Why Aren't You Interested in my Blog?

Blog Has Moved

2011-02-04T09:50:00.002-05:00

I decided to move the blog to a new platform and focus only on food. Please update your Google Reader! http://nomsbynikki.tumblr.com/

Is Anyone Out There?

2011-01-23T10:43:00.002-05:00

So, I totally abandoned this blog while pregnant and since I've had Molly I'm definitely cooking a lot less. However, now that she's almost 3 months and on a great schedule I am planning on starting my blogging again. So be on the lookout for new content! YUM YUM!

New Photos

2010-05-19T11:48:00.004-04:00

One of my very best friends got married last weekend and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. Here are some photos Ben and I (okay, mostly Ben) took from the event and the weekend we spent in the country. On another note, I'm feeling MUCH better, so I'm starting to get back into my cooking.

Crickets

2010-04-27T13:14:00.005-04:00

I haven't done a very good job at keeping this blog updated since I've been pregnant and one reason is because I've done little to no cooking at all. Blame the hormones. All I want is rice or brussels sprouts or mac and cheese or ice cream or bagels. And I'm too tired to actually look up a recipe, shop for all the ingredients and then cook. Usually b/c I'm STARVING by that point. So, I'm not abandoning this blog, I'm just on a little hiatus until I'm feeling up to cooking again. I'll post a few random things here and there since my blog used to be random, but then turned more towards cooking/baking/eating/nominess. So back to the randomness!

Here are some pretty shots I took at my BFF's bridal shower this past weekend in NYC.

Pretty Peonies

Favors: floating candles that looked like apples!

Gift table... there were WAY more gifts after I took this pic.

With the beautiful bride to be!

Cutest little pup, Tallulah

So True

2010-04-14T17:10:00.001-04:00

Yup... that's about right ;)

Avocado Chimchurri Bruschetta

2010-04-13T16:38:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the absence... I've been busy being pregnant! YEP! :) Anyway, back to what I like to talk about most, FOOD! I've made this recipe twice now and everyone loves it! It's a fantastic appetizer, particularly if you are an avocado fan, and if you aren't then I feel sorry for you.

Avocado Chimchurri Bruschetta

2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, minced
1//4 cup chopped fresh parsley, minced
3 minced garlic cloves
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed
1 baguette, sliced and toasted (I've used both white and whole wheat baguette)

Combine the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, oregano, and black and red pepper in small bowl.
Whisk in the oil until thoroughly combined, then stir in the herbs.
Gently toss the avocado cubes into the sauce.
Spoon the avocado and sauce mixture onto toast slices.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

2010-03-31T14:43:00.001-04:00

Look at this giant cookie Ben made me. It was oh so delicious!

March Madness

2010-03-18T16:01:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted b/c I've been busy with this!!

Enjoy all you foodies :)

Baked Brie Bites

2010-02-28T21:14:00.007-05:00

My go-to appetizer to please any party goer is baked brie. It's cheap, easy and ALWAYS a hit. There has never been a time where I didn't end up with an entirely empty plate. So when I stumbled across this gem of a recipe while perusing an amazing food site, Tastespotting.com, I knew I hit the baked brie lottery! I decided to make it when my friends Abby and Zack came over for some drinks. Zack doesn't like jam, so I made some without (I know, he's crazy!).

Crescent Brie and Raspberry Bites
by Taste and Tell

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
Il de France brie (I am not a brie snob, so choose what you wish)
raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a mini muffin pan.

Unroll the crescent dough. Separate into 4 rectangles by pinching 2 triangles together. Slightly flatten out rectangles. Cut each rectangle into fourths, making 16 smaller rectangles.

Arrange dough in the mini muffin pan, forming small cups. Cut brie into small pieces, about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon each. Put one piece of brie in each crescent cup. Top each with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam. (Definitely do not overfill your cups, no matter how tempting.. they will runneth over!)

Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until crescents are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Serve warm.

I think I could've cut these into even smaller pieces for the bites. More brie, less bread.

I prefer a rind-less brie.

See.. definitely could've gotten more bites out of that dough.

These pieces of brie may have been a little aggressive. Next time I'll go smaller.

Jam and jam-less.

They came out a little messy b/c of over filling, but I think next time I will experiment with baked brie balls! I'll just fold the dough completely over!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake

2010-02-27T11:48:00.007-05:00

Chocolate and peanut butter is by far my favorite combination of food. It's my go-to flavor of Baskin Robbins ice cream and I'll never turn down a Reeses Cup, so it was obvious to me when I came across this recipe that I HAD to make it. However, "when?" was the question. Well, Valentine's day duh! Ben and I had no problems picking this as our dessert, plus neither of us had ever baked a cake this big. We added our own touch by topping it with chopped up Reeses, which I would highly recommend. It was delicious and rich, however next time we will change up the peanut butter filling and make it more peanut buttery and less cream cheesy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake
adapted from The Other Side of Fifty

1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 tsp espresso powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with cooking spray and flour generously.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down bowl and beaters.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Beat into creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Scrape down bowl and beaters and continue mixing on medium speed for one minute. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 28-30 minutes and until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. This actually ended up being about 35 minutes in my oven with the 6"x2" pans.

Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely on cooling rack.

When cakes have completely cooled, slice them in half horizontally, now giving you four separate cake layers. Place one layer on plate and spread peanut butter filling over the top. Repeat with remaining layers but do not top the last layer with peanut butter filling. Pour ganache over the top of the cake and let it run down the sides.

Peanut Butter Filling

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup marshmallow creme (Fluff)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
Pinch salt

Mix all of the filling ingredients together with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Chocolate Ganache

1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine the above in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 15-20 second increments until cream is hot enough to melt the chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth.

Top with desired amount of Reeses Cups (I used minis).

All the dry ingredients

Butter, sugar and vanilla

Using our new hand mixer!

My arm got a serious workout!

Who wants to lick the mixer??

Two beauties

That's how you cut a layer of cake!

Mmmm, the peanut butter layer goes on.

Ready for the ganache!

We added some extra chips :)

OMG

Chop, chop, eat. Chop, chop, eat.

Almost done....

Final product!

Ranch Mac & Cheese

2010-02-27T10:52:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the silence! I've been beyond busy at work helping to launch our new food site! Check it out: Kitchendaily.com It's currently in beta and there's a lot more to come! I am literally submersed in food content alll day long and the last thing I want to do when I come home is get on my computer. But now it's the weekend and I have so much to update on my blog!

Valentine's Day is long gone, but I'll take you back there with this post :) We decided to make our own meal instead of going out to a restaurant. We love challenging ourselves, particularly when it comes to baking (stay tuned for that post!). The hardest part? Choosing our menu! Since we always eat healthy we decided to splurge and make some sinful deliciousness!

