Cheap & Chic! {ruffled grey dress}

When I run errands I want to look well dressed but I need to feel comfortable. Actually, every time I chose pretty instead of practical I ended up doing less than half of what I anticipated and not looking that pretty anymore. So, I decided to wear clothes that give me that much needed sense of fancy while retaining all the casual feeling. Enter the above dress. It cost me less than 15$ at Zara's super sales and it serves its purpose perfectly. Its plain grey cotton fabric makes it so easy to wear but the ruffles and belt give a tone of grace! I love it with black leggings underneath for extra comfort. It feels right, airy and allover beautiful!

IMAGE SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Keep your mouth full! {broccoli & turkey salad}

This salad recipe is so easy and quick to be considered as an excellent choice when things are in a hurry. The great thing about it though is its taste! Velvety as can be because of the broccoli but rich in taste when you grab a bite of the turkey schnitzel. I get mine from a local meat market to make sure I get the best quality. So, back to our recipe; you only need to steam your broccoli florets until they're soft but not muchy and fry your ready made schnitzels for three to four minutes each side in very hot oil. Since we are using turkey, there are no worries about extra calories. To spice up the dish, I use a homemade dressing that I prepare in seconds by whisking together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons mustard, 1 teaspoon honey and 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar. I pour the dressing over my salad and I serve immediately. Bon appetit!

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Find & Refined { the fierce lady}

Get out there! Be fierce! 

1.pink tribe dress / 2.yellow men's watch / 3.foldover clutch / 4.arrowdrop bracelet / 5.high heeled hasbeens / 6.neon bracelet / 7.back to black LP

Cheap & Chic! {animal print}

In the spirit of yesterday's post I continue with the black and white theme...Today, through "Cheap & Chic" series I want to showcase everyone's fave of the season, the animal print. A trend which many also consider too risky to pull it off. Make no mistake, animal print can lead you easily in the land of cheap and tacky. The secret is to accessorize with it rather than go for the full costume. An all black outfit paired with flats like the ones above gets nice attention and shows graceful style. I got mine at Zara's and since they were on super sale they cost me next to nothing.


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The amazing world of photographer Charlotte Moulard!

I'm always excited to find out about new and talented photographers like the uber cool french lady Charlotte Moulard. She has already contributed to the ever beautiful Stella Magazine. Those images above depict chic and elegance in a delicate and enchanting manner. La femme fatale in a new version.

ALL IMAGES FROM CHARLOTTE MOULARD

Keep your mouth full! {green beans & eggs}

For me this is comfort food. I enjoy the richeness of the egg and the freshness of the green beans. Sometimes, if eggs feel like a lot and I know for sure that I'm not going anywhere else later on, I will have a crushed garlic clove and chunks of bread to dip in the flavored oil of the beans. Always though, I 'll add lots of black pepper. To make this plate you'll need fresh green beans from the farmers market. A good quantity is one kilo of greens. Wash them thoroughly and cut off both ends. Half cup of olive oil (extra virgin) or more is needed. When the oil has warmed up, you add one red onion, finelly chopped. About three minutes later you add two crushed cloves of garlic and your green beans. You give them two good turns in the pot so they are covered with oil thoroughly and you add canned tomatoes, preferably the ones which are already in chunks because when cooked they don't disappear but rather give an extra dimension to the plate. You will need 3/4 of the can. You will also need some water to help your greens cook more evenly. A good rule is to make sure that while cooking you have enough liquids to simmer properly. Salt and pepper to taste. When the boiling starts, lower the temperature and let it simmer. The food is ready in 20 minutes more or less. Not a long time for such a satisfying meal. Fry the eggs and you're good to go!

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Find & Refined {neon}

For all the fluo lovers. Dedicated.

1.stool / 2.pot / 3.lamp / 4.case / 5.vase

Cheap & Chic! {earings}

Ethnic trend is always big. On clothes, accessories, furnishings, rugs, everything! What is small here is the price! These adorable earings cost me about a dollar and thirty cents at H&M. Yes, Hello! The pair!

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The amazing world of photographer Lukasz Wierzbowski

His name I can't tell without breaking my tongue, but what I can tell is that his work is simply amazing. His imaginery is magical and dreamy, the sort I like. You can find him here and here.

ALL IMAGES FROM LUKASZ W.

Keep your mouth full! {the oven beans}

I always try to find new ways to use beans in my meals because a)they are healthy and b)not everybody's favorite ingredient(you know what I mean!). I assure you though that this recipe proves to be a delightfully unexpected dish for eveyone! It combines gracefully white beans and shrimp which gives these humble pulses some status. Plus the cherry tomatoes and capers make it a little savory which is good because it takes away some of the earthness of beans. The original recipe was found at the Martha Stewart Living issue of September '11 but I always stray away and do what suits me better. For this recipe I only had a pack(500 gr) of frozen shrimps(80/120 size) and I used those. I also boiled the beans in advance. I used 3 gloves of garlic and about two tablespoons of capers which I made sure they were rinced well. Most of my ingredients like beans and cherry tomatoes where eyeballed to match the quantity of my shrimps. I also use coarse salt and olive oil all the time. I combined tomatoes, beans, capers, garlic, oil and salt in a bowl while my bakeware was warming up in the oven. When ready, I tossed in the bowl mixture and let it in the oven until tomatoes started to look charred. While those were broiling I made another bowl with the shrimps, 1 tablespoon of oil and salt. I added them to the bakeware with some water for extra liquid and let them bake until shrimp looked ready and golden. I served with some rustic bread and enjoyed the meal.

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