Tasty Zucchini

What a great side dish this is, and so easy to make!

Take about 3 medium zucchini and cut them into matchsticks.  Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds) until they are toasted (about 1-2 min), then add in the zucchini, and cook another few minutes.

Remove from heat and add S&P, and a bit of cotija cheese on top if desired.

The crunch of the seeds with the zucchini is a winner!

Owl Cupcakes

Check out this very cute owl cupcake mix from World Market.  There are all sorts of fall goodies to make with your family as the fall season begins.  Treat yourself to one...or more!

Beautiful Potted Color!

Today we put together a pretty arrangement of fall color in a huge pot for outside - so here are some flowers that look well together from tall to short...divide the pot into thirds and plant!

back left third - snapdragons
back right third - cabbage and kale
front third - pansies
edges - alyssum

Enjoy your beautiful array of color!

Great Sweater!

This cardi/sweater looks so comfy, and it will go over any outfit for weekend fun!  It's at The Gap!  And not too expensive!

Two Great Sides

A great and easy salad, here at the end of summer, and it's the most delicious side dish ever!  Slice fresh tomatoes, red onions, and avacados.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, as well as a good douse of lime juice, then season with salt and pepper, and toss.

Another great veggie to go with the above salad, or any main dish, is roasted cauliflower with tomatoes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.  In a bowl, toss 2 1/2 T olive oil with 2 T chopped fresh rosemary, S&P, and garlic paste.  Add cauliflower florets, along with 3 diced tomatoes.  Spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet (nonstick) and cover with fresh chopped basil leaves, as well as lemon juice. Roast for 25 minutes and enjoy!

Fall Table

This is a very beautiful fall centerpiece, and it's found on a really cool website with unique ideas.  See how to make it here!

Arugula Salad

We had an arugula salad tonight with a dressing that was quite different - it included cinnamon!  A great salad to enjoy as the fall season starts... (I used a mix of greens)

Flavored Oils

Olive oil in all sorts of flavors - just saw these at a festival last weekend.  Try one!  They also make great gifts for the holidays coming up!

Edamame Salad

Today we had lunch at Corner Bakery, a cute deli in our town, and I had a trio of salads - one of which was an edamame salad.  I searched and found a recipe of one that looks very similar, and boy was it good!

Repurposed Chair

Do you have an old chair lying around in your garage?  We saw this today in a store, where some took the back off an old chair, added hooks and made it a rack for the wall!  Cute idea....

Monster Cookies

I think the first weekend of fall deserves a celebration by making cookies...monster cookies...that is!  This recipe is from Pioneer Woman and these cookies are delicious!

Sweater Weather

Every girl/woman needs something whimsical in her closet, right?  These sweaters at JCP are cute and comfy, and include a bit of whimsy!

Thinking Ahead...

Have you thought of looking for a winter coat, yet?  I know it's early, but why not shop now and be ready for the first day of cold weather?  Check out this cute coat from JCP.

Peas & Peppers

We bought black-eyed peas from the Farmer's Market last weekend, and tonite, we made them with Swiss chard, and jalapenos - so good!

Just boil the peas and peppers in water with creole seasoning.  Saute the Swiss chard in butter, salt, and lemon juice.  Mix the two together and you've got a great side dish!

No picture included - the whole bowl of peas was eaten before we remembered!

Caprese Salad Pizza

This was a great lunch, easy to pack for work, as well!

Bake a refrigerated pizza crust 8 minutes, then add mozzarella and bake 6 more minutes til crust is browned and crisp.  Let it cool and cut into squares or wedges for later.

In a separate bowl, mix 1lb mixed tomatoes cut into pieces, 1 small chopped garlic, 1 T olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, 3 cups bagged spinach & arugula, and salt and pepper to taste.  Store in refrigerator until you're ready to eat.

When ready to eat, toast the pizza (or not), then top with salad mixture, grated parmesan, and you've got yourself a meal!

Chunky Chain

Loving this chunky chain necklace from Altar'd State - the store we're partnering with this month!  Affordable, and great for your fall sweaters this season!

