NomNom: Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowl

Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines and is something I could probably eat every week. Rotate that with Korean food and Japanese in between and I'm good to go.

I know Chipotle isn't considered Mexican, rather fast food tex-mex but gosh darnit, it's good stuff. It shares similar ingredients to Mexican food which is probably why it's my favorite "fast food" meal. The whole mix of buttery cilantro rice mixed with marinated meat, beans, cheese, corn, all wrapped into a warm tortilla and well you get the picture.....it's magic. 

Another food love in my life is quinoa. It's a new love that started early last year with this first dish I made in this post and that amazing ancient grain has continued to pull through in other dishes I've prepared in the kitchen; but, today's recipe tugged at some food strings like woah. I'm not a vegetarian by any means and honestly prefer dishes with some sort of meat in it but when you mix all the wonderful flavors together you forget that it lacks meat and that it's actually....healthy.

Call it the healthier version of the Chipotle burrito bowl if you will but the take home message is that this recipe is a an absolute winner.

The burrito bowl is packed with wonderful flavors coming from the black beans and lime juice infused quinoa AND it's really good for you. That kind of combo is hard to find but it does exist friends, and I can prove that to you with today's recipe

Have a great Easter weekend. Xo.

Crisp

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blazer-Alice & Olivia (buy here)

Blouse-Old Navy (buy here)

Khaki pants-Uniqlo

Purse-Louis Vuitton

Cuff-Hermes

Shoes-Pour La Victoire (buy here)

Now that Spring is here, some of the colors I associate this new season with is crisp white and classic khaki. There's something very simple yet timeless about pairing white and khaki together that will never go out of style. Streamlining the look by staying within the the same color palettes can elevate these basic colors into something very crisp and chic. 

On another note, Refinery29 DC featured my Stripes Reversed outfit yesterday and you can see the street style post HERE:) 

Have a great rest of the week! Xo.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend....

1. I officially converted into becoming a Mac user. I bought a much needed laptop (my previous one was on it's deathbed) and decided on the new Macbook Pro with retina display. I've been playing around with it over the weekend trying to familiarize myself with it and the more I've become used to it makes me realize....why has it taken me so long to get one?

2. Finally satisfied my sushi craving at one of my favorite sushi restaurants (Yuraku) located in Germantown, Maryland. It's a bit of a drive but well worth it, especially when it comes to my food cravings.

3. Upgraded my current David Yurman Albion ring to a bigger version of it and in a new color. Don't get me wrong, I'll still be wearing my 1st one frequently but I am loving my new ring. Bling bling.

4. Received a package full of new Essie nail polish colors and cuticle kit courtesy of Aquaphor! Looking forward to sharing these new colors with you.

5. Went to dinner with Mel and company to our favorite hot pot place in Virginia, called Hot Spot. This weekend was unusually frigid, especially with it being Spring so warming up to a hot meal and butter beer was perfect.

How was your weekend?

Yellow

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Shirt-J.Crew (buy here)

Coated jeans-Rag and Bone (buy here)

Scarf, purse-Louis Vuitton

Shoes-Pour La VIctoire

Cuff-Hermes

Necklace-David Yurman (buy here)  

Happy Friday everyone! Since I'm pretty much in love with these coated jeans I decided to wear it again but with a simple (and bright) top. Nothing like injecting a bit of sunshine yellow to your Friday, right?;)

Last night, I had the the pleasure of meeting the curators behind Gilt City DC at a dinner they hosted at Brasserie Beck for some DC bloggers. It was a fantastic time getting to know them and other DC bloggers over several courses spoiled by the Chef. They are kicking off their warehouse sale starting today (lasts until tomorrow) which is basically a good excuse for fashion lovers to shop their favorite designer brands at a very discounted price. Who doesn't love that?

Have a great weekend! Xo.