This recipe came from one of my favorite food blogs, The Noble Pig. It came out better than I could have ever imagined. I can't wait to make it for my favorite Ranch lover, Colleen. She puts Ranch on EVERYTHING! And she loves mac & cheese to boot!

Ranch Mac & Cheese
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 package (16 oz.) elbow macaroni
1 cup milk (I used whole)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Colby cheese
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1/2 cup crushed saltines
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by shredding your Monterey Jack, Colby and Parmesan cheeses.

Cook macaroni according to package directions, however, do not use salt in the pasta water. Meanwhile in a Dutch oven, combine the milk, butter, dressing mix and seasonings; heat through. Stir in Monterey Jack and Colby cheeses until melted. Stir in sour cream.

Drain macaroni; stir into cheese sauce with the saltines. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Milk, butter and seasonings

That's me!

Cheesy nomness!

That's a lot of sour cream!

YUMMM!

Stir, Stir Stir

Are you drooling yet?

The final product, topped with crushed red pepper of course!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2010-02-12T13:16:00.011-05:00

Today is day seven of being snowed in. Well, I was able to make it to the store on Tuesday, but besides that I haven't seen civilization in a week! The other day while I was wandering around the kitchen, snacking and taking a break from work, I noticed our bananas were getting to the point where neither myself nor Ben would eat them, well I probably would've, but I decided I would much rather make some banana bread. So I found a simple recipe that only required 3 bananas (luckily I had one in the freezer)! I just added a random amount of chocolate chips to the recipe so use your own judgment on that ingredient. And because Ben and I are newly living together, we don't have all the cooking goodies one needs... so we improvised with cake flour and a random sized baking dish! It still came out delicious and I know this b/c it's already almost gone after just 3 days of being made! :)

I found this recipe via Google... what would we do without it?
Credit: Simply Recipes

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Squishy squish squish nanners

Oh heeeyyyyyy Paula Deen

I should've cropped this photo...

I wish you could smell how delicious this is.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour is equal to 1 cup of all purpose flour

The best part!!

The cooking time was a little off b/c we used a different pan, but it was oh so yummy!

Ewww cleaning up is not fun!

Squash-tastic Shepherd's Pie

2010-02-10T17:28:00.011-05:00

So with round two of the blizzard I'm finding a lot of free time on my hands, which means more time for cooking. This time it was Ben's turn to cook dinner. He chose another Hungry Girl recipe which I hadn't tried before. It turned out so delish!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 lb raw extra-lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp minced garlic
dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder
dash of black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free gravy
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies
1 tbsp light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the squash in a large microwave-safe dish with 1/2 cup of water. Cover bowl and cook squash in the microwave for 12 to 14 minutes, until squash is soft.

Meanwhile, in a medium pan over medium heat, cook onions until slightly browned (2 to 3 minutes).

Add the turkey, minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to the pan. Stir well. Cook until meat is browned.

Drain any excess liquid from the pan. Place meat/onion mixture in a casserole dish. Pour gravy evenly over the mixture. Spread the mixed veggies on top and then set dish aside.

Once squash is cooked, drain excess water and mash well. Add butter and salt to the squash and then mix thoroughly. Layer the mashed squash on top of the veggie layer. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (until crust looks slightly crispy).

Peel Peel Peel

Beautiful squash and plenty leftover for squash fries!

Time to zap in the microwave

Lean ground turkey with onions (blah I hate onions, but I sucked it up)

Our crust didn't end up very crispy, but it was still really good!

I'm ready for leftovers night :)

AHHHHHHHHHH!!

Snowpocalypse 2010

2010-02-07T16:03:00.008-05:00

So the blizzard is officially over and now it's shovel, shovel shovel! I took a break to make a healthy snack for the Superbowl. Spicy Roasted Chickpeas! YUM! I didn't take any personal photos b/c I am too lazy to upload right now. But here's the recipe and a photo from Noble Pig. She insists on lime wedges, but I think they are just as delish without them.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Adapted from Best Holiday Appetizers

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
Lime wedges

Rinse chickpeas in a colander. Drain them well, shaking the colander to remove as much water as possible. It's okay to take out a bit of aggression on the peas, they won't mind.

In a medium sized bowl, combine rinsed chickpeas, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Mix well to coat the chickpeas. Spread the chickpeas out on a foil lined baking sheet, one large enough to hold chickpeas in a single layer.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until chickpeas begin to brown, shaking pan twice during baking.

Remove chickpeas from the oven. In a small bowl, combine chili powder and ground red pepper. Place the mixture in a small sieve to sprinkle over the cooked chickpeas. Bake another 5 minutes or until a dark, golden-red.

Eat 'em up!

-------- SNOW PICS!!!! --------

The house is under all the snow!

Our neighbors' 3 year old... look how high the snow is on their deck!

Knee deep in the driveway

Waist deep on the cart path!

Curbing My Sweet Tooth

2010-02-04T14:02:00.005-05:00

As you have probably figured out, I have a huge sweet tooth and am always looking for healthy ways to curb it. Thank goodness for Hungry Girl! She always has great alternatives. Here's what I stocked my freezer with last night to keep me and Ben dessert-ed through the impending snow storm!

Ingredients:
Carmel Corn Rice Cakes (they were out at the store so I got the chocolate ones)
Cool Whip Free

Just spread 1/4 cup of the Cool Whip Free on one rice cake and plop another on top and stick in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Voila! "Ice Cream" sandwich cookie at just 130 calories!

These should keep us satisfied for a few days

Our backyard from Tuesday's snow... can't even imagine what it will look like on Saturday! eek!

Sunflowers & Kitties

2010-02-01T17:13:00.005-05:00

I just love them :)

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

2010-01-19T16:09:00.035-05:00

I've been in Key West! Here are a hodgepodge of random photos I took... enjoy. (I will update most likely next week since I'm moving Ben up here this week and will be super busy).

Just some Mallory Square performers

A six toed Hemingway kitteh

A typical Key West doll house looking home

I could look at this sunset every day for the rest of my life

Need a dollar? Go to Willie T's

Simonton Court Bed & Breakfast

Blue Moon

A Key West landmark

A chat at Mallory Square

Obligatory flower shot

Taken in the courtyard of the largest private residence on Key West

Key Lime Pie on a stick covered in chocolate

So that's what it looks like in the light!

Sunset sailing plus wine tasting

Another Hemingway cat

Sailing

The friendliest little pug ever

Only in the keys

One of my favorite shots of the trip

Or maybe this one....

Beautiful scenery

The porch of our cottage

Beautiful girl

Rockin' my new $10 shades

I couldn't take enough pics of this sunset

My camera has some great settings that really brought out the colors of the sunset.

One of our cottages in Simonton Court

All you need to know

We rode bikes all over the island

Walking along Duval St.

These guys are everywhere!

Slide show of my scenery shots (no people)

Oatmeal Cherry Dark Chocolate Cookies

2010-01-07T22:41:00.006-05:00

I know you were waiting to hear about the cookie recipe I posted yesterday, so I will hold out no longer! Potluck #2 of the week was a delayed family Christmas gathering. I look forward to this day sooo much because life really gets in the way and you don't realize how little time you really get to spend with the ones you love, and I love these "ones" a lot! I'm very close with my cousins and now that they each have families of their own it's so neat to see our family dynamic changing. The babies are the life of the party and I wouldn't want it any other way! But I digress from the food discussion you are so anxiously awaiting... are you surprised?!

Look at those two buggers!!!

Because there are quite a few vegetarians on this side of my family I knew that I wanted to go with a salad (Garbanzo & Avocado anyone?) or dessert... however, my cousin, Stef, is an awesome baker so I knew there would be some stiff competition in the dessert department. But, thanks to my dieting friends I had no choice but to go with the cookies.

I mean, just look at that beautiful piece of edible art!

BUT... before I take credit for these delicious cookies, I must share the backstory. Because of my back injury (which I mentioned yesterday) I was prescribed strong painkillers. However, the shoddy urgent care doctor gave me too high a dose which I figured out the hard way the day Ben and I were planning on baking the cookies. I was so sick that I had to go to bed. So my wonderful, amazing boyfriend made each and every one of these 60+ cookies (you DO NOT need to double this recipe like we did... we had NO idea how many cookies this recipe would produce). Ben even woke me up to try the dough! :::swoon::: He was also the one who suggested replacing the white chocolate from the original recipe with the dark. Yeah, he's a keeper.

So enough bragging about my baker boyfriend and on to the recipe!

Oatmeal Cherry Dark Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Joy the Baker (LOVE her recipes and her photography is brillz)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and cherries; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Paula Deen would be proud.

Hmmm... this bowl is looking a little too small for this task.

Ahhh... much better.

In go the dried cherries.

If I had bought 2 bags of chips I'm sure Ben would've added even more chocolate (not that I'm complaining in any way)!

Mix mix mix

This dough tasted AMAZING! Totally worth salmonella poisoning.

Beautiful goodness.

It was like never ending cookie dough... NOM!

These were a big hit at the party... everyone went home with a goodie bag and I emailed the recipe around the next day! I also received a kick ass gift from my secret santa. TONS of baking equipment and a really amazing cupcake book. I have some goals to achieve this year and they mostly involve food and photography! Can't wait to start baking! :D

Garbanzo & Avocado Salad

2010-01-06T13:19:00.013-05:00

New Year's Eve was a low key night for my group of friends, so we decided to do a potluck... my fav! I was also, unfortunately, on painkillers because of a back injury so I had to take it easy. I'm just glad I didn't spend my money on this party! NYE is totally overrated anyway and it's impossible to even find a cab, so you freeze your butt off, drink too much and start the new year feeling shitty. Low key is my cup of tea.

Every time the word "potluck" is thrown around I start scouring my favorite food blogs to find the best recipe. I try to lean towards healthy, however I just love love love baking, so often times I go for the goodies. So for this party I FINALLY was able to make a decision and it was a recipe for these delicious looking cookies (more on those at a later date) however I soon came to realize that because my girlfriends and I have a trip booked to Key West in a couple weeks everyone was on a diet! Like, no carbs, no alcohol, no gluten, no sugar, no food, don't eat anything diets. (I kinda am too at the moment, don't judge) I knew my cookies would be left uneaten, so I switched gears and found this salad. I was definitely going out on a limb, but was such a hit!

I took out the ingredients I don't like (although, I kept the onion for flavor) and I tripled the recipe. Good thing my boyfriend was there to get all the juice out of the SIX oranges I had to juice... I swear my hand was sore the next day!

Garbanzo & Avocado Salad (makes 2-3 servings; total cost per serving: ~ $1.85)
- adapted from Poor Girl Eats Well

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 small Roma tomato, diced
~~1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced~~
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 large avocado, chopped
~~2 scallions, chopped~~
Small handful of cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Dressing:
Juice of 2 medium oranges
1 T rice vinegar
1 t olive oil
1 T honey
1/8 t salt
Couple pinches of cayenne pepper
A very generous amount of ground black pepper

Prepare the dressing by whisking all dressing ingredients together until completely combined. Combine the beans and all the veggies in a medium bowl and toss together with the dressing. Garnish with extra black pepper if you like, serve over plenty of fresh greens or by itself, and enjoy!

Strong 'Ranga arms needed to squeeeeze the oranges.

Blurry onion shot. ick I hate onions.

Into the dressing you gooooo

Cilantro is optional, but I highly recommend it.

I need to work on noticing lighting when I'm taking pics... bad shot.

Next time I want to add more tomatoes. NOM!

Final product!

This salad was so delicious, so easy, filling and HEALTHY! Ben and I were able to eat it for lunch the next day too! I will definitely be making this again. Happy 2010!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T21:27:00.003-05:00

Hello blog land! Costa Rica was amazing and all the holiday travels post tropical vacation were fun too... now I'm relaxing and ringing in 2010 with close friends and my love. I received my dream camera (Canon Powershot G10) from Santa and I can't wait to post all my pics here, especially my food pics! I have two potlucks this week so prepare for some recipes! For now I will leave you with my favorite photo I took while in Costa Rica... with my old camera actually, a little Nikon. Oh the wonders of photo editing ;)

Yes, this will be blown up, matted and framed!

So Sorry

2009-12-17T18:57:00.006-05:00

Okay, I know I promised Christmas decorations and all those goodies, but the reality is that people are leaving at Aol. and guess who is getting their work? ME! And I actually truly do welcome more work because I want a challenge, however that means you are going to have to deal with less updates and less cool, awesome Nikki stuff. So I apologize. Oh, and I'm going to Costa Rica, so you have to wait until after Christmas for another update. And by then my decorations will be old news. So instead of showing you decorations, because let's get real, everyone has those ole things up, I will show you the cupcakes Ben and I (okay, really all Ben b/c I was super busy with work) made for his sister's bday.

This is Sadie... she's a cutie pie poodle mix

And these are the AMAZING Sadie cupcakes!! I mean, come on!!! How awesome is that??

SO CUTE! My boyfriend rocks! :) And he totally should work at Charm City Cakes.

MERRY CHRISTMAS BITCHES!

Easy App

2009-12-11T17:11:00.002-05:00

Kori gave me the idea for this appetizer b/c her bf has made it before and she's a goat cheese fanatic. So the night before my girls dinner I gave it a go. Warning, this takes A LOT longer to make than you would think. I grilled the asparagus in olive oil and salt. Then I let them cool a little bit because under the prosciutto (which you can't see) is goat cheese! And obviously, I didn't want the cheese to melt on the hot asparagus. Trying to get the cheese to stay put while you wrap prosciutto around it is quite the task, so best of luck :) I cut my prosciutto in long slices of three to wrap around, but you can do as little or as much as you like. Make sure you have a good show on while you prepare this because it is time consuming. Serve chilled. NOM!

