valentine "happys"

I didn't have high expectations for this year's Valentine's Day.

In fact, I may have been quoted saying we should get this holiday over with so that we can focus more on stocking Cadburry Cream Eggs in all the local grocery stores.

However, my day turned out to be pretty nice! Any holiday centered around chocolate & sweets can't be too bad I guess...

...And my day certainly consisted of sweets. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only things I ate today were holiday treats...cookies, hugs&kisses, dove chocolates...you name it.

The highlight of my day, surprisingly, was not food. I came home to a special care package from my very first Valentine. Thanks, mom, for making me feel special and loved today! :)

 

And yes, those are Cadburry Cream Eggs you see. Literally my favorite types of candy mixed together in one bag of deliciousness {just so happens I had chocolate for dinner, too}!

 

Plus a new perfume I've been lusting over!

 

Who knew I'd become the type of girl that gets all excited over new perfume!? But I am! 

Hope your Valentine's Day was just as happy!

santa's little helper.

I'll start eating healthy again after the holidays...

For now, I'm getting everyone in the Christmas spirit with some delicious homemade goodies like Peppermint Bark and Chocolate Fudge...

I'm loving the "Gourmet Food" setting on my new camera, and am awfully proud of my baking skills today. Dad and I have a date to make mini pecan pies later...hope they turn out just as yummy!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays - it's wonderful to have time off to relax, enjoy family and lots of good food!

Merry Christmas Eve to all!

sweet secret.

It is clearly no secret that I may have a little sweet tooth.

And just as clearly, the holidays are a good time to "train" my little sweet tooth. When surrounded by holiday goodies, how can I resist?

  But that's not what this story is about.

Well, I guess it explains my territorial behavior, but there's more to this story anyway.

In the spirit of National Brownie Day, a co-worker brought in delicious, gooey fudge brownies topped with icing and crushed peppermint bark yesterday. To die for, no?

He specifically said he made them for me because he knew they were my fav dessert. Therefore, I was put in charge of the brownies {aka they were just sitting on my desk all day testing my self-control}.

So the team enjoyed bites of brownies throughout the work day {because if you eat dessert in a series of "bites" instead of an entire serving, the calories somehow don't count, duh}.

Before leaving, I carefully covered the brownies with tin foil so they wouldn't get stale and set them on the corner of my desk.

Then this morning when I got to work...GONE!  Not just the contents, but the entire glass dish! And I felt terrible because now co-worker lost a nice piece of kitchen-ware because of my unrelenting sweet tooth.

Not even 5 minutes later, another co-worker strolls in with an EMPTY brownie dish. He had taken them home to his wife and kids. What? Who gave him permission to do that?

No longer felt bad about "losing" the dish.

All morning people around me kept saying "Gosh, I'm really craving a brownie..."

And the greedy brownie co-worker whined, "Now my wife thinks I should be making brownies since those were so delicious, can I get the recipe?"

He's getting no sympathy from this girl!

snow bunny.

What a lazy winter Sunday! All I wanted to do today was snuggle up, relax, and read. Which just so happens to be exactly what I did.

I did make it to the grocery and decided to make Santa Fe Stew for dinner with fresh baked cornbread muffins. It's so funny to me that I was so lazy all day, but when it comes to carrying in groceries I somehow muster up the energy to carry ALL grocery bags at once. Do you all do this? Struggle with a million bags so that you only have to make one trip into the house? Well, I do. And as you'll see by the recipe I'm kindly sharing below, today's grocery trip included LOTS of canned goods. Quite heavy, but I work out. ;)

I think this is a delicious winter meal. Beware that it makes a ton of soup, but it freezes well. I make it when it starts to get cold, then freeze portion size amounts that are easy to warm up throughout the snowy cold winter months. It's pretty yummy!

Santa Fe Stew
1lb lean ground meat (turkey or beef)
1 chopped onion
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 can black beans
1 can red beands
1 can Great Northern Beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can diced mild green chilies
1 can sliced potatoes
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning

Brown the meat with onion and garlic. Drain. Combine all ingredients, UNDRAINED, in large pot and cook low until warm throughout (about 30mins).

the little things.