A New Favorite

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blazer-H&M (old)
Sweater-J.Crew (buy here)
Coated jeans-Rag and Bone (buy here)
Shoes-Pour La Victoire
Purse-Louis Vuitton
Necklace-David Yurman (buy here)
Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Happy first day of Spring everyone! Although today is the official first day, the weather still has a bit of a winter chill to it. Until the temperatures begin to rise and the sun starts to shine brighter, you will find me wearing either a light sweater or my new favorite coated Rag and Bone jeans. I have been wearing them non stop since I bought them and probably will try to get much use out of these new favorites before it's time to take out shorts from the closet;)

Have a great week rest of the week. Xo.   

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Kicked off the weekend with homemade huevos rancheros for brunch along with some mimosas. Who doesn't love a little bubbly for lunch?;) I used two recipes and made it into one and will share with you soon. Good stuff.

2. Finally got a much needed haircut. The last time I got a haircut was nearly a year ago so you can imagine how unhealthy my ends were. The lady who usually cuts my hair trimmed my bangs too short so that pretty much ruined my afternoon. Maybe I'm being melodramatic but I'm so particular when it comes to my bangs. Ugh.

3. Dined at Washington D.C.'s latest ramen place, Daikaya. I ordered the Shio ramen (with extra pork belly, naturally) which had the most perfect broth. The only negative thing I could say about the ramen bowl was that the noodles were a bit too chewy for me. The perfect bowl of ramen would be the noodles from Sakuramen (also located in DC) and the broth from Daikaya. Oh my gosh, if only.

4. Watched Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center. With out giving too much away, it's basically an interactive whodunit play that allows the audience figure out the murder mystery. It was entertaining to watch but it probably could've been 30 min shorter.

5. Was around Logan Circle since I had an appointment in the area and noticed a sign outside a small wine shop that said free wine tasting. Needless to say, two bottles were picked up.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Bacon & Brie Grilled Cheese w/ Jam Sandwich

Do you ever have one of the moments in the kitchen where you stand in front of your fridge and think to yourself, "There's nothing to eat." This usually translates into my closet too where I look at my wardrobe and think I have absolutely nothing to wear. I know, it's eye roll inducing. But that's ok because us girls are allowed to have those kinda moments. On the regular. 

Earlier this week I had a day off from work and happened to be home during lunch hour and had one of the moments after peering into my fridge. Trying to think of something to concoct that was quick, easy, and tasty led my eyes to zone in solely to the brie and bacon.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned on my weekend snapshots that my friend got me a set of fancy jams from the Reading Terminal in Philly so since I still haven't used all the jams yet, I thought that I'll make myself a sandwich out of these 3 ingredients.

Best decision of my life. As I was perusing the web for recipes on variations of this sandwich, I noticed the only real difference was the type of bread or jam used. No biggie.

This sandwich is the bomb dot com. A definite keeper. I mean, there's salty bacon involved, melted creamy and soft brie cheese all nestled in between sweet, sweet jam. I mean...

After biting into this sandwich, it made me wonder why I haven't made this sooner. So.late.to.the.game. Anyway, I wanted to share this with you asap so you could experience this deliciousness in your kitchen too. Better late then never, right?

Have a great weekend. Xo

Ingredients (Yields:1 sandwich)
3 slices of bacon cooked crisp
2 slices of bread (I used Italian loaf)
Jam (I used blackberry apple jam)
4 thin slices of Brie, about 4" long
Butter

Procedure

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and butter one side of each slice of bread.  Slather the jam on the unbuttered side of two of the slices. Layer the bacon and brie slices between the slices of the jammed side and assemble the sandwich with the buttered side facing out. Place the buttered side down of those two slices in the skillet.

2. Fry the sandwich on the skillet until they are perfectly browned/toasted and the cheese is just about melted. Remove them from the pan, cut, and serve hot.

