Lately I'm Loving: Summer Beauty Edition

From left to right: Kiehl's Shampoo, Retin-A Micro Pump, laura mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder, YSL Lip Stain, laura mercier Shimmer Bloc, St. Tropez Mousse, NARS Long-wear Eyeliner

I won't even start with excuses. Let's just pick up where we left off. 

Scratch that. Let's pick up somewhere else. Life isn't allowing time for baking or cooking these days. I am lucky if I eat something other than cereal for dinner. Planning a wedding, buying a first home, and living in the same city as my family makes me want to do anything but quarantine myself in the kitchen for hours on end perfecting a flognarde. It just ain't happenin.

Part of my wedding planning process has involved trying to figure out what makeup to wear on my wedding day and how to get my skin into great shape before it all goes down. Everyone's skin is different and what works for me may not work for someone else, but here is what I'm loving lately as I delve into the world of beauty products this summer. Now, please dish, what are your summer favorites? 

a summer s'more pie

My summer has been full of pie. Blueberries, strawberries, apples, peaches, blackberries. Whatever the farmer's market served up, I was pie'ing up.

This past weekend, I needed a fruit break and ventured into the cocoa territory. The result was a you-have-to-taste-to-believe-it S'more pie with bittersweet chocolate, homemade marshmallows, and a graham cracker crust.




This bittersweet baby did not disappoint. I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe and would recommend it. Just prepare to devote at least 3-4 hours of time to the process and about 45 minutes of your intensely focused attention to get ingredients to the precise temperatures and consistency.



The marshmallow topping has the perfect candy crackle after broiling for a few minutes.



Oh, and sunflowers are in their seasonal prime right now. Get them in bunches, get them cheap, and be welcomed by their happy faces in the morning.

have a great weekend!

There has been no shortage of excitement and surprise over the last few weekends here in Chicago. Plenty of grilling, brunching, shopping in markets full of fresh produce, and adopting 8-week-old black Lab puppies named Scout have kept us busy and incredibly content.




This seems to be the new (and wonderful) pace of life.

Lavender Lemon Bundt Cake

Roxanne's Dried Flowers in Pittsburgh, PA is one of my favorite shops to visit when I'm home. It is packed with beautiful interior decorations, statuary, and its namesake dried flowers. A place to wander, get inspired, and splurge when a too-tempting-to-resist item presents itself.

My latest trip to Roxanne's over Memorial Day weekend yielded the seasonal treasure of edible dried lavender. Lemon bundt cake seemed the only natural compliment to such a subtle flavor and I can't recommend this combo (and recipe) enough.





Baptisia, a delicate purple flower, from my mother's garden served as the perfect floral pairing.



The recipe comes straight from Williams-Sonoma, which seems fitting as the bundt pan used in this post is from the same shop.

recipe: coconut cream pie

Nothing screams summer picnic like a cream pie. Totally over the top, decadent, and sugary, it's American through and through. So what better dessert for Memorial Day yesterday than a Coconut Cream Pie.




The meringue was by far the best part of this recipe. It held together beautifully and peaked perfectly.


My filling didn't perform so well. But I'm thinking this had something to do with the fact that I took the pie out of the refrigerator mid-chill to photograph it in the 80 degree heat for 20 minutes.



Coconut Cream Pie

Filling
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk (I used one cup whole milk, one cup coconut milk)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup flaked coconut
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 (9 inch) pastry shell, baked

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in chopped coconut, butter and coconut extract until butter is melted. Pour hot filling into crust.

Meringue Topping

1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons white sugar

1. In a small saucepan, combine water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until clear (or about 5-6 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until mixture is foamy. Mix in vanilla, then add the 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly until meringue forms soft peaks. Gradually pour in cornstarch mixture, beating until stiff. Spread over top of pie and seal to the crust. Use a big spoon to artfully peak the meringue topping if desired.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

I also toasted some coconut flakes in a preheated 325 degree F oven for about 11-12 minutes to sprinkle on top of individual pie pieces.

recipe: radish, apple, and onion tart

Happy almost-Memorial Day! I've been enjoying the abundance of seasonal fruits and veggies in pie and tart form as of late. So it's no surprise that my Memorial Day picnic will be filled with produce stuffed inside of rustic crusts.

This radish, apple, and onion tart with peppered goat cheese and honey was to die for. I promise you, even though the combination isn't intuitively appealing, the taste is a knock-out. And because it's free-form (AKA shape the pie dough as you please), if you're armed with a good crust, it's really tough to screw it up.




Prepare your pie dough a few hours beforehand and let chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before rolling out.



