It only sounds fancy schmancy

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Photo via Fig + Olive

Wondering what to do with your surplus of zucchini this summer?  How about zucchini carpaccio?  It just happens to be one of the signature dishes at Fig + Olive which has outposts in NYC, LA and Chicago.  It sounds fancy, but it’s actually super easy.  Plus it’s light and refreshing, which I always prefer on those scorching summer days.  Here’s how to make it.

Zucchini carpaccio

Ingredients //
1 lb zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons shaved low-fat parmesan
4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and pepper

Directions //
Arrange zucchini slices in a pretty pattern.  Whisk olive oil and lemon juice together. Drizzle over zucchini.  Top with cheese, nuts, and salt & pepper.

Enjoy!

Ice cream personality decoded

BaskinRobbins

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality test? I’ve had to do it for work before.  It’s fun and usually so accurate it’s frightening.  Here’s an abridged version of the test, if you’d like to give it a shot.   Myers-Briggs aside, I have to share a much more important personality analysis…ice cream.  After a heated debate the other night with my better half over best-ever ice cream flavors, I figured somewhere out there someone surely must have decoded what your favorite flavor says about you.  Turns out, Baskin Robbins has the inside scoop!

Baskin-Robbins  teamed up with Dr. Alan Hirsh, founder of Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, to understand what the most popular ice cream flavors say about someone’s personality.

Here are the results:

Vanilla // You’re more likely to be impulsive, easily suggestible and an idealist.

Chocolate // You’re more likely to be dramatic, lively, charming, flirtatious, seductive and gullible.

Very Berry Strawberry // You’re more likely to be a tolerant, devoted and an introvert.

Mint Chocolate Chip // You’re more likely to be argumentative, frugal and cautious.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough // You’re more likely to be ambitious, competitive and a visionary.

Pralines ‘n Cream // You’re more likely to be loving, supportive and prefer to avoid the spotlight.

Jamoca // You’re more likely to be scrupulous, conscientious and a moral perfectionist.

Chocolate Chip // You’re more likely to be generous, competent and a go getter.

Rainbow Sherbet // You’re more likely to be analytic, decisive and pessimistic.

Rocky Road // You’re more likely to be aggressive, engaging and a good listener.

Personally, I’m a Pralines ‘n Cream kind of gal, but I’m much more of an extrovert than described above.  What’s your favorite flavor?  Does the description of your personality ring true?

Spruce Street Harbor Park is a must-see!

Spruce Street Harbor Park, Philly’s newest pop-up park along the Delaware River Front is the ideal summer oasis.  Located at the Penn’s Landing Marina along Columbus Blvd (next to the Hyatt), the park offers a boardwalk, urban beach, floating restaurant/bar, lily pad garden, hammock lounge, games for the kiddos and more.  Open daily from 11 am-1 am through August 31, it’s a summer must-see.  We checked it out over the weekend, and while the temperatures soared into the high 80’s, I was more than content sipping my Yards Saison lounging in the shade, taking it all in.

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The Blue Anchor, a floating, pop-up restaurant, managed by the Garces Group, offers a selection of burgers, a salad, fries, desserts and cocktails.  The food is just okay, definitely not up to par with typical Garces fare.  It’s certainly not the highlight of the experience, but will hit the spot, paired with one of the many Yards varieties available on draft next door at the beer station.  Side note: adding to the charm of the maritime history of the park, all of the concession stands are converted shipping containers.

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Image via Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

Kudos to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation for a job well done!  While we still have a lot to aspire to – to reach the grandeur of pop-up parks and events that our big brother 90 miles to the north puts on, it’s a step in the right direction for the Delaware River Waterfront and Philadelphians everywhere!

Friday five

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1.  The results are in, the best way to reheat leftover pizza // Huffington Post

2.  Ina always advises adding espresso to chocolate when baking to enrich the flavor.  With this neat-o product, now its’ super easy // King Arthur Flour

3.  The Citra Sipper, launched at the 1933 Worlds Fair by the current owner’s grandfather.  Love this.  // KIOSK

4.  Where was this ultra-genius, super helpful service when I got married?  Dubbed, “snail mail made easy”, they help you gather mailing addresses with a free and private URL, allowing friends and family to fill out/update their address  – and will even help you address and send out your invitations, cards, etc.  Awesome. // Postable

5.  Make better homemade lemonade with this simple trick // The Kitchn

Have a great weekend!

 

One ingredient all-natural ice cream!

Ohmigosh, this is so amazing!  Creamy, delicious ice cream with one ingredient and no extra tools or equipment!

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How you might ask?  Frozen BANANAS.  That’s right, simply pop sliced, frozen bananas into a food processor and violà…instant soft-serve, custard-style ice cream!

bananas

It’s so simple.  Slice bananas and freeze them for at least 6 hours in a Ziploc bag.  Add to a food processor and purée until creamy.  If needed, to help smooth out the purée, you can add a splash of milk.

foodprocessor

whipped

You can experiment with adding some additional flair such as peanut butter, Nutella, honey or chocolate.  Enjoy plain or top with sprinkles, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, cookie pieces, you get the idea!

I was skeptical about this far-fetched kitchen trick at first.  I figured the texture would be icy or crumbly, but it was delicious, rich and silky.  Also perfect for those with dietary restrictions.

Have you tried frozen banana ice cream?  What do you think?

 

Work happy

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1.  Repurpose a bar table into the perfect standing desk // IKEA

2.  Set the proper mood lighting // West Elm

3.  Don’t lose sight of your inspiration // Pottery Barn

4.  Keep decor simple // West Elm

5.  Eye-catching notebook // Kate Spade

6.  The proper writing tools // Poppin

7.  Everything in it’s place // CB2

We recently made some cosmetic changes to our home office and I couldn’t be happier.  A personalized work space helps keep you motivated, spurs creativity and it really just makes working more enjoyable.  You may notice the desk in the image above is a standing desk (well it’s actually a bar table).  My husband first brought the standing desk phenomenon/trend to my attention after reading article after article about how sitting for hours on end is hazardous to your health.  He read this one article in which experts proclaim that standing on weekdays burns calories like running 10 marathons per year.  Crazy, right?  I did some research of my own.  Sitting for more than 6 hours per day is really bad.  How bad you ask?  Your risk of heart disease increases by up to 64 percent. Also, you’re shaving off 7 years of quality life and it puts you more at risk for certain types of cancer.  Ugh.  To sum it up, humans weren’t meant to be sedentary.

While I don’t have any of the chronic conditions listed above, I am aware that I have terrible posture while sitting at my desk all day.  This illustration from the Washington Post shows what happens to our body after sitting all day and what you can do to help combat the effects on your body.  As difficult as it may be to peel ourselves away from the computer, it’s super important to get up and move around throughout the day.

What do you think of standing desks?  Could you stand at your desk all day?

Red, white & blue

Super cool red, white and blue gifts, just in time for the 4th of July!

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1.  Americana Tank // Old Navy // $7

2.  Cherry Firecracker Macarons // Dana’s Bakery // $30

3.  Stars and Stripes Bunting // Etsy // $26

4.  Sunnylife™ Bribie Beach Paddle Set // J.Crew // $30

5.  The ROPES Maine, The Kennebunkport Bracelet // Bliss Boutiques // $60

6.  Threshold™ Beach Stripe Throw // Target // $24.99

7.  Opal Chanteuse Collar // BaubleBar // $40

8.  Star Spangled Cake-In-A-Jar // Duff’s Cakemix // $18-72