Our weekend

His weekend was a good mix of work and fun.  I LOVE weekends like that!!   

Saturday night we celebrated my friend Lisa’s birthday. Lisa is always up for an adventure.  She lives down the road from me and we love getting together to take walks in the summer and cross country ski in the winter (sadly we haven’t been able to ski this winter yet-we are getting snow this week so hopefully soon!!) 

For her party I made red velvet cupcakes with homemade icing.  They were so good!

Ava loves taking pics with Snapchat filters so we took a few of those this weekend.  



We also made teriyaki chicken and vegetable fried rice in the wok I got for my birthday. It was so delicious!!!   I just love my new wok and I will be posting this recipe soon.

Sunday I went rock climbing and out to lunch for my friend Jenni’s birthday.  Rock climbing was so fun but super hard.  I definitely would like to go again.

After rock climbing we had lunch at a new restaurant in Cooperstown.  It was a fun way to celebrate Jenni’s birthday!

I hope you had a great weekend!

Xoxo 

Saturday Snack {Cowboy Caviar}

I made this delicious dip for my Bunco night earlier this month.  Sadly I had to cancel bunco because of the extremely cold temperatures and snow. This  dip is delicious and since Bunco was cancelled we got to snack on it for a few days after Bunco.  It’s also a pretty healthy dip option for any occasion.  I think I will make this for the Super Bowl next weekend.    

Here is the recipe it’s super easy to put together!

Cowboy Caviar 

1 can corn drained ( you can also use fresh corn if you have it and it’s in season!) 

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 brunch cilantro chopped 

1 red onion chopped

2 Roma tomatoes chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 T  red wine vinegar

2 t sugar 

1/4 t garlic powder 

Juice from one lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix and the ingredients together and enjoy with chips!

I hope you have had a great Saturday!  It has been so warm here I took a walk outside today which was so lovely.  We have been stuck inside for weeks because of all the cold weather and snow.

Xoxo

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends.  This week FLEW by.  I’m so happy it’s Friday!!   Today I’m linking up to Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites.

1.  Ava’s photo shoot was definitely a favorite for me this week.  Her bff is a budding photographer and she took some pictures of Ava for her portfolio.  I love each and every one of them and am going to have this one put on a canvas. 

2.  Graig and I did a presentation to a local Rotarty Club about our tree.  After our presentation they let us pick out a book to sign and donate to the local library.  We chose A Peanuts Christmas.  I hope kids enjoy checking that book out of the library for years and years to come.  

3.  A not so fun moment from this week is when my friend Stephanie’s jeep went off the road after my cooking class birthday party.   She hit black ice and just slid off.  Thankfully no one was hurt.  I was in the car behind her so we all helped get her out.  It took about 1/2 an hour but it was such an accomplishment that we did it on our own! 

4.  My cooking class birthday party was a BIG favorite from this week.  It was perfect.  Good friends, good food and a lot of laughs ❤️

5.  Another favorite was re-potting some plants.  During the cold winter it’s hard to do anything with plants.  It was nice to be able to work in the dirt.  As a thank you I gave my two friends that planned my party little houseplants in pretty pots.  I planted them with pieces of a bigger plant from my house.  

6.  While I was in Florida we went to this amazing donut shop where you could choose your own icing and topping.  Those donuts were so good and I would love to go back and have them again.  

7.  The students are back and we are almost at the end of recruitment week.  Work has been SO busy.  Thankfully Bid Day is tomorrow and things will slow down next week.  I do love working with college students.

That’s it for me for today.  I hope you’ve had a great week!

Xoxo

Crafty Wednesday {Flower Arranging}

I just love flowers!  My tiny craft business that I have with my BFF Rachael is called Branch and Bloom.  The Branch of Branch and Bloom is Rachael because she loves netural colors especially brown and the Bloom is for me because I love color and flowers. For Branch and Bloom we try to do a couple of classes each year using flowers or plants.  Last year we did two terrarium classes, a windowsill herb garden, a succulent pumpkin centerpiece class. and a farmhouse wreath class.    At every party I have at our house I like to have fresh flowers.  I thought I would show you how I arrange my flowers.  I think arranging your own flowers is so easy and it's a fun way to be crafty and creative.

I got this book and I love it and refer to it all the time.    I don't have any formal floral training I just love working with flowers.   The Flower Chef by Carly Cylinder

Here is an except about the book from Amazon.

THE FLOWER CHEF is a modern, comprehensive guide to floral design that caters to all readers--from beginners who have never worked with flowers before and are looking for a new creative outlet, to decorators, party planners and photographers looking to liven up their spaces. Even professionals will find ways to update their techniques! This book teaches you everything you need to know about flower arranging including tips on how to buy and care for flowers, how to cut and prepare them, and how to use floral foam, vases, and various other decorative elements in your arrangements. Filled with beautiful photographs and easy-to-follow instructions on how to create over 80 different arrangements, this is the go-to guide to floral design that every flower lover will want to add to their collection.  

In the winter I get all of my flowers from the grocery store in our town.  They have a huge selection of fresh flowers and they sort them in bunches by color. In the summer/fall I get my flowers at the Farmer's Market.  I just love fresh, local flowers!  I also get a lot of flowers from the gardens of friends and neighbors which is always so nice. 

I got three bunches of flowers and greenery and I was able to make three medium sized arrangements and one small arrangements for

When arranging flowers you
1.  Cut the stems at a 45 degree angle

2.  Remove the leaves that will be below the water line.  Leaves below the water line will rot.  

3.  Fill your vase in lukewarm water mixed with floral preservative (store bought flower 
arrangements will come with a little packet of this.  It helps to reduce bacteria in your arrangements.  You can also make your own by adding a T of sugar and a T of white vinegar to a quart of water.  

