Pull: inspiration from New York Fashion Week (It’s always easier for me to analyze an outfit when it’s on someone else. For example, I’d like to wear this, all the time.)
Find: your fall color (Last year mine was Recessionista, which I still love. This year I’m obsessed with navy, especially after seeing it on Mackenzie.)
Make: Snickerdoodles (They always remind me of back to school. Although, I’m really not quite sure why, as I only learned about their existence a few years ago!)
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
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!)
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
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.
1. Box Appétit / 2. Beeswrap sandwich wrap / 3. enamel canisters / 4. striped napkin / 5. waxed canvas lunch bag / 6. bento box / 7. water bottle / 8. utensil set / 9. stainless steel sandwich box
Out of all the meals in a day — and yes, mid-morning tea and afternoon snack totally count — lunch is probably my least favorite. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but most of the time I feel like it’s more of a bother than anything else. If I’m home, I’ll generally just ignore the notion of lunch, and snack here and there. And if I’m faced with taking something to work, it often feels like more thought and planning than it’s worth.
Since fall is the perfect season to re-evaluate your lunch philosophy, I think it’s time we shook up our routines a bit. With back to school season upon us, there are more than enough lunch recipes and products to spark your creativity. After all, if a well-fed stomach isn’t motivation enough to pack lunch, then perhaps these lunch accessories will do the trick. (I personally love the idea of taking a cloth napkin, and lunch-specific silverware!)
What are your lunch secrets? Obviously I could use the inspiration : )
Although we just got done announcing that it’s officially back to school week here on CC this morning, we just had to make one tiny exception. And that’s because Rebecca Atwood’s fall collection launched today! She’s a very close and incredibly talented friend of ours, and this collection is too good to pass up.
Becca is a Brooklyn-based textile designer who started her own line just earlier this year, if you can believe that. All of her pillows are hand-dyed (many even hand-painted), and are made in New York. Basically, the quality can’t be beat.
This particular collection is called the Mason Collection, referencing her family heritage. Becca grew up in Cape Cod, and draws much of her inspiration from her time spent there. Needless to say, we’re so proud of what she’s accomplished, and hope you’ll give her products a look!
Photography by Emily Johnston Anderson
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
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.
Find: cozy pajamas (Although it’s still pretty warm during the day, it gets cold at night! I love a good pair of cute pajamas, but I kind of feel like there’s a giant gap in the market. Where do you buy yours? I do have my eye on this Eberjey set..)
Go: to the beach (there’s something so lovely about the beach after Labor Day. It has a totally different feel.)
Make: Zucchini Crisps (It is still summer after all! These simple recipes are the kind that Smitten Kitchen does best.)
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...]
Can you pinpoint when September stopped signaling back to school for you? This will be my second fall with no classes to return to, and I honestly still get a bit of late August anxiety.
This time of year especially makes me think of my college friends, and how we are sadly a bit spread out over the country. While listening to an old Joy the Baker podcast a few weeks ago, Joy mentioned how she likes to send her friend, Tracy, random packages in the mail. Nothing huge or expensive, but just spontaneous little things. I can’t tell you how much I love this idea, in part because I LOVE giving gifts. Humblebrag alert: It’s kind of a talent of mine.
Anyway, here are a few unique care package ideas that I’m sure any friend would be happy to receive. What are your best tips for keeping up with far-away friends?
{Accessories for making Magical Iced Coffee — cinnamon and pretty measuring spoons.}
{Homemade granola and a fancy spoon. It will be so appreciated on a hectic morning.}
{An easy-to-care-for succulent in a glittery pot.}
{If you’re feeling ambitious: a diy project or two.}
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