Spending time together

The past week or so has been such a refresher for the Mr. and me. For the holidays we traveled to spend some time with my family and that was wonderful. We took a break from being stressed out all the time to just really enjoy spending time together. I took a little break from blogging ( we didn't have Internet where we stayed) and now it's time to get back into the swing of things. I took lots of pictures and look forward to sharing them with you! Now if I can only find my card reader...... In the meantime, I'm giving away a scarf on kelly's blog: The Pretty Bee. Check it out here: http://theprettybee.blogspot.com/2011/11/giveaway-fancies-and-whimsies.html (p.s. Sorry for the weird format. Blogger is being a bit strange and has joined forces with my iPad to be weird together)

oatmeal that {just might perchance} change your life.

Do you like eating oatmeal? yah, that's what i thought. me neither. but sometimes, it's good to eat a bowl because:

1. it is very filling

2. they say it is good for you

3. it's quick

4. it tastes horrible and must be healthy.

ha, ok, so the last one is not really true, but oatmeal is not the most delicious thing on earth. (and if you think so, you are weird)

but if you're going to have real oatmeal (and by real, i mean actually making it from plain oats in a pot, not some little sugar packet you pour in a bowl and microwave), this is the way to have it.

i was reading an article in glamour (don't judge me, i get a free subscription), and i was reading about some movie star who had a page of foods that she ate all the time because they were delicious. 

{oh and sidenote about that: do super-skinny-i'm-on-10-diets-all-at-the-same-time actors really know how delicious real food is? i mean, they're always talking about how they love broccoli and cucumbers and eat them constantly, and how celery is a close runner-up. blegh. really guys? your favorite?}

ok, back to the oatmeal. so i was reading about how this person cooks their oatmeal and how it's soooo creamy and delicious. well, i've tweaked her recipe to have some flavor and now i love oatmeal. it's a fact. and deal with it. 

enough blabbing and sidenote-ing. here's what you'll need:

:: 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats

::1 cup water

::1 cup unsweetened almond milk

::1/4 tsp. vanilla

:: a blop of pumpkin butter

:: and a topping, like nutella. or in today's version, pomegranate seeds.

directions:
 put the oats, water, and milk in a pot over medium low heat.
stir occasionally for 5 minutes
add the vanilla and blop of pumpking butter. (see below for visual on a blop)

stir it until all the pumpkin butter is dissolved.

cook for an additional 10-15 min. 

top with deliciousness.

now i will warn you, this isn't super sweet. i usually sprinkle some sugar on top of my bowl of oatmeal.  it's so much more yummy this way.

ta-da! you have a bowl of creamy, yummy, oatmeal that will keep your stomach full and body healthy!

what do you top your oatmeal with?

ps. happy thanksgiving! i'll be taking a little break from blogging for the holidays while we go on a much needed vacation. yay!

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe so here we go! I looooove tomatoes and a good tomato soup is always a fantastic lunch, especially when paired with a good grilled cheese sandwich. Our all-time favorite soup recipe is a Potato Cheddar Soup that I received during one of my wedding showers. But that's another recipe for another time. This Tomato Soup comes in at a close second.

This recipe is so good I don't even bother looking for a better one. It's got 14g LESS fat than regular homemade tomato soup (aka, w/cream or whole milk). This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. We are kind of obsessed with America's Test Kitchen and own a couple of their cook books as well as an entire season of TV episodes where you can watch them make this goodness.

So what's wrong with regular tomato soup?  Well when you add cream to tomato soup, it dulls the flavor, not to mention adds tons of fat and calories nobody needs. America's Test Kitchen's (hereto referred to as ATK) solution was to.................add bread! Yes bread. It gives it a nice creaminess without taking away from the tomato flavor as well as thickens the soup just to the right consistency.

Drooling yet?

Here's the recipe:

You'll need:

::1/4 extra virgin olive oil
:: 1 minced onion (i use a large one)
:: 3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
::pinch red pepper flakes
::1 bay leaf
::2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (you can also used diced, which is easier)
:: 1 TB light or dark brown sugar
:: 3 slices of high-quality white sandwich bread torn into 1-inch pieces (crusts removed! very important!)
:: 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
:: 2 TB brandy (optional)
:: salt and pepper
::1/4 cup minced fresh chives (I don't use that much)

Directions:
1. Heat 2 TB of oil in a large Dutch oven (or pot) over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 min.

2. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Using a potato masher (or large serving fork), mash the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Stir in the sugar and bread, bring to a simmer, and cook until the bread begins to dissolve, about 5 minutes.

3. Discard the bay leaf. Puree the soup with the remaining 2 TB of olive oil  in a blender, in batches, until smooth. Return the soup to a clean pot, stir in the brandy and cook gently over medium-low heat until the soup is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chives in individual bowls.

enjoy!

wiww: mini-style

welcome to "what I wore wednesday" where lots of bloggers take part in a weekly accountability post. it's designed to help us get out of our pj's and yoga pants and put some effort into the way we look. the link-up party is hosted at the pleated poppy.  

i usually take more than just one picture a week, but this past week i've been lazy with picture taking. i HAVE, however, not worn my pj's or yoga pants past 10 am this week. (go me! haha) 

shirt: target

striped vest: old navy: thrifted 

skinnies: wet seal

riding boots: marshalls

scarf: gift

headband: my shop :)

{i have a bunch of new heabands i'll be adding to the shop so be on the look out for those}

[ps. don't ask me what i'm doing in this picture. i'm not quite sure either, but i can tell you it was the end of  a loooong day! had one of those lately?)

it's wednesday! i'd have to say it's been a good day. 

watched the show "New Girl" on hulu (fiiiinally, after waiting 8 days after it aired on tv)

and tomorrow there's "Modern Family" and "Up All Night"

and then there's "The Office" the day after that! 

so that's my show line up for the rest of the week! what shows do you enjoy?

feel free to share in the comments below!

thanks for stopping by my blog and happy hump day everyone!

The Pros and Cons of Sleeping In

First off, let me say that there are no cons to sleeping in.unless, of course, it is your wedding day and you sleep through all your beauty appointments. Or miss any beauty appointments. (for the record, I have never had any beauty appointments unless you count hair cuts. Which don't really count in my book since I always end up getting the super cheap cut that costs less than a good quality steak.) but there really are no cons to sleeping in.

 I actually slept in this morning and the thought occurred to me that there is no better way to start the day. Even if it's a Monday (and you know what I think about Mondays). Here are the pros:

 For starters, you slept in. That alone is pretty awesome. So you start your day with an automatic awesome.

 Second, sleeping in will make you realize that all the things you "had" to get done today really aren't all that necessary for survival. And you will re-evaluate your goals (when was the las time That happened?) 

Also, you will drink coffee for pleasure instead of survival. And it will taste better. Trust me. In addition, you will be happy. Why? Because you got to sleep in of course!

 Next, you will get to have bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, and Chinese food because by the time you get dressed and ready to face the world it will be BOTH breakfast and lunch time.

 Your clothes will match better if you are conscious when you get dressed.

 You will be spontaneous the rest of the day. You might even take a nap for no reason.

 You will use the remainder of your day and time more wisely because, let's face it, you DID sleep in and have less hours in the day to work with. Unless you're like me and decide to blog about it instead.


 My apologies to my readers for the lack of pictures in my recent posts. I've lost my little picture uploading gadget that I JUST bought from the apple store. Until then you might be getting posts like this one.

for more ridiculous ravings, visit mindy kaling's blog. she's the bomb diggity on stuff like this. except better.

Potato Chips, Ginger Ale, and Skinny Jeans

That is exactly how I stated my day today. The first thing I ate this morning was a potato chip followed by a swig of Ginger ale, straight from the 2 liter. Every Monday morning I am not awake until around noon. I am usually pretty grumpy that 1) it is Monday and 2) I have to wake up at 7:30. I don't really bother wondering if my clothes match or if my hair is like, really freaking amazing looking. I just know that they don't and it's not. What usually cheers me up is that I will go shopping later that day. Grocery shopping. But still for me, it's pretty exciting. I don't know why I like shopping so much....maybe it's that little swipe of a piece of plastic that makes it seem like I'm getting awesome stuff for nothing. Or maybe I just like clicking that little button that says "add to cart." I'm a girl and shopping is fun for me. I think thats a pretty basic concept.

