Need: Monograms

One of my first ebay purchases was a copy of The Official Preppy Handbook. 

Lisa Birnbach recently released a new version, True Prep: It’s a Whole New Old World. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of the book. 

Most people wouldn’t characterize me as overly preppy but I do have some prep tendencies. I wear pearls with almost every outfit, Ralph Lauren oxfords are a staple 5 months out of the year and I love monograms. Now I come by the monogram obsession naturally. My mother monograms everything and I mean everything. She once told me that if I stayed in one place too long she would monogram me, and I am pretty sure she was only half joking. As cute as monogram tattoos are, I just don’t think they are very me.

However there are lots of monogrammed items that I have and love. Sheets and towels, of course. (Pictures from Leotine Linens and Pottery Barn)

The great thing about monograms is that the styles range from modern to traditional so they fit in almost any home.

My laptop case.

My market tote for trips to the farms market, the grocery store, carrying food to picnics, or tailgating.  The W is for Wofford College.

Many many Tervis Tumblers. 

Several years ago I had a car monogram that looked much like this one.

Monograms are also great on clothes and jewelry. I wear a signet ring everyday. (This is a man’s ring but it has a beautiful monogram)

I love these Stephen Bonnano monogrammed sandals. 

This gold script pendant. 

I am really craving one of these copper pieces. My good friend Allison recently started making copper jewelry and she is fantastic. Check out some of her other work here. 

I have a great recipe for some almond cookies and hopefully I will whip up a batch tonight or tomorrow and I, of course, will let you know how they came out!.

MAP

Desire: The Weekend

This week has already been insane. Yes I know it is only Tuesday but once and a while Tuesday seems like Thursday and all you can think about is the weekend. It is definitely one of those weeks.

Last Sunday Boyfriend and I decided it was a pancake kind of a day. I made strawberry pancakes for him.

And whole-wheat banana pancakes for myself. My bananas were pretty ripe so I ended up mixing the mashed banana into the batter. Both versions were delicious topped with warm maple syrup. Boyfriend is from Massachusetts and takes syrup very seriously. He grew up across the street from a maple-sugaring shack. 

Syrup with fillers or additives is expressly forbidden in our house. His sister brought us this bottle earlier in the year.

Several years ago I started seeing frozen pancakes nestled next to the Eggos on store shelves. While these are good, everyone knows they are not as good as homemade pancakes. I like to make a big batch of pancakes, cool them, wrap them in plastic wrap and then freeze them. 

They heat up really well in the toaster (although I have only ever tried with a fairly hearty whole wheat pancake). I had one, spread with a little peanut butter, yesterday for a pre-workout snack, it was delicious. (It also works well with pancakes or waffles with nuts and dried fruit). 

Craving: A new spin

I have been trying to figure out how to make my blog more unique and focused. Boyfriend is super supportive in this endeavor and came up with a fantastic idea for me! (He has an amazing blog that is unique, focused and well written. And, if you are into baseball, I mean REALLY into baseball you will love it.)

Anyway I love gourmet food but I totally don’t have the budget to cook that way right now. So, the plan is to take gourmet concepts, flavors, textures and put them in a low budget frame. Tonight was my first attempt. I took some left over steak (from a date night meal), a couple of shrimp and a potato- voila! surf and turf twice baked potato.

Twice baked potatoes were a staple in my house as a child. Mom would use them as an excuse to use up all the vegetable and cheese scraps. They are also pretty quick and easy to whip together. Scrub the potato, scour the edge where you would cut it in half (so it doesn’t explode in the microwave), microwave the potato and carefully scrape out the insides with a large spoon (take care not to rip the skin). Rub the skins with olive oil and coarse sea salt (crucial for a crunchy and delicious skin). 

Mix butter, milk, and cheese in with the still warm potato insides and place the mix back in the skins. Bake at 400 for around 20 minutes. Time varies depending on what your stuffing is but I typically find that sufficient.

I ended up making two separate potatoes. The steak with extra sharp white cheddar.

The shrimp with lemon, parmesan, Italian seasoning and topped with bread crumbs. 

I will make this meal again with a slightly different slant, next time I will use crab, instead of shrimp, and combine all the ingredients with a modified béarnaise sauce. 

Need: Quick and Easy Meals

School is back in full swing and I am struggling with my new schedule. Over the summer I typically got home around 5:30 or 6:00, plenty of time to plan and cook a meal. Now, I get home around 7:45 and the last thing I want to do is cook. 

My go-to meal for nights I really can’t get it together is a quick mix of whole wheat or spinach pasta topped with peas, some pecorino romano and a side salad.

This weekend was one of my last lazy weekends. Saturday involved reading Last Night at Chateau Marmont cover to cover and watching some college football, somehow in the midst of all the, uh excitement, I missed lunch. I ended up having one of my favorite easy snacks mid afternoon.

I like to cut the rind off the brie, it doesn’t melt well and the change in texture bothers me. I am picky, I know.

Tart green apples are the perfect compliment to buttery brie. Not the lightest of meals but in the grand scheme of football watching foods it is not that bad.