Girls Happy Hour!

Happy Friday!  My dear friend Emily and I met up last night for a little Thirsty Thursday happy hour!  We went to Marcella's Ristorante, they have great happy hour specials and a delicious half off bar menu.  To give you some background, Emily works with Chris and we met at a work function last year.  For the longest time Chris said he knew we'd hit it off because we are so similar.  Turns out he was VERY right and we've been scaring people with our quirky similarities ever since!  To say we are peas in a pod is an understatement and both Chris and Emily's husband, Rob, couldn't agree more.  Anyways, with busy/crazy weeks this week we decided we needed some girl time to catch up and enjoy some cocktails on what was a beautiful fall day (80 degrees in October, we took advantage of patio seating)!

Hand crafted/signature cocktails were $5 from 4 -7 so we decided to take advantage.  At first we had trouble deciding but our incredibly helpful and hospitable server Nick helped us pick out the Whiskey Rosso.  For those of you who don't know me, I DON'T do whiskey, the taste and the smell =YUCK in my book.  But at the same time I'm not one to turn down a new cocktail experience so when Nick assured us you can't even taste the Jameson and it was floated with Chianti (one of my favorite Italian wines) we were sold!  Nick came back with this pretty concoction!

It was delicious!  There's passion fruit puree and agave mixed with the Jameson and it was so yummy, especially with the wine floating on top!  Em and I decided its definitely something we'll have to try and replicate at home (stay tuned for that one friends!).

We also split a delicious roasted chicken pizza that had chicken, caramelized onions, apricots and parmesan cheese (no picture, sorry, was too busy eating!).  The company of course was the best part!  Sometimes you need some time with friends to get back on track and realize the many blessings of life.  And it also helps to have someone to complain about work or everyday dramas with too!

This weekend, Chris and I are heading to Miami for the O.A.R. concert and the Battle of the Bricks, OU vs. Miami football game!  Love and Honor!

Until next time....

Cheers!
Steph

Surprise Party!

Hi everyone!  So last blog I told you we had celebrated Chris' birthday, well what I didn't tell was that myself and a girlfriend were planning a surprise party for him and his birthday buddy Joe.  Chris and Joe meet in college as randomly assigned roommates, turns out they had more in common than just living in the same dorm!  They are less than 24 hours apart in birth (Chris first, Joe the next day), are huge Buckeye fans and have quite the affinity for classic rock, just to name a few of the similarities.  So us girlfriends got to work and pulled off (for the most part, secret keeping is very hard!) a nice little get together for the them!
Here are a few pictures from the evening:

The birthday boys!

Making wishes! 

Oh how cute! 

The boys being hambones!
I swear they like each other more than they like their girlfriends!

We had quite a spread of goodies!  Thanks to very gracious friends who helped as well!  In this blog I'll be featuring cheese blintzes, caramel apple jello shots (yes, really), crockpot applesauce and a hot beverage bar!

First up, cheese blintzes, a recipe my aunt gave to me when I got my first recipe box.  My momma has made these as well so I called her beforehand to make sure I had everything right especially since I was halving the recipe.  Little did I know these super women of my family were keeping such an easy crowd pleaser in their recipe artillery!  They were a hit and such a cinch to make!
   
Cheese Blintzes
(this is the original recipe, I halved it since there were other treats, the halved recipe made 16 servings)

Ingredients:
Filling:
- 2 pkgs. cream cheese (8 oz.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. sugar

Crust:
- 2 pkgs. crescent rolls

Topping:
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp butter (melted)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- I line my 13x9 pan with foil beforehand but its not entirely necessary I just do so for easy removal and cleaning purposes.
- Blend cream cheese, vanilla and sugar together till smooth, set aside.
- Unroll crescent roll sheets, place one along the bottom of a 13x9 pan (seal seams, unless you buy the seamless sheet then disregard).
- Spread filling and cover with top crust.
- Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top then pour butter over all of it.
- Bake 30 minutes till top crust is golden brown and there are no more pools/puddles of butter on top.
- Let cool then slice into bite sized squares.

