Nom nom!

yup, I certainly did spell "caramelized" wrong. Oh well. Please don't judge.

I've never been much of a baker, mostly because I like to make things up as I go and that's not really a trait that works well with baking. There's a precision and a certain something that comes with the baking territory and I possess neither. But I'm trying to do different things and be more adventurous in my undertakings in the kitchen... So I settled for baking cookies. I mean, who doesn't like cookies?

I saw a recipe for a cornflake choco chip cookie and then I remembered the recipe I saw for caramelized cornflakes for another cookie recipe. I put them together and tweaked a couple of things and the results were favorable...and delicious.

Carmelized Cornflakes 

adapted from Momofuku for 2

1 1/2 c cornflakes

6 tbsp milk powder

2 tbsp sugar

(almost) 1 tsp salt

7 (5 would have been better) tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 275 F. Lightly crush cornflakes with wooden spoon in a bowl/container (I did it in a tall plastic container). Mix together milk powder, sugar and salt in another bowl. Melt butter and pour over cornflakes. Toss evenly until cornflakes are coated and toss milk powder mixture with the cornflakes. Spread on baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

Let it cool completely before use*.

*I didn't... not really.

DISCLAIMER: Honestly, this is going to sound disgusting... but I was pretty tired from my day of work and when the cornflakes were done and I tried some, I would have been more than content to have just eaten the cornflakes like that as a dessert. Yeah. Gross. BUT DELICIOUS.

Also: I never used to think the Christina Tosi was that amazing - but mostly because I don't like hype. But any woman who loves the use of milk powder as much as she does deserves some sort of praise. She has certainly won me over - but she's probably used to that sort of thing... you know, fandom. OH. I'm excited for the upcoming cook book. So very excited. 

Cornflake Choco Chip Cookies 

adapted from Cook Republic

Approximately 9 tbsp (although next time I will use less) unsalted butter, chopped & softened

150 ml of caster sugar (also will use less next time because of caramelized cornflakes & added corn syrup)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup of flour, sifted

2 tbs milk (I upped the milk because the dough seemed a bit dry)

1 1/2 caramelized cornflakes

2/3 c of semi-sweet choco chips

1/4 cup of corn syrup (you could skip this... the syrup just made the cookie kinda chewy)

Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add flour a bit at a time, mix on low speed until well combined. Add milk. Stir in cornflakes and choco bits. Bake for about 10-12* minutes until light golden.

*I baked mine for about 11 minutes because I only had a small scoop and the cookies were pretty miniature. My first batch was burnt and so I adjusted the baking time. The edges gets all crispy and because mine were so small that the cookie wasn't that chewy. But chewy enough. I think.

Is there such a thing as fashion week overload?

Perhaps.

It doesn't actually stop me from being excited. I was excited about Paris Fashion week namely for Dries Van Noten. It was... okay. But then I saw the "Carven" link and I clicked on it. I never really paid attention or thought about Carven mostly because it's not really a brand I'm familiar with... until recenty. I was flipping through my Japanese magazine and they featured this beautiful Carven spread. Anyhow, back to the Paris Fashion Week offering by Carven:

via style.com

First it was the shoes with it's whimsical bow that caught my eye but then the outfits were easily just as cute. They're nothing new but the good ol' basics well-put together.

via style.com

According to Nicole Phelps the designer was going for "Bourgeois, but with a nasty side"... I'm not sure about that but Guillaume Henry (the designer) definitely borrowed from the boys to create these looks. Certainly not a new trick but works in his favor.

Bootie Lovin'

a. a.wang anabela platform high heel via shop bop

b. chie mihara's catame via ped shoes

c. l.a.m.b pilot wedge (more like a clog wedge but bootie-ish) via shop bop

d. coclico's ormonde via shop coclico

e. rachel comey's bugle boots via lambs ear shoes

By now, it must be obvious I have some sort of obsession with shoes --- I really do. If I'm not writing about them, I'm probably thinking about them or shopping for them. Or trying my existing collection on just for kicks.

