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.

ALL IMAGES SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Find & Refined {faceted is cool}

Here's today list presenting nothing but cool multi-faceted objects. A trend that deserves to stay around a little longer! It makes ordinary items more exciting to look at. I just love them all, don't you?

Obj#1 asteroide vase 

Obj#2 reclaimed faceted bookends

Obj#3 pale pink geo beaded neckless

Obj#4 marionette wood lamp

Obj#5 faceted mirror side table

Cheap & Chic!

I have a vice. I don't want to sacrifice style over money. Even if it's a carry-all bag. Even if I don't plan to use it on a daily basis(so not true, I carry it with me every day). I spend endless hours online coveting myriad designer pieces but when I need to balance my expenses or I get the regular reality bite, Zara comes to my rescue. It's one of those places you can secretely buy items on ridiculous discount and then go pretend like you spend much much more than it actually cost. Don't ya love it? I do! This canvas bag fits the bill perfectly! The size is right, the shape one of the most desired of lately, the color so elegant and the price...well the price is unbeatable! I gave around 14 bucks and this baby came home with me. Shopping is fun!

ALL IMAGES SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Keep your mouth full!

The other day I wanted to have a quick and easy salad for lunch. I was working from home and didn't have much time, plus I wasn't feeling like eating the usual greek salad. I had some leftover white beans. I thought "it's good idea to use them in my meal" and embarked on my quest. After a bit of searching, I found this salad from the truly inspiring site 101 cookbooks. You can always make the original salad but that day I didn't exactly followed the recipe but rather used ingredients I had around and made me a wonderful meal! I had already my fresh boiled beans which are always better than the canned. I also had a juicy merlin orange and I used half. No fancy vinegar for me, just the regular wine vinegar I use daily. I substitued the walnuts with almonds that my uncle send me from his garden, they are delicious toasted! A nice iceberg could do the job and olive oil (ours) and goat cheese aren't the things we lack of. Combined everything to my taste and as a surprise ingredient I added milanese salami! Now, you can skip the last one if you want a more healthy version but I always crave little bits of delicatessen in my food. 

ALL IMAGES SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Find & Refined

Another round of unique finds for the home. This time, more contemporary and with a little twist!
#1 bubble lamp, #2 teal rug, #3 silver skull, #4 splash pillow, #5 munich sofa, #6 gnome

Cheap & Chic!

Fall is here to stay along with the first chills and showers. It's a good time to pull our life together, since so far summer called for other activities! I'm pretty sure a dedicated organiser will help us do that. I wanted to update mine, to give me a head start, but without spending a fortune...Usually the good ones cost more than you think, so the only way I could make this work was to hunt down one with a great discount. Hopefully, most major brands have already updated their lines for the new year and knowing that fact made my life easy. I only had to look on discount selves and pick the one that matches my style and color preferences. This pretty one above is what I chose from filofax and I am more than happy! 

ALL IMAGES SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU 

Keep your mouth full!

Don't get me wrong. I love preparing fancy food! I do most of the time. But when time is stretched thin or work keeps adding up the answer can only be a quick but satisfying meal! This food is not only practical is nutricious too, which we all strive to have in our daily routine(everyone keeps telling us this!). So, let's move on to the recipe; you only need a can of herring (I had this stuff from Ikea but I guess any could do), some plain cooked rice (usually  leftovers are welcome too) and fresh cherry tomatoes. Put them in a large plate add a dash of olive oil and your preferred herbs (for me that is oregano) and presto! meal is ready!  

IMAGES BY SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Find & Refined

This week's Find and Refined is all about organic elements that evoke elegance. We sure can have both and those unique objects above prove it at first glance. Let's take a look! obj#1: yew jam spoon, obj#2: stackato table lamp, obj#3: bamboo tray table, obj#4: black & gold bowl, obj#5: moccasin edition 16inch bag

Cheap & Chic!

Some say there's no way to be chic and cheap. Yeah, it's like trusting that good taste comes only with good money... But today, it easy to be chic and keep your wallet happy! For instance, the other day I was window shopping H&M. You know, it's a good activity and keeps your mind alert and your blood pumping, speaking of cource style wise. That means, if there's a treasure it can be found. Like it happened with those cute red ballerinas. They are a delight, and to pay less than 5 dollars a pair, it's a steal! Wearing them, makes you feel kinda special and precious(the red fake snakeskin does it)! It's a dash of sparkle in everyday life and paired with a nice navy striped dress, the epitome of style. I say, Cheap and Chic, for all!

PHOTOS BY SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU 

Find & Refined

Gold. A hot trend for fall. Paired with white or creamy white it's a win-win combination. Always fresh, always stylish!
1//pillow, 2//nutcracker, 3//bracelet, 4//cup&saucer, 5//chandelier, 6//chair