Category Archives: My Favorite Things

Found

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I am rather excited to share today’s found item. The perfect beach towel, which I picked up last weekend at Bodega, my go-to island spot for all things home. For the last several summers, I’ve swore by my stylish and beautiful Turkish founta towels, straight from Istanbul. Lately, though, I’ve noticed they are just a bit too thin for my post swim/sun bathing activities.

These Kerry Cassill beauties are the perfect combination of fashion and function. Not only are they lovely to look at with a slight bohemian feel, one side is completely lined with terry cloth. Perfect for a post swim dry off followed by hours of sun bathing. Can you guess which one is mine and which one is K’s?

Enjoy the weekend, friends. I’ll be back on Monday kicking off a week of all things Boston. You won’t want to miss it!

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In the Kitchen

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When hosting a dinner party, I try to keep my appetizers fairly simple. A beautiful crudite board with green goddess dressing or a cheese board bursting with bread, grapes and of course cheese {my rule of thumb is three: a hard, a soft and a really smelly one}. In addition, though, I always like to add a wow bite. And for me, those more often than not are Ina Garten’s Gruyère Cheese Puffs. The first time K tried these, she asked “are these homemade?” To which I responded, “Sweetie, I only make homemade.” As you can imagine, this is now a running joke in our home.

Don’t let the above photo scare you. These cheese puffs are super easy to make, I promise.

Ina’s Gruyère Cheese Puffs

  • 1 cup milk {I use whole milk for the flavor but any milk will do}
  • 1/4 lb unsalted butter {I always use unsalted butter when baking}
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • pinch of black pepper
  • pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 extra-large eggs {make sure your eggs are at room temperature}
  • 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg over medium heat, until scalded. Add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan.
  3. Pour this mixture into your kitchen aid mixer bowl and immediately add the eggs, Gruyère and parmesan and mix until eggs are incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick.
  4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag {I use a large zip lock bag and cut off one corner}. Pipe onto the lined baking sheet in a round {similar in size to a golf ball}. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg wash {made with 1 egg and 1 tsp. of water whisked} and top with a pinch of Gruyère cheese.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Voila! You are done. Give them a try and let me know if you house guests love them as much as mine!

Found

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Planner

Checking the mail yesterday felt like Christmas. Why you ask? My new Rifle Paper 17-month planner arrived! Each and every year around this time, I begin my search for the perfect planner. Size, weight and layout are all factors, of course. A few past favorites include Poketo’s Moment planner and O-Check’s 6-month diary. But this one may just take the cake and thus why I’m naming it this week’s found item.

Upon opening, it became clear that the team at Rifle Paper spent a great deal of time thinking of every last detail. The result is a functional yet beautiful planner complete with a hidden spiral binding, an important dates section, a weekly calendar view {broken down with all 7 days}, a contacts section and a pocket folder at the end to hold all those little pieces of paper you can’t misplace {but always seem to do}. The very best part is that I don’t need to wait for the new year as this one starts with August 2015.

Looking for the perfect gift for your girlfriend’s birthday, a thank-you for your mother-in-law or a holiday gift for your child’s teacher? The Rifle Paper planner is it!

Celebrate

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Wishing one of my favorites Food52 a very happy birthday! For all of you who don’t know Food52, please allow me to make an introduction.

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Food52 was started by these two lovely ladies. Amanda Hesser, formerly of The New York Times and Merrill Stubbs, a former caterer {and Flour counter girl}. These two set out to create a community for chefs, both trained and novice, to exchange recipes, shares stories and support one another. And what a community they’ve created. From cookbooks to a podcast to an online store, Amanda and Merrill have reminded us the importance of food and sharing it with those we love.

Looking for inspiration? Look no further than Food52. But be warned, 10 minutes can easily turn into an hour… it’s just that good! And good news, they are offering free shipping on all orders placed today in honor of their big day. I just purchased these muffin molds and can’t wait for them to arrive.

I will leave you with their cooking manifesto:

  • If you cook, your family will eat dinner together.
  • If you cook, you will naturally have a more sustainable household.
  • If you cook, you’ll set a lifelong example for your children.
  • If you cook, you’ll understand what goes into food and will eat more healthily.
  • If you cook, you’ll make your home an important place in your life.
  • If you cook, you’ll make others happy.
  • If you cook, people will remember you.

