Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Tomato Spinach Pie


Once the Summer months hit, I start craving tomato pie.  It is not good unless you have really ripe in season tomatoes, so now is the time to make this beauty.  I picked up a couple of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes that I knew would be just perfect for this pie.  I decided to tweak my original recipe a bit by adding in fresh spinach and caramelizing my onions.  I loved the outcome.  The spinach blended right in and added an extra veggie and the caramelized onions added great flavor!  This is a summer staple in our house.  
Enjoy!


|| T O M A T O  S P I N A C H  P I E ||

-  1 Pie crust ( I just use store bought but you can make our own)
- 3 heirloom tomatoes sliced thinly (regular tomatoes work fine too)
- 1 yellow onion sliced thinly
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 2 cups fresh spinach sliced thinly
- 2-3 tablespoons mayo (use as much or as little mayo as you like, you could probably sub sour cream if you don't like mayo)
- several dashes hot sauce
- 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil


Salt the tomatoes and let rest on paper towels for an hour or more to remove excess liquid. Tomatoes need to be dry or the pie will be really soggy.

Cook pie crust at 400 degrees about 10 minutes.  Take out and let cool.

Sauté the onions in the butter over medium heat, sprinkle with the sugar and cook until caramelized. Stir in the garlic toward the end of cooking because you don't want it to burn.

Mix spinach with mayo and add in several dashes of your favorite hot sauce.

Layer pie.  Start with spinach, tomatoes, onions, and cheese.  Repeat layers one more time ending with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 mins until cheese is bubbly but not too browned.  Sprinkle with fresh basil. 

Let pie sit for awhile before cutting it, because it will be juicy.  We let ours sit a good 30 mins and it still was juicy but delicious.



Shop the tools I used here:






Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Obsessions

I know I included these shorts last week, but had to include them again so you can actually see them on.  They are sold out pretty much everywhere but I did manage to find one spot that carries them.  They run TTS, I am in a small.  They zip up the back and are higher waisted for a great fit.  I am in love with mine.



I have lusted after this dress forever and it is finally on sale!  It comes in hot pink, navy and turquoise.
I went with the Turquoise color, thought it would be great for Summer.


I had no idea Rachel Pally did swimwear but I am obsessed with this bikini.  The bottoms looks like they actually offer coverage and I love the top!

I am totally obsessed with the new Gap Rainforest line.   This bathing suit is so adorable and I love the parrot trunks for the boys.


Love this white blouse.  The details are awesome.  It is already on sale but through tonight you can get an additional 25% off.  I would pair it with white jeans or my distressed jean shorts.

Another great sandal from DV.   These look so much more expensive then they are!


This is such a great maxi for a wedding or any special event.  Can't decide if I love the solid color or print more!



This may be the only romper I would actually wear. Love the white simplicity and scalloped bottom.

I have been lusting over this bowl since I saw it on instagram.  It would look so good on a coffee table or filled fruit in a kitchen.

I have been on the hunt for a new everyday purse.  Loving this classic See by Chloe tote.   It also comes in black.




Monday, June 9, 2014

Scenes From Our Beach Vacation

I hope everyone had a fun weekend.  We got back from our vacation so it was back to reality for us!  I finally had time to download our beach vacation pictures.  Get ready for picture overload- this may be boring but I like to document our life on here:)

We went to Figure Eight for the week and it is such a pretty place.  So quiet and serene.  This was the view off our balcony.  Our house was on the sound and across the street from the beach.  This actually worked out perfect for the kids because they could play in this shallow water out back!  We sat out here most night for happy hour.


We ate some really incredible meals. 
Mahi Tacos at the Yacht Club | Lunch at Brasserie de Soliel | My dad's famous fried shrimp and homemade hush puppies.  


You may be thinking that is a lot of shrimp and it really is 6 lbs!!  The guys have a contest every year to see who can eat the most shrimp.  Every single piece got eaten!  My brother in law won this year.  Matt usually wins so he is now planning tactics for next year!


We spent plenty of time outdoors.

Several people on instagram asked about this cover-up.  The pattern I am wearing is old but it comes in 6 different patterns in this same style. I love mine!!  I am wearing a medium and it fits fine but the shoulder area is a bit loose.  All smalls were sold out when I ordered mine and I really wanted it.  I would say overall it runs true to size.

 I actually really love this gray one.



 Frances Moon is wearing my favorite beach hat- I am kind of obsessed with Flamingos.  It is on sale now too. My nephew has the shark one and it is equally as cute.  We also have the matching towel.


I also got several requests about my black bathing suit here.  It is old, but a great black one piece.  A great black suit is always worth investing in.  This one is basically the exact same one and it now comes in a bunch of different colors.


We did some shopping and thank you for all the recommendations.  We loved Ivy Cottage Consignment.  I found these awesome vintage glasses we put to good use.

We also hit up Lumnia Station, I loved Monkees there.  Port City Java had the most delicious apricot tea, try it if you go there!

We played Cards Against Humanity almost every night.  Best game ever- except having to explain what some of the cards meant to my dad:)  Although we have never laughed so hard.

 Captured some adorable moments between Sterling and Frances Moon.




 And one of all the cousins.  Can't wait to meet our next cousin in August.  It definitely makes beach vacation crazy with so many kids but also so fun.  Love watching them grow up together.


  Big thank you to my parents for making this vacation happen every year!

 A few of our family.  Matt and Sterling both have a hard time smiling for the camera although Matt does it on purpose and it drives me crazy which of course is why he does it.



Came home to the cutest tank top ever that arrived in the mail.  I love the embroidered detail!! It is such a great tank and looks awesome with white jeans too.

Happy Monday.



Saturday, June 7, 2014

Father's Day Gift Idea- Denim

Father's Day is a week away from Sunday so it is time to start thinking about gifts.  I think denim is a great idea.  My dad and Matt both are not shoppers at all, but they wear jeans all the time- don't most men?   It something they want but don't want to take the time to shop for.  My dad and Matt prefer the classic Levi jeans and actually I really like them too.  They are not too trendy and you can't beat the price of $58-$78!  Their favorite style is the Levi 511.
I included some in my round-up and a few other favorites for the men in your life.  I really think Nordstrom has quite the awesome selection of denim.  So many different choices and styles.


mens denim
Four\\ Seven for all Mankind The Brett


Sometimes I like a different color or lighter wash.  This gives your man more options than the standard blue jean.  Really love the gray ones.
 
Mens Denim 2


Five \\ AG Graduate Billow Blue
Six \\ JBrand Kane Fit
Seven || Hudson Byron Olive Jean
Eight \\ Joes Classic Straight Leg

 A few other favorites.  I really like the twill jeans, they are great for a dressier pair.
Mens denim 3



and if you want chinos for your man, I love the look of these JBrand Chinos.  Such a great fit.


One other gift idea is the Sperry Top-Sider Boat shoes, they are on sale at Nordstrom right now too.  All the men in my life including Sterling have these boat shoes and love them!  They look great with jeans or chinos.  They come in 4 different colors too.
 Sperry also just came out with these flip-flops that I really like.  They are only $34 and would be a great less expensive Father's Day gift.  Perfect to toss on with jeans.  They also come in black.



Shop all these looks below!




This post was sponsored by Nordstrom but all denim choices are my own- I really like all these jeans and would totally buy them for the men in my life:)