L.A. (part two)

For the rest of our time in L.A., we had lunch at Lucques, which was amazing.  It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Olives & Almonds:


Menu:

Arizona wedding

I'm going to an old friend's wedding in Phoenix this weekend and wearing something like the outfit below.  I don't think I'll need either the sweater or scarf as a cover-up seeing as it's supposed to be 94 on Saturday, but this Oregon-girl can't imagine it not getting cold at night.

Arizona wedding by nugical featuring j.crew hats

Clover Canyon tank dress
shopbop.com

DKNY black top
stylebop.com

Zara wedge heels
zara.com

Cashmere shawl
$300 - black.co.uk

J crew hat
jcrew.com

Bastille - Pompeii

I discovered this band through Dooce, another one, and am loving them.  Bastille are an English indie-rock band from London, originally a solo project formed by Dan Smith, but later expanded to a quartet.



I have been rocking out to both of these songs for the last week or so, and they're going on the permanent up-lifting playlist.

Pompeii:


Flaws:


Image via.

Roasted Sausages with Red Grapes

This recipe is called Roasted Sausages with Red Grapes, but I like to think of it as Orangette wins again.  It seems a little random, but it's so good.  Especially with potato/celery root puree and roasted broccoli.  This is a bit of a winter-time meal, but maybe you can sneak it in one more time before the weather turns for good, or save it for next winter.  I made this with some German venison beer sausage from the my dad's deer last fall, but Orangette advises that you can make this with any mild flavored chicken or pork sausage.



To make the potato/celery root puree, it's just like mashed potatoes, but with the addition of celery root.  You just peel and chop the celery root, and add it to the boiling water with the potatoes.  Once tender, drain, mash, and add milk/butter/salt/pepper to taste.  We also tend to just roast broccoli at 425 for 10-15 minutes, with some olive oil, salt/pepper, and maybe coriander, like this recipe, only without shrimp.

Also, this recipe scales easily.  I think I usually make it with 6 sausages, or whatever comes in a pack, and then just eat leftovers for lunches, or depending on how many people you're feeding for dinner.

Roasted Sausages with Red Grapes, originally from Orangette:

2 sausages
1/2 lb red seedless grapes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt

Preheat the oven to 475.  Brown the sausages on the stovetop, turning once, for about 4 minutes per side, or 8 total.  While the sausages are cooking, rinse and de-stem the grapes.
Once browned, place the sausages in a baking dish, dump the grapes on top, and sprinkle the olive oil over. Bake the dish for 25 minutes in your hot oven, turning the sausages once after about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, place the sausages aside, and dump the grapes and any juices into a small saucepan. Season with a pinch of salt and then cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the juices are syrupy.  Remove from heat, stir in the vinegar, and then pour over the sausages.

Butterscotch Budino & L.A. (part one)

My sister made this delicious butterscotch budino a couple weeks ago for Sunday night family dinner.  I flew in from S.F. that night, and so didn't help at all, but it was so good I thought I should post it anyway.  It's a pretty famous recipe, from Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery and Mozza fame, and it made the blog rounds a couple of years ago.  I think you can stumble upon the recipe relatively easily via google, but I linked to the James Beard Foundation version, because of anyone I think you can trust them to get it right.

Megan's version:


It's made up of a butterscotch pudding, then a salted caramel layer, and finally whipped cream on top.  Actually, I take that back, I did help!  After dinner I helped make the salted caramel and the whipped cream.  I just didn't help with the pudding.  Also, Megan skipped the rosemary-pine nut cookies, in order to make it more manageable, and while we didn't miss them that night, Megs and I had them when we went to Pizzeria Mozza in L.A., and they were delicious.

MS MR - Hurricane

Another new song, courtesy of 94/7 fm Nation perks, Slice of New Music Heaven.  The band is called MS MR, and their album "Secondhand Rapture" comes out May 14th, although their EP from last year is the source of "Hurricane."



Described by Pitchfork as "the shadowy New York City MS MR take a little of the "Video Games" (Lana Del Rey) singer's drama, and pair it with Polica's gritty side, along with a stroke of All Saints poutiness."  Full disclosure, their original video (not below, but what you'll find if you search for it) gives me a headache, with the mass of constantly flickering images, and their official video below is weird.  However, go ahead and grab the audio from the 94/7 website, since it's no longer available in exchange for your email at MS MR's site.



Image via.

Style Spotlight: Mary Kate Steinmiller

Not to be mistaken for the other fashion-famous Mary Kate, I have long been a fan of Mary Kate Steinmiller and her street style.  She's the Fashion Market Editor at Teen Vogue and is featured often on The Sartorialist.  I love that you'll see her re-wear pieces, plus I think she does the perfect job of classic but with an edge or unexpected element.  If you want to peek into her closet, she's also been featured on The Coveteur.


{The Sartorialist}


{The Sartorialist}