Next, caramel apple jello shots, a very festive fall find from Pinterest!  I made these last year for Halloween so I decided to do them again, unfortunately they didn't set up as well as last year but it could be some different variables (not as long in the fridge).  These are made with real apples and they are quite the delectable boozy treat!  With the leftover apple pieces parts I made applesauce in the crockpot, yum!  It turned out pretty good for my first try and man did it make the house smell great!
 
Caramel Apple Jello Shots

Ingredients:
- 10 small granny smith apples
- 1 envelope Knox gelatin
- 1/2 c. water
- 1/2 c. coconut milk
- a couple drops of yellow food coloring
- 1 pkg. hot chocolate (if you can find caramel flavored cocoa even better but its not a must have)
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. Caramel Vodka (Smirnoff has one out now, I used Van Gogh Dutch Caramel)
- lemon juice to prevent browning

Instructions:
- Wash apples, cut in half and hollow out.  I used a small cookie scoop, you could use a mellon baller or just a spoon. Be careful not to get too close to the skin or else you'll puncture the apple or make it too hard to pick up.  Leave some apple on the skin for easier pick up (see above picture).
- After scooping out the insides brush with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- I use a muffin tin for my apples so they don't wobble around and spill.  You could also make sure they fit tight on a baking sheet or in a pan.
- Mix water and hot chocolate in medium size pot, make sure its all combined then add coconut milk, mix again.
- Sprinkle gelatin packet over top and let sit a few minutes.
- Turn on stove to medium heat and mix gelatin until combined.
- Add sugar and let simmer ever so slightly until combined.
- Add food coloring until you get a caramel color, it should only take a few drops.
- Let cool a little until its just warm, add caramel vodka.
- Pour mixture into apples, I use a 1/4 c. to pour so its a little more manageable than a pot.

- Refrigerate overnight.
- Trim off any sides that have browned too much.  Cut in half then in half again to make easy to eat slices.
- Serve ASAP as you can only stave off browning for so long.
- This makes about 80 or so slices.






Crockpot Applesauce

Ingredients: 

- 10 to 12 small granny smith apples, peeled and cored (keep in mind I used the insides of the apples from the above recipe and then whatever ones I had leftover) 

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 1 tsp. lemon juice 

- 1 slice of lemon peel

- 7 tsp. brown sugar (since I was using granny smiths rather than a sweeter apple I ended up having to add sugar to sweeten it up but if you are using a sweeter apple stick with 4 to 5 tsp. then add more to taste)

Instructions:

- Peel and core apples, place in crockpot with cinnamon stick, lemon juice, lemon peel and brown sugar.

- Set on low for 6 hours. 

- Fish out the cinnamon stick and lemon peel and let cool.  Depending on how you like the consistency of your sauce use an immersion blender to make smooth or let it be if you prefer it chunky.  

- You can preserve this by canning but since I don't even know where to start with the canning process and it made a small amount since I was only using bits and pieces of what I had leftover I just put it in a tupperware and stuck it in the fridge, should last up to three weeks. 

Hot Drinks Bar

So fall weather always brings to mind spiked warm drinks (cider, cocoa, tea, the possibilities are endless)!  If anyone reading has ever tailgated with me you know as soon as the weather drops below 70 I bust out my hot drinks dispenser.  I found this great two cylinder insulated dispenser at World Market during my fall kickball season.  This has been probably the best $20 I've spent at that store, this thing gets use all throughout football season!  Each side holds about half a gallon and it has a handy little handle for easy transport.  So when thinking of a fun cocktail idea for the boys party that wouldn't be "too girly" it clicked that this would be perfect especially since it would be serve yourself, leaving us hostesses to tend to other duties!
Here is a picture of the set up, granted this was a few hours before people arrived so the marshmallows are not out of the bag, etc.      

In one side I made hot spiced cider, the other was just hot water for making cocoa or tea.  To make the cider I warmed a half gallon of cider in a pot on the stove with some cinnamon (a tablespoon or so, I never really measure) and a few sprinkles of nutmeg.  Then I just set out some flavored vodkas, coffee and chocolate liquors and spiced rum with a few shot glasses for measuring, I placed a little sign inviting people to make their own cozy concoction.  We also had beer and wine out for people to help themselves.  If I could give any advice for easy entertaining a set up like this would be highly suggested, this way you aren't stuck in the kitchen the whole time mixing drinks and you have time to actually visit with your guests!  Save the fancy cocktails for smaller gatherings and go with previously prepared or serve yourself options.  

