Halloween Recap

Well this is going to be a very brief post because I'm a bad blogger and I took virtually no pictures on Halloween.  But, I do want to share what I came up with for a costume because it was AWESOME.  

Yall know how I feel about them royals by now, so this should be no surprise.  Here was my Halloween inspiration:

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And, I might add that I came up with this all on my own wayyyy before the Today Show cast did the same thing, m'kay? 

Anyway, since I didn't have a costume designer, I made do by myself.  The hat was really the key thing- the rest of my outfit were pieces I already owned.  For the top- I ordered something I knew I could wear again.

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I found the hat online and ordered it. Don't ask me what she's doing in that picture though because I have no clue. 

For the rest of the outfit, I wore a khaki skirt I already owned and some boots because it snowed here the day I went out!  As a bonus, we celebrated Halloween at my work, so I got to wear the outfit twice!  Really though, people either got the reference from the hat or they didn't, so the rest of the outfit just had to "go" instead of replicate. I would say that most women got the reference right off the bat.  And it was a big hit with them!  One man asked me if I was a cartoon character and I made another mad with my "snobbish" references to fascinators.  Men!  Who needs em?!  (Don't answer that. No really, don't.) 

Anywho, I could care less if anyone else liked my costume because it was SO MUCH FLIPPIN FUN to wear!  I am usually that person who doesn't do anything on Halloween because I can't think of a costume that I like.  And to me, you need to have fun wearing it! What's the point if you don't? Mission accomplished on that front for me this year.

I also made these pumpkin pecan spice cupcakes for work on Monday.  (That is not my picture, by the way- click through for the source!)

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I must say, they were delish! I even made them twice because I forgot to add the oil to the first batch.  Genius!  But even the defunct set tasted good! 

I Like My Blog How I Like My Blog

When I read this post by Jenn last week, I was jumping up and down in my mind saying, "yes!!! that is exactly how I feel too!!" Here's what Jenn had to say that was so well put I can't even try to put it in my own words:

Sometimes the pressure to write something great keeps me from writing at all. After doing this blogging thing for more than 3 years, I sometimes feel like I should have evolved into this skilled writer, perfectly parlaying my thoughts and feelings into beautiful words that tug at the heart strings of anyone who reads it and makes everyone want to be my best friend.

And then I get shoved off my high horse for being so pretentious and I remember it’s a blog. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular. It’s supposed to be fun and a sort of Room of Requirement for me – whatever I need it to be at a a given time, it is.

I absolutely love this for so many reasons.  I started blogging for me and I will continue blogging for me.  I'm so happy it has allowed me to connect with others, but if I get too caught up in blogging what people expect me to blog about, I can literally feel the genuine-ness slipping away. And that's no good for me or for the people who read this blog.  Sometimes you might think what I write about it super boring, and sometimes it might be.  But writing this blog is supposed to be cathartic for me. And if the only people who enjoy reading it are my best friends, that's okay sometimes.  If other people enjoy it too, that's just the icing on the cake. [Yum, cake.] 

Anywho, I say all of this to preface the extremely random post that will follow. 

• I don't think there are many greater feelings in the world than going to sleep with a clean kitchen and waking up to a clean kitchen.  Brings me so much joy to have a fresh start in the morning.  And I can sleep with a dirty kitchen (some people cannot) but only if I am extremely tired. 
• I am totally back on the smoothie train and I'm not sure why I ever got off because this smoothie I'm drinking is deee-lish. I started using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit (cheaper now that berries are going out of season- at least I think it's cheaper...) and let me just say- YUM.  I love fresh berries but the frozen berries make the smoothie so. cold. without watering the smoothie down with ice.  I'm totally down with that.

• If I don't have my gmail open in the left-most tab of my safari window, I will open another tab because I think it isn't open.  Old habits die hard.
• I'm not sure if it is great or awful that Whole Foods- my most-frequented grocery store- does not sell velveeta. Sometimes there is nothing better on gameday than some velveeta queso. I'm pretty sure there's also little out there worse for your body, so maybe it's not the worst thing. 
• Speaking of velveeta, I recently tried this recipe for cheese dip. I left out the bacon because I didn't have any on hand and didn't want to buy any, but yum-o! The addition of the worcestershire really kicked up the flavor.

via pinterest

• Although I'm not sure that Columbus Day is a holiday that makes a ton of sense, I am very glad I had the day off from work.  I had to write a paper that was due that night and it was so nice to be able to do that without having to work through both Saturday & Sunday- especially since I was working on other papers and projects on those days. The to-do list of a grad student never ends. I know we all feel like that sometimes.
• Speaking of grad school, I'm about to start on my paper about a Congressional hearing and my background noise of choice is season 6 of The West Wing. I know I am such a cliché right now and I couldn't be happier about that. I like what I like. 

