matchy matchy

i snagged this rather un-characteristic top on sale at urban outfitters recently. i've been feeling a little body-conscious and the fit and drape of this lets me relax a little bit; i also was surprised how much i love the neutral color, given my usual penchant for bright bright bright. of course i couldn't completely let myself dress like a grown up, so i paired it with (new favorite) some bright red shorts and a pair of flats i thrifted in connecticut a couple of weeks ago, and broke one big fashion rule: don't be too matchy-matchy. the color of the shirt+shorts perfectly match the two-tones of the flats, but i think i like it.






top: urban outfitters
sunglasses: asos
shorts: urban outfitters
shoes: thrifted

i wore it for the first time last week, right after deciding i was going to wear a big girl outfit, with painted nails and everything. i never paint my nails, because i'm too much of an impatient spaz - of course, the moment i put the shirt on, i got a smudge of bright yellow polish on the damn thing. i think i'm going to cover it up with a button, but i'm pretty annoyed at myself.

more from me soon,

xo audrey

what makes love true

good morning! so much to post, so little time! a couple weeks ago i was invited to take part in a new campaign for tiffany called what makes love true. being that i just got married (and just got word that the photos are en route to my apartment and should be in blog form by week's end,) if i so much as see the word 'love' written on a kleenex box i pretty much melt into a puddle of butter on the floor (plus who doesn't love a fine piece of jewelry?) so i readily agreed. my love of brooches well-documented at this point, i selected a beautiful bow-shaped pin.






i found this dress, and a pile of others, at a vintage shop in new jersey this weekend; since this drastic hair-chopping, i've been wanting more simple, high-necked shift dresses, and i walked out of there with about 4 of varying colors and patterns. score.

dress: vintage, thrifted
shorts: urban outfitters (similar here.)
shoes: urban outfitters
brooch: c/o tiffany

i think it's the perfect little detail to add some romance and charm to any outfit; especially with the more basic, mod-style clothing i'm starting to gravitate towards, i'll be glad to have this to pin on if a dress needs a bit of sparkle.

and you can see how some other girls styled up their pieces here.

xo audrey

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.





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!





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

auld lang syne, my dears

a belated happy new years! i spent mine in chattanooga, as i mentioned, and managed to remember every camera cable, every charger - and forget my battery charger. the camera died the instant i pulled it out. so, there it is. starting the new year off with no bang.

so, i have to admit, this shot is staged. my friend ashlee came over the other night and we had some wine and she, being a photographer but without her camera, decided that i should dress up and she'd take pictures of me. i'm pretty awkward when most people take photos of me, but the glass or two of wine helped, and we got a couple shots that i actually liked quite a bit. this one is my favorite, though, most likely because my entire face is obscured by syrah.



dress: madewell
necklace 1: gift from sam, from california
necklace 2 (rhinestones): also actually from sam, from our recent trip to the south
tights: courtesy of stylefind
tights 2 (patterned one): sam's mom gave 'em in my stocking
shoes: madewell
belt: urban outfitters
purse: gift from a friend, marc jacobs

back to my trip, though - sam and i had a great time, despite the desolation that is northern georgia. i was so excited to hit every goodwill within a twenty mile radius, and i did so, but was left pretty disappointed in the selection (and pretty depressed in the atmosphere in some of them.) i guess it was a wake up call of sorts - i grew up without a lot of money, and certainly shopped in thrift stores out of necessity; today it's more to try to find fun, unique things for a steal, but what a reminder that a trip to the goodwill isn't all fun and games for some. it was humbling, for sure. but everyone was so incredibly friendly, that it wasn't an entirely lost cause.

for reasons to complicated to explain, my flight got really screwed up and we ended up staying in atlanta for one night, and exploring the outer regions some - we found this awesome jewelry store, right next door to a salvation army, and i snagged 3 necklaces that will be getting a lot of play, including one of the two i wore on new years. i've never been huge into jewelry before, but one or two great pieces have really got me kind of addicted.

