I recently purchased a Briggs & Riley spinner luggage and while I love its smart and functional design, it blends in with all the other luggage at the airport. As we all know, looking for your bag during travel can be a hassle so I searched for luggage tag ideas to personalize it and give it a pop of color. Luggage ID tag? My bag already comes with one attached to the side. Neon luggage straps? A little too much. Tie a ribbon around the handle? I’ve done this and it just gets in the way.

So what else? Washi tape! It’s an inexpensive option and with so many colors and patterns available, you can personalize your bag however you want. Bright colors obviously work the best so you can easily spot it from far away.

For my bag, I chose a bright pink color and a gold polka-dot pattern with a thicker width and doubled the layer of each since washi tape can be a bit thin. I bought mine here but there are so many other stores on Etsy, too. Alternatively, I bet colored masking tape would work just as well!

When my husband and I went to Berkeley to visit friends a couple of years ago, I remember they welcomed us to their home with a huge box of pizza from The Cheese Board. Known for their thin-crust, vegetarian pizzas, Cheese Board only makes one kind of pizza for the day and this time it was topped with roasted potatoes, chile pasilla, onions, feta cheese, mozzarella, cilantro, key limes, and garlic olive oil. It was packed with flavor from the oil, full of starchy goodness, and quality cheese that you would only expect from a respectable cheese shop. All the richness is balanced out with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and generous amounts of fresh key lime juice. It’s delicious.

Since then, I’ve been making a version of Cheese Board’s delicious potato pizza that my husband and I can have at home. While it takes more time to make than our usual pepperoni or mushroom pizza, we get pretty excited about making this because we know it’s going to be good and extra special.

Unlike my favorite roasted potatoes recipe, I make a quick version for this pizza to cut down on prep time. The potatoes are also cut pretty thin which means they cook faster and it won’t be too heavy for the pizza.

Once the pizza is out of the oven, I add the feta cheese, garlic oil, cilantro, lime juice and a sprinkle of pepper as it cools. Enjoy and happy eating!

Potato Pizza
(Inspired by The Cheese Board in Berkeley, California)

Step 1: Pizza dough
I use Jim Lahey’s No Knead Pizza Dough recipe. Of course, you can omit this step and use store-bought dough.

Step 2: Garlic olive oil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole

1. Place olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Once warm, add the garlic and let it st. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.)
3. Set aside to cool.

Step 3: Roasted potatoes
1 medium Yukon gold potato
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice potato into thin rounds, about 1/4-inch thick.
3. Spread potatoes on an even layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft and golden brown. Set aside.

Step 4: Potato Pizza
Serves 4

4 balls of individual-sized pizza dough
2-3 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 small pasilla pepper, sliced thinly
1/4 cup shallots, sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Roasted potatoes
Garlic oil
Cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Note: The amount of toppings and cheese should be as little or as much as you’d like. The measurements above are just a guide as I tend to snack on the toppings as I make the pizza.

1. Set your rack to the lowest part of the oven and if you have one, place your pizza stone on top. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, flour your work-surface and roll out one ball of pizza dough. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper.
3. Add mozzarella cheese, roasted potatoes, sliced peppers and shallots to your pizza.
4. Carefully slide pizza along with parchment paper directly onto the pizza stone (If you don’t have a stone, a sheet pan works just as well).
5. Bake pizza for 10-15 minutes or until dough is golden brown. As your pizza bakes, repeat above steps with remaining pizza dough.
6. Once pizza is golden brown, carefully pull it out of the oven to rest. Sprinkle feta cheese and cilantro and drizzle with garlic oil. Add pepper to taste. Slice and serve.

1, Madewell drawstring pants, Topshop peterpan collart shirt
2, Zara wide stripe trousers, J.Crew vintage cotton tank
3, Zara linen marl trousers, Splendid jersey shirt
4, Madewell Rivington trousers, Anthropologie pocket tee

It was 100 degrees over the weekend and I thought, what happened to spring? It’s the kind of weather where jeans, especially skinny jeans, feel like sweater casings wrapped around my legs. Lately I’ve been looking for another cool, pant alternative other than my go-to khakis for hot weather days. Since harem pants are out of the question (I gave them a try at Zara’s dressing room and nope),  I’ve been looking for loose-fitting pants in light fabrics that are breezy and comfy.

