some pre-fall lovin’
I am usually a fan of the fashion choices of miss Gwyneth, but when I saw her in the Proenza Schouler pre-fall ensemble at the premiere of “Two Lovers,” I was not too sure about the fit of her bottom half. Yesterday, Fashion Indie beat me to the runway to real way, and I would have to agree with her opinion on this outfit choice. We all know Gwyneth does a wonderful job of taking care of her physique. I have even mimicked her routine on occassion. For a more hands on way to experience some workouts from her trainer, Tracy Anderson, click here. The lower body moves are pretty great.
Getting back to some pre-fall clothes; here are a few of my favorites.
rag & bone
proenza schouler
proenza schouler
chloe
burberry prorsum
I love the return of the flare and the small and delicate peaked shoulders in the burberry. The slouchy but tailored fit of the chloe purple jacket and high-waisted pants looks effortlessly put together. I also loved the pleated minis from proenza and those suede shoes, love! The bomber would look great with all bottoms from skinny jeans to some super wide legs. I am always a fan of the belted cardigan and I have yet to actually wear my super-long gloves. Rag & Bone is a continuous favorite of mine. They always construct such clean and simple garments like this vest which I think I would want to wear with some of those burberry flared trousers. New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2009 has officially begun, happy fashion week!
ciao.
p.s. the vegan Candle Cafe chocolate mousse pie was out of this world and I will try to photograph the part which hasn’t already been consumed today.
some fringe for ya
I got some major fringe going on, kind of like this…
michael oats for allure
winter is melting away. do I have to hide away my beanies?
she hasn’t…neither has sienna.
new chapter.
happy birthday mom.
Although I have been quite scarce in the blog world for the last few months, I miss it dearly and will be returning. Fashion week is approaching and that is just one reason I wish to return. Of course my daily eats miss being photographed and a few of those posts may surface in the next few days. Today is my mother’s birthday so a shout out is necessary. I love you mama!
My lovely parents gave me the cookbook from my go-to place for vegan feasts in Manhattan, Candle Cafe. I have only made a few recipes, but beginning to blog again will definitely inspire me to try some more. The Chocolate Mousse Pie, “I Die!”
This afternoon I will be recreating it to the best of my ability. My sister and I became enamored with it from the first bite. It is so rich and decadent. You would never know that the most abundant ingredient is silken tofu. The vegan chocolate chips and cocoa powder take over all your taste buds and the smooth texture melts in your mouth. The best part is no refined sugars can be found in the recipe because it is sweetened with maple syrup. Naturally, I can always finish every last bite. This is no surprise to those who know me well. Dark chocolate may be my favorite culinary treat and I have been known to eat an unnatural amount of flourless chocolate cake in one sitting. Wish me luck baking this treat tonight.
Some other news I will quickly address:
I have moved from Boston and finished college.
Job searching…Magazines aren’t doing fabulous right now. It may or may not scare me.
After a few months of R & R in Michigan, I am ready to move back to NYC…next week.
My father is turning 60 in two weeks and I will be event planning up until the date of the party.
I have celebrated the end of college years with a few of my high school friends.
Some of my faves.
Me. Me and my drinks (I kid…)
It is truly surreal to be done with all schooling. The celebrating has been great, but I am ready for something new, something substantial. I am just not sure what it will be yet. I know it will be in new york. I will let you know.
ciao.
Claire Dille P.
time to play catch up
There have been times in the past where I have kept right up to date with all that is going on in the fashion world. My younger sister, the budding fashion designer, is a great resource, letting me know what check out on style.com when I am in need of a little runway recap. She is really on top of her game and I have definitely fallen behind, almost entirely missing the recent Spring 2009 Runway Collections. Cathy Horyn’s New York Times Runway Reviews are another fabulous resource I resort to often. She is not afraid to bash the usual favorite fashion houses. A few weeks ago she wrote on two of my ultimate favorites, Dries Van Noten and Jil Sander. In order to read up on the New York Times website, I recommend getting a free online account. Be sure to check out T Magazine, the style guide. The videos are just too good to be true and feature some of my favorite men: the actor Matthew Goode, Lanvin’s designer Alber Elbaz, and Third Rock From the Sun’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I am also always a fan of Tara Parke-Pope’s Well blog and Mark Bittman’s Bitten blog.
But no worries, I will be sure to write up a fashion post sometime in the near future.
