Currently Baking {Coconut-Buttermilk Pound Cake}

June 19, 2013 By missrenaissance in Baking, Dessert, Food, Recipes Tags: Baking, Coconut, Coconut-Buttermilk Pound Cake, Dessert, Pound Cake 1 Comment

Summa, Summa, Summatime…coconut somehow screams Summer to me! It’s not only one of my favorite ingredients to use/eat in baked goods, it also makes me long for hot days spent on a tropical beach somewhere. Toasted coconut used in a deliciously rich Pound Cake is basically perfect to me!! This recipe is easy & fool-proof. The cake comes out moist & fluffy (thanks to the addition of buttermilk) with exactly the right amount of sweet-coconutty richness. NOM! I could personally devour this entire loaf in about 2 days!

Bake it, have a slice (or two) with your morning coffee/tea and dare to tell me you’re not instantly smitten. Find the recipe here.

Shop my Closet {Vaunte Style}

June 18, 2013 By missrenaissance in Features, Shopping Tags: Re-sale, Shopping, Vaunte, Vintage Leave a comment

Today’s the day, Lovelies! My closet feature is live on Vaunte today. For those of you that aren’t familiar, Vaunte is the hottest new luxury re-sale site out there! They’re re-inventing fashion one fun closet at a time. I’m honored to be featured, and I hope you enjoy “shopping my closet” & getting a bit of a closer look into my fashion loves & must-haves!

Check it all out right here.

Starving Artist {It’s Giveaway Time!}

June 17, 2013 By missrenaissance in Art, Chicago, Giveaway Tags: Chicago Artists Coalition, Giveaway, Starving Artist, Summer Party 2 Comments

Remember when I first told you about “Starving Artist” – The Chicago Artists Coalition’s Annual Fundraiser? Well, the event is fast approaching, and as an honored member of this year’s host committee I’m giving away 2 tickets to the party! To win, all you have to do is leave me a comment here, telling me what your favorite Chicago restaurant is & what you would wear to the Starving Artist party. Please, Chicago residents (& surrounding areas) only. This Giveaway will close on Friday, June 21st at midnight & the winner will be randomly chosen.

This is going to be THE party of the Summer – amazing art, incredibly talented chefs creating beautiful food, silent auctions, DJ’s spinning tunes to shake your bootay to, an epic “Taco Battle” between Big Star & Antique Taco….need I say more?! And it’s all for a great cause supporting up-and-coming local artists – so even if you don’t get lucky and win the tickets, you should get yours here & join the fun! I hope to see you there.

I want to ride my Bicycle {in Style}

June 14, 2013 By missrenaissance in Design, Shopping Tags: Abici, Bikes, Biking, Martone Cycling, Public Bikes Leave a comment

Public’s Limited Edition Rivoli.

Public’s M8 in Orange.

Martone’s Women’s Real in White.

Martone’s Women’s Grand in Gold.

ABICI’s Granturismo Donna in Purple.

ABICI’s Granturismo Donna in Aquamarine.

Summer’s all but here…and that also means that biking season is in full swing!! I know that single-speed road bikes are still technically the “cool” way to get around, but I prefer to have a few extra gears and a comfy seat at my disposal – thank you very much.

Snubbing the custom-built, single speed bike trend doesn’t mean compromising on awesome design & style though! Brands like Martone, Public and ABICI are building beautifully designed & tricked out bikes that put my basic Schwinn model to shame!! I am dreaming of that gold/pink Martone bike on a nightly basis….and maybe, one day, you’ll see me cruising around town on that sexy beast!

Now that we’ve got the dream bike covered, stay tuned for next week’s selection of incredibly innovative & fun bike accessories! In the meantime, have a beautiful weekend, Lovelies!

Weekly Color Inspiration {Summer Red & Sky Blue}

June 13, 2013 By missrenaissance in Color, Inspiration Tags: Color, Color Inspiration, Mani, Manicure, OPI, OPI Monsooner or Later Leave a comment

{On all fingers, except index fingers – OPI Monsooner or Later. On index fingers – OPI I can’t find my Czechbook.}

Somehow this week’s color combo feels both French-inspired & nautical to me. This must mean that I should immediately head to France & get on Sail Boat for vacation, right?!! K, brb.

But seriously, this bright red by OPI is amazing. It’s so fresh & classic – it’s the perfect Summer red! Do you have a favorite classic red for Summer?

Join the Fun!

June 12, 2013 By missrenaissance in Events Tags: CAC, Chicago Events, Public Hotel, Starving Artist Leave a comment

Chicago People! Remember when I told you about this fun event coming up later this month?! Well, tomorrow evening I’m co-hosting an awesome lead-up cocktail/movie night at Public Hotel’s screening room. It’s free, cocktails will be served all night, and we’ll be showing a great movie – Exit through the Gift Shop.

Hope to see you there!! Please kindly RSVP to alexis@chicagoartistscoalition.org

Currently Baking {Rhubarb Buckle}

June 11, 2013 By missrenaissance in Baking, Dessert, Recipes Tags: Baking, Buckle, Crumble, Dessert, Rhubarb, Rhubarb Coffee Cake 3 Comments

Rhubarb Season is in full swing…and it usually leads me to bake (& consume) large amounts of Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie! But not so fast. This year, I decided to switch up my routine a bit. I searched around for a yummy recipe using fresh Rhubarb – and Martha Stweart came to the rescue, as she so often does.

This “Buckle” – which is an old-fashioned term similar to a coffee cake or a crumble – is light, tart & sweet at the same time, and the crunchy streusel topping gives it a nice texture. I decided at the last minute to add some fresh Apricots to the Rhubarb mixture, but I’m certain that the Rhubarb alone would have been just as delicious!!

This Buckle is a perfect bring-along for casual dinners or as dessert for a picnic, and if you want to fancy it up a little, serve it a la mode with some vanilla ice cream! Find the recipe here.

{All images by Miss Renaissance.}

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