Tights or No Tights?

Do you suffer from the love of tights like I do? I'm the kind of girl who starts wearing tights once the first day of fall hits, even if it's not cold out yet. I'll wear my tights until I can't bear it any longer, because it's to darn hot outside. Anyway, while getting ready for another day of work, the sun finally decided to come out again. I don't know about you guys, but the weather over here has been all over the place and driving me crazy. So getting dressed for work has kind of been all over the place and a bit boring. So with the change of weather I decided to pull out one of my favorite skirts and brighten up my look on such a sunny and bright day.

Even though the sun had decided to share it's wonderfulness on this lovely weekday, it was still too chilly for me to go without my trusty tights. I actually wore a cardigan and a scarf over this outfit during the day, but decided not to picture it on the blog. While leaving work, I did notice a certain amount of shorts and tanks out. It wasn't even in the low 70s yet. I just don't get it, don't other people get cold or at least a little chilly, especially on a windy day? I do, so my tights kept me nice a toasty for the rest of the day. Also, I wanted to enjoy a few more days wearing my tights. Well, it's time to wrap this up, so I hope wherever you are things are starting to warm up and actually feel like spring.

 

T-Shirt - J. Crew

Skirt - Anthropologie

Tights - Hue

Booties - DSW 

Blueberry Muffins for Dessert and Breakfast

Last weekend it was rainy and cold out. Instead of going out on Saturday night, I stayed in and watched some TV and made some blueberry muffins for dessert. I'm not a big fan of going out when the weather sucks, plus I got to catch up on all my shows I had saved on the dvr. So, in honor of the rain I made these yummy little goodies to keep me company while I caught with my shows. 

 

 

The recipe I used was straight from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. That was the best investment I've ever made. Everything single thing I've made from that book has come out perfect. The desserts aren't too sweet and are so moist and fluffy. I can't say anything bad about this book. The steps are super easy to follow. 

 

I hope you all enjoy making these yummy muffins, especially on a rainy day. Also it's great to share these babies with friends/roommates, like I did. I always have my roommates taste test my baking endeavors. I hope they don't mind too much. 

Blueberry Muffin Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pint of blueberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl and beat on slow speed.

Put the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla into a separate bowl and mix to combine. Slowly pour the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.

Pour in the melted butter and beat until the butter has just been incorporated, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat until the dough is even and smooth.

Finally, gently fold in the blueberries into the mixture until evenly dispersed. Spoon the batter into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

It's Finally Spring! Maybe? Hopefully!!

Cardigan - Ann Taylor Loft

Top - Zara

Skirt - Banana Republic

The weather has been allover the place over here in New York. Some days I need a coat, while others I only need a jacket and scarf. Well Thursday was one of those days, so I dressed appropriately. I nice light skirt and cardi was perfect for the weather and work.



With the nice weather, I even got a chance to enjoy my lunch break outside at the park and took a few pictures of the foliage. Well the weather was short lived, because it rained for the remaining of the week. Oh well, hopefully April showers do bring May flowers.

Yummy Eggplant Lasagna

While at the market last week, I picked up a beautiful medium sized eggplant. My plans were to roast it with other veggies. Well after I stuck it in my fridge, I completely  forgot about it. That happens sometimes, especially when I go days without cooking cause of my crazy schedule.

Well on Sunday, I finally noticed it tucked in behind my lettuce and I really didn't want it to go to waste. So I thought about making one of my go-to recipes, but I just wasn't in the mood. What I was in the mood for was a lasagna and I had all the fixings to make one, except for the pasta.

So I decided to try something new by making an eggplant lasagna, substituting the pasta with the eggplant. The whole time it was baking in the oven, I just kept wishing that when it came out of the oven it would taste good. I really didn't have a back-up plan for dinner if things fell apart.

When I took it out of the oven, it smelled amazing and after my first bite, I was very happy. Pairing it with a side salad made it even better. It turned out so yummy, so I've decided to share my recipe with all you lovely people out there. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

By the way I usually cook for myself and only make enough leftovers to last 1 to 2 days. So if you are making this for more then 2 people, just double the recipe.  Also I made my own tomato sauce and I've added the recipe at the bottom.

Eggplant Lasagna:

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 cups of basic tomato sauce
• Fresh mozzarella (sliced)
• Ricotta cheese
• Parmigiana-Reggiano (grated)
• Pecorino Romano (grated)

Slice the eggplant into 9 pieces about 1/2 and inch thick. Lightly season each piece with salt and pepper and place on an oiled baking sheet, side by side. Drizzle some oil on top of each eggplant (Make sure not to put to much oil, the eggplant can absorb a lot of oil). Bake the eggplant at 450 degrees F until the slices begin turning a deep brown on top, about 12-15 minutes. I like to flip them half way, so that both sides get browned. Remove the eggplant from the oven and let them cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a baking dish, pour a small amount of tomato sauce at the bottom of the dish. Place 3 slices of the eggplant next to each other on the dish. Over each slice, spread the ricotta cheese and then place slices of the mozzarella on top. Layer with some more sauce and then continue with another layer of eggplant slices and cheese. Once you have finished layering then top the lasagna with thin slices of mozzarella, parmigiana-reggiano and the pecorino romano cheeses.

Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the tops turn light brown, about 20 minutes.

Tomato Sauce:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgen olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves (you can use 1 tablespoon of fresh leaves)
• I small carrot grated
• 1 (28-ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices saved
• Freshly chopped rosemary and basil (about 1 tablespoon of each)

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook an additional 5 minutes, until the carrot becomes soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower then heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens. When the sauce is almost done, drop in the rosemary and basil and stir for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

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Sunday Brunch

Dress - Urban Outfitters

Belt - Uniqlo

Tights - DKNY

Shoes - Gap

Cardigan - Urban Outfitters

Today I met up with one of my lovely friends for Sunday brunch. Couldn't figure out what to wear, since it was cold and cloudy (as you can tell by these pictures). Am I crazy for going up to my roof to take pictures of my outfit? Yes, yes I am. Anyway, I had a lovely time enjoying some lovely pastries at Bouchon Bakery and then a nice walk around the park. It's always nice spending the day with friends, even when the weather isn't perfect. Hope you all had a nice day. 

Welcome to My Little Blog

Skirt - Gap

Top - Took it from my mom

Tights - DKNY

Shoes - Steve Madden

For awhile I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog, but never had a clue of what the focus of my blog would be. I've been reading blogs for ages, but never thought I could be as interesting as the many blogger's I read everyday. A good friend told me I should just start a blog and share all the things that make me happy and my recipe's. I decided to start this little blog and share my love of food and fashion. I don't consider myself a foodie or a fashionista, but I do enjoy cooking/baking and have a big problem with spending my hard earned pennies on clothing. So what would be my first post? Well I decided to start with a photo post of my outfit I wore on a surprisingly nice day (which I haven't seen in weeks). So I hope you enjoy this little spot of the Internet I have placed myself in. Welcome to Sweet Caramel & Lace!!!