winner, winner, potato and kale dinner

hello! i know i promised a winner on friday, but i was seriously in the throws of the worst cold/flu monster i've ever had - three and a half days, no work, completely bedridden. did you know you can be in bed so long that your body is actually sore from being in bed too long? fact. finally, saturday night, i dragged myself out of bed (just in time to catch andrew bird at the bell house) and had a semi-normal sunday, if it is semi-normal to fall asleep at 8:45 pm. so i'm not 100% yet. but i'm getting there.


top: j crew
dress: thrifted
tights: urban outfitters (fleece lined! so warm!)
shoes: thrifted
brooch: thrifted
hair: lack of cut, dye or attention in 6 months and counting

so, anyways, i promised on friday that i'd have a winner and i am a solid three days late, so without further ado: dawn of turby and john! shoot me an email (homerunballerina@gmail.com) and we'll work out the details. congratulations, wear it in happiness and health! and thank you to all of you who entered - more giveaways soon.

it's been awhile since i posted any food - which feels so wrong! - so i have a quick, easy, and even pretty healthy dinner for you guys. for what it's worth, i've become a complete instagram addict - you can follow me @oddreigh - and post my daily goings-on at the bakery a few times a day there. so it's really not that i stopped posting about food - just that i switched to a quicker, more immediate medium.

i was in ann arbor last weekend, visiting family and getting to spend some all-too-rare time with my little sister and mom, and spent a lot of time at my aunt susie's place. aunt susie and i have a lot in common - both "creative" types, i guess, who love to draw, bake and create - and she had a library of cookbooks that made me swoon. i got to flip through quite a few of them (sneaking iphone photos of the ones i want to buy for myself) but one recipe caught my eye, and was so simple i was able to sort-of-memorize it, enough to make it for dinner tonight.

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potato and kale galette (adapted from an old gourmet cookbook)

1 bunch of kale, leaves pulled of the stem, torn up and washed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
3 T butter
2 large baking potatoes, cleaned, peeled and sliced very thin (i used a mandolin)

start off by getting your oil going in a pan, over medium heat; once hot, add the garlic and cook just until it starts to brown; add the kale, still wet from being rinsed, and cook it until it's very wilted, and much brighter green. turn off the heat, and set it aside.

now get a cast iron pan going. i used a 10 inch pan. melt about a tablespoon of butter in the pan, then mosaic about 1/3 of the potato slices over it, working quickly; add 1/2 of the kale, then another 1/3 of the potato slices mosaiced (salt and pepper this, and brush a bit of melted butter atop them,) then the other half of the kale and the last of the potatoes. basically, you've made a double-decker potato and kale pancake. brush the top layer of potatoes generously with butter, then butter a piece of aluminum foil and use a heavy pan to weigh down the stack. let them cook for ten minutes or so, over medium to medium low heat; once the bottom layer of potatoes starts to brown (you'll be able to see the edges start to brown and curl a bit,) grab a sheet pan and some oven mitts. this is the trickiest part. use a metal spatula to carefully slide the pancake out of the pan and onto the sheet pan, then invert the pan over it and flip it back onto the heat, so the browned side is facing up and the previously uncooked side is now being cooked. cook this for another ten minutes or so, and that's it! slide it off and serve. i was trying to keep it healthy and simple, so i ate it plain (i'm a fan of simple flavors, anyway) with lots of sea salt and pepper; it would be great with goat cheese, though, and sam doused his in ketchup, so there's that.







thanks a bunch for reading, and have a fabulous week!

xo audrey

work in progress

hi everyone! i hope you all had a fabulous valentine's day - mine was very low key, which was perfect. sam insisted on staying in and making me dinner, and i acquiesced - i'm so used to cooking for the two of us, and stubbornly set in my way of doing things in the kitchen, that it's really hard for me to sit back and let someone else take the wheel. fortunately we recently re-organized our furniture, so our sofa has a prominent seat in the kitchen (i finally admitted to myself that, while a sofa in the kitchen might be unusual, it is the place where it will get the most use) so i settled myself on it and watched him mix a batch of pasta from scratch, rest it, struggle with the machine and then proceed to make what was honestly the most divine fettucine alfredo i've ever had - topped with wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms and crispy prosciutto. lesson learned: i should take a seat on the couch more often.

