summer moscow mule

S got me hooked on moscow mules last winter when we made them for the first time together on NYE. These little babies are not only beautiful in presentation, but s-t-r-o-n-g when made with the ingredients we bought! I'm not much of a recipe follower, but we found one that called for four simple and easy to find ingredients. Just add the copper mug and you've got an elegant, 1940s-era cocktail ready to be sipped. Now they are kind of our signature drink :)

The absolute, hands-down most important thing to get right about this drink is the ginger beer. S and I have had trouble finding Crabbie's ginger beer lately, but this is the beer to have as the base of your drink! It is delicious, but makes makes the Moscow Mule pack a completely unexpected punch. It tastes like ginger ale, but has a spicier flavor that ginger ale can't quite cut. The beer is a little expensive, but it is completely worth it - don't skimp on this part!

I am also a big lime person, so I added some fresh limes in addition to the lime juice (it can be found in the grocery store near the margarita mix).

Lastly - the mugs! S was so right about this one - you need the mug for this drink to taste and feel like the elegant 40's cocktail that it is. They are not only beautiful pieces of hardware that will look great in a cabinet or bar cart, but they are timeless and pretty easy to find. We found ours at Bed Bath and Beyond (link below) and ended up buying 6 or so more because my family wanted to add their own set to their collection!

If you're interested, these are the ingredients we used (and loved): copper mug / crabbie's ginger beer  / rose's lime juice / limes / ice 

And the recipe, along with some other summery takes on the drink, can be found at this amazing site. 

happy sipping! ciao, xo
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insta-lately: @ataylorstudio

By the looks of these pictures in my phone, all things are either a) flowers, b) calligraphy or c) watercolors. Here's what is not pictured:

• grad school woes: my stats class (final exam was last week, AHH).
• my birthday! yay 26. i'm getting old.
• AMAZING NEWS about S
• some family hardships, sadly - but immediately in my life, all is well
• a sweet birthday gift from my best blogger friend! more on this soon!
• summer planning and travel dreaming
• my 2nd ever newborn session - eeee!!!
• getting hooked on the office (again, from the beginning)
• obsessed over my new favorite snack: organic habanero bacon tortilla chips :) 
• trying to be consistent by working out 5x a week and eating well (ahem, bullet point above...)

So today is awesome because it is Earth Day AND I have the day off. When does this happen!? An entire weekday Earth Day to spend outside? It is almost too good to be true. Being outside and hearing the birds chirp can do wonders for the mood.  I fully plan on doing this today! Everything outside is so refreshed and new. The fields I see on my morning commute are crisp and green, not a deep or rich green but a sprightly and fresh lime colored green that is newly reborn, grown, and springing to life. 

My birthday was good, too. I had some not so fun things to do (like my evening grad class, statistics, gahhh) but I was surprised with so many pleasant gifts and thoughts. S sent me flowers right to work - I love when he does that and how it embarrasses me (but it really doesn't, I love that kind of stuff). It was so sweet - I kept them at my desk all week and they are still kickin! After my class, I came home to a homemade Funfetti cake (my childhood favorite) and a sweet little party complete with party hats, balloons, and all of my favorite things. We had champagne, chips and salsa, and birthday cake all in the same sitting. It was the BEST, and so hilarious! My family and I had a great time being ourselves and laughing about nonsense. My brother will be home in just a few weeks and we'll all be reunited again.

Speaking of reunited: S is coming home!!! I will post more on this later, but I am thrrrrrilleddddd with the news!

As for A. Taylor Studio, I've been enjoying working on some calligraphy and photography projects in the last few weeks. Especially with calligraphy, I've been so pleased with how my practice has developed. An ideal Sunday morning now consists of a hot oolong tea and a clean piece of paper to practice some calligraphy on. I have been SO inspired and helped out by reading this blog,  which is a great resource for those still learning the tricks of the trade and which tools to use. I love the fine, delicate skill of being able to letter an envelope -  a skill that is unfortunately long gone for most of the world!

