Monthly Archives: April 2011

Red Hot, Orange Crush

Posted on April 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

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The other day my colleague swung by my desk to show off her new lipstick.  It was bold, bright and a very happy shade of orangey-red.  I really liked it.  And in my excitement, which fed off of her excitement, I asked, “Where did you get it from?”  She said, “a little boutique called CVS.”  Yea for funny girls!

If you look around orange and red are popping up everywhere: the fresh strawberries, the tart citrus, the tulips sprouting in the neighbor’s flowerbeds, and the Spring 2011 runways.
LA Racked: Spring 2011 looks from (l-r): Prada, Vena Cava, Halston. Images via Style.com
For spring there are endless ways to this bright and vibrant hue; it speaks loudly and with confidence and requires an equally glowing smile. 

Red Hot, Orange Crush From L-R: Rouge Pur Couture by Yves St. Laurent; Acne Pearl Skirt at My Theresa; Tangerine Belted Paper Bag Skirt at Asos; Diane Von Furstenberg Gyls Dress at Bloomingdale’s; Lenny Deep V Mailot at Barneys; 811 Mid Rise Skinny Jean at J Brand; Le Prairies le Paris Silk Crepe Blouse at La Garconne; Juicy Couture Fernanda at Zappos Couture; Kate Spade New York Straw Fedora at Zappos; Kenneth  Cole Reaction Slip Around at Zappos; Beaded Bracelet at Forever 21
So how to wear red/orange in real life…  
  • Be confident in the shape of what you’re wearing, the silhouette will make a huge difference. 
  • Start with something small and work into larger statements.  In makeup maybe test nails before lipstick, in fashion shoes before a sheath
  • Find the right shade for your shade, and find complimenting shades to pair it with
  • Look to nature for inspiration, this is a color that if you’re looking for it you’ll find everywhere.
  • Be happy – these are HAPPY colors!

Daily Batch Red Hot, Orange Crush Color Board

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Posted in Fashion Inspiration, Her Closet, Shopping

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Berry Good Breakfast Muffins

Posted on April 7, 2011 | 1 comment

True story, inspired by “If You Give a Moose a Muffin”, if you’re coming to my house, I am going to make sure that there is coffee.  And if there is coffee you’ll probably want something to eat. And if you’re going to eat something it might as well be a muffin.  And if people are going to be eating muffins, I am going to be baking them.

That is the story behind these Berry Good Breakfast Muffins, we had people coming over at 7am (*I know!  That is crazy early!) and I thought 7am visits deserve muffins.  But, these muffins shouldn’t be cloyingly sweet, or filled with butter and chocolate.  They should be a healthy breakfast is a small paper cup.
Berry Good Breakfast Muffins Ingredients
adapted from Joy the Baker’s Raspberry and Jam Muffins
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups dry oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

2 tablespoons raspberry jam (I use no sugar added)
1 cup chopped blackberries

In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients, flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and with fork blend together.
In a separate bowl add all of the wet ingredients, egg, yogurt, apple sauce and sugar.  With that same trusty fork blend these ingredients.  There is something to be said about a recipe that doesn’t require, or isn’t made any easier by using an electric blender.
When the wet ingredients are blended all the pieces will be fully incorporated and smooth.  Slowly add the wet to the dry and incorporate together and whisk together so everything is one big batter.

I used blackberries because that is what I had on hand.  I chopped them up so that the juice would flow throughout each bit and because blackberries are bigger and have a stronger flavor than blueberries (another delicious option).  Really any fruit works here.

With each scoop of jam I broke it apart into smaller chunks within the batter and very gently folded it in without turning the batter a pretty shade of pinkish purple. 

Set these little breakfast bites into a 375 degree oven for 16 minutes.  The batter makes 18 muffins, so you might want to invite people over at 7am to share these with and enjoy!

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Posted in Baking, Breakfast/Brunch, Comfort Food, Dessert, healthy, Her Kitchen, Seasonal, Spring

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I’ll Meet You at the Bar

Posted on April 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

I am not a big drinker, but I love a bar.  I love a cookie dunking, cheese cutting, drink making, ice cream cone stacking, pie slicing bar.  I love it so much that for our wedding I recruited family to make our favorite cookies which were artfully displayed in beautiful glass domes and trays.  

