Rhubarb-Almond Cake

If you’re looking for a summer dessert this is it. I love rhubarb & have traditionally enjoyed it most in a strawberry rhubarb pie (mmmm). My aunt is allergic to strawberries so when deciding on what to bring for (Easter) dessert at my Grandma’s house I opted for this Rhubarb-Almond Cake. It’s light but moist. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. The rhubarb offers the right amount of tartness to make you want seconds.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #66 Store Peaches Upside Down

I know Georgia supposedly has the best peaches but I'm partial to South Carolina peaches (they're the best in my book!). Aside from being insanely delicious &  great on their own or even on pizza they can bruise pretty easily. To get the most life out of your peaches try storing them stem end down on a flat surface at room temperature. This way they won't weeble or wobble or roll around & get bruised.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Crispy Salt-&-Vinegar Potatoes

I love potatoes & my subscription to Bon Appetit magazine. This post is a marriage of the two. I’ve made this recipe twice already - once for dinner & once for breakfast! I really don’t think there’s ever a wrong time of the day to eat potatoes - do you?

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint, Walnuts & Arugula

Last week we were in Charleston, SC (ahhhh I love that place & I will share some pictures soon). Truth be told the majority of the food we ate was either fried or seafood - leaving little room left for anything green (unless you count fried green tomatoes).  Now that we’re back into the swing of a full week I’m doing my best to eat fresh - plus it’s spring (finally) so I always find myself wanting to eat more green things & just lighter in general.

I was flipping through the pages of Bon Appetite magazine & came across a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb salad. Being a forever fan of the pie version (my mom still makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie!). Coincidentally, my sister-in-law, Dulcie, asked me how else she could prepare rhubarb.  Clearly the universe was telling me that I needed to try out the salad.  It did not disappoint. It was every bit tangy & sweet that the pie is but in a healthy salady-bite. I did change it up a bit from the original recipe swapping out hazelnuts for walnuts & adding some arugla because it’s what I had on hand - & I just love arugula. (Check out this unexpected way to use arugula in your Cinco de Mayo cocktail that I stumbled upon at work & had to try out.)

PS: This recipe calls for mint. I could only find a small potted plant of the mint - wish me luck keeping her alive & green because my thumb is not.

PPS: Bon Appetit suggests not making this salad the night before in fear that the rhubarb will breakdown too much & become too soft. Make it as close to serving time as possible.

UPDATE: I ate all of the arugula out of the salad for dinner & had a lot of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture left so I refrigerated it overnight. I packed some arugula on top & some avocado & am currently enjoying it for lunch - maybe I didn't cut my rhubarb super thin but I have to say it's just as delicious on day 2.

Spring Beauty Must Haves

The warmer months mean more skin & open toed shoes.  These are my top three spring beauty must haves (besides my new favorite deodorant of course).

1. Organic Coconut Oil has anti-microbial, anti-fungal & anti-bacterial properties that make it a great skin conditioner especially when you're baring more skin in this hot weather we've been having.  So many of those trendy beauty oils now have coconut oil as one of their main ingredients & they offer it in a tiny vial for beaucoup when you can pick up a 14 oz jar in your grocery store for less then ten bucks.  I keep a jar of this in my shower & use it as a shaving oil, eye makeup remover, moisturizer & zit zapper. It also smells like coconuts - which is heavenly in my book.
2. Zoya Nail Polish is free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) & camphor  or in other words the really bad stuff that can be found in a lot of nail polishes.  Zoya has tons of gorgeous colors. I'm currently sporting this pretty coral color, Kara, on my toes. Oh & if I couldn't love it more it's really really long-lasting.
3. Lily Organics Skin Care Seaweed Balancing Facial Cleanser - I'll be honest I'd never heard of this stuff but I'm so glad that the sweet folks at Lily reached out & brought it to my attention.  This facial cleanser like all of Lily products uses organically grown ingredients from their certified organic farm with USDA certified organic manufacturing methods.  They've been pioneering organic skin care in Colorado since 1986 - can you believe it's taken me this long to find them… or for them to find me! This cleanser balances &  nourishes skin with seaweed & essential oils which is ideal for my combination skin that's prone to breakouts. The antibacterial properties of tea tree oil & rosemary are ideal for combating acne.  It's super gentle & leaves skin feeling clean & never dry like some acne fighting formulas can.

What products are you obsessing over lately? I love more recommendations.

PS: Happy Birthday to my fabulously gorgeous friend Ashley! Hope this is the best year yet! xx

A Spring Weekend

This weekend was on of those perfectly sunny warm-enough-to-not-wear-a-coat-during-the-day weekends.  It was filled with familiar faces & some new ones too.  Saturday,  I ventured to Brooklyn to have a meeting of the minds offline & in person. In my travels my metro plans were a bit derailed & I had the pleasure of walking through a perfect neighborhood in Brooklyn:  Carroll Gardens.

Click through for more the visual treats I devoured on my journey.
PS: Happy Birthday Jess!

Hair Inspiration: Waves

photos credits clockwise from top left: soft & shiney waves; beachy waves; layered waves; retro waves.

Something about the onset of spring makes me want to pay more attention to my hair.  I was perusing Pinterest & these were some of my faves that I found. Check out my terrific tresses board if you like more styles like these. 

How are you wearing your hair these days? Any tips & tricks I need to know?

Chevron, Chambray & Cork

top (target); belt (antrho. similar here.); skirt (anthro. similar here.); over-sized clutch (miss albright. gift from my sister-in-law. smilier here.); shoes (tory burch via MyStylePIll. similar here.) sunnies (burberry via A Second Chance Resale)

Spring is here! Per usual I'll be wearing swingy skirts and dresses (belted at the waist) with chunky sandals amped up with pops of color plus these sunnies that I scored at A Second Chance Resale in SoHo, the only ones that have truly lasted the test of time!  Lucky for you can can shop more hand picked high end duds  online for a fraction of the price.

Super huge thanks to my friends and family for kicking off our birthday week early!

Love you all ;) xx

 

A Cobalt Blue Wish List

1. Trench; 2. Dress; 3. Blouse; 4. Shorts; 5. Cork Platforms; 6. Necklace; 7. Wedge Bootie; 8. Candle; 9. Nail Polish

Easter is Sunday but I'm day dreaming about these fabulous duds and accessories. I should want to dress like an easter egg and embrace the pastels that are everywhere this season - but I don't wanna.   I want to wear blue - bright, yummy cobalt blue! I've already started to make my wish list.

What's on your color wish list?

An Easy Spring Bouquet

can you guess what types of flowers these are? mouse over to see if you're right!

This weekend Chris and I spent some quality time with some of our family at a small dinner party at our apartment. I whipped up this easy sprint bouquet to bring some fresh cheer to our table with some fresh flowers from Trader Joes and tape! Learn the easy steps to make your own after the jump!