Pinterest Meals Part 3

Want to know something funny? I'm a much better stylist than cook, but my most followed board on pinterest is my "Recipes to Try" board with a total of 1,392,764 followers. I hope that means I at least know how to pick a good recipe. The execution...Well, that's another story. Here are a couple of recipes I have recently tried and loved.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches - These were amazing and suuuuper easy. I'd recommend toasting the buns and spreading a bit of extra dressing on them. I also ate this for leftovers, and just put the chicken on a bed of lettuce with some extra dressing and croutons. YUM!

Broccoli and Ramen Noodle Salad - This cold, refreshing salad was a great pairing with a hot Asian dish. I prepared this salad hours before, and then made some broccoli beef with brown rice at dinner time. To make it even faster for yourself just buy the broccoli slaw in the bag at Target or bagged coleslaw mix.

Red Potato Salad with Yogurt, Basil and Shallots - I was intrigued by this potato salad recipe because it uses one of my favorite ingredients in the world - LEMON. It also is healthier approach to the timeless side-dish with a substitution of Greek or plain yogurt. I definitely recommend this for your next picnic!

Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake - This was a HUGE hit with my husband, and I loved it too. It made plenty of left-overs, which is always nice for lunch. When I make it again, I'm going to substitute the snap peas for broccoli, and possibly add in some summer squash to make it more colorful. It's a great dish for when you have a lot of company.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili - This chili is OFF THE HOOK! It's the first chili I've ever made that uses so many wonderful veggies. I actually added some ground turkey to this recipe and it was even BETTER! Of course, then it's no longer vegetarian. =) It's also an easy recipe because you just chop up a bunch of stuff, open up cans, put it in a pot...Then BAM! You have chili.

Spinach Chicken Pasta Casserole - This recipe is perfect when you just want some comfort food. It's incredibly rich and not the healthiest, but you know what that means...It tastes sooooo good! If you ever have to bring a meal to someone that is sick or just out of the hospital this is a great option. They can just reheat it in their oven and it tastes just as good as when it first came out.

Want to see more recipes that I've tried and loved? Click here and here for past posts.

Mia & Dean Styled

A month ago, I had the opportunity to style Mia and Dean, clients of Gina Meola's, for their engagement session. I love engagement sessions because it's just two people being themselves in front of the camera. I always tell my clients that they are not going to have a bunch of wedding pictures scattered around their house because frankly the white dress in every photo gets old. Pictures in every-day clothes, acting like themselves are just as special and timeless.

Mia and Dean definitely have style! It took me less than two hours to find four outfits for them. I usually just recommend two, but we couldn't resist the opportunity to show off their fashion sense in addition to their love.

I'm convinced that Mia is sisters with Eva Mendez. She is stunning, no?!

We selected Mia's outfits first. I always find that easier since women's outfits can be more complex considering the many combinations patterns, jewelry, shoes, etc create. From there we chose Dean's clothes, and made sure everything complemented each other.

Dean invited his kids for a couple shots after we had chosen everything. So, I just advised them on what would complement their clothes best and they did a wonderful job shopping!

To see more photos of Mia and Dean's session with Gina Meola, click here.

Urbran Cowgirl

I've lived in Arizona for nine years, and it took me two and half years of styling to finally do a cowboy shoot...or shall I say cowgirl. For some reason, I have finally fallen in love with the desert this year. I've already done three shoots using the Sonoran backdrop. I think that might be enough for the year though.

Several months ago a NYC makeup artist, Tonya Noland, contacted me about doing a test shoot with her. In New York City she is constantly working in a studio, so it's really hard to add photos using natural light to her portfolio. She arranged a special shoot in sunny Arizona, and reserved time on a dude ranch. Yep, we got to use LIVE horses!!!

She sent me some inspiration and then I added my own twist to it. I didn't want it to be too literal. I wanted to make sure fashion trends were present, so obviously a bit of rock 'n roll and glam came out.

Eric Cassee was the photographer on the project and did a wonderful job using the light and the scenery. It was actually high Noon when we were shooting, which can pose a lot of problems for a photographer. Harsh light and shadows are rarely your friends, but he managed to work around it.

Because it was a test shoot there were only four looks, but I love every one of them. Rachel Yampolsky from Agency Arizona was the beautiful model and rocked everything. You need to watch out for this girl. She has the gift!

Shoulder Cut Outs

I think every woman has great shoulders no matter their shape or size. Shoulders are always beautiful. So, of course, I'm loving the trend of shoulder cut outs.

It popped up here and there last year, but is in full swing this spring and summer. What's great is that you can wear a bra and showcase a feature that always looks good. Yes, one-shoulder tops, off-the-shoulder tops and strapless dresses also do the trick, but what woman prefers a strapless bra to a regular one?!

What do you think of this trend? Too bizarre or totally in love?

Photo sources: unknown, No Rest for Bridget, Nasty Gal, Flickr, unknown, Cats and Rocking Chairs.

Styled Engagement Shoot Done Virtually

A couple of months ago, I started offering virtual styling so that I can help those that are outside of Phoenix, Arizona feel confident in their clothing. Recently, I was able to link up with Houston photographer Holly Hoyt to help a lovely couple get ready for their engagement pictures. Before I lived in Arizona, I lived in Houston, so I was extra happy to have clients from my old stomping grounds.

JP and Angie are a gorgeous couple that are getting married in the fall and are centering their wedding around the 1920's. We all agreed that it would be great to give their family and loved ones a taste of what's to come with a Great Gatsby inspired engagement session.

After asking several questions, I created a style board full of clothing that fit the concept, their personalities and the location. The location was a rose garden in central Houston. How perfect, right?! Here's what I came up with...(click here for board).

From there, Angie and JP went shopping. They did a FABULOUS job finding clothes that looked great on their bodies and aligned with the pinterest board.

And, of course, Holly did a brilliant job capturing their love. She even filmed the two love birds interacting with each other. So good!

If you're interested in hiring me for virtually styling or adding my services to your business, please send me an email and I would love to give you more information (alexandra@avestyles.com).

To see more photos from the session, click here.