Mixed Prints

February 28, 2015March 23, 201514 Comments

It’s not uncommon for me to try something new. After all, what is fashion about if not to try new things! Today, I tried mixing a bold graphic print with a horizontal, black and white pencil skirt. When mixing prints, black and white is a pretty easy palette to work with. Here are the two items I decided to pair together:

Asos Monkey Print Dress, $18.34, asos.com

Women’s Striped Ponte Pencil Skirt, $22.99, target.com

I tucked the dress under a pencil skirt (I also wore the dress backwards!), threw a statement belt and blazer over it and finished the look off with some red pumps.

Other outfit details: Earrings, Lisi Lerch // Blazer, Zara, similar here // Belt, Lotus Boutique, similar here // Sunglasses, Emblem Eyewear

Some photos shot by Styled by Ale and others by Chic in Academia.

What do you think?? Did I print-mix successfully?! Be sure to leave me a comment below to let me know what you thought. Also, follow me on Instagram to find out where I wore this outfit today!

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

The best peanut butter banana bread recipe

February 24, 2015February 24, 20153 Comments

I am by no means a culinary expert of any sort. In fact, my husband likes to tell people that when he first met me, I once burned water. Yep. That was me. I was so enamored by my then to-be hubbles, that I completely forgot I was boiling water and it completely evaporated. But that’s old news and I’ve come a long way since, haha. At least I like to think so. 😉

Anyhow, I was working late last night and knew I would need a snack. We had some very ripe bananas, so I decided to make some banana bread. I have a super old recipe book (okay, it’s about 10 years old now so not SUPER old), and in it, is a banana bread recipe that I have made over and over again over the years. Hubby loves it and now, so do the boys! Anyhow, I posted a picture of the freshly baked loaf on Instagram last night and got some requests for the recipe, so here it is!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe, Chic in Academia, http://chicinacademia.com

The recipe comes from the cookbook ‘A Taste of Home. I took elements of the recipe and to make my own version of The BEST Peanut Butter Banana Bread. 🙂

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 small bananas (SUPER ripe…as in, the outside is nearly completely brown)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (add 3/4 cup for a stronger peanut butter taste)

*add 1/2 cup canola oil if you want to increase bread moisture. Also, pictured – but not used – is the vanilla extract. Add 1 teaspoon for sweeter taste. Finally, you can also add in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for added amazingness. Yum!

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one.
Stir in bananas and sour cream. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and peanut butter.
Transfer to greased pan (I used a 8″x4″x2″ loaf pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to rack to cool.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread, http://chicinacademia.com

I’ve also read that some people use 1 cup and 1 teaspoon buttermilk instead of the sour cream. Perhaps I’ll try that next time and let you know how it turns out! For now, I hope you enjoy this version of the recipe. Let me know if you make it and what you think of this version of peanut butter banana bread. I’d love to hear from you! Have a great rest of your week!

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

My Insta Moments Recap

February 22, 2015March 25, 20154 Comments

I realize that not many of you are on Instagram, and perhaps only keep up with my sartorial activities via this blog, so I decided to share some of my Instagram moments here! Here are a few I thought you might find worthwhile: