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Setting the Mood: Just Another Day at the Beach

By |April 9th, 2012|Setting the Mood|

vintage beach photosI’m not quite sure where the phrase, “Life’s a beach.” came from, but I am quite certain if that were the case, people would be a whole lot happier.  Whether it be the white sandy beaches off the Gulf Coast of Florida or the majestic rocky points in Half Moon Bay, the beach is one of those things that’s just so beautiful no man could have made it.  Most people have fond memories from time spent by the sea.  I know I do.  (Well, except that incident with a dragonfly in Daytona).  We spent our summers there, took family vacations there, and some who are very lucky call it home.  With the weather warming up, it’s hard not to start daydreaming about spreading out your towel on the soft sand and soaking up a little bit of sun (with proper SPF, of course).

vintage beach lookhat: Nordstrom Stripe Straw Hat, $28, bikini: Yves Saint Laurent High Waisted Bandeau Bikini, $525, sunglasses: Miu Miu Cat Eye Frame Glitter Acetate and Metal Sunglasses, $390

 

Just another day at the beach…

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Pick of the Patch

By |October 18th, 2011|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

As mentioned, this past weekend, we made the trek to Half Moon Bay for their annual pumpkin festival.  We considered pulling a U-turn looking down the hill at the bumper to bumper traffic,  but hung in there, because really… going to a pumpkin festival is the right thing to do, right?  Maybe not.  This promised pumpkin fest wasn’t quite the vision I’d conjured up in my head while sitting in two hours of traffic.  But with all things in life, you must take the bad and learn from it.  So, here are a few things I learned:

  1. I’m not really a “festival” type of girl.
  2. They’ll charge you four times as much for a pumpkin in the “country” as you’d pay for it at Safeway.
  3. I do love a good petting zoo and still want that pony I yearned for as a little girl.
  4. And I still remember all the words to Kenny Chesney’s She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy (you can take the girl out of West Virginia…).

Luckily, on the road to (and from) the festival, there were several roadside stands with their own pumpkin patches (and petting zoos), where we stopped.  It probably would’ve been prudent to have just gone to the pumpkin patches in the first place and skipped the festival altogether.  Again, we live and we learn. At least I was dressed for the occasion.  Without fail, it is always 15+ degrees colder near the beach in Northern California… and always grey (way to go marine layer).  Wearing a transitional chiffon dress with a cashmere grandfather cardigan was the perfect way to look pumpkin picking chic.  Paired with flat lace up boots and tote, those pumpkins didn’t stand a chance.  Had my tote been any bigger, you bet your ass I would have smuggled a potbelly pig home.

 1. J. Crew Maisie Floral Print Silk Chiffon Dress, $395, 2. C by Bloomingdale’s Cashmere Grandfather Cardigan, $118.50, 3. Seychelles Jungle Lace-Up Short Boot, $165, 4. Rebecca Minkoff Dear Tote Bag, $330

In the end, we opted not to pay the $20 they were charging for a subpar pumpkin.

xx,

WhyDid

 

Why Did You Eat That: Pumpkin Patch Snack

By |October 17th, 2011|Recipes, Why Did You Eat That?|

It’s pretty clear that people are crazy for pumpkins.  Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread.  I mean, if you can add a pumpkin to it, people are gonna eat it.  I know this because I saw a stand for pumpkin topped pizza at Half Moon Bay’s Pumpkin Festival this past weekend.  The only thing I didn’t see was pumpkin wine… and I’m wondering when that’s gonna happen cause then I’ll be a truly happy camper.  This leads me to believe that if you combined pumpkins and cupcakes… you’d really have a homerun.  And someone’s beaten me to the punch…

There’s a magical place called Sprinkles where I first encountered the pumpkin cupcake and it was love at first bite.  Sadly, there isn’t a Sprinkles on every street corner, so not everyone has access to such delightful baked goods.  Lucky for you and me… and everyone else reading this post, I’m about to let you in on a little secret.  Sprinkles was smart enough to realize that they just can’t franchise fast enough.  So, they’ve packaged their cupcake goodness and you can buy it at Williams-Sonoma (and at their store, but if you don’t have a store then you can’t buy it… and if you were in the store, wouldn’t you just buy a cupcake?).  This weekend, I took on the task of whipping up these babies.

Now, since I’ve been going on and on and on about pumpkin cupcakes… you probably would like to make them (and eat them).  And because it will take too long to either 1) order and wait for your Sprinkles Cupcake Mix to arrive, or 2) find your closest Williams-Sonoma, I’ve taken the liberty of providing you with an alternate cupcake recipe (but have kept the Sprinkles Icing recipe – which is kinda the best part).

Ingredients: 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

  • 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 5/6 cups sugar
  • 1 eggs, beaten until frothy
  • 1/2 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin
  • 3/8 cup milk

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8oz. cold cream cheese
  • 1 stick (113g) unsalted  butter, firm but not cold
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

  1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl.
  2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs.
  3. Blend in mashed pumpkin.
  4. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition.
  5. Spoon batter into well-greased and floured or paper-lined muffin pan cups.
  6. Fill about 2/3 full.
  7. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese, butter, salt, and cinnamon on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  9. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated.
  10. Add the vanilla and beat just until incorporated.  Do not overmix or the frosting will incorporate too much air.  It should be creamy and dense, like ice cream.
  11. Add milk 1 tsp at a time if frosting does not have a spreadable consistency.

If this doesn’t get you into a festively fall mood, then I really don’t know what will.  Probably that pumpkin wine.

xx,
WhyDid

 

*Editor’s Note: I did, in fact, make that cupcake up above.  Sprinkles is so thoughtful that they even include the cute little candy dots. 

Why Did You Wear That: Opposite Day

By |May 31st, 2011|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

A few weeks ago, we took my fiance’s mom to the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay for dinner.  To be honest, it kind of comes out of nowhere.  Like all hidden gems, if you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d never know it existed.  The contrast of the crashing waves and the the rocky hillsides are truly breathtaking.  What the beaches of northern California lack in heat, they more than make up for with beautiful topography.

Remember opposite day?  There are days when I wish we still practiced that silly playground game.  There’s something so great and unexpected about the mish mash of opposites.  Since no one cares to play along with me, I like to play solo games of opposite day with my wardrobe.  I often mix things that don’t traditionally go together.  For example, I never like to wear something that’s overtly sexy, like a bodycon dress and five inch heels.  Instead, I throw in a curve ball; maybe top my slinky dress with a grandpa cardigan or swap out my heels for biker boots- many times I even put on my glasses.

When I put on these cargo pants, I wanted to soften them up a bit since they can skew a bit masculine.  By topping them with a sheer lace top and slipping into strappy heels, my man pants went from warfare to my fair lady.  Next time you wear something really girly like a chiffon dress, try pairing it with a leather motorcycle jacket.  You’ll be your very own walking opposite day.

1.American Apparel Sheer Rib Lace Raglan $42, 2. Kenneth Jay Lane Polished Stone Pendant Necklace, $132, 3. J Brand Houlihan Slim Cargo Pants, $231, 4. Dolce Vita Emery Leather High Heel Sandals, $205

I really love snakes and I dream of being a neurophysicist. NOT!

xx,

WhyDid