Broccoli Mushroom Quiche

I think fall is definitely in the air because I have been baking and cooking up a storm.  In the last two days we've made two quiches, baked potato chips, strawberry rhubarb crisp, chocolate covered cherries, mini ice cream pies, and two shrubs.  And I have all the makings for a rhubarb pie, but it seemed unwise to have a rhubarb pie and a strawberry rhubarb crisp in the house at the same time.  Anyway, quiche.  I don't know at what point I started liking quiche.  Not that I remember particularly disliking them.  We used to serve quiche at a cafe I worked at a few years ago and I always loved getting to take home the ones that were "expired" after my shift.  I think I made a quiche last fall, but I have a feeling the amount of quiches eaten this fall will increase exponentially.

What you'll need:
1 9-inch pie shell
About 1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli
1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 tsp pepper
1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

While you're whipping everything together, preheat your oven to 375°. Make your pie crust and get it all ready to receive the goods.  Then, in a mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, butter, flour, salt, pepper and 1 cup cheese and whisk until everything is well blended.  Spread the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese over the bottom of the crust.  On top of the cheese, layer your broccoli and mushrooms.  Now, pour milk and egg mixture over everything.  Stick it in the oven and bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Makes about 4-6 servings.

I also made a broccoli potato quiche just about the same way.  Instead of mushrooms I did some diced potato that I'd sauteed for a few minutes.  Super yum.  Play around!  Throw in random stuff and see what happens!  Necessity is the mother of invention.

The Remix Archives // Boho Maxi + the DD

When I got this dress in the mail I was full swing in my excitement of discovering maxi dresses, so much so that I styled it three different ways within a few days. Maybe it was just because maxi dresses were so new to me.  You can definitely style them in a ton of ways, though!  This dress from Spotted Moth in particular was fun to style because it was super versatile. I wore it once normally, once with it underneath a top, and once with the sleeve folded under as more of a tube dress (which you can't really see because it's under my huge pashmina). You could definitely wear it as a long skirt too. An elastic waist makes it easy to change things up.

I absolutely adore how Starr, Julie, and Tieka styled this dress as well!

Lavender Mint Infused Olive Oil

Lately I've been really loving using natural oils as moisturizers and have been using olive oil primarily.  I got a bunch of lavender and mint from a friend's garden and thought it was probably possible to infuse olive oil with herbs and such, so I looked it up and you can!  I used lavender and mint leaves, but you can use other herbs too.  I bet rosemary would be nice!  Anyway, here's how I infused my olive oil with lavender and mint:

What you'll need:
Mason jar & lid (or some kind of sealing jar)
Olive oil
lavender/mint/whatever herbs you'd like to infuse
A mesh filter
A container you want to keep the oil in when you're done.


If your lavender is fresh and still on the branches, remove the little flowers and let them air dry for an hour or two.  Pour the lavender in the jar.  Take your mint leaves and bruise them up a bit so they start releasing their fragrance.  You'll want the jar to be mostly filled with your herbs and then pour the olive oil over the herbs.  My jar was a bit too big so I had quite a bit of space in the jar without herbs, but I've heard that you want there to be as little empty space in the jar as possible, as this reduces the chances of oxidization and increases the shelf life of the oil. 
Cover the jar with the lid and put it in a dark cool place to let it infuse.  Keep it out of sunlight, as exposure to sunlight increases the chances of your oil spoiling.  You'll want to leave it there for about a week to allow the herbs to infuse into the oil.

After you've let the oil infuse for a week, strain the oil through a sieve to filter out all the leaves.  Press down on the leaves to get all the oil out of the leftover leaves.  Now you can transfer your oil to a new container!  If the scent isn't as strong as you'd like, you can always give it a second round of infusing. 
I like using olive oil on my skin after a shower, and sometimes I run a tiny bit through my hair (and for the dudes, you can use it on your beard!  Dan really likes using it in his beard, haha!).  You can also put it in your hair to condition it, here's a great link on how to condition your hair with olive oil.
Do you guys use olive oil as a beauty product?  Have any special tips or tricks you've learned?  Share it in the comments!

The Paraders Vintage Collection

One of my previous sponsors is embarking on a new, exciting endeavor!  Rachel, from The Paraders, has designed a collection of vintage style dresses with modern sizing.

Even if you find the most amazing dress in the right size, chances are that the proportions are quite different. Women have been cinching, tying and altering their bodies throughout history to create these extreme silhouettes that just aren’t realistic today...the evolution of the common measurements of a modern woman’s body are quite different from the insanely skinny waists of the 1950s or the flat chests of the 1920s., so it really makes wearing vintage difficult.
My goal with the first Paraders original collection as well as with each collection following, is to take the best elements of vintage clothing in each era, and create new garments inspired by these examples, but with a modern sizing structure. For this collection, we're offering sizes Small, Medium, and Large, with the plan to add smaller and larger sizes in future collections. 

It's a beautiful collection of fun, pretty dresses, and she's almost reached her kickstarter goal!  They've got about a week left to make their goal, so if you want to have a chance to get your hands on one of these beautiful pieces, make sure to head over to her kickstarter page and pledge your support!  

These Boots Are Made For Walking

I wore this dress to a wedding on Saturday.  It was a beautiful wedding outdoors on a pretty little grange, and a floral dress seemed like just the thing.  I pulled out my favorite tooled leather purse that I've had for years.  It's falling apart, though, so I don't wear it anymore, except for special occasions.  Turns out, I opened it up and found the receipt for our wedding application from last September!  What a coincidence!  It's fun to remember this time last year when I was just newly engaged and so excited to plan my own wedding.  It's cool to see our friends getting married and experiencing the same excitement.


dress/courtesy of modcloth :: boots/courtesy of lulu's :: shades/vintage necklace/courtesy of poppy & fern :: purse/vintage
I've been getting lessons in patience this summer.  I'm a pretty spontaneous person, and when I want something, I'll go right for it.  But lately I've been forced to go the slow and careful route, and have had to give things up that I really wanted... and wait.  Wait for a better opportunity, a more responsible opportunity.  I think some of my spontaneity comes from fear that if I don't act *right then* I'll lose whatever it is that I want.  This doesn't really matter that much when it comes to buying a prom dress, or renting an apartment, since those things are short term and temporary.  But I'm learning that when it comes to big things, waiting is often more responsible.  Trusting that if it's the right thing, then it'll happen, rather than forcing something that will end up being irresponsible in the long run.  I don't know if I'm the most patient person, but I'm learning to take a huge breath, let go and trust that it's all a part of the big picture.