Stitch Fix #5

I have a confession to make I actually received this StitchFix shipment a few weeks ago, smack dab in the middle of moving. Needless to say I wasn’t really feeling the whole pictures of different outfits thing…I much preferred to sleep.

It didn’t help that as a result of too much restaurant food and zero exercise resulted in a couple extra pounds and some ill fitting clothes.

Truth.

But now that things have slowed down considerably, I’ve been able to take some time to unwind, which led me to rummage through my closet to find my stitch fix items for an impromptu styling session.

(Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t already guessed…I kept the entire fix.)

41 Hawthorn Corinna Striped Dolman Top

I adored this top even before I tried it on. For starters it’s green, which is my favorite color. It’s also slouchy and super comfortable, which is a total turn-on for me when it comes to clothes. The first thing I did was try it on with my jeggings (yes, I have a pair of super-stylish fake jean leggings, don’t judge) and brown boots. My second outfit was a total fluke – as in, that white dress fell off the hangar when I was rummaging for outfits in the closet and it was like a light bulb went off over my head. I tossed it on over the blouse, added a belt, and although you can’t see them – I added matched red heels. Adorable. A little too Christmas maybe, but I like it!

Zouk Tatiana Ikat Print Dolman Sleeve Dress

I was on the fence about keeping this dress, mainly because I thought it was a little too summery for October. That being said, it was actually more cost efficient to keep the entire fix (you save 25% when you do!) then return the dress, so I kept it with the thought of not wearing it until spring or summer. I found the mulberry colored stocking completely by accident – they were still in their unopened package, but how fortuitous for me because they match the dress perfectly! Definitely a summer keeper. Then I added the jeggings and a grey cotton blazer and what do you know? A fall-apprpriate outfit!

41Hawthorn Ivy Abstract Chevron Tab-Sleeve Blouse

I had no idea until stitchfix that I LOVE tab-sleeve blouses. So far I’ve kept every single one I’ve gotten in my fixes, so that should tell my stylist something! They are so comfortable and so cute. I was especially excited about this one because of the chevron print – with the blue and black it wasn’t overpowering or as in your face as I sometimes find chevron prints, and it’s different enough for me to spice up my outfits at work without being too…loud. Does that make sense? I loved how it pairs perfectly with my white skinnies and a black skirt – a staple of my work wardrobe.

Kensie Jeans Johnny Skinny Jeans

Do I need another pair of skinny jeans? Nope. But I put these on and they were like butter…seriously. They fit perfectly, even with the extra padding I had from all that restaurant food I mentioned. I kept the outfits for this simple – a plain white tee and my awesome red ModCloth shoes, and my winter coat and UGGS. There’s nothing I love more than a pair of all-season skinny jeans!

(Actually, there are a lot of things I love more than a pair of all-weather jeans…I just needed a catchy sentence to finish my write-up.)

2009 West Kavi Striped Asymmetrical Jacket

The only thing I need less than another pair of skinny jeans is another jacket. It appears I have an extreme fondness for both. Plus, this jacket is so. fun. I love the asymmetrical front, and I like that it dresses up with black skinnies (my black sanctuary Rizzo skinny ponte pants from my first fix – still my favorite piece EVER!) and dressed down with jeans. The only thing I don’t like about the jacket is that the pockets are FAKE! Gaah! You unzip the pocket only to find…no pocket. Not cool, and very annoying. The decision to keep this may very well bite me in the behind solely because of the pockets. But, we’ll see!

I have to say, my stylist nailed this fix. I loved every piece and ended up keeping the whole thing – even though I should have put the money toward something practical, like a lawnmower. I loved that there were a bunch of patterns in this fix – from the striped sweater to the patterned blouse to the fabulous dress. I was hoping for some fun pieces for fall and this fix totally delivered!

So, what is Stitch Fix?

It’s essentially a personal shopping service you can sign up for online. You fill out a fairly extensive style survey questionnaire (answering questions on both your likes and your body type), and one of their personal stylists picks out items based on your specifications. Then, each month (or however often you schedule your fixes), a cute little box arrives at your door filled with five items for you to try on and decide whether or not you like them enough to buy! It’s perfect because you can try on the clothes with other pieces from your closet, skype with friends or family to get a second (or third or fourth opinion), and whatever you decide not to buy, you simple mail back in the prepaid envelope included in your box! Simple as that!

You do pay a $20 styling fee for each fix, but that $20 goes towards anything you purchase. If you decide not to buy anything, you lose $20, but if you buy all five items in your box, you get a 25% discount.

Have you tried Stitch Fix yet? I can’t recommend it enough!

(Disclaimer: use this code to sign up and I get a $25 referral credit.)

Apple Onion Balsamic Pork Chops

It appears that I have somewhat of an apple-onion theme going on.

Well, maybe. Does two recipes in a week count as a theme? Really I guess not, especially when you add the fact that I don’t have any more apple onion recipes up my sleeve. At least, not yet.

This recipe actually started as somewhat of an accident. (I feel like I say that a lot – is it just me?) I kind of wanted to make pork chops with apples and onions and so I threw a bunch of stuff in a pot, Kevin added a bunch of stuff to the pot, and it turned out to be pretty delicious! Except that the next time we tried to make it we couldn’t remember what we used and so we had to start over from scratch. Whoops.

