Dinner Last Night: Mexican Lasagna

Dinner last night was another Rachael Ray recipe. I’ve been dying to try this for a while now, and I’m so glad I did. It is one of the quickest, easiest, tastiest meals I’ve had. And the ‘rents were obsessed. Mexican Lasagna is one of my new favorite things.
I know the picture above isn’t the prettiest thing, but lasagna is a messy meal.

This was my first time working with ground chicken. I absolutely love it. It’s so much easier than cutting chicken breasts. The recipe is so basic, and you can honestly add or subtract whatever you want. I stuck with the basics: ground chicken, black beans, corn, and taco sauce.
Once everything is all cooked and blended together, the layering begins:

This bad boy gets baked for about 15 minutes in the oven and comes out melty and crispy and wonderful.

Seriously, guys. TRY THIS MEAL!

By the way…in case you weren’t aware…it’s Friday!
No work tomorrow! Sleeping in. Relaxing. Doing nothing. Free time.

Are you guys ready for the weekend?
Hope it’s a good one!

Etsy Lust List

It’s that time again! Here are some things I’ve been lusting over on Etsy…

Safety Pin Hoop Earrings by Mu-Yin Jewelry

Gold Wire Love Ring by Fabulous Wire

Sailor Girl Necklace by Violet Bella

Nautical Knot Rope Bracelet by Pardes

Brown Leather Envelope Necklace by Ampris Loves…

 

Click the picture for a direct link to the item!

Outfit: Swirl and Twirl

This is the outfit I wore for my Sun-date with Brad. I am in love with this dress. It was only my second time wearing it.
I bought it on sale from ASOS during my massive shopping phase on that site.
The print, at first, seemed really intimidating. But I loved the shape and flow of this dress.
I bought it when I was first watching Mad Men, and it reminded me of something Betty Draper would wear, if she were a badass punk rocker.

It’s so swingy and fun to wear.  And I love the fruit and flower print on top of the otherwise simple Houndstooth.
I paired it with simple black accessories. Opaque tights, my favorite 5 dollar spiky flats (that recently lost a spike…boo), and my “weekend purse,” a little satchel I bought at H&M almost two years ago.

Dress – ASOS/Tights – Target/Flats – Target/Purse – H&M

I just can’t help but twirl around in this dress!
It’s been a while since I wore a dress.
And even though I was cold, it was fun. I’ve missed it.

Spring needs to get here and fast. I miss skirts and dresses and bare legs.

Brad had me take a picture of him modeling his Sun-date outfit. Innit he cute?

“Sun-Date”

Who said dates have to take place at night?
I guess no one really said that, but it’s kind of an unspoken rule.
I mean, there’s a reason for “dinner and a movie” and the line, “I’ll pick you up at 8.”
Brad and I have been doing a lot of entertaining and socializing lately. I absolutely love being surrounded by all my friends as much as possible. There’s also been a lot of penny pinching as well. But it has meant pushing aside our once weekly date nights.
I’ve missed them. But things have been crazy with work/money/life that it was hard to pick that pattern back up.
I still see him, obviously, as much as possible. But there’s just something about getting a little dressed up and hitting the town with your loved one. Enter the “Sun-date.” I decided, instead of a Friday/Saturday night dinner and movie, we would do a brunch date and catch a matinee, thus making it a little lighter on the wallet and trying something a little different.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to find what I classify as a good brunch spot around these parts. We have a fair share of tasty diners, but I was in the mood for a legitimate brunch. Classy salads and inventive breakfasts and Bloody Marys and Mimosas. I did a lot of research on Yelp and narrowed our choice down to the State Street Grill. I must say, I absolutely fell in love with the place.
The food was amazing and the atmosphere was darling. I wanted to try everything on the menu.

Brad is in love with Bloody Marys, so that was his drink of choice. I settled for a nice cup of coffee. To eat, Brad got Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, which he absolutely adored. I was overwhelmed with some choices, but the first item on the menu, the Huevos Rancheros, spoke to me. Chili, fried eggs, cheese, tortilla chips…it was a huge meal and I loved every bite that I could handle.

I would highly recommend this place. It was cozy and delicious, with excellent service. I want to go back as soon as possible.
But, I also want to keep on looking for great brunch places around the area.

After brunch, we headed to the movies and saw Wanderlust, which I thought was funny and cute. Paul Rudd can do no wrong in my eyes.

