Congrats to Lil' Cousin on her first place! I feel like your first apartment is such a big deal. We learned so much that year about living on our own... and living with one another. Throw in a pool and it really is perfection. We were livin' the life!
You can't go wrong with any of those gifts. I wish I could have registered at both Fishs Eddy and Anthropologie for our wedding. I think having an assortment of those bowls would be amazing. I love the colors. And how have I never seen the approval matrix before! It's genius!
The thing that brought me great pleasure this week was the home-made granola that Jeff and I baked on Tuesday night. We got the recipe from Ms. Maguire and it's wicked yummy and easy to make. I've been eating it as cereal the past few mornings, but I can't wait to try it on yogurt too. Delish. If you make your own granola, do you get a guaranteed pass into hippie heaven?
Olive Oil Granola
Melissa Clark, New York Times, July 15, 2009
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| Faith Durand |
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raw pistachios, hulled (or pecans)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled (or sunflower seeds)
1 cup coconut chips (or sweetened shredded cocunut)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup (1/4 cup is plenty)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (1/3 cup is plenty)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (1/4 cup is plenty)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (or 1tsp vanilla)
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
Fresh ricotta, for serving (optional)
Fresh berries, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
2. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots, tossing to combine. Serve with ricotta and fruit, if desired.
Yield: About 9 cups.
A few other things I've been thinking about this week:
- I'm loving my OPI Siberian Nights nail polish. As we always say, dark polish looks so chic on short nails. And mine are short! The poor nail tech looked at me like I was trying to ruin her day.
- I got Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon and The Produce Bible in the mail from One Kings Lane this week and I'm so excited to pour over them this weekend.
- I finally watched the The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reunion and I have so many thoughts to dicuss with you! But mainly, Lisa and Ken are one of my favorite TV couples. Right up there with Eric and Tammy Taylor from Friday Night Lights. Fingers crossed there will be a second season!
- I'm also excited about the just announced The Real Housewives of Miami series which will premier later this month. I don't think I could ever love another RH like I love BH, but I'll watch anything once (except Bridalplasty).
- You're featured in the new JCrew catalogue. So famous.
- My cat is featured in The Art of Manliness. So so famous.
- We're always talking about how expensive store-bought pillows can be. Check out the new and moderately priced collection at West Elm. I want the whole Kantha Quilted Pillow collection.
xo,
P.S... Please remind me how much I love this color when I begin to talk about repainting our living room. I die. It's called Stormy Weather from Colortrend.
