HELLO 2015!

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2014 was a great year. I got a new job, got engaged {!!}, and spent some wonderful quality time with my family and friends, old and new.

As great as 2014 was, I can’t help but look ahead. 2015 has so many exciting things in store for us. A wedding {!!}, hopefully a new house, and a few amazing trips {hello, honeymoon!} are in the works for this year. I can’t wait.

Here are a few things I am hoping to accomplish in 2015:

I hope that I will be better about documenting my adventures and inspirations on this little ol’ bloggy-blog. I really do love it.

I hope that I can find a way to get back to ballet because I MISS IT SO MUCH.

I hope that Justin and I can get back to our weekly visits to the animal shelter.

I hope that I can get out of my cooking rut—the amazing cookbooks I got for Christmas should help with this ;)

I hope that I can get through planning this wedding without too much stress. I want to have FUN with it!

I hope that I can continue to support Justin in his career and entrepreneurial endeavors.

I hope that we will be able to find a church that we like in CT, and will attend regularly.

I hope that I can get rid of things I don’t need and decrease clutter.

I hope to keep from being too hard on myself.  I want to keep my thoughts positive!

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What do you hope for 2015?

Life Lately

a perfect warm-you-up winter meal: cheesy gouda polenta with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and wilted spinach // a fun flight of bloody marys at a new place in town // this salad was incredible & healthy. Stay tuned for the recipe! // spicy thai noodles. Yum! // kale caesar salad with crispy chickpeas {except I used this dressing!} // a favorite cocktail napkin find from Anthropologie over the holidays // enjoying national margarita day // I'm kicking myself for not scooping up more of these seasonal cinnamon crunch chocolate bars! // love this architectural scallop detail + painted brick // pork belly tacos, whipped hummus, and wine at our favorite local spot // an amazing white washed brick home in Bay Village, Boston // I was thrilled to stumble upon these cuties in Boston Common. Make Way For Ducklings was one of my favorite books as a kid!

It's been a little while since I have done an update for you all, so here's what's been going on around here. Lots of good food {what else is new?}, pretty details, and a fun little trip to Boston.

Happy Monday!

Love #10: Martha's Vineyard

If you know me at all, you know that Martha's Vineyard is my happy place. I especially dream of it when I am looking out the window at yet MORE snow.

Honestly, this is ridiculous. Is it summer yet?

all photos by me

Love #1: Dogs

Dogs. Or any pet, really. My dogs are honestly the light of my life. I don't care if this makes me sound like a crazy dog lady. There is nothing like coming home every day and seeing these two faces and wagging tails. Spending five minutes with either of them instantly puts me in a better mood. Pure unconditional love right there.

Some would say a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Pit Bull mix are an odd pair, but I love them both so much for such different reasons.

Oliver is such a dear. He's the pretty boy who loves to play ball, chase butterflies and shadows, hates to be picked up, and is just inherently good. He is a delicate little soul who is happy to lay in the sunshine all day {as long as I give him cheese and salmon treats}. We always joke and call him "the perfect boy" because he is! Anyone who meets Oliver is instantly taken by his gorgeous ruby locks, fluffy wagging tail, and soulful brown eyes.

Faye makes us laugh on a daily basis. She is a 40lb dog who thinks she is a lap dog & is the biggest cuddle bug around. Although she loves to play and torment Oliver, she is incredibly sweet and her big kisses tell me every day how thankful she is that we rescued her. Pit bulls have a horrible reputation and that angers me more than I can say. While she is extremely stubborn and strong {she can rip apart a toy in .32 seconds}, I know she would never hurt a soul. I am proud to have a pittie-mix as part of our little family, and really can't imagine my life without either of my dogs.

Have a wonderful weekend & give your pets a big hug!

My Week in Food

I finally made the infamous New York Times tuscan kale salad, and it was so great that I proceeded to make it three times last week. Do I have a kale obsession? It's possible.

This portobello fried brown rice was a winner {as Jessica's recipes almost always are}

I was so glad to have a tiny bit of pesto left over to make my absolute favorite breakfast: pesto bread with eggs. It ranks up there with avocado toast and always makes me think of summers on the Vineyard, since that's where I learned how to make it. All you do is smear fresh pesto on some bread {I like Ezekiel} and put it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until the bread is crisp around the edges and the cheese in the pesto melts. I kid you not when I say the children I nannied for that summer ate pesto bread every single day.

My recent favorite snack, thanks to my new popcorn popper {thanks mom!} Sprinkled with Truffle salt and some parmesan cheese.

Apparently I am not very good at reading my own links {ahem, sugar} But, what would my week be without a little baking? These whole-wheat coffee cake muffins really hit the spot.

Remember my obsession with greek salad? This one just added fuel to my fire. So easy and colorful.

Last night we made one of our favorite dinners, fish tacos. I wasn't able to get a picture while they were in taco-form, but here's a deconstructed version. Maybe I will post the recipe someday, but it almost seems too simple to post!

My Week in Food

As I am putting this post together, I realize that this should be "My Week in Food-sweets addition" 

Whoops.

Since The Bachelor has returned, I felt the need to make something sweet to indulge in while watching the crazy women make fools of themselves throw themselves at Juan Pablo. Almond butter balls {as mentioned in Friday's post} seemed like the perfect little bite to accompany a glass of wine. Why does trashy TV call for sweets? I need to stop.

These pizzas. Such an easy weeknight meal. Love. I never thought to use a sprouted tortilla as the "crust," but it worked SO well for a thin and crispy crust.

Again with the chocolate. I know. I tried this recipe, but used cacao instead of cocoa, and coconut palm sugar instead of the white stuff. But don't worry, thats still ice cream on top.

Simple pesto pasta with veggies that really made me dream of summer.

Over the weekend, I finally learned how to make macarons, thanks to my friend Meret. This one is filled with maybe a little too much raspberry jam, but it was so delightful.

In keeping with the French theme, a St Germain cocktail was completely necessary.

Macarons or mini-hamburgers?

Silver dollar pancakes. I couldn't help myself! 

Winter Sundays are made for football and chili, in my opinion. I can thank my dad for that. Even though I don't care about football, I can get behind a good bowl of chili. Yum.

Here's to a great week filled with kale salads and veggies ;)

My Week in Food

I have been on a greek salad kick lately. I just love the combination of tangy vinaigrette, creamy feta, and sweet red onion. I need to make one of these at home ASAP!

These cookies have made several appearances lately and have been a huge hit every time I make them. They are so good, super easy to make, and almost guilt free.

J and I went out for pho over the weekend. It was great, but now that I know I can make it at home, I am dying to give it a try.

Thank you, Whole Foods for running a sale on lobster tails a few weeks ago! J practically begged me to make lobster mac and cheese, and while not entirely "healthy", why not indulge a little? 

I adapted this recipe and it was divine, even though the pictures are less than stellar.

I also made this soup last week. Even my kale-loathing boyfriend gobbled it up. Success!

This is how I finished off my weekend while watching the golden globes. I needed it after all of that mac and cheese!

{my go-to when I am too lazy to pull out my own juicer! Shh!}