A Big To-Do

A few recipes I've made recently, and failed to photograph!

2012-01-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

a few amazing recipes that i've tried recently! (i over-cooked and over-photographed over the holidays - so i've been slacking on it all....wompwomp)

Korean Beef Tacos (i just made the beef) - these were seriously flavorful and delicious! simple to make, but make sure to watch the crock pot.

Sweet & Spicy Green Beans (i omitted the honey) - these were crispy, full flavor - and i added sriracha sauce to give it an extra kick!

doesn't get much more simple than a toll house chocolate chip cookie - but if you want to stick to a tried & true recipe, try the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie!

I'm sure there are plenty more and I'll be sure to share them as they come! And I promise to try and do a better job sharing my life with the few readers that I still have!

holla!

Baked Brie - YUM!

2012-01-17T13:53:00.000-08:00


how good does this look!?!?! (before we baked it!)

and after!gimme!

baked brie is one of my favorite appetizers! especially since we set this one up like a little christmas tree! simple as halved cherry tomatoes, pesto drizzle and basil! YUM!

Recipe: Skinny Beef Barbacoa

2012-01-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

{Recipe via SkinnyTaste}

This recipe is spicy, juicy, easy, amazing and delicious! Please make this ASAP! tastes just like Chipotle Beef Barbacoa....if that doesn't sell you on it, then i dont know what will.

Beef Barbacoa - Via Skinnytaste.com

(with my adaptations in italics)

"Ingredients:

3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed
5 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion
1/2 lime, juice (whole lime)
2-4 chiptoles in adobo sauce (to taste) (i used the whole can, minus the sauce)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp ground cloves
salt and pepper
3 bay leaves
1 tsp oil
1 cup water

Directions:
Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chiptoles, cloves in a blender.

Trim all fat off meat, cut into 4 inch chunks. Season with salt and pepper and brown on high heat in 1 tsp oil. Add liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and simmer on high in a crock pot for 4 hours.

Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove the meat and place in a dish. Shred it with two forks, and reserve the liquid for later (discard the bay leaf). Return the shredded meat to the pot, adjust salt and cumin (you may need to add more) to taste and add some of the reserved liquid back. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to let the flavors penetrate."

note: i served mine with black bean and corn salsa, sofrito rice, and avocado slices. i suggest all of this. ah-mazing.

Easy Appetizer: Roasted Sweet Peppers with Mozzarella

2012-01-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

I could have spent a bit more time on these appetizers to make them more pretty, but the flavor was all there. Next time, I think i'll toss the mozzarella balls in a pesto sauce to change it up a bit!

Recipe from The Italian Dish!

A super late christmas post!

2012-01-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season! i know i did! this is the super simple, yet super cute mantle that my momma puts up each year. we added a new stocking to the mix this year for my great aunt mary, who moved in with my parents a few months ago. you can barely see it, but, on the edges, the dogs have stockings too! :)

Recipe: Individual Baked Spinach Dip Cups

2011-12-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

eat me.

whoa, you guys. i found this recipe over at Picky Palate and considering my track record with her recipes, i knew i had to make it. she never fails me.
i made these mini spinach dip cups for my parents friends for their annual christmas party. i'm happy to say that these, along with my other appetizers, were no where to found at the end of the night. you guys know how much i love when people like what i cook, and i love it even more when they compliment me. (bratty, i know)

mix me.

bake me.

Individual Baked Spinach Dip Cups
{slightly adapted *via Picky Palate}- adaptations in italics.
"1 roll of refrigerated biscuits
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped (1 medium frozen bag)
4 clove fresh garlic, minced
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 small container of Fage 0% greek yogurt (any kind of fat free greek yogurt will do)
4 Tablespoons fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ancho Chile Pepper
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Garlic Salt
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Sicilian Sea Salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 16 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray. Unroll package of biscuits and cut each pre-cut biscuit in half. Press each slice into about a 3 inch round, I did this by pressing in between my hands. Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn heat off (mine took a bit longer since it was frozen).
3. Place cream cheese, greek yogurt, cooked spinach and garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Ancho Chili Powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dip into each of the centers of biscuit bowls. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until just turning brown on edges. Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from oven."

make these, you won't be able to stop eating them! thank you Picky Palate!

Recipe: Sausage Cheddar balls

2011-12-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

finished product, so delicious!

this is a different version of a meatball! perfect for appetizers for any time of year! i only made a few modifications to the recipe - i used lowfat sausage as well as low fat cheese. anything to make it a bit healthier this time of year!

ready to bake!!

i highly suggest you make these little guys! super simple, super flavorful, and crowd-pleasing!

Sausage Cheddar Balls
(slightly adapted *via Martha Stewart)
"Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups grated cheddar (1/2 pound) (low fat)
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (low fat)
1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater (i diced)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar and toss to coat. Add sausage, onion, and butter. With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through, 25 minutes. Serve warm."

i'm obsessed with dogs....

2011-12-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

lexie-lou

mac attack!


rosie posie!!

i just love these three pups to death! since my dog isn't allowed in public anymore to ensure the safety of the general public, i go out with my friends that have well-behaved pups! we brought them to the Scottish Parade in Old Town Alexandria this past saturday morning! it was the cutest, it was like one huge dog parade with lots of people in kilts and their tartans. had no idea there were so many Scottish people in the area, but it was pretty cool to see them all come together to share their heritage with everyone ! below are a few of my fave pics from the parade:

jaguar parade

pretty flags!

Santa! I KNOW HIM!

awesome band

the most Scottish family ever. they even have two Scottish terriers

Happy December!!

2011-12-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

{*via Mimi+Meg}

can you believe its already december? like usual, we have lots to celebrate!!

happy december!

Cutest pitbull you ever did see!

2011-11-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

gimme your food

cutest baby ever

stop following me with that stupid camera.

Thanksgiving: Italian Wedding Cookies!

2011-11-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

papi requested these italian wedding cookies for thanksgiving without knowing that what he really wanted was french macarons.

doesn't really matter because i got a fancy new camera (Nikon D5100) and wanted to take a picture of anything and EVERYTHING!

aren't they pretty??? i have a lot more to edit, but i really wanted to share them with you!

for those wanting to make them - i did it differently this time. Instead of rolling out the cookie dough, which i'm terrible at, i used my hands to roll little balls of dough and flatten them with my palm. i then pressed them into the sprinkles before i baked them. to make sure they were all the same size, i used two things - a mini muffin tin and a whoopie pie mold. both small circular shapes. keep in mind that using this method will make them a bit thicker and require a few extra minutes of baking. also - dont be an idiot like myself, and make sure to remember to poke holes in the cookies with a fork prior to baking. after baking, assemble the same way.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies!!

