tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15714898635743021662024-03-05T20:38:30.585-05:00Belle on Heelsmusings, questions, and observations of a twenty-something virginia girl, trying to figure out my plans for life (or at least for the weekend)Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.comBlogger750125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-44913271688192470232015-01-27T10:20:00.001-05:002015-01-27T10:20:47.176-05:00Menu TuesdayOops. I had no intention of taking an almost month-long blog hiatus, but as it sometimes does, life just got in the way. I had a major project at work due on January 16, cohosted a baby shower the next day, and then woke up last Tuesday with the flu. I haven't had the flu in probably 10 years and I forgot how it just sucks the life out of you. Yuck.<br />
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But here I am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to get back into my routine. First things first: catching you up on all the recipes I've made in the past month. Brace yourselves, because this post is a doozy. <br />
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<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/flounder-piccata-with-spinach" target="_blank">Flounder Piccata with Spinach</a> (<em>Cooking Light</em> March 2008)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DN4fhGOFTPXV2QZatD8nHnxhIQiPg_Ayn4fSYvjmGj3S0SWQgbFqm6NtJzClcYjWlmP9NVNhvVX2kURokzcJQ6ZuCq2ifxUKbdVPsVSSuNrWwAYbQ-X1uIGtRy85TQk-nb0Ue3O5sQ/s1600/IMG_1981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DN4fhGOFTPXV2QZatD8nHnxhIQiPg_Ayn4fSYvjmGj3S0SWQgbFqm6NtJzClcYjWlmP9NVNhvVX2kURokzcJQ6ZuCq2ifxUKbdVPsVSSuNrWwAYbQ-X1uIGtRy85TQk-nb0Ue3O5sQ/s1600/IMG_1981.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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This one is an old standby. I'm not sure I've ever made it with flounder; I usually use tilapia since I always have frozen tilapia filets on hand. I served this with a box of Near East pine nut couscous.</div>
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<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/355291/black-bean-and-cheese-tacos" target="_blank">Black Bean and Cheese Tacos</a> (<em>Everyday Food</em>, June 2011)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglc-QYIUwxXW-Et8OZw6zH3FvtFoGz3XGp8lck8nEpFg42JBJsQYdb5fwq74s3nDIErSY9IlwQB64HDOWWYSjoU_6K-G98nujCZenCNOjxYST80f1mdd4tdSlQn4JDMlfBkC7z9_Z2A/s1600/IMG_1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglc-QYIUwxXW-Et8OZw6zH3FvtFoGz3XGp8lck8nEpFg42JBJsQYdb5fwq74s3nDIErSY9IlwQB64HDOWWYSjoU_6K-G98nujCZenCNOjxYST80f1mdd4tdSlQn4JDMlfBkC7z9_Z2A/s1600/IMG_1986.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have several binders at home in which I've filed all the recipes I've torn out of magazines over the years. Every time we have a meal from <em>Everyday Food</em> I go through a mini-period of mourning for the magazine's untimely demise. It was the BEST. Martha Stewart, I am still a little pissed at you for pulling the plug on it. Please bring it back. Please?</div>
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Anyhoodle, M actually made this recipe and declared it to be very easy. It was quick and really filling, although I thought it could've used just a little bit more salt. </div>
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Pepperoni Bread (I have no idea...I need your help!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys1kz96zoITJwcBMor0tw7ebCXaNPBQPib-YyP8Wy5A46g9dOYCiGEiChW2fOmhzOFLsV2uweU8ccwcGW7IKQaEC1DlRyQrm7ZVlkgtljfjoTDNIlMIrgZAoMa03ooZn88TQGSrKY9g/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys1kz96zoITJwcBMor0tw7ebCXaNPBQPib-YyP8Wy5A46g9dOYCiGEiChW2fOmhzOFLsV2uweU8ccwcGW7IKQaEC1DlRyQrm7ZVlkgtljfjoTDNIlMIrgZAoMa03ooZn88TQGSrKY9g/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our next-door neighbor and his girlfriend gave us the BEST Christmas gift in the form of the pepperoni bread. It was readymade with instructions for baking. I put it in the freezer and as soon as we had a night when I just didn't feel like cooking, I fired up the oven. I know I'm going to enjoy anything that comes with the instructions "baste with butter." In the interest of trying to be health-conscious, I basted with olive oil instead. </div>
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OMG IT WAS SO GOOD. Does anyone have a recipe for pepperoni bread? Our neighbor travels all the time and his girlfriend lives out of state, so I haven't been able to track down her recipe yet. This would be such a great Super Bowl food. Help a girl out!</div>
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<a href="http://whatsgabycooking.com/burrata-pizza-pie/#.VMegvVQo62w" target="_blank">Burrata Pizza Pie</a> (What's Gaby Cooking)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38eh-SmMXIv5XOQtEoS7vzPaPWUEUIgA0EvPQR88gxjcXUFFNDTCBU1gUXCVF9W_-zH9SLAkK1M1FpL0SNelV9btwpsTzuzktNCMq8D1vJX-No1MQRpIpHZ4TMVrLdtRlR8ysWAHkng/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38eh-SmMXIv5XOQtEoS7vzPaPWUEUIgA0EvPQR88gxjcXUFFNDTCBU1gUXCVF9W_-zH9SLAkK1M1FpL0SNelV9btwpsTzuzktNCMq8D1vJX-No1MQRpIpHZ4TMVrLdtRlR8ysWAHkng/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure I even need to tell you how good this was. <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/10/lazy-pizza-dough-favorite-margarita-pizza/" target="_blank">My favorite homemade crust</a> + burrata + prosciutto + basil. Yeah. That speaks for itself.</div>
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<a href="http://summerisaverb.blogspot.com/2010/03/camarones-al-mojo-de-ajo-aka-garlic.html" target="_blank">Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo</a> (Summer is a Verb)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaht2e98N-Qzu92kO7x5W_7nRVGr1rgzeeBCkB9Uap7HM5R-N_IvE_L6C_9o1P0ya2mZMBNZre-93qG5NsO69C3U1ab-FBTmgzuTjZnC_Rsw067sxwRu4kDlOvjPNIzkAiaO5r5R5Cag/s1600/IMG_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaht2e98N-Qzu92kO7x5W_7nRVGr1rgzeeBCkB9Uap7HM5R-N_IvE_L6C_9o1P0ya2mZMBNZre-93qG5NsO69C3U1ab-FBTmgzuTjZnC_Rsw067sxwRu4kDlOvjPNIzkAiaO5r5R5Cag/s1600/IMG_2022.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another old standby around here. Also this is shockingly popular on <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/BelleOnHeels/" target="_blank">my Pinterest</a>. It gets repinned all the time!</div>
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I happened to have everything on hand to make this and it always tastes like a little plate of summer to me. This time I took the seeds out of the jalapeno and that was a mistake. We both like it better with the spicy kick. </div>
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/roast-chicken-with-rosemary-and-lemon.html" target="_blank">Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon</a> (Skinnytaste)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUB4HRXoRuaG42E9doPh4g7mLSJa1YA_v_BotzNgH0aYpry-2WNoIOuV830jX4nUR3kvk5YNMs4MuGR_fnhx_GCymt2IA52vQ1gyabSMG4pPPtrbaQRUi1W5wDcwn7U7aA3UTVAElXw/s1600/IMG_2034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUB4HRXoRuaG42E9doPh4g7mLSJa1YA_v_BotzNgH0aYpry-2WNoIOuV830jX4nUR3kvk5YNMs4MuGR_fnhx_GCymt2IA52vQ1gyabSMG4pPPtrbaQRUi1W5wDcwn7U7aA3UTVAElXw/s1600/IMG_2034.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I used thyme instead of rosemary because I had some leftover fresh sprigs on hand. I'm always surprised by how good (and easy!) a simple roast chicken is and this one didn't disappoint. M was SO EXCITED to have roast chicken on a weeknight, which was cute and hilarious. The leftovers make excellent chicken salad. </div>
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/chicken-shiitake-and-wild-rice-soup.html" target="_blank">Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup</a> (Skinnytaste)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qG-0ZPm1228TD1JzTqFPUAj_3OnaorDQZo7QCwgqA0NSjLJJGtiVOTLLgPBvA3FENOxhKDUIrcRfkJuVkySiIiElEpub-h8fnlqq6k_UyO_wtC9QQFOxNdtD-O2lpvEG9kWNYuoibw/s1600/IMG_2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qG-0ZPm1228TD1JzTqFPUAj_3OnaorDQZo7QCwgqA0NSjLJJGtiVOTLLgPBvA3FENOxhKDUIrcRfkJuVkySiIiElEpub-h8fnlqq6k_UyO_wtC9QQFOxNdtD-O2lpvEG9kWNYuoibw/s1600/IMG_2043.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This recipe is in my top-5 favorites from Skinnytaste. I've been making it for us since before we were married. It's so yummy and comforting. It was made even better with the leftover <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2014/12/menu-monday_29.html" target="_blank">brown molasses rolls</a> I had stashed in the freezer. </div>
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/11/oven-fried-breaded-pork-chops.html" target="_blank">Oven "Fried" Breaded Pork Chops</a> (Skinnytaste) and <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/braised-red-cabbage-with-vinegar" target="_blank">Braised Red Cabbage with Vinegar</a> (<em>Bon Appetit</em> October 2010)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVT-Odp33kDKMeFLs2dEkzbWDBBpQwL5HXtnVBwH1gLloMBsxjO8hyaTcXpZeNte0ZLcKAFL-H5EsyNFJj0A2EvKnJI5XqKdQIXWvji4EjlcnnFup6Oxf40fG6KdtbOQkeoLBOD4IwQ/s1600/IMG_2046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVT-Odp33kDKMeFLs2dEkzbWDBBpQwL5HXtnVBwH1gLloMBsxjO8hyaTcXpZeNte0ZLcKAFL-H5EsyNFJj0A2EvKnJI5XqKdQIXWvji4EjlcnnFup6Oxf40fG6KdtbOQkeoLBOD4IwQ/s1600/IMG_2046.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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The pork chops were great, but holy goodness, the cabbage! Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I have always loved cabbage. Such an underrated little vegetable. There are so many recipes for braised red cabbage out there, but I wanted one that was simple and not too heavy on the caraway. This recipe from the inimitable Lidia Bastianich was perfect. </div>
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<a href="http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/03/skinny-spaghetti-squash-alfredo.html" target="_blank">Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo</a> (The Comfort of Cooking)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbGy4DmDLUfhMc2iWYL6wCE7J0yf3L-0jMwQu_253npwlLMYyhMomhAbFQR1WC3_CnXsXqWg4vxy_Uuig88YZ43FLO8wD1sSlemvlqBJmA4oonlA5OvStBjq-hPUTbiKUwj46N6rlJg/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbGy4DmDLUfhMc2iWYL6wCE7J0yf3L-0jMwQu_253npwlLMYyhMomhAbFQR1WC3_CnXsXqWg4vxy_Uuig88YZ43FLO8wD1sSlemvlqBJmA4oonlA5OvStBjq-hPUTbiKUwj46N6rlJg/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another repeat for us. Now that I feel like I have finally mastered cooking spaghetti squash, I really need to branch out, but this preparation is just so freaking good! It's so filling and easy and tastes much more decadent than it actually is. I knew it was a good sign when I pulled these out of the oven and M said, "Oh yeah, you've made these before!" If he remembers a meal, it's only because it was worth remembering. </div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/11/creamy-pesto-pasta-chicken-broccoli/" target="_blank">Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7sMKmfH5LWH-1JjkfV7WIxtjar8XMSKfbhTeVUYMCOxIsMPu97v_HmOEAc-SjUD7AkPcixDe-7zwigjLTprMnU62wPMUFIZsoxij3TDc1zs9SErs_g3F-JnbtUgkb11ZTUFua9xr2w/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7sMKmfH5LWH-1JjkfV7WIxtjar8XMSKfbhTeVUYMCOxIsMPu97v_HmOEAc-SjUD7AkPcixDe-7zwigjLTprMnU62wPMUFIZsoxij3TDc1zs9SErs_g3F-JnbtUgkb11ZTUFua9xr2w/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yet another home run from Budget Bytes. For those of you with kids, I would imagine this would be a hit. It's almost got a ranch type of flavor profile going on. It's a one pot meal and it's so darn simple. </div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/01/slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili/" target="_blank">Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFzqGFki554OUrlAKDZTtgh4Ancqcsp4b2CXEwpcGqwGyaUvOAbATdvoxZbkN-y9wpD5NE7lyidrShism8L_Zj_zM4cil0pi7TywY4oaWHVkf9j-XbeL-bMPrjN9r7Bh423KY6YOIUw/s1600/IMG_2068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFzqGFki554OUrlAKDZTtgh4Ancqcsp4b2CXEwpcGqwGyaUvOAbATdvoxZbkN-y9wpD5NE7lyidrShism8L_Zj_zM4cil0pi7TywY4oaWHVkf9j-XbeL-bMPrjN9r7Bh423KY6YOIUw/s1600/IMG_2068.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I love white chilis. They're my favorite. And while this recipe isn't quite as good as my favorite (<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/white-lightening-texas-chili" target="_blank">Texas White Lightening</a> recipe from Southern Living a million years ago...this says February 2003, but my recipe is from a cookbook published in 1994), it was still pretty delicious. And spicy (which we like)! </div>
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/07/three-cheese-zucchini-stuffed-lasagna.html" target="_blank">Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls</a> (Skinnytaste)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-dV6tHnW1bpMSIdvf4WPSlVtYVMWKASFDwHyb4Nk7e3xRV_MTlnpkaI8byvDsa8tdyzuOpw5KtMoE5oemic0wmB3zEZ04ZoVsJtzfxC7AGIhS1oMAUPRTUat7iTLaY1XSbVMtFbTJQ/s1600/IMG_2071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-dV6tHnW1bpMSIdvf4WPSlVtYVMWKASFDwHyb4Nk7e3xRV_MTlnpkaI8byvDsa8tdyzuOpw5KtMoE5oemic0wmB3zEZ04ZoVsJtzfxC7AGIhS1oMAUPRTUat7iTLaY1XSbVMtFbTJQ/s1600/IMG_2071.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are great, although I have a bone to pick with lasagna rolls. These type recipes are always advertised as SO MUCH EASIER than regular lasagna and I'm calling bullshit. Regular lasagna is way easier. You just layer. What is easier than that? When you have to roll, I inevitable end up with a few noodles that fall apart (see the middle roll on the bottom) and filling starts seeping out the sides and it's a mess. I love this recipe, but honestly, I think it would just made it as a normal lasagna in the future. Anyone else feel this way? </div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/06/salsa-poached-eggs-grits/" target="_blank">Salsa Poached Eggs and Grits</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpkvnGh2pc3HnA3aXsl4OfSKkEj6TKNQGjQs8FGFh-hfABVPxTSwTDwLNGnjbTjXe2GcQplOUVEXCNcpL4MqLKEqUtlOBT63PMYDmJDtY3iXvYtlswMh0CjwLNERtG2RNiJOjMK7otA/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpkvnGh2pc3HnA3aXsl4OfSKkEj6TKNQGjQs8FGFh-hfABVPxTSwTDwLNGnjbTjXe2GcQplOUVEXCNcpL4MqLKEqUtlOBT63PMYDmJDtY3iXvYtlswMh0CjwLNERtG2RNiJOjMK7otA/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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M was trying to so hard to be helpful when I was sick and he offered to make dinner one night. This was one of the recipes that I had planned and I thought it would be pretty easy for him to execute. That was not the case. (I love you, honey! You are really awesome at making breakfast!) The eggs ended up being overcooked and I was so exhausted from helping in the kitchen that I only ate a little bit of it.</div>
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I wasn't super impressed with the meal, but I'm not sure if that was the recipe's fault or just extenuating circumstances. It gets a second chance. </div>
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Bagel Bites</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSk-YErDXxKBhJQClILvV2tc6goqNgZW2H8fGWSqTTSvwataO9LAPaEpiqu3N0XbqjjsGpPXA9pUJhXhiWE2X7v-N6D2q7UenPVX9LdxfAt5ZpiMHTxHCMbGlgKQy1TSQflXBTWjcOg/s1600/IMG_2079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSk-YErDXxKBhJQClILvV2tc6goqNgZW2H8fGWSqTTSvwataO9LAPaEpiqu3N0XbqjjsGpPXA9pUJhXhiWE2X7v-N6D2q7UenPVX9LdxfAt5ZpiMHTxHCMbGlgKQy1TSQflXBTWjcOg/s1600/IMG_2079.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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After the previous night's disaster, I just really wanted Bagel Bites for dinner. WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD? </div>
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NOT PICTURED:</div>
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We hosted a few friends for New Year's Eve and I made a batch of <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shrimp-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe2.html" target="_blank">Ina's Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya</a>. A few thoughts: </div>
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1. The fact that Ina's estimated serving size is 6-8 helps me understand why she is such a large woman. Seriously. One recipe of this filled two Dutch ovens, fed 5 adults for dinner, and we still had enough leftover for 2 dinners and 2 lunches. And we are not a group of dainty eaters. Ina, I'm impressed. And horrified.</div>
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2. I used a can of diced tomatoes in placed of the cup of seeded, diced fresh tomato. This was a mistake. The extra liquid made the rice a little overcooked, gummy, and wet. It bothered me. Next time I would either reduce the amount of other liquids, or just use the diced fresh tomato. </div>
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3. I am the only person who was bothered by this. Everyone else loved it. Especially topped with the bacon hot sauce my MIL put in M's stocking.</div>
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Last Friday we had tickets to a hockey game, so we scarfed down <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/04/bbq-beef-stuffed-potatoes/" target="_blank">Budget Bytes' BBQ Beef Stuffed Baked Potatoes</a> in a hurry and I forgot to take a picture. Lucky for you, I've <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2013/05/menu-wednesday.html" target="_blank">written about these before</a>, so you can see a picture and read my review there. </div>
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If you've made it this far, congratulations on suffering through an epic amount of terrible food photography!</div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-31115305662449007492015-01-01T03:18:00.000-05:002015-01-01T03:18:00.043-05:00NYC Trip: Days 4 + 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After a verrrrrry late night Saturday night, we slept in on Sunday morning and researched Ravens bars in NYC.</div>
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Everything you need to know about the bar we ended up at (<a href="http://www.mustangharrys.com/" target="_blank">Mustang Harry's</a>) is summed up in their Happy Hour specials: a can of PBR and a shot of Tullamore Dew? a bottle of Coors Light and a shot of Jack Honey? Yeah, no thanks, I'm all set.</div>
