Sock Bun

   Way back in January, I promised a post about my sock bun (featured in this post).  Finally, I've gotten to it.  Here is what I did:

1. Cut the foot off a knee-high sock
2. Roll the sock into a donut shape
3. Pull your hair into a pony tail
4. Thread the pony tail into your donut-shaped sock, rolling hair under as you go
5. Continue until the sock is right up next to your head
6. Secure with bobby pins and/or hairspray

If you'd like some more detailed instructions, try this video tutorial here, to just search YouTube for "sock bun tutorial".  Helpful hint - try to use a sock that matches your hair color, in case it peeks through!

Macaroon Making

   Every so often, I see these adorable cookies pop up on the internet, and I have always wanted to try them (especially since they are gluten-free, so all my friends can enjoy them).  Since I got back to school early and had a few days to kill, I thought I'd give it a try!  I found this recipe on Epicurious.com, and tweaked it a little.  Here is my version:

Raspberry Chocolate French Macaroons
For macaroons
6 oz sliced blanched almonds (not slivered; 2 cups)  OR 6 oz almond flour (from blanched almonds)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Red or pink food coloring

For chocolate raspberry ganache
3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (60 to 64% cacao), finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/16 teaspoon raspberry extract (preferably McCormick brand)

Special equipment: parchment paper; a gallon-size sealable plastic bag (not pleated)

Make macaroons: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pulse almonds with 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl 

OR mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with almond flour, stirring together. Sift in remaining cup powdered sugar, stirring to combine.

Beat egg whites with salt in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. 


Add granulated sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks. Add drops of food coloring to reach desired shade and mix at low speed until evenly combined. 

Stir almond mixture into meringue with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. (Meringue will deflate.)

 

Spoon batter into bag, pressing out excess air, and snip off 1 corner of plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening.  

Twist bag firmly just above batter, then pipe peaked mounds of batter (the size of a chocolate kiss) onto lined sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Let cookies stand, uncovered, at room temperature until tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until crisp and edges are just slightly darker, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on sheets on racks, about 30 minutes.

Make ganache while macaroons bake: Melt chocolate with cream in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water or in top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. 

(Bowl should not touch water.) Remove bowl from heat, then add butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted. Let stand at room temperature until cooled completely and slightly thickened.

Assemble cookies: Carefully peel cookies from parchment (they will be fragile). Sandwich a thin layer of ganache (about 1/2 teaspoon) between flat sides of cookies.

Helpful hints:
I baked my cookies at 325, for about 10 minutes in the bottom third of the oven.  The most important thing is to check them often, so check them well before you expect to switch the cookie sheets.  Also, the sooner you bake them after piping them out (after waiting 30 minutes for them to set, of course), the better.  I found that if I waited too much longer than 30 minutes, my cookies cracked.  But they still tasted great!  Good luck and bon appetit!

Vintage Jewelry

   It struck me lately that vintage jewelry, especially family heirlooms, are quintessentially preppy - traditionally pretty and classic.  The same goes for estate (previously owned) jewelry, in my opinion.  Not all of us are fortunate enough to have family heirlooms, but you can, of course, get the same look in a different way.  I've found that Etsy.com is a great source for anything vintage and estate jewelry, and they have plenty of options (most of which are fairly reasonably priced, which is always a good thing).  Here are a few of my favorites:

Source.  $150

Source.  $150

Source.  $305

Source.  $350

Source.  $74

Speaking of Kate Spade...

   Yesterday I wrote about how jewelry at Kate Spade and J. Crew looks eerily similar these days.  Still, Kate Spade has tons of accessories that I adore.  Take a look:

Fiorella headband, $65

Straight Barrette, $45

Round Barrette, $45

On The Ave Earmuffs, $85

Jodie reading glasses, $68

Silver Cocktail Ring Gloves, $75

Curling Ribbon Bow Headband, $75

And... Happy Halloween!

