Hi Friends, it is finally Friday and I am so excited. I am about to head off to the Balenciaga & Spain Exhibit at the de Young Museum! I have been looking forward to it all week!
Will you check it out this weekend? Tomorrow is opening day!! I am sure I will have some photos and stories to share with you next week.
XOXO!
Blueberry Crisps! …probably one of the easiest and most flavorful yet simple dishes I have made in a while {ok maybe ever}. They are tart, buttery crumbly and soft all at once. What more does a girl {or guy} need? I find that you can eat it for almost every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner..its all purpose dish. I think we finished it in a single day.
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup butter
3 cups blueberries
1 tablespoons lemon juice
Mix together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Cut the butter into the mix, and knead into the flour until it begins to look like course crumbs. Squeeze some of the mixture in your hand, it should stay intact and form a ball, but should break apart easily with your fingers. If it won’t stay together, add more butter. If it won’t come apart, add more flour. Pour half of the mix into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Press down firmly until it forms a crust.
Toss the blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice together. Pour the berries over the crust and spread evenly along the first layer. Sprinkle the rest of the crust mixture over top and lightly press into another layer.
Bake in the oven at 350º 30-40 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown. Allow to cool, and then cutheck out the Cozy Kitchen for the recipe.
Happy Friday! The week has gone by fast and I am thankful! I have decided to share a recent and perhaps blurry photo of my baby nephew, Ollie!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Friends, meet Annie from the wonderful blog, Poetic and Chic. She is creative, well spoken and just plain great. I hope you take a moment to check out her blog as well her other endeavours and of course her thoughts on what are her “Little Luxuries”.
Poetic and Chic: I used to work in luxury fashion, so my basic instincts always seem to have the most expensive price tags. A set of richly-woven sheets, or the mere whiff of a pair of Italian-made leather shoes sends me into paroxysms of delight! During these leaner times however, I have had to keep a tight reign on my natural desires for the finer things.
But where is it written that luxury has to be expensive? Rare, of course, but it doesn’t need to be pricey. I’ve had a smooth, velvety goat cheese from a farmer’s stall on market day in Chartres, France that was far better than anything they serve at Gary Danko. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch but at least I remember eating the Chartres cheese more than any fancy meal I’ve had.
Therein lies the point: luxury is simplicity – of design, craftsmanship, quality – as long as it’s always the finest, then there’s really no hoo-hah to worry about.
The same philosophy goes for little luxuries too. As long as something is well-made and makes you feel good, it doesn’t need to break the bank. It is the little luxuries that make us appreciate the finer, more expensive ones too. The grace and beauty of a humble thing that we enjoy privately will always make us smile, regardless if we’re wearing red-soled shoes for everyone else. It is the little luxuries we can enjoy every day too, not just on special occasions when we dress up, want to impress, or want to celebrate. Why not celebrate life all the time by taking the time to enjoy the small, but good?
So, here are a few of my little luxuries…
Great coffee. When you live in San Francisco (and have even the slightest bit of gourmand in your blood), there’s absolutely no excuse to drink mega-brand coffee. Four Barrel, Ritual, and Blue Bottle, and even Peet’s offer amazing roasts at very affordable prices. I take mine black, from a classic stove-top Bialetti coffee maker. (I don’t have an electric coffee maker nor a microwave. I must say, NOT having a lot of electric junk on the countertop is a luxury in itself!) Just one cup of this, and it’s a little morning trip to a happy wake-up place.
Hot baths. Is there anything better than a hot bath? I’ve heard stories of people who don’t have bathtubs where they live; for me this fate is more tragic than being without a dishwasher. While a hot shower has its merits, there’s nothing like a hot bath after a long day of drudgery. It always makes you feel relaxed, content, and it even makes you sleep better. I usually like a little Molton Brown bubble bath, but the $30-plus price tag makes me pause. Luckily, Target now sells the amazing brand Boots from the UK. Their classic bubble bath is fragrant, foamy, and costs under $12 for a vintage-looking glass bottle-full. Cannot complain.
