Knotted and pleated

I love pleats, whether they come in a structured fabric as previously seen here or in a soft, sheer micro-pleat as I'm wearing today.  They provide textural interest to an otherwise plain skirt.  Sometimes they can add a bit too much volume to unwanted areas, but when the pleats are narrow and come in a floaty material, they can still create a clean line.

  

Can you tell that I like Anthropologie?  Or should I say, obsessed?  I wear an item of clothing from that store almost every day, and here I'm wearing three!  I can always count on them for a good quirky print, and I manage to find some great basics there as well.  I've been known to stalk their sale section with a keen eye.  Their home section is equally adorable.  If only I had more cabinet space to stock up on some more of their pretty plates!   

 

Tri-blend T shirt: American Apparel.  Pleated skirt: Fanfold midi pencil skirt from Anthropologie (similar here).  
Rancher denim jacket: Artisan de Luxe from Anthropologie (this one is cute too).  Black ankle strap heels: Zara.  
Handmade alpaca Cordillera clutch: Huanu from Anthropologie.

Catalina Weekend

Mr. J planned a trip for us to Catalina Island last weekend as a belated Christmas present.  It was the first visit for the both of us and we had an absolute blast.  It took about an hour by boat to get to the island and once we got there, we felt like we were worlds away.  It's still early in the season so the main town of Avalon was bustling but not overly crowded.  Luckily for us, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we spent the weekend in summery outfits exploring the island on golf carts, zip-lining, and lounging on the beach.

Print Shift Dress: Collective Concepts. Belt: J. Crew (old). Sandals: Zara (old). 

Printed fedora: Target (old). Purse: Lancel (old).

Sunday was spent lounging on Descanso Beach with my beach essentials - SPF 100+ sunscreen, a hat to protect my face, cold wine and beer, and lots of girly magazines.  The trip was the perfect weekend getaway and definitely one of my favorite presents from Mr. J.

White crochet sweater: H&M (Drool-worthy option here). Printed denim shorts: 7 For All Mankind (on sale here). 

Bracelets: Stella & Dot and J. Crew.

Meyer Lemon Budino

Sarah's parents have a Meyer lemon tree in their backyard so we have a never-ending supply all year round.  If you're unfamiliar with Meyer lemons, they are thought to be a cross between a regular lemon and an orange.  They have all the delicious lemony flavor without the lip-puckering sourness.  They are also bigger and juicier and have a thinner peel.

With the abundance of Meyer lemons, we are always looking for ways to incorporate these into our daily cooking and baking projects.  Nearly every salad is dressed with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette, and we've made a variety of lemon pound cakes and lemon tarts.  This budino recipe, however, may just be our favorite recipe yet!  

Meyer Lemon Budino
(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh regular lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter six ramekins.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl and whisk until well blended.  Whisk in milk.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in a medium bowl until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture in 2 additions. 

Divide the mixture among the buttered ramekins.  Place them in a roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides.  Bake puddings until tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the water. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

We served this as a dessert for the dinner first described here.

Turkey Travels

Dr. S and I just came back from a 9 day trip to Turkey with one of our favorite fellow-physician couples.  We spent a couple days in Cappadocia in central Turkey, then ventured off to Istanbul for the rest of our trip.  One of the highlights of our trip was a fantastic food tour via Istanbul Eats.  We literally ate our way through the food markets and delicious hidden gems within Sultanhamet, the historic part of the bustling city. 

We found the best baklava at Karakoy Gulluoglu.  

Perfectly cripsy with lots of pistachio and honey goodness. 

The majestic Blue Mosque.

The Basilica Cistern, a subterranean water filtration system from the 6th century.  Anybody recognize it from the romantic dinner on The Bachelorette with Ali and Frank?

Sadly the weather did not cooperate, and instead of a balmy 65 degrees that weather.com predicted, it ended up being a much chiller 50. Hence, I bought a long sleeved black t-shirt, and a red sweater from Mango because I had brought mostly short sleeved shirts.  I loaded on lots of layers on top to keep warm daily.  Thank goodness for my trusty leather motorcycle jacket and my cozy drape sweater that I wore almost every day. 

One of the many cups of Turkish coffee we drank at Ziggy Cafe in the city Urgup in the Cappadocia region.  The restaurant is dedicated to the owner's adorable late terrier, Ziggy.

Awe-inspiring view of the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia on our hot air balloon ride.