Guest Post: Kitchen Brunch Bridal Shower

I am so excited to have my dear friend Catherine guest-blogging for me today. Catherine is honestly one of the kindest people I have ever met.  (I am very lucky to have several friends that I can say that about.) 

She is warm-hearted and always assumes the best of people.  She  also has great taste in everything from music (she's a big Bob Dylan & Janis Joplin fan) to clothing (she is always appropriately chic).  I hope you enjoy reading her post today. Please feel free to leave her some sweet comments!

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I recently hosted a Bridal Shower for my dear friend Haley. There were six hostesses including myself; Samantha, Kristin, Lauren, Emily, and Katie. 

The shower was a true southern affair. The invitations invited the guests to a Kitchen Brunch in honor of the bride. The invitations had a beautiful bouquet of flowers tied with a ribbon printed on the side. The walkway to the house was lined with standing sconces filled with Rosemary and Baby’s Breath. We tied white, tulle ribbons around these. 

The menu for the shower was a mix between southern favorites and tea-party essentials. Kristin brought delicious homemade chicken salad and Lauren brought a fruit tray with pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, and strawberries. We served scones with lemon curd and cream, cheese grits, ham biscuits, petit fours, and cupcakes that were dusted with “pixie dust”. Samantha brought cake balls and we served iced tea, lemonade, and coffee punch. Coffee punch has always been a big hit in our house. We serve the punch at our annual Holiday party, family reunions, and showers. I have included the recipe below if anyone would like to try! 

We used both of my grandmothers’ china and glass party saucers and cups. There was mingling and socializing. Haley opened some wonderful gifts including an ice cream maker and her dishware. 

We decorated the house with pictures of the couple in mismatched frames including gold, silver, and wooden.  The guests were given small white mesh bags filled with “pillow mints” as they left. 

After the shower, Haley gave her hostesses a beautiful hand-made notebook her fiancé made.

I think the most important thing is to first decide what type of shower you would like to throw. Because we decided on a brunch and the kitchen opens right up into the party area, we decided on a kitchen theme. The shower had a sort of garden party feel which was perfect with the beautiful weather. We knew we wanted it to be very classy and elegant. The food was placed on antique serving dishes and placed on the dining room table. Pictures were an easy way to highlight the couple. I think that simple decorations are essential to a beautiful brunch shower!

Café Latte Punch

Mix together the night before:

1 c of instant coffee

½ c of cocoa

1 c of boiling water

1 ¼ c of sugar

1 T vanilla

3 c of cold water

3 quartz of milk

Refrigerate the above overnight. Whip 1qt. whipping cream. Soften ½ gallon of vanilla ice cream. Fold the ice cream and whipping cream in a punch bowl. Pour in other mixture. This makes quite a lot so make sure to have another container ready for the extras!

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Thank you so much for blogging for me today, Catherine.  I actually just decided to schedule a little vacation at the end of June. If anyone out there in bloggerland (even if you don't yet have your own blog) is interested in guest posting while I'm on beach time, please email me at theeclectictraditionalist @ gmail.com (without the spaces). 

I would love it! 

Two Healthy Recipes For You

Looking for a couple of good healthy recipes?  You've come to the right place.

These are ones that I just sort of made up, so there isn't a direct source for them.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

Fresh Asparagus

Olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

Steps:

1. First wash, pat dry and chop the end off the asparagus. 

 2. If you want to, peel the last little bit of the asparagus. This is completely optional and time consuming, but I prefer the way it tastes. 

 3. Place in sheet pan. Coat the asparagus LIGHTLY in olive oil.  You need very little because when it gets in the hot oven, the oil will disperse. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to your taste.

4. Place in preheated 450 degree oven. Cook until lightly browned. Enjoy! 

This asparagus is delicious on its own. It is also fantastic in this salad.

Katelyn's Favorite Salad

Ingredients for the Dressing:

Rice Wine Vinegar

Worcheshire Sauce

Honey

Grapeseed Oil

Lemon Juice

Minced Garlic

Pepper

To make the dressing, I combine these ingredients in a mason jar and shake it up.  Use the Rice Wine Vinegar and Grapeseed oil as your bases and add the other ingredients until it tastes right to you. 

Ingredients for the Salad:

Spinach

Roasted Asparagus (see recipe above)

Sunflower seeds/ Pumpkin seeds

Shredded carrots

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1. Begin by chopping up the spinach into strips. 

I love the spinach this way because when I eat it, it doesn't hang out of my mouth when I get a really big spinach leaf. Maybe this makes me crazy, but it tastes better like this! 

2. Finely shred carrots for salad. I also add shredded apples sometimes. 

3. Add all ingredients together, included sunflower seeds and cheese.

4. Dress the salad and mix everything together. Enjoy! 

Weekend Recap

So, I spent the majority of my weekend in bed trying to get some rest so I can quickly recover from this cold.  Big thanks to those who left me comments on your best cold remedies!!

