Friday Favorites: Cleaning House

I love everything about this kitchen. 

Happy Friday, y'all. Have any fun plans? I'll be catching up on a bunch of freelance articles that I'm pretty excited about. Here are some things I'm enjoying this week:

• It's still January, which means I'm still in purging mode. This Apartment Therapy article has some good ideas for getting rid of tons of stuff that's probably cluttering up your house.
• I wrote about some weird but tasty beers for Paste magazine. I've also recently started blogging for their Design section. 
• I've been slowly moving toward more organic/natural foods for awhile now, but this Tedx talk by Robyn O'Brien (which is a couple of years old) really inspires me to go all in.
• This is a meal I'm eating a lot lately.
• To be honest, I rarely use cookbooks, but I love to have them in the kitchen. This one is gorgeous.
• When Todd's out of town, I watch a lot of British dramas. This is my current fave.  

Friday Favorites: Twentysomething Edition

via. 

To ring in the big 3-0, Todd and I are heading up to D.C. for the weekend. The weather's looking rather dismal on Saturday, but I'm still excited to stroll around Georgetown, see the National Christmas Tree, and eat some good food (reservations here and here).  Here are a few other things I'm liking during my last few hours as a 20-something.

• The renovation of this Brooklyn townhouse is pretty perfect. 
• I love all the end-of-year best book lists coming out now. Time to load up the ol' Kindle!
• The New York Times wrote about one of my favorite Richmond neighborhoods, Church Hill.
• I would love to do this with River. He's already grown so much!
• We're having a few people over for a holiday open house and I definitely plan to do this.
• Christmas is making me feel extra crafty. Love this gold DIY garland.
• This garlic cheddar beer bread was a big hit — and super easy to make.

Friday Favorites: Puppy Love

It's been a fun week here at Casa Curran. We celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary (with dinner here), took in a sweet, sweet puppy that we found in the park (temporarily!), and basically soaked up Richmond's glorious fall foliage (including at Maymont, above). A few other things on my mind this week:

• I wrote this article about Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout in The Local Palate. This limited-release beer has been known to sell out of stores within hours!
• Alton Brown was in Richmond this week and he managed to visit an impressive number of local restaurants in one day. Putting all of these places on my to-do list.
• 15 slow-cooker recipes.
• I love how the couple behind The Fresh Exchange hosts a dinner party.
• These cake toppers are cute.
• Also I wish I had $451 for this mailbox. Darn.
• One more Maymont photo below! Stupid pretty.

Friday Favorites: Southern Food and 'Merican Dreams

via

Happy Friday, friends! Got any plans for this perfect fall weekend? I'm challenging myself to knock out a big ol' list of projects around the house, including painting the mudroom, making a Roman shade for the kitchen, planting some herbs in the backyard, and, if I'm ambitious, painting some yellow stripes in the laundry room. We'll see how that pans out. Here are some things on my radar from the past week:

• Esquire said that Virginia is the food region of 2014. After living and eating in Richmond for just a few weeks, I have to agree.
• On a related note, I love this Saveur article about the amazing eats you can find on Skyline Drive.
• My neighborhood grocery store has a pretty decent wine section and a really helpful wine expert on staff. This is both awesome and dangerous — I usually walk out with a couple of new bottles. Bookmarking this article for next time.
• I need this welcome mat. I think I'll try to DIY it.
• Has anyone tried Spanish fried eggs? They sound amazing. Related: My egg obsession continues in full force.
• Sean Brock's pimiento cheese recipe. Can't wait to try this.
• Our new chalkboard wall has inspired me to brush up on my lettering skills. 
• Ordered this dress for a friend's wedding. I hope it fits!
• The new issue of Charleston Style & Design is out now. Be sure to check out the bridal section, 100 percent written and edited by yours truly.
• This song's on repeat.

Have a lovely weekend, y'all!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Wet Hot American Summer

Happy Fourth! We're gearing up for a rainy day here in Boston. Hopefully your holiday is a bit dryer than mine! Here are a few of my favorite pins from this week.  (Click the photos for links.)

Also:
A workout in GIFs.
Make your own iced coffee (living off of this!).
You don't need a band or DJ at your wedding. Because technology.

lazy days.

maggie siner.

The weather isn't looking too promising this weekend in Boston, but as eager as I am to explore, I'd also love to just sleep in, eat breakfast in bed, and read all afternoon (I'm currently on a Ron Rash kick). This chilly, foggy weather just brings out the lazy in me.

If things clear up, we'll probably check out the SoWa Market, find a dog park for Muni, drive up to Rockport, and do some al fresco dining in Cambridge. If not, you'll know where to find me.