Getting My Suede On

When the button down, snap front mini skirt trend emerged this year, I was all about it. However, all minis I fell in love with seemed to be made of fabrications for cooler weather and not the actuality of 85+ degrees.  Leather, suede, faux suede, corduroy, and velvet were all my top favs from the beginning. I stuck out my desire to support this trend until now, finally! The weekend weather was dreary and chillier than it has been lately. I was able to put on the faux suede skirt (from Forever 21) and pair it with my Alexander Wang bucket bag, also suede. I paired my burgundy skirt with a fun and bold palm print blouse from H&M. I love the pajama style influence and the not so common color combination for a tropical leaf pattern. The suede skirt and bag, burgundy color and bare legs, topped with tropical leaves allowed me to pull of a fall look this weekend in Florida without it feeling forced. Get the look below.  xo RCN 

Open Face Prosciutto And Pear Sliders

Not only is this recipe delicious, but super simple. You can double or triple as needed if you have a large crowd, or do what I do and serve this as is for a dinner for two.  Works great if you are feeding only a few people as an appetizer, especially if you are serving other apps on the menu.

What you need:

1/4-1/2 lb of thinly sliced prosciutto from deli (I love Whole Foods Market options)

1 Bosc pear

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 small bag or box of baby arugula (this will be more than enough)

Balsamic glaze

8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (you will not use entire container)

1 French baguette

Ground pepper to taste

Cut bread into 1/2" slices.  Toast in toaster or conventional oven for a few minutes until the bread browns or feels crunchy to the touch.  While the bread toasts, cut the pair in thin slices from top to bottom and then halve them.  Place olive oil on medium heat in medium size saucepan.  As pan heats add pear slices until they cook and are softened.  Be sure to turn heat down to low as oil gets hot and be careful the pear edges do not burn too quickly- they do heat up fast! Remove pears from heat.  Spread a schmear of cream cheese on toasted baguette slices and then place 1-2 pear pieces on top.  Fold and fit a half slice of prosciutto.  You can always add a little more meat to each piece once you add the half slices to every piece of bread.  Top each slider with a few pieces of baby arugula and then drizzle the balsamic glaze on top.  I usually add the glaze in one direction and then add another drizzle on top in the other direction.  Lastly, add a crack of ground pepper to taste.  Yum! xo RCN

Water Filled Weekend

This past week my Father had some business down in Miami.  Of course my Mom came along for the trip from NJ (where my parents live) so that we could all spend some time together - mini vacay! 

A friend of my father's has a beautiful beach home in Ocean Ridge, FL, about 1 hour north of us in Miami Beach.  When he heard our family was all going to be in the area he generously offered for my parents, Zach, Ethel (our mini dachshund) and I to come stay for a long weekend.

It was a water filled weekend.  The ocean was crystal clear mimicking the reflection of the beautiful sky.  We began the trip off with a stroll down the sandy beach searching for ocean treasures.  Even the smallest of shells fascinate me.  They are all perfect additions to the many succulent gardens and pots I love planting, adds character.  

Back at the house I Immediately put on my one piece from "Show Me Your Mumu"  okay, totally obsessed!  The serape stripe print pattern matches my favorite beach blanket from our honeymoon in Mexico.  Needless to say it gives me happy vibes.  We spent a lot of time throughout the next few days just chilling; reading books, watching football, having some cold drinks, and taking a nice drive along the coast through Palm Beach.   The weekend would not have been complete without paddle boarding or some surfing, something both my husband and I love to do.  We took out the long board and paddle board just in time for shark feeding.  Being from Jersey we don't think about sharks as much as maybe a Floridian does.  Maybe next time we will plan our timing better, but we made it through!  I will definitely make a point to long weekend again in Palm Beach County.  

xo RCN