Food Fashionista: Summer Appetizers

Happy Memorial Day! Even though summer officially starts June 21st, summer for me starts when the weather gets above 70 degrees and my parents decide it's time to open our pool.  With that being said, summer is the perfect time to enjoy delicious food, BBQ, beer, wine, iced tea, and anything else ice cold!  One of my favorite dishes to make during the summer is this easy ramen salad.  Not only is this very inexpensive, but it's also extremely time efficient.  At max this appetizer takes about twenty minutes, and that's only because you have to toast the ramen noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds.  This appetizer originated as a traditional family salad at Christmas and we eventually modified it into a summer staple.  We make it for all our summer gatherings and it has been a huge hit at my sister's graduation party.  Enjoy!! 

Ramen Salad:

1 package of cabbage slaw (found in produce section of grocery store)
1 package of chicken flavored ramen
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt and pepper
Ramen Seasoning

Preheat over to 325 degrees.  Toast the almonds, seeds, and crushed ramen noodles (uncooked) until golden brown.  Toss with cabbage and dressing.  Serve right away.

*I doubled the recipe in this picture.

Dress: H&M (old)
Flats: Limited
Necklace: Pink Pineapple Shop

Red, White, & Boat Shoes

 

  

 

With Memorial Day coming up it's essential to have a cute, yet easy outfit to wear to all those outdoor picnics and BBQs.  This particular striped linen dress from LOFT is perfect for those hot summer days.  I love the stripes and pop of yellow!   To spice the dress up just a bit more I added a bright red chunky necklace, which makes it super patriotic!  The boat shoes are a perfect comfortable add-on, especially if you are like me and don't wear sandals very often (even on the hot hot days!).  Wherever you celebrate Memorial Day I suggest a simple clutch or wristlet like this perforated leather one from Coach.  That way you won't be worrying about lugging a big old purse around!

Happy Memorial Day!

Dress: LOFT (old) Similar style
Shoes: Coach
Clutch: Coach
Necklace: Express (old)
Sunglasses: Limited

Garden Party

 

 
 It's officially my favorite time of year: dress season! I loooove dresses and skirts and basically live in them from April until it gets too cold (and then I add tights!).  I found this adorable blue gem at Express this past week and had to have it.   I justified buying it a.) it was on sale and b.) I do not own any other dress in this color or style.  It's insanely comfortable and you can dress it up or dress it down depending on your accessories.  I styled it here a tad more casual by pairing it with my Lindsay Phillips flats (which go with everything!!).  It could easily be dressed up by throwing on a pair of fun heels and chunky necklace. 


Dress: Express
Cardigan: LOFT (similar)
Belt: LOFT (old) 
Necklace: Nina Nguyen
Shoes: Lindsay Phillips
Clutch: Limited (old)