Monday, December 21, 2015

What I've been wearing lately

My style these past few months has been all over the map. While we wait out this unseasonably warm and rainy autumn, I've been playing around with 70s elements - fedoras, furry vests, tassel necklaces - while also mixing in my tried-and-true classics like striped button-downs paired with loafers. I even experimented with some new trends, like head-to-toe monochrome and cropped knitwear (yes, you CAN make this work for the office).

With a thank you to my husband for patiently taking all these photos in one shot yesterday, here's what I've been wearing lately...

xx

 


Dress - Banana Republic 
Cardigan - Alison Sheri, consigned
Hat - Rag & Bone via Nordstrom
Necklace - Consigned
Boots - Aquatalia





Pants - DKNY outlet
Top - Forever 21, clothes swap
Earrings - Market in Thailand
Belt - Cole Haan, consigned
Shoes - Coach Outlet




Dress - Blumarine, consigned
Vest -  Brand unknown, purchased in Bratislava 
Earrings - Aldo
Bracelet - Hand-me-down
Shoes - Coach Outlet


 

 
 
Jeans - Guess via Winners
Top - Hudson Room, thrifted
Necklace - Hand-me-down
Earrings - Gift
Shoes - Cole Haan via DSW, dyed red





Dress - Calvin Klein via Winners
Cardigan - Neiman Marcus
Necklace - Banana Republic
Shoes - Coach Outlet




Jeans - Banana Republic
Blouse - Adrienne Vittadini via Saks Off Fifth
Necklace - Road Trip
Shoes - Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth





Pants - Elie Tahari via Saks off Fifth
Tank - Winners
Jacket - Gap, consigned
Necklace - Gordana
Boots - Aquatalia


Jeans - Habitual 
T-shirt - Banana Republic
Vest - Brand unknown, purchased in Bratislava 
Hat - Rag & Bone
Earrings - Gift
Bracelets - Aldo Accessories & hand-me-down
Booties- Aldo



Top - Forever 21
Skirt - Femme de Carriere
Earrings - Le Chateau
Shoes - Via Spiga via Saks Off Fifth

Monday, December 07, 2015

Pulled pork sandwiches with tomatillo salsa and crunchy coleslaw

My last post was on September 25. Have I really been AWOL for the better part of three months?? What have I been up to? Working, a LOT. Travelling. Visited one of my besties in Manhattan where we ate and drank our way through some of the most incredible restaurants and bars the city has to offer. Nursing back-to-back colds. Which had better mean I'm off the hook this winter. Planning a winter getaway to the sunny shores of St Martin. And jotting down outfits I failed again and again to photograph the day I wore them ;) 

After such an extensive absence, it's only fair I come back with a bang. Trust me, this dish is EVERYTHING. 

You know the expression, 'necessity is the mother of invention'? In this case, I needed pulled pork with the most minimal of prep. I took a bunch of shortcuts on my usual recipe, and tried new ingredients by way of hoppy beer and coffee grinds. I wound up with the most wonderfully juicy, flavourful and fork-tender meat. We served the recipe below to dear friends in town from Australia and they RAVED about it. We all went back for seconds. And by seconds I mean thirds. The long and short of it: you need to make this NOW.

To make pulled pork:
This makes enough for about four people but any leftovers can be frozen. 
Place a 5-lb bone-in pork butt in the slow cooker. Add 1 can of IPA beer, one cinnamon stick, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, 2T regular coffee grinds, 2T of any pork rub spice mixture, 1Tsp onion powder and 1 tsp garlic powder. Cook on low overnight. 

Scoop out most of liquid, leaving about 1/4 cup. The scooped-out liquid can be frozen and reserved for another use (e.g. chili, soup, the next batch of pulled pork). Remove the bone and separate the meat using a pair of forks until it's stringy. The smaller the strings, the more sauce it can absorb. Add additional BBQ sauce and maple syrup in a 2:1 ratio until meat is well-coated. Add 2T cayenne pepper. Mix well, then cook on high for another 30 mins. 
 
To make salsa:
This recipe is adapted from my Rebar cookbook. 
Remove the husks from 4 tomatillos, then brush lightly with oil and broil for 10 minutes. Place in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and pulse until finely chopped. Add 1/4 red onion, 2 cloves garlic, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tsp pureed chipotle in adobo sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.
 
 To make coleslaw:
This recipe is my own. Using a food processor, finely shred 1/3 to 1/2 head of green cabbage, 2 carrots and 1 stalk of celery. Set aside. 

In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup mayo, 3T apple cider vinegar, 2T relish, 2T sugar, 1T horseradish, 3 stalks fincely minced green onion, 3 or 4 finely chopped pickled green beans (I used the Matt and Steve Extreme Bean brand), about 1T of the bean brine, and 1/2 tsp celery salt. Whisk well, then pour over cabbage mixture and allow to sit for an hour before serving. 

To serve:
Layer a ciabatta bun with pulled pork, salsa, coleslaw, then top with crispy onions and fresh cilantro.