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We hadn't eaten breakfast and fortunately they were running a brunch special of unlimited Bloody Marys and Mimosas for $12. I had a lot of mimosas along with some not-half-bad French toast. M had some sort of burger that was actually really good. This game turned out to be theeeeee longest game ever, so about halfway through we ordered some Buffalo chicken bites and Cajun fries to snack on. </div>
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By the time the game was over, it had started to get dark. We walked back up to Rockefeller, and after a pit stop at Tim Horton's in Times Square (best French vanilla coffee everrrrrr!), we finally got a picture of the tree and of us in front of the tree. It was an absolute madhouse so we hightailed it back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.</div>
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The only picture I took at <a href="http://www.babbonyc.com/" target="_blank">Babbo</a>. You can just make out the Christmas tree over M's shoulder. </div>
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We had a 9:45pm reservation but went down at 6:45 and ended up being seated by 7:30. We had a cozy little table in the corner in the front of the restaurant. It was such a perfect meal to end our trip. The amuse bouche was some sort of chickpea tapenade on crostini that I'm still trying to figure out how to recreate at home. I'm all for chickpeas, but who knew they could taste THAT good? I started with the buffalo mozzarella and pesto and M had the grilled octopus (tastes like chewy bacon). We moved on to buccatini alla Amatriciana for me and goose liver ravioli for M, which he said is one of the best things he's ever eaten. And why not? It was basically pate inside of pasta covered in browned butter and balsamic. I had Guinea hen with truffled celeriac puree for my entrée (OMG AMAZING) and M had some lamb chops that looked amazing, even to a non-lamb eater such as myself. We were too full to order dessert (sad panda) but the waiter brought some little housemade Christmas cookies with the check that were just the perfect little bite of something sweet. </div>
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Sometimes I feel like people rave about places like Babbo just because you're supposed to, but it really was a wonderful dining experience. Surprisingly reasonably priced, incredible service from top to bottom, and amazing food. </div>
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We were up bright and early Monday morning to grab breakfast and catch the bus home. We got bagel breakfast sandwiches at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/best-bagel-and-coffee-new-york" target="_blank">Best Bagel and Coffee</a> that were ginormous and delicious. We watched <em>Wolf of Wall Street</em> on the way home and I read <em>The Vacationers</em> and <em>The Engagements</em> and finally finished <em>Serial</em>. After basically two weeks on the road, we were so happy to be home. And we had some doggies who were very happy to be back on their own couch...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnoN7w2rYMnFU9HEnNt5ki-hQ7j2BWOU-HFoofMgt1KE4C2SVC0IE3mx9AXCUshelkwqgqXOvbG237UaiMvwNMewXpGHl0bH0dzYTau8-y4JZ47P3tu3LuHgzzD2K25ogEB7cwyOWaMA/s1600/IMG_1929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnoN7w2rYMnFU9HEnNt5ki-hQ7j2BWOU-HFoofMgt1KE4C2SVC0IE3mx9AXCUshelkwqgqXOvbG237UaiMvwNMewXpGHl0bH0dzYTau8-y4JZ47P3tu3LuHgzzD2K25ogEB7cwyOWaMA/s1600/IMG_1929.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'm so glad we went on this trip together. M's job keeps him away from home a fair amount and most of the time he does have off, we're usually trying to host family or friends or going to visit them, so it's rare that we get so much time together just the two of us. As we get older and people start families and move away, it's harder to visit with friends and we felt so lucky to spend the time we did with our friends while we were there. I've dreamed of visiting NYC at Christmas since I was a little girl and this trip was the best Christmas gift I could have asked for. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h2B0EaYf_sBLyxsml6oZa2Awe8hPKQJo9guxQKkA0O9NEqMT1LQHa-hGOu78-HIuS9kXpQvSZEPCTcFxvw7vzs7PX6WPqPNpRHhZm7HGQcQ5CamZVzgS_DSfYlFdObjIsUj81vEHgA/s1600/IMG_1928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h2B0EaYf_sBLyxsml6oZa2Awe8hPKQJo9guxQKkA0O9NEqMT1LQHa-hGOu78-HIuS9kXpQvSZEPCTcFxvw7vzs7PX6WPqPNpRHhZm7HGQcQ5CamZVzgS_DSfYlFdObjIsUj81vEHgA/s1600/IMG_1928.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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The newest addition to our travel ornament collection. I look forward to putting this on our Christmas trees for years to come and enjoying all of the memories from this special trip.</div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-31505028360738260092014-12-31T01:51:00.000-05:002014-12-31T09:01:30.094-05:00NYC Trip: Days 2 + 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The second and third days of our trip to NYC were a marathon! By the end of the 3rd day I felt like I needed a vacation from our vacation :)</div>
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We woke up bright and early Friday AM and walked down to <a href="http://www.amysbread.com/" target="_blank">Amy's Bread</a> for breakfast. I had an olive twist (pictured above) and M got a breakfast sandwich. We were still hungry after that, so we split an amazing pain au chocolat. </div>
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We had some time to kill before the </div>
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Rockettes, so we naturally we took selfies in front of the giant ornaments on the Avenue of the Americas.</div>
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Then it was across the street to Radio City Music Hall to cross off an item that's long been on my bucket list: the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. I may or may not have shed a few tears when Santa came in and started greeting little kids in the audience. M was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing and thought the Rockettes would make good women's lacrosse players. Of course he would find a way to tie it all back to lacrosse. My favorite part of the performance was the toy soldiers, but I FREAKED OUT for the live animals in the Nativity scene. I have like 10 pictures of those camels on my phone. </div>
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A quick trip to Rockefeller Center to wave hello to the ice skaters...</div>
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And then we headed to <a href="http://ippudony.com/" target="_blank">Ippudo Westside</a> for lunch. I've only eaten at the downtown location, so this was a new experience for both of us. We split an order of the pork buns (my favorite!) then I got the akamaru modern and M got the karaka-men. His was definitely better; I loved the extra spice. Not that mine was bad :) I wish we had a good ramen place in Burlington...it's so cozy and satisfying when it's cold out and it's cold here a lot!</div>
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We headed over to Le Parker Meridien to take a gander at the <a href="https://giving.cityharvest.org/gingerbread-extravaganza-2014" target="_blank">Gingerbread Extravaganza</a>. I loved the little Saturday Night Fever Santa, but we both agreed that King Kong was the winner. </div>
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There's a <a href="http://milkbarstore.com/" target="_blank">Milk Bar</a> just across the street from Le Parker Meridien, so we popped in for some compost cookies and a slice of crack pie. We took our treats over to the St. Regis to eat in the lobby before I checked out <a href="http://gardenandgun.com/blog/christmas-new-york-southern-style" target="_blank">Bronson Van Wyck's Holiday Pop-Up Shop</a>, which was amazing. It's what I imagine my dream Christmas living room would look like, complete with red Christmas tree covered in jewel-encrusted lobsters. There was lots of tartan and taxidermy and even a few mink lined-and-trimmed tree skirts! I fell in love with these Hessian andirons, but at $495 and us with no fireplace to speak of, M put the kibosh on that purchase. </div>
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After we left the St. Regis, we wondered around Midtown to check out all of the holiday windows, of which I took no pictures. There was barely enough room to move with all of the other gawking tourists, let alone pull out a camera (although a lot of people did anyways). Bergdorf's windows were my favorite. Each window was dedicated to one of the arts. The ones for music and film were breathtaking! I did manage to snap this one picture at <a href="http://www.ralphlauren.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=46460316" target="_blank">Ralph's inside of Ralph Lauren</a>:</div>
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Antlers + Pheasant Feathers + Magnolia Leaves = Sarah Christmas Arrangement Bingo!</div>
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We mozied over to the Plaza Food Hall so I could check out the Eloise store. I could have stayed in there for hours. I was not-so-secretly wishing it was more socially acceptable and less creepy for an almost-30-year-old woman to join in the Eloise tea party going on in the back room. And then we randomly ran into one of M's players and got to meet his entire family. So, so random. </div>
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After we dropped off our bags at our hotel room, we headed back out. We had to make a quick stop to say hello to these charming fellows!</div>
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And then it was over to the <a href="http://www.oysterbarny.com/" target="_blank">Grand Central Oyster Bar</a> to meet a friend for drinks. Oysters and sparkling rose are my favorite couple of all time. </div>
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Since we were already halfway downtown, we decided just to head to our dinner at <a href="http://biancanyc.com/" target="_blank">Bianca</a> and eat with the old folks at 6pm. This might be my favorite picture from the trip, not because of how cute M looks (but he does look awful purdy), but because of why he is making that face. Bianca is one of my favorite restaurants. M got their lasagna; if you ever go, that is what you should get. It's life-changing. But because I've had the lasagna many times and because we don't like to both order the same thing, I ordered a plate of Gorgonzola gnocchi. </div>
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M hates blue cheese. Absolutely will not touch the stuff. But before I could stop him, he took a bite of my gnocchi. And then another bite. And then another...and raved about how incredible it was. I waited until our waitress had cleared the table until I told him he just ate half a plate of gnocchi in a blue cheese sauce. MIND BLOWN.</div>
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We were pretty beat after dinner and headed back up to our hotel to grab a drink at Lodge and then call it an early night. I also happened to lose my Metrocard at some point that night. Not a happy scene. </div>
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Saturday morning we had plans to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends for brunch at <a href="http://www.cafecluny.com/" target="_blank">Café Cluny</a>. We got there a little early, so we wondered around the neighborhood for awhile and oogled real estate. I have no desire to live in NYC, but I could be persuaded to change my mind if one of these babies was an option. </div>
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Brunch was delicious; I had a short rib hash, M had eggs Benedict, and A had the ham and gruyere croissant. The portions were quite teeny, but mine was so rich that I didn't mind. Café Cluny's dining rooms are quite cozy, so you're eating in close quarters with your fellow diners. I looked up halfway through our brunch to realize that Leslie Mann was sitting right across from us. Apparently she had already caught M staring at her. I spent the rest of brunch trying not to stare. </div>
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After brunch we moved the party to Starbucks and caught up over peppermint mochas before A had to catch the train. M and I mozied over to the <a href="http://urbanspacenyc.com/union-square-holiday-market/" target="_blank">Union Square Holiday Market</a>. I had such high hopes for this and was disappointed. In addition to the insane crowds that made it impossible to move, I didn't think the booths offered up that much cool stuff. There were a few things that caught my eye here and there, but nothing that I just had to have. Bummer.</div>
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The good news is that we had a few hours to kill before meeting up with M's friends and we were only a few blocks from <a href="http://www.petestavern.com/" target="_blank">Pete's Tavern</a>, which M wanted to check out anyways. So we went there and had brunch #2 with decidedly NOT teeny portions. They go all out with Christmas decorations inside, so it was a great place to spend the early afternoon drinking Bloody Marys and eating cheeseburgers. </div>
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And then there was <a href="http://rolfsnyc.com/www.rolfsnyc.com/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Rolf's</a>. I had heard of the Rolf's Christmas spectacle before and <a href="http://savingbestforlast.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Molly </a>recommended we go while we were in town. It just so happened that M's friends had suggested we meet up there for a drink before all going out together for the evening. We went and got there early, so went ahead and staked our place in line. We had to wait an hour to get in, but we passed the time by doing shots of Fireball with the folks in line behind us. When our friends showed up, it turns out that the guy offering us shots is the father of one of our friends' girlfriends. Another random interaction. After we were all inside, it was kind of crazy. There is no way it is safe to have that many people crammed into one space, but with all of the decorations (and beer), everyone is in a great mood and doesn't seem to mind the fact that you are cheek-to-cheek (face and backside) with total strangers drinking overpriced beer. </div>
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After someone spilled mulled wine all over my coat (it smelled so gross for the rest of the trip), we decided it was time for a change of scenery. We spent the rest of the night bar hopping with M's college buddies, with a pit stop for amaaaaaazing <a href="http://www.artichokepizza.com/" target="_blank">Artichoke pizza</a>. I would like 10 more slices, please. </div>
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We pretended we were still fresh out of college and stayed out until 3 in the morning and somehow ended up at a Princeton lacrosse/New York Knicks party in Tribeca. So that's fun. </div>
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Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-23589475749636045592014-12-30T02:26:00.000-05:002014-12-30T14:53:11.165-05:00NYC Trip: Hotel + Day 1I always enjoy reading other bloggers' trip recaps, so I thought I would do one of our trip to NYC. I'm going to break it up into a few segments so it's not one giant wall of text.<br />
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We took the Megabus to New York. It was both of our first experience with Megabus and it was about what you'd expect. Although having read and heard horror stories, it seems like our experience was pretty good. It was long and uncomfortable and boring, but it was cheap and got us where we needed to go and was on time. So no real complaints.<br />
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We stayed at the <a href="https://www.morganshotelgroup.com/hudson/hudson-new-york" target="_blank">Hudson Hotel</a>, having gotten an incredible deal on Priceline. I was a little apprehensive. I booked it using one of the Name-Your-Own-Price deals where you only find out which hotel you're staying at after you've paid. Once I found out it was Hudson, I read some less-than-favorable reviews online, but none of them turned out to be true (other than the room size).<br />
<strong>Pros:</strong><br />
-The location was great. Hudson is located just across the street from the Time Warner Center, so there is an easily accessible subway stop and a lot of taxis circling the area. You're just across from the south end of the park and far enough from Midtown that you don't feel like you're a part of the crowds, but close enough to walk to all the sights within a few minutes. <br />
-Unlike many of the reviews I read, we found all of the hotel staff we interacted with to be friendly and helpful. They all seemed genuinely happy to help and answer any questions and easily cracked jokes with us when I lost my MetroCard (uggggghhhh), when our room key wasn't working at 3am, and when we needed scissors to cut tags out of a sweater. <br />
-Whenever any of our friends in the city asked where we were staying, their first response was, "Oh great bar scene!" They are correct. Hudson has several bars on the property, plus a nightclub. We went to two of the bars: The Library Bar, which has an old school men's club vibe, and Lodge, which is made to look like an indoor après ski lounge. We didn't make it to the nightclub, but on the aforementioned evening when we returned at 3am, the club was packed and the DJ sounded great. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQvkhi2X_5vJeYIgzBq1wC0TgF_5_iwJ5fRBlt4TS_XqXchkhPXtNtN2nzC1KPFH80mSl-6o6A5Tl96J4FNWTXBVsqjAPW1DFP_eXYEVt9rHDgIwFMkwmpmPic3O1dcz03LkBwA7Mew/s1600/533644_110_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQvkhi2X_5vJeYIgzBq1wC0TgF_5_iwJ5fRBlt4TS_XqXchkhPXtNtN2nzC1KPFH80mSl-6o6A5Tl96J4FNWTXBVsqjAPW1DFP_eXYEVt9rHDgIwFMkwmpmPic3O1dcz03LkBwA7Mew/s1600/533644_110_z.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<strong>Cons:</strong><br />
-TINIEST ROOMS EVER. Even by New York standards, our room was laughably small. There was hardly enough room to walk around the bed, let alone have a place to put our luggage and get dressed. The bathroom was even worse. You couldn't use the sink and have the door open at the same time. There was not enough room to stand in front of the mirror and dry hair or put on make-up. The room had a weird window to the shower, which was all glass, so unless you closed the shower curtain at all times, the person in the room could watch you use the bathroom. Awkward. And the shower was worst of all. While our sink had hot water in record speed, you could run the shower for 10 minutes and never get it above lukewarm. Add in nonexistent water pressure and showering was just a totally unpleasant experience. <br />
