neon + tan

currently loving the combination of pink neon and tan. the addition of stripes doesn't hurt either.

 

{clutch, shirt, sandals}

potato pancakes with smoked salmon

one of my favorite menu items at navarre is the potato pancake. it's perfectly crunchy, salty and topped with a dollop of creme fraiche. from the moment i tasted it, i knew i wanted to recreate it at home (with my own little twists, of course).

potato pancakes with smoked salmon (makes 4 large pancakes) 

1 1/2 lbs baby red potatoes 
olive oil 
1 shallot 
juice of 1 small lemon 
soft goat cheese 
capers 
salt + pepper 
wild smoked salmon

wash and dry the potatoes, then shred them with a cheese grater into a large bowl. if there is excess water in the shredded potatoes, squeeze it out before frying. in a pan over medium-low heat, add about a tbsp of olive oil and fry up the sliced shallot, until translucent. add shallots to about 2 tbsp of soft goat cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper and some capers. mix and set aside. next, form shredded potato into a patty and place in pan (you may need to add more olive oil). flip the patty once the bottom has a nice golden crust. when both sides are browned and crispy, top pancake with a slice of smoked salmon, the goat cheese mixture, and a few extra capers.

friday

happy friday! i hope your weekend involves less time spent in a coffee shop writing papers and presentations than mine.

next adventure

since discovering that anthony bourdain's no reservations is on netflix, drew and i have been playing the "where should we live next?" game. probably one more year in portland, then home to reunite with family and friends, but our future destination has yet to be decided. the contenders, in no particular order, are as follows: 

1. charleston, south carolina
2. portland, maine
3. northampton, massachusetts

image via 1

pho

this past weekend, i tried pho for the first time. many people would say that technically i didn't try pho (it's traditionally made with beef broth), but regardless, it was delicious. i couldn't get the craving out of my head, so we went to silk, our favorite vietnamese restaurant in portland. i took my time slurping up the large bowl of sweet and salty vegetarian broth with mushrooms, bok choy, tofu, fresh herbs, and rice noodles. i squeezed lime and sriracha all over the top and deemed it the most comforting meal i've had in a while.

friday

happy friday! no, really. i'm so happy it's friday. what a hectic week! and it's only going to get more stressful, as there are only five weeks left of winter term. what? how did that happen?

currently loving

1. this lip balm. i've been using it for about a month and it's life-changing! also, my sweet grams, who sent me valentine's day kitchen supplies. 

2. made from sugar, hemp milk and coconut milk, this vegan salted caramel sauce is unreal. i want to ladle it over everything.

3. the greensicle from sip. i woke up embarrassingly hungover on sunday morning, so drew graciously brought me this magical smoothie. it made me feel human again.

4. my little nugget. even though i love her every day. even though she's sitting on the kitchen table in this picture, leaving hairs that will undoubtedly find their way into my food at some point.

bensimon

when i recently found these bensimon sneakers via madewell, nostalgia got the best of me and i snatched them right up. despite being a bit unattractive, they were everywhere when i traveled through europe, and now i know why: they are so comfortable! it took me five years, but i finally have my own pair of these little french tennis shoes. now i just need to take another trip so i can properly break them in...

wilco

'tis the season to be spoiled by great live music, apparently. we're seeing wilco tonight!

the wood brothers

we saw the wood brothers this past friday night, and as expected, it was absolutely perfect. every time i leave one of their shows, my heart feels so full. if you ever get a chance to see them live, do yourself a favor and go. it's such a treat.

and if you're not familiar with their music, listen to my playlist!

de la warr

my very talented friends in portland are trying to raise money to record their first full-length album. check out their kickstarter for more information. this song is my favorite. i'm always blown away by the vocals!

(another) brown rice casserole

heidi swanson, of 101 cookbooks, holds the key to my heart. whole grains, vegetarian, goat cheese (these are my buzz words). it seems like every day i'm running to the grocery store to gather the supplies to make her recipes. even though i adapted this brown rice casserole for thanksgiving dinner, i knew i had to give this one a try as well.

spinach and brown rice casserole 

2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice 
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach 
4 ounces organic extra firm tofu, crumbled 
4 cured black olives, 4 kalamata olives, 4 castelvetrano olives, chopped
small red onion, diced 
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted 
2 tbsp olive oil 
1/2 cup parm cheese 
1/4 cup feta 
3 eggs 
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, pinch crushed red pepper 
pinch dried italian seasoning mix (oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme) 
fresh lemon juice

preheat oven to 400 degrees f. grease a 10" round baking dish with olive oil. in a large bowl, combine rice, spinach and tofu. next, stir in olives, onion, pine nuts and olive oil. stir in the feta and 1/4 cup of the parm cheese. in a separate bowl, whisk eggs with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and italian seasonings. fold eggs into the rice mixture, then pour everything into the baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining parm cheese. bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the casserole is set. serve in a bowl and sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice.