Twitter and Friend Connect?

It seems like about 80% of the time, my "Follow me on Twitter!" and Google Friend Connect on my blog look like this:

Blank!  I'm noticing it on other blogs as well.  Does anyone know how to fix this?  Its driving me nuts!

NYE Outfit

New Years Eve is my favorite holiday - glitz and glamor, booze and friends, and none of the drama of other holidays!  

We are celebrating at a bar in Clarendon with our closest friends, and there is no dress code, so I would have been a bit out of  place in a fancy dress, but I still wanted to be festive.  I finally bought my outfit today, and I am pumped!  I took inspiration from this picture of Jessica Stroup.  Check back January 1st to see us in action ;)

Baby Shower!

I'm planning my sister's baby shower, and the invites finally were sent out!  I designed them, and my mom assembled them:

The theme is French Carnaval, and I included this write up:

I can't wait!!

OOTD: Leggings as Pants

I scoffed at this trend (ugh, Lindsay Lohan wore it, enough said) but the truth is, I needed something super comfy to wear for day three of holiday family fun, and cute enough to wear out to the bars with Tyler afterwards.  I decided to try out leggings as pants, and oh god, so comfortable!  I felt like I was in pajamas.  I will definitely be rocking this again on future weekends.

Yes, I wore black with brown.  Gasp!  I like it.

And I do so very much love these boots:

Boots:  Civico.  Leggings:  Under Armor.  Top:  Forever 21.  Sweater:  Forever 21.

Chocolate Peppermint & Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

I've said before that I much prefer to bake from scratch.  But, my life gets so crazy sometimes, that I am all about the shortcuts :)  My mom asked me to bring over dessert, and since I didn't have time to plan ahead, I decided to get creative with what I had.

I took one box of Chocolate cake mix, and made it according to the directions.  

I then prepared 24 paper cups in muffin tins.

I split the batter into two equal amounts, and added about 1 t of Peppermint Extract to one bowl, and 1 t of Butterscotch liquor to the other bowl.

I then filled the paper cups in the muffin tins, and pulled out these flavored Hershey Kisses I bought last week:

I pushed the Candy Cane kisses into the peppermint flavored chocolate cups, and the Caramel kisses into the butterscotch flavored chocolate cups.  Annnd, when I'm done baking, I need a manicure!  Ugh.

I then baked the cupcakes according to the directions on the box.  While they were in the oven, I took a basic buttercream recipe and split it in half.  To one half, I added a splash of the butterscotch liquor.  To the other half, I added peppermint extract.


I decorated the butterscotch flavored chocolate cupcakes with a caramel kiss center with butterscotch flavored buttercream, and drizzled caramel sauce on top.

I decorated the peppermint flavored chocolate cupcakes with a Candy Cane kiss center with a peppermint flavored buttercream swirled red and white, and mini candy cane sprinkles.

Ta da!  Oh god, they were amazing.  I will definitely start experimenting with ways to doctor up your basic cake mixes.  Yum!

Mini Cheesecake Bites

I had all of these grand plans for Christmas baking this year.  I was going to start early, and make 6 or 7 wonderful different types of cookies and sweets.


Well, with Holly getting sick, that definitely didn't happen.  After I made the Pumpkin Spice Blossoms and Gingerbread Butter drops, I had about 4 hours left til I needed my first round of goodie bags to be done.  So, I did some quick improvising.

Mini Cheesecake Bites

I bought some pre-made frozen mini pastry cups, and a tub of Philadelphia Ready To Eat Cheesecake Filling.  I piped the filling into the cups with a pastry bag, and sprinkled the tops with mini candy cane sprinkles.  The easiest treat I've ever made, and super cute to boot!

Pumpkin Spice Blossoms

Loved this recipe from Picky Palate - it is now one of my favorites!

Pumpkin Spice Blossoms

1 Spice Cake Mix 18.25 oz

14 oz can Libby’s Pumkin

½ Cup sanding sugar

1 bag Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses (I used Hershey's Caramel Kisses)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cake mix and pumpkin until well combined, about 45 seconds. With a cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll top half in sanding sugar (dough is sticky) then place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until cooked through. Quickly transfer to a cooling rack and immediately press kisses into the center of each cookie. I immediately place cooling rack into the fridge for 15 minutes so the kisses don’t melt. I tried both ways and it melts down if just left at room temperature. Enjoy!

About 36 cookies

Gingerbread Butter Drops

I found this recipe at Leite's Culinaria, and knew I wanted to try it for my Christmas baking.

I did decorate them differently - instead of designs in Royal icing, I sprinkled them with cinnamon, and added white snowflake sprinkles.  I think they turned out adorable!!