Beautiful Scene

This is such a warm, cozy print to hang in your room for the autumn season - with twinkle lights that illuminate the scene!  I have one I got last Christmas, and now I just saw this one for fall!

5 in 5

I DVR the show that comes on every day - The Chew - and I really enjoy all that each host brings to the table.  Michael Symon just published his cookbook 5 in 5 taken from the show's segment where he cooks a meal in 5 minutes, using 5 ingredients.  Check it out!

Homemade Guac

There are probably hundreds of recipes for guacamole.  Here's my own version:

2 ripe avacados
2-3 tsp mayonnaise
juice of one lime
1 jalapeno seeded & finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 T pico de gallo (pre-made from produce section of store)

Mash the first five ingredients together, then fold in the pico.  Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Ribbon and Tacks - Voila!

What a cool way to hang and organize earrings - with ribbon and thumbtacks!  My daughter found this on Pinterest and had corkboard already in her closet, so she did this project in no time at all!

Pumpkin Hummus

I made this pumpkin hummus using this recipe from the Food Network Magazine - which has a small pullout 50 recipe booklet in each issue!  We bought a bag of sweet potato chips as the recipe suggests, and it was great!

Puree 1 1/2 cups drained canned chickpeas, 1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin, 3 tablespoons each olive oil and tahini (sesame paste), 1 garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1/4 cup water. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a bowl and top with olive oil, red pepper flakes and toasted pepitas (hulled green pumpkin seeds). Serve with sweet potato chips.

Citrus Salt

Don't you love edamame?  I love buying a frozen bag and cooking it to enjoy as a snack.  Last night I made some citrus salt that will keep in a sealed container for months, for sprinkling on the edamame when I eat it.

Here's how:  Just mix 3/4 cup kosher salt with the zest from an orange, two lemons, and a lime.

That's it.

Greek Fries

I made these Greek fries last night in the oven, and they were super!  From Chef Bobby Flay....

preheat oven to 425

Take 1 cup olive oil, 6 T fresh lemon juice, 1 large shallot quartered, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 T dried oregano and 1/4 cup parsley leaves and place in processor, adding 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste - puree til mostly smooth.  Then toss 3-4 large russet potatoes (cut in long wedges) with 1/2 cup of the mixture in  a large bowl and spread out in single layer on baking sheet (I used two sheets).  Reserve the rest of the vinaigrette for serving.

Roast the potatoes (turning occasionally) about 1 hour, transfer to platter and drizzle with leftover juice mixture and season with salt.  Add more parsley for garnish.

Really good!

Chew Beads

You might be a new mom, a new aunt, a new grandmother, or other relation to a baby - and as I'm sure you've noticed - babies like to chew on our jewelry!  Finally, there's a site for jewelry that's safe for just that sort of thing.  Pretty cool, right?

Crispy Strips!

My sister sent me this recipe from Woman's Day and said these chicken strips were delicious!  They look easy to make - try them this weekend!

Starbucks for Lunch

I'm not sure of the percentage, but  I am sure it's high - the number of people who drink coffee from Starbucks.  But have you tried their sandwiches?  I had this one today and it was delicious - turkey panini! I've also had their bistro box and enjoyed it as well!

Nice pants

Love these pants from New York & Company, and I just found them half-off at the outlet.  They fit nicely (not so low in the waist, but not so high either) and they look great and seem true to size.  Check them out!   They have lots of cuts - so choose one you like!

Skillet Pizza

I'm told that this recipe is amazing, super easy to make, and a hit!  So check out this pizza recipe using your cast iron skillet!

Camibands

I saw these today in a store, but I've not worn one.  Looks like a cool concept and something that is multi-functional - especially to lengthen a top that's too short.  They come in all sorts of colors - camibands!

Cute Purse

I'm a sucker for backpack purses.  They're great for shopping, for trips, and for carrying in your own waters and candy to the movies!  This is a cute one on sale at Urban.  Look at all the views.