Pictures from Santa Fe

by

Cafe Pasqual's

You all were such a huge help to me in planning my trip to Santa Fe!  We had the best time and ate some delicious food.  Here are a few of our pix.

We stayed at the Hotel St. Francis where whitewashed walls are covered in religious iconography.  Our little room was in the corner of the Jesus hallway. We definitely felt like we were being watched when we came in at night!  The beds are fluffy and fresh with beautiful linens and a little dove pillow.  Heaven!

Don’t you love the blue window trim? And the light!  The best part of Santa Fe.

A happy husband.

A blue lady enchilada with mole and the best tomatillo salsa in the world, at Pasqual’s.

Counter Culture Cafe is famous for their cinnamon rolls, but they’re only available on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  If they are better than Counter Culture’s cinnamon sour cream coffee cake than they are too good for me.

Did I tell you we also went to Sedona? Here’s the view of Cathedral Rock from our balcony.  We conquered that beast a few hours later.

The best part of our trip was that two days in my beautiful niece, Ruby Serafina, was born in San Francisco.  To say I’m in love is the understatement of the century.  I can’t stop looking at photos and watching a video of her in which she fights off sleep, breaths her little baby breaths, and then wakes herself up with a baby cough.  Oscar-worthy.

I’m on my way to meet her now.  Do you think she’ll like her new ballet slippers?

Any other first-time aunties out there?  Are you as obsessed as I am?

xxSarah

Happy April

by

Blossom Tree

 

Trees in bloom, spring produce and the chance to finally wear some our your favorite skirts. Happy April indeed.

 

xo,
Lydia

Picking Pajamas

by

via

Ladies, I have a question for you.  What do you wear to sleep?

I’m mostly an undies girl or else I pick a cute chemise (I love eberjay‘s soft cotton).  But now I’m looking for something I can actually wear out into the living room without pulling on a huge fuzzy robe.

So, what do you like?  Do you prefer menswear pajamas or yoga pants?  Or do you just grab a robe when it’s time for breakfast?

xx Sarah

Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer

by

Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer

How UNBELIEVABLE are these pieces by my high school classmate Jaclyn Mayer? Jaclyn started her own jewelry line in 2004 and eventually started collaborating with the artist Orly Genger.

“Melding fashion and experimental art, collaborative jewelry line Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer translates Genger’s large-scale rope installations into twisted statement jewelry.” –New York Magazine

Here are some of my favorites the Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This stunning jewelry is sold at Sacks, Shopbop and in many hip boutiques. While OGJM have already collaborated with huge designers (like Lela Rose and Whit), the newest collaboration is with J. Crew! Sneak peek of Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer for J. Crew…

 

Nautical prep art color pop statement pieces. An all in one. Investing in this jewelry is buying a wearable piece of art (or that is what I keep telling Drew as I try to decide which ones to “invest” in.) Go Jaclyn!

 

swoon away,

Lydia

 

A & O Recipe Index

by
Braised cabbage with goat cheese

Braised cabbage with goat cheese

Hi, friends!  We’re thrilled to announce our official Recipe Index.  Organized by category, it includes all of our original recipes and those we’ve loved and linked to.  The permalink lives just to the left so you can always find your favorite A & O recipe.  Take a peek and let us know how you like it!  We’re ga-ga over the minty fresh color.

Lemonade spaghetti Squash Salad

Spaghetti Squash, Farro, cranberry and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Lemonade in LA catered a dinner for students at my apartment last night and the menu included these three vegetable salads.

Sweet potato and pistachio salad

Roasted sweet potato and pistachio nuts with Pistachio Vinaigrette

Gorgeous, right?  They’re just begging to be recipe-ized.

xx Sarah

How To: Antipasti Platter

by

How to arrange a FAB antipasti platter in 3 easy-ish steps…

AntiPasti Platter

Step One: Go to the store and buy good quality Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella balls, assorted charcuterie (I like salami and prosciutto),small tomatoes, marinated vegetables, fresh basil and marinated olives. Oh and a good loaf of bread and some crackers or flat bread.

Step Two: Make these secret weapon slow roasted tomatoes. Slice the mozzarella and sprinkle with salt. Crumble the Parmesan into big chunks.

Step Three: Arrange all the ingredients on a big platter in sections, garnish with fresh basil and serve with sliced bread and crackers,

 

I could just eat this for dinner actually.

xo,
Lydia

 

A&O To Go

by

Hi Friends! Thanks for all you lovely comments of support for the new design of our site. We are still basking in the glow of our spring look. It’s like finding the perfect pair of jeans that are comfortable, flattering and make all your tops feel fresh.

 

Responsive Web Design

Have you checked out A&O on you tablets and smart phones yet? The genius team at Creative B’stro designed the new site in Responsive Design so you get a smooth user experience on any and all of your technology.

 

Fancy right?

 

xo,

Lydia

Tapas Party by La Femme Epicure & Smitten on Paper

by

Don’t you love to see how other people entertain? When the newest edition to our chef team, the darling Sarah Simms of La Femme Epicure, told me she was hosting a tapas party with her friend from Smitten on Paper, I had the voyeuristic urge to be a fly on the wall for the evening. White Wine Sangria with local fruit! A selection of 8 homemade tapas + dessert! Stylish paper goods in cool fonts! Oh my.

Sarah Simms Dinner Party
via
via
via
via

Well my wish has come true, all the pictures from what must have been a magical evening are up here! Don’t miss Sarah’s expert advice for how to plan a tres chic dinner party of any size or theme on your own. All photos taken by RW Simms & Paige Johnson.

Salud,

Lydia

How To Bake a Potato

by

via

A nasty little stomach bug knocked me down this past week and now that I’m up and eating again, the only food I can stomach is a crispy baked potato.  I top it with a blend of olive oil and greek yogurt then sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and lots of chives.  It’s my come-back-to-life meal.

Steakhouse Baked Potato

Makes 1

1 russet potato

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Scrub the potato under cold running water to remove any dirt.  Pierce several times with a fork or knife. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt all over.  This extra step guarantees a crispy skin.

When your oven reaches temperature, place your potato directly on the rack. No foil needed! Bake until the skin is crispy and the insides soft and fluffy, about 1 hour 25 minutes.  Top as desire.

If you love a baked potato, check out this great party idea.

Tell me, what’s your favorite get better food?

xx Sarah

Emerson Fry Spring Look

by

via

We first spotted Emerson Made when she premiered the beautiful, witty linens seen here.  Then Lydia used her rosettes as groomsmen boutonnieres for her wedding.

Well now Emerson Made is Emerson Fry and her collections just keep getting better.

via

Her camel & black toe patch slingback is hands down the best shoe I’ve seen in a while.  How perfect are they?

via

 

But if I’m pinching pennies for a purchase, her tie waist dress might get more wear than the 4-inch heels.  Which do you prefer– orange or green?

Or maybe I’ll just force myself to hobble through the day…

What’s your favorite piece in the collection?

xx Sarah

1 … 15 16 17 18 19 … 67