- Part 3

Behind the Scenes with One Love Organics

September 19, 2013 by Clara

OneLove032-(1)

At the beginning of August I posed a few questions to you- one of which was about organic beauty products. I was ready to make the switch for my skincare regime, and wasn’t really sure where to start. After a resounding “One Love! One Love! One Love!” I decided to give their line a try. That’s really where my love affair started. After ordering a few samples of their products I was completely hooked. I now look forward to my morning and evening skincare routines (and actually feel like I’m doing something good for my face). Their cleanser is the most gentle face wash I’ve ever experienced, they’ve helped me discover the magic that is skin serums, and their waterless beauty balm has blown my mind- a product that can clean and moisturize your face ?!? Amazing.

I was so in love with their products, I had to learn more. Where did this all begin? How do you make natural beauty products? And why does a beauty balm not make my oily skin break out? Nosy me, I reached out to OLO founder, Suzanne Leroux, with a few questions that she happily agreed to answer. Discover how she transitioned from law to beauty, the secret to why OLO’s coconut oil based beauty balm actually clears your skin, the story behind her husband’s equation for a better life (“consume less + spend less = freedom”) and more after the jump! [Read more...]

11 Comments

Fresh Corn & Bacon Hash Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Lime Crema

September 18, 2013 by Clara

People often ask me how I make time to cook during the week and it really comes down to three things- having a handful of easy recipes in my arsenal, counting a huge hearty salad as a dinner about once or twice a week, and doing some weekend prep. Nine times out of ten on Sunday nights I’m prepping a dish that will serve as multiple meals or has components that can be repurposed into other dishes across the week. That is these stuffed sweet potatoes in a nutshell. I prepped the hash on Sunday, let it cool, and threw it in the fridge. Last night we had the sweet potatoes pictured above (I just reheated the hash right before I served it), and I’m planning to serve the rest of the hash under some poached eggs or over some quinoa later this week. You could even make it the basis of a big Southwestern inspired salad-just add romaine, avocado, black beans, diced tomato, and whatever else you like! See where I’m going with this? That’s my secret to weeknight meal planning. And in terms of the dishes as of late, I’m using as much fresh corn as possible- it’s literally like candy this time of year. In fact, prepare to see another easy weeknight dish featuring corn coming your way soon!

Fresh Corn and Bacon Hash Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Lime Crema
serve 4

4 medium sized sweet potatoes
2 slices of bacon
2 ears fresh corn, corn cut from cob
1 red bell pepper, cut into a small dice
1 jalapeño (seeds and ribbing removed), minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp (heaping) cumin
fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup sour cream
juice of 1/2 a small lime
1/4 tsp salt
extra virgin olive oil
chopped green onions and fresh cilantro for serving

Preheat your oven to 400°. Once heated, add in the potatoes and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until you can press a paring knife very easily into the center of the potato.

Place the bacon in a large frying pan. Set to medium low heat and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium, add in the jalapeño and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft. At this point if the pan feels a little dry, add a splash of olive oil. Next, mix in the corn, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Stir to combine. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until flavors meld.

Make the crema: Mix together the sour cream, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.

One the potatoes are cooked, let cool until easy to handle. Place them on a large platter and split down the center. Break up the potato on the interior a bit. Generously fill potatoes with hash. Top with green onions, cilantro, and crema. Serve immediately.

5 Comments

A Trip to Governors Island

September 16, 2013 by Clara

photo-(3)
My favorite part of having visitors in town (other than getting to see friends and family that we love!) is that it gets us out. All too often my weekends devolve into housework and blog work and crappy TV, know what I mean? It’s our mission this fall to really take advantage of the city. I’ve been wanting to visit Governors Island for as long as I can remember, and when I learned the island was only open through the end of September- I knew we had to make it this weekend.

photo-(13)

I was ready! Sadly [Read more...]

7 Comments

Life Lately | September 13th |

September 13, 2013 by Clara

dcd8190e1a44b077c6c96e82128966fd

It’s Friday and it’s going to be in the 70s all weekend! That is reason to celebrate. It was so muggy in the city yesterday I could actually see the humidity hanging in the air from the 27th floor of my meeting in midtown. The worst! Before getting into this week’s links, I have to send out a huge heartfelt thank you for your responses on the survey. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the honest, candid feedback- it’s going to make a world of difference as I implement changes to the site over the coming months. The survey will be up until September 22nd, so if you haven’t weighed in, you can do so here! Now… how about some links and a few updates?