Looking through my iphoto earlier, a little nostalgia came to surface when I saw that this rather silly photo taken of me exactly two years ago from today. Oh how I miss living in the Netherlands…
As you see, I am an avid water drinker, especially while at the bar between glasses of wine. The little light weight in me knows how to make it through a night of drinking.
Another Amsterdam photo where I am in one of my favorite seasonal hats. The expression on my sister’s face is priceless. This was when my family came to visit me for Thanksgiving.
When it was finally time to say goodbye to my parents, my mother almost got stuck on the train with me as she gave me one last hug. She had a few tears streaming down her cheeks and it was a beautiful moment in my life. She didn’t want to leave me!
Some other things that I have been of interest recently from the foodie world:
The New York Times finally reviewed Candle 79, but I feel more compelled to listen to the reader reviews.
I have been eating a lot of these ravioli, the Spinach Florentine and Garlic & Roasted Veggies version to be more specific. One other vegan variety I have yet to try is the Mediterranean Garlic & Herb. One day I will make the Sweet Potato Ravioli with Tofu Ricotta from one of my favorite new blogs, Method.
Part of me is waiting until I graduate to venture into new food areas such as baking bread, even if it can be as simple as this.
There has always been a soft spot in my heart for Williams-Sonoma. It was one of the catalogs I never wanted my mother throw out growing up, and I would read through it creating a mental checklist of all the items I hoped to someday possess. Fall is the perfect time to head over to the store and I did on Thursday. A panini press will be on my Christmas list this year. After reading about the love for Pumpkin butter on multiple blogs, I had to buy my own. Although I was planning on heading over to Trader Joe’s for a less costly one, I couldn’t help but snatch this up the second I saw it. The Pecan Pumpkin butter was fabulous mixed with some greek yogurt, kashi golean, and almond butter for breakfast. Next I will try it with oats or simply as a spread on my favorite hearty ezekiel english muffins.
Another Williams-Sonoma food item I aim to recreate myself is the Apple Orange Cranberry Relish. It can’t be too difficult, right?
Sunday is dedicated to apple picking (and studies) and probably apple chips.
I must admit I always felt that Cook’s Illustrated looked a little too old fashioned for my taste, however. recipes like the Creamy Creamless Tomato Soup make me want to get a subscription immediately, or maybe just an online one.
Tomorrow I have a personal training appointment and I told the trainer that I like to be sore after I worked out muscles I’ve been accidentally avoiding working out. It shall be interesting to see how tough she is on me. With running races out of the picture recently, I am a little antsy with my workouts. If the plan she makes me is of interest to anyone, I will be sure to post it. The core is probably one of my favorite areas to work out (apart from running) and I could definitely add new moves into my current strength regimen. I am also hoping to go to a heated yoga class tomorrow afternoon for a relaxing Saturday cardio session and some time off of the elliptical. This is only if I am not already completely fatigued from personal training. We shall see. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
*Sorry for not including new photos, I cannot find my camera charger. I think it may be in storage. Oh, no!
autumn produce with some running inspiration…
Every time I take my usual stroll to the farmer’s market I come up with an exciting plan of bringing home elaborate produce I have not yet tried. Of course I have to still remember that I am a college student with not only a budget, but also without any real space for more food in my miniscule refrigerator. After an attack of fruit flies, I had to force all my apples and bananas into the fridge as well. Often I joke about how it is a maze to find things in this fridge, but that is actually true. This current apartment was thought to be temporary stay of 2-3 weeks and I am now realizing that I may have to invest in an additional fridge because this college dorm-like mini fridge is a huge damper on my usual investment in fresh fruits and veggies.
This week’s trip to the farmer’s market was rather uneventful in terms of purchases but I caught sight of some fall beauties…
I am ashamed to admit that I have never had this variety of kale. Usually sticking with the curly kale, this dinosaur kale is rather enticing…
Another moment of excitement on Friday was when I went to one of my favorite stores, Marathon Sports. Now I will use a little bit of runner’s lingo to tell you about some recent shoe/injury drama. Considering how injury-prone I have been throughout my entire running career, I am often quite hesitant when buying new shoes. The last news I heard when I went to this store was that I had been wearing the wrong type of shoes for my high arched feet for over 4 years. My left foot has a bone that is a tiny bit higher on top than the right and my mother calls it the “cavanaugh bump” (family name). Although I still get that bump confused with one on many of my family member’s nose also considered a family bump (I don’t think I have that one). In the last few weeks leading up to my Cross Country season I was feeling pain on the top part of my foot that I kept confusing with pain from shoes being tied to tight. After numerous times of undoing the laces throughout one run, I consulted my coach who informed me I had something that sounded like extensor tendonitis. To minimize risk of more injury I took the usual few days off to cross train and went to Marathon Sports where they told me that the Asic 21 series of shoes I had been buying since my sophomore year of high school were causing my foot to roll farther out than it already did naturally. Basically, my high arches cause my feet to supinate or underpronate, especially on my left. I needed shoes to help fix this problem and I switched to Adidas. As a loyal Asics supporter over the last 7-8 years, I was truly sad to stop wearing them.