Ingredients
For the drops
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract or oil

For the lemon glaze
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup hot water
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon oil

Method
Make the drops
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. Put the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Incorporate the cream and lemon extract, mixing until smooth. Reduce the mixing speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. (The dough should form a fairly moist clump when you squeeze a bit in your hand. If it seems too crumbly, mix in additional cream, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until you’re satisfied.)

4. Turn the dough out onto a flat work surface and shape into a cylinder about 3 inches in diameter. Divide the dough into quarters. Divide each piece into quarters again, and then cut each of those pieces in half, creating 32 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. (The butter drops expand slightly during baking.) Press the balls lightly so they stay put and don’t roll around on the sheet.

5. Bake the butter drops for about 20 minutes, or until they are very light golden brown. Cool the butter drops on the baking sheets set on wire racks for about 2 minutes before removing them to the racks to cool completely. (You can store the butter drops at this point in airtight containers for up to 5 days, or proceed to coat them with glaze.)

Make the glaze
1. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, hot water, lemon juice, and lemon extract (if desired) in a large bowl until smooth. Warm the glaze in the microwave at about 10-second intervals until it is just barely warm to the touch. (Warming the glaze will loosen it a bit and make it easier to coat the butter drops).

Finish the drops
1. Arrange the cooled butter drops on a large wire rack set over a large baking sheet or sheet of aluminum foil. Drop the butter drops, one at a time, into the glaze, turning them with a fork to coat them completely. Using the fork, lift the butter drops out of the glaze, tap gently on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess glaze, and return them to the wire rack. Warm the glaze again in the microwave, if necessary, about halfway through the batch.

2. After the butter drops have dried for about 5 minutes, gently reposition them on the rack, using a clean fork or paring knife, to prevent the glaze from clumping at the bases. Set the coated butter drops aside in a dry, cool area until the glaze is firm, about 45 minutes. Coat the butter drops a second time in the same manner, warming the glaze again to loosen it. (Store any leftover glaze in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

Spicy Teriyaki Stir Fry

After making Buffalo Chicken Calzones for lunch, Tyler and I thought we'd try our hands at an easy-peasy stir fry.  It was super quick, and super delicious.

We started cooking 4 individually frozen chicken breasts in a skillet, according to the chicken's instructions, and coated each breast with Mrs Dash's Spicy Teriyaki marinade.

When the chicken was cooked, I removed it to cut it up, but added a splash of rice wine to clean up all the marinade from the skillet, and added a bag of frozen vegetables to cook in the sauce.  We used a blend of broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas and water chestnuts.

After slicing the chicken into thin strips, I added it back to the skillet.

Meanwhile, I had been making some brown rice, a la Boil in the Bag:

I put some rice in two bowls, then topped it with the stir fry, and added a sprinkling of sesame seeds.  Super easy to make!

Buffalo Chicken Calzone

Tyler and I were snowed in last Saturday, and had to get creative with meals.  After a bit of googling through recipes, this was what we ended up with - a Buffalo Chicken Calzone.  Normally I enjoy using fresh ingredients when I cook, but the grocery store was lacking in the "fresh" department of anything, so I made this using mostly frozen ingredients.

5 regular sized chicken breasts, the individually frozen kind
8oz. of cream cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/3 cup frozen diced onion
1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 roll of Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough
Spray butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Follow instructions on chicken package to cook in a large skillet.  When done, break apart into bite sized pieces.  While breaking it apart, add onion to skillet to saute, then add chicken back and mix it all together.

Add the Frank's Red Hot Sauce and cream cheese and mix everything together until cream cheese is melted.


Put a piece of parchment paper on a cooking sheet, and lay out the pizza dough, cutting it into two equal pieces.


Lightly spray the spray butter on each piece.


Add 1 cup of cheese to each section, then add the chicken sauce on top.


Pull the sides of the dough to the top, and pinch together to seal.  


Add a few fork holes or slits in the top, then spritz again lightly with butter.


Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until dough is lightly browned.


I loved this, and even liked it reheated the next day.  Tyler apparently dislikes Franks Red Hot Sauce, and that ruined it for him, so I'm going to try again with a jar of Mango Habanero sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings.

Swiss Dot Tights

I need dotted tights.  NEED.

With Love...

Le Quaintrelle

Above images from Diabolina

What I Wore

The Stylish Wanderer

I've been able to find them at:

Urban Outfitters

Shop Bop

Figleaves

Express

Dogs in Snow

The dogs had a  blast in the snow, but I of course didn't have my camera handy when they were being cute, so I followed them out later, and then they were just boring.

The snow is so high that they've made themselves little snail trails to get around.  Its actually much deeper than it looks, but they are light enough that they aren't packing it all the way down, so its definitely working in their favor!

I also discovered that I forgot to plug in two of my wreaths tonight, oops.  But I love how my house looks in the snow!

