Friday, December 12, 2014

Black Bean and Roasted Poblano Soup + Gift Wrapping Ideas


For a meatless meal this soup is pretty incredible.  It had such amazing flavors.  Don't be scared of roasting the poblanos it is as simple as putting them on a pan under your broiler and turning them,  so easy.  The creaminess of the feta and the crispy saltiness of the pumpkin seeds are the perfect addition to the soup!

|| B L A C K  B E A N   A N D   R O A S T E D  P O B L A N O   S O U P ||

Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblanos
Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit. Serves 3-4.
  • 2 fresh poblano chiles
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 large dried ancho chile
  • One 14.5 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 c. cooked black beans (about two 14.5 oz cans, rinsed and drained)
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 4 TBS roasted, salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
  1. Preheat the broiler. Place the poblanos on a foil-lined baking tray, and broil for 8-12 minutes, turning every few minutes with tongs, until the peppers are blackened all over. Remove the peppers from the oven, and place them in a bowl, covering the bowl immediately with plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam under the plastic wrap for 15 minutes, then peel off and discard their skins, remove and discard the seeds and stems, and finely dice the pepper flesh.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic cloves and saute until onion is golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the seeds and stem from the dried ancho chile and discard. Place the ancho chile in the pan with the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until chile has softened and become pliable, about 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, ancho chile, and tomatoes to a blender and puree until smooth, then return the puree to the saucepan. Stir in the broth, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer until the soup is thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the beans and the diced poblanos and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
  3. Divide the soup between 3 or 4 bowls, topping each with 1 TBS of pumpkin seeds, 2 TBS of crumbled feta cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.

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One of my readers asked for some gift wrapping ideas so I rounded up a few!

I love this classic black/white/green combo.  


Splatter paint kraft paper.  You could use any paint color but I like the gold.  I buy kraft paper at our Dollar Store all the time so check there for rolls.


Love the idea of a sprig of Rosemary tucked in.



For the kids.  How awesome is this crayon/toy idea??

The names stamped on the paper is so cute.


Another adorable kid idea that would be a fun project to do with your kids is these fingerprint reindeer.  They sell the twine in the dollar section of Target if you are looking for some:)


and for the guys- this reindeer beer is pretty cute.

Have a great Friday!




Thursday, December 11, 2014

Holiday Traditions

Holiday Traditions, it is what makes the holidays special.  I still remember growing up two of my favorite traditions were that 1) we were each allowed to pick one gift to open on Christmas Eve.  I can't tell you how excited we got about this.  2) Going to watch a live enactment of the Nativity every year after Christmas Eve Church.  Now that I have kids of my own I am trying to create some new memories with them that they will remember and hold dear to their hearts one day.

One special tradition Sterling and I have is we make food for our neighbors every year.  In the past I usually picked what recipe I wanted to make but this year I decided to let him choose and he chose Christmas Funfetti Cupcakes.   Who doesn't love some Funfetti??

 While he had rest time one day I surprised him with this decorating station- outside is key trust me there were sprinkles every where.
 
I found the adorable table cloth and plates at Pottery Barn Kids.  Not gonna lie the Pom-Poms sold me on the Runner.

http://rstyle.me/n/unwyvgf5

and the plates are non-breakable which is always key with the kids.  Every night Sterling requests his Rudolph plate I only wish I had ordered two more!  I bought two different types of icing and sprinkles so Sterling could get creative.



My little man getting down to business decorating cupcakes,  Take note of the sheer amount of sprinkles on his.  And he is obsessed with his Elf pajamas.  Wears them all the time.



 Pure Bliss.


The finished product. I found the little cupcake toppers at TJMaxx.

Time to deliver.


Another new tradition we have is our elf on the shelf
Sterling insists on decorating his room too so I found him this cute tree set from Pottery Barn Kids.  He loves the three different sizes. And I like that later on if I want to use them I can separate them and spread them around our house.  Last night Sparkles our Elf decided to land on his trees.
Today only Pottery Barn Kids is offering free shipping on all orders so a great time to order last minute gifts or decorations!

Frances digs them too.

This year I also ordered these Santa Bags with the kids names on them.  Since we travel for the holidays they are great for packing all their gifts in.

In the meantime til Santa comes Sterling likes to use his as a sleeping bag- the size large is indeed large!  There is also a smaller option as well.




What are your favorite Holiday traditions?
Thanks to Pottery Barn for sponsoring this post and gifting me the items featured above.












Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Baby It's Cold Outside || Major Deals at Target

Right now Target is running an amazing offer where if you buy one cold weather accessory like scarfs, hats or gloves you get the next pair 50% off!  Not everything is included but what is not included is on sale.  All of this stuff would make great stocking stuffers! 

L A D I E S  
I actually stopped in Target a few weeks ago and bought this leopard scarf. The color palette was just perfect for what I was looking for.





target womens



I also tried on the Ikat scarf above, the colors and design are so pretty!  Wishing I bought it now!

It also comes in this fabulous pink color.


M E N 
Lots of cool stuff for the guys and most is under $20

Insulated Gloves | Running Gloves | Stripe Scarf | Herribone Gloves | Bluetooth Beanie |
Naughty Hat | Fur Hat | Plaid Scarf 
TARGET MENS



K I D S
I recently bought this owl headband for Frances, it is so stinking cute and it keeps her ears really warm! Her leopard tights are also from Target and only $5!


A few other kid favorites, all sets are only $10!

Pom Pom Hat | Bunny Hat | Stripe Hat | Geometric Hat | Dinosaur Hat | Raccoon Hat


TARGET KIDS

and for the older girls this leopard pom-pom scarf\ hat are amazing.




some fabulous deals and remember no matter how big or small your order is there is free shipping at Target this Holiday Season.



thanks to target for sponsoring this post



Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Layers.

I know I have no room to complain about cold weather.  As far as weather and temperatures go Charleston is pretty mild!  This weekend however we had a cold snap and it's gonna last the whole week.  It was time to bust out some cold weather essentials and layer it up.




This scarf is the softest thing ever.  It keeps you so warm and lays perfectly.  It is the infinity style which I prefer because then I don't have to try and knot or tie it.  The plaid is neutral enough that it just goes with everything.
These sunglasses look just like the mirrored ray bans I love but are a fraction of the price.

and these shoes are pretty much amazing.  
They run true to size and are actually really comfortable.  I wore them all day while we got our Christmas tree and shopped around.  
Plus they are affordable less than $70!


Love the hat too.  It also comes in a pretty cream color but I tend to gravitate more to darker colors so I went with the charcoal. I actually have been wearing the gray one so much I am tempted to order the cream color as well.


http://rstyle.me/n/sp9c2gf5
 a better look at my jacket  all zipped up and its on sale!

The hat and shoes were my first order from Sole Society and I was so impressed with both of them.   Great prices and really good quality stuff!  If you still have Christmas shopping to do definitely check out Sole Society- free 2/3 day shipping and today only all jewelry is 40% off
 Love this Jasper Ring and it is only $25 now!


I have to share the sunset view in our neighborhood.  It is pretty spectacular.


Shop my look below and other favorites from Sole Society!

http://rstyle.me/ad/vfk8pgf5





thanks to sole society for sponsoring this post.