Right now I am off to do a little light spring cleaning and work out. Happy weekend and Earth Day! 

ciao, xo

Aperitivi: The Spritz

 An Aperol spritz is probably the most summery drink you can make; it ranks along side of refreshing mojitos and sangria (in my book). So I thought I'd kick off December, the unofficial start of the Christmas season, with a really summery drink! It makes no sense other than over Thanksgiving break I was really craving this drink, so I whipped up a few. First thoughts: man, is it strong! and also, man, is it easy to make! I can't wait to make more again for future gatherings now that I know how to do it. It requires 4 basic ingredients, and is the most festive, flashy hue of orange you can imagine.

Let me start with an explanation behind my craving for this obscure beverage. As most things work with me...all roads lead to Italy! A spritz is a popular Italian aperitif, or aperitivo. It primes your appetite prior to a meal and is usually enjoyed with other fantastic italian classics, like cheeses and meats such as prosciutto or salame. This is shocking...but I have never actually had a full out "aperitivi" in Italy. I've had spritzes alone, but never with other appetizers. Sigh. Spritzes remind me of Florence, in particular a certain bar somewhere near Via Ghibellina. Whenever it was time to have a spritz, we would always proclaim that it was "spritz o'clock"! Any time can be spritz o'clock. It is just that good. It is a dry, almost bitter drink. Not sweet at all. It is, however, refreshing and light, and just as delicious as it looks!

So, anyway, I put this little shoot together to document my pre-Thanksgiving aperitivi. In a few words: it was awesome.

Ingredients:
- club soda
- Aperol
- champagne or prosecco (as you can see, I buy only the best)
- orange, sliced

You can find the recipe instructions here! If you're interested in other takes on the recipe, such as the use of prosecco, you can follow my pinterest board all about food. yum!

enjoy la tua bevanda! ciao, xo

dinner on the deck

Evening dinners on the deck in the months before it gets swelteringly hot is the one of the best things we all love in our family. This dinner, inspired by the kebab recipe I shared here, just came together effortlessly. We have gotten so good at pulling this kind of a thing out of nowhere! Our dinner was a relaxed and quiet al fresco garden dinner for mother's day - featuring our mediterranean kebabs, pesto rotini, wild grain rice, roasted red potatoes and of course some of my favorite pecorino cheese. To top it off? My one and only favorite wine, chianti.

Barefoot evenings on the deck like this make summer feel like it is really here - it's easy to completely slip away and forget that there is work and responsibilities and an early rise coming in the morning. I love these lazy nights, where the dinner slowly carries on into the darker twilight hours, and no one needs to know the time or check their phones because everyone is there. Once the sun goes down, the lights lining the deck make everything look so magical. Dinner is usually followed by everyone unhurriedly roaming to the fire pit, where more wine is drunk and s'mores are made...

These kinds of moments make me so excited to have my own dinners and gatherings...with lots of wines, lots of cheeses and olives, dishes inspired by Tuscany - simpler and lighter and better - alla griglia. I'll have a big annual festa, where everyone wears light linens and sits at a huge, long wooden table filled with all sorts of pasta piatti and small dishes. Dinner will drawl on to the latest midnight hours, there'll be fairy lights strung about, and the great white moon and the stars will be the grand finale at the end of the night.

ciao! xo

packed lunches: on a salad kick

I vowed to myself last year that this current year, I would bring packed lunches every day (except for special occasions like 'monthly bagel bar!' or 'it's friday! i'm treating myself!") See, the thing is, I'm kind of picky about packed lunches. And the act of packing them is always annoying. Therefore,  I like to keep it simple, and definitely not hot - unless it's soup in an ultra-sealed camping performance thermos. I don't know what it is, but heating up stuff in microwaves kind of skeeves me out - especially communal microwaves.

This week, out of the blue, I got into the idea of salads. And what kind of salad is better than a photogenic salad?

I am a big believer that a good salad needs a crunch, a smooth texture, and a punchy dressing. I love walnuts and almond slices in my salad, and a nice light cheese (lately it's feta) always adds an extra taste. My dressing of choice has been a concoction I made up: balsamic and a strawberry pecan (fat-free!) dressing.

So, I think this salad is 100% fat free, unless - wait, the cheese - but hey, it's still a salad. That has to count for something.

