This weekend was cookin….

Monday shows up again so quickly doesn’t it?  The weekends seem to just fly by!

I got to make 2 great recipes this weekend that I want to share with you!

The first is a much loved dessert in our home—raspberry pie.  DH has been growing raspberries in his garden in this home for a few years, but this was the first year he really got a good amount for me to make some pie.  He would rather have pie over any other dessert!  

After picking all of the sweet raspberries, I had to measure to make sure I had enough for a pie.  The recipe I use calls for 4 cups of raspberries.  We had more than enough!  :)

Though I have a link to the recipe, I am going to post it here as well.  I found it at All Recipes.com, one of my all time fave places to find good things to make. I have used this site for over 10 years and have found some recipes I’ll be making forever!  Below is the recipe taken from their site:

Raspberry Pie III (from All Recipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (I normally make my own crust but used Michelina’s since I was short on time)
• 4 cups raspberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 1 tablespoon half-and-half cream

Directions

1. Mix together the raspberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt until raspberries are well covered.
2. Pour into 9 or 10-inch pastry shell. Dot with butter, top with crust.
3. Make slits in the top crust and brush with cream. Bake in a preheated 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes, then at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes.

Some notes on this.  I definitely used 4 cups (and maybe a teeny bit more) of raspberries.  The only thing I deviated from was that I used milk instead of cream to brush the top of my crust when baking.  I normally do not have any cream in the house and was told by a pastry chef that milk was an acceptable substitute.   The tapioca is important as it helps to thicken up your pie filling so it’s not too runny.

The only thing I did NOT like about my pie when it was finished was that the bottom layer of crust was slightly dough-y.  I am guessing this is because I baked it on the convection baking setting in my oven rather then regular bake. This was the first time since we got this new oven that I have tried this and I was annoyed how it that turned out.  I think I’ll either bake on regular bake or will read my oven manual on how to adjust.  Normally, you just lessen the bake time when using the convection setting but maybe I missed something?  Oh well.  DH said the rest of the pie was fantastic and the top layer of crust was done perfectly!

I posted the above pic on Facebook and people wanted to know about the bird in the middle It’s called a pie bird and is used to help release steam from the pie while baking.  This prevents the pie from bubbling over.  I got mine at Giant Eagle locally, but I’m sure you can pick these up anywhere!  They have been used since the 16th century!

The next recipe was a long lost but then magically found one.  You know how you are reading a magazine and something looks good so you rip it out?  I did this a few years ago with this recipe.  Made it and DH and I both liked it.  Then is disappeared in to the abyss of my stacks of paper.  DH asked me about it and I thought I had found it but it was a different one.  Lo and behold, a few months ago I was going through a bunch of papers in my room to throw out old stuff and I came across it!  It’s from People magazine in 2010!  Chicken Marbella, which Matt Lauer loves.  DH said “I knew it was in that room somewhere!” Gee thanks.  So I made it on Sunday.   Now that I know the title of the recipe, I was able to find it at msnbc.com! Below is my original scan:

Here is a link to a readable version: Matt Lauer’s Chicken Marbella.

Here is the entire recipe:

Chicken Marbella (from People Magazine 2010)

Ingredients

• 4 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs. each, quartered
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
• 1/4 cup dried oregano
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
• 1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Preparation

1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

5. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining juices in a sauceboat.

6. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.

The only thing I left out in this recipe were the prunes.  I hate them and DH isn’t crazy about them.  But you don’t really miss them or anything.  I also used a 'pick of the chicken’ pack from our grocery store that was just under 4lbs.  The pieces fit perfectly in my glass pan and turned out very tasty and juicy.  And I did not marinate mine overnight, just a few hours.  Still tasted very good.  Don’t forget the sprinkling of brown sugar as it makes a tasty little crust on top.  I baked my chicken for 60 minutes and it was perfect.  Wish I had a pic of how mine turned out but DH put it right on his plate so I couldn’t take a pic!  Here’ a pic from the Today show below:

Doesn’t it look yummy? 

DH will happily take this to work for leftovers.  You can also serve the chicken cold as well but I prefer it hot. 

Do you have any long lost recipes or randomly found recipes that became a part of your go-to dishes?  If so, I’d love to hear them and how you found them!  Whenever I see a good one, I rip it out, Pin it or print it so I have it to try out.  I used to have folder and folders of paper until I got some binders and organized them a bit.   Now I only have one folder of looser paper around.