SNOW

2009-12-08T13:51:00.003-05:00

It snowed all day Saturday and it was beautiful! More to come this week about Christmas decorating and maybe a little something on the AOL spin off. I also have 2 potlucks to think about. Also, the cupcake-cake Ben and I are making for his sister's bday :) This month is sooo busy!

Scents of the Season

2009-12-02T16:40:00.003-05:00

I greatly enjoy the scent of this Yankee Candle my mom was burning over the weekend. I told her it makes up for the fact that she has a fake tree. It really does smell Christmas-y and tree-like. I wanted to steal it because candles are like $16 at Harris Teeter. Really? Does scented wax and wick reallllly cost that much?? Rip off I tell ya. Candles make for good Christmas gifts though. Hint hint.

NOM

2009-12-02T16:39:00.000-05:00

Nothing better than homemade chocolate chip cookie dough on Thanksgiving.

Happy December

2009-12-01T13:54:00.007-05:00

Man-o-man it's already December? And I see I only had 7 posts in November?!?!?!? That is horrible. My New Year's resolution will be to blog more, but that won't be until January because I have a lot going on this month. It's the month of holiday parties and cheer and if you work at AOL, excuse me, Aol. you are trying to keep your job :) In the meantime, I will just try to keep you happy with pretty pictures and delicious food. Enjoy!

Nataliedee.com

Bunny Vase

2009-12-01T13:53:00.000-05:00

Where can I get me some of these? <3

Gourmet Cupcakes

2009-11-25T16:44:00.004-05:00

Ben and I hit up the bakery a couple blocks from my condo recently and came home with these delicious cupcakes. The one on the left is S'mores and the right is Almond Joy. The S'mores was my fav! They each came in an individual chinese takeout container. Such a cute idea for a gift! Now I know what to get my Secret Santa recipient.

yes, the middle of each was filled!

Too Bad More People Don't Read My Blog

2009-11-24T15:10:00.002-05:00

Because this old video I found is hilaaarious.

New York

2009-11-18T16:35:00.003-05:00

I'm in NYC but I can't see this....

.....because I'm here for just the day and stuck in one of these:

BOOOOOOOOO

Wedding Decor

2009-11-12T17:18:00.004-05:00

I loved these centerpieces at my sorority sister's wedding. I took an up close shot after way too many drinks so you can't really get the full effect of them, but they were beautiful. Hydrangeas really are one of my favorite flowers. Sunflowers will always be first, but there's just something about hydrangeas that make bouquets and arrangements so romantic.

The setting was amazing as well. Loved the lilly pads in the pool. Now if only we had a heat lamp by our table. That would've been the cherry on top! Don't fall in! Luckily, no one did... and with my friends, I cannot believe it!

More Tailgate Food

2009-11-11T16:47:00.008-05:00

So I finally found a chance to update! YAY! I don't have much time as I have a meeting in 15 minutes so I will make this short and sweet. Here's what we did for the UVA vs Duke game, which was so awful that we spent the last half in the parking lot eating and drinking more!

Basic broccoli salad. It was nomlicious and sweet. The recipe was from an old cookbook so a simple google search should hook you up with a variation.

Bisquick Sausage balls are the best invention ever. SO YUMMY. We used spicy sausage for a kick!

This recipe is soooo easy. Take turkey dogs, cut them in thirds and wrap them in bacon (sliced in half), sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 40 mins on 320 degrees

And for dessert! This was a little bit more complicated and the final result was good, however the top layer was too buttery tasting (that didn't stop me from eating a million though). I would prefer just the bottom later of coconut and chocolate!
Candy Corn Nanaimo Bars at Cakespy.com

MIA

2009-11-10T15:19:00.003-05:00

I've been so busy at work and with personal travel that I have neglected my blog... and my google reader! Hopefully I will have a chance to update tomorrow. At least I will have some goodies to post. Here's a preview:

Me = Slacker

2009-11-04T10:00:00.004-05:00

I know I haven't posted since Friday... AHHHHHH! And it's already WTF Wednesday. Damnit. I have updates, I swear. Stay tuned. Here's a pretty picture to keep you happy!

Last Minute Halloween Recipes

2009-10-30T12:33:00.005-04:00

Like the sparkly, myspace, ghetto fab image I found? Thanks Google!

CakeSpy.com has some last minute Halloween recipes for all you slackers out there (including myself). I plan on making one or two of these goodies this weekend. Enjoy!

Homemade Candy Corn

What happens to Halloween Candy when it dies?

Wicked Witch's hat

Candy Corn Nanaimo Bars

Putting the "fun" back in Fun-Size Candies!

Ghoulish Halloween Cupcakes!

Dracula Cookies!

They have tons more. Just go to their site!

More Halloween Recipes at Cakespy.com!!

30 Rock

2009-10-29T22:00:00.002-04:00

30 Rock is the best show on television. Hands down. And that's all I have to say about that.

WTF Wednesday

2009-10-28T16:39:00.003-04:00

Jon Gosselin and Octomom Set to Date on Reality Show

WTF? Really? This is the stupidest idea I have ever heard. Yeah, let's give two fame whores more publicity by giving them their own reality show. No one would ever watch trash like this, well okay, I'm sure there would be some people that would... I mean, people watch The Hillls right? These are two people that need to seriously Go Away. Forever. Together. Happily Ever After. We will take care of your destined-to-be-fucked-up children. Buh bye.

Miss New Booty

2009-10-27T15:03:00.003-04:00

Don't I have a cute butt? HAH! Ben and I had the best pumpkin carving EVEEEEERRR!

Apple Crisp

2009-10-23T14:53:00.013-04:00

In addition to the Pumpkin Pie cupcakes this past weekend I thought, "Hmmm, why not make another unhealthy dessert to eat." Well, actually, Ben and I decided to take advantage of a great fall day in central Virginia and go apple picking. We ended up with waaay too many apples, so of course my mind went right to dessert. Plus, I have more material for my blog! By the way... if you google Apple Crisp there are a ton of different twists on the recipes. I picked this recipe because I already had all the ingredients readily available. Enjoy!

1 c. sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 peeled and sliced large apples
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter

Combine 1/2 c. sugar, lemon juice, water and cinnamon in bottom of small baking pan. Slice in apples. Blend remaining 1/2 c. sugar, flour, salt and butter until crumbly. Spread over apples and pat smooth.Bake at 375°F. for 40-50 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is browned.

Anything tastes better if you do ALL the hard work!

All the ingredients, minus a BUNCH of apples.

