Sunday Supper - Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

For lunch I've been craving a chicken salad sandwich and found this great recipe that uses avocado instead of mayo. Note - the picture does not do this sammie justice. It was delicious but does not look so hot on a paper plate at work. Also it's a lot prettier on some rustic sour dough slices but I used those half bun things that make everything look like play-doh. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

1. In a medium bowl combine 2 shredded, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 celery stalks finely chopped, 1 large shallot finely chopped, and 1 avocado diced small.

2. Using an immersion blender combine 2 avocados, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 scallion, and a handful of mint and parsley. Season with 2 lemons, salt and pepper.

3. Add 1 cup of the avocado dressing to the bowl with the chicken. Mix well. Top your favorite sandwich bread. Use leftover dressing for salads or as a sauce for chicken or fish.

Sunday Supper - Snack Edition : Buttered Snap Peas and Carrots

Lately I feel like a lot of my snacking has been nuts or crackers. To up my veggie intake I decided to use a side dish as my snack.

1. Steam 1 package baby carrots with 1 package snap peas. Cook until tender. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.

2. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh chives.

Sunday Supper - Breakfast Edition : Sweetened Yogurt with Fruit

I decided to make my own fruit topping for yogurt, which, according to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, saves 10 grams of sugar per serving. 

1. I tossed together 5 apricots cut into wedges with 5 cups sliced and pitted cherries. I added a handful of chopped fresh mint, 1 tablespoon sugar, half a pound of shelled pistachios and 1 teaspoon vanilla. I stirred everything together and let sit so the fruit would release their juices. 

2. Top 1 cup greek yogurt with fruit mixture for a delicious breakfast. 

Adventures in Baking - Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

As everyone knows I'm not the biggest baker so lately I've been practicing to get better. I made these cookies for a bake sale at work and they came out pretty well. Here's how to make them:

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon baking soda. In another bowl beat 1 cup peanut butter, 4 tbs unsalted butter, 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.

2. Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to wet ingredients and beat until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients stirring until just combined. Stir in 8 oz of semisweet chocolate cut into chunks.

3. Drop dough by the tablespoon, spacing the cookies one inch apart on two baking sheets. Bake until golden for 13 to 15 minutes.

Beauty Blabber - Thakoon for NARS

Inspired by Thakoon Panichgul's Spring 2012 line, Thakoon created a line of gorgeous bright nail colors for NARS. Both his clothes and colors were inspired by India. The collection combines two hot summer trends : brights and pastels. The bright turquoise will look great on toes with a tan and summer sandals and we all know I love a coral.

Weekly Obsession - DVF Flats

I just bought my first pair of DVF shoes and I am loving them. This past Spring she came out with cute patterned flats and I scooped up the above polka dotted pair. (Bought them off DVF Day on Gilt so I got a super great deal on them too - Bonus!) The designer known for her iconic patterned wrap dresses geniusly applied her skills to ballet flats and life made sense again. Other cute styles of the Abby Flat include an orange scallop pattern and little white birds on a sky blue background. Comfy and adorable - why didn't I buy them all?