Random note—I am FINALLY going back to the gym today.  I was supposed to go last week on Thursday and Friday but I was working late and then had to shop with DH for a TV (that he wants to put outside).   No excuses today for me!  I am going to take it slow and work my way back up but I am still going no matter what!

Have a wonderful start to your week!  I’ll be back later to show you some of my finds!

General Random-ness….

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!   DH and I had quite the relaxing weekend.   Well he did after he came home when he was called in to do an emergency liver transplant (he’s a surgical nurse) on Friday.  So he was at work from 6:45-5:15 and then had to go back at 9:30PM! How do they expect someone to function on that little sleep?   Just doesn’t seem right to me!

So now for some stream-of-consciousness a la James Joyce……

Anyhow—I was quiet as could be Saturday morning while DH slept and we hit a cookout where we tried out our adult slushies from Davis & Davis.  They were delicious and a hit! 

Sunday we did nothing but veg around the house and it was heavenly.  It was too hot to really do anything outside anyway. I am reading the 50 shades trilogy and am on book 3 now.  To be honest, I was expecting a bit more but these are a good fun read.   The writing leaves a lot to be desired (especially if you have read Anne Rice’s Beauty series) but E.L. James does capture the chemistry between the 2 main characters well.   I feel for Ana in the book because I’ve been a young 21 year old and know what it’s like to have emotions coming at you from every angle.  I also like the character of Christian too.  He actually evolves through out each book and there are many layers to Mr. Fifty Shades.  I was actually more interested in his story more than anything!

I thought this meme was hilarious! I just didn’t find the book that smutty to be honest.  It was a bit explicit but nothing you can’t read about anywhere in Cosmo.  It’s the content that must freak people out.  Bottom line-don’t read this expecting high brow fiction. Read it for fun and then draw your own conclusions. 

As of today I am officially cleared to go back to the gym!  My doctor said my toe should be fine during workouts!  Yay!  It’s still a little bruised and my toe nail is black (see below) but I am happy to get back to working out.  Being lazy actually helped to get me motivated!

Now I just have to figure out what exactly I want to do in the gym.  I did the Jamie Eason program and could start that from scratch but I’ll be honest, I’m kind of bored with it.  If you have any suggestions for a routine (because that’s what I do best with), please let me know!  I’ll still keep working on Zumba and spinning but I need something for weights.  I’ll be browsing around tonite on the web for a good program that keeps me going for a few months.

How come when you have money to spend you don’t really want anything but when you shouldn’t be spending you want to buy everything??  I recently got an Express gift card and there’s really nothing that jumps out at me right now.  I am sure I can save it for fall or a great sale later in the summer, but it’s burning a hole in my wallet right now.  Although this dress is surely cute for summer!

And this top would look cute with colored jeans or skirt or just about anything!

But considering the amount of clothing I already have (and I can hear DH saying it in my head as we speak LOL), I will wait to see what goes on sale later in the summer.  I’m sure I can find some new fall clothes to covet with no problems!

Stay cool and before I go I will show you my yellow rose bush.  This pic was taken on Thursday evening and now the bush has 28 roses blooming on it!  

 

 

Karma loves me

 

Gotta love karma.   I had posted below about heels and wedges and how much I love heels and how I hate flat shoes.  Karma pays me back.  On Thursday at the gym I was putting weight onto a rack to do reverse squats and the weight (45 lbs.) slipped right out of my hand and onto my toes.  Remember when Lucy was grossed out when she had ‘dog germs’ from Snoopy?  That is how I ran around the gym in a circle when I dropped that weight.  I’m sure I looked crazy but it hurt sooo bad!

So stupid me thought I could stay at the gym and finish my light work out.  Yeah right!  I could barely walk once the swelling set in.   I took of my shoe when I got home and it was not good.  Swelling but no bruises—yet.  I iced my toes and elevated them for the evening.  The next morning when I got up, my toes looked like this:

EWWW.  I wasn’t planning on seeing a doctor but a few people at work convinced me to go.  Originally I had an appointment for next Thursday, but SJ called me and told me that was too late and could she call the podiatrist for me?   I said sure and figured her ‘persistence’  wouldn’t hurt.  She texted me that she got me in for Saturday at 8am.  Wow—impressive Salsa Judy!

After an x-ray, the doc was rather impressed I only had a small fracture on the lower right corner of my first bone of my big toe (no idea the medically correct name).  I received a beautiful surgical shoe to wear for at least a week to give my foot some support.