...don't eat the yellow snow ;)

Holiday Party

Last night was my company's holiday party.  I have really been looking forward to this.  Not only do I really like my co-workers, but I am blessed that my good friend Jessy works with me now - and I met her through her boyfriend Joel, aka Tyler's best friend of the past 10 years.  So I knew it would be a fun night for Tyler as well.

But, with Holly so sick, Tyler refused to go, so I had to go alone.  I was really excited about my dress and accessories, and meant to take pictures, but well, I didn't have a cute husband to pose with, and, my camera battery was dead.  Luckily, Jessy got one of the two of us:

The sexy bouncy curls that I spent awhile on fell in the snow, but other than that, I think I held up okay :)  And since I can't wear lipstick around my husband, it was nice to rock a deep red shade for once!

I had to leave pretty early since the snow was starting to come down, but it was still nice to get out of the house for a bit, and have an excuse to get all dressed up.  But next year, Tyler better be by my side!

Holly is back in the hospital

Last July, our baby Holly had an intessusception.  Her small intestines basically telescoped inside of themselves, and they had to remove 12" of them.  It was a terrifying week - lots of tears with Tyler and I, convinced we were going to lose our baby.  We couldn't sleep, just stayed up every night holding each other and talking about her.  Finally, they were able to complete the surgery and send her home.  She had a horrible recovery, and was miserable for a month after.  We've really only seen her back to her old self in the last month or so.


Almost losing Holly is what made us decide to foster dogs.  Good karma...paying it forward.  We vowed to be better parents.  We did massive research, and quit feeding our dogs that Beneful crap, and now feed them high quality and organic food - often following a raw diet.  We walk them more frequently.  We have more toys around the house for the girls.  They are the loves of our lives.


Last Thursday morning, we woke up to Holly vomiting profusely in the room.  Different areas, different colors.  We immediately flashed back to last July - that was when we first realized there was a problem, she was vomiting every where, in different colors.


I frantically woke Tyler up to take care of her, while I called our vet.  Their X-ray machine was down, so they referred us to another vet, and we rushed her to them.  They kept her all day, and they had mixed thoughts on her X-rays, but decided that she wasn't in pain, so they were going to send her home.  I picked her up at 5pm, and she was on the strongest anti-vomiting drugs there are.  They said there was no way that she would get sick again.  Unfortunately, I had barely made it back to the house before she began vomiting blood and I had to rush back to the vet, who then referred me to an all hours animal hospital.  She was admitted.  


The weather outside is awful.  We are in the middle of a blizzard, and the 2 feet of snow is keeping everyone off the roads.  There just isn't the staff available to help out.  As of tonight, the X-rays show that her small intestines are stacking again, we just don't know if its due to a foreign body, intestinal collapse, or something else entirely, like cancer.  


Please keep our family in your prayers.  After Tyler, Holly means more to me than anyone in the world.  We know it will be hell without her, but we're also running out of money - we've now spent over $12,000 on this baby.  We have had to cancel Christmas presents, and hope that our families will understand.  We're slowly coming to the point where we need to figure something out fast...and waiting to get there.


Last summer, while she was in the hospital, I wore baby Holly's collar as a bracelet while she was gone.


I wish I had thought to take it off her, so I could do the same now.

Furry Christmas

Our first foster was a sweet girl that came to us named Chloe.  We nicknamed her Tum Tum, because she was such a big girl - she was very obese thanks to negligent owners.  We got her cleaned up, and rehomed her to a wonderful family in DC.  They renamed her Betty, and she has worked out wonderfully in their home!  They sent us this sweet picture of her, and their other dog Merlin visiting Santa Claus.  She's the sweet girl on the left :)

These pictures are what make fostering such a wonderful experience - finding sweet babies their forever homes.  It makes me so happy that it is working out!

Birthday Waffles

Tyler came up with this great recipe for waffles this summer, changing around some ingredients from something he found online.  The recipe was amazing, and we keep the envelope that he scratched it on the back of in the waffle maker.  They were deemed "Birthday Waffles" this weekend, when I made them for Tyler's birthday.  We decided that we'd always make them for each other's birthdays, including our kids.


I love the idea of starting new family traditions together with him, and this is a wonderful one.  So I thought I'd share the recipe!

Birthday Waffles

1 3/4 C. Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

1 T. Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

2 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice

3 Egg Yolks, lightly beaten

1 3/4 C. Milk

1/2 C. Vegetable Oil

3 Egg Whites

Sift together Flour, Baking Powder, Sugar, Salt and Pumpkin Pie Spice.

Use a mixer to add in Egg Yolks and Milk.  Stir in Vegetable Oil.

Beat the Egg Whites with a mixer until peaks form.  Fold them in gently into the batter.

Add 1/2 C. (for our waffle maker) of batter to the maker, cooking at level 4 setting until the light turns green.

Enjoy!

Tyler likes them with just maple syrup, and I love butter and powdered sugar.  yum :)