Shades of Red

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin
Shirt-Banana Republic

Skirt-H&M

Bracelets-David Yurman

Necklace-Lee Angel

Clutch-Laura Merkin

Shoes-Loeffler Randall

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

So my obsession with red continues and this time it manifests in this H&M skirt I bought recently. I wore this to a meeting I had with my real estate agent to sign some papers for my new place! Yup, I will be a first time homeowner and am beyond excited and nervous of all the *gulp* responsibilities that come with it. I've been researching some interior decorating blogs and shopping for furniture as of late but between that and work, it's been a bit overwhelming. Nonetheless, I was in a great mood waking up so I wanted my outfit to reflect what I was feeling with bright and bold colors. Happy Wednesday everyone!:)

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...
1. Found myself randomly at Old Navy and ended up buying a cozy knit sweater (amongst other things) for an incredible deal.
2. Met up with some girlfriends for dinner to catch up on life happenings.
3. Caught up with some of my favorite food and fashion magazines.
4. Bought several lipsticks in shades I've never worn before. I'm excited to experiment with these bold colors since I never wear lipstick. "Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." Gwyneth Paltrow


How was your weekend?

NomNom: Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Of all the ladies from the food network, I have to say that Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa is the one person whose home I would love to be invited over to. She always gives off this warm, pleasant, and welcoming vibe and presents her meals in a way that makes you want to be invited over. It doesn't hurt that she lives in the Hamptons either HA! I came across her rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes recipe a couple nights ago which was actually perfect timing, because for some odd reason I was craving potatoes. The thing is, I never crave potatoes--in fact, I'm very picky when it comes to eating potatoes. For example, I love french fries but dislike baked potatoes. I'll eat mashed potatoes only when I'm in the mood for it (which is rare), but other then that I'll pass the dish right along. Yea, call me strange but that's the way I feel about them. I made this quick and easy dish to satisfy my craving and oh my gosh were they DELICIOUS. The marriage of rosemary and garlic is a union in food heaven but then again any dish which has garlic as one of the star players is always a win.

 I actually added a little more garlic then what the recipe 

called for cuz I have a love affair for garlic.

A little off topic but whenever I type the word potatoes I always have to second guess myself if I spelled it correctly. Am I the only one neurotic like that? No thanks to Dan Quayle. Anyways, back to the recipe. Not only was this a super tasty side dish but the prep time was easy breezy and for that, this dish will most likely be rotating on my dinner menu from now on. Bon appetit!

Recipe (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)
1 1/2 pounds small red or white-skinned potatoes (or a mixture)
1/8 cup good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)<---I added 4 cloves
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated.
3. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve.

Wanderlust: Italy Part due

Following up from my post on my vacation, one of the things I absolutely love when visiting a foreign country is exploring their cuisine. I love to try things I've never eaten before (not exactly Andrew Zimmerman level though) and I believe that sharing in a country's cuisine is the best way to get to know their culture. One of the most outstanding eats I encountered on this trip was fried anchovies in Cinque Terre. Since this town is along the Italian Rivieria, seafood is obviously a staple in their food. Some of you may be thinking, "fried anchovies?? Uhhh." But trust me, it was absolutely fantastically delicious. It's considered street food and comes in paper cones that reminds me of something that french fries would come in. Squeeze some lemon juice on those little fishes and it's game over. I feel like anchovies get a bad rap here in the states, perhaps because they're prepared too salty but this was not the case. Ok let me stop with the anchovies, I think you get the picture. Another thing I stuffed my face in was pesto. Pesto sauce is usually made from basil leaves, pine nuts, pecorino cheese, garlic, and olive oil and it actually originates from this region so they had pesto everything on restaurant menus and it was divine.

 

Dont be fooled by this one picture of gelato. You know that saying, "When in Rome do as the Romans do?" Yea well, I did exactly just that. I had gelato every.single.day....sometimes even twice shhhh. Gelato is an Italian frozen treat that has the similar make up as ice-cream but it has less butterfat content which makes it healthier. This is what I told myself everyday to justify my daily gelato needs HA! My favorite flavors and trust me, I tried them all, was pistachio and fragalo (strawberry). Sigh I will miss this.

 

When deciding which wines to go with my meals, I chose each restaurant's house wine 95% of the time because they were locally produced by the restaurant. I felt like it would be a disservice if it wasn't drank, right? I'm a fan of white wine and oh my, it tasted mighty good throughout all the restaurants. Crisp, slightly fruity, and refreshing was the general taste for the whites.

As always, thanks for reading and taking the time to share in my adventures. If possible, go travel, explore and see the world. It will change your life.

Wanderlust: Italy Part Un

I just got back from vacationing in Italy a couple days ago and am still sorting through all the pictures I took. I have so many to share that this will be most likely be divided into several different posts:) I couldn't have asked for a better vacation because the weather was perfect (high reached to upper 80's and the lowest it got was in the 70's). I visited Pisa, Florence and Cinque Terre and each place made a lasting impression on me; however, the most memorable out of the three was Cinque Terre. Cinque, in Italian means "five" and there are five towns along the Italian Riveria (Monterosso, Manarola, Vernazza, Corniglia and Riomaggiore). I rented out an apartment in Manarola and was drawn by the loveliness of this place overlooking the Mediterranean. Similar to the remaining 4 other towns, it is built on cliffs overlooking the sea and in order to get to the other towns you can either hike the connecting paths, take the train or a boat. They are not accessible by car so those are your only options!

I hope you enjoyed some of my travel pics but there's more to come so stay tuned;) "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -St.Augustine