mismatched bridesmaids

It's no shocker that my bridesmaid dresses will be green. They really couldn't ever be anything else. However, green isn't the easiest color for everyone to feel great in. Sorry ladies, but it's my wedding (ha!). I haven't even popped the question to all of my bridesmaids yet, but I know who they are, and they are all beautiful. Every friend says that, but seriously, these girls can pull off anything. But can we pull off multiple shades of green? I'm kind of loving this idea. I think it's quirky, pretty, interesting and laid-back--all of the things I want our wedding to be. P.S. yes, that's Rachel Bilson up there, and she designed the dresses for her best friend's wedding.

sweet and spicy pizza

When I'm somehow completely uninspired by my insanely enormous saved recipe list, I've found the best place to turn to is a beloved restaurant's menu. Bagby Pizza is a local Baltimore restaurant that makes amazing specialty pizzas. This weekend, I chose to copy their Sweet and Spicy Pizza, described on the menu as:  spicy tomato sauce, spinach, roasted red peppers, red onion, applewood bacon, Asiago and goat cheeses with balsamic glaze. Umm, yum! By listing every ingredient, they're practically begging for imitations. If you make this pizza, I can guarantee that it will make you really freakin' happy. You can read the easy steps I went through to create this truly impressive copycat meal below.

Ingredients

1 lb. prepared pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's whole wheat)
Sweet and Spicy Pizza Sauce (or any spicy sauce, but this one is really nice)
6 oz. shaved Asiago cheese
4 oz. goat cheese (I found an amazing Honey Chevre at Trader Joe's)
5 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 full roasted red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
Handful of baby spinach


Prepare pizza dough and preheat oven according to dough package instructions.
Spread sauce over dough, and sprinkle evenly with Asiago, goat cheese, roasted red pepper strips, and fully cooked bacon.
Bake according to dough instructions. During baking, reduce 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar until slightly thickened in a saute pan over medium heat. Avoid over-reducing. With 1-2 minutes left in baking time, sprinkle pizza with baby spinach and drizzle with Balsamic reduction.

black and blue

Top: Urban Outfitters, Skirt: Free People, Shoes: DV by Dolce Vita

Once in a great while (and definitely not often enough), I buy a piece of clothing that becomes an immediate go-to. This slouchy dolman tee from UO is definitely one of those items. It is the perfect mix of casual and dressy, has a punch of color, and always looks effortlessly put-together thrown over black skinny pants, or a black mini. It's also under $50, which never hurts. These pictures are from a night out in Temple Bar, Dublin, and I just tossed it on again last night with a Carrie bun and black skinny jeans. Too easy.

 

proper pleats

Dress: Dorothy Perkins, Clutch: River Island, Heels: Russhh by Steve Madden, Necklace: F21

While buying this dress in Dublin, I specifically noted that I had nowhere to wear it... and then I bought it anyway. Typical. Much to my delight, the very first weekend home presented the perfect opportunity. Adam recently moved on from country club life to a new job, and was invited to one last dinner party. Dress code mandated covered shoulders and called for a conservative, ladylike getup. Voila! The new dress fit the bill perfectly.

moroccan chickpea & tomato stew

After reeling over the Moroccan-spiced soup from Pay as you Please, I decided I had to take a stab at creating a copycat version. It took some serious recipe doctoring, but I succeeded! I started with a recipe for Chickpea Tomato Stew with Moroccan Spices, but quickly realized it just wouldn't cut it without some help. If you're interested, you can read my changes below. The result was seriously awesome: a thick and hearty but healthy soup that was bursting with interesting flavors. The spices were unique, but not overpowering, set against a  naturally creamy tomato backdrop. If you want an inexpensive but satisfying recipe for fall, look no further.

My Alterations:

The amount of liquid the recipe called for was absurd. I drained all of the tomatoes, discarding all of the liquid. I also added only a portion of the chickpea-cooking liquid, rather than all of it. As is, the recipe would make a VERY runny soup.

I upped all of the spices. I added 3 cinnamon sticks, and sprinkled in some ground cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and even a pinch of chili powder, as the stew cooked. Also, who buys cumin seeds? Just use ground cumin.

I made a bold decision to just throw the soup in a blender and see what happened. It worked, amazingly.

The recipe calls for 1.5 POUNDS of spinach. Absurd. I added in a handful at the end, and wished I wouldn't have. I ended up picking it all out later. 

That's all. Finally.

pay as you please cafe

While on a weekend trip in Killarney, I stumbled across the most unique and awesome cafe I've ever discovered. The premise was simple enough:  pay whatever you think your experience was worth. My first thought was that this meal would definitely fit into my tight lunch budget, but I was wrong. The market-fresh food was some of the best we had during the entire trip, and the service was remarkably friendly and fun. I just had to pay them plenty for their efforts. For me, the portobello and garlic bruschetta stole the show, but close runner-ups were a second bruschetta with goat cheese and olive tapenade, and a Moroccan chickpea soup in a bread bowl. Aren't these photos fantastic? I hope you agree because you'll be seeing them again very soon (hint, hint). Check out a brief video about the spot and its owner, Rob, below.

dublin

Are you ready to be bombarded with all things Irish? You're probably not, and I get that. Vacation photos are notoriously blah, but I can't ignore the past three weeks of my life. I took about 1000 too many photos on the trip, but I managed to separate some favorites by city or village into a series of posts that I will (kindly) spread out and disperse among other topics of interest. I've also made a conscious effort to combine some food and fashion into the travel posts to spare you from endless cathedrals, castles, cliffs, and coastlines. Check out that alliteration. First stop:  Dublin. You may notice the conspicuous absence of pubs and pints in this post because, yes, I believe they deserve their own homage in days to come.

Christ Church Cathedral

The River Liffey by Day and Night

Molly Malone

St. Audeon's Church

Kristen and I at St. Stephen's Green

Side note:  I am in love with this rain jacket. When I first bought it, I sort of kicked myself thinking I should have just stuck with basic black to match most outfits, but I was wrong. I love navy and black together, and have always thought the combo looks somehow polished and elegant. My jacket was from Nordstrom about a year ago (now on crazy sale at the Rack!), and there are also similar options here and here. The Burberry version is a pipe dream, but amazing.