Editorial Obsession - Vogue Australia Jan. 2012

How perfect are models Valentina Zelyaeva and Ben Hill (photographed by Lincoln Pilcher) in the January Issue of Vogue Austalia? Has me longing for an escape from reality to the land of sun and sand...but I guess Houston, TX for work for the next couple days will have to suffice.

Weekend Update - 1/30/2012

{the always-stylish, Ms. Graves}

This weekend's restaurant line-up: dinner & drinks Friday at Hung Ry (does not live up to the hype or price tag; I'd skip it if it's on your list), brunch at Paprika (very tasty, coffee and mimosa/bellini included with purchase of brunch entree), éclair ice cream cones at ChikaLicious Dessert Bar (amazing), birthday drinks at Apothéke (yummy mixology bar in Chinatown) and finally a bloody mary pit-stop at my all-time favorite, Joseph Leonard. Gearing up for another busy work week with a two-day trip to Houston and a lot of other client meetings. Hope you had a great weekend!

{my muse for this week's photography assignment}

{taking this whole metallic thing to a new level}

{mixed prints & arm candy}

{Sunday afternoon bloody mary's at Joseph Leonard}

{more photography fun}

{brunch at Paprika}

{sun setting over Washington Square Park to end the weekend}

Looks for Less - Nine West

Givenchy Platform Pumps $319 vs. Nine West Showstopper Platform Pumps $74.90

Christian Louboutin Lux Suede Platform Pump $945 vs. Nine West Aroundtown Pumps* $64.99

*Note: These come in lots of other fun colors and prints...I have these snakeskin ones and love.

Isabel Marant Suede Pumps $620 vs. Nine West Frontal Pump $48.58 

Jimmy Choo Nova Glittered Platform Slingback $665 vs. Nine West Freespirit Pumps $119

Happy to serve up a little dose of Friday shopping therapy with a couple Looks for Less. Nine West and I have had a very close relationship over the last six months.  These and these are a couple of my favorite purchases...and patiently waiting for them to make a knock-off version of these (LOVE). Either they revamped their shoe department or I've just been in the dark the last 25 years. I actually like the Nine West better than the designer versions in pretty much all of these except maybe the first. And with that, I wish you a wonderful weekend!

Zara^4

Zara Coat, Sweater (similar here), Pants (similar here) & Flats (similar here) | Forever 21 Bag | Mustard Scarf | Urban Outfitters Gloves

These pants, first shown here, are one of my favorite pairs. I actually thought I lost them for a couple months but they were just crammed in the bag of my closet, of course. I snagged these gold metallic flats at the Zara sale a couple weekends back. And then subsequently picked up a silver metallic clutch at H&M (similar here) and another pair of Zara sale heels with metallic detailing last weekend. I've clearly fallen for the trend.

Angie's Cabbage Soup

So, hard to believe but we're coming right up on the end of January. How are your Resolutions going? Mine...especially the one about eating dinner before 10:00 and getting to bed before midnight, which I've upheld once in 25 days...not so well. I have done a fairly decent job of bringing my lunch two days a week though and this large pot of cabbage soup has a lot to do with that. This is one of my Mom's go-to soup recipes. It's super easy to make, surprisingly somewhat healthy and helps my cubicle feel a little bit like home...for the 15 minutes it takes me to eat at least. Then it goes back to more like .... well, another word that starts with 'h'. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion
1 head cabbage, finely chopped
1 large can V8 juice
2 cans red beans
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
2 pkgs. dry Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

Directions:
- Brown ground turkey and chopped onion
- Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 1-1.5 hours

Snowy Saturday

American Apparel Shirt (similar here) & Scarf | H&M Leather Skirt (similar here) & Belt | Zara Booties (similar here) | MAC Pink Nouveau lips

Wore this look to dinner and a birthday celebration Friday night. The chunky fair isle socks (similar from J. Crew here) came in handy to weather our first snow storm late that night.

Weekend Update - 1/23/2012

{the first snowfall of the year}

Oh, Monday. You're always sneaking up on me. This weekend was go, go, go with a group dinner Friday at Yerba Buena Perry [croquetts, tilapia tacos, watermelon fries, banana dulce de leche sundae... to die for], brunch at Flea Market Cafe [classic brunch menu, very well priced and free drink, coffee & oj w/ every order plus the waiter let me buy one of antiques off the wall], birthday party at MercBar [large room in the back that can be reserved for birthday parties; loved the decor] and an accidental Sunday shopping trip. Now back to the grind. How was your weekend?

{a lazy Saturday morning}

{carmelized apple pancakes at Flea Market Cafe}

{vintage suitcases & a bunch of other antiques}

{the bust that I talked the waiter into selling to me for $20}

{shopping bans get lifted for metallic pleated skirts}

FriDIY: Lace Nails

If I haven't touched on it before, there is no better time than now to let you in on one thing. I'm a hoarder.  This little piece of lace is from my friend Vanessa's wedding invitiations. She got married June 2010. But I knew it was just too pretty to pitch and a short 1.5 years later, it came in handy. I had some down time during the Giants game last weekend so I cut it up into 10 small pieces for a little nail DIY.

Materials:

- Essie's 'Fiji' nail polish

- small piece of lace

- nail scissors

- clear top coat

{paint one coat of Essie's 'Fiji' or other color of your liking}

{cut lace into small pieces the width of your nail - I just eye-balled it and trimmed with nail scissors afterwards}

{apply another coat of polish, quickly place lace piece on top and press to secure. Allow lace to dry in polish and later apply two layers of top coat}

Recycled

Forever 21 Gingham Shirt | Joe Fresh Sweater Skirt | Frye Boots 

In my efforts to mix and match items in my closet as opposed to letting them sit idle for months on end, I combined this shirt and this skirt to run to the grocery store in the Hamptons last weekend. Hoping I can continue to do the same and make it one more weekend without shopping. Baby steps.

{pics by Amanda Caplin}

Baked Egg Boats

One of my favorite things about going out to the Hampton's: having an actual kitchen to try new recipes. I came across this baked egg boat recipe on Pinterest, of course, and had to try it. I modified it slightly by using bacon instead of pancetta, adding 1/4 cup of mixed jalapeno & green peppers and baked at a lower heat (300°) for longer (40 minutes) to ensure the eggs were cooked but the bread doesn't become too hard.

Ingredients:

4 demi sourdough baguettes

5 eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 slices of bacon, finely chopped and fried until crisp

3 ounces gruyere cheese, grated

half a red onion, chopped 

1/4 cup jalapeno peppers

1/4 cup green peppers

           salt and pepper to taste

{Beat eggs and cream in mixing bowl before whisking in remaining ingredients}

 {Cut a deep “V” in the tops of each baguette and partially unstuff. Divide and pour egg mixture into each boat.}

{Bake at 300° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and set in center. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.}