prosciutto-wrapped pear

A couple years ago my aunt introduced me to her take on a prosciutto crostini appetizer recipe, which has now become a dinner party staple in my family.  

Ingredients: 

Olive Bread (ACME is my favorite) 

Olive Oil 

Goat Cheese 

Fig Preserves 

Pears

Prosciutto 

Preparation: 

Slice the bread into small pieces and drizzle on the olive oil. Toast the bread in oven. Spread the goat cheese and fig preserves on to the bread. Place the procsiutto-wrapped piece of pear onto the bread. 

-E

miss fancy pants

Most of the time I find myself avoiding jeans. I feel so uncomfortable and tight in them. People tend to resort to them because they are so available and match most things. Lately I've turned this dislike to a special affection towards pants, especially extraordinary pants.

1. Both Urban Outfitters and Madewell carry these cute printed corduroy Sessùn pants

2. Wide leg pants from Urban Outfitters
are comfortable and has the illusion of a maxi skirt

3. Silk pants, with a hit of pajama suit style from J. Crew
my obsession lately! designers such as Louis Vuitton and Prada made a statement a few seasons ago showcasing sleepwear as daywear

4. Genie-style, slouchy pants from Free People
casual, cute, and allow for relaxation

5. Printed corduroys from Free People
colors and prints make pants unique

6. Sequin trouser pants from Free People
fun and edgy, and the gold can really dress up anything

 All of these pants have a similar trouser style to them, I love that style, it's classy and has a tom-boy feel to it.

Hope this inspires you to find a pair of different pants that match your style. x

-M

color of the season

The Fall/Winter 2012 runways were drenched in oxblood--burgundy, merlot, and maroon splashed the collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Rodarte, Acne, and Alexander Wang. Oxblood suffuses my day-to-day style--lipsticks, eyeshadows, nails, hats, pants, and blouses.  

Chanel nail polish in the color Vamp 

{MAC eyeshadows: Cranberry and Sketch, MAC lipsticks: Rebel and Viva Glam III}

{Chiffon blouse with sequin collar from Nasty Gal}

{Faux fur Russian cossack hat from Topshop}

-E

you've got male

Sometimes I see people walking around with great style. This is my tribute to them. This post is to celebrate the amazing style some guys are able to maintain on a regular day. 

{colored 511 Levi's, Obey sweatshirt, Steve Madden "troopah" combat boots, taupe & blue scarf, leather jacket}

Evan

{501 Levi's, Dickies work jacket, Royal Robbins flannel, Great Grandpa's Navy watch cap, Ray Ban shades}

Scott

{H&M pants, Fred Perry polo shirt, J. Crew knit sweater, H&M trench coat, Rolex watch, Hermes enamel bangle, Cartier "love" bracelet, Louis Vuitton belt, Prada sunglasses}

Anton

{521 skinny khaki Levi's, Forever 21 motorcycle jacket, H&M button up, Converse Jack Purcell's, Guess sport watch}

Suraj

{Eddie Bauer pants and sweater, Bjorn shoes, L.L. Bean button up}

My Sociology Professor, Mr. Dodson

If you're thinking about how to mix up your button ups, sweaters and jackets/coats here are some great sources for inspiration.
A big thanks goes out to all these guys who let me photograph them! I love all of their styles. They show some of the many characteristics guys use to be simple yet trendy.

-M

baked Mediterranean pork chops

Last night I made baked Mediterranean pork chops from Quick Food for a Moroccan themed dinner party. I served the pork chops with the roasted vegetables and couscous. 

Ingredients:

4 large pork loin chops, trimmed 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

4 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise 

1 large red pepper, cut into 3/4-in. strips 

4 small zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise 

Preparation: 

Preheat the oven 425 and lightly grease a baking pan. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer in the pan. Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar, then spoon half the mixture over the pork chops. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 20 minutes. Place the 2 tomato halves, cut-side down, on each pork chop and sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining balsamic vinegar. Toss the pepper and zucchini with the remaining herb mixture, then add to the dish around the chops. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through and well-browned. Serves 4. 

-E

kissing the lipless

{Free People crop top, Brandy Melville denim vest and Leifnote pants, pink Urban Outfitters ring}

Before the weather got too cold, I was able to catch a nice day to wear my silk pants! I love these pants so much. The different shapes, kaleidoscope patterns, and colors are all fitting to my character and style. I find that crop tops tend to look best with the pants due to them being high waisted.

-M

organizing the closet

I've come to find that organizing my closet by color, print, and fabrics can make things a lot easier for me when choosing my outfit for the day and finding my clothing in general!
 I have my coats and jackets ranging from think to thin. In the middle section I have my denim and at the end my sweaters.  

 I have my clothes ranging from bright green to purple. I often change the arrangement of the colors, but right now I have them displayed with purple at the beginning, then my magentas, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, lighter blues, turquoise, then bright green. If I have prints within the same color I tend to keep those next to one another. 

On the other side of my closet I have my clothes organized as creams, whites, pale pinks, floral prints, blacks, greys, animal prints, and lastly browns. After my pale pinks where my floral prints are I have a skirt that has pink flowers on it with a black backdrop and two other articles that are similar. These items helped make a perfect transition from my pale pinks to my blacks. That is just one example of how to group prints together.
Organizing your closet may seem like a very daunting task, but for me it is a fantastic time to unleash my creative side. It's great to look at your apparel when you're finished and see what you have a lot of and where you could maybe improve. I also find myself mixing and matching things I never would have thought of before because I am more aware of what I have. Anyways, I hope this gives you some ideas on how to get your clothes in order!

-M

tuna steaks on cilantro noodles

Yesterday I made tuna steaks on cilantro noodles from my favorite cookbook Quick Food. Each recipe is designed to create a delicious meal with minimum preparation. The food ideas are quick and easy, which is great when you're in a hurry.

Ingredients:
1/4 lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 5-oz. tuna steaks, at room temperature
6 oz. whole wheat noodles (I used angel hair this time)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime wedges, to garnish

Preparation:
To make the dressing, place the lime juice, fish sauce, chili sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl and mix together. Heat the olive oil in a grill pan. Add the tuna steaks and cook over high heat for 2 minutes each side. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate, cover, and keep warm. Place the noodles in a large saucepan of lightly salted, rapidly boiling water and return to a boil. Cook until noodles are tender. Drain well. Add half each of the dressing, scallions, and cilantro to the noodles and gently toss together. Either cut the tuna into even-size cubes or slice it. Place the noodles on serving plates and top with the tuna. Mix the remaining dressing with the scallions and cilantro and drizzle over the the tuna. Garnish with lime wedges. Serves 4.

-E

the illuminati

This is my boyfriend Walker. 

He is a skater at heart and gets a lot of his inspiration to dress from the skate scene. 

{Ray Ban shade, New Love Club shirt, Dolce and Gabbana belt, Diesel Industry watch & jeans, Rainbow loafers}

I like his style because it's simple, classy, and embodies that skater vibe. Hopefully he'll let me take more pictures of him for future posts!


-M