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That's pretty much the only con. The good news is that we didn't come to New York to spend time in our hotel room, so we really weren't there very much. Overall, I liked Hudson and considering the insanely good deal we got on it, I don't have any complaints about our stay.<br />
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On to the fun part! Once we were settled in our teeny tiny room and had freshened up in our teeny tiny bathroom, we walked down to the theatre district Shake Shack and got down to the business of burgers. <br />
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While I thought the burgers weren't all that great (In-and-Out is way better in my book), those cheese fries...wow. I would happily eat them every day for the rest of my life. So simple, but so good. Sometimes when you order cheese fries, it's the same nasty sauce they use for nachos, but this sauce reminded me of the cheese fries of my youth, eaten at the pool snack bar every summer for years. </div>
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Then it was on to 'Book of Mormon'. I'm not even sure what to say about it except that at the end of the show, we were like, "Well can we just sit here and watch another performance of it?" It was so wonderful! We spent all weekend talking about our favorite parts and singing bits and pieces of it, "Baptize Her" being our favorite. I'm not much of a showtunes person, but I'm planning to download the entire original cast recording. Just so well done and hysterical. I'm hoping the national tour makes its way to Burlington some day so we can go see it again soon!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2HipkhJMqVCO1mrFCxA8FNbLzCHOxhyphenhyphenoINgIYUVqJplAmX5RTxff6YJRKL0jPD-_2ve5e1xyNUMQqV2dsC5ZAVtaYN1YeAvW8mT1M7hyvAZ2OOAmpcGj7L2Ejyi4TqWTVEh6TxJCEw/s1600/IMG_1834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2HipkhJMqVCO1mrFCxA8FNbLzCHOxhyphenhyphenoINgIYUVqJplAmX5RTxff6YJRKL0jPD-_2ve5e1xyNUMQqV2dsC5ZAVtaYN1YeAvW8mT1M7hyvAZ2OOAmpcGj7L2Ejyi4TqWTVEh6TxJCEw/s1600/IMG_1834.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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When the show was over, we were exhausted from a long day of travel. We headed back to the hotel, grabbed a drink at the Library Bar, and GrubHub'd some pizza, inspiring many <em>Elf</em> and <em>Seinfeld </em>references for the rest of the trip.</div>
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Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-4835566862278178892014-12-29T13:46:00.002-05:002014-12-29T13:46:59.034-05:00Menu MondayHard to believe it's been 3 weeks since my last Menu Monday post (or my last post at all)! Lots of catching up to do around here...<br />
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<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-minnesota-wild-rice-mushroom-soup-164295" target="_blank">Minnesota Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup</a> (The Kitchn), <a href="http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2014/09/17/steakhouse-sweet-brown-molasses-bread-recipe-just-like-outback.html#_a5y_p=2483241" target="_blank">Brown Molasses (aka Outback) Rolls</a> (It's Always Autumn)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvftKXZrPmrXphY4xIVoSKTjszMzsciHsn1nMu2V8pHRmGJa6NAdz4ZYB156yBffi-cxmO9e_a0G-xhkjFjdzSOcpiGUF-OhhFytup-U70LITJZ_uKpt1TmlsWSmdokMofTxYqWQolPA/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvftKXZrPmrXphY4xIVoSKTjszMzsciHsn1nMu2V8pHRmGJa6NAdz4ZYB156yBffi-cxmO9e_a0G-xhkjFjdzSOcpiGUF-OhhFytup-U70LITJZ_uKpt1TmlsWSmdokMofTxYqWQolPA/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Awwww yeah, this was sooooo freakin' good. The soup was rich, hearty, and flavorful...and mostly healthy if you can get past the heavy cream (I can). </div>
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M and I are not big chain restaurant people, but we both have a weakness for chain restaurant carbs (I'm looking at you, Olive Garden breadsticks). When we were first married and lived in a barren culinary desert, we would hit up Outback Steakhouse for date night and would've been perfectly happy just to sit and eat basket after basket of their rolls. I happened upon this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to make them. I am somewhat intimidated by homemade bread, but these were basically foolproof (proof...haha, a yeast joke! So punny). They tasted pretty close to the real thing too. </div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/01/quinoa-black-bean-tacos/" target="_blank">Quinoa/Bulgur Wheat and Kidney Bean Tacos</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGh5Ner-JuKtloNeYBDWc9lvjZmNmMkJngD8o91y-nKiqI3TgYCj2etmJoy634669JdVAFGx0-id1QrWr-wxWpzNTooWFdAI8gv-Ae3LqXNQi7L0XVenDKOhAs-Vk8cCAOH-FLdvNoMQ/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGh5Ner-JuKtloNeYBDWc9lvjZmNmMkJngD8o91y-nKiqI3TgYCj2etmJoy634669JdVAFGx0-id1QrWr-wxWpzNTooWFdAI8gv-Ae3LqXNQi7L0XVenDKOhAs-Vk8cCAOH-FLdvNoMQ/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is another old favorites from Budget Bytes. It's one of those meatless meals where you truly don't even notice that there isn't any meat. Plus it's easy and healthy and so delicious. (They would be vegan if I hadn't added big dollups of sour cream on top.) I used up the bag of quinoa hanging around, so I had to add in a little bulgur wheat. And I had a can of kidney beans in the pantry, but no black beans, so that's what we used. Another victory on my mission to clean out our pantry before our Christmas travels. </div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/baked-tilapia-tomatoes/" target="_blank">Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSYBE-0SaZiDowqHseQdy6Y1MdtRhNPcPtVcOu7_K8bT3hV9dB57osYVdVvBLb2pYPkw82SYPpVVJSJoUL0C2MKNYS22l2Nt3pkW69LU1tmbD-KdSH7jlzbPfAA8JT15CwsuWnBS-kA/s1600/IMG_1785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSYBE-0SaZiDowqHseQdy6Y1MdtRhNPcPtVcOu7_K8bT3hV9dB57osYVdVvBLb2pYPkw82SYPpVVJSJoUL0C2MKNYS22l2Nt3pkW69LU1tmbD-KdSH7jlzbPfAA8JT15CwsuWnBS-kA/s1600/IMG_1785.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Yet another Budget Bytes/clean out the freezer meal. This has quickly become one of my favorite ways to fix tilapia or any other flaky white fish. Our grocery store often runs BOGO deals on bags of frozen, individually packaged tilapia or swai filets (I always make sure to get something that is <a href="http://www.seafoodwatch.org/" target="_blank">Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch approved</a>!). The tomato topping is so flavorful that you would never know you're not eating fresh fish. I like to serve it on top of rice or couscous to absorb all of the sauce. </div>
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Quiche a la Clean Out the Fridge and Freezer</div>
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Our flight back from visiting M's family in Baltimore didn't get in until midnight the night before. We were leaving again for NYC in less than 48 hours and I was determined not to grocery shop in between, so this was what I came up with.</div>
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I used <a href="http://elefantitasalegres.blogspot.com/2011/04/lighter-spicy-turkey-hatch-quiche.html" target="_blank">Kate's recipe</a> as a base for this. I had a Wholly Wholesome whole-wheat piecrust leftover from making Thanksgiving pecan pies. I added frozen peas, some sautéed ground beef and Italian sausage, and a ton of feta cheese, and then topped it all off with some Parmesan. Et voila! It was actually really quite tasty, considering the randomness of it all. </div>
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Black-Eyed Pea Soup and Cornbread</div>
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No real recipe here. Just sautéed some onion, carrot, celery, added in the beans and a hambone and let it simmer away for a few hours while we packed and took care of last minute things around the house. The cornbread was a cheat; I used Bob's Red Mill mix and added a little creamed corn. This was our last meal at home before heading to NYC and it made a ton, so I just froze the leftovers and now the only thing I have to make for our traditional luck and money New Year's Day meal is the collard greens. </div>
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-manicotti-with-sausage-and-peas-recipe.html" target="_blank">Baked Manicotti with Sausage and Peas</a> and <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cheese-and-rosemary-breadsticks-recipe.html" target="_blank">Cheese and Rosemary Breadsticks</a> (recipes by Giada de Laurentiis; modeling by my husband)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIxoMeE66n2Y-Prbd26Gxnylu8w5hjuE4rL3ZHoCTzffcHxl_rBh1xVKB5uN1yhCu2kkiIqzEx9NMHrELzTB5l6kN55Fj7NY7gAFMsOQ7Nz1nGFjU04m7ut1WNPipC6t80U1BVgl0pw/s1600/IMG_1940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIxoMeE66n2Y-Prbd26Gxnylu8w5hjuE4rL3ZHoCTzffcHxl_rBh1xVKB5uN1yhCu2kkiIqzEx9NMHrELzTB5l6kN55Fj7NY7gAFMsOQ7Nz1nGFjU04m7ut1WNPipC6t80U1BVgl0pw/s1600/IMG_1940.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This was our Christmas Eve meal. As you can see, it was a very formal affair. I normally do something a little fancier for the Christmas meal I make for the two of us; the first two years of marriage I made individual beef Wellingtons and last year I did steak with Bernaise sauce. But since we were doing a Christmas Day potluck dinner with friends that we knew involved prime rib, I went with something a little more casual. </div>
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Every time I make manicotti, I remember why I only make it once in a blue moon. Stuffing those little pasta tubes is a total pain in the ass, but these were so good I didn't mind it too much. SO MUCH CHEESE. I served it with a kale Caesar salad and we opened a bottle of wine from my favorite vineyard back home. A perfect little Christmas Eve feast for two. </div>
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<a href="http://www.katiesperk.blogspot.com/2011/02/snake-bite-chili-dip.html" target="_blank">Snake Bite Chili Dip</a> (Katie at the Perks)</div>
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Our skiing plans last weekend had to be put aside due to M's Achilles injury, so instead we ate an entire batch of this dip and watched college football and basketball. So the weekend wasn't a total bust after all. </div>
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This dip is SO SO GOOD. M was a little skeptical; he just couldn't figure how the sweet mango salsa was going to go with the cheese and sausage. Turns out there was no need to worry. We inhaled this as fast as we could. This would be a great addition to your Super Bowl party spread!</div>
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<a href="http://www.dinneralovestory.com/our-royal-family/" target="_blank">Princess Salmon with Yogurt-Mustard Dill Sauce</a> (Dinner: A Love Story)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiwYw04j-Qw7EGCSRiG5PM7pklywYvEHAGv1MMqclqQ0pL-dCQeU1WMutlVhpQbb1H9aNqyVuXdnyaAMqbO_r3bsvkCKPnJpkU7fn0kS8z_sSYLjcCU-BAi19aCEVlqMtAdPqd_J08A/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiwYw04j-Qw7EGCSRiG5PM7pklywYvEHAGv1MMqclqQ0pL-dCQeU1WMutlVhpQbb1H9aNqyVuXdnyaAMqbO_r3bsvkCKPnJpkU7fn0kS8z_sSYLjcCU-BAi19aCEVlqMtAdPqd_J08A/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure how much of a recipe this is, but I make it a lot. After all the junk over the past few weeks (see above), it was nice to just have something light and healthy. I used some Williams-Sonoma potlatch seasoning on the salmon in place of salt and pepper and served with some steam-in-bag haricots verts and some roasted baby potatoes. The potatoes roast at the same temp as the salmon, so I just prepped the salmon while the potatoes roasted for about 25 minutes and then added the salmon on top for the last 15 minutes. Then just whip up the sauce and microwave the green beans while everything's in the oven. Easy peasy and minimal clean-up!</div>
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That about does it for the past 3 weeks. As sad as I am to see the holidays go, I am a creature of habit, so I'm looking forward to getting back into our normal, healthier meal routine.Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-6871084513122052082014-12-08T15:48:00.001-05:002014-12-08T15:48:20.583-05:00Menu Monday<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2012/12/04/best-ever-black-bean-soup-with-cilantro-lime-rice/" target="_blank">Best-Ever Black Bean Soup with Cilantro-Lime Rice</a> (Iowa Girl Eats) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BUedQF7pTOT6WU15SV950DWvuOW2vqGJieunYoBNRUAMjHbM78L8wdGvvJyVikPRGdPVkUKpoXHSvBs9iF0Azg_dq6ypxrQNxBS2iF9jbppjTZh4VLX1MIqnGkhqMQGnjoTXtzsJ4g/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BUedQF7pTOT6WU15SV950DWvuOW2vqGJieunYoBNRUAMjHbM78L8wdGvvJyVikPRGdPVkUKpoXHSvBs9iF0Azg_dq6ypxrQNxBS2iF9jbppjTZh4VLX1MIqnGkhqMQGnjoTXtzsJ4g/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm recycling this photo from <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2013/03/menu-monday.html" target="_blank">my original blog post</a> on this soup. We're still loving this one. Healthy, quick, cheap. </div>
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<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-wild-rice-burgers-157678" target="_blank">Wild Rice Burgers</a> (The Kitchn)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEn1LQzQ3sRIWq3fGhEYEWB91GD7rBoMlKrHB2i4euju_jd3A8F_9jI4zfyyY2HsdjrphKoMMB1Av84VP0f2-LG3uZP52xrdpRnVJD_jnEZ1cZCZ0cEmJ00dftV5I0ooROWk1tfT-Iw/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEn1LQzQ3sRIWq3fGhEYEWB91GD7rBoMlKrHB2i4euju_jd3A8F_9jI4zfyyY2HsdjrphKoMMB1Av84VP0f2-LG3uZP52xrdpRnVJD_jnEZ1cZCZ0cEmJ00dftV5I0ooROWk1tfT-Iw/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
We love these burger so much. Served with a side of sweet potato fries, they are the perfect Meatless Monday meal. <br />
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Burrito Bowls (own recipe)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s4AgOiuL0NiXfw2HT5VqnUCwDl1PdWbU5uQ05VcHdYIniPalZcplqTnAkAeizPTHQy20MosE05ispkF4NKhMQiJfLFJVaCISty6bAa6IsdJgFF-Ruimw7y_fVdE9XLz702u2CvIfgw/s1600/IMG_1694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s4AgOiuL0NiXfw2HT5VqnUCwDl1PdWbU5uQ05VcHdYIniPalZcplqTnAkAeizPTHQy20MosE05ispkF4NKhMQiJfLFJVaCISty6bAa6IsdJgFF-Ruimw7y_fVdE9XLz702u2CvIfgw/s1600/IMG_1694.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure this really counts as a recipe. I topped the leftover black bean soup + cilantro-lime rice from Sunday with homemade pico de gallo (<em>chopped grape tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, salt & pepper, miced cilantro, and 1/2 lime</em>) and grilled flank steak, which I marinated for about an hour in a combo of the remainders of two containers of chipotle in adobo from the freezer, two cloves of garlic, a squeeze of lime juice, salt, pepper, and some olive oil all blitzed in the food processor. I added some diced avocado and what was left in the fridge of Trader Joe's corn and chile salsa and a big dollop of sour cream. Burrito bowls are one of my favorite clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry meals and it's rare that I make it the same way twice. This was a particularly good meal because a lot of the stuff we had that needed to be used up lent itself well to burritos :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/05/recipe-moroccan-fish-with-mango-and-couscous/" target="_blank">Moroccan Fish with Mango Couscous</a> (100 Days of Real Food)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JkFB4m6MW0X-yj-kw9Q87IYqb7P3bFJyiCRAhyF1VoVPs2lHAKyijlWRz-pIDyZlKzZaVKd1hQhXhuUplM7nYY_enhki1uXWNTPDjxQfN9nKR_JJ4o1GEk5WRqNSgKq5CEMQQoDLZw/s1600/IMG_1702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JkFB4m6MW0X-yj-kw9Q87IYqb7P3bFJyiCRAhyF1VoVPs2lHAKyijlWRz-pIDyZlKzZaVKd1hQhXhuUplM7nYY_enhki1uXWNTPDjxQfN9nKR_JJ4o1GEk5WRqNSgKq5CEMQQoDLZw/s1600/IMG_1702.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is a fabulous weeknight meal. It came together SO quickly and was so light and healthy and flavorful. My mom gave me a jar of ras el hanout last year and I'm always looking for recipes where I can use it. Since it's a Moroccan spice blend, I just used 2 teaspoons of it here in place of the spice combo called for in the recipe. So yummy. I also detest pearl couscous (the texture is too slimy for me), so I used regular whole-wheat couscous instead. </div>
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/farfalle-with-chicken-porcini-mushroom-and-swiss-chard-recipe.html" target="_blank">Farfalle with Chicken, Porcini Mushroom, and Swiss Chard</a> (Giada de Laurentiis)</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmnFGKcn79q1JJkbsyWPTGQybHuYWu8OOJu4P3lSitgz4hKopsrzEHeYuzAtxhA5Y3hiaf7aO8N3e6E9uDOj4idASrsIEJNCHdgQwprGxNBHSg74Z6N658vMAd0Jr4OnXCPcCBcEJtw/s1600/IMG_1709.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></div>
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Holy crap, this was delicious. The mushrooms gave it a smoky flavor so that it almost tasted like there was bacon hiding in there somewhere. We fought over the leftovers, which is always the sign of a winner in our house. <br />
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/dal-nirvana/" target="_blank"> Dal Nirvana</a> with <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/naan/" target="_blank">Homemade Naan</a> (both recipes from Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rQuJ4Xsm4erXQCVv1D8dvyqZTvJ2Tsz3K-JmqjlYj3XgAkw1NcNN50PfcUjSvTno1tmkvRNtk7GGrBjkg5F6tKDus95MoTlKkS6VN0OL4db5CMlQssM3NkS_2tYMKAQImAo37wBgCg/s1600/IMG_1725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rQuJ4Xsm4erXQCVv1D8dvyqZTvJ2Tsz3K-JmqjlYj3XgAkw1NcNN50PfcUjSvTno1tmkvRNtk7GGrBjkg5F6tKDus95MoTlKkS6VN0OL4db5CMlQssM3NkS_2tYMKAQImAo37wBgCg/s1600/IMG_1725.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
