Thanks so much for the sweet comments on my hair tutorial!  I heart you.  Here are three things I’m particularly smitten with in this very moment:

// This wintery gray outfit on the cutest darn little Dutch girl I’ve ever seen!  Oh and can I have some of those autumn leaves? Aaaand the Isabel Marants?

// This mid-century modern living room found in the pages of Dwell.  I guess I’m not the only one who loves it – I see a comment from my lover boy, Kyle, on that link!  We like what we like.

// This roasted carrot and avocado salad with lemon and orange dressing.  That Jamie Oliver is one talented chef.  Plus, I will eat anything that has carrots in it.  And avocados.  And lemon.  And orange.  I guess it’s a match made in heaven.

[Photos: 1 / 2 / 3]

Sometimes I like to be real classy and drink champagne and eat fig tarts.  Those are my fancy days.  Other times, I want RICE KRISPIE TREATS and I don’t care who knows it!  I am a rice krispie treat fiend and I love anything that contains heavy contents of marshmallow.  Which is why Peeps and I are best friends fo’ life.  But hey!!  I attempted to be a little healthy by getting the gluten free Rice Krispies, as opposed to the regular old ones.  That made me feel better about eating half of them in one sitting.  Here’s how I made those pretty things:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies (I chose the gluten free ones)
• dash of salt
• dash of vanilla
• as much peanut butter as your heart desires
• bag of chocolate chips (your decision if you want them semi-sweet, milk choc, dark choc, etc)

So these cupcakes aren’t as fancy as these ones, but I made them for my Halloween festivities tonight!  They’re simple white cake cupcakes with chocolate frosting, topped with half of a Milano cookie, and a little “RIP” written with edible sparkle gel.  Tombstone cupcakes!  Kind of adorable.

If you’re in my hood tonight, stop by for a cupcake.  Otherwise, have a fun and festive day!

A chilly night spent cuddled up on the couch is my kind of heaven.  I swear there’s nothing better!  Lately, Kyle and I have been staying in a lot and I love it.

These are a few of my requirements for a cozy night in: watching a really good movie that just happens to be on TV, eating a yummy homemade dessert (preferably with marshmallows), wearing an oversized sweater and cozy socks, cuddling up under a large blanket, and sipping on a piping hot drink (bonus points if it’s hot chocolate related).  What are your requirements for a cozy night in?

s’more cookies // spotted sweater // wool blanket // camp socks // lavender hot chocolate

Breakfast is my absolute favorite.  On weekends, Kyle and I typically indulge in stacks of pancakes, piles of hash browns, and gourmet omelets. Because it’s usually so heavy, we almost always need a nap by noon.  Lately, I’ve been taking a lighter approach to weekend breakfasts and trying new things that are equally healthy and delicious.  Here are two of my favorites:

• Blueberry Maple Quinoa: I mix cooked quinoa with a little almond milk (or soy, if you prefer), add a few generous swirls of maple syrup, and top with fresh blueberries (original recipe found here).  First of all, I love quinoa in any shape or form but adding maple syrup to it is kind of amazing.  It’s a new take on cereal and has become one of my favorite go-to’s in the morning.
• Avocado Toast: I’ve been really mad at avocados lately because they’ve been so darn expensive.  But this past week, they went on sale for the first time in AGES!!  I got so excited, I loaded up big time.  Now I can have avocado toast anytime I like!  My favorite thing to do is toast whole wheat english muffin and spread a thick layer of ripe avocado on it.  I sprinkle a little salt and cracked black pepper for added flavor.  I eat it just like that!  Or, if I’m a little hungrier (which is pretty often), then I add a fried egg on top.  Breakfast perfection, I swear!

I wanted to make zucchini bread…and then realized I don’t own a loaf pan.  This realization came about after I gathered all the ingredients, shredded zucchini, mixed everything together, turned on the oven, etc.  You’re probably thinking “Wow, this chick ain’t real smart” OR “Who doesn’t own a loaf pan in the year 2011?” and I would agree with you on both accounts.  But the kicker is that I used to own a loaf pan.  It up and disappeared.

So I decided to turn my zucchini bread into zucchini muffins.  Thankfully, baker extraordinaire, Kim, told me it was a-ok to do so!  Also, once I actually read the details of the recipe, I realized that it gives you the options of making muffins.  Ouy vey, all that stress for nothing.

Speaking of the recipe, I love using Punchfork to find recipes.  It’s a great tool because it only searches on food blogs and food websites, rather than the entire interwebs.  The recipe I used for zucchini bread/muffins is this Smitten Kitchen one found via Punchfork.  They turned out moist and extra cinnamon-y and I would make them a thousand more times.  Plus, the simple fact that there’s a vegetable in it makes me think they’re nice and healthy.  I could be very wrong in this assumption but nonetheless, they’re a perfectly delicious fall snack.

