Thursday, April 14, 2011

sparklemotion

good morning! i hope everyone is feeling chipper and well-rested as we face the day before the day before the weekend. obviously, i'm counting down the days.

last night my friend came over and we ate popcorn, sipped bellinis, and just chatted about life. somewhere along the way i threw together dinner for us, which was tasty, colorful, and just happened to match today's outfit.

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beet & heirloom tomato orzo

i'm not sure when i started cooking orzo as if it's risotto, but it works really well and i think it's a lot easier to get the texture you want from it.

about 1 1/2 cups orzo
1 large beet, roasted in the oven until soft, peeled, and cubed
2 small heirloom tomatoes, cubed
a couple of pinches of tarragon
about 2 cups of chicken stock (add as needed)
1 T butter
salt to taste
about 2 oz goat cheese (half a small log)

melt the butter on medium heat in a large pan, and add the tomatoes. toss them around a bit, then add the orzo; let it brown a tiny bit in the pan, stirring it around, then add about a cup of chicken stock and turn the heat down to low. let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is almost gone; taste it and add more chicken stock if still al dente (which it should be.) add the tarragon and continue to cook on low, tasting and adding chicken stock occasionally, until the liquid is almost gone and you have the texture from the pasta you want. add the beets and cook for another minute or two; add salt and goat cheese, stir to coat the pasta, then take off the heat and serve. voila!

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after dinner we played dress-up in my closet for a little while, and ashlee pulled out this dress that i haven't worn in ages; it's inspired me to do some diving back into my closet, because it is jam-packed with gems that i have completely forgotten exist.

dress: h&m
scalloped slip: thrifted
tights: c/o stylefind
shoes: thrifted

i feel like a modern-day flapper in this outfit! i love it, although it's the first sunny morning in ages and when i got on the bus this morning the light kept hitting my dress and sending blinding pink light into everyone's eyes. no one else loved it.

and, i need to take a vote. i think the epic placecards/favors battle comes down to three ideas: little potted plants (probably either a flower or strawberry plants,) little jars of homemade jam or curd, or little bottles of home-infused olive oil. i love the plants idea, and i think strawberry plants would be so pretty and fit in with everything else really well, but lots of people are traveling for the wedding and probably wouldn't be able to take the plant with them; of course, lots of people probably have no interest in infused olive oil or jam, either. help!

xo audrey

19 comments:

  1. how about mini whoopie pies in a cute homemade package? the pies are so simple to bake and you can make them in colors that will match your wedding. they would be nice to snack on on the way back home afterward. for packaging, martha stewart's website offers plenty of great ideas.

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  2. I am Loving this look! It is very modern day flapper. I could not have said it better.

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  3. food is the ultimate favor.
    And jars to take home are much easier - or something to eat asap as someone else suggested. I love eating my favors at the wedding while waiting for the meal!

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  4. Orange sequins! Yes! And I love that you just so happen to have shoes to match! Hmm, that's tough... if these traveling people are going on planes, would they be able to bring olive oil through security? I guess it depends on how small the bottles are!

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  5. That food looks incredible and I absolutely adore your outfit! That shirt is awesome.

    I'm having a $100 dollar Shopbop giftcard GIVEAWAY on my blog! Come check it out :) It's open to international bloggers as well.

    Collections Giveaway

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  6. i gave orchids at my wedding, but we only had 20 of them, so only people who really wanted them got them. the rest took home a small bag of cookies i made with our highlight color [robin's egg blue].

    maybe you can do an assortment? even numbered tables have jam/curd, odd numbers have plants? place out of towners at the tables with the jam that's easier to take home?

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  7. I vote for jars of jam!! So cute and delicious :)

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  8. i believe i have that same dress in black! cute outfit.

    i am a fan of the jam idea: it expresses your love of making scrumptious food, it's easily portable, and it's "usable" by those who don't cook (unlike the olive oil, which might just sit on someone's counter gathering dust). with a cute label and sweet ribbon or twine or fabric, jam would be a lovely little favor!

    p.s. i think the quilted canning jars are my favorite:

    http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Deluxe-Quilted-Jelly-Canning/dp/B000PSAMJG

    whatever you choose, have fun!

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  9. I love to spend a lazy Sunday going through my closet remembering that I have certain things. I have recently rediscovered that I have 4 amazing vests that I completely forgot about!

    Lara @
    La Chouette en Dimanche

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  10. Jam and Curd! No one has to be a cook to enjoy it they can just spread it on toast.

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  11. I love that map behind you in your picture! Where did you get it??

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  12. @Higgenbottomwe used to make tons of whoopie pies when i worked at the bakery - honestly, they just aren't my thing. they are really cute though. i'm starting to think that maybe the sugar cookie idea is the way to go. . .

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  13. @FutureLint yeah. . . i have tiny bottles and jars picked out so airport security wouldn't be an issue. . . the problem is really just that i can't decide which idea i like more.

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  14. @lauren see, that's kind of genius. i keep hearing that no one takes home favors anyway, so maybe i really should just do some of each and that way everyone gets to choose what they like the best.

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  15. @anne i LOVE those jars - the only problem is so many people are from out of town and you can't fly with them, so i've been thinking maybe little tiny ones. . .

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  16. Lovely colours both on you and on your table (meaning the food of course:). Colourful tights are the best accessories!

    My best friend, whose wedding I helped organize, had gingerbread hearts as the placecards/favours, with the names of the guests written on them. The good thing about them is that they can be eaten there and then or taken home as a souvenir too. :)

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  17. I vote for jam! Everyone has jam on toast sometime, whereas not everyone cooks/ uses olive oil. I've probably said it before but I LOVE your blog!

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  18. omg i adore this look! it's fantab.

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