I LOVE everything about this time of year – Fall in New England couldn’t be more perfect. The best part though? The clothes. While all of my sweaters & boots have officially made their way back into my closet for the season, we keep getting hit with 75 degree days here & there. Though I’m not complaining, it does make getting dressed a bit tricky.
While perusing Pinterest & styling some outfits, I came across this casual look from Eva Mendes that I am just dying to duplicate. It’s perfect for this transitional Fall weather – the layers & chunky wedges work so well together. I’ve done a little browsing & found some great pieces to help snag this style!
I love everything about this casual ensemble – including the fabulous bouncy ponytail that she has *flawlessly* pulled off! I’ll definitely be trying a similar look in the near future!
What are your tips for dressing during this time of year?
A few weeks ago, I posted about my major closet clean out. Since, I’ve been trying to avoid shopping and instead, have been finding NEW ways to wear the clothes and accessories that I already have. To get inspired, I’ve turned to none other than the black hole of the internet, Pinterest.
I don’t know if others utilize Pinterest this way [below], but I’m so mad I didn’t turn to it sooner!
Here’s how it goes: I choose an article of clothing that I have hanging in my closet – example: black maxi skirt. I make my way to the Pinterest search bar & type “black maxi skirt outfit ideas” and low & behold – 8 million different ways to wear a black maxi. Many of which would have never crossed my mind.
T-shirts, denim button downs, bandeaus, BELTS, jackets, scarves – SOMANYIDEAS! Not that I couldn’t have come up with these ideas on my own- but SEEING these pre-styled outfits & new color-combinations laid out in front of you allows you to envision yourself in them & help you realize what you COULD actually put together
with items that you already own.
Okay, one more for fun…who doesn’t have a pair of colored skinny jeans?
Honestly, a baggy grey sweatshirt would NOT have been the first pairing that came to mind, but it’s SO cute & totally something I could put together at home!
Guys, feel free to laugh at me if this is something that’s completely un-original or not new to you – but honestly, it has become a refreshing new way for me to utilize the site & is currently my favorite thing to do! I’ve told friends & co-workers about my Pinterest-styling obsession & have turned a few over to the dark side.
Don’t waste your money buying new clothes because you feel like you have nothing to wear – I highly suggest you give this a try. I challenge you to pick an article of clothing that has potential and throw it into the search bar! …I think you’ll be surprised to find that you’ve got way more options than you think 🙂
How do you use Pinterest? Have you used it to style clothes that you already own?
Have you ever found a recipe that looked too good to be true? Welcome to my weekend.
Why, hello there five ingredient masterpiece. Could you really be so simple?
I was going to be visiting family on Saturday and wanted to bring a fun dish [lucky | unlucky for them – they always serve as my recipe guinea pigs]. I’ve seen the infamous Cannoli Dip making its rounds on Facebook & Pinterest for a while now, and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.
I mean, put 5 ingredients in a bowl, mix them together & serve?! Was right up my alley.
Obviously, I was thinking this would be a breeze – I was still pretty gung-ho at this point. [8 oz. cream cheese, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 /1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 2 cups ricotta cheese, 1 cup mini chocolate chips]To cut to the chase, the recipe wasn’t that simple [but keep reading, it has a some-what happy ending].
Initially, my dip was too runny, a little gritty, and not very creamy. I was so bummed, but dead set on not giving up on my Cannoli soup disaster. In the midst of the stressful 2 hours or so it took to get this “easy dip” to it’s ideal consistency & picturesque status, I opted not to photograph the struggle. I apologize to those who were interested in seeing my aftermath of a tornado kitchen during this process. You can see snapshot of the end result at the bottom though! 😉
To fix the mess, I decided to add some corn starch [one tablespoon at a time] until it thickened up a bit. I also added another 8oz. block of cream cheese, some heavy cream, and beat that dip with my hand mixer until my little fingers went numb!
All in all – it was not the best thing I’ve ever made, but it wasn’t god awful. After googling what could have possibly gone wrong and how I could have made it better, I got some very helpful tips! See below.
How to not make Crummy Cannoli Dip:
1) DRAIN YOUR RICOTTA. This was not in the directions, but I think it’s 100% necessary. I had actually read elsewhere that draining was recommended, so I did give it a try. In a cloth, I scooped the ricotta & rang it out for a minute or two. Newsflash, this is not how you drain ricotta. To properly drain, wrap the cheese in a cloth, place in a strainer, and set a heavy brick or something of the sort on top for about 2 hours.
2) Try Marscapone? I don’t know if this would make much of a difference, but I may give it a shot next time.
3) Mix everything before adding the chocolate chips.
4) Try this recipe! It requires a little more work [like using a stove top – ew, more dishes], but I think it’s the secret to the creamier consistency.
Behold – my finished product!
I served it with Pizzelles, Fresh Strawberries, and Chocolate Chip Brownie Brittle.
It’s all about the presentation, right? Who would ever think that this pretty little platter caused enough stress to probably take 3 years off of my life?
Honestly, I’m not much of a star in the kitchen, but I really love trying creative, new recipes when I have the time. Everything can’t be a hit the first time around [like my FAVORITE peanut butter cheesecake ], but you learn! I’m excited to give this dip another try.
Have you ever made a Cannoli Dip? How did it come out?
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