Oh THERE are more apples! :)

Ben helped me with the peeling (my least favorite part)

Mixing together the sugar, lemon juice, water and cinnamon

Enter apples.

The remaining sugar, flour, salt and butter. Tip: melt the butter a bit first.

Pre baking (I added brown sugar for extra nominess).

It's done!! Don't mind the big bite taken out of the corner of this!

WTF Wednesday

2009-10-21T16:05:00.003-04:00

Do you know who those two people are above? No it's not Lloyd and Harry. It's our awesome Redskins franchise owner Dan Snyder and his GM Vinny Cerrato. I say awesome with the most sarcasm you could ever imagine in your whole life. Speaking of lives... they are ruining MINE! WTF!?!? Just leave our city and sell the Redskins to someone that will actually make smart decisions! Snyder, you cursed us from the moment you bought the team 10 years ago, double cursed us when you made Vinny your GM and triple cursed us when you invited Tom Cruise to our craptastic stadium. WTF?? GO AWAY AND STOP MAKING MY FOOTBALL SEASON MISERABLE!

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

2009-10-20T15:18:00.010-04:00

These cupcakes seemed like such a great idea. Who doesn't love pumpkin pie? And in cupcake form??? How can that possibly go wrong? Well in this case, if it ain't broke don't fix it. They were hard to eat... the paper stuck to the cake, they were wet... need I go on? Blame it on the cooks maybe, but the only thing that really saved these was Ben's idea to whip up some apple cider icing for them. Also, we put chocolate chips in some, which were better than the plain ones in my opinion. So here are the cupcakes I will never make again :)

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup half and half (or evaporated milk)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and half and half until well combined. Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.
Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/3 cup of batter.
Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. They will sink as they cool.
Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 12

Artsy?

Dry ingredients

mix mix mix

More mixin'

Looks like they will be delish right?

At least they look pretty with the whipped topping

Doing the part that no one likes or ever talks about: CLEANING UP!

Monday

2009-10-19T14:09:00.004-04:00

Today I moved back to my old building at work and I just love love love it now that it's been renovated! I have all my old decorations up and there's lots of light, plus we have a specialty coffee machine and I just made chocolate nut coffee :)

This weekend Ben and I baked two things! We did the Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes which were not as good as they sound and will probably never be made again. We also went apple picking and because we had SO MANY apples we made an apple crisp that was delish!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Monday as much as me!

Let the sunshine in!!

Yes, I have two computers :)

FALL!

2009-10-16T16:49:00.002-04:00

I love fall and I love this photo! I hope I get to see lots of pumpkins and fall-y things this weekend!

Credit: Oh Happy Day

Dear Mother Nature

2009-10-16T10:32:00.001-04:00

STOP RAINING!! I WANT TO GO SEE THE PRETTY LEAVES THIS WEEKEND. Thanks and good day.

WTF Wednesday

2009-10-14T15:04:00.003-04:00

STRAUBING, Germany — A German artist is posing 1,250 garden gnomes with their arms outstretched in the stiff-armed Hitler salute in an installation that he calls a protest of lingering fascist tendencies in German society.

WTF???

Vino

2009-10-13T22:08:00.003-04:00

This wine is the shiznit. 4 bottles in this sucker and only $23 at The Teet. For realz. It's good. Don't judge a wine by its box.

Salad with Pasta

2009-10-13T19:11:00.006-04:00

So Ben and I took the salad recipe below and turned it into our own salad. Here are the ingredients:

1 bag of white frozen corn, roasted
3 tomatoes, chopped
chicken tenders broiled and shredded
3 handfuls of arugula
1 box of whole wheat tortellini
shredded parm to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoon olive oil

Roasting the corn

Chicken on the broiler, make sure to rotate.

chop chop tomatoes

Final product!

Sorry I slacked on the pics :)

Dinner Tonight

2009-10-09T15:42:00.003-04:00

I'm planning on making a version of this for dinner tonight. Probably add chicken and sub different kind of pasta. I could be talked into some ravioli!! I'll keep you updated!

October

2009-10-08T14:12:00.002-04:00

I thought this was pretty. Too bad I hadn't found it sooner. Better late than never right?

WTF Wednesday

2009-10-07T14:09:00.000-04:00

No caption necessary.

Chocolate Cakes Grilled in Orange Shells

2009-10-06T21:57:00.001-04:00

I really really really need to make these... SOON!

Cloud Shelf

2009-10-06T21:55:00.003-04:00

CUTE!!!

I Want...

2009-10-05T17:08:00.004-04:00

...this bed. It's hand made and beautiful! I took this picture this weekend at the Waterford Fair in VA.

Wedding Food

2009-10-01T15:09:00.012-04:00

Two of my college friends were married a couple weekends ago and I just had to share some of the nomlicous food they served at their reception. So yes, I was that piggy at the wedding taking pictures of food :)

The glorious menu

The appetizer table that greeted us with: Artisanal Cheeses, Grilled and Roasted Vegetables and a selection of local Charcuterie.

Salad: Finger Lakes Heirloom Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella, Micro Greens, a crispy Zucchini Blossom and Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

I first hit up the meat station, but I forgot to take pics... so here is the sushi and salmon station shot I took. I actually barely ate any b/c I was so full.

Truffled Mac & Cheese that I ate way too much of and got a tummy ache :(

Well, I'm sure this Butternut Squash Ravioli with Heron Hill (the family's vineyard) Riesling, Brown Butter and Sage contributed.

Wedding Cake presented with Raspberry Sorbet in an Almond Sugar Tuile with Ingle Vineyard (oh yeah... the family's other vineyard) Riesling Apricot Sauce.

What Ben's plate looked like after... all three of them. Yes, he had 3 servings. :)

Okay, so these we picked up at Wegman's on the drive home, but NOM!

WTF Wednesday

2009-09-30T13:20:00.004-04:00

Really Redskins?? Losing to the Lions??? Really?!?!!? WTF?

Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

2009-09-28T17:05:00.011-04:00

Don't know what to make for dinner tonight? This Hungry Girl recipe is soooo easy and delicious, plus you'll have leftovers for lunch!

Cooking the chicken. Go away pink!

The Teet was having a sale on mixed veggies so I went with a soup mix, which has way more veggies and still tastes good.

98% fat free if you can't read the blurz

Mix all the above goodness together and stick in the oven.

While the goodness is cooking just roll out some crescent dough which will be the "crust"

The final product after baking for 5 extra minutes with the dough.

Eat up!

Lunch for me and Dida!

Dancing Doggie

2009-09-28T15:56:00.003-04:00

Give me my dinner!!

Are Those Cats?

2009-09-23T13:43:00.001-04:00

CANNOT.STOP.LAUGHING. WTF?!?!

WTF Wednesday

2009-09-23T10:56:00.007-04:00

WTF Wednesday is back again and I have my first submission! So if you are finding yourself saying WTF on this glorious day of interwebz surfing then send it my way.

