street fare

I love many things about NYC in the summer - street fairs being one of them. Any given weekend during spring/summer, several city blocks shut down to vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry, hand-dyed scarves, screenprinted tees, and all kinds of food. Now, I remember when the food at street fairs was dirt cheap...you could get hand-squeezed lemonade, chicken kabobs, fries, and ritas for under $15. Times have changed, but the food is just as good (and just as fattening, so we only indulge once in a while now).

I can't ever resist the funnel cake vendor, and this past Sunday, we tried the fried Oreos too. OMG. Sinful. We classed it up by eating them on an actual dinner plate, instead of a half-ripped paper plate. Pretty sure we'll be hunting for these every single weekend.

recipe: Creamy 2-minute salad dressing

I love me a good full-fat ranch or buttermilk dressing! Heck, when I was younger, I used to eat salads with straight-up mayo. Those days are gone with my childhood metabolism and chicken legs, but I still find myself craving a simple, creamy salad dressing from time to time...even as I choke down a basic balsamic vinaigrette.

Enter this super simple, creamy dressing recipe. It is so basic, but so good. I usually make the recipe below, but happen to think it's fab with a little curry powder sprinkled in. I also think it would make a great base for tuna salad!

Original recipe from thekitchn.com

Ingredients:
* 1 t. dijon mustard
* 1 1/2 T. mayo [I substitute full-fat Greek yogurt since we rarely keep mayo around, and it turns out wonderfully tangy. Whatever you do, don't use a non-fat mayo or yogurt. You need some fat to properly emulsify the dressing.]
* pinch of salt
* pinch of sugar
* dash of fresh ground pepper [I'm pretty generous with my grinds.]
* 1 T. champagne vinegar

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients except for the vinegar until combined. Slowly whisk in the vinegar. [This supposedly makes enough for 2 small salads, but if you're like me and drown your salads in dressing, then double the recipe for 2 people. Also, I have no idea how this keeps, but it's honestly so simple to just throw together in a pinch.]

a little bit rock and roll

When it comes to wrist accessories, I tend to favor either super simple bracelets or cuffs that can stand on their own with little other jewelry. When I spotted this cuff on the J Crew website, I automatically started thinking of scenarios and outfits in which it could work. To toughen up a LBD, add edge to a white button-down and black pencil skirt work combo, or serve as the perfect accessory to that blazer and tee combo you've been wearing every weekend. It kind of gives you that I-just-threw-some-stuff-on layered vibe that you see on the super chic girls running around the city, but from a mass retailer that's accessible to everyone. Yay!

Double-Chained Mesh Bracelet ($75)

spring in the city

We've been fairly busy around here...work, life, running here and there in the city. We've been trying to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather (although today is a chilly 50 degrees), and each other's company. [Note: These are all somewhat crappy Blackberry pics, so apologies in advance!]

Waiting in line @ Shake Shack in Madison Square Park

Visiting High Line Park (where we spotted Zach Braff!)

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge after exploring neighborhoods for a possible fall move

Essie Mambo = the perfect nude

I finally found it. The perfect nude polish that doesn't look ashy or pasty or ghostly against my tan skin. Two coats was all I needed for good, smooth coverage. Essie's Mambo may not work on lighter skin tones, but on me it's a wonderful slightly shimmery pinky nude tone. How's that for descriptive? I'm guessing it would look great against summer tans as well. I bought it on a whim while making a return at J Crew, of all places...only to find out later that J Crew has been carrying Essie polishes since last year, and Mambo is not exclusive to the retailer. Oh well!

review: H&M garden collection

I've mentioned before that I am loving floaty, floral, watercolor-esque type clothing lately. A floaty top with skinny jeans and a cardigan or leather jacket has become my go-to outfit formula lately. So, when I saw that H&M was releasing a "garden collection" full of floaty, bohemian pieces, I knew I wanted to check it out.

According to the website, the collection is made from "environmentally adapted materials recycled polyester, organic cotton and organic linen." Prices top out at about $60 for the more coveted pieces (jackets and the rose blazer), but most fall within the $20-$30 range. You would imagine the pieces to be soft, airy, textured, etc. My verdict? SOME are, MOST are not, and I found much of it to be pretty unflattering on me.

My closest H&M is notorious for slow cashier lines and congested and sauna-like fitting rooms. I just grabbed whatever I could find in my size and waited in line. When I finally tried everything on at home, I was a little unsure. The sizing runs a bit big, and while exaggerated batwing sleeves look fab on a thin, tall model...they seemed to overwhelm me. Same with the double-layered ruffles on the tops and dresses. I took a 4 in everything, and probably could have managed with a 2, save for the top and dress that have the babydoll-tie-top.



I don't know if it's because I am curvy yet small-boned and petite, but the 3rd top shown just overwhelmed me. The 1st top was cute but I didn't dig the elastic at the sleeves. The 2nd was also cute, but I doubted whether I could pull off huge bohemian sleeves. I'm still considering the last dress, but I feel like I might wear it once and forget it. Truth be told - I was on the fence about all of them. I mean everyone is raving about this collection...was I crazy? Then I tried everything on for Husband and he was very 'meh if that's what's in style now and you like it, you should keep it.' Coming from someone who rarely, if ever has commentary on my fashion choices aside from 'I love that on you' and 'no you are not and do not look fat,' this meant a lot to me. He didn't like a single piece, reinforcing my gut feelings.

The polyester items are unlined, and all of the ones I had purchased had some loose threads. I doubt the items would fall apart on me if I were to keep them, but still annoying. I will say, when I looked at the organic cotton items - they all felt soft and light. Coming in white and soft, pastel colors, they seemed like great pieces to pair with basics like khaki shorts. I didn't grab any of these, since I was shopping with tunnel vision for prints. But, they were available in plenty of sizes. I also saw a girl wearing the coveted red rose blazer, with some faded grey skinnies and a white tee. She was also super tall and model-thin. Of course, it looked great on her!

And I think that's the lesson here. Sure this stuff may have looked ok on me, but it wasn't flattering. Doesn't mean it won't look super cute on anyone else. I'd rather take the $20-$25 each piece cost, and put it towards one of the nicer pieces on my wishlist. Now, if that Ali Ro dress would only go on sale...

water, water everywhere

Every spring, I resolve to try drinking more water. I succeed for a few weeks, during which time my skin becomes glowy, my face clearer, and my bloat disappears. Then, I forget, or get lazy. There are various water calculators out there on the interwebs, which take into account everything from activity level to your number of alcoholic drinks per day. I usually just take half my body weight and assume that's what I should aim for.

Enter this awesome pitcher. It kicks up water in a refreshing way, and is super easy to set up. Cut up fruit (I'm sticking with citrus for now), drop into center cylinder, fill pitcher with water, attach lid, wait about an hour, and bamn! Perfectly flavored water. I keep it right on my counter for the day so I can easily keep my glass full.

I bought mine from the Crate & Barrel online outlet, but I've seen it on several other websites. Crate & Barrel Infusion Pitcher ($19.95)