Living Room Upgrade

Table Lamps /Area Rug / Mirrors/Wall Art/Throw Pillow/Dark Throw Pillow/
Beacon sofa/Throw Pillow/Curtains/Bonsai Tree/Sequin Throw Pillow/Flooring/Reclaimed Coffee Table/Table 

We spent the better part of early winter, price quoting everything we wanted to do to our house. From fencing to basement installations, anything and everything was price quoted. One thing I put on the to-do list first was our living room. We still use the same furniture I purchased my senior year of college, and while it was a nice purchase five years ago, it has moved from four different locations in that time frame. Getting a little bumped and scraped in the process. 

Now that we're settled a bit more in our house, it would be nice to update our living room to reflect our personal style and taste. Currently our living room is very light and bright, but there is not much on the walls, and it lacks seating for when friends come over, making it awkward. To help alleviate that, we're going to actually purchase a couch and a loveseat, a chair and two poufs. We really fell in love with the Beacon Sofa at La-Z-Boy. It has the style that you love from Pottery Barn, but the comfort you expect from La-Z-Boy. Also, if you time it right you can get a descent deal on it. 

Best Spinach Dip Ever

Earlier this week I mentioned I did quite a bit of cooking over the weekend. One thing I made that was a huge hit at Easter was my mom's spinach dip recipe.  I have to say I was a bit thrown off by that it was cold, I usually eat Spinach Artichoke Dip that is warm, but my mother-in-law liked this so much she came over the next day to grab more.

Spinach Dip: 
1 C. Mayonnaise
2 C. Sour Cream
1 C. Water Chestnuts (drained & chopped)
1 Pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix
1 Pkg. Frozen Spinach (well drained)
1 Onion Chopped

Mix together & serve cold.

Enjoy!

Bacardi Rum Cake

When my mom passed over 15 years ago, one of the lasting momentos I received was one of her personal cookbooks. No i'm not talking about one from some random author, the one she wrote her favorite recipes in. Now my Mom was a fabulous cook, and she had many but unfortunately we could only find one (not even the best one!) Luckily, my Dad found it not so long ago, and I have discovered some really fun (random) recipes that i've been trying week by week. 

For Easter I actually made three of her favorite dishes, and one of them included the 1970's hit "Bacardi Rum Cake" while at first I thought this was some special recipe, turns out this is a recipe Bacardi famously included in all of their magazine ads for Mom's to make. So while it's not one of my Mom's personal recipes,  it was still fun to make and eat this weekend. 

Cake: 

1 C. Chopped Pecans or Walnuts (I opted out on this since i'm allergic) 

1 Pkg Yellow Cake Mix

1 3 3/4 oz Vanilla Pudding

4 Eggs

1/2 C. Cold Water

1/2 C. Oil

1/2 C. Dark Bacardi Rum 

Glaze: 

1 Stick Butter

1/4 C. Water

1 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Dark Bacardi Rum

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10 cup bundt pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour over nuts. Bake one hour or until brown. Cool. Invert and prick sides for the glaze to stick. Then drizzle and brush evenly over top & sides. 

I personally sprinkled powered sugar to make it look a little bit prettier, and added fruit along the sides. 

Enjoy! 

5k Music Playlist

 

Photo Credit: From Here

A couple weeks ago, Andy and I ran in a 5k downtown. It was the first of the season, and with very little training, a bit harder then expected (then again it was only 25 degrees out), but I did complete it with no walking. 

 To prepare, I wanted to make sure my music was on point. I'm one of those that tends to run to the beat of the music, so making sure I have a descent playlist to keep me motivated is necessary. I also, tend to want to start walking at certain points so by putting music in an order knowing when I'd slow down really helped.  Here's what I created:

1. Faded - Zhu 

2. Worth It - Fifth Harmony

3. Made In Gold - Nova Rockafeller

4. I Want You To Know - Zedd (feat. Selena Gomez) 

5. Blame - Calvin Harris (feat. John Newman) 

6. Booty - Jennifer Lopez (feat. Iggy Azalea) 

7. Turn Down for What - DJ Snake & Lil Jon

8. You Know You Like It- DJ Snack & AlunaGeorge

9. Break The Rules - Charli XCX

10. Hey Mama - David Guetta (Feat. Nicki Minaj & AfroJack)

11. Delirious - Steve Aoki 

12. Til It Hurts - Yellow Claw (feat. Ayden) 

13. DJ Turn It Up- Yellow Claw 

Happy Running!

Working From Home

On occasion I sometimes have to juice up my work laptop and work from home. You would think normally it would be a dreadful task, because lets be honest you're working. But, I actually quite enjoy it.  We turned one of our bedrooms awhile back into my office, which we made light and airy painting it a light grey.

Since it's my office, and Andy already has his own I was able to purchase furniture that is a little bit more girly, like this not quite zebra or chevron print chair from Homegoods.

 I was also able to organize all my cookbooks and craft supplies, without it looking too crazy or cluttered.

I also was able to put up some chic art that wouldn't make sense being put on display in our house anywhere else. Including this horse head. 

So while isn't always fun working from home,  this space provides a much needed creative outlet and it is definitely more inspiring than my cubicle. 

What do you think of the my office so far? 

Easy Crockpot Chili

With the dip in temperature lately, i've been loving the opportunity to make some of my favorite savory recipes including this easy crockpot chili recipe.  While not the most spicy of recipes, it's sure to become a fan favorite on those lazy Sunday afternoons.

Ingredients: 
Ground Beef, 1 lb (Browned)
Medium Onion, 1/2 onion
Chili Kidney Beans, 1 can
Tomato Sauce, 1 can
Diced Tomatoes, 1 can
Water, 1 cup
Chili Powder, 2 tbsp
Garlic Salt, 1 tsp
Cumin, 1 tsp
Oregano, 1 tsp
Salt & Pepper to taste

Optional:
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream and Crackers.

Take your ground beef, and brown in a skillet. Once completely browned, remove from stove top and drain fat. Combine all ingredients in crockpot with the exception of the optional cheese and sour cream. Set crockpot to high, and let it cook for 3 hours.  Once done, spoon chili into a bowl, top with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with cheese, and add crackers.

Homemade Mac 'n Cheese

I've loved mac 'n cheese since as long as I can remember.  Growing up my mom always made it using pasta shells and Velveetta cheese adding a bit of ketchup. After she passed, I got used to the blue box variety but have recently rediscovered my love for the homemade kind, especially after realizing how easy it really is and have literally made it every weekend for the last month.  Here is how I make it, but you can change up the cheeses and make it your own by adding bacon, ham, hot dog.

Ingredients: 

Elbow Pasta, 1/2 lb (cooked) 

Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1 1/2 cups

Fontina Cheese, 1 1/2 cups

Bread Crumbs, 1 cup

Flour, 1 tbsp

Milk, 1/3 cup

Butter, 2 tbsp

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook elbow pasta as recommended. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside pasta but reusing the same pot, mix together the 1 tbsp butter, milk, and flour. Once combined and butter has melted, add in cheeses stirring them in slowly until all the cheese has melted. Then add back in the pasta. Mix together until all is covered. 

Then place mac 'n cheese in either a 9 x 13' baking dish or individual ramekin dishes. Once set, take the remaining 1 tbsp butter and melt in a microwave safe container, once melted add bread crumbs and stir until combined. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of mac n' cheese.

Place mac 'n cheese into oven until golden brown (about 20 or so minutes) depending on oven and choice of baking dish. 

To accelerate the browning process, sometimes i'll turn the oven to broil on hi. 

Enjoy!