March 2015 archive

The Devil is in the Details

I have a pretty consistent fault when it comes to cooking. When I make something for the first time, instead of going the simple route I tend to pick recipes that are more complicated than necessary. My recent attempt at making deviled eggs is a perfect example. Nearly everyone loves a good deviled egg, and “good” means the old fashioned variety using yolk, mustard, mayo and vinegar, with perhaps a touch of something far from fancy, like olive or relish. But I opted to try not just one, but two different recipes when entertaining recently (from cookbooks I’ve come to love) – one with sriracha from Happy Hour at Home (link here) and the other with avocado from The Forest Feast (link here). Links for the recipes are included below. The sriracha one was the more flavorful of the two, and definite favorite of the group. And I learned a few very helpful tips along the way (based on mistakes I made in the process): (1) use older eggs; (2) bring to room temperature before cooking (do not take directly from fridge); (3) shock with cold water and cool completely before peeling; and (4) crack all around the shell before running under cold water to peel.DSC_3031_edited-1

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GiGi’s Gala

Last weekend Trevor and I were invited to attend the “I Have a Voice” gala, a fundraising event for GiGi’s Playhouse. We dressed up, stayed up too late, narrowly missed bidding far over our auction limit for Taylor Swift tickets, laughed with friends, and had a wonderful evening out celebrating a great cause. The gala tickets came about by chance, and I feel so lucky that Trevor and I were able to attend – a fun night out with friends is always wonderful, but I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to listen to the presenters and be a part of the showing of love and support for GiGi’s Playhouse and the families to whom the facility means so much. I had heard of GiGi’s Playhouse and have driven by it on a number of occasions, but since the gala I’ve been reading more about this special place – its global message of acceptance, the organization’s efforts to change society’s perceptions about individuals with Down syndrome, the work that teachers, therapists and volunteers tirelessly do at the center, and the programs and opportunities offered at no cost to all families. Please take a moment to read more about GiGi’s Playhouse (link here).

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Grab and Go Dress

This dress is like the warm weather version of the red patterned tunic I wrote about in early December (link here). I actually first tried it on several months ago, in early fall. I remember telling Trevor that I liked it because it was so different than other things I own, but at the time I didn’t think I would wear it enough to justify paying full price, especially since at the time we were about to enter into the colder months. But seeing it now on sale and with spring knocking on the door, it was a much better time to buy. Dresses like this make for easy and quick decisions during busy mornings, when I want to grab just one thing out of my closet and go. The dress is itself busy, with lots of pattern and details going on, but they all seem to work together. It’s nicely lined too, which makes it a nice weight for rushing into the office as well as when heading off to more casual outings.

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Anthropologie dress (on sale) | Anthropologie earrings | Banana Republic booties (sold out, similar style and price point here and here)  | Michael Kors watch | MARC JACOBS handbag (smaller black version here and love the gray version here) | Kate Spade sunglasses (on sale) | Madewell bracelets

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