ever since setting eyes on the stella mccartney resort 2012 collection, i've been smitten. i've googled and ebayed obsessively, hoping to find the (seemingly not even for-sale yet) white dress covered in bows at an audrey-friendly price (i know this will never happen) - and it finally occurred to me that, of all the over-priced designer clothing i've fallen for, this was probably the most easily DIY-able. so i bought a spool of ribbon, picked a well-fitting but infrequently-worn dress from my closet, and proceeded to obsessively tie and pin ribbons onto it.



sadly, i'm a pretty good idea person and initial energy runs high; but after sewing on the first half of the ribbons, i lost steam, so i'm wearing this carefully so's not to stick myself with one of the many pins poking out of the skirt and sleeves.

dress: madewell
shoes: thrifted
bows: added by me

i'm pretty excited with the way it's looking so far. a good cocktail dress is so essential - you can tell i think so, as i have a closet full of them and yet 9 nights out of ten you'll find me at home with sam, wearing comfy pants and a t-shirt. still, i love having a cute, well-fitting dress to slip into - an outfit no-brainer for when i DO go out.

. . . which is where you come in! brooklyn industries contacted me not long ago to see if i'd like to do a giveaway for my readers (another no brainer.) i've loved the brand for a long time - my love for red pants started with a pair of theirs a few years ago, and i've admired their simple but flattering silhouettes ever since. i picked this cute dress of theirs to give away - yours, for one lucky reader who leaves a comment.



so. . . enter away, and i'll pick a winner this friday. be sure to take a look at their new collection, too - lots of good stuff to see.

so much to post, and what feels like so little [free] time. i'll be back soon!

xo audrey

picture book

good morning! how was the long weekend? sam and i left to head back to the city super early yesterday morning, but caught bad traffic and a lot of bad luck and i ended up racing, late, to work, and not having a chance to blog. so today's a little catch-up - aka, a major photo dump. but if you make it to the end, you'll find out who won my contest! yes, blackmail! employed, for the first time, here in blog form.

saturday morning, bright and much too early, i hopped on an amtrak to new london, connecticut, ate corned beef hash in a diner, lugged my bags to a salvation army for a bit of shopping, and then caught the ferry to block island. it was a really gorgeous ride.









there i met up with sam and our friends haley and julie and hit the beach for awhile (hit the beach, aka pass out on a beach blanket for a couple of hours) before heading back to julie's parents' place to drop off our stuff then pick up food for dinner. fish market to grocery store, we feasted on oysters, clams casino (a delectable concoction of clams, red peppers, bacon and white wine,) and a leek and goat cheese galette. . . and lots of wine.




the next morning we picked up sam and haley from fishing and hit a yard sale, then changed into our suits and went down to the bluffs. it was sooo beautiful - hot but breezy, sunny but not unbearably so; i think so many tourists had decided to skip the island after the hurricane, assuming the worst, that it wasn't too crowded anywhere and we pretty much got our pick of beach. sam and i fished up and down the coast, soaked in some sun, then headed back home to pack up and take the ferry back to newport.








we grabbed lobster rolls and clam strips, smuggled a couple of pbr and snuggled up on the ferry for the ride back; there we climbed in sam's car and drove up to newport to see our buddy johannes, who was just finishing up a shift as a chef in a restaurant downtown when we arrived. we joined him for a beer, then two, a shot of whiskey, a couple more beers, another whiskey. . . and so on, before stumbling back to his apartment, where i quickly zonked out on the couch but sam, johannes, and his sister sarah chatted for a couple more hours. needless to say we slept in, late, and required a very greasy breakfast in the morning.




our bunkmate for much of the night, rex.

