Tuesday, January 11

LAZY BLAZEY

Well well well, it looks like Boyfriend's debut review yesterday on ke.KE was a hit! I'll be sure to have him try on something every time we go to J.Crew so that all you ladies shopping for men in your lives -- husbands, sons, nephews, brothers, whoever! -- can at least get some insight into how things fit. If any of you have review requests for either me or Boyfriend, just let me know and I'll do my best to oblige.

Also, you'll notice that the table is no longer in the pictures. We took down our Christmas tree this past weekend and moved the table back over. Our apartment seems so empty now.

Some days I just can't decide what to wear, so I'll just throw on a t-shirt, jeans, and a blazer and call it a day. Like way back when over here. And this day!

paris tee, urban outfitters
blazer, j.crew outlet
jeans, gap
leopard flats, steve madden
duchess stone ring, j.crew
monocle necklace, gift



And this has absolutely nothing to do with clothes, but I need to brag -- I have finally successfully pan-fried a steak. And it was delicious. You see, I've been wanting to make a perfect pan-fried steak ever since I saw That One Eccentric Aunt in Twister cook some up for the gang before they went out chasing wind funnels. Yes, after watching a 90s disaster flick about barn-ripping, cow tossing, and bad-guy-impaling F5 tornadoes, all I got of it was, "I really want to make a pan-fried steak."

My first attempt last year proved disastrous. I managed to smoke out the entire apartment and set off the fire alarm. Not to mention that I overcooked the steaks so much that it tasted like a shoe coated in volcanic ash. Yum. But yesterday's was perfectly medium rare and tender as a block of room temperature butter. Bliss.

So my question to you is, have any of you recently mastered cooking something that was a disaster the first time around?

26 comments:

  1. First: you look so casual chic in this outfit!

    Second: I don't cook. At all. If I master ANYTHING, it will be a miracle. (Although to be fair, I have made calzones and shake 'n bake chicken before.)

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  2. Sometimes jeans and a blazer make the best outfits! You look so urban!

    And it wasn't a disaster the first time around, but I have finally mastered Pad Thai!

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  3. I did the opposite. I made a shrimp pasta dish on Sunday and overcooked the shrimp to make them into little baby pieces. One of these days I'll cook seafood at the proper temperature.

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  4. i tried to make churros once in college (having never fried anything in oil in my life) and almost burned my apartment down and they ended up looking like dog poop.

    You look casual chic!

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  5. Very cute and cozy. Love the flats. You never cease to amaze me daily Amy!

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  6. my house also fills with smoke whenever i try to pan fry steaks--I usually end up tossing it in the oven as a last resort. They usually taste fine, but I hate cleaning up afterwards:(

    Other than that...the only thing I can think of is that I always used to cut myself slicing fruit when I was younger (I know, gross) and I no longer worry about that as I've developed my "knife-wielding" skills (in the not-creepy sense).

    I agree, cute outfit!

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  7. Hurray for a successful pan fried steak!

    May I ask what you used to fry your steak last year? Different oils have different smoking points. Maybe you already know that, so I'll shut up now.

    Anyway, there is something about a blazer that instantly lifts jeans and tee out of the jeans and tee category. It just somehow dresses up anything.

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  8. violinista -- Glad to know I'm not the only one! I've found that cooking the steaks with just a little bit of olive oil on high heat to get a sear and then low heat to cook it through works better than high heat all the way, haha!

    Tien -- Haha, I only learned about the different smoking points of different oils last year, so you're not too far off! I actually used vegetable oil last year and olive oil this year, which is weird because I thought olive oil smokes at a lower heat than vegetable oil does?

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  9. awesome - my husband makes the best pan-fried steak!! yummm. your look is so casual chic!

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  10. You look so cute and comfortable today! I made lemon meringue pie once and it was runny and a disaster. I have thought about trying it again and figuring out what I did wrong perhaps I will have to give it another go!

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  11. Great tee! I don't go into UO enough!

    I've recently mastered popcorn on the stovetop! Seriously. I've figured out the right amt of oil and kernels for my pot and now can successfully pop almost every kernel. I was notorious for popping it too long and burning/ruining a pot or two. Now I feel all impt. when I make a batch and offer to do it several times/week! I love popcorn!

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  12. You make casual look good girl! Love that blazer on you! I feel your pain on the whole Christmas decor coming down thing...my family room looked pathetic after I packed everything away! Way to go on the steak...I would love to master that. I haven't mastered anything recently, but I can make some really yummy biscuits from scratch...they're soo good and perfect (that doesn't sound conceited at all...huh?) =)

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  13. yay for steaks! you should start a food how-to series...and risotto has been the hardest for me to master but it is so worth it!

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  14. i love your blazer ~ it's so cute. when fashion block strikes, there's nothing better than a super cute pair of flats and a blazer w/jeans. ;)

    i tried making twice baked potatoes once which was a trainwreck. everything fell apart, potatoes everywhere, so it ended up being twice baked mashed potatoes. ha! ~ susan

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  15. I love this look and the tee is a Patina tee for sure. Anything Parisian attracts me like a bear to honey. I love the texture of your jacket and the jewelry you chose.

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  16. I love this look! I adore how a T and a blazer with jeans looks so effortlessly chic! :)

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  17. your tee and blazer combination is perfect!

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  18. throwing on a blazer is an easy way to make a t-shirt and jeans look pulled together and adorable! I love it Amy :) (oh, and a pair of shoes from your ultra-cute shoe collection doesn't hurt either!)

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  19. I really love this look with the blazer and graphic tee. I might try that. :)

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  20. The tee is super duper cute. I have fallen *out* of favor with beans. I used to slow cook them to a salty sweetness. My past few batches have not been soft, as though I neglected to soak them the night before. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. Anyway, I will rejoice when I get it right again.

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  21. I have those lazy days too. A LOT. But hey, you look great no matter what you wear!
    I once baked a cake and the instructions were to leave it baking in the oven for 1 hour. 40mins into the baking, i smelt something burning. Yep, it was the cake! D'oh i should have checked the cake regularly! I had to do it again immediate after, as i was meant to bring it to someone's dinner that night! The second attempt turned out much better :-)

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  22. Whenever I cook, it generally turns out awful...baking's alright, but cooking is a no-go. D:
    Snazzy blazer; I like how it pulls the whole outfit together. :D

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  23. I love this look!

    Re: steaks, I used to screw them up by not getting a good sear on them.

    I realized I have to pat them BONE DRY before they'll get a sear, and not move them until they lift off the pan.

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  24. i love the blazer - makes me want one!

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  25. awwwww what a cute outfit :)
    and our apt seems so empty now too!! i miss that tree... congrats on the cooking success! i used to be terrible at baking and have definitely improved in the last year... yay! not helpful for the waistline though :(

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  26. I LOVE the tee paired with the blazer!

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