A Big To-Do

Friday, July 29, 2011

waking up in vegas {atlantic city!}

...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!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Sloppy Joe Remix

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!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Crrraaazzzyyy Feta!

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.

Friday, July 22, 2011

No One Mourns the Wicked

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!

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

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!!!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Mediterranean frolics

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!