Military inspired vest + dress

I recently bought this dress from H&M and it is my new favorite piece in my closet (not to mention a great deal) . I've had a love for lightweight, long sleeved dresses for a while now. They're a good transition piece for summer to fall, and I think one of the ways to perfect the look is with a military style vest. The military green color is a good autumn hue, and it's perfect for those cooler autumn days that are right around the corner. 

I haven't found a vest yet, but it's at the top of my fall wardrobe list. Any suggestions?

Crab Bake

This past weekend, my friends and I went to a crab bake just outside of D.C. It was a little out of my comfort zone, because the only crab I'd ever eaten was in the form of crab cakes, so I was a little intimidated when I sat down in front of a pile of crab and had to use a wooden mallet and my fingers to dig out the meat. It was all you can eat style, and although I cracked open at least a dozen of those sea critters, I think I the amount of crab I consumed only amounted to one full crab -- it was a tricky job, but a good time with a bunch of friends! 

 

Sharp Objects

I, like many others girls throughout the past year, read the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I'm typically a fan of thrillers, especially the ones that end every chapter with the realization that you're not moving from your couch for the next couple of hours because you have to turn to the next page. Such was the case with Gone Girl, but with Flynn's other book, Sharp Objects, the thrill just wasn't there.

However, the nightmares definitely were. I've never read a book that would affect my dreams so often. The plots reads as a typical suspense novel with a little bit of horror wrapped in: Journalist girl in a big city returns home to her small town to cover the murder of two little girls, but somehow gets wrapped up in solving the mystery and learning a few not-too-pleasant details about her family and childhood.

The ending was mostly predictable and I grew to hate the main character, as well as strongly question the sanity of Flynn herself (as if I didn't already from reading Gone Girl). All in all, I'd recommend Gone Girl any day, but Sharp Objects was definitely subpar.

Have any of you read this book?

Throwback denim

Yesterday my good friend Alex texted me a screenshot of a jumpsuit she'd recently purchased online, asking my thoughts on the piece. I loved it, and then she proceeded to tell me she's thinking about buying overalls too. I can remember Carrie Bradshaw donning dungarees in more than one episode of Sex and the City, but she never exactly styled them to my liking. 

I would probably pair it with a white tee and a statement necklace, but I also really like how the girl below wears a gingham button down underneath. Asos has a few options that I really like, such as this pair and this one as well. 

Would you wear overalls this fall? 

Carrabba's Chicken Bryan

One of the things that I miss most about home since moving away is my favorite restaurant, Carrabba's. It's a chain restaurant, but there is not a close location in relation to where I live, so last weekend I took to looking up the recipe of one of my favorite dishes, Chicken Bryan, and attempting to replicate it.

I was a little nervous that it wouldn't taste anything like Carrabba's, but was surprised at the outcome-- almost an exact replica (all that was missing were the garlic mashed potatoes!). It's a simple recipe to follow, and doesn't take too many ingredients.

Any Carrabba's fans out there?

Carrabba's Chicken Bryan recipe (Makes enough for four people) 

- 2/3 tablespoon minced garlic

- 2/3 tablespoon minced yellow onion

- 1 1/3 tablespoons butter

- 1/3 cup dry white wine

- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

- 1/2 cup cold butter, sliced

- 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

- 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/3 teaspoon white pepper

- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

- 2/3 to taste extra virgin olive oil, for brushing

- 1/3 teaspoon salt

- 1/3 teaspoon black pepper

- 5 1/3 ounces caprino goat cheese or 5 1/3 ounces other goat cheese, room temperature

Saute garlic and onion in 1 1/3T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender. Stir wine and lemon juice into skillet, increase heat to medium high, and simmer to reduce by half. Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time. Stir in tomatoes, basil, kosher salt, and white pepper; remove from heat; set aside. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill chicken over hot coals 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through (I grilled them on my stovetop, as I don't have a grill). A couple of minutes before chicken is done, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast Spoon prepared sun-dried tomato sauce over chicken.