I will never get tired of this meal. We are seriously lacking in the Indian food options up here, so I make it pretty regularly (with the trade-off that our house smells like curry for days after). This is probably my favorite of my handful of Indian go-tos. I normally just buy Trader Joe's frozen garlic naan, but we had this on Saturday so I made homemade. I promise you it's really quite simple; it just requires a bit of hands-on time. I think it's worth it though. The homemade is so much better...it tastes like naan you'd get at an actual restaurant. </div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-24464262204719425182014-12-05T02:45:00.000-05:002014-12-05T02:45:00.435-05:00Christmas CookiesToday is all about Christmas cookies! Last year I devoted one Saturday in December to a marathon cookie baking session while we had Christmas movies playing in the background. It was glorious. Our previously mentioned December travels mean that this weekend is my one shot at cookie baking, and I plan to take advantage of it. Last year I got a little carried away and became a bit of a cookie pusher, trying to force cookies on unsuspecting family, friends, and coworkers. So I'm going to try to cut back this year, and halve recipes where I can. The three cookie recipes that I will DEFINITELY be making this weekend:<br />
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<a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2011/12/17/peanut-butter-cup-coookie-butter-cookies/" target="_blank">Peanut Butter Cup Cookies</a> (Iowa Girl Eats)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNXhNZQpxdHE4f_y4EisJMEALfXOjy46QHUrrSKL7slp7ASZsKPmdUrGPxM9Pk9dwn6GRbHPPrRg-TckPNwtM7hlsric-cHm1eNAP_JMH7gRRzRQFZ_Eg4JUaXSMRQEM5AYFTaHZTAg/s1600/DSC_0606_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNXhNZQpxdHE4f_y4EisJMEALfXOjy46QHUrrSKL7slp7ASZsKPmdUrGPxM9Pk9dwn6GRbHPPrRg-TckPNwtM7hlsric-cHm1eNAP_JMH7gRRzRQFZ_Eg4JUaXSMRQEM5AYFTaHZTAg/s1600/DSC_0606_thumb.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
I stick with the classic peanut butter instead of her suggested use of cookie butter. These are M's favorite cookies and I will definitely NOT halve this recipe. These little guys are so, so good.<br />
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/christmas-cherries/" target="_blank">Christmas Cherries</a> (Pioneer Woman)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VjJ5H8wdHbeknh4-9M37xCtbIeZAKUQc0Fw7aGcocoHOWUuapdUi7qIVGEdubFw0nfiE8AjKW38Gm7B8ajcAo40FF4ZPyf-mTD6EgPZ2f62KKcj476e7e-B1TiMoQgp_bT10tLM3ow/s1600/5219306274_042550932e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VjJ5H8wdHbeknh4-9M37xCtbIeZAKUQc0Fw7aGcocoHOWUuapdUi7qIVGEdubFw0nfiE8AjKW38Gm7B8ajcAo40FF4ZPyf-mTD6EgPZ2f62KKcj476e7e-B1TiMoQgp_bT10tLM3ow/s1600/5219306274_042550932e_o.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
Ummm...yeah, I might double this recipe. These are my faaaaaavorite Christmas cookies. They are addictive. The citrus flavor is so refreshing, it almost makes you forget about the amount of butter involved. Also those little candied cherries remind me of the garnish my mom used to put on her homemade cream cheese braids, so there's a good deal of childhood nostalgia going for these.<br />
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fruitcake-cookies-recipe.html" target="_blank">Fruitcake Cookies</a> (Ina Garten)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkSuxxn_mJaHuOXgej8FaL0QHaRsVtG-5xpWYrtozBlJPC_7SyjvAl3Ej_H93zR7ygeRc9xxzK-vdtkvMSI7XvMax5P1cwRjM201cGSeWvQuoLE3yeWzVoWQ6O6xy4SkKQ0w6Ayy2Vg/s1600/BX0110_Dried-Fruit-Cookies_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkSuxxn_mJaHuOXgej8FaL0QHaRsVtG-5xpWYrtozBlJPC_7SyjvAl3Ej_H93zR7ygeRc9xxzK-vdtkvMSI7XvMax5P1cwRjM201cGSeWvQuoLE3yeWzVoWQ6O6xy4SkKQ0w6Ayy2Vg/s1600/BX0110_Dried-Fruit-Cookies_lg.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
There are two types of people in the world: people who like fruitcake and people who don't. I fall into the former category. But I think even fruitcake detractors could be swayed by these cookies. A few of these cookies with a cup of vanilla-cinnamon tea after dinner and I am in heaven. This recipe makes a ton of cookies, but it's an easy recipe to halve. You could also make the full recipe and just freeze one of the logs instead of baking it, which is what I did last year.<br />
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Those are our three traditional Christmas cookies (or as traditional as something can be after only 4 years of being a household). I like to try new recipes every year to audition new members of our exclusive cookie club. Last year I made pepparkakor and honestly? The dough was better than the cookies. The cookies were actually delicious, but they were kind of overshadowed by all of the other offerings. I also made Dinner: A Love Story's Mexican chocolate cookies (the recipe is in her first cookbook). I overbaked them but they were still awesome, especially with a cup of hot chocolate. That said, not sure they really felt like Christmas cookies to me. So here are the newbies I want to try this year:<br />
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<a href="http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2010/12/recipes-christmas-cookies-christmas.html" target="_blank">Christmas Sugar Cookies</a> (Jenny Steffens Hobick)</div>
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Like many people, I grew up making cut-out cookies with my mom and sister for Christmas. We had so much fun decorating them and picking out the prettiest ones to leave for Santa. I am terrified to make them as an adult, mainly because I'm a perfectionist and I'm pretty certain that since my cookie decorating skills haven't advanced much since the 3rd grade, I'm going to be wildly disappointed in the outcome. <br />
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/pignoli-cookies-recipe.html" target="_blank">Pignoli Cookies</a> (Anne Burrell)</div>
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I am a sucker for anything with pine nuts and since M is half-Italian, this seems like a fun nod to his heritage. <br />
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<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/buckeye-balls-0" target="_blank">Buckeyes</a> (Southern Living)</div>
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We made these every year growing up and I've just never made them as an adult. No hang-ups about them the way I do with cookies...I've just never done it. I don't know why; they're actually REALLY easy to make. Maybe this will be the year!<br />
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<a href="http://gardenandgun.com/article/bourbon-ball-recipe" target="_blank">Bourbon Balls</a> (Garden and Gun)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM0Xo_KEu6anE1rphAFQ3EihqStetKqB4ZRuVaaEpZ3KpLl3PmQ9N7k_SdSjNGAshkNAsksyVzmeDFUFKy__h-y5eSdWfCVsjJUea7TJQwjbjau7x56liivRAFAiqPCQ9lenHam3-CQ/s1600/700-bourbon-balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM0Xo_KEu6anE1rphAFQ3EihqStetKqB4ZRuVaaEpZ3KpLl3PmQ9N7k_SdSjNGAshkNAsksyVzmeDFUFKy__h-y5eSdWfCVsjJUea7TJQwjbjau7x56liivRAFAiqPCQ9lenHam3-CQ/s1600/700-bourbon-balls.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
I mean...chocolate + cookies + bourbon. I usually make hot cocoa mix and/or cheese straws to give as gifts to friends and coworkers and I feel like I can make room in the line-up for these babies. YUM.<br />
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Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-36688538376307418072014-12-04T10:15:00.001-05:002014-12-04T10:15:58.026-05:00Christmas in NYC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now that I've rolled out the waaaahmbulance, let's chat about one thing I am feeling decidedly un-Grinchy about: our upcoming trip to NYC. I used to travel to NY for work a lot and M went to school in Connecticut for 6 years, so he's no stranger to the city either. But it has been a loooooong time since either of us was in the city for fun, let alone there together. The first time we went together, we were still dating, stayed out way too late, and had to car service it back to our hotel waaaaay out on Long Island because I had a 5am flight to catch to a work conference. The second time we went, we were both there for work, I got a nasty case of food poisoning, and M had to buy a last minute exorbitantly-priced train ticket to accompany me home so I didn't throw up on anyone. So yeah...we are in need of a New York do-over. </div>
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Full disclosure: I have never been to New York at Christmas and I am so. freaking. excited. I am usually that obnoxious person who doesn't want to appear to be a tourist (which is so stupid, but there you have it), but I am going to be in full-on tourist mode and I do not even care. Your cynical NYC hearts can judge away; I am going to go full blown Elf/Home Alone 2 on the Rockefeller tree. I think we've managed to string together an itinerary that includes things we both want to do, although I know some of the cutesier things on the list we're only doing because M knows how excited I am about it all. He's a good egg. So here's what's in store...<br />
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<a href="http://bookofmormonbroadway.com/tickets" target="_blank">'Book of Mormon'</a>. Seeing a show on Broadway was on both of our lists. I've only ever seen Phantom on Broadway and that was almost 15 years ago. I think the last time M went was on a college date to see 'Rent', which was...not his cup of tea. 'Book of Mormon' was a no-brainer because 'South Park', duh. We are following this up with a trip to...<br />
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<a href="http://www.esquire.co.uk/food-drink/man-food/4292/shake-shack-burgers-rock-up-to-london/" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></em></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.shakeshack.com/location/theater-district/" target="_blank">Shake Shack</a>. Neither of us has been. I'm curious to see if it lives up to the hype and how it compares to In and Out Burger. Also, I am really excited at the prospect of cheese fries. <br />
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I spent a decent chunk of my childhood convinced that my career path would lead me straight to the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. It turns out that you have to be a good bit taller than 5'2" and the dance training is just slightly more rigorous than my twice-weekly classes at Floyd Ward School of Dance, so that didn't really work out for me. But I have never lost my fascination with the Rockettes. Seeing the <a href="http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/" target="_blank">Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular</a> has been on my bucket list for ages, so this is probably the one thing I am most excited about. This is probably what M is least looking forward to, but if the worst thing I make him do is spend a few hours watching gorgeous women in leotards kick their legs in the air, I think I'm good.<br />
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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-holiday-window-guide-2011-12#" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">1 and 2</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span></em><a href="http://brianfurbush.com/" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span></em><a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/29374/6-rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-facts" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span></em><a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/12/24/photos_gingerbread_house_contest_ma.php#photo-1" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></em></a> </div>
Christmas decorations. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the window displays and the giant ornaments and of course the Rockefeller Tree in Midtown. M really wants to go down to Little Italy and I've heard that they go all out on the Christmas lights, so that will be fun. Plus cannoli. We're also planning to check out the <a href="https://giving.cityharvest.org/gingerbread-extravaganza-2014" target="_blank">Gingerbread Extravaganza at Le Parker Meridien</a>; it looks so fun! Local pastry chefs and bakeries construct gingerbread displays based on the assigned theme "Made in New York" and they're all displayed in the lobby. It's free to look, but you can vote for your favorites for $1/vote and the money goes to City Harvest. Each vote also enters you a chance to win a 5-night stay at the Parker Palm Springs. The one above is the Occupy North Pole display from 2011 by Tribeca Sweets. It is absolutely hysterical, with elves holding signs such as "I want to be a dentist" and "Visions of Sugarplums Won't Feed my Elfin Kids". Love it. <br />
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We're capping off the trip with a dinner at <a href="http://www.babbonyc.com/" target="_blank">Babbo</a> :) Their Instagram account has posted some gorgeous pictures of their holiday décor and I can't think of a better way to end our trip than eating Mario Batali's food in front of a Christmas tree. <br />
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In between all of that, we're planning to meet up with friends, have some great meals and cocktails (definite stops at <a href="http://milkbarstore.com/" target="_blank">Milk Bar</a> for sweets and at <a href="http://ippudony.com/" target="_blank">Ippudo</a> for ramen), and just have fun wandering the city at Christmastime. I have a list of restaurants and bars to potentially check out, but it's mainly culled from random articles online. I'd love to hear your suggestions of places to go! </div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-3179385574744545072014-12-03T15:40:00.000-05:002014-12-03T15:40:10.346-05:00My Grinch-y Heart<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/grinch%20heart" target="_blank"><img alt="grinch heart photo: Grinch Heart Grow grinch_growing_heart.gif" border="0" src="http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w180/AngelofthePhoenix/grinch_growing_heart.gif" height="400" width="400" /></a>
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<em>Right now I'm here...</em></div>
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I'm in kind of a funk about the month of December. I don't know if it's because Thanksgiving was so late this year, but I just feel like Christmas is going to be here and gone before I've had time to properly enjoy it! I think some of this stems from how I feel about Thanksgiving.<br />
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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There's the food, of course, but it's really one of the only holidays we have that I feel like has very few cultural pressures. It's not religious, there are no gifts involved, it doesn't revolve around showing appropriate amounts of patriotism...it's just meant to be a time to gather and eat and just be. But anymore it feels like Thanksgiving is just supposed to be a prelude to Christmas. It's like the Christmas season starts the day after Halloween now and that just makes me grumpy. I see all of these people on social media who have put up their trees and Christmas lights by the end of the first week of November, quickly followed by a mid-November onslaught of bloggers posting gift guides. I start to feel stressed that now I'm somehow "behind" on Christmas, as though it's some sort of race.<br />
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On top of all of this is the fact that we will be travelling 2 out of the 3 weekends in December before Christmas. One of those weekends is to celebrate Christmas with M's family and another one of the weekends is going to NYC (more on that later). So it's not as though we're going to be out of town not doing fun, Christmas-y things. It's just that I realized when we got home from Thanksgiving that this weekend is pretty much my one shot at decorating the house and doing another marathon cookie baking session like I did last year. <br />
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M and I typically just exchange stockings, but our trip to NYC is our gift to each other this year. We celebrated Christmas with my family the night before Thanksgiving (complete with Christmas tree and falling snow!) and most of the gifts we're giving M's family are quite small in size, so there won't be any pretty wrapped gifts under the tree. <br />
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I'm also feeling a bit gloomy about the fact our holiday time with my family has already come and passed. We absolutely LOVE living in Vermont, but man, it's hard to be so far away from our families. We have our trip to Baltimore to look forward to seeing more of M's family (can't wait to get my hands on my little niece and nephew again!), but I don't know when I'll see my parents and sister again, which makes me incredibly sad, especially at this time of year. <br />
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Also we do not have a cute picture for our Christmas cards, which means I haven't ordered our cards yet, which is causing me an embarrassing amount of stress. <br />
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So yeah...feeling kind of blah in general. I'm hoping a weekend of cookie baking and wreath making and tree decorating will bring me to this:<br />
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Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-38832835548750599082014-11-24T11:25:00.005-05:002014-11-24T11:25:52.319-05:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/09/snap-challenge-creamy-chicken-black-bean-enchiladas/" target="_blank">Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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Are you tired of me posting Budget Bytes recipes yet? These were really tasty and surprisingly filling. I only had one for dinner but thought I could handle 2 for lunch the next day and couldn't hack it. So this definitely makes more on the side of 6-8 servings and since they were equally as tasty as leftovers, that counts as a winner in my book. </div>
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Tuesday night was Wine Club, which meant M was on his own for dinner. The ladies put together an incredible spread for our theme of Spanish Reds and tapas; my contribution was a bag of marcona almonds with rosemary and a container of tapenade, both courtesy of Trader Joe's. </div>
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M went and got all chef-y on me by whipping up a creation of his own and after he posted the picture on Instagram, there was a request for an M guest appearance on Menu Monday. Ask and ye shall receive. M's direct quote "Pasta, chicken, marinara, Italian seasoning, garlic, mozzarella...Add lovfe as an ingredient." I will translate for you: Cook 1 package of pasta (your choice) to the package instructions. Mix cooked pasta with a jar of marinara sauce (your choice), 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish and top with grated Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes; top with Parmesan cheese when it comes out of the oven. </div>
