Beauty Shop: Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

I'm no beauty expert, but I frequently get asked about my favorite products, and I DO have a couple of years of beauty editorship from ELLE.com under my belt, so I figured I'd use this space to tell you guys about a few of my staples, starting with the all-important face wash. Through the years, I've probably tried upwards of 20 different cleansers from as many brands--Clinique, Clarins, DDF, Lancome, Estee Lauder, etc. While some have been great, I've never found one that was quite perfect, one that would make me stop searching. Until I discovered Fresh's Soy Face Cleanser. It's super light, foams up nicely, is incredibly gentle and non-drying on the skin, yet does a completely thorough job cleaning it. And that's saying a lot coming from someone who lives in dirty, pollution-heavy NYC AND has borderline oily skin to boot. Plus it has this really subtle, slightly nutty scent to it that I love.

The only two rules for face washing are the following: #1. Do it every single night no matter how tired you are, and #2: Gently rub your face with the cleanser for around 30 seconds for a really thorough wash. Try it and let me know what you think. Picture by Mark Iantosca. xo

Warm Chicken and Barley Salad with Skillet Mushrooms, Garlic, and Herbs

Lately, I've been on a total roast chicken kick. Ever since I made the best chicken of my life last weekend, and then proceeded to pull together this delicious, healthy, warm salad (pictured above) with the leftovers, and THEN froze the bones and carcass to make broth with later, I've felt a little bit like a pioneer woman. Or like Katniss in The Hunger Games, hunting and foraging for food. No? Okay.

Anyway, the point is, never have I ever engaged in such complete and total nose-to-tail eating. It made me feel resourceful and prudent and unwasteful. It made me feel like a more responsible, better home cook. And the salad was very tasty. Win/win. xo

P.S. If you're feeling lazy and don't want to roast a chicken to make this salad, just pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local supermarket. Easy.


Warm Chicken and Barley Salad with Skillet Mushrooms, Garlic, and Herbs
From A Bird in the Oven and Then Some, by Mindy Fox
Ingredients:
8 cups water
Flakey coarse sea salt
3/4 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup plus 3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut in half, if large
1/2 pound button mushroom halved or quartered, if large
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups large shreds roast chicken
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
4 ounces arugula, tough stems removed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 lemon, quartered


Directions:
Bring the 8 cups water and 1 teaspoon coarse salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the barley. Once the water returns to a boil, reduce to a low boil and cook until tender yet still firm to the bite, 40 to 45 minutes.

About 20 minutes before the barley is ready, cook the mushrooms. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 of the mushrooms and stir once or twice, then cook without stirring, until mushrooms begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and add more mushrooms in the same manner, until all of the mushrooms are in the skillet and nicely browned, about 10 minutes total (if, towards the end, the first handful is browning too much, push them on top of the more newly added). Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the garlic, then the chicken and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the cooked barley and transfer to a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil, the parsley, chive, and mint. Then add the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a second bowl, toss the arugula with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the arugula with the warm barley and mushrooms, with a squeeze of lemon over the top.

Fast Asleep Daydreaming

This is one of those weeks when I open up my Google Calendar and see nothing but an endless block of red. It's going to be quite busy, with drinks dates, client meetings, new business meetings, lunches, and a series of dinners for the Armory Show, which is rolling into town starting tomorrow. All very exciting. Also exciting? The fact that we are finally going into March, which means the advent of spring and warmer weather.

I did some impromptu spring shopping this weekend to celebrate and picked up the beginnings of my season wardrobe staples: floral-print Cacherel shorts from Opening Ceremony that look like boardshorts, a couple of light-weight Rag & Bone sweaters, and a floor-length persimmon Jenni Kayne dress. I can hardly wait 'til I can permanently retire my heavy winter coat and switch on over to lighter outerwear like my Levi's denim or the buttery soft LNA leather jacket I'm wearing above. We're almost there.

I'm wearing an LNA leather jacket, Thomas Wylde dress, Chanel bag. All pictures by Mark Iantosca. xo

Celine Dreams

My next big purchase will definitely be a Celine bag. Look at those beauties. They just pull looks together. But which to get? For the spring/summer, I'm really loving the linen and leather one at the top.

All pictures by Tommy Ton for Style.com.

Roast Chicken with Green Olives, Fennel Seeds, and Thyme

Is there anything more satisfying than roasting a whole chicken in the oven on a cold, lazy Sunday? Or any day for that matter? If I were hard-pressed to name my favorite thing to cook, it would have to be roast chicken. There's something incredibly homey and delicious (not just in the literal sense) about cooking a good bird (one that's led a happy life) and carving it up to share amongst friends and family. And on the other hand, if you happen to be cooking for one or two, a chicken is the best possible thing you can make. There is a plethora of divine dishes waiting to be whipped up out of the leftovers, PLUS the bones of the bird make for an excellent homemade chicken broth. Talk about nose-to-tail eating at it's finest.

