Introducing: The Devil

A few weekends ago, I spent the weekend with this little nugget. I am doing the same this coming Memorial Day weekend....

...he may look cute (in a weird, lemur-type of way), but don't let that snaggletooth fool you. I had to zoom to get this picture. If he is near my sister or his owner, Neather, he won't let know anywhere close to them. DEVIL BEAST.

unfortunately, I have to spend the weekend with him again. This time, Neather and Sissy will be there - should be fantastic. Can't wait to get harassed by this pup all weekend :)

*disclaimer: neather, i really dont HATE peanut. he just scares me. Sienna loves him though - besties!

PARTY TIME!

Hey friends! It's almost Memorial Day weekend - and for some of you, it already is! (jealoussss)

Me and sissy made some totally adorable and awesome gifts for our friends coming along to our house and Christy's house in Bethany Beach this weekend!

I'll be sure to post pics of us actually using them on the BEACH when I return on Tuesday!!



*did i mention that each koozie was $0.66 and the ribbon was $1.99 a spool!!? talk about the cutest, cheap gift ever!!

Mother's Day Cookies

Sissy did a great job making these Mother's Day Sugar Cookies! (I can't take any credit for anything except finding the idea....sad)

The sugar cookie and icing recipes are from here* and so is the idea for these cookies! She is an amazing baker, definitely worth checking out her site!

Sorry there aren't more pics, we had already dug into the cookie jar before this was taken!!

The point was to put a HUGE "you are..." cookie tag on the outside of the cookie jar. On the inside, she filled it with cookies that say nice things about my perfect momma :)

Some Summer Additions to my Kitchen

If someone could please donate to the "Madeleine wants this" fund, I'd gladly cook you a meal or two:)

Here are some lovely summer additions I'd love to add to my kitchen:

a sweet little apron to keep clean while i whip up some cupcakes!

floral paisley potholders to keep my hands safe!

and last but not least, these adorable little s&p shakers to keep my dining room table happy :)

all from *Anthropologie

JEN LANCASTERRRR!

meet my new best friend, Jen Lancaster:

not only is she the most awesome author, she is funny and super fabulous in person, too!! Katie and I have been waiting for this book/book tour for months so we were super thrilled to hear she was coming to DC!! We saw her last night at her signing at Barnes & Noble downtown! Not only did she compliment me on my skirt, and Katie on her awesome camera, we also chatted about pitbulls (she owns a bad dog too!!). We are soulmates, Jen. It was so nice to meet you, you are AMAZING!!!

if were allowed more time, i would have had her write "to my new best friend, madeleine: I love you more than Maisy. xox, Jen" (maisy is her pup!)

overall, an awesome experience!!!! :)

Sienna's Birthday Treats + proof I'm a moron

I had no time to bake the pup a cake due to the home search and various varsity drinking events this week. So instead, I bought her some treats at the local dog bakery. apparently, if you want a cake, you have to order it 24 hrs in advance. (hello people. its a DOG, they wont know the cake is stale.)

regardless, she enjoyed her treats :)

and because i am an IDIOT, i fed her a crumbly muffin type thing on my carpet that she has so kindly ripped up. totally fun for cleanup!!!! yayyyy i'm SO smart sometimes.

Spring!

Today is a beautiful Spring day here in DC!

chirp chirp!

*via epicute

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY PRINCESS SIENNA!!

Princess Sienna is 2 years old today!! Contrary to popular belief - she is WELL aware that it is her birthday, and for this reason, I am making her a cake!

oh to be young:little did i know this picture above would be foreshadowing of the future + 45 lbs.


i loooved when her ears did that all the time when she was in her growing up, awkward phase. although she is still pretty awkward.


she looooves running on the beach in the water:


hahaha looks like she is smoking a blunt. but she isn't. seriously.

present day pup in her birthday gift:

some people blog about their kids. i blog about my dog. JUDGE ME!

The Countdown is on: New House styleee

hey friends!