4.    Place greens and larger flower  in the back of the arrangement and smaller flowers in the front.  If you are arranging your flowers.  This is the fun part play around with your flowers and greens until you like the way your arrangement looks.  I like to use different greens and different flowers in the same color when I make arrangements. 

5.   The fun part about flower arranging is you can do what you think looks best!  I like using vases, mason jars and other glass containers I have at home. 

6.  Keep flowers away from direct sunlight and change the  water every 2 days to keep your flowers fresh.  When you change your leaves you can also trim your stems.  If there are any dead leaves in the water remove them.  

Here are the arrangements I made with my three grocery store bunches of flowers. I was able to do four of them with the three bunches from the grocery store.  I put one in our kitchen, one in our dining room, one in our living room and one in the downstairs bathroom.  

I also love giving flower arrangements to friends especially in the summer when I can use flowers from my own gardens.  
I hope this post inspires you to create your own floral arrangements.

Happy Wednesday!
Xoxo

Birthday Cooking Class

For my birthday I wanted to do a cooking class with some friends.  My friends Rachael and Heather did all the planning and it turned it so fun!  We had a signature cocktail, a few appetizers and then we made a salad and a pasta dish for the main course and Heather did an ice cream sundae bar for dessert.  

It was a great night!  I picked the main entree which was Ina Garten’s rigatoni with sausage and fennel.  

We had the party/class at Heather’s House.  She is an amazing cook and has the best house for parties.

Every party needs a signature drink so Rachael made a signature cocktail for me.  It was a Rasberry Cosmo.  She made it with fresh raspberry purée, vodka and raspberry liquor.

Heather made homemade bread which was so amazing!

It was honestly so fun to get together and cook with my friends.  I really love doing that.  Everyone pitched in and helped with the cooking.  We made a citrus and beet salad and the rigatoni together.

And of course we took lots and lots of pictures. 

For dessert Heather had a sundae bar including homemade lemon sorbet.   She gave me the recipe for the sorbet and I am going to make it soon.  It was so delicious!

Here is the pasta recipe we made

Rigatoni with sausage and fennel

3 tablespoons good olive oil

3 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 1/4 pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound rigatoni

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, divided

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

The party  was perfect.  Heather was a great teacher and it was so fun to cook together. This cooking party was a fabulous way to celebrate turning 42!

Xoxo

Ava {winter photo shoot}

One of Ava’s best friend is a budding photographer.  She took family pictures for us last summer and she has taken senior pictures for graduating seniors.  .  She wanted to take pictures of Ava in a new spot she found for taking photographs. Ava was thrilled to help her out and I was thrilled to see the beautiful pictures she took.  

Here is one of the pictures she took for our family last summer. 

.  

Here are some of my favorite pictures she took of Ava last week.

I love these specials pictures of our girl and I will cherish them forever!

Xoxo 

Saturday Snack {Everything Bagel Topping}

Happy Saturday!!!  Today is Graig’s 46th birthday.  I got him his favorite chocolate pie and tonight our friends are having a card party so we are going to go to that this evening.  This morning I went to boot camp and my plan was to make homemade bagels but my family wanted pancakes so we had pancakes instead.  

I did make this everything bagel topping to use this week.  I tried to get it at Trader Joe’s but it was all sold out so I decided to make my own.  I also made two extra batches for friends.  This will be great on homemade bagels, deviled eggs, and avocado toast. 

Everything Bagel Topping 

4 t white sesame seeds

3 t dried minced onion 

3 t dried minced garlic

3 t black seasame seeds

2 t sea salt flakes

1 t poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

I doubled this recipe and put it in a small mason jars.  I added all the ingredients to my mason jar and shook up all the  ingredients in the jars.  

I got all the ingredients in bulk (except for the poppy seeds)  at my BFF Rachaels’s organic grocery store.

I had enough ingredients to make three jars of the topping.  I’m going to keep one and give two away to friends.

I wanted to try it after I made it but I didn’t have bagels so I added some of the topping to buttered toast.  It was delicious!

Happy Saturday!  

Friday Favorites

Happy second week of 2018!  I just love the beginning of the year.  I love making resolutions and the hope that a new year brings. Today I’m linking up to Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites.

1. My most favorite thing this week was Ava coming home!!!   We missed her so much while she was in the Czech Republic and we are thrilled she is back home with us.  She has spent this week unpacking, settling into her room, seeing her friends and eating her favorite American food.  

2. Last weekend I took a four day trip to Florida to hang out with my best friends.  We had a great  time laughing, talking, eating good seafood and walking on the beach.  It was a fabulous trip!! My 42nd birthday was the second day we were there and it was so fun celebrating with my favorite gal pals. 

3.  Our little niece Ainsley has surgery to repair her eardrum and she was such a trooper during the whole procedure.

 I hate that my sister lives so far away and that we couldn’t be with them during the surgery but I’m thankful my Dad was able to go down for the week and be with them.

4. My favorite restaurant the Autumn Cafe re-opened on our Main Street after being closed for renovations for  a year.  I have been there four times since it opened two weeks ago.  I have so many favorite dishes there including this Moules  Frites.

5. This is one of my favorite pictures of Brock when he was less than 2 pulling his wagon in front of my Dad’s house.  ❤️❤️. 

6.  My friends had a birthday party for me Wednesday night at a supper club/bar in our town.  It was such a fun night!!  It was so great to catch up with everyone.  I love celebrating my birthday!  

7.  Ava and I are making bagels this weekend and last night I made this everything bagel topping to go on top of the bagels.  I sprinkled some on a piece of toast tonight to try it and it was delicious!  I will post this recipe tomorrow for my Saturday Snack for this week.

This weekend we have a few fun things planned and I also hope to do a lot of relaxing.  I hope you had a great week.

Xoxo