Emulation: Alexa Chung.

Some people know how to dress.  Alexa Chung is one of them.  All these photos make me want to go thrift store shopping for leopard print hats, old leather bags, military boots & grandpa sweaters.  She's also walking proof girls don't need to show a lot of skin to have appeal.  Bravo, Alexa.  (P.S.  Very last look is my favorite.  Must find black blazer and that leather bag!)

{images via studded hearts}

What Do You Think?

What do you guys think of the knee-highs for fall?  I really like them, actually, but it's not a look I'm itching to try.  To me they run a close resemblance to Cher's knee-highs in Clueless. 

 They're risky. Though it seems the key to pulling off this look depends on the spacing from your short/skirt to your knee-highs.  The closer they are, the better.  (Or am I just a prude?) I think the model below (the one with the suspenders) plays this look off safely.  

(too short)

(a little better...)

(safety!)

Anyway, what do you think?  I think I'd rather wear this:

{all photos via studdedhearts}

Happy Friday!

French Chic...

Deconstructing French Chic doesn't have to be difficult.  t think in order to pull off these looks you have to just be relaxed and comfortable.  That means no stress, ladies, or you'll get it all wrong.  (Stress makes your tight cigarette pants look wretched and too clingy.)  Stripes are another good idea, as are baskets. Also, it probably helps to be five foot ten and to have very long hair and a waif-like figure.  Plus the clothes below (and of course the bike:)

{inspiration via wit+delight}

Lastly, that camera better shoot only black & white.  Voila!  You're French.

Just The Chance.

{photo via hannah&landon}

Honestly, Athens.  Could you please cool off?  I don't ask for much, just the chance to wear a thick, wooly sweater.  And as October is practically over, I'd like not to have to turn my air conditioning on any longer.  Look at all the things we'll all get to do if you hit 50 degrees (or even 60!)... bundle up...go on picnics...have leaves in our hair... You need to make it happen!

{photo via http://dressdesigndecor}

{photo via http://dressdesigndecor}

{photo via hannah&landon}

The Full Potential.

Aah... James Perse... One time I found a sweater by you in a thrift store in perfect condition and it made my entire week.  You really seem to understand the full potential of the comfort of winter.  You make it as snuggly (but pretty) as can be.  If your cashmere wasn't upwards of 500 bucks I'd buy all your sweaters and wear them every single chilly day.  

***also, the giveaway winner from KiNGFLY is RedBrownBlonde!  Email me your address: twinyolks@gmail.com.  Thank you all for playing!***

Friday Giveaway! KiNG FLY! (Closed)

On the top of my Christmas list this year is a KiNGFLY handbag.  These bags are so pretty.  I love the creative style and all the gorgeous colors and fabrics.  Not only are they hip and chic, but they are all handmade leather.  (Handmade!! How many bags from J.Crew or Anthropologie can boast that?) 

In addition to these awesome bags (& bracelets & more...), Rachel Pepper of KiNGFLY has also launched a new line of necklaces, one of which is featured in today's giveaway!  A lucky winner will receive one of her fabulous fabric necklaces, which would look great with a t-shirt + jeans.  It's the perfect accessory to add some creative umph to your basic everyday look.

 

To enter to win, leave a comment on TwinYolks!  The winner will be chosen over the weekend.  Also, be sure to check out KiNGFLY's shop! And all the links below!  Good luck and happy weekend!

{KiNG Fly is participating in the following events:

http://chattycrafty.com/
http://www.athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com/

http://www.atelierathensbridal.com/ }

Website: www.KiNGFLYdesign.com
Blog: www.KiNGFLyer.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Athens-GA/KiNG-FLY/110490471951?ref=ts

etsy (will have items soon): http://www.etsy.com/shop/KiNGFLY

--

Down Home, Athens-Style.

You may or may not be aware, but Athens is a pretty hip town.  The people here have some sass, and it reflects their style quite nicely, I think.  Although it is sort of a collegiate style.  It is down home.  You are not going to see this girl walking around:

but you would see her:

and definitely her:

she's around...

i see her all the time...

but if you're looking for these girls... you'll find them in New York!

{all gorgeous photos via the sartorialist}

More Fashionable.

There is a special giveaway coming around the corner on TwinYolks, something to turn you into a more fashionable version of yourself and so it is in this spirit that I'm going to post some outfits I adore by Nadinoo, a UK based boutique filled with dreamy ensembles...

1. stinkin' cute cape:

2. unique print:

3. simple + comfy dress:

4. and this one too...

(Minus the green socks?) Happy Tuesday!

Autumn Apple.

Don't these Autumn Apple Doughnuts look amazing?  I think that they are what we all need to rev up the old engine on a Monday. In fact, if some student was walking around campus eating one, I'd try to snatch it out of their hands and run away with it.  Away being, of course, to the nearest coffee shop so that I could finish it off with a latte... These are the weird scenarios I find myself fantasizing about on Mondays.  Why is it they always arrive so quickly?