2011-11-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

HOLY WOW!!! you guys!! you HAVE to make this cookie for your thanksgiving spread!

this is the ultimate come back from my baking hiatus! i finally figured out how to use my damn gas oven, and i'm pumped! these cookies are soft little pillows from heaven, and i swear by that. i didnt bother with icing - and the cookies were still ah-mazzzinggg!

i randomly got stressed out that i had unused pumpkin in my pantry, and immediately googled "easy pumpkin cookie recipe" - i kid you not, this was the first recipe that i saw that was on a blog and clicked on it. turns out, the recipe was super easy, super quick, and super delicious (and i had all the ingredients in the house already - hi, my name is madeleine and i am a food hoarder!). google for the win!!

Old fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

{via *Very Best Baking}

"Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely"

how easy is that?? i highly suggest getting a cookie scoop thinger for this, i had to use an actual teaspoon and it sucked because its a fairly sticky batter!

Enjoy!

Be Happy

2011-11-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

{photos via *Life love laughter tumblr}

hey guys its me, i still suck at blogging!

2011-11-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

i thought i'd say hi and tell you that i have a few great recipes to share with you. we'll see when i get the motivation to post them!

in the meantime, follow me:

on twitter: @madeleinefuster

on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/madeleinefuster/

add me on bloglovin': http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/2295609/a-big-to-do

or just follow my blog over there to the right ---->>> see that there. do it.

i'm funny on twitter & sparkly on pinterest - do it!

Toddlers & Tiaras: Ultimate Grand Supreme Beauty Queen

2011-11-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

toddler is gettin' SASSY!

oh hey metro lines!! (you wouldnt get it unless you lived or travel to DC) :)

just a toddler on the metro

at whitlows with my loves!

had NO idea that this was a bar and not a stage!

night #2 :) love my girls!

ghostbusters came to save me hahahaha

ULTIMATE GRAND SUPREME TITLE HAS NOW BEEN PASSED DOWN TO MY SISTER. its a sad day for everyone in the Madeleine Fuster Fan Club.

Happy November!!

2011-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

{*via Mimi+Meg}

i just love these calendars so much from Mimi+Meg!! Happy November to you! I cant believe it's already the end of the year, it flew by so quickly. I hate winter time, but I love the holidays. Plenty of time to get back into cooking and baking - which I am slacking so hard on!

hope you cool people keep reading even though i've been such a bum about this blog! I'll share pictures from Halloween tomorrow! it was a good one! hint: tiara!

Happy Friday!

2011-10-28T09:40:00.000-07:00


a friday funny from me to you!

{picture *via Somewhere you feel free}

the only sober birthday party picture!

2011-10-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

my family at my birthday bbq this year! love them so much!

I missed my bloggy anniversary. I officially suck at blogging!

2011-10-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

blog birthday was oct 15th! i cant believe i missed it! two whole years! {via *pinterest}

welp guys. i'm clearly stuck in a blogging rut! i haven't cooked/baked much recently, haven't spent a ton of money of crafts i cant finish, just been SUPER busy with life! a ton of my friends (including myself) have fall birthdays. between that and wedding season i haven't had time to do much except for party (which is fun...and awesome) but i don't want to post a bunch more pictures of me being drunk on here. you guys have seen that plenty - whether it be in real life or on here....

someone helpppp me get out of this rut!

hmmm maybe i should take a chill pill since i'm over 25 now (NOT COOL) - quarter life crisis needs to end at some point! hah!

i'm feeling american today!

2011-10-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

i LOVE this!!!

had to do it. haahahha this is hilarious!

pictures from life-love-laughter tumblr (my sorority sister, Heather! go to the blog its SUPER cute!)

celebrating my birthday tonight at dinner and then MUG NIGHT with my favorites - if you know me, you know that this is my favoritest thing ever! also - my best friend is home from aspen and joining the party!

EEEEEEE!!!! love it!

Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi!

2011-10-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

it's true. we do.

homecoming week. my birthday week. middle of fall. football season. changing leaves. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER??

ps - check out the homecoming campaign for my sorority this year- it's epic! go sigma kappa!!! (i may have graduated 4 years ago, but i still love my sistas!)

http://www.movinlikebuyrnie.com/

Happy Friday!

2011-10-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

happy weekend, peeps! i promise to get better at blogging!

haha this picture crackkeddd me up! t-rex arms are my fave. prob why i like cee-lo so much!

Erin & Darick tie the knot!!

2011-10-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

OBSESSED that my camera caught this moment! the look in their eyes is amazing!

so much love.

love scott&ck!

can't wait to be a part of your wedding in just a few weeks! AHHH!!!! <3

bride and groom having the BEST time ever!

us girls with Erin, the most gorgeous bride!!!


probably doing the dougie!

Erin & Darick, I am so happy that I was able to attend your wedding this past weekend. So much love and happiness, what a beautiful wedding & couple!

Erin's Wedding Day!!

2011-10-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

remember when i posted a while ago about my friend Erin getting engaged? and then i creepily found a bunch of inspiration boards for her? well today is the day of her wedding and i couldn't be any more excited for her and Darick! :) yayyyy for happy days! off to MD to celebrate! she is going to be STUNNING!

so happy for you both :)

live your best life

2011-10-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

RIP Steve Jobs {*via Life in the Super Burbs}

even as a non-apple user, i can appreciate his talent and vision. cancer is a terrible thing, many prayers to his family and friends.

want to donate to pancreatic cancer research? you have plenty of organizations to choose from.

happy october! + my birthday month!

2011-10-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

{*via mimi+meg}

i just love these monthly calendars that meg biram from mimi+meg posts at the beginning of each month!

hahaha i just have to point out that my 26th birthday (oct 19th) is "evaluate your life day" - HAHAHHAA embarrassing. i will be doing nothing of the sort.

happy october!

im baackkk (for good!)

2011-09-30T11:12:00.000-07:00


one of 712 pictures that i took while in Turkey and Greece. this is a group of us visiting the fortress in Ankara, Turkey.

what an amazing view, and an even more amazing group of people! cant wait to share the trip with my bloggy :) (does anyone even read this anymore? i've been so MIA!!)

