vegan peach cobbler.

hey lovelies!

today is NOT a fashion post. it is summertime in alabama, which means 95+ temperatures, unless it's raining. my uniform has been denim short-shorts & tank tops/t-shirts. but one of these days (tomorrow hopefully) i plan to get a little frilly; i have the urge.

but today was my mom & her husband's anniversary, so i made them a vegan peach cobbler from vegan with a vengeance.



my globs of crust were too large & didn't spread like i thought they would, so there are biscuit-like things floating on top of caramelized peaches. brown sugar & cinnamon pervades it. SO GOOD. it would be a delicious fall treat, but mom bought 50-million peaches at the state farmer's market so i thought this would be a good way to use some of them.

recipe~
vegan peach cobbler

filling-ingredients:
8 peeled & sliced fresh peaches
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cornstarch

topping-ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 cup brown sugar + more for sprinkling on crust
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup vanilla soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

instructions:
preheat oven to 440 degrees Fahrenheit & have a glass 9 x 13 baking dish.

prepare filling:
mix all filling ingredients in baking dish; set aside.

prepare topping:
in a medium-size mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. create a deep indention in the middle, add the liquid ingredients, & mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. drop by tablespoonful over the filling, leaving an inch or so between each spoonful. sprinkle a bit of extra brown sugar.

bake for about 30 minutes, until the filling is bubbly & the topping is browned. sprinkle a touch more brown sugar & cinnamon a few minutes after extracting from oven.

try it out! it's delicious. :)

with love,
rachel. <3

purple roses are my favorite.

hi you guys!

goodness, i've been... well, kinda lazy, actually. i just got back to my mom's yesterday, & we went out to eat & to an auction where i bought a little something. there's a picture, but i don't want to spoil the surprise. ;) it was a lot of fun! then today we went to pick it up & went grocery shopping, & this is the outfit i wore:


shirt is rue 21 ($3! :D), shorts are target, sandals are from a boutique (city market), earrings were a gift (from avon, i know, however), & ring is simply vera by vera wang (at kohl's).
forgive the stupid posing. xD my camera didn't want to focus either, but i didn't realize this until i uploaded the pictures, so sorry about that too!


my little second piercing looks like a baby compared to my other jewelry. xD




this is what i won at the auction! a green velvet chair! sorry for the shoddy lighting, but isn't it gorgeous? it's so comfy & i like it a lot more than the pink circle chair i had... much more sophisticated & much more my style. it'll definitely be going with me to college next year! :)

with love,
rachel. <3

there's a geek in all of us.

hi!

so, just to clarify before we begin: this outfit was for a skit my friend & i did for our spanish class a few months ago. i had to dress up as a nerd. i really love this outfit, nerdy as it is!

shirt is one star by converse from target, skirt is thrifted, shoes are candies, suspenders & glasses are from walmart, pearl earrings were a gift.

i really like this outfit! it's so goofy, & i loved wearing it to school for three hours. xD i think the glasses were what really made it so wonderful. i haven't broken out the suspenders since i wore this, but i think i'm going to have to sometime soon! thoughts?


also, i was mega sick when i wore this, so i apologize for looking so under the weather. it was just too much fun to pass up!

life lately has been pretty bland... haven't worn any great outfits; i've been attempting to chill in tank tops & shorts. however, my best friend anna & i are hanging out, so i think i might do some outfit shots tomorrow.

with love,
rachel. <3

put on your black shoes & dance the blues.

hey loves!

took advantage of the wonderful sunlight today -- it's rained for the past four out of five days wherever i've been. so i soaked up some vitamin D & took pictures!




army green tunic & black leggings are forever 21 (from of my indiana shopping!), zipper heels are zigi soho, cross necklace & pearl bracelet are gifts.

this is my cat, angel. (my brother named her. :P) she just had to get in the picture!

i'm back in alabama! for the time being, anyway. indiana was... interesting. i really liked downtown indianapolis -- the circle centre mall was amazing! i loved walking over the streets. we went to hard rock as well, & i got a delicious honey citrus salad. (i think that's what it was called...) romaine, blue cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, orange wedges, & a sweet orange vinaigrette. yum! my stepmom & i also went to the edinburgh outlet mall, which was your typical outlet mall. still ended up with some nice finds, though.