Ironically I was sore for the first week or so of training in my Adidas but my foot injury as since faded. The calves were getting more stress than they had before because all the weight of my running was going to my shins and feet (bones!) instead of the muscles that should of been absorbing the shock more than the bones. Most people don’t realize that their feet change over the years as well as their form and stride so it is important to continue asking people at specialty running stores to help you find the perfect pair of shoes for you.
The newest shoe drama was when I tried to compete over a week ago in a Cross Country 5K race but had to stop because of increasing pain in my shin. This injury is nothing new to anyone who has run and I have had my fair share of them. I don’t like to admit when I have shin splints because I always thought they were the new runner’s injury but they can be caused by simply overtraining, not only training too much too fast. The new Nike Spikes I was wearing were making my nagging pain considerably worse throughout the race. I was going fast but my feet were yet again rolling outwards and the shins were shocked…tears were coming down my face when I stopped at only 7 minutes at about 1.2 miles. Another return to Marathon Sports and another pair of shoes later, I am trying out these racing flats: Mizuno’s that only weigh 6 oz! If you live near or in Boston, I recommend going to Marathon Sports where they care about how you feel in your running shoes. They took back my racing spikes after I wore them in dirt and mud, although they will probably never be able to sell them again (don’t worry I asked-they recycle the shoes!) and I only had to pay a small difference in price of the two pairs. A student discount doesn’t hurt either…
Lastly, today was the Tufts 10K for women and I was amazed by all the women running from ages 10-90. I stuck around for the awards as saw a lady getting a medal at age 82. It was truly inspirational. The Olympic Marathon champion, Joan Benoit Samuelson, also ran and spoke as the spokesperson of the race. These women are true athletes and I can only wish to continue running as long as they have.
I have practice at 7am so I will try out the new racing flats with some speedwork and report back about how they feel. Good night everyone. I hope you all had a fabulous Columbus day!
a walk down blueberry trail
An evening walk down the path known as “blueberry trail” is not one I will forgo when I make my way to the small island of Martha’s Vineyard. On the mile long dirt road where we live there are a few ways of making it to the sea. I cannot recall the year the man-made sandy path was converted into the supported platform walkway that exists today. All I do know is that this year I missed the blueberries but still convinced my Mother and Bessie (neither truly needed much convincing) to head out before sunset and the Dille family’s night festivities.
Here are a few (okay…many) shots for your viewing pleasure.
This sign has been there for as long as I can remember…shhh.
And here we go…
Where the blueberries generally hide.
Not too comfortable barefoot…
Bessie and my mother graciously waited for me as I finished taking photos although we were already running late for cocktail hour.
My father, sister, cousin, and I opted for the famous Black Dog Tavern’s pancakes the next morning. Knowing that the wait would be quite lengthy, I decided to prolong my hunger in order to truly savor the blueberry filled pancakes.
The menu’s copious assortment of pancakes weren’t going to sway me. The first time I had eaten non-vegan all summer was this breakfast of blueberry pancakes. Of course I imagined that these were fresh blueberries I picked and it made it all worth it. The next day I left the island to return to Boston and haven’t felt as at home as I did during that short break I spent with my family in August.
A blurry shot of my pancakes will be followed by my beautiful cousin Julia’s “George of the Jungle Pancakes”…
Next summer I will be venturing back to my old stomping grounds, The Black Dog Cafe, where my sister and I have often shared a gigantic muffin and sipped coffees…. truly scrumptious. Oh, and the sourdough bread is not bad either. My one exception to a nice grainy bread is a classic loaf of sourdough.
On another note, I finished Flaubert’s Madame Bovary today in the Boston Common and the fall leavcs were almost too distracting.
