I Take One More Breath

Black cowl-neck sweater: Old Navy, remixed * Wool tartan skirt: Gap, remixed * Leggings: Nordstrom Rack, remixed * Boots: Dolce Vita for Target, remixed * Brown cowl: self-made * Rothco messenger bag: c/o ClothesOutSale.com

I didn't grow up around big bodies of water. I spent my time in forests and mountains, but rarely along shorelines, unless I was on vacation. I saw my fair share of the ocean, on those vacations, and I felt relatively familiar with the way that water behaves in various settings. But I never lived along a coastline, and I certainly never spent time along the water in the winter. So, despite the fact that I'm going into my fourth winter in Chicago this year, I'm still very much not used to seeing snow along the shore. I just haven't gotten used to snow alongside such a massive expanse of water. And when the lake starts freezing over its even stranger for me. Strange but beautiful.

I always find the lake to be stunning, no matter what time of year it is. I love how the coast of the lake accentuates whatever weather patterns are rolling through Chicago. If it's snowing in the city, it's a white winter wonderland along the lake. If it's raining and windy in the Loop, it's torrential along the water. If it's sunny in town, it's dazzlingly bright at the shore. That's what it was like yesterday, when I trekked out to the lake to get some pictures and clear my head. I've taken to taking long walks on the weekends, whether in Chicago or visiting Joe, and they've helped me think more clearly about my weekend, the days ahead, and my general mental state. So yesterday I went out to do some walking, and thinking, and ended up along the coast, mesmerized by the water and snow.

It was cold, of course (my weather widget said it "felt like" 16 degrees when I left the apartment!), but I was bundled, and the bright sun was deceivingly warm. I wore my sturdy cowl-neck sweater, and then doubled up the neck protection by adding the alpaca cowl I knitted a few years ago. I was cozy, and I like the mirroring effect the brown cowl had with the earthy tones in my wool skirt. I rarely wear leggings instead of tights, since the seam along the side drives me crazy, but my warmest tights were in the wash, and I knew anything thinner would be super uncomfortable. I really love how the dark, muted color palette turned out against the dazzlingly bright sun, snow, and surf.

My final accessory was this fantastic Rothco Messenger Bag that I received in the mail last week, courtesy of Clothes Out Sale (yes, it's a bit of a goobery name, but I love this bag!). I've always been a sucker for messenger bags, and I fell hard for the on-trend utilitarian vibe of this one. It's big enough to fit almost anything I'd need, even my laptop (though it doesn't have a laptop sleeve, so I'll probably use it more for bringing heels and lunches to and from work). I love the deep olive color, the brass snaps on the pockets, and the adjustable strap (I often have issues with bags with adjustable straps, as they frequently "adjust" for someone 5'5" or taller, which I am not. This one can be made to fit someone just my size). I've never been much of a bag person, and I quite honestly don't understand spending more than $20 on a bag, but at less than that, I feel like the Rothco bag is a pretty sweet deal. Easy for me to say, of course, since mine was free...

But! Check in again later this evening for a Rothco Messenger Bag giveaway. It'll give you a chance to save your $19.99 for Christmas presents. :)

* Clothes Out Sale gave me the Rothco bag for this review. All opinions are mine.

Title song: Buffalo Dan, "Frozen Lake"

Sustenance: Roasted Sweet Potato Coins with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions (oh, and Bacon!)

source

Okay, here it is! I told you already that I don't have pictures for it, but trust me, it looks delicious.

Roasted Sweet Potato Coins with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Bacon and Onions

Ingredients
Two large sweet potatoes
One large red onion
About 4-5 slices of bacon (I used thick-cut bacon, but any kind would work, and if you have pancetta I bet it would be incredible)
Goat cheese (I used honey goat cheese, and I imagine that fig goat cheese would be phenomenal, but plain would work beautifully, too)
Olive oil
Brown sugar
Fresh rosemary (I think this is partly what makes this so awesome, but if you don't have fresh, dried will do, and if you don't have dried, it will still taste really yummy)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into coins, about half an inch thick. Lay them evenly in a shallow baking dish with a good amount of olive oil (I didn't measure this, but a few good tablespoons should do it. You want to make sure they don't stick to the pan and don't get dried out on top). Once the oven has preheated, put the sweet potatoes in. These should cook for about 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees, depending on your oven (I flipped mine over about halfway through to ensure even baking).

