Easter Inspiration

I loved Easter as a kid, mostly for the color palette, but, as I gold older, it's significance dwindled. Then, I married into a Catholic family and learned that Easter doesn't have to be just for kids. Now, I make homemade pretzels, spend the day with family, and daydream about chic ways to decorate eggs. 

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Valentine's Day Reading List

In the past, I've enjoyed making and sharing playlists for holidays. This Valentine's Day, I thought it might be nice to share a reading list instead. Whether you're in love or heartbroken, romantic or cynical, you can find something to enjoy. 

Classic Love Stories: The Pursuit of Love, Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind, Romeo and Juliet, Breakfast at Tiffany's 

Real-Life Love Stories: Charles and Emma, American Wife

Rock and Roll Love Stories: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Girl in the Song

Erotic: Erotic Poems, The Tropic of Cancer 

Funny: Lysistrata, Bridget Jones's Diary, Just the Tips, The Last Girlfriend on Earth

Heartbreak & Anti-Love: Le Divorce, 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life, The Woman Distroyed

Beyond Romantic Love: Much Loved, The Empathy Exams

Claire's First Birthday

On January 1st my favorite girl celebrated her first birthday. My niece Claire is a such a joy to our whole family. She's obviously beautiful, but she's also incredibly bright and very sweet. She smiles and laughs a lot. She loves sharing and hugging people. When she eats, she makes delighted "nom nom" sounds the whole time. 

Our 2015 Back to the Future Themed New Year's Eve Party

For years and years I've known that when 2015 finally hit, I wanted to celebrate by throwing a Back to the Future themed New Year's Eve party. 

Of course, as the actual date approached, I wasn't exactly in the best situation to host a party. We bought our house this year and we still haven't bought all the furniture we need or hung any or our art or even made curtains for all the windows. I don't know if you know this, but it turns out houses are a lot bigger than apartments. 

I knew that I had to pull it together because 2015 only comes once. Not even once in a lifetime, once. Ryan was a huge help, and together we got the house in order (enough), bought a sofa (we still need a dining room table, but hey, more room for guests to stand), and threw the party of my dreams. 

I made parmesan and herb flux capacitors, DeLorean cupcake toppers, and two themed cocktails, and we all rang in the new year with noise makers and a champagne toast. It was such a joy to host some of my favorite people on such a special day.

What I wore today: 12/31/2014 (Tulle Time)

Ever since Blair Eadie paired a tulle skirt with a plaid shirt two years ago, I've been wanting a tulle skirt so that I could style similarly. I've seen a lot of tulle with red plaid, which I think is gorgeous for Christmastime, but I decided black and white gingham would be a good way to update the look for New Years Eve.

For whatever reason, I rarely wear heels anymore, and I almost paired this outfit with flats, but the instant I put on these heels I realized that the shape and proportion was perfect with the skirt and I kind of remembered why heels are awesome.

We threw a Back to the Future themed party for New Year's Eve (because, hello, 2015!) and had a ton of fun hanging out with our close friends and ringing in another new year. I hope your holidays have been memorable and that 2015 is good to you!

Tulle skirt – Anthropologie 

Gingham shirt – Eddie Baur 

Shoes – Target

What I wore today: 12/25/2014 (Cozy Christmas Day)

I'm going to take a stand today and admit something you may find shocking: I like Ugg boots. I'm not ashamed of it. And yes, they are warm as hell, and yes they are comfortable, but here's the real heart of the issue: I like the way they look!

Sometimes you like ugly things and that's okay. However, I think the real thing that makes people react so strongly against Uggs isn't how ugly they are, but the fact that they are associated with being basic. 

But, you know what, I think it's okay to like some basic things and not worry about people labeling you a basic bitch. Just like it's okay to like some hipster things and not freak out if people call you a hipster. Just like what you like. Real people don't fall one-hundred-percent into stereotypes, but they also don't usually avoid stereotypical traits altogether. 

Here are some things I like that I am not ashamed of...

– Polaroid camera

– Taylor Swift's new album

– Vinyl records

– Bob Evan's pot roast

– Thick-framed glasses

– Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co.

– Mason jars 

– Starbucks

– Antlers 

Merry Christmas, everybody. 

Jeans – Gap

Lace camisole – Free People

Split-back top – Anthropologie

Boots – Ugg

What I wore today: 12/24/2014 (Cozy Christmas Eve)

Not the best photos, sorry. I took them in a rush on the way out the door to the Fohl family Christmas party, and I clearly should have taken more time to select the proper ISO.

That said, I wanted to share this outfit because it is pretty representative of the kind of casual, comfortable look that I've been going to a lot lately. For me, a Christmas outfit should look festive, keep me warm, and feel cozy and comfortable. 