so our days were mostly spent exploring the country and eating really bad(ly awesome) food such as outback steakhouse and red lobster, and our evenings were spent in the hotel. sam got an amazing room with a giant whirlpool actually like 2 feet from the bed, so we could sit in it and drink wine and watch hockey. which we did. a lot. one game (penguins v. capitols,) one hbo special (24/7 penguins) and mighty ducks I and II. it was not the most glamourous way to spend the new year, but we had a damn good time.

the night of new years we did have an amazing dinner, though - we drove the half hour to chattanooga and sam had booked us a reservation at a really incredible little restaurant that was serving a 4-course prix fix menu. it was lovely, with the small exception of the fact that i'd developed a cold so bad at that point that my outfit was outplayed by my extreme kleenex rash under my nose. ah well.

so, there is my horrific-ly out-of-order new years holiday. how was yours? did you do anything special?

and lastly, a recipe to start off the year! i had the idea to try making creme brulee in oranges, to see if they would pick up some of the flavor. having just sucked one down i can say that it did have a very mellow orange flavor and was pretty delightful, and the orange does make for a pretty presentation (and easy cleanup! just scoop it clean and throw it away [or compost if you're cooler than i am.])




orange infused creme brulee

first - hollow out two oranges. it's kind of an annoying task, and be careful when you get to the bottom that you don't rip out the little stem, which leaves a big hole. i've been there.

you'll need:

2 oranges, cut in half and scooped
4 yolks
1 cup cream
2 T plus 1 T sugar
pinch of table salt
2 T vanilla or vanilla bean extract
2 T fresh squeezed orange juice (just squeeze the stuff you scooped.)

heat oven to 300, and get a kettle with some water ready for boiling.

first - put 1/2 cup of the cream, the vanilla, the salt, and 2 T of the sugar into a small saucepan. stir for a bit to make sure the sugar dissolves. once it starts to boil, turn off the burner and now put your yolks in a bowl - wait until now if you can, so they don't dry out. add the remaining 1 T of sugar and the orange juice and whisk until combined. add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream to the saucepan, to cool it further, then add the cream, bit by bit, to the yolks, whisking all the while. add it all, whisk til combined, but try not to add too many bubbles.

use a sieve to pour the mixture into a 2 cup measure. place the oranges in a small pan - i just used a 9" cake pan (you want it to have high-ish sides.) turn the kettle on so the water boils, and fill the oranges to about 1/2 inch from the top. carefully put them on a middle rack in the oven and then pour boiling water up to 2/3 of the orange. bake for about 30 minutes; they are done when they don't slosh, but just barely jiggle. let them cool off, then cover them and put them in the fridge for several hours (or even a couple of days.) when ready to serve, cover with turbinado sugar (shake off any excess) and use a torch to brulee it. voila! an elegant, delicious and seasonal dessert.



all right, i'm off. sam has been downloading d3, the last of the mighty ducks trilogy, and i have some roasted chicken and dutch macaroni and cheese to scarf.

happy 2011 everyone, may it be our best year yet!

xo audrey

it's the holiday season

that andy williams christmas song, a favorite of sam's, has been stuck in my head for about a week and a half now and is driving me absolutely insane.

i wanted to be festive for the holidays, so i pulled out this vintage silk blouse that has been in my mending pile for weeks and finally sewed on the couple of buttons it was missing and paired it with this j crew skirt that's another favorite. these tights happened to be in my stocking (stockings in my stocking!) and matched the outfit perfectly, so i added them, plus some beads i thrifted on christmas eve, and voila! christmas outfit 2010.



blouse: vintage, etsy
skirt: j crew
tights: HUE - gift from sam's mom
booties: madewell
beads: thrifted

now to figure out my new year's outfit. i have a dress i was planning on wearing, but i think it's going to be reasonably warm in tennessee and i have been looking for an excuse to pull out the lorick tutu i bought awhile ago. . . i think some dress-up is in order.

stay warm!

