good morning! it’s a dreary tuesday in philly but we want to brighten your day with a little giveaway :) all you have to do is tell us your favorite hobby and your favorite summertime activity – leave your response in the comments and we’ll pick someone at random to receive this adorable little pouch! i love this, i think it would be perfect tied to a belt loop at concerts or festivals.
we’ll pick a winner at random tomorrow morning!
*make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you’re selected.
UPDATE: we have a winner! congrats to heather from massachusetts, who said:
“my favorite hobby is taking pictures of EVERYTHING i see, and my favorite summertime activity is going to festivals with my friends.”
the orangery in london is my favorite place in the world – it overlooks kensington palace. they serve afternoon tea and have the best cucumber sandwiches i have ever tasted! i love photography, traveling, cooking, painting… i like making stuff. on a typical day off i’ll wake up and go to the corner diner for breakfast. then go to reading terminal and buy fresh fruit and then walk around philly and head to the park or water. i probably would end the night with dinner with some friends. i have some bizarre taste in music – i like ALL kinds. taylor swift, phil collins, edward sharpe, mariah carey, wendy rene are some of my favorites. the people i work with inspire me on a daily basis – seeing what these girls wear to work is inspiration enough!
i found this spring risotto recipe on the dinner files and it sounds so delicious i’m sure it’s worth the time that goes into making it. and it just looks pretty :)
here’s what you need:
1 to 2 pounds fava beans
1/2 pound sweet peas/garden peas/english peas
1/2 bunch asparagus
2 green garlics
5 cups broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 cup aborio rice
about 3/4 cup freshly shredded pecorino cheese
directions:
– first you need to double shell the fava beans – if you don’t know how, there’s a step-by-step guide here.
– shell the peas and set aside with the shelled fava beans
– snap the asparagus spears where they break naturally and discard the ends. cut the asparagus into relatively thin, angled slices, leaving the 1-inch to 2-inch tips intact, and set aside.
– cut off the root ends of the green garlics. cut the white and light green part of the stalks in half lengthwise – the darker green top will hold the whole things together. chop the white and light green parts
– put the broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. keep it at a very low simmer.
– meanwhile, heat another medium saucepan over medium high heat. add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil. when the butter is melted and stops foaming, add the chopped green garlic and the salt. cook, stirring, until the green garlic is wilted, about 2 minutes.
– add the rice and stir to completely coat it with the butter and oil. cook, stirring until the opaque rice grains turn a bit translucent around the edges.
– add about a cup of the warm broth to the rice and cook, stirring as you like. when most of the broth is absorbed add another 1/2 cup broth. continue cooking, with some stirring, and adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time until the rice is almost tender to the bite – approximately 15 minutes.
– add the asparagus and more broth and continue cooking and stirring and adding broth as needed until the asparagus is almost done and the rice is tender. add the peas and fava beans.
– continue cooking, adding a bit more broth and stirring, until the peas and beans are warm – just a minute or two. stir in the cheese and remaining tablespoon of butter and taste – add more salt if you want.
the recipe’s author recommends trying it with some more cheese and grated pepper on top, and an egg- which i would never have thought of but looks yummy!
a couple of weeks ago, our regional visual manager for the west coast and our director of stores met up with the northwest district manager to take a little tour of the free people stores in washington, oregon and northern california. lucky for us, they sent over some great photos from their trip!
my greatest loves are my fiancé, family, friends and my cat. i’m a huge phillies fan and seeing them win the world series a couple of years ago was incredible! i also love spending time with friends and traveling. i recently went to seattle and dublin for the first time, which was amazing – but my favorite place in the world is definitely ocean city, NJ! i spend as many weekends there as i can. being on or near the beach is so relaxing and peaceful. i mostly listen to classic rock and some of my favorite bands are U2, the rolling stones, tom petty, the black crowes and radiohead. i’m a member of the world wildlife fund, and protecting the environment has always been one of the most important causes to me. the work this organization does to preserve nature and protect endangered species around the world is really inspiring to me!
sun is shining, the weather is sweet… makes you want to put on a pair of sunglasses! probably the most important accessory for the summer months… so which ones do you love most?
