GOLDEN DREAMLAND: September 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Scent of the Month

This month's scent is Giorgio Armani's Si. Described as 'a tribute to modern femininity, an irresistible combination of grace, strength, and independent spirit. A modern chypre reinvented, Si opens with deep blackcurrant nectar that softly recedes to airy florals. A base of musky blond wood adds lightness while grounding the fragrance for a lingering, distinctive trail.'

Clockwise from top left: coat, sunglasses, sweater, pants, purse, heels, scent, necklace, earrings

Song of the Week

Beck - The Golden Age

Monday, September 29, 2014

Crazy About: California Sweatshirts

clockwise from top left: dodgers, big sur, wildcats, CA love, giants, sol angeles, tahoe, venice beach, the city

Friday, September 26, 2014

Film Night in the Park

Tomorrow night brings this year's Film Night in the Park in San Francisco to a close, wrapping up with American Hustle in Dolores park. Grab some wine, a picnic and some cozy blankets, and watch out for people selling 'special' brownies. The film begins at dusk (around 7). Bonus points for dressing the part or bringing the party...

More info on their site here.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Recipe: Mexican Pinto Beans

Making beans is surprisingly easy and very satisfying... This is a great recipe to make to make on a Sunday to have beans for the whole week - they are delicious as a side or as a base for tacos, huevos rancheros, burritos, or a soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb of dry pinto beans
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Poblano pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt to taste
4 sprigs of cilantro, separated from the stems and roughly chopped (optional)

10-14 hours before you are ready to cook the beans (either the night or the morning before), place them in a bowl or pot and cover them in water, filling it so that there are 1-2 inches of liquid above the beans.

Once you are ready to cook the beans, you can strain them out of the water into a sieve, rinse them, then put them back into a pot and add the diced onion, pepper, and garlic, and stir well.

Fill the pot with water until the beans are just covered, and add the pot's lid so it leaves about half an inch gap to allow steam out. Put the pot over low to medium heat until the water begins to simmer, then turn the burner to the lowest heat that will keep the water bubbling

Keep a close eye on the beans, stirring every few minutes and adding water if they are no longer covered. After about an hour, check the tenderness of the beans - depending on how long they soaked, it should take one to two hours on the stove to cook fully.

Once they are chewy and soft, add salt to taste and allow the water to cook down so that they aren't too soupy. Remove from heat and garnish with the cilantro if desired.

Note: These can be eaten right away, refrigerated for about a week, or frozen for a couple of months or so - they can easily be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Halloween Decor

The countdown is on to Halloween!

Here are some of our favorite decorations to get in the spooky spirit.

Clockwise from top left: bloody handprints, wreath, mad scientist beakers, goblet,

snake skeleton plates,vintage patent leather chair, lit pumpkins, skeleton tablecloth,

antique ledger, mummy window cling, griffin gargoyle, dragon drink dispenser, skull, zombie

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Milan Fashion Week Recap

Gucci

Alberta Ferretti

Max Mara

Emporio Armani

Fendi

Prada

Missoni

Tod's

Versace

Bottega Veneta

Giorgio Armani

Emilio Pucci

Salvatore Ferragamo

Dolce & Gabbana

Song of the Week

Wild Light - California On My Mind

Monday, September 22, 2014

Crazy About: Blanket Wraps

We love love LOVE Burberry's monogrammed blanket wraps. Such a chic way to keep warm.

Although Cara's and Rosie's are our favorites, we've gathered some other versions as well.

Clockwise from top left: black with burgundy stripe, cream, geometric, black & grey knit, navy & red,

grey stripe, camel red & black plaid, black with grey stripe, camel

Friday, September 19, 2014

Can't Wait For: Alexander Wang for H&M

There are so many high-low designer collaborations these days, it's hard to know when to get excited for them and when to pass them up - Altuzarra for Target, anyone? Often, the attempts at translating high fashion to affordable prices fail, with many pieces looking cheap and of poor quality. But we think the Alexander Wang line for H&M might actually be worth shopping - the man knows how to cut a t-shirt and when to keep pieces simple, and already frequently works with cotton and jersey fabrics, as well as solids and minimal embellishments. Sadly these designs aren't the cheapest collaboration around, but if these photographs of the upcoming collection are any indication, we are excited to shop when the line comes out on November 6th.

Images via Alexander Wang's Instagram

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Foodie Favorite: The Lamb Burger at Cafe Chez Marie

We love this French Moroccan bistro, its back patio is so quaint, you feel like you're in some tiny European village. As you are aware, we LOVE burgers. Love. So of course when we saw a lamb burger on the menu were were intrigued. Seasoned with Ras El Hanout and topped with aioli, harissa and lettuce on a brioche bun, we were not disappointed. Served with a side salad, we felt less guilty than if it were accompanied with pommes frites.

Their full menu is available on their site (Edith Piaf songs start playing when you visit the homepage, be forewarned...).