Little Bits of Happiness

 (Our first lemon harvest - they only took six months to ripen!)

(A table setting from the long weekend that I incorporated gold and coral elements)

Lounge Here, Wear This:: Shelter Island, NY

Have you been bitten by the summer bug?  Alluringly high temperatures here in New York (it is supposed to get up to 90 degrees today!) have made me eager to pack up my belongings and head to a local beach.  We typically head to Fire Island for the seclusion factor, but I have always wanted to visit Shelter Island off Long Island.  This Shelter Island home, belonging to the Knoll CEO has a pool and dining space with a view that is quite spectacular.  If I were so lucky to hang out poolside this is what I would be wearing.  Are you all set to head to the beach?

Joe Fresh Silk Tank Top / Bird Printed Shorts

Joe Fresh Fedora / Zara Flat Sandals

Norma Kamali Swim Top / Norma Kamali Swim Bottoms

Melissa Odabash Coverup

Image via Architectural Digest

Homemade Ricotta Cheese & Apricot and Ricotta 'Crostini'

There are some foods in life that are just better homemade - pie crust, your trustee chocolate chip cookies and ricotta cheese.  When I first conjured up the idea to make my own, I was initially a little unsure that I (someone with zero Italian in me) could make the silky and creamy cheese that the family-owned Italian specialty store around the corner churns out each day.  But I am dubbing ricotta cheese as the lazy man's recipe - it only uses three ingredients - milk, cream and lemon juice and the majority of its 'cooking' time is letting it drain in a cool place for up to two hours.  Once all of the draining was complete, I was left with the same quality of cheese that Italian grandmothers have been making for years - it was light and silky perfect for layering slathering on a piece of crusty bread or on apricots like I did here. Continue for more...