Cookbooks That You'll Actually Use

One of my most commonly asked questions is for recommendations on cookbooks that I frequently use.  Most of the time I don't use recipes, but whenever I'm feeling the need for a little inspiration in the kitchen, or I want to turn out a stellar special occasion meal I'll turn to the following cookbooks below.

All three of the cookbooks above have been so influential in culminating my love for cooking true Italian foods.

Ina is my spirit animal.  I'm being 100% honest when I say that I want to be her!  Her latest cookbook, Cooking For Jeffrey is so great.  I forced Adam to go with me to hear her speak at her book signing last year when she was in my area :)  Healthy in a Hurry is also a great source of inspiration for quick weeknight meals.

I feel like The Skinnytaste is such a no brainer, but whenever I bring it up in conversation to people, they most often have never heard of it!  There's so many wonderful low calorie + low fat recipes in here that actually taste unbelievable.  This cookbook is far superior to her newer cookbook in my opinion.

My brother gifted this to me over 10 years ago, and it has been one of my most beloved cookbooks to date!  This is the bible for anything baking related.  

I couldn't leave out cookbooks for the littles.  I don't really source many recipes from these books any longer since Isla is out of the learning to eat stage, however when she was younger these cookbooks had so many great ideas for flavor combinations, and different ways to introduce spices in a really tasty + healthy way!  I'll be holding onto these for when we have another baby.

Pasta Night is a Williams-Sonoma cookbook series, and contains some really great recipes for quick pasta meals.  The Elements Of Pizza has some wonderful (harder to make) pizzas for more experienced home chefs and the basic dough recipe is fantastic!

Lastly, this is the newest cookbook that I've added to my collection (I just bought it last week).  Tuscan cuisine is my absolute favorite, and I'm really excited to try this out as it has amazing reviews!

And in case you were ever wondering what cookbooks Queen Ina loves, here's a list of what she recommends.  I took this screenshot off of her blog years ago and recently found it in a file on my computer.  Annnnndddd now I'm off to purchase all of them 😉

Shop These Cookbooks:

Life Lately

Hi there!  I hope that you all have been well, and had a beautiful Thanksgiving with your family & loved ones.  I thought I'd check in and share what I've been up to lately via a few photos on the camera roll of my phone.

Lets get started!

^^  We took a short trip up to NYC, and had so much fun strolling the streets of Soho with Isla.  Every experience is so much better now that she's in our lives!  Wearing:  Splendid PJ's {25% off here}  //   On Isla: Old Navy Onesie {on sale for $11 here}

^^  Family selfie time!  My hat: Target {here}  //  Isla's hat: Old Navy {here}

^^  Walking through picturesque Central Park with this little bear {who was livid that Adam had just put her back down into her stroller for this photo! ahhh memories lol!}  I had to purchase a new coat for this trip since none of my old coats would zip over my chest....perks of breastfeeding ha!  Wearing:  Ralph Lauren coat {on sale! here}  //  New Balance sneakers {exact ones here}  //  On Isla: Gap fleece {our fave for cold weather! here}  //  Bugaboo stroller {here}

^^  Red cup season!  Nail color:  Gelish Princess Tiara

^^  We always stay at the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho.  I absolutely love the eclectic decor, the location is perfect, and they have the BEST hamburgers which we always order from room service.  I definitely recommend this hotel if you're looking for a luxury boutique hotel in the city.

^^  In other news...we're building a house!  It's still very early phase 1 of planning, and we haven't broken ground yet, but I'm having a lot of fun working with our interior designer and architect in creating the layout of the space.  I LOVE Spanish style homes, and Adam really gravitates toward modern architecture, so it's going to be a bit of a challenge to fuse both of our tastes together.  Stay tuned!

