Wardrobe Makeover

Last night I got distracted.  Seriously distracted.  As in hours and hours of reading fashion blogs, distracted.

So I am now inspired.  Based primarily upon this blog, I will be rehab-ing my wardrobe, cleaning out the old, and bringing in the new, hardy but still fashionable clothes that I am very very excited to go shopping for.

I'm starting by making up a list of what I need.  Included are many of the items I have been searching for this season and before, and I'm also taking tips off other wardrobe essentials lists that I've been reading about on the addicting internet.  I feel that I have a  decent idea about which clothes I own, and I can already name a few items I know I'll be getting rid of.  Since I basically culled my closet last year when I had to pack up for storage, there isn't too too much to do, but I do believe I will gain at least half a drawer back :)

Currently my biggest holdup is, am I really willing to spend the extraordinary prices that many fashion bloggers are calling 'worth-the-price' and invest in a quality piece, i.e. a white cotton button-down, that I can wear for years to come?

I don't know.  I'm cheap, but I do understand the concept of cost-per-wear and frequently consider this when shopping, and additionally I have splurged for a few quality items that will not be leaving my closet.  But $600 boots?  I don't think so.  This will be a quality/price/style/longevity wardrobe makeover, probably judged in that order as well.

However, there is one rule that I am going to stick by.  I will NOT buy it unless I love it.  L-O-V-E it.  As in, walk away for a day, can't stop thinking about it love.  This is a rule I try and live by, but looking through my closet I have definitely gotten away from that at times.

No more!

The experience starts tomorrow, at my neighborhood Goodwill!

Squash, squash, squash

I don't like squash.

At least I thought.  But since my tastebuds seem to be reorienting themselves, and since I am being exposed through many varieties of squash through work, I thought this is the time to really test out my my likes and dislikes!

The experiment started a few weeks ago, when I invited some friends over for a squash fest.  With a butternut, spaghetti and red kuri squash at my disposal, I was ready to try out some recipes.  First up was roasting the squash, which, as you may know, is easy enough.  Then I decided to prepare the butternut and red kuri as I like my sweet potatoes: tossed with an onion, olive oil and seasoning salt, and baked in the oven!  For the spaghetti squash it was served with sautéed tomatoes, onions and feta cheese on top, and I thought it turned out really well.  Kathryn and I ate so much of it we weren't even hungry for the other dish, which was fine by me as I didn't like it!  Despite this positive review, I still don't think I'd ever buy a spaghetti squash.

Finished product, I'll work on plating, this was our
serving platter AFTER we'd started digging in!

Next up I received a Jamaican, or Caribbean Pumpkin which I'd heard was sweeter than a normal pumpkin.  With this in mind I knew it was time for...pumpkin bread!  A little bit of googling, a lot of time, and some wisdom from Alton Brown and I had myself some pretty tasty bread!

The process started off with roasting (seems to be a squash trend), and then blending into a puree.

Have you used the Cuisinart Immersion Blender?  Pretty sweet!  Thanks to my roommate Julia who brought it.

Next was the typical bread making process, which I used this recipe for, but minus the nutmeg and with only 1 cup of sugar.  

Into the oven and, well you already saw the final result.  I think I overcooked it a bit, but with a bit of butter it was quite tasty.  My roommates seemed to agree as when I came home this afternoon, starving from work and thinking about pumpkin bread on my ride home, the empty dish was in the sink.

I guess it's a good thing I have more puree in the fridge, trying to decide what to do with it next!

Review:

Spaghetti: +

Red Kuri: -

Butternut: -

Jamaican Pumpkin: + (in bread)

Weekend in NY

I was off to NYC this weekend to see my (as seen on National TV) aunt!  Her co-owner was running the NYC Marathon, so with over half the distance covered, I switched around some shifts and took the Fung Wah down to the Big Apple!

Despite the unproductive bus ride (I tend to get motion sickness at times, and the half-lit bus and bumpy ride didn't allow me to read my econ HW as planned) we had an absolutely marvelous time.  

First up after my 10:30pm arrival time was dinner!  We went to a cheap Chinese place where I ordered a so-so Braised Fish with rice dish.  The rice however was delicious, and it's kinda sad when that outshines the sweet & sour sauce that the fish and veggies were coated in.

The next day we were up and at it by 8:30, navigating the subway to the Highlands Park and on the search for breakfast.  We ended up stopping at the Donut Plant where I ordered the square Vanilla Glazed with Blackberry jelly, which was very good but nothing special in terms of being a jelly-filled glazed donut.  I also got to try and PB & Jelly donut as they accidentally messed up our order :)  That one was very good as well, but I'm a sucker for PB&J.

Next we went to Eataly, Mario Batali's Italian market & restaurant extravaganza.  We enjoyed a baguette with meat and cheese (just cheese for me!) and I got a Peach flavored yogurt drink by Ronnybrook.  It was all good, although the drinkable yogurt here has nothing on the Global South!  While I was in Peru I enjoyed a variety of drinkable yogurts such as Gloria and Pura Vida (which might be a Gloria product...) that were infinitely more enjoyable, although they probably have the sugar and calories that explain in.

Nevertheless, our next stop was Fishs Eddy, a cute, albiet expensive, housewares store.  I saw one glass bowl there decorated with orange designs, that I'd bought at Crate & Barrel for less than half the price I think!  Needless to say, none of us bought anything, but we did enjoy looking around.

We then continued walking around, and ran into the most fabulous farmer's market!  It put Boston's Cambridge, Arlington and Copley markets to shame as it had fresh plants, every assortment of local, organic produce and meats, homemade sparkling ciders, more sprouts than I've seen in my life, and even a demonstrations pavilion.  I picked up a recipe for pear jam, and also saw the coolest handmade bamboo bike.  The owner told me he had taken a workshop and had built the bike from bamboo and carbon steel.  He let me lift it up and it was quite light for it's size, and he said the frame had just the right amount of give.  It was truly a beauty and I'm sorry for not taking a picture!

Uniqlo and Gap were next, with a bit of shopping at each.  Then dinner at Mario Batali's restaurant Lupa where we ate a variety of delicious appetizers, entrees & amazing desserts.  My favorites were the pickled beets with pistacchio sauce, Linguini with clams, and an absolutely phenomenal coconut sorbet with chocolate shavings, yum!

All too soon the day was over and I was back on the Fung Wah for a lengthy ride back to Boston.  I slept almost the whole time and loved every minute of it.