wedding dresses: short & sweet

I am so into short wedding dresses right now. It may just be because I am desperate for some warmer weather, and looking at short wedding dresses makes me feel like it's springtime. Well, sort of. Ugh, so ready for spring. But, anyway. Short dresses are fun, flirty, sassy and sweet -- all at the same time. They're just the ticket for a chic city affair, city hall nuptials, a casual backyard bash, a rustic farm fete...I could go on. Plus, a short wedding dress lets you show off some really cute shoes, too. Score.

 from left to right
1. How cute and classic is this Pinwheel Tea Dress by BHLDN? You could swing dance all night long! $1400

2. This technically isn't a wedding dress, but I feel that this Parisienne Dress from Piperlime is just perfect for a casual springtime wedding celebration. $99

3. I just love the details on this fit and flare Dolce Vita Dress from BHLDN. The Swiss-dotted tulle overlay, key-hole back, and belt make this dress just oh so pretty. $300

4. Wear this classic Jenny Woo dress at a fun and quirky barnyard wedding. Perfection. $1200 or less

5. Another beautiful dress from BHLDN! (I'm obsessed.) This Sequin Sash Dress has a beautiful sequined underslip -- just the right amount of sparkle! $350

6. Again, this dress isn't technically a wedding dress. But who says you have to buy an actual wedding dress? I say, bend the rules! This sleeveless brocade dress is just perfect for city hall or a chic city soiree. $207

7. Oh my gosh, I am so in love with this Agata Swing Dress. It's flirty, vintage-y, bohemian-y, and so chic all at the same time. Perfect for a casual backyard bash or a fashion-forward museum affair. $420

(And, if you love this dress, H+M has a similar dress for just $29.95. Why not?)

8. This sweetheart neckline dress from Jill Stuart is adorable and perfect for spring. I love the bow on the side; it's sweet, but not too girly. It's somewhat modern which keeps this dress from being overly cutesy. Love. $248

9. This fringed Nicole Miller dress is the epitome of chic and sassy. Kick off your heels and dance the night away in this little white dress! Price not available.

Not sure about wearing a short dress? These are also perfect for a reception dress if you love outfit changes. Thinking about an all-white bridal party? Well, these dresses also make super cute bridesmaids' dresses!

gluten free vegan raspberry coconut oat macaroons

I started watching a few episodes of the new show Something Borrowed, Something New on TLC, and I have to say, I'm a little disappointed with the re-worked wedding dresses. I really like the idea behind the show and was super excited to see the old wedding dresses updated and revamped. Ever since reading Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble series a couple of years ago, I've been obsessed with the idea of reworking old wedding dresses. I think it would be so much fun and so cool to do! I just wish I knew how to sew. That would help.

Anyhow. I don't know if my expectations are just way too super high -- I mean, I really know nothing about restoring and working on wedding dresses -- but I haven't been all that taken with Kelly's re-worked and re-imagined wedding dresses. They're pretty, but they just sort fall a little short for me. I think one of the problems is that some of the dresses just don't have enough structure, and they end up looking a little nightgown-ish. I'll still watch it though -- I'm holding out hope that one of these reworked wedding dresses will be ah-mazing and blow the new one out of the water!

Okay. These macaroons. Well, I guess they're not really macaroons, technically, since there are no eggs in them. But they kind of are. They're sort of like oatmeal cookies, but soft. And spherical. With coconut and raspberries. And they're super delicious. I just love the combination of coconut and raspberry -- it's so tropical and spring-y, which is just what we need right now. Sigh.

Let me tell you, I went through a lot of trial and error and recipes before I got to these macaroons. After making these, I swore I would never make macaroons again. But, now I kind of want to make them again.

And I really kind of want to attempt traditional macaroons again. With Easter coming up, I'm feeling all macaroon-y.

Initially, I used frozen raspberries with making these macaroons. Did. Not. Work. I highly recommend using fresh raspberries if you can. The results are oh so much better. No matter how much I rinsed and dried off the thawed raspberries, they continually just turned to mush in the dough, creating a weird purple-y macaroon that didn't look at all appetizing. And that spread out all over the baking sheet. No good.

Use fresh raspberries.

I know they're expensive, but they'll make an amazing macaroon. Trust me.


raspberry coconut oat macaroons
gluten free, vegan
adapted from Healthy Food for Living

// ingredients
1 cup of coconut butter
1 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup of gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces fresh raspberries

//directions
Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the coconut butter and all of the ingredients, minus the raspberries, in a bowl. Once the ingredients are well combined, gently fold in the raspberries. Mash the raspberries slightly while folding them into the "dough," but don't fully mush them in. Using a small spoon (I used a melon baller, which worked great!, scoop out the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the bottoms of the macaroons are slightly browned and toasted looking. The macaroons will be really soft, but don't worry! Take them out of the oven and let them sit for about 30 minutes -- they'll firm up. Placing the macaroons in the refrigerator will also help firm them up.

While you're enjoying your macaroons, close your eyes pretend that you're sitting in a lovely park and that it's sunny and 70 degrees. Ah, perfection.