xo audrey

wowee zowee

last night sam and i went to see pavement in central park. it was a gorgeous night; somehow the humidity of the day disappeared and we arrived to the golden soundz of stephen malkmus. i'd originally planned on bringing a picnic, but we got caught up watching top chef:just desserts (my boss [and friend] eric is a contestant on the show, so if you watch, look out for him! a very talented baker and all-around sweet dude) and the potato salad i'd made to bring was all but gone by the time we were ready to head into manhattan. it was DELICIOUS though, so here is the recipe, which i adapted from one on epicurious. if you're a fan of salt and vinegar chips, do it, have a picnic, and enjoy the last few days of summer weather before we retreat into fall (my favorite time of year.)




salt and vinegar potato salad

about a pound of fingerling potatoes, scrubbed well
half a red onion
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
white pepper
ground bay leaves
celery salt
fresh ground paper
kosher salt or fleur de sel
paprika
ground ginger
1/2 c olive oil

cut the onion into long, thin slices and pour the apple cider vinegar over it; let that steep while you prep the potatoes. steam them for about 10 minutes or so - just until a fork will go into them easily. rinse them in cold water and let them cool off a bit. cut them into bite sized pieces and add them to the onions and vinegar, and add a couple of dashes of each of the spices. alternatively you can use old bay seasoning - the original recipe called for it, but i realized too late i didn't have it and had to improvise (and was pretty happy with the results, if i do say so myself.) salt liberally, add the olive oil, and voila! i should warn that the amounts here are approximated - i kind of eyeballed while making it.

today sam and i are heading to the beach for a couple of days of sun, surfing, and fishing; this weekend it's supposed to get up to almost 90, and i'm going to make the most of it!



shirt: thrifted
brooch: from lori goldstein
shorts: american apparel
shoes: vintage line of cole haan
purse: thrifted

alright everyone. enjoy your weekend, more food soon!

xo audrey

the best of everything

hello! forgive my absence - i've been with my tall, dark, and handsome fiancé in florida for the past few days and i made the executive decision not to bring my computer. i anticipated the vacation the way you sometimes have to pee. i was fine to wait for weeks leading up to it, but for the last few days i was so excited i could barely wait to go. the weather wasn't exactly what i expected - new york city and naples florida seemed to change climates for a few days, and we got their cold and rainy while new york was bestowed with sunny, warm weather, but by friday the sun came out and i got plenty of it. too much, in fact, and i'm still pretty flushed with a slowly-fading sunburn. despite all that, we had a really wonderful time; i learned how to fish (and discovered i'm either kind of good at it or just had some awesome beginner's luck,) swam almost every day and got some quality thrifting in. i should have a few good pieces for the shop this week, this one included.



also while in florida i discovered (or rather, was led to) a store called "the best of everything," which is basically just a gigantic room filled with every style of necklace, ring, and clutch purse you can imagine for next to nothing. it was extremely overwhelming (and poor sam was the only guy in the entire place) so i panicked and picked a single brooch, which i'm actually pretty delighted with. i'll post that and other thrifted finds later this week. in the meantime, though, in keeping with that theme, here is a recipe for the best chocolate chip cookie i've ever tasted.





i snagged this one directly from cooks illustrated. my only change to their incredible recipe is to use kosher salt instead of table salt; i like things a little on the salty side, though, so it may not be for you.


INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note)
3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

you can find the recipe, and related notes, here.

okay. i think i have comments to respond to and whatnot, but i wanted to do a quick post just to get me back to reality. much love and more soon!

xo audrey

hippie audrey

hello! happy friday! it's my first of two days off, and i have been enjoying it to the fullest - i slept until noon, made a very decadent breakfast, and have spent the rest of the day cleaning and baking. tonight it's homemade banh mi sandwiches, so i've got baguettes rising as we speak and thought i'd take the time to do a quick post.

starting wednesday: work, then i did my best to re-create my favorite dish from a sushi restaurant in chicago where i used to work. their carrot-king crab soup is absolutely delectable, and one of the best things i've ever eaten, but i don't live in chicago anymore, and the restaurant is actually not open anymore, and regardless, even when it was, they served it in a tiny espresso cup and it was never enough to satiate my hunger for it. so i made sam and i big old bowls of it, along with some scallion pancakes that we cut open and stuffed them with fake chicken, cilantro, and carrots. we ate the scallion pancakes too fast for photos, but the carrot soup: (recipe soon to come. it wasn't a perfect replica, but pretty damn good.)





