No Words...

Occasionally I come across such a ah-mazing find that I just simply have no words. Such is the case with today's clutch...

(Apologize that you have to scroll down, computer issues over here!)

Salvatore Ferragamo Clutch

Rolos in Brownies, WHATTTT

You can just about find any combination of brownies on the internets these days and when I came across these Rolo Brownies (On Pinterest of course!) I knew I needed to make them STAT. Luckily one of my bestest friends hubby's birthday was this week and my own hubby was headed out for a bachelor trip this weekend and I thought these would make the perfect treat for both of them.

My only note on these is that they rise almost to the brim of your baking pan so be prepared for a very tall and thick brownie, no complaints here!

Rolo Brownies via My Baking Addiction

Rolo Brownies

YIELD: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
About 40 Rolos, unwrapped (I bought a 12 oz bag and ate the extras)
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 8 inch square baking pan or spray well with nonstick baking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, evaporated milk, and butter until combined.  Divide mixture in half and press half into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside. Let brownies cool for about 10 minutes.

3. Place Rolos over the surface of the brownies, very close together. Sprinkle peanut butter chips in all the spaces between. On a piece of parchment or wax paper, pat remaining brownie dough into a rough 8 inch square. Turn onto the top of the Rolo layer, dough side down and peel paper off. Place in the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

4. Let brownies cool before cutting into squares and eating.

This or That?

It seems my dress choice post for the upcoming Santa Fe wedding that I have was quite popular so I think I'll start doing a post once a week on two different items and everyone can weigh in on what they like best. Now of course I won't necessarily be actually buying one of these items each week (I wish though!)!

So this week we have bright colored pumps, they are EVERYWHERE and I love the look. They are a great option to have in your wardrobe to make an outfit pop and they are a great accessory for the more minimal dresser who isn't into ALL the bright colors that are so hot right now.

So this...

Linzy Pumps by  Kelsi Dagger

Or that...

Stare2 Platform Pointed Courts from Topshop

You ALL Better Be Using Sunscreen!

SO I'm not that much of a beauty junkie, I wish I was more into it, but I've never been that great at doing my makeup or hair. However, a skin regimen and routine is something that I do get into. As I'm sure you all know using sunscreen daily is essential to preventing wrinkles and forms of skin cancer. This Elta sunscreen is my favorite one by far that I've ever used, and my amazing esthetician (If you ever need someone in Ft. Worth ask me for mine, she is SO good!) approves of it too. My favorite thing about this product is that its tinted and provides a great sheer daily coverage all while providing the SPF you need.

EltaMD UV Physical SPF 41 Tinted, Chemical-Free Sunscreen via Drugstore.com

Also, PS - Do any of you all shop on Drugstore.com? LOVE this website, they have great prices, promotions and free shipping usually! You can even make a account and then make "Your List" where you can save products that you eventually want to buy too. This especially comes in handy when I'm reading about the latest hit OPI nail color, perfect place to "jot" it down.

Etheral and Organic

I bet you didn't think this post was going to be about gold earrings did you? I'm just a little sneakster (Is that a word??) like that...clearly I'm not that good at making jokes either :)

Love me some organic looking gold earrings though, always have always will...my uber stylish friend Kendall always has great pairs. Here are three I have come across lately and am loving, having a hard time deciding which ones I would even pick. I think I would most likely pick the last pair, they are so unique!

By Boe Twist Arc Earrings

By Boe Quartz Earrings

Hersey Asktan Love Earrings

Happy Anniversary!

No no no its not mine (although ours is coming up very soon!), but its one of my bff's first year anniversary with her sweet hubby tomorrow and I couldn't be happier for them and I just had to bake them a little treat to celebrate! I was trying to find a recipe where I had everything on hand and I came across these Chocolate Walnut muffins, they are even vegan for those of who are following a vegan lifestyle.

