Sugar Rush

Apparently Alabama lost last night.

 

 

Boomer Sooner.

Color of the Year

When January hits, I am always ready to bring out bold, vibrant colors. Spring is only two months away and the thought of green grass and warm nights is enough to make me want to wear flip flops in the snow.

The color for 2014 is helping me make the transition from black to something brighter. I am wild about this year's color because not only does it go great with my skin tone (I am a WINTER) but it will transition easily into every season.

SIDE NOTE: My sister always finds out the color of the year early and lets me know how I should plan for the upcoming year. She is my fashion Sherpa, if you will.

This year the color is Radiant Orchid and I am kind of in love with it.

Just soak it in, people, because you are going to see a lot of it in 2014. It is everywhere!

If you are wanting to dive into this year's color trend, here are a few of my favorite orchid-infused things.

This darling pillow from Joss and Main:

For your tootsies:

As an accent wall, a bedroom dresser or the interior of your kitchen cabinets:

 

 

 

Some arm candy from Michael Kors:

 

 

To tuck you in at night:

As a way to celebrate your big day:

 

To accessorize anything:

 

You can even buy a net for your face...if you want a net in your face:

 

So, there you go, purple-lovers! This is your year! Live it up.

And if you want more ideas of where you can find Radiant Orchid, Pinterest has an entire board dedicated to it!



Recipe Round-Up: Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Hey you! It's 2014!

Let's rock this year. Let's do it right. Let's soak up some sunshine and see the world. And maybe watch some Netflix.

And let's kick it off with a ridiculously good quinoa salad.

 

 

 

 

It's totally legit. And comforting. And delicious. And just what your body needs.

I promise.

I had a cooking class two days before Christmas with some of my most favorite girls. And this was on the menu. I have come to love this recipe so much that I thought I would share it with you. I'm all about sharing these days.

So, let's get this new year off on the right foot and bust this out!

Quinoa. It's the super food of the Andes. And it is so good for you, packed with protein and other really awesome things.

 

All you do is measure, rinse, and cook it in water. Bring it to a boil, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Once it is cooked, let it cool and fluff with a fork.

 

Fork fluffing is totally a real thing.

 

 Butternut squash is a hidden gem in the vegetable aisle. It only takes 25 minutes for it to roast up to caramelized deliciousness. To cut into cubes, you:

 

1. cut off ends

2. cut in half

3. scoop out seeds

4. peel

5. slice

6. dice

 

SIDE NOTE: You'll want a really sharp paring knife to help you do this. The skin is particularly tough but you are totally tougher.

 

 

Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop them in the oven for 25 minutes or until sizzling and soft to the touch.

 

 

 

Roasted perfection.

 

The heat brings out their sweetness, making it the perfect compliment to a hearty salad.

 

 

 

Once your quinoa is cooked and fluffed, pour it into a large bowl.Give it a taste, it has a nutty richness to it. Fantastic.

 

So, let's add the beautiful buttnernut squash...

 

 

 

 

...and chop up a few extras like dried cranberries, walnuts and sharp cheese.

 

Trust me. The supporting cast is rocking it.

 

 

 

 

Lastly, mix up your dressing. It is equal parts olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey (or maple syrup). Add a dash of salt and pepper and pour over salad.

 

Toss it around. You're the boss.

 

 

And guess what?

 

YOU HAVE DONE IT!!!

 

2014 is already winning!

 

 

Yep. That will totally do.

 

 

 

It can be a meal. It can be a side dish. It can be your midnight snack.

 

For real.

 

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad:
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1 small butternut squash, peeled, sliced and diced
2/3 cup walnuts (or pecans), chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2/3 cup sharp cheese (Fontina, Swiss, or Blue are great choices)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey or real maple syrup
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients for vinaigrette in a small bowl with a fork. Set aside.

Pour 2 cups of rinsed quinoa into a large saucepan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Pour into a large bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, place cubed butternut squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until sizzling and soft to the touch. Let cool for 15 minutes. Add to the bowl of quinoa along with chopped walnuts, cranberries and cheese. Stir. Add vinaigrette and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper if needed.

This is best at room temperature but can also be served cold. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Serves 6-8.

**Note: If you want to add more dressing, go for it! Cheese? Cranberries? Nuts? Add as much as you want. This recipe is more of a guideline. Spruce up your salad any way you choose! Enjoy, dear friends.



The Three Amigos and Christmas

My friend Melanie just gave me a copy of The Three Amigos. This is in my top 5 of favorite movies. Ever.

"Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?"

"Lip balm?"

"Do you have anything besides Mexican food?"

"It's a sweater!!"

I cannot tell you how much joy this brings me as I anticipate watching this late tonight, basking in the glory of old school Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short and the invisible singing bush. I may even bust out my own rendition of "My Little Buttercup." I am a musical theater major at heart.

As we think about what the next few hours will bring, I hope you are anticipating something wonderful. Something comforting and peaceful. Something warm, delicious and inviting. Something sparkly and new with a side of old and familiar. And maybe you'll even get to experience it all in your pajamas.

Total bonus.

I also hope that you get to eat some fudge. Or in my family, some BBQ. It's just how we roll.

There is nothing like the joy of waiting for something you love.

Rejoice, rejoice!

That long-awaited, much-anticipated day is here.

Recipe Round-Up: Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Biscotti is totally an adult cookie, don't you think?