Ingredients
50/50 spring mix and spinach
sliced strawberries
clementine or orange
walnuts, almonds or some sort of nut
crumbled feta cheese
craisins
balasmic
Ken's strawberry pecan dressing


This has turned into my favorite portable go-to.

ciao! xo

easy mediterranean kebabs

Something about the warmer days makes me want to eat cleaner and lighter. I've had more and more tendencies to pick out my favorite foods from the Mediterranean 'cuisine' lately, with a focus on grilled chicken, olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, greek dressing, etc. So at home we were inspired to add our own twist onto an easy fan favorite: kebabs.

Actually, the reason we did this was because we found these awesome bamboo skewers (an essential!) and the rest of the dish sort of worked around it. Our kebabs had a variety of vegetables, including red onions (my favorite), grilled red pepper, zucchini, squash, cherry tomatoes, and even baby red potatoes. Our variety of ingredients was inspired my a nearby Mediterranean restaurant who has a similar dish. We used our own seasonings and spontaneously threw in other stuff (like the red potatoes, which I would probably cook separately next time). It was fun to watch it cook and turn out so great...except when you stab your index finger on your skewer.

One completely new thing I have never done before: prepare and grill my own shrimp. I decided to experiment a bit and make some grilled shrimp kebabs in the mix, and they turned out fantastic. I ended up making only one kebab because I was a little worried I would screw it up, but it turned out SO delicious that I wish I made more!

I would say the preparation piece (~20min) of this dish is key (especially with the business of peeling and disemboweling shrimp, EW). Besides the cutting of vegetables, it would be really fun to do a build-your-own sort of station and have each person create their own serving of what they'd like. The grilling portion takes maybe 10 minutes. It's seriously so light and perfect to accompany a salad, pesto flatbread, or eat over a bed of rice pilaf or quinoa. We had all of the above, and it was a nice and easy, light meal.

Firing up the grill so early makes me just that more excited that spring (and soon, summer!) is here. Happy kebabing :)

ciao, xo

a downton-inspired updo

This looks incredibly complicated but I did this with my own two hands! It's a series of twists, knot-braids, and tiny ponytails tugged into a delicate twist secured with only two bobby pins. I wanted to share because it reminds me of those beautiful, effortless yet complex Edwardian hairstyles of my favorite show: Downton Abbey!! And sorry there is no photo guide along with the steps, or better yet a DIY video...but I'll try to make some sense of the steps below!

Step 1. 
Split hair at a center part. Take two tiny top layers and tie into a "knot" (I learned how to do it here - it's easier than a braid). I did only two of these little knots. It does a great job of securing the front, especially if you have shorter layers here.

Step 2.
Using little clear rubber bands, take the remainder of the hair and, going downward, tie bands to form little ponytails underneath each other. This will create 3-4 little ponytails on top of each other. Take the ends and flip inwards (exactly like this). You'll be left with one ponytail, as the ends of the previous ones are now underneath your hair.

Step 3. 
You should start to see the intricate twist starting to form! Take the ends of your ponytail and form a braid. Secure with one last little clear band. The plait should be hanging loosely like a ponytail, towards the top of the neck. Take the braid and twist it into the rest of the twists above by simply tucking in loose ends. I have long enough hair to wrap it around 1-2 times. Hide all the hairs in the tail of the braid with bobby pins....I used two!

Ta-da! It's definitely a relaxed feel, not too tight or uncomfortable. And suddenly your hair is as elegant as Lady Mary Crawley. Use a light spritz of extra-hold hairspray and you should be good!

Takes about 5-8 minutes.

ciao, xo

easy acai bowl

The simplicity of this acai bowl makes it THE perfect mid-winter breakfast or snack - I can't wait to share it with you! First, a little rationale behind this post:

I am 'teaming up' with April and Mary, two old blog friends, this February, for a sort of kick-start health initiative. In other words - we are cheering each other on to be healthier. Eating, exercising - and it translates into thinking, I swear! Anyway, with that in mind, I am so excited about this easy acai bowl I whipped up last Sunday. I know I gush a lot on here but this recipe is PERFECT, if you are into smoothies/juicing/overall health foods. It is not only simple but so surprisingly flavorful. So I'm pretty sure this is going to be my breakfast for the next few weeks!