Chocolate Walnut Muffins via Baking Bites

Vegan Chocolate Walnut Muffins

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup maple syrup
¾ cup milk (I used 1%)

½ tsp vanilla added

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8 muffin cups in a baking tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, milk and vegetable oil. Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture and stir until smooth, adding walnuts at the last minute. Do not over mix, but try not to have any pockets of dry ingredients left in the batter. Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Let cool slightly before serving. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, before storing well wrapped or in an airtight container.
Makes 8 muffins

Enjoy! And happy one anniversary Katie & Paul!

PJs Day & Night

So what do you all think of the whole pajama dressing trend? It was on many Spring/Summer 12 runways and many a celeb have experimented with the trend. I do like the idea of it, and now I love the idea of it after seeing this dress. I have a feeling this would be the kind of piece that I would WEAR all the time. Too bad I still can't justify the price tag!

Cynthia Rowley Pajama Shirt Dress

Decisions...Decisions

Soooo I have a VERY fun wedding weekend coming up in Santa Fe for dear friends and I want to buy a fabulous colorful cocktail dress, one especially that can be complemented by turquoise statement earrings, when in Santa Fe right? Here are my top two options at the moment? Would LOVE to hear what you all think...I wonder if you all are leaning towards the one I am?

Option #1

Jill Stuart Silk Chiffon Colorblock Dress

Option #2

BCBG  Carys Floral Strapless Cocktail Dress

HELP!!!

Another WINNER of a Chicken Recipe!

Ok so I have yet another chicken recipe, but I'm telling you friends this one is DELICIOUS. Again it's easy, relatively healthy and yummy - what more could you ask for? This chicken can easily be prepped earlier in the day which is always a time saver and I would suggest lining your baking sheet in foil for easy clean up.

Enjoy!

Roasted Parmesan Chicken from A Nutritionist Eats

Roasted Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 medium sized chicken breasts (I used a chicken thigh for the hubs)
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup panko
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Combine panko, parmesan, garlic and olive oil in small bowl.

Press panko mixture onto chicken.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Handbag Love from Smythson

Ummm I'm guessing that I'm late to the party, but I wasn't completely aware of how many gorgeous bags the luxury leather brand Smythson makes. I came cross these on the the blog Wearing It Today when seeing what all lovely items this stylish blogger wore at London Fashion Week and wow they are all gorgeous. I think my favorite is the Emily Shoulder Bag, what about you all? I'm a big believer in spending your big bucks on shoes or handbags, its what you will get the most use out of!

Small Nancy Hobo in Pebble

Emily East/West Zip Tote

Emily Shoulder Bag

Perfect In-Law Meal!

I had the joy of hosting my sweet in-laws for dinner last Thursday night and I was so happy with how my menu turned out! We had a delicious and nutritious meal, but not one that tasted uber healthy which is always a plus. I served a Lightened Up version of Chicken Tetrazzini and Green Salad with Clementines. The biggest winner about this meal was that I could make the tetrazzini completely ahead and of time and then just pop it in the oven, SO easy and nice also to then be able to actually talk with your guests instead of being in the kitchen when they arrive. I also put out some sliced bread (multi grain baguette) and served my favorite hummus from Central Market (Lemon Artichoke) with some chips for an appetizer beforehand. I once heard a tip and I can't remember from where now, but that when entertain store buy either your appetizer or your dessert to make things a little easier on you!

Lightened Up Chicken Tetrazzini from Ingredients, Inc.

Lightened Up Chicken Tetrazzini

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
12 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
11/2 cups grated fresh Parmesan cheese
8 ounces cooked whole wheat angel hair pasta
21/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Cook onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, salt and pepper in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 4 minutes or until slightly tender. Add flour and cook 5 minutes. Gradually add broth and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream cheese and Parmesan, stirring with a whisk. Stir in chicken, mixing well. Add chicken mixture to pasta, tossing gently.

2. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7- inch baking dish.

3. Melt butter in skillet. Brown panko breadcrumbs in skillet 2 minutes. Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

I also served a green salad that was a spin off of a delicious and fresh salad I had had a few weeks ago at dear family friends of ours. Marinda (the mom/wife/most amazing cook) always has the best dishes and this salad rocked! I used this recipe for my starting off point.

Green Salad with Clementines (Serves 4)

Ingredients for Salad

1 box mixed greens of your choice

4 clementines (Sliced into segments/peeled)

Small handful of Tours Mix (BEST seed mix for salads from Fort Worth's Vending Nut Company, get it here!)

Feta (Eyeball it to your liking, I used fat-free)

Ingredients for Dressing

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic (I used the granulated garlic that I keep in the fridge)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (3 limes for me)

6 tablespoons olive oi1

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Whisk all ingredients together to make the dressing and set aside. Put all ingredients for salad together in a big bowl and toss with dressing. Dressing could easily be made ahead of time!

Latest Cookie Recipe

I came across this Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookie recipe over on my all time favorite time zapper website, Pinterest. These were a cinch to whip up and they were husband approved which is a win-win in my book. Enjoy friends!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies from The Farm Girl

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Adapted from The Farm Girl)

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. rolled oats (quick-cooking)

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 large egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1/3 c. creamy peanut butter 

1 c. peanut butter chips 

1.Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until smooth, then beat in the peanut butter. Blend in the flour mixture until the dough comes together and no streaks of flour remain.  Stir in peanut butter chips.

2.  Drop dough in 1-inch balls on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges.  Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

EASY Salmon Recipe!

Happy weekend! SO glad the weekend is finally here...I'm looking forward to dinner with some couple friends and to finally tackling cleaning out our carport and garage, I know the hubs is extra thrilled about that, HA!

I made this salmon last Tuesday and it was SO easy and delicious. Two tips though...first I would highly advise downloading the app from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app, it's so helpful in telling you what kinds of seafood to stay away from and then also what particular species of fish you should buy. Second is I wish I had put down a piece of foil or parchment paper on my baking sheet before the salmon, it would of really helped come clean up time.

Mustard Maple Salmon from SELF (Serves 1)

Ingredients

 - 1 4 oz salmon filet
 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
 - 1 tsp pure maple syrup
 - Dash each of red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper

Set oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Mix all ingredients from salmon on together and brush over your salmon filet. Broil salmon until it flakes easily with a fork, 5-7 minutes.

(The top of my salmon filets did get a little "burned" looking, but they didn't taste it and were delicious!)

YELLOW Obsessed

Did anyone else see Elizabaeth Banks in Bill Blass at the London premiere of The Hunger Games (By the way am I the only person who hasn't read this series??) Well holy cow she looked AH-MAZING, I'm completley obsessed with this dress. What do you all think?

Via Red Carpert Fashion Awards

Via Red Carpert Fashion Awards

Nude Shoes, EVERYONE Needs Them!

I tell my clients (and really anyone who will listen!) that nude shoes are a MUST in your wardrobe. They are ultra flattering and elongate every ones legs. I have multiple pairs, pumps, peep toes, wedges, etc. WELL I came across these beauties when returning something else at Nine West and fell in love. AND Nine West is having the friends & family right now which means you get 25% off, I would buy these ASAP if I were you!

Nine West Fauna

I Need THIS Now!

Obsessed...the END!

Tory Burch Georgiana Tote

UGH though why does it have to be named after the meanest character on GG...does this annoy anyone else?!

Kitchen Obsessed

If you have been reading this blog for awhile or lets be honest even for just a few days you all know my love and passion for cooking. While I am lucky to have a great and functioning kitchen right now, I can't help but dream about what my kitchen could possibly look like someday. Below are some of my current favorites! Would love to see your favorites too!

This first kitchen is by interior decorator genius Tommy Smythe...it gets me weak in the knees with the cabinet color, hardware and the island...all are PERFECTION. And that pop of red in the lighting, LOVE.

via Marcus Design

All I have to say is that I'm obsessed with wooden beams and they will appear in our next home SOMEWHERE. I love the mix of all the different materials in this kitchen, that can be hard to do while still achieving a gorgeous kitchen, but it works in this one!

via Satisfying Spaces

I don't even know where to start with this one. EVERYTHING is gorgeous...I would change the dining table with an island just for personal function though. But man isn't it just stunning?! And by the way I first saw this image reading one of Paloma's of La Dolce Vita Dream Home series, have loved all of them by the way. Great idea Paloma!

via La Dolce Vita

This next one is WAY more simple and clean which I find so refreshing. I would change the countertops I think, but am loving the three paneled windows above the kitchen sink. I can see some REALLY neat patterned roman shades going there.

via Marcus Design

What's the Best Part about Weddings?

