This weekend is full of exciting things from birthday parties to spring cleaning (ok, that last one may not be exciting to everyone, but I love having my things clean and organized.)  I have decided to make a blackberry cobbler for the birthday boy as it is his favorite and they are just so easy to make.  The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny... typical Austin, so I am sure that I will spend a bit of time outside while I do my studying and preparing for the upcoming shower.  What are you doing this weekend?

Some magnificent things:
Electrifying bangle
Wes Anderson would be proud of this vignette in Bazaar Korea
A new way to play with your food
I love these dots
Beautiful photos of a coffee shop
Green tea with milk would be the best in this cup
DIY: juxtaposition
A good cookbook for all those Madmen fans (like me!!!)
I laugh at this tumblr... out loud
This looks so yumm.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love garlic and old folks, but the latter is neither here nor there in this post.  What I am trying to say is that I love garlic... a lot.  I have been looking for something that I want to make that is not cereal or dessert, with little to no avail, until last night when I was flipping through my Seasons cookbook and saw this roasted garlic and ricotta pasta recipe.  It really hit the spot, though I did end up making some chocolate chip cookies for dessert, just for good measure.  

Roasted Garlic and Ricotta Pasta
from Donna Hay, Seasons

10 cloves garlic
2 cups (300G) pitted Kalamata olives
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
2 tbsp. salted capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts
1/3 cup oregano leaves
1 tbsp. lemon juice
375g fresh lasagne sheets, cut into wide strips [I used extra wide homemade pasta instead]
sea salt and black pepper
250g ricotta
1 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.  Place the garlic, olives, and one tablespoon of oil in a baking dish and toss to coat.  Roast for 15 minutes or until the garlic is tender. Peel, mash, and set aside.  Place the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat until hot.  Add the capers, pine nuts, and oregano for 2-3 minutes until oregano is crisp. Add the lemon juice, remove from heat, and set aside.  Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain and return to pan. Add the olives, mashed garlic, pine nut mixture, salt, pepper, ricotta, and parmesan and toss to combine. Divide and serve. Serves four. 

Texas is blooming all over with beautiful wildflowers now and over the past few weeks, so I just had to take the opportunity to frolic among them with Beans before the big move.  I wanted to get a few good pictures of bluebonnets for my art gallery wall I am planning, as well as do the standard "child in the bluebonnets" picture that everyone seems to be mandated to take in Texas.  I must say, my dog-child poses incredibly well... she really is my favorite wildflower.  I don't want to go on and on about my dog, so I won't, and you can see for yourself.  

I am a big fan of natural fibers, and silk maybe one of my favorites, which is probably why I love these hand painted silk blouses so much.  I could wear them with all of my skirts and pants, the hardest part is going to be deciding which one I need the most.  I love the ikat one that is very unique, but I also love the ones that look like they have beads draped on them because I feel like they come pre-accessorized.  This Etsy shop, xSilk, is from Brooklyn, New York and the newest collection is based on the traditional methods of calligraphy that were used in China, Korea, & Japan.  The silk items in this shop are made by hand, from start to finish, and colors are set by the old fashioned way: air curing for two days, then slow steaming the silk.  It is this kind of craftsmanship and care that I love about buying from Etsy shops.  Even if these blouses aren't for you, I encourage you to browse around Etsy for the amazing handmade things you can find; there is even a way to search for things made local to you!

Since I have been traveling around so much lately, packing has been on my mind a lot.  It is something that I actually enjoy doing, probably because it gives me an excuse to bring out my secret A-type personality and plan outfits days in advance.  Plus, packing gives you a little taste of the excitement of things to come.  In all of my experience, I have come up with some good ways fit everything you need into a small suitcase.  The first thing that you need is a comfortable but cute travel outfit.  My favorite thing to wear is my comfiest jeans, a neutral top, a leather jacket, flats, and a beautiful scarf. 

All of this fits into that little suitcase... and clothed me for almost a week.   I even had room for my steamer and hot rollers.  Below you will find my tips to packing light and still being stylish.

A great way to cut down on pieces in your suitcase is by packing separates that coordinate so they may be worn together.  I like to come up with a color scheme and for this trip I went with fuschia and chartreuse mixed with neutrals.  It is a bold color palette for sure, but I hate how often everyone dresses in blacks and grays in big cities, so I went for it.  

It is important, maybe most important to bring shoes that are comfortable.  I love to have a couple of shoe options every day, and that works best with neutrals.  My two most comfortable heels: the cuffed black sandals (seriously, these Manolos are the most comfortable shoes ever) and my snake skin pumps.  I next packed my black flats and low wedge espadrilles

Lastly, you have to pack your jewlery... I don't wear much but I like to have a couple different necklaces and an earring or two just in case.  I decided on these necklaces because then I could have one that is chunky, one that is delicate, one that is casual, and one that is vintage and beautiful. 

What are you doing this weekend?  I am spending some time trying to recover from my trips and reflecting on the good times I have had with my friends and family.  I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people and leaving them is the thing that makes me most anxious about moving.  There have been a lot of wonderful things going on in my life and I can't wait to share them with you in the next few weeks. I hope that you are all doing well and have a magnificent weekend.

