The Late Afternoon

Happy Weekend! This was the sunset last Wednesday after my run.

The last hour of daylight before the sun sets may just be the prettiest hour of the day.

While our apartment has always had a cozy charm to it, recently, its felt more and more like home. It’s probably because we’ve added a few new pieces to the place that warms it up a bit, like an Essex printed bench, vintage milk jars for vases, flowers (!), and few new wall hangings (not shown). It will probably stay a work in-progress up to the day we decide to move, but for now, I’m loving it. Though, the best part of my apartment by far is the guy I share it with. Duh!

If you had 36 hours in your dream destination, what would you do? 36 Hours, based on the ever-popular NY Times column of the same name, answers that question for over a hundred U.S. cities, big and small. Besides the envy-inducing itineraries, the design of this book is what gets me the most. I could spend hours admiring the artwork, photographs, layout and perfectly selected font. Travel + Design? Sounds like a good pair to me!

Images via Taschen

These crinkly cookies almost have as much powder sugar as the beignets I had in New Orleans. And, yes, that is a very good thing. The chocolate cookie dough is rolled into balls and then covered in layers of powder sugar before being popped in the oven. Once in the oven, they puff and crinkle until the are super soft and super addicting. I think this recipe (seen here and here) may be one of my new favorites that I will definitely be making over and over and over again.

Every so often, Mike and I take a trip to Santa Cruz to visit my sister to spend the day eating and playing around the little beach town. She always plans the best days for us. We definitely took advantage of the gorgeous weather this time around by being outdoor as much as possible. We brunched at Cafe Brazil, explored the Swift Street Courtyard and downtown, played games on the Boardwalk, and ate a delicious Italian dinner from Lillian’s. We found a bunch of little stores with lots of unique finds and ate delicious food. Short getaways make for the greatest weekends.

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