after some bacon and eggs, we packed up the car once again and headed to a beautiful pond not too far from the apartment. sam and johannes both snagged a couple fish apiece, but i wasn't having any luck so i took photos of the scenery instead. take that, nature.






after fishing, we grabbed some groceries and invited over old friends mike and katie for a big family dinner; johannes crafted a delicious fish soup with some of sam's catch, and i made some marinated zucchini and heirloom tomato crostini with ricotta and pear & almond cream puff pastry for dessert.

it was really a pretty perfect weekend. i'm not sure anywhere is as beautiful as new england this time of year, and getting to see so many friends (and eat so many good meals) in a few short days is pretty much my idea of heaven. a relaxing vacation it wasn't, but it was a perfect end to the summer.



and, the winner of the loehmann's giveaway is. . .



heather of 29 skirts! i internet-love heather so i'm so happy for her! heather, email me your address and info and i'll have this shipped right out to you. and thanks so much to everyone for entering - i loved seeing what you're eyeballing for fall, and now i can steal all of your ideas and be the most stylish girl in brooklyn. bwahahaha! just kidding. OR AM I?!

tell me what you did for your long weekend! staycation? go out of town? anything epic? i am very much looking forward to a quiet weekend or two at home. . . in a couple of weeks, after fashion week comes and goes.

xo audrey

the fast anthropologist

hello! i've been meaning to post this outfit for awhile - it's what i wore to the anthropologie event a couple of weeks back, but i lamely recreated it a couple of days ago because i didn't manage to get any outfit photos on the day of the anthroparty.



dress: party of my haul from that awesome thrift shop in NJ
shoes: c/o anthropologie
belt: won! off the hilarious and articulate blog of sara zucker! from of a kind! made by JF & Son!

a pretty luck-filled outfit, if there ever was one.

and, i guest posted on what the frock today - my recipe for crabcakes. check it out.

happy almost friday! the three-day-weekend homestretch is here! what are y'alls plans for labor day?

xo audrey

i'm blue for you

good morning! i'm struggling to form sentences today - last night around 11 i was home, snuggling in bed with a bowl of cereal and my macbook (sam's off on a couple-day-long fishing expedition) when my phone rang. twice. it was a friend of mine, and i am slightly ashamed to say that i didn't want to answer while i was eating cereal (soggy cereal is the worst) so i called him back and was somehow convinced to put on pants and head to the brooklyn inn for a couple of beers. three hours later i was back in bed, but i'm a bit worse for wear.



blouse: c/o loehmann's, via gifted gift card
skirt: thrifted
pin: thrifted
shoes: miu miu, BUT i bought them on ebay for $12. REALLY.
satchel: cambridge satchel company

i was invited to attend an event at loehmann's last week; i hadn't heard of it before attending the event, but it's basically a tj-maxx type place - plenty of variation of expensive designers and more affordable basics, all at a pretty heavily discounted price. i picked out this top because i love the shade - i think royal blue is going to play a big part in my fall wardobe, especially now that it's one of the few shades i feel works well with my new hair color. (unforeseen consequence of dying my hair: where before i really felt like i could wear just about any color, now several favorites completely wash me out; happy trails, mustard yellow, until we meet again.) the kind folks at loehmann's, aside from providing me some great pieces for fall, also let me pick out an accessory to gift my readers; i selected this bag, which i hope you all like. i'm not much of a bag person, but it seemed utilitarian while still being chic; i love the color.



if you'd like this bag for your very own, simply leave me a comment letting me know what fall pieces you're itching to buy. i really want to find a muff to keep my hands warm this winter, but i'll tell ya, googling "muff" is not working out so far. i'll close the contest and announce the winner on tuesday september 6 after the long weekend. good luck!

anyhows, i'll leave you with a recipe that i think i'll be making again and again this fall & winter - chicken pot pie. you can really put whatever veggies you want in here - i used potatoes, carrots & corn because that's what we had, in excess, and i wanted to try to use it up.