Goodnight…or good morning.
i hope it is not too late…
The extreme shame I had been developing due to my lack of blogging resulted in a fear of returning to A Fresh Dille. It still amazes me that some food bloggers can post about everything they eat in a day. Kath from Katheats and Jenna from Eat, Live, Run are just two who fall into that category with extreme schedules of their own each day and a limited amount of time to blog, however they do, and quite well. I knew from the start that I was not going to be blogging to that extent and not even necessarily focusing on food each post. Still, I read blogs pretty regularly, even if it is a quick blackberry read on the walk to class from a 7am cross country practice. I try to make it happen.
Making promises to post is not the way to go for me. I have realized this recently and therefore will probably begin posting away again because I don’t have the same “blogger’s quilt” I expressed in my last post.
Here are some photos I took at my summer home on Martha’s Vineyard at the end of August.
Alpaca’s from Island Alpaca who were hanging out at the Farmer’s Market.
Some squash and a “squash blossom” which will always remind me of my mother and her small obsession with them throughout my first trip to Italy at 16.
Garlic is just too beautiful in a basket.
These will always be “vineyard flowers” to me.
This is how I would have spent my time with my sister and cousins while my parents hit up the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market 15 years ago.
After the market, we headed to the small flea market. I was less than impressed this year and saddened that the location was moved the the local high school’s parking lot. In any case, I saw some beautiful bottles that deserved a photo or two.
The next stop was Chilmark Pottery.
Looking at the food photographs I took over the few days I was there this summer, I can say that they are less than stellar. I ate a fair share of fresh fruits with oats for breakfast and even tried my first pluot. (YUM!)
Now I see why they are all also called “dinasour eggs.”
The backpack that appears to be glowing was the last purchase I made before returning to Boston for my last semester of college. I have gone 4 years without one but I felt it was needed for the cross country season. I was right and use it almost everyday. Although I have always been a purse or bag girl, I guess the adventurer side of me has shown through this semester.
Fall is full force in Boston right now and I love every day of it. Yesterday, I was walking through the Boston Common, which I call the Central Park of Boston, when I heard two girls complaining about how cold they were. I couldn’t fathom it. I love it. I can’t imagine anything more fresh than walking outside in the perfectly crisp air. My apple picking plans had to be put on the back burner on Sunday after an exhausting cross country race on Saturday but I plan on seeking one out this coming weekend. I hope this scattered post will bring back some readers and maybe I can even get some new ones. My commenting will resume as well. Off to go running, have a wonderful Tuesday.
I must apologize
The Martha’s Vineyard farmer’s market is a real favorite of mine. Within a few hours of being on the island after a quick hop over from Boston, I saw many “Buy Local” tees and although I did not find one for myself to wear, I did buy local. The MV farmer’s never fail to turn out some of the best produce but the sungold tomatoes my aunt brought from her farm in Blauvelt, NY were the best things I tasted the entire time. Too bad tomato season is coming to a close because my new obsession with these babies has really upped my excitement for all tomatoes. Vegetarian Times‘ September issue featured a cover shot and recipe’s from Cafe Flora in Seattle and I knew I just had to attempt the Heirloom Tomato and Sweet Corn Pizza. The recipe was not a total success, I feel it deserved more of the garlic pistou but the whole wheat dough (store bought on island) was topped with two fabulous seasonal foods that we had on hand blended perfectly together to make what I would actually call a flatbread. I call if a flatbread for two reasons. First, I was never a fan of pizza. When I was younger, I would turn down a slice at every birthday party I went to and favored other italian dishes such as gnocchi with fresh pesto always. Secondly, I made one of the two completely cheeseless and the base of the roasted garlic pistou was the only ingredient apart from the vegetables.
The basil we bought at the market was the largest bunch I have ever season. Of course this was a star ingredient as well.
They were served as an appetizer at cocktail hour on the deck.
Tomorrow I will do my best to share some more. Ciao.
rainy runs
It happens to be one of those gray days here in Boston today and I can’t say I mind it one bit. With a busy day ahead, I decided it was the perfect occasion to get in a few miles before the city wakes up. Standing in the courtyard outside my apartment building, I took in the fresh air and memories flew into my head of High School Cross Country camp. Running twice a day may seem crazy to some but there is nothing better than enjoying two of what I consider to be the best times of the day, early morning and early evening. My former coach would pile us into a van and head out to a park with wood chip trails and dew still on the grass. I missed the paths and tree lined dirt roads of the Midwest. I missed my best friends who I told my deepest and darkest secrets as we ran mile after mile. I wondered how I could make it all come back or maybe just recreate it to the best of my ability. Although it is only August, I could smell the Fall approaching as I ran along the Charles river at seven this morning. The drizzle began as I finished my the last few strides and I remembered something one of my best friends and high school teammate said to me.
