Gold Mugs

Like a lot a people, I've been slightly obsessed with gold lately. IT'S MAKING A COMEBACK! So when I saw gold accented mugs on Pinterest, I just about died. Husband loves coffee... no like, seriously. He's ridiculous. He also loves tea, and so do I, so we go through a disgusting amount of coffee mugs in a week. This project had me written all over it.

What You'll Need: 

• gold spray paint
• clear top coat spray paint
• clean, white mugs
• painters tape
• patience 

How To Do It

• it's an easy enough project...
• WASH YOUR MUGS, paint doesn't stick to a dirty mug
• apply painters tape in the design you would like - this is where the patience comes in: mugs are round so tape isn't just gonna rock around in a strait line
• once your tape is applied PRESS IT DOWN! seriously, be super-anal about this step other wise you'll get chips and bleeds. I used my fingernail to squish out any wrinkles in the edge of the tape and to make sure it was stuck down tight
• make sure you tape up the inside of the mug too, you don't want over-spray in there or it will look gross
• take your mugs outside (duh, this is spray paint) and spray your first coat of gold
• let dry and spray your second layer of gold
• let dry and spray a layer of clear coat
• let dry COMPLETELY and CAREFULLY peel the painters tape off
• place in a COLD oven and turn the oven to 200 degrees (if you place the mugs in an already warm oven, they will crack)
• let sit for a few hours (minimum of 2)
• turn the oven off and let the mugs cool inside the oven

I was really worried about the paint coming off in the dishwasher but so far so good! I have not used them in the microwave yet. I'll update this post as I find out! 

Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich

I have been obsessing over this recipe for a while now. I loooove chicken salad sandwiches but I hate mayonnaise (I know that seems like an oxymoron but it's just true). So I was so excited when I found this recipe that uses greek yogurt instead. This is the PERFECT meal on a hot summer day when you want something more substantial than salad but not heavy to weigh on your stomach in the summer heat. It's crisp, refreshing and just the right balance of sweet and savory.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1/2 c. diced red onion ... I actually used onion powder because I'm not a fan of biting into raw onion but if that doesn't bother you then go for it!
• 1/2 c. diced apple
• 2/3 c. grapes, halved
• 1/3 c. craisins
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds
• 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 rolls ciabatta bread, toasted, for serving.... I have since made it with just whole wheat sliced bread and I actually liked it a little better that way, I think with the ciabatta the bread to sandwich ratio goes awry HOWEVER ciabatta does make it seem fancier

How To Make It:

• ummmmm it's not rocket science, toast (and maybe butter) your bread 
• mix all the other ingredients together in a big bowl
• serve on toasted bread

Pink and Grey Baby Shower

I had so much fun over the weekend at Holly's baby shower. You may remember the invitation I created for this beautiful shower (found here) a couple of weeks back. Well, the time finally came and the party was gorgeous! Holly's sister did such a great job putting the whole thing together!

Using pretty baby girl dresses as decor was adorable!

A sweet "game" we played for Miss Mommy-to-be was to write a fun joke or nice saying on the booty of some diapers she would be using later. I had never heard of this idea and I LOVED it! What a nice way to cheer up a new mom dealing with baby poo!

We also had a diaper raffle to help Holly stock up before here little girl arrives. I was lucky enough to win one of the fabulous prizes... *ahem* I took the wine.

It was a brunch shower and the spread was simple but ah-maz-ing! We were treated to a simple "bagel bar" for the main meal and a crazy amount of adorable pink desserts after brunch. 

Regular lemonade and a vodka lemonade punch were served. For the punch, Holly's sister used a 5th of strawberry vodka, a 2 liter bottle of sprite, a carton of lemonade, and pint of fresh strawberries

Holly is a huge fan of doughnuts so instead of cupcakes or cake we were treated to a doughnut cake. Mmmmmm...

Our beautiful Mommy-to-be opening presents!

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

So I was cleaning out my Pinterest the other day, and I came across a recipe that I thought, "Nah, that looks too complicated, I'll never make that" and then I clicked on it and it included about 7 ingredients and looked super simple so I tweaked it a little for myself and made it and it was ah-maz-zing! First time around it was easy and the next few times just got simpler, I don't even look at the recipe anymore. And he beauty is, you can substitute bacon (which, OBVIOUSLY, I have done). It's a fabulous recipe to make when you want people to think you're gourmet because it looks like something you'd see in a restaurant. Use it to impress your friends (or your mom)!

Ingredients

• 4 - 6 chicken breasts, sliced thin
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp flour, or more
• 4 - 8 slices prosciutto, enough to cover your chicken breasts
• 2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil
• large handful green beans (I didn't really measure I just went for it)
• 1/2 c. basil pesto
• 2/3 c. cream

Wrapped and cooking chicken

How To Cook It

• make sure your chicken breasts are on the thinner side, if not, pound them thinner
• season chicken breasts with pepper, to taste
• rub the chicken with flour
• wrap each chicken breast with prosciutto
• in a large skillet, heat the oil on medium
• when skillet is hot, add the wrapped chicken breasts (they should crackle just a little when you set them in)
• cook for 5 - 6 minutes and then flip and cook for another 4 - 5 minutes, until cooked through
• meanwhile boil about 3 inches of water in a small pot
• add the green beans to boiling water
• cook green beans for about 5 minutes
• immediately rinse green beans with cold water and set aside
• in a small bowl, whisk together the pesto and cream
• when the chicken is cooked, pour the pesto/cream sauce over the chicken and add the green beans
• bring the mixture to a boil and then turn off the heat
• enjoy!

Tortellini Greek Salad

Spring has arrived and the sun has been out this week! Whenever it is warm, I'm not huge into heavy foods. I like light and refreshing.... but I still love my carbs! This salad is a perfect combination!

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 c. grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup kalamata olives, pit removed and chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 c. feta cheese
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste

How To Cook It:

• cook the tortellini according to the package directions, drain and rinse with cold water
• while the tortellini is cooking chop veggies
• place the tortellini in a large bowl, add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese
• in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper 
• pour the dressing over the salad and stir until salad is well coated

Closet

Sweater: Forever 21

Burgundy Pants: H&M

Boots: Amazon

Silver Cuff: Charlotte Russe

Easy Asian Peanut Noodles

Do you ever feel like you have an overabundance of sauces in your fridge that you just need to get rid of? This is a great recipe for that..... or a great way to add even more jars. Whatever, you can look at it either way. Anyway, this recipe is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to screw up and only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 lb. whole wheat thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4-6 tbsp. soy sauce 
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 2-4 tbsp. peanut butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 6 scallions, sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro
• 1/2 c. chopped dry roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

How To Cook It:

• bring a medium pot of water to boil
• add spaghetti or noodles and cook according to package directions
• while water is boiling, in a large bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, honey, ginger, garlic, and scallions
• drain cooked noodles and add to the bowl with the soy mixture 
• toss with tongs to coat well
• garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and sesame seeds and serve