YOU GUYS!

2011-09-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

{*via pinterest}

YOU GUYS - i'm leaving for an amazing trip to Turkey and Greece TOMORROW!

Funfetti Cupcakes part 2

2011-09-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

i've made funfetti cupcakes before - but i made one key error. i used non-nonpareils instead of "jimmies" - make sure you use jimmies or else your cupcakes look like rainbows....weird, weird rainbows.
these turned out pretty great, but i did overbake them a little bit. oh well - lesson learned. i am still learning how to use my gas oven and not screw things up.

Vanilla Almond Funfetti Cupcakes (from scratch!)

Recipe slightly adapted from {Simply Scratch}

makes 24.

Ingredients:
4 whole Egg Whites
1 cup Whole Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups Cake Flour, sifted (i used regular, and it came out just fine. next time ill use cake flour)
1 1/2 cups Sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 sticks of Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sprinkles, plus more for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Combine the egg whites, vanilla whole milk. Whisk together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl; sift the dry ingredients. Fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients with the butter and half of the milk and egg mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, and then slowly add the remaining mixture and stop mixing once combined.

Fold in sprinkles and fill paper liners half way. Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes. Watch carefully so you don’t over bake.

Lastly, frost with the prepared cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with remaining sprinkles.

Refrigerate any uneaten cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Icing
via {Simply Scratch}

1 package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Butter, softened
1 teaspoon of Real Vanilla Extract
1 package (16 oz.) powdered sugar (about 4 cups), sifted

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the sifted sugar gradually, beating until well blended after each addition.

Frost Cupcakes. note: Always keep cream cheese frosting refrigerated.

LETS GO RAVENS!

2011-09-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Uncle Phil and me with Poe, the Raven's mascot!

beginning of a beautiful tribute to 9/11. may we never foreget.

6 rows off the field? yes please! having a blast with the best uncle/godfather I could ask for!

amazing. god bless america.

me and Petak!! had such a great time (well maybe she didnt, she is a DIEHARD steelers fan!)

i was lucky enough to hang out with my uncle phil twice this weekend! Happy Hour(s) on Friday and at the Raven's season opener on Sunday! i am so blessed to have him as my godfather, i love him to death. not only is he super caring and a great uncle, he is also SUPER fun and awesome!

thank you uncle phil! i love you!

drybar sanfrancisco

2011-09-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

amazing little salon!! great employees!

i went to drybar in san francisco (oscar was my stylist - he was talkative, knowledgeable and AWESOME) while i was on my work trip to Dreamforce 2011. while the blowout didnt last as long as i wanted to (i touch my hair a lot and dont have the best experiences with dry shampoo), i still loved the entire experience!! i ordered a "cosmopolitan" which was lots of big curls! i also got a "shot" which is a deep conditioning treatment, it made my hair even softer than it already was from getting a keratin treatment a few weeks before. i should add, all of the products they used on my hair were sulfate free, so it did not affect my keratin treatment at all (if it did, i would have had an anxiety attack)!

...and for us DC people, there are plans for one to open here around Thanksgiving time! just in time for the holiday; i will most definitely be going back! this place is perfect for special occasions where you just dont have the time or energy to do it yourself!


post blowout and styling! i love it, the curls didnt last as long as i had hoped, but it looked pretty while it lasted! {my eyes looked all wack so i put on some shades using picnik hahaha}


chairs custom made for drybar and imported from italy!!

fog...blows my mind.

2011-09-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

i was mesmerized by the fog in san francisco. i took this picture flying over the airport because we missed the landing the first time (seriously). nature BLOWS MY MIND.

food pics because i have nothing else as of yet....

2011-09-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

the flower actually blooms in your glass and makes the BEST tea! @houseofnanking in san francisco

umm...we did damage.

flower tea before the flower opens up! so cool! i love House of NanKing

first homecooked meal back home - amazing. definitely could have seared the scallops a bit more, but they were still cooked well.


please disregard my fancy plate and utensils - but this salad was too good to not share! arugula+spinach+beets+sundriedtomatoes+romatomatos+goatcheese+greekdressing

i promise ill be back with more fun stuff coming up!

i'm baaaackkk!!

2011-09-07T11:05:00.000-07:00


had the best time EVER at Dreamforce 2011 (#df11)! this is a picture of our BAE Systems Team with our Salesforce.com Account Executives

...and now back to regular blogging! (i hope!)

off to san francisco!

2011-08-26T09:22:00.000-07:00


wheels up! off to san francisco!

this afternoon, im leaving to spend the weekend with friends outside of San Francisco, then 5 days in SF for DREAMFORCE 2011, then flying down to San Diego to visit some more friends, and ending my trip with a 24 hour stop in LA to visit another friend. if my friends would stop moving to california, this wouldn't be such a major trip!! see you sukkas in 11 days - i'll be posting in my down time (umm...so ya, talk to ya never)

'lasagna'

2011-08-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

This "lasagna" is soooo easy and delicious!!! i put quotations around lasagna, because there are no noodles. the various veggie layers act as my noodles.

make this as you would any lasagna. brown the meat, put in the layers as you wish (sauce, cheese, meat, uncooked veggies - in whatever order. just put the sauce at the bottom so it doesnt stick!!)

in mine, i used yellow onions (diced at the bottom mixed in with sauce), yellow squash, red bell pepper, and zucchini. and then for my cheese i used 4cheese italian (reduced fat!) and a bit of shaved padana cheese (i think?? it's like parm). and ground turkey - but you could use ground chicken or beef as well!

hmm guess which side is mine, and which side is sissy's?

bake at 400 degrees 25-30 minutes, covered with foil. then take the foil off and add the cheese to bake for another 15-20 minutes. i put mine in the broiler on hi for about 4 minutes at the end to get that crunchy, browned cheese effect!

make this! and enjoy!!!

lusting over....

2011-08-24T14:03:00.000-07:00


la mer wrap watch - need it.

this hammock on the water - pleaseeeee. i'll even take that extremely american golden retriever.

DIY confetti art, yes please.

these gold/crystal champagne glasses are to DIE for. need.

i really do realize how lucky and blessed i am to have what i have. but that doesn't mean i cant lust for more....

flights booked!!