But honestly, a good pair of shoes is definitely an investment. Have I ever told you about my aunt and her awesome collection of shoes? (Well yeah, I mean I talked about it that one time but honestly... I have to show you some of her other shoes... AMAZING). She's got these beautiful Celine stacked pumps that are to die for --- so very simple but so very classic. OKAY, back to my point --- shoes are investments and I'm just thinking of securing my shoe closet for the future :)

Wintry Expectations

a. Cacharel Double Feutre Dolman Coat

b. Built by Wendy Student Wool Floral Embroidered Crew (with scallop neckline! seriously)

c. See by Chloé Patchwork Sweater Pant (polka-dots? YES!)

d. Moustache socks at UO

e. Dino socks at UO

f. Ilse Jacobsen rain boot

I always looked forward to fall because it meant a new winter coat - something beautiful and made of wool, most likely. And yes, I live in Vancouver where it's raining about 80% of the time... but that's why there are umbrellas, right? And of course I'm not all whimsy and no practicality because I do understand the importance of a good pair (actually: essential) of rain boots. My hulking calves will not yield to Hunter's but I find there's a certain charm to the Ilse Jacobsen's boot anyway (or maybe that's my pride talking).

Obviously, you need thick socks that goes high enough when wearing rain boots. I can't explain the number of times I walked around peeved because my socks had somehow found its way half off my foot. And yeah, I buy dude socks that are way-too-big but very, very cute. Nothing wrong with that, right? I mean... how can anyone refuse socks with dinosaurs or mustaches on them? You tell me. 

And I know Hannah MacGibbon's says it's okay to dress from head to toe in cashmere/knit but perhaps I lack a certain delicateness to pull that kinda thing off. Sweater + sweater pants = okay. But throw on a sweater coat and we're just talking crazy.

Knit leggings are a Godsend in Vancouver - honestly. When it gets cold, it's downright chilly. I really like the patchwork on the See by Chloé's because it runs along the inner seam of the leg meaning there will be less piling (and c'mon, polka-dots...).

Too Good

Honestly. New(ish) music is so good.

Woe is Me

The Walkmen haven't sounded this good since Bows + Arrows.

Clutch Lust

No 6 Shoulder Bag via No 6 via Gretchen's Closet

There's something about clutches that I adore... maybe because I have a habit of carrying huge bags but I rarely have anything in them. The logic would be to downsize my bag, right?

TV OD

There's something ultimately soothing for my mind to watch way too much TV when my week has been way too long... needless to say, I've been ODing on TV (real and Internet-styles).

I just finished my marathon of Baker King (which I suggest you watch because it is beautiful and darling but also frustrating and angst-ridden) over the last 5 days. I swear, whenever I watch an abundance of Korean shows everything I hear sounds Korean.



I think I'm going to start watching Bored To Death. There's something ultimately endearing about Jason Schwartzman. Funny. I was just thinking about him in The Darjeeling Limited & the luggage in the movie. Marc Jacobs designed them and honestly.. what's not to love?

 Look, you can't go wrong with an animal motif. Honestly.

images via Purse Blog

Lamentation

I won't lie, I am exhausted and fell asleep like an old lady (namely my grandma, who perpetually does this... daily), sitting in my armchair, with the television on... So, I'm going to keep this one short.

 Life Lesson 1: If you love it, buy it or you'll regret it and write a blog post titled "Lamentation."

You know. Like those shoes by Chie Mihara. I still think about them and scold myself. Important lesson learned, no?

Corniness

As much as a beautiful shoe, a quirky print, or a buttery soft bag can complete my outfit and make my day --- a soup hits the spot when I've had a long week. Trust me. It has been a long week and I can't wait for a break.

As much as I wanted to make Sophie Dahl's Tom Kha, I lack the proper equipment (food processor) to do so. I managed to borrow my grandma's blender for soup making. There's something unsurpassed about making soup in the fall - especially when it's a simple one.

