Merry Christmas everyone!! My holiday was awesome - full of lots of quality family time with my father-in-law and his side of the family on Christmas Eve, and my family today. I can't believe that Christmas is already over, but even though the holiday is technically done, we still have one more holiday celebration with my hubby's mom coming up. Lots of fun times! More on that to come... but tonight, I thought it'd be nice to take a look back at some of my favorite blog posts of 2013 as the year comes to a close. It seemed like a fun way for me to reminisce, and for you all to check out any blog posts you missed that you're interested in! :) So here we go: Adventure & Life Happenings -- Lessons I Have Learned as a USMC Wife Venice: City of Dreams The World’s Largest Ice ... [Read More]
recipes
Honey Baked Pear with an Oat, Date and Almond Topping
Guess whose a happy girl? After a week of wearing the dreaded cone, Harley's rash has healed and I was able to take the cone off of her. In true Harley style, having the cone on was anything but easy. Besides her being generally miserable and refusing to eat for the first couple of days, there were 2 particularly annoying parts of the cone: 1.) The first night she had it on, Harley walked around whining and pacing my bedroom the entire night. You'd think she would tire herself out, which she would for 20-30 minutes at at time, but then she'd be back at it. It.sucked. 2.) While driving with her in my backseat, I had the window cracked for her. Harley took it upon herself to put it all the way down (yes, she just pushes the button), and just as I was telling her to get her head back in the ... [Read More]
[Secret Ingredient] Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin Bites
A couple of days ago, I was on a mission to come up with a mini-something recipe that could serve as a baby snack or dessert. An I'm-waiting-for-dinner-to-cook-and-need-to-eat-a-little-something-ASAP recipe. Also an I-just-ate-dinner-and-am-not-really-hungry-but-want-a-bite-of-something-sweet snack. Since pumpkin eats are constantly on my brain these days, I naturally incorporated some into the recipe - in more than one way. I think that including chocolate in a sweet recipe is always a good idea, so this recipe quickly became a combo of chocolate + pumpkin yumminess. And then there was the mini muffin tin I happened to see peering from my cabinet just waiting to be used, all of which resulted in these babies... Then comes the *secret ingredient* part... I wanted to omit use of any oil ... [Read More]
Marsala Wine Portobello & Tomato Pizza Pockets
To me, Sundays are the best for experimenting in the kitchen. Whether I wake up with a growling belly and a breakfast idea on my mind, have some time to leisurely play around in the afternoon, or spend part of my evening whipping up a dinner recipe, many of my Sundays involve the creation of a recipe or two. Last Sunday, dinnertime was my chance to get a little creative with food, and this is what I came up with... What is this doughy, cheesy ball of goodness you ask? It's a yummy recipe that was born out of my desire to make a pizza-like dinner, yet not exactly be typical pizza. I've deemed them Marsala Wine Portobello Mushroom & Tomato Pizza Pockets. It all started when I had a couple of mini portobello mushroom caps left over from a risotto dish I made the week before that I wanted ... [Read More]
Honey Almond Ricotta Fruit Parfait
Hi friends! What a lovely Thursday night it is -- despite the New York Giants losing tonight's football game and going 0-6 of the season. Whomp. After a hard workout at the gym, I came home to whip up dinner and watch the game in hopes of a first win. With a pumpkin pie candle burning, the game on my TV, and my favorite grilled cheese for dinner - cheddar & gruyere with avocado, fried zucchini & horseradish mustard - I couldn't help but think what a relaxing autumn evening it has been. Ya know, despite my having a slight heart attack and yelling at my TV in between bites of deliciousness. The focus of today's post is a breakfast or lunch combo that was born out my need to break out the new mason jar I bought in Amsterdam and start my day off in a fancy schmancy way. I started off ... [Read More]
Getting My Kitchen Mojo Back: Lentil Tomato & Spinach Soup {vegan}
Hi there! Hope that you've been enjoying your weekend. Mine has been nice and relaxing. Usually when I get back from traveling, especially with jet lag and all, I feel like I need a good week to recover. This feeling of getting back into a groove has started to take shape, but it won't last... because I have a work trip to Seattle this week! I'll only be gone a couple of days though. With prepping for my Amsterdam work trip and getting ready for vacation, being gone a couple of weeks, and now getting myself organized back at home (hello tons of work to catch up on, piles of laundry, a needy puppy and a dirty house!), I feel that I haven't been at all creative in the kitchen in probably about a month. With nothing on my schedule this weekend, I was happy to have time to get my kitchen ... [Read More]