Independence Day 2013: Party Recipes

OK, with the booze, clothes and desserts covered, the only thing left to plan is the party food. I'm all for the Independence Day staples like hot dogs and hamburgers, but it's always fun to spice it up with some non-traditional dishes or doing a new spin on an old classic. First up:

Appetizers and Snacks

Spicy Louisiana Shrimp with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Grilled Artichokes with Tarragon Butter

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Room of the Week: Green and White Bedroom

Room Design by Celerie Kemble

I love the pale green color in this room and the reading area in the corner. It's perfect for a guest bedroom because it's light, cheery and there are plenty of books. As a guest, it's always nice to have a comfy chair to relax in or a good book to curl up with before bed.

You can tell so much about someone by the books they own. When I stay at other people's homes, I make a point to take a peak at their book selection. Does anyone else do this?

4th of July 2013: Patriotic Desserts

Well, we've talked booze and clothes, and now it's time to get to my favorite part of any holiday celebration: DESSERT!

It's usually pretty hot over the 4th of July holiday and most people want to be outside with a drink rather than inside with an apron. Because of this, I wanted to include some easy, last minute recipes that you can whip up the morning of or the night before.

Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

Easy Fireworks Sugar Cookies

You can use the cookie recipe provided, or make things easier by using the Pillsbury cut and bake cookies from your local grocery store.

4th of July 2013: Patriotic Outfits

A festive 4th of July party is the perfect opportunity to show off your best summer looks while incorporating a touch of patriotic flair. And you know what? I think we can do a little better than this:

The flag t-shirt or tank is so overdone. It's OK for the gents, but ladies, I think we can find something a little more stylish. And flattering! How about...

This stars and stripes bikini from Ralph Lauren


Cute chino shorts from J. Crew

They come in blue, too!

Thursday Night Cocktail: Hemingway Special

Recipe via Saveur

Ingredients

2 oz. agricole rum, preferably St. George

¾ oz. fresh lime juice

½ oz. fresh grapefruit juice

½ oz. maraschino liqueur

½ oz. simple syrup

Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions

Combine rum, juices, liqueur, and syrup in ice-filled shaker; shake. Strain over crushed ice into a cocktail glass; garnish with cherries.

Cheers peeps!

Shop This Sale: Kate Spade 4th of July Weekend

If you need a new handbag, next weekend is the time to look! Happy Shopping!

Street Chic: Diane Kruger

When it comes to off duty actresses, you get a lot of "dressed down pajama" girls or "I have my stylist put together every-day looks" girls. Luckily, Diane Kruger is neither. She always looks stylish and put together without looking like she's trying.

4th of July 2013: Party Drinks

Well peeps, the 4th of July holiday is less than 10 days away, and before we decide on what we are WEARING to the party and what we are EATING at the party, we need to get down to business on what we are DRINKING at the party!

Obviously you'll have the required beer, wine, and sprits, but Independence Day is one of those holiday's that just screams "Special Party Drink." One of these perhaps...

Red, White & Blue Sangria from Punchbowl

Monday Morning Pick Me Up: I Can and I Will

If you wait to be given permission to do what you want in life, you'll never get to where you want to be. If you want to do something, DO IT! If you want to go somewhere, GO! If you want to change, CHANGE! Life is far to short not to do what you want life.  

Hey, Check This Out: Grafton Street

I've been on a bit of a Gilt spree the last few weeks, and last Wednesday I snagged a Gilt City voucher for dinner at Grafton Street in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA for those of you that aren't Boston natives). Later on my best friend (since sixth grade!) Jamie called and asked about going out the next night, so I figured I would treat us to dinner at Grafton Street. 

Sometimes I feel weird using groupon-like deals at restaurants because some places seem kind of annoyed when you pull it out to use it. I think it's because some rude people forget to tip on the entire amount of the bill, rather than the discounted amount. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that the lovely people at Grafton Street could not have been nicer about my using a voucher. 

Jamie started off with the house cheese plate, while I enjoyed a crab cake with corn relish and a very tasty aioli. It was so good that I would have gladly had it as my entree if there had been two crab cakes.

Top Picks from the Resort 2014 Collections

The last of the resort collections finished up this past week, so I can finally share my top picks. I like to wait until all the collections are shown because when I don't wait, I never fail to see a bunch of other great pieces that I should have included in the post.

Though the resort collections are much more low key than the collections show during fashion week, I actually prefer them because they usually have a great selection of really wearable, versatile pieces. 

Without further adieu, these are my favorite looks from the collections.

Dresses

Reem Acra

Valentino

Alice + Olivia

Entree Salads that Satisfy

With the warm weather finally here (there is no such thing as spring in Boston!), the heavier meals that I usually crave are feeling too heavy for me. I've never been a person that eats salads as a meal, but I've been craving them constantly over the last few weeks. 

My only issue with the entree salads is that they usually don't keep me satisfied for very long. In a quest to avoid heading back to the kitchen two hours after lunch, I searched out some entree salads recipes that include a nice portion of protein.

Quinoa Steak Salad Drizzled with a Creamy Balsamic Glaze

Caesar Salad with Spicy Shrimp

Room of the Week: Mary McDonald's Office

The office of the lovely and talented Mary McDonald, obviously designed by Mary herself!

I love how cozy, yet glam this office is. It's the perfect size for a home office and has special touches like the built-in drawers on the left side and the blue upholstered wing chairs that make up a small seating area. 

It's a dream of mine to have the opportunity to write full time, and if I ever have the privilege, this is what I want my home office to look like. 

