Saveur Secrets.

When it comes to food, I've been spoiled all my life by my mother, who's a genius in the kitchen. Growing up, I assumed that cooking was as easy as she made it look, and I took all of her beautifully prepared meals for granted. It wasn't until I left for college that I realized how wrong I'd been. Since then, learning to cook for myself has been an ongoing process - some days, I'm thrilled with what I make; other days, I'm convinced I'll starve. But I'm still learning, and loving the adventure. 

Yesterday, as I was browsing some of my favorite food sites, I came across a series of how-to videos on Saveur.com. I'll take any tips I can get, and I loved this one:

Cool, right? Now take what you've learned, and make this! 

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Weekend Wishes.

May your weekend be full of love, laughter, long walks, and buttoned-up bear hugs.

See you Monday.

Photos of Audrey Hepbern and Mel Ferrer by Michael Ochs. Found via reverie.

Ban.do Bliss.

My love affair with ban.do has been long-standing. We go way back (that's me in the middle there), which is why I couldn't be more excited about their brand-new holiday collection.

Highlights include a very festive sequin scarf, 

the girlie chiffon bow,

the odette crystal bobbi pin,

and my personal, all-occasions favorite, the pop flower.

Nothing like a little sparkle - and a hit of hot pink - to brighten your day. Shop more on the ban.do website, here. 

Photos by Max Wanger.

Oh Shoko!

Despite its proximity to the weekend, Wednesday often feels to me like the most chaotic day of the week. Today, I'm starting my morning by listening to my favorite pick-me-up song, John Lennon's "Oh Yoko!" (Slightly embarrassing fact: I sometimes change the words to "Oh Shoko!" when singing along. Just being honest.)

Video via theasz.

Society6.

I've included artwork from Society6 on my blog before, (a winking bear print, here, and a Steve Zissou iPhone case, here), but it would require dozens of posts to cover everything I love from the site, which hosts work by a slew of artists worldwide.

Three prints I happened upon while browsing yesterday:

"Wander" by Wesley Bird.

"Friendly Bear" by Sarajea.

"French Poppa" by Chris Piascik.

More at Society6.