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!

- - - - -

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.

california dreamin'

is it just me, or is this winter reallllly draggin' it's damn feet? today started off gross, but promising - wet and rainy, but nearly 70 degrees, and then quickly dried up and dropped to the low 40's. i'm starting to lose it. kohls asked me to remix some of their chaps capri pants in anticipation of the spring and summer, and i have been dying for a chance to wear them out, but i'll have to settle for a little dress up in my closet (which is clean and relatively organized, for once, so i thought it'd make a nice, sunny background.)





shirt: thrifted
necklace: random vintage jewlery store in atlanta
capris: chaps, courtesy of and only at kohls
belt: j crew factory outlet
shoes: courtesy of nine west

i'd like to note that there was nothing done to this in photoshop. no color balance, no bump up the brightness, no these-pants-aren't-quite-neon-enough. these babies are BRIGHT. i love them. i can't wait for it to be warm enough to let them see some sunshine!

in the meantime, something for all of you! kohls has been kind enough to give me two $125 gift cards to give away! two. $125. gift. cards. since i can't keep them for myself, leave a comment here, and i'll pick the winners on monday. good luck!