*Photo credits: Food52

Movie Monday

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Grace&Frankie

I have my mom to thank for introducing me to Grace and Frankie. While technically it isn’t a movie, it felt like a movie as I spent nearly all day yesterday in bed watching this fantastic series and nursing a stomach bug. From the co-creators of Friends, this delightful series premiered on Netflix this past May and stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin (who is my opinion steals the show), Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston. The story-line unfolds in the opening scene when you find out that Grace’s husband and Frankie’s husband (who just happen to be partners at a divorce law firm in San Diego) have fallen in love and are divorcing the two, who are by no means friends.

Over the next twelve episodes, what develops is a touching friendship between these one frenemies and the important of moving on. From dating in your 70s to hosting a bachelor party for your now gay-dads, this show has a wit and humor that will keep you wanting more.The series was reminiscent of a Nancy Meyers’ film, especially with the beach house in La Jolla, that I could move right into.

Good news, Season 2 is set to premiere in 2016. The end of Season 1 ends with a cliffhanger so I look forward to binge-watching these ladies again soon.

Found

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I have always found finding a classic pair of sandals to be quite a challenge. That was until I discovered Matt Bernson. Since our introduction, I have indulged and purchased two pairs including his love sandal {how fitting a name} and this week’s found item. Your search for the perfect refined flip-flop is over!

Turns out, this is Matt’s first and favorite summer design. As you can see, he has updated the classic thong sandal with a distinctive cross band that adds incredible comfort. The craftsmanship is perfection and the leather I can tell will only get better with time.

A welcome addition to my summer wardrobe indeed. Enjoy this beautiful day {and weekend}, dear readers!

Found

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Have you all been involved in a Kickstarter campaign? To date, I’ve participated in two and think it is just the coolest concept. One that I missed the ball on {but wish I had been a part of} was the campaign for Appointed, created by DC-based creative designer Suann Song, who wanted to create beautiful tools to inspire beautiful work. As the owner of SimpleSong Design, Suann was always looking for the perfect notebook. After months of trying, she decided it was time to create her own. One that would elevate the work experience and foster creativity. For Suann “the notebook represents untapped potential + endless possibility.” I couldn’t agree more. The campaign launch in March and lucky for us, Suann reached her goal and launched her product line and website, Appointed earlier this month.

Since I am a tried-and-true paper lover, I treated myself to a few goodies. The notebooks have a beautiful water-resistant cloth bound cover and are available with either grid, lined or blank pages. Even better, they are American-made with recycled paper and utilizing renewable energy. And the desk accessories, beautiful. My next purchase will be the brass pencil cup.

Need a little something to help spark your next creative venture? These notebooks will do just the trick. I have one for my editorial calendar for this little blog and one for my *dream* business. More on that in due time, dear friends. Hope you have a lovely + relaxing weekend!

Listen

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Friends, have you heard of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings? If not, watch this. 

Pretty amazing, right. They opened last night for the Tedeschi Trucks Band and I was blown away. And what an incredible story. Right before the release of their most recent album {in 2013} Give the People What They Want Sharon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and thus the album and coinciding tour was put on hold. Good news, though, she is back and cancer free. Check out the tour schedule for upcoming shows. It’s one you won’t want to miss.

Movie Monday

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Since I didn’t make it to see Trainwreck this weekend, I though I would share my Top 10 Favorite Movies on this movie Monday. So here it goes:

Pretty in Pink – My 80s movie of choice. Always!

The Holiday – My all-time favorite romantic comedy. I just love this film and never tire of Jack Black’s character singing in the Blockbuster isle.

Steel Magnolias – The movie that taught me the importance and power of female relationships and having good girlfriends through the good and bad. And of course my favorite line… “My colors are blush and bashful.”

The Shawshank Redemption – A classic. One of the best films that never received an Oscar either. This film taught me that some things are really worth waiting for.

Chef – Because really, I love any movie that deals with food. And the relationship between father and son here is beautiful.

The Way – The film that showed me that tragedy can lead you to your life’s meaning.

Syriana – A movie that shows just how complicated and complex our world is today. I finally understand all the hype about George Clooney after seeing this film.

It’s Complicated – Jane’s kitchen. Enough said!

Toy Story – My favorite animated film with a delightful storyline as well.

Kissing Jessica Stein – The movie that taught me that sometimes stepping outside of your box is a good thing!

Any of these surprise you? Do share yours as well, dear friends!

Found

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Found
The official start to summer is only 17 days away. Do you know how excited I am? Remember last year’s post on just what you will find in my beach bag? Well guess what… this week’s found item will be replacing an oldie but goodie: a new paddleball set from the one and only Terrain. Don’t you just love the design and color? Now I just need to find a matching bathing suit. Wish me luck!