As you can probably tell by our food-themed board on Pinterest, our Instagram feed, and our seemingly never-ending supply of funny, punny food-centric designs, we like to eat here at Boredwalk HQ. But consumption is just one half of the equation — we love to cook, too!

Lately we've been trying to focus more on "clean" eating during the week — mostly raw vegan, low-carb stuff; tough, because like Oprah, WE LOVE BREAD — but we allow ourselves a little wiggle room on the weekends.

Well, Sunday was the cheat day of all cheat days — we decided to take a crack at homemade ice cream sundaes!

First order of business was to decide on a flavor profile, and even though it's mid-May, my sweet tooth is obsessed with traditional "Fall" flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, and maple, so we found a recipe for cinnamon ice cream on Pinterest from Gin at the Eat Happy, Eat Healthy blog.

If you're not already vegan or are unfamiliar with vegan cuisine, I know what you're thinking — "No way is this going to be good." As a formerly die-hard carnivore turned vegetarian who has struggled with giving up dairy, I get the skepticism. It's not entirely unfounded; store-bought* vegan ice cream has lagged behind other vegan alternatives over the years. Taste and texture improvements in non-dairy cheeses and meat substitutes have far outstripped the results on the dessert side of things.

* A necessary distinction — we've had some truly amazing vegan ice creams in the past, but pretty much exclusively in speciality parlors & restaurants, or from local/regional vegan creameries that don't have a national presence in non-specialty grocery chains (yet.)

Recent years have seen a welcome jump, though — So Delicious's line of soy and cashew milk ice creams were a big step forward, but not necessarily enough to get me to put down my Ben & Jerry's. Thankfully, B&J really hit it out of the park with their limited non-dairy launch a few months ago. With those flavors now a regular offering in our local grocery stores, I can easily see myself eschewing the dairy form entirely from here on out. I just wish they'd expand the non-dairy line to include their Cinnamon Buns flavor!

Anyway, I digress — this post is supposed to be about our homemade stuff!

Overall, we were pleased with how the ice cream turned out. It wasn't as rich & creamy as B&J's, but for our first foray into home-churning, we'll take it! I was worried about how thin it was even after churning for an extra 10 minutes, but it scooped just fine after the requisite amount of time in the freezer (though, like most non-dairy ice creams, it needed to sit out a bit longer before serving.)

Since it had more of an ice milk consistency (as opposed to that of ice cream), I'd probably tweak this recipe a bit the next time we try it. I did a little research while waiting for the cream to harden in the freezer, and a couple of sensible tips found on SeriousEats.com might make for a better end result next time: lowering the overall temp of our freezer the day before to keep our KitchenAid attachment colder for longer during the churning process, and adding a thickening agent like xanthan gum to the "batter". Both changes working in concert should, hopefully, yield a less liquid, more soft serve-like consistency by the culmination of the churning process.

Flavor-wise, it was very much on-point. I typically don't like coconut-based ice creams, but the cinnamon was enough to mask the coconut flavor.

Now, a sundae isn't a sundae without toppings, right? So we found two more recipes to pair with our ice cream: this vegan caramel sauce from Leelalicious, and my absolute favorite ice cream topping, wet nuts made from a recipe courtesy of Saveur!

First, the caramel sauce:

Per Regina's recipe, finding the paste form of coconut sugar in our local grocery store was a no-go, so we made do with granulated coconut sugar which, as she warned, resulted in a darker sauce. It was fine as toppings go, but I think in the future I may just use a more traditional caramel sauce recipe and forego the whole coconut angle.

The element of the sundaes I was most excited for were the wet nuts. In the past we've had great success with recipes from Saveur, but this one was pretty disappointing. We were able to salvage it with aplomb, as I'll explain below, but here it is just before we removed it from the heat:

In fairness, some of the blame for how this initially turned out falls on me — I didn't chop up the walnuts into small enough pieces, which in turn led them to not toast as thoroughly as I would have liked. That aside, following the recipe exactly is going to leave you with something closer to walnut caramel chews than a pourable or spoonable topping. Either simmer for less time than the suggested 3 minutes, or add some other form of liquid — otherwise the base cooks down too much and thickens into a chewy block as it cools. Still delicious, but it makes it unsuitable as an ice cream topping.

So how did we save it? Good old American ingenuity (re: booze)! We reheated the wet nuts in a skillet to re-liquify the sauce, diced up (finely; almost minced) an apple — we suggest something firm and crunchy that will hold shape during cooking and not just disintegrate into mush; we used a Honeycrisp, but a Granny Smith, McIntosh, Gala, or Fuji would also suffice — and tossed it in, along with a little more corn syrup (probably no more than a tsp.) and 2-3 Tbsp. of bourbon. The additional liquid from the combination of the natural juices of the apple, the bourbon, and the corn syrup kept the cooled end-product from solidifying as it had earlier without those adjustments. We cooked everything down until the apples were soft and most of the alcohol had evaporated. Bonus: this reheating process also softened the nuts enough for us to break up the larger chunks with the side of our spoon to correct my earlier mistake. The inclusion of the bourbon also provided a nice counterpoint to the borderline-cloying sweetness of the first attempt.

