BOTTOMLESS PIT DAY: RECIPE WISHLIST

Have you ever had one of those days when you can't seem to stop eating? My friends and I call those "bottomless pit days"—when your stomach seems like a never-ending vessel that you have to shove food into. We all need those days every once in a while and I had my latest one yesterday, which I spent binging on gummy bears and dreaming of all the delicious meals I could whip up.

In case you need a photo or two to make you salivate, or just a tasty recipe to stave off the winter chill this weekend, here are some awesome options I have round up for you. Which one would you make?

Paprika Parsnip Fries with Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

Soft Salted Buttered Pretzels

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce, Toasted Pecans and Sage

Baked Rosemary Basil Zucchini Chips

Honey Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasted Pineapple with Honey Pistachios

Chocolate Braided Cacao Bread


And now, with a rumbling stomach, I am off to the kitchen! Happy weekend!

KEEPING IT COZY

Have you noticed it? There is a chill in the air (at least here in the Northeast) today . . . finally! I am ready for the lovely cool weather that comes with the beginning of winter. Not crazy cold, mind you, but just that glorious crisp sunny day requiring a cozy jacket, scarf and a cup of hot cocoa. Perfect, right?

Here are some of my favorite picks for snuggling in and keeping warm as the temperature drops. . . 

one | jcrew factory flannel shirt, sold out!

two | jcrew chevron checker hat, $42.50

three | sperry top-sider shearwater boots, $150

four | restoration hardware snowballer, $10

five | crunchy snowball stress ball, $28

six | popbar dark hot chocolate on a stick, $3.50

seven | patagonia hi-loft down sweater hoodie, $299

eight | boden cable knit scarf, $36

Stay toasty out there!

ENGAGEMENT PARTY: FAVORS AND PHOTOBOOTH

To make the party feel a little bit more special I decided to make some fun favors to send guests home with. After spying these adorable sets, I knew sending people home with a s'mores kit was the perfect way to cap off a start of summer party. My Mom and I were worried about keeping things fresh (living by the ocean, things get stale fast), so we put snack packs of graham crackers and mini individually wrapped chocolate bars in these clear plastic boxes and topped them off with marshmallows. Yum! I then closed up the boxes with stickers that featured our wedding logo and little thank you flags. Not surprisingly they were a bit hit!

(I may be snacking on some of the extra boxes this afternoon . . . )

After reading this post by Jordan, I knew I wanted to jazz up the engagement party with a photo booth. Turns out they can be super simple to put together! I bought 6 rolls of crepe paper streamers from my local party store (all to match my blue theme, of course), cut different lengths and masking taped them above a window in our cottage. I then set my camera up on a tripod, testing it to make sure it was the right distance (and setting it to auto focus, obviously) and then hooked this remote release to it. The whole thing worked beautifully!

And my friends and family loved it!

Not to mention me. I just couldn't resist taking a photo of the delicious present my friend Rachel baked (from scratch!) for me: a loaf of challah bread with wheat and white dough braided together to symbolize our upcoming union. Wonderfully thoughtful and delicious! (See that bite at the end? Yeah, this loaf lasted about 15 minutes over breakfast the next day.)

(One more post tomorrow detailing the decorations!)

NUTTY FOR NUTELLA

Recently swissmiss posted about the fabulous food blog 'One Hungry Mama'. Written by a Brooklyn mom, it features easy healthy recipes that your kids will actually like.

Well, it turns out you don't have to be a kid to like the recipes. I immediately found two that made me drool: Nutella Hot Chocolate and Nutella Swirled Banana Bread. And since it is a rainy cool fall day today in New York City, I think I will try them both out. Can't wait!

Read 'One Hungry Mama' here, and get the recipes for hot chocolate and banana bread here and here.

(images by One Hungry Mama, tip by swissmiss)

HEHEHEHEHE . . .

So (as I mentioned earlier) I had a tough week last week.  This week is much better (a little fun day with my boy tomorrow, a jaunt to Block Island this weekend etc.) but I decided to seal the deal with a couple small treats to myself.  First and foremost this piece by Douglas Wilson (which I have written about before and fit in nicely with my love of maps) called "Make Your Own Path" and sold through Keep Calm Gallery.  The second treat (which I have had my eye on for months) is the Multi-Stem Big Zip Wallet by Orla Kiely - newly re-released on her website here.  Everyone needs a little treat sometime, right?