June 29, 2012

Fashionable Fourth



The Fourth of July is by far one of my favorite holidays all year...fireworks, BBQ's, swimming pools, and American Flags.  Whats not to love?  I have collected some fashions to inspire you to make boom on the 4th!

John Galt graphic tank, $35
French Kiss cown neck top, $14
BDG cropped jacket, $69
Pins and Needles highwaisted shorts, $39
Free People flower top, $98
Converse high top shoes, $60
JCrew straw clutch, $68
Wooden jewelry, $68
Blue Jewelry, $58
Full Tilt heart shaped sunglasses, $9.99
Americana Turband, $35





Happy almost Independence Day!

-Megan 


June 25, 2012

Pesto Orecchiette Pasta

This has got to be one of my new favorite pasta dishes, the spiciness of the sausage and the bitterness of the Brussels make this dish to die for.  Trader Joes has one of the best pre-made pesto sauces I have ever tried.  And I love this noodle orecchiette, they are like little buttons that collect flavor. 

Ingredients:
1 lb. Shredded Brussels Sprouts (found at Trader Joes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
16 oz. Orecchiette Pasta
4 Spicy Chicken Sausages (found also at Trader Joes)
1/2 cup Pesto (good guess...Trader Joes)
Salt
Pepper
Grated Parmesan, Romano and Asiago Cheese Blend (Trader Joes)


Directions:
1. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions on package.
2. Toss Brussles and half of the olive oil, and spead out onto a cookie sheet.
3. Roast at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile add the rest of the olive oil to a skillet and cut the sausages into discs and brown.
5. Once the pasta is cooked strain and toss with the pesto, (we added a little more than 1/2 cup because we love pesto!)
6. Add the sausage, brussles and a sprinkle of cheese at once so that the cheese melts.
7. Enjoy!


 

-Megan



Mashup Monday


It's a hot one out there! Happy Summer






June 19, 2012

Out with the old and in with the new


For as long as I can remember I have always had a bohemian style bedroom...I still love this style, but it was time for change. After recently moving into a new house, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to update my bedroom.

It was time for a more sophisticated "adult" bedroom. I decided to go with whites and neutrals, clean and simple. After searching and searching on pinterest and websites like Anthropologie, Potterbarn, Pier 1, etc. I found the inspiration and what I needed to complete my new room! 

The room itself was inspired by a bedroom I found in Pottery Barn. I fell in love with the headboard, but instead of paying the outrageous price tag, my mom found someone to recreate it without breaking the bank! For my bedding and rug, I went with Pottery Barn. I searched and searched for white bedding and fell in love with this one! You can find a direct link to my white Ruched Duvet here and my Chunky Wool Rug here

I also decided to go with mirrored bedside tables from Pier 1 and lamps from Hobby Lobby.

I am still on the search for a new dresser, but all in all I am happy with my new room! It is very different from before, but it was definitely time for a change! 

-Jane


June 14, 2012

Red Ridge Farm Veggies : Week Two

We picked up our second bag of produce last week and once again we were so excited for all the organic veggies we get to incorporate into our meals this week.


Our bag this week included Kale! (a favorite of Pretty Penny girls), a sweet onion and snow peas, and a fun bunch of Chocolate mint.  Since this bag was a true mix we used the veggies in three different ways.


We tackled the Kale two nights ago and did what we do best... made Kale chips.  We tore the freshly picked Kale into bit sized pieces and cranked the heat up on the oven to 400 degrees.  Tossing the Kale with lemon juice and olive oil we spread out the kale into a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Roasting the Kale for about 20 mins (but keep an eye on them).  One they are crispy sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!  Warning, Kale chips are extremely addictive


The onion and peas we thought would be perfect in a Stir Fry.

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Wok Oil
Flank Steak
1 Tablespoon Classic Stir Fry Sauce (House of Tsang)
Fresh Snow Peas
1 Red Pepper
1 Bunch of Asparagus
1 Sweet Yellow Onion
1 Can Stir Fry Vegetables
(includes bean sprouts, water chestnuts, carrots and bamboo shoots)
Package of Rice Stick Noodles

Directions
1. Heat Wok, once heated thoroughly add oil and steak.
2. Cook steak to your liking and remove from the Wok.
3. Add veggies to the Wok and saute in the Stir Fry Sauce.
4. Meanwhile in a saucepan boil water and submerge noodles in the hot water and stir until soft.
5. Add noodles and steak to the veggies in the Wok and heat through, make sure the noodles absorb some of the good sauce.  
6. Enjoy!


