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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

dwell studio

today i stumbled upon an amazingly adorable
little place called dwell studio

um, pretty much obsessed with everything they have!
who's ready to decorate a baby's room???
(not me)

but today i wish i was :)

enjoy!



love this floral rug print.






babies should travel in style too.



wall prints


and for the little boys...







petite vanilla scones

i'm obsessed with those petite vanilla scones from starbucks.
something about them is just so adorable and so delicious.
and let's be honest, sometimes you want a treat...
 but you look in that case of ginormous unhealthy pastries and get a bit overwhelmed!

i seem to always be able to justify that little vanilla scone though :)

YUM!

so, when i was invited to a lovely brunch this past weekend,
i figured it was the perfect opportunity to try to recreate these little gems in my own kitchen.
(thanks to the pioneer woman! seriously, she is the best!)

when a co-worker asked how these turned out on monday morning
i replied 'they were very good, they looked very homemade, but they were VERY good' :)

and that's the truth.

ingredients
3 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
1 whole large egg
3/4 cups heavy cream
2 whole vanilla beans
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

glaze ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk
1 whole vanilla bean
  dash of salt

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise
and scrape out all the vanilla "caviar" inside.
stir caviar into cream. set aside for 15 minutes.



3. sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
 
 
4. cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour.
keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.
 


5. mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture;
stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.


6. turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together
until it forms a rough rectangle. (mixture will be pretty crumbly.)
use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick.
use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.


7. use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle,
then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles.
next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.



8. transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and
bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden.
allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet,
then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.


now for the glaze...

9. split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar.
stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile.


10. mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk,
adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary
to get the consistency the right thickness.
stir or whisk until completely smooth.

11. one at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze.
transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack.
allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour.
scones will keep several days if glazed.



VOILA!



Tuesday, February 28, 2012

turkey meatball sliders

i rarely make a recipe more than once.
not because i don't love them,
but because i love trying something new.

this recipe, however, is different.
it was so amazing easy & delicious... and it was ready in 30 minutes (!)
i think i'm going to have to repeat this later this week!

thank you cooking light for inspiring
these perfect meatball sliders.

ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, finely diced
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup panko (japanese breadcrumbs), toasted
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 ounces ground turkey 
2 (4-ounce) links turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
12 slider buns, toasted
12 basil leaves

directions

1. heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat, swirl to coat
add garlic and shallots to pan, saute 3 minutes or until shallots are softened, stirring frequently


2. combine shallot mixture, ricotta, and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl.
shape mixture into 12 1-2" meatballs, flatten each meatball slightly.




3. return pan to medium-high heat. add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan.
add meatballs to pan; cook 6 minutes, turning once.
add marinara sauce; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until meatballs are done.



4. top bottom half of each bun with 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce,
1 meatball, 1 basil leaf, and top half of bun.

(i toasted my buns just slightly under the broiler)


seriously crazy delicious.
in fact, i'm going to go eat another one right now :)

Monday, February 27, 2012

oscar recap.


michelle williams & natalie portman in red.
love both of their looks for totally different reasons.
first of all, red is classic.
i love the quirky twist of michelle's dress with all the details...
from the pink clutch, to the little ruffles, and the bow.
natalie is just downright classy.
polkadots done right :)



yes, i know gwen got a lot of flak for her cape,
but let's be honest - she looked GREAT. 


yes, i know claire's dress is a bit over the top,
but that's what i love about it.
it's pink, it's flirty, it's got ruffles and polkadots. LOVE!

and although i wasn't wild about jlo's first dress, i did like her second look. wow.
i don't only wish i could look like her when i'm 40, i wish i could look like her NOW.


i'm a sucker for the beckhams.
they are the definition of fierce.



okay, yes, angie's leg looked creepy, but i do love the dress.
just wish maybe beyonce was wearing it instead ;)

and anna faris...she's a bit obsure, but i actually like the dress.


emma... one of my favorites. oh my word!
gorgeous color, love the bow, it falls perfectly.
so couture. love it!


glenn close gets the best over 50 look.
she looks FANTASTIC!
normally i wouldn't love a look with a jacket, but man...
this color, the shape, everything makes her look stunning.

octavia looks great. love this dress. she is gorgeous!


okay stacy.... really?
you look TOO beautiful.
yes, that's possible.
i want this hair.
& your bod.

all pix courtesy of yahoo.

napa weddings

you may or may not know that i have a special place in my heart for napa.
it's so romantic, charming, and magical.

i feel like it's a place for fairy tales.

bonus: my little brother is getting married in napa this summer!

and so, i couldn't help but fall in love with this
stunning, classic, and whimsical napa wedding.

to die for!

thank you style me pretty for letting a girl dream :)






love this dress!







rustic dance floor