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chicken pot pie

1 yellow onion, diced
1 T butter
4 ears steamed corn, kernels cut off the cob
2 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
one carrot, peeled (or scrubbed) and cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chicken, torn into bite sized pieces*
1/3 cup flour
1 cup (or more) chicken broth
1 - 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 T thyme leaves
salt & pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastry dough

*if you don't have already-cooked chicken - again, i made this up mostly as a way to use up leftovers - you can use a breast or two, cut up into smaller pieces, and added in with the potatoes and carrots and cooked until done.

turn the oven to 375. melt butter in a large pan with highish sides; turn heat to medium high, and add onion. sautee until it turns transparent, then add the flour. stir until flour is browned, then slowly add about half the chicken broth, stirring as you go, so it creates a thick gravy. add almost the rest of the broth, then add the potatoes and carrots. add cream - enough to nearly cover the veggies - and cover the pan. uncover and stir occasionally, checking on the vegetables and insuring nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan - if the veggies start to stick, add a bit more chicken broth to release them. once the potatoes and carrots are cooked, remove from heat; the sauce should be good and thick, and everything inside cooked until soft.

stir in corn, thyme, and chicken and dump it all into a casserole dish. salt & pepper. cover the top with the puff pastry, tucking the corners in. bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the puff pastry has totally puffed up and is golden all the way through. i'd stick a sheet pan underneath while baking, just in case - as you can see, mine leaked out the sides a bit. let it cool for 5-10 minutes then enjoy! SO tasty.



xo audrey

tuneyards for two

hi everyone! this is a bit unusual, but i've been puzzling what to do with this pickle i'm in, so i'm going to try an experiment.

i bought sam & i tickets to see tuneyards in milfod, connecticut this coming tuesday, only to learn a couple hours later that we wouldn't be able to make the show. it's only about an hour and a half drive from the city, so new yorkers could easily make it if you're one of those fancy car-drivers, or anyone in connecticut who happens to read and has nothing to do that night.

the tickets were pretty cheap, and they are just print-and-go, so if you want 'em and you're the first to say so, they're yours. just leave me a comment with a way to reach you (or, if your blogger profile includes your email, that works too,) and i'll forward them along!

hope someone out there can make it!

xo audrey

dinner, win/win & two winners

hi there! i hope everyone had a great weekend. mine was a perfect balance of productive, fun, and restful, so i'm extra bummed it's monday. and it's disgusting outside! i was promised 75 and sunny, but what we actually are experiencing is cloudy humidity so thick it feels like it's sprinkling, with a chill to the air that makes my open toed shoes seem really unreasonable. spring: it hasn't sprung. not here, anyway.

so, let's see: friday i came home from work to discover that sam had stopped at an awesome fish market and picked up two beautiful swordfish steaks. we had plenty of fresh produce begging to be used, and our first non-family wedding presents came this week! so i got to use our new oven top grill (thanks toby!) and whipped together a quick mango salsa, and voila: awesome and actually-pretty-good-for-you dinner.



grilled swordfish steaks with mango avocado salsa

2 swordfish steaks, about 1" thick
olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves

1 avocado, cubed
1/2 red onion, cubed
1 mango, peeled and cubed
splash of tequila (it was friday night, after all)
juice of 1/2 lime
a pinch or two of cayenne pepper
a pinch or two of kosher salt
about 1/4 cup cleaned and plucked cilantro

turn on a grill (if you have one,) a grill pan on medium (if you have one,) or just a regular pan if that's what you've got. let it get nice and hot on medium heat before you put the fish on.

combine the olive oil with the garlic; let it sit for a bit, then use it to brush on the fish. i put it on pretty heavy to ensure it wouldn't stick to the grill. brush one side, then put that side down on the grill and brush the other; let it sit for a bit, sizzling away, and combine all the salsa ingredients in a bowl. salt to taste, and add as much cayenne as you'd like. let this sit and get more flavorful while you keep an eye on the fish. once it starts to brown on the first side, turn it over; let it go for a few minutes. you can check it by seeing if the sides pull apart easily with a fork. once it's browned on both sides and starting to get good and flakey, it's done - probably took me 7 or 8 minutes to get to this point on medium heat, but i had thinner steaks than you usually see in a market, so just keep a good eye on them.

top with a generous spoonful of salsa and enjoy!