2011-08-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

remember when i said i was heading to Turkey for work? well, my friends, flights are finally booked! it's official - i'll be in europe from sept 17th-sept28th!

ankara, turkey (not nearly as cool as the other places :))


istanbul, turkey

places i'll be visiting: include (have to add: a flight through munich during oktoberfest - 4 hours of people watching!) Work: Ankara, Turkey; Istanbul, Turkey & FUN: Athens, Greece; Santorini, Greece!!! ahhhhhh!

athens, greece

santorini, greece

any suggestions, tips, places to go, people to see?!?! i'll take anything! can not wait!

Friday!!

2011-08-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

{*via}

i've been a terrible blogger this week and last - life is too freaking busy (aka - too busy watching dance moms and russian dolls on lifetime). i'll be back next week with a few recipes and some pics from yet another bachelorette party that i'm attending this weekend!

cheeeers to friday!

i miss them already.

2011-08-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

most of the girls are spread across the country (luckily, most are on east coast!) - and i miss everyone already. still cant get over the epic weekend in NYC!

let's hear it for NY!

2011-08-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

sneak preview of an AMAZING weekend celebrating jessica's upcoming wedding

we are at Beekmans Beach Bar and Beer Garden (something like that)

these streets will make you feel brand new

2011-08-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

heading to NYC in the morning for a long weekend to celebrate jessica's bachelorette party with these ladies!! we have all been great friends since high school! jessica's sister, tracie, is an event planner in NY, and her and jess' other sister, rachelle, have planned QUITE the weekend for us! i can't wait to share the details when i return next week!

cant wait to see these two get married in november! i'll be the bawling bridesmaid. i am so so so happy for Andy and Jessica, they got together (at my house..thank you very much) during beach week after senior year of high school and have been together ever since. i love them both to death. me and andy used to ride the bus together in 6th grade when i moved to darnestown. i met jessica freshman year of high school when we tried out for poms together and made the team.

<3 love - its a great thing.

new favorite {bottomless} brunch spot!

2011-08-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

3 or 4 hours into brunch....we scoped out this table so hard.

heyo! happy monday!

recently, i read about Scion Restaurant (Dupont, DC) on Bitches Who Brunch. i immediately knew that i'd love this place when i read "make any drink bottomless for just $5 extra". turns out, the food was pretty dang good (two of us got the Kobe Burger and two of us got the Steak&Eggs), and the drink specials far surpassed our expectations once we finally understood how they worked. four of the eight specialty drinks can be made bottomless - including the bellini&mimosa (those are interchangeable), and then the bacon bloody mary&regular bloody mary (also interchangeable). the place ran out of orange juice, so mimosa was immediately knocked off our list. the guys ordered bellinis and i ordered a bloody mary - all bottomless. it was like we were signing a contract since we couldnt switch around. after a few sips of one of the stronger bloody marys ive ever hard, i realized i needed to" buy out of my contract immediately" and switch to bellinis, or my day would end early (which it did anyway, but thats later on in the story).

so....we drank bottomless bellinis - which our waiter, Pablo, served to us in carafe's. he kept it full and kept our drinks full. bottomless flows until 3:30pm which is nice considering we got there at 1pm on the dot.

our conversations were absolutely hilarious and the actual brunch/bottomless part was amazing. mid-bottomless bellini, we realize the table on the patio has a tap on it (see pic below), and immediately - it had to be ours. we scouted that table until the squatters left, and moved outside around 4, with our new friends from the table next to us inside. this was just in time for "power hour" in our bottomless-drowned minds. we realize two key things when we start power hour - 1) iphones arent loud enough to play over dc traffic & 2) power hour is miserable/dangerous when played with an IPA.

anywho - we drank a bit more and this is when i decided it was prob best that i send myself home (around 5:30ish??) - the boys stayed and i hopped in the first taxi i saw. it was the most aggressive brunch i think ive ever had - and we all know i like to day drink. i got home and slept til 10:30pm. woops.

taps...ON THE TABLE!? yes, please! the tap counted how many pints you poured, pretty genius.


POURING down rain towards the end of brunch. holllyyyy moly.

i can NOT wait to go back. Pablo - please have my table ready! i'll bring the portable speakers!

some of my favorite daily reads {funny}

2011-08-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

hey guys! thought i'd share some sites that have been seriously cracking me up recently!!

Suri's Burn Book

Betches Love This Site

Know What's F*cking Crazy

check them out, they will bring you lots of laughs!

{sign via pinterest, bubbles via pinterest}

Happy Friday! hope you have lots of fun things planned! I am getting Brazilian Keratin Treatment in my hair again, can't wait! and then a champagne brunch tomorrow with friends! other than these few things, the world {DC} is my oyster! <3

LOOK AT THIS DOG!

2011-08-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Minion the horse dog

180lb dog with a bone in your face, thats normal right?

haha this is Holly's dog that I was talking about!

180lb Brazilian Mastiff - holy moly! haha cracks me up, him and holly's husband james are besties! too cute!

Pedro&Vinny's Burritos

2011-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

read the Arl Now review for pedro&vinny's here

and now my review: A+

here's why:

fresh ingredients daily
home made "goose sauce" - mango habenero sauce! (omg!) - and they bottle it for sale!
home made cilantro habenero sauce! (double omg!)
combo of the two (....and i DIE)
reasonable prices - $6.45 for a steak burrito
steamed tortillas - REALLY steamed (30 seconds or more), not chipotle flash steamed.
the owner, John Rider really made the experience special. your probably thinking "how can anything that has to do with a burrito shack be special?" - well - he was super personable, introduced himself and went through the whole menu with us and told us how his DC customers have been ordering for years. i went with all of his suggestions, and i couldnt have been happier.

i'm sorta worried about myself now that i know its walking distance from my house and open til 3am on weekends, but other than that, i'm seriously pumped that this restaurant opened in our Columbia Pike neighborhood!

Just joined Bloglovin'

2011-08-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

i needed to keep better track of all of the millions of blogs that i follow! you guys should follow me there, too!

while youre at it:

follow me on twitter: @madeleinefuster
follow me on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/madeleinefuster/

yay :)

happy august!

2011-08-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

happy august to you, and you, and you! so many days to celebrate! as always, meg from mimi+meg posts the most awesome holidays to these monthly calendars!

my personal favorites:

international beer day - yes please!
left-handers day - that's me!
cupcake day - um, hello, have you read my bloggy?
goat cheese MONTH ?!!? conveniently, i have some on my salad today for lunch!
lemon juice day -more like lemon juice life. i'll be sure to use it on the 29th.

enjoy this last month of summer! :)

waking up in vegas {atlantic city!}

2011-07-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

staying here tonight!!!

