August 31, 2011

Hump Day Heaven


How amazing is this water in Amanpulo, Philippines!

I can't look at this pumpkin coffee cake without salivating! I need to make this asap! (recipe to come)

I would like to float on this all weekend long! 

I could cook in this kitchen every day for the rest of my life...please!


A really awesome cover of Jay Z's 99 problems, by Hugo that I can't get enough of!

Happy Hump Day!

-Whitney

Panko Crusted Salmon with Arugula


This might be my new favorite salmon recipe and my new favorite bread crumbs. Not sure if you have ever used Panko bread crumbs before, but they are Japanese flaky bread crumbs, usually used for fried foods, that will give your dish a great crunch! We added some arugula with a rice wine vinegar mix, adapted from an arugula salad recipe, on top to add a little bit of peppery taste.

Ingredients
FOR THE SALMON:
2/3 c panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

FOR THE ARUGULA:
4 cups arugula
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and toss with a fork until evenly coated; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine arugula, olive oil and rice vinegar and set aside.

Place salmon fillets skin side down on a cutting board or plate. Generously brush the tops with Dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard, making sure it adheres.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet like us, just use a regular skillet and have a baking sheet covered in foil ready for the next step. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning.

Transfer the skillet (or transfer the fillets to the baking sheet if your skillet is not oven-safe) to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and the panko is browned. Top with arugula mixture and lemon slices. Serve and enjoy!


August 30, 2011

The Private Life of Paint Chips

Like last month, we showed you tons of ways to work and re-work simple ole' mason jars.  Now this month we will show you the "Many Faces" of Paint Chips, you know those colorful things you can get for free at any Home Improvement store.  When I was a little girl and got to go to the Home store with my parents I would snag tons of them and dream about painting my walls a bright purple.  Now that I am all grown up, I can use them to make art, as gifts, place settings, tons of uses that never crossed my mind as a young klepto. 



Make-over your Stairway with Paint Chips


Paint Chips as Place Cards


Gift Boxes from Paint Swatches


Paint Chip Art


Paint Chip Punch Garland



Paint Sample Coasters


Paint Chip Lampshade


Balsamic Roasted Green Beans, Mushrooms and Parmesan


I often forget how much I love green beans. This is an easy and very tasty recipe for green beans and mushrooms, with my favorite, balsamic vinegar!

Ingredients
8 oz mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
1 lb. fresh green beans with the ends snipped off
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim ends of green beans and slice mushrooms into 1/2 inch slices (We bought the already sliced ones).

Put the green beans and the mushrooms in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss with your hands until all of the veggies are lightly coated.

Arrange on a large baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, until beans are tender and mushrooms are cooked.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

August 29, 2011

StickyGram

I am obsessed with the instagram app on my iPhone, and I use it all the time. I never really do anything with the pics though. I'll create a phone background, or use the pics on here, but I never print them or anything. I found this awesome site called StickyGram that turns your instagram pics into magnets!


StickyGram prints your instagrams on a 50 mm x 50 mm flexible magnet. They come in packs of 9, and cost $14.99 + free shipping. These would look so cute on the fridge, locker, file cabinets, bulletin boards, where ever you can stick 'em.





August 26, 2011

Music for the Weekend




Enjoy yourself

-Megan

Spending the Night with Missoni

A good friend of mine brought this fabulous hotel to my attention earlier this week.  We have already posted about Missoni coming to a Target near you.  And now this...you can spend the night with Missoni (well kind-of).  This is the second of the hotels that the Italian Fashion house has opened.  However this location is one that I might not make it to, Kuwait.  So for your viewing pleasure here are some photos from Hotel Missoni.

 Oh! to swim in those stripes

...to sleep in those patterns

...to lounge with those florals

 ...to bath in that fixture

...to check-in under those chandeliers

...to have drinks with a view

...to dine with those colors

So for anyone lucky enough to travel to this part of the world, stay here!

-Megan 

August 25, 2011

Tie it Up

Tie-Neck, pussybow, secretary blouse, whatever you want to call it, these tops are everywhere, and i love them! They are great tops that can be dressed up, dressed down, worn to work or out at night. Dress it up for work with a pencil skirt or trousers, layer it up with a cardigan or vest. Take it out on the town with skinny or wide leg jeans and some funky jewelry. Here are some of my favorite blouses:


-Whitney

August 24, 2011

A Taste of Missoni For Target


Like most, we are all awaiting the arrival of the Missoni and Target collaboration. The 400-piece collection will hit stores September 13th. Here is a short video about Missoni and their Target line. Let the countdown begin!

August 22, 2011

DIY Tassel Earrings


I've been seeing tassel earrings all over the place lately. I've seen all different colors of tassels made of string, leather, chain and even and old tshirt. I decided this would be a great DIY, and it was so easy!

I looked around at JoAnn's Fabric, and found a ton of already made tassels, but they just seemed too big to be hanging from your ears (or at least for my style.) I made these teal tassel earrings out of the string we used to make friendship bracelets out of. They have so many colors to choose from, and it's cheap. I recommend JoAnn's because they had all of the other supplies I needed as well.