^^  What boot dreams are basically made of :)  //  Givenchy boots {here}

^^  I still wear my Isabella Oliver maternity dresses even though I'm almost back to my pre pregnancy size.  They really are designed to be a forever dress!  Wearing:  Isabella Oliver dress {here}  //  Citizens of Humanity denim jacket, old {similar here}  //  Prada wedges {a few sizes still available & on sale here}  

^^  I'm on a bow kick with Isla lately, and love these handmade bows from Splendid Bow Shop. 

^^  Thanking my lucky stars that this little girl chose us.

^^  I was so obsessed with the scent of this seasonal multi-surface cleaner, that I purchased the dish soap as well.  It smells so good - like pine trees, mixed with vanilla and spices.  I find myself spraying it on our counters just so I can smell it lol!  You can purchase it at Whole Foods or Target.

^^  A little leopard + leg roll.  She's starting to develop those yummy baby rolls everywhere :)

^^  Basically what I wish for every day!  Wearing:  Wildfox tee {here}  //  Paige Denim {so comfy & on sale! here}  //  Isabel Marant booties {30% off here}  //  Chanel handbag  //  Ray-Ban sunglasses {on sale here}

^^  We're currently in the middle of celebrating Hanukkah, and this is my current table setting this year.  I picked up some festive plates that I hope to pass down to Isla one day.  Star of David dinnerware collection can be found here.

^^  I'm currently reading The Girl From Krakow.  I really enjoy WWII era books, and this one is addicting!  It started out a little on the slower side, but now I can't put it down.

^^  'Tis the season for holiday baking!  I bought the cutest loaf pan {found here} to make this ginger spice bread. 

I have so many posts that are sitting half finished, just waiting to be completed and published, but this has really proved to be quite the challenge since Isla still doesn't like to nap during the day and demands my attention!  I'm really hoping that eventually I'll be able to get back to posting more regularly, but until then I wanted to thank you all for your readership and for sticking with the sporadic post schedule.

Happy Holidays! xx

Recently Over On Insta....

Hello, Friday!  I am SO happy to see your arrival!  Since Adam works such long hours during the week, it's pretty much just me + the pups over here, but weekends I get him all to myself {and that makes me a very happy girl!}.  We have a couple of fun weekend errands that I'm pretty excited about; a visit to Pottery Barn kids for a little nursery planning, lunch at one of my all time favie restaurants in Miami + a trip to a very special store to order this mama to be a push present!  It's going to be a good one, friends!

Today I wanted to share a few images that I've snapped & shared over on my instagram account lately {andy_adler}.  I've also included a few links to what I'm wearing in the images & info on where you can purchase in case you see something that ya like ;)

Shopping for baby clothes earlier this week @ Zara.  They have the CUTEST baby clothing!

Best view in the house!  Wearing the most comfortable maternity dress which is made to be worn before, during & after pregnancy...basically a forever dress {found here} //  fun gold gladiator sandals {available here & here}

Simple white tulips in a simple white pitcher made for a gorgeous display on my coffee table.  {pitcher available here}

Casual & comfy.  Wearing an over sized button down {found here} //  basic long gray tank {here} //  Paige Denim jeans worn with a belly band {found here} //  seriously affordable sandals {here}

Pink lippies + stripes.  Striped tee {only $10! currently sold out but click here to be added to the waitlist} //  necklace is old from Zara //  lips are a combo of {this lipstick, color 'Spanish Pink'} topped with {this gloss, color 'Candy Shimmer'}

New wedges for summer!  The nude colored ones have been on serious repeat - hoping that my feet don't get too swollen and I can continue to rock them well into my third trimester :)  {here & here}

Kindaaaa obsessed with stripes lately, although Adam said I look like "Where's Waldo" in this sweater haha!  Sweater from A Pea In The Pod, but I couldn't find it online {I bought one size up to wear off the shoulder}.

Staying hydrated with lots of lemon, cucumber & mint in my water.  In love with these adorable sandals {around $20! here} and I've received so many compliments on them :)

New throw pillows gave my living room an instant refresh!  Pillows found here & here.

