're in Olympia, make sure to stop by Psychic Sisters! They have a great collection and great prices.

I had a lovely time, as always, and didn't want to leave. My husband kinda missed me, though, so I'm back in Seattle.

My outfit: American Apparel dress - Thrifted flats - Vintage Liz Claiborne bag - H&M necklace as bracelet - Forever21 & vintage bracelets

My niece's outfit: H&M dress - vintage purse - Forever21 glasses - felt shoes by Kitzbuhel

Recipe: Sausage & Kale Over Polenta

My husband said this is one of the best dishes I've ever made, so I thought it might be a good one to post on the blog! Hopefully it turns out as well for you! Let me know if you have any problems or if any of the directions are unclear.

Serves 3 to 4 people

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for the polenta

½ Onion, thinly sliced

3 links Italian chicken sausage, sliced

1 bunch of Kale, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

3 banana/wax peppers, seeded and sliced

½ cup mild Italian pickled vegetables, plus Tbsp brine

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup fresh Basil, chopped

1 can Artichoke Hearts

1 tube Polenta, sliced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

1. Turn on the broiler to low. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange the polenta slices. Drizzle with more oil. Broil until golden brown. Flip each slice, drizzle with a little more oil and broil.

2. In a deep sided saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft.

3. Add the sausage and cook thoroughly.

4. Stir in the kale, garlic, peppers and pickled vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes.

5. Lastly, add the basil, artichokes, vinegar, pickle brine, and pepper flakes. Saute an additional 5 minutes.

6. Serve over the polenta.

Look of the Day: emerald city

I just read an article on CNN about why Seattle is better than Portland (it was part of this special city vs. city thing on their travel site). In all honesty, I was a little disappointed with it. It didn’t make a good argument for why we’re great. Instead, it was like reading a travel brochure.

 So I wanted to put my two cents in: we are so much more than Starbucks coffee. We are more than the “birthplace of grunge” (this saying makes me shudder). The views alone will take your breath away (one thing the author had right). We have amazing restaurants, music venues, art museums and are home to many, many coffee shops that are 100 times better than Starbucks. People here have real jobs (cough*Portland*cough) and a good local economy. As my husband says, the dream of being a productive member of society is alive in Seattle.

I never get tired of exploring all the neighborhoods here (Ballard, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Columbia City, to name a few of my faves). I love the people here the most and am proud to call this city home, despite the flying fish at Pike Place.

Come for a visit. When the sun is out, nobody shines like Seattle shines. And when it rains, just the roads shine, haha 

American Apparel skirt (similar) - Vintage Bill Blass shirt (similar) - GAP sweater (similar)- GAP clutch - Vintage & F21 bracelets - Vintage watch (similar)

Look of the Day: jersey maxi dress & floral lace

Haven't had one of these in a while...

Friday Fashion Fact

The leather used for Coach bags was developed based on baseball glove leather, and not saddle leather (like I always thought it was!)

Read more on the Wikipedia page

 Forever21 moto jacket (similar) - Forever21 bracelet (similar) - H&M lace top (similar) -  H&M jersey maxi dress (similar) - Vintage Coach Mini Willis (similar) - Thrifted hat and shoes - Forever21 sunglasses

Featured on...

Had two nice surprises today! 

Surprise #1 I've been featured on the blog Fashion & Ice

To read the article click here!

A big thank you to Fashion & Ice :) I'm quite flattered!
♠

Surprise #2 I finally found myself on the Alexis Magazine website! My looks have been featured alongside a lot of amazing fashion bloggers; Ebba Zingmark, Blake Jacobson, and Aminta, just to name a few :)

Click Click Click!
♠

Recipe: Everything Cookies

These are basically oatmeal cookies, but with some improvements and additions. They vary a little every time I make them, since I usually use what's on hand, so this recipe can be tweaked to your taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Dash of cinnamon

-

1 stick of unsalted butter

½ cup coconut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

-

½ package chocolate chips

¾ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc.)

½ cup chopped nuts

3 cups oatmeal or other rolled grain

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°f

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, coconut butter, and the sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the maple flavoring and vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until fully combined.

4. Add the oatmeal (rolled rye and barley are great, too!) and dried fruit, followed by the chocolate chips and nuts.

5. Make golf ball-sized balls of cookie dough and place 1 to 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack or plate and let cool.

Notes:

These can be dairy-free by using all coconut butter instead of regular butter, but make sure the chocolate chips are dairy-free, too!

Needless to say, if you have a nut allergy, leave out the nuts!