...and visiting my friend Holly, her hubby, and her brand new baby, Santino (i am also looking forward to meeting their ~~horse~~ dog, Minion!)!!!!! more than overdue.

it's going to be a seriously great weekend!

Sloppy Joe Remix

2011-07-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

sloppy joes are always one of my favorites! i looove them. i think that there are two reasons i love them so much: 1) my mom makes the BEST ones and 2) they remind me of It Takes Two with the Olsen Twins....love me some old school olsen twins! hahah!

i tweaked this recipe a bit to make it a little less tangy, and a little more sweet! so delicious. please make these, sloppy joes are such a crowd pleaser!

Open-Faced Skinny Sloppy Joes
{slightly adapted from *Gina's Skinny Recipes}

1.25 lbs 93% lean ground beef sirloin
1 tbsp steak seasoning or seasoned salt
1 medium onion, minced (i used a pre-diced frozen bag)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup mixed bell pepper, minced (i used a frozen blend)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste

Chop all the vegetables really fine, using a chopper or food processor.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks. Season with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns, then add onion, garlic, and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, cook 5 more minutes. Add brown sugar. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan, stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes. Using a measuring cup, pile 1/2 cup of sloppy meat onto toasted buns - we used whole wheat pita bread or whole wheat sandwich thins.

Enjoy!

Crrraaazzzyyy Feta!

2011-07-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

guys, this picture is unappealing. but i kid you not, this is the MOST amazing dip/spread/condiment i've ever had. EVER. and i know i say that a lot, but this time i mean it! for realz.

Cava is one of my favorite restaurants in the DC area (a few locations), and they have this appetizer called Crazy Feta....and How Sweet It Is is one of my favorite foodie blogs..and she made a home made version of this.

needless to say, i had to make it. immediately. and it was well worth the expensive block of feta and burning my eyes after touching jalapenos (will i ever learn??).

MAKE THIS:

Crazy Feta

{*via How Sweet It Is}

From her site:

"makes about 2 cups [a little goes a long way!]
2 bricks of feta cheese, 8 ounces each
3 whole jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1 bulb garlic
the juice of half a lemon
the zest of half a lemon
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap it in foil and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until garlic is golden in color. At the same time, brush the jalapenos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Either grill or roast them – I stuck them in the oven with garlic and just watched until they were charred. Remove both from oven and let cool. Once jalapenos are cooled, remove skins, cut in half and discard the seeds. Chop into small pieces. Don’t touch your eyes!
In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks. [Crumbling the bricks yourself works best, but if you can only find crumbled feta that is fine.] Add chopped jalapenos, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half a lemon. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb directly into the feta. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mash with a fork. You want the feta to be a bit “wet” – I can best describe it as a cross between a spread and a dip. There is no right or wrong – make it however you’d like. Taste the feta and season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips, warm pita or naan, or spread it on sandwiches. Store it in the fridge for up to one week."

Enjoy! seriously.

No One Mourns the Wicked

2011-07-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Wicked - the musical. at The Kennedy Center

went with a bunch of my friends the other night! highly recommend this musical if you havent seen it already! it's playing at the Kennedy Center in DC until Aug 21st and it isnt sold out - go buy tickets!

we! are! friends!

2011-07-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

i made these. apparently, i still have mad skillz (candy stripe and chinese staircase - heyoo!). there are a few more that i didnt take pics of, too. who wants to be my friend?!?!?!

we are friends! we are friends!

Caprese Quinoa

2011-07-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

ahhhh, i've had this recipe at the top of my to-make list since i first saw it! and it lived up to its hype! except i suck and put too much salt (more than the recipe called for apppparenntllyyy)....so yea. anyway, i ended up rinsing the whole thing off and then topping with basil oil..and what do you know? it turned out perfect! i love when mistakes turn out well in the end.

i only slightly adapted this recipe by adding lemon zest and a bit of lemon juice (umm and too much salt)...because apparently i cant go a day without lemon juice in my life.

Caprese Quinoa
{slightly adapted from How Sweet Eats}
makes about 3 cups worth
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large & 1 small heirloom tomato, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls (or just buy a fresh mozzarella ball and cut it into chunks)
10 large basil leaves, chiffonade
tsp of lemon zest, and juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Prepare quinoa according to directions on box (which is most likely: 2 cups water + 1 cup quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes). Add in the tomatoes, cheese, basil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of basil oil over top and serve!

Homemade Basil Oil
from myrecipes
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves (I used 3 handfuls), coarsely chopped
Blend oil and basil leaves in a blender or food processor for 30-60 seconds, just until the two are mix. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, just until bubbles appear around the edges. Heat for about 5 minutes, the remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cool, pour through a fine mesh strainer and press on the basil leaves to release all the oil. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks – stays fresh best if set in the fridge.

Enjoy!!!

Mediterranean frolics

2011-07-19T13:29:00.001-07:00

Mediterranean frolics by Madeleine Fuster featuring super skinny jeans

Rag Bone knit sweater
£55 - net-a-porter.com

True Religion super skinny jeans
$230 - stylebop.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs leather sandals
$200 - dsw.com

Aldo shoes
$80 - aldoshoes.com

Proenza Schouler leather handbag
$895 - editnewyork.com

Ten Thousand Things cluster necklace
$2,175 - barneys.com

Vanessa Mooney glass bangle
$230 - editnewyork.com

Stud earrings
£30 - johnlewis.com

i'm heading to Turkey (and most likely Greece!!) in september, and it's pretty much all i can think about!!!!!!!!!! you'll prob notice a developing theme over the next two months!

when you start to worry about your life getting weird....

2011-07-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

take a look at my sister and reevaluate.

hahaha just the start to a stellar weekend!

Aint no party like a baby pool party!

2011-07-17T21:02:00.001-07:00

this happened. more pics to come!

peach dress set

2011-07-15T12:34:00.003-07:00

peach dress set by Madeleine Fuster featuring bangles jewelry

Dorothy Perkins sleeveless dress
£19 - dorothyperkins.com

Diane von Furstenberg wedge heel sandals
$295 - net-a-porter.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors glitter jewelry
$250 - nordstrom.com

AK Anne Klein enamel jewelry
$50 - macys.com

Kate spade jewelry
$48 - couture.zappos.com

G by Guess bangles jewelry
$19 - gbyguess.com

Nail Polish
$4.95 - witchery.com.au

if someone could gift this whole outfit to me, i would be very appreciative!

pool partyyy!!