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On Wednesday night we had our last round of M's players over for dinner. I served Damn Delicious's One-Pot Chili Mac and Cheese, but since it was more like Damn boring and not particularly Delicious, I'm giving you a picture of M vacuuming before the kids showed up (so adorable) and the freaking amazing cookies I made for them. I used <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/all-time-favorite-chocolate-chip-cookies" target="_blank">my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe</a> but used a half a package of chocolate chips and an entire tub of Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups instead. <em>Insert heart eyes emoji here</em>. </div>
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<a href="http://www.dinneralovestory.com/last-nights-dinner-3/" target="_blank">Fried Chickpea Sandwiches with Roasted Cauliflower</a> (Dinner: A Love Story)</div>
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I thought this was pretty good and M ate it. No exactly a huge success, but not a failure. I have to say, for a set of recipes that are supposed to be weeknight friendly, there were a lot of steps (and clean-up) involved. Nothing challenging, but I'm not sure this would be what I consider a weeknight meal. It probably will not make a repeat appearance (although the yogurt sauce was hitting). </div>
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Last post this week since it's Thanksgiving! Enjoy your time celebrating with family and friends :)</div>
<br />Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-14623465763330022672014-11-21T04:24:00.000-05:002014-11-21T04:24:00.298-05:00Five on Friday: Thanksgiving<em>***This post contains affiliate links.***</em><br />
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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I am so looking forward to celebrating with my family next week and getting to meet our new niece and nephew. I haven't been home since March and I know this is going to be an extra emotional visit for us because it will be the last holiday we celebrate in the house I grew up in. (I got kind of weepy just typing that out.) And since we won't be spending Christmas with my family, we're having a little family Christmas celebration the night before Thanksgiving. My mom even bought a fake tree so that we can help decorate :) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJkClwImFpzJA7EOVhxkmOYl_nMtOvh2BsbJ6cfE5oX1l4YOHs678MFZEaoevVI3JOkTFdr7KpxDpBK7WcRCno1b-hTtaM2f7ppkaK2quPJRYBvIMbZfinYxAAm6yiWI3Gnu-f_7Bbg/s1600/thanksgiving-centerpiece-ideas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJkClwImFpzJA7EOVhxkmOYl_nMtOvh2BsbJ6cfE5oX1l4YOHs678MFZEaoevVI3JOkTFdr7KpxDpBK7WcRCno1b-hTtaM2f7ppkaK2quPJRYBvIMbZfinYxAAm6yiWI3Gnu-f_7Bbg/s1600/thanksgiving-centerpiece-ideas1.jpg" /></a></div>
1. Isn't this <a href="http://sbchic.com/2012/11/14/entertaining-thanksgiving-table-with-persimmons/" target="_blank">the most stunning Thanksgiving centerpiece</a> you've ever seen? I would be tempted to add in a few pheasant feathers, but wow. I can't stop looking at it. And it looks like it would be pretty easy to assemble, which is a bonus because I do not have a gift for floral arrangements. <br />
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2. When we do Thanksgiving with my family, the libations menu typically consists of beer, wine, and maybe a batch of <a href="http://snippetandink.com/preppy-blue-red-autumn-wedding/" target="_blank">our wedding cocktails</a> (which, admittedly are the perfect festive fall beverage). The Kitchn posted <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thanksgiving-pitcher-drink-recipe-amber-rush-cocktail-10-minute-happy-hour-212318" target="_blank">this recipe for a pitcher of Amber Rush cocktails</a> last week and it just looks so fun! I love the way the star anise looks floating in the pitcher and the combination of rye, citrus, and spiced honey syrup (with the suggested addition of a little ginger beer) sounds pretty spot on.<br />
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3. As a rule, I don't think the Thanksgiving menu should be messed with. This meal is not the time to trot out newfangled recipes. It is all about the humble classics. With that said, I am making something a little bit different for dessert this year. There will still be pumpkin and apple pies (duh) and I got <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=548-51&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbelleonheels.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F11%2Fmenu-and-things.html&pin=108367934757355725" target="_blank">my pecan pie</a> fix at our Worksgiving celebration yesterday (pictured above), but I'm trying out a recipe for Buche de Thanksgiving. I typically make a Buche de Noel log for Christmas every year and when I saw this recipe in <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-on-friday_10.html" target="_blank">my 'Cold Weather Cooking' cookbook</a>, I knew I had to try it. Pumpkin cake + cream cheese and toffee filling? Hello, yes please! I'll be sure to snap some pictures and if it's any good, I'll share the recipe. (I've looked everywhere online for it with no luck.)<br />
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4. I am in love with the idea of hosting Thanksgiving one day. It's one of those things that I dreamed of as a little girl (is that weird?) and I feel like I still won't really be a grown-up until I've hosted a Thanksgiving of my very own. While our current situation doesn't make that likely to happen anytime soon, I can still dream. Right now those dreams pretty much take the form of setting the table (again, probably weird). I have a thing for china and serveware and my current dream table setting includes this <a href="http://bit.ly/1ufzBcX" target="_blank">pheasant gravy boat</a>, the <a href="http://bit.ly/1r1GYok" target="_blank">turkey platter</a> that goes with my beloved Spode Woodland china, and <a href="http://www.jaysonhome.com/accessories/tabletop/branch-brass-servers.html" target="_blank">these rustic glam servers</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/holiday-recipe-classic-sage-onion-dressing-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196063" target="_blank">via</a></div>
5. Stuffing or dressing? This is a hot debate in our house. I come from a family of people who are decidedly dressing only. My grandmama makes the most amazing dressing from old biscuits, rolls, and Saltine crackers. I cannot wait to dig in next week! M's family is dedicated to stuffing. (M does make an exception for oyster dressing.) I'm normally not very squirmish when it comes to food, but I am completely scared of and grossed out by stuffing and absolutely will not touch it. So what side of the aisle do you fall on? Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-42845285286262022242014-11-17T14:11:00.005-05:002014-11-17T14:11:57.853-05:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This week's post will be short and sweet. Between M's travelling for work and our big Junior League fundraiser last Thursday evening, there have been more than a few nights of take-out/sandwiches/leftovers for dinner!</div>
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<a href="http://nutmegnotebook.com/2011/06/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-2/" target="_blank">Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad</a> (Nutmeg Notebook)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmb3ZzA5XtzgrWI9JHN1AnM9KPdyCZD3KZ7JosTrOy3AcUzryTuyiz74oNvdhIyjuEvY6MfKiyClh3Zcwz1nfHlfm2083TRYFMkEpTXG5col26wjE6F64QBbH4uRcsofxZ1Hhm6UBvg/s1600/IMG_1552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmb3ZzA5XtzgrWI9JHN1AnM9KPdyCZD3KZ7JosTrOy3AcUzryTuyiz74oNvdhIyjuEvY6MfKiyClh3Zcwz1nfHlfm2083TRYFMkEpTXG5col26wjE6F64QBbH4uRcsofxZ1Hhm6UBvg/s1600/IMG_1552.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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This recipe is an old stand-by when I'm feeling like a big, fresh salad for dinner. It's easy to throw together, makes a ton, and unlike many salads, doesn't get so gross and soggy that you can't enjoy the leftovers. Plus, look how pretty it is! It's like a little party on your plate.</div>
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/10/quinoa-fiesta-enchilada-bake.html" target="_blank">Quinoa Fiesta Enchilada Bake</a> (Skinnytaste)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZq-GCl2ZnQYGR5BFk9V4ABGFnBBU25CcfYg8HxCnSysxTpnOHo1gCDZVkMFl8iEbQ19jqCxvfRnJvclXDYLrjEdwfOrhqKjkbwsBNeBBvIW8bYc5UlmEPJv64e2oqzBw09Th0Qu3nw/s1600/IMG_1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZq-GCl2ZnQYGR5BFk9V4ABGFnBBU25CcfYg8HxCnSysxTpnOHo1gCDZVkMFl8iEbQ19jqCxvfRnJvclXDYLrjEdwfOrhqKjkbwsBNeBBvIW8bYc5UlmEPJv64e2oqzBw09Th0Qu3nw/s1600/IMG_1543.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gina wins again. This was delicious and quite filling. I served it (like I do almost all of our Tex-Mex Tuesday meals) with a side of sliced mango and kiwi. Bonus points for minimal dirty dishes. </div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/09/snap-challenge-penne-pasta-sausage-greens/" target="_blank">Penne with Sausage and Greens</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuenNNbCDVQxfqwsdEPql8-my7S0B6kxoUXMoJ4GmQwNG3eAvbRHUfMrT6Gu71W9sziXM0MY5gwmSK3VRQuZbVApHjt9Bl6eEZLqHFUjk1-8imts6dbkVJfkj9aCS9Qnl9PVdjP2QfQ/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuenNNbCDVQxfqwsdEPql8-my7S0B6kxoUXMoJ4GmQwNG3eAvbRHUfMrT6Gu71W9sziXM0MY5gwmSK3VRQuZbVApHjt9Bl6eEZLqHFUjk1-8imts6dbkVJfkj9aCS9Qnl9PVdjP2QfQ/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Meh. M seemed to enjoy this a lot more than I did. I just felt like the sauce was way too overpowering; I could barely taste any of the other flavors. M had 2 servings at dinner and polished off the leftovers, so obviously it didn't bother him. But I doubt I'll make this one again. </div>
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<a href="http://www.freckledcitizen.com/2010/11/savoring-season-butternut-squash-soup.html" target="_blank">Butternut Squash Soup</a> (Freckled Citizen)</div>
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My FAVORITE butternut squash soup recipe! As in, I pretty much don't make any others except for this one. Something about the Greek yogurt in the soup and then the almost-smoky mushrooms on top...yum, yum, yum. </div>
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Happy eating!Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-10185518454238360572014-11-10T03:40:00.000-05:002014-11-10T03:40:00.378-05:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Two weeks worth of meals in this post since I forgot about last week.</div>
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Two weeks ago I went on a mission to clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry of all of the random, half-used up ingredients just taking up space. This led to some interesting, but not bad, meals.</div>
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Chicken Noodle Soup</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjEQYctKcop90TtB2dmMXEi_sQHmGMUuRkUoWYhsHNIFKQRhv9-l2_5rjHLrSgJQ_SW1mhFE6kVuE8ZyY_NSzXxAVDeUbr-3Y3kIWoNYgq3lGr8i2oH_CLRCQk3gY4ZQxpor0hxSDuw/s1600/IMG_1390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjEQYctKcop90TtB2dmMXEi_sQHmGMUuRkUoWYhsHNIFKQRhv9-l2_5rjHLrSgJQ_SW1mhFE6kVuE8ZyY_NSzXxAVDeUbr-3Y3kIWoNYgq3lGr8i2oH_CLRCQk3gY4ZQxpor0hxSDuw/s1600/IMG_1390.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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I never use a recipe for chicken noodle soup, so this is a perfect meal for getting rid of whatever you've got on hand. I used half a bag of egg noodles, homemade stock from the freezer, the remains of a rotisserie chicken, a few mushrooms leftover from a recipe the week before, and then the usual carrot/celery/onion suspects. I added a little tarragon and that was it. Served with half of a leftover baguette that was in the freezer.</div>
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Random Sh*t Pizza</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jWgYyXMPKOHSojxibppx1N1dvD5C9WORHfw3HU870c8mVhGf_XnXguwcBKUgK9-0w0O9C-wRXs2SKQsc59aJogQMUSX9s5zDHHO1AtX6zDXqmUMn9ypVc_AckArdygRkv6a5iqdISw/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jWgYyXMPKOHSojxibppx1N1dvD5C9WORHfw3HU870c8mVhGf_XnXguwcBKUgK9-0w0O9C-wRXs2SKQsc59aJogQMUSX9s5zDHHO1AtX6zDXqmUMn9ypVc_AckArdygRkv6a5iqdISw/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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By far the most random meal I've made in a while, but it was surprisingly tast. Smitten Kitchen lazy pizza dough from the freezer, the leftovers of a can of tomato sauce from a previous recipe, a few leftover chicken apple sausage from Trader Joe's, the rest of a block of Trader Joe's caramelized onion cheddar, and some arugula sprinkled on top once it came out of the oven. Baked it at 500 degrees for 12-ish minutes. </div>
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/pasta-with-roasted-red-pepper-sauce-groan/" target="_blank">Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce</a> (Pioneer Woman)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElOpEfHJNAvmOMCySTHEqYrJJ7tIYugrvxtrpAWRfQI0E8cR08W2ce999oqlLUCCfDa9yNeP3Atq4r1in8VJMQbOJfMwXcxQpqlRkLJPD4A6ZoXuDju8xPl-llD_QD_Xt8KXriV3bLg/s1600/IMG_1415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElOpEfHJNAvmOMCySTHEqYrJJ7tIYugrvxtrpAWRfQI0E8cR08W2ce999oqlLUCCfDa9yNeP3Atq4r1in8VJMQbOJfMwXcxQpqlRkLJPD4A6ZoXuDju8xPl-llD_QD_Xt8KXriV3bLg/s1600/IMG_1415.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had planned to just have a PB&J sandwich for dinner this night because M was headed out of town right after work. But I realized I had all of the ingredients on hand (I used a jar of roasted red peppers) for PW's roasted red pepper sauce (one of my favorite recipes ever), so I was able to whip this up (and stir in some of that arugula I'm trying to beat the rot clock on) for a nice little meal for two before M had to leave.</div>
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Last week's meals:</div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/05/chana-saag/" target="_blank">Chana Saag</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSB8gq7GntTeyirB3GUEQTCuklo08o-OWt-Otqqr-FhRPHIwpU1LQHCOkHZVSwMpNviWN0_rdau8MpFyE_2owRVhv-bJTP3bWXNEdB5F1eugrVHS61e2275strfGH8O63bkQ9UY5rdnA/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSB8gq7GntTeyirB3GUEQTCuklo08o-OWt-Otqqr-FhRPHIwpU1LQHCOkHZVSwMpNviWN0_rdau8MpFyE_2owRVhv-bJTP3bWXNEdB5F1eugrVHS61e2275strfGH8O63bkQ9UY5rdnA/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't know if I've ever posted about this recipe before, but OMG I LOVE IT SO GOOD. There is a real lack of good Mexican and Indian food up here, so I've gotten quite adept at making Indian food at home (I save Mexican food for trips back home). This served with some rice (usually basmati or jasmine...whatever I have on hand) and some Trader Joe's frozen garlic naan...GROAN. Bonus that is makes a ton and is equally delicious leftover.</div>
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<a href="http://elefantitasalegres.blogspot.com/2010/06/taco-burrito-whats-comin-outta-your.html" target="_blank">Tacos</a> (Elefantitas Alegres)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyCdk3OMXrQhQ1VkhbD9CrObJZX-O6rN5gSb2ImH-H3NwpZydUG343atskc9_DKS1HTWVdNoo2XPa4AKmSGcoGCzEmkd5ONa2zV8FtkjPjncd9fi9v3OSbpn8L4Uq4MfbY_Hk-1MWJA/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyCdk3OMXrQhQ1VkhbD9CrObJZX-O6rN5gSb2ImH-H3NwpZydUG343atskc9_DKS1HTWVdNoo2XPa4AKmSGcoGCzEmkd5ONa2zV8FtkjPjncd9fi9v3OSbpn8L4Uq4MfbY_Hk-1MWJA/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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I used 93/7 ground turkey, added some chopped garlic to the onions, and didn't drain the meat/onion mixture. I also used Budget Bytes' recipe for homemade taco seasoning, including the cornstarch and doubling the amount of cayenne pepper. Big hit with M. We enjoyed the leftovers with some scrambled eggs the next morning. Yay breakfast tacos!</div>
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Chicken Tetrazzini (my mom's recipe)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTVxkhznUTa6whvHdABNAncoGBQIbydftPA1hDSWRSOMKeRUYzOUCTxaykq3Ca6X35yRJx1kmUPo4Vc1BSq9dDICfUXZMHC5nLRl-NSj77ToNR2sd9O6Cf9X5WvmtLdq8hGrSwuOeAg/s1600/IMG_1435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTVxkhznUTa6whvHdABNAncoGBQIbydftPA1hDSWRSOMKeRUYzOUCTxaykq3Ca6X35yRJx1kmUPo4Vc1BSq9dDICfUXZMHC5nLRl-NSj77ToNR2sd9O6Cf9X5WvmtLdq8hGrSwuOeAg/s1600/IMG_1435.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Every other week for the past 6 weeks or so, we've been hosting a group of M's players for dinners. We started with the seniors, then juniors. Last Wednesday was the sophomores. I keep forgetting to take pictures, so here you get a picture of the table set before they arrived.</div>
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I made my mom's recipe for chicken tetrazzini (below), although I doubled it and I always add some frozen peas to the mix (I just add them in with the chicken and eyeball the amount). </div>
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Fair warning: this is NOT a figure-friendly meal. It is, however, delicious.</div>
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/sausage-kale-skillet/" target="_blank">Sausage and Kale Skillet</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfbSOBLZXr-U5aaTXW2_C10RpPGZujYFAWDQyJ76PyfPV1RDBGkEIvmt2PiJCBLaVp8A0X7hp7hgS6HGQar-wvR5GMW4l7DubWBcju7slGvRYvG5fjcfolSbi8KhNd2jEHWAPNvJL_Q/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfbSOBLZXr-U5aaTXW2_C10RpPGZujYFAWDQyJ76PyfPV1RDBGkEIvmt2PiJCBLaVp8A0X7hp7hgS6HGQar-wvR5GMW4l7DubWBcju7slGvRYvG5fjcfolSbi8KhNd2jEHWAPNvJL_Q/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is so gross looking, I'm sorry. But it was really, really tasty. And maybe one of the fastest/easiest meals to make. I followed the recipe exactly and served with leftover garlic bread. This one's going on the repeat list fo' sho.</div>
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There you have it: two weeks worth of meals in our house. Not always pretty, but pretty damn tasty. </div>
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<br />Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-46762633952222075462014-11-07T09:28:00.000-05:002014-11-07T16:00:01.629-05:00Five on Friday1. I know I already shared this on Instagram, but it's too great not to share here too. My mom works for Orvis and a few weeks ago they received the following email: <br />
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<em>We are being visited this week by a friendly mallard duck, who has been greeting associates at the entrance all morning.</em></div>
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<em>A wild bird expert I contacted told me he is fine, has recently molted (lost his flying feathers) and is probably seeking a quiet place to hang out away from the pond while his feathers grow back. He is harmless and will probably waddle away when he gets hungry or thirsty.<u></u><u></u></em><br />
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<em>The bird expert I spoke with said <b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">we should not feed the <span class="il">duck</span></span></b>. Not only are the foods we have here not particularly good for the <span class="il">duck</span>…if we feed him, he might get confused and decide this is a good place for him to stay. <u></u><u></u></em></div>
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<em>That said, please don’t feed the <span class="il">duck</span>, watch your step around the entrance to the building, and be extra careful driving in the HR parking lot. We don’t want to hurt or confuse our <span class="il">duck</span> friend as he resolves his own unique and personal issues!</em></div>
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On Wednesday, I received the following text from my mother:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNm6fKMSfRYO9Ef1O8eiN01k3yOWUn7JVJu7Jk88VHywZPmV8Zq0SHnuv6Hc6WhbQysGXFaNzBhuFhfq1ib_Qdj8wKT1pKpdL3qlOAO7hX-OxNkoaNhaYscFbmwP35ucuYFHXo4KGYyg/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNm6fKMSfRYO9Ef1O8eiN01k3yOWUn7JVJu7Jk88VHywZPmV8Zq0SHnuv6Hc6WhbQysGXFaNzBhuFhfq1ib_Qdj8wKT1pKpdL3qlOAO7hX-OxNkoaNhaYscFbmwP35ucuYFHXo4KGYyg/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Apparently he also now quacks when greeted. I know they are still working with the wildlife expert to make sure their little friend is A-OK, but I can't help but anthropomorphize here and think the little guy looks like he would like to come inside and join the folks in Finance. I'm quite jealous; I really wish we had an office duck at my workplace!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpBRgSHMWvZmZt-t6C02AmBq2SS6OccPSrxTflCqN91_R7MsyPJVoz4CqUz6rQxLRqiX6caj_1VXjpmA6RYSBBflWDXGp0Kdd6Scfu5FTBoAKFkQJbmlL8-YX7Cw2k5ewokYN1o4QHg/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-10-28+at+11_36_12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpBRgSHMWvZmZt-t6C02AmBq2SS6OccPSrxTflCqN91_R7MsyPJVoz4CqUz6rQxLRqiX6caj_1VXjpmA6RYSBBflWDXGp0Kdd6Scfu5FTBoAKFkQJbmlL8-YX7Cw2k5ewokYN1o4QHg/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-10-28+at+11_36_12+AM.png" /></a></div>
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2. Forget everything I said about not being into dressing up for Halloween. Next year I'm going as Ina. Now I just need to convince M to go as a bottle of "good" vanilla or olive oil or Jeffrey. (<a href="http://foodnfemininity.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-food-tv-halloween-costumes-ina.html" target="_blank">Thanks to Food & Femininity for the inspiration!)</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD_DMcohmJRbA22kUIBXzwFgFj7yOHryjE_usL_SokZj3QftHzJYm60v34dkb3o15ha7cIuKpJrFjFvHigSFZIZpDKTVvnxUKwXAaPMgt5yNaiQtSELPduv2ly2au7iQUAoDNCKtTiQ/s1600/74fe3962b338de582bf0ae37543707bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD_DMcohmJRbA22kUIBXzwFgFj7yOHryjE_usL_SokZj3QftHzJYm60v34dkb3o15ha7cIuKpJrFjFvHigSFZIZpDKTVvnxUKwXAaPMgt5yNaiQtSELPduv2ly2au7iQUAoDNCKtTiQ/s1600/74fe3962b338de582bf0ae37543707bd.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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3. I love, love, LOVE the idea of giving <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/171317693/wedding-date-necklace-due-date-necklace?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share" target="_blank">this necklace</a> to a new mama or a recently married friend. I happen to have some engaged friends and some pregnant friends, so ladies, please act surprised when you receive this from me :) M, this would make a wonderful gift for your wife (hint, hint, wink, wink).</div>
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4. I'm an aunt! My sister-in-law gave birth to the most beautiful twins early yesterday morning. I am counting down the days until I get to meet my adorable niece and nephew!!!!!</div>
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5. Truth. </div>
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Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-70272274293948046362014-10-31T02:39:00.000-04:002014-10-31T02:39:00.331-04:00Five on Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsaAXuO5kdJ3CQu9iO7QU4oZ8kpJUpMkQVzOF_tnsMIMMjUBvtB7zSxfDOk3H4EBp8d5R8aiv8KRFAlNXeiA1TVKTUYyUZ7rg3WyBu2efCkoszwUtH0m55iGdtRcWrb70PbJe9iwBOw/s1600/10421490_792270620831822_8992756736388942066_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsaAXuO5kdJ3CQu9iO7QU4oZ8kpJUpMkQVzOF_tnsMIMMjUBvtB7zSxfDOk3H4EBp8d5R8aiv8KRFAlNXeiA1TVKTUYyUZ7rg3WyBu2efCkoszwUtH0m55iGdtRcWrb70PbJe9iwBOw/s1600/10421490_792270620831822_8992756736388942066_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Happy Halloween! This week has been exhausting, so I'll be playing the part of grumpy witch tonight. Instead of dressing up and/or handing out candy tonight, I plan to be curled up on the couch in my PJs eating take-out sushi with the porch lights turned off. Good thing there aren't a lot of kids or teenagers in our neighborhood, or I might be waking up to a house covered in eggs tomorrow...<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.gq.com/style/guide/201410/gq-style-fall-2014-influencer-wes-anderson" target="_blank">Great article</a> on the inimitable Wes Anderson. #hatersgonnahate<br />
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2. Will be picking Halloween M&M's on clearance this weekend and making <a href="http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/sweet-and-salty-marshmallow-popcorn/#comments" target="_blank">this popcorn-marshmallow-candy confection</a> immediately.<br />
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<a href="http://www.improvementscatalog.com/imp/300550?cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-HarvestDecor-_-2014-_-454677&mr:trackingCode=B39B6E1A-BE2D-E311-B4BF-001B21BCC0BC&mr:referralID=NA&mr:filter=99430685092&intlShippingCtx=US%7CUSD&code-macs=MP4XW091&mr:ad=43978011052&mr:device=c&mr:match=&SourceCode=MP4XW091&mr:adType=pla&mr:keyword=&redirect=y" target="_blank">1</a> // <a href="http://www.themagnoliacompany.com/p/DMW217.html#.VFJ9hTTF9Px" target="_blank">2</a></div>
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3. I love the way these turkey pheasant and magnolia wreaths look. The perfect wreath for this time of year.<br />
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4. <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2014/10/army-coats.html" target="_blank">I wrote about army coats and military parkas</a>, so <a href="http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/2014/10/fashion-friday-still-staple-coat.html" target="_blank">Elements of Style</a> and <a href="http://habituallychic.luxury/2014/10/indian-summer-inspiration/" target="_blank">Habitually Chic</a> wrote about army coats and military parkas. You guys, I am obviously a MAY-JAH (that's "major" in Victoria Beckham speak) trendsetter. Word to the wise, I got that Gap coat and it runs HUGE.<br />
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5. My laptop is officially dead. We've had a good run these last 7.5 years, but it is dead and the kind folks at Apple informed me that my old Macbook is considered "<a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1752" target="_blank">vintage</a>", which means they no longer make the parts to repair it. That sounds a bit like a rip-off to me, but whatever. My needs are pretty simple when it comes to a replacement: I want something that I can run Microsoft Office on for those rare occasions when I bring work home. I don't want a tablet (I think). Mainly I use it for blogging, online shopping, social media stalking, uploading pictures, and watching the occasional movie. I'm leaning towards the adorably small 11-in Macbook Air. I am not tech-savvy in the slightest bit. I just want something that works and that I can tote around with reasonable ease. What say you, interwebs? What do you have? Do you like it? Do you have it? What do I need that will meet my basic needs and not have me shelling out $$$ for fancy things that I will never use or understand?<br />
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<br />Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-45848948040820529852014-10-29T01:44:00.000-04:002014-10-29T01:44:00.626-04:00Three Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6azCfjj1p5WLtseuTTuoEABvjLHTG2CkxNcYsyViWJcOcaYH7JeOZykAbjxu4KHs3zDMwEGVoi_cjsEKHkPkZlVDbT5sNNwXVjaCKfOKoCtiDs4LFhCig-1LPSMA01q5j2XCTkyI-w/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6azCfjj1p5WLtseuTTuoEABvjLHTG2CkxNcYsyViWJcOcaYH7JeOZykAbjxu4KHs3zDMwEGVoi_cjsEKHkPkZlVDbT5sNNwXVjaCKfOKoCtiDs4LFhCig-1LPSMA01q5j2XCTkyI-w/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0797.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was dancing. </div>
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There was smooching. </div>
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There was pie. </div>
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There were family and friends. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd18jXjirfAHZSAIgQ5oKoxj4EabXJeMI5xEOdctPg6FU102rQdMrrqyAkZ-OrUBq0FdzY-XsiYjhPe13MIM6hS6Tl24vneLrac0p9z1_9iXsjMSnay1hMC7lOFESL1WlS07Q_tKjcw/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd18jXjirfAHZSAIgQ5oKoxj4EabXJeMI5xEOdctPg6FU102rQdMrrqyAkZ-OrUBq0FdzY-XsiYjhPe13MIM6hS6Tl24vneLrac0p9z1_9iXsjMSnay1hMC7lOFESL1WlS07Q_tKjcw/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0004.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was a freak snowstorm the night before. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMraL3eWORBsTQ5PtaMGYUxrGpaxIeQPijz8fljpmeKSAXCyGv2TLDJMmu8SujFAudvKHMeUakTwvwmRNiC8IOY-v7XVCqU_nZKFX5M3V49uDNwJACL3W_9xPD8XtmzAP3G5tQiqqtmQ/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMraL3eWORBsTQ5PtaMGYUxrGpaxIeQPijz8fljpmeKSAXCyGv2TLDJMmu8SujFAudvKHMeUakTwvwmRNiC8IOY-v7XVCqU_nZKFX5M3V49uDNwJACL3W_9xPD8XtmzAP3G5tQiqqtmQ/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0259.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nbUNLJEUCxestA9jJUOVxsLF6X4aQ62t4l8ImjiYUfRxcPus6c3aQyEwaG4WZmiRrYvM6JsMFD0DErlpatAs86CJjOeKmTB1AfaPwAtc6UYZPsoedYQXiBWfrYEqhELvir4gBMqqcQ/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nbUNLJEUCxestA9jJUOVxsLF6X4aQ62t4l8ImjiYUfRxcPus6c3aQyEwaG4WZmiRrYvM6JsMFD0DErlpatAs86CJjOeKmTB1AfaPwAtc6UYZPsoedYQXiBWfrYEqhELvir4gBMqqcQ/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0243.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIztxA1-tEeeSlv_KpKOmUdlHeAeDFvfn202VJg356wEz-5aVynMu85n6orvImdiM0_P4fEj28eBgArcsdEXNKrIWfEnYeFAyz76N0QVIiRFOLDHztW5iz3hR_swkn1F8PHOveDYf4Zg/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIztxA1-tEeeSlv_KpKOmUdlHeAeDFvfn202VJg356wEz-5aVynMu85n6orvImdiM0_P4fEj28eBgArcsdEXNKrIWfEnYeFAyz76N0QVIiRFOLDHztW5iz3hR_swkn1F8PHOveDYf4Zg/s1600/sarahandmikewedding0872.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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But most importantly, there was the beginning of a marriage.</div>
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It's been a hell of a journey so far. I love you, M. Thank you for 3 wonderful years and the many more ahead of us. Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-26024740636881603022014-10-28T02:48:00.000-04:002014-10-28T02:48:00.671-04:00Just for laughsA few weeks ago I tweeted about the weirdo Matthew McConaughey commericals for Lincoln and was relieved to find out that I'm not the only one who just doesn't get it. They are all major strange rangers, but the one with the bull absolutely kills me. They are ridiculous.<br />
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And on Saturday night, the genius that is Jim Carrey + SNL writers gave the world a gift:<br />
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Jim Carrey is spot on. </div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-1923377438326584222014-10-27T14:29:00.000-04:002014-10-27T14:29:19.330-04:00Menu Monday<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/343998/tomato-soup-with-bacon-grilled-cheese?dXFn&dQZn/" target="_blank">Tomato Soup with Bacon Grilled Cheese</a> (Martha Stewart)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFAtj-rebgQoZ-6B39Gv1r5fAt06PmE5ppRR-dO7xZY1WXQnhbJ_JPi3M6jAFznnIBL7bBpU6OJ9_4ciex3n9nKfE2wtj8jZca2FEPQrbwcXvw-XMqAPOZlLD_417dZ6rO_Yhv43tZQ/s1600/IMG_1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFAtj-rebgQoZ-6B39Gv1r5fAt06PmE5ppRR-dO7xZY1WXQnhbJ_JPi3M6jAFznnIBL7bBpU6OJ9_4ciex3n9nKfE2wtj8jZca2FEPQrbwcXvw-XMqAPOZlLD_417dZ6rO_Yhv43tZQ/s1600/IMG_1366.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last week we officially turned the corner from glorious fall weather to what I call pre-November weather. November in Vermont is gross. (Clearly I am an expert, having spent all of one November here). But that impression has been confirmed by many others who have seen more than their fair share of Vermont Novembers. It's just gross and cold and rainy/sleety/not-pretty snowy. So what was supposed to be last week's Soup Sunday got bumped to Monday night. It was soup weather and this hit the spot. Note that the recipe only makes one serving, so I doubled and found that the soup actually made more like 3 servings. </div>
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/11/farro-and-sausage-stuffed-roasted-acorn.html" target="_blank">Farro and Sausage Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash</a> (Skinnytaste)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ktzTtn-cIUE1BPCYokGjPnrE-Zh-O_FMSzMB9JTCNRnVfQBoZR3e5aYRcEbY16_ht-pXnElnX5-rlTQSJC77oCt57JY00xmiWZA_tM5w2ahDZld7GWw2PmoFXkHkI2F1XSbBRdvqwg/s1600/IMG_1359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ktzTtn-cIUE1BPCYokGjPnrE-Zh-O_FMSzMB9JTCNRnVfQBoZR3e5aYRcEbY16_ht-pXnElnX5-rlTQSJC77oCt57JY00xmiWZA_tM5w2ahDZld7GWw2PmoFXkHkI2F1XSbBRdvqwg/s1600/IMG_1359.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gina can do no wrong in my eyes. This was easy and delicious. I used finely chopped Trader Joe's sweet chicken apple sausages because it seemed extra fall-ish. Only complaint is that there wasn't enough stuffing. I would double the stuffing next time (although that would clearly negate some of the skinny status). </div>
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/" target="_blank">The Best Lasagna Ever</a> (Pioneer Woman)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSYVfhOWwEoNiSfnwlWkuKsKbYUp5XXHqGV3fkYCbLneFbrAMLohyXaz88i_mVxS_DWW8VDT9-18ldox5x5K8EjtCvb_8LOR-_7HdUqmFNReJ-GmAQSck29V3ixUkSRNgjjGli21YlA/s1600/IMG_1351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSYVfhOWwEoNiSfnwlWkuKsKbYUp5XXHqGV3fkYCbLneFbrAMLohyXaz88i_mVxS_DWW8VDT9-18ldox5x5K8EjtCvb_8LOR-_7HdUqmFNReJ-GmAQSck29V3ixUkSRNgjjGli21YlA/s1600/IMG_1351.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
It really is the best lasagna ever. I've <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2013/02/menu-tuesday.html" target="_blank">written about it before</a>. M pretty much always requests this for his birthday dinner. So when we had 3 of his players over for dinner last week, this was what I made. Normally I split the recipe into 2 8x8 pans: one for us to eat now, one to freeze for later. Even then, we typically have leftovers (it's so rich and heavy). I made a full pan this time and we had one tiny piece left. Not pictured is the two boxes of garlic knots that they demolished, an overflowing bowl of Caesar salad that disappeared in record speed, and <a href="http://belleonheels.blogspot.com/2014/10/weekend-sweets.html" target="_blank">last week's peanut butter pie</a>. College athletes eat a ton of food. <br />
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<a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/vegan-red-beans-rice/" target="_blank">Vegan Red Beans and Rice</a> (Budget Bytes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nTX9ocYMDdiE1YF4uS3j6DAU6m6hyphenhyphenxj2ROFs9A_Qj2r_v-c7F1G2XJxr9rVMrmXo5CmWuozjGcHuVYQaAJgTe0sMLM1z8oGRZV3zbR7vTKeSR9pltObqRcMOk-8B4sC9kYYyTk_1-w/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nTX9ocYMDdiE1YF4uS3j6DAU6m6hyphenhyphenxj2ROFs9A_Qj2r_v-c7F1G2XJxr9rVMrmXo5CmWuozjGcHuVYQaAJgTe0sMLM1z8oGRZV3zbR7vTKeSR9pltObqRcMOk-8B4sC9kYYyTk_1-w/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
I feel like including vegan in the title of this recipe may scare people off, but it really shouldn't. There's no frankenfauxmeat or any funky ingredients involved. It's just a naturally vegan recipe when you leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock. I made this last year for Mardi Gras and honestly it's kind of shocking how much meat-like flavor the smoked paprika adds. It seriously tastes like there's some sort of delicious smoked pork product in there, but it is completely animal free. I highly recommend you take up Beth on her suggestion to add a little bit of coconut oil to each serving. <br />
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<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/338345/spicy-enchiladas-with-pumpkin-sauce" target="_blank">Spicy Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce</a> (Martha Stewart)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14zXEVcXgIOxcM0G3TCS95Mh0DlIpqtrEbOuOY2OtUnDpgSLiIdiBgGudPQwmcNYvN3eRdlCOdk6kOYNcfTmwUXzp9WfkRkFe8Ep036NeKvRg85dbzRUZ1slTaQq_9VgkcwOfM20V7A/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14zXEVcXgIOxcM0G3TCS95Mh0DlIpqtrEbOuOY2OtUnDpgSLiIdiBgGudPQwmcNYvN3eRdlCOdk6kOYNcfTmwUXzp9WfkRkFe8Ep036NeKvRg85dbzRUZ1slTaQq_9VgkcwOfM20V7A/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This recipe was huge in the preppy blogosphere in 2009. It's an old fall favorite in our house. I struggle to get the right balance of spice. If you leave in all of the jalapeno ribs and seeds, it's a little too spicy for me. But if you take them all out, it's not hot at all. I'm still trying to figure out the perfect amount. I use half of a rotisserie chicken here.</div>