Toumorokoshi no kurīmusūpu (Japanese Corn Cream Soup)
Adapted from The Well-Seasoned Cook
3 ears of corn, shucked, de-cobbed (is that a word?)
1 tablespoon of unsalted porn butter
1 tablespoon of canola oil
(Roughly) 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup of water
3 stems (?) of green onions, white part only, chopped
1 small onion, diced (roughly)
1 small avocado, sliced
Salt, to taste


In a semi-large sauce pan, melt butter and add canola oil over medium-low heat. Add diced onions and the chopped green onions and cook on medium heat until translucent. Add corn. Cook until corn kernels have cooked through, salt to taste, add broth and water, simmer for a bit. Add mixture to blender and blend until well-blended. Taste mixture, add salt if needed.

Because I didn't have any milk or cream on hand, I added sliced avocados for creaminess.

Mad skills or Mad skillz.

The Mighty Colabs

Okay. Let me start off by saying that I know more than a few people (e.g., Susie Bubble and Nitrolicious) who have gushed about the shoe collaborations of SS11 at NYFW... but I'm comfortable enough to admit that I am equally smitten.

courtesy of style bubble

Suno x Loeffler Randall. *gush gush gush*.

Is anything really more beautiful, currently? No. This moment, my mind is filled with images of these shoes --- it's quite unhealthy, really. I admit it...

via style.com

I really like the whimsical nature of the mixed prints but I see these shoes are more or less the centerpiece of the whole outfit. Skinnies + white v-neck + Suno X Loeffler Randall platforms = <3

original images were from susie bubble

Chris Benz x Alejandro Ingelmo. Platforms are the way to my heart when it comes to shoes. They are the shoe equivalent of a pair of yellow silk pants. The Shoe Snob knows the story behind the collab, so I won't elaborate further cos, well, I just want to gawk like an awkward teenage boy.

images via imelda.com

Remember how I was gushing about the shoes at the Karen Walker SS 11 show? It dawned on me to just look it up and see if it's KW's or some sort of awesome collaboration. Lo and behold, another collaboration has taken place --- Karen Walker x Beau Coops.  Although this isn't their first shoe collab, it's definitely a 360 from what they made for Sass & Bide.

Also: I am strangely drawn to platform loafers --- is that weird?

I still blame Chie Mihara for all this shoe lust but what can I say? I love really like shoes.

The Tale of 2 Rebeccas

rebecca minkoff via style.com

Rebecca Minkoff showed her SS '11 collection at NYFW. Some of the outfits were a little uninspired but I have a soft spot for her quirky linings inside her bag (yeah... the lining) so I picked my top 3. Like I always say, I would not say no to yellow pants.

rebecca taylor via style.com

If I had to play favourites and you were to ask me which was my favourite Rebecca, I'd say R. Taylor. The woman does unfussy-feminine like no other. And front zips at the bottom of pants? C'mon. What's not to love?

Autumn Days

(The weather is cooler, so my mind is on cooking lately). I've seen Sophie Dahl's cookbook but there was something about it that didn't intrigue. But having seen the snippets of the 6-part series, it kinda makes me pay a little more attention to The Delicious Miss Dahl.

I know there's a lot of blah blah about how she's this and that and not this and that. I don't think it's necessary to discuss this here. So, let's just enjoy her charm and wit.  The woman is a poet (but whatdoya expect when her grand-dad is Roald Dahl?). 

"total over-kill, like walking into a bordello." -- in regards to adding too much rosewater.

Oh. And I was able to find the first episode on some streaming site.
(The show has a pretty good soundtrack. Seriously).

Rodarte v2.0

via style.com --- i really love the "see it move" option

After a fun-filled year of Target collab, Mac X Rodarte controversy (of the politically-incorrectness nature), the Mulleavys arrived at NYFW with an interesting collection.



Not to say I'm not a fan but collections of yesterseasons never really made my heart skip - they were too artsy and a little impractical for my needs. But this SS11 collection is something else. Interesting prints and sculptured pieces are still very obviously Rodarte in its nature but there is something more whole and coherent this time. I'm a fan, for sure.

Karen Walker, You've Outdone Yourself.

via style.com

Oh Karen Walker. You've redeemed* yourself with this collection. It makes me all giddy and happy about spring/summer. Uh. I know. It's autumn now... I should really think about jackets/coats right now.

I still haven't found printed pants I want to wear yet but seeing the SS11 collection keeps hope afloat.

