NEW SERIES…ASK SARAH!

hey now!  so i was thinking it would be really fun to answer your email questions in a new “ask sarah” series. i mean, i think i could possibly be of service, and when i fail i know that all of you will chime in with just the right advice to save my ass. here are a few questions to get it started *all questions submitted by yours truly:

q:  sarah, are you qualified to be answering questions on the interweb?

a: ah, well, there’s a pretty simple answer to that one: absolutely not. i’ve never attended answering questions on the interweb college, or even taken a course on it for that matter.  i have absolutely no background in answering questions professionally whatsoever.  i fancy myself an internet dr. phil though, so i think it’s all good.

q: will you be able to answer questions of a scientific or mathematical nature?

a: not independently. however should i receive one i will promptly forward to my friend annie who is extremely good at google and much, much smarter than the average bear.  together we will get to the bottom of any and all smarty-pants questions.

q: will you help me find a dress to wear to a wedding/job interview/party/funeral/christening/bbq or date night to the icecapades?  or the perfect chair for that awkward empty nook in my living room?

a: oh hell yes.  online shopping for others is one of my joys in life.  just make sure to give me a little background info on you and what your needs are.  send pictures when appropriate.

q: will you advise me on how to best handle an awkward situation/conflict with a friend, colleague or family member?

a: oh most definitely.  and i have watched pretty much every episode of real housewives of anywhere so i am very well versed in What Not To Do.

q: will you suggest a recipe for my lactose intolerant, gluten free, vegetarian-who-doens’t-eat-anything-green/red or blue sister in law for a dinner party i’m hosting?

a: i will do my damnedest.  and it will be delicious.

so there we go, off to a roaring start! please bring on the questions my friends (via email, comments or the form under “contact”). otherwise you’ll all be subjected to more of me asking and answering my own questions.  which would be awkward for all of us.

*vintage vogue cover found here 

vacation style

i’ve been fantasizing about a european honeymoon lately (we’re hoping to squeeze one in this year if we can!)  this dress, scarf and shoes would be my perfect travel outfit. i’d wear it on the plane (with a big pair of knee high socks in my bag for when the air conditioning got to be too much and i’d wear it for a day walking around a city and exploring. these shoes are the best for that: the perfect marriage of cute and comfortable! and i pretty much never travel without a scarf to wrap around me on an airplane. do you have any must-have travel wear? 

dress: madewell via shopbop  scarf: marc jacobs  shoes: bensimon purse: chloe (similar) glasses: People watch: marc jacobs  earrings: maya brenner (lou’s initials!) lips: dior blazing red

ginger broccoli with forbidden rice

this is one of those easy peasy throw together meals that will satisfy you in a hot second. well, at least it will if you love ginger and broccoli like i do- pretty much like a fat kids loves cake (thanks for that one 50 cent)

recipe after the jump

the what:

6 cups chopped broccoli 

2 cups of forbidden rice, cooked

3 tablespoons chopped ginger

3 tablespoons mirin (available in the japanese section of your market)

3 tablespoons tamari

pinch of red pepper flakes, or more (optional)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

sesame seeds

the how:

cook two cups of forbidden rice (in my rice cooker i prefer 2 cups of rice to 2 1/4 cups of water)

chop broccoli into florets, set aside. i love the stems of broccoli too, if you haven’t tried eating those, chop them into chunks and include in your measurement. the bottoms of the stems can get tough and inedible, so make sure you’re taking note of the tenderness.

mix ginger, tamari, mirin, red pepper flakes and maple syrup.

in a large sauté pan, cook broccoli and 2/3 of ginger mixture on high heat.  if the broccoli starts to stick, add a little water or more of the ginger sauce.  

once broccoli has reached your texture preference, remove from heat.

serve in small bowls, with a couple spoonfuls each of rice and broccoli.  mix the broccoli and rice, add a little extra ginger sauce if you’d like and then sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat up! * i also added a little siracha to mine before eating, love that extra spice!

pastels and polka dots

well hello friends!  lately i’ve been inspired by guy style. i’ve been envying their ties and bow ties, buttoned up oxfords, casually rolled pants and boat shoes. finding a way to incorporate some of that into my own closet has been fun! and of course i added some polka dots and pastels, you can’t go wrong with either this spring.  have a great weekend, i hope it’s sunny and relaxing wherever you may be!  

jeans: jcrew (similar, if they don’t have your size!),  shirt: madewell,  glasses: People,  booties: dolce vita (similar), bow tie: forzieri,  bag: clare vivier, watch: marc jacobs,  bracelet: ettika,  scarf: madewell (similar), lipstick: dior, blazing red (my new favorite!!) photos of me by my talented husband  

YOWZA!

you know how every once in awhile you stumble across something in a store or online and feel like it was made just for you? that’s what happened with me and this marc jacobs scarf. it felt like christmas when it came in the mail today and you can bet your cute butt it will be wrapped around my happy neck for a long, long time.  and that sweet iphone case, made my my gal pals over at ban.do, in case you’re interested.  i feel like a bazillion bucks all decked out in pretty! {photo from my instagram : sarahyates }