The Last of the Summer Ruffles

 So it's officially August. Summer is coming to an end. And here in New York, that means the short-lived warmth is coming to an end. I decided to get my filmy ruffles in while I still could! I bought this Ann Taylor shirt while thrift shopping yesterday for less than $2, and I got the New York & Company skirt at a different thrift store a while ago for a similar price. Gotta love great brands for great prices!

Polka Dots and Strings

 I've been waiting for a while for the perfect outfit to wear this head scarf with and I finally found it! I got this top at the on-post thrift store the other day for less than $3 and it's the perfect color to wear with the scarf! I paired it with skinny jeans, a white cami, my blue polka dot earrings and necklace, and sparkly TOMS. When we went to a concert in the park I also wore a blue sweater because it is getting COLD here! It's so not nice! (I was going to say not cool.. but it is cool...) I haven't decided whether I'm going to shorten the strings on the top yet; thoughts? 

It's Just Lunch

 My sister just got back from school to visit, and her absolute favorite thing to eat is pancakes. Usually we just make the bisquick kind, but since it was Sunday, I thought I'd do something a little special. So I browsed my "breakfast" board on Pinterest and came up with these Mexican Pancakes :) Cooler weather calls for cinnamon apples, right? And Sunday means breakfast for lunch, right? 

Mexican Pancakes (found here)

3 C Flour

4 T Sugar

1 T Cinnamon

3 t Baking Powder

3/4 t Salt

3 C Buttermilk

1/2 C Whole Milk

3 Eggs

1/3 C Butter, melted

3-4 Apples

2 T Butter

A hearty sprinkle of Cinnamon

Whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix together buttermilk, whole milk, eggs, and melted butter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The mixture will be quite runny. Meanwhile, peel and slice your apples and place them in a skillet. Add the butter and cinnamon and simmer. Heat your pancake griddle completely before pouring the batter onto the pan. Brown on both sides, top with softened cinnamon apples, and enjoy!

Fresh Raspberry Sorbet

 It's raspberry season! My mom's absolute favorite fruit is raspberries, so when we went and picked bucketfuls the most natural thing to do would be to make raspberry sorbet, right?  I got the recipe from my new "Joy of Cooking" cookbook that my grandma sent me (she's pretty awesome)!

Fresh Raspberry Sorbet

2 t Unflavored Gelatin

1/4 C Cold Water

1 qt Fresh Raspberries

1/4 C Lemon Juice

1 1/3 C Water

3/4 C Sugar

2 Egg Whites

Chill your freezer bowl for at least 24 hours. Dissolve your gelatin in the 1/4 C cold water. Press the berries through a sieve (to remove seeds) and add the lemon juice. Boil 1 1/3 C water and sugar for 10 minutes. Add the gelatin to the hot syrup and dissolve. Cool and add berries. Chill for at least 1 hour. Pour the mixture into your freezer bowl attachment, add the 2 egg whites, and mix for 20-30 minutes.  Mine wasn't as firm as I like it after that time, but my freezer bowl was warming up so I transferred it into a freezer safe container and chilled it until firm. Enjoy!

Purple Zebras

  I love presents. Giving them, getting them, watching other people get them, pretty much anything to do with presents is my favorite thing ever. My grandma sent me a present out of the blue the other day and it is SUPER cute! It's a purple scarf with a medallion on it so it's a necklace and a scarf all in one! It's pretty awesome. I paired it with my zebra print skirt, a purple tank with a white top over it, and my black sandals. 

It's Just Lunch

  This week has been so crazy! Between babysitting and working I haven't had time to write any posts, much less make something cool for lunch! Therefore, today I give you sugar cookies! And let's be honest: sometimes you just eat cookies for lunch anyway. I made these with the kids I was babysitting yesterday. The recipe came from my new "The Joy of Cooking" cookbook from my awesome grandma!

Sugar Cookies

2 1/2 C Flour

1 1/2 t Baking Powder

3/4 t Salt

1 t Cinnamon

1 C Sugar

3/4 C Oil

2 Eggs

1 t Vanilla

Preheat your oven to 375. Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs. Mix until just combined. The mixture will be pretty crumbley, you just have to press it together before shaping and baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes and ice if desired. Enjoy!

Happy Colors

 There are some colors that I wear to cheer myself up. This skirt is pretty much my go-to if I'm having a bad day. I didn't wear it today to cheer me up; I was feeling happy already. I paired it with a pink tank-top and a yellow button down tied up. I also wore my fruitloop necklace that was given to me by a friend, with matching earrings :)