Stripes Reversed

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blazer, shirt-H&M

Boyfriend jeans-Gap (extra 30% off today only using code PRESALE, buy here)

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Clutch-Marc Jacobs (buy here)

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

One of the trends for Spring 2013 is stripes which is pretty exciting since I'm already a fan of anything striped. They are timeless, classic, and versatile when putting together outfits. I've been loving striped blazers lately and wanted to pair my recent purchase with another striped piece underneath. In order to avoid the outfit from looking too dizzy, I wore the reverse striped colors underneath and injected it with a bit of color from a belt to help break apart all the horizontal lines. A pop of yellow is also a happy reminder that Spring is almost here;)

What trends are you looking forward to most for Spring?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Bought seeds to grow a cilantro plant. I don't have a green thumb by any means (I killed my parsley plant last summer) and almost killed my bamboo plant (who does that?!) but I'm going to attempt once more to grow one of my favorite herbs that is used frequently in my dishes. Wish me luck.

2. Ordered a pair of cool Rag and Bone coated jeans last week (they look like leather) and it was finally delivered over the weekend. I've recently come across their denim line and have pretty much become obsessed with their jeans after trying them on. They have the prefect amount of stretch and they fit like a glove. Though they're a bit pricey, I think they are worth the splurge.

3. Met up with a friend to have dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant in the Columbia, MD area. The lighting was extremely dim so the photos were too dark to post, so no food pictures today. I haven't seen my friend since my housewarming party so we knew we would have loads to catch up on but didn't realize that our dinner conversation would last for 4 hours. Love it. Since our work schedules are unconventional, it's always a bit difficult to coordinate a time to meet up (it took about a month to arrange our dinner) but so glad we got to catch up on life happenings.

4. Finally used my Starbucks coffee cups I bought recently (and on sale!). They're just the cutest, right?

5. Had a craving for frozen yogurt so we stopped by Pinkberry to satisfy that craving before watching Oz, The Great and Wonderful. We watched it on IMAX/3D and it was cool to see a fantasy movie in 3D, especially since the movie involved lots of mystical creatures that would randomly pop out. The movie itself was entertaining to watch and gives you more insight to the characters behind the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz.

How was your weekend?

Little Black Skirt

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blazer-H&M (buy here)

Blouse-Gap (on sale here)

Skirt-Maje (love this style here)

Shoes-Pour La Victoire (buy here)

Necklace-Alexis Bittar
Ring-David Yurman (buy here)

Happy Friday, friends! I am so relieved that this week is finally over and the weekend is finally here. It's been a rough week both personally and professionally but glad to see that things are starting to turn around. 

I don't know about you, but it's always hard finding simple, basic items for the closet. I'm pretty particular when it comes to clothes because it has to be the right fabric/color, have interesting details, and most importantly, fit well. For awhile I've been on the hunt to find a good form fitting black skirt that actually hugs my body instead of hanging loose on the side, and since I'm petite, finding clothes that fit right can at times be annoying and difficult. I recently came across this skirt while shopping and was initially attracted because of the texture to it. It's hard to tell from the photos but it has a cool, lizard skin embossed print to it with out it being actual leather material. Details get me every time.

I'm not too familiar with this label Maje, but after doing a quick search and look of their collection on the web, I found their pieces to be simple yet edgy, playful, and cool. I approve. The fact that the skirt itself fits well on my body has my interest peaked even more for future purchases;)

Have a great weekend. Xo.

Before the Snow

Sweater-J.Crew (buy here)

Blazer-Theory (buy here)

Jeans-H&M

Clutch-Saint Laurent (buy here)

Shoes-Pour La Victoire (buy here)

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Ring-Alexis Bittar (buy here)

Happy snow day everyone! The East coast has been getting hit with snow since late last night and it's supposed to snow until midnight today so hopefully you are staying warm and safe through this weather. I guess Winter wants to go out with a bang one last time before it allow Spring to come around:)

This outfit was obviously worn before the snow and when the weather was warmer. Blazers are timeless and a great transitional piece that is perfect to wear during Spring, especially since evenings can be a bit cool.

