• Chicken and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

    As Christmas season comes to a close and New Years is just around the corner, craziness continues to ensue at our house. However, I am always excited to slow down to make a nice warm dinner for myself, the Mr., and the kids.  What better dinner to have than a combination of macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and chicken on a cold December night. A winner with the kids as well as adults, this recipe is will serve up enough for dinner tonight as wells as lunch for tomorrow! The addition of the crumbled bacon on top pushes this dish over the edge. So delicious! A whole lot of cheesy goodness is always a plus…

  • Easy Green Beans

    Green beans are a favorite side dish of mine for every holiday, season, and event.  It is a food that always makes an appearance in some form whether it is in a casserole, is steamed, or mixed with a vinaigrette.  This recipe is simple and easy, uses ingredients that I often already have in my fridge, and because it takes about 25 minutes to cook down on the stove, I can walk away and tend to other things while the green beans soak in some amazing flavor. In the end the green beans still have a slight crispness to them with a wonderful aromatic flavor that keeps you wanting to eat more. And the kids?…

  • Gifts For Her: Under $25

    With Christmas just around the corner and lots of gift exchanges happening in the next few weeks I thought this was a perfect time to put together some of my favorite gifts for ladies that are in the $25 and under range. These are all versatile, thoughtful, and great buys and with them all being under $25 you can’t go wrong!  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 I tried to round up some different things such as beauty, pamper, home decor, and more.  Everything here came from Nordstrom so be…

  • Rolos, Hugs, and Kisses Pretzel Cookies

    Ready for an oldie but goodie?  You know, those recipes that you almost forget about because you are so busy trying to plan your next new and exciting Pinterest recipe that you ignore the tried and true cookies?  The cookies that you just can’t stop eating?  That’s the pretzel cookies for me, specifically the Rolos, Hugs, and Kisses pretzel cookies.  Super inexpensive, so easy, a combination of sweet and salty, and only takes a handful of minutes to make. The best part is how these little goodies taste.  No matter how large of a batch we make, they always run out very quickly. I went with three different kinds of pretzel cookies with this batch: Rolos,…

  • 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…