Thursday Night Cocktail: Smashed Grape Cocktail

Recipe and Image via Verses from my Kitchen

Ingredients

12 grapes

6 basil leaves

1 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. simple syrup

4 ounces vodka

2 cups soda water

Ice

Directions

Place 10 grapes in the bottom of a shaker and smash up with a cocktail muddle. Pour contents through a sieve and reserve juice.

Rinse shaker and place basil in the bottom. Lightly muddle to release oils. Top with simply syrup, grape juice and lemon juice and stir. Add ice and pour vodka over top. Add honey and soda water and shake.

Cut two grapes in half and place 2 halves in each glass. Pour shaker contents in glasses and serve.

Serves 2.

Street Chic: Kate Moss

Kate Moss is one of the few models out there that is as well known for her personal style as she is for her modeling work. She is a major style icon for me (and for women everywhere!) and has single-handedly given us the skinny jean, the shorts and tights in the winter combination, and my personal favorite, the casual fur look. Thank you Miss Moss! 

Shop This Sale: Anthropologie

Anthropologie just started their big summer sale in-store and online and they have tons of great clothing & accessories, plus super cute home stuff. I have already filled my cart with a bunch of great jewelry pieces and a sparkly scarf. 

Get over there and check out the goods!

Sorry for the lack of posts....

Hey Peeps, sorry for the lack of posts.  I have been under the weather the last couple of days. 

Check back tomorrow for my Street Chic post on Kate Moss! 

Monday Morning Pick Me Up: Show Up

Last week was a rough one ladies, and all I wanted to do was give up and go home to bed. Luckily a friend reminded me of why its important to keep showing up!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, especially my Dad for always being there to help me, even when I'm a pain in the ass!

Room of the Week: Classic Dining Room with a Twist

Private Dining Room at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco

When it comes to interior design, I consider myself a classic girl. What I love about this dining room is that it has a classic look with some updated details. You have a beautiful dining room table and crystal chandelier with a burst of color from the chairs and a wallpaper choice that adds interest to the room. You cal also see that the chairs pick up on the green in the carpet. The design is classic enough to stand up for the next 10 years, without it looking like your grandmother's dining room.

Image via Finishing Touch Interiors

A Manly-Man Breakfast for Father's Day

Mother's Day is often celebrated with a nice brunch and for Father's Day it's popular to throw a BBQ. My Dad likes BBQ, but he LOVES breakfast, so my sisters and I are cooking up a big, hearty morning feast for him to enjoy when he gets home from his round of Sunday golf.

For a typical holiday breakfast or brunch my Mom plans a big, elaborate menu and gets all fancy, but my Dad isn't really into all that. He just wants lots of yummy food and lots of family. The family part is no problem seeing as the man has FIVE kids. Yes, that's right, I am one of five. My parent's were crazy, right? 

OK, now onto the food bit. My usual go-to brunch recipes aren't going to cut it for my Dad's manly-man breakfast, so I started pulling together some recipe ideas that are a bit heartier. OK, a lot heartier. 

Brown Sugar Bacon from Paula Deen

Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict by Spoon Fork Bacon

Thursday Night Cocktail: Pink Lemonade Cocktail

Recipe via Southern Living

Ingredients

1 (12-oz.) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

3 (12-oz.) bottles beer (not dark), chilled $

3/4 cup vodka, chilled $

Ice

Garnishes: fresh cranberries, citrus slices

Directions

Stir together first 3 ingredients. Serve over ice. Garnish, with cranberries or citrus slices.

Cheers!

Shop This Sale: Up to 70% Off at NET-A-PORTER

Another round of markdowns have been made at the NET-A-PORTER sale with some items priced at 70% off. Get the goods while you can girls!

Under $100

Splendid Jersey Sweatshirt $42

Charles Philip Shanghai Anchor Slippers $94.50

Street Chic: Gossip Girl Edition

Despite being far removed from my days in high school, when the now defunct TV show Gossip Girl came out, I fell in love....not with the show, but with the fashion! 

I had planned on doing a Street Chic post on Blake Lively, but as I searched around for my fave looks, I realized they were all from the set of Gossip Girl instead of real life. I decided to go with the flow and make this week's post a homage to all things vintage Gossip Girl style. Enjoy!

Hey, Check This Out: Brunch at Clink

A while back I bought one of those deals on Gilt City for brunch at Clink, a restaurant inside The Liberty Hotel in the Beacon Hill section of Boston. We are big on breakfast and brunch in my family so I rounded up my sisters this past Saturday and we headed over to the hotel to enjoy brunch and plot out our plans for how we were going to celebrate Father's Day for my Dad and older brother.

The place was hopping when we arrived, even though it was only 10 a.m., which I think is on the earlier side for brunch. Clink serves both breakfast and brunch on the weekends, and they cater to both locals and hotel guests, so I would recommend making reservations ahead of time to avoid having to wait for a table.

Every weekend they have a Make Your Own Bloody Mary bar, which is like a Make Your Own Sundae bar for adults!

Two of my sisters had Eggs Benedict - excellent hollandaise sauce.

My other sister (I gave three!) has the stuffed french toast, also excellent.

The food was great and so was the service. Our server couldn't have been nicer, and for peak brunch time,  the food came out incredibly quick.

I had the the western omelet, and of course I forgot to take a snapshot (yet again!). It was very tasty, but the best part of my meal was the fresh, warm mini croissants. My breakfast came with toast but they obliged my request for croissants instead. Let me tell you, THEY WERE AMAZING! I have tried every breakfast pastry out there and these were by far the best croissants I have ever had.

The croissants alone are reason enough to go back again for brunch, so this place is definitely going on my repeat list. Maybe I'll bring the whole family next time!