What you will need: 1 thing of embroidery floss (friendship bracelet string), 2 fish hook earrings, 2 jump rings, small pliers and scissors  

unwrap the embroidery floss, and cut it directly in half. Take out 1 piece of thread from each bunch.

String the jump ring through each bunch of string, stopping in the middle.

Fold both sides of the string down and, using the piece of string you pulled out, loop around the bunch, creating a loop. Tie it in a double knot and snip the ends. I put a drop of glue on there to make sure it didnt come untied. Make sure this is the back of the earring when you attach the fish hook..

Attach the fish hook earring to the jump ring and tada, there you have it. Cheap and easy my friends! You can use more or less string if you would like your tassle thicker or longer.
-Whitney

Mashup Monday



My excitement for Lil Wayne's show tonight in Kansas City is the only thing getting me through this Monday. In honor of his show, today's mashups all include a little Wheezy F Baby. Enjoy!

DJ RYSON- What the Bow Chicka E.T. (Avril Lavigne vs Katy Perry vs Mike Posner ft. Lil Wayne)

THE FRIENDLY GIANT- Forever (Drake ft. Kaney West and Lil Wayne vs Jack Johnson)

Deuces M.M. Remix (Chris Brown ft Tyga vs. Lil Wayne ft. Busta Rhymes vs Trey Songz ft Nicki Minaj vs Ludacris)

DJWHATT- Check it Milli (Lil Wayne vs Nicki Minaj & Will I am)

DJ MOONDANCE- No Stuntin' No Cry (Bob Marley vs Lil Wayne)

WHITE PANDA- Fire Dust (Lil Wayne vs DJ Fresh vs Flux Pavilion)

DJWHATT- Fresh I stay (Flo Rida ft Lil Wayne vs The Partysquad & Afrojack)

August 19, 2011

Cheers to the Weekend



Love Rihanna and Love this song
Cheers

August 18, 2011

pretty penny says happy thursday

its almost the weekend...

Loafin' Around

I'm really loving the loafers I am seeing everywhere. They all look so comfy and are a much needed addition to my wardrobe. While on the search, it seems I need to decide between traditional, a pop of color, suede/leather, penny/no penny, and wedge/flat/heel. Here are a variety of styles, colors and materials I have found....



What style will you be loafin' in??

-Whitney

August 17, 2011

Urban Table

Last evening I tried a new Local eatery, Urban Table.  It is a Bread and Butter Concept, that is really hitting it off in Corinth Square just like the sister restaurant BRGR

The wrap around porch like seating area has a comfortable feeling adding to the farmhouse appearance.  Food. Wine. Social. is exactly what you get when walking into Urban Table.  This place is perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I have only experienced dinner here but it was a great one.  We "opened" with Olives and a Tomato Salad with a Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, they both arrived in fun serving dishes. 


The rustic chandeliers and raw wood tables really add something to the experience, you don't feel like you are in Kansas anymore (sorry had to) .  Walls decorated with wine bottles and statement mirrors opens up the space.  The bathrooms are also innovative with a few communal sinks and adding to the rustic farmhouse theme the signage fits in perfectly and is just so adorable. 

bar area

lunch bar

dinning room


clever bathroom entrance

Katy's Costumes

Katy Perry will be performing tonight in KC at The Sprint Center, and yes we are going DUH! I can't wait to see her outrageous outfits and sets, oh and her music of course! Here are some crazy costume favorites...

 Hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards

 For her MTV VMA performance

 At the Smurfs in 3D premiere

 Another outfit at the MTV Europe Music Awards

From her "California Gurls" music video


I wish I could pull off fun and crazy outfits like her!

August 15, 2011

Mashup Monday

Hope you're making it through this gloomy Monday!


DJ BAHLER- Meant to Fade (Joywave vs Empire of the Sun vs Skrillex vs Duck Sauce vs David Guetta vs Lil Jon)

THE HOOD INTERNET- All of the Lights (Ellie Goulding vs Kanye West vs Portland Cello Project)

PRETTY LIGHTS- Summertime (Nina Simone vs Sublime vs The Fresh Prince vs Mungo Jerry)

KAP SLAP- One Rolling Love (Avivii vs Adele vs Swedish House Mafia vs Jason Derulo)

STYLES COMPLETE- Blood Red Cinema (Skrillex vs Benny Benassi vs Feed Me)

Perfect Pairing

It's time for another "Perfect Pairing" post, and this time we are inspired by a room that has both indoor and outdoor elements.  The weather is cooling down and an open-air room is ideal this time of year. 

Living In


Airy Veranda
via


Going Out


A Chiffon Cardi represents the Airy Curtains and is a staple in this room and on this look

Bold Wide Leg Trousers show off the accent rug and pillows in this fun room
Straw Fedora is meant to be a look-alike to the chairs in this room, the natural texture is crucial in the room and really adds something to this outfit


Striking Glass Bead Earrings are as playful as all the bright accessories are in the veranda
The Final piece in this outfit is a Cream Crossbody Bag that is as romantic as the lanterns hanging in the sun kissed trees


 As always keep getting inspired by environments around you whether you are inside or out, decorating or getting dressed. 

-Megan