{in my kitchen} ricotta + burnt orange toast

After reading How (and Why) to Make Creamy Ricotta at Home on Gilt Taste Friday, I immediately bought my milk, cheese cloth and lemons and tried the recipe out which I am happy to say was so much easier than I thought it would be!

With this newly made amazing'ness in my fridge, I decided now was the perfect time to try and recreate one of my favorite snacks - burnt orange toast [cut fresh bread and squeeze fresh orange over before toasting] with honey ricotta. Nothing is really so refreshing and delicious.

Photos: Robin West

{set to print}

I really like the hodge podge of these colors and patterns layered meticulously atop one another in MSGM's Pre-Fall Collection.

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{in my kitchen} ballin'

I have a confession - I have never made a meatball!  If the Italian side of my family heard me say that they would plotz (that's my jewish side), but it's true.  Ever since enjoying my first ball at The Meatball Shop back in October I have had a bit of a love affair with anything and everything that they serve.  So, the next logical step was to obviously buy their cookbook and try it out at home, which I am happy to say was a HUGE success.  Grandma will be proud.

Start with fresh, fresh ingredients [mine came from Eataly]...

mix 'em up [putting on 'classic' 90's pop music sets the perfect mood for an accompanied dance party]... 

make your balls...

cook them up...

...and they are ready to serve!  Be prepared to be making these a lot more often for your company.  

Enjoy!

Photos: Robin West

{happy friday}

I have to say, I could get used to having these 3-day weekends breaking up the work week.  It's just enough time to have fun + get things done without being brain dead when you get back to work, no?

My sister is coming up to stay for the weekend tonight.  She's only been to NYC 1 or 2 other times with me and never to Queens, which is a lot of fun for me to re-experience things that many of us take for granted.  Top priority on the list? Culinary adventures.  Bon appetite! 

Photo: Rev. Chris Murphy

{photo diary} Five Pointz

Photos: Robin West

{playdate in Long Island City}

Remember when we were younger and would call our friends asking if they would come over and play?  That's what yesterday kind of felt like with my fellow Queens friend who I actually DID have playdates with in grade school.  This time though, instead of the park we decided to walk around Long Island City and visit Five Pointz, MoMA PS1 and a few pit stops for food & treats.

I love when someone captures moments when you have no idea you are in the frame...

Photos: Rev. Chris Murphy

{side by side} colors of the rainbow

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{snack'd} Thai Mazipan

I am lucky enough to live a block away from one of the best Thai restaurants in NYC, SriPraThai. This is real, authentic Thai, so whenever I make a stop there I try to walk away with one new thing.  This trip I walked out with Thai Mazipan.  Mainly because these bite-size bean paste treats in the form of fruits and vegetables were just too cute to resist.

Photos: Robin West

{isn't she lovely}

A model's beauty at the Rodarte show.  There's something really angelic and fresh about her face.

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{through the lens}

A look at a few pit stops during New York Fashion Week through instagram.

Photos: Robin West

{Thakoon Fall 2012} #ThakoonShow

I was extremely fortunate to be a part of yesterday's Thakoon Fall 2012 Runway Show with my company and I truly can't really express my gratitude for this experience.  Thakoon is undeniably one of the most talented designers around right now and to be that close to him and his masterpieces has made me speechless.  Set in the grandeur that is The Plaza Hotel, the show's music & red lighting set the atmosphere for ladylike silhouettes, bursts of color and delightful details in unexpected places.  The inspiration? The old-school elegance of New York.

To top the night off, I was lucky enough to sit front and center [as Rachel Zoe would say, I died] among many people who I admire, so the least I could do is share some of these moments with you all.

Photos: Robin West

{preview} Thakoon Fall 2012

What happens when you mix high-end glamour with the luxury of The Plaza Hotel?  Stay tuned...

Photo: Robin West

{NYFW} The GreenShows

The GreenShows brought ethical fashion to New York Fashion Week with a selected group of ethical contemporary designers that included Bamboo by United Bamboo, Study NY by Tara St. James, H. Fredriksson, Luis Valenzuela, The Battalion, Ajna and Artists and Revolutionaries.  A majority of the pieces shown in this presentation were surprisingly more wearable than I expected, with knits everywhere I turned.

What really got my attention immediately was the hair and makeup.  Celebrity hair stylist Cesar Ramirez teamed up with Davines hair products, T3 Micro tools and Indique Hair to create a beautifully modern take with these wavy updos that were the perfect accent to the simplicity of the makeup. Well done.

Photos: Robin West