Some exquisite things:
Since I wake up with twigs in my hair sometimes anyway
Grill turned pizza oven, genius
A short autobiography that we can all relate to in some way
Rifle Paper Co. makes fabrics (yay!!!)
A man with too much time on his hands makes me wish for snow
I like this tumblr, and seeing the things that become collections
Stickers that can jazz up anything
Homemade walnut butter
I like this couple and their nest of eclectic organized chaos. 

and last but not least.....
I was asked to do a guest blog spot over at The Fedora Store a couple of weeks ago about my guide to men's fashion.  It was a lot of fun to do, and you can check it here if you are feeling adventurous, and here if you are feeling a little more traditional.Have a great weekend!!

While I was in Chicago last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Art Institute of Chicago and was so impressed by the body of art that they have available.  I know that if I lived in The Windy City, I would spend many an afternoon there.  It is not as nice a visiting the National Portrait Gallery in DC because it's not free, but at only $18.00 for the full day or $9.00 for the last hour and a half... it is totally worth it.  I love art and am constantly amazing by the immense size of some of these paintings, and as a painter I immediately think about the amount of paint they must use and how much it much cost them... both time and money.   There are so many layers to some of these paintings, it is truly astounding.  

Another thing that made seeing these pieces so great is that I got to see them with my two besties (who are both amazingly smart art history majors) and hear the whole spiel on why they did their strokes in such a way.  One friend was really into the romantic French impressionists whilst the other was more fixated on the modern surrealists.  I like a little bit of both, it is much too hard for me to pick a favorite of anything, especially art.  These are just a few of my favorites from the gallery, and there was no flash allowed so the pictures are as good as they could be.  I hope that you enjoy them and take the opportunity to see them when you get a chance.

I have been running around the past few months with a millions things looming in the distance, good things, but still things.  I don't deal well with the anxiety of things I anticipate and can't plan any further than I already have.  So, knowing I had 4 trips, 5 wedding showers, 1 bachelorette trip, 1 law school graduation, and a couple other irons in the fire made me a little crazy, but I have gotten a lot of this out of the way in the past 10 days and that should give me a lot of time to update.  My Papa Bear even joked that I should rename it "The Forgotten Umbrella."  I honestly had hopes of updating throughout the break, and would love to say that I was disciplined enough to at least take pictures of my outfits... I wasn't though.  I did take tons of pictures of food though, none that I cooked.  I have been living out of a suitcase for the entirety of my break and am glad to be home doing laundry and sleeping in my own bed.  

I did have one of the best trips ever to DC looking for houses and getting a grasp of my neighborhoods.  I went to many delicious restaurants, the wonderful International Spy Museum, the National Portrait Museum, and maybe best of all shopping in Georgetown where I scored a fabulous Stella McCartney at 85% off.   I didn't find a house on this trip, but am in no hurry at this point, so I will continue my search... 

What have you been doing since I've been on break? 

I have a hard time finding glasses that fit my face, but I never have given up the search.  I found these glasses by RAEN the other day and was excited not only by their variety of shapes for sunnies, but also their interestingly chic nerd frames.  I would like to have a pair, even if just for show.  These are a few of my favorites and I hope to find a place to try them on soon.  The aviators are my safe bet because that is what I have always worn, but I want to try the "flowers" style because they give just a little nod to Jackie O.  Either way,  all of these styles are classic and timeless... as long as you can keep from sitting on them or losing them.  Which are your favorites?

When it comes to desserts, I have found, that the sillier the name, the more delicious it is.  I have always been a fan on "cobbler" or "grunt" or though it's technically a sandwich a "fluffernutter" and just as much for their funny names as for how they actually taste.  I am not ashamed to admit this, and the fact that a good name can convince me to buy just about anything: nail polish, a book, a new flavor of cupcake at the local cupcake shop, really anything.  Marketing works on me and I am not ashamed to admit it.  

So when I was browsing around for things to make just to fill my urge for cooking nothing seemed right until I stumbled upon a recipe for blueberry boy bait from brown eyed baker.  I decided that I would love to make it because it looked like a mixture of blueberry muffins and buttery yellow cake... but I had to make a few adjustments based on reviews that I had read of the recipe and personal preferences.  For instance I am not the biggest fan of blueberries, but I can eat raspberries and blackberries until I am sick.  

This is my altered recipe:

Razzleberry Boy Bait
altered from Blueberry Boy Bait

For the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup skim milk
½ cup raspberries½ cup blackberries

For the Topping: ¾ cup mixed blackberries and raspberries
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. For the Cake: Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13×9-inch baking pan.

2. Whisk 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of the flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of the milk. Beat in half of the remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss the blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in both type of berries. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

4. For the Topping: Scatter the berries over top of the batter. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

So, why is it called Blueberry Boy Bait?  Well, they say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Apparently, that applies to teenaged boys as well.  At least, that’s what Renny Powell was thinking when she developed her award winning Blueberry Boy Bait recipe for the 1954 Pillsbury Bake-Off. The 15 year-old amateur baker from Chicago took second place in the youth division of the contest that year with her creation. When asked why she named her cake Blueberry Boy Bait, Powell explained that it was named after the effect it had on teenaged boys – “one bite and they were hooked”!  I know that I was... I couldn't stop eating it and am so glad it is gone now because I lost all self control! :)