fall/winter fashion haul

While I'm trying to be better about budgeting my money {especially before the holidays}, I did want to add some new things to my closet for the fall and winter seasons. To be fair, I did and always do the majority of my shopping when things are on sale so I don't think I did too much damage to my bank account. And since I also do the majority of my shopping online, I always use Ebates whenever possible. That way I get some money back and never feel too awful about my purchases.

Anyway...

If you want to see what I've bought in the last few months, make sure to watch the video. I'll have links to all the items on my YouTube page. And please subscribe to my channel after watching!

baked apple cider donuts

If I were to make a list of my all-time favorite recipes, these baked apple cider donuts would be there. I was beyond excited to make these and was thrilled with the results! Apple cider donuts with a glaze? Or apple cider donuts with a sugar coating? Well, I couldn't decide on whether or not to use a sugar coating or a glaze so I decided to do both. They're both equally delicious, and neither will disappoint. Once you make these, you'll be adding them to your fall must-bake list every year. Trust me, apple cider donuts will be your fall go-to.

Ingredients:

Donuts: {adapted from The Farmer's Daughter}
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup buttermilk

Apple Cider Glaze: {adapted from Freutcake}
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar {To be honest, I eyeballed this. Better to start with a 1/2 cup and go from there.}

Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease your donut pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the softened butter and eggs until fluffy. {It's important that your eggs are at room temperature and that you're unsalted butter is softened at room temperature! Otherwise, the butter will re-solidify when you add the apple cider and buttermilk.} Add the apple cider and buttermilk and mix well.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Do not overmix!
5. Place your batter into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag. Then, pipe into the prepared donut pan, filling each mold about 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool on a cooling rack before dipping into the glaze and topping with sugar.

Apple Cider Glaze:
1. Bring the apple cider to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on it! Then, transfer to a small bowl.
2. Add the confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth.
*The amount of confectioners' sugar is dependent on you. I wanted a thicker glaze so I kept adding a tablespoon of confectioners' sugar at a time til I had my desired consistency. And if at any time the glaze becomes too thick for your liking, just add in a tablespoon of apple cider til you get it where you want it.

Sugar Topping:
1. Mix together the light brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Top donuts with sugar after dipping in the apple cider glaze.

fall favorites tag

I feel like tag videos on YouTube were all the rage a few years ago. Then they started to dwindle out of popularity. This fall favorites tag has been going around for weeks now, and I knew I had to do it since fall is my favorite season. I tagged a few people - Darcy of A Memory of Us, Jordan from Opal & Violet, Kate of A Lonestar State of Southern, and Jayme of Her Late Night Cravings - but anyone can do this! And if you do it, make sure to let me know!

monday scorecard {vol. 13}

Image via The Yellow Cape Cod

Ace // Team USA won the Presidents Cup! I stayed up until about 4 AM to watch the final day of singles matches. This year's tournament turned out to be much more exciting than anyone anticipated, I think. And if this clip of Captain Jay Haas getting emotional talking about his son Bill Haas winning the final point for the Americans in the anchor match doesn't bring a tear to your eye... Well, I don't know what to tell you.

Birdie // It's almost tights season, and, if you're anything like me, you end up buying a bunch of new ones every year. This trick is a game changer, life saver, tights saver.

Birdie // I love this easy and simple fall table setting!

Birdie // Really love this faux shearling coat! I need to remember to break out mine this season.

Par // Adam Scott seems like a funny guy. Who knew? {If you don't follow golf, he's from Australia. Hence the costume.}

Par // The 2015-2015 golf season starts this Thursday! Shortest turn around of any sport, I tell ya.

Bogey // Can you believe it's already the middle of October? I love fall and I just want time to slow down!

Happy Monday! And for all of you who also have the day off, enjoy the long weekend!

september beauty & lifestyle favorites

As much as I love this time of the year, it's still crazy to think that it's already October! The year is just flying by. I'm testing out a new camera in this video and a different background so please let me know if you like it!

Let me know what you loved during the month of September! And don't forget to {please!} subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Happy Wednesday!

monday scorecard {vol. 12}

Image via

Eagle // I love s'mores. I know most people love them in the summer, but I actually consider them more of a fall treat. This s'mores custard cake looks delicious!

Birdie // Have you seen the new Olivia Palermo and BaubleBar collab? Everything is beautiful. And I mean ev-ery-thing. It's vintage meets modern and I want it all, especially this necklace and this ring.

Birdie // I love these GIFs of Disney princesses with more realistic bodies. We all know they're portrayed as being ridiculously thin in the movies so it's nice to see someone draw them up with more realistic proportions.

Birdie // I want to make this pinecone garland and hang it up in my apartment. It would be great for fall and winter decor!

Bogey // Jim Furyk had to pull out of the President's Cup because of a wrist injury. Disappointing, but he'll still be attending and helping out the US team as an assistant captain.

favorite five: ikea pieces

Say hello to the newest series here on A Style Caddy! I've had this idea in my mind for my YouTube channel for awhile now and thought that I should carry it over onto my blog. I share my monthly favorites {September video is coming next Wednesday!} but have always wanted to talk about my all-time favorite things. I've been keeping a list in my notebook of everything from books to makeup to coffee spots - you name it, I've got favorites. Five of them to be exact.

I've never really shared anything related to home decor on my blog so I wanted to start with that first. A lot of the furniture in my apartment {aka all of it} comes from Ikea. I live in a studio in New York City where rent is high, especially when you're living alone. Ikea has great affordable pieces when you're on a budget. And a huge plus - they'll last you years! So here it goes, my five favorite things from Ikea...

Alex Nine Drawer Unit // If you watch beauty videos on YouTube, this might look familiar. It really is the most perfect thing to hold makeup, jewelry, hair accessories, curling irons - anything really. It's super sturdy and has deep drawers.

Billy Bookcase // I have four of these in my current apartment in various heights. It's honestly the best thing I've found to display shoes, store baking tools, and, of course, show off your book collection.

Hemnes Shoe Cabinet // This shoe cabinet saves so much floor space. It also works great to store things like cleaning products.

Kallax Shelving Unit // I currently use this 4x4 unit and love it. It's easy to put together and holds everything from books, movies, and clothes. Adding home decor like a vase in one of the units looks great, too. And you can use the top as a side table. Double use - yes!

Stocksund Chair // Oh my gosh, I love this chair so much! I traded in my couch for this chair to open up my apartment a bit more and have more space, and it was the best decision. This chair comes in a variety of colors, but I really love this beige shade to keep everything clean and light in my apartment. It's super comfy, too. So comfy that I've fallen asleep in it many times. Oops...

There you have it! My top five furniture pieces from Ikea. Hope you liked this first post in this new series!

Happy Friday!