It was nice to have a great date and still have the rest of the evening to relax and enjoy. This won’t be the last “Sun-date” we enjoy, for sure.

Weekend

 

I’d think it impossible, but each weekend seems to get better than the last. I can honestly say my life is pretty great right now. Despite working on Saturday morning, I managed to enjoy every single bit of this past weekend.

Hibachi dinner with my friends (including this long distance dude) that turned into drinks and Apples to Apples at Brad’s.
Delicious lunch, a bit of gambling (broke even), and an evening nap on Saturdays (naps are becoming a tradition and I like it).
Disgustingly delicious food and laughs with my best girl at Hops & Barleys.
A fun “Sun-date” with my man (more on that later).

I just wish every day could be the weekend.
At the very least, I need to pick my week off from work.
Brad and I are already deciding to stick with a staycation this year…and I’m totally fine with that!

Here’s to a great week, y’all!

Dinner Last Night: Alfredo

I wasn’t sure what I’d be making for dinner last night until I was almost out of work. I had an initial plan, but it’s a recipe that needed time and attention I didn’t have (don’t worry, it’ll be on the blog soon!). After much inner debate, I settled on making fettuccine alfredo, cooking up some chicken breasts, and baking some yummy zucchini and yellow squash. I decided to make my own alfredo sauce…it's too easy NOT to! There were a lot of simple recipes to follow. When I added the parmesan cheese, it was a lot thicker than I thought it would be.
Turns out, it is so much better that way.

Not only is it Friday, it’s March! When did the month change? This week, while torturous, went by super fast! I can’t believe the weekend is here. I have work tomorrow, bah, but I always try to make the best of it. Tonight, I’m catching up with friends (including my Air Force friend, who was in for the week) over Hibachi dinner! Can’t beat that. And Sunday, Brad and I have a little date planned, so I’m excited about that as well. And, while I love having plans, Saturday is pretty much wide open after work, so I’m hoping to squeeze in a nap and cuddle.

Whatever you’re doing, have fun and be safe!
Happy weekend, all!

Nails and Ales

Round 3!
It’s been a while, but since I only paint my nails about once a week, and I reserve drinking for the weekends,
it takes a while to accumulate photos of my “nail art” and different beers.

Winter Lagers. For starters, Samuel Adams’ makes good beer in general. Sam Adams’ Winter Lager is definitely perfect for the season. They are heavier, spicier, and stronger than your average beer. Trust me, one is enough to keep you warm from the winter chill.
Nail Polish: China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini with Sally Hansen In the Spotlight glitter on top.

Newcastle Brown Ale is one of those classic flavors. It’s not a microbrew or seasonal ale with fancy added flavors. This is something you can get, and drink, all year round. I enjoy it. It’s smooth with a deeper taste. I’ve likened it to a Tootsie Roll in it’s after taste.
No bitter beer face here.
Nails: Nicki Minaj OPI colors: Super Bass Shatter over Fly, and Did It On ‘Em on the ring finger.

So, the deal is, if you want to try a crazy-large variety of many different, delicious beers…grab any and every Dogfish Head brew you can find.
This was my first Midas Touch. Do you see those ingredients? Needless to say, this was a yummy beer.
Considering it’s 9% ABV, it’s not something I could drink more than 1-2 of. But it’s worth the try!
Nails: OPI’s Sparrow Me the Drama, Stranger Tides, and A-Taupe the Space Needle in a cloud pattern (tutorial here)

Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre (aka Reason for Existence) is just that. A delicious beer that reminds you why you like beer so dang much. Brad bought this one on a whim because it sounded tasty (again, most Dogfish Head brews are) and I enjoyed mine immensely.
It’s rare I’ll say anything bad about Dogfish Head’s yummy beers.
Nails: Nails Inc. Magnetic Nail Polish in Whitehall (Seriously cool stuff. Effortless design in seconds!)

Carlsberg Elephant. I pretty much picked this out because it’s a classic brand and I absolutely love elephants. It was reason enough for me. Elephant is about 2% stronger than classic Carlsberg, with a harder bite, but it was the perfect compliment to my tasty chicken salad club sandwich from Goldstein’s Deli. Which is one of the greatest places on the planet.
Nails: OPI’s Coney Island Cotton Candy beneath a chevron-style manicure placement of OPI’s Holland Collection I Have a Herring Problem