Admittedly it’s not the most appealing dish I’ve ever made, but trust me when I say that it’s 100% delicious. The apple + onion + pork combination is a total win, and when you add a couple tablespoons of aged balsamic vinegar and a shake or two of red pepper flakes it’s the perfect symphony of sweet, tangy, and a kick in the mouth.

Pork happens to go really well with sweet, tangy, and a kick in the mouth, don’t you think?

As good as this tasted for dinner (we served it with roasted kabocha squash and sweet potatoes, delicious), I took leftovers in to work the next day and it was even better. Particularly when I paired it with – are you ready for this? – sauerkraut. Holy Yum.

(For those of you who haven’t experienced the beautiful culinary marriage that is pork and sauerkraut, you need to remedy that. Stat.)

And speaking of work – I had to take Kevin’s truck to work last week – guess who totally ROCKED backing that beast into a teeny parking spot in the garage??

THIS GIRL!! Yes, I took a picture.

But I totally ducked every time I drove under one of those clearance signs because I was certain the truck wasn’t going to make it.

Sigh.

APPLE ONION BALSAMIC PORK CHOPS

serves four

INGREDIENTS

4 bone-in pork chops

2 onions, sliced

2 apples, cored and sliced

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup aged balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)

1/4 cup white wine

2 tsp cinnamon

red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper

coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 1-2 tbsps coconut oil in a heavy pan. Add pork chops and apple cider vinegar and brown on both sides. Remove from pan.

In the same pan, add apples, onions, cinnamon, and red pepper (if using) and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. (Don’t cook them until they are soft just yet – only until they start to brown up!) Remove from pan.

Deglaze the pan with a healthy glug of white wine, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the pork and apple-onion mixture back to the pan. Add the balsamic, lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 45 minutes or until pork is cooked through.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was full of ups and downs, which is why I’m starting this post with a prayer request. On Friday, my grandmother was admitted to the hospital – I don’t want to go into detail on the blog, but although she’s stable now she’ll be in the hospital for at least a few more days while the doctors monitor her condition. Kevin and I had already planned on driving home to Pennsylvania for the weekend, so we were able to spend some time with my Nana in the hospital on Saturday and Sunday, which was nice – I was so glad I was able to see her and keep her company for a while. And although she’s doing better than she was, our family could use your prayers!

In other news, the reason Kevin and I drove home for the weekend was to attend my aunt’s annual Halloween party. I missed the past couple of years because of my overseas travel, so I was really looking forward to it. The party isn’t anything wild and crazy – it’s extended family and a few of my aunt’s close friends, but it IS a costume party, and this year we really got into it!

Funny story about Kevin’s and my costumes. Kevin’s “costume” is actually just a beanie with eyeholes cut out of it and a pair of winter gloves. We bought them at the grocery store for $2.99! He wanted to have something to wear for when trick-or-treaters stopped by the house and this definitely fits the bill! My costume isn’t so much a formal “costume” – I grabbed a princess dress from our stash of random Halloween stuff and added a Grecian wig from a previous costume and went as some weird Greek version of Cinderella. Mostly I just wanted to wear the wig, though, because it was fun.

And you can’t tell, but I’m totally wearing my UGG boots under the dress. Hey – they kept my feet warm!

(my sister the pirate! Arrrrgh!)

On Sunday the whole family went to church and afterwards my Dad made Philly cheesesteaks. No offense to Pat or Geno but my Dad’s cheesesteaks are WAY better! I would have taken a picture but I was too busy stuffing my face. #sorryimnotsorry

We stopped by the hospital on our way back to Virginia, so we ended up on the road later than we planned. This worked in our favor as it meant an unscheduled stop for dinner – at Chubby’s BBQ in Maryland.

(source)

We’ve driven past this place hundreds of times but never stopped. Now I’m kicking myself for not going sooner, because while it may not look like much on the outside it is hands down the best barbeque we’ve eaten – and we’ve been around the barbeque block a time or two!

Kevin ordered ribs with fried potatoes and collard greens, and I got their pit beef (available on weekends only) with coleslaw and pork and sauerkraut. Holy. Yum. The beef was incredibly tender and juicy, and Kevin’s ribs were literally falling off the bone. They had several sauces to choose from – my favorite was the Private Reserve, with the Old-Fashioned coming in a close second. Kevin really liked the Hot, but I found the spice of it overpowered my food. (There were two others – Volcano (um no thanks) and “Cold Remedy”, but we didn’t try either of those)

How cute is that mason jar full of beer??

If you ever get the chance to eat at Chubby’s BBQ, DO IT. The portions were huge, the food was out of this world, and the service was exceptional – our server was fantastic.

Oh…and we may also have ordered their vanilla butter cake dessert, which came served with caramel sauce and ice cream and almost made me cry with happiness.

Chubby’s BBQ in Emmitsburg, MD. GO THERE NOW.

(I did not get paid for this post – Chubby’s does not know I’m writing this post. I just want to share this incredible food with all of my invisible internet friends! And for those of you on the East Coast – what are you still doing reading this?! Go get some BBQ!!)

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