June 2016 – etfillman

Palm print cami dress

June 29, 2016 4 Comments

Welcome to summer everyone! Summer is my favorite season for fashion. The clothes are light, airy, and generally less cumbersome, which means I can pack more when I travel! Also, I could pretty much live my entire life in Lilly Pulitzer for the summer but that’s a whole other topic. This little dress was a nice and inexpensive addition to my summer wardrobe. I imagine that if you saw my closet you’d wonder why I was buying new clothing at all! But I like to freshen up my wardrobe and having a few new pieces each season (or maybe each week) is fun.

I have seen a lot of adorable palm prints this year: tanks, rompers, dresses; but I hadn’t seen anything I absolutely loved. That may be in part because things were sold out or cost more than I wanted to invest for something I may only wear for one season. Enter Old Navy.

Fun

Poole’s Diner Sunday Dinner

June 27, 2016 3 Comments

When I say I love Poole’s Diner it is a complete understatement. I have eaten there only a few times but I dream of meals at this quaint downtown spot. Poole’s Diner is a great little eatery in downtown Raleigh created by chef Ashley Christensen who is my hero. Her focus on quality ingredients and fabulous cocktails is a major draw for me. If you have not been to any of her restaurants run, don’t walk, to the nearest one. You will not be disappointed. Poole’s is a special treat for me for a few reasons. One, it’s a high scale but casual restaurant. Also, they do not take reservations and because it is a small space it gets packed fast! We went to Raleigh on Sunday to go to Eddie Bauer, which unfortunately for Adam had closed. But fortunately for me we had plenty of time to get to Poole’s early! We got there at 5pm, the bar had opened but seating for dinner wouldn’t start until 5:30pm. We had a cocktail at the bar and ended up being able to stay there for our meal.

Fashion

You Gotta Regatta

June 21, 2016 4 Comments

It’s no surprise to most of you that Lilly Pulitzer is my favorite designer. Her story is so inspiring and the clothing is so wonderfully happy. These styles are made well, fit well, and are a joy to wear. I have Lilly pieces that I have been wearing for over 15 years because her classic designs never go out of style. I grew up going to a sailing camp on the Chesapeake Bay every summer along with my sister and my cousins. Though I am no longer adept at sailing (wish I was) it is still a joy to feel the breeze through my hair and listen to the lapping of waves against the hull. “You Gotta Regatta” reminds me so much of my sailing days. The brilliant blue background and brightly colored boats make it seem as though the sun is shining on whomever wears this print.

Food

Steak and potatoes…kind of…

June 12, 2016 No Comments

Steak and potatoes is such a simple meal but it seems to be daunting for novice chefs. I decided to give you guys some tips that will make cooking any steak a breeze. I found these beautiful ribeye’s at the market today and decided to throw them on the grill with some sweet potatoes I already had in my pantry. When I saw the spinach in the produce section I knew I wanted some buttery, garlicky spinach to go with our steaks.

When cooking steaks, or any hefty meat, I like to remove it from the refrigerator while I heat up my grill or oven. Meat will cook more evenly when brought to room temperature before cooking. These steaks were pretty well marbled, which added flavor and made them more forgiving when cooking.