Isn’t it lovely?  But in the meantime, this means no heels!  So after the appointment I had to hit Target for a pair of low-wedged sandals to wear to work.  I cannot wear tennis shoes to work for a week---no way.  I found a pair that will do but they are so NOT my style and too low of a heel. But they will do for now.

Lesson learned—Don’t mess with karma. 

Luckily for me I am not in a huge amount of pain.  I just walk slower. 

Shoes—I has dem!

Recently, an interesting shoe discussion came up that got me thinking…..

Last week, these shoes from Target finally showed up at my door.

They were backordered for some reason but since I got them on sale I didn’t mind waiting.  Well that and Mother Nature was still deciding if she was cold or wanted hot flashes so I was content to wait.  Anyway—I was so excited when they finally showed up as it is nearly impossible to find cute navy sandals.  And wedges too, my favorite.

Lately I’ve been in the habit of posting my Shoe of the Day (SOTD) on my instagram for the hell of it.  And also cross-posting on Facebook.  So the day I posted my new wedges, one of my friends said the shoes looked like ‘dominatrix shoes’.  I literally LOL’d when I saw that.  Really?  Since when are navy wedges dom shoes?   I liked these shoes so much (they are really comfortable!) I was eyeing them up in the grey version.

I wore them to work and got compliments.  DH and I went to a little get-together the next evening and I wore them with the dress below from Express (this pattern is no longer available but link is to dress in other colors).  A bit matchy-matchy but so what?  (DH actually thought I bought the shoes specifically for the dress. Seriously?)

Said Facebook friend was at the party and when I saw him I made a point to raise my foot and say “See? I wore my dominatrix shoes just for you!”.   Later on a discussion ensued about them.  One guy christened them ‘Dominatrix at the Beach’ shoes.  And now that is what I call them too.  Then Facebook friend tried to say they were black and lost 2-1 to the other guys (including DH—thanks!) that they were navy.  Then they said it was the fact that they were patent leather made them think dominatrix.  This led me to believe that men know nothing about shoes!

But it also got me thinking about shoes and heels.  I am very rarely out of heels ever. I only wear flats to work out (tennis shoes) or will wear flat boots (riding boots only).  I also wear flats to work do and from the office from my little parking lot in town.  And at home I am barefoot. Otherwise all of my shoes have a decently high heel of 3 inches or more.    I’m short (5’3”) and I feel that heels make my legs look better but make my look over all better.   I’m especially attracted to wedges—they are more supportive and more comfortable!  People often comment on my shoes.  Salsa Judy always asks “How do you walk in those?”. Meanwhile, she certainly wears high heels.  I think wedges just scare her a bit. People at work have said ‘be careful’ to me a few times too. 

Then I got to thinking about heels at work.  I have seen some really super hooker looking heels on people.  I will do a high heel or wedge shoe and boots, but I cross the line at shoes that look too ‘club like’.  I like them a lot but not for work. Hopefully no one feels that my shoes are like that!  I am thinking I’m safe based on the compliments I have received from my boss.

I think so many of the flats that I’ve been seeing are adorable but just not a trend that works for me. I’ve tried them on numerous times and each time I look in the mirror with disappointment.  Flat shoes make me look dumpy and short.  I see them on other girls at the office they look so cute in them but I just hate them on me!  I guess I’m all or nothing.  Give me heels or give me bare feet! 

Since it’s warmer (and staying that way finally!) I’ve been accruing some great wedges.  Luckily for me I have been using gift cards to supplement most of these purchases:

BCBG Animal Print sandals—I found these very early in the spring for a steal at Macys. They are so versatile and can be worn with so much!  They are also very easy on the feet despite the height.  Gotta love the platforms!

LC Lauren Conrad Wedges from Kohls.  I fell in love with these when I saw them on the site.  The style is a bit of a throwback to the 1940’s, one of my fave decades of fashion.  Extremely comfortable!

BCBG wedge—wish I could find a link to these but I got them at TJ Maxx and could not find a good link them them.  Love the height on these and they worth with pants and skirts.

Harajuku Lovers sandals.  These are a few years old but I was taken in by how cute they were and at the time I could find no other navy sandals.  I would consider these more ‘non-work’ shoes now.

Jessica Simpson Josephine.  I know, I know. You are thinking these are too high and funky.  But they are so much fun.  I will admit these are really high even for me!  I don’t do a lot of walking around in these.