{recipe + photos via 3191 Miles Apart}

Autumn Apple Doughnuts
adapted from this NY Times recipe 


Ingredients
1-1/2 C all purpose flour + 1/2 C more for dusting 
1 C spelt flour 
1 t nutmeg 
1 t cinnamon 
1 t baking powder 
1/2 t baking soda 
pinch of salt 
1/2 C brown sugar 
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled 
1/4 C buttermilk 
1/4 C apple cider 
1 C unsweetened applesauce 
1 egg 
safflower oil for frying 


Methodology
Buttermilk, cider, applesauce and egg should be room temperature so set those out a few hours before you want to make your dough. 
When ready, take all dry ingredients, except sugar, and mix them together in a bowl; set that aside. In another bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter, buttermilk and cider. Add egg and applesauce and mix. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix with as few strokes as possible. 
Generously flour a work surface and work with one small chunk of dough (about 1/5) at a time. Flour both sides of the dough and gently pat it out to about 1/2 inch thick. The dough will be sticky; use your flour to help you along. With a floured doughnut cutter cut out doughnuts as close to each other as you can (you're going to set aside the scraps so be mindful that you want as little waste as possible). Place the doughnuts on parchment paper on cookie sheets and once the sheets are full put them in the refrigerator to chill. Depending on the size of your doughnuts you will get anywhere from a dozen to two dozen doughnuts in total.

Turn on your oil (about 2 inches of oil in a stock pot or cast iron skillet is what you're looking for) and gently bring it to 360–375º. If anything the temperature should be lower rather than higher. Take your time to get the oil to the correct temperature and once it's there you can proceed. Take note: the oil temperature will drop between batches so you will want to take time to bring it back up every now and again. 


Gently drop the chilled doughnuts into the hot oil a few at a time turning them over and frying them for anywhere from 2–3 minutes. They should brown slowly. When done use a spatula or little mesh strainer to bring them out of the oil and let them drain on paper towels. While hot roll them in a cinnamon and sugar mix or sprinkle with confectioners sugar (I actually eat mine plain). And as ever my recommendation is -- eat them while they are warm! 

Mushroom, To Be Exact.

We had a cool morning today.  In fact, you might even say it was chilly.  While it was not yet light out, John awoke and took Mable to the great outdoor bathroom. When he returned, he placed his hands on my face, and his fingertips were icy.  This surprised me.  Lately I have been fretful about the warmer temperatures.  I worry that the leaves will change colors  without the accompanying cool weather.  After school I drive home, looking at the tips of trees changing over to bright orange and wonder if I will ever get to wear a cardigan.

That's fall in the South, a big slow-poke about showing up.  Always late, making everyone check their calendars. Yet when it arrives, it does so in a blaze of glory, making the trees sing with flair. I know I am making this announcement a little bit early, but I think we should prepare ourselves for fall with some soup. When it does finally get here, we're all going to want to mark the moment, and soup is really the only way. Besides, it is high time that here, on this blog, we had a bowl of soup.  And then dessert.  But first soup.  Mushroom, to be exact.

{photo & recipe via foodandwine}

Wild Mushroom Soup with Parmesan Toasts

         Ingredients

1. 6 slices bread, cut from a long country or sourdough loaf
2. Extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4. Paprika
5. Wild Mushroom Ragout
6. 1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
7. 1 cup frozen baby peas
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 1 tablespoon snipped chives 
   

   Methodology

1.  Preheat the broiler. Lightly brush both sides of each slice of bread with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil for 1 minute, until toasted. Flip the bread, sprinkle with the Parmesan and a pinch of paprika and broil for 1 minute longer, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and toasted.
   
   2. Meanwhile, puree 1 cup of the mushroom ragout in a blender until smooth. Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan. Add the remaining mushroom ragout, the chicken stock and peas and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Season the soup with salt and pepper and transfer to shallow bowls. Garnish with the chives and serve with the Parmesan toasts
   
   
   And maybe some of these, too:

   Mushroom and Fontina Crostini

   
   {photo & recipe via foodandwine}

    Ingredients

   1. Four 1/2-inch-thick slices of peasant bread, halved diagonally
   2. 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
   3. 1 1/2 pounds white mushrooms
   4. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
   5. 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
   6. 1 large garlic clove, minced
   7. 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
   8. 3 tablespoons water
   9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
   10. 1/4 pound Fontina cheese, coarsely shredded (about 1 cup)
   11. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 

   Methodology

   1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Toast for 12 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Turn the broiler on.
   2. Meanwhile, thinly slice the mushrooms. In a large skillet, cook the butter over high heat until lightly browned, 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the mushrooms and cook undisturbed until the mushrooms are browned on the bottom, 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 10 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme, lower the heat to moderate and cook until the shallots are tender, 5 minutes. Add the water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then cook for 3 minutes longer. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
   3. Spoon the mushroom mixture on the toasts and sprinkle the cheese on top. Broil for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Transfer the crostini to a platter, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Tortillas Para Mi.

{a cool study, via ffffound}

Over the past week or so, I've completely resigned myself to not cooking at all.  That's midterms for you, and mine have dragged on and on, almost taking up three entire weeks.  All I eat are bland turkey sandwiches, and to make matters worse, I seem to have befriended the vending machine in the basement of the English building.  Last night I attempted to get creative with a salad but it was not a rewarding endeavor.  Let's just say that there was some spinach, grapefruit and...garbanzo beans.  Don't ask me how they got in there.  All my creative energy has been funneled into writing essays and the result leaves me with harebrained ideas in the kitchen.  It is time for a proper home-cooked meal... after I get to the grocery store, anyway.

What I should have done before midterms began was find MattBites, an online foodie blog, and read his column, "Anything Inside a Tortilla."  With the ideas he comes up with, the student fare food of tortillas actually looks kind of exciting.  Also, surprisingly, his ideas would have ended up producing me with breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert.  Here are a few of my favorites - you better believe I'm stocking them up in my recipe files for when finals arrive!

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Dessert: