Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Oven Roasted Tomato Soup + Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas


I have had several requests to share this Tomato Soup recipe I made over the weekend so here you go!  Truth be told I ate a lot of canned tomato soup growing up but making your own is so easy and it tastes so much better.  Typically I use canned tomatoes when I make tomato soup but I came across this recipe for oven roasted tomato soup and knew I needed to try it.  Roasting the tomatoes, onion and garlic really intensifies the flavor.  It was delicious and pretty easy to whip together.  Added bonus both kids ate it and liked it.    The cheesy herb croutons are so good dipped in the soup.  
Enjoy!  

|| O V E N  R O A S T E D  T O M A T O  S O U P ||
adapted via The Happy Cook

- 5 large tomatoes cored and cut into quarters
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved, and quartered
- 3 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- freshly cracked pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream

|| C H E E S Y  H E R B  C R O U T O N S ||

- 1/2 cup grated Gruyere (or cheddar)
- leaves from a few sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly cracked pepper
- 8 thin slices of fresh bread (I used a wheat baguette)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

To make croutons, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a small bowl combine cheese, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Arrange bread slices on baking sheet and sprinkle with herbed cheese.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Toast until cheese is melted and golden brown about 10 minutes.

Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic and thyme on a large baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and use your hands to toss together to combine.  Roast until the tomatoes are soft and juicy about 30 minutes.  

Let the tomatoes and onion cool slightly.  Peel the garlic cloves.  Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  Pour into a medium sauce pan with the broth.  

Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add more broth if needed.  Add in heavy cream.  Serve with croutons a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil.  



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I will be honest I don't love many typical Thanksgiving foods.    The turkey doesn't get me excited and I don't love traditional sides like green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole.  I could happily do without never eating them.  I do like to try and find new side dishes so there is some sort of food I get excited about! 
These are a few of my favorite side items that would be perfect for any Thanksgiving meal. 




 























Would love to hear if you have any go to favorite sides for Thanksgiving!



Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Gift Ideas For Her | Under $60

Today I wanted to share a few gift ideas for the ladies.  Most of these are actually personal favorites that I own and love.  Best part they are all under $60!


Gifts Under $60


This baby is only $19.  I showed it on here before in the solid color but it is now out in 4 stripe options.  I wearing the small.  Also in several solid color options here.  This tee is great alone or layered.

One of my favorite face masks.   Your skin feels amazing after and I love that the fact that it is 100% natural no weird chemicals.  It also smells so good!
These are the softest thing ever!!!  

I have the plaid version, which I think are so fun for Christmas!  I am wearing a size small for reference:) 

Another loungewear favorite.  This is the robe I showed yesterday.  It comes in several color options and I like that it is not too heavy.

I am obsessed with these Chanel lip colors.  They are a hybrid between lipstick and gloss and they really stay on all day.  I have three colors : Rose, Milky Blueberry and Tender Beige.

These earrings make such a great gift for under $40.  They are not heavy at all unlike so many other earrings.  I probably wear this blush color the most often because it goes with so many outfits.



I especially like this maroon shorter version for the holidays.
This candle smells amazing and I love how pretty it looks sitting out.  I lit mine last week and forgot how good it smells, my whole house smelled festive. 
These are the coziest socks ever.  Sterling actually is always stealing mine he loves them so much.  These would also make great stocking stuffers.  

For the price ($29) the quality of this scarf is amazing.   The size is really large and the material is so nice.  I love the colors too perfect for Fall.  



I wear this scarf often.  Here I paired it with the best Moto leggings (under $40).


This is the cutest wine coaster.  Such a great gift paired with a good bottle of wine!
Yes please!  This one I don't actually own but I love it.  It also comes in 2 other glitter colors.
These are my go to work out leggings and they are now out in a full length version! I really like the navy.

This sweater is only $40.  I own the green and my sister bought the tan.  We love the length and fit.
I am wearing the tan color here.

My sister ordered these gummies as a treat for us girls before our trip to NYC.  They were so good.  These are also great stocking stuffers.

I just ordered this for myself.  I love a gorgeous cookbook and this one is just that filled with beautiful recipes for food and cocktails.   This would make a great gift for anyone who loves to entertain.

Fun and festive glasses! 


All these fabulous gifts are from Nordstrom.  Nordstrom always offers free shipping and returns and they price match as well! 
You can shop all my top gift picks here:





Thanks to Nordstrom for partnering on this post! 



Monday, November 14, 2016

Scenes From Our Weekend

Hello Monday morning.  
We had a fun filled weekend and even got a head start on decorating for Christmas! 

Thursday I headed to Lee Lee's Hot Kitchen for lunch.  If you love Chinese food it is a must!  

I love their dumplings.  The sauce that they are served with is so good.  
We also had the salt and pepper chicken and ginger beef.   We liked the ginger beef best because it had more sauce and flavor than the chicken.

Friday morning was spent at the gym.   This twist front tee is the best to toss on when it's chilly!


This sweet guy is growing up so fast.

Friday night I headed out to an event and dinner with girlfriends.

Saturday mornings I love slowing down a bit.  It is nice to sleep in (and by sleep in I mean til 7:30- ha)  and just sit and enjoy my coffee after rushing around all week.  I bought this robe after my sister in law had the same one in NYC.  It is so comfy and comes in several different colors. 

The weather was dreary and cold all the weekend so the kids talked me into getting our Christmas decorations out.  They were so excited.  I love how much they love Christmas because I remember being the same way as a child- heck I still love Christmas!
Several people asked about Frances Moon's dress and it is from HERE.  She is princess obsessed:)

Saturday night I made oven roasted tomato soup for dinner.  I will post the recipe on here soon.  Roasting the tomatoes brought out so much flavor!

Sunday it was rainy and so cold.  We went to church and then hung around the house.  It was all about comfort and warmth!  My sweater, scarf and leggings are under $40.
I even let the kid's go ahead and build a gingerbread house just to keep them occupied.  They actually did a really great job although 3 hours later it fell apart.  I think they need to make the house part not as dense because the icing can't hold it together.  

I was craving Mexican pizza so we made homemade ones with this recipe.   They were so good!  I left the tomatoes and onions off the kid's pizza.  

Major love for this fringe sweater.  It is 40% off right now with code FRIENDS.  I am wearing a size small.

Have a great start to your week.