Tiiieks! Do you own a pair? I’m hankering for some of these super comfy flats to keep my feet in tact as I run from place to place this fall. I think my first choice would be the camel, but they’re out of my size, so how do we feel about tangerine?

I can find Pinterest really overwhelming at times, but then you come across a pinner like carOlina (found via Apartment 34), and my jaw just drops. Aren’t her boards incredible?

A granola bar with an oatmeal cookie streusel? Nuff’ said.

Lipstick- let’s dish. I’m ready to get rid of all the crappy tubes floating around my bag and get one or two go to stand out shades that serve to brighten up my whole face. Cause let’s be honest, most days I only get mascara and lipstick on. Do you have a favorite brand or shade? I’m leaning towards Nars…

Do you watch Orange is the New Black? I spotted Sophia in the city yesterday! And then happened to be sitting next to a Broadway performer who has worked with the character Crazy Eyes at the exact same time. #nycmoment

Do you really know how to read a recipe? I definitely learned a few things.

I may or may not be addicted to the Soul Cycle blog.

In other things I’m addicted to- Food52. Do you visit their site? It’s incredible! Favorites as of late include How to Decode a Wine Bottle and How to Cook with Lemongrass.

Bri’s piece on red flags and patterns with people or friends in your life really struck a chord with me. Do you ever feel this way?

Aaand finally did you hear? For the entire month of September I’ll be digging through the CC food archives and sharing the best of the best when it comes to fall recipes on our Facebook page! This week included Bruléed Pumpkin Oatmeal and Honeycrisp Gorgonzola Crostini… yum.

That’s about it, friends. I’m off to wrap up this work week, tidy my apartment, and prep for a weekend full of visitors! Should be fun. Have a good one. xx

Image Source

3 Comments

Can you do me a favor?

September 12, 2013 by Clara

633c27350d7a02c3f77edd074d7c9419

Remember all those back to school forms? I vividly remember this light blue 5×7 card my mom had to fill out that contained my emergency contact info, and somehow the deadline for getting that back felt so serious and intense. Oh elementary school, I do not miss it! Or high school for that matter….

Buuut along the lines of school forms, I have something I need you to fill out today. Don’t worry- no scary deadlines! Ok well there is a deadline, you have until Sunday September 22nd to complete my reader survey. If you don’t fill it out you won’t be sent home early, but if you do (!) you will make this girl right here so SO happy. Seriously, can you envision me jumping up and down giddy with excitement? Maybe I should make a video. As I said, Channeling Contessa is changing-there will be a new site, new name, new everything- but I want to make sure that as we grow and evolve, I still deliver when it comes to the content you want. So could you answer a few questions? I’ve definitely asked for your honest opinion, so all constructive criticism is welcome. You can take the survey RIGHT HERE.

Image Source: Brown Butter Snicker Doodles from Ambitious Kitchen (yum!)

3 Comments

Sweet + Salty Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars

September 11, 2013 by Clara

Did you have granola bars in your lunchbox growing up? I don’t recall having too many, likely because my mom knew they were really filled with not so good for you things. I always had a thing for the sweet and salty ones though, and loved when I could my hands on one at a friend’s house. So I went I set out to create this recipe for our Back to School week, I knew I wanted the bar to have that flavor profile. Luckily a little honey and sea salt does the trick. It’s the perfect compliment against the apples, almonds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and everything else that’s packed into this bar. Though I’m no longer in school, I always need something to nosh on between lunch and dinner (at approximately 3 pm). If I eat a cupcake I will want to fall asleep at approximately 3:30 pm. Not good. So a granola bar like this is my happy medium. If you’ve never made them at home you’re going to wonder why you never did before because they are so incredible easy! And speaking of ease, when it comes to buying ingredients for your bars, my how to post on shopping the bulk bins in grocery stores is a must.

Ps: Even though I’ll have lots of good new fall recipes on the site in the coming months, there are so many good ones buried in our archives! Everyday for the next few weeks I’ll be featuring an oldie but a goodie CC fall recipe over on our Facebook page. It’ll be fun! Come join us.