So that was the party!  Sunday we recouped and Chris' football team had their first playoff game, they won in overtime and are going to the championship game in two weeks!  Even though we don't have a little squirt that plays its still so fun watching young boys grow through this great sport.  Seeing the team react and celebrate when they made the winning touchdown was priceless and I'm so glad Chris is there to coach them through it.  The kids really look up to "Coach Mo" (their nickname for him since his last name is a long one!) and the parents just love him!  

Well that's all for this crazy fun weekend! Not sure what will be up next as we have some leftovers to finish up, reducing my weeknight cooking duties (always a relief!) and next weekend we are heading to Miami for the Miami v. OU football game and the O.A.R. concert!

Cheers!

Steph    

Football, Fall and All the Weekend in Between!

Monday, we meet again!  Well it was a busy/hectic weekend so I didn't get around to blogging like I had wanted to.  Friday we went to Chris' high school's football game against their rival school.  Unfortunately they lost in triple overtime, but it was a beautiful night for football and I almost never pass up a high school football game!  Beforehand we did a cookout/happy hour at his parents where I made a new Pinterest recipe: Reese's Rice Krispie Treats!  (recipe and pictures below)  As promised I'll share a weekend cocktail too!  The RumChata shot, a perfect swig for these crisp cool fall evenings!  

Saturday I woke up VERY early to drive down to Miami for some alumni meetings.  The campus was looking as beautiful as ever with the leaves changing.  The weather was fantastic!  The fallen leaves were crunch, crunching under our feet on our campus tour and I couldn't have been happier walking around "the most beautiful campus there ever was", a quote from Robert Frost.  Unfortunately I didn't snap any good photos while there so I'll have to share some in two weeks when we go!

Sunday I stopped in at one of my favorite "college eats", Bagel & Deli before leaving campus.  B&D is a little shop uptown that serves steamed bagel sandwiches, loaded with all kinds of toppings.  The shop has bagel artwork along the wall rather than a menu board.  Most everyone from Miami can tell you their favorite bagel right away, mine are a tie between the Mr. Turkey (turkey, mayo, tomato, lettuce, and provolone on whatever bagel you choose)  and the Miami Bagel (blueberry bagel with cream cheese and cinnamon and sugar).  Pictured is my Mr. Turkey on everything and inside B&D (this one was actually taken when we visited this past summer but its the only one I have of the bagel artwork and the steamers)!

I said my goodbyes to my favorite campus and headed home to celebrate my 5th anniversary with Chris!  Time flies when you are having fun!  He is a football coach for our parish's 8th grade team so we went to his game then made dinner together.  Steak with wine sauce and sun dried tomato and basil goat cheese topping, garlic smashed potatoes and asparagus.  With cheesecake for Chris and cookies for me for dessert!  It was delicious and man were we stuffed!  Chris has been so excited to use his new grill (my parents got it for him as an early birthday gift) so he looked up tips and tricks to grilling "the perfect steak". He was super patient with my blogging photography that I deemed absolutely mandatory.  He even got into it and suggested what views I should have of our delicious feast!  He was particularly proud of our steak that he grilled, he made sure to get pretty grill marks and everything!

Ok so here are the recipes for all the yummy treats I just talked about!

Reese's Rice Krispie Treats

- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. corn syrup
- 1 and 1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
- 4 and 1/4 c. Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 pinch of salt
- 4 Reese's cups, chopped
- 1 handful of chocolate chips

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

In a large saucepan (remember to account for how much cereal you are going to put in to the pan) over medium heat, melt sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter till smooth, you will notice it will become easier to stir as it heats up and melts, mixture should easily run off your spoon.  Remove from heat and add salt and cereal.  Stir to combine.  Then add chocolate chips and stir.  Wait a minute or so and add the Reese's, fold the mixture so as not to mash up the Reese's.  Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop bite sized portions onto the lined baking sheet.  I scooped it into my hand and rolled it to make it look a little more uniform (if you do this, BE CAREFUL as the mixture is HOT) then placed on baking sheet to cool.