 

 

 

 

It's one part buttery, one part comforting, and it has a little international flare thrown in. I adore flare. And I also adore biscotti with a hot cup of coffee and a great book. It's the perfect solution for a simple dessert or afternoon treat.

And this recipe is totally versatile! You can add any flavoring, fruit, nut or chocolate you desire. I just chose cranberry orange because I had some of both and I love that flavor combination this time of
year.

But if you want to mix it up with lemon and poppy seed, walnuts and milk chocolate, almond and cherry, then just do it. Go ahead, bust it out. You are the totally in charge.

Totally.


Here's how I roll in the kitchen:

 

First up, combine butter, sugar, dried cranberries, orange zest, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Mix it up real good.

 

 

Next: two eggs.

 

 

Finally, add the flour. And guess what?! You are totally a legit biscotti dough maker.

 

Divide the dough in half, roll and press flat on top.

 

And bake.

 

Mmmmmm...so so so good. I love cookie loaves.

 

Now, you are going to bake these suckers a second time. Bur first, you need to slice them. Don't worry if they crumble, just put all of the pieces on the cookie sheet and bake anyway.

Bake on one side for 8 minutes, flip, and bake on the other.

Think of it like sun tanning, you need to get both sides otherwise you look ridiculous. Biscotti are the same way. They do not want to look ridiculous.

 

 

Once they have cooled, they are ready to go! Buttery, crunchy cookies just perfect for almost any occasion, including pity parties and solo date nights.

 

However, if you want to bump it up a notch (and let's be honest, who doesn't?!), go ahead and dip those bad boys into some dark chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Just melt some dark chocolate in a small saucepan...

 

 

 

...and dip like a ballroom dancer.

 

Seriously, the dark chocolate is bonkers.

 

 

 

 

 

I kept half of mine plain and the other half dipped.

Both are delicious.

Both are addicting.

Both are perfect for Christmas gifts.

 

 

 

 

You can also have your very own stack for snacking.

 

A stack snack, if you will.

 

 

 

Cranberry Orange Biscotti

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter until smooth. Add sugar, orange zest, dried cranberries, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add eggs and mix again. Add flour and slowly combine. (If the dough is too dry, you can add 1 teaspoon of water so it easily comes together to form into loaves.) Divide the dough in half, roll and flatten down. Place both logs on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

 

Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Taking one loaf at a time, set on a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice into long cookies. Place cookies on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over, and bake for another 8 minutes. Cool completely. If dipping in chocolate, melt chocolate over low heat in a saucepan. Once melted, dip biscotti and place on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet until the chocolate is firm. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Dig in!

 

Christmas Jammies

This is completely awesome and ridiculous.

Oh, and they win.

Some Perspective

Hello, my friends. Feliz Navidad to you!

It's next week, by the way. Christmas. Like eight days away or something.

 

Whatever. That's nuts.

Anyhow, thanks for hanging with me during this absence. I do not have a good reason for being away other than being the busiest person ever in the history of forever. Probably similar to you right now.

Oh, and I am trying to get used to sleeping with a ginormous Darth Vader helmet strapped to my face. The good news is that I am breathing through the night. The bad news is that I look like roadkill when I wake up because of all the crease marks on my face.

(You be the judge on what really is the pro and the con in that situation.)

So I want to talk to you today about perspective. I have been mulling this over lately. This usually happens around this time of year, probably because of the new year quickly approaching and my birthday which quickly follows. I tend to get a little introspective when I know that I am aging.

Last week, I studied about John the Baptist in Matthew 11. He was in prison and so he sent his groupies to find Jesus to ask Him directly if He really was the Messiah. Now, if you flip back a few chapters, you see that John was directly involved in Jesus' baptism, with God's voice and the dove and the blaring confirmation that Jesus was the long-awaited King.

However, during his time away from Jesus, while he was a political pawn in Herod's court, John had begun to doubt. Was Jesus really Jesus? Had I missed something or done something wrong? Was He doing what so many prophesied that He would?

I understand those doubts. The further away I get from Jesus, the louder they become. Am I being effective at all? Does Jesus really have a plan for my life? What the heck is He doing?

Instead of wallowing or talking to friends, John went directly to the source: Are you really who you say you are?

And Jesus said: yes.

You see, my perspective gets all out of whack sometimes. Take the mountains, for instance. When they are far away, they just look like one, long line of hills. But the closer you get, the more you see the peaks, the valleys and the layers. The layers of time and people and events.

Jesus doesn't work in one, long line. He works in and among and throughout.

That is what Jesus was doing while John was imprisoned. He came to this earth to accomplish our redemption but that wasn't all He was going to do. He was and is going to come back. What John thought was just one big event in time, Jesus has a second act to come.

So when I think He isn't working or doing what I thought He would do, He says, "Come closer. I am weaving and layering and connecting all that I see and do together. I am setting the stage. I am exactly who I say I Am, even if I don't look like what you thought I would."

Oh, sweet Savior. If I only didn't freak out every time my life takes a turn that is unexpected. If I only clung to the closeness of Jesus instead of trying to squeeze Him into my teeny, tiny timeline. And Christmas isn't just about one single event in history; rather it was His fleshly introduction to us. He has been working all along.

Perspective has become my word for this season. It is the thrill of hope as a weary world rejoices.

(I bet you didn't think I would bring on the heavy after a few weeks away. You're welcome.)