however, i was a bit surprised; people in indiana do "staycations" where they go to a hotel for a weekend as a vacation. dad's hotel was covered in people over the weekend! it was quite bizarre to see the place nearly empty on the weekdays.


mom snapped this shot of a orange lily in our garden while we took pictures. i think i'll leave you with it.

with love,
rachel. <3

summer inspiration.

hello!

i found this picture of kelly osbourne with her boyfriend at coachella & i just love it! her dress is so cute, & with the hair? lovelovelove! it inspired me to do a, well, inspiration post. just some looks that i'm craving this summer~




sean lennon is such a cute one. (i did not just say that.)







i wish i had grace like that... but alas, i am far too clumsy & short for such things! xD
(pictures from style.com, who what wear, & probably somewhere else i can't remember.)

with love,
rachel. <3

piercing #2! (& fiona apple)

bonjour!

so, i told you i had a surprise for you yesterday... here it is!

i got a second ear piercing! it was really an impulse -- i had seen a picture on a blog (i wish i could remember which!) with three ear piercings on the lobe, & i had thought that was neat. yesterday, i decided i'd do it! i'm going to do it in steps, however. also, my friend alyssa (who lives thousands of miles away) got four per ear yesterday! i thought it was neat that we did it the same day & had no idea. xD



this is the aerie surf-ish hoodie i bought. it's SO SOFT; i plan on wearing it with leggings/tights.


& some inspiration: fiona apple~



& also, i was youtube-surfing & found this jewel. she's a great performer & I LOVE HER VOICE. it's raw & unique & deep (in terms of range). it's also quite the opposite of mine. xD

i'm off to indiana tomorrow with my stepmom to visit my dad; he's working there for the summer. i hear there's some fabulous shopping to be done, and we have some relatives whom i don't see often who live close by where we're staying. it'll be a good trip, i think.

with love,
rachel. <3

don't look before you laugh.

look ugly in a photograph.
flash bulbs; purple irises
the camera can't see.
(city of blinding lights -- U2)



hey there!

mm, man, it's been a good day. spent the first half in the hotel room, essentially, reading & being lazy & watching the fifa cup kick-off concert. that was amazing: a good mix of african music & western music, not to mention some european groups. soccer isn't very popular around here, but i might have to watch this! mom & i went back to the summit after she finished with her workshop, & we went to the cheesecake factory (more on that later), did some shopping, & found a wonderfully abandoned parking lot to take pictures in!


v-neck is old navy, vest is american eagle, skirt is from walmart, shoes are candies, sunglasses are from kohls.




earrings are betsey johnson (i know, you can't really see them, sorry!), heart pendant (which is actually a watch) is american eagle, blue-jewel bracelet is thrifted.

we then went to charming charlie, which is the cutest clothing/accessory store! it's color-coded, which is quite handy actually. but their clothes don't really interest me: its all in the details!

that belt is actually purple... hotel lighting is crap.



then we went to another shopping mall & to two other stores: aerie & forever 21.

the cardi is from aerie, & SO SOFT. they're having a sale, so i suggest you get yourselves over there for cute undies & comfy basics. i also bought a very surf-inspired natural-tone hoodie, but my picture was deleted, & some undies, but i'm not showing you my knickers! xD the parisian-esque striped shirt is from forever 21. i got the last one out tonight! :D

all skirts are forever 21. i got the black pencil skirt for a steal: $6.80! :D i was also thrilled with the tiered crochet-lace skirt; it somewhat reminds me of chanel spring rtw 10.

but now let's talk food. (this is one of my favorite subjects, especially when i eat well!) we went to the cheesecake factory, & it was my first time. i ordered the portobella on a bun, & it was SO GOOD! i couldn't finish it, though. it's one of the most unhealthy items on the menu, but it sounded so tempting i couldn't resist. ;) grilled portobella + swiss (i believe) cheese + lettuce + tomato + purple onion + spicy mayo? delicious. i got a green salad on the side, but i only ate a few bites. it was quite fresh, though.

i did one other thing tonight, but i'm going to keep it a surprise & show you tomorrow. ;D

with love,
rachel. <3