Party People!

There are tiny French people partying on my shirt! My husband just looked at this as I was typing and asked, "How do you know they are French?" I responded that there are French phrases all over the shirt, although there are English ones as well, such as "One Martini, two olives, extra dry." Hmm... that sounds good!

Anyway,  I loved the print of the Kate Spade Jessie shirt with sketches from Garance Dore. I really wanted something with this print when the line was first launched this fall from Kate Spade. When I saw that there were people drinking and smoking on the shirt I knew I couldn't wear it to work, therefore limiting places to wear this shirt and what I was willing to spend on it. When this shirt popped up during the Kate Spade Cyber Monday sale I knew I couldn't get it any cheaper so I decided to buy it.

Although I can't wear these smoking and drinking French people to work, I thought the festiveness of the shirt was perfect for New Year's Eve since I presume many people will be smoking and drinking tonight.  On that note I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!

 Outfit:  Shoes and bag: Kate Spade, Sweater: J. Crew,  Jeans: Target, Bag: Chanel

Fancy Pants at the Museum

Today I went to the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in Los Angeles. One of the things that always intrigues me about museums (aside from the obvious answer which is the art) is the people who visit them. People watching is always a joy, but museums tend to attract all sorts of people with a variety of personalities, viewpoints and interesting wardrobe choices. In fact I even did a "multi-genre" project, inspired by the work of Thomas Struth, on people as art within a museum at the Whitney Biennial in graduate school. 

I tried to become a piece of art today by wearing some fancy pants, the J. Crew Toothpick Cords in Ribbon Bow print, with a contrasting leopard print shoe, the J. Crew Valentina pump. Normally I wouldn't mix up these prints, but I am beginning to see how leopard can be a neutral. I think this idea of leopard as a neutral originally came from TV personality Stacy London from What Not to Wear. Anyway, I hope my mixed pattern pallet turned out to be an artistic masterpiece!

Read on for my review of the Toothpick Cords from J. Crew if you are so inclined to purchase your own "fancy pants." When I ordered these pants I wasn't sure about the fit. I was able to zip up a size 27 but I had to do a wiggly dance to get them on and once on they felt really tight. I wondered if I ate a piece of chocolate cake would the button fly off?  I wanted to return them for one size larger, but the sales associate talked me out of this. She said if you can get the pants on and zipped up you should feel uncomfortable because they stretch out. Given this advice I decided to keep my original size. Uncomfortable artsy fancy pants!

Here are some photographs of the art I saw today at the MOCA. I tried to include my favorites from the MOCA's permanent collection. The photos include works (in order of appearance) from Mark Rothko, Alberto Giacometti, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein, Alexander Calder, and Jasper Johns. If you look really close at the Rauschenberg Combine you will see pants, which I thought was quite appropriate for my "fancy pants" blog entry. Also the Lichtenstein reminds me of the roast we had for Christmas dinner.

Soup de Jour

I am trying to keep up with my winter soup challenge, in which I ambitiously declared that I would cook a new soup every week. Soup is always a great way to use up left over ingredients. I have quite a few left overs from Christmas dinner including carrots, onions, and cream. These happened to be most of the ingredients in a recipe for velvet of carrot soup with browned almonds which is from my all time favorite chef Jacques Pepin. Jaques Pepin is truly my culinary idol! The soup for today's recipe is taken from Jacques Pepin Celebrates. The book features a festive picture of Jacques with a sparkler on the cover.

I halved the recipe for this soup, but added a little extra cream, because I wanted to use it all up before it went bad. And to be quite honest, who complains about a little extra cream? Nobody.

I took a photo of the recipe from my copy of Jacques' book. Is that against the law? If so, please don't sue me Jacques! I've bought all of your books and I am an ardent fan. Think of this as a big advertisement for people to go out and buy more of your books! I get the feeling that Jacques, unlike many other "celebrity" chefs, is genuinely about the food and not the fame and money so I don't think he would sue. I don't, however, know about his publisher. Below you will find the finished product of my velvet of carrot soup, the recipe and Jacques sparkler in hand.

