Married with Style

I’m about the last person you’d ever call trendy. It’s kind of weird since I absolutely love clothes and magazines which tend to focus on exactly that. Instead, I buy what I like — usually at T.J Maxx or Marshal’s or more often than not, a great consignment shop. More than anything, I love a great deal, particularly on something I’ve had on my “must buy” list, like a classic winter coat or a pair of suede boots.

I think my appetite and eye for fashion and design actually developed from my love of flipping through magazines though. It’s easy to shop anywhere when I can snap up a blouse that reminds me faintly of Prada or a detailing on a shoe that smacks of Gucci.

So many years of magazine consumption results in various style inspiration moments becoming emblazoned in my memory. The one I’ve most wanted to emulate — for years now — is one of Kerri Russel in a 2009 InStyle spread:

Kerri Russell is the reason I buy tweed hats and have wanted to buy a pair of brogues (or loafers) for nearly a decade. I tore these pages out of InStyle the day the magazine arrived in the mail and knew that someday, when I had style, I’d dress like her.

It seems so silly now, but when I saw the Gucci slide trend ALL OVER THE PLACE this fall, I was immediately taken back to this spread and how much I longed to emulate this effortless look.

I think this is going to be the year I finally purchase some Gucci loafers. I’m so excited.

Greek Salmon Burgers, via Better Homes & Gardens magazine, May 2014

It’s become a bit of a not-so-funny joke between Brian and I that I don’t cook anymore. I used to make the time for it and enjoyed it even, but that all changed after I got pregnant a few years ago. I couldn’t bear the smell of most foods as I battled nausea and felt legless by the end of most days. Brian took over the role of “le chef” in our house and I never exactly argued.

Since moving into the new place though, despite the extraordinarily teeny size of the  kitchen workspace, I’ve been making more of an effort to try out some new recipes. Admittedly, I have an ulterior motive: I’ve been redesigning our kitchen since my first tour of the house but know that I need to really use the space before I even think about any sort of renovation. So there’s that.

I’ve also been paging through my old Martha Stewart and Better Home and Garden magazines to look for garden and home inspiration. I adore Pinterest, but I’m more old school when in comes to getting inspired. There’s nothing like settling in with a stack of magazines before Emilia’s up on a weekend morning and enjoying a cup of coffee. I just let my mind wander with ideas as I page along, sipping my brew and enjoying our beautiful garden and yard.

A picture as evidence of my cooking efforts (plus, I love my new apron)

Anyways, all this to say that on my most recent magazine review, I found a delicious recipe for Greek Salmon burgers and could wait to try it. I’d never chopped and processed salmon into patties before so that was really fun. And the Greek” seasoning with the cucumber yogurt was really delicious, cool and refreshing. I can’t wait to make this for guests sometime too. For now, it’s definitely getting filed in my “Tried and True” recipes binder.

You should definitely try this. I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as salmon in burger form, but it really came together really nicely. Prep was quick-ish (if you can easily source the ingredients) and the flavors were total perfection.