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Also, I apologize for the gross picture, but WARNING: do NOT use Trader Joe's canned pumpkin for this. For some reason, their canned pumpkin has a lot more liquid than other brands and it made for a really soupy sauce. Hence the gross picture. Normally the sauce is much thicker. Lesson learned. </div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-26579939994426263852014-10-24T01:07:00.000-04:002014-10-24T01:07:00.047-04:00Five on Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>***This post contains affiliate links.***</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B7np5akSXF1yF8Kr8xyJ_6ddrki8UfeehxmD7rHHvttf-5vU-spPsCTR8_7ds-5_7yixVqG1GvId-AHZQj7COiADgYnd86G6gg_VGkUZ8tNxIsHVOf0tXDsPVsIhioDUZGeJD9USig/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B7np5akSXF1yF8Kr8xyJ_6ddrki8UfeehxmD7rHHvttf-5vU-spPsCTR8_7ds-5_7yixVqG1GvId-AHZQj7COiADgYnd86G6gg_VGkUZ8tNxIsHVOf0tXDsPVsIhioDUZGeJD9USig/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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1. An unfortunate kitchen incident yesterday AM resulted in the untimely death of my beloved slow cooker. As I slooooooowly move through the stages of grief, I need to replace this baby ASAP since we are entering prime soup/stew weather. I need recommendations! I know I can just buy another one of these, but since we have to buy a new one anyways, I'd like to upgrade to a programmable one. I am leaning towards either <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061TWKWU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0061TWKWU&linkCode=as2&tag=belonhee-20&linkId=3WQD34G3AUJD5ZS7">this one</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belonhee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0061TWKWU" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QB4WAC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005QB4WAC&linkCode=as2&tag=belonhee-20&linkId=FDXBRU6KVCNK34WW">this one</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=belonhee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005QB4WAC" height="1" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. I'm leaning towards the Hamilton Beach, because that's what I had and I know the quality will be good. I am not interested in the Rolls-Royce of crock pots (<em>I'm looking at you, All-Clad</em>) and ones with too many bells and whistles kind of terrify me. If you have a stripped down programmable one you love, do share! </div>
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2. I have finally come to accept the fact that I am just not a Halloween person. I love fall and all that it entails, but Halloween is just kind of snooze city for me. I have zero interest in decorating for Halloween outside of a glittery raven I bought at Michael's a few years ago (and with a Baltimore-born husband, the raven typically hangs around until the end of football season). I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so other than the excuse to buy harvest-color wrapper mini Reese cups, the candy doesn't excite me. I love the idea of dressing up in costume in theory, but the actual execution just seems exhausting. Honestly, I think the only part of Halloween that I'm into is the nonstop loop of <em>Hocus Pocus</em> and <em>It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</em> on TV. </div>
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3. We haven't seen a movie in an actual movie theatre in over a year. We have not set foot in a single movie theatre since we moved to Vermont. I could not tell you the last movie that either of us wanted to see badly enough to actually go to a theatre. My 16-year old self is shaking her head in disappointment right now. I used to LOVE to go to the movies, but now there are just so many other ways I would like to spend a date night. That said, we will ABSOLUTELY be seeing <em>Unbroken</em> in theatres. I cried when Louis Zamperini died this summer. It is one of my all-time favorite books. If you haven't read it yet, start now and give yourself time to finish it before the movie comes out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO2-sXNPqLPIrRqTgxTjRbeORhsI9coZnznDApJgYuGLbLaqGrxn5Rnvu8x5tbba-YZTFiT8JAT_pnvWLYjXm4QkwSIkDbKBHLiFu4FOCbQmLFAImHimqlWDqnYAU_44vRXUj9fuhlA/s1600/infant_foodie_crab_flat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO2-sXNPqLPIrRqTgxTjRbeORhsI9coZnznDApJgYuGLbLaqGrxn5Rnvu8x5tbba-YZTFiT8JAT_pnvWLYjXm4QkwSIkDbKBHLiFu4FOCbQmLFAImHimqlWDqnYAU_44vRXUj9fuhlA/s1600/infant_foodie_crab_flat.jpg" /></a></div>
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4. Any day now (but hopefully not for another week or two), I will be an auntie! My sister-in-law is due with twins, one boy and one girl. Obviously Aunt Sarah has already made sure the D and M both have a Sophie...can't have my niece and nephew go without THE baby toy. I want to get them something when they're born and I am kind of dying over these <a href="http://therethere.com/baltimore.html" target="_blank">little Baltimore onesies</a>. So perfect! Mom readers, what gifts did you really appreciate for your newborn (or what gifts did you wish you could take back)? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bMsIZMkBLIrIIIEG211qX254akcXoEjmsEfP-9X7rOoS2S0BZmg1Qahe0U23r80D5mnGZj9zDiBwv3132N72WVGcDwtzq5BhgKJzmjlEN7kfbqDkRvwMnpCkt0Ok0Xu128ey_bEeDg/s1600/804e7617d2821bfe9b98ebdc3ad0f4a9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bMsIZMkBLIrIIIEG211qX254akcXoEjmsEfP-9X7rOoS2S0BZmg1Qahe0U23r80D5mnGZj9zDiBwv3132N72WVGcDwtzq5BhgKJzmjlEN7kfbqDkRvwMnpCkt0Ok0Xu128ey_bEeDg/s1600/804e7617d2821bfe9b98ebdc3ad0f4a9.jpg" height="640" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://uvabookstores.com/shop_product_detail_clothing.asp?catalog_id=1781&catalog_name=U1dFQVRQQU5UUw&pf_id=1011&product_name=SmFuc3BvcnQgTGFyZ2UgVmlyZ2luaWEgRG93biBMZWcgU3dlYXRwYW50cyBXL1BvY2tldHM&type=1&target=shop_product_list_clothing.asp" target="_blank">1</a> // <a href="http://uvmbookstore.uvm.edu/shop_product_detail.asp?catalog_group_id=MQ&catalog_group_name=R2VuZXJhbCBNZXJjaGFuZGlzZQ&catalog_id=597&catalog_name=U2hvcnRzICYgUGFudHM&pf_id=449&product_name=U3dlYXRwYW50cyBXaXRoIFZlcnRpY2FsIEltcHJpbnQ&type=1&target=shop_product_list.asp" target="_blank">2</a> // <a href="http://bit.ly/1rmzXhD" target="_blank">3</a></div>
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5. A recent examination of my wardrobe alerted me to the fact that I am down to one pair of sweatpants. I have owned said sweatpants since the 8th grade. I'm not really sure how I let the situation get to this point...what on earth was I wearing around the house all of last winter? I'm working on adding all 3 of the above pairs to my closet ASAP. The first two would be strictly around the house wear, but I feel like the Nike pair have the potential for cute weekend errand wear. </div>
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That's all for this week. I have a very glamorous weekend of house cleaning and closet switching planned. Thrilling. Hope your weekend plans are more exciting! </div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-41650925934024483242014-10-23T09:07:00.000-04:002014-10-23T09:07:34.833-04:00Weekend Sweets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LPxGth6jzlHN7YPiWntjk4-K4MHvFhKdB5IuYHjNz9YjX1BsbjXg8OSN1_NLXQEe62WgXBXi7pS97S_6zvAIcmO4iX1Vu7JFJ-jjBsR02WaPp3afrP01RQ3LZBdOZ_TwoK1p1SpSMg/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LPxGth6jzlHN7YPiWntjk4-K4MHvFhKdB5IuYHjNz9YjX1BsbjXg8OSN1_NLXQEe62WgXBXi7pS97S_6zvAIcmO4iX1Vu7JFJ-jjBsR02WaPp3afrP01RQ3LZBdOZ_TwoK1p1SpSMg/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
Per last week's Five on Friday, I bought the pumpkin loaf pan at Williams-Sonoma and got to work on a batch of my <a href="http://tulipsandflightsuits.squarespace.com/tulips-flight-suits/2010/9/14/pumpkin-bread.html" target="_blank">favorite pumpkin bread recipe</a>*. (Actually, I made a double recipe and baked 3 ADORABLE mini loaves that we delivered to our neighbors.) I had grand plans of actually buttering and flouring the loaf pan, but I like to live dangerously (read: I'm lazy) and just sprayed the heck out of it with Trader Joe's coconut oil spray. It came out perfectly! This stuff never lasts long at our house, so I will be giving the new pan a workout for several weekends to come.<br />
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*I use pumpkin puree in place of pumpkin pie filling. Would be way too sweet with the pie filling methinks. <br />
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<em>This is all that remained after hosting 3 of M's players for dinner last night.</em> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"> So this is probably M's favorite dessert that I make. It is a frequent birthday request and it has also become the pie I make for Meal Train occasions (baby, illness, etc.) The last time I made it for new parent friends, I got in big trouble for not making a second one for us. So when we delivered dinner to some new parent friends on Sunday, I made a double recipe and a very happy husband. The recipe comes from my mom's friend V and it is dangerous. Make at your own risk.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Peanut Butter Pie</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 9" chocolate crust</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">8 oz cream cheese, room temperature</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup creamy peanut butter</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 cup powdered sugar</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups heavy cream</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup chopped Mr. Goodbar</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">1 cup semisweet chips*</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until blended. Beat in 1/4 cup cream. In a medium bowl with clean beaters, beat 3/4 cup cream until stiff. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream. Pour half of filling into <span class="il">pie</span> shell and spread evenly. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup candy bar. Pour on remaining filling, spreading evenly. Freeze until firm , about 3 hours.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">*In a small saucepan, heat remaining 1/2 cup cream over medium-low heat until hot. Add chocolate chips and remove from heat. Whisk until melted and smooth. Set glaze aside to cool. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Before serving, spread chocolate glaze over <span class="il">pie</span>. Sprinkle with remaining candy bar. Refrigerate 30 min or until glaze sets and <span class="il">pie</span> softens slightly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">*I don't ever add the chocolate glaze. I think it takes away from all of the glorious peanut butter-ness of the pie.</span> </span><br />
<br />Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-20268784794881214132014-10-20T09:06:00.003-04:002014-10-20T09:06:33.406-04:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/open-faced-sandwiches-with-ricotta-arugula-fried-egg" target="_blank">Open-Faced Sandwiches with Ricotta, Arugula, and Fried Egg</a> (<em>Cooking Light</em> May 2010)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtvWjgHiA0m_zsvCcqfHAj3B2WSrLMFwcr09KA3fWG377p8tIZbHIGxpe9IwZsD298AXQhIAzQKLtMDmXEUF7SHGmTT-14dpqcvVGKGPbiSYljxLGsxyok78gEQN5GM0Gk-9rv4xWng/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtvWjgHiA0m_zsvCcqfHAj3B2WSrLMFwcr09KA3fWG377p8tIZbHIGxpe9IwZsD298AXQhIAzQKLtMDmXEUF7SHGmTT-14dpqcvVGKGPbiSYljxLGsxyok78gEQN5GM0Gk-9rv4xWng/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I had some ricotta in the fridge I needed to use up and I pretty much always have a loaf of Trader Joe's whole-wheat Tuscan pane on hand, so this ended up being pretty inexpensive, in addition to being easy, quick, and tasty. Meatless Monday winner.</div>
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<a href="http://elefantitasalegres.blogspot.com/2012/11/menu-sunday-and-womp-womp-moment.html" target="_blank"> Mustard Cream Chicken with Roasted Acorn Squash</a> (Elefantitas Alegres)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWEtYTGGSqKy6McdC2JnNHx1Bqy_IHC_Z7IQyPJwAoEUm6RKIgERDvA6i76c8uGDso-GQ0QHflusqW0Mi73v_SbV8cy-KXXr-pvhS156DgWxHyCVcse9wyMFURt4st1ieZwNXBA7tdA/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWEtYTGGSqKy6McdC2JnNHx1Bqy_IHC_Z7IQyPJwAoEUm6RKIgERDvA6i76c8uGDso-GQ0QHflusqW0Mi73v_SbV8cy-KXXr-pvhS156DgWxHyCVcse9wyMFURt4st1ieZwNXBA7tdA/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've had Kate's recipe for chicken with mustard cream sauce bookmarked for ages and I've never made acorn squash before. No time like the present! The sauce was unreal. So, so good. For what looks like a relatively fancy meal for a weeknight, this was pretty quick and easy to put together, once you manage to slice the acorn squash without losing a few fingers. </div>
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe.html" target="_blank">Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage</a> (Rachael Ray)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlV3PqViLpYMDdwZxk6VppH-ddKTzbtXtXAlm5bqIaDC0K3lqFg3sj1RtZzIAl5Du6QIQimDLkITqPUJMhf2gZC1gYqWkiinW1dFjiYMgODx5jaGpfV1PMS8y608r0Ay0XVj6dCc37g/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlV3PqViLpYMDdwZxk6VppH-ddKTzbtXtXAlm5bqIaDC0K3lqFg3sj1RtZzIAl5Du6QIQimDLkITqPUJMhf2gZC1gYqWkiinW1dFjiYMgODx5jaGpfV1PMS8y608r0Ay0XVj6dCc37g/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of my all-time favorite fall meals. I normally make this with ground Italian pork sausage, but in the interest of calorie-saving, I used sliced Trader Joe's Italian chicken sausage instead. I also used a mix of whole-wheat and regular penne, and I used half-and-half instead of heavy cream. I actually first made this recipe out of the Rachael Ray 365 cookbook (same cookbook as my zucchini pizza), and that recipe includes wild mushrooms and slightly different liquid measurements. I've found both version to be equally delicious. </div>
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Mushroom, Green Pepper, and Onion Pizza</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi15wiw6OYsKFnHShOhycmSdUBVr4KTNk3P557laBZkd0TaPWGpESN4HSdCd97f4cUUt75-4jnsQUpFWudYPbZxyX3pZyFI3C_HrB9jy68DrZFD5DlqQq41JczfSN5QJr_bpxP9QMGQ/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi15wiw6OYsKFnHShOhycmSdUBVr4KTNk3P557laBZkd0TaPWGpESN4HSdCd97f4cUUt75-4jnsQUpFWudYPbZxyX3pZyFI3C_HrB9jy68DrZFD5DlqQq41JczfSN5QJr_bpxP9QMGQ/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Most Friday nights are pizza nights around here. Sometime we get fancy, other times it's pretty basic, but it's always on <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/10/lazy-pizza-dough-favorite-margarita-pizza/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen's lazy pizza dough</a> (I usually do half whole-wheat flour, half regular all-purpose). This is our favorite pizza topping combo when we order take-out, although I would prefer to add olives (which M doesn't like) and M would prefer to add sausage (which my pants zippers don't like). So our compromise is just to stick with the toppings we agree on. </div>
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Not pictured is <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crockpot-turkey-white-bean-pumpkin.html" target="_blank">Skinnytaste's Crockpot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili</a>. Another fall favorite. I only use 1 lb of turkey; I think 2 lbs makes it way too thick. </div>
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I spent pretty much all weekend in the kitchen whipping up some sweet treats which I will be posting about later this week. Happy Monday!</div>
Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-13239010205971758402014-10-17T01:45:00.000-04:002014-10-17T01:45:00.092-04:00Five on Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzptV3SZZDuNobretspGGyS_bLj0nhDLr48FZdG1B9FZ98StX3oVvEfSxSLf8VSZ54N_uBUaEyh0FU40W1ZYrVpPj90Y81VHllThfyogKYDVTvPpjjlfq6GC4HusEYXjPTVGcCxhxgw/s1600/CHICKE~1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzptV3SZZDuNobretspGGyS_bLj0nhDLr48FZdG1B9FZ98StX3oVvEfSxSLf8VSZ54N_uBUaEyh0FU40W1ZYrVpPj90Y81VHllThfyogKYDVTvPpjjlfq6GC4HusEYXjPTVGcCxhxgw/s1600/CHICKE~1.JPG" /></a></div>
1. OMG YES. The morning after our wedding we invited people to join us for brunch at one of my favorite restaurants in my hometown, Thelma's Chicken and Waffles. Last year when we spent a weekend in Montreal, we noticed that Southern food was kind of trendy there (weird, right?) and went to a little hipster dive for brunch that served us cheese grits, beignets, and, you guessed it, chicken and waffles. A former colleague and I have bonded over a shared love of chicken and waffles and spent a not-insignificant amount of time debating the merits of the Lay's Chicken and Waffles-flavored potato chip.<br />
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All of this is to say, I freaking LOVE chicken and waffles and will be making <a href="http://glazedandconfused.us/blog-1/chicken-waffles-cake" target="_blank">this cake</a> at some point. Would it be weird to bake my own 30th birthday cake? Because this is the perfect birthday cake. Can you imagine it using Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets?!? Oh. Em. Gee. Next level deliciousness.<br />
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2. It's the time of year to start thinking about Christmas cards! Or at least it is for me anyways. And of course my annual goal of having somebody take a picture of us and the dogs to use for the card remains unaccomplished. I know there's still time, but we're going on 3 years of marriage and this has yet to be done. I'm doubtful. Anyhoo the past few years I have used LivingSocial or Groupon to purchase our cards. Or more accurately, I've purchased deals through them to get our cards. While I do love all the pretty paper happening over at Minted, I do not love all the $$$ they require for something that, at best, will be on someone's fridge for 3 weeks. The first year we did this, I got a Shutterfly deal, so it was a company I was familiar with and I had no hesitations about the quality or customer service. Last year I bought a Groupon to a company I had never heard of and I was a bit nervous, but our cards turned out great! The company was super nice and easy to work with. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxzukDI1Nr5mJXqyNmj9afBWpdtwIhiMfHVrJP8Wdpz8YIYlMXVqypC11WUDNFwnldT_LE8bAVjbLfP_-scdfbX3Dx4o2oWYdE1cRd-M8Iqh-qe7-q8-skjSd-9Bj5bCCYNi4EO-Zjw/s1600/front_sample_506_dc_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxzukDI1Nr5mJXqyNmj9afBWpdtwIhiMfHVrJP8Wdpz8YIYlMXVqypC11WUDNFwnldT_LE8bAVjbLfP_-scdfbX3Dx4o2oWYdE1cRd-M8Iqh-qe7-q8-skjSd-9Bj5bCCYNi4EO-Zjw/s1600/front_sample_506_dc_0.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7b3AahblOv8O0Uf1oiRgzBnT28v_FOAMJfzgzOvaUfL4WiDQP3qLpCsKkbGGlXLti9PWSP1mm9ZyFCULpPaYacl3K51aWX51GibdykPRKUw1sz2ZNJezg878ZoL8KJsvo4b6_QWh_Q/s1600/front_sample_595_dc_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7b3AahblOv8O0Uf1oiRgzBnT28v_FOAMJfzgzOvaUfL4WiDQP3qLpCsKkbGGlXLti9PWSP1mm9ZyFCULpPaYacl3K51aWX51GibdykPRKUw1sz2ZNJezg878ZoL8KJsvo4b6_QWh_Q/s1600/front_sample_595_dc_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLsRz75sEJ8uk7qy1FK9BbBWJ3d4Uf2hp_SpY6SqiK6x_cTTmnxfKDaP_D-YcK-hwe1BcvtYCab2LlKac_pbks3PYIgf3TbXKfhoAYkLdsvVc2POi8TnIEeWWjf4cbVUuwyJOHgviHw/s1600/front_sample_595_dc_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLsRz75sEJ8uk7qy1FK9BbBWJ3d4Uf2hp_SpY6SqiK6x_cTTmnxfKDaP_D-YcK-hwe1BcvtYCab2LlKac_pbks3PYIgf3TbXKfhoAYkLdsvVc2POi8TnIEeWWjf4cbVUuwyJOHgviHw/s1600/front_sample_595_dc_2.jpg" /></a></div>