Sweet & Salty Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars
Makes about 16 small square bars

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole raw almonds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 1/2 cups dried apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor combine 1 cup of the oats and about 3/4 cup of the almonds (you can estimate this). Pulse until the almonds and oats are broken up into small pieces. Pour into a large bowl, and add in remaining oats and almonds, as well as the pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and chia seeds. Add the dried apples to the food processor and blend until the apples are broken up into small chunks. Place apples in the same bowl, along with the cinnamon and salt. Stir well to combine.

Set a small sauce pan to medium heat. Place the coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in the pan and heat until it begins to foam. Once it’s foaming, cook for an additional 15 seconds. Remove the mixture from the heat. Pour it into the dry ingredients and stir well until every ingredient is coats.

Pour the mixture into the pan and press until flat. Chill in the fridge overnight. Cut into bars and serve immediately or store wrapped in wax paper or ziploc bags. Bars will last up to one week in fridge.

4 Comments

Sautéed Eggplant, Heirloom Tomato, and Burrata Sandwiches

September 9, 2013 by Clara

Since it’s the back to school time of year, we decided it would be fun to do a week entirely devoted to delicious lunch box style food! We’re kicking things off today with our first sandwich recipe. The inspiration for this actually came from a sandwich my mom whipped up while we were on the Cape. It got quite the reaction on instagram, so I knew I needed to recreate it here. I upped the ante by using burrata, which I recently found out means “buttered” in Italian. No wonder I love that stuff so much! But you could easily use fresh mozzarella if that’s all you have on hand (Side note- burrata is very similar to fresh mozzarella, but it has a creamy interior. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a must!). The one thing to remember when making a sandwich as simple as this is to use the best quality ingredients you can find- a ripe heirloom tomato, fresh bread, and farmer’s market basil. Topped with olive oil and sea salt, this sandwich is downright irresistible.

Here’s to a great week!

Sautéed Eggplant and Burrata Sandwiches

1 whole baguette (I used a whole grain, but anything will do)
1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
8 oz burrata
2 medium size heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh basil, loosely packed
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400°. Once fully heated, place your bread in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the exterior is warm and hard to the touch.

Set a large frying pan to medium heat, coat generously with olive oil. Let the pan heat while you slice the eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Once the oil is just slightly shimmering, place the eggplant in the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Let cool on a paper towel lined plate while you cook the second batch.

Meanwhile, lay out your sliced tomatoes, basil, burrata, sea salt, and pepper. Slice your baguette lengthwise and into 5-6 pieces. To assemble the sandwiches, layer the eggplant on the bottom, top with a slice or two of tomato, and then spoon over some burrata. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and pepper. Top with several pieces of basil, and place the other piece of bread on top. If packing up for lunches, wrap the sandwiches tightly in saran wrap or aluminum foil. Or, if serving for lunch, feel free to place all the ingredients on a big platter and have a make your own sandwich style lunch! That’s my preference.

11 Comments

Life Lately | September 6th |

September 6, 2013 by Clara

I should start off by saying, this post could go in about a million different directions. Some Fridays it’s hard to succinctly sum up my week in one paragraph and then leave you with a bunch of fun links from around the web. And some Fridays that works perfectly! Truth be told, I have zero links for you today, as I’ve been very much trying to balance work with this for the past week.

At the beginning of the week I was grappling with… [Read more...]

7 Comments

Lust Worthy Laundry Rooms

September 4, 2013 by Clara

washer1

I have developed a ridiculous habit while we’ve been at the beach. It goes a little something like this… [Read more...]

14 Comments

Striped Beach Bummin’

September 3, 2013 by Clara

The weather on the Cape has been a little grayer than we had hoped, but yesterday, as if by some Labor Day miracle, the skies cleared and we had several hours of perfect beach weather. Of course I decided to snap these photos after most of our sun passed (caught up in this book), but the grins are still accurate. Isn’t this towel the best? It’s the perfect beach accessory. Aside from this towel though, I’ve sported very little in the form of accessories, or makeup, or shoes beyond flip flops in the past week. It’s been heavenly! We’re holed up here through the rest of the week, slowly easing in to September and conveniently avoiding fashion week. I’m not done with summer just yet!