Scented candles. Yes, these can be expensive, I’m not going to lie. Believe me, when I get going in the Dyptique shop it’s hard for me to stop! I want one of every single fragrance to try, but the one I ALWAYS come back to is the sweet & subtle Figuier. So lovely! For a spicier scent, I’ve always loved Williams-Sonoma Home’s Safari or Jonathan Adler’s Big Sur. The DL & Co, are nice too, but I received a Ciré Trudon “Ernesto” candle for Christmas this year and it is pure heaven! Leathery, smoky…I think it’s meant to evoke the smell of Cuban cigars, but to me it smells like a 6’2” Chilean polo player. I’m not going to name names.
{Diptyque}
Yesterday I woke up thinking it was Wednesday (thursday).
Thankfully it was not…and Friday has arrived much sooner than expected. How lucky am i? Tomorrow I am having birthday party round 2. Last week just wasn’t enough. I will be celebrating with a small group of friends at brunch.
I just love the above photos. There is something about them that makes me smile. Don’t you think? See you lovies on Monday. Enjoy this rainy weekend.
Friends, guess what?! I have rounded up some blogger friends to participate in a blogger series called “Little Luxuries” and I am so excited to see their answers. In this feature, we will be discussing the splurges in life whether it be tasty treats, expensive shoes, lavish vacations, movie night,…get the idea? I thought it would be fun to start the series with what I consider my little luxuries…so now onto the good stuff!
{Number 1} and most favorite purchase usually is a Swatch watch. They are so cute + unique. Just perfect for me and any outfit.
{Number two} on list is my surroundings. My home is my sanctuary and I must surround myself with inspiration and a comfortable environment.
{Number 3} Ahhh, my latest luxury purchase which is not yet purchased but I am saving up for a Mac Book Air!! So excited to have a new gadget.
{Number 4} Zuni Cafe!!! Have you been? It is in my top 5 favorite restaurants in SF. They have the best burger, caesar salad, fries and Bloody Mary!
{Number 5} My major weakness aside from ice cream is shopping. I can’t help myself from buying new clothes sometimes..it is a bad habit that I am trying to work on..But now I shop with a new attitude – “If she can’t afford it, she won’t buy it. If it doesn’t fit (or make her feel good, or flaunt what she’s got), she won’t wear it. If she can’t find it, she won’t compromise. If she loves it, she won’t toss it. She reuses it, rethinks it, lets it age.“
Today, I am lazy. I am not sure if it is the traveling (not complaining) or re-adjusting back to my normal routine. I am taking tonight to not work and catch up on my reading. Hope you have a wonderful day lovies.
See you tomorrow. Xo
Eek! I just read that temperatures may drop to historic low and snow may fall by Friday night! That has not happened in 35 years. I can not believe that I am missing this. As much as I hate the cold, I would love to see this.
{One to two inches of snow fell in San Francisco on February 5, 1976, and dusting the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge}
{Snow covered Shotwell Street between 22nd & 24th Streets in San Francisco on February 5, 1887}
{Evelyn Luwig holds her son, 3-year old son, Paul, out on a grassy hill to play in the snow that fell in San Francisco on February 28, 1951}
ps. I am in Minneapolis right now visiting this guy and celebrating my birthday!
I love the month of February – it is my birthday month and Valentine’s Day. It is so fun to give and receive gifts for really no reason. I thought I would lend my lovely readers a hand this month – behold WL’s gift/event guide for celebrating this holiday with friends or lovers.
a. Delish cookies from Miette in SF
b. Foodie event at the Ferry Building – Food for Heart
c. Organic body products by Weleda
e. In God We Trust necklaces
f. Tokyo Bay Watch kit
g. Vacation at Indian Springs hotel in Calistoga
h. Brunch “festival” at Fort Mason – XOXO event
i. Vogue Living
Friends, can you believe we made it through yet another work week?! I am so excited for the weekend. I plan to make the most of the weather, catch up with friends and attempt to organize my life a bit better..oh and of course watch the Superbowl. I must admit that I am not much of a football fan but I love getting together with friends to eat, drink and chat.
What do you have planned?
{Source}
Widespread 