This is the whole concept behind Mindy Fox's book, "A Bird in the Oven and Then Some," introduced to me by the lovely Julia Bainbridge of Bon Appetit. The genius cookbook is filled with 20 different ways to roast a chicken plus side dishes and recipes for incorporating leftovers. This chicken--the Roast Chicken with Green Olives, Fennel Seeds, and Thyme--was the first one I made out of the book, and I must say it was the best bird I've ever roasted. It's healthy, doesn't use a lick of butter, and comes out of the oven with a crisp, super flavorful skin that gives way to truly perfect, juicy meat. xo


Roast Chicken with Green Olives, Fennel Seeds, and Thyme
From A Bird in the Oven and Then Some, by Mindy Fox
Ingredients:
1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken
1 cup green olives, preferably Lucques or Cerignola (about 10), pitted and finely chopped (I used Cerignola)
2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 lemons
1 3/4 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon flakey coarse sea salt (I used Maldon) 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pull of excess fat around the cavities of the chicken and discard, then rinse the chicken and pat dry very well, inside and out. From the edge of the cavity, slip a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, then use your fingers to gently but thoroughly loosen the skin from the meat of the breasts and thighs.

Mound the olives, thyme, and garlic on your cutting board and chop them up together, then zest the lemons over the olive mixture, holding the zester close to the mixture so that you capture the flavorful oil that sprays from the lemons as you zest. Chop the mixture together a little more, then mix in the fennel seeds.

Working with about 1 tablespoon of the olive mixture at a time, gently push the olive mixture into the pockets you created between the chicken skin and meat, being careful not to tear the skin. Once you have put the mixture into the pockets, you can gently rub your hand over the outside of the skin to smooth out the mixture and push it farther down between the skin and meat where you may not be able to reach with your hand.

Put the chicken into a baking dish or skillet a bit larger than the chicken and season with the salt. Roast in the oven, turning the pan once, halfway through, until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a fork, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. I used a 3 lb bird, so 1 hour was perfect for me. Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then baste with the juices.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, then carve and serve with the pan juices and extra salt for sprinkling.

Old-Fashioned Banana Cake

For three years, I lived exactly one dangerous block from Billy's Bakery in Chelsea. And while my roommate and everyone else I knew were wholehearted cupcake advocates, I was a sucker for their banana cake. The first time I tasted it, I swore that I'd have old-fashioned banana cakes slathered in a thick, cream-cheese frosting at my wedding. (Some girls fantasize about what their bridesmaids will wear, I dream about my wedding cake. Go figure.)

So when I found a recipe for banana cake that looked suspiciously like it could be verrrrry similar to the Billy's version I know and love, I pounced on it and made it that very morning, as I fortuitously had some overripe bananas hanging out on my kitchen counter. It's an easy single-layer cake with frosting liberally spread across the top, decorated simply with a scattering of whole walnuts. No assembly, no mess. As far as cakes go, it couldn't have been easier to put together.

I snuck a tiny little forkful of cake from the very top to make sure it tasted good, filled it in with an extra heap of frosting, and then did what anyone should do with good, whole cakes: I gave it away. xo


Old-Fashioned Banana Cake
Adapted from How Easy Is That, by Ina Garten
Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
Walnut halves, for decorating

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan.

Mix bananas, granulated sugar and brown sugar in bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add oil, eggs, sour cream. vanilla and orange zest. Mix until smooth.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Spread frosting thickly on top of cake and decorate with walnut halves. Slice and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don't whip. Add sugar and mix until smooth.

New York Fashion Week Fall 2011: Favorite Moments

I've finally come out of my NYFW-induced coma and developed enough presence of mind to sort through my pictures and pick out some of my favorites from the week. I must say, as hectic as it was work-wise, I definitely had a lot of fun this time around. The parties were extra enjoyable and it was great being able to reunite with all my favorite fashion people over and over again for seven days straight.

1. The awesome 70s vibe at Chris Benz.
2. Cynthia Steffe had some unbelievably cozy-looking outerwear, including this soft color-blocked jacket.
3. Tibi's bright beanies were great.
4. I loved the party-girl look at Alice + Olivia. Bright red laughing lips, tilted eyeliner.
5. Cannot for the life of me remember which show this was from. 
6. Chris Benz. Look at those pants! And that hat!
7. Final walk at one show or another.
8. Oscar de la Renta. My absolute favorite, every single time. Look at that emerald gown. Dreamy.
9. Bryanboy and I at the Last Magazine/Kanon party at Indochine. It was the last night of fashion week and we had one serious dance-off. David Prutting from Billy Farrell Agency took that pic.