There's been an awful lot of ice cream eating going on around here lately.  We've been using the heat as our excuse.  It doesn't help that Carmela is only a few blocks from our house.  We've even walked there as justification for our indulging.  A likes the tempura-battered green tea ice cream at Kabuki.  I personally think it tastes like fish since they fry it in the same oil that they use for the regular tempura.  Not a huge fan of fish flavored ice cream.  I recently insisted on a switch to frozen yogurt in an attempt to cut the calories.  The only problem is that we go to 21 Choices and order things like Caramel Churro, Animal Cracker and Oreo which all have sugar cookie dough mixed in.  Kind of defeats the lower cal purpose.

This week I received my second VoxBox.  The VoxBox is a free box of samples that is sent by Influenster.  I have to admit that I disliked the first box I received so much, I didn't even bother to tell anyone that I received it.  I was pleasantly surprised at what came in this box.  I immediately open the Hawaiian Tropic sunblock to smell it and check its texture and consistency.  I'm really picky about sunblock because so many of them have a horrible odor, feel greasy and drip off of your skin in the heat.  This has a lighter version of the famous Hawaiian Tropic beachy scent that we all grew up with.  It was pleasant and not overwhelming, and the consistency of the sunblock was that of a good-quality body lotion.  It wasn't greasy at all.  I haven't worn it out for a full day yet, so we'll see if it passes the all day test.  Next was the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color.  I've tried one other magnetic nail color in the past and thought it was a great effect.  I generally don't do any type of nail art or crazy colors on my hands because of my day job, but since I have a long weekend, I painted it on.  The nail color provides a subtle color shift after you place it under the magnet which is striking enough to be different but not overwhelming enough to draw the wrong kind of attention to your hands.  I have a friend who used to work for Quaker, so I'm a fan of a lot of their products.  I hadn't tried the Soft Baked Bars yet because of monitoring my carb intake.  I did take two bites of the bar before passing it off to the hub to finish.  It reminded me of a crunchy granola bar baked into a piece of banana bread.  The taste was spot on to banana bread, and the two conflicting textures worked well together.  The hub and I both agreed it had great taste.  I've been seeing a lot of ads for the Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy and have been curious to try it, so was happy that it was included in the box.  I haven't tried it yet so will report back when I do.  Overall, great box Influenster.  Thanks.

The only photos that are proof of a week in Vegas.  I was intrigued by the mirror in our room and kept trying to figure out the best way to get a picture of it.  Me with a huge camera in my face was probably not the best way.  If you follow me on Instagram (bespokegina), you've seen most of the rest before including my ultimate favorite drink, the Dark and Stormy at Nob Hill Tavern in the MGM.  The chili fries were the last thing we ate before we left.  We had to really send the vacation overindulging off with a bang.

The best part of Sunday dinner to me is slow-cooked food.  I think that slow-cooked food tastes better.  It is also magical.  It takes an ugly piece of meat and turns it into something deliciously amazing.  Even though I can indulge in complex, multi-part cooking rituals on Sundays, I often give in to the ease of the slow cooker.  I actually use it more on Sundays than I do during the week.  I like to dump all of the ingredients in and watch and smell during the day as the magic happens like it did with this pork roast.  I took a 3 pound boneless pork roast and rubbed it with sea salt, dry mustard and chili powder.


Then I browned it in butter.


I placed one chopped red onion and half a bottle of Gold Buckle Brisket Sauce diluted with water in the bottom of the crock pot


and plopped the roast in after it was browned.


Next, I simply covered the roast with a bottle of BBQ sauce.  I used Famous Dave's.


I covered and cooked on high for six hours and this is what it turned into...


Served with pureed cauliflower and pan juices, it was a crowd pleaser.

We had a crazy week with an unintentional turn-around trip to Vegas, a kid with pneumonia, a fashion show and a tasting on top of working the day job and prepping for a two-day off-site presentation next week.  Because of all the busy-ness though, I have a lot to share with you this week including a look at Rachel Zoe's fall collection, a work look that may need to be retired and a beauty product that I think is under-appreciated.

But first - Burgers!

I've shared my family's love of the burger before after our dinner at Umami Burger.  After that post, someone recommended we try Father's Office ironically right after A saw it on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  Father's Office as a strict 21 and over rule, so since we couldn't take all the kids, D and I went on a night when the kids were all gone.

The burger is topped with carmalized onion, Applewood bacon, gruyere, Maytag blue and arugula.


I actually thought this was a better burger than Umami.  Is it the best burger in LA?  I'm still not ready to go there.  But paired with North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout and Old No. 38, it was really good.


And just to show how much we love burgers, we had actually had sliders at home the night before while we were trying to clear old shows off the DVR.


Of course, no comparison.

New Eyeshadow from Benefit at Sephora - Eye Wanna: The Maggie Collection


Pre-Fall Donna Karan - Cool off, cool off, cool off, cool off....




A navy and white room with a nautical theme




Happy Anniversary Hub



Truffle potatoes

Fall at Disneyland - love the decorations




More cupcakes from Violet's



Red shoes



My coin necklace which I've been wearing with all my imposed colors



Bare Escentuals Exquisite Glimpse - The perfect neutral to wear with a lot of dark eyeliner

Natalie took an important test last week, and it made me decide that Thursday is a good day for a celebration, so I stopped by Violet's Cakes on my way home to pick up some treats.  Violet's makes the best cupcakes by far, and we've tried a lot of cupcakes.  They are always moist, flavorful, the icings are the best, and they are beautiful to look at as well.  The best proof to me though is that all of Violet's cupcakes can be turned into cakes and are just as delicious and beautiful.  When I was looking for someone to make our wedding cake, I was more concerned about having a delicious cake instead of one that was dry but looked good.  Violet's did an amazing job.

I picked out Brownie Bombs for our treat.


Brownie Bombs are a moist, dense, dark chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and a surprise in the center.


Somehow, someway, they bake a brownie in the middle of the cupcake and it stays so moist and delicious and doesn't overbake.


Can you see the bomb?

Bright blue toes



This old, dark, grainy picture of my husband who is sleeping through a movie.


Swag from Godiva



Oscar de la Renta booties - Tweed or beige, tweed or beige, tweed or beige?  In love with both...




How cool is this wire-wrap agate ring from Panacea?