Saturday, January 22, 2011

Cold Weather = More Soup

We got to enjoy two beautiful days here, where it hit 60 degrees and it was glorious. I took my little man on long walks and I was in a good mood to finally have some pleasant weather. Well, now this weekend temps are back to freezing with highs hardly hitting 40 degrees. So what do I do? I make soup. Ya'll know I love some soup, I can't help it! I feel like it is healthy and it is a one pot meal (well for me anyways, my husband always claims it doesn't count as main course, and then I find him sneaking and making pizza rolls or whatever we have in the freezer later). If you love tomato soup, then you will love this soup. This tomato soup is compliments of Giada, are you seeing a pattern here? I love recipes from Giada, Ina and the Smitten Kitchen! We served ours with grilled cheese sandwiches and it was the perfect meal for a cozy night.
I present to you: Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary






HEARTY TOMATO SOUP WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup creme fraiche
Zest of one lemon
DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3cup creme fraiche. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

**I got this recipe out of Giada's Cookbook "Giada's Kitchen" and it called for heavy cream, that you whip with a beater until thick. So I used that instead of creme fraiche. The heavy cream gave the soup the perfect amount of thickness and rich flavor. Matt may or may not have poured half a container of heavy cream in his.**

Print Recipe HERE

Friday, January 21, 2011

I'm Flattered


I am so flattered that so many fellow bloggers (Swanky Chic Fete, Pink To Green, Forever in Blue Jeans, Hanging with the Hewitts, Sweet Southern Prep and Thru Mommies Iez) gave me the "Stylish Blogger Award"! It means so much to me that you all actually consider me stylish! Thank you to all you lovely ladies, you are such an inspiration to me!

Apparently now I am supposed to share 7 things about myself and pass the award on. There are way too many blogs I want to pass this award on to, so I will skip that part, but here are few tidbits about moi.

1) I am obsessed with Mexican Food. I could eat it EVERY day!

2) I have a slight addiction to Online shopping. There is nothing better than getting a package delivered to your house! My favorite sites to online shop are: SHOPBOP, NEIMAN MARCUS, DIAPERS.COM (For my little man's needs) and EBAY.

3) My dream job would be to be a fashion stylist. Rachel Zoe if you are reading this, call me!

4) I am terrified of Sharks. I mean seriously, I rarely get in the ocean and if I do its only up to my knees! Just watching Shark Week scares the crap out of me. The funny thing is my husband is so intrigued by sharks, he even wants to go shark diving! I don't care if you are in a cage or not, No thank you! I don't ever want to be that close to a maneater!

5) I remember my husband from back when he worked at Abercrombie and Fitch. We didn't even know each other at this point, but I thought he was the most handsome guy I had ever seen. We were probably 15 at the time and we didn't end up meeting again until 6 years later. I like to think it was Love at first site! And no he wasn't one of the shirtless models!

6) Becoming a mother is the best thing I have ever done with my life. I love being a mommy to a baby boy. Which is funny because I only ever pictured myself with a girl. I am so girlie I just didn't know what I would do with all the "boy stuff"! But, I love it and would be thrilled if I have all boys. I mean look at this sweet face, I want a house full of them!

7) I actually enjoying cleaning and organizing. It is therapeutic for me when I am stressed out. There is nothing that makes me feel better than a neat and clean house. Cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry are a whole different story:)

Happy Friday Loves! Have a Fabulous Weekend!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Color Me Honeysuckle

Ruthie, one of my fellow bloggers, whose blog I stalk daily (she's fabulous), first alerted me to Panetone's 2011 color of the year, Honeysuckle.

I for one am a girl who loves pink! I think this is the perfect shade too. It got me thinking about ways to incorporate Honeysuckle into my life.

INTERIORS.
I think this is a fabulous color for accents in your house. I know my husband would not be down with too much of this color permeating our house, but a few small touches would be perfect.





FASHION.
Of course all the celebrities and fashion designers were way ahead of us with this trend.


I would be very happy with this TIBI Shift Dress
FLOWERS.
Who doesn't love a gorgeous bouquet of pink flowers in their house?


DESSERT.
My stomach is growling as I type this, these look scrumptious.

WINE.
Don't be alarmed, I am not talking about White Zinfandel. I am talking about Rose Wine. You see its the new trend these days. If you pay close attention you will notice all the Housewives of BH drinking this delicious cocktail on several occasions!

NAIL POLISH.
Quite possibly the easiest of all! OPI Party in my Cabana Nail Polish.

So, what do you think? Are you a Honeysuckle lover or hater? Do you think this was the right choice for color of the year?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

What's In My Bag?

I have been inspired by a few of my favorite bloggers Christina, Cassie and Megan to share what's inside my bag. They all graciously and fearlessly shared the contents of their purses, so now it's my turn. I am not going to lie my purse was filled with unopened mail, piles of receipts, and crushed cheerios that I cleaned out before I took the pictures! I couldn't let you see how messy my purse actually was!

MY PURSE
Louis Vuitton Neverfull. I use this as a purse/diaper bag. My motto is the bigger the purse the better. One of my guy friends actually asked me once why I carried an overnight bag as a purse. I don't care, this fits anything I want in it! And most importantly it is easy to clean if something spills in it. Trust me, there have been many spilled bottles, crushed baby food, and Make-up smeared in this purse and it's still rocking.

THE CONTENTS


1) Blackberry. I can't function without this!
2) Tory Burch Black Change Purse. For all my spare change. Yet somehow there is always still loose change at the bottom of my purse, go figure.
3) Tory Burch Silver Make-Up Case. I keep lip gloss, tampons etc in here.
4) Mustela Baby Wipes. These smell like heaven!
5) Diaper Case, filled with Pampers.

