Lazy Sundays

Chris and I woke up this morning with the urge to make a Trader Joe's run. We used to love getting up every Sunday and making egg and bacon biscuits, but had been taking a break from them for a long time. These biscuits are definitely something to treat yourself to on a Sunday, but not every day. These are super cheap & easy to make and are the perfect indulgence. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, you can still buy all the ingredients at your regular supermarket.

Sunday outfit:

Button-down, Cords in "Garland", Necklace: J. Crew
Leopard print flats: Target
Lipstick: Revlon "Love That Red"
*I'm on the shorter side, so finding pants that fit is a difficult task. I found this great pair of high-waisted corduroy pants at J. Crew for around $88 (but well worth the price). Since they're long on me, I just roll up the bottoms! Perfect to pair with one of their signature "Perfect Fit" button-down shirts and a simple necklace.
J. Crew cords (selected colors currently on sale for $79.50, normally $89.50): http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/pants/corduroy/PRDOVR~50834/50834.jsp

Made with:

*Buttermilk biscuits(ours were ready-to-bake)
*Eggs (scrambled with pepperjack cheese)
*Applewood Smoked Bacon (we like to spread some maple syrup inside the biscuits for an added touch of sweetness)



Ringo, watching all the breakfast-making action from under the table

Thanksgiving Day

This Thanksgiving was probably the easiest and less stressful it's ever been. Normally Chris and I celebrate twice because of our two families. But this year we joined forces into one giant 23-person celebration including friends and close family. I still can't believe we even have leftovers.

My Thanksgiving outfit I threw together after finding this amazing sequin cupcake sweater. I knew I wanted to keep the outfit mostly black, since the sweater was so flashy.

Coat, Skirt, Tights: Forever 21
Sweater: Urban Outfitters
Bow flats: Target

I'm pretty impressed by the interactive table game I put together (inspired by an art kit I found at Paper Source) that I only spent $3 on. Each guest filled out a card where they listed the things they were most thankful for anonymously, and Chris' 9 year old cousin read them out loud while we all ate pie in the kitchen. I encouraged everyone's answers to be somewhat silly, and they definitely turned out to be. So much laughter ensued.

The table set up :



Close-up of my place cards:



The prettiest centerpiece (on our other table):




The appetizer spread:



...complete with two kinds of cheese and honey (my favorite part).

We actually had a first course which was butternut squash soup (not pictured) with bits of blue cheese and sage, and then this glorious salad (those croutons were homemade by Chris' grandmother). I loved the touch of pomegranate seeds.



Classic Italian family pasta course.



Some of the guests enjoying their owl place cards (Robin decided to turn hers into a necklace)



The long line of yummy food



The plate. Cannot get over the sausage stuffing, and my mom's amazing sweet potatoes.



Lots and lots of pies (Back to front: Two apple pies, Two pumpkin pies (one with walnuts), and my chocolate chess pie. Chris' grandmother made the apples & pumpkins and those chocolate truffles. Not pictured: Brownies.

The next day, the whole family decided to walk down the street to the tire swing.

For an early dinner, Chris and I took our friends to one of our favorite places, Umami Burger. I'm still drooling over my favorite on the menu: Truffle Burger. I would eat there every day if I could. But that would not be good for my health.

And finally, a reflection on the wall due to the sparkles on my sweater. Love how this turned out.

Thanksgiving prep

The past few days have been filled with baking, crafting, and making lists. Yesterday I tried my hand at baking a green tomato pie, which actually isn't very Thanksgiving-themed, but we had all the ingredients in the kitchen and I thought it would be fun to try something new. I also went to Michaels and picked up glitter glue and foam owls to make for our DIY placecards. They're a little childish, but so cute, I just couldn't resist. I honestly don't have a lot of money right now because I lost my job, so I'm impressed that I was able to put together cute little place cards for around $6 total ($1.99 for the glitter glue and $3.99 for the owls). I also bought a stack of flashcards for a dinner table activity that I'll share later.

Adding the cubes of butter...









It actually was pretty tasty! I'm usually a sweet pie lover, not so much a savory. But it's definitely worth trying.

