You gotta try this: Asparagus + Baked Eggs

Photo via The Kitchy Kitchen

If I'm at a restaurant and asparagus and baked eggs is on the menu, there's no question asked, I'm ordering it! And one of my favorite spots to order it from is Bacaro. But I've been tempted to recreate the delicious dish at home, so I finally tried a recipe found on The Kitchy Kitchen. And the result was so good! For all my fellow egg addicts, I higly suggest trying this one out. :)

Wishlist: Janus Films DVD Box Set

Photo featuring box set via Design Sponge

Recently Lisa emailed Karina and me for our recommendations on films to watch. So I sent her my ever growing films-to-watch list (I keep it on Evernote; Evernote is awesome, but that's another post :).

Now I've just come across a drool-worthy DVD box set which surely would satiate hers or anyone's important films-to-watch appetite. Behold Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films. This handsome box set contains 50 DVDs and cool (okay, kinda nerdy) bonus items like original notes on every film, plus a beautiful hard covered coffee table book on the history of the distribution film Janus Films. It's pricey, but your artistic thirst will thank you.

Have a dreamy weekend!

Paradise via Aubrey Road

Today is January 18th. How is everyone doing on their new year's resolutions? :) I didn't really make any resolutions this year except exercise more (hello, Equinox!), eat healthier (kale juice, anyone?) and to be more grateful. (Ok, I guess I did make resolutions.) I think its so easy to get caught up in the wanting-more track of life, and I think that's okay, but sometimes it's nice just to reflect on your present situation and find things you are grateful for. Know what I mean? Do you guys take the time to be grateful? I'm gonna try it. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

On that note, I am grateful for my family, friends and that it's a long weekend!!!! Have a great one, lovely people!

And here are a few fun links for your Friday...

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The benefits of gratitude and your guide to self-help for 2013 :)

Did you guys catch the cutest video ever this week? (Seriously, it's cute.)

15 Awesomely healthy cookbooks

Tina Fey handing out Twitter licenses - yes please!

Cleaning vintage hardware. If you live in an old apt good to know!

10 Beautiful Kitchens

Cute snapshot of a 54 year old marriage. Reminds me of our marriage series from last year.

The 46 Places to Go in 2013 and What to Wear When Visiting

Have Netflix? I highly recommend watching this great documentary.

Loafers to Love.

(photo via Fab Sugar)

 

I've seen some ladies on the street sporting loafers which look so chic. And so they have inspired me to get on with the comfy yet stylish trend (as seen on Kate Moss.) Here's a roundup of a few I covet...after the jump!

You gotta try this: Rosemary + Lemon Chicken

 

On Golden Globes night, I took on the challenge of making my very first whole chicken. I was intimidated by the idea because I've only been eating meat for a little over a year, and sometimes I struggle with making chicken, uh, not dry. But we bought a whole chicken at Trader Joes, so I finally decided to give it a go. And woah -- it was the most amazing chicken I've made (thankfully!) I went with a lemon and rosemary recipe found on Food & Wine, with just a side of roasted potatoes. And we devoured every last part of it! And the cool thing which I never knew you were suppose to do is add a cup of water to the pan so the chicken is taking a little bath :) That way you can use the juices to keep it moist with tons of flavor.

 

Check out my chicken...

Hair envy

I am in one of those "I'm pretty bored with my hair, what should I do?" kind of phases right now. Now, I'm not sure if I really have it in me to rock grey hair like this beauty above, but I'm including it in my hair inspiration roundup because I think it's pretty fab. Read more after the jump to see the kind of style I am more likely to try out. 

Brooklyn Home Inspiration

Brooklyn House Hunting

Hello, DOPT friends. The 3rd sister here. Like Lisa mentioned recently, it's been eons since we've posted. (I know, lame.) Lately its just been Karina posting. (Thanks, Karina!) But it's true. Work/life events have completely overrun my schedule, most notably - house hunting!

My husband and I have been married for three years and have moved apartments four times! I know - nuts! But crazy New York circumstances (ahem, co-op board problems and our own penchant for living in trendy neighborhoods) have made it difficult to stay put.  Finally though, our game of home-musical-chairs may soon be coming to an end because we are currently looking to buy a two bedroom home in Brooklyn. As a nester, I am insanely excited. Finally, a home we will truly be able to call our own. Where we can build things, tear down walls, and customize to our liking without having to think about the property owner.

