learning to slow down.

 it has been one year since my hubby and i took a 2 week vacation to italy with great friends.  the older i get, the more i am trying ('trying' is the key word here people) to     s   l   o   w      down and take life in because it moves by WAY  too quickly.  since then the friends we traveled with have had a baby, my husband has undergone a HUGE career change and i have quit my day job to focus completely on magpie designz. 

in venice, jumping with not a care in the world. 

so this year i am going to {take. it. all. in.}
life is too short and i need to enjoy it more. i have never been great with change.  so when change comes, i am going to embrace it and realize that it belongs to a bigger plan that is not my own.

stuffing our faces with gelato in florence.

Recipe three: has potential

i found a wonderful foodie blog that i check every day.  she inspires me to try new recipes and to be brave with new and different ingredients.

This weeks recipe was pork loin chops with roasted garlic cream sauce.  i totally forgot to take pictures of the finished product, so i am borrowing from cassie craves blog.

photo taken by cassie craves

this tasty recipe was easy peasy with basic ingredients. next time i make this i will use a pork tenderloin instead of chops.  I tend to overcook chops which leads to dry and chewy pork.   the cream sauce was delish and was a flavorful topper to some typical mash potatoes.

besides the mash potatoes, i served this recipe, taken from my friend's blog, life in a nutshell.

it was incredibly easy and again, it stretched me beyond the basic veggies that i often grab at the food store.  broccoli rabe may not be my fave veggie (bitter and kinda chewy) but mixing it with some carrots and a pinch of nutmeg saved the day. 

photo taken by meredith from life in a nutshell blog

this weeks grade:

A-

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...and until next week. what should i try next?!?

Keep Calm....

and carry on.

see this shop for keep calm posters

 Is it just me, or has this saying exploded in the last year?  well, i decided to go with it and put a spin on it.  sooooo... out comes my "keep calm" collection.  instead of the typical {carry on}, i changed it up for those out there that have a passion for a certain hobby, sport, or activity.

visit here to view my collection

so i ask you all...do you have any ideas for my "keep calm" collection? 

if so, i would love to hear them!

recipe two: success!

i am two weeks into my cooking challenge and feeling very encouraged from last nights dinner.  After recipe one took a back seat in my recipe book, i was determined to find a worthy recipe this week.

this weeks recipe? Butter chicken
how can you go wrong with that title?

it tends to lean towards indian flavors, which we are a fan of in this family.  the one spice that i didn't have and wasn't willing to spend $12 on was cardamom.  i goggled a substitute and  came up with 50% nutmeg and 50% cinnamon.  it worked perfectly in my opinion.

it had the perfect amount of heat too.
the cayenne pepper goes a loooong way.

this weeks grade:

A

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enjoy my friends. please share with me your favorite recipes.
i would love to give it a 'stir'.

lakehouse retreat.

i am back from a stay at my friends lakehouse in upstate new york.  what an amazing place to forget about life for a bit and soak in the rustic charm of a cozy cabin. 

scenic walking,

jet skiing, 

fire staring, 

smore making

story sharing, 

memory making, 

picture taking

were just a few things we were able to enjoy this weekend.

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sometimes its just necessary to take a moment to breathe and bask in God's creation.  have you taken a second to breathe recently? please do share.

recipe one: bust.

not pleased with this recipe.  what was Emeril thinking?  

OK, so I won't be too harsh BUT i hate it when i spend a good hour preparing for a meal with high hopes and then it turns out to be nothing close to my expectations.

it has tequila. how could it be that bad? 

i came to the solution that maybe if i marinated it more then 45 minutes it would of been delish.  that's what emeril said to do, only 45 minutes. i should of known better.  Marinading it OVERNIGHT would of made a world of difference.  

the chipotle adobe sauce was wonderful.  i put more chipotle peppers in then it called for.  that was the only flavaful part of this meal. unfortunately.

yes i will try it again. maybe for company. and maybe overnight the marinade.  it's a ton of prep work for a meal during the weak, which defeats the purpose of my challenge.

so the hunt continues for a new recipe.

i'm in a rut.

 So my goal this year is to try a new recipe each week.  I will share my thoughts, critiques, praise, tweeks and other useless points about the recipe with my awesome readers.  

Now, I am no chef, but I do enjoy playing in the kitchen. I definitely need to get out of my 5 meal rut and try something new. I know, crazy idea right?!

  I love a good challenge every once and while, so let the cooking begin! 

oh how i love you september

well, it doesn't really feel like fall here in new england.  it's in the 90's and humid. we got a tease with the fall temperatures last week.  so now i am craving every little piece of the harvest season.

there are SO many reasons why fall is my favorite season.  

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crisp walks at night with my pup and hubby

apple picking

"fallerizing" the house (more to come on this)

baking this spice cake {thank you Dina for the recipe}

wearing my flats and scarves again

pumpkin pancakes

 skirts and my leather boots

sleeping with the windows open

starbuck's pumpkin spice latte
the smell of fallen leaves

*

and pumpkin beer. 

I found one that i LOVE...and it's $6 a case from trader joe's.  the reviews are so-so but who cares.  my hubby gagged when he sipped it but he is a beer snob.  i just love the deep pumpkin flavor.  is it 5:00 yet?

bring on the harvest season. 

fall is too short but i will make sure to enjoy it to the fullest. 

oh and i will be drinking lots of beer.  no i am not an alcoholic.

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what are you looking forward to this fall?