They're not finished yet. I was thinking of drawing little acorns on the back, or writing a Thanksgiving-themed phrase, so that everyone gets something different, but I'm starting to run out of that glue.
'

Rainy weekend in LA

This has been a pretty lazy weekend for me. I was lucky enough to not have any plans, so naturally I managed to stay in bed watching Waitress and Julie & Julia, and the only time I got out of bed was to go to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for my usual Vanilla Ceylon tea latte, and then over to the supermarket for ingredients to make my next pie venture (pictured below). Today since it was raining, I thought it would be a nice day to go window shopping. On my way home, I had a craving for sushi and went to my local Japanese restaurant. It's kind of nice just sitting at the sushi bar, ordering a couple of your favorite rolls, and just.. relaxing. With next week being Thanksgiving and all, I'm enjoying the peaceful quiet time I've been lucky enough to have.

Brown Butter Pie - This pie consists of: two cups (packed) of brown (dark or light) sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, three eggs, and 1/2 a stick of butter.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. First, take your pie crust and place it into your pie pan. Take the 1/2 stick of butter (make sure it's room temp), and beat it until it's smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat it more until it's all even and mixed thoroughly. Then add the three eggs, one at a time, and finally the vanilla extract. By the time the mixture is done, the consistency should be like pudding.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 5 minutes. Then set the temperature to 350 degrees and bake from 25-35 minutes. The pie should be done once it's nicely browned on top, slightly firm in the center, and able to wiggle a little. Take the pie out and let it cool for about 10 minutes, then serve!

Sushi today:





I love coming home to my little man:

Babycakes, How I Love Thee.

When I woke up this morning, I had a reminder in my inbox about the GiltCity sale for Babycakes NYC Cupcakes & Cookies, and judging by the fact that I had no plans today, I figured it would be a great day to use that coupon and to check out the storefront.

I'm still drooling over the maple donut and chocolate chip cookies. The store was much smaller than I thought it would be, but was adorable. I loved the little sign outside and the girls' uniforms by Built By Wendy are to die for. If I ever open my bakery, wearing a cute uniform will be high up on the list of priorities.

If you still act right now, for $11 you can get two cupcakes and 6 cookies. Run, don't walk, people!

http://www.giltcity.com/los-angeles/lababycakes

Music of the Week

Lately "Only in Dreams" by the Dum Dum Girls has been on repeat on my ipod. I love their sound: fuzzy surf guitars, simple drums, and poppy melodies.

Winter Wishes

For anyone who knows me, I love Anthropologie. I can always find something that is just unique enough that I won't feel like someone else could be walking down the street wearing it. Everything is made well, and fits pretty true to size. I was browsing through the store earlier today and came across some pretty crush-worthy dresses that I would love to own.

1. Miramar dress - $368.00


2. Fluted Ponte dress - $158.00



3. Spangled Moderne shift - $258.00



4. Glinting Persica sweater dress - $188.00


5. Twist & Refresh dress - $168.00

Two Years: Part Two

I don't know why, but there's something magical to me about Las Vegas. I've always been a fan of anything themed: themed hotels, themed parties.. plus, Vegas is only about 4 hours away so it's a pretty easy way to get out of town but still not too far away. We left in the morning and hit zero traffic, stayed at Planet Hollywood Towers, danced. ate at Fleur by Hubert Keller and Mesa Grill. And we laughed, a lot, even though I had no voice. I'm glad that our hotel had a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf so I could at least indulge in my favorite Vanilla Ceylon hot tea.





Mid-afternoon snack at Pink's before dinner at Fleur:


Walked around the Bellagio:









And of course, my favorite stop, the Beatles shop inside the Mirage:







Can I just say how gorgeous the Cosmopolitan hotel is?





Back at the hotel, and on our way to dinner:



Enjoying some hot sake before dinner:



I had forgotten to take the plastic off my new iphone (oops) so my flash photos came out ghostly:



What you see above is Parmesan Paprika popcorn, and behind it the onion soup "shooters". Yum.

Danced to some Beyonce at Rokvegas, where the ladies get in for free, and also get the drinks for free (poor boyfriends):



When we got back to the hotel, I had to get some tea, and came across this amazing glittery ball that changed colors every 5 seconds:



The next morning, I woke up craving this dish I saw on Food Network at Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill, located inside Caesars Palace, and yes, it was as yummy as I had hoped it would be:



Corn, shrimp, buttery white wine sauce.. I was sold.



..and a wonderful anniversary trip it was.