maple, bacon brussel sprouts

Brussel sprouts... One of those foods you dread and despise without even having eaten them. Well, after tasting these tasty little morsels, they'll be moved over to your "vegetables I love" list. Not necessarily the healthiest veggie dish, but a nice alternative to the go-to typical choices. 

How to Make:

3 cup of brussel sprouts 

3 tbsp of maple syrup

3 tbsp butter

4-6 slices of bacon

salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash brussel sprouts and cut into quarters. 

2. Cut bacon strips into smaller pieces. Fry until crispy. Take out of pan, set aside.

3. Using half of the bacon drippings, add in butter and melt. Stir in brussel sprouts. 

4. Let sprouts brown a little bit and stir in maple syrup. Let syrup reduce and thicken. 

5. Finally, add the crisp bacon back into pan. Stir and combine. Serve.

paris v. nyc

{Paris v. NYC Postcards }

Of all the places I've been lucky enough to travel to, New York City and Paris are hands down, two of my most favorite spots. The people, the architecture, the food, the shopping - I have such wonderfully enjoyable memories of both places. I couldn't get enough when I saw these postcards. The 50 different comparisons had me laughing and reminiscing in the middle of the shop. I'd love to collage and frame a few of my favorites to remind me of some of my happy travels.

featherlight

{ letter opener & magnifying glass}

A TGIF treat from my Momma. A gift that she knows, her snail-mail-sending, letter-writing, coffee-table-book-loving daughter will be sure to enjoy. Browse some other fun desk accessories from Chapters here.

sweet reminders

I've been meaning to show off the pillows that D gave me for Valentine's. Do you have special sayings that you lovingly repeat to the important people in your life? I do, and these are them. I repeat both these sayings very often and fell in love with these when we saw them at Chapters. They sit on the couch in our bedroom right now and are such sweet, happy words to see every time we enter the room.

crusty, buttery croutons

I'm not the biggest fan of croutons, weird thing not to like, right? I find the store bought ones to be dry and flavorless and they just don't do much for me. But, the exception comes in the form of my own homemade croutons. They're buttery and chewy and crunchy all at the same time. Simple to make and such a welcome addition to a salad of any sort. 

How to Make:

Start with a baguette - it can be fresh or slightly stale, once baked both will make in a great crouton. Slice it into rough chunks/pieces. 

Stir the chunks around in a bowl with melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. 

This is where you can add in herbs and spices. I've tossed in some dried rosemary and it's quite nice. Once each piece is coated and buttery, lay out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven. 

Check every 3 minutes or so and toss around. 

They should darken and crisp up after about 10 minutes. 

a simple strawberry sauce

The aroma of cooked strawberries is one of those delicious natural scents that I can never get enough of. This homemade strawberry sauce in no way disappoints. You can pair it with cake or ice cream, or both (my preference...). It's also the easiest recipe to trick people into thinking you're some sort of fancy pants, chef extraordinaire. 

How I made it: Rough chopped a pint of strawberries. Added 1 tbsp of sugar, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (orange juice works well too), pinch of black pepper and simmer over the stove until the strawberries break down and get all saucy. Serve hot or cooled.

(PS. Keep this in mind for summer patio months. Take the above sauce, puree, then strain it. You can then add the coulis to drinks! I love using it to jazz up vodka lemonades)

summertime planning

{ Summer 2011, Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL }

One of the things I look forward to most about the summer is outdoor music festivals. A sunny day spend outside with friends, drinking beer and listening (and dancing) to live music - to me, this is just about as good as it gets! With it being D's first summer not at camp, I feel a heavy responsibility to plan a summer full of fun activities so he's not left yearning for the north.
One of the things I'm planning and personally, looking forward to most, is returning to Osheaga in Montreal. I went with girlfriends two summers ago and fell in love. Montreal is a only short drive away, the three day festival pass is affordable at $235 and what's got me even more excited is looking at accommodations on AirBnB. We didn't use it while we were backpacking but this seems like the perfect opportunity to try it out! I'm in love with this place and can't help but let my imagination run wild!

I'm curious, have you ever used airbnb while on vacation or traveling? Did you have a good or bad experience? Do you love summer music festivals as much as I do?

a song for your weekend

Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welsh

Try not to bop along. I dare you.

a black hat

I've always been a fan of baseball caps but recently, it's been fun to see them become fashionable for the ladies again. I was inspired a little while ago by the Acne SS12 cap and was excited when I found this black fleece cap at Roots. I'm looking forward to playing with a masculine element in a fashionable way. And it was the perfect souvenir from my recent Whistler trip!

camouflage

{ via }

It would appear that this camouflage trend is stickin' around for spring, and I have to say I'm diggin' it. I think a well fitted cargo is such a stylish alternative to jeans and with the camouflage print it only makes the alternative a more attractive option. I love the above look paired with red and can picture myself pairing them with a white t-shirt and jean jacket come the warmer weather. With Shopbop having a sale, I was browsing and I'm feelin' these cropped pair, these slouchy ones and these with a more subtle flair.

What are your thoughts on the camo trend? Happy to have it stick around this spring or would you rather it disappeared?