Sporting a fresh pedicure {OPI 'Sorry I'm Fizzy Today' looks amaaazing with a tan!} and wearing: over sized button down {here} //  distressed denim shorts worn with the hair tie trick {found here} //  Valentino sandals {here}

Yesterdays mixed denim + stripes look.  Wearing a distressed denim button down {available here} //  striped long tank {here} //  Paige Denim maternity jeans {on sale here, non maternity version here} //  Isabel Marant sandals {here}





I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!  Thanks for stopping by. xx

Recently Over On Insta...

Hi there!  Today's post is just a few pics that I've snapped & posted over on Instagram lately.....ya know, the usual stuff; food, flowers, ootd's, and my first bump shot ;)  I also included a few links to the items that I'm wearing in case you see something you likey.  xx

I just love spring flowers - especially tulips.

Wearing: The cutest tee shirt dress from Forever 21 {currently sold out, but click here to be added to the wait list} //  Isabel Marant sandals {available here} //  Sofia Al Asfoor Shield Bag //  Also, please excuse the super sexy maternity jeans hanging off my dresser in the background.  I picked up a few pairs from A Pea In The Pod because they were on major sale online and I knew I'd be needing them soon {although I must admit that they are so comfy I may or may not be wearing them now lol!}

Craving fruit daily!  Here with a bit of low-fat cottage cheese, and a small amount of honey.  Full post is coming soon on my daily eats recently.

I also can't get enough of this smoothie - kale, spinach, pineapple, mango, and coconut water.  SO yummy!

More spring flowers, and yes, it's definitely been shorts weather over here!  Wearing: Chanel espadrilles //  Joe's Jeans cutoffs {limited sizes available here} //  the cutest little crochet detailed top {found here}

A relaxing Friday night spent at home.....

And a little weekend baking!  I tried out this recipe for skinny banana chocolate muffins that I featured last week and they did not disappoint!

One of my best friends is visiting me right now for the week and yesterday we spent the day at this quiet little beach.  The weather has been absolutely perfect lately - 80's w/ no humidity!

I posted my first bump picture last week {at 13 weeks} and I'm now officially out of my first trimester.  Hopefully I'll get a full bumpdate up on the blog soon!  I stocked up on these affordable maxi dresses in various colors because of the flattering side ruching and may purchase more because they are SO comfortable - perfect for summer!

I've had major insomnia lately thanks to the most annoying little bird who has taken up residence in a bush outside our bedroom and is trying to attract a lova by chirping away all.damn.night {seriously he went for 17 hours straight one day last week}.  My gardener told me it's mating season right now so hopefully I can get some rest soon!  On the positive side, at least I'm up to see some seriously stunning sunrises!

To see more photos, be sure to follow along on Instagram {andy_adler}.  Thanks so much for reading! xx

Typical Domestic Pinspiration

Hey babes!  Welcome back from the long holiday weekend.  Hope you had a great weekend filled with lots of fun + family time!  I spent my time relaxing with my hubs this weekend.  He works so much during the week, and I really treasure the time that I get to spend with him {sans a million after hours calls & emails galore} on the weekends.  :)

Today, I wanted to share with you a few images that have been inspiring me lately on Pinterest.

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I love noshing on salads, especially during the summer season.  This is a great guide for different combos that can be used to create your own dressing.

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This summer uniform on serious repeat.

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I've been pinning home decor inspo like a mad woman lately {guess I'm excited for our new pad!}, and LOVE the bright & airy feel of this living room. 

 

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in all the bullshit, and this is such a great reminder to stop, look around, and appreciate life's little moments.

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LOVE this effortless hairstyle.  

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This sweet potato & quinoa patties recipe is on my list of things to make this week.

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Perfectly styled {and not overly girly} shelves.

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Need to recreate this look - perfect for summer!

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A skinny pineapple & rosemary spritzer looks seriously refreshing on a hot summer day.

To see more of what I'm pinning, follow along here.

Have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by! xx