“The perfect weather for running is when it looks like it might rain.”
Early September will bring about a change in my current environment. Moving outside of the inner city of Boston, I will be going back to the suburbs for my last few months of college. Of course I will be returning to the city for class everyday but still I can’t help but feel a small amount of excitement for the parks, paths, trees, dirt roads, and early morning runs.
Being injury prone since my young start, I was eager to buy this book about the famous FIRST approach to training. Published my Runner’s World, it had to be a respectable purchase and it has made me think about my health and fitness in a new light. Recommended workouts in the book insist on quality over quantity to insure you steer clear of overuse injuries by focusing on less runs a week. My injury of choice (not really choice, but you know what I mean) is the shin splint, which develops into stress fractures. It can be caused by too much too fast which I assumed was the first reason they started about eight years ago, but because they have come back over and over again, I know it is just something I will be dealing with forever. Knock on wood right now though, I am safe so far this summer. One trick I learned from a former captain is to use a dixie cup (not exactly green friendly, I know). Fill up a few cups with water and pop them in the freezer. After a tough workout, rub the mouth of the ice filled cups up and down your shins and as they melt, peel away the sides. The way the ice forms to your leg is great and I have relied on it for injury prevention. Trust me, it feels much better than an ice bath.
The post run fuel was a half a small tortilla with almond butter, half a banana, flax meal, and a small amount of agave nectar. My advice is to think of food before and after your run as fuel. The ideal ratio of carbs to protein after an endurance sport is four to one. Maybe I don’t always stick with it but I try my best. Honestly, the best way to reach this ratio is with yogurt (try these) or milk (almond for me), cereal (with protein and fiber-KASHI), topped with berries and half a banana. The muscles need this to recover properly and you are doing more harm than good if you skip a post workout snack. These are just some tips that have proven to work with me over the years.
Stretching in the gym this morning, I caught Matt Lauer talking about Michael Phelps’ 200 meter freestyle win last night. In a short interview after the swim, he said he didn’t feel that well but that definitely didn’t hinder his performance. What an amazing athlete he is.
One last photo to close with is another to prepare for my Martha’s Vineyard arrival on Friday…
Here I am sailing on Lake Tashmoo with two of my cousins, Tom and Dinah. Early High School I wore this red bikini all summer. I wonder where it is…
what else can you do with edamame?
Edamame isn’t really something one can become bored with. After indulging in my fair share of sushi over the years, there have been many times I have found myself eating almost the entire appetizer myself. Over the weekend I tried a new delicacy from Whole Foods, the Edamame Hummus. If you have not tried it, I recommend searching for some. If I read the ingredients correctly, I do not remember any mention of chickpeas or tahini (I will be sure to check when I return to the owner of this amazing hummus’ house later this evening).
Does anyone else have a compulsion to bookmark everything? I have bookmarked hundreds of recipes and websites already and this is a new computer. The bookmarks I have created range from fashion sites to vegan recipes, and current fitness plans. I even have a kitchen design bookmark and one that reads as follows, EXPENSIVE wish list. This list has a fair share of Stella McCartney and Alexander Wang clothing items I won’t be able to afford for a few years (I hope).
A recipe for Edamame Dumplings was calling my name when I decided it was time to tackle my freezer food and canned goods before I move at the end of August. When I return from Martha’s Vineyard on the 20th I will not be allowing myself to grocery shop until after I move on the 30th. One allowance will be the farmer’s market for berries and some other produce I can eat quickly. I have at least six different types of soups.
Back to the edamame…I found the recipe here. Enjoy
The red pepper flakes really gave the recipe the kick it needed to satisfy my taste buds but scallions or ginger whipped up with the edamame would also be delicious.
Have a lovely Monday everyone. To prepare you and myself for Friday, here is an old photo of my fabulous cousin Julia (right) and myself (left) on our beach on Martha’s Vineyard (can you spy my adorable little sisters chubby baby legs?). I love how my mother accessorized me.
