happiness is ...

[ brooklyn bagel yumminess - whole wheat everything

bagel toasted with low fat veggie cream cheese ]

[ covergirl outlast lipstain ]

[ crystal light margaritas - what the what ?! ]

[ the cute pig I ran into at the park ]

[ this documentary joey & I watched the other night -

a very interesting film about street art ]

baja shrimp gorditas

joey & I made the most amazing dinner last night .

we made baja shrimp gorditas - baja for the kind of 

sauce we made using a smokey chipotle seasoning &

gordita for the taco shells we used .

the ingredient that made this dish was the

chipotle seasoning . first , we used the seasoning

while sautéing the uncooked shrimps in a coat of flour .

we used the chipotle seasoning a second way in the baja sauce -

a combination of sour cream , low fat mayo , lime juice , & a 

couple tablespoons of the seasoning .

the chipotle gave a subtle, delicious smokey flavor but also

tasted fresh when combined with the coleslaw 

cabbage & avocado .

party nail gone polka dot

yep I did the party nail once again .

[ essie's lapis of luxury , nyc color's white , & 

necessary tools ]

white chocolate crunch cookies

I'm a sucker for brownies / cookies / cake , the like .

I would gladly choose a good cookie over a bag of lays any

day - though some would prefer the latter .

my sweet tooth turns into serious cravings , & 

thus has to be satisfied .

I've made nestle toll house's chocolate chip cookies

more times than I can count , so this time around

I let joey choose the ingredients - enter :

hershey's cookies & cream candy bar .

I decided to sprinkle the bar on top with sea salt , complimented

by white chocolate chips inside the cookie .

one word : yum .

killing them with kindness

a gem of a quote from tonight's episode of 

the  real housewives of orange county :

poppy king for kate spade

first poppy king collaborated with

j crew & made the perfect red lipstick -

see here .

now she's at it again , teaming with

kate spade to provide the perfect punchy colors

for spring & into summer 2012 :

I die .

multi colored nails anyone ? these colors would

provide the perfect platform for your take on the trend .

picture via kate spade blog

trend: multi colored nails

I have been called out multiple times for my " party nail " -

see this post for example . right now I'm rocking

opi's happy  " holli-grays " on all fingers save for my ring ,

which is a generic white .

the " party nail " has been a trend as of late ( which I guiltily

have endorsed ) ... but another nail trend I have noticed is

a rainbow - effect sported on nails .

normally , painting each of my ten nails a different color

would undoubtedly take me back circa 2001 , but these

girls make the unmatching look chic :

[ fun & frisky via the lf blog ]

[ atlantic pacific illustrates beautifully ]

[ a la lauren conrad ]

[ cupcakes and cashmere's half & half mani ]

[ cover of family circle ]

happiness is ...

how can you not smile about anything

these past couple of days in nyc ?!

the weather has been b e a uutiful -

long , sunny days spent 

wandering around the city , walking in the park ,

& ditching anything winter-related . 

here are some gems from the week :

[ j crew's poppy classic ballet flats ]

[ city skyline & view from our grocery store ]

[ strawberry & banana smoothie ]

[ babysitting riley ]

[ magnolia bakery's cupcakes ... mmmmm mm ]

chinese chicken salad

As I told you all before, my favorite lunch of all time may be 

the chinese chicken salad from nordstroms cafe .

I have replicated the salad many times before , 

though always using a pre-made bottled dressing .

I have been bugging joey to have the asian salad 

for weeks it seems , & last night he finally 

caved & gave it a try .

only this time , joey made the dressing !

we had all the ingredients in our pantry ,

& it nearly tasted identical to nordstroms .

we also came to the conclusion that this a 

great salad to enjoy when making a 

conscious effort to eat healthy .

with salad toppings : chicken , mandarin oranges ,

red bell pepper , scallions , la choy noodles & dressing :

rice vinegar , soy sauce , ginger , peanut butter ,

sesame seeds , lemon , & sesame oil  - it's hard to feel guilty . 

poppy razzi

grandma pizza

joey & I made a simple but delicious pizza 

last night for dinner .

though we usually like to experiment

with different toppings , 

sometimes the basics are just what you need .

after we both had vetoed many options 

( vegetable , sausage , etc ) , we decided 

that a simple grandma pizza topped with

scattered mozzarella , garlic, yellow onions , fresh basil ,

& an olive garnish would be best .

barneys vs forever 21

pictures 1 , 3 , 5 , 8 via

pictures 2, 4, 6, 7 via

coconut lemon cupcakes & white chocolate glaze

okay I'll admit it - I had no excuse to make these

cupcakes . I will also admit that I did use

duncan hines lemon cake mix as a base .

guilty .

I made a white chocolate glaze using 

white chocolate chips , whipping cream ,  & a little 

buttermilk , & then topped the cupcakes with toasted coconut flakes .

I will also admit I'm a little afraid at the fact

that I have two dozen of them left in the fridge for joey & I ...

happiness is ...

a few things that made me smile 

this week ... 

[ new mascara - an easter gift from my sister ]

[ fun spring nails : essie's cute as a button on all

fingers but ring - sephora by opi's charge it ! on ring finger ,

with sephora by opi's only gold for me as top coat on same finger ]

[ new beach / subway read ]

[ current coffee obsession : dunkin donut's iced turtle ]

[ loving spring in queens ]