The final organic goody from our bag was Chocolate Mint, it was a perfect paired with a Raspberry Tea!

Hope this gives you some inspiration for the next time you are at your local Farmers Market. 
Tune in next week to see Week Three of our big bag of organic goodness!

look back to Week One


-Megan 





June 12, 2012

June Birchbox

This month's jetsetter-themed Birchbox arrived last night and as always, I couldn't wait to see what goodies were inside that pink box! There was some really great stuff in there: A brightening face mask, lip and cheek stain, face moisturizer with SPF, awesome designer BAND-AIDs, and some shimmery bronzer!


6. $25 off artspace.com

If you still haven't signed up, do so here!

-Whitney & Megan

Artist Addiction : Matthew Cusick

I came across this artist and I absolutely love his work.

Collages of magazine clippings on panels, titled "Happy Endings"



 Crashed Cars and Flower Arrangements placed perfectly on vibrant colors

I am most certainly addicted... check out more of Matthew Cusick's work here


-Megan 


June 11, 2012

Pretty Produce Calendars

How cool are these seasonal calendars from Chasing Delicious! Not only do they tell you when fruits, veggies and herbs are in season, but they are uber awesome looking too! You could definitely display these as art in the kitchen!




You can order 8x10 prints of these here, I think I'm going to have to order all 3!  Check out the blog for recipes and all things food.

-Whitney

Grilled Bang Bang Shrimp

I absolutely love Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer. It's breaded shrimp in this amazing sauce, with a little bite to it! When I saw this grilled "skinny" version, I knew it was a must-try! It was super easy, and oh so delicious! I would recommend you try this, whether you have tasted the serious goodness of Bonefish's version or not. You won't be disappointed!

Ingredients
1 lb. of shrimp, shelled
pepper
oil spray
wooden/medal grilling skewers
2 1/2 Tbsp mayo of choice (use light if you are looking for a skinnier recipe)
2 Tbsp scallions, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1/2 tsp siracha (more if you like spicy)

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15-20 minutes before grilling.

Combine mayo, scallions, chili sauce and siracha in a small bowl and set aside.

Season shrimp with a little pepper and place on the skewers.

Heat grill to medium high heat and spray with oil/cooking spray. Grill shrimp skewers until opaque (a few minutes on each side)


Once shrimp are grilled, generously brush the shrimp with the mayo mixture. Serve immediately. *We noticed that the shrimp wasn't as hot as we wanted it because the sauce was cold. I don't see why you couldn't heat the sauce up before brushing it on the shrimp, and it would result in a warmer finished product.

This shrimp was a huge hit, and so easy. It made for a great Sunday night dinner, paired with our grilled veggies from Red Bridge Farm and some rice. Enjoy!


June 7, 2012

Red Ridge Farm Veggies : Week One

We recently bought what I consider the best groupon I have purchased yet, a 4-week Community Supported Agriculture membership.  Whats that you ask? Well each weekend we visit our local farmers market and the great people of Red Ridge Farm have a big bag of fresh picked, organic fruits and vegetables for us.  The bag is filled with picks from the latest harvest.  Last Saturday we picked up our first bag of fresh, organic produce!


Red Ridge Farm is owned by Jim and Ami Zumalt and the farm has up to 60 varieties of vegetables and more than 475 varieties of fruits, herbs and flowers each season!

Red Ridge Farm's Blog

Our bag last week was referred to as a "grill mix," she told us all these veggies would taste the best grilled so we took her advice.  We steamed the root veggies for about 20 minutes, this included the beets, turnips, potatoes and radishes.  Then we tossed the rest of the veggies : onions, peas, carrots, and garlic bulb, in Italian Dressing, and threw them all together on the grill basket.

Grill Basket
Close Up
Perfect Side for Grilled Bang Bang Shrimp.

Enjoy! and don't forget to come back to see what's in the next bag of organic goodness.

-Megan 

June 6, 2012

Crafty Cut-Offs

I guess regular cut-off jean shorts are just not cool enough this summer. But don't go spending a bunch of money on fancy designer cut offs, I have seen some really cool DIY ways to jazz up your average cut offs . From embellishments, paint, stencils, bleach, you name it! Here are some of my favorite:







Looks like I need to get a pair of cut offs to get crafty with! What would you do with your cut offs?

-Whitney