These were tasty but I think I'd rather make them with marshmallows next time.  The batch made A TON (well over 4 dozen) so I took some into work as well.  Everyone who tried them at work had good things to say as well as those who tried them throughout the weekend!

RumChata Shot

RumChata is a creamy, spiced rum liquor.  You can find it at most liquor stores as well as some grocery stores (I've seen it at Kroger, and fellow drinkers have found it at Costco).  We were introduced to this from Chris' parents' next door neighbor.  She had been in Put In Bay this summer and that was the new hot shot to order so we decided we HAD to recreate it.



There are scads of recipes online for shots with RumChata but this one we've kind of stuck to:

- 3ish parts RumChata
- 1 part vanilla or regular vodka
- sprinkle cinnamon on top for garnish

We don't always do the cinnamon on top, its cute for presentation but not much else.  These are just strong enough to warm you up but not too strong that you have to chase it with something.  They almost taste like the leftover milk after having a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal!

Steak with Goat Cheese Topping

 

I got this recipe from the show "Not My Momma's Meals" with Bobby Deen (Paula Deen's son).  He takes some of Paula's not so healthy recipes and lightens them up all while trying not to sacrifice flavor. Here is the original recipe from the show, last night I tweaked it a little based on our tastes and I what I had.  

 
Goat Cheese Topping:
- 2 to 3 oz. fresh goat cheese (I use closer to three oz. because I love goat cheese)
- 1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes (rehydrated in warm water), chopped
- 6 to 8 dried basil leaves, chopped
- pinch of salt and pepper
Mix together in a small bowl and set aside.

Wine sauce:
- 1 small shallot (or some regular onion is fine if you don't have shallots, I actually used less than a 1/4 c. of frozen yellow onion I had in the freezer that I keep on hand for easy sauce prep)
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic minced (I usually have a jar of minced already on hand that I throw in)
- 1/2 c. dry red wine (I used Merlot last night but have also used a mix of bourbon and sweet vermouth in the past)
- salt and pepper to taste
Sweat onions and garlic in some olive oil over medium heat, season with salt and pepper.  Once onion and garlic are roasted add wine and let simmer till liquid reduces by almost half.  Pour over finished steaks before serving.

Cook steaks per your tastes, Chris and I like medium to medium rare.  Plate finished steaks, drizzle wine sauce over top then top with goat cheese mixture, then plate other sides (we had steamed asparagus and garlic smashed potatoes).  This dish may seem like a lot of work but its very worth it!  The original recipe calls for cooking pancetta in the pan as a base for the wine sauce but I didn't pick it up at the store and neither Chris or I missed it much.

 

Look at those grill marks!

 

Chris was serious about his grilling!  Used his coaching stopwatch to time each side.

 The end result!  Chris was rather proud so he suggested this picture, like I said before we prefer our steaks a little more rare so if this much pink makes you squeamish cook each side longer.

So that was the weekend!  Coming up this week, Chris' birthday is today (along with one of my dear friends Coco who is an awesome pharmacy resident at Wake Forest), and then I'm hoping to get another recipe out before the weekend!

Cheers!
-Steph

Pinspiration

As you'll learn, I am a HUGE fan of Pinterest.  Home decorating, recipes, cocktail ideas, fashion trends, you name it its there for you!  Since joining the fabulous (and addicting) world of pinning I've tried to include a new recipe, work on a new project, or use a new household tip within each week.  Some weeks that's an incredibly lofty goal given time constraints and such.  But for the weeks that I actually accomplish it I tend to brag all over Facebook about it.  My family and friends will most likely admit I take and post way too many "Pinterest Projects"/"foodie" photos.  That was one of the driving forces behind starting my blog, this way I'll have an outlet to actually share my "foodie finds".  With todays digital age where everyone is tweeting or instagraming their every action it's hard not to join in by showing off your latest creation, am I right?!  Anyways, here is the first of many Pinterest inspired recipes.

