I never knew I needed a purple Birkin...

until I saw Khloe Kardashian carrying one. How FABULOUS is this bag in purple? Oh, oh, it looks so gorgeous against black! I.want.one. Reality, however, is to find a good fake one as my Paco does not have the same bank account as Lamar. I will not, I am pretty certain, receive a Birkin on my anniversary. Tragic. Yet true. So the quest for a fake begins....

William & Kate--Engagement Photo

Okay, I am *officially infatuated* with Kate Middleton and Prince William. How lovely is this photo? How cute do they look? How do I get my hands on that gorgeous cream colored dress Kate is wearing? LOVE them, LOVE the dress, LOVE MY NEW STYLE ICON KATE MIDDLETON!

Chocolate Nutella Drop Cookies

'Tis the season for holiday baking, yes yes? YES! I know, stand back in shock, but even I indulge in some holiday, chocolate-gooey treats at this time of the year.

And this recipe (adapted from Giada, of course) is kick ass awesomeness.

I am talking about her recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti, which I turned into Chocolate Nutella Drop Cookies with Chocolate Chips. Oh.my. Soft centers, chocolately goodness...you can keep sugar cookies, I want chocolate ones!!

Chocolate Nutella Drop Cookies (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Muscavado Brown Sugar (dark brown sugar would work too)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In mixer, combine butter, sugars, and Nutella and cream for about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Use a wooden spoon and stir in flour mixture by hand, then stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoon onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes (cookies will look a little underdone when taking them out.) Let sit for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool.

I love these sunglasses

Okay, seriously, how FABULOUS are these cat-eye sunglasses by Nicole Richie? Oh.my.God I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Oversized? Cat-eyed? GORGEOUS! FUN! I WANT THEM!!

They will not be available until February and it is taking all the willpower I have not to hit that tiny "preorder" button on the Singer 22 website to ensure I will have them when they are first available!

But, alas, I am *attempting* to watch my budget. And Christmas shop...but if Santa is listening, these would be very, very, nice to have in my stocking as an I.O.U....

I found one!!!

So, thanks to the blog Outblush, I GOT MY OWN KATE MIDDLETON DRESS!! WHOOOO! I got the BCBG dress (#6) from Neiman Marcus last call for--get this--$94 bucks off!! For $53!!! Happy happy happy day!

I want to be Kate Middleton

Okay, so we all know I love Hilary Duff, but I am also crushing on Kate Middleton's style. In particular, this blue stunner of a dress! This dress by ISSA is no longer available, but I shall search for a substitute because this is gor-ge-ous, ladies! (Never mind the fact that if it was available, I would not be able to afford the $616 price tag. Details. Whatever.)

I would also love a replica of Diana's engagement ring. Still beautiful 30 years later!

So this season, in addition to being thankful for family, friends, health, good job, etc, I am thankful I have a new Fashion Icon in Kate Middleton. I will post updates on her fashion here for us to review. And drool over....

Roasted Pear, Fig and Greens Salad

Hi Dolls! Yes, yes, I have not blogged since September but my busiest month of the year is OCTOBER so now I'm back! And I have the most delicious fall recipe to share with you all! So riddle me this, readers: What happens when you modify a Bobby Flay salad recipe, add a modified Katie Lee balsamic dressing recipe and merge the two together?

A restaurant quality salad that screams fall!

Roasted Pear, Fig and Greens Salad

For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBSP Agave Nectar (or honey)

Combine in tupperware container. Shake. Done.

For the salad:
*Four fresh figs, halved (or you can used dried, but if you are watching sugar intake this really bumps up the content of sugar. If you don't care about that, whooo hooo just add your dried figs)
*Four Pears, cut into slices.
*Olive Oil
*Mixed Greens
*Pancetta (Optional add in: you can cube it and saute it until crisp, then drain wll on paper towels)
*Pecans or walnuts (another optional add in.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put pears on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, toss with hands. Put sheet in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Check, if pears are turning brown, they are done. If not, roast five minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.

To serve: top greens with dressing, toss. Then top with roasted pears, figs, pancetta, and nuts.

To serve with your salad: Try toasting some whole grain bread. Top with fig or pear jam, then a smear of creamy goat or gorgonzola cheese. YUM!