You're a REAL Catch!!

haha saw this on TheKeyPlay! You're a REAL catch ;) Happy Valentine's Day!

A super late christmas post!

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

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!

Happy December!!

{*via Mimi+Meg}

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

happy december!

Cutest pitbull you ever did see!

gimme your food

cutest baby ever

stop following me with that stupid camera.

Thanksgiving: Italian Wedding Cookies!

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!!

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!

Toddlers & Tiaras: Ultimate Grand Supreme Beauty Queen

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!!

{*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 october! + my birthday month!

{*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!

happy august!

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! :)

this past weekends happenings!!

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!

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!

i'm backkk!!

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!

June Calendar!

{*via Mimi+Meg}

another month of fun things to celebrate!! :)

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

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

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!