sandwich style: sweet potato, roasted red pepper, carmelized onion

One of my very favorite things in the world to eat is a panini. I first discovered this artfully amazing form of sandwich when I was a depressed college freshman (it was a rough year for me...). I refused to brave the dining hall, so I tried to find other ways to find nourishment. This usually meant making EasyMac in the microfridge or holding out for "Late Night" quesadillas or fruit smoothies (or both). One day, I decided to visit Angora Cafe, a fabulous panini-and-frozen-yogurt shop across the street from my dorm complex (I still always crave it whenever I'm in Boston). My life changed that day. I officially became a paninilover. I lovelovelove my special goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette sandwich and could eat it every single day, but it reminds me too much of sunny summertime and I wanted to try something a little more seasonal (and my chili addiction needed a serious intervention). Last winter I made crostini with goat cheese, sweet potato, and roasted red peppers and it was amaaaazing, so I thought I would try to recreate it in panini form. Whew! Long story short (a bit too late), this is what I did:

Place two sweet potatoes (yams) on a baking sheet, poke each with a fork, and cook ~1 hr at 415 degrees (F).

Chop onion and red peppers.

Wait ~30 min, then sauté onions in olive oil.

Shortly thereafter, add red peppers and sauté until soft.

Spread goat cheese on both slices of bread.

When vegetables and yams are soft, remove from heat. Cut yams in half, then lengthwise in quarters.

Put yams on one slice of bread.

Pile red peppers and onions on top and grill (George Foreman!) until bread is nicely toasted.

Enjoy!

daily outfit blues

Thank GOODNESS. It is finally Friday.

(navy velvet blazer: vintage; hat: goodwill; jeans: pacsun; shoes: dsw; shirt: uo)

Despite the fact that we are expecting a high of zero degrees all weekend (and Monday... ew) and a nighttime low of -30, I am delighted that I can spent a couple of days cooped up in my humble abode with a book and some hot cocoa.

Also, I am not in love with this outfit. Oh well, what can you do? Hopefully next week I'll get back in the swing of things. Happy weekend, everyone! :)

from my house to india house

(dress: rue 21; earrings: claire's; ring: modcloth; tights: hue; shoes: seychelles)

This is what I wore for my little India House dinner date with K on Tuesday night. I really need to learn how to cook Indian food--it's my absolute favorite--but going out to dinner is one of my very favorite activities, so maybe I shouldn't bother! The food has been seriously hit-or-miss at India House in the past, but tonight it was a definite hit! We shared some veggie samosas, I got the Navratan curry (medium hot) with aloo naan and K got the Paneer Masala (I was so proud of him for getting something different--he always gets Chicken Tikka Masala!) with garlic naan and a mango lassi. It's so easy for K and I to retreat into our own little worlds in the evenings, so I like to make a point to get out and about and have a real conversation once and a while :)

negative exposure

There has been a serious kink in my week--not sure what it is, but I have yet to make it through a single day without some sort of mind-is-elsewhere-induced disaster. I almost didn't take blog photos this morning (even though I didn't yesterday, either!) because I'm so discombobulated. But I did! Whew! I've just come to the point where I am really working for the weekend--I spend my days dreaming about the projects I am (when free) working on and it makes me a little less present.

(jumper: bargain boutique; tunic: tjmaxx; hat: vintage; belt: goodwill; tights: hue; shoes: seychelles; glasses: f21)

I rather like this outfit. I was having a really hard time deciding what to wear with this jumper, which I bought at Bargain Boutique a few weeks ago and finally hemmed on Monday night (it was about six inches longer... what a strange length for a jumper!). I have a really hard time wearing black and white, I think because they're too sharp, too clean, or too unnatural. I like warmer colors like navy and brown and green. Anyway, I decided to doubleup the plaid to add a bit of interest--I like how the tunic looks like a negative of the jumper--and create warmth with brown accessories in leather and fur.

polka dots and productivity

I hereby dub this "productivity week." Last night I did the dishes, went grocery shopping, made a delicious sandwich (and enough veggies to last through the week), and finished three pending hem projects that have been sitting in the back of my closet for weeks now.

(polkadot blouse/belt: bargain boutique; cardigan: h&m; skirt: vintage; tights: hue; shoes: seychelles)

There is so much that I want to do with my life that I sometimes get overwhelmed (okay, I always get overwhelmed) and do none of it. Well I'm having none of that anymore. I want to spend my time alternating between writing and sewing, and maybe getting a little something accomplished once and a while! I have about four million projects on the back burner/in progress, so my biggest problem is organization... luckily for me, I love making to-do lists! :)

Tonight I'm taking K out to dinner to celebrate his first day back at school since finishing undergrad three and a half years ago. That makes me feel a little old.

lost and found

It's Monday, which means I am wearing a cozy sweater and jeans. I feel like I have to transition into taking outfit photos in the snow each week, and nothing eases the transition like a big wool sweater and a fluffy hat.

(sweater: bargain boutique; jeans: pacsun; hat: h&m; boots: seychelles)

So, I didn't want to tell you guys, but I lost this hat last week. I scoured the apartment looking for it and was devastated by the loss, especially since the nearest H&M is about three hours away. Lucky for me, my friend S was taking a trip to Boston this weekend for a birthday party and told me that she would try to find a replacement. The next day the hat turned up in the laundry and our reunion was bittersweet--after all, what am I going to do with two fabulous furry hats? I guess it can't hurt to have a backup, especially considering my rather embarrassing track record when it comes to keeping outerwear for more than a single season. (I was once walking to class, eating a banana and holding my favorite penguin-printed hat in the other hand--I threw the banana peel away, then realized when I got to class that I was still holding said peel and my hat had gone missing. Yes, I threw it in the trash. That is the sort of space cadet I can be sometimes.)

This weekend K and I spent a lovely, relaxing weekend in the woods at the Logtown Inn (my parents' house). We had a delicious dinner of ciabatta and olive oil, tortellini with vodka sauce, and no wine because I drank far too much of the stuff the previous night when S came over and we psychoanalyzed each other (and K) until the early morning hours. We rented a couple of pay-per-view movies (sorry M&D, the redbox was broken--as usual, it seems--and we were desperate!) and played with my smelly old dog. Truth be told, I only took him for a short "walk" as darkness fell on Sunday afternoon, but I think it counts. And the January thaw is officially over here in Vermont--today was seriously frigid!