nico

a reason I have not been blogging as much is 

the new addition to the joey / sarah household :

nico .

we rescued him from a shelter when he was ten weeks old .

he is now six months old and has grown three times the

size since we got him ( sad face ) , but he is still 

the most perfect little puppy to us .

he thinks he owns the couch & has even created his very

own man cave of toys under it , but he is also

incredibly loyal , happy , & smart to a fault .

I love waking up & coming home to him every day

& I am so happy we could give him a warm, loving home 

just as he has given us his loving company .

he gives me a much needed reason to take

leisurely walks around the block ,

get to know the neighbors ,

& learn to take life less seriously 

( that happens after a puppy has peed on every

square inch of your nice , new rug ) .

anywho, as you can see nico makes us

very happy & more updates will come in the future 

regarding our little one !

please say bye to these trends !

I need to vent.

I have been bottling in all of my feelings

for certain trends that have became a "thing" this year.

if everyone would work as one , we could 

stop embracing these icky new fashion trends

& the world would be a much classier place. 

case in point :

neon & crop tops -

I know electric music is "cool" this year but 

looking like a glow stick rarely makes you look cool . 

same goes for the hippie crop top look - that mixed 

with neon is even worse. gah! enough!

high / low hems -

okay I admit I thought about buying a high / low

hemmed dress - so happy I didn't ! blink & you will miss this trend .

wedge sneakers -

unless they are in fact isabel marant , just no . 

peplum -

yes it is possible to look cute in a peplum top ,

but it is just way over done . when I first saw a 

j crew collection peplum top in olive green jaquard ,

I died . now the style is all over , and my

love of the peplum died too . 

please ladies , learn to see a trend ahead of time 

before you succumb to the silliness too .

ask yourself this question :

will I wear _____ (insert fashion fad) in 10 years?

most likely , no . this is my mantra I have 

tried to stick to after seeing one too many facebook 

pictures of myself that make me cringe- why sarah?? 

trends that will always be classy:

black - 

yes I am the person that after living in nyc 

converts their whole wardrobe to this one color .

it will always be classic .

stripes -

nautical or not , a striped tee will always be cute .

chambray -

a worn in chambray pull over or button down is a staple -

but beware of the new dip dyed , acid washed , etc trends -

only cool if they were once actually your dads .

another tip:  think of looking back at yourself in pictures -

would you be embarrassed of wearing a neon 

crop top tee shirt with a high/low hem chiffon skirt ?

um, I would .

goat cheese fritters & balsamic marinated strawberry salad

recently I've been enjoying salads more than ever. 

during our trip to warrenton, virginia this past week

to celebrate my cousin lia's wedding to her husband john ,

I had a few amazing salads that really stood out as the best 

meals of our stay. 

at lia & john's wedding, a spring salad was served with 

blackberries & mandarin oranges with a fruit vinaigrette. 

I also had an amazing red leaf caesar salad with croquettes &

at the bridal luncheon a goat cheese fritter & beet salad.

needless to say I ate well during our trip. 

I had a goat cheese fritter salad once before the

lunch at claire's at the depot in warrenton, 

actually only a few days before when joey & I made them

to top one of our salads. 

since my first time cooking these , I have made them four 

more times- that's how much I love them! they are crispy & tangy- 

perfect for any salad .

[ bread cheese as you would with poultry or vegetables

with crispy panko bread crumbs ]

[ I marinated sliced strawberries in balsamic vinaigrette,

sugar, & water to soften & sweeten the berries -

refrigerating after & using the juice in our dressing ]

[ after frying in very hot oil for about a minute & a half

on each side ]

[ spring salad with a lemon honey vinaigrette 

topped with the goat cheese fritters, sliced strawberries,

& shaved almonds ]

[ yum ! ]

baked brie with apricot preserves & soppressata

tonight we made one of my favorites .

this brie wrapped in croissant rolls with

apricot preserves & soppressata is great to have for guests- 

quick & easy yet incredibly warm & comforting .

we had this for appetizer turned dinner ( it was that good ) , and will

definitely be making this more in the near future !

skinty minty cupcakes

I have been really into mint recently - I think

it started with the not - so - impulse buy

of mint chocolate chip ice cream , then the 

peppermint mocha coffees , then peppermint bark ...

then I decided enough was enough & I have to stop

the junk ! but who am I kidding , I am a choco-holic as I'm

sure you are well aware . 

I was trying to think of ways I can make something pepperminty

yet skinny at the same time , & I came up with the idea of these cupcakes .

by substituting oil with pumpkin mix ( something I have 

been doing for years - I swear you'll never know ! ) , my attempt

to skinnify my cupcakes was a success .

as for the peppermint , I placed a mini york peppermint patty

in between half of the cupcake batter , then made a fresh mint

whipped cream for on top . I love how the peppermint creates

an overwhelming chilly feeling in your mouth ... betcha can't eat just one

(especially after cooling overnight in the fridge - in fact joey & 

I each sneakily had one this morning & didn't tell each other ... shhh )

the map necklace by three jane by katie schloss

I am continually in awe of the pieces jewelry designer 

katie schloss creates for her line , three jane by katie schloss .

though she is a close friend of my sisters , I am 

tremendously proud of her success & 

only flourishing position in the fashion world .

mentioned in gift guides of nearly every 

important print media's gift guides for this season ,

I have a feeling katie & three jane are

only going up from here .

check out her "map necklace , "

an innovative , clever , yet classic chic

piece , allowing you to customize your necklace &

always keep fond memories & special places

close to your heart at all times ( & marked with a diamond , of course ) .

P S - she also created a collection based on classic 90's 

icons - gusher bangles & lego necklaces ... amazing .

http://www.threejaneny.com/