This week, <a href="https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/1290998-40-70-or-100-custom-photo-cards?ref=share-undefined-copy_box-web-deals&rui=80949751&rpi=176079428" target="_blank">LivingSocial</a> is running another deal. It's another company I haven't heard of or worked with, but a.) using the EXTRA10 promo code got my purchase of 70 cards down to about 37 cents a card and b.) the company has some seriously cute card offerings. I'm willing to take the risk. If you're willing to take the gamble as well, would you pretty please <a href="https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/1290998-40-70-or-100-custom-photo-cards?ref=share-undefined-copy_box-web-deals&rui=80949751&rpi=176079428" target="_blank">use my link</a> so I can maybe get my cards for free? And then share the love with your peeps and get some free cards for yourself!<br />
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3. Pure Barre is coming to Burlington! I realize we're about 5 years late to this party, but I'm so excited to start classes when it opens in November. Any Pure Barre fans out there? Tell me how it has magically transformed you into a Victoria's Secret model so I can justify the price + early AM wake-up calls.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cYBqtRqWEbKjCSJfkEu5kNWj0QwYODPytoccfSxnhpooT37eTw1Awuy84JxPJw4oDy69fLpt0ZJ26OTvwkdGC2tXC6NVUBP_Pl2ZTd5ZaiFORq3MeOyTF2dtDDQ_URo18zW6MbqSfw/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cYBqtRqWEbKjCSJfkEu5kNWj0QwYODPytoccfSxnhpooT37eTw1Awuy84JxPJw4oDy69fLpt0ZJ26OTvwkdGC2tXC6NVUBP_Pl2ZTd5ZaiFORq3MeOyTF2dtDDQ_URo18zW6MbqSfw/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
4. The most perfect scene from a walk with the dogs this week. Vermont fall is awesome. Sometimes it is very surreal to me that we actually live here. (Remind me of this feeling of awe and gratitude in 3 months when it's below zero out.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Zvua5pu2tOJicj0F-xEyfTXCnQvPtBtKCqyHOd4iOVoVJRDD3Qq2N3TMYSbxbJHT21B7bPa1QgrEI0lPppmt5rsnjaERbEWfuEjWRcLbwUwSNijIoJr1htJdi_d1yS7Z4iM2TD3uyQ/s1600/img40c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Zvua5pu2tOJicj0F-xEyfTXCnQvPtBtKCqyHOd4iOVoVJRDD3Qq2N3TMYSbxbJHT21B7bPa1QgrEI0lPppmt5rsnjaERbEWfuEjWRcLbwUwSNijIoJr1htJdi_d1yS7Z4iM2TD3uyQ/s1600/img40c.jpg" /></a></div>
5. Has anyone ever bought/used one of <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/pumpkin-patch-loaf-pan/?pkey=cbread-pans-loaf-pans&cm_src=bread-pans-loaf-pans||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-" target="_blank">these molded loaf pans</a>? I'm normally not a fan of kitchen things that can only be used to make one thing specific to a season or holiday, as storage space is at a premium in our teeny tiny kitchen. But pumpkin bread is one of my favorite fall treats to make and I've wanted one of these pans for years. A friend gave me a Williams-Sonoma gift certificate for my birthday and I'm thinking about pulling the trigger, but if they are a total pain in the ass to use (i.e. no amount of greasing and flouring gets the bread to come out looking like it's supposed to), I could still be talked out of it...<br />
<br />Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-72040678946965052962014-10-14T09:49:00.000-04:002014-10-14T09:49:23.905-04:00Army Coats***<em>This post contains affiliate links</em>.***<br />
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So I have what you might call a coat fetish. For some women it's shoes, for others it's handbags...for me it's coats. I LOVE coats. When I told my parents we were moving to Vermont, I think both of them immediately responded with something along the lines of, "Oh good, now you can justify all your coat purchases." It's a problem. <br />
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Anyhoo, lately I've been obsessed with finding an army coat...or military parka...whatever you want to call them. I saw one on a woman last year and she just looked so cute and cool and I've been on the hunt for one ever since. By the time I started looking last year, all of the cute affordable ones at Zara, ASOS, etc. were long sold out, so the only models left were either only available in like XXS or XXXL or were designer-level $$$. <br />
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This year, I have found 3 very cute, very affordable versions. I realize none of these is going to take the place of my everyday, heavy-duty Vermont winter coat, but I can see this coat being great on some of the "warmer" days here (ha!) and during the weird transitional fall-to-winter weather and winter-spring A.K.A. mud season weather.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36fDQypuuyCMUG2SOChic4yf54x0WVnf8vI243CwmuKUcaRr7bKA2vydV90qgr9LEWEOH2A9sCGvKuciAm0RjJXQNyimgArMYzClrJ6mGBklNxsetCTN6yYFZ9_1kr4HS-XztVXT7nA/s1600/f789b9da5605f706cd0e3bdf42fe83d3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36fDQypuuyCMUG2SOChic4yf54x0WVnf8vI243CwmuKUcaRr7bKA2vydV90qgr9LEWEOH2A9sCGvKuciAm0RjJXQNyimgArMYzClrJ6mGBklNxsetCTN6yYFZ9_1kr4HS-XztVXT7nA/s1600/f789b9da5605f706cd0e3bdf42fe83d3.jpg" /></a></div>
First up is <a href="http://bit.ly/1yCNxGk" target="_blank">this guy from J.Crew Factory</a>. It appears to be selling out quickly online, but I have found that both J.Crew and J.Crew Factory will go to great lengths to find it in a store for you if it's sold out online. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRclntq7qqSaP_xKYn4Bf6nqqEyzjSOiEaonIROkPv6ZWdKNTE7lmGrWN_vmCrQhmckqwi1QaDzUlggWQENxt0aqb-XdRUKLCKjrtn5JGNeMAYezIWXsJBWEh-sHgtKJy3mWG22bAXUg/s1600/cn8591829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRclntq7qqSaP_xKYn4Bf6nqqEyzjSOiEaonIROkPv6ZWdKNTE7lmGrWN_vmCrQhmckqwi1QaDzUlggWQENxt0aqb-XdRUKLCKjrtn5JGNeMAYezIWXsJBWEh-sHgtKJy3mWG22bAXUg/s1600/cn8591829.jpg" /></a></div>
Next up is <a href="http://bit.ly/1sS9caR" target="_blank">this guy from Gap</a>. This one is my favorite (it's the only one with water-resistant fabric) and a little bird told me that I may be receiving it as a gift (thanks, Mom!) because it is on sale right now, which also makes it the cheapest of the bunch. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwmlB6fQLW3vEJA8_QzdzlOnlyPdpE-0g6eN4uNubXanEuYjaqVFSOhyeB6yXc6-1jSAJCh04C8x4_wzAhiZFNamtopMMeo67GndsXJgE-sLodR3gihAxDXkhH23ga3FFQSXMYYCfMg/s1600/84dbd946372bd88849944f805362a77b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwmlB6fQLW3vEJA8_QzdzlOnlyPdpE-0g6eN4uNubXanEuYjaqVFSOhyeB6yXc6-1jSAJCh04C8x4_wzAhiZFNamtopMMeo67GndsXJgE-sLodR3gihAxDXkhH23ga3FFQSXMYYCfMg/s1600/84dbd946372bd88849944f805362a77b.jpg" /></a></div>
Then we have <a href="http://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/outerwear/parka-with-detachable-quilted-lining-c269183p2101536.html" target="_blank">this version from Zara.</a> Probably the most fashion-y of the bunch, not surprising given the source. <br />
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Any other coat fanatics out there?Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-28860270077862489862014-10-13T09:26:00.000-04:002014-10-13T09:26:47.145-04:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.therecipeclub.net/2011/11/29/pasta-ponza-from-giada-at-home/" target="_blank">Pasta Ponza</a> (Giada At Home)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzPao_w0QOrRYqPYXl1tKCpoUDBG0cZwCBJ5Kuk_-R5JGhH8OQZPwuFDtr3_1kKPx9i4idHR1zL6UOh4jGq1wNLpjrX1IZHdXrw0Dud4z0b5LgaqSEmM-sbFzoVwjPajKFlghkztvuA/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzPao_w0QOrRYqPYXl1tKCpoUDBG0cZwCBJ5Kuk_-R5JGhH8OQZPwuFDtr3_1kKPx9i4idHR1zL6UOh4jGq1wNLpjrX1IZHdXrw0Dud4z0b5LgaqSEmM-sbFzoVwjPajKFlghkztvuA/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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For all my talk of how much I dislike Giada, I seem to be making a lot of her recipes lately. I have found her pasta recipes involving breadcrumbs to be a bit disappointing, so I was nervous about making this, but it was lovely. I used some of the last local cherry tomatoes I could find, so it kind of felt like a summer's last hurrah meal. I used Grana Padana in place of Pecorino Romano, although I bet the Pecorino would be better. The only change I would make is to use more capers. I loooooove capers and they were only noticeable every couple of bites. Otherwise, this was a great, quick, and easy Meatless Monday.</div>
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Taco Salad (family recipe)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmn58GCbwU0IW-GGE5GxEKScH2gSQc2PYeJfjLswULmjz_erjCtB-ekwVO8f5bjEZV8vYdU8rQvgdEjzFoZ9KQKHFCPgvIwyru4kOO6_gqcUF0wXa34omtZkYkBvbdfkOMq0cGL1t7Sw/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmn58GCbwU0IW-GGE5GxEKScH2gSQc2PYeJfjLswULmjz_erjCtB-ekwVO8f5bjEZV8vYdU8rQvgdEjzFoZ9KQKHFCPgvIwyru4kOO6_gqcUF0wXa34omtZkYkBvbdfkOMq0cGL1t7Sw/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Or as I like to call it, White Trash Taco Salad. This was a childhood favorite of mine and last week I just had the urge to make it, so I asked my mom for the recipe. Here is the recipe straight from her:</div>
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Combine:<br />
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1 1b browned beef or turkey</div>
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1 packet of taco seasoning<br />
1 can kidney bean (drained and rinsed)<br />
1 sm onion, chopped<br />
4 diced tomatoes<br />
1 cup shredded cheese<br />
1 head lettuce (original recipe calls for iceberg which I think works best)<br />
1 bag doritos, crushed<br />
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toss with catalina dressing </div>
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My changes: I use ground turkey. Instead of raw onion, sauté the onion with the ground turkey, along with the taco seasoning. (I always use <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/02/taco-seasoning/" target="_blank">Budget Bytes' recipe for taco seasoning</a> instead of buying packets; this time I left out the cornstarch and added a 1/2 tsp. each of garlic powder and onion powder.) We used Nacho Cheese Doritos (hence the white trash name). I made <a href="http://kitchensimplicity.com/catalina-dressing/" target="_blank">Kitchen Simplicity's homemade catalina dressing</a>. And I only put dressing on what I knew we would eat that night. This makes a ton and if you toss it all with dressing, the leftovers are soggy and gross.</div>
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And shout out to M, because he actually made this while I was at a volunteer meeting. <br />
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<a href="http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2014/10/apple-cider-pork-tenderloin-with.html" target="_blank">Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin with Cheddar Grits</a> (Jenny Steffens Hobick)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKnmDI2N6ZWW_Aqml7jAwLyhl09KDVaiUfDbkvxaafPbEDy2zr3mHePf3HmFpWMwNgWgt3ja5aLEdRqiIenllpGrHFuI8z5OFBFT241lDa2uHDNlbgwvDzHjNvozr7vN7tqAi26DLTQ/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKnmDI2N6ZWW_Aqml7jAwLyhl09KDVaiUfDbkvxaafPbEDy2zr3mHePf3HmFpWMwNgWgt3ja5aLEdRqiIenllpGrHFuI8z5OFBFT241lDa2uHDNlbgwvDzHjNvozr7vN7tqAi26DLTQ/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I should start by saying this tasted a lot better than it looked. I followed Jenny's advice to only use one pork tenderloin for our little family. Also I used my own recipe for grits; I will not use a Midwesterner's recipe for a Southern food. This was really, really yummy but I would make a few changes the next time around. I found that the pork was a bit overcooked in the cooking time allotted, but that apple/onion mixture actually needed more time. Not exactly sure how I would go about remedying this...maybe start the apple/onion mixture on the stove separately from the pork, add it to the pork, and then reduce the cooking time in the oven by about 10 minutes? It's worth playing around with. This would be a great meal for company if you made the full amount of tenderloin.</div>
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<a href="http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=423&S=0" target="_blank">Meatloaf</a>, Mashed Potatoes, and <a href="http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=26&S=0" target="_blank">Brussels Sprouts Lardon</a> (Barefoot in Paris)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAq4a7RDdCWhT4pEZTjZGAa-iry92FLUonh176TjiKV9jhAE1Nr6a8CuBh5U3D6_buBCeh8kOyI_dkhYPeshgpg5y-Nf4zO-imySq0JmXba4ZzTWS9_1VSr87Y_figWYX_XQXFxK9kiQ/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAq4a7RDdCWhT4pEZTjZGAa-iry92FLUonh176TjiKV9jhAE1Nr6a8CuBh5U3D6_buBCeh8kOyI_dkhYPeshgpg5y-Nf4zO-imySq0JmXba4ZzTWS9_1VSr87Y_figWYX_XQXFxK9kiQ/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I forgot to take a picture at dinner time, so here is what remained the next day.</div>
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We had a few of M's players over for dinner on Thursday, so I made a lot of food. In the interest of full disclosure, the mashed potatoes were made by the Bob Evans refrigerated section of our grocery store. Those things are friggin' delicious. The only change I made to the meatloaf was to use half ground chuck and half ground sirloin. Judging from the amount of fat that was on the pan after baking and the fact that the meatloaf was still moist, that was a fine substitution.</div>
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Also, MEATLOAF SANDWICHES. So, so good. </div>
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Last week's meals were on the heavy side, so hoping to get back to more figure-friendly dining this week :)</div>
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Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571489863574302166.post-825774803687688352014-10-10T03:35:00.000-04:002014-10-10T03:35:00.217-04:00Five on Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GYm3HyCFYKTNfzWZYaekR0EZsQcf3B-sM4jnEufqlddY7EJNVSzj2MdlxklcHd5cSLvbXOdTsQtnx1YMqHgZiS9DCnYpTaAH2errLtu9r97FYCDE4X3iZuzGjD4E3ZZOEyOSx6txBQ/s1600/a99889_05_pumpkincenterpiec_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GYm3HyCFYKTNfzWZYaekR0EZsQcf3B-sM4jnEufqlddY7EJNVSzj2MdlxklcHd5cSLvbXOdTsQtnx1YMqHgZiS9DCnYpTaAH2errLtu9r97FYCDE4X3iZuzGjD4E3ZZOEyOSx6txBQ/s1600/a99889_05_pumpkincenterpiec_xl.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/270343/pumpkin-vase-with-flowers" target="_blank"><em>source</em></a></div>
1. I had big plans last Sunday for doing some fall decorating at our place, but ended up spending the day watching a 7 hour marathon of 'The Killing' and nursing a painful hangover. That little project has been moved to this weekend and I'm kind of leaning towards a white vibe. White mums (although I am majorly digging the dahlias here) in the window box planter and white pumpkins flanking the door. I will probably chicken out at the last minute and stick with the more traditional autumnal palette. Martha makes this look tres chic, but I'm afraid it will just look tres boring and uninspired. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eXPBgBzCAgEMjuZHiA-VIPW-oVvPuSDEfsrWhXBRL2c5Kw7ndt4gLWrm2t498IHeudvzojY_4PHP77ClaCQVYaTvSi0_pepSX6ZshSKdf1VuoCFOSWh6hkNx0AywaMvqj1MTw7AYug/s1600/2308629602_a9f34a5b23_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eXPBgBzCAgEMjuZHiA-VIPW-oVvPuSDEfsrWhXBRL2c5Kw7ndt4gLWrm2t498IHeudvzojY_4PHP77ClaCQVYaTvSi0_pepSX6ZshSKdf1VuoCFOSWh6hkNx0AywaMvqj1MTw7AYug/s1600/2308629602_a9f34a5b23_b.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqHmGiQkvBX-KfiLXDw-suvisFWvx1He4cPG8wgKaGmsO7uPvnfKc2Oq8FMCY3zOYc7fcjgdAywQ0LNSrzbGU-8AjQ9aS9oM2COypfNDvCpPtZBCr8XPSxlVd5ijqtsbRtQ6bwRfy_w/s1600/hotel-de-glace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqHmGiQkvBX-KfiLXDw-suvisFWvx1He4cPG8wgKaGmsO7uPvnfKc2Oq8FMCY3zOYc7fcjgdAywQ0LNSrzbGU-8AjQ9aS9oM2COypfNDvCpPtZBCr8XPSxlVd5ijqtsbRtQ6bwRfy_w/s1600/hotel-de-glace.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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2. We are just few hours away from Quebec City and I am DYING to stay at the <a href="http://www.hoteldeglace-canada.com/" target="_blank">Hôtel de Glace</a>. There's something very James Bond-meets-Dr. Zhivago chic about ice hotels. They just seem so cool (har dee har har). <br />
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3. I once read an interview with Ina Garten where she mentioned her favorite cookbooks and immediately added them to my never-ending Amazon wishlist. I am a bit of a cookbook collector (my husband would probably use the term 'hoarder') so I'm always curious to see what is on other people's shelves. My sister-in-law gave me <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Weather-Cooking-Sarah-Leah-Chase/dp/0894807528" target="_blank">this particular tome</a> for my birthday this year and it is delightful. As the weather has started to get cooler here, I've been cozying up with it on the couch the past few evenings. I have yet to cook anything from it, but Sarah Chase's tone is kind of hilarious. She's endearing and quirky, but also a bit of a snob. Somehow it just works, like she's one of those friends who is a bit ridiculous and you roll your eyes at, but love anyways because they're just so genuine and darn likeable. Also, I can see why Ina is a fan. Girlfriend is not afraid of butter and cream. <br />
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4. I bought all of the materials necessary to try my hand (again with the puns) at galaxy nails this weekend. I am thinking this is going to be a disaster of epic proportions. <br />
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5. Totally reasonable to spend $800 on <a href="http://catalog.sourcecollection.com/decorativeaccessories/candleware/f62050.html" target="_blank">this guy</a>, right? I mean, he is just so charming and fun, I'm sure Sallie Mae won't mind if we skip a month of payments to buy an impractical, yet adorable home accessory. Belle on Heelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07613125498061092117noreply@blogger.com1