WTF are these? Is that what you are asking? They are Hitch Hands my dears. You put them on the back of your pickup truck (if you are white trash). Because everyone wants to give the bird to the car behind them, right? Email douchbag Jay@hitchhands.com and tell him he's racist b/c he only has white hitch hands.

Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

2009-09-22T19:34:00.012-04:00

My boyfriend is awesome because not only did he make me these amazing Cheesecake Marbled Brownies, but he photographed the process for my blog. :::swoon::: Here's how Ben's brownies turned out (in his commentary):

All the ingredients

Melting the chopped, unsweetened baker's chocolate and cubed butter using a make-shift double boiler on low heat.

Double boilers are the shit!

Mixing the egg whites into the melted butter and chocolate.

Slowly beating in the sugar, all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt and vanilla extract. The brownie batter became very, very thick.

I had warmed the cream cheese to room temperature but still had difficulty mixing in the sugar so I used the make-shift double boiler one more time (using an even lower temperature than with the chocolate and butter). After removing from the heat and allowing to return to room temperature once again, I added the vanilla extract.

When the cheesecake mixture was nice and smooth I slowly stirred in the miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Ready for the greased pan!

The brownie batter was very easy to pan. I put dollops of the cheesecake mixture on top of the brownie batter then spread evenly.

I used a knife to create the marbling effect between the cheesecake and brownie layers.

The end product. I would heavily recommend cooling to room temperature then refrigerating before cutting into bite-sized squares. Keeping the brownies refrigerated improves the consistency of the cheesecake as well.

These were delicious and since we kept them in the fridge they were almost like pieces of fudge. Very rich and NOM NOM NOM! Thanks Ben!!

Puppies

2009-09-21T15:07:00.003-04:00

How cute are they?

Holly and Livit
by ECAB

Kanye Meme

2009-09-17T10:58:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know these are everywhere right now, but I'm sorry... this one kills it. (literally)

WTF Wednesday

2009-09-16T12:59:00.003-04:00

So I decided after seeing the photo below that I would institute WTF Wednesday. So if you see anything around the interwebz that makes you say, "WTF?" please send it my way.

Seriously? WTF?? Why would you even want to make a baby out of meat? Did you open your freezer and say, you know what, I have a shit ton of hamburger meat that needs to be used, let's make a fucking baby!! WEEE!! Oh and wouldn't it be funny to make a diaper out of bacon?!?

Or is this what forms in my belly when I eat too much and insist that I have a food baby? It's possible people.

Take Me to Hogwarts

2009-09-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

I really really really can't effing wait for this park to open. It's going to be AMAZING!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Pistachio Salad

2009-09-15T16:41:00.010-04:00

I used a recipe out of my old high school booster club cookbook (GO SPARTANS!) which is at my mom's house. It is SOOOO easy and you can just google "pistachio salad" to find plenty of variations. This dish, unfortunately, didn't make the tailgate because everyone forgot about it sitting in the fridge :( And please ignore my crappy camera skillz and awful lighting.

Is that Slimer? Nah, it's just J-E-L-L-O (sing it) mix, yes they make Pistachio Jello!

Add some mini marshmallows, about a cup.

1/2 cup of nuts of your choice (pervs, i know what you're thinking)

This is a can of crushed pineapple, but be sure to really drain it first or your salad will be watery.

Last step is a tub of Cool Whip, the whole damn delicious thing.

Then just chill in the fridge until you are ready to share it, or just forget about it in there and have it to eat all to yourself.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies

2009-09-15T16:04:00.009-04:00

Okay, so I found this recipe at Joy the Baker, a blog I read on a regular basis. Her's are chocolate chip-less, but I am a chocoholic so I HAD to add them in and I am SO glad I did. And I doubled the recipe b/c I had a lot of mouths to feed at the tailgate.

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar (1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 handfuls of chocolate chips (or more!)
12 slices of bacon, cooked, cooled and diced
(I cooked my bacon in the microwave b/c it's faster and creates less of a mess, it also tends to get nice and crispy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 2 baking sheets with butter and set aside. In a mixer combine peanut butter and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and baking soda and mix for another 2 minutes. Fold in cooked bacon and chips. Roll into large walnut sized balls and create a cris-cross pattern with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

The troops ready for battle

Warning: batter is goooooey

After adding the bacon and chips.

The cris-cross pattern.

Fresh from the oven

ZOOM IN ON BACON NOMINESS.

These were a huge hit at the tailgate and with the 'Ranga. They are super easy to make and I highly recommend them for your next party, tailgate or rainy day. Just make sure if you know of any vegetarians or non-pork eaters that you warn them of the bacon, because most cookies don't contain meat!!

UVA Tailgate Numba 2

2009-09-15T15:34:00.012-04:00

I wasn't as prepared for this tailgate for two reasons: 1. because it was a last minute decision and 2. my mom had it completely under control. Okay, so maybe this was part of my problem.

which then led to this lovely montage:

Dobby loves this, I swear!

Anyway, my mom made the following awesome nomminess, however I don't have the recipes with me so if you want them let me know.

Blueberry Orange Zest Bread

Dig in!

Totally Awesome Bean Salad (Don't ask me the real name)

Ricey-Mexican Casserole and Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Both were delicious, but the tortillas on the bottom of the chicken enchilada casserole really made that delish. My two contributions are coming up!

2009-09-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

Oh and..

2009-09-14T14:51:00.003-04:00

Did you catch this? Lots of dramz this weekend!

Zzzzzzz

2009-09-14T14:47:00.004-04:00

I'm sooo tired, like turning into a zombie tired..therefore I'm saving my weekend updates for tomorrow. I will say this though:

Kanye, you suck.

Mmmmm

2009-09-12T09:38:00.000-04:00

Just a preview! Stay tuned :)

Capital Cat Show

2009-09-11T16:55:00.003-04:00

Cats set to take center stage at National Capital Cat Show

So, who's with me? Mrow? No really, we once had a cat we got at a cat show and named her Katie. She was really really weird and hid from everyone. Moral of this true story? Don't buy cats at cat shows.

Don't be jealous of their trophies.

Duckies

2009-09-11T13:43:00.000-04:00

I want these little lollipops. How cute?!?

9-11

2009-09-11T12:07:00.003-04:00

It's fitting that it's raining here in DC today as we reflect on the horrible tragedy our country faced 8 years ago. Many tears were and still are shed. I will say no more than "we will never forget."

Are you Ready for Some Football?

2009-09-10T20:38:00.003-04:00

Did you remember to set your fantasy lineups before the Titans vs Steelers (blaaaah) match up? I did! Don't let me down Cutler!

The Icing on the Cookie

2009-09-10T15:48:00.007-04:00

This is, by far, the cutest and most personable way I have ever been asked to be a bridesmaid! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!

