Design Musings

Working For The Weekend

I made my maiden voyage to Chicago this weekend and boy am I ever psyched to be here!  I've heard so many wonderful things about this good 'ol windy city and I can't wait to see them all proved true.  I'll fill you in on a few highlights next week.  Speaking of travel, I'm gearing up to be all over the place for the next month...I'm heading back to Nashville Monday morning, then down to Savannah on Friday, looping up to Virginia for a week the following Monday, then a week in Nashville, followed by a week in Jersey.  Living out of a suitcase, here I come!  Hectic as it may be, I'm actually really looking forward to it...so much excitement on the horizon.  Hope your weekend is incredible and you enjoy the links!

Strange but interesting.

Great tips!

Like.

I'm such a sucker...I want all of these...

Such an adorable idea!

I'd love to use this somewhere.

Neato.

Yup.  Very cool.

The Foodie Files

Davey and I ventured down to Pratt's Orchard last weekend for an apple picking adventure (an idea I planted in his head a few weeks ago and he planned...Inception at it's finest).  While I always have the best intentions to revel in all of fall's fun activities, I typically only get around to one or two...a bonfire here, a carved pumpkin there, maybe a fall festival or something if I'm really on top of things.  Never apple picking, though...by the time I roll around to it, the season is always over.  All that to say, I was extra pumped to get to go this year.

We picked Gala, Mutsu, Yellow Delicious, Stayman Winesap and Fuji varieties but by the time we got home I had literally no idea which was which.  So!  I just picked a few random ones and made my first apple pie.  I'm not sure if that's breaking any rules, but it tasted great so I feel alright about it.  I'm not into cinnamon apple so I went with a recipe (first found here) that just used cinnamon and brown butter (my fave).  

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts

4 tablespoons butter
6 medium apples (about 3 pounds)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Heavy cream, to brush on top
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top 

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Peel, core and thinly slice apples.  It may just be that my knife skills are lacking, but this took me a lot longer than I thought it would.  Consider yourself warned.

Melt butter over moderately high heat in a small (if possible, heavy bottomed) skillet.  Once it begins to foam, whisk continuously until it gets slightly brown and smells nutty and fragrant.  Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Add the apples, sugar, salt and flour to a deep bowl, and toss with a rubber spatula to coat well. Pour in the brown butter and lemon juice, stir well.  Press one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and spoon the apple filling into it.

Place your second crust on top and press the edges.  Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with course sugar.  Create a steam vent by cutting four small gashes in the center of the pie.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn temperature down to 350 and bake for 35 to 40 minutes more, until top is golden and juices are bubbly.

Serve with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (or both!) for a perfect autumn treat.  

Mirror, Mirror

For whatever reason, I have a tendency to hoard gift certificates...I mean, I might have one for years before I spend it.  And I have no idea why!  I just always find myself waiting for the perfect purchase to use it on.  Enter this Michael Kors jumpsuit.  I finally pulled the trigger on a Bloomingdale's gift certificate my dear friend gave me for helping with her wedding in April and ordered it over the weekend.  I'm so pumped for it to get here! 

1. Stretch Jersey Jumpsuit, Michael Kors $140  2. Cat Eye Sunglasses, Stella McCartney $190  3. Lapis Lazuli Necklace, Isabel Marant $570  4. Antigona Bag, Givenchy $2,905  5. Big Dial Watch, Olivia Burton $114.76  6. Brandee Flat, Nasty Gal $50

Get It Together: Geometry Rocks

1. Multiple Taper Candle Holder, Nate Berkus $19.99  2. Port of Amsterdam Pillow, Babasouk $80  3.  Hanging Pot, Cooperativa Panoramica 4. Wishbone Chair, Hans J Wegner  5. Wood and Brash Finish Bar Cart, Target $129.99

Design Musings

The Foodie Files

I was wandering around Trader Joe's the other day trying to figure out what to make for dinner when the thought occurred to me: what if nothing sounds good because I'm craving something I've never made before?  What if it's something I've never tasted before?  And if that is the case...what might that something be?  For whatever reason, this whole ordeal was all of a sudden quite exciting for me so I took a second to think about what flavors sounded appealing.  I came up with the following combo...chicken, roasted garlic, pesto, parmesan cheese.  I knew I wanted to roast the garlic separately but I also didn't want the addition to feel like an afterthought so I came up with the idea to stuff the chicken breast.  I've never made stuffed chicken before so I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants but I'll tell you what- it sure did taste great!  The whole whole entree ended up working together perfectly which was delightful.  So glad I tried something new...hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

4 large heads of garlic

4 sprigs of thyme

4 chicken breasts

4 TBS parmesan cheese, roughly cut

6 TBS pesto

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

I started by roasting up some garlic (a process we covered in an earlier Foodie File...check it out here).  Side note: there's no flavor in the world like roasted garlic!  It's one of my very favorite treats.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Mash roasted garlic cloves and mix in 2 TBS of parmesan cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cut a pocket into the center of each chicken breast and stuff with 1/2 TBS roasted garlic mixture.

Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with 2 TBS of pesto, then top with seasoned chicken.  Add 1 TBS of pesto to each chicken breast and spread evenly.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove aluminum foil and top with remaining parmesan cheese.  Broil on high for 3-5 minutes.