And now some shoes that fall into my Coveting category:

Helix Heeled Sandals.  I actually do not own a pair of yellow shoes but these would certainly work for me!

Jessica Simpson Papaya.  Stripes + Heels = happy me. 

Steve Madden Winonna Wedge.  Great colors to wear with everything!

So what are your favorite go-to shoes in the summer?  How do you feel about heels?  Do you love them sky high or just a bit of a heel?

Hope to be back later this week with pics of the first bloom of all of my roses!  Enjoy your Wednesday!

 

I can haz makeup part 2—eye stuff

Happy Friday!  I cannot believe it is already the 2nd week in May and it’s over! At least the weather is cooperating a little now. 

I thought I would give you more makeup faves, this time concentrating on the eyes.  They are my favorite feature to play up and I always like to have fun with them!

After I have put on my minerals, the first thing I must do is prime my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion.   I cannot remember who recommended this to me but it makes my eye makeup wear like iron.  No creasing or fading at all!  This is one of my holy grail products.   You simply squeeze a teeny bit out and rub it onto lids and let it set for a few seconds.  At Christmas time, I got a HUGE tube of this at Ulta. It’s lasted me well over a year.  The only complaint is that it is getting harder to squeeze out of the tube.  But it’s a HUGE improvement from previous packaging, which I know many users complained about.   You will NOT be disappointed if you try this!

The second thing I use is MAC Paints.  Now they are only making neutral Paints and also have introduce Paint Pots since then but I still have my old ones and my silver one (forget the actual name) is lovely. The consistency is very light and you use very little to cover your lid with a base color.  I swear I’ve had my little silver tube for well over 5 years!  I will be so sad when I use the last of it.  It brightens up and gives depth to any eye color you are using.

Shadows. OMG, where to start.   When I first got into makeup I was obsessed with MAC everything.  I had to have every new shadow that came out, I would read tons of blogs devoted to MAC and I seemed to know the collections that were coming out before the artists did.  I told you I was a geek when I got into something.  That being said, MAC is still my go to for eye shadows.  I seriously have so many I don’t think I will run in out in a very long time.  I love all of the color and they really give a great color payoff.  My all time fave ever quad from MAC is Perverted Pearl, which was limited edition. I still use it! See below for pic:

As for shades, I can give you a few of my favorites that are still in the collection:

Forgery (silver):

Silver ring (muted grey):

Bitter (a funky green that looks great with blue eyes)

Aquadisiac (beautiful turquoise that looks great layered or by itself)

Vex (a beige with pink/green pearly highlight)

There are so many colors that I would love to show you but are no longer around!  I think I’ll have to do another post on the colors that are discontinued!

I know this is a no-no but I am one of those who like to somewhat match the shadows to their clothing.  When I say somewhat I don’t mean exact but in the same family.  For example, I will wear grey tones on my eyes if I am wearing black or gray clothing.   But if I am wearing blue, I will do a neutral eye with brown liner and a pop of blue in the crease.   And if I am wearing color I may go more funky and wear more color on the eyes.  Again, nothing too wild for work, just subtle color.

  

After my shadow, I get out my liner.  Currently, my liner of choice is a gel liner.  I prefer MAC Fluidline, Bobbi Brown Gel liner, or Maybelline Lasting Drama.  They are all very similar in my opinion, but if pressed for a favorite I would pick the Bobbi Brown.  I like the consistency best.  I prefer gel liner because I am a mess with pencils and liquid but I like a precise line.  The gel is the easiest way to get that.  I use my trusty MAC 210 brush and slowly feather it on.  On the bottom part if my eye, I will use a little pencil liner, usually a grey or black or sometimes none at all!

Next come lash primer.  Now you might think lash primer is a waste of time.  I’m here to tell you it’s worth it if you don’t have thick lashes like me.  My lashes are long but not thick and this gives them soom oomph!  The one I am using now is by Sephora and they no longer make it.  But I have the Clinique Lash Primer (above) waiting in the wings.  I’ve heard good things about this!