Signature Jewelry

   I hope, dear readers, you understand the importance of accessorizing.  It makes your look individual and interesting.  That being said, sometimes it just takes too much thought to come up with a new combination of accessories every morning, so it's useful to have some good old standbys.  After all, not every day can be a special occasion, so there is a good reason to have accessories to fall back on in case of a "normal" day.
   The way I approach it, every piece should have significance.  This is what I wear:

Class ring - engraved with College cipher

Watch - a present to myself to wear for internships and work

Silver bangle - sorority jewelry

Ring - from my parents

Earrings - 5 mm pearls from my grandparents for high school graduation

Necklace - a piece that my mother, sister, and I each wear every day

Fun on Instagram

   I've always been jealous of those photography gurus who can do magical things with a camera (my irritating-yet-inspiring friends are Maggie and Dani, and they are impressive!).  I simply don't have the time, interest, or fancy camera to teach myself how to do play with shutter-speed, aperture, F-Stop, etc, but I do want to create beautiful pictures.  Never fear, technology is here.
   You've got to love iPhone apps - I created all of these photos with the Instagram app.  I must say, I'm fairly pleased with myself.

Classic Blue China

   As a full-on coffee addict, I see a lot of my coffee cups.  Even if it's not coffee, they're perfect for holding other things: they're great for holding breakfast, soup, a snack, etc.  At any rate, I have a lot to say about coffee cups.

   Today, I went to Target for a light fixture, and came out with a coffee cup (typical).  A lovely, wonderful coffee cup:

My new favorite coffee cup!

   This discovery reminded me how much I love blue and white china patterns!  Delicate, light patterns are timeless and sophisticated.  My Target mug may not demonstrate that perfectly, but I think the next few photos do.  Next time I'm around unique, vintage, or fine teacups and coffee mugs, I will definitely try to snatch something like this up!

Images from Pinterest.

What to do with dill?

   A few days ago, I bought a package of fresh dill to make grilled steak pitas.  The great thing about fresh herbs is also the downside to them - they have to be used quickly!  I've been trying to find ways to use up my dill, and rather than deep-fry it as a garnish (interesting suggestion, Giant Foods company), I poked around on epicurious.com to see what kind of recommendations they had.
  From what I found, dill goes well with fish (particularly salmon), and in sauces.  Since I have no fish at the moment, I used chicken.  I roasted asparagus and a chicken breast, and made a sauce out of about 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 3 teaspoons of butter, lemon juice (just a splash!), and about one tablespoon of dill.  I roasted the asparagus and chicken at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, and flipped them after 15 minutes.  I made the sauce by combining all ingredients in a saucepan, and simmering for about 10 minutes.  Don't worry if your sauce separates - just whisk it up before serving.  The sauce was rich and the dill flavor was not too intense.  It's a very easy way to be gourmet!

Fall Wish List

   I tend to think that I'm pretty well covered, going into fall - I approach fall dressing as layering, so it's a simple transition from summer clothes to winter clothes, one piece at a time, and I don't need to stock up on anything.  But there are a few little things that have struck my fancy... like these!

J. Crew

 

J. Crew (I hear there's also a perfect red lipstick in the works!)

Tinley Road

Milly NYC

Dogeared

Chanel

Saturday Craft Day

   I'm so close to getting back to college, I can almost taste it!  With school comes apartment life, and I am really excited to make it a little more home-y and a little less beige this year.  I also have a tradition of getting matching gifts for my roommate and myself.  This year, since my roommate and I are both 21, I decided to personalize wine glasses for us with a technique I found online: glass etching.  I finally got around to it yesterday.
   Glass etching is very easy.  You buy etching paste from any craft store (below)

Note: those are not my initials!

and use a brush to spread it onto your glass item.  In order to etch a pattern, and not just a bunch of brush strokes, use a vinyl stencil to make sure the etching paste stays only where you want it.  

I used vinyl for covering books (found at Office Depot), and traced my stencil from a print-out, and then cut it out with an X-acto knife.

Let the paste sit for about 5 minutes, and then rinse it off in the sink.  Peel off your stencil, and ta-da!  Beautiful etched glass!