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after chowing down on this and having a glass or two of chenin blanc, we headed to BAM to catch win win, the paul giamatti movie. it was directed by the same guy who did 'the station agent' (another great quirky film, if you haven't seen it) and we really enjoyed it - a perfect, easy-to-digest comedy/drama for a friday night. we came a bit late to the movie and when i raced out about ten minutes in to get some popcorn (i'm a total popcorn junkie) the concessions were closed, so sam made me a batch of whirly pop once we got home and we stayed up late, listening to the smiths and devouring popcorn and sipping french white wine.

wow, this post is already too long and i'm only through friday. i think i'll break it up a bit and get to the rest of the weekend - and the recipes - later, but before i go i DO want to announce the winners of my giveaway!

i used random.org to pick 2 random comment #s, and those winning ladies are. . .

. . . emma from miss kitty and her closet and gabi of hungry for fashion! congratulations!! i'm emailing you girls as we speak to get your info.

thanks so much to everyone for entering. i'm thinking i may do my own audrey-sponsored giveaway since i have a closet that is literally overflowing, so stay tuned!

thanks for reading, always!

xo audrey

and! i almost forgot to mention, i'm featured on stylelist's site today as their monday maxi skirt muse. check it out if you're so inclined.

go green

good morning! i had a nice, restful (for the most part) weekend after the madness that was last week, which was exactly what i was hoping for. friday night i ran home, changed into jeans, and headed to the bar across the street to watch the uconn/syracuse game with sam; we made it through the first half before we decided we needed better food than our local mexican/chinese place could offer, so hurried across brooklyn during halftime to arrive at fatty cue, one of our favorite places to make complete pigs of ourselves. we planted ourselves at the bar and were probably the only people there who were actually watching the game as we gorged ourselves on two different kinds of ribs (pork and lamb,) toast with rendered fat for dipping, brisket bao, and tecate. we won our game, finished our beers, and headed home to bed.

saturday morning i woke up at a semi-reasonable hour and set about the arduous task of cleaning my room. now that i'm able to wear what i want to work every day, my floor is really suffering; the early morning try-on-and-discard is a terrible habit that i haven't been able to break in 25 years. i finally got it spiffed up, hemmed up a pair of jeans i picked up on friday (flares! for the first time since high school,) and then sam scored us a decent pair of tickets to the game that night at madison square gardens, so we grabbed a slice on the road and headed up to the insanity that is a building full of college basketball fans. i've never been super into basketball myself, but i've realized that i just like watching games of any kind, and once i start to learn about the players i'm pretty much hooked. sam graduated from uconn a few years ago, so with the knowledge he imparts about the players, i'm jumping out of my seat with the best of them within the first few minutes. they won this game too (the first team to win five games to become big east champions, if anyone's counting,) and once again we dragged ourselves home and promptly fell asleep.

yesterday we had brunch plans to meet a bunch of friends, one of whom recently moved to london; eggs benedict, about 8 cups of coffee, and 2 of rosé. sam and i headed back to brooklyn, caught a matinée, and then i finally sat down and started working on our wedding invites, which are (hallelujah) almost done!






top: lilla p
skirt: quail
tights: ?
shoes: UO with poofs by ban.do
sweater: gap
necklace: ebay

you can win this shirt! a perfect color & cut for spring. it is so comfy, so versatile - you can't tell here but it's nice and long, such a flattering cut. all you have to do is leave a comment, any comment!, AND let me know that you're following lilla p on twitter and have liked them on facebook. i'll let this contest go for a week, and announce the winner next tuesday.


today my plans include: eating nothing but salad after a completely gluttonous weekend, and [hopefully] finishing wedding invitations and starting to put them in the post.

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

xo audrey