October

The air has been unusaully crisp for October and I have found warmth in old forgotten sweaters that have become friends once again.  October is my favorite month and every year I have a  Un-Halloween party.  We watch silly horror movies that are more funny than scary and this year was so much fun! I made these apples which were delicious.

This is my pumpkin, her name is Pearl....she has lots of glitter!

Oh Monday...how much better you would be if I were at the beach!

from Lilly Pulitzer

Friday Dinner

Today I am making this recipe from Williams and Sonoma! Enjoy:)

Whole Wheat Pizza with Broccoli and Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
• Cornmeal for dusting
• 1 lb. whole-wheat pizza dough
• 2 turkey sausages
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed, coarsely chopped and rinsed
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Position a rack in the lowest position in an oven and preheat to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet or a 12-inch pizza pan with the 2 tsp. olive oil and dust with cornmeal.


On a lightly floured work surface, pat and stretch the pizza dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.


In a fry pan over medium heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Remove the sausages from their casings, add the meat to the pan and cook, stirring constantly and breaking up the meat into pieces, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and scrape out any browned bits from the pan.


In the same pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe (carefully, as any water clinging to it may cause the oil to splatter) and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the broccoli rabe is bright green and evenly coated with the oil, about 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbs. water to the pan and steam until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 5 minutes more, sprinkling up to 2 Tbs. more water if needed.


Scatter the cheese, broccoli rabe and sausage evenly on top of the dough. Bake until the crust is golden brown on the edges and the cheese is bubbling, 15 to 18 minutes. Let the pizza cool slightly, then cut into squares or wedges and serve immediately. Makes one 12-inch pizza; serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Healthy in a Hurry, by Karen Ansel, MS, RD and Charity Ferreira (Weldon Owen, 2011).

Pic and recipe from Williams and Sonoma 

Book bag!

Hello Sweets! Well, it's that time of year again when school starts.  I am in grad school and this semester I am only taking one class. My book bag from last year is...well... ok, one of the straps is missing..nope don't have a dog:) This year I chose this cute little number:

The Vera Bradley Back Pack in Tutti Frutti

I love how it has a little pocket for your tablet!

Foresting

Oh how I love the forest!  It calls to my heart and sings to my soul surrounding me with beautiful trees that are a life source for us all. Lucky for me we live in an area full of lush forests just waiting for me to skip through chasing imagined fairies.  Here are a few pics from our jaunts..

These trees were perfect for hide and go seek

I just love looking at this little pond

This where I think the fairies live

My loving husband who treks with me on our many forest jaunts

Lilly Pulitzer Endless Summer Sale

The Lilly Pulitzer Endless Summer Sale is going on right now! Squeal! I love...love...love Lilly Pulitzer.  Her clothes are full full of bright pretty colors that you can wear year round.  These are a few items that I managed to snag yesterday during the craziness!

The Bills Wallet

The Danna dress (I'm thinking this is going to be my Easter Dress)

The Florida Shoreline tote...This tote is totes cute:) 

Happy Birthday Fleetwood!

My precious little kitty turned 7...SEVEN...yesterday!  Sorry for the caps, but I cannot believe how fast  time has went by since we adopted him.  It seems like yesterday but it has been 5 years since we adopted him from our local animal rescue shelter.  Here he is at our little family b-day party for him:)

I made him a cake out of Fancy Feast and Iams!

Summer Hair

It has been so hot here!  This is how I wear my hair at home 99% of the time...in a braid, to the side...not too creative.  I love these hair ties from Anthropologie..so cute! How do you wear your hair in the summer?

The Desolation of Smaug

I am a complete and utter bookworm!  I loved The Hobbit and all the other works of Professor Tolkien growing up.  I have watched this trailer about 100 times so far...enjoy!

Friday Dinner

Hello Sweets!  On Friday, I normally prepare fish for dinner for the hubs and I.  He hated most forms of seafood before he met me... but I have converted him.  I think that the fish here is fresher where we live, than where he grew up.  It has a sweeter taste because we are on the coast and it is so fresh.  Most of the time I make up my own recipes but every now and then I will pick a recipe from Williams and Sonoma.  Today, I am going to make Sauteed Scallops and Swiss Chard.  The recipe is below.  Enjoy!

From Williams and Sonoma:

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. olive oil  
• 1 small bunch, red or white chard, stems removed, leaves chopped 
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 
• 3/4 lb. sea scallops 
• All-purpose flour for dredging 
• 1 small shallot, minced 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice  
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard  
• 1/2 tsp. minced fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish 
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter (optional) 
• Cooked brown jasmine or basmati rice 
• 2 Tbs. toasted and chopped pecans (optional) 

Directions:

In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the chard and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until just softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Season the scallops lightly with salt and pepper and dredge in flour to coat. In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the scallops and cook, turning once, until springy to the touch and no longer translucent in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the scallops to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil to the pan and then add the shallot. Sauté until it begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add the wine and boil until almost evaporated, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, lemon juice, mustard and the 1/2 tsp. tarragon and boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Spoon the rice into the center of 2 warmed plates and top with the chard. Arrange the scallops on top of the chard and spoon the sauce over all. Garnish with minced tarragon and the pecans and serve immediately. Serves 2.

Quick Tips: If you have other hearty spring greens or even broccoli rabe on hand, they can be substituted for the chard. Also, fresh thyme would work as well as tarragon. This recipe can be easily doubled to serve more. 

Beach at Night

These Starfish Sandals remind me of the beach at night for some reason...on sale @ Miu Miu