 Aside from all of the above nonsense today is a day where I remember the different ways I am blessed. Let's get on with that, because fact is, reading about the Mondays of an average American female is not all that exciting.

 This week Karl and I had breakfast at our favorite area diner. It was so nice just to sit down and spend some time with him, especially since we both had a crazy week with opposite schedules.

mmm....poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, ham, toasted english muffin, and home fries.

 I got a surprise scarf gift from a friend. That was awesome.

 Dinner is already in the crockpot.

 My house ( and by house, I mean apartment) is comfortable and warm.

The 3 concerts I played this weekend were fun and they are over. Let's face it,there's only so much Vivaldi and Piazzola one can handle. Or should I say, Handel, haha. ( corny joke, I know)

 Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Which means vacation is coming up soon. yay!

 What are you thankful for this week? Feel free to share on the comments or link back to your blog!

randomosities fo' shizzle

pheew! time flies! my apologies for being mia on the internet for the better part of last week. things have been busy around here (ya know, with life and things like that), but i have also been working on some things for my shop. in a couple weeks i'll be featured on some different blogs, so be on the lookout for some awesome giveaways! (not to mention fabulous discount in my shop)

among other things, i'm debating about doing a handmade market in january...i felt honored to be contacted by the event coordinator, but i'm not sure if i'll be able to make enough things to have enough to sell to off set the cost of the table. we'll see. (feel free to give advice about this)

after re (re) arranging the living room, i did i fun little project that helped me feel more creative.

also this week, i went to a little vintage shop and bought some items (one of which will be listed in my etsy shop soon).

 last saturday i had a recital for my violin students. it was a lot of fun to plan and prepare and for most kids, it was their first recital experience. i was all over pintrest looking for easy dessert options for the little reception afterwards. i had everybody bring something to share, but also wanted to add a little bit. also, it was an excuse to buy more sugar and chocolate. (admit it, you make excuses for chocolate too)

my kitchen was like a freakin' willy wonka factory. yes, those are chocolate covered marshmallows with rainbow sprinkles. no, you can probably not add more sugar to a tiny little bite than that. unless.....

you eat these crazy babies! yes, chocolate covered twizzlahs! the kids loved all this sugar by the way. were you thinking they would eat the stuff on the fruit trays, veggie platters and fancy cheese boards? no way. adults only there. 

 ahh yes, and then the cookie batter truffles. super easy. want the recipe? here ya go:

1 cup boxed cake mix

add

generous 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

mix together.

shape into balls and freeze 15 min.

melt 

wilton's chocolate in microwave.

coat 

frozen balls in chocolate 

and 

freeze 15 more mintues.

done.

you can't eat just one.

we made some of these tissue paper flowers. that was fun/cool.

and on that lovely note, happy weekend, my friends.

wiww: the week's activities

This week has been....eventful....to say the least. At least 8 inches of snow, 95% of the city without power, and a week of canceled university. Since this post just might be the last one for the week, here's WIWW, and what i've been up to this last week. 

my new boots I wore every day for like a week: marshalls

tights: walmart

skirt: forever 21 (i love this skirt-I wear it all the time!)

cardigan: united colors of benetton (thrifted)

scarf: gift

this is as good of a picture as I could take that day, lol. try to look past the fact that this is a headless body.

wool herringbone skirt: thrifted and altered by moi (it was like $2! how can you pass that up?)

belt: came with a pair of cords from old navy

mustardy tee: target

teal cardi: gap (thrifted)

(see, I told you I wore the boots like everyday)

boots: marshalls

jeans: wet seal

shirt: target

I added 3 new items to my shop (click). 2 clips and a tote. i love when i have some time to be creative. i just wish that time came around more often. know what i mean?

my little (and i mean like 5 minute) project for the week. since I had to bring in my herbs for the colder weather, i bought some galvanized pots from IKEA (for 99 cents each) and switched out the boring labels with some colorful ones

all you need is a paint swatch card. cut up some strips and write the names of your plants.

stick them in the dirt and  ta-da! 

the are the tins I bought. I love them!

my basil plant was too large for a tin so it stayed in the old pot. which is fine since i really like that pot anyway.

what's not to like? except some of the rotting leaves near the bottom! but what can i say? any plant that lives longer than a week under my care is a miracle :)