Love is

Happy Valentine's Day!  Whether you're spending the day with a significant other, family, or friends, I hope your day is filled with love.  Because love really is everything.

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Black and White and Pink

And so continuing the pink trend, I broke out my new pink Coach Factory bag for a little dinner date with Jeff and his parents out in Oak Park over the weekend.  We went to Mancini's, which is actually in the 36 Hours book Jeff got me a couple of weeks ago.  I had an asian salmon salad, and it may have been the best salmon salad I've ever had.  Seriously.  It was so good, I decided I could handle eating healthy again and hopped back on Lose It this week.  Last spring I lost 11 pounds using Lose It, but since I added a few back over the holidays it seemed like as good a time as any to get back into the swing of things.  Personally, I think it worked for me because I could still eat whatever I wanted, I just had to exercise if I wanted to eat ice cream and if I was going to binge out on snacks they had to be healthy to fit into my calorie plan.

Blouse - Loft / Leggings - JCrew Factory / Boots - Enzo Angiolini (old, similar) / Bag - Coach Factory (similar) / Bracelet - Michael Kors / Necklace - Stella & Dot

Oh and see my nails?  The mani I got this weekend was Essie "Find Me an Oasis" and I am loving it, it's a really pretty light blue.  I just may have to buy a bottle for myself ;)

Have a very happy almost Friday!


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One Skillet Lasagna

Cooking for two continues to surprise me despite having moved in with Jeff over a year ago.  Recipes that would have made enough for me to have lunch and dinner for a whole week barely make it through one round of leftovers.  While it's nice to not have to eat the same thing day in and day out, I miss the days when I could get away with cooking just once or twice a week.  I'm always on the lookout for recipes that will make a little more, and this Skillet Lasagna certainly did the trick.

I shared my recipe for easy lasagna last year, and while I love how easy the recipe is, it still requires a lot of prep and extra dishes when it comes to making the sauce.  Skillet Lasagna, which I found in the cookbook I got for Christmas, Keepers, actually lets you make the sauce and the lasagna all in one pan.  Which I love, because despite the fact that I now have a dishwasher I still loathe washing dishes.  I also loved it because it turned out so delish!

Oh, and this definitely got man approval.  Probably because it's full of sausage.

Recipe adapted from Keepers

You'll Need:
2 TB Olive Oil
1 pound spicy italian sausage
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
2 28oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes
Salt and pepper
6 oz no-boil lasagna noodles
4oz ricotta cheese
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced
Handful of basil leaves, with large leaves torn in half or thirds

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.  Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add onion, garlic, and red pepper to the pan and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juices, oregano, dried basil, and cooked sausage.  Add salt and pepper.  Simmer for about five minutes, stirring and breaking apart the tomatoes with a spatula.

Break half of the lasagna noodles into smaller pieces (I found that thirds or fourths worked well) and push each piece under the sauce to the bottom of the pan using your spatula.  Break the rest of the noodles into smaller pieces and push right under the top of the sauce layer, making sure they are fully submerged.  Cover the pan and simmer for 12 minutes until the noodles have cooked through.

Remove the lid.  Take small spoonfuls of ricotta at a time and submerge it into the sauce.  Add sliced mozzarella to the top and simmer, covered, until the cheese melts.  Remove from the heat and add the fresh basil to the top.  Let sit for 20 minutes and then serve.




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In February, we wear pink.

Every year as soon as February rolls around, I start wearing pink.  I'm not sure if it's because of all of the Valentine's Day stuff floating around, or just because I get really sick of winter and start wearing pastels in hopes that spring will come soon.  Either way, a little pink always makes me happy.

Shirt and Jeans - Gap / Sweater and necklace - NY&Co (both old) / Boots - Tahari (similar) / Watch - Michael Kors (old)

Oh, and yes, that's a little scoop truck behind me in the first picture.  For some reason when it snows in my neighborhood, they bring in little trucks to pick up the snow piles and put them into a dump truck and drive it away.  Does that happen in other places?  I've never seen it anywhere else.

You can also see where I wore this gingham shirt here and here.

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This weekend...

This weekend I...

