Love me some Ina!

I love Ina Garten. I love her cookin'. And I love her kitchen!

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When Fashion Meets Food: Roberto Cavalli's Caffe Giacosa

It doesn't happen very often (unless you're Lady Gaga dawning meat couture and fishnets), but Robert Cavalli has done it with Caffe Giacosa.

Nestled in his home town of Florence, Italy, Cavalli took his passion for fashion and deliciously combined it with the most glorious of all things: il dolci italiani.

Caffe Giacosa has a tremendous history. Originally it was the official chocolatier to the Italian royal family, and posh tea room for the wealthy elite of the Florentine society in the 1800s. Just a few years ago, Cavalli took on the challenge of restoring the building and cafe to its original prestige, with his own twist of course:




I love this packaging:

Images via fellow blogger, Luxuo

*sigh*

The Balance... Escapes Me...

This September, Licia Ronzulli, Italy's MEP, attended a voting session of European Parliament with her baby girl in order to draw attention to women's rights.
News & Photo Credit: Reuters

I don't have a family of my own yet. I don't live in a mansion. I don't have employees. I don't even own a pet. I do have a career, and I do have a budding business. I have great friends and yoga, but no children that need me when I get home. And yet, there are still times when I come home late at night absolutely exhausted by my day, wondering where I would ever fit any of those glorious things in to my "busy" life, if I was ever blessed enough to have them.

So, to you ladies out there who balance family, career, house, self, cats, dogs, hamsters, and everything else under the sun, I admire you.

What I Want Wednesday

I've decided that this is going to be the theme every Wednesday here on the SLP. No doubt that "What I Want Wednesday" will keep me blogging at least one post a week from now until eternity :-)

I want this for my apartment:

{www.westelm.com}

I don't think anyone can argue that the presence of a chandelier in even the barest of spaces has the ability to transform it into something ethereal and intriguing. I'm searching for the perfect chandelier for my store. Although I haven't found it quite yet, I certainly have found some wonderful inspiration:

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Autumn Calls

The talented ladies at Coco + Kelley make the best inspiration boards. This takes me to somewhere where the air is crisp and the leaves are beautiful colors...

My Perfect Fall Day

{ via Coco + Kelley}

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

They're back...
Pumpkin scones at Starbucks!

Fall has officially arrived in South Florida. You wouldn't know it from the green palm trees and sunny 80 degree weather, but Starbucks has finally added my favorite fall treat to their pastry display.

Not even going to tell you what the calorie count in this pumpkin deliciousness is... let's just say rumor has it that it's a four digit number.

Starbucks’ Pumpkin Scones:

(Courtesy of Food.com)

Servings: 6 Scones

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

7 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons half-and-half

1 large egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
• Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Powder Sugar Glaze:

• Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
• When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze on over the top of each scone.

Spiced Icing:

• Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Enjoy!