Get in My Belly

The Smitten Kitchen strikes again with yet another fabulous recipe. You may remember my first SK recipe attempt, Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Celery. It was a huge success and I kid you not when I say I made it every week for a month. This recipe does not disappoint either. It is healthy (good for all you New Year's dieters), delicious, and the perfect combo of flavors. I present to you Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad.





WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CHICKPEA SALAD
For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

You can Print the Recipe HERE and see Smitten Kitchen's gorgeous pictures.

Sweet Dreams are Made of These

I just peeked in on my little man and found this.


My heart is melting. I love that his foot is poking out through the crib. I love that he always sleeps with his arms behind his head like this. I also love how pensive he is when he sleeps. I want to crawl in his crib and cuddle with him. Considering the amount of wine I have had and my weight, probably not a good idea. Sweet Dreams to you all!

Perfection

Happy Friday my dears! I had to share this ad with you, it caught my eye in a major way. It is perfection. I want to be at this tropical locale, wearing that fabulous bathing suit and most importantly carrying that gorgeous bag! Oh, and I wouldn't complain if my legs looked like too, void of cellulite. Louis Vuitton can do no wrong in my eyes! My goal this summer is to look as stylish as this girl at the beach.

I hope ya'll have a fabulous weekend! We have no major plans after 4 back to back weekends of traveling, parties, and holiday stuff. I am however meeting a few girlfriends Saturday afternoon to try out a new wine bar downtown. I can't wait for some delicious wine, girl talk, and a few baby free hours!

Stripes Galore

VERSACE, PRADA AND MARC JACOBS RESORT 2011 COLLECTIONS




I am loving catching up on all my new January fashion magazines. I am starting to see a common theme that Stripes are going to be huge this Spring/Summer. I know that stripes can be hard to pull off, but I think if you find the right stripe and right fit they can look awesome. I love that stripes can be so classical, yet have a trendy twist. How do you feel about stripes? Love them or hate them? I will definitely be adding some striped pieces to my summer wardrobe. Here are a few of my favorites:

Thread Social Stripe and Pattern Dress

Rachel Pally Stripped Maxi Dress

Pleasure Doing Business Mini Skirt

Marc Jacobs Stripped Purse

Diane Von Furstenberg Bandot Stripped Dress

Diane Von Furstenberg Stripped Meka Sweater

ALC Dress

This one is definitely my favorite, check out that back, gorgeous!

All pieces from SHOPBOP

Eat This- Cheesy Baked Farro

I have cooked with many grains before. I am a huge fan of quinoa, barley, and couscous. However, I have never cooked with farro until now. I bought a huge bag of farro at Costco, my new favorite place to shop. I mean they have LaCrema for $13 a bottle- enough said. Most health food stores like Earthfare and Whole Foods carry farro too. If you are not familiar with farro, it is a tiny grain that looks kind of like a seed.


This recipe is what Giada calls her Italian version of Mac and Cheese. It is delicious. This is cheesy baked goodness filled with three different cheeses, tomatoes, mushrooms and breadcrumbs. I like to think this is healthier than mac and cheese because it is made with a grain, but who am I kidding? Either way this dish is tasty. In retrospect I probably should have made my first recipe post of the year a healthy one since most people are probably dieting. Oh well, bookmark this and make it in two weeks. You know you'll be done with the whole diet thing and back on the food train by then.






CHEESY BAKED FARRO

INGREDIENTS:
SAUCE:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups warm whole milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FARRO:
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups faro or barley, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
Olive oil, for drizzling

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
For the sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 8 minutes (do not allow the mixture to boil). Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
For the farro: In a large bowl, add the cheeses and stir to combine. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and reserve. In a large stock pot, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the farro, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the faro is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, if necessary. Add the farro, thyme, and sauce to the bowl with the cheese. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake until the top is golden brown and forms a crust, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

**Note- I used Giada's recipe from her Cookbook, Giada at Home. It called for 2 cups assorted mushrooms and 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes diced. You saute them both until soft and then add to the cheese mixture. I liked the addition of the two veggies. The recipe I found online for some reason did not have those two ingredients included.**

Print Recipe HERE

Modern Glamour

I was lucky enough to get the Kelly Wearstler book, Modern Glamour The Art of Unexpected Style for Christmas.

It is truly a beautiful coffee table book. I have finally had some downtime since the holidays and I have been reading it. It is a fabulous design book, I am definitely going to have to buy her other books. She is such a style icon and I like her even more now that I know she grew up in Myrtle Beach, SC. I adore a Southerner with great taste. I highly recommend this book if you love interior design!
Some of my favorite rooms she designed and featured in her book were at the VICEROY Hotels.












I love how she combines unexpected pops of color with patterns and modern furniture. Now I just need to get Matt to take me to one of these hotels! I am voting for the Viceroy in Anguilla. It looks amazing and who doesn't love a tropical getaway! Although at $895 a night I don't think it will be happening anytime soon.

Talented Friend

I have the joy of naming Katie Stevenson as one of my dearest friends. We met while pregnant with our boys and have been good friends ever since! Our boys ended up being born exactly one week apart, so it is so fun to watch them grow up together. I soon learned after meeting Katie, how talented she was. Not only is her house gorgeous and decorated impeccably, she is also a brilliant artist. In addition to that Katie is one of the sweetest, funniest, and most genuine people I know! If you live in Charleston her artwork is featured in many galleries here. If not she has a fabulous website featuring her work. I hope to one day get Katie to do a special painting for our home! Here are a few of my favorite pieces she has done:








www.katelongstevenson.com