... Went on a lady date to Arbre (err, now Polish & Pour?) for some manis and bottomless wine & champagne.
... Toyed around with the idea of actually decorating our powder room, but only accomplished getting a rug we may not keep.
... Hit Bub City for some barbecue, and discovered the weirdest thing I've ever seen in a bathroom.
... Had some super amusing conversations with cab drivers about how hot the nightlife is in Ghana, how you can't live with or without women, and how girls in Russia named Kristina are always the prettiest.
... Went out with the boy to the new(ish) Giordano's in our neighborhood for pizza and the Opening Ceremonies.  I am weirdly pro those sweaters the US team wore.
... Went to Durkins, the crappy bar of my youth, and danced to two Nelly songs within the first 10 minutes.
... Watched about eighteen hours of figure skating coverage before figuring out how the team competition worked.
... Went out with the (almost) in-laws for a little dinner date in Oak Park.
... Ate about four hundred popsicles.  This is a new obsession.  Did you know they sold them in packs with just grape, cherry, and orange, so no one has to eat the crappy flavors?
... Made some crockpot chicken noodle soup.  The recipe made so much I think we'll be set for dinner for the next six to eight weeks.

I hope you had a good one!




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9 Olympics Theme Party Ideas

So is anyone else super excited about the Olympics?  A lot of people hate on the Winter Olympics because they prefer gymnastics and and swimming, but I personally like settling down for three hour curling match (because three Olympics later, I'm still unsure of the rules), watching crazy snowboarding runs, and of course all of the ice skating outfits.

This year I'm actually throwing an Olympics theme party for my birthday during the last weekend of the Olympics, so I've gathered a few ideas for throwing a theme party around everyone's favorite athletic competition.

1. Opening Ceremonies: If you have it in the budget, try to get someone dressed as the Queen to jump out of a helicopter.  Otherwise, play the Olympic Fanfare (Bugler's Dream by Leo Arnaud) and light a big candle as the Olympic Flame.

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2. Food: Anything that comes in circle form is in, like donuts. I'm planning on making some Rice Krispie treats in a muffin tin and adding different colored sprinkles around the edges to make Olympic rings.  You can also get cutesy and serve different colored foods in bowls arranged like the Olympic rings, like chips with different kinds of dip. Or if you just feel like making what you like, add some cute flag toothpicks to the top to make your food a little more festive.

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3. Drinks: Moscow Mules are already trendy, and on theme for Sochi.  White Russians are also in, for obvious reasons.  Otherwise you can serve something clear and add Lifesavers as Olympic rings, or go for the gold and serve up some Goldshlager.

4. Games:  Obviously an Olympics party needs a lot of competition.  Standard drinking games like flip cup, beer pong, and chandelier are definitely in.  Also consider adding some oddities, a la "Flonkerton."  The winners get medals, of course - I'll be making mine out of metallic poster board and some ribbon.

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5. Costumes: Encourage your guests to dress up - as an athlete (current or former), sport, Olympic Flame, Cossack, or go traditional Greek in a toga.  I may or may not be dressing up as this guy:

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6. Music: We are the Champions, Proud to be an American, and the Jock Jams soundtrack on repeat.  Plus the Star Spangled Banner everyone supporting the USA wins an event (presenting medals on a dais: optional).

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7. Entertainment: Turn on your TV to the actual Olympics for those who are so into the games they can't be away from the TV for a minute, or play Cool Runnings and The Mighty Ducks II over and over and over again.

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8. Photobooth: Luckily, the one other party we threw in the last year also had an America theme:

9. Decorations: Lots of flags, lots of Olympic rings, and maybe a backdrop that will confuse your guests into thinking they're actually competing in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Will you be throwing a party for the Olympics?  If so, toss me any ideas you have!




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What I really look like in winter...

What I think I look like in winter:

Coat - 1 Madison (old, similar) / Hat - Gap (old) / Sweater - Banana Republic (old) / Skirt - Loft / Booties - Kelly & Katie (old) / Necklace - JCrew Factory

What I really look like in winter:

Boots - Nine West / Scarf - JCrew Factory

I have not been able to handle all of these zero and negative degree days.  Sooooo I'm covering up every inch of skin possible when I leave the house in the morning.  The people I ride the bus with probably think I'm a crazy person, but hey, at least I'm warm.

The twelve or so inches of snow we've gotten this week helped me determine that my snowboots have a leak, so I'm on the market for a new pair.  Are Hunters plus the welly socks good for snow, or should I go for real snow boots, like Sorel? 

Do you still try to look cute when it's really cold outside, or do you bundle up like me? 

P.S. You can also saw  how I wore this giraffe sweater in much nicer weather here.

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