6) Forever 21 sunglasses
7) Monogrammed pill case, I store Tylenol, etc in here.
8) Camera, who knows when I might need to take pictures for my blog!
9) Hoop earrings, for some reason I always have earrings in my purse. I think whenever I wear them Sterling pulls on them and I have to take them off.
10) Plum squeezable baby food. These are the best for being on the go. Sterling can fed himself and sip them like a bottle.
11) Prada Wallet
12) Planters Energy Snack Mix. I always keep snacks in my purse. This mix is so tasty filled with my favorite, chocolate covered soy nuts!

Usually I throw a bottle or two in here and snacks for Sterling before I head out the door too. Join in and share whats in your purse!

I am guest posting today over at Michaela Noelle for her "She Loves Me, She Loves me Not" series. So, go check it out ASAP!

If you have never checked out Michaela's blog you should! Not only is she gorgeous, but she is one of the sweetest, nicest gals around. She is also super talented and pursuing her dream of becoming an Interior Designer. Check out her BLOG for some inspiration!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mahi Tacos



I absolutely love fish tacos, they are one of my favorite meals. I found this recipe in my recipe binder, where I save the many recipes I have torn out of magazines. I keep them all in a 3-ring binder with dividers for each type of food. Makes me feel kind of organized. Sadly, I have no idea what magazine this recipe came from, but it is the bomb. It if you don't like Mahi you could easily substitute another fish or even shrimp. I think what makes this recipe so good is the combo of the red cabbage slaw and the mashed homemade black beans. They go perfectly with the fish! Bon Appetit!

CABBAGE SLAW MIXTURE

HOMEMADE SMASHED BLACK BEANS

FINISHED PRODUCT- DELICIOUS MAHI TACOS

MAHI TACOS

INGREDIENTS-
1/4 CUP VEGETABLE OIL
1 JALAPENO SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
1 SMALL RED ONION, ONE QUARTER, FINELY CHOPPED, THE REMINDER SLICED
1 CLOVE MINCED GARLIC
1 15 OZ CAN BLACK BEANS, RINSED
1 TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN
SALT AND PEPPER
3 TABLESPOONS HONEY
2 TABLESPOONS HOT SAUCE
JUICE OF TWO LIMES PLUS 2 TEASPOONS GRATED PEEL
1/2 HEAD RED CABBAGE, FINELY SHREDDED
1/2 CUP CILANTRO CHOPPED
4 6 OZ MAHI FILETS
8 CORN SHELLS (OR FLOUR IF YOU PREFER)

DIRECTIONS-

1) IN A MEDIUM SKILLET, HEAT 1 TABLESPOON OIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT. ADD THE JALAPENO, CHOPPED RED ONION AND GARLIC AND COOK 4 MINUTES. IN A SMALL BOWL SMASH THE BLACK BEANS AND SEASON WITH CUMIN, SALT AND PEPPER. ADD THE SMASHED BLACK BEANS TO THE SKILLET WITH THE PEPPER AND ONIONS. HEAT UNTIL WARM.

2) IN A LARGE BOWL COMBINE 2 TABLESPOONS OIL WITH HONEY, HOT SAUCE AND LIME JUICE. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER. ADD SLICED ONION, CABBAGE AND CILANTRO AND TOSS WELL.

3)PREHEAT A GRILL OR GRILL PAN TO MEDIUM. COAT THE FISH WITH 1 TABLESPOON OIL AND LIME PEEL. COVER AND GRILL FISH TURNING ONCE ABOUT 8 MINUTES. (NOTE WE BAKED OURS IN THE OVEN FOR 20-25 MINUTES)

4) WARM TACO SHELLS ON GRILL. SPOON A FEW SPOONFULS BEAN MIXTURE INTO EACH SHELL. TOP WITH FISH, CABBAGE SLAW AND SOUR CREAM. WE ADDED FRESH DICED JALAPENOS PEPPERS.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Goldies

Overall, I was very impressed with the Golden Globes Red Carpet. Award Season is my jam. I look forward to it every year. Not for the awards, because God knows I never get out to see a movie, but for the fashion!! This year bold colors, long sleeves and one shoulder dresses seemed to be the rage. Here are a few of my favorite looks:
Anne Hathaway. I love everything about this dress. The sequins, the back, the color!

Mandy Moore. This is one of my all time favorite colors, so how could I not like this dress?

Jane Krakowski. One of the best pregnancy looks I have seen. Amazing color and fit, she literally is glowing!

Leighton Meester. Love this dress!

Claire Danes. Love the hair and dress color. I think this was such a flattering and sophisticated look. One of my top favorites!

Amy Adams. She looks amazing post-baby. Navy is such a flattering color.

Angelina Jolie. I am gaga for this gorgeous green color. This is might be my favorite dress. Beyond gorgeous.

Kyra Sedgewick. She looks great for her age! I love that she chose a Mustard colored dress, great color on her.


Catherine Zeta-Zones. Love the color and fit. She looks gorgeous!

Emma Stone. I am all about Coral this spring! I love the simplicity of her dress. Might have been too simple for the GG, but still a stunning dress.


A Few of my least favorite looks:
Christina Aguilera. Not a fan of the black/nude lace combo. She looks trampy.

Scarlett Johansson. Sorry, but she looks like an old lady.

Michelle Williams. I do not the love the huge daisies all over her dress.



On the Fence:
Three looks, I can't decide if I love or hate:
Lea Michele

January Jones

Julianne Moore


I will leave you with this pretty face. How gorg does my BF Zac look?

What looks did you love or hate?