Sparkle...

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I know this is an old post on Glitter Guide.... but I happened upon it again today while perusing Pinterest(ok ok... procrastinating). When I read this last paragraph...the last line... it really it hit me. I've been in a funk lately... and I think this was surely a way to kick me in my rear.... realize it and get out of it. Because... I'm the only one who can change it right? Right.

"But the best way to sparkle is just to make the most out of each day – drinking champagne when it’s not a special occasion, writing a handwritten thank you note, maintaining a clean and clutter free space (trying to at least), or buying fresh flowers from time to time. It keeps the mundane away!"


But seriously... why must we wait for SOMETHING to happen to celebrate it? Every day is a new day, and that should be a celebration in itself. So I'm going to make a promise and a commitment to myself (I'll have to stick to it now because it's out in the interwebs for all to see...so hold me to it, k?) to start to celebrate the small things, do something every day to break the normal every day routine.

TGIF!

Thank goodness it's friday... this week has taken forever! I guess it didn't help that last week we were running so much we really didn't have much of a weekend. We're busy tomorrow... venturing to Hershey Park with my Mom, sister, niece & nephew.... but Sunday... oh Sunday.. will be spent at home!

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Anyone remember Perfect Strangers from the TGIF lineup?!?! it was my FAV!

Enjoy your weekends!

Cheers!

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce

This recipe was to die for.. ( found here ) . It was quick simple & tasted like something you'd order at a restaurant. I was quite proud of myself for making this one. And this is in rotation for future meatless monday's!

All the ingredients you need: Pumpkin Gnocchi, Heavy Cream, Pepper, Butter, Sage & Romano Cheese.

Making the sauce while the Gnocchi cooks.

Finished Product. Delicious!

Here's what you need:

1 stick (4 oz)  Unsalted Butter
1 pkg (16 oz)  Pumpkin Gnocchi
1/2 cup (4 oz)  Heavy Cream

1 pkg (.25 oz)  Sage

freshly ground black pepper
Pecorino Romano Cheese

 

Here's what you do:

Start bringing gnocchi water to boil. Melt butter in small saucepan on MED. Heat 8-10 min, stirring constantly, until it begins to turn light golden brown (don't let it burn). Strain butter to remove dark solids; set aside.
 
1. Bring cream to simmer in skillet. Stir in 1 /4 cup brown butter. Remove from heat.  
    
2. Cook gnocchi per package directions, drain well.   Add gnocchi, sage and black pepper to sauce. (Thin sauce with pasta water if necessary.)
    
3. Transfer gnocchi to serving plates; sprinkle with Pecorino cheese.

Serve with a side salad & it's good to go. Definitely one of my fav's so far! Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Cheers!

We are the Champions!!!

Pardon my silence... but we all know  I had to break it for this....

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We are so so stoked here in Bmore... Let's be honest our Baltimore Ravens never...and I mean NEVER get any credit. We've been dogged on our entire football lives, so to be the underdogs in this ( since the beginning of the season) and to come out on top... feels oh.so.good.

The city was painted purple, there were rallys, chants, decor everywhere! We even had our purple light up out front! Needless to say everyone is still on a football high!

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And this might just be my favorite picture of all time!

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Oh shoot... maybe tied with this one, because O'pening Day is coming soon!

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Anything Could Happen...

Currently getting me through this friday...

Instalife

1.exercised my right to vote 2. After 2 years in our house, finally hung the microwave 3. Navy football game 4. Parted with my ring for 2-3 wks to get it sized, wah 5. My beautiful niece 6. Celebrations with friends 7. Wine bar fun 8. dogshaming... 9. My fav spot 10. Neighborhood Halloween fun 11. Watching my nephew play lax 12. Celebrating 3 years with B 13. Homemade hot chocolate, extra marshmellows 14. Found some old memories

Wisdom Wednesday

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Butternaut Squash Soup

We belong to a local CSA, which we pick up from every week. So this week when B grabbed up some Butternaut Squash, I knew I wanted to make something fall esque and comforting. My first thought was just to roast it as a side, but the more I thought about it... the more I wanted to try a soup. It turned out to be everything I love in a soup, and I think this is a good "base" soup where you can experiment with different spices. This will definitely be on rotation in our house.

What you need :

• 1 Medium Onion (chopped)
• 2 Potatoes (peeled & chopped)
• 1 Medium Carrot (chopped)
• 1 Celery Stalk (chopped) - I did use leeks instead since we didn't have celery
• 1 Medium Butternaut Squash (chopped)
• 32oz Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Any other spices you wish!

What to do:

• Melt butter in large pot
• Toss all chopped veggies into pot for 5 minutes
• Pour Chicken stock in (enough to cover the veggies)
• Bring to a boil
• Turn down heat, Cover, & Simmer for 40 minutes or until veggies are tender
• Pour soup into blender & Blend (do small batches, it's hot & can go EVERYWHERE)
• Pour back into Pot, and add additional chicken stock if needed
• Add seasonings to taste
• Garnish with Parsely & ENJOY!!!

Keeping it real....as I mentioned... do small batches.. it WILL go everywhere... and it's hot ( I have a burn mark to prove it!) DOH!