I found a few options from Zara and Madewell in linen and ones with fun prints. Paired with a lightweight tee or tank, my skin has room to breath and hopefully I’ll be less likely to whine about how hot it is. Summer weather, let’s wait until the end of June okay?

The other night, I had to throw away a failed mound of mushy pie dough when I realized that I only added 215 grams of flour instead of 315 grams (geez, is it time to print in a larger font?). It was too late to save it and it broke my heart that I just wasted two sticks of butter. On the plus side, I have been better about not giving myself a hard time. After all, failing is a part of the learning process and it’s not always going to go perfectly.

Still, I get annoyed when I have to throw out a bag of wilted salad, or the old wine that my husband and I neglected to finish, or the moldy bread on the counter that I forgot to throw in the freezer. Then there are the leftovers from eating out or worse, food that someone gave you! Oh, the guilt. I eventually get over it and move on but I sure feel bad every time. Does it bother you when food goes to waste?

(Above: shriveling lemons and limes nearing their end; and my sad face.)

Mother’s Day is coming up in a few days and I will admit it’s hard to think of what to get my lovely, but very picky mom. Okay, I guess that trait has been passed down to me and birthdays and holidays with the family usually end up with lots of gift cards. So in my fantasy world where I can get my mom whatever I’d like and she’s guaranteed to love it, I’d get her any of these:

1, Cadiz Serving Bowl via Anthropologie because she loves to cook for the family.

2, Worishofer sandals because my mom is all about comfortable shoes.

3, Uniqlo Cabbages & Roses scarf for those chilly Spring evenings.

4, Voluspa Ceramic Candle in Macaron because these are just the best candles and the container is so pretty.

5, Longchamp ‘Le Pliage’ Large Tote because she adores these totes and can’t have enough of them.

6, J.Crew Summer Straw Hat for her exciting trip to Europe and I’m so jealous.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!

It’s almost Cinco de Mayo time so please let me introduce you to my donkey piñata. He took some time to build but he was also so much fun to make. I felt so festive making it that I couldn’t get the Mexican Hat Dance song out of my head. Fiesta colors are not normally my style but I ended up loving its over-the-top bright colors. He just looks so happy!

This pull-string version is a great alternative to a traditional piñata. Instead of hitting it like crazy until candy comes out, each person can nicely takes turns pulling one string from the bottom of the piñata. All the ribbons, except for one, are loosely attached to the box and will simply slide off when you pull it. The one winning ribbon is tied to the trapdoor at the bottom of the box which, once pulled, releases all the candy inside.

Pull-string piñatas are great for little ones who are still too young to do any damage to a cardboard box with a bat. It’s also great if you can’t bear to watch people destroy your piñata creation right in front of your eyes. And how can you hit such a happy little donkey?

Pull-String Donkey Piñata

Materials:
- Cardboard box (Choose the size you want your piñata to be. Make sure the length and width of two sides of the box is a little bigger than your donkey shape.)
– Masking tape or packing tape
– Crepe paper folds (I took Oh Happy Day’s recommendation to use folds and these are way easier than using party streamers. I found mine in an educational store.)
– Tacky glue
– Ribbon or string

Instructions:
Build your piñata box. 
1. Draw an outline of a donkey shape on one side of your box to desired size. (Mine was about 18×20 inches.) With a box cutter or sharp scissors, cut out the shape. Use this as a template to trace and cut a second piece on another side of the cardboard box.

2. Cut out several 4-inch strips of cardboard. Take one of your donkey shapes and tape the cardboard strips along the edges. As you can see in the picture above, I also taped down two cardboard strips on the inside of the box near the donkey’s legs. This was to make sure the candy didn’t get stuck in the legs.

3. Tape the second donkey piece to the other side of the piñata.

4. Create a hanger. On the top of your piñata, near the center of the body, cut out two slits. Loop a ribbon or a string around the slits and make a knot. The size of the ribbon depends on where you’ll be hanging it.

