I have to admit I haven’t been very inspired to cook lately because of the heat. I took full advantage of a few lazy days this past weekend and tried some new recipes to use some herbs from my garden. I’ve been craving seafood and have been waiting to try this grilled shrimp recipe for a while now. I am so glad I did, because honestly… I have never gotten high fives for something I’ve cooked before until this weekend. This may be one of the best shrimp appetizers I’ve had and I highly recommend you try it.

I also made this herb mustard glazed salmon yesterday and it was so delicious. The glaze adds a nice flavor and balances the fishy taste of the salmon. The recipe calls for broiling it, but I use my grill pan to get the nice grill lines without having the fish fall apart.

I’ve had kitchens on the brain lately. These are a few that I’m currently obsessing over on pinterest!

Have you checked out my facebook page recently? I’ve been posting project updates and photos from my weekend antiquing in New Hope.

I love this NY Time Magazine article including photos of children and their nannies. I was a nanny throughout high school and college and know how special the relationship is between children the nanny that cares for them. I still have a special relationship with the family I nannied for and go on vacation with them every year since they moved two states away from me. (I even got a text message recently asking for fashion advice, which now makes me feel so old!)

This sentence really stuck with me:
“Part of what’s striking about [these] pictures is that they position front and center a person who is often left on the editing-room floor when a family’s memories are being assembled. Nannies have told me that their employers crop them out of photographs of their children.”

I am so grateful that I had an experience with a family that loved me as a part of their own family, and taught me so much about how I will eventually raise my own. The article and these photos are so moving as they call attention how valuable this relationship is. :)

NY Times Magazine via A Cup of Jo

This weekend we had some friends over for a casual little garden party. I kept the food simple and made my go to shrimp scampi, a garden salad, and my sangria that always gets people silly. I set the table with a simple white linen table cloth, and made a runner out of burlap from the local craft store. I didn’t even sew it, I just got 3 yards of fabric and folded it length wise! (I asked the cashier if they had any coupons and got it for only $8!) I love the way the candles and flowers dress up a typically utilitarian fabric.

This two bedroom apartment is my most recent completed project in Chelsea. There is an electric energy in Manhattan with design and beauty constantly surrounding you. This space is a mix of neutral colors, geometric patterns, and contemporary art to create a calm and masculine space to escape the city below.