Zucchini Ribbon Salad

So I have finally tired of my Greek salads. That's right after pulling a Jennifer Aniston and eating the same thing for lunch everyday for months I finally got a little sick of it. I came across this recipe on pinterest, which led me to a new favorite blog, Proud Italian Cook. All of her food is right up my alley made with fresh produce and pasta, and her pictures are gorgeous. You will want to cook/eat everything on her blog!

This salad is truly delicious. I even made it yesterday with squash instead of zucchini and it was still fabulous. I also added corn into mine because we had some extra we had grilled over the weekend and I thought it was the perfect addition. This salad will be your new go-to salad and not to mention it would be gorgeous to serve at a dinner party.

ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD (My Version)
-Zucchini
-Arugula
-Toasted Pine Nuts
-Grilled Corn
-Feta Cheese

DRESSING
-Red Wine Vinegar
-Olive Oil
-Dijon Mustard
-Salt and Pepper to taste

I have no exact measurements so just use as much or as little as you prefer. I used about 1 zucchini per salad and grilled it in two batches.





Here are the instructions in the words of the Proud Italian Cook
You'll want to make sure you cook your strips of zucchini either in a stove top grill or saute pan coated with a tiny bit of olive oil, they only take a couple of minutes. Make sure they cool completely before adding them to your salad.

I used arugula for my salad base and tossed it in a vinaigrette of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar, added a touch of Dijon, a crushed garlic clove, salt, black pepper and oregano, any lemon based dressing would be work as well.
Lay your zucchini strips on top, toss in some feta or shaved Parmesan and sprinkle with toasted nuts, I used hazelnuts here with the feta, but pine nuts or slivered almonds would be just as good. To finish, drizzle a little more dressing over the top. Just let your creative juices flow and make it your own!
Buon Appetito

Check out The Proud Italian Cook Blog HERE for more gorgeous pics and recipe info

Obsessions

TWELFTH STREET BY CYNTHIA VINCENT DRESS
I am in love with this dress. Sadly it is sold out in small. I have googled it to no avail and can only find it on Shopbop and all they have is a large and petite! Can someone find it for me in a small? That would be great because cobalt blue is one of my favorite colors and I could see my self wearing this all the time!

UP ALL NIGHT
Anyone else catch this show last week? It was hilarious or maybe I just thought it was extra funny because I have a baby and can totally relate. The cast is perfection: Will Arnett, Christina Applegate and Mya Rudolph, they are all freaking hilarious. Modern Family has some new competition!

CHINA MIST ORGANIC JASMINE GREEN TEA WITH PEACH
Holy crap this tea is good. I had some at the Farmers Market Sunday and promptly bought a box. It is the best iced tea. The peach flavor is subtle but it pairs perfectly with the green tea. I am such a green tea freak I drink it everyday. Not sure if they sell this at Earthfare or Whole Foods but if you live in Charleston you can get it at the Marion Square Farmers Market.

OPI WILLIAM TELL ME ABOUT IT NAIL POLISH
There is nothing I love more than a great dark red/burgundy nail color for the Fall. I think this might be my new favorite nail polish, it is the perfect fall shade.

GREEK KEY BEDDING
My girl Chassity first introduced me to this fabulous blog, Live Like You and I am smitten with it. Well turns out Jill Sorensen, the author of the blog, just came out with her own gorgeous bedding line. I love the modern clean look of this bedding. Especially paired with an upholstered headboard. I would love something like this my guest bedroom. Jill's prices are super affordable and the bedding comes in a variety of colors. You can pre-order the bedding HERE.

photos curtesy of: Tanya Malott

Wino

This post is not necessarily what you think it is about. Yes I am a total wino, love my wine and these cooler temperatures have me starting back my love affair with red wine. But what I am really loving is all the wine colored fashions this season. It is such a rich hue that I think pairs perfect with all neutrals from gray to camel or even navy. These are a few of my wine colored favorites for the fall.

James Jeans

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Marc Jacobs Stripe Dress

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Tibi Drapped Dress

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Tory Burch Reva Tonal Logo Flats

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Rebecca Taylor Nailhead Blouse

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Haute Hippie Sequin Skirt

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Elizabeth and James Long Ribbed Tube Skirt

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Twelfth Street By Cynthia Vincent Hudson Shoulder Bag

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Rachel Zoe picked this Twelfth Street Purse as one of her Fall Must Haves. So of course now I am eyeing it too! But what I really want is the sequined skirt if only I had somewhere to wear it! Do you love this wine color as much as I do? I think it is such a fabulous color that looks great on anyone!