 

I loved the Turkish coffee, but we had a craving for a latte and popped into Starbucks.  We were shocked by the breathtaking view from this Starbucks in the Bebek area of Istanbul.  If you're not familiar with Turkish geography, Istanbul sits partly in Europe and partly in Asia.  Here we were on the Europe side, and across the Bosphorus River is the Asia side.  We did venture over to the Asia side, where we sampled the deliciously decadent Kup Griye at Baylan Patisserie in Katakoy.  It was a mix of vanilla and caramel ice cream, topped with caramel sauce, crushed pistachio, almonds, crunchy brittle, and whipped cream.  Whoa. 

 

Random exercise equipment was found on the sidewalk in Bebek.  
If I had an elliptical machine with this view, I'd exercise every day! 

Antique Turkish coffee decanters at the Grand Bazaar.

A sweet little rose gold ring I purchased at the Grand Bazaar.

We stayed in an awesome two bedroom apartment right off of Istiklal Avenue, a fun pedestrian street full of coffee shops, restaurants, clothing stores, and bars.  We walked this street nightly and were particularly impressed by how late the Turks stayed out, even on weeknights.

Sunset over Istanbul, on our last night.  A beautiful end to our beautiful trip!

Leather motorcycle jacket: S.W.O.R.D. (similar here). Denim shirt: Bella Dahl.  Light wash jeans: Current/Elliott.  Espadrilles: Toms.  Red heart sweater: Mango (cardigan version here).  Black jeans: unknown.  Sweater: Sparrow from Anthropologie.  Black smoking loafers: Nicole (fun yellow version here).  White and black leopard silk dress: Rogan for Target (love this).  Leggings: Lululemon.  Shoes: Ash.  Handbag: Longchamp Le Pliage Cuir in medium.

Electric Pink in Malibu

My mother-in-law came to visit last weekend.  It had just snowed 6 inches in Aspen so we were hoping to give her a sunny LA visit.  Unfortunately, the weather did not want to cooperate.  It was cloudy and overcast and just plain cold.

With my impending move to the Bay area, we also took this visit as an opportunity to cross some more things off of my ever-growing bucket list.  After a short hike in the morning, we packed a delicious picnic and headed up to Malibu Wines.  I decided to wear these hot pink pants to bring some Spring-like cheeriness to the otherwise gloomy day.  I bought this sweater jacket on major sale from Anthropologie in anticipation of the colder climates up north and I planned for it to sit untouched in my closet until the Fall, but given the recent chilly weather in LA, I've been wearing it nonstop.

Black and white 'Snoa Motocardi': Change of the Moon (similar here. Drool-worthy option here). 

Knit sweater: Madewell (old). Hot pink skinny jeans: Current Elliott 'The Ankle Skinny' in Flamingo. 

Snow leopard print flats: River Island (old). Sunglasses: Coach (old). Bracelets: Stella and Dot and custom from Taiwan.

Matchy-Matchy

Did you ever dress like your best friend and pretend to be twins when you were little?  We think it is something that all little girls do and we were certainly no exception!  We thought we would revisit our childhood and bring you another joint post with matching outfits!

We have a lot of the same pieces in both of our closets.  They are either wardrobe essentials (the gingham shirt), an awesome deal that one of us shared with the other (the mint jeans), an item we don't really remember that the other one owns but were inexplicably drawn towards and subsequently purchased (the belt), or items we bought together (the shoes)!

Speaking of the shoes, we are loving our new Toms.  The espadrille detail gives these an edge up on the classic soles and the multi-colored stripes make them perfect for the spring and summer.  And we just love the "one for one" motto of Toms. We hope everyone has a great weekend!

Gingham shirt: J. Crew. Mint skinny jeans: Zara (old. Similar here). Patent belt: J. Crew. Canvas espadrilles: TOMS. 

Gold Bar Necklace: London Manori. Bracelet: DIY from this post.

Yellow Ostrich and Mirrored Wedges

I've always been drawn to sunny yellow.  It was my favorite color from the ages of 5 to 10.  In elementary school, I used to cut up lemons and eat them straight up.  I even had a gray and yellow themed wedding.  This oversized clutch was a natural purchase, with its simple shape, the ostrich embossed leather, and of course, the perky color.  It gets bonus points too for having a gold chain strap for tossing over the shoulder when my hands are tied.  

These mirrored silver wedge shoes were my favorite purchase from the Decades shoe sale a couple months back.  They are by far the most wearable of three pairs I purchased, and I've already worn them a couple times a week.  The low wedge makes them super comfy, and I love the gleam they give off with every step. 

 Sweater: Anthropologie 'Glimmered Pointelle Pullover' (love this chevron option here). Jeans: Current/Elliott (similar here).  
Yellow clutch: Kate Spade 'Post Street Madison' (blue option here).  
Mirrored wedges: Christian Louboutin (similar here and here).  
Bracelets: Anthropologie and Vita Fede.  Necklace: old (similar here).