*FW10 was... less than awesome. I'm sorry. 

via style.com

I would not say no to yellow silk pants. Or the shoes. Well. Really, any of the outfits. Just saying.

via style.com

(Speechless).
Oh, wait, no. Middle outfit is so pajama-y. Doesn't it remind you of that stylish grandma I was creeping on, on the bus?

For now, I will keep my eye out on Maximillia for the shoes featured in the 3rd picture above (and several other times on other models/outfits). They are absolutely adorable (or at least seemingly so from the pictures I've seen).

Andy, You're a Star

(like that Killers' song.)
(As in Andrew Rosen of Theory-fame).

via Style.com

There's minimalism done right and then there's "I'm-trying-too-hard-to-be-edgy-minimalism."

This is obviously the "done-right" kind.

Bag Envy

via my Japanese magazine

Okay, I Was Wrong.

Remember how I was hating on the so-very white spring/summer '11 collections? I was wrong. My sincerest apologies.

adam via style.com

How perfect are these outfits? Really.

I've always had a sort of secret crush on Adam Lippes. Can you blame me? And that 3rd picture right there is totally a throwback to his Oscar de la Renta days.

(EDIT: Haha. Controversy, controversy. Check out fashionista's take on Mr. Lippes middle outfit. I forgive him if it's on purpose. She's awesome and I'd copy her too.)

A Détacher via style.com

Mona Kowalska, you're my lady this spring/summer (so far). Everyone who knows me, knows that the way to my wallet is through print (and/or prints of animals). And there's also a sort of calm sensibility about Kowalska's design that it's simple but not without charm.

And is that a romper in the first picture? Yeah. I thought I pretty much gave up the romper once everyone and their mama (I'd say grandma but if people's grandmas were wearing rompers, I'd be in. Totally) were sporting it --- but look, I'm entitled to change my opinion... yes?

boo via style.com

See. I changed my opinion about the all-white ensembles. Look. Proof above. And I know I could've picked more summery outfits from the collection but the all gray look still appeals (I blame you, Scott Sternberg... again). And the middle outfit is pure tongue-in-cheek-whimsical. It's like wearing an umbrella as a shirt and another umbrella as a jacket (in the best possible way, mind you).

Sunday Feasts

via jme collection

I'm not the first to be enamored by the JME food collection - the packaging is adorable and simple. Hopefully one of the grocery stores will carry the line and I can buy some beautifully packaged sea salt and hot pepper jelly... because I can't justify $70 for shipping from the UK just to have a nicely decorated pantry.

I could use some fig jam too - to recreate that amazing baguette I had at Little Nest. Mmm.

(Yeah. I'm such a sucker for packaging).

Oh, you got me.

I saw more updated collections on style.com and I was about to stop checking out the spring/summer '11 collections because everyone is making super white, super boring clothes (albeit, very crisp looking). White is awesome but everything is just so... so... bland.

But then I saw the "Steven Alan" link and thought that the man never failed me before, maybe he won't now. He didn't. (Thank God).

via style.com

Seeing this collection makes me summer ready, all over again.

But until then, I can just obsess over fall/winter clothes instead.

via steven alan

Red capes are adorable. And a printed dress with birds on it?... sold & sold.

Rachel Comey, I forgive you.

via Style.com

I was filling out an application for school and I was talking about how your favourite designers will sometimes let you down with a bad collection. I almost feel that way about RC's SS11 but I reflected and she did a lot of minimalistic looks and that's the equivalent of hating on a white v-neck shirt. Cannot be done.

I guess she spoiled me last SS.

Look:

via Style.com

300 Dollar Pants

via shopbop

I've only bought $300 pants once. Pants. Not jeans. They were No.L.Ita and they were a pair of cropped, army green cargo pants. They were beautiful and ridiculous - but really, who pays $300 for pants? Well, I did. Later on, I told myself I would never again buy $300 pants (when my pants ripped - not from fatness). 

So. When I tried the J Brand Houlihan Cargo pants on at Aritzia, I told myself it was only for kicks. But they were beautiful and perfect. I've been thinking of them ever since and it has been almost a month now... 


