All Bangled Up

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Lately, I have had a real obsession with bangles. I can't get enough of them and Summer is the most perfect time to wear them, because all arms are exposed.  These are some stacks I'd love to rock!

xo Bridget

Vanilla Coconut Muffins

A couple of Summers ago, my two best friends and I drove up to Bethany Beach, Delaware for the weekend.  My friend's mom has a house there and it's a lovely place for a weekend getaway.  On our last night, we went out for a relaxed meal at a local seafood restaurant (I wish I could remember the name) and the waiters came around with this huge breadbasket full of all sorts of breads and muffins.  I picked out what I thought to be a corn bread type muffin, but to my surprise it was full of sweet flakey coconut.  I had never had anything like it and I do love coconut, so I vowed to find a recipe to recreate these coconut muffins.  The other day, while I was on pinterest and going through some old likes that I had tucked away, I saw a recipe for coconut bread which reminded me that I still hadn't recreated those muffins.  Coincidentally, I came across a bag of coconut in my pantry that I had put away for Macaroons.  Well, I decided that was a pretty good sign to make those muffins and change the destiny of my purchased coconut.  I did some google-ing around and came up with this recipe for Vanilla Coconut Muffins.  If this sounds good to you - give them a try.  Turns out that I like this recipe as more of a breakfast muffin that a dinner bread, but I think you could serve them at dinner as well. They are particularly delicious warmed up with some butter and apricot jam!

  While I was reviewing my pictures, I realized that perhaps I whisked my eggs too hard (I don't think I was supposed to beat them - ha).  I think this resulted in tougher muffins, but who knows.  They were still delicious, but if you make them - try not to whisk your eggs as much as I did!

xo Bridget

Summer Maxi

Last week, I was working in Atlanta and just happened to be staying next to one of the nicer malls there; Perimeter.  I couldn't resist a pop around the shops after my work day was through.  I was thrilled to see they had an Anthropologie and even more thrilled to see that they were offering an extra 20% off sale merchandise.  I took my time browsing through all the unique pieces and ended up with two long skirts to try on.  What kind of nut wants to try on long skirts in the Summer in Georgia? Me.  They were both great Summer Maxi Skirts (both cool and comfy), and with the already reduced prices and extra 20% off, they were SO sold.

I love this one with a breezy white tank and silver sandals, I wore it to run some errands on Saturday and loved how cool, yet cozy it felt - good fabric!

Skirt: Bordeaux via Anthropologie

Tank: Bebe (love these tanks) (another option)

Sandals: Luchiny (cute!)

Bag: Juicy Couture

xo Bridget

LBR

LBR is my acronym for Little Black Romper, a new favorite basic for me.  Last week while I was home my mom and I did some light shopping, because I wanted a cute romper to wear with heels for a night out. I tried on loads of styles at a department store in the mall, but none of them fit just right and I definitely couldn't justify spending $70-80 on something that didn't fit well.  We left the mall and popped into Marshalls to see if there were any good steals, and when I wandered over to the Juniors section I couldn't believe how awesome the stock was.  I ended up buying two rompers for under $25.  I was so thrilled with the fit and quality of this romper that I decided it's a new basic; easy to throw on, easy to style, and cool for this Summer heat!

 Romper: One Clothing (similar)

Shoes: Born

Bag: Liebeskind (similar)

Sunglasses: Betsey Johnson

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

xo Bridget

Blackberry Lemonade

A couple of months ago, I picked up a bottle of Blackberry Syrup at HomeGoods.  It looked so tasty and I loved the idea of adding it to foods and beverages as a fun surprise.  So far I have used it in homemade iced tea and on pancakes.  While I was in my kitchen doing some brainstorming on posts, I thought that making some homemade lemonade and adding the blackberry syrup would be great. My mom has made Ina Garten's Lemonade in the past and I knew it called for superfine sugar, which I didn't have and I wasn't in the mood for trying to make my own!  I did a quick search and came up with this recipe from the Pioneer Woman, which uses granulated sugar to make a simple syrup.  The lemonade turned out great, but if I can get my hands on some superfine sugar, I will try Ina's next time and choose my favorite.  This is a great recipe to use and the addition possibilities are endless - I must say I really loved the pinkish tint that the  blackberry syrup gave this lemonade though.  Maybe next time, if I had it, I would add some fresh mint .. yum!

