• 4 Easy Ways to Dress up a Simple Outfit

    Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone! With Black Friday sales abundant and left over turkey calling my name I thought this would be the perfect time to share 4 easy ways to dress up a simple outfit.  The holiday season is a time of warm cozy fires, baked items, and of course nice comfortable clothing to lounge around the house in.  More often than not an unexpected reason to leave the house comes up last minute and instead of stressing about putting on something presentable here are 4 surefire ways to dress up an otherwise simple outfit.  Use one or multiple suggestions to go from comfy to chic in minutes! 1. Put 0n a Blazer!  Via…

  • Strawberry Crinkle Cookies

    Hello, ready for some yummy and easy cookies? Today I wanted to share one of the desserts  I had baked for my daughter’s birthday Dol (a Korean 1st birthday party) called Strawberry Crinkle Cookies.   These are by far one of my favorite and easiest cookie recipes! Only 4 ingredients needed, super easy and quick to put together, and the kids love helping with this sweet treat. One reason I love these cookies is it is easy to change up the flavor and color of the cookies based on what flavor of cake mix you use.  Yes, I said cake mix!  The only ingredients for this cookie recipe are cake mix, 2 eggs,…

  • Italian Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

    I don’t know what it is about this colder weather that has me on an Italian food kick lately! Perhaps its the hardiness of the pasta and sauce or the warmth that emanates from the casserole dish.  Either way I am here to present a dish that is also Italian in origin and tastes like it was delivered to your table at a restaurant. Introducing Italian Sausage and Cheese Manicotti. I am a cheese fanatic as it is.  Pasta stuffed with cheese with more cheese on top?  A resounding yes please!  This amazing recipe does take a bit of extra prep work with stuffing the pasta shells but I promise you it is worth the…

  • 5 Best Coats for Winter

    Looking at the forecast wondering what kind of outerwear to wear for the upcoming season?  Here I’ve gathered up 5 key coats that will not only keep you cozy and warm but look good too!  Everything from classic peacoats to edgier jackets, there is something here for everyone. 1.  The Peacoat. Double Breasted Wool Blend Skirted Peacoat You can never go wrong with a classic peacoat in any color.  The beauty of a peacoat is that it is not only extremely warm but can also be worn with a variety of outfits such as a dress and tights, paired with jeans and a cute tee, or combined with an oversized sweater, leggings and…

  • Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

    There are nights when you want to cook a dish that is enough to feed a crowd but doesn’t keep you in the kitchen all day.  Enter Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake.  You can cut down on the time for this classic dish by using either rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or canned chicken meaning all you are really left to do is cook the pasta, combine all the ingredients, and let the oven do the rest.  The result? I meal that tastes great and looks like you spent the entire afternoon cooking. This is also very kid friendly in that my kids not only love eating it but also enjoy helping to prepare it.…

  • Ways to Wear Leopard Print

    Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t go far without a leopard print on me somewhere.  The neutral pattern is by far the easiest thing to match with any outfit, immediately dresses up even the simplest of outfits, and come on.. its leopard!  I will admit, there was a time when I thought all animal print was for the older crowd but that thought process has gone the way of the typewriter (unless you still use a typewriter that is!).  My obsession with leopard print has now rubbed off onto my daughters with my oldest claiming she is the “cheetah queen” and my youngest daughter’s closet quickly filling with the wonderful print. Here…

  • Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage

    You know how sometimes you want to eat something for dinner that is relatively light, tasty, and does not take hours to make ?  This rigatoni with broccoli and sausage is the perfect blend of all of those things using one pot and chances are you probably have most if not all of the ingredients to make this simple dish. This is also the perfect time for a lighter meal since so many fall dishes are typically very heavy. The other thing about this dish that is perfect for busy nights is that it uses only one pot as mentioned above.  Yes, a one pot dish!  You can use the same pot to cook the…

  • Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream

    Tis the season for everything apples.  Apple donuts (thanks local apple orchard), caramel apples, apple pie, the list goes on for the unlimited amount of tasty foods that incorporate apples.  As the kids and I were brainstorming on what we should do with the newly bought bag of apples sitting on our kitchen counter, my oldest came up with a brilliant idea.  Ice cream. We decided to try using apples and cinnamon to make Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream to go with some Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings (recipe here) we had baked.  It was quite experimental at first but it ended up being a hit!  The flavor was just right, with little bits of softened apples in…

  • Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

    Cold outside? Check.  Hungry? Check. Craving something warm to eat? Yes.  Solution: Asian Chicken Noodle Soup.  This is not your ordinary chicken noodle soup that grandma made or anything like the watery canned chicken noodle soup from college.  No, this has some serious flavor in it with an added kick of spice to make your chilly fall night warm up with each flavorful spoonful. What sets this recipe apart from other chicken noodle soups is that it incorporates some familiar Asian ingredients such as kochujang, a spicy Korean red pepper paste, as well as garlic, Sriracha, and rice stick noodles.  It also uses lots of fresh ingredients like carrots, cilantro, and green onion. This dish can…

  • Caramelized Butternut Squash

    I am a sucker for warm savory fall foods like butternut squash.  Something about the crisp air outside, the beautiful colors of leaves, and the desire to curl up on the couch and be warm lends itself to a dish like Caramelized Butternut Squash. This is by far one of the simplest, easiest, and tastiest recipes I know for the buttery fall vegetable.  And with a total of 5 ingredients needed, two of which are salt and pepper, this is a great addition to any dinner. All this dish takes is the butternut squash, some melted butter, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to create the perfect compliment to a cool fall night.…