refreshing (spiked) watermelon lemonade

one word. REFRESHING.

4th of July week was HOT. And the one thing that can cool my buns were watermelons, so I decided to share and make everyone at the BBQ some fresh watermelon lemonade.  Thanks Martha for the inspiration.  I mashed, blended, strained, mix, and eventually spiked the watermelon lemonade.  My friend called it "crunk juice", I think he liked it.  We spiked it with vodka, my rule of thumb, pour until you taste it, or with what you're comfortable with.  We don't need drunken skallywags running around, or we might.  No.. definitely not.

Cool down with a glass of watermelon lemonade, and let me know if you have any special twists to it.  I have a feeling I'll be drinking this a lot this summer.

Thanks for reading!

<3 roe [a roesy life]

fresh and easy summer steezy

Top: Forever 21 // Shorts: Zara // Sunnies: Kate Spade via Nordstrom Rack // Sandals: Vince Camuto via Nordstrom Rack

Summer is in full swing and my shorts are in full rotation.  I wore this to our friend's annual 4th of July BBQ.. you might recognize the door step from D's post last year.  Had to make sure I had something comfy, and stretchy for all the good eats we'd be having throughout the day.  

I can't really say if I've ever really been a shorts person, outside of athletics, but for some reason, this season I've been shorts crazy.  Maybe it's the little details on these faux leather shorts.  I'm in love with the quilted detail on these shorts, and bonus.. elastic waist.  The peplum was a perfect pair to hide the elastic waist, too.  On hot days where I have to eat, I need no fuss, which means no jewelry sticking to me and getting in the way as I fight people off for food.  Too bad I was only half patriotic this day, but I did have a red cup that I conveniently left somewhere.

Thanks for stopping by!

<3 roe [a roesy life]

You Wear What You Eat

I love food so much that I want to wear it. Here's an outfit I picked up from Lulu's in anticipation of summer weddings. Peach and mint combo, yum! A big floral print on a shift dress looks mod and feminine but leaves lots of room for hors d'oeuvres, entrees, and wedding cake ;)

Through the Looking Glass Brown Tortoise Sunglasses

Mirror-est and Dearest PEACH Floral Shift Dress

Mavis 03 MINT D'Orsay Pointed Heels

As much as I love food, eggplant isn't my favorite, but I figure that anything is delicious roasted, right? So I sliced up a Chinese eggplant, brushed it with some olive oil, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and threw it in an oven set at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, I caramelized onions and sautéed morel mushrooms. 15mins later, after a flip, the slices were browned on both sides, and I was ready to assemble. I brushed olive oil on pieces of garlic naan and arranged the cooked veggies over a handful of shredded mozzarella. I put the naan in the oven, lowered to 350 degrees, for roughly 10 minutes until the cheese was golden brown. After a little time to cool, I topped everything with some arugula and enjoyed. Quick, easy, and delicious.

This would be amazing grilled. Who's got a grill? I'm coming over!

<3 C

vegetable tian

According to Roti n Rice, a tian is "a composite of roasted vegetables sometimes with cheese on top, layered attractively in a shallow dish.  The vegetables are usually sliced into coins and arranged in an alternating manner to form a colorful display".

With summer approaching and eggplants in season, I decided to use the vibrant colors to make a delicious meal.

I originally wanted to use puff pastry to make a flaky crust for the vegetable tian, however, Safeway's The Market, didn't carry it, so I turned to Phu's cauliflower crust as an alternative.  Slicing the beautifully colored vegetables got me all giddy inside.  I was more excited to see the finished product, than to eat it.  That's a first.

This recipe is extremely simple, but be forewarned it can be a little tedious with the slicing, but it's not that bad if you throw in a glass of wine to keep you company. ;)

Vegetable Tian [will need 2 oval baking dishes]

• 1 large eggplant, sliced
• 2 yellow squash, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 5 crushed and chopped garlic gloves
• half a bunch of parsley, chopped
• couple dashes of cayenne
• Phu's cauliflower crust

1. Preheat the over to 450 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and set aside to draw out the water for about 15 minutes.
3. Place the bell peppers on a lightly greased baking pan and roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes.
4. Spread the crust evenly in the two baking dishes.
5. Heat a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, and saute the garlic until lightly browned.  Take the pan off the heat and add the chopped parsley into the hot pan so that it just barely wilts, then add a couple dashes of cayenne.
6. Spread this garlic-parsley-cayenne mix evenly at the bottom of each baking dish.
7. When the bell peppers are done, let cool.
8. When the bell peppers are cooled, alternate the sliced vegetables in any pattern you like.  I divided the baking dish into 4 quadrants and used a different direction for each quadrant. *See picture below.
9. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and place in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Then turn the oven up to 450 degrees F and finish off in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.
10. Remove from heat and serve warm.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Happy Summer!

Thanks for stopping by!

<3 roe [a roesy life]

summer weddings

'Tis the season!! For wedding bliss!! One of my favorite seasons. I'm a sucker for love and romance and everything wedding related.

Summer weddings call for light layers and lots of colors! 

Wanna know a secret? I slipped on some water and almost did the splits.. I didn't hit the floor, but needless to say I ripped the side seam on the bottom of my dress just before I took these pictures... Yikes! Need a repair. :P

{outfit}

Blazer: Gap

Dress: old

Shoes: Corso Como

Sunnies & Earrings: Kate Spade

Clutch/Purse: vintage Chanel

Thanks for joining me today! What will you be wearing at your next summer wedding?

<3 roe [a roesy life]