This recipe was entitled "OMG Chicken" on the recipe I pinned because apparently its so knock your socks off good, so what better endorsement and reason to try it!  I think when you actually look at the recipe (which is from the Hellman's mayonnaise jar) its called Parmesan Crusted Chicken but OMG Chicken sounds so much more exciting!  I decided to make some adjustments based on what I had available.  I had some sour cream that needed using up and instead of chicken I did pork chops as Chris had mentioned we hadn't had them in awhile.  You'll also find I tailor recipes to how many people I'm feeding which in most cases is only two.  Last night was an exception, my brother came over for a bite and some resume help!

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
- boneless pork chops (typically, one for each person you are feeding)
- a couple spoonfuls of bread crumbs mixed with italian seasoning

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- Combine sour cream and Parmesan cheese till well mixed.
- Place pork chops in lined (with foil or parchment paper) and greased (just a spritz of cooking spray should do) baking pan.
- Season chops with salt and pepper.
- Spread sour cream and cheese mixture on top of chops.

- Sprinkle bread crumbs on top.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes depending on size and thickness, best way to tell is slicing one side with a knife and checking for no pink.
- Let rest and serve.

Modifications:
The original recipe (which you can find on the Hellmann's website) calls for mayonnaise and shredded Parm cheese.  I used sour cream because I wanted to use it up and used grated Parm because I didn't have shredded on hand.  It also says to use already seasoned bread crumbs, I always buy plain bread crumbs and season them on my own.  For this recipe I seasoned them with basil, oregano and garlic salt.  I also brought the oven temp down a bit since my chops were thin cut and I always try to stick with the mantra "low and slow" for pork as it can easily dry out.  After my chops were mostly done I switched over to using the broiler to get the crust on top nicely browned and crispy, this only takes a few minutes.

Both my brother and Chris really enjoyed these!  As you will also learn, my main critic (Chris) has a rating scale for a recipe, it goes as follows:
- eh, you don't really need to make that again
- it was okay, but don't make it every week
- this is good, you should make it again

This recipe on the Chris Scale got a "very good, you can make again".  Woohoo! Touchdown in the kitchen!  (insert endzone dance here, usually just includes some flailing of the arms and odd hip movements if you can picture it)

Next up, a weekend cocktail and a fun tailgating treat!  Stay tuned!

Cheers!
Steph
      

Hi! Nice to meet you!

Hi and thank you for clicking in to my little corner of the blogosphere!  I spent most of my life in Northeast Ohio (lake effect snow = brrr cold), went to college at Miami University (no not Florida, the GOOD one in Ohio!) then moved to the Columbus area after graduation.  I work in marketing for an IT firm (have to have some way to fund the shoe shopping!).  I am incredibly blessed with a wonderfully supportive family and fantastic friends!  I'm a summer girl but love fall foliage and festivities like football, football and more football!

I tend to be a "grab bag" when it comes to my sports loyalties.  I love high school football, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Indianapolis Colts and of course I always root for my alma mater (Love & Honor)!  Hockey is another one of my favorite sports to watch, basketball, soccer and baseball not so much.  A lot of my best lessons and memories in life were through sports, I'm very competitive and like living an active/busy life.

I tend to be a self proclaimed "foodie", love to cook, love to eat, but above all I love to feed others!  Entertaining is one of my favorite outside of work activities.  I come from a long line of cooks, bakers, and fabulous hosts!  I love a great pair of shoes and a good cocktail, who doesn't?  So in this blog I plan to share my latest and greatest cocktail recipes, fashion finds and all the in between!

I love pictures so I figure sharing some with you would be the best way for you to get to know me!

This is my family!  I'm a daddy's girl, my mom is one of my best friends and my younger brother, I am so very lucky! 

 

My younger brother, four years younger but two heads taller!  When we were younger, on the off chance I would pick on him my parents would say "just you wait, one day he's going to be bigger and stronger than you and he'll pick on YOU", turns out that they were right!

My boyfriend, Chris!  We met at Miami and will be celebrating five years together in October!  He's a die hard football fan (somehow we manage to stick together even though he's a Detroit Lions fan).  He's also my "roomie".  

My amazing friends!  From college, from Columbus, from home and all over they all mean the world to me!   

Well that's me in a nutshell!  Since I'm relatively new to the blogging world, bear with me as I work on my layout and content!  I'd appreciate any feedback or tips fellow bloggers are willing to send my way.  Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Steph