After your pie dough is rolled to approx. 12 inches diameter, thinly slice the green apple, radishes, and onion. (*Fill a large bowl with water and fresh squeezed lemon and place the sliced fruit and veggies in it until you're ready to place on the tart)

Make your goat cheese mixture (olive oil, goat cheese and pepper) and sprinkle over the middle of the dough, leaving approx. 2 inches around the edges.





Pile the apples, onions and radishes on the top of the goat cheese mixture.



Fold up the sides of the dough and drizzle honey over the toppings and sprinkle with pepper.



Bake at 425* for 20-25 minutes until the crust begins to brown.



Rustic Radish Tart
Original Recipe from Austin Gastronomist
(makes one, 9-inch tart)

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3-4 tablespoons of ice water

Filling:
4-5 oz. goat cheese
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
6 pink beauty radishes, tops and roots removed, sliced very thin
1/2 granny smith apple, cored and sliced thin
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt

Egg Wash: 1 egg, beaten

Prepare pie crust: Put flour, salt and butter into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until mixture is crumbly and blended. (The largest pieces of butter should be about the size of green peas, completely coated in flour.) Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, continuing to blend dough, until its consistency is even. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. The dough will keep in the fridge up to 48 hours, and in the freezer for about a month.

To make the tart: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the goat cheese, olive oil and one tablespoon of fresh ground pepper. Slice onion, radishes and apple.

After the pie crust dough is chilled, roll it out on a floured surface until it’s about 11-inches across. Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared cookie sheet. Spread goat cheese mixture on the pie crust to within an inch or two of the edge. Top cheese with sliced onions, radishes and apples, then fold the edges of the crust over the toppings to create the tart shape. Sprinkle the tart with salt and fresh ground pepper. Drizzle honey over the fruits and veggies and brush crust with egg wash before baking for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden brown and shiny.

recipe: raw vegetable salsa

I made my mother's signature salsa yesterday for lunch. It's clean, colorful, and the perfect compliment to a Spicy Black Bean burger from Morningstar... or just by itself by the spoonful.




Even red-meat-loving Richie enjoyed it.





My Mom's Vegetable Salsa

Ingredients
3 ripe tomatoes
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 red onion
1 can organic black beans
1 bag frozen white corn (optional, I left this out above)
2 limes (juiced)
1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Bunch of cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop the tomatoes, peppers, red onion and cilantro. Mix into a large serving bowl. Drain and rinse black beans and add to the mixture. Add frozen white corn to mixture. Squeeze the juice out of the two limes and add the lime juice and olive oil to the salsa. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

apple, pear and fennel towering salad

The simple and sweet combination of apples, pears and fennel make the perfect summer salad.




This salad is laughably easy to make, but offers a beautiful presentation of colors and textures that would work perfectly for a summer picnic or gathering.

*Tip: When slicing the fruit, have a large bowl nearby filled with water and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Throw the fruit into the lemon water to prevent browning before assembly.



Fennel, as an ingredient, has always been a bit mysterious and intimidating to me. But this recipe was the perfect gateway and I was so drawn to the licorice-smelling bulb that I'm planning on incorporating it into my cooking much more often.



Apple, Pear and Fennel Salad

By Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle Et Vanille

Original Recipe

makes 3-4 servings

2 apples, thinly sliced
2 pears, thinly sliced (use 3 pears if on the smaller-side)
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh watercress or micro-greens
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine water and the juice of 1 lemon. Thinly slice the apples, per and fennel and place the slices in the water immediately after to avoid oxidation. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Stack the sliced vegetables and garnish with watercress leaves. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the vinaigrette on top.

peach blueberry blackberry pie

I went to the market yesterday and the peaches, blueberries, and blackberries were in abundance and ridiculously cheap. So, of course, I bought way too many. Upon arriving home, I had already decided upon making a pie.



Before you begin preparing a pie filling, whip up the pie dough crust and throw it in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. I use this recipe and swear by it's ease.



This recipe calls for peeled peaches and unless you get the perfectly ripe peach, I always think peeling is a pain.

As a trick, boil water in a large pot and throw the peaches in for 30-60 seconds depending on ripeness. Take them out and transfer immediately to a bowl full of ice (stops the cooking). After about 2 minutes, take them out of the ice water and peel them with ease.



A good crumble recipe can cover a multitude of pie sins.





Peach Blueberry Blackberry Pie with Crumble Topping

Filling

1 pound of ripe peaches
1 pint blueberries
1 pint blackberries
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice

Oatmeal Crumble Topping

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Sprinkle of salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Move the oven rack to the bottom third of the oven. Toss the fruit with the sugar, lemon, zest, spices, and tapioca or corn starch. Pile the fruit into the pie shell. Combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and spices and then add the unsalted butter pieces until the butter is coated and the mixture is crumbly. Spread over the fruit mixture and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let pie cool for at least 1-2 hours before serving.