It was another nice sunny day.

The last couple days, we’ve had a thick fog creep in.  It set the mood nicely for a spooky Halloween weekend.   But today, the fog cleared and it was warm and sunny once again.

I wore this outfit on my way to the grocery store to pick up some pantry staples we were lacking.  I’m wearing a secondhand cotton top from Apiece Apart.  A while back, I had the sleeves taken up 4 inches after they got horribly stained by blood when I banged my elbow on something.  I like the way the shirt looks with the sleeves just above the elbow. But now the shirt has tiny gray stains on the front that are hardly noticeable.  I wouldn’t wear a stained shirt to work, but it’s perfectly fine for the weekend… and so here I am.  Stains and all.

After a long week (of work and partying), I felt like treating myself to something comforting this Sunday.  I was in the mood for some chicken soup and found a really interesting recipe for one at the Elliot Homestead blog.  It calls for a little apple cider vinegar and cognac.  Since I don’t have cognac, I’m going to substitute it with mirin.  I’m about 6 hours into the stock brewing and it already tastes amazing.  I can’t wait for the finished product.  One reader mentioned in the comments section that it was the best chicken soup she’d ever made.  To makes things easier, I’m going to substitute the dumplings with simple macaroni pasta and might throw in some small chunks of mashed potatoes to thicken the stock a bit.

Just browsing through Shaye Elliot’s other recipes, they all seems very down to earth and flexible.  I’m excited to try more.  I’ve been watching Shaye Elliot’s youtube channel too, and it’s making me yearn for a simpler life out on the farm.  I like that Shaye’s not afraid to show the inside of her home when it’s messy or to wear clothes with stains all over them.

Another youtube channel I’m really enjoying at the moment is Studio McGee.  This interior design firm puts out high quality videos about their interior design projects.  Shea McGee has a really good eye and pays such close attention to detail.  Her clients are obviously incredibly wealthy.  Design at that level is probably not realistic for most people, but I still find her videos fun to watch, and have been able to apply some of her design principles in our new apartment.  Btw, things are starting to come together in our apartment.  We pretty much have all our furniture, except for dining chairs.  And as you can see, we finally put up window curtains!

I’ll be taking my OOTD photos near this window from now on.  It’s not the most exciting place in our apartment to photograph but it’s got good lighting and it’s conveniently near my closet and mirror.

How about you?  Do you have any recipe recommendations or suggestions for good blogs or youtube channels?

[outfit: secondhand Apiece Apart top, secondhand APC shorts, Famolare honeybuckle wedges]