Quinoa Soup with Avocado and Corn

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup chunky salsa
1 ripe but firm Hass avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced

1) In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat broth over high until it comes to a boil. Add quinoa. Drop heat to medium-high. Cook (still boiling) 15 minutes.

2) Add corn and salsa. Stir. When it comes back up to a simmer, kill the heat. Remove the pot from the burner. Add avocado. Stir gently. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cilantro. Stir again. Squeeze in lime juice.

Notes: Adapted from here , my quinoa turned out much less like a soup and more like quinoa with stuff in it--and was DELICIOUS. It is more filling than it appears, so, consider it 4 servings. The lime juice helps the avocado to not turn brown, so it keeps fine in the fridge as leftovers for a few days after making it. And, bonus: LESS THAN 300 CALORIES per serving.

I was Jane Austen for Halloween. The dress, though you cannot tell from the photograph, is floor-length, and I am wearing brown riding boots beneath it. I carried a copy of Persuasion at the beginning of the party, just for clarification, but it wasn't really necessary simply because everyone knew me and I'm just the type of girl who dresses up as Jane Austen for Halloween.

The feast was this:

First course: Mulled wine and slow-cooked bell peppers stuffed with a turkey-prosciutto-carrot-celery-onion mix
Main Course: slow-cooked lamb in a red wine tomato sauce with rosemary and thyme
Dessert: slow-cooked rice pudding and apples dipped in dulce de leche

It was a huge success, and I did have a lot of fun cooking it. However, it was incredibly time-consuming on a Sunday afternoon and I wouldn't want to repeat the feast-party concept more than seasonally.

We watched Hocus Pocus. Have you all seen this gem of a film? I hadn't seen it since my pre-teen years, most likely, but when I was growing up I was obsessed with it (for whatever reason). I had not realized then how actually creepy it is; the way that Sarah Jessica Parker's witch character breathes the word "boys!" whenever they are mentioned just made us all uncomfortable. After the film we watched a collection of Michael Jackson music videos; we meant to only watch "Thriller," but once we got started, we couldn't stop.




On the left is my friend Annmarie as Pippy Longstocking, and in the middle Lisa as a viking! She is trying to chop off poor Jane Austen's head.

30 for 30

-Pick 30 items of clothing (not including coats or accessories).
-Wear a different outfit each day for 30 days using only these 30 items.
-No shopping allowed!

The Lauren Line-Up



1. Quack's t-shirt, from Quack's Bakery in Austin, TX.
2. 80's sleeveless tee with zipper, from Second Act Vintage in Iowa City, IA.
3. 80's button-up shirt, from Second Act Vintage in Iowa City, IA.
4. Powell's t-shirt, from Powell's Bookstore in Portland, OR.
5. Button-up shirt, from Second Act Vintage in Iowa City, IA.
6. Collared button-up tee, from Gap.
7. 70's polyester button-up with yellow flowers, from Second Act Vintage, Iowa City,
IA.
8. Long-sleeved v-neck tee, from street vendor in Brussels.
9. Turquoise scoop neck, 3/4 sleeve, from H&M.
10. 3/4 sleeve boatneck tee from American Apparel.
11. Hunter scoop neck tee, 3/4 sleeve, from H&M.



1. Wool cardigan, Urban Outfitters.
2. Silk/cotton cardigan, Gap.
3. Wool sweater vest, Etsy.
4. Wool button-up sweater vest, Second Act Vintage, Iowa City, IA.



1. Skinny-leg jeans, Gap.
2. Skinny-leg jeans, Odille via Second Act Vintage, Iowa City, IA.
3. Straight-leg boot-cut jeans, Gap.



1. Pocket skirt (mustard), American Apparel.
2. Pocket skirt (sand), American Apparel.
3. High-waist skirt, American Apparel.



1. Weird dress, Buffalo Exchange.
2. 90s dress, Blue Velvet Vintage, Austin, TX.
3. 60s/70s dress, Second Act Vintage, Iowa City, IA.
4. Criss-cross dress, Buffalo Exchange.
5. Denim jumper, Good Will Store.



1. Navy/black ankle-Oxford-boot-things, Salvation Army.
2. Cowboy boots, distant Christmas.
3. White ankle-boots, White Rabbit Vintage, Iowa City, IA.
4. Black ankle boots, Naturalizer via Dillard's.

Halloween update is in the works. But for now let me share some ideas, briefly.

This will briefly become my own personal fashion blog. So that I can do this: 30 for 30, in which I take 30 items of clothing and wear 30 different outfits in the month of November.

Just a heads-up. Tomorrow: descriptions of my 30 items.