Weekend Wishlist

I feel like it's been ages since I've had a day off of work.  Since I've been so overworked and exhausted lately, I decided to take Friday off and treat myself to a long weekend.  What long weekend would be complete without at least a little bit of shopping?  Here's what's on my wishlist.

Christian Louboutin Egoutina studded leather boots, $1,495
Mulberry Postman's Lock riding boots, $895
Dolce Vita "Dickson" Boots with Strap - Tall Boots - Bloomingdales.com, $270
Stuart Weitzman "Clute" Quilted Tall Boots - Tall Boots -..., $575

I really want a pair of black riding boots.  Preferably with a cool detail like the ones above.  I especially love the studded Louboutins but I'm definitely not in the market to spend that much.

Surface to Air Shawl Coat, $675
Rebecca Taylor Belted wool-blend cape, $625
Camel Wool Melton, $695
Ultimate Military Cape, $190
Smythe 'Cadet' Wool Blend Coat, $995
Apparel Classic Clothing at Talbots - Single-breasted coat, $329

I've also been eying a few camel coats but the more I think about it, perhaps I might like a fun cape instead.

And on a different note, I saw these fantastic Ann Taylor tweed pumps in November's InStyle mag and thought I could really make use of these.  It looks like I might have my work cut out for me this weekend but shopping is the good, relaxing kind of work. 

At the Ballet

I woke up this morning utterly exhausted;  I could barely drag myself out of bed.  This coming from someone who for as long as I can remember has been a morning person who used to pop out of bed pre-alarm clock.  But the one bright spot in my state of exhaustion was the fleeting thought that I could whip up a pretty outfit to perk me up.  But what?

Milly jacket, H&M top, vintage ribbon pearls

Oh ballet pink and ballet slippers, that's what.  I pulled out this light, light pink Milly jacket which I love dearly and don't wear enough.  I bought it years ago on sale at Bergdorf's and it has served me well.  It's perfectly paired with a like color little top from H&M.

Pour la Victoire flats, Marc Jacobs bag

Add some Joe's jeans and brighter pink ballet slippers and I'm good to go.  Oh, and don't let me forget my Marc Jacobs bag!

Michael Kors rose gold watch

As I do each day, I walked the short walk to work to be greeted by the debonaire man that sits in front of my office building just watching the world go by.  He in his ubiquitous fedora and trench, me awash in my ballet pink and he belts out "Good morning Hollywood, how's my baby doing today?!".  Oh and that brings my first genuine smile for the day.  Thanks Mister Hollywood, you are my biggest fan!

Inspired by: Purple Prada shoes

Prada shoes and Tiziana handbag

As I posted the other day here there's a lot of room in my shoe wardrobe for re-discovery.  Well there's a lot to be re-discovered with my wardrobe in general but for today, I'll keep it to the shoes.  After digging out the Louboutins I wore the other night, I took some time to really assess what I could dig out of my closet.  Among many other fabulous pairs of shoes, I found these purple Prada shoes in the recesses of my closet.  So today's outfit revolved around the shoes.

Lanvin ribbon pearl necklace and Emporio Armani beaded necklace

The purple shoes paired perfectly with a multi-colored Anna Sui top in varying shades of blue and purple which I topped off with two of my favorite pearl and beaded necklaces from Lanvin and Emporio Armani and a Zara jacket.  

My life in music

So far, you've seen my life to some extent chronicled in food and even more so in fashion.  But as I was cooking dinner with my ipod blaring in the background, I thought of how each song vividly recalls different times in my life.

Duran Duran Rio

Duran Duran's Rio still to this day is one of my very favorites.  Duran Duran was the first concert I ever attended.  It was at the Meadowlands in NJ and I was in the seventh grade.

Thompson Twins Here's to Future Days

Fast forward a couple of years.  My family had moved from NJ to FL and I was a sophomore in high school.  I was new and at lunch sitting in the cafeteria all by my lonesome but happily oblivious with my headphones on.  I had this bright red Sony walkman and I was listening to the Thompson Twins cassette (can you imagine a life without online music and Ipods?) when the principal came over and confiscated my walkman.  Apparently one was not allowed to listen to music at lunch.  Who knew?!

New Order Substance

1988, I had finished high school and had moved to Gainesville FL for college.  I can still picture my dorm room and my boombox which was constantly playing New Order's Substance.

Aimee Mann I'm With Stupid

1996 I moved to Boston for graduate school.  I remember in great detail sitting in the apartment that I shared with my brother on Saint Botolph St, with my very large accounting textbook in front of me on the dining table. I was simultaneously studying and crying because school was really, really difficult and my brother found my duress endlessly amusing (in fact, he still does, but that's what little brothers are for, right?).  I always studied to music and the constant rotation was between Aimee Mann's I'm With Stupid and the Sundays' Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.

The Sundays Reading, Writing, Arithmetic

The irony of the titles of these albums only is just now hitting me. 

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager

On one of my annual Nantucket trips with my girlfriends, we had a late boozy night at Lola and we loved the music they were playing.  We had never heard it before and the guy in charge of the music there told me it was some group called Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.  We joked and called the band Buy a Cape, Put it on, Go out.  But I bought the album and each time I listen to it I think of my girlfriends and our annual jaunts to Nantucket.

So here's the thing about music; for me, certain songs, albums, lyrics will always bring me to specific moments in time in my life. And these are a few that I listened to then and in some cases decades later still listen to and enjoy as much for the music as for the memories.

Pork and peppers and pasta, oh my

I aimlessly wandered the aisles at the grocery store today searching for inspiration.  I happened upon some pork chops and thought to myself, how would I prepare them.  Then it came to me, I could  make them like we had growing up, with vinegar peppers.  The next dilemma was what to serve them with.  I thought I would make some cheesy orzo cooked risotto style but then I couldn't find a brand of orzo that I liked, so I figured I'd make due with whatever pasta I had at home. 

Generously salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops.  Fry them on medium heat for about 5 minutes each side until they are nice and brown.  Take them out of the pan, add in some garlic, a bunch of vinegar peppers and some of the juice from the peppers.  Saute for a few minutes, then add the pork chops back into the pan.  Cook covered on medium low until cooked to your desired doneness.  Spoon the peppers and sauce over the pork to serve.

I'm not big on following recipes to the letter since I usually just improvise and use recipes for inspiration, but if you want an exact recipe, you can use this one from epicurious.

I decided to have pasta cacio e pepe with the pork.  I made trenne since I had it leftover from a previous dinner.  Cook whatever pasta you like in generously salted water until al dente.  Reserve about a cup of the pasta water.  Drain the pasta and on medium heat make a sauce of the reserved cooking water, lots of cracked black pepper and grated Pecorino Romano cheese.  After a few minutes, add in the pasta to the sauce.  Similar recipe here.

This is my version of Italian macaroni and cheese.  Mangia!