Cut the onion into very thin half-moon slices, and dice the bacon. Put a bit of olive oil in a frying pan and set it to medium heat. Once it has heated up, put the bacon in. Let it cook for a moment and then add the onion. Stir this regularly to keep the heat even (you may need to turn it up or down a bit if it's not caramelizing properly, but I left mine on medium to med-high). After the onions and bacon have softened and are starting to caramelize, add about a tablespoon of brown sugar to the mix, as well as some sprigs of fresh rosemary. Continue stirring as they caramelize.

After the sweet potato coins have softened a bit, set the oven to broil so that the tops crisp and brown a bit. This should only take 5-10 minutes.

Once the sweet potatoes are out of the oven, move them to a large tray. Spread a bit of goat cheese onto each "coin", and then pile a spoonful of the caramelized onions and bacon on top. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Enjoy!

Let me know how it goes, if any of you try it! This is my first time actually writing out instructions for something I've made, so I'm anxious to see how it goes for other people.

I only have dice for you.

 

Yes, I know how bad that title is.

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With the holiday's fast approaching, for those who may be buying techie gifts, this may be helpful- Uncle Mark's Gift Guide. It's great, and it's free.

 One of the things Mark recommends is his favorite digital camera, the Canon Powershot (of which there are many models, all which are good). I also highly recommend them, and I actually shot the first half of my book with one! 

And speaking of my book, it's now offered at a really ridiculously low price on Amazon. I'm a big believer at buying at real bookstores, which I do often, but I had to clue people in who might be interested in buying several copies.

One more thing- I found this illustrator who drew Star Wars like Dr. Seuss would have. Wow.http://themightyadam.blogspot.com/2010/11/dr-seuss-does-star-wars.html

The Best One of the Year

Blouse: vintage Levi-Strauss, thrifted * Wool pants: vintage Worthington, thrifted and remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed * Shoes: Chinese Laundry, thrifted and remixed

Oh, I felt oh-so-very 70s yesterday. Wide-leg trousers, a vintage polyester shirt, complete with neck-tie and crazy print. And yet I really loved the outfit, and didn't feel remotely out of place or out of date. It's been pretty brisk in Chicago lately, and all my skirts earlier in the week made me long for cozy warm pants. This was perfect for a day scuttling around the office, running to the bank, and staying warm at my little desk.

I'm staying in Chicago this weekend. The longer drive and multiple days away from home over Thanksgiving made me want to stay put this weekend. I need to catch up on laundry, recycling, general tidying, and sleep, and I've decided that home is probably the best place to get all of that accomplished. I'm looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday and drinking hot cocoa to ward away the cold. And on the agenda for tomorrow is an oil change, some Christmas shopping, and a work party. Tonight? Handel's Messiah. It's going to be a very holiday weekend, and I can't wait.

And because so many of you seemed interested in the recipes for some of the tasty sweet potato treats I cooked this week, I'm hoping to have a recipe post up later this weekend, as well as a sweet review and giveaway! In preparation for those things, I would recommend that you go to the grocery store post-haste and buy sweet potatoes, bacon, a red onion, and goat cheese (honey goat cheese if you can find it, but let's be real: any goat cheese will do). It's going to be yummy.

Happy Friday, interwebs!

Title song: Vampire Weekend, "Holiday"

Smoking Lily News.

Exciting news straight from Smoking Lily Headquarters in Kilkenny! Our good friend Shona has just announced her relocation plans for the gorgeous Smoking Lily Boutique.

Shona has moved operations to her new studios located on the Market Slip, between Kieran St and High St, Kilkenny! Smoking Lily Boutique will be relaunched as Smoking Lily Studios as the new space has various "nooks and crannys" that will be perfect for developing a creative collective space in the New Year! The new Smoking Lily Studios will be hosting fabulous "Loft Markets" over the coming months. We asked Shona what can customers expect at the new Loft Market....

"Smoking lily loft market, will be vintage inspired, with an eclectic mix of fashion from consignment, Perk up Vintage & smoking lily stylish sources, that will hopefully entice you to mix & match & have fun with your style." Shona Mc Vintage Neilson ;)

We are excited to be working with Smoking Lily again on the new Loft Market venture and hope to bring our new vintage inspired accessories collection to the mix!

