September 30, 2014

eat / juice minus the juicer

Last week I attended a networking breakfast and one of my favorite things on the menu were the juice shots. Normally I scoff at juicing as "granola" or "too trendy", but these were delicious! There was one with kale, pineapple and mint and another with apple, beet, carrot, and ginger. I don't have a juicer at home and wasn't planning to buy one, but a quick Google search led me to the Minimalist Baker and The Chalkboard Mag

So on Friday I decided to try my hand at juicing without a juicer. And damn was it delicious!!


I followed the recipe from The Chalkboard Mag and threw everything in my Cuisinart Mini Prep (in batches of course since it's small). The only thing I would suggest to do differently is to not use a spatula to press the juice out of the pulp. I wasn't getting very far with that so I used a flat bottomed bowl (maybe 5-6" in diameter) to press as much juice as I could out of the pulp. 

I also tried a beet, carrot, apple, celery, lime, ginger combo that I made WAY too spicy. It was good, but even watered down I couldn't finish it. I found an unopened jar of pineapple juice buried in the fridge (from cocktail making?) and added a splash to some carrot, apple, kale, and lime juice. It's so good, but it's brown...womp womp. 

Now I have to see how often I actually get around to doing this! 

Anyone else big on making juice at home--either with a juicer or without? Any good flavor combinations? And any good recipes for the leftover pulp?

September 26, 2014

weekend



The incredible Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen posted these on Instagram last night and all I could say was SHANA TOVA! (that's Happy New Year in Hebrew) Shana tova to everyone celebrating! May you have a sweet, happy, and healthy new year. 

In the spirit of Rosh Hashannah, here are some goyim eating Jewish food for the first time. Amazing. 

Shelfie tips from Vogue.

Really awesome DIY side tables from Domaine Home. 

Time lapse photographs of couples sleeping.


20 Times Friends was Surprisingly Feminist (though I don't find it that surprising from the "Girl Power" decade).

In case you missed it, I bought a shiny new purse.

TGIF!


September 25, 2014

wear / black handbag

This weekend, while shopping with A's mom, I caved and bought a pretty new bag. I've been wanting/needing a black bag for awhile. I spotted this Vince Camuto Kylie Bag at Saks Off Fifth and it just had to come home with me (after I looked at 40 other bags in a bunch of other stores, of course). The best part of my shiny new bag is that the size limits me from schlepping around too much stuff! 
Do you have any go to bags that I should know about?

September 24, 2014

wed / mini bottle decor



No matter how you slice it, tiny things are cute. And that includes mini bottles. Whether tiny vodkas served alongside blinis with caviar...



Or tiny margaritas with bitty fish tacos...



But I think my favorite use is the mini bottles as escort cards. What a fun way to feature a local favorite or the bride and grooms drinks of choice. Try tying on a cocktail recipe!

Any other creative ideas out there?


September 19, 2014

weekend



Happy Friday! A's parents are in town and he and his dad are riding a 50 mile charity bike ride. I will be cheering them on :). 

And now for a few things I rounded up this week:

How beautiful is the fall ensemble above?

How to leave work at the office. Oh boy did I need that...I have trouble leaving behind all the things that are stressing me out or bothering me. 

This Buzzfeed article entitled "Times Elle Woods Empowered you as a Woman" cracked me up, but I also found it kind of true.  


I am ready for some fall nail polish

It would be lovely if some new flats landed on my doorstep. I love these, these, and these


My recent favorite beverage: David's Tea tea pops: basically a tea/seltzer hybrid. 

I've been wanting to make these metallic painted oyster shells since I posted this Etsy shop

And lastly...I hope you like my new site! Be sure to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.


September 18, 2014

101 in 1001

I can't even remember the last time I wrote an update of my 101 in 1001 list! It looks like it's been since March!! Since my last update I:

1. Sent a few more handwritten notes.

14. Visited my grandpa in Florida.




25. Tried mangosteen and papaya (A loves weird, excuse me--exotic, fruit).

27. Got my first facial with a Gilt City voucher. Not only was it amazing, but it was doubly amazing since it was the afternoon after a red eye flight!

48. Bought Winning London on DVD #favoritemovieever.

81. Finally made it to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It was a beautiful space with an amazing collection. I was especially interested in the space as an event venue. Too bad you aren't allowed to take pictures! 

90. I got a new laptop!!!!! I finally replaced my 7 year old laptop from freshman year of college and L-O-V-E my new Macbook Air.

95. Start a new blog series. Check out all my Local posts here!


September 17, 2014

wed / recent pins

This week for Wedding Wednesday I wanted to share a couple of my favorite recent favorites from Pinterest. What's inspiring you lately?






{1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5}


September 16, 2014

diy / affordable art

I've blogged in the past about my gallery wall and wanted to share the latest addition. As much as I would love to go out and spend thousands of dollars on prints and original art, it's not always in the cards so I've DIYed a few of the frames. (If anyone is interested in more detail, I wrote a bit about it here.)


I am very excited about the most recent addition (on the far left). I was a Brownie Girl Scout for a year (Troop 007!) but my badges never were ironed onto my vest. I cut a piece of brown kraft paper, stuck some sticky mounting squares, and stuck those merit badges in the frame. 


I had all the materials and BOOM! All it cost me was a frame. 

DIY anything fun for the apartment lately?

September 15, 2014

quote / if you haven't found it




welcome!

I've been blogging since October 2010 and over the last six months I've been working on switching platforms from Tumblr to Blogger. After manually transferring over 300 posts (and more to come down the road), I am thrilled to redirect my URL this morning! Welcome to the new and improved A Wink and A Smile!! Be sure to check out my favorites and 101 in 1001 pages. My favorite feature is the ability for readers to comment. I can't wait to hear what ya'll have to say. Happy Monday and thanks for reading. ;) and :)


September 11, 2014

eat / zucchini fritters


Tuesday night I decided to get ambitious for a weeknight dinner and made these zucchini fritters I pinned ages ago. They were pretty easy, though they took a little longer than the recipe indicated and I probably didn’t squeeze out enough water which meant I didn’t get them as crispy and golden brown as I would have liked. I just ended up using a bit more flour than the recipe called for. I would definitely make these again!! They taste almost like potato latkes and are probably a good bit healthier. Enjoy!


September 10, 2014

wed / diy chair decor


Looking for an easy DIY to dress up the bride and groom chairs or maybe the back row of the ceremony? Try dip dyeing some plain white cotton or muslin, draping over the chairs, and tying with ribbon!

September 2, 2014

eat / smores dip

A and I are having some of his coworkers over tomorrow night for a little cocktail party and I really wanted to make s’mores as an ode to the “end” of summer. The logistics of making s’mores indoors for 9 people weren’t really panning out (I plan events at home almost the same way I do for work #eventplannerproblems) and scrolled through Pinterest in hopes of finding an alternative. Behold, s’mores dip:


I don’t think I need to say anything more. I can’t wait to make this!