Feeling Nautical

I'm stuck at work, on a conference call... Wishing I was at the beach! A few nautical-inspired touches:

Can you believe this is a chair?!?! I LOVE it. From Anthropologie

Lanterns from Pottery Barn

Some fun prints... Wish I knew where to buy.

I would wear this dress year-round - also from Anthropologie

ON SALE - Pottery Barn

Might need this for our living room wall!

From shopbop

Perrier Perfection!

I can't keep my hands off of Perrier's newest flavor: Pamplemousse Rose, better known in the US as grapefruit. It's delicious, and calorie-free... I prefer to save my liquid calories for smoothies and cocktails!

An Undying Conundrum...

Things wind down at work, whether at five or at nine... I never know. Then, DUN DUN DUN (insert ominous music here) - It's time to call the boyfriend. Inevitably, the age-old question is posed, "What do you want to do for dinner?". I'm lucky, and I know. We both love to cook, and I am never solely responsible for deciding if we are going out, staying in, meeting for happy hour, or just figuring it out later.

Some days, though, I have an idea. Yesterday was one of those days. I came across a recipe, and knew I wanted to try it. (Thank you, orangette.blogspot.com!) I stopped by Whole Foods on my way home, poured a glass of wine, and got started. It was simple, delicious, and a little different - Egg and Tomato Gratin. It paired perfectly with a spinach salad, tossed with fresh strawberries and blueberries from a local farm, and my favorite olive oil/red wine vinegar/splash of lemon juice/cracked pepper/sea salt/pinch of sugar dressing, and crusty garlic bread.

Egg and Tomato Gratin

Adapted from The Splendid Table Weeknight Kitchen, which in turn excerpted from Jacques Pépin Fast Food My Way

• 6 large eggs, preferably organic and free-range
• 2 Tbs good olive oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tsp chopped garlic
• ¾ tsp dried thyme leaves
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped and juices reserved
• 2/3 cup grated gruyère (or other good-quality Swiss-style) cheese - I actually used a block of Jarlsberg and grated

1. Place the eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer, and let cook for exactly nine minutes. Immediately (and carefully) pour the hot water out of saucepan and run cold water over the eggs. Transfer the eggs to a bowl filled with ice water and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until thoroughly cooled. Peel the eggs, and cut each of them into four wedges. Arrange the wedges in a 6-cup-capacity gratin dish or baking dish.

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions, and sauté for about two minutes; then add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the tomatoes and their juice, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 4 minutes.

3. Pour the onion and tomato mixture over the eggs in the gratin dish and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 10 minutes; then turn on the broiler and broil the gratin 3 or 4 inches from the heat source for 2 or 3 minutes, just to brown the top. Serve.

Says serves four, but we ate the whole thing!

Unique Jewelry Obsession: MagpieCollections

I've been relatively obsessed with Etsy since I purchsed my first print quite some time ago. My latest favorite finds have both been from MagpieCollections; I couldn't decide which piece to buy, so I got them both! I'm glad that I did... I enjoy handmade, unique jewelry and it seems that those are the ones everyone comments on when I wear them. I would much rather support the artisan community and have something memorable and different as opposed to the major chains, many of which I find to be overpriced for the quality.

This "Green Beatrice" necklace, aside from being my favorite color - green - was hard to pass up. At $32, it is well-made and the asymmetrical position of the rose is eye-catching. The necklace is made of semi precious jade white beads,l ight green acrylic rose cabochon set on copper filigree, antique copper chain, and is connected by lobster clasp.I wore it for the first time yesterday and it is one of those pieces that gets noticed, both by the wearer (most important to me) and well as the observer.

My other MagpieCollections purchase:

Welcome home!

As the introductory post of Southern*Chic, I'll take the opportunity to send everyone a big hello and hug (well... a virtual one at least). I plan on using this as an outlet for all things I find inspiring - whether a delicious recipe, a wine I have loved, a pillow I've spotted, or a great book. I love to love and to be inspired!

I find that a lot of blogs and sites are dedicated to metropolitan cities, mostly up north. The south, whether the beach or the mountains, is FULL of muse and places yet to be discovered (and we're pretty friendly).

Welcome home!