 

I also made potato criques with creme fraiche and caviar as an appetizer. I bought my husband caviar for Christmas and I was looking for a different way to serve it. Jacques Pepin had the answer yet again! In his book (this is another shout out Jacques) Jacques Pepin More Fast Food My Way there is a recipe for these served with salad. Jacques also recomends for a "special treat" to serve the potato criques with caviar and sour cream. I substituted the sour cream with creme fraiche to make it extra French and decadent. 

Hearts and Studs

I wore the following outfit to the movies yesterday. We saw Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained in case you were wondering. It was a real blood bath, but a great movie nonetheless.

Anyway, I am wearing my heart on my "shirt" with my Old Navy heart sweater (clearly a J. Crew inspired piece) and my new studded red clutch, the Vince Camuto Louise Clutch. My reasoning for bringing a clutch to the movies was the following: the floors in the movie theaters are always really dirty and so you don't want to put your bag on the floor and sometimes there's not a place to put it next to you if it is crowded. Therefore it's best to go compact. (Unless you're sneaking in soda and a snack which I am sometimes guilty of). I thought a clutch would be a good solution to this problem. Although, it does make going to the bathroom tough because there is no place to put it, save for tucked underneath your arm which can cause a lot of awkwardness!

Evergreen and Rosemary

The sweater I am wearing today reminds me of a big evergreen tree with tangled branches wrapping around my neck or to my husband, its collar looks like a big green octopus. I bought this sweater a few years ago from Anthropologie and thought it would be good for doing some after Christmas errands today. I am pretty tired after prepping for the last three days for Christmas dinner. Below I am including some recipes I used for a very successful Christmas dinner.

My boots are a product of some Christmas shopping I was "wrapping" up last weekend. I found these riding boots at Zara. I liked the Hermes inspired look with the hardware buckle gracing the top of the boot. They were marked down from $179 to $99 and the quality for that price seemed pretty good. I was intrigued that these boots are made in Albania. I've never owned anything from Albania before. I certainly had no idea that they manufactured boots there! 

So now on to the rosemary and my review of Christmas dinner. I decided to make all of Christmas dinner because I like to plan menus and have cohesion. This dinner centered around a beautiful rib roast which I made with a rosemary (for remembrance) garlic and paprika rub. It included pan roasted vegetables that soak up all of the rich drippings from the roast. Very yummy! As sides I made a trifecta of fat laden sides including mashed potatoes, pearl onion au gratin, and creamed spinach. I also made popovers (I've made these since I was about 5 with my mother) and a pear, blue cheese, and walnut mixed green salad. I am including the recipes for these dishes below with a few comments about each. I hope you will enjoy making these if you are so inclined. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but my family raved about every single dish, especially the beef, so these are certainly crowd pleasers!

 Popovers-a-Popping!

 Rib Roast-a-Roasting!

Rosemary Rib Roast with Pan Roasted Vegetables: It's all about the timing for meat and this turned out perfectly which was kind of a fluke. Our meat thermometer was not working ( I don't recommend using electric ones, stick to the old-fashioned analog ones). I would also recommend keeping the vegetables you are roasting whole or cutting them in large generous cuts so that don't get done too quick. Last of all this recipe calls for a lot of salt. It's best to wait to salt the vegetables to taste when they are done to get it just right. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/standing-rib-roast-recipe/index.html

Classic Creamed Spinach: This will taste just like it does at the steak house if you make it right. I would advise using more than the recommended spinach. I used two huge bunches and it barely made enough for 8 people. http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/classic-creamed-spinach.aspx

Pearl Onion Au Gratin: This recipe is easy and perfect. A classic french dish! The topping of bread crumbs, Parmesan and savory is to die for! http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/creamy-pearl-onion-gratin.aspx

Buttermilk and Bacon Mashed Potatoes:  These are wonderful for a little twist on your traditional mashed potatoes. The one thing I would say is the following: if you want to make them really, really good, you need to use copious amounts of butter. I used four sticks. Paula Dean would be proud. http://www.marthastewart.com/355399/buttermilk-and-bacon-mashed-potatoes

Mixed Greens, Pear and Blue Cheese Salad:  The dressing for this is yummy! I made my husband cut the pears and assemble this! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baby-Greens-Pear-Walnut-and-Blue-Cheese-Salad-107065

Cookies for Santa

Tonight Santa will be visiting millions of children around the world. I told William (my Springer puppy) that he best behave if he wants Santa to leave some presents underneath the tree for him. This didn't have a big impact on William because he proceeded to jump all over me. When I reminded him that he wasn't being a very good boy and was surely getting put on Santa's naughty list, he put his head down in dismay and looked at me with his big sad puppy eyes.

In preparation of Santa's visit, I made two types of cookies. The first cookie was a traditional rolled sugar cookie. My husband's family eats these like they there is no tomorrow, so I guess they're good. The second is a lace cookie. This was my first time making lace cookies and they are really easy and very delicious. When I finished baking the lace cookie I spread a generous amount of melted Ghirardelli's chocolate on the bottom and sandwiched it with another cookie. Below you will find recipes and pictures of the end result of both cookies which are plated and ready to be left out for Santa! (If William doesn't get to them first.)

Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt 

1 egg white 

1/2 cup of white sugar sprinkled with cinnamon for decoration of cookie. 

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Put an egg white wash on uncooked cookies. Sprinkle with mix of granulated sugar and cinnamon.

4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Lace Cookies

Ingredients:
 
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces dark chocolate, melted

Directions: 
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla. Mix with the beater blade until smooth. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix to combine.

4. Drop about 3/4 of a teaspoon of batter onto prepared baking sheets. Try to make the cookies all the same size. Place only 12 cookies on each sheet because the cookies will spread in the oven.

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

6. Find 2 cookies that are about the same size. Spread one cookie with melted chocolate. Place other cookie on top. Repeat with remaining cookies.

*Courtesy of The Essence of Chocolate 

Here is a picture of William by our Christmas tree waiting for Santa to bring him some goodies. Perhaps a new bone, a tennis ball, and some doggie treats!

Merry Christmas!

Wool and Plaid, Leather and Chains

While today didn't turn out to be the end of the world, it was the winter solstice. To celebrate this and the last day of work before the holidays, I decided to wear my classic Tartan J. Crew shirt, Smythe wool jacket and Christian Louboutin Cate boots. Let me just say that I love Smythe jackets and blazers and became quite addicted to them last year. The thing I like best about these classic blazers is that they are all made in Canada and the quality is top notch. The fit and tailoring of this brand is very nice, although I do have to take a couple of my blazers in to have the sleeves hemmed. I find this surprising because my arms are fairly long. If you are looking to invest in a Smythe blazer be forewarned that they are notorious for running small. I can fit a size 4/6 in most of their styles, but prefer to size up in order to wear a sweater comfortably underneath.

My boots, the Christian Louboutin Cate, are my favorite boots of all time due to the classic riding boot silhouette mixed with an edgy gunmetal chain in the back. They're business in the front, party in the back. These boots are great if you have small calves and feel like you legs are swimming in other boots.

A Little Holiday Sparkle

I love the holiday season because it provides a great excuse to wear anything with sparkles, sequins, or an excessive amount of plaid. These are a few of my favorite things! Today I am wearing a lot of sparkle and sequins with the Anthropologie sequin confetti mini skirt. (The plaid is to come later in the week as we approach Christmas.)  Ideally I would wear this skirt on New Year's Eve, but I usually stay in with my husband on this day and make a bunch of incredible appetizers and drink Champagne, which doesn't really call for dressing up in anything more than sweatpants.

I paired this festive skirt with a button down blouse from Old Navy in light pink and a pair of grey tights which were featured with the skirt on the Anthropologie website. If you are planning to buy this skirt, I would recommend sizing down as it's a bit big. Usually with Anthro I am a size 4, which is what I ordered in the sequin confetti mini. I had to belt it to cinch it at the waist. 

Brocade and Bows

In honor of the arrival of Christmas, I am dressed up like a present, complete with bow! The J. Crew Giant Bow sweater is the perfect sweater to wear in honor of the season. I am wearing it with my Jade no. 2 pencil skirt for a touch of color.

The jacket I am wearing is an example of "shopping your closet." I hear this phrase thrown around frequently and thought I should give it a try. I have a lot to "shop" from in my closet, so why not take advantage of this opportunity? This brocade and faux fur jacket goes way back. Approximately 10 years back, I think.  I was in college when my mom bought it for me from Anthropologie. I found it when I was going through my closet and thought, "this is pretty cool. Why haven't I worn this?" I guess in a way it is like finding a Christmas gift, just in time for the holidays!