When Best Friends Get Married, Part 2

November 26, 2012

Filed Under : MY LIFE

As I mentioned in this post, I recently spent a weekend in Santa Barbara celebrating one of my best friends’ weddings.  It was probably one of my favorite weekends in the history of weekends.  Good friends, beautiful views, happy occasions – what more could you want?

There were a ton of festivities lined up prior to the actual wedding and each one was so amazingly fun.  We started with the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday, then the (heart-shaped) pancake breakfast, bridal lunch, and bachelorette party on Saturday, and then the wedding on Sunday.  Back-to-back goodness, I tell ya.

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend extravaganza:

ESSENTIALS: Thanksgiving

November 21, 2012

Filed Under : EAT - STYLE

I’ve mentioned this before but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love cooking, I love baking, I love EATING, and I love spending time with my family.  So pretty much Thanksgiving was destined to be my favorite.  My mom and I have made the whole meal for our extended family for as long as I can remember and because of that, I’ve figured out all the essentials I need when in the kitchen for 2 days straight.  Now, of course I have about 89 more essentials for Thanksgiving, but here are a few that I love:

ONE: A pre-seasoned skillet to saute everything in.  And I mean EVERYTHING.

TWO: Every year, we like to try new recipes and I’ve found that Real Simple always has the easiest and most traditional dishes.  For Thanksgiving dinner, I like the food to be simple and straightforward.  Nothing crazy over here.  This year, about 90% of our dishes are from the November issue of Real Simple.

THREE: This one seems obvious, but a good set of measuring spoons can make all the difference in the world!

FOUR: Standing in the kitchen all day is not easy on your little toesies.  I love Wigwam socks because they’re super warm and cozy.

FIVE: A loose sweater to hide the eventual food baby.

SIX: A simple pie dish, like this Giada de Laurentiis for Target one, is a perfect way to show off all those pies.  Pumpkin, pecan, apple – I’ll have a slice of each, k thanks.

SEVEN: For appetizers, a slate cheese board adds such a nice touch and will keep your guests busy while you’re still working in the kitchen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Style Recipes: Indecisive Weather

November 19, 2012

Filed Under : STYLE

Dress: Madewell (last worn here), Sweater: Topshop, Boots: Madewell

When my hair is desperate for a cut and the weather can’t decide if it wants be 75 degrees or 55 degrees, I put on my favorite polka dot dress and throw on an oversized sweater.  You can’t use your Jedi mind tricks on me, weather!  Speaking of Jedi mind tricks, I saw “Book of Mormon” this weekend and there was a cameo by Yoda.  I don’t consider myself a nerdy person but that really made my day.  JK, I’M REALLY NERDY.  Plus, the musical itself was so good!!

So back to the weather.  I don’t fully understand it.  25 years of living in Southern California and I still DON’T GET IT.  Because of my constant befuddlement, I over prepare by wearing things for both cold and hot weather simultaneously.  Chunky sweaters, short dresses, leather boots.  Take THAT, November.  The pale legs are staying out for as long as possible.

More Style Recipes here.

Two Ways: Butternut Squash + Swiss Chard

November 15, 2012

Filed Under : EAT - RECIPES

What do you do when you have a foot-long butternut squash and two bunches of swiss chard?  Make them 2 nights in a row in 2 separate dishes.  Well, that’s what I did at least.  I definitely got my fill of fall veggies this week, that’s for sure.

01. Bean, Bacon, and Butternut Squash Soup with Swiss Chard  This soup was surprisingly really hearty for it’s few ingredients.  It’s quick, easy, and a perfect weeknight meal.  I used turkey bacon instead of regular bacon and a can of cannellini beans in place of cooked beans.  A+ in my book.

02. Buttnernut Squash Pizza with Swiss Chard, Cremini Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions This recipe was a bit more experimental on my end.  I used this Sprouted Kitchen recipe as a starting point, but instead of making the tart, I just bought a whole-wheat pizza dough and put all the toppings from the recipe on it.  I roasted butternut squash, sauteed the greens with garlic and red pepper flakes, and caramelized the onions and added a splash of balsamic vinegar to them.  I also had cremini mushrooms that needed to be used so I sauteed those and added them as well.  I piled the ingredients on top of the pizza, sprinkled some mozzarella cheese, and baked it in the oven.  It turned out so delicious and tasted like the fall season in every bite!  Thanks butternut squash!  The balsamic onions add so much flavor and there’s a nice little kick from the swiss chard’s red pepper flakes.  Best part?  It’s Kyle-approved.  That guy is hard to please, let me tell you.

When Best Friends Get Married

November 14, 2012

Filed Under : MY LIFE

The last few days have been a total whirlwind.  One of my very best friends, Jaymee, got married in Santa Barbara and we had a weekend full of festivities.  And her wedding?  Absolutely breathtaking!  I can’t wait to share photos but I’m going to wait until the little lady and her new hubby get back from their honeymoon.  Here are a few highlights:

+ Jaymee branded her whole wedding with an awesome logo and a cohesive design, from the napkins to the treat bags to the pencils for the newspaper (yes, I said newspaper – it was amazing!).

+ She and her family DIYed every single detail, even the light bulbs hanging in the reception barn (more on that later).

+ Exploring Santa Barbara with the bridal party on our many wedding-related events (bachelorette party, bridal lunch, rehearsal din, mani/pedis, blow outs).  Love those girls so much!

+ The wedding venue, Rancho Dos Pueblos.  I’ve never seen anything more gorgeous.

+ Getting to see all my good friends in one place, at one time.  Such a rarity!

+ Witnessing my best friend get married to the love of her life.  So incredibly happy for them!