Check out the "Loft Market" dates throughout December when Smoking Lily Studios will be open to the public!

Friday 10th, Saturday 11th, Friday 17th, Saturday 18th, Thursday 23rd .

Time: 11.30 - 6.30

If you'd like to keep on top of Smoking Lily News and future developments why not pop over and add Smoking Lily Studios as a friend on Facebook, Shona will keep you all updated there!

Smoking Lily Studio Facebook Here

She Knows to Boil the Kettle

Bird shirt: UO, remixed * Cardigan: Anthropologie, thrifted and remixed * Skirt: Talbots, thrifted * Tights: We Love Colors (charcoal), remixed * Pumps: UO, remixed*

Sometimes I wonder if I would make a good stay-at-home person (wife, mother, work-from-home person, etc.). Usually, I think I would go kind of stir-crazy, and I would indulge my lazier tendencies (e.g. watching an entire season of 30 Rock in one day, not getting dressed, etc.). But sometimes, I think, no, it would be awesome. Think of all the stuff I could do!! And by "stuff I could do", I usually mean "food I could make". It's been hard, this autumn, to keep up with groceries and cooking from scratch. Between my two jobs and any semblance of a social life I might still have, my cooking and food shopping time has gotten relegated down to about an hour and a half. Which isn't terrible, I guess. I mean, Rachael Ray has made a career out of cooking in a third of that time, but sometimes bacon and plain toast just won't cut it (p.s. click that link. And then laugh. Go ahead. I'll wait).

I guess what I'm saying is that it would feel pretty luxe to have hours each day to frequent the best local grocers, pick my yummy in-season vegetables, and craft a dinner that is wholesome, cheap, and delicious. Trying out new recipes usually means taking the time to learn how to do something new, and there's not always enough time in the day to figure out what in the crap a rutabaga is. But I've been trying to make do with the time and finances that are available to me, and I've found that an important step for me has been to start buying things that are in season. No more rock-hard styrofoam tomatoes, no more flimsy asparagus in fall, no more buying things that have to travel across the country or world in order to get to my plate. I've found that in-season, local vegetables taste better, and are easier to cook into something delicious that feels right for the season.

All that to say that I've been cooking a lot of sweet potatoes this week. And I've been cooking them cheaply. And quickly. And happily. On Monday I made a root vegetable couscous with sweet potatoes, beets, leeks, parsnips, and rosemary for a whopping $3.65. Total. In about 45 minutes. And last night I roasted what was left of the sweet potatoes and topped them with honey goat cheese and caramelized onions with bacon. For another $3-something. And I have leftovers. I think I'm starting to figure it out, and I've made some things that I'm really proud of. What I am not proud of, however, is the lack of pictures of these delightful concoctions. I tried, I really did, but trust me, those were not pictures you wanted to see. So, until I get a brighter kitchen and/or a better camera, I'm probably not going to be a food/cooking blogger. It's just not going to happen. Instead I'll just focus on the cooking and eating part of it all. :)

*Though there is no damn mention of it in this whole post, I adore this outfit with my whole being. Anyone who says otherwise will not be invited over for dinner.

Title song: Sia, "Sweet Potato"

I Want the Top and Not the Under

White oxford shirt: thrifted, remixed * Sweater: Ralph Lauren, thrifted * Lace skirt: Target, remixed * Tights: Hue, remixed * Boots: Target, remixed

You guys, I'm sorry about the absolute shit quality of these pictures. It's a take-one-for-the-team kind of post, unfortunately. It was freezing and rain/snowing for awhile last night, so the stairwell pictures were out, and the lighting in the living room would just not cooperate. So we have these slightly washed out, entirely grainy representations of the sheer awesomeness that was my outfit yesterday. At least I got to show you my elbow patches. I felt one part preppy, one part western, and all parts fabulous in this outfit, so I kind of don't even mind that the pictures blow, because they still remind me of the badassery that I had yesterday.

Do you post poor-quality pictures? Do you rethink an outfit that you thought was awesome in person when you see pictures that make it look blegh? I'll put it to all of you today to own the awesomeness of your outfit and yourself, regardless of how you think it might look in a mirror or photograph. Rock that shit.

Title song: Black Eyed Peas, "Own it"