The Great Dress Debate

One of my best friends is getting married next weekend. I already know what I am wearing for her wedding day but I can't seem to make a decision for the Rehearsal Dinner. Here are my two choices. Both are old dresses I already own and love but never get to wear often because they are pretty dressy. So take your vote and help me make a decision! Do ya'll like Dress 1 or Dress 2 better? I always love getting other's opinions on these kind of things!

DRESS ONE: AKA NEW YORK ONE SHOULDER

DRESS 2: 3.1 PHILLIP LIM STRAPLESS

As you can see by the tiny hand at the bottom tugging my dress someone had had enough of Mommy trying on clothes! Have a fabulous weekend!

Meet Me at the Altar

Today marks our 4th Wedding Anniversary. It is hard to believe we have been married 4years, together for 10 years, and now have a sweet baby boy. I still remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. Besides the day Sterling was born it was the best day of my life. Being married is not easy by any means. We have had our share of ups and downs and trust me a child makes marriage even harder. But at the end of the day, Matt can always make me laugh and he is truly my best friend. I feel very lucky to be married to him! Maybe next year for our 5 year we will get to take that Caribbean vacay I keep harassing Matt about! But for this year its some bubbly and a nice dinner at home!

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

I bought my Pioneer Woman Cookbook awhile back when I found it on the clearance cart at Barnes and Nobles. I wasn't sure about her but for $9.00 I thought I would give the cookbook a try. Well it has been sitting in my kitchen unused until now. I busted her book out after watching her new cooking show and was pleasantly surprised! I don't love the layout of her cookbook but most of the recipes look really good.

I went with her Chicken Spaghetti because I knew it was dish the hubs would love. He is a big fan of any casserole with cream of mushroom soup so I knew he would like this dish. It was simple, just a few ingredients and it makes a huge casserole. We have enjoyed it for several nights. I think this would be a great casserole to freeze half or make a second batch to take to a friend.

**I am not sure why my ingredients picture is sideways. It is was taken normally but when I upload to the blog this is what it looks like everytime. I seriously need a lesson on computers and cameras.**

The seal of approval from my little man chowing down!


Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions
Cook 1 cut up fryer chicken and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

** To save time I bought one of the cooked roast chickens at Harris Teeter and just shredded the meat. This made it super easy. I also used angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti because I prefer thinner noodles.**

Print the Recipe HERE and see all of Ree's preparation pictures!

Obsessions

H&M DRESS
I am beyond obsessed with this H&M dress. It makes me so mad we don't have one here in Charleston. I need this hot pink number in my life. Anyone want to buy it and ship to me that has a store in their city?? I heart hot pink.

RACHEL ZOE SHOW
I am so glad my favorite lady is back on TV. I love seeing her pregnant and getting more views of all her maternity outfits. She is my style icon. I am also loving her new hire Jeremiah.

OIL OF OLAY REGENTERIST THERMAL SKIN POLISHER
I know I just wrote about a face wash last week, but this one is different. While I was at the beach I must have used some old sunscreen (note to self buy new sunscreen every year) and I had a weird reaction, my face felt like sandpaper and had tiny bumps all over it. It was not that visible to the eye but my skin felt like leather and was so tight. My mom gave me this to use to try and scrub my face back to normal. I am not claiming this is what got my skin back to normal but it works great. As soon as you rub it between your hands it heats up- it is crazy it feels warm when you wash your face. It has tiny beads to exfoliate. I feel like the heat and the beads really helped penetrate, polish, and clean my skin. It felt so smooth afterwards.

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THE PIONEER WOMAN
I have been a fan of her blog for awhile because of all her fabulous recipes. I have owned her cookbook for awhile now and just cooked my first dish out of it this week and it was insanely delish-recipe to come tomorrow. Rea also just got a show on the Foodnetwork which makes me very happy because now I can watch her cook all her mouth watering meals. I think she seems so down to earth and cooks real comfort food!

PIPERLIME.COM

This website is my new obsession. They have a great selection of clothes, shoes and accessories. My favorite part is Rachel Zoe partners with them and always picks her Must have pieces. I love seeing the affordable stuff that Rachel chooses. They also just added Olivia Palermo, Rachel Bilson, and Byrdie Bell's picks for the fall. So you can shop and buy their suggestions. Every Tuesday if you have a Banana Republic, Gap or Old Navy Credit Card you can get 10 percent off if you enter TUESDAYS at checkout. Here are two Tucker pieces I keep stalking on this site!