Recently, I was missing the spontaneity and randomness of college. Just as I was craving little daily surprises, I was pleasantly amused by...

1. FINALLY getting professional wedding photos from my cousin's beautiful wedding...

 

all images from Kelly Rashka Photography

2. Coming home to a generous "holiday" gift from work {and conveniently instantly having delicious chocolates to indulge on for dessert}.

 

image here

3. Very unexpected compliments from co-workers. ;)

Despite staying at work until 8:30 tonight I'm feeling pretty happy thanks to the little things in life.

Are you taking time to be thankful for small blessings?

mmmm mexican.

In general, I do not enjoy Mexican food. Not even a little.

However, the below recipe has become a stable at our place. And I actually develop cravings for it. Try it, you'll see what I'm talking about...

Chicken Burritos

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

2 cans chicken (I use frozen chicken cooked on the George Foreman)

1 pkg frozen broccoli, thawed and drained

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 can fried onions (I skip the calories here...)

1 tomato, chopped

3/4 cup sour cream (I use nonfat, and it turns out fine)

1/2 cup scallions

6-8 tortillas

Combine soup, sour cream and milk and set aside.

Combine chicken, broccoli, half of the cheese, half can of fried onions and scallions.

Stir in 3/4 cup of soup mixture, and spoon into tortillas, roll up, place in baking pan.

Put tomatoes into remaining sauce and pour on top of filled burritos.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Top with remaining cheese and onions and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.

Try to avoid eating more than one! :)

cooking fresh

I was sweating standing still today after work as I was waiting for the shuttle to pick me up and drive me back to the parking garage {note: was waiting for the shuttle because I didn't want to walk and get sweaty. fail.}, and that is when I decided I absolutely can't take this hot hot weather much longer. Ugh.

So, I came home and made a light, fresh dinner in an attempt to "embrace" the August heat.

Now let me share because I think it is delicious...

"EVOO" Pasta

Cook desired amount of pasta - I used whole wheat.

Rinse cooked noodles in cold water to cool.

Spray olive oil over noodles {or pour if you don't have a handy mister like I do - thanks KB}.

Chop fresh tomato and avocado and add to pasta.

Season with Dried Basil, Oregano, Lemon Pepper {generous amount - I love this stuff}, and sea salt to taste. 

Mangia, mangia!

This pasta dish is so easy, and tastes so light and fresh even in this summer weather.

Try it! I think you'll like it!

Random Ramblings

• It was brought to my attention this weekend that I suffer from a tragic disease of sorts. An undeniable, unrelenting sweet tooth.  I believe it's hereditary {from my Mom's side of the family}, but seriously how on earth do I cure it!? I cannot resist sweets, especially around all this delicious Easter candy {in particular ~ Cadberry Cream Eggs and Starburst Jelly Beans}, frozen yogurt, and Girl Scout Cookies. Yummmm-yum!

 

{Image Here} 

• Also on the topic of food, I know this is gross, but my apartment smells like vegetables constantly {funny because I know I eat more chocolate than I do veggies}. Does anyone have any tips on how to make my disposal stop smelling funny?! Suggestions seriously needed.
• Tomorrow is St. Patty's day ~ I'm guessing it's unacceptable to pinch the Prez if he forgets to wear green ;)

{Image of the Chicago River on St. Patrick's Day found on Wikipedia. How cool is this?!}

• I'm getting very annoyed with my DVR lately. Although I have series of shows set to record {eh-em, Desperate Housewives I love you}, it is not working and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Have any of you had this issue? It literally has an "X" through the show recording and won't give me any other options.
• Since I can't watch DVR, I've been forced to watch part of American Idol tonight. How do you all feel about Ellen as a judge this season? I haven't watched this season much because the show just doesn't do it for me like it used to, but I do adore Ellen.
• Have you filled out your NCAA bracket? Obvi, I'm betting UK all the way!

Go cats!

• I finally broke down and invested in my first pair of skinny straight leg jeans and I cannot get enough of them. They are the most comfortable pair of jeans I own now and I feel so stylish. How did I not come across these things sooner!?