Wisdom Wednesday

Recreate- Baltimore Bomb Pie

This wonderful deliciousness... is made from Berger Cookies. Which are nothing short of amazingness... they are basically shortbread cookies dipped in delicious decadent chocolate. They are a Maryland Staple. There is also a shop in Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore that is called Dangerously Delicious and they are known for this pie. So I decided I needed to try and recreate it for our family cookout this past weekend using this recipe.  And...yes... yes... imagine that... It was a HUGE hit!

What you Need:

• Unbaked Deep Dish Pie Crust (or if you want you can make your own)
• 1 1/2 packages of Berger Cookies
• 1/2 Cup Butter Softened
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 TBSP Cornmeal (flour, almond meal, etc)
• 1 TBSP Vinegar
• 1TSP Vanilla

What to Do:

• Chop up Berger Cookies and toss into pie crust
• Whisk all remaining ingredients together
• Pour the wet mixture (called Chess) over the Pie
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes
• It's best warm, but still delicious at room temperature as well

A few sidenotes, I added a little more vanilla to my pie, about 1 tsp. Also, don't forget to place your pie on a cookie sheet WITH edges... these pies will bubble over some.

I ended up  making 2 of these, and there is nothing left....

run... do not walk to make this!

Wisdom Wednesday- How I feel

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Because it never has been so true as now.

Easy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

The other night I had an urge to make something, and when I saw this recipe , realized I had all the ingredients ( especially two almost overly ripe bananas!).... I decided to make B & I breakfast for the week.

What you need:

2.5 Cups of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 Cup low fat (or non-fat) plain Greek yogurt

2 eggs

3/4 cup of Sugar or substitute

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Ripe Bananas

I also added about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon for a little more flavor, and topped them with chopped walnuts before baking.

What to do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray (12) or use foil liners ( that's what I used)
2. Place all ingredients in a Blender or food processor until the oats are smooth. I also sliced my bananas and put the oats in 1/2 a cup at a time.
3. Pour the mixture in the pan or liners (this is where I added the walnut toppings) and cook until a toothpick comes out clean or about 20-25 minutes.
4. ENJOY!!!!

That's it! Super duper easy and ridiculously yummy! They are a little more dense than a normal muffin but still just as moist and filling due to the oats and the Greek yogurt. This is definitely added to my list of keepers, and the good thing is you can change it up by adding different spices etc. to change the flavor profile. I'm already thinking my next batch will include some mini chocolate chips... mmm mmm!

Orioles Magic!

 I'm so excited that our Orioles pulled one out last night after the heartbreaking loss the night before in extra innings.  But we pulled through... and tonight we are in GAME 5!!!  I have to say though, that even if we don't end up winning and moving on... this season... has been magically. And has brought that O's magic back to Baltimore.  B & I have been Orioles fans through the thick and thin. Supporting them in when they were in the dumps. But thankfully this year, they took a turn ...and we are in GAME 5!!!!! (sorry it's still surreal) . I will be holding my breathe and sitting on the edge of my couch while watching the game tonight.

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me & relief pitcher Brian Matusz on Opening Day 2012

Opening day 2012

My dear friend Amy & I on opening day!

Needless to say.. I'm super pumped for our Baltimore Orioles! And am hoping that we can pull this win out tonight!

LET'S GO O's!!!!

Wisdom Wednesday- the three P's

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Somedays you just need to live by a little Liz...

Chicken Enchilada Soup

 Yesterday B & I both had off for Columbus Day so we decided to use the day to tackle some things around the house.  It was very chilly and brisk yesterday and I also knew that we wouldn't want to stop what we were doing to have to make something for dinner.  Since it's now officially fall..and what I like to consider CrockPot season.... I decided to make a hearty soup for dinner, so I could do what I like to call throw & go.

So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest  I knew this was what was going to be for dinner.  The Chicken Enchilada Soup was definitely a winner and a keeper. We couldn't find cotja cheese, so we substituted queso fresco. And, we also used canned corn instead of frozen. We adapted the recipe for the crockpot, just basically chopping everything & throwing it all in the pot for about 5 hours, except the cheese. We then threw the cheese in with about an hour left to cook. The queso fresco didn't melt like I was expecting it to, but it still turned out super yummy. Next time I make it, I'm hoping to find the cotja cheese and use that.

This is definitely a reccommended recipe! And you could even omit the chicken and add more beans instead for a vegetarian option as well. It is a little on the spicer side as well but we like spicy!

Barn Sale

This weekend down the road from our house there was a fall barn sale, they have one in the fall & spring.  I missed it in the spring, but was glad that I got to check it out this weekend. Here are some fun things that I loved to look at, and would have loved to have... oh if I was a hoarder...

 

We ended  up getting a few things, a milk glass candy jar & antlers (below), a huge wooden serving tray, an iron lobster (this was hidden & I was super pumped!) and a candle by Rewined that smells like Cabernet. Awesomesauce.

Oh and in that candy dish is some amazingness... Candy Corn Taffy from Fresh Market... DELISH!

I love fall!

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