I am happy to report that I'm feeling a lot better, although not totally 100% yet.  I had to cancel my fun Friday night plans because I just wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to get my friend sick. But, I was able to go to a birthday party/ bar-b-que for a friend Saturday. It was so fun. Nice and low-key- my kind of birthday party.  My friend's roommates did a big cook out where they bought the "meat" and the guests brought sides.  I brought this potato salad recipe from Ina Garten. It was REALLY good. I highly recommend it.  It's made with olive oil, lemon juice, white wine and some other ingredients, plus fresh herbs. It tastes really fresh, not like the typical gloppy mayonnaise potato salads (although those can be good, too).  I didn't take any pictures, so here's a picture from the food network site. (By the way, I didn't put in the red onion and it wasn't missed.)

I spent the majority of the day today resting and reading for a class. I'm reading this book:

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The writing is not the best, but I guess it is typical for a non-fiction biography-style book on leadership style.  It is great, though, for anecdotes based on Eleanor's life, rather than being heavily intertwined with stories about FDR as well.  I'd recommend the book to any ER fans out there! 

Lastly, are you a fan of Brothers & Sisters? 

Source

After lagging for a while, it is getting GOOD again, in my opinion, anyway. It is like all the Walkers are back to their old ways. 

Have a great week! 

Chile Con Queso via Eating Well

A healthy cheese dip recipe? Could it be?  Really? Truly?

It is true, my friends!  This cheese dip recipe is not as completely satisfying as that sinful kind you get at your favorite tex-mex joint.  But it is good, and it is good enough to satisfy your craving without massive amounts of guilt!

Here are a couple of my notes before I get into the official recipe.

1. Buy block cheese and finely shred it before you begin, This is less expensive than buying pre-shredded.

2. I left out the pale ale because it was $6 for the smallest amount at Whole Foods and that just wasn't cutting it for me.  So if you try this with the pale ale, let me know. 

3.  I think next time, I will change up the cheeses and see what happens.  I think I might also toss in a jalapeno next time to liven it up a little bit. 
4. I also think next time, I might tone down the corn starch. the dip was a little thicker than I like it.
5. This did not keep that well for me. It was good when I first made it, but the next day the smell was a little "off." Maybe I was just being weird that day... but I say next time i'll make less or plan on having people over.

INGREDIENTS

         2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

         1 medium onion, chopped

         2 cloves garlic, minced

         1/2 cup pale ale, or other light-colored beer

         1 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided

         3 tablespoons cornstarch

         1 3/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, preferably orange

         1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, (see Note), drained, or 1 1/4 cups drained petite-diced tomatoes

         2 tablespoons lime juice

         1 teaspoon salt

         1 teaspoon chili powder

         Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

         1/4 cup sliced scallions

         2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

        

PREPARATION

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Add beer and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring vigorously, until bubbling and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low, add cheese and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in drained tomatoes, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne (if using). Serve warm, garnished with scallions and cilantro.

TIPS & NOTES

         Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Slowly reheat on the stove over medium heat or on Medium in the microwave.

         Note: We like the flavor of Rotel brand diced tomatoes with green chiles the best in this dip. Choose original or mild, depending on your spice preference.

NUTRITION

Per 1/4-cup serving: 84 calories; 5 g fat ( 3 g sat , 2 g mono ); 14 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 0 g fiber; 307 mg sodium; 36 mg potassium.

Delicious Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe for banana bread is guaranteed to knock your socks off!  It is seriously SO GOOD.

Here's what you'll need:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used 2 bananas)

1 cup walnuts (optional)

First, you'll need to mash up the bananas. 

 In a large bowl, combine the four, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla; add pineapple and bananas (and walnuts if you choose to add them). 

Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.

 Pour into two well greased loaf pans.  I just used the sizes that I had. 

 Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes.  The pan on the left took 55 minutes because it is wider. The pan on the right took 65 minutes. 

Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

 Cut into slices and enjoy! This bread travelled really well for me just wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.  It got great reviews! 

Sweet Tooth

Looking for a couple of recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth? You've come to the right place. 

The first recipe I have for you is for Bakerella's "Brookies."

Brownie + Cookie = Good

Ingredients:

 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 lb. light brown sugar (Oh my and thank you!)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

11.5 ounce package milk chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

(I used half a package of chocolate chips and a couple of handfuls of m&m's.)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.

 Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.

Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.

Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.

 Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.

 Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

(Mine actually took 40 minutes.)

Yum!

The second recipe is for "Cake Cookies."

 Ingredients:

 1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Devil's Food Cake Mix

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease baking sheets.

Combine cake mix, eggs and oil in large bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. (Mixture will be stiff.) Shape dough into 36 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake at 350 °F for 10 to 11 minutes. (Cookies will look moist.) Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to cooling racks. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy! And make sure you give some of both of these away! (I recommend bringing them to group project meetings.)