What inspired my cookie bar – Ariel Yve Wedding via StyleMePretty.com
The Viennese table of my bat mitzvah youth, and the all-you-can-eat buffet of my worst nightmares have been elevated to a chic level of sophistication and grace.  You can blame it on food bloggers, food stylists, but Amy Atlas is the pro who has made it an art.  
Gone are over flowing trays of cheddar cheese cubs and sad excuses for French pastries.  In their places are authentic foods, comfort foods, real foods in smaller portions and beautifully displayed.
Ice Cream is amazing, but how much sweeter do you think it tastes when this is how it looks?  Probably a thousand times sweeter is my guess. 

Ice Cream Parlour Chic by Eat Drink Chic
I don’t know too many studs who would be plussed by a spud bar, but perhaps the happy homemaker in all of us would make this for her spud loving stud (or little spud stud baby). 

Spud Bar by Botanic Flowers, Photo by TinyWater
Ahh, the cheese plate has grown into a cheese table!  Is this not the most simple and elegant display of some of nature and man’s best creations (honey and cheese)?  

Cheese Table by Sunday Suppers
We see a lot of cookies, cakes and pies, but how absolutely delightful to see fruits and vegetables (and their favorite dips) all beautifully displayed and taking center stage?  This shows that eating whole and healthily is beautiful.   

Fruit and Veggie Bar at Ohdeedoh

As I menu plan for the upcoming Passover holiday I can’t help but be inspired by the creative presentations and artful edibles.

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Posted in entertaining, Her Weddings + Events, Wedding Inspiration

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All About the Race

Posted on April 5, 2011 | 2 comments

On Saturday night Mark and I went to dinner at Paolo’s (spaghetti dinner, you know) and went to bed at around 11:30pm.  I was definitely nervous, nervous about waking up on time, nervous about how cold it would be in the morning, nervous if I had trained enough, or in the right way.  Nervous!


Sunday morning at 5am came earlier than I anticipated.  But, after a night of much interrupted sleep I was feeling a sense of now or never.  I made my pre-race breakfast, oatmeal and almond butter, and a banana and drank, and drank, and drank (lots of water).

If you’re wondering what to wear if you’re running 10 miles and it is 33 degrees outside, you may follow my lead: long leggings (cotton/spandex), a wicking sports bra, a base layer long sleeve t-shirt, a Marmot zip up jacket, and a headband.  It is cold at 5am, but around mile 3 it really does start to warm up as evidenced by the trail of jackets, gloves, a shirts on the street.

As I have said, this was my first race.  Sometime in the early morning hours as I wandered around the base of the Washington Monument, my nerves dissipated and were replaced with excitement (as well as an urgency to pee – see above about the water).  I felt my muscles warm up and relax, and that sense of fear about not being able to do this thing, this race, turned into excitement as a smile spread across my face.

I didn’t run the best race, I got a cramp, I had to walk for a portion.  But, I finished.  I came running into the finish line as my husband and sister watched and cheered me on and finished in just under 2 hours.  
As I ran faster towards the finish line, I wasn’t thinking anything.  I was just running (I know, very Forrest Gump).  When I crossed I felt everything.  I felt salt on my forehead, the cold chill on sweat soaked clothes, and absolute joy.  I wasn’t tired.  I was proud.

I hope you’ll take some time to make a goal, whatever it is, and train towards it.  That feeling at the end, it’s amazing.

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Posted in DC, Her Inspiration, Life Lessons, Personal

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Final Stretch

Posted on April 1, 2011 | 1 comment

This weekend I am running the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Race.  I am clearly not the first person to run this race, and I’ll be running it with thousands of other people, but I am excited about this race.  And by excited I mean pretty nervous.


I am not a runner.  In fact, when I went to the running store two weeks ago to buy new sneakers, I emphatically told the employee, “I am running in the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, but I’m not a runner or anything”.  And the truth is, I wasn’t a runner.  I didn’t look forward to running the trails near our apartment in Virginia, and I often stood on the side of the track while Mark ran (and fast).  

This past fall, I knew I needed to find a mental and physical challenge to compete with the various other challenges in life.  I needed something to focus on, to aspire to and to complete.

I am generally competitive by nature, but the only person I have been competing with has been me.  Over the course of the last two months, during my training program, I have gone from dreading the 3 miles I needed to run, to saying now, “Oh, it’s just three miles.”

Before I ever started running I told myself that if I ran 5 miles my gift to myself would be the Maniac pumps from Brian Atwood, it is no longer about the shoes.  It is about knowing that I set a goal, I went after it, and in a few days I will do it.  I am not running for time, I am running for me.

I’ll report back on Monday with the results. 
If you need a reason to take on a new challenge, the reason should be because you can, and so you have to.

Have a great weekend. 

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Posted in DC, Her Inspiration, Life Lessons, Personal

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