Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Time Off

I hope each and every one of my (two or three) readers had a very magical holiday!  I have found myself with a bit of a holiday hangover, which seems to be including some sort of cold which I'm sure was given to me by the many people I encountered whilst traveling in the past week.


So join me, peeps, in relaxing until 2012.  When I return, I promise more great recipes and FABULOUS shoes.  And maybe some variety to mix things up around here.

Happy New Year!

*image here

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Savory Breakfast Muffins

Let me reveal a little something about myself to you right now:  I am always . . . ALWAYS . . . on the search for delicious breakfast (or breakfast-adjacent) recipes.  When my current boss forwarded me this recipe for savory breakfast muffins, which she herself hadn't even tried, I knew I had to give them a whirl.


This is a serious muffin, in preparation, execution, and flavor.  I used a hot breakfast sausage but otherwise followed the directions to a T.  24 savory, delicious muffins later, I was sold.  And they freeze and are easily re-heated, thereby making them the perfect weekday breakfast (and would be even more perfect with some scrambled eggs).



Don't be fooled by this picture . . . my photography skills aren't getting any better.  The muffins ar just extremely photogenic.  And speaking of photogenic!


THAT is also a cute muffin.  My little love muffin.  Or snuggle muffin.  Or Arnie muffin (depending on my mood).

Remember, peeps, whe I was ranting and raving about how Mr. Brian Atwood should take time out of his busy schedule to make a pair of shoes that would be appropriate for my wedding?  Well, Mr. Jimmy Choo (or Ms. Tamara Mellon, or someone at the company) heard my cries and, lo and behold, I found these:

Jimmy Choo via Bergdorf Goodman

It is literally taking every ounce of my being, at this very moment, not to order these for my wedding.  Every.  Single.  Ounce.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Creamy Tortellini Soup

A few weeks back, we experienced a "cold spell" where the evenings were getting down into the 40s and I was both going to bed and waking up FREEZING.  Those who have met me know that FREEZING makes me irritable, and the best cure is more cowbell a hot bowl of soup.


This creamy tortellini soup is made in the crock pot (there I go again with slow-cooker recipes!  Sheesh!) and easy as can be.  I freely admit that I added well over the 6 cups of spinach, which changed the flavor of the soup in a not-altogether-pleasant way, but when I removed some of the spinach it was FABULOUS.


I feel like, with these shoes, one thing could've stood to be removed, as well:

Proenza Schouler via Barneys

From the front, and even from this point of view, I love this shoe; but then I see it from the side, and the weird little kitten-heel-that-wants-to-be-part-of-the-wedge-but-isn't gets me.  And loses me completely.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Quickie Friday: Balsamic Roasted Peppers

The title of this post doesn't start with slow-cooker!  WAHOO!  But really, quickie fridays never do so I shouldn't be so quick to toot my own horn.  These peppers, however, were so good that I WILL toot my own horn over their deliciousness.


I roasted a bunch of cubed-up red and green peppers with some olive oil, salt, and pepper at 450 degrees for half an hour, mixing them up every ten minutes or so.  When they came out of the oven, I threw some balsamic vinegar over the top and VOILA!  Quick, easy, delicious, and great if you have leftover peppers in your fridge but nothing to do with them (as was the case with these).

The F and I are headed to his office holiday party tonight, and while I'm wearing my old stand-by Michael Kors Berkley T-Straps (which I have had for YEARS and continue to wear regularly), I think these would be equally adorable:

via
Appropriately festive?  Check.  Cheap?  Check.  Heels high enough to bump me up to 6 feet?  Check.  And, most importantly:  Black?  Check.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Once upon a time, peeps, I didn't start each and every recipe on this blog with the words "slow cooker."  That was, of course, pre-graduate school and two jobs.  Now that I'm officially post-graduate school (WOO HOO!) I hope to decrease the number of times my recipes involve a crock pot.  But today is not that day.


This recipe, which requires exactly four ingredients, could not be more simple.  One can, each, of drained corn and black beans, one cup of salsa (or more, if you like salsa.  I used about a cup and a half of HOT salsa), and a few chicken breasts (3-4 large would be ideal).  Throw 'em in the slow cooker on low for about 5-6 hours, and the chicken will be shred-able and taco-ready, with no trouble whatsoever!



The F and I had these in both whole wheat, low carb, blah blah blah soft shells and hard corn taco shells.  Both delicious.  Throw a little low-fat cheese on top, and you're good to go!

These shoes, in all of their gorgeous glory, would be TOTALLY good to go for my wedding if they combined any of the following colors:  cobalt blue, jade green, or pewter.

B Brian Atwood via Saks

Sadly, they are two of my least favorite colors.  Mr. Atwood, if you can hear me, PLEASE throw a girl a cobalt/jade/pewter shoe!  PLEASE!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Happy Graduation

to me!  Tonight!  As the F has indicated, nobody probably cares because this is the fourth time I'm celebrating a graduation.  But if anybody were to care, it would be random people on the internet who read my blog and who weren't around to celebrate the last three!  So hooray!

Tonight, my ensemble will look something like this:


Thank God for the "unique cap" and "luxurious" fabric, not to mention my deluxe hood (which seems substantially less deluxe than my LAST hood, which had velvet on it.  I'm just sayin').  Because obviously that ridiculously oversized robe is made better by luxurious fabric.  Thankfully, my shoes don't look anything like those God awful things.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Mexican Stuffed Shells

To be honest, I can't remember where on the interwebs I managed to find this recipe, so if it belongs to you and you're mad at me for posting it here, correct me and I'll credit accordingly!  This recipe, which I changed just a little bit, is quick and easy and super tasty.


I poured a whole bunch of HOT chunky salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Then I browned up a pound of ground beef with some onions and taco seasoning (following the directions on the seasoning, of course), then added 6 oz. of cream cheese (I opted for fat free).  Meanwhile, I cooked about a half pound of jumbo shells according to the package directions.  I let the whole lot of it cool, then stuffed the shells with the meat and cream cheese mixture.



Top the whole thing with a jar of taco sauce (again, I bought the spiciest I could find) and some shredded Mexican cheese and pop it in the oven, at 325 degrees, for about 25 minutes.  Delicious!

I feel that my shoe inspiration has been lacking lately.  Despite the fact that it's resort season, and crazy things like this exist:

Giuseppe Zanotti via Bergdorf Goodman

I don't even have any words for these, and I've worn some crazy shoes in my day.  I don't believe that there is a person out there who could walk in these without assistance.  If such a person existx, come forward.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The Saturday Sip: Champagne Cocktail

In the spirit of my impending graduation, I present to you my go-to tasty champagne cocktail:


Frozen, mixed berries in a champagne glass and topped with a little bubbly.  Not a bad way to start a weekend, or celebrate a master's degree!  As of December 9th, you'll officially be able to refer to me as Ashley, J.D., M.L.S.  And yes, I do intend on using ALL of the initials.

I also plan on acquiring a small, black shoulder bag in the near future, not dissimilar to this little number:

Christian Louboutin via Saks

This little number is out of my price range in an obscene way, but I'm sure I can find something similar in a budget I'm far more comfortable with.  Any tips on where to shop?