Listening to: Dia Frampton - The Cave

Two Autumns ago, wandering around Youtube, I fell into Dia Frampton's beautiful voice. I'm in love with all piano music, and Dia's voice pairs perfectly with its beauty.

I first fell for her cover of The Cave, seen here. And then her Skinny Love cover, to which I drove home every day.

And now it's Autumn again, and I'm falling for her voice once more.

& Then I Moved Into an Apartment

The end of Summer has brought change. Change in location. Change in occupation. Change in clothes and hair and the list goes on. But I am here now. Here in my new apartment, which is really the size of a house, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and living room. And a storage closet in which I have flung all my cardboard boxes. 

I've brought my yellow and white chair from home. Books with bindings that are art. An updated and in-the-process wardrobe. A gold mirror covered in makeup boxes and perfume bottles. A simple bed side table with reading material. Cozy, calming blankets. Basic, linen hand towels. More books that I've carried throughout my adolescence. Bathroom accessories. A photo of my father reading Harry Potter to me on the beach, while I eat the rest of the tortilla chips. And napkins from my mother's kitchen drawers. 

I am here. And I will be here. The change will continue. And I will welcome it. 

Catching My Eye: September

How much more ready for autumn could I be? I've been staying inside drinking tea, packing for my move, and watching Pride and Prejudice - all while wrapped in sweaters and pajama pants. It's still seventy degrees outside, and today we had a thunder storm (something that's been happening more and more in Washington). I'm excited for orange leaves on the ground. I'm excited for a new apartment. I'm excited to start my new job. And I'm excited for fall fashion.





My picks for September are:
1. Marsha Swing Dress / 2. Bien Fait Sweatshirt / 3. Comtois Woodland Satchel / 4. Penfield Lucedale Puffy Vest

Happy Soon-To-Be-Autumn!

Music: Coeur de Pirate

Coeur de Pirate, check her out here.

I've spent all week listening to her. In the morning when I wake up slowly. As I'm washing dishes. On a bench in the park. While I'm drawing flowers. Thank you to Kyle for introducing me to her charm. 

Piano, singing in French - she's beautiful. 

Catching My Eye: August

Happy August / Last month of Summer! It's true. I'm ready for Autumn. Or, perhaps, ready to move to the city and experience a new life... which will come with the arrival of crisp air and school books. 
It's that time of year when I receive Boden and J.Crew catalogs boasting of new fall styles, making me ready to buy suede boots and wool hats. To top it off, it rained for the first time all Summer - a chilly rain, accompanied by wind rather than humidity. Fall is calling to me!
Although we haven't quite reached that apple cider time yet, some of my picks for this month are styles for the fall. Tunics - I'm loving tunics of all patterns and shapes. Paired with thick tights, boots, and a scarf... or, in our current weather, sandals and a cotton baseball cap (go Sox!). So until that time of orange leaves and red noses, I'll be enjoying the sunny weather that is headed our way next week!

1. Stripy Tunic / 2. Colorblock Wool Baseball Cap / 3. Black Boots / 4. Denim Shiftdress

Baking: Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

I am a chocolate girl. Hot chocolate in the cold. Mochas instead of plain coffee. Rich chocolate ice cream and chocolate croissants. So naturally, I appreciate a good chocolate torte. 

I've tried hard to make the perfect flourless cake. For my dad's birthday, I made one with fluffy peanut butter frosting. For Avery's birthday, I made one with far too much vanilla frosting. So it was about time I made a flourless cake without any frosting. Summer desserts call for fruits as a topping. 

This particular recipe tastes like a brownie and a torte mixed together... and in a 24cm pan, it didn't taste too thick! 

It takes less than 10 minutes to mix, and 25 minutes to bake. Perfect to bake in a late summer evening as the outside heat winds down. 

You'll need:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

First, melt and mix together the chocolate chips and the butter in a saucepan. 

Once they've melted together into a thin consistency, pour them into a mixing bowl. 

Mix in the sugar. 

Whisk in the eggs. 

Add in the cocoa powder until everything is blended together. 

Pour the mixture into a 8 or 9 inch pan.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Once it has cooked all the way through, set it out to cool. After it has cooled, feel free to sift powder sugar over the top, and add the freshest summer berries you've got. 

Printable: Recipe Cards

Recently, I've become ready for school to start up again - to move into a new apartment, learn to cook new foods with my friends, and buy fresh fruit and breads in the city. To embrace this mindset, I drew out these recipe cards, scanned them, and learned how to use the double sided feature on my printer! So exciting. Feel free to save them and print them out yourself!

Happy cooking!