Beauty Blabber - Soap & Glory

At 24 Marcia Kilgore opened the famous Bliss Spa in NY. In 2006 she launched Soap & Glory, her amazing line of bath, beauty and body products in the U.K. Earlier this year I noticed Sephora started selling the line and I fell in love.

Every product I've tried thus far has been really amazing. The packaging is adorable with cute "punny" names and a classic and super feminine pin up girl look. Everything is really affordable and smells great too.

Some favorites I've tried include:

1. Calm One, Calm All Bubble Bath - This bubble bath is moisturizing, soothing and smells great with a mixture of fruit, floral and musky fragrances. I was kind of worried I'd end up smelling like a 13 year old girl because of all the pink but was pleasantly surprised. PS - It retails for $14.

2. Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - I am obsessed with moisturizing and always looking for a good foot cream, preferably one that tingles after a long run, and this one passes with flying colors.

3. Flake Away Body Polish - This scrub uses shea butter, sugar and peach seed powder to smooth your skin without feeling like you just took a layer off.

Adventures in Baking - Monster Cookies

The cookie is guaranteed to make you feel like a kid during Halloween again. One part oatmeal, one part peanut butter and one part chocolate chip - it is the Frankenstein of cookies. Plus it's also dotted with everyone's favorite candy - M&Ms. I only used yellow, orange and brown ones to be festive!

1. Cream 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter with 1 1/2 cups of both light brown sugar and granulated sugar.

2. Add 5 eggs, 1/4 tsp light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract and 2 cups creamy peanut butter. No one hates corn syrup more than me but don't leave out - it's integral for the cookie's structure.

3. Add the dry ingredients (1/2 cup flour, 1 tbs baking soda, pinch of salt and 5 3/4 cups rolled oats) in three batches until incorporated.

4. Fold in 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1 cup M&Ms.

5. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Adventures in Baking - Peanut Butter with Milk Chocolate Cookies

1. Cream 2 sticks unsalted butter with 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup dark brown sugar.

2. Add 2 large eggs and 1 cup creamy peanut butter.

3. Mix in dry ingredients - 1 3/4 cup flour, 2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt.

4. Fold in 6 oz good milk chocolate, coarsely chopped. (I know it may be tempting to replace the milk chocolate with semisweet or dark but the peanut butter will bring out the bitterness. Stick with the milk which pairs perfectly with peanut butter - ahem Reeses.)

5. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

6. Preheat oven to 375 and bake cookies for 12 minutes.

Weekly Obsession - Gilded Lace by Monika Knutsson

This new collection of lace jewelry by Monika Knutsson is beyond gorgeous. Knutsson searches flea markets for vintage lace from petticoats, corset covers and bloomers. She hand-stitches together her findings into the desired shapes and dips them into sterling silver or 24k gold. The collection is an homage to the skilled lace makers of the past. I am particularly taken with the statement necklace Tallulah, named after the early Broadway star Tallulah Bankhead.

Check the collection out at www.gildedlace.com.

Adventures in Baking - Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

1. Temper 16 oz dark chocolate (60-72%) coarsely chopped with 10 tablespoons unsalted butter. Set aside to cool.

2. Beat 6 eggs with 1 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup light brown sugar. Add the tempered chocolate and sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla.

3. Slowly incorporate 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

4. Fold in 2 cups chocolate chips and 1 cup dried cherries. The dough will look very loose. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

5. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Sunday Supper - BLT Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

After a week of soups I was dying for some protein so I added some chicken to this salad and cut the amount of bacon and croutons the recipe called for. It came out great.

1. Preheat oven to 375. Bake 5 slices of bacon until crispy and crumble after cooled.

2. Cut half a loaf of crusty bread into bite size pieces. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk, 3 tablespoons mayo, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and one sliced scallion. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Combine bacon, croutons, chicken and dressing with lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

Adventures in Baking - Shortbread Cookies

I've been sick at home all weekend and going a little stir crazy so I decided to make some cookies.  I got this recipe from my Baked - New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. (The book I used for my delicious chocolate chip cookies from last week.) The recipe is for Milionaire's Shortbread, which is basically a fancy twix bar with shortbread covered in a layer of caramel and chocolate. I decided the shortbread had enough sugar and butter in it for me!

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and prepare the bottom and sides of a baking pan. (The recipe calls for buttering but I prefer to use high heat spray on canola oil.)

2. Cream 1/2 cup sugar and 2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter.

3. Add 1 large slightly beaten egg yolk and 2 cups all purpose flour.

4. Gently work the dough until it fits the bottom of the baking pan. Prick with a fork and bake for 22 minutes, until golden brown. 

(Note - I sprinkled the top with a little sea salt, which led to delicious results.)

Sunday Super - Broccoli-Spinach Soup with Avocado Toasts

No cream required. Tahini and an immersion blender adds buttery flavor and silky texture without the fat. Sliced avocado and lemon with sprouts rounds out the soup to make a balanced meal.