I've been so MIA with regular posts recently because our days at 5501 are coming to an end and we are FRANTICALLY trying to find a new place to call home! We are downsizing roommate-wise and it's starting to make us all really sad! There are currently 6 people at 5501 and while it's awesome, we are all going different places, whether it be moving home, or in with new people. Luckily, at least 3 of us are sticking together and trying to find something that can compare to our time at 5501. ummm...it's hard. really, really hard!!! Who would have thought our POS house with a leaky, moldy roof and a front door that the dog can push open with one paw would make this so difficult!

We're trying to make a decision by Memorial Day (that's when we have to tell our landlord we are moving out) - so the countdown is on! eeeeee so excited and so nervous!

Wish us luck - we've already seen like 4 or 5 houses and they have been no good! It doesn't help that we are in Arlington with a bunch of other set's of 3's looking for homes. Or that we have a 50lb dog who needs a yard. Or that we have a budget.

oh life - please help us out with the house search this week!!

our beloved 5501:

this is when we first moved in and our house got TP'ed HAHAHA - we're such grown ups!

Wine Wednesday: Jam Jar

oh jam jar, you did me riiighhhttt!

ya'll, this is a fantastic sweet shiraz, perfect for just about anything! I served mine chilled.


here are the winemaker's notes:
Crafted in a lighter style than your typical Shiraz, this fresh, fruity, semi-sweet wine displays aromas and flavors of ripe blueberries, blackberries and raspberries with dark chocolate undertones. Refreshing and approachable with a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, it makes a great aperitif and pairs equally well with meat dishes, cheeses, and desserts. Best served slightly chilled.

priced at around $10, this is an absolute steal! definitely one of my new favorites! Thank goodness the guy at World Market talked me into buying WAY more wine than I needed :)

Dinner: Ginger Salmon with Cucumber Avocado Slaw

disregard my spelling of avocado- how embarrassing.

Obviously, when there is a sale, I take advantage, especially with produce because it's so dang expensive! So I had two avocados and had to use the second, since I used the first one here.
Ginger Salmon
(for 2)

Ingredients:
2 filets of salmon (mine were about 8 oz each)
1 jar of ginger dressing (Makoto is a great brand)

place filets in a baking dish and pour the dressing over them so that there is dressing almost covering them. marinate for about an hour in the fridge (optional, it has great flavor either way!!). preheat the oven to 375 and bake for 18 mins or until cooked to desired temperature. SO easy!

Cucumber and Avocado Slaw

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups English cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, minced
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Preparation

Combine cucumber and scallion together in a medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour vinaigrette over cucumber mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Add avocado just before serving, and toss gently to mix. (You can make this salsa ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve, but add the avocado just before serving.)

one of my favorite meals to date! SO simple and so fresh and sooooooo delicious!

Dinner: Taco Pasta and Mango Avocado Slaw

sounds fun right?! it was! and soo delish! This was our Cinco de Mayo meal :)

Taco Pasta

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Casseroles

1/2 box Jumbo shell pasta
1 16-oz jar salsa
1 lb ground beef
4 oz cream cheese, cut up
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped tomato

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Soak in cold water for 1 minute; drain again.

Pour salsa into casserole dish; spread evenly. In skillet, brown beef. Drain fat. Stir in cream cheese and seasonings. Cool slightly.

Spoon meat into pasta shells. Arrange shells on top of salsa.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes more. Sprinkle with tomato.

Serve with Boom Boom Sauce.

Boom Boom Sauce

4 Jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
Large handful cilantro
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste

Seed and rib jalapenos. Quarter, then place in food processor with cilantro and garlic. Pulse until pureed. Add sour cream, cream cheese and cream. Pulse until smooth. Add milk until you get the consistency you want. Salt to taste. (instead of food processing, i just stirred it all together! and didn't use milk!)

Mango, Avocado and Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:
1 avocado, chopped
2 mangoes, chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage
4 tbsp rice or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp evoo
2 tbsp honey
juice of two limes
s&p to taste

combine vinegar, evoo, honey, lime juice and pour over slaw mix. add s&p to taste! add more dressing if desired. enjoy!

Flower Inspiration: Results!

I know you guys saw my post yesterday and I actually acted on it the day I said I would! This is progress for little miss procrastination polly over here!