Lovelies, this week has been a quick one.  I love when that happens!  Thank you so much for saying such nice things about my Portland photos!!  You’re making me feel real special/ less weird for posting so many of them.  On Monday, I’ll do a little (aka really big because I don’t know how to edit down photos) part 2.  In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been loving lately:

• On Wednesday night, I went to the design*sponge book party and signing at Anthropologie Beverly Hills.  Grace Bonney is so sweet and awesome – love her!  I had a wonderful time and kinda want to move into Anthro BH.  Can I please?
• I’ve been in love with Studiopatro tea towels (yes, I fall in love with things like tea towels) for a long time now and was so excited to pick some up (the “cook” one and the striped copper one) at Alder & Co in Portland.
• I don’t know if you know this but I really like pancakes so when I saw this post about Une Deux Senses sharing a weeks-worth of pancake recipes, like spiced peach pancakes, I about died.
• Joanna Goddard of  A Cup of Jo has been sharing NYC city guides on her blog, from her favorite restaurants to favorite shops and hotels (plus much more).  Gosh, she is the best.
• Right now, every West Elm location is having a floor sample sale, with floor models up to 60% off, so you know where I’ll be the minute I get off work today!

I recently decided that I want to make salsas from scratch.  Sure, I never tire from a Pace Picante but sometimes it’s nice to create your own varieties.  Plus, it’s my boyfriend’s favorite food.  I kid you not, he brushed his teeth this morning, went downstairs and had chips and salsa for a snack, came back upstairs and Listerine’ed.  That’s probably not dentist-recommended but he can’t help it.  He loves that salsa.

So now I’m going to make it on the regular.  I’ve started with a basic salsa, only using the most essential ingredients needed: tomatoes, jalapeno, lime, white onion, garlic, and salt & pepper.  I’m missing cilantro, which is a KEY ingredient in salsa-making, but I never remember to buy it at the grocery store.  I have like ass-loads of basil but zero cilantro.

Before I give the recipe, please note that roma tomatoes (the ones I used) are the worst kinds of tomatoes on the planet.  Don’t use them in your salsa (I had to redo mine).  Unless romas are roasted, they taste like water.  We’re talkin’ zero flavor.  Sure, maybe roma tomatoes in other parts of the world are better tasting, but from the Ralph’s in Los Angeles, they’re bad.

Homemade Salsa
2-3 tomatoes
the juice of a lime
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 of a jalapeno
1/3 cup of white onion
handful of cilantro
salt & pepper to taste

You can either chop all the ingredients and mix together if you’d rather it look like a pico de gallo or you can blend all ingredients together in a food processor.  I took the food processor route because I like it a little more blended.  Store in an air-tight container, extra points if it’s a french terrine.

Three-day weekends are probably the best invention ever.  A whole extra day of hanging out?!  Sign me up, please.  This weekend is full of fun activities, starting tonight with First Fridays in Venice.  FF is an artwalk on Abbot Kinney (in Venice) and literally hundreds of food trucks line the streets.  It’s one of my favorite things to do!  As for what I’m loving this week?  Here are a few things:

• Yes I’ve already expressed my love for Emersonmade here, but I can’t get over how amazing her fall collection is.  And even though I’ll never need a coat down in these parts, I’m particularly loving this camel coat (pictured above).
• You guys, I went and bought myself a nice camera.  YAY!  Now I’m in the market for a camera bag and this one from ONA is EXACTLY what I’m looking for!
• The minute I saw this recipe for grilled flatbread with blistered tomatoes, sauteed kale, and cheese, I died of happiness.  Then I came back to life and was very hungry.
• I wish I could bake/eat these Bakerella chocolate chunk muffins EVERY SINGLE DAY of my life.  I would, you know.  I really would.
• This weekend, I’m going to a wedding!  My friend from work is getting married and I’m real excited to celebrate her with all of my coworkers.

What are your plans for the 3 days?  Happy weekend!!

[Image via Emersonmade]

Yay for Friday!  I wanted to give you a little sneak peak of what our living room gallery wall is shaping up to be.  It’s definitely not done (yes, that’s brown paper taped to the wall) and we still have a few more prints to hang, but once it’s all finished, I will take real photos of it!  This is just the sneak peak teaser photo!

Anyway, seeing as it’s Friday, Friday, and we got get down on Friday, I thought I would share all the things I’m loving this week:

• One of my favorite people, Ann-Marie, just relaunched her etsy: Ann-Marie Loves Paper etsy.  It has the CUTEST die cut prints I’ve ever seen.  You must check them out.  I can’t wait to add a few to my collection.
• This video on My New Roots about how to make nut milk (i.e. almond milk) is driving me wild!  It’s such a simple recipe and I can’t wait to try it.  Plus, the video is super cute.
• I’m new to the world of Fab.com but holy heck, it’s one of my new favorites.  Just bought this United States print yesterday for my office.  Click here for an invitation.
• The new fall collection of Alexa Chung for Madewell graces the pages of InStyle‘s September issue.  What a beauty!  Click here to see.  I was hyperventilating the first time I saw.
• Watermelon pizza?  Yes please.