The ingredients (serves 2): 

Prep your ingredients. Once you have your fruits, cut them in fine slices on a cutting board. Some of these will be your garnish. This is close to the exact amount of fruit I used and even had some leftovers. You can also freeze the fruit to make your acai bowl colder or even icier. Luckily, I had some frozen banana in the freezer and it was the perfect touch to the acai mix.

Use one cup of the Sambazon acai mix, add a banana, and 1/2 cup of fruit. I use a NutriBullet but a typical blender is fine - your acai should look dark, rich and thick once it is blended. I love the deep maroon color of the acai - it made me want to use a clear bowl just for the show of it :)

Lastly, add your garnish.

I drizzled a teeeny bit of honey and flax seed (not pictured) on the top for a little extra sweetness. It really makes a minimal difference, so depending on your goals you can substitute whatever you'd like. Some other ideas that I'd like to try in the future: sliced almonds, chai seeds, quinoa, even nibs of chocolate :) 

This is my second ever acai bowl - the first time I ever had one was in California (and it was beautiful!) but I actually think mine was better :) It is just so flavorful, and honestly the only mildly unhealthy thing is the honey. It is the kind of snack that leaves you with a satisfied 'full but light' feeling. I love the possibilities and the combinations you can do. Let me know if you decide to use it and what types of adjustments you make on the recipe :) Hope this little taste of summer brightens your February!

ciao! xo

on paint swatches

Growing up, I was the kid who grab hundreds of paint swatches from Home Depot whenever I was there {bored out of my mind} with my parents. I guess I didn't have a particular reason other than they looked pretty. Whenever I got home I would fan them out, look at their names, wonder out loud, "who's job is it to come up with the names of these colors? Can I have that job?" and then put them in a drawer to be long forgotten.

Last weekend I pocketed more paint swatches, but actually with the intent to paint my room. I have been at a dead standstill since, because I think hanging the swatches up in my room against the wall has confused me even more and I have noooo idea what I want, or what will look good! If you're an interior designer...help. 

A couple posts back I posted a room inspo post: all white. Which is want I want to do...mostly. But I am thinking about a punch of teal (accent wall). The problem is, my room is already dark as it is with limited sunlight and I don't want it to be darker. I think the dark color of teal will also create the illusion of a smaller room, which I don't want either...any experts out there know what I mean? My goal is to add as much natural light as possible, whether its by adding mirrors or brightening the color up.

Have you ever experimented with bold colors that you're unsure about? Have you ever done an accent wall? I am very open to tips!! thank you! 

ciao, xo

late summer sangria

you will need:

wine: pink moscato or white zinfandel are pretty yummy.

2-3 cut peaches

3 sliced oranges (get out ALL the juice you can)

handful of cut strawberries

a garnish fruit of choice (raspberries or blueberries are great)

add a generous amt. of ice and ginger ale RIGHT before you serve or drink.

Noooo! Summer is ending!

Am I the only one who is sad?!

I follow so many great bloggers who always seem so ready for fall.

I do admit...fall fashion is best...

but come on, guys! 

Won't you miss the late nights, the beach days, and the dewy cool mornings?

I know I will...

I'm definitely holding on to summer as much as I can. Even though school is very much underway.

I know one thing I will miss is in-season fruit

and I am going to freeze eveeeerything so that I can make smoothies in the fall.

But fresh is best, ya know?

So I thought maybe, just maybe, you can hang on to summer too and cheers to the 

end of this beautiful season with a pretty blush sangria. It is pretty yummy.

The oranges definitely are the kicker, so be sure not to skimp on those.

Any citrus-y fruit and you can't go wrong. You can laugh at my fruit choices and 

throw my recipe away and put in whatever you want and it will still be just dandy.

cheers to you, summer...

ciao, xo

hey! smoothie time

Lately I have been obsessed with pinning fresh fruit smoothie recipes on pinterest...

and while I never stick to recipes when it comes to this type of thing, 

I thought I'd share a concoction I made over the weekend that was deeeelightful.

when it comes to making smoothies, I am a huge fan of the nutribullet! 

