Fallin' for Fall.

If you've known me for long enough, you know that my favorite season is Autumn.

I love the clothing from cute scarves to sweaters to jackets. I love the sweet smelling breeze. I love the burning of candles, the warmth of a fire place, and the taste of spicy-sweet cider :)

I was feeling very Fall-ish the other night and whipped out my Pumpkin Pie candle. I love Pumpkin*. Pumpkin pies, candles, pancakes... even pumpkin lattes from Starbucks! (just in case you were wondering, they do not sell their pumpkin syrup...I've tried for years to buy it from them)

*I even drove to the grocery store at midnight to get a Pumpkin Pie.... they had sold out of them! I guess I wasn't the only one craving pumpkin.

The thing I miss the most about the Midwest is seeing the leaves change. Ugh! I would love to stop in just for a day and do all the Fall things that I love and miss the most....

Soupe Au Pistou.

As you know, anytime that I am planning on making dinner, I like to see if there is a french version of what I am craving.

The other night after work, I had my heart set on duck. So I went out to Whole Foods and bought some duck breasts and duck legs. We had the most amazing dinner. I had prepared the duck with orange zest, garlic, salt & pepper, and balsamic vinaigrette. It was a-mazing. Seriously. My guests were speechless and left wanting more. I really wish that I would have taken pictures... oh well...

I did however, remember to take a few pictures from our dinner the other night.

Joseph had gone to Henry's Market and bought a bunch of zucchini's...(obviously they were on sale) so I had to use them up! I had a great French recipe for Soupe Au Pistou. So, yummy... carrots, potatoes, thyme, onion, and beans (which I substituted garbanzo beans for). I was supposed to make a little Basil Pistou on the side to serve with the soup but instead I used Italian Flat Leaf parsley!

The only picture that I remembered to take that pertained to the soup itself. I used some of the duck fat to saute the zucchini that I kept from the night before.

The pistou consisted of parsley, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil.

I pureed it until it was a somewhat smooth consistency and voila! It was actually really yummy and resembled pesto with a little more of a kick. By Joseph's second bowl, it seemed as though he was eating straight pistou because he loved it so much.

New IT Bag.

Ok, isn't it a little sad that on my days off, after eating breakfast and drinking coffee with Joseph, my one and only mission in life is to find my new IT bag.

While my mom was visiting last week, after spending the day at Universal Studios (a post to follow while all the trip details... but probably not today), we stopped by South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa where I found a new addition to my must-have bag list.

Yes, you've see the PS1 by Proenza-Schouler featured on my blog but it still is on my "considering getting it" list. I like so many things about it. I've seen so many celebs carrying it around, so that should say something about the bag right?

This is my NEW favorite.... Meet Reed Krakoff's creation, the Boxer II. Haven't heard of him, huh? Does the little brand Coach ring a bell? He apparently took the initially $50o million company to some $3 billion dollar company and has now branched out on his own.

It's about the same size as the ever-so-famous Birkin by Hermes but different and unique in its own right.

What do you think??
Is it better than the PS1? Or could it even possibly be better than....

Louis Vuitton's new Roman MM? I completely fell in love with this bag while I browsed the boutique at South Coast Plaza. Maybe I'm leaving towards this bag more because I have actually had the chance to hold it, touch it, and see what it looks like against me.

Ugh, the never-ending bag wars!