WEDDING CAKE! Of course watching your friends join together in the blessing of marriage is REALLY the best part, but wedding cake is really one of my favorite things about weddings. My sister is engaged right now so I'm been pinning some images of wedding love. These three cakes below are some of my favorites around the blogosphere right now....aren't they gorgeous?

via A Diary of Lovely

This one below is one of my all time favorites that I've ever seen!

via A Diary of Lovely

via imgfave

Blueberry Goodness!

What a rainy Sunday it is here in Fort Worth, actually it has been an entire rainy weekend, but it has been a fun one so that's good! I made these delicious Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars yesterday, some for a sweet friend who just had knee surgery and the rest for my brother and his touring band who had gigs here in TX the past few days. I can't tell y'all how nice it has been having my brother here, miss him SO much. ANYWHO back to the blueberry goodness, these are SO good. And once again I found this recipe from one of my all time favorite food blogs, How Sweet It Is, if y'all aren't following you neeeeeeeed to be NOW! They are perfect on their own, but would be even more amazing with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Note to self next time I make these make SURE to have vanilla ice cream on hand!

Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars from How Sweet It Is

Blueberry Crumble Bars from How Sweet Is Is

makes about 12 bars

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter + 2 tablespoons

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Melt the 1/2 cup of butter and add it, along with the vanilla, to the oat mixture. Stir until moistened. This may take a minute or two! Fold in the blueberries – it’s okay if they pop a little bit.

Butter and flour an 8×8 baking pan. Press batter into the pan. Melt remaining butter and drizzle it over the bars. Bake for 20 minutes, the let cool completely – this can take up to 45 minutes! (MAKE SURE TO DO THIS!) Cut and serve. Can be kept in the fridge or at room temperature in a sealed container.

Calling all Brides!!

Well this post isn't really JUST for brides because all ladies should embrace in some pretty lingerie, but these pieces would be perfect for a bride. As I shop for friends lingerie gifts for their bachelorette showers I'm always wanting to find something a little different and I think these pieces fit the bill. I came across brand Zinke and fell in love with some of their delicate and ethereal pieces. See some of my favorites below.

Zinke Cabin Fever Bralet and Panty 

Zinke As if We'd Never Meet Again Jumper

Zinke All Things Nice Lace Jumper

Quick Workout

So I've never posted (at least I don't think I have) about workouts, but wanted to share this little gem. I'm always looking for new and different routines to add to my weekly workouts to keep things interesitng and I found this on Pinterest. I'm sure a lot of you have seen it.

via Pinterest

What I love about this is you can change it up to your liking. See below for what my personalized set looks like. I ususally try to do this after 20 minutes of some sort of cardio! Enjoy!

50 crunches

25 leg lifts

50 bicylces

25 change overs on a workout bench

15 squats

50 calve raises

100 arm cirlces (50 going forard, 50 going back)

15 push-ups

50 jumping jacks

1 minute plank

On another note, I need new tennish shoes BAD. I'm sure my Sunday walking buddy (aka the best listener in the world) is so sick of hearing how I need new ones. I'm considering these, does anyone have these? 

ASICS Women's GEL-Blur33 Running Shoe via Amazon.com

C + PB = Goodness

***UPDATE - Almond butter is just as delicious with this recipe as peanut butter!

Hiiii everyone!

I have a delicious and easy easy easy cookie recipe for you all.  Anything with chocolate and peanut butter  is game in my book so if you like that combo you will LOVE these. They are also gluten free which is nice to have such a delicious cookie recipe in your arsenal that is gluten free since more and more people are removing gluten from their diet. (I'm thinking of you Caitlin & Julie!)