next, thursday. i have a pretty constant ramen craving. ippudo, near NYU campus, is delicious, but a little pricey and the wait is always insane; so sam made us drinks and i made us some ramen, cheating a little by using some pre-made noodles, but i added mushrooms, bok choy, corn, cabbage, soft boiled eggs, and fake steak. it was DELICIOUS. definitely a make-again.









and that brings us to today. the decadent breakfast. eggs on a motorcycle, chive-asiago cream, skillet fried potatoes, and fake canadian bacon. for the record, i am not a vegetarian but seem to have been tricked into almost becoming one.





i compensate by cooking everything in lots of butter. tomorrow i have big plans for french toast with homemade blackberry syrup, fresh strawberries, and creme anglais.

anyway! lots of home improvement to return to, and as i do so, i wear:



tunic: thrifted
slip: thrifted
headband: tiny fabric store in south brooklyn
necklace: blue beri
pants: anthropologie
shoes: 80%20

i am absolutely in love with this tunic. i never get to wear white, since i cook so much and i'm a pretty messy/clumsy person by nature, but if i'm being honest with you guys i've worn this thing after coming home from work for the last three days. i feel ethereal in it. i feel like it gives me the illusion of a less pale person. i love it.

with that, i'll leave you to your weekend. i will be bake with an etsy update and all that jazz tomorrow. be well!

xo audrey

oeuf

i cracked 307 eggs at work today. the bakery where i work was featured on the food network friday evening, and as a result orders for a particular brownie have been pouring in for the last couple days. yet still when i came home today i wanted to bake, and with eggs, so i cracked six more and set to work on a beet, leek, goat cheese and pine nut tart that i've been thinking about making for a few days.

















i'm sorry i got a bit camera happy here, but my gosh, isn't food just gorgeous?


i made it down to philadelphia thursday night, in time for dinner at a mexican place where they provide fresh squeezed juice and you bring your own tequila. we spent most of the next day wandering around the city, hitting record shops and thrift stores (to the girl who asked where i thrift in philly - i stopped at one salvation army oxford near 5th, which i basically walked right back out of, and then actually crossed the bridge to camden to a giant one right there, where i didn't have a ton of time but found a bunch.) before grabbing a quick banh mi sandwich in chinatown at qt sandwich. philadelphians - they are $4.95 and they are fresh, filling and delicious. after that we met up with a few folks at national mechanics where i had one too many 'raging bitch' belgian beers and ended up arguing about outsider art with a relative stranger. the next morning was a bit rough, but that's what breakfast buffets are for! and we headed to a flea market where i scored this gem:


other than that, the flea market was pretty much a bust; i've been to really wonderful antiquey fleas, like the one in the west loop in chicago or dumbo, but this was the sort with a guy selling boxes of cereal for $2 out of the back of his pickup and after awhile in a place like that, when you aren't finding any hidden treasures, you just start to feel depressed. so we headed outside of the city for a bit, to another thrift store where i found a few things and wasted several hours.

in related news - i should have my etsy up and running no later than next week. i'm hoping to get some things posted before this weekend, but we'll see. . . the to-do list for this week is a bit disturbing at the moment.

today:



shirt: betsey johnson dress
brooch: flea market
skirt: thrifted
shoes: devotte
purse: etsy


there is no non-clichéd way to do so, but i really want to take a second to thank everyone so much for reading, and especially for all the incredibly kind emails/links/comments lately. i can't express how touched and flattered i am that you read at all, much less take the time and trouble to write. i hope everyone has a wonderful week, i should have more soon - oh! and i am going to start having a twice-monthly food column over at glasses glasses; my first will be up this wednesday, and will feature the recipe from this tart i made today. (i'll try to cross-post, the recipe at least.)

xo audrey