Stay warm, enjoy the snow, and have a great day. Xo.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Dined at Range which is Bryan Voltaggio's (Top Chef contestant) latest restaurant that opened in December. It was supposed to be a night out with two of my favorite girlfriends but one friend got stuck with food poisioning so it ended up being a date night with my other friend. I always love eating out with friends that share the same passion for food as I do because we have no reservations when it comes to ordering whatever and how many dishes we want. We're definitely not what you would call picky eaters. The restaurant boasts a "range" of dishes from crudos to pastas to grilled proteins and has a tapas style plating and between the two of us, we ordered 7 dishes (not including dessert). I only pictured the most memorable dishes from that night which were the lobster mac 'n cheese, cornbread (a bit dry) and bacon marmalade (oh my gosh we literally were scooping the marmalade from the dish straight into our mouths because it was just that good) and the goat cheese ravioli over braised meat ragu. The space is huge and the decor is modern and clean. Great date night option or just a night out with good girlfriends.

2. Wore this striped blazer I bought a couple of weeks ago all throughout the weekend. I have a weakness for stripes (and Alexis Bittar jewelery) and couldn't resist adding another striped piece to my closet.

3. Wanted to have a healthy dinner over the weekend so I cooked my favorite salmon recipe and tried out a new quinoa recipe that was unbelievably good. It's a quinoa black bean burrito bowl which reminds me of a vegetarian burrito bowl at Chipotle, only this recipe uses quinoa. Will share the recipe soon. Xo.

4. Finally got the chance to try out some fancy jams that my photographer friend gifted me with from his weekend trip to Philly. He knows how curious I am when it comes to things I've never tried or may sound strange so he surprised me with a set of jams that had flavors I never would've though of in the form of jam. Thanks again, friend:)

5. Spent one of the days in Baltimore and ended up dining at Jack's Bistro. This place has been on my radar for awhile now but since I don't frequent the Baltimore area often I haven't had the chance to go. I'm so glad we decided on this restaurant because the food was impeccable. Some of the highlights were the chocolate mac n' cheese, Guinness meat and bacon grits (I'm not even a fan of grits but this was my favorite dish), Hickory smoked whole tomato with fried feta cheese (amazing smoky flavor yet still tastes light and fresh) and perfectly cooked sous vide Argentine steak. Highly recommend if ever in the Baltimore area. 

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Chocolate Almond Bark

So this chocolate almond bark is kind of a big deal in my life right now. I've been having some strange chocolate cravings lately (the past 2 weeks to be exact) which ultimately makes me want to eat a piece of chocolate every.single.day. Life's been hard.

I needed a quick fix the day I made this. I blame it on Ina Garten. I watched her make her version of a chocolate bark a couple days earlier and I couldn't get the image out of my mind. As I quickly did an internet search on her recipe, I actually didn't have anything that was required from the recipe, other then the chocolate itself. Fail.

She used apricots and cashews in her bark which I didn't have, but as I looked at my panty, my eyes quickly darted to this big ol' bag of almonds and dry cranberries.Win.

The hardest part of this recipe was waiting for the chocolate to harden up. Seriously. It takes at least a couple of hours before you can break apart the goodness and stuff it in your mouth. My mom happened to be visiting me when I made this so I packed some for her to take when she left. She called me on her drive home asking for the recipe so she can make it for some friends she was having over the following day. True story.

Feel free to experiment with different nuts and dried fruits. Variety is the spice of life.

Have a beautiful weekend. Xo.


Ingredients (Makes about 16 pieces)
1/2 cup chopped almond
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli for the chocolate chips)
1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dry cranberries

Procedure
1. Line 9x13 in. baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Roughly chop whole almonds and put in skillet. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Set aside.

3. Melt the chocolates together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Remove from heat and pour half of the toasted almonds into the melted chocolate and mix it in.

4. Pour melted chocolate in baking pan and spread the chocolate out in a rectangular shape. Sprinkle the remaining chopped almond and cranberries. Set aside for at least 2 hours or until firm. Break into 2 or 3-inch pieces and serve.