So how did it all come together? Feast your eyes:

 

Even though our dessert skills lie more on the baking side of things, this is definitely something we would try again...I just hope next time we can entice some of our friends to help us eat it all — not that Meredith is complaining!

Meredith about to dig in while sporting her sweet Sundays Are For Sundaes Unisex Tank Top! If you'd like one of your own, just click the above photo to purchase!

Not sure what to wear for Cinco De Mayo next month? Below we've got some outfit inspiration to get you ready for tacos and tequila!

Cinco De Mayo Outfits for Her

1. Narway Jose TShirt

What we love about this look: Fresh fun spring colors make this graphic tee outfit perfect for getting in the mood to party. Great look for a casual dinner date or drinks at your favorite bar.

How to get the look: Dress our your Narway Jose tshirt with a crisp white skirt and some casual canvas shoes. Add a pop of color with a handbag and stay warm with a zip up jacket in a complimentary color. Our Narway Jose print also available in tanks, vnecks, and unisex fit tees.

2. Buenos Nachos TShirt

 

What we love about this look: Bold turquoise color and fun open-toed shoes make this cute casual look perfect for an afternoon of fun.

How to get the look: Dress our your Buenos Nachos tshirt with a comfy pair of shorts and strappy cute shoes. Add a feminine touch with pink lipstick and matching nail polish. Our Buenos Nachos print also available in tanks, vnecks, and unisex fit tees.

 3. Feed Me Your Tacos Tank

What we love about this look: The slouchy unisex tank paired with a crip pair of white jeggings makes for a dramatic look that's perfect for a night out. Plus who can resist a taco-obsessed kitty?!

How to get the look: Style your Feed me Your Tacos tank with a pair of white jeggings and some heels. Add a pop of color with bold lipstick, nail polish and accessories. Feed Me Your tacos print also available as a tshirt.

Cinco De Mayo Outfits for Him

1. Rock Out With Your Guac Out Tshirt

What we love about this look: Super casual and comfy. We love this soft ringspun cotton tee paired with shorts and sneakers. Perfect for an afternoon of fun.

How to get the look: Pair your Rock Out With Your Guac Out tshirt with your favorite shorts and a comfy pair of sneakers. Accessorize with a canvas belt, sunglasses and your favorite watch. (Shop more styles featuring our Rock Out With Your Guac Out design.)

2. I'm on an All Taco Cleanse Tshirt

What we love about this look: Transitions nicely from day to evening, perfect for a casual happy hour or dinner date. Plus nothing says taco-fanatic like this funny All Taco Cleanse tee.

How to get the look: Pair your I'm on an All Taco Cleanse tshirt with dark wash jeans and layer up with an open button down. Complete the look with a pair of boat shoes and your favorite sunglasses. (Shop other styles featuring the I'm on an All Taco Cleanse design.)

3. Salty But Sweet Margarita Tshirt

What we love about this look: This casual grunge-inspired look is just a little rock and roll and a lot of fun. 

How to get the look: Style your Salty But Sweet tshirt with jeans and a pair of chucks. Add on a casual watch and shades to complete the look. 

If you've spent even 5 minutes on Instagram or other social media websites, you'll notice that some people seem to always have the best pictures. You might assume they're using professional photographers, experienced models, and special equipment. The good news is that none of those things are necessary to get kick-ass photos of you and your friends!

Whether you want to look your foxiest on your dating profile, make old classmates jealous on Facebook, or just have better pictures of yourself, these four handy little tips will help you get the perfect photos with just a friend in tow and a smartphone.

Rule #1: Location, Location, Location
Think about where you'd like to take the photos. Do you want a nature aesthetic or something more urban? Does your city have a downtown area with a lot of cool street art and interesting architecture? When thinking about location, consider the mood you want to set in the photos and also keep lighting in mind. A dark, dive bar might be your favorite hang out, but if the lighting isn't great it's going to be a lot harder to get amazing looking shots.

The easiest places to take great shots are outdoor locations on clear, sunny days. You get loads of natural light and a photo-ready setting -- whether you choose a local park or rooftop patio. You can get great indoor shots, but you want to be mindful of lighting. Choose places with big windows that get lots of natural light and shoot during the day. We've had lots of luck shooting in places like coffee shops, book stores and bars -- just as long as we shoot during the day and the location is getting great natural light.


This photo was taken outdoors on a clear sunny day with some local street art as the back drop. The resulting image is colorful and crisp.

Rule #2: Minimize the post-work
You can fix a lot of things in Photoshop after a shoot, but the less work the better. Make sure whoever is modeling is wearing a flattering outfit. Clean hands and nails are also a must, since details like that can show up in photos. If you're a woman, make sure you've done your hair and put on some make up.

Make sure you're shooting in a direction that works well with the lighting so your model isn't in shadows and the pictures don't come out looking too dark or grainy (unless, of course, that's the look you're going for). Use the HDR setting on your smartphone's camera to ensure that you're getting high quality images.

This outfit makes a casual t-shirt part of a put-together look by dressing it up with a crisp white skirt, a stylish handbag and some jewelry.

