Capital A

Thursday, May 5, 2011

cinco de mayo

Image Via

Last night's dinner party enjoyed a Mexican twist in honor of Cinco de Mayo or in our case Cuatro de Mayo. We enjoyed homemade guac and salsa, Goya sodas and a tequila shot (or too) along with some of our remaining stock of real green chile and this easy dish courtesy of Señora Stewart.

Chicken Chilaquiles
Modified from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken-skinned and shredded
1/2 of a yellow onion - diced
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 can tomato sauce
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (from a can) - diced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from chipotle can)
olive oil

Accompaniments
tortillas or tortilla chips
queso fresco or feta cheese
chopped cilantro
green chile
sour cream
jalapeños
guac

Directions

In a large skillet cook chopped onion in a swirl of olive oil until softened and translucent.
Add garlic and continue to cook
Add canned tomatoes, chipotle chiles and some tomato sauce, bring to a boil
Stir in shredded chicken coating with sauce
Cook for 15-20 minutes allowing flavors to meld - adding more tomato sauce if mixture becomes too dry
Serve either on top of a mound of tortilla chips or rolled up in soft tortillas - top with toppings of choice.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

For Mom: Pamper Her With Love

Image Pinned Via

Whether her babies are new or old - Mom works hard. Give her some much-deserved indulgence with these tasty treats, and products for pampering...

An invigorating bath set in an unusual pink peppercorn scent from Molton Brown

Tea-inspired fragrances in a purse-friendly pencil form by Givaudan for Anthropologie

A summer-weight bathrobe in a dreamy washed-out silk from Pretty Plum Sugar

A long-burning candle in a bright summery fragrance Orangerie D'Azahar by Voluspa available at Apothica

Toxin-free nail polish in an easy-wearing neutral; the aptly named, Yummy Mummy by Butter London available at Ulta

Deliciously light coconut cookies from Dean and Deluca

A universally-flattering tint on a universally favorite chapstick - Sugar by Fresh at Blue Mercury

A bright and cheery cosmetics pouch from Kate Spade

A richly lavender-scented hand cream from L'Occitane

And although I have shared it before, the very best cup of tea from Mariage Fréres at Dean and Deluca

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Royally wed

Image Via

Well I know that most of you assumed I would be up before dawn to catch the royal nuptials - to those that thought that: you have no idea how much I love sleep. D. and I caught the tail end of the ceremony with plenty of follow-up coverage throughout the day. What can I say? It was beautiful in a way that any royal wedding would be and all the pomp and circumstance is always worth watching in my book. I loved the Grace Kelly influence in the dress, the trees in Westminster Abbey and small details like the sentimental flowers in her bouquet and the ride in the Aston Martin. It seems that despite the very public nature of their wedding, they still managed to find private personal touches to make it mean something to them. And that's what it's really all about, right?

Do you like weddings more than sleep? What did you think of the big event?

P.S. I do think getting married after the royal wedding would have made our request for hats at our wedding a little more understandable...

Thursday, April 28, 2011

all the cool girls wear bright lipstick

Image Via

I've already proclaimed my love for a classic red lip - but with warmer weather on its way, I am feeling totally smitten by these wilder shades of pink, fuchsia and orange. I pulled out an old Estee Lauder tube of Raspberry Pop (now discontinued) last week and my Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry gloss has been in heavy rotation. Something about this lighter, brighter shades seems effortless, and where red can look harsh, pink looks fun.

What do you think? Are these colors you'd wear?

Image Via