Since I'm hoping this will happen some time soon, I have begun a collection of inspiration photos, if you'd like to see. Here are a few selects and my Brooklyn board here if you'd like to follow.

I'm curious, how many times have you moved in your life? Did you know the average American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime! And other fun facts on moving.

Anyone else looking to buy right now? What's on your wish list? Here is ours...

Dancer Body

Want a dancer butt, arms legs, and a sculpted back? I recently started a new circuit of dance type exercises and I'm already feeling a difference! Check out this routine followed by Natalie Portman when she was training for Black Swan. And this one for very strong dancer legs. Hello, hot bod! 

(Photo via Vogue)

Dreamy Dame: Linda McCartney

Painting of Linda by Paul McCartney

 

Out of the many woman I find inspirational, Linda McCartney holds high rank. She was ethereal, stylish, poised, and always looked at ease even though she was married to a Beatle! And I love that she made a name for herself all on her own as a photographer and animal rights activist (and Stella McCartney, her designer daughter, followed suit.) And did you know that she also became a Lady when Sir Paul McCartney was knighted? Sadly, Linda passed away of breast cancer, but her memory lives on. As homage, here are some photos I found beautiful. 

Copenhagen Carafes

How pretty are these Copenhagen imported carafes? I love simple and elegant design like this. Makes me want to have an outdoor candlelit dinner party. :)

(photo via Lawson-Fenning)

Back from a hiatus

In case you haven't noticed, I have been terrible at blogging lately. All of our recent entries have been posted by Karina (bless her) because Claudia and I have been distracted and preoccupied with work, life, etc. But with the new year, my resolution is to return to blogging because after a long hiatus, I realized how much I missed posting on here. 

That said, for my first post back, I'd like to tell you about what's been keeping me entertained on the Internets lately. 

Brika. This is a new website, similar to Etsy, because it features all handmade artisanal goodies, but in my opinion, much better curated. Plus, they have cute Q + A's with the makers. My most recent fave items are these necklaces (all of them) by Lisa Anderson Shaffer and this tea towel by Monica Loos. 

The SALE section of West Elm. Such good deals! I just bought some very adorable and very inexpensive Christmas ornaments for next year. 

This NYT illustrated excerpt from an interview with Terry Gross and Maurice Sendak. Via Swiss-Miss.

All of the classes taught at 3rd Ward. I'm biased because I work there, but seriously, I am trying to figure out how to take every class this year during non-work hours because they are all pretty amazing. Nothing like learning new skills. 

Every recipe on The Kitchy Kitchen. Claire Thomas can do no wrong in my book. 

Alright, babes. I am off to have brunch at my fave weekday brunch spot, but I am so happy to be back on here! I hope to keep it up and hope to hear from you readers soon. How have YOU been these last few months? Any good tales? 

xo. 

Lisa

Top photo via here.

Products We Love: January

I often find new and interesting things, as many people do, and am so eager to share these findings with everyone I know. So I thought it would be fun to do a new series called 'products we love,' which will highlight some great finds for the month! The products will range from beauty to lifestyle, and anything else that enriches or makes life easier! So, here we go.

First up...

Ginger Chimes. Good for you and tasty too. Shop here.

I just signed up for Mint.com. It is awesome. If you have goals to save money this year, Mint consolidates all your bills into one place so you can get on track. Time for that trip to Tulum!

 

Us Cifuentes girls have been using this Armani foundation for years. We love and live by it. Pricey, yes. But a little goes a long way. You will have movie star skin. Seriously!

I had no idea what a good grater could do until it was gifted to us by Charlie's Mom. This zester makes you want to grate the heck out of everything! It's so finely grated, the pecorino will just melt over your pasta sauce. #nomnom

As part of an ongoing attempt to eat better this new year, I plan on signing up for a CSA program, which delivers veggies to your doorstep! You don't always know what you're going to get because it's seasonal, but it's a good way to eat new vegetables and support local agriculture. This Portlandia episode on CSA's kills me!

 



Enjoy. :) 

Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year!