I didn't want to eat the cookie because it's so pretty, but then my sister said that saving it is something a hoarder would do....so I ate some of it. I totally thought it would be just so-so tasting (b/c it's all about presentation, right?), but it was nomlicious! I saved some for Kori even though she accused me of having hoarding tendencies. However, I am saving the box and ribbon.......

Unicorn, Rainbow, Hearts AND Stars?!?!?!?!

2009-09-10T14:49:00.003-04:00

I like this image. Thanks Tori Hanson Press :)

Treat Receipt

2009-09-10T14:16:00.006-04:00

No, Starbucks! I already spend too many damn calories and too much money at your fine establishment. Do not tempt me with a $2 cold drink after 2pm every time I buy a morning coffee (or tall, skim, no whip mocha or pumpkin spice latte or whatever).

Get that yellow shit outta here.

Book Club

2009-09-09T15:01:00.010-04:00

At the beginning of the summer two of my neighbors, my sister and I all decided we needed to start a book club where we could get together every month and talk about a book, but mainly eat and drink (not to mention gossip). Last night we gathered at my place where I played host and we talked about the book, The Time Traveler's Wife, for maaaaybe five minutes. (half of us, I won't name names, didn't finish) Last month we read The Almost Moon and had a huge discussion about it...it's pretty effed up so there was much to talk about. Plus, Lara made a delectable spread of summer salads that we filled up on. So, how did I top her? HAH! I could never top Mrs. Newman and her homemade goodies...so here's my shot at it:

I didn't have much time between my hair appointment and our 7pm start time so I decided that pre-packaged food was going to have to suffice for the majority of my spread. I took Harris Teeter Moroccan hummus and Tuscan bruschetta and plopped them into two separate bowls and served them with Stacey's whole grain pita chips. I also had a veggie platter to tide everyone over while I whipped up my salad. I will spare you photos as I'm sure you all can imagine what those things look like :)

For the salad I cut up 2 avocados, 2 tomatoes, fresh basil and a ball of mozzarella cheese. While I was chopping and throwing the pieces in a bowl I was cooking up a box of sun dried tomato couscous which is the easiest thing to make since Easy Mac.
Once the couscous was ready I threw it in with the rest of the goodness, drizzled on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar then sprinkled some salt and pepper and a few tosses later it was ready to be consumed!

NOM!

While everyone was eating I had to whip up my oh-so-easy but omghowdidyoumakethis? dessert/appetizer (it can be used as either). It tastes the best warm so timing is everything. It's so easy and delicious you will nom your face off. Grab a wedge of brie cheese, your favorite flavor of jam (I like rasperry) and a tube of Pillsbury reduced fat croissants. Cut off the rind or crust, if you will, of the brie and roll it up into the croissant dough...make the ball kind of flat so the dough cooks all the way through. Throw it in the oven for 30 mins on 350. The brie will most likely leak out. Cover a plate with the jam, place the baked brie on top and serve with crackers!

Look at that ooey, gooey cheese!

And soon this, will look like this:

Tailgating Food

2009-09-08T15:42:00.012-04:00

Here is a brief synopsis of the food we made at the tailgate:
Here is our spread and as you can see everything except the fried chicken from Harris Teeter and the grilled chicken from KFC was homemade. (btw, the grilled chicken bucket still has skin on it and I highly doubt is THAT much healthier than the fried) My mom contributed the tomato, mozzarella and basil as well as crackers covered with cream cheese and lox. I love love love that! Also, you can see the pecans I made. I covered them with egg white and dipped them in a mixture of sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, chili powder and baked them for 30 minutes on 325.

Kori's boyfriend, Matt, made a curry chicken salad complete with red grapes, cashews and red onion. This was very delicious, especially on bagel chips.

My boyfriend, Ben, made a mexican layer dip with Jimmy Dean sausage mixed with sour cream. As well as refried beans, spicy guacamole, tomatoes and lettuce. He also threw in some green chilis for an extra kick. This tasted amazing on tortilla chips...just make sure you have a cold one to sooth the spiciness :)

I made this potato salad from a recipe I found in the NY times that listed 101 summer salads. They are red potatoes and I threw in some shallots, whole grain mustard, olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste. The green stuff is parsley!

Kori made this Ghosts in the Graveyard cake for dessert....it was made with Jello pudding and Coolwhip mixed with Oreos. The gravestones are Milano cookies with RIP W&M on them. However, William and Mary pulled out a win and beat UVA. :( Sad. This dessert was AWESOME and I wanted to eat it all.

My final contribution to the tailgate you can see in this photo....white wine sangria. It was strong and delicious! I used white wine, peach brandy, citron vodka and the fruit was apples, plums and peaches.

It was a very successful (and nomlicious) tailgate!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!

2009-09-05T12:34:00.003-04:00

Today is game day and I'm currently getting ready! Our tailgate menu is extensive and delicious. Time to start cooking! Photos to come!

Ummmm

2009-09-03T15:45:00.001-04:00

Is it bad that I kinda want one of these? It would have come in handy at the Kenny Chesney concert for sure! But it's still pretty gross to think about. Pee Pee is ICKY!

http://www.go-girl.com/

U-V-A

2009-09-03T15:37:00.004-04:00

GO HOOS GO!

Can't wait to spend the weekend in Charlottesville to kick off a new college football season!

My Dog is Crazy

2009-09-02T16:03:00.001-04:00

Enough said:

Dinner for the Busy Bees

2009-09-01T16:15:00.003-04:00

Kori and I are usually pretty busy during the week, so we like to find fast, easy and most importantly, healthy recipes. Which is why we LOVE LOVE LOVE Hungry Girl. She is aaaaamazing and has totally nomlicious meals. We live by her cookbooks :) Last night I made a little twist on her English muffin pizzas....I used tortillas instead. I took plain tomato sauce and mixed in some spices: oregano, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes, garlic powder and maybe onion powder...I just throw in whatever and go by the taste. Then I added some basil, chicken, sliced tomatoes and a mix of fat free cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Stuck it in the oven on 350 for about 5-7 minutes and voila! I was so satisfied that I didn't even need to make a salad for a second course like I thought I might have to. Great dinner!

NOM!

PLANTZ

2009-09-01T16:05:00.007-04:00

The guy on the left is my new purchase! Not really sure what kind of plant it is...I just looked in the section for indoor plants and picked the one I liked and one I thought the cat wouldn't eat :) Here he is in my beautiful ducky (or is that a swan?) planter that I got on sale at Anthropology! That ducky has been sitting empty for too long. On the right is an older plant that Ben and I (well more so Ben) re-potted. We had to take out some of the vines that lost their roots, but have no fear....