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan. Add one leek thinly sliced and cook until tender.

2. Add 4 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add 1 bunch broccoli chopped and cook until bright green.

3. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons tahini, 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan and 6 oz baby spinach. Stir until combined.

4. Season with salt and pepper and puree soup with immersion blender until smooth.

5. Serve with two pieces of rustic bread topped with avocado slices, lemon and sprouts.

Check it Out - Latest Article on My Sister!

A little shameless sisterly promotion:
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Yes she is that amazing in real life - and so is her house!

Adventures in Baking - Chocolate Chip Cookies

I recently bought Baked - New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Rebati Poliafito. I decided to start with something on the easier side and tried their classic chocolate chip cookies. Lewis and Poliafito encourage their reader to pay special attention to the quality of their ingredients to produce amazing cookies.

1. Cream 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup packed dark brown sugar. Add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla.

2. Incorporate dry ingredients - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking soda.  Fold in 16 oz semisweet chocolate chips.

3. Cover the bowl tightly and put in fridge to cool for at least 3 hours.

4. Bake at 375 for 12 to 14 minutes.

Where to Eat - Farina Pizza

I was super excited to try Farina's new pizza spot in the Mission. I'm a huge fan of their homemade pasta. It had only been open for a couple days and I think once some kinks get ironed out it will be a great spot. The pizza was great and I loved the style but both our pies could have used about 5 more minutes in the oven.

We started with the thinly sliced wild salmon marinated with juniper berries, lemon and oil. It was delicious. The simplicity of the dish was surprising and the quality of the the fish and ingredients elevated it.

Our first pizza was the Bufalina which included San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, romano cheese, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil. Although underdone the pizza's fresh ingredients had a lot of promise. I especially loved the pools of olive oil floating on top of the cheese.

The other pizza we had was the Diavola made of San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, romano cheese, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and spicy salame. This pizza was really great. I loved what a difference in flavor such tiny variations could create. I am really excited to give them some time and go back but I'll probably ask for it well done.

Where to Eat - Tataki

Tataki is one of my favorite sushi places in the city. I love their innovative roles, fresh fish and efforts in sustainability. On every table there is a pamphlet outlining the best and worst fish to eat in order to protect the diversity of our oceans. They also have a killer happy hour.

I took Andrew here for his birthday celebration dinner - so be prepared for the absurd amount of food we ordered. We started with the above garlic edamame. To be honest I wouldn't get this again. This is the only thing I haven't liked here. The roasted garlic was overdone and had a bitter burnt taste to it. Also not helping was an abundance of fish sauce that gave off a sour taste. With so many great options this was a disappointing choice.

As Andrew and I usually celebrate with all that is fried we ordered the crab croquettes. These panko breaded crab cakes are drizzled with a sweet sauce - maybe plum - and dotted with their delicious spicy aioli. Usually I am totally bored by overdone spicy aiolis but this one is really done right. They were not incredibly special but were filling and had a comfort food feeling. I would not be excited to get these again with all the great options available.

Tataki's fried calamari is delicious. It is always perfectly cooked, not over breaded, and served with that spicy aioli I raved about above. PS - It's on the Happy Hour discounted menu. 

The baked mussels are my favorite starter at Tataki. The large mussels are baked after being smothered in a spicy sauce. They are filling but aren't breaded or fried, which is more in line with what I like to eat.

The star dish here is without a doubt their namesake. I always order the tataki deluxe when I dine here. This includes a selection of all the five tataki specials - twenty pieces of seared fish with dipping sauces. 

My favorite varies with time to time so I always get the deluxe so I can have them all. The katsuo is seared skipjack tuna sprinkled with sliced scallions and accompanied by a sweet mustard sauce. The lwana is arctic char and capers over sliced cucumbers with a yuzu citrus sauce. The bincho is seared albacore tuna with garlic sauce. The hotate is seared Hokkaido scallops with rice crackers, lemon zest and a mixture of masago and citrus aioli.  The kurodai us seared black sea bream with avocado, jalopeno and masago with a jalopeno-ponzu sauce. All are delicious but my current top three must haves are the lwana, hotate and kurodai. 

We finished up with one of my favorite rolls - the pacific sunrise. It has four varieties of fish wrapped in cucumber topped with ponzu sauce, microgreens and masago. I love this roll but another favorite is the golden state. This roll has spicy scallop, minced apple, seared albacore tuna, avocado and yuzo tobiko. 

Weekly Obsession - Kate Spade Peter Pan Necklaces

Is there anything cuter than Peter Pan Collars? How about a necklace that gives you one on anything you wear? Yes, please! I am obsessed with these cute collars. They make every look a little sweeter and the ingenuity of a detachable one kind of blows my mind. Imagine the above over a simple black dress. Instantly adorable. Thanks Kate Spade!