 

{Citizens of Humanity "Amber" found online here.}

• Last week I was invited to a "game night" with some friends in the area. I haven't laughed as hard as I did that night in a very, very long time. It was hilarious and all week I have been wishing I could go again, but it is hosted every other Thursday night so I will have to wait. Although I completely embarrassed myself by failing to describe "Larry Bird" and "Shawn White," I would definitely feel comfortable showing my face in front of these people again because they were the most welcoming, accepting group of people I've met in the city.
• And finally, I am looking forward to hopefully seeing my BFF while she is home this week and spending a weekend with some beloved high school friends. So cool that we are all such good friends despite the very different paths our lives our leading us in at the moment. 

 

Cherry-licious

A little birdie told me a new Starbucks drink hits the streets tomorrow.

Now introducing:

the Dark Cherry Mocha

I already have a date set with the coworkers for a coffee break at 3. Sounds ahhh-mazing!

 In other breaking news: I dropped my electric bill in the mail without a stamp today. Wonder what will happen next.

{image from here}

Bomb dot com recipe

I enjoyed catching up with a friend from high school and his wife on Saturday night over dinner. They live on the other side of town, and we do not see each other often enough. They are very generous and I always love spending time with them.

For dinner, I made simple Chicken Fajitas and Beef Tacos. I also made homemade Corn and Black Bean Salsa {thanks KB for the wizard chopper that made this task SOO easy!} from a sorority house recipe. I am obsessed with this salsa {I may or may not have had chips and leftover salsa for lunch today}:

1 yellow, red, and green pepper (chopped small)

1/2 cup diced (real small) red onion

1 pkg green shoepeg corn (thawed)

1 15-oz can drained black beans

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 tsp cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. lime juice (2T real lime)

fresh ground pepper (or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)

salt to taste

Top this meal off with Ghiradelli brownies {thank you, Chelsea} and great conversation, and it made for a wonderful evening! :)

Deck the Halls

I made {and ate} holiday Chex Mix....

...while setting up my very own Christmas tree...

...topped with girly ornaments and a pink tree skirt...

...and I finalized decorations with a photo of friends much missed.

Happy Holidays {a little early}!

Fall in love with Fall

Have I mentioned just how much I LOVE the fall?!

Here are several reasons why:

Order a "Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte" from Starbucks and I promise you will not be dissapointed. Everything great about fall in one little cup.

• Weather is cooling down and I can begin to wear turtlenecks and scarves - my favorite!!
• Seasons of my favorite shows - including Desperate Housewives - have started once again. I love curling up with a blanket and watching some TV to relax.
• It is now acceptable to make chili. I have this delicious recipe for White Chicken Chili cooking in my crock pot currently. Try it, it's super easy: 

2-3 cooked chicken breasts

1 (32oz) box of chicken broth

1 jar of mild or medium salsa

3 cans of northern beans

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

1/2 onion chopped and sauteed

Add all the ingredients to a crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Delicious with corn bread or by itself! Enjoy :)

• All the leaves are beginning to change colors and they look B-E-A-utiful!
• My birthday (the most important day of the year, if you didn't already know...) is less than a month away!

• Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner...and that means days off from work! woohoo!

Hope you all are enjoying this season as much as I am!

I'll eat healthy starting next week...

I learned first hand last night why it is a bad idea to go to the grocery store hungry and unsupervised.

Came home with iced animal cookies, reeses peanut butter cups, chips and salsa, and ingredients to make homemade fudge. Oops ;)

Success in the kitchen!

I committed to cooking, and I did it...and it was actually delicious! Last night I made an Indonesian Pasta that had asparagus and red peppers in it. It tasted similar to Thai noodles, which I LOVE!

Plus, with the extra asparagus, I made this Tangy Asparagus recipe to eat with my meal tonight:

2 lbs. fresh asparagus
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp dried crushed red pepper

Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cook in boiling water to cover 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. Arrange asparagus in 13x9" dish.

Whisk together olive oil and next 4 ingredients until well blended; pour over asparagus. Cover and chill 8 hours. Drain before serving.

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a while now, but it takes preparation because it needs to chill for 8 hours. It was worth it though, I highly recommend! =)