What you need: A dozen Lemons, Granulated Sugar, Water, and Blackberry Syrup.

The first thing that I did was mix 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water on the stove on medium heat until the sugar dissolved to make a simple syrup.  I transferred the simple syrup into a glass measuring cup and cooled it in the fridge.

Next: Juice your lemons.  I juiced 6 and got a little over a 1/2 cup of lemon juice.

Next: Pour the lemon juice in a pitcher and add 2/3 of the simple syrup, stir.  At this point I added 2 cups of cold water and taste tested.  In the end I just added 1 more cup of cold water and left the remaining simple syrup out (the blackberry syrup will replace it).

Add blackberry syrup to taste. Mix Well.

Ready to pour, love the color!

xo Bridget

Summer Beauty Favorites

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I'm a big fan of Summer beauty routines, mostly because they require little to no effort.  I can let my hair air try and leave the house with just some spf and a swipe of mascara on my face. I am really loving these products this Summer and thought I'd share .. I love a good beauty share!

one . Essie Nail Polish in Sand Tropez - BEST color ever.  I have had been wearing this most of the Spring and Summer and occasionally switching out to something brighter, just because I feel like it's Summer and I have to.  This color makes me look tan and goes with everything - it's a lovely neutral.

two . Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud - I received this perfume for Christmas and have been wearing it non stop, but I have noticed that as it has gotten warmer, the scent changed the way it smells on my skin.  I loved it before, but I love it even more now.  I catch myself in the car wondering what smells so great and then I realize it's me! Who doesn't love that ...

three . Kiehls Epidermal Re -Texturizing Micro - Dermabrasion - I walked into Kiehls for something else entirely and got to talking to one of the employees about face issues that I have been having because of the heat.  I use this just once a week, super gently and follow it with number five - my skin looks great instantly after and for the rest of the week.  It takes a lot of self control not to use it more than once a week.

four . Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes - These are one of the only types of wipes that don't irritate my face.  I use them nightly to remove my makeup before I use my Clarisonic, but this Summer I have been using them throughout the day.  Cleansers can be rough on your skin and to avoid washing my face too many times during the day, I have been using these to refresh throughout the day and remove sweat and excess oil.

six & seven . Coconut Lime Breeze Shower Gel and Body Lotion - I pop into Bath & Body Works from time to time to pick up candles and hand soap.  It's been a while since I have used any of their bath products, but during my last visit they were have a promotion and I was able to pick a free product.  I pretty much smelled every scent in the store and this one was so fresh, Summery, and clean.  I picked up the body lotion and was so hooked that I returned the following week and picked up the shower gel.

eight, nine, & ten .  These three are my recipe for the perfect tan leg.  I have used a lot of self tanners in my day - Tan Towels are the easiest I have used by far and provide great result every time.  I prep with the Soap and Glory Scrub of Your Life, follow with the Tan Towel and end with the Victoria's Secret Instant Bronzing Tinted Shimmer Lotion for an instant tan while the tan towel develops. 

xo Bridget

Easy Peach Cobbler

Georgia is the peach state and living there, it could't be more obvious.   Without even trying, I can come up with roads, cities, and schools that all have Peach - something in the name.  In fact, we literally live 10 minutes from a giant peach orchard and cafe - renowned for its peach ice cream and peach cobbler.  All of these things coupled with the fact that it is peach season  can only equal one thing - peaches on the brain.  I picked up a few peaches the other day and decided that cobbler was in the cards.  I used the Easy Peach Cobbler recipe from Southern Living and it was just that, very easy. It was also very yummy - I paired it with some frozen vanilla greek yogurt - so I wouldn't feel TOO bad about my indulgence.

First, you peel and slice your peaches to get them ready to boil with sugar and lemon juice.  Meanwhile, you should have a stick of butter melted in your baking dish and the batter mix ready and waiting in a mixing bowl.

You don't stir any of the ingredients once you are adding them to the baking dish, which adds to easiness of this dessert.  After the butter is belted, you layer in the batter, which is followed by the peaches and a few shakes of cinnamon. 

The peaches all seemed to migrate to the middle of the cobbler. I might try to make my layering more even next time, but it was still delicious.  It's not the best looking dessert in the world, but as my mom so smartly commented "it looks like cobbler" - true!

xo Bridget