 

I'm officially back to the grind and super amped to start the year off right with a few easy and realistic resolutions. One of them is to start eating a better breakfast. Usually I wake up around 6:30 or 7'ish and sluggishly work my way to the coffee machine. Once I hit the on button, I hop into the shower and it's auto pilot from there. Eventually I down my coffee and eat something light. But truthfully, I don't ever eat a big breakfast that early in the morning. I just haven't made it a habit and hunger doesn't really kick in until afternoon. And from what a former trainer I worked with told me, breakfast is the time you want to go big. So I've decided that I'm going to incorporate juices into my breakfast routine. Juices can be filling and also incredibly nutritous. And I think it would be fun to get creative with them. I did a little research and found a list of tasty looking juice ideas on Williams-Sonoma (random, I know!) I'm going grocery shopping after work and plan on making minty berry juice with a little spirulina and maybe some whey. Any other suggestions? Would love to know!

 

Also on my resolutions list: write and read more (just started this book, a gift from Charlie:), take a fun class, have some last-minute adventures, cook something really hard, and pay off my student loans! Ergh, we'll see about the last one.





Have a dreamy holiday!

 

I can't believe Christmas is almost here! I am so excited. Our parents flew in from Miami on Wednesday, so we're having a classic New York Christmas. Lots of yummy food, watching Christmas classics (my personal fave: Christmas Vacation, pictured above.) We also have some friends who will be joining the festivities, which I'm so thrilled about.

I plan on making three giant loaves of bread and buying yummy cheese from Murray's. Everyone is bringing a goodie, so I'm looking forward to seeing and photographing the giant spread (which will be shared!) And I really hope it snows! Although it might be unlikely. But what better way to wake up on Christmas morning than seeing a bed of snow covering the streets...sigh.. :)

How about you guys? What are your plans for the holiday? Making any delicious dishes?

Also, shout out to Charlie's family in Long Beach, who I will miss very dearly this holiday! xoxoxoxo

Have a merry holiday, all!

Matching Tattoos.

(source unknown)

Isn't this a cute way to have matching tattoos? Kind of a fun variation to commonly seen initials. Just thought I'd share. :)

Pretty shower curtain.

This shower curtain by LEIF is officially added to my "wanted" list. What a fun way to add some color to a bathroom without the commitment of painting. Wouldn't mind that hamper too. :)

Brian Williams loves music!

Brian Williams with Deer Tick

I found out this weekend that Brian Williams is a total music nerd! This was news to me until I heard Williams drop a Kendrick Lamar reference during an interview with Tim Cook. I've always known Williams to be a straight laced news anchor who is pretty funny when not in the anchor chair. But it's an added bonus that I can refer to him for good tunes! Just check out his site BriTunes, where he champions emerging artists and often does more laid back interviews with them. Trust me, you'll be happily surprised. :)

Ballet flats are the new working girl sneaker.

I recently started a new commute from downtown to uptown. And one thing I have learned is that it's probably a good idea to wear a pair of comfy shoes for the trek, otherwise, my feet are in big trouble! And from what I've noticed, I'm not the only girl with this idea. I often notice other lady commuters wearing great work outfits with ballet flats. So I started looking around, and of course, my first thought was Repetto, which I've been eyeing for years but never bought. Thankfully, we're not living in the 80's anymore when Reebok sneakers were the working girl trend. Yikes!

Who knew? Top Chef is good!

I am so late in the game. I am just watching Top Chef for the first time. Sure enough, I'm addicted! I have friends who have talked about it's worthiness of watching, but I never got around to it. But then I heard the season was being shot in Seattle, a place I love to pieces, so I just had to watch. They did a quick fire at Pike Place Fish Market and it totally lived up to the hype. So far, my favorite contestants are Sheldon and Kristen. I like their styles of cooking the most. How about you guys?

It airs on Wednesdays on Bravo, but I usually on demand the shows for weekend watching. :)

Time to get in the spirit!

And the Julian Casablancas version. :) I listen to this song every Christmas. It was first featured on SNL with Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Horatio Sanz, and Tracy Morgan (whose facial expression throughout is amazing.) But Julian Casablancas also made his own version because the song is that good! We're buying a Christmas tree tonight. Might have to play this on loop!