Create your trapdoor.
5. With a pencil and a ruler, measure the size you want the trapdoor to be on the bottom of your piñata. Carefully cut out your trapdoor on three sides only. Pull the flap back towards you so that it creates a crease on the fourth side. You should still be able to close the flap and it will be fairly tight.

6. Determine how many ribbons or strings you want to use and cut slits into your trapdoor. Test your door by inserting a loose ribbon through the slit to see if you need to adjust it. You don’t want it to be too tight that your loose ribbon ends up opening the trapdoor. The winning ribbon will be attached to the flap with a knot but the others won’t be. Once you have tested your ribbons, set them aside for now so that you can begin to decorate your piñata.

Decorate your piñata.
7. Cut a strip of crepe paper folds, about 3-inch-thick. With your scissors, cut fringes stopping about halfway through the paper.

8. Unfold crepe paper and begin gluing onto your pinata box. Continue to cut crepe paper fringes and apply until your donkey is completely covered.

Final touches.
9. Add desired final touches like a tail, eyes, nose, etc.

10. Fill piñata with candy.

11. Slide ribbons through slits of the trapdoor. Now that the flap is covered in crepe paper, you will have to cut through it but that’s easy. For the winning ribbon, tie a simple knot on the inside of the door as you can see in the picture above.

Hang the piñata and have yourself a fun party!

How cool is this hat? It’s called the “Dinner” hat and that makes me love it even more. The shape alone is super stylish, but the fork and knife is perfect for any food lover. Unfortunately, I’d have to fly out to Japan to get one so I will just continue to admire it here.

(Image via GO OUT online)

One of my favorite things in the world are potatoes. Whether it’s french fries, gratins, tater tots, or mashed potatoes, I’ll happily eat it all. As far as roasted potatoes go, this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated magazine is one of the best and you’ll be fooled by it’s plain and simple appearance. It has a perfect balance of texture – it’s crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside with just the right amount of salt.

The secret to these potatoes is tossing them with olive oil and salt after they’ve been boiled to create a starchy, kind of fuzzy texture. I have to admit, for a roasted potato recipe it takes a little more time and effort, but I promise you it will all be worth it once you take that first bite.

Crispy Roasted Potatoes
(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine)
Serves 4-6

2-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 medium), rinsed
and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to the lowest position, placed a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot or Dutch oven; add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to a simmer until the exterior of a potato has softened, but the center offers resistance when pierced with a paring knife, about 5 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; using a rubber spatula, toss to combine. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons more oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt; continue to toss until the exterior of the potato slices are coated with a starchy paste.

3. Working quickly, remove the baking sheet from the oven and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the surface. Carefully transfer the potatoes to the baking sheet and spread them into an even layer (skin side up for the end pieces). Bake until the bottom of the potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 15-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.

4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully flip each potato slice. Continue to roast until the second side is golden and crisp, 10-20 minutes. Season with pepper to taste and serve immediately.

1, Ace & Jig tank | 2, Steve Madden scarf | 3, Herschel Supply Co. backpack
4, J.Crew Factory belt | 5, Lucky Brand oxford shoes | 6, West Elm armchair

Oh, that West Elm chair is the best, isn’t it?

Don’t you love those moments when you’re shopping at a store and your eyes immediately see an amazing shirt/shoe/sweater/etc., and you want to buy it right away because it’s so cool and you have to have it?

That’s how I felt when I saw these red leopard sandals on Zara’s website and I had an urge to impulse buy. I tend to have better restraint when it comes to online shopping but I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I just loved that it looked so bright and happy and the faux-fur texture was a fun little detail. Of course, I took this as a sign that I truly loved it and I knew it would be money well-spent.

So I bought them after a week, waited until it got a little warmer to wear them, and now I can’t stop staring at them. Red shoes surprisingly work with a lot of outfits and it creates a nice pop of color when you just want to throw on jeans and a plain tee. I think we all need a pair of fun shoes or at least one that will brighten up our day, right?