Here are a few shots of my beautiful, new creations to be worn on a sash for Jessi's wedding tomorrow!!!! eeeeeeee I'm smiling from ear to ear from their gorgeous-ness!

some close up:

and lastly - a picture of me wearing the cream one today so you can see the size of them! The salmon/coral colored one is a bit bigger :)

I can't wait to make a ton more of these! They are definitely my new favorites!!

Flower Inspiration!

I'm feeling crafty and have found some perfect inspiration for my project! This weekend is my biggie's wedding (aka - my big sister in my sorority, Jessi) and I need to make a perfect sash for my dress (tonight!! leave it to me to procrastinate) ! The dress is a gray-ish color so I'm thinking coral and cream would be perfect! Here are a few sources of inspiration for me:

{sources are emersonmade and etsy}

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

off to make a bomb ass dinner and drink some mexican beveragessssss :)

Margarita Cupcakes for Cinco de Mayo!!!

OLE!

Margarita Cupcakes hardly need an intro! :)
makes about 52 minis - seriously - bite size drops of heaven that are work-safe margarita goodness!

CAKE:
9 ounces liquid Margarita mix (a little over a cup)
3 ounces tequila (a little less than 1/3 cup)
¾ ounce Grand Marnier (instead i used a little more tequila and marg mix - too lazy to buy this! woopsies)
1 box white cake mix
3 large egg whites
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs lime zest

ICING:
zest of 3 limes
juice of 3 limes
abt 1 cup of butter
pinch of sea salt
tbsp of tequila!!! (if you use more tequila, use more sugar)
4-6 cups of powdered sugar depending on what consistency you want! (Honestly, my frosting is not at a thick enough consistency for my liking, but i got lazy and left it as is)
a few drops of green food coloring - optional

Prepare cupcakes: Whisk together margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier in a small bowl. Measure out 1¼ cups for the recipe; pour the rest on some ice and drink it while making the cupcakes.

In a large bowl, blend cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1¼ cups of the margarita mix from step 1. Blend on low for about 30 seconds and then increase speed to medium and blend for two additional minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into mini cupcake liners (about ¾ full). Bake for 15 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them to a rack to cool completely. (if using regular size cupcakes - bake for 20-25 mins!)

Prepare Icing: whip butter til smooth consistency. add all ingredients besides sugar and combine well. gradually add powdered sugar until desired consistency!

ENJOY!!! Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank my office for the great lighting on the pictures...argh.

Novelista Barista!!

hey bloggy friends, I am featured over at Novelista Barista today - she is running a serious of posts about her readers and their pups :) go check out her site!!!

Anthro Necklace Pt. deux

isn't she lovely?

i am making her in the next few weeks!

** i have still one of these in progress (way harder than i imagined) and don't you worry, i am getting so frustrated that it's not done yet that i'll be finishing it in the next few days :)

Weekend Happenings :)

This weekend was beautiful here in DC! I hope you all were able to spend it outside like I did! Between HOURS of happiness immediately after work on Friday at Clarendon Ballroom rooftop, birthday brunches at Chadwick's and a Kentucky Derby party on Saturday to the National Harbor on Sunday, I had my fair share of day drinking :) I never feel like I am doing anything wrong or bad for me when I day drink! Isn't that terrible? It's just SO fun and usually WAY less expensive than night drinking because it's usually a brunch menu or in someones backyard! (I try to justify my ridiculous-ness with these kind of thoughts)

Kentucky Derby party - clearly not the best picture, i'll upload more once i get them from friends:

hi tandy.

The boo and I went to the National Harbor for trade show training (we work at the same company, different locations...weird, I know) and then sat down for drinks and apps at this place called Bond 45. They serve some of their drinks in teapots, prohibition style! SO COOL! obvi, I ordered one (or two.... :))

View from our seats at Bond 45:

then we took a walk on the pier with some delicious gelato (I studied abroad in Italy, can you imagine my excitement!!?!?!?!) and this is what we saw:
a really creepy arm...then i realized it's much more:
A bunch of stupid kids climbing on a creepy body coming out of the sand. I just don't get it.

All in a all, a great weekend :)