quote of the day!

"Well behaved women, rarely make history"

-Marilyn Monroe

a few random things on my mind

When I was younger, until I was about in the 4th or 5th grade I'd say, my entire front/side yard was filled with rows and rows of raspberry bushes. I can remember coming home from school, and my mom  sending my brother and I off the front porch with a giant mixing bowl and instructions to "fill it to the brim." Whenever we started walking up and down the isles of bushes- we were so small, it felt like we were hiking through a giant forest of raspberry bushes. We couldn't see over the top of them, almost like we were in a fruit filled maze :) 

I would absolutely die, to have a sunroom like this one in my home someday- peaking out at the most spectacular of views. What a place to come home to!

 Every now and then it's fun to scroll through different bouquet arrangements and table settings- whether it be for a wedding or just an extravagant party, I think this one is especially gorgeous...however truthfully I am a sucker for a beautiful photograph and this is just that :)

 This triple berry sangria is just delicious! I refuse to believe that once labor day weekend is through, summer has officially ended. I think theres always room for a little sip of summer!

Last but most definitely not least! With moving into my new home on campus tomorrow, and school starting this upcoming week- the 2012/2012 Collegiate Women's Division 1 Rowing season will have officially begun. This year the Boston College women's rowing team will achieve more than ever before and I absolutely cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us. The potential is incredible.

Some of Robert Frost's Finest....

“The rain to the wind said,
You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.” 

Quote of the Day!

"Everything get's hotter when the sun goes down"

-Kenny Chesney

can't get enough of country music...

my newest 'play on repeat' artist is one I recently stumbled upon
      his name is Thomas Rhett, you can see his full website here
            the new EP he released just yesterday August, 28th 2012
                  & this song happens to be one of my new favorites

So if you happen to love country music as much as I do, I would absolutely recommend checking him out! 

Quote of the Day!

"You have to trust in something...your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever, because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart."

- Steve Jobs

Classics & Fashion in Black and White

 

Black and white photography could possibly be one of the most beautiful art forms I could ever imagine. I love everything about real film photography, down to the messy dark room.

 

The candid shots, and the depth of field created by the varying blacks and whites. I love that the artistic decision is completely dependent on the use and manipulation of light. One factor in determining the outcome of the piece.

Plus, how can your focus be anywhere else than the raw emotion seeping from a black and white photograph, when you have no color to distract the eye. Just the sheer power of the context of the photo. 

Quote of the Day!

"Life's a dance you learn as you go, sometimes you lead sometimes you follow, don't worry about what you don't know, life's a dance you learn as you go"

- John Michael Montgomery 

Miniature Raspberry Heart Pies

PIE CRUST:

1) Preheat your oven to 375°.

2) Combine in a large bowl... 

• - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• - 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• - 3/4 teaspoon table salt

3) Take:

         - 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

and dice into small cubes- then, with clean hands- toss the diced butter into the flour, sugar, salt mixture. Once cubes are thoroughly covered with flour, use your fingers to break apart the butter cubes into smaller pea sized crumbles. 

4) Now dice your:

        - 1/4 cup shortening

and add to the crumbled mixture, toss the shortening in the flour mixture and again using your hands, break apart the shortening into smaller size bits.

5) Gradually add:

        - 7 to 8 tablespoons ice water

first start with half the ice water, drizzle the water over the crumbled mixture and rake through with your fingers until the water is combined. Continue to add 1 tbsp. at a time, until the mixture is thoroughly mixed and moist- but not wet to the touch. Be careful not to over knead as the dough will become too tough.

6) Pressing down on the dough with one hand while turning the bowl with your other- continue until the dough is in a nicely rounded ball shape. Wrap in saran-wrap, and then flatten to a disc shape. Chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out. 

PIE FILLING:

1) Mix 

       - 3 cups fresh raspberries

with, 

       - 1 cup raw sugar

and then add

       - 1/2 cup flour

2) Place bowl in refrigerator until ready to use. 

To assemble, flour a large, clean, flat surface in your kitchen. With a rolling pin, gently roll your dough out to about 1/4 in. thickness. Use your  Heart Shaped Pie Mold from William Sonoma as a shape cutter, press equal amount of base layer hearts, and top layer hearts with the smaller heart cut out to allow for steam to escape during cooking. 

Place the top layer face down into the half of the pie mold with the crinkled edges. Lightly push the center down to fill the mold precisely. Add about 1 tbsp. of refrigerated pie filling. Place the bottom layer of dough on top of the filled heart. Swing the other half of the pie mold over and squeeze just enough to pinch the edges of the heart together. 

**Note! You may need to do a little extra pinching once the mini pie is removed from the mold- this can easily be done with a fork!

