Half-Tucked

Emmauelle Alt can do it, and so can you! A half-tucked shirt that doesn't seem messy or careless has always eluded me, although my affection for worn cotton tees may have contributed to this. When my tee is half-tucked, I look like I'd might as well give up and roll back into bed. However, I adore the idea of a top half-tucked into a pair of shorts for summer. Here are two ways to pull this off:

1. Take a note from Emmanuelle Alt and accessorize consciously: it's difficult to look like a slob if you're also wearing an embellished leather jacket and thigh-high boots. Oh, has the temperature increased by 50 degrees in the past three days (cough Chicago cough)? A belt, a few bracelets and a sweet pair of aviators do the trick; together, they show the thought and care put into the ensemble.

2. Upgrade from the plain tee: silk blouses or oversized button-downs offer a little breathing room, which is perfect for hot summer days. I love to pair silk tanks by Joie with denim shorts and flat sandals. It's still a casual and effortless look, but the material and cut of the tank lend a much-needed dose of polish.

[photo cred to 1 and 2, both via Have Less Be More]

Say Yes...

...Yes to cool shade and green grass.

Yes to finishing undergraduate classes!

Yes to baked blueberry oatmeal.

Yes to Northwestern. There. I said it.

Yes to snarky cover letters.

Yes to Amy Poehler's commencement speech at Harvard.

Yes to a long and beautiful weekend!

[photo cred here via That Kind of Woman]

The Burning House

Have you read The Burning House, a blog on which users submit photos of the items they'd take if their house was burning? I've been fascinated by what objects prove to be most significant to people — paintings, plants, animal figurines. The pets are my favorite; they always look so puzzled in the photos. I decided to do my own and was actually surprised by what I chose:

(from upper left, clockwise-ish)

1. My baby blanket. Please. There's no way in hell that I would leave this behind.
2. My Moleskine journal. Every few months or so, I come up with a really great one-liner and write it down. I'd also be terribly embarrassed if this were salvaged from the hypothetical ashes and someone read it.
3. My mini Moleskine journal. One-liners on the go!
4. A photo of my cousin Kristyn, who passed away when she was seven.
5. An anthology of the Paris Review, which I haven't read yet, and The Elegance of the Hedgehog, which I want to read again and again.
6. A flask, because my hypothetical house is on fire and I probably need some gin.
7. A glass figurine from Venice of a cat with a fish in its stomach. I find it morbid... and awesome.
8. My coaster collection indulges my kleptomaniac side. The one on top is from Sepia, a restaurant in the West Loop of Chicago.
9. A painting of the Eiffel Tower. Surprise! Not.
10. An Emilio Pucci scarf. No explanation needed.
11. Satin Marc by Marc Jacobs boat shoes, which I've worn for six years and counting. Adorable, comfortable, and completely impractical. Where am I ever going to find another pair of satin boat shoes?
12. Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti jacket. I just love it.
14. My alarm clock. This is just one of those comfort objects that make a room feel like home. I've had it forever and still schlep it back and forth from NY to Chicago, even for short, weeklong breaks.


What would you choose? If you have done or would like to do this, I'd love to see!


[First photo by Jordan Brown]

Bacon Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Bacon chocolate chip biscotti was the lovechild of myself and my best friend, as we're big fans of both chocolate and bacon. However, most of our baking is limited to things that exist in boxed form, so we decided to make this from-scratch recipe a collective effort. Some people questioned the bacon-chocolate marriage and/or expressed complete disgust at the idea, but the saltiness of the bacon and sweetness of the chocolate chips complement one another so well. The biscotti was crumbly and not too rich, while the smokiness of the bacon didn't at all overpower it. We loved it, and it was super simple to make.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Biscotti

[adapted from SeriousEats.com]

7 strips of bacon

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 c granulated sugar

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but not melted

2 large eggs

1 c semisweet chocolate chips

1. Fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about five minutes. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Allow to cool. Place in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped, then set aside. Feel free to rip open the bag of chocolate chips and drink some wine.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric handmixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. Add dry mixture to wet and beat to blend. Toss in bacon and chocolate chips. Gather dough into a ball and divide in half. 

3. Divide dough into two balls and roll them in plastic wrap.

4. Place dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Start watching Beauty & the Beast.

5. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Take dough out of fridge and, on a floured surface, roll into two 12" to 14" logs. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and dry to the touch, about 30 minutes. Continue to watch Beauty & the Beast.

4. Remove baking sheet from oven and reduce the temperature to 300-degrees. Allow logs to cool for 15 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch slices on an angle. Space slices apart, standing upright, and bake until golden, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Voilà!

Wine & Cheese

A lot of great things happened this weekend — for one, the creepy haze that has been lingering over Chicago finally cleared up — but everything pales in comparison to the most delicious dinner I have eaten in quite a long time. You know that a restaurant is promising if it a) has no website (although this could work against it), and b) the Yelp reviews read something like, "I don't even want to post a review because people are going to come here in droves."

My friend from Allure was in town for the weekend and I chose a place called DiSotto Enoteca. It's an underground cavern of a wine bar that features small antipasti plates, like an Italian version of tapas, with incredibly intimate and old-world ambiance. I ordered a glass of Chianti (my staple) and then tried a spicy French Syrah (decent, but no Chianti or Malbec). Then, I ordered a plate of taleggio cheese and fig compote, which I followed up with portobello, fontina and rosemary bruschetta. I began to miss the taste of taleggio and thus ordered pear, taleggio and toasted pecan bruschetta. Then we shared a chocolate cake. As it happens, saturated fat and I are having a very torrid love affair at the moment..

If you're ever in the Chicago area, go go go. I promise it's wonderful. I'll meet you there. I'll help you out with that cheese and bruschetta and chocolate cake.

So how was your weekend?!


[photo cred to 1 and 2]

Say Yes...

...to light blazers and cool breezes.

Yes to croissants and pastries and raspberry jam.

Yes to Modern Family...

...and to Sofia Vergara, in particular.

Yes to books that turn reading for class into reading for pleasure.

Yes to making plans and checking off your To Do list.

Yes to Randy Pausch and childhood dreams.

Yes to le week-end, mes petits choux!

[photo cred here]

Breakfast Interrupted

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

Breakfast was already my favorite meal of the day ... and then this happened.