I always feel this mad rush this time of year, as if I am losing precious time when it comes to using fresh in-season fruit. (ugh)

So, to simplify things, I've broken down my little "recipe" to only 7 ingredients.

This smoothie, although it is green, was honest-to-goodness delicious.

Don't let the color scare you.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. The bulk of your smoothie should be fresh fruit and veggies. I like to do this all in one shot, rather than scurrying around the kitchen to find everything as I go. It makes cleanup easier and to be honest, it's fun to watch the nutribullet just eviscerate your kale. The fruit that I used in this smoothie are orange, frozen banana, blueberries, frozen strawberries, and of course, some kale. You want to use the greenest, darkest, fluffiest, most frilly beautiful kale you can find.

Step 2: Choose a power up (optional).  I like to throw in flax seed, coconut oil or protein to get a boost from my smoothie. In the smoothie I made, I used both coconut oil and flax seed (ground). It adds zero taste. The coconut oil (which I picked up at Costco) has really great health benefits and can even be used on your skin and hair. Flax seed, for some reason, makes me feel fuller and simulates what protein does in that regard. On days when you're not in the mood for these boosts, you can always throw in sugar free Hershey's chocolate powder too :) the smoothie predominantly has a banana flavor, so with the added chocolate, it tastes like a chocolate covered banana. Um, yes.

Step 3: Add a little milk. Milk is my 7th ingredient! Be sure to add in a little milk before your initial blend so that the blades can really crush the ingredients - somehow the moisture seems to help. In the photo above, you might be able to tell that I used some frozen banana and strawberries - this is a great way to preserve fruit that you buy. The nutribullet slices the frozen fruit pretty well, and its adds an icy texture. One thing I've heard is that you don't want to put whole ice cubes in your nutribullet.

Step 4: Pour, garnish, and enjoy.  The finished product is definitely green - I didn't add or take away any kale that I originally pictured in step 1. I garnished my smoothie with blueberries and some sliced almonds for the visual, but if you're like me on any other day you just stick a straw in it and slurp away. The banana flavor was definitely most dominant, so it didn't taste "green" or have an odd clashing of flavors. I think it's really hard to mess this one up. This is my favorite to enjoy as a supplement to a light lunch, or a post-run energizer. The natural ingredients make me feel healthier and better, and I was pretty full for a good 1-2 hours after this. 

let me know if you decide to try!

ciao, xo

easy at-home froyo dots

I can't say that this is my own...it is an old, old Pinterest find! But it is OH so much fun to make, and even more fun to eat: frozen yogurt dots!

It is the perfect light summery snack - even a delightful dessert - that makes you feel 100% like a kid again. I used three common Yoplait flavors (strawberry banana, blueberry, and cherry) for the various colors. And I have to say, they kind of turned out beautiful! This is so fun to do with your children, on a date, and on a budget! Think about it: most of these things are probably in your kitchen already.  And the idea can be modified as a cute seasonal treat...like hearts for Valentine's Day or (if you're careful) letters/numbers for a personalized touch.

you will need:

- 3 little containers of yogurt (I used Yoplait Original, but you have endless possibilities here - fruit on the bottom, Greek yogurt, whatever!)
- a cookie sheet
- freezer (20 mins)
- ziploc bag
- spoon
- scissors

directions:

Place cookie sheet into freezer for about 10-15 minutes before you prepare your fro-yo dots. In the meantime, open yogurt and spoon contents into a ziploc bag. Once you have your cookie sheet ready, cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners of the ziploc bag to create a makeshift icing dispenser. Squeeze little quarter-sized "dots," or circles onto your cookie sheet. Space them out about 1/2 inch or whatever seems to look right! Put cookie sheet back in the freezer, and make sure it is laying flat (you don't want that yogurt to run off!). I'd check back in about 20-30 minutes - depending on the size of your froyo dots, they may freeze quicker! They should peel off quite easily, just use your fingers or a spoon.

Put in bowl, and pop em in. So, so fun and so, so delicious. Guilt free, too :)

happy froyo-ing. ciao, xo