Pomegranate vinaigrette

Yummm....this is the perfect dressing for this time of year. I'm going to make this for one of our holiday meals.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

3 tbsp pomegranate juice

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Shake-up at French Vogue

A bit of shocking news hit the fashion world last weekend when Carine Roitfeld, editor of French Vogue, announced that she'll be stepping down from her post in January after 10 years at the helm.

Rumors are that French Vogue will bump up Emmanuelle Alt, Fashion Director for the magazine, to the top spot, but that's just speculation at this point.

No matter how this shakes out, it's a big moment in fashion, but a bigger one for Roitfeld who remains undecided about her next move. She was once asked in an interview with New York Magazine what she thought of American fashion editors. Her answer was quite blunt:

"The American editors are very, how you say, slick. Very perfect. Hair is perfect, they have a manicure. They are very clean, they follow fashion. I don't think they take many risks. They do the total look of Prada. Me, I wear a lot of Japanese piece mixed with a bit of classic Hermes and Prada. Even thought jeans suit me, I never wear jeans."

I think there's a lot of truth to what she says about Americans with respect to how we dress. Looking less put-together is tougher to pull off here, or shall I say, less appreciated, than it is in Paris.

To each their own, right? Good luck to Carine. I'm sure her next move will be an interesting one.

Holiday gift tags

Last year I was really good about getting festive holiday wrapping paper and tags for my loved ones' gifts. I have no idea why I was obsessively focused on gift decor, especially given that I worked six weekends straight, right up through Christmas Eve morning. I didn't have time to shop for Christmas gifts, nor give much thought to what to buy online. But tags -- that was top of mind. So strange!

Well, this year some things feel like deja vu all over again.

I've worked several weekends this December and may be at work on Christmas Eve yet again.

Tags, on the other hand, never crossed my mind. Until now. I just spotted Ana Bond's holiday gift tags -- they're absolutely adorable!

Just in the nick of time....

Anna Wintour at work

Doing 'her thing.'

(via chacunsamethode)

Casual in the city

Too bad snow's on the ground right now so this outfit is totally out of the question. But when next fall comes around, these pants would be perfect.

(via ERICHCANVOGUE)

Zip it up in style

Since I mysteriously misplaced my laptop case I've borrowed my husband's, or I've wrapped it in a sweater and shoved it in my bag, hoping it doesn't get knocked around too much on my Metro ride home.

Lazy, I know. It's high time to buy a new case.

Too bad Celine doesn't make one in my price range.

(via goodmorningnyc)

Kitchen design

Another cool option if I were ever to remodel our kitchen. I like this look -- simple, with the dark, rough wood against all of the white.

(via That Kind Of Woman)

The perfect Christmas wreath

We bought a lovely traditional wreath last weekend at Bancroft Elementary, hung it on our front door and adorned it with a pretty red and gold bow. It makes me smile every time I walk up the steps to our house after a long day at work.

As much as I like ours', I must admit, Saipua's version is by far, my favorite. The dark berries are the perfect touch.

Old timey

I spotted these photos on A Continuous Lean and was smitten.

(Photos courtesy of the Detroit Publishing Company)

Mario Batali's grocery store

When I was in NYC a few weeks ago, we just so happened to stumble upon Mario Batali's "Italian food hall" called Eataly. I've remarked here before about how much I'd love for Batali's concept to make a second home in D.C.

Everything you've ever associated with Italy -- meat, cheese, pasta, bread, wine -- they have in this 36,500 sq. ft. space, and they have it in abundance. There are dining counters and there are sit-down restaurants, so if you want to just pop in for a glass of wine and some charcuterie, they've got it. If you want a 3-course Italian dinner, there's ample opportunity for that as well.

It's Italy the American way -- choices, choices, choices. And with all of those choices one can feel overwhelmed (I did), but I was also wowed at the concept and reminded yet again, that only NYC pulls off stuff like this.

Back to Japan

If I'm ever lucky enough to have a second chance to go back to Japan, this will be my first stop -- Gora Kadan, a traditional Japanese ryokan one hour outside of Tokyo." It made Sophia Coppola's list of favorite hotels...so it must be great because she's so effortlessly cool.

Sophia Coppola at work

The director of one of my favorite films, Lost in Translation, gives an interview to Nowness after her upcoming film Somewhere. She looks cool and stylish as ever on set.

Christmas trees at Bancroft Elementary

Good news neighbors -- Bancroft Elementary School's Christmas tree sale is returning to Mt. Pleasant this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 4pm. All proceeds will directly benefit the school, so if you're looking for a tree or just need something simple like a wreath, please consider making a trip to Bancroft while you're out and about running errands.

(via The 42)

Winter reading

Thanks to a recommendation from some friends, I picked up Born to Run and consequently learned more about the human foot than I ever needed to know. Think your running injuries can be cured with pills, yoga or better footwear? -- think again (according to the author at least). It's the shoes that are to blame. An intriguing thought for sure, but I don't think folks are going to put down their Nikes just yet, especially if you live in an urban concrete jungle.

After consuming so much information about running and podiatry, it was high time for something completely different. Thanks to Kramerbooks -- D.C.'s best independent bookstore (IMO) -- I picked up one of their monthly favorites, Look Me In The Eyes: My Life With Asperger's, by John Robison, Augusten Burroughs' brother.

I tore through it.

It's the story of a man's struggle living with Asperger's and his efforts to understand how and why he was always considered "different" from everyone else.

It was both a dark comedy and one of the more painful, but poignant memoirs I've ever read. Go get it.

Pasta with speck & baby peas

It's not exactly what I'd think of when dreaming up a winter dish but that's exactly why I crave it --- it's something different. A little bit of spring, a little bit of summer, a little bit of fall. Feel free to swap the speck for bacon or prosciutto. And maybe throw in a little parmesan to the pecorino, if you'd like.

Happy cooking.

PS: If you can't read the recipe image above, just click on the link below.

(via What Katie Ate)