// Today is my sister’s birthday so first of all I want to wish her a big Happy Birthday! I wish I could be with her today to celebrate, but I know she’ll have a great time out with her friends.
// Remember me going on and on about that Solange concert last week? Well it was AH-MAZING (pronounced like Penny does on Happy Endings). She was energetic and charismatic and she sounded great live (which is not the case for every artist)! You can catch a little snippet of the concert in this vine I made!
// On Tuesday I went to a little going-away gathering for one of my coworkers and I enjoyed chatting with people in a more social setting. I only planned to stay for one drink, but I was talking with various people and somehow I stayed at the bar for nearly three hours and had a total of three drinks- woops!
// I’ve been thinking about rereading The Great Gatsby before the movie comes out next week. I’m super excited for the movie, but I barely remember what happens in the book, so I think I could use a refresher. I used to have a copy, but I think it’s somewhere at my home in CA and all the copies at the library are on hold! I might just buy it again, unless anyone in NYC wants to lend me theirs?
If you haven’t yet heard this Sia song from the movie soundtrack, it’s a must listen! I’ve had it on repeat for the past few days. You should also take a look at the Gatsby-inspired shoot in this month’s Vogue- it’s simply stunning. I mentioned the book Z in yesterday’s post, which is a fictional account of Zelda Fitzgerald’s life. Clearly this is my current obsession- Gatsby, Gatsby, Gatsby!
// What are your Cinco de Mayo plans? My friend is visiting from Boston, so we are getting together for dinner on Saturday night, which will certainly be delicious. Then on Sunday, I think it’s my duty to drink a margarita at some point in honor of the holiday, don’t you agree?
// A few links I’m loving: WhoWhatWear’s new site Domaine dedicated to all things stylish for your home, the Honestly WTF and BaubleBar collaboration full of gorgeous jewels, and the livestream of the Met Gala on Monday!
book // vase // earrings // scarf
This week I thought I would focus on items that would make great Mother’s Day gifts!
I think a book is always a wonderful gift idea and I’ve heard really great things about Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. Want to take things to the next level? Stick two tickets for The Great Gatsby inside and treat your mom to a movie night!
This vase is already really pretty on its own. Here’s another idea- fill it with fresh flowers and surprise your mom with breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day.
If your mom is like my mom, then she loves bold jewelry. She would adore these bright and sunny yellow statement earrings!
I absolutely love the colors in this scarf. We lovingly tease my mom for feeling cold all the time, so I think she would like this pretty, lightweight scarf to wear during the warmer months.
Tell me: What are you planning to get your mom for Mother’s Day?
1. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- As I mentioned in my last round-up of books I’ve read, I was on a bit of a Gillian Flynn kick for a while. Gone Girl is still my favorite of the books she’s written, but I liked this one too. The story is about Libby Day, one of two living survivors of an attack on her family that occurred when she was just a child. When the tragedy happened, she testified in front of a court that her brother murdered her mother and sisters and based heavily on that testimony, her brother was sent to jail. However, as an adult, Libby is not so sure that her testimony was correct and attempts to figure out the truth of what really happened that night. It’s another dark tale, but you’re rooting for Libby to succeed with her quest.
2. Grace by Grace Coddington- I was excited to start this book that so many people in the fashion community raved about. I watched The September Issue for the first time this year; I don’t know what took me so long since the documentary came out years ago! After watching it, I was even more fascinated by Grace Coddington’s personality and relationship with Anna Wintour and I couldn’t wait to learn more from her memoir. She has led a really interesting life both personally and professionally. It took me a little while to get into it in the beginning, when she’s discussing her early childhood, but once she grows up and moves to London, the story really takes off. Also, the book is peppered with fun little illustrations that she created. If you love fashion and/or are obsessed with all things Vogue, it’s definitely worth a read.
3. Idiopathy by Sam Byers- This is one of those books that you’re not entirely sure that you understood, but you generally enjoyed. It involves a love triangle between three pretty messed-up people, a cattle epidemic, and a mom/blogger who becomes semi-famous. You’re intrigued, right? If you like offbeat stories with a satirical edge, then I think you just might like this book.