2011-07-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

pool partayyyyy by Madeleine Fuster featuring tory burch shoes

OH yea this is happening this weekend! pool (term to be used loosely, plastic baby pool...) party!!! love it!

Golden Oreo Cheesecake

2011-07-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

golden oreo individual cheesecakes. oh so so so good! nothing more to say, here is the recipe:

Oreo Cheesecake Recipe
{slightly adapted from Pink Parsley}

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes
Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
makes 30 cupcakes

42 Golden Oreos - 30 left whole, and 15 food processed (just pulsed, not liquified...)
2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature (I use 16oz of reduced fat, and 16oz of fat free - this REALLY increased cooking time)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners, and place 1 Oreo in the bottom of each cup.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla, then drizzle in the eggs. When well combined, mix in the greek yogurt and salt. Stir in the chopped cookies by hand.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each one almost to the top. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until the filling is just set, about 22 minutes (Mine was more like 45 mins by the time they were freaking done. I highly recommend using full fat cream cheese for this recipe...mine were still DELICIOUS)

Transfer the tins to wire racks to cool completely, then refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours. Remove from tins just before serving.

such creamcheesy goodness should be shared with everyone! i brought mine to work and passed them out around 3pm when people start usually start to fall asleep at their desks :)

Enjoy!

happy birthday rachel!!

2011-07-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

the birthday girl!!!!!!

post-surprise! absolutely love these girls!

hahaha typical

MEGS!!!!

loved seeing AJ! it's been way too long!

i love surprises and birthdays! the combo is the best! saw sooo many great friends that i havent seen in forever, it was a great night! did i mention we went to my favorite bar, RUMORS?! LOVE IT!

hope your birthday was AMAZING, rach! love you!

and now, the front of the house!

2011-07-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

me and sis are living in this precious little house! the owners are AMAZING and made this home so cute!

so happy...can't wait to have the girls over for a potluck! just waiting on a grill...

inspired!

2011-07-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

i'm inspired! i love the modern take on old school friendship bracelets! i'll def be making a few of my own soon!

from {here}{here}{here}and{here}

summer pasta salad!

2011-07-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

i just posted about some of my farmers market purchases, and i was not kidding when i said how delicious the produce was! my whole car smelled like a caprese salad before i even got home thanks to fresh basil and tomatoes :)

i knew i had to use most of this immediately. sadly it wasn't because i thought it would go bad, it was because i couldn't handle another minute without it....

so i made a delish, fresh pasta salad!

ingredients for the salad:

handful or two of cooked whole wheat pasta - i used penne
handful of grape tomatoes (yellow or red), chopped into two or four pieces
two or three radishes, thinly sliced
palmful of frozen (or fresh!) sweet white corn kernels
a small plum tomato, diced
handful of basil, chiffonade

ingredients for dressing:

juice of one lemon
teeny bit of lemon zest - gah, im so good at measuring...
pinch of cayenne - or in my case, a lot more than a pinch
pinch of sugar, salt and fresh ground pepper
tablespoon or two of evoo

preparation:
whisk together dressing ingredients and toss all salad ingredients in with the dressing!

enjoy! i know you will! it's the most refreshing salad ive had in a while! i'm going to try it with more veggies and no pasta next time! mmmmm!

another new house post, sorry im not sorry

2011-07-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

our fridge looks much different now that it used to. disregard all the booze....focus on the healthy yogurt and veggies and eggs, and how empty it is!!

pup is a little lazy! sitting on the couch looking out the front of the house!

sorry i keep posting pics of the house! im still amazed at how freaking nice it is!

farmers market!

2011-07-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

apparently, i've been missing out on some amazing local produce for the past three years! i finally went to the clarendon farmer's market and came out with some pretty amazing produce!

i made a delicious summer pasta salad using some of these ingredients, recipe coming soon!

my new kitchen!

2011-07-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

not the best picture, but gives you a good idea of what i have to work with! finally some room to move around, so sick of arlington galley kitchens! eeeeeeeeee have i mentioned how much i loved my new house yet?!?!

mexican lettuce wraps!

2011-07-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

i suppose this dish was inspired by pf changs lettuce wraps...but mostly because me and sis didnt want to fill up on carb loaded fajita wraps!

most simple dish ever! and SO flavorful!

ingredients:

chicken breasts, each breast cut into 4 pieces (however many you need...we used three chicken breasts and that provided a LOT of shredded chicken)
a packet of reduced sodium taco seasoning
guacamole, store-bought or homemade
refried black beans
large romaine lettuce leaves
extras:
reduced fat sour cream
reduced fat mexican shredded cheese blend

to prepare the chicken, toss the pieces of chicken in about half a packet of taco seasoning. put some EVOO into a skillet and heat on high. add the chicken, brown it on one side and flip. brown the other side, add some chicken stock, reduce to medium heat, and add a lid on the pan. cook through, flipping occasionally, about 5ish minutes! (i suck at timing, i just check every few minutes)

to shred the chicken, use two forks to pull the meat, or use a handy dandy choppy choppy from pampered chef like i did!

wash your romaine lettuce, and layer all the ingredients as you wish!

seriously delish, and if you omit cheese and sour cream - superrr healthy! :)

enjoy!! :)

I love my job!

2011-07-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Global Early Careers Cohort #2 at the Catholic Charities Refugee Center in DC

casual blurry bar shot

hahahaha nice moose ears in the back!

the next morning was NOT fun.

learned so much from these amazing people last week. blessed of to be a part of this program and proud to work for BAE Systems! we definitely know how to mix hard work with lots of fun times!

this past weekends happenings!!

2011-07-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

our precious new bathroom in the new house!

my building skillz are out of control

"mind erasers" with arron on saturday night. alone. hahaha

my sorry attempt at a sparkler pic! this is as 4th of july as i got!

wine on our new deck with some of our new furniture!


my room is coming together....i swear....

guys, i have sucked majorly at blogging recently! but i swear im back! we are almost all moved in! i'll take more pictures tonight to share! a;sdljkfa;ladjk;flajk I LOVEEEE OUR NEW HOUSE!

JULY!

2011-07-01T09:27:00.000-07:00


i can definitely see myself participating in some of these holidays! adorableness as always from {mimi+meg}

creative ice cream flavors day today! could that be any more awesome??

ok peeps, i'm off to settle into my new house! i'll share pictures soon!