Rule #3: Take A LOT of pictures
This is one of the most important rules of getting great photos. Getting good shots is a numbers game. Even the plainest looking person can look much better in a photo if you get the right angles and light. Conversely, even professional models don't look great in every single shot. When we shoot lifestyle pictures for Boredwalk, we take at least 500 photos per shoot. If we're lucky, around 10% of those photos will be usable. Whoever is holding the camera should pretty much always be shooting. The more shots you take the better your chances of ending up with some shots you like.

This playful looking shot was one of several dozen playing with the dog. There were lots of shots that came out blurry or unflattering, but we just kept shooting the whole time the model was playing with the dog and managed to capture this still.

Rule #4: The best way to look natural is to BE natural
The easiest way to get candid natural-looking photos is to take candid photos. The reason most people look stiff and awkward in photos is because that's what they're doing when the photo is taken. They're standing still, they're forcing a smile, they're looking at the camera -- none of this makes for a great shot.

The best way to get a good photo of a person is to make them forget you're taking their picture. Make the photo shoot a social occasion, have props to interact with, have a conversation so the model's mind is on anything but the fact that you're taking pictures. If you have an especially hard time looking natural in front of the camera, sunglasses are a great tool for both looking cool and hiding the fact that your model might be looking at the camera too much.

 
You can't fake a smile this natural looking. The reason the smile looks great is because the model is mid-conversation and actually laughing. He's distracted by lunch with friends and not thinking about what the camera is doing.

We've just released a bunch of fun new designs for your spring wardrobe! Check em all out below:

 

We love these looks for St. Patrick's Day! For her, we love this cute helvetica beer tshirt that we've styled with jeans, sneakers and a hoodie. The yellow adds a fun pop of color, and the casual look is perfect for an evening at the pub, whether on St. Patty's or any other day!

 

 

For him, this athletic styled Team Whiskey tshirt also makes for a fun casual look on St. Paddy's day or year round!

 

As much as we love a good novelty tshirt for a special occasion, these two tees are great because they can be work all year long!

 

We love our junk food here at Boredwalk HQ, but we also never met a salad we didn't want to get down with.

The great thing about salads is that they're kind of like soups — you can more or less just chop up whatever you've got in the crisper (within reason), toss it in a bowl, and season it with a complimentary dressing for a quick, healthy meal.

One of our fave go-to's is avocado toast. It can come in lots of different incarnations — so long as there's toasted bread and avocado involved, you can stay simple with just a slice and a schmear, or Dagwood it up to your heart's content.

Last weekend we decided to try our hand at deconstructing our favorite open-faced sandwich into a salad comprised of its component parts. Strap in; this ride is about to get delicious!

First, we headed over to our favorite local supermarket and gathered our fresh ingredients:

• (1) extra-large Haas avocado (or two smaller ones)

• (1) pkg grape or cherry tomatoes (we went with grape)

• (1) bunch fresh basil (Italian is best for this application, but we won't kick you out of bed for substituting Thai)

• (1) sourdough demi baguette (if you can't find a demi, get a full baguette and just wrap half of it in plastic & foil and stick it in the freezer until the next time you need to make some croutons or crostini)

As always, take care to select ripe veggies! As heavenly as it is when perfectly ripe, there are few things in life as disappointing as biting into hard, bland avocado.

To Make Salad:

- Preheat oven to 400º F. Slice baguette into 1" rounds and then slice rounds into 1" cubes. Place cubes onto foil-lined baking sheet, and bake until fragrant and just beginning to develop brown edges. Remove from oven and let cool.

- Cut avocado into a healthy dice (about 1/2" cubes) and add to salad bowl.

- Wash & slice tomatoes width-wise into halves or thirds (depending on size); add to bowl.

- Wash & chiffonade basil; add to bowl. As you can tell from our photos, it doesn't have to be a true chiffonade with super-fine ribbons — ours were about 1/4" wide. It just makes for a nicer presentation than a rough chop does.

- Toss everything (including your sourdough croutons) to mix well. Hand-tossing is preferable so as not to demolish the avocado cubes, but by no means required.

- Divvy up into smaller bowls or on salad plates.

If your sous chef is helping you out in the kitchen, don't leave them hanging — they've worked up an appetite, too!

To Dress:

Now you'll want to retrieve some stuff from your pantry:

We wanted to keep things simple to let the natural flavors and textures of our ingredients be the stars that they are. It's best to dress each serving individually to avoid over-saturating the basil and making your croutons soggy.

No real measuring needed here — we sure didn't! Just start with light drizzles of olive oil & balsamic vinegar and light sprinklings of sea salt and cracked or ground black pepper and add a bit more to suit your taste.

And voilà!

Other than its rad taste, the great thing about this salad is how adaptable it is. If you're not into the full-on herbaceous-ness of basil being the only leafy green involved, use less basil and add some micro greens or baby kale. Want a more Asian-inflected flavor profile? Use Thai basil, sprinkle in some sesame seeds, and substitute a drizzle of soy sauce and/or rice vinegar with a squirt of fresh lime juice. Kick it up a notch with some minced jalapeño or habanero pepper. The possibilities are endless!