4. Paris, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin- This is the type of nonfiction I enjoy- nonfiction that almost reads like fiction. This is a type of travel memoir, written by the author when he moved to Paris for a couple of years. In it he shares his observations about the French, about what life in France is like for a foreigner, and about the people he works with at an advertising agency. His anecdotes are humorous and the book in general only strengthened my itch to travel abroad soon. In the meantime I guess I’ll keep reading books about the places I’d like to go! Also, how great is the title and cover of this book?!
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- I waited for this book for what felt like forever and when I was finally able to download it, I devoured it in a couple days. I was not disappointed- this book is as good as everyone says it is. The main character, Hazel, is a teenager with terminal cancer. Based on that alone, you’d expect this book to be really depressing, but it’s not entirely- it’s funny, smart and heartwarming. Even though you know, or should know, exactly what happens in the end, that doesn’t mean you won’t shed a tear or two (or many) as the book draws to a close. If you’re looking for your next read, look no further- this is it. In case you couldn’t tell, this book was my favorite out of this bunch!
Tell me: What are you currently reading?
This recipe was too good not to share right away, plus it’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo! I used half of the beef for the taco bites (I only bought one can of crescent rolls) and the other half I set aside to take to lunch tomorrow along with this cilantro-lime rice I whipped up quickly. Check out my vine to see the process in action!
Recipe from 365 Days of Baking; adapted
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning*
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cans (8 oz. each) 8 count crescent rolls
- 3 plum tomatoes, chopped**
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* I divided the Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe in thirds to get just enough seasoning for this recipe.
** I used cocktail tomatoes because I couldn’t find plum tomatoes at my local grocery store.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink, crumbling while cooking.
- Drain the fat and return the beef to the skillet.
- Add onion to the skillet and cook until soft.
- Add taco seasoning and water and stir until thoroughly to combine.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer while preparing crescents.
- On a piece of parchment paper, unroll one package of crescents.
- Cut each triangle in half, so that you have two smaller ones. Don’t worry, they won’t be exactly symmetrical. Gently separate them and arrange on parchment so that they are easy to access.
- Place 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons of ground beef mixture onto each crescent triangle.
- Top each triangle with a few pieces of chopped tomato and sprinkle with some cilantro.
- Fold the points of the dough over, so that it comes together like a diaper, pinching the dough as the pieces come together to secure. Some stuffing may fall out- just stick it back in.
- Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes until golden brown.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients and second package of crescents.
One more note: This recipe calls for cheese, but since I don’t eat cheese I left that part out. Cheese lovers- check out the original recipe!
// On Monday I tested out my new nonstick pan from West Elm and it was a dream. I’m never using my crappy old frying pan again! Ok, that’s probably an overstatement, but seriously, my new one is just 1,000x better. I tested this recipe and I’m pretty sure it was my first time trying turkey sausage. Originally, I was skeptical about turkey sausage and I’d planned to buy regular sausage instead, but my grocery store was out! I’m glad I tried the turkey sausage though, it was pretty delicious. I’m jumping on the turkey sausage bandwagon, but I draw the line at turkey bacon- I need my bacon to come from pigs, please.
// On Tuesday I spent nearly two hours trying to download this book from the library. After waiting for it for weeks, I was so excited to download it and start reading right away, but I couldn’t because of technical difficulties. Turns out there was a temporary block on my account since I’d moved and hadn’t updated my address; once they took it off, my problem was solved.
// I haven’t left the country since 2011 and that makes me pretty sad. In the meantime I’ll live vicariously through Bri of Designlovefest who shared her recaps of recent trips to Paris and Barcelona. I would love the opportunity to go back to Europe soon, but in the meantime a trip to different continent may be in the works for this summer!
// Last Sunday, my twitter feed was abuzz about an epic scene with Daenerys on Game of Thrones. When I finally caught up on Tuesday, I could see what all the hype was about! If you saw last week’s episode, I think you’ll appreciate this article from Buzzfeed as much as I did.
// Tonight’s the night- I’m going to see Solange perform in Brooklyn! If you couldn’t tell from this post and my tweets about it once a day, I’m pretty excited. I’ll tell you all about it next week!
Tell me: What are your weekend plans?
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