HELP!

2011-06-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

help!!! im drowning in a sea of moving boxes and trash

...moving thurs! cant wait to show you my new house!

Blumpkin?

2011-06-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

saw this on the way to work today. a girl riding a motorcyle/scooter thing with the license plate BLMPKIN. that means blumpkin right? if you dont know what that means, go to urbandictionary.com hahhahah

as Holly pointed out, my blog has been so slow lately! so sorry, moving is taking all my energy. i'll be back to normal next week hopefully!

sprinkles

2011-06-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

strawberry milk whoopie pies

ahhhh...I DIE. i need these in my life immediately. Sprinkle Bakes is the cutestt!

too bad i already packed ALL of my baking equipment for the move...now i need to wait two weeks. waaaah!

i love rascal flatts!

2011-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

pre Rascal Flatts! typical pic in front of the big ol' suburban! look at that little pudgeball pup named Ellie!

post Sara Evans

post show! LOVE MY FRIENDS SO MUCH!

seriously, i love summer time! i love my friends! and i really love big bud lights.

Bobbie Allen - EP Release!

2011-06-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

hey guys! i've mentioned the beautiful Bobbie Allen several times on my bloggy!

...and tonight is what a lot of us (especially Bobbie) have been waiting for since we knew she could sing! HER RELEASE PARTY!!!!!!!

if you happen to stalk my blog from Arlington, VA or any surrounding area - come to Iota tonight at 8:30 to see her sing!

also - see my bestie Meesh's posts about her too!

don't worry...be happy.

2011-06-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

i've been an absolute mess recently - hence, less posting, more freaking out.

reasons why:

everyone is moving out of the house i've lived in for 3 years. end of an era.

um...since we're moving out, we're going to be homeless.

did i mention my parents were also looking for a new house and in major transition?

reasons why i believe that everything is going to be amazing:

moving out - new beginnings. (and no more negligent landlords!!)

me and sissy found the MOST amazing 2 bedroom HOUSE right near ours in arlington. did i mention they allow pets AND do the yard work for us? we sign the lease tonight! so happy!

my parents, who were renting this other house since their old gigantic home sold so suddenly, needed to be out - and guess what? they found an amazingly beautiful home right near our old one...(so much for downsizing, guys). they are moving in on monday - just in time.

don't worry, everything is going to be amazing.

i'm backkk!!

2011-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

me, mom, sis on the first night <3

i love my beautiful sissy!

Papi and Claire :)

Me and Sissy before The City Nightclub

FUSTER FAM FUSTER FAM BETTER THAN YOUR FAM! - no really though!

Um Hello Paradise!

We're back from a GLORIOUS family vacation in Cancun. I am so blessed to have already been twice in 2011 - seriously, I have the most amazing family. We had a great time, ate a lot, drank a LOT, and overall just tried not to die in the 90 million degree heat. Thank you to my wonderful parents for another perfect trip.

but i'm back to regular posting now! bringing a few great recipes to the blog this week!

bee fam bee fam better than the pirate fam!

2011-06-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bee Fam Tree - yea - they still do that :)

here is the BEE FAM. hahahaha a "rivalry" that will most likely last until we die

Friends at Emily and Chelseas bbq! Meeshie was in town!!

yep.

Emily and Chelsea had a big bbq the other night because our good friend Meeshie was in town! it was so good to see everyone!

i love my friends.

chicken tenders!

2011-06-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

baked chicken tenders are my new fave! baked chicken is SO much more moist than on the pan or grill. maybe i just suck at both of those. it's entirely possible.

anywho.

i added some cayenne pepper - YUM. spicy chicken tenders that tasted a little like Wendy's spicy chicken nuggs! mmmmm. this was the second time i've made them in about a week. that good.

this recipe is slightly adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes!

16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp panko
however much cayenne - i prob put about a 1/2 tsp.
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
olive oil spray (I used my Misto)

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.
Season chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken.
Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.

Funfetti Cupcakes - from scratch!

2011-06-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

soooo - this is usually how our nights go at our house (lots of girls living together):

roomie 1: mads, make cupcakes!
roomie 2: yea, yea ,yea! do it!
me: no guys, make them yourselves. we dont even have the ingredients.
roomie 3: whatever mads, just go to the store, get the ingredients, and then make them and serve us.
roomie 1 and 2: good idea
me: **expletive** i hate you all. no.
roomie 1: COME ONNNN!!!
me: whatever, we have heavy whipping cream and no milk, and old eggs. you guys enjoy the outcome.
roomie 1, 2, 3: YESSSSSS!!! sounds amazing.
me: you are all retarded.

and thats how cupcakes usually get made at our house....or any food, for that matter. old ingredients and sprinkles make anyone happy, right?

anyway, the point here is that we all wanted funfetti cupcakes, and we didn't want to go to the store to get the box. sooo - i made home made ones - the ones that Mrs. How Sweet posted yesterday! how convenient!

all i can say is - damn i'm glad i made them with heavy whipping cream mixed with water (disgustingly awesome) - because they turned out amazing and i didnt even ice them because 1: toooooo effing lazy. and 2: didn't need icing. and 3: my greedy ass roomies couldn't wait another minute. (but i love them.)

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
{*via How Sweet Eats, only slightly adapted}
makes 12 cupcakes
1/2 cup butter (light butter in our case)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs (old eggs. whatever)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk (umm...mostly heavy whipping cream with a little bit of milk)
1/3 cup assorted brightly colored sprinkles + more for top of frosting...*or just to eat out of the palm of your hand

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in assorted sprinkles.

Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool, then frost.

puppy is helping me bake!

make them. do it.

June Calendar!

2011-06-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

{*via Mimi+Meg}

another month of fun things to celebrate!! :)

memorial day weekend - matt and sarah's wedding!!

2011-05-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

first kiss!!!!

friends since high school :) love them so much!

our favors! love it!


the first dance! matt is SO happy, i love it!

beautiful bride, sarah!!

dance par-tayyyy!

one of my best friends from high school got married this weekend to an awesome girl! congrats sarah and matt - you threw one hell of a party! so glad i was able to be there to see you guys so happy!

memorial day weekend - bethany/dewey/oceancity

2011-05-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

sunglasses at night - always

no, no, no, nicos!

love these guys

teach me how to deweyyy

seacrets, USA was packed to the BRIM

me and sissy before the neighborhood cocktail party

me and momma before the neighborhood cocktail party

all in all it was a great beach weekend! got to see lots of friends, go to the bars, and hang out with my family!

hope you guys had a fun and safe weekend as well!

we had a dog birthday party!