I busted out the dough and baked all the cookies in under an hour on Tuesday night, it was great. And I'm willing to bet you all already have the ingredients. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies via With Style & Grace

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Epicurious then slight adapted from With Style & Grace

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, baking soda and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. With your hands, roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball and arrange on the baking sheet(s), spacing 2 inches apart. Continue rolling the dough until it’s gone. If you make 1 baking sheet at a time, place leftover dough in the fridge. (I used two cookie sheets at a time and still need to do 1 more round of baking, but only using 1 cookie sheet on that 2nd round.)

Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown on the bottom and still soft to touch in center.

Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

Clarisonic Brush for Less!

So I know so many women's obsession with the Clarisonic Mia brush, well if you want to save some $$$ get the Olay version. One of my sweet sister-in-laws (Hi Allison!!) told me about the Olay one and I'm loving it, thank YOU Allison! The only downside I see to the Olay brush is that it doesn't come in all the fun colors that the Clarisonic brush comes in.

Olay Face Cleansing Brush via Drugstore.com

I got mine off of Drugstore.com which is a site I love! You all should all use it, they have way better deals than local drugstores and you can almost always get free shipping. My favorite feature of the site is that you can save items you are wanting to "Your List", this especially comes in handy when I come across products in magazines that I want to try. And right now they are having 20% off almost everything!

FREDRICKSBURG = Perfect Weekend Trip

Morning everyone! I had the pleasure of going to Fredricksburg, TX last weekend to celebrate a friend who is getting married. Fredricksburg was the perfect destination for a low-key, but really fun bachelorette weekend. It also would serve well for a girls weekend or couples trip. We had a blast!

As for accommodations I would highly suggest staying at a B&B, you can find many of them through the company Absolute Charm. We stayed at the Queen Anne which slept 12 (two to a room) and it was so quaint and perfect. We had a delicious breakfast both mornings made for us by the two sweetest women. I think the breakfast on our first morning there was my favorite meal of the whole trip, we started with a Greek yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and homemade granola and then had a sausage and cheese strata with potatoes and a homemade muffin. It was so incredibly yummy! 

Queen Anne B&B via Absolute Charm

Our big activity of the trip was taking advantage of all the local wineries around Fredricksburg and take advantage we did. We started off at 10am and were picked up by the nicest man ever, Randy. Randy was our driver and guide for the day and he took us to five wineries. They were all so beautiful and the wines were SO good. My highlights were the Viognier at the Grape Creek Vineyards, the Rose and Tempranillo at Pedernales Cellars, and then the Chardonnay and Primitivo at Messina Hof Winery. Clearly I took advantage of being able to buy some of the wine we tasted. We were even provided with a yummy lunch at the Williams & Chris vineyard and were able to sit out at picnic tables and enjoy some live music. I would HIGHLY suggest doing a winery tour of some sort if you are visiting Fredricksburg, you won't be disappointed!

Williams and Chris Winery

On Friday we conquered Main Street which was so quaint and had a small town feel. They had some really cute shops and bakeries and you can even walk around with a glass of wine, HUGE bonus. We had lunch at a great restaurant, Bejas Grill right when we got into town. It was a great ladies lunch spot, I had a delicious taco salad! Our favorite shop by far was Rustlin Rob's, a Texas gourmet food shop where they have every sort of dip, sauce, oil and jam possible and you can taste EVERYTHING. I came home with some raspberry balsamic vinegar and a bottle of peach-mango habanero sauce to pour over a block of cream cheese for an easy appetizer when entertaining.

Rustlin Rob's Texas Gourmet Food

As for dinner spots we hit up Cabernet Grill which is about 10 miles outside of town, it was good too! I had a nut crusted chicken that hit the spot. And on Saturday night after our too many wine tastings we hit up one of the local pizza joints, West End Pizza Company. We were able to walk there from the Queen Anne which was a huge plus too. Their garlic pizza dough knots might of been my favorite part of the whole meal!

I hope this post convinces some of you to take a little trip to Fredricksburg, I'm dying to go back!! Anyone want to plan a weekend??