A Virtual Assistant

Have you heard of Fancy Hands? It's a virtual assistant service. After paying a small fee you can give them tasks (anything that can be completed online or over the phone) and they do them for you. My friend Andy mentioned it at dinner the other night and everyone there could instantly think of a way the service could be useful to them. They could call the cable company for you, research restaurants for your vacation, or call all the local party stores for the best price on balloons.

Isn't it such a great idea? Do you think they'd let me just hand over my TeuxDeux list?

(A Fall Harvest) Weekend in Pictures

{nyc pumpkin patch}

{ripe tomatoes}

{genius pumpkin planters}

{seasonal signage}

{$6 dahlias! in love with them}

I spent Saturday at the farmer's market loading up on apples (I recently heard a friend call it "urban apple picking" :) to make a big batch of apple butter. It was a perfect fall day with a chill in the air, leading into the perfect night in with the scent of apple and cinnamon bubbling away on the stove. Recipe soon!

Blanket Binge

It's been consistently cool in NYC this week, and I've found myself looking at cozy throw blankets to start building the collection I've had in mind for awhile. I've love to have a basket full of blanket someday, easy to grab when it's chilly (as it often is in my apartment, I have an open window addiction). These are some of my favorites.

{dwell studio, $165}

{west elm, $29}

{lands end, $209. or, this ll bean one is a little more affordable}

{zara home, both $59.90} 

When Zara Home finally made its American debut earlier this week, the excitement went to my head and I nabbed those last two blankets. Now that I have two new cozy blankets, I think I'll have to watch twice the movies and eat twice the popcorn!

Have a cozy weekend :)

Top photo via Toast UK on Apartment Therapy

A Gift for Every Decade

A few days after my 30th birthday, I got an intriguing package in the mail from my friend Laura, who is one of the best gift-givers I know. It smelled like lavender, then as I opened it, it smelled like vanilla. Everything was individually wrapped, and I was insanely curious what might smell like lavender and vanilla!



When I upwrapped everything, she had given me three little bottles (one for every decade of life! I have no idea if that was her intention, but I like it :). One was filled with homemade lemoncello, and the other two were empty glass bottles with the supplies for me to make homemade vanilla extract and homemade lavender syrup.



It was such a great gift! And so creative. Don't you love homemade gifts?

The Best Fall Breakfast

I can't imagine a more perfect morning to tell you about my favorite recipe at the moment. It's cold-enough-for-a-real-coat outside, and gray and rainy. The best kind of morning for something warm and filling. Enter: sweet potato hash. Roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chorizo and deeply caramelized onions all mixed together and, if you're me, topped with a fried egg. It's perfect for a fall brunch or just your average, drizzly morning in October. Oh, and it makes awesome leftovers. So, really, you should make this soon.


Sweet Potato Hash
adapted from this recipe 

- 3 medium onions, diced
- 1 lb chorizo (I used 4 links)
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- 6 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- butter or ghee
- salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter (or ghee, which I used to make this paleo-friendly) in a skillet over medium heat. When it's melted, add the diced onions and sprinkle with salt. Stir them occasionally and lower the heat if they start to burn, ideally they'll brown very slowly over about 30 minutes. Cook until they're a deep, dark brown.

While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the sweet potatoes in roughly 1/2 inch cubes. Lay them out on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Roast for 20 minutes, turning them over about halfway through.

While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, prep the chorizo. Crumble the chorizo into a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until browned and crispy on the outside (if you're using links, cut them into small cubes first). While the chorizo cooks, mince (or grate on a microplane) the garlic. Add it to the pan with the chorizo and cook for a minute or two.

Once the sweet potatoes and onions are done, mix everything together in your serving dish or a large skillet. Top with fried or poached eggs, if you like

Life of Pi

Did you read the book Life of Pi? I'm late to the party, but my friend Megan recommended it recently and I loved it. The story is so fascinating, and crazy. I stayed up until 2 a.m. finishing it! (Plus, it had beautiful sentences.) The movie comes out next month and I'm so excited to see it. Doesn't the trailer look intense?

p.s. If you need a movie to see this weekend, Looper was awesome!

(A Thifty & Apple-y) Weekend in Pictures

{friday afternoon storms}

{striking a pose at a neighborhood flea market}

{dream folding chairs}

{apple picking and blue skies}

{pretty and red}

{fresh off the tree}

{our harvest}

I did some flea marketing this weekend and fell in love with pretty, old things that were too expensive to buy (like those mint green folding chairs) and saw some odd things (like that mannequin!). Sunday I went apple picking with some friends, and it was great to get out of the city for a bit. The apples are sitting on my counter now, begging to be roasted! Hope your weekend was lovely :)