Rachel Khoo first won me over when I watched her make her Quiche Lorraine in her (tiny) little Paris kitchen, that spawned a cookbook (and a BBC television series) of the same name. The London transplant would put her own spin on the lessons she learned at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in a space where one practically spin around without lifting a foot and produce something mouth-watering. She also seems like she’s having fun, which made her fun to watch.
(Complete tangent: I can very easily get caught up watching shows like this. Are any of you from the Desperately Seeking Susan-era of Madonna’s career? I know it was supposed to be the scene of domesticity in boring contrast to Madonna’s wild life, but the scene where Rosanna Arquette is trying to bake along with someone on television really stuck with me and always made the practice seem like a romantic notion. This was pre-Cooking Channel, and clearly this isn’t a unique perspective, but I’ve also wanted to actually follow a TV recipe in real time.)
Back to the point: Rachel Khoo just came out with a new cookbook, Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Over 100 Delicious Recipes from My Personal Cookbook, and it’s lovely! It takes her out of the french kitchen, and has lots of illustrative photos and drawings. Obviously I haven’t tried everything yet, but what we have tried has been delicious and uncomplicated. I made her Pistachio Pomegranate Cake for our New Year’s Eve party and would definitely make it again. The recipe follows if you’d like to try it, too!
And, better yet, Chronicle Books has agreed to let me give away three copies of three of Rachel’s books—the new book as well as her other titles, Little Paris Kitchen and Little French Kitchen—to three readers. Just leave a comment about your favorite cookbook to enter!
I sold some of my own clothes recently, and it really got me thinking: why am I buying everything new? The cost difference between buying something new and secondhand is staggering.
The thing is: I’m only willing to do so much digging before the cost/time-benefit ratio feels all wrong. I can enjoy browsing and trying on clothes in shops when time allows, but I’d have to use babysitter hours. I tend to buy online from trusted sources, and try on things at home. But this experience made me feel like I am really wasting so much money by not doing a little digging first.
It was right around this time that thredUP got in touch to see if I’d like to try out their site: “we’re like a consignment store, but simpler.” And it’s been true: After signing up to browse, I’ve entered search terms like Madewell or Zara, Anthropologie or Boden, along with my sizes, and filled my cart a few times now without much trouble. Better yet, I was able to return a few things that didn’t suit me (usually a challenge with buying secondhand). Note: there’s a big discount for readers, below.
In general, I searched for staples: a short-sleeved chambray shirt (Madewell), black cords and a pair of jeans (AG), a loose-fitted tunic (Steven Alan), ankle boots (JCrew). But I also went for this RED Valentino shirtdress that I spotted in the designer section of the site—the “thrill of the new” element for sure—and found myself figuring out ways it might suit me in all seasons. I think it will be great in the summer, with bare legs and sandals. But the large bell-like sleeves are perfect for layering, and I hear dresses over pants is going to be a trend again this year. Which do you like best?
With Stacked-Heel Sandals (n.d.c.) and Scarf (Madewell from thredUP) // With Black Cord leggings (AG from thredUP), Clutch (Of A Kind), Sunglasses (Old Navy) and sandals (Lucky Brand)
I’m not usually one for labels, but I confess that buying something by Valentino (even the RED line) made me start thinking about what other designer labels I might find, the ones that I usually file away under “aspirational.” I searched (and found) some things by Rachel Comey, Loeffler Randal, Steven Alan, and A.P.C.
So now I’m curious: what labels would you first search? Tried-and-true favorites? What brands do you usually file under “aspirational”?
Then check out thredUP: they’re offering 40% off your first order with the code LAYER40 up to $50 to Hither & Thither readers!
Thank you to thredUP for sponsoring this post and for the timely introduction to the site! And thank you to Aron for the photos of me. Discount offer expires 2/18/2016.
I think about her advice a lot—or at least I do when I have the time to properly devote to cleaning. It’s valuable to be reminded from time to time how little one needs. My friend Erin wrote a beautiful book on simplifying your home. (We first met when she invited us to bring infant Hudson to the Stone Barns Harvest Fest, in New York.) She too has wonderful advice for living with less.
And while both make me want to start a purging session this weekend, we have some exciting plans: we’re headed to Vail! It will be my first visit. Aron has a conference and Hudson, Skyler, and I are tagging along. If you have suggestions—including advice regarding the kids (aged 1 and 4) and the ski resort—I’d love to hear them!