2013 oscar best dressed

Who watched the Oscars last night? And, is it just called the Oscars now? What happened to the Academy Awards? Well, I missed the Oscars (or the Academy Awards. Or the not Academy Awards) because I was catching up on the Downton Abbey finale (WHYYY, Downton??? Whyyyy??? I think I'm going to need some counseling.) I haven't fully caught up on the Oscars and its shenanigans yet, but I have perused all the gorgeous gowns (not going to lie, definitely one of the best parts). I couldn't resist sharing my top picks for best dressed!

from left to right

1. I love, love, love Amanda Seyfried and her Alexander McQueen gown. I know a lot of people have been saying that the dress seems a little too big, but I still love it and think that she looks amazing in it.

2. Catherine Zeta Jones looks absolutely stunning in this golden Zuhair Murad dress.

3. Naomi Watts is simply gorgeous in this form-fitting, gunmetal sequined Armani Privé gown. I'm a sucker for anything shiny, glittery, and/or sequined! (clearly!)

4. Jennifer Aniston always looks so effortlessly beautiful, and last night was no exception! This bold red Valentino gown was perfect for the Oscars.

5. Love Octavia Spencer and her flowy, ethereal Tadashi Shoji gown! Classic. Gorgeous.

6. Jessica Chastain is perfectly stunning in this sparkly, form-fitting Armani Privé dress. Love the old Hollywood glam look!

(All images via People.com.)

happy weekend

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Food for thought.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

super simple gluten free cornbread

So, I seriously have a case of a writer's block. Or creativity block. I don't know what to write about. I don't know what to cook or bake. It's terrible.

"Tell me, O Muse, of something to write. Inspire me.

I'm waiting, O Muse.

I think my Muse is attending some other people at the moment."

Name the book that quote is from!

Okay, it's from Absolutely Normal Chaos. That was my favorite book back in elementary school. Okay, it still is one of my favorite books. I just love it. I won it in something. I don't remember what it was. All I remember was that it was like the last day of school or something before summer break when I found out that I won the book, and I was so excited because I never win anything. Then, after reading the book, I wanted to write my own summer journal. I don't think I got too far though; I wasn't very good at writing in it on a daily basis.

Anyway. Cornbread. I love cornbread. It's so easy to make and it's so delicious. The perfect answer for my creativity-block-stricken self! Well, at least the answer to my baking woes. You can eat cornbread with like anything. And, cornbread is so versatile! It can be sweet, it can be savory. You can use it in stuffing. You can eat it as dessert. Or breakfast. And this cornbread is especially easy because you only need six ingredients. Yup, that's right. Six. That's because I used gluten-free Bisquick -- makes things so much easier! I will say that I do prefer cornbread made completely from scratch -- however, this Bisquick cornbread is still pretty darn good. And so easy. Two pluses in my book!

I want some cornbread now.

super simple gluten free cornbread
gluten free, soy free

// ingredients
2 cups gluten free Bisquick*
6 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup Truvia baking blend (you can also use 1/2 cup of regular sugar)
2 eggs
1 cup milk of choice
1/2 soy free Earth Balance spread, melted (or regular butter, if tolerated)

*Note: for those who are extremely allergic to soy, gluten-free Bisquick may contain soy.

// directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the Bisquick, cornmeal and stevia blend (or sugar) together in a large bowl. Slightly whisk the eggs together in a separate bowl. Add the eggs, milk and melted spread to the dry ingredients and stir. Pour the batter into a prepared 8x8 baking dish (I like to grease my pans with Spectrum Organic All Natural Vegetable Shortening). Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden and delicious.

// variations

for something sweet

Maple Cornbread: Replace the sugar with 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Melt 1/4 cup of Earth Balance spread (or butter) and mix it with 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Once the cornbread is done, brush with the maple butter mixture.

Fruit and Honey: Serve with strawberry compote and honey. Or blueberry compote. Or any kind of fruit compote! You could even mix in some blueberries or strawberries into the batter -- just make sure if they're frozen that they've been thawed and patted dry. Otherwise you'll end up with a soggy purple or red batter!

for something savory

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread: Omit the sugar. Add 1/4 cup of finely diced jalapeno peppers, a dash of cayenne pepper, and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese (Daiya makes an excellent dairy free, gluten free, soy free shredded cheddar cheese).

Olive Oil and Thyme: Sugar is optional (you may want to reduce the amount). Replace the butter with with olive oil. Add two tablespoons of fresh thyme, chopped. You could also use rosemary instead of thyme, or go crazy and use both!

good advice

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winter can be over now

I am so ready for winter to be over. I think that's the general consensus around here. Winter can happen from December 1st through like now. And then it can be over. Where was all this snow around Christmas? Seriously. That's when snow is needed.

I'm good with snow now.

It can go away.

So can the chilly wind.

We're definitely in the winter doldrums. Well, at least I am. I've felt so uninspired lately, hence the lack of blog posts (sorry!)

I need some warmth, some life and rejuvenation!

I'm so ready for this now.

And this. 

Sigh.

We're almost there! March 20th marks the first day of spring. Of course, around here it will still feel like winter. But, shhhh. We can pretend its spring. Well, it is spring. We can pretend it feels like spring.

Until then, have warmth thoughts, dear readers!