Kitchen Inspiration

A couple of the dishes I've been rustling up in the kitchen this week....

Inspired by a photo shoot I did yesterday I went home and made some tapas for my friends; fresh anchovies in lemon, toasted bread smeared with garlic and tomatoes and these piquillo peppers stuffed with crab (lump crab meat with parsley, tarragon, mint, shallot, red chile, créme fraîche, lemon juice, s+p).

I saw this Sicilian halibut recipe during one of my regular cooking channel marathons and couldn't resist trying it.

An easy weeknight supper using up lots of veggies from the farmers market; pasta with roasted onions, carrots, beets, peppers, garlic and thyme stirred into a thick tomato sauce with some anchovies, red chile and olives.

Pink Kimono

Low and behold, the world continued to turn and my sister's birthday weekend went off without a hitch. The sangria was delish (white wine, brandy, passion fruit nectar, lemon and basil simple syrup, peaches and basil to garnish), the chili was spicy (a mix of dry and fresh chilies with a little molasses to sweeten), we shopped, saw Bridesmaids (over the top but hilarious), did a spa day at the Montelucia (heaven) and had an amazing meal at Soi 4 with the family.

Tomorrow night I am heading to Phoenix Art Museum for a lecture by european Vogue editor at large, Hamish Bowles. He'll be speaking on Balenciaga and I can't wait. He's one dapper dandy and I've always admired his style, not to mention my love of Balenciaga, a topic he's so well versed on. Hopefully I'll see some of my Phoenix readers there.

• Kimono Jacket : Angie
• Tank : Gap
• Skirt : Forever21
• Boots : Topshop
• Jewelry : Vintage

Tribal Print Dress

If the billboards are right then, as of tomorrow, it'll only be us sinners left on earth. So I guess I don't have to change my weekend plans. If, by some clerical error, I get whisked off to that Graceland in the sky (they'd better have cocktails waiting) then I'll be leaving this little dress to my sister; it's her birthday on Sunday and she is milking it for all it's worth, with a 3 day extravaganza that includes a sangria party, movies, dinners and multiple cakes.

• Dress : Forever21
• Jacket & Cuff : Vintage
• Wedges : Chloe
• Polish : Jason Wu for CND in Sophia

Maxi Skirt

I'm apparently drawn to all things maxi at the moment, the closer to the floor the better.

• Skirt : H&M
• Tank : River Island
• Bag : Cost Plus
• Rings & Cuff : Vintage
• Necklace : Charlotte Russe

Vintage White Dress

In keeping with the age old tradition of only spilling when you're wearing white, I managed to to dip the hem of this dress in something unsavory as soon as these photos were taken. Thank god it cleaned up OK because I was intent on wearing it to my girlfriend Misty's store opening last night. She has the most incredible eye and her shop is a treasure trove, but more on that in a another post when I can show you what goodies I came away with.

• Dress : Vintage
• Wedges: Chloe
• Jewelry : Mix of old and new

Lace & Fringe Jacket

Took a little jaunt down to Tucson this weekend to see Fleet Foxes; holy harmonies they were good! The girls and I partook in some cocktail hours (many), vintage shopping (gaudy) and ostrich petting (scary, those suckers can bite).
I picked up this fringe and lace beauty at Topshop last week; I was in a state of rhapsody having denied myself the pleasure of consumption for a month, a worthwhile experiment but not one that I will be repeating soon.

Safari Dress

This is dress has toucans, zebras and tigers on it. It's ridiculous. The camouflage effect works too, I almost couldn't find myself in this photo.

• Dress & Belt : Vintage
• Boots : Topshop
• Necklace : Forever21

Skirt Steak with Black Olive Aïoli

I found some baby artichokes at the farmer's market this weekend and thought I'd rustle up one of my favorite spring recipes. The black olive aïoli is intensely salty (divine) and goes well with chunky fish and shrimp too, but on this perfect Sunday I decided to stick to a classic (and cheap) steak. I fired up the barbecue, knocked back a couple of cocktails and tucked into this savory treat all while listening to a little Mike Snow.

I marinated the steak in olive oil, chiles de arbol, rosemary, thyme, pepper and lemon zest.

The baby artichokes were sauteed and mixed into a crispy potato hash with roasted garlic, thyme, shallots and loads of salt.
Full recipe here.