hello! i’m still getting my bearings after a quick vacation this past weekend – me and a few friends booked a b&b in nashville, tennessee; i’d been looking forward to it for weeks, and i packed my suitcase carefully the night before – i’m a notorious over-packer, and wanted to travel light this time – and was headed out the door for work when i realized that i didn’t have my passport. (i’ve lived in new york for nearly four years, and chicago for five years before that, so when i lost my driver’s license a couple years ago i got real lazy and just didn’t replace it.) sam had taken off for a fishing trip a morning earlier, and my passport had gone right along with him and was now residing in his jacket pocket somewhere on a river in connecticut. so. vacation was off to a rough start.
as it turns out, getting on an airplane without a photo ID is not as difficult as you may think. i brought along every piece of paper i could find with my name on it – birth certificate, marriage certificate, social security card, mail – even my wedding invitation! – and got a little extra TSA action, but got to nashville and back without a hitch. it was a perfect vacation – a few days with some of my very best friends, eating, drinking, dancing and vintage shopping our way through the city. we found a shop called savant vintage that was absolutely miraculous – jam packed with some of the most incredible vintage pieces i’ve ever seen, including these trousers.
blouse – vintage, from brooklyn flea
earrings – handmade by the owner of savant vintage
pants – vintage, savant vintage
shoes – madewell
so, while i was galavanting about tennessee, my sam was camping out with a bunch of his friends, and he brought home a bag full of trout of different varieties. i decided to pair one – simply prepared – with a dish inspired by one i had at city house in nashville.
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swiss chard, raisin and almond salad
1 bunch of swiss chard
2 thin carrots, cleaned and chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/2 small red onion, cut into thin slices
a splash of olive oil, honey, and white wine vinegar
kosher salt
turn the oven to 350 and place the carrots in a foil-lined sheet pan with a splash of olive oil and drizzling of honey. roast until soft, about 20 minutes.
from here it’s easy – sauté the chard in the smallest bit of olive oil until dark green and limp; take off the heat and add a tiny bit of white wine vinegar, then stir in the raisins, almonds, and carrots. season with salt to taste.
the fish should be even easier – but i’ve been trying this new health-ish kick lately, and i didn’t put enough olive oil in the pan, and i kind of mangled the poor thing. trout has such good flavor on its own that i like to prepare it simply, with a little lemon, salt and pepper; just be sure you put enough butter or oil in the pan that you don’t ugly it up like i did.
ugly or not, it was utterly delicious and a nice pairing of mild and earthy and sweet.
hope everyone had a lovely weekend, and i promise more soon –
xo audrey
SOURCE: homerunballerina – food & personal style by a bakery owner in the berkshires – Read entire story here.