Sweater – J.Crew
Jeans – Anthropologie
Fur snood – Anthropologie
Boots – Jeffrey Campbell, Free People
Socks – Madewell
Ring – Ringly (review post coming soon)

Holiday Recipe: Candy Apple Pie

I love trying new pies for Thanksgiving, and I usually gravitate toward classics with a twist. This year I made the pumpkin creme pie I make every year at Ryan's request, and a candy apple pie. The candy apple pie was pretty neat because it had a delicious cider-caramel sauce on the inside and a hot cinnamon candy shell on the outside. If you have trouble choosing between caramel apples and candy apples when you go to the fair, then this is the pie for you. It was pretty hard to cut, though. So, if I made it again, I'd make less hard candy to give it more of a drizzle that a full coat. 

Recipe slightly adapted from First Prize Pies

Ingredients:

Crust:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup whole milk (plus extra for glaze)
1 T. apple cider vinegar
12 ounces or 3 cups flour
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt

Filling:
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 pounds granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

Candy topping:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 t. cinnamon extract
10 drops red food coloring

Step 01. Cut butter into roughly 1/2 inch cubes. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor with a quick whirl. Add butter and blend until mixture is the texture of rough sand. In a measuring cup, stir vinegar into milk. Turn on food processor, and slowly pour milk mixture through the feed tube. Turn processor off as soon as combined. Do not over mix. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Step 02. Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Roll out half the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Trim overhang to 1 inch and refrigerate crust.

Step 03. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat, boil cider until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Lower heat to medium-high, melt butter into cider syrup, and whisk in brown sugar, cream, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook until dark, thick, and glossy (about 7 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool until just warm.

Step 04. Layer apple slices in pie crust and pour caramel sauce over. Brush edges of pie shell with some of the milk reserved for glaze. Roll out remaining pie dough, lay it over the filled pie shell, and trim overhand to 1 inch. Roll edges of both crusts together and crimp. Brush top and edges of pie with remaining milk reserved for glaze.

Step 05. Back pie on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, rotating once halfway through. Lower temperature to 350ºF (175ºC) and back for 30 to 40 minutes until crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Step 06. Wait until pie is cooked to begin candy shell. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat sugar, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water over high heat. Cook until the syrup reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and whisk in cinnamon extract and food coloring. Use a fork to drizzle liquid candy over pie. Do not refrigerate pie (it will soften the candy crust), and serve as soon as possible. 

What I wore today: 11/27/14 (Thanksgiving)

Thanksgiving is always a fun, if somewhat challenging, holiday to dress for. I tend pick out earth-tones, which is a pallet I don't normally wear much of. Add to that the challenges of staying warm, looking nice, and wearing something that facilitates napping on your brother's sofa. 

Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious. My brother made a smoked turkey and a roasted one, and my sister-in-law's mom brought these yams that were cooked with fresh oranges. I made cranberry sauce as usual and two pies. Recipe posts coming next week. 

My niece Claire, who is almost 11 month old now, tried the potatoes, the yams, and even the cranberry sauce. She's an adventurous eater. 

Sweater dress – Missoni for Target

Cardigan – Anthropologie

Boots – Frye

Thanksgiving Recipe: Cranberry Jello Shots

I made these for a potluck friendsgiving-style party that we went to on Friday. It was a fun time. Our friend lives in an apartment building-cum-gallery, and she and some of her artist/art-history-buff friends came up with a game called "Drunk Art History," inspired by the show Drunk History, of course. Everyone picked a piece of famous artwork out of a hat and, after some drinking, we gave 3-minute boozy lectures with the aid of a projector.

I got the recipe here, but I used raspberry Jell-O because I couldn't find cranberry. They were delicious. The cranberry juice combined with the raspberry Jell-O for the perfect cran-raspberry taste.

I wasn't quite sure how to roll the cranberries in honey and sugar, so I just drizzled honey over them in a bowl and stirred, then added a few tablespoons of sugar and stirred again. That method worked well, and I'd recommend it if you give these a try. I was able to get 28 shots out of the recipe, so I only sugared about 40 cranberries, saving the rest of the bag for Thanksgiving cranberry sauce.

Looking for a last-minute Thanksgiving contribution or a quick way to get your family drunk? Look no further.

Easter Wish List

Clockwise from left: Wind and Weather, Etsy, Terrain, Terrain, Modcloth, Anthropologie

Like Halloween, Easter is one of those holidays that you can definitely still enjoy as an adult, sometimes even more than you did as a kid. Easter candy is the best seasonal candy – as far as I'm concerned Reece's Eggs could replace Reece's Cups year round – and it's always fun to get dressed up and fill your home with flowers.