They are in the Tiki cup! All these guys are from 2 different plants however, they needed to re-root....so this cup (a gift from my cousin Jay) is filled with water until the new roots grow enough to replant.

This little one is from an old plant as well, but I purchased a new pot so we just moved him away from his brothers so he can grow nice and big by himself!

And this baby plant was actually growing in the same pot as my new purchase....a 2 for 1!! We think it's the same kind of plant, however ya never know, maybe it will be a surprise plant! Hopefully my newly green thumb can keep these kids alive and well.

Sunday Funday

2009-08-31T16:12:00.006-04:00

I am still nursing a sprained knee, so I had to sit on the sidelines and watch my team dominate on Sunday morning. It was really hot out and I was sorta hungover so I guess I ultimately lucked out :) But we won 6-1!! Woop!

After an amazing breakfast of blueberry pancakes from Il Fornaio Ben and I decided to be domestic and hit up Home Depot to replace an old AC filter. Kori and I aren't very good about replacing ours, so I decided it was time to cross it off the To Do list. We dug out the old one, got the dimensions and were on our way. As we were looking for the filters I noticed plants....and I love plants. I have been meaning to fill this great duck planter I have so then my search went from AC filters to a new plant for the condo. ADD much?

However, Ben got me back on track and we decided we would go to the nursery for a larger selection of plants AFTER Home Depot. So off to the air filter aisle....there it was 20x24x1...perfect. Grab it and let's go! At the nursery I found the chosen plant and after buying new soil, a spade and a new clay pot we headed back home.

But guess what? That air filter didn't fit!! It was the right dimensions but I guess that little HP on the old filter makes a difference. So baaaaaaack to Home Depot we went and we could not find a legit filter that has HP on it. So we got the cheap filter which means Kori and I have to change it sooner than later...we'll see how that goes.

Moving on to the plants....we decided we should just re-pot all the plants we currently have and I am very glad we did b/c one of the plants was not in good shape. I couldn't tell by the actual plant, but the roots were a mess. So we (or more so Ben) did some rehabbing and they are all good as new! I will post pics later. But they are so pretty!

For dinner we ate at Big Bowl and omg my mouth was on fire. DO NOT USE 2 SCOOPS OF THEIR CHILI SAUCE! We had to order a side of brown rice just to tone down the spiciness. But DO order their chicken dumplings as an app. NOM NOM NOM.

All in all it was a great weekend filled with fun, my favorite people and delicious food. :)

Saturday

2009-08-31T14:33:00.007-04:00

Saturday was spent getting ready for the Kenny Chesney concert. He is my FAVORITE singer ever so I was very excited. Ashley's birthday is this week so I decided to go with Rainbow Cupcakes, inspired by this rainbow cake. I've made the rainbow cake in the past and the icing, although low in calories, is hard to work with and honestly I wasn't really caring about caloric intake this day. So I borrowed her recipe for the batter and just used store bought icing....saved time and deliciousness!

2 boxes white cake mix
24 oz of clear diet soda (I used two cans of Sprite Zero which we also brought along as mixers for our vodka!)
gel food coloring

- Mix the cake mix with the soda according to regular instructions on box. It will be lumpy afterward. It won't be as lumpy if you have a 'ranga helping you mix :)

As for the batter part....I semi followed her directions, except I didn't really care about equally measuring out the batter for the six different colors. I just used my best judgement. And I did one batch following ROYGBV and the other I did backwards. I knew they would taste good and would be covered in icing anyway....perfection was not my goal!My batter turned out way more pastel looking than the Rainbow Cake....but I liked it, it was more girly. (I also think that lady has a spiffy camera and photoshop skillz)

Then I glooped (I made up that word) the batter spoonful by spoonful into the cupcake trays. Next time I would probably use smaller spoonfuls b/c some of the cupcakes came out with muffin tops!

Here they are fresh out of the oven....they are almost tie-dye like. Maybe I will change their name from Rainbow Cupcakes to Tie-Dye Cupcakes.

And the final product. 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 vanilla. I should've taken a picture after a bite into one of them, but by then I was in the limo, on the way to the concert and way too excited to take pictures of cupcakes! This is a blog in progress after all :)

Friday

2009-08-31T14:24:00.003-04:00

I didn't blog all weekend b/c I was sooo busy, but I'll try and catch you up!

'Ranga and I watched the Redskins game at American Tap Room where I got the yummy burger sliders and he had the Cordon Bleu sliders (I had a bite...nom). I need to start remembering to take photos b/c I started this blog with the intention of focusing it somewhat on FOOD! Mainly on food I cook, but also food I enjoy when I'm out. So you can see a pic of us and just imagine the food...in our bellies :)

YAWN!

2009-08-27T15:22:00.001-04:00

yeah....i'm still in training.

EEEEEEEE!

2009-08-27T11:58:00.001-04:00

My 'ranga comes tonight (a day early)! YAYAYAYAYAY!

Not Again!

2009-08-27T10:08:00.000-04:00

Day 2 of training is no more exciting than Day 1 was. However, we have had some technical difficulties so I've been able to get a few things done. I ordered my bridesmaid dress for a wedding NEXT September, so I'm ahead of the game. It was on super sale at JCrew and I LOVE it!
I also decided to join Mint.com and get my budget on track for real....time to grow up! I want to play around with it more when I have time, but it sends you alerts when you are spending too much money. I definitely need that! For once I am excited about numbers and budgets....weird. Okay, time to pay attention to training. blaaaaah.

I'm Free!

2009-08-26T17:48:00.000-04:00

Wooooohooooo! I'm busting out of here! Thankfully that painful training is over for the day. I'm halfway done :) And that much closer to Friday!

A Turn on the Catwalk

2009-08-26T15:25:00.001-04:00

Warning: Drinking copious amounts of wine can lead to impromptu fashion shows with your pets as models. Model, Bobby the Cat. Styled by Matt.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2009-08-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

It's effing freezing in this room. Remind me to wear a sweater and Uggs tomorrow.

FOOD

2009-08-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

So we finally took a lunch break before my stomach started eating itself. But, because I had to get up earlier today I didn't have time to make my lunch....which lead me to Potbelly across the street. For some reason I CANNOT go into that place and not get a cookie. They have the BEST oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Guess this means I'll be doing a little bit extra in the gym tonight....it's so worth it! NOM NOM NOM

FML

2009-08-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

I'm in some analytics training alllllll day. And this is how I feel about it.

Bye Tewsday

2009-08-25T16:45:00.000-04:00

Byeeee work schmurk....tonight I will be doing this:

And a WHOLE lot of this:

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Chug-A-Lug

2009-08-25T16:39:00.001-04:00

So I really wanted to do this for Halloween, but then I started thinking.....how will I hold my drink(s)?

So True

2009-08-25T15:44:00.000-04:00

So very very true.

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." - Ben Williams

(dunno who Ben Williams is but he is smart.)