TROYALTY



For those of you who don't know, when I say I go to school in New York, I don't mean New York City. Actually, I'm really nowhere near it. Three hours -or 140 miles- north, you might find yourself just east of the state capital in what once was a industrialized area on the Hudson River, but is now where I will have spent 5 years of my life.

When I first arrived here, an older friend warned me to not go downtown into the city, yet now I live there! A lot of initiatives were introduced through my university and the city itself to revitalize what could have been a ghost town. The New York Times recently wrote about the dinky town I'm calling home, and another source refers to it as "the new Brooklyn", and it's actually getting to feel that way. New and creative bars, restaurants, and shops are opening and the weekend farmers market brings life into what not so long ago was dead. I guess what in trying to say is this: even though I may not love it here (or the east coast at all really) I'm enjoying this revitalized place that makes me feel like Troyalty.

WEARING: JCREW GREY TWILL SHIRT // JCREW SUNGLASSES  // LEVI 511 JEANS// CLARKS DESERT BOOTS // TIMEX WATCH // URBAN OUTFITTERS FIELD JACKET // 


Thanks to my lovely roommate ~Victoria~ for taking these photos! 

FORESHADOWING



Sorry for the brief hiatus, but I'm back with lots to share!

I've spent the last month re-adjusting to life in New York where I'm finishing up my last year of architecture school. Having moved into a new apartment with a new roommate for this last year I've been spending a lot of time making the new place feel like home: which has included a lot of manual labor. So, instead of bombarding you all with everything all at once here are some posts you can expect in the near future:

A wingback chair reupholstery project

Making a garage sale bar cart look like new

Something tasty and full of sugar that looks great in my new cake stand

An outfit from the first day of fall

A Birthday gift guide for the architect born on Halloween in your life (that's me)

There are some really cool pictures of buildings in Austria that I stumbled upon...

Probably some pictures of my apartment, mostly since my roommate and I made the table and a two-person work desk, I reupholstered a chair and stripped an old coffee table, and I made a fringe accent wall out of streamers. 

There are a few more things I have in the works, but for now that's what you have to look forwards to!


WEEKDAY VEGETARIAN


About a year ago I was watching a bunch of TED talks on the food industry, and there was one specifically that stood out that advocated for being a "weekday vegetarian". The speaker discussed how we consume more meat than we need to and that a reduction of meat in our diets would not only be better for us, but also reduce the quantity of meat produced. After seeing that, in combination with reading Fast Food Nation, I've been consciously staying away from eating as much meat as I had been.  Actually, since I've been back at school every meal I've cooked for myself has been either vegetarian or pescetarian! 

So today I thought I would share a few of my favorite recipes that have driven my newfound diet. Flavor plays a huge role for me because for the longest time I equated vegetables with bland and that is so not true.  

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl - Because of this find, I am now obsessed with curry sweet potatoes. Also, when I made this I didn't have kale so I actually substituted that with corn since I got fresh cobs at the farmers market. 
Black bean meatballs - I substitute oats for cooked quinoa! 
Zucchini pasta - Very easy, and when I made this I actually used spaghetti sauce and made the meatballs featured above. 
Curry - While this specific recipe I did not execute well, curry sauce can spice up vegetables for a quick tasty meal.
Sun-dried tomato pesto pasta - This is my absolute favorite. 
Sun-dried tomato basil veggie burgers - You know you've done something right when your food skeptic of a sister gives her praises. These had a good texture and a lot of flavor! 
Quesadillas - Or what I like to call leftovers-in-cheese-and-tortillas. 
Yam and kale wrap - Saw this in the Seattle Times and it was actually more filling than I thought it would be! 

If you have any favorite recipes that you use I'd love to hear about it, or if you end up trying one of these - let me know how it goes! 
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