After I let that dry (usually go and iron my clothes for work while it dries), it’s time for mascara.  Mascara is such a discussed topic.  Everyone seems to have one they like and swear by but not everyone seems to love the same one.  I have tried SO MANY, I can’t even keep count.  I have been suckered in by new claims but I think I have found the one I am sticking with.  I used to use and adore Max Factor Volume Couture mascara.  It was the first one with the plastic brush nubby things.  It gave me the greatest lashes ever.  When they discontinued it, I went on Amazon and bought 4 tubes.  When that was gone, I started a new hunt and read that the Cover Girl Lash Perfection was very similar to the MF.   It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close!!!  I have strayed once from this mascara and went right back to it.  It gives long full lashes with no clumps!

The last thing I do after all of that is to fill in my brows a little bit.  I use a MAC shadow called Omega and a stiff angled brush to just put a little definition into the area.  It really does make a difference in your face and anchors your look.  Look at Megan Fox’s brows above.  Those are great on her and the perfect arch!

I could talk about makeup all day long and stuff I love, but that would be a VERY long post.  So thanks for reading this far! 

And I figured I would show you my outfit today. EEK—I hate pics of myself and I really hate this one.  My legs look short and wide.  I swear my outfit doesn’t look this weird in person.  I got a lot of compliments today!  I took it in the bathroom at work LOL.

The weather here in the ‘burgh is going to be beautiful this weekend!  Can’t wait to enjoy it!  Have a great weekend!!!

Friday finds….

Happy Friday!!! 

Did this week seem really long to anyone?  The normally frantic pace at work has slowed a bit and I’m just getting used to it.  I’m sure that won’t last too long though!

The weather here the past 2 days has been hot and humid.  I finally turned the AC on this morning, even though DH complained.  Too bad!  Anything over 75 and I’m ready for the AC.  I’d rather freeze and cover up with my Snuggie than to be hot. 

Anyways, I thought I would share latest finds and items I am coveting:

Mason Jar Organizer with Jewelry Holder.  This adorable little piece comes from the lovely Liz Marie who write the Liz Marie Blog. I stumbled onto her blog when searching about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.   She has a great knack for putting things together, refinishing old furniture to give it new life.  and I am in love with all of the colors she chooses!  Plus, she’s a fellow lover of Mason jars like me.  Liz Marie recently opened up her own Etsy shop called Liz Marie Shop.  And this little beauty is calling to me.  It would match my ‘boudoir’ perfectly and I could use the hooks to hang jewelry or belts. And I could put fresh flowers in the jars!  She’s in the process of getting more items onto her Etsy site, so if you something you like and want it customized, contact her! 

Speaking of Mason jars, I came across this pic (not mine, linked to site if you click on pic) on Pinterest and had to know more.  Lo and behold this fellow blogger is also from Pittsburgh!!!  Her name is Sophie and she writes the Forge, great blog about fashion, vintage, DIY, etc.  The more I read her blog, the more I love her.  So when I saw this post on how to make these jar lights, I had to pass her idea onto you guys.  You can find the entire post here.

 

Sometimes you just want something different, that no one else has.  I always seem to be in the latter group. Which is why I love shopping for vintage and online.  When doing a search or reading blogs for ideas, there are always sites and finds that you randomly come across and fall in love with.  Dungaree Dolly’s is one of those sites.  I honestly cannot remember where I first encountered her site.  Maybe it was Lisa Freemont Street and her You Tube page? Anyways—I went to the site and instantly fell in love with all of the adorable bags.  This was at least 2 years ago and I STILL have not ordered one for myself!  I think I am just going to email DH the site and tell him this is what I want for my birthday next month. The bag in the pic above is called the Baroness bag.  The best thing about these bags is that you pick the fabric it comes in!  There are a ton of choices and it’s hard to choose one because they are all lovely.  Every review I have read on these says how sturdy and well-made they are.  I’m thinking of the bag above in this fabric below.  What do you think? 

Her site also includes several other great bags, diaper bags, makeup bags, and even sunglass cases!  I’m also eyeing the Rosie scarves.  Great to keep the hair back in the summer!

 

I admit I’m a sucker for funky necklaces.  I will scour vintage stores to find something unique and personal to me.  I rarely wear bracelets (since I wear a watch on my left hand and need my right to use the mouse on my computer at work) so necklaces are my fave way to wear jewelry.  This one above called the Freebird Necklace has everything I love: funky-ness, fun and feathers!  Would be great under a jacket or just with a plain white T.  I would wear it with everything.

I’m sure you want to enjoy your Friday so I will keep it short and sweet (like me LOL!).   I don’t plan on much for the weekend—maybe see the Avengers and going with my BFF to a new-to-me greenhouse to look around on Sunday.

Have a great weekend!