You know what this means? It means I'm going to buy $300 pants again. 

(And yeah, I know. They've been talked about and coveted and bought by so many others before me. Certainly they have also been copied by the likes of Forever 21... So, maybe I won't buy $300 pants, maybe I will buy knockoffs of $300 pants).

Constantly Obsessing

via Blue Fly

I need to stop thinking about bags. Céline Bags. UGH!

This obsession with Phoebe Philo must end. Uh. I mean Céline accessories.

Right. Must focus on other things like:
-Baking the infamous "crack pie" from momofuku (from Bon Appétit - although it's already everywhere)
-While I'm at it, make the blueberry + cream cookies
-Yoga
-Running
-Bags. WAIT. No. Not bags.

The So Very Famous Tomato Sauce

If you read cooking blogs at all, I'm sure you know that most food bloggers are quite taken by the tomato-onion-butter-sauce. I don't know if I really need to talk about how wonderful it is - I think you need to make it and stuff your face.

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
(which I adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Marcela Hazan)
28 oz of whole peeled tomatoes from a can
14 oz of crushed tomatoes (left over from another cooking adventure the night before)
"5 tablespoons" of butter (I don't think I actually used 5, probably less)
1 medium onion, halved
6 packages of raw Plantation sugar
black pepper to taste

Place tomatoes (whole and crushed) into the pot, with halved onion and add about 1 table spoon of butter on medium heat. I like letting the butter melt and I stir it in with the spoon - I let it simmer on low-medium heat. Stirring every so often. I add 3 packages of sugar (stolen from Starbucks - found at my grandma's... cos I didn't steal it. Just saying) and stir some more, add another 1.5 table spoons of butter. Repeat about 20 minutes in (sugar and butter), cover and simmer until sauce has thickened. After, discard onion and mix with pasta.

I usually use penne or something spirally but I saw the Zita No 10 and thought it was awesome. No, I was wrong. It wasn't and the longness of the pasta didn't work well with the sauce. So I just took a pair of scissors and cut them into a shorter pasta.

Grandma Chic - for serious.

My grandma is a very fancy lady and she has really awesome style. Really. I'm not saying this because she's my favourite person but because she has enviable style. Case in point:

I was going to ask if I could "borrow" it (with no real intentions of ever really returning it). But she seems pretty used to the bag and you never ever come between a woman and her favourite bag. Ever. Also. She has been pretty terrible to it and it shows.

Anyway. I've been informed that my aunt and my grandma are ditching me and going away to Hong Kong. Perhaps as a souvenir and gift to make up for this vacation-betrayal, they'll buy me a new Céline bag to love (and not destroy). 

via celine

Summer + Food

zucchini with fresh ground pepper and chili flakes + scrambled eggs at home

Summer usually means that there are a lot of adventures with friends and most adventures involves food. This summer was a little less about adventures of that nature... but I managed to eat a lot of zucchini and drank a lot of soup. I also ate a delicious baguette. Mmm. 

prosciutto baguette with prosciutto, cambozola, fig jam and arugala from Little Nest

On a lunch break from work, I headed over to Little Nest. It fulfills my occasional baby-fever. The place is always packed with babies and toddlers. Needless to say, you really have to be in the mood for that. I got a whole wheat baguette with prosciutto, cambozola, fig jam & arugala. The picture does not do it any justice. It was deliciousness wrapped in wax paper and twine. (Also: very good value for how much I got. I ate it in 2 parts).

Long Weekends Means...

via built by wendy

Variable Artist Shirt in White and indigo-white stripes (from $171.00 now on sale $51.30)

Grid Camp Dress (from $226.00 now on sale $113.00)

Lots of people head to the States on the long weekend to find a deal. I'm not a great outlet-shopper, it makes me cringe to have to fight other people for goods. And generally, I'm disinterested in whatever's there (well. Okay, Kate Spade at one of the outlets in Vegas was pretty cute). Instead, I'm a shopping site lurker. Well. I do a lot of "window shopping" via the web.

I'm a creature of habit though and I never venture far from where I usually click. Built By Wendy is one of those places. A lot of times I can't justify $200 for a shirt but when the sale is near the end, it always gets really good (rule of thumb for any sale, actually).