Once you have assembled all of your mini pies, you should have about 2 cups pie filling left over. Place this back in the refrigerator for now :) 

Place each pie on a baking sheet, covered with either parchment paper or a sil-pat sheet. Brush the tops of each pie mold with beaten egg wash, and then sprinkle sugar on all of the tops. 

Put in oven for 25 minutes. 

While your pies are cooking, take your extra pie filling from the fridge and place in small sauce pan. Turn the heat to low, and add about 1-2 tbsp. of lemon juice. Stir until the raspberries are broken down into a liquid. Once you see the consistency reach this point, remove the berry reduction from the heat and place in strainer atop a small bowl. Using a spatula, stir in back and forth motion to separate the berry particles from the juice. Once finished- you will have a delicious sauce to garnish the plate and top off your dessert with just the right amount of sweet/tart pop of flavor! Put the raspberry reduction in the refrigerator so that the consistency can thicken up a bit. 

                                                   

Once your timer goes off, take the pies out of the oven and check to make sure they are fully baked through. The crust will be a beautiful golden brown color and the berries will be 100% tender. You can check this using a cake tester. Let the pies cool completely. 

Now with the raspberry reduction you have set aside in the refrigerator, you can garnish the plate before placing your pie atop, or you can drizzle the reduction over the top of the pie. I would reccomend a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well! 

Enjoy!!

Quote of the Day

"Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, and to be needed."

-Storm Jameson

wishful thinking: in 311 days... to be moving here for 6 months,

florence

   

just makes you stop and think

Quote of the Day!

"We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

-B. Calloway

A Music Must

The White Panda

Check out their website for FREE downloads, and all sort of new mash-ups on their most recently released album "Bambooyah!"

Here is an extremely recent mash-up called "Losing My Amarok" released for download on August 20th. 

"The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one"

In an average day, I would guess my father receives anywhere from 1000-3000 emails at work. Between CC's, BCC's, mindless attachments and unnecessary forwards- it's out of control.

So when he takes the time to email me something, I know it's worth opening. 

This, is most certainly worth watching. 

I don't know if it's truly the "the most honest three and a half minutes of television, ever..." but it is absolutely pertinent, and undeniably honest. 

In my dad's words, "It's Classic."

Quote of the Day!

“Sometimes, to lose balance for love is part of living a balanced life.”

-Hadi Subiyanto

because everyone seems to be pinning about weddings...

 

 

Here are just a few that caught my eye... absolutely stunning <3

Summer Cocktails

As the summer slowly draws to a close, here is a delicious recipe for a wonderful summery cocktail to accompany any end of the summer bash your planning to throw!

Ingredients:

1 (12-oz.) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

3 (12-oz.) bottles beer (not dark) chilled

3/4 cup vodka, chilled

ice

fresh raspberries, citrus slices

Quote of the Day!

"Be curious, not judgmental."

- Walt Whitman

Boston to Michigan, With Love!

My best friend Cate returned the beginning of last week from her summer spent in New York City working as the Social Media Intern at J.McLaughlin.

We saw each other every few weekends here and there at races. Her boyfriend John trained and competed with Vesper Boat Club based out of Philadelphia for the summer, and I myself trained and competed with Riverside Boat Club, Boston MA. There were many summer regattas  located in either Philly or N.J where both John and I were competing- both locations not so far from NYC, so fortunately for us Cate made a few treks to see some racing!

Cate came to work with me one day last week which was so much fun- I coach youth rowing at Community Rowing. The day started out quite rainy, but by the afternoon all the clouds had cleared and we were able to take the kids out for a row on the water! 

This was briefly interrupted however- as our launch motor quickly decided it did not want to cooperate!

Cate and I awaiting our rescue crew ;)

Another day earlier in the week we ventured on a shopping trip which ended up at the movies, where we saw the new Meryl Streep film, "Hope Springs." Streep's character was definitely out of the ordinary for her. Cate and I shared a bag of popcorn, and we both laughed and cried throughout the entire movie. 

Not a few days later were Cate and I back at it again, this time- out for a midnight beach trip! In high school, we often found ourselves spontaneously thinking of fun things to do, and well....just doing them. We had a blast just sitting in the dark as the waves crashed at our feet, talking and catching up. It was a long overdue for us to have time like that together. 

                                                           

Towards the end of the week Cate's sister Nora, who also happens to be my best friend, was having her boyfriend Steven come visit. Friday night Mrs. Bourland their lovely mother, put on a beautiful dinner- she made delicious burgers, and I baked a summery fruit tart to bring along! We all hung out, talked & caught up, and enjoyed each other's company. It was so nice to have the three of us all back together again, and I am so grateful that we were able to spend that time together! Especially since Cate, Nora and the rest of their family are off to Balston Beach in Truro on Cape Cod where they will be vacationing for the next week and then departing from the beach for their trek to Michigan where both girls attend school at Michigan State University. 

                              

I couldn't have asked for a better week with the girls! Now the countdown is on for Thanksgiving Break!