2011-05-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

sienna looooves her birthday cake!!!

gimmedat!

craaaazaayyy dog party!

"why is this dog so small??"

new addition to kelly's fam! Rosie Posieeeeee!

well, friends, it doesn't get much crazier than that. i am officially going to be single forever.

Memorial Day Beach Prep...

2011-05-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

...is taken very serious around these parts...

fun! fun! fun! fun!

2011-05-20T11:01:00.000-07:00


{pic}

{pic}

IT'S FRIDAY! FRIDAY! GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAYYYY!!!

PARTYIN' PARTYIN' YEA!!!!

Pesto Baked Chicken

2011-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

you guys. this is OMG amazing and it takes 4 ingredients. FOUR. that's it.

Baked Pesto Chicken
{from kayln's kitchen}

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chickenn breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto (I used my homemade Basil Pesto with Lemon, but you can use purchased pesto.)
2 oz. (1/2 cup) grated low-fat mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. (I cut the larger ones into 3 strips and the smaller ones into 2 strips.)

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 (**i did 20 because my chicken was cut a bit thinner) minutes, just until chicken is barely firm and cooked through. (Don't cook too much at this point, or the chicken will be overcooked by the time the cheese is melted and browned.)

When chicken is barely cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted. (If your broiler is separate from the oven, start preheating it when you take the chicken out.) After I melted the cheese for 5 minutes I switched my oven to broil and broiled for 5 minutes more, just long enough to get the cheese lightly browned.

Serve hot. There will be some flavorful juice in the bottom of the dish when this is done, so you may want to serve with rice, couscous, or quinoa to soak up the juice, but if you're eating this for phase one, just spoon the juice over the chicken.

ready for the oven - bake at 375 for 20-25 (depending on how thin/thick you cut the chicken strips)

ready for the oven part 2 - broil on high for 5 mins.

the flavor was so intense and the chicken was cooked perfectly! i cant wait to make this again! next time, i think i'll make my own pesto - my dad has the best recipe that i have yet to make on my own!

Chickpea and Sweet Pepper Arugula Salad

2011-05-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

i've made this before without my own pictures, wanted to post again because i modified the recipe!

this recipe is from Picky Palate, and once again, i highly recommend it!

i modified it slightly by adding a handful of chopped hot cherry peppers (jarred). they added a perfect kick that didn't distract from any of the elements of the salad. i also cut the olive oil down a lot and used more lemon juice instead.

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY SIENNA!!!!!

2011-05-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

"mom, i need to lose weight"

tired pup after a long walk!

no gray hairs yet!

my little angel baby!

happy birthday to my 3 year old puppydog, sienna!!!

i love you times a million despite how much trouble you cause me.

3=21 in dog years...she is gonna get SO DRUNK tonight on her bar crawl! (just kidding of course)

post from last year!

Recipes I've made recently!...

2011-05-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

...that i forgot to take pics of...

Cilantro Chicken Salad from Gina's Skinny Recipes

thats my ugly attempt at a picture. this is the salad, with shredded chicken added, over Israeli couscous

Couscous Summer Salad tossed in lime vinaigrette from Simply Scratch

two extremely fresh, delicious spring/summer options! the chicken salad was amazing over arugula with diced tomatoes. the summer salad was just amazing. so fresh and the lime gave it the perfect amount of citrus twist.

highly suggest you make these!

Congrats Sis!

2011-05-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

George Washington University Graduate Degree Graduation - May 13, 2011

Sis - right before she walks across the stage!!!!!!! sooo happy for her!

fam at Filomena's in Georgetown for dinner after Graduation!!

wanted to take a second to congratulate my extremely smart sis, Claire on finishing her MBA program! so proud of you, sis! :)

love you!

love this color palette!

2011-05-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

{found here at apt 34}

dove love.

2011-05-09T08:45:00.000-07:00


dove love. SK4L. one heart one way. the mystic bond that binds the sigmas.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2011-05-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

{images *via lifelovelaughter}

go drink margs! go go go!

Welcome to the Jungle

2011-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

...when you live with all girls, general yard upkeep is just not happening. i tried to mow the lawn (for the first time ever!) yesterday, but the lawnmower started smoking and leaking oil and gas everywhere. such is life. im hiring someone from now on...

...for those who know me...can you believe i ACTUALLY even attempted it? weird, eh? turning a new leaf. not.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes!

2011-05-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Strawberries were buy one get one at Safeway the other day, soooo i knew that i had to buy them. i then realized that i never really eat strawberries. so here i am with two entire containers, and nothing to do with them. ding!ding! strawberry + cupcakes = heaven?

...and here you have it. deliciously moist cake with chunks of strawberry, with a cream cheese frosting that makes the cupcake taste like a milkshake. im not even joking, peeps, its like a milkshake in cake form. it's not even fair. sooooo outta this world good.

Strawberry Cupcakes

{*via Annie's Eats}

Yield: 34 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cake flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2¼ cups sugar

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white

1 cup milk

2½ cups finely chopped fresh strawberries*

For the frosting:

½ c. strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (i used fat free. prob not the best idea. prettyyyy goopy)
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla

For garnish:

Additional fresh strawberries*

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions alternating with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling each about ¾-full. Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, puree strawberries in food processor. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove seeds, and set aside. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla and strawberry puree. Adjust the amount of puree to achieve your desired consistency. Frost cupcakes when completely cool.

ENJOY!!!

Happy May!

2011-05-02T13:40:00.000-07:00


{find it here at mimi+meg}

the week of the 16th is American Craft beer week! waaahhh - def participating!

salsa month? yes PLEASE.

ALSO - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY BESTEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD! Christy, i loooooveeee you! :)

CONGRATS HOLLY AND JAMES!!!

2011-04-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Holly is the beautiful one in the wedding dress, and her amazing husband James is the one behind us :) They just had their first baby last night, and I am soooo happy for them! Welcome to the world, Sonny! Can't wait to visit you guys and meet the baby boy!

....i can't believe one of the "veterans" has a baby...sigh...we're growing up!

CUPCAKES

2011-04-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

neeeeeed to do this with my millions of cupcake liners!