Rachel Comey, stop making porn

(shoe porn, that is). 

I used to say that I didn't like shoes anymore than I like other articles of clothing/accessories. But you know, considering most posts are about shoes or allude to them, I won't insult your intelligence: I like shoes. Okay. I love shoes. There. I said it (although, I've admitted it before).

Rachel Comey and I are a team - a super team. She makes beautiful shoes and I buy 'em. I window-shopped my way through many-a-pair and found my favourites for FW10.

rc's barbaro via la garconne

RC had a version of the Penpal that was in black croc but the bootie was higher and I just found it a little too much for me. But when done in a shorter boot, it kind of tones down the bling. You know what I mean.

rc's beaufort clog via la garconne

Clogs are okay. But when RC does a clog, I can't help but feel it's allure. I'm so lame. (But c'mon, with the perfect wool socks, in grey, these would be perfect fall shoes!)

rc linden via le train bleu

 2 words: granny chic.
1 word: penniless. (Me).

rc mars via la garconne

Yeah. I have a thing for booties. Also: I can never say no to pebbled leather. Well. Almost never.

rc pompano via vagabond

Suede is never a good idea but... the heel really got me. Ugh.

rc sir barton via la garconne

I might not be willing to wear head to toe nude but I can definitely wear nude boots. They're muted in the most perfect way, no?

Argh! Chie Mihara!

So. My aunt has this one pair of old ladies, 70s loafer, stacked heel pumps. They're actually very beautiful and in excellent shape. I've been thinking of wearing them but first I must magically shrink my feet about 1/2 a size smaller. Right. That's completely possible.

Every once in a while, I think of these shoes and I think maybe my feet has gotten smaller somehow and I shove my big fat feet into them. No. They haven't gotten smaller. They fit but I'm sure if I actually wore them outside, my feet would swell up and explode. So, no thanks.

Wait. Am I just trying to gross you out with stories about my feet? Of course not... 

I was dreamily browsing the FW10 collection on Chie Mihara's website. And be still my heart (and yours), the perfect perfect shoe. (Yeah. 2 perfects, cos one wouldn't do the shoes any justice).

muma via chie mihara

Ugh. Unfortunately, it's one of a few shoes that doesn't really seem to have a date on when it'll be put onto the shopping portion of the website. But I managed to find them in a different colour but it's not the same. I need red-brown shoes. I never realized that but once I saw them, I knew that life was about red-brown loafer pumps. Seriously.

N.B.: The shoe is "Muma" and not "Liron."

Oh, so smitten!

via juliette hogan

There must be something about New Zealand because a lot of the designers who I absolutely adore are from there (e.g., Karen Walker, Arabella Ramsay). And now there's a new obsession: Juliette Hogan.

And I've been secretly obsessing over Juliette Hogan for months and months now. Ever since stumbling on her FW10 collection "So Pretty, It Hurts," all I can think of is where to find myself a grey silk, pleated skirt. I'm still obsessing.

Can you blame me? Check out her FW10 collection and tell me you're not a little smitten. Seriously.

Bundle Up!

Navajo Jacket by Wilfred Free via Aritzia
Foxy Tights by Tintoretta* via Anthropology 
& Close Up 
Slow & Steady Cardigan by Wendi Reed via Anthropology

*Tintoretta is a line that Hansel from Basel does for Anthropology

I actually had to wear a jacket today and real shoes because flats would've just been ruined by the rain. It was super chilly and I think it's really time to wear socks and bundle up (that's saying a lot because I rarely get cold enough to want to do that). 

The Wilfred Free Navajo jacket looks like a good layering item. In September, it's strangely summery in Vancouver - so having a sleeveless jacket is good for layering. But by October, it's probably going to be worn in place of a cardigan, under a coat. 

Come colder days, I am a sucker for knit goods. Socks with animals on them? YES, GIVE THEM TO ME! LET ME BUY IT! Cute cardigan with an animal motif? HAND IT OVER NOW! But joking aside, I will buy almost anything with an animal motif. Really. Seriously. Honestly.