Flashback: Georgia

A spot with a view!

I must say, Georgia's charm caught me by surprise.

Last September, my husband and I made the trip for our friends' wedding, and

it turned into one of the most drama-free, relaxed, and beautiful vacations I can recall.

Not only was the wedding fairy-tale worthy,

the weather was unbelievable, the company outstanding, and the food delicious.

To top it all off, our trip coincided with the 40th anniversary of Oktoberfest in the German town of 

Helen.

Score!

Our Cabin (the ridiculously steep driveway is only partially in view)

Don't think I've ever seen a caterpillar this green before!

Best Meal of the trip at Nacoochee Grill

Gem mining at Duke's

Enjoying a Georgia Peach. Naturally.

"Judah" trees (nicknamed after my husband for being tall & skinny.)

White Billows

I adore the white billowy ruffles on my strapless BCBG Cocktail dress.

Something about it screams innocence and purity.

To balance out its airy quality, I paired the dress with chunky metallic jewelry, (a little too) messy hair, and a structured pin-strip Theory jacket.

Obsessions

Inspired by a friend's (open-interpretation.blogspot.com) recent entry, I bought these vases in the $1 bin at Target.

This funny-faced giraffe.

 

My husby's blue leather belt.  It snazzes up a boring suit. :)

Citrus-flavored martinis!

Russian Nesting Dolls that double as measuring cups!  Bought on Chiasso.com

Orange Cranberry-nut Bread

Okay, so here's the amazing thing about this bread: I made it in my slow-cooker.

Pot roast, Chili, Spaghetti sauce, fine.  But bread? In a Slow-cooker?

My mind is blown.

Try a slice of this recipe with your morning coffee!  

It's gotta be healthier than a pastry at your local coffee shop.

Ingredients:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 t grated orange rind

2/3 cup boiling water

3/4 cup sugar

2 T shortening

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 t vanilla (or almond) extract

Directions:

1.)  Coat crock-pot with cooking spray.

2.)  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & pecans.

3.)  In separate bowl, combine cranberries and orange peel.  Pour bowling water over fruit mixture & stir.  Whisk in sugar, shortening, egg, and extract.  Add flour mixture until blended.

4.)  Pour batter into crock pot.  Cook on high for 1.5 hours.  

5.)  Remove stoneware from crock pot and let rest on wire rack 15 minutes.  Remove bread and cool completely on rack.

Enjoy!

Touch of Lace

I love lace.  When worn correctly, it's both sexy and sophisticated.

A lot of these items are way out of my price-range, but I still love to look at them!

1.)  Alice by Temperley Lace Playsuit, $325.00

2.)  ASOS Vintage Style Lace Bow Necklace, $17.24

3.)  Dolce & Gabbana Lace Cocktail Dress, $1,806.42

4.)  Hanky Panky Stretch Lace Lingerie, $75.00

5.)  ALDO Bracelet, $13.98

6.)  Erdem Pippa Lace-trimmed Satin Twill Shorts, $930.00

7.)  Anna Sui Lace Cardigan, $220.00

8.)  Rosamosario Lace Corset, $605.00

9.)  Delia's Cheryl Lace Butterfly Tank, $34.50

Beach Bum

When the beach is too cold for a bikini, I pull out the biggest boyfriend shirt I can find.

There's nothing more comfortable than a soft baggy button-up.

Insert a cold beer + an ocean view and you've got a happy lady.

Obsessions

My mom painted her nails in honor of Wicked: Ruby Slippers with a black-and-white stocking.

Skies this cloudless and blue.

I hate custard, but nothing beats the fluffy lightness of a whipped cream Eclair.

The oh-so-talented Michael Andrews (of Swingerhead).  Catch him Thursday nights at Circa 1926.

The sweet decor at Sassafras, a new candy boutique off Park Avenue.

Red Riding Hood

The weather this week was gorgeous- the perfect combination of crisp and cool, with each day a tad warmer than the last.  

I don't own a red cape, but the hood on this plaid jacket is a nod to little red riding hood's fashion sense.  

Let's hope I don't get eaten by any wolves. :)

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies

A good chocolate chip cookie- one that is moist without being mushy, crumbly without being overcooked, and chocolaty but not overpoweringly so- is hard to find.  

After years of searching, I've finally found a winning recipe.  

Though requiring a lot of flour (don't worry, I was skeptical too), the end result is of perfect consistency, with just the right amount of chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 Cups flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 Cup unsalted butter, softened 

2 Cups brown sugar

6 T white sugar

2 eggs

4 t vanilla extract

1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

Directions:

1.)  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2.)  Gently mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  

In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.  

Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla extract.  Mix in flour mixture, slowly, until just incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chips.

3.)  Divide dough into 24 3-Tablespoon-sized balls.  

Flatten the balls to 1/4 inch thick on a non-stick baking sheet.

4.)  Bake until edges are golden, 15-18 minutes.  Cool until set (about 20 minutes).

Enjoy!