Staying Warm

Greetings to you on this chilly Monday morning.

Well the winter snow is officially upon us and I thought this would be the perfect time to focus on Dior’s word of the week which is Coats!

This is hands down my favorite coat! When I first laid eyes on this beauty I was very pregnant and feeling pretty gross in everything I put on. But when I saw it I knew that it would be the perfect addition to my coat collection. It’s from Banana Republic and was a collaboration with my favorite style icon Olivia Palermo.

Dior touches on Summer coats which I love. But I think the kimono has sort of taken over the silk summer coat as it is so similar. Isn’t it funny that there was a time that you didn’t leave the house without a coat no matter the season? There were even house coats back then. Which I wouldn’t mind that coming back. He also talks a lot of practicality. In my opinion, red is very practical and goes with almost everything. The style of this coat is also timeless. Invest in pieces you’ll have forever.

Here’s to staying warm in a chic way in your favorite coat!

A Classic Twist

Hello Friday!

We did it! We made it! The weekend is here!

It’s been a heck of a week over here, let me tell you. With our photography company being slammed (and this was supposed to be our off season), and a teething, running one year old, I am very much ready for a drink. I’ve made an Old Fashioned many times before but when I added a little Maple Syrup instead of the normal sugar cube, it was a very welcome change in this classic cocktail.

What you need:

What you do:

Simply just add syrup, water, and bitters in a glass and stir until well blended. Then add your ice and orange peel, and top with bourbon. Garnish with orange peel and cherry.

That’s all for today! Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!

Kitchen Fearlessness

It’s Wednesday and I might be in the routine enough to know what day it is now.

I think it’s so important to try things in the kitchen. Anything. Any recipe, from any part of the world. I feel like so many have a fear of “what if it’s gross” or “what if I mess it up?”. So what! And believe me I’ve messed things up. There is an Orzo Scallop dish that still haunts me. It was a stupid mistake but the important part is that you tried something new and pushed yourself out of your comfort zone.  

I could live off of sushi so this week I attempted a simple California Roll. Now, I made sushi once years ago and it was great. The only difference this time is that I made the sticky rice from scratch before and it took forever! I’m a little more food savvy now, I realized that you can just buy the sticky rice. Seriously don’t mess with making it.

I was for sure a little leary to make it again and really wanted to do it right. Luckily you only need a few ingredients to make it:

Crab or shrimp (it’s the most simple if you don’t want to mess with raw fish) 

Sticky rice (I used Annie Chun’s one minute sticky rice) 

Cucumber slices, seeded and sliced thin

Cream cheese , I used low fat

Bamboo rolling mat and paddle

Nori, toasted seaweed wraps

*Find the rice, mat and paddle (sold together),

and Nori in the Asian section of your grocery store. 

First, you have to decide if you want you sushi rice side out or Nori side out. It’s called an inside our roll to have your rice on the outside which is what I did.

Then, wrap your mat in plastic wrap so the rice won’t stick. The rice is sooooo sticky! You’ll really need that paddle. Spread the rice.

Next just add your Nori on top of the rice. 

Next, add your crab, cream cheese, and cucumbers.

After that, just use your mat to roll everything. Make sure your roll is nice and tight (might could have been tighter). All you have to do after that is cut your rolls and enjoy!  

Did my rolls come out perfect? Oh hell no. I need A LOT of practice but I’m so glad I made them because I’m determined to get really good at sushi making. One thing is for sure they were delicious!! If you see my Instastory, then you can see I also tried these with Nori side out. Equally as good but I will say much, much easier.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope this Wednesday treats you well!