The Countdown is On!

As I mentioned in my last post, Adam and I are gearing up for another trip. And I'll be honest...some days I get so excited when I start thinking about it, that I think I'm going to burst!

As some of you know, Adam and I made a pact when we got married to travel as much as we could. We've sacrificed things like a new dishwasher, remodeling a bathroom, etc. to save money so we can go, go, go! It has been great! In the time we've been married, aside from little trips here and there, we've also been to Denver, Puerto Vallarta, Italy, and Ireland. And we've just booked our next trip...FRANCE!

Our "big" trips to Italy and Ireland, were with family. We went with my family to Italy and Adam's family to Ireland. Well, this time...it's just us. I am so excited that Adam and I will be sharing this adventure with each other. We have rented a car, booked our hotels, and are in the process of planning what sights we will see.

Of course Paris is on the list, along with a few small towns in the Loire Valley and the Burgundy regions. I'm looking forward to wonderful food, beautiful sights, and lots and lots of wine.

Because we still have a bit of a wait before we hop on that plane, I've been following Carin's blog, Paris in Four Months. Carin is a photographer from Stockholm, living in Paris. Her photography is absolutely stunning and makes me crave Paris like never before!

On top of wonderful photography, she also likes to eat...which is a major plus. She has great restaurant recommendations and writes about the best places to go and foods to eat.

Here are a few of my favorite photographs that she has featured on her blog recently:

From: http://parisinfourmonths.com/

From: http://parisinfourmonths.com/

From: http://parisinfourmonths.com/

From: http://parisinfourmonths.com/

http://parisinfourmonths.com/

I could go on posting forever, but I'll stop there. I highly recommend you check out Carin's blog! And, if you've been to France recently, let me know what you loved! We're still working on our itinerary and would love to hear about your favorite places to visit, eat, drink, sleep, and shop!

Lust List

For some reason, the fall season always makes me want to shop! I love fall clothes, shoes, colors, and more. This fall, we're in savings mode. Adam and I are gearing up for our next trip (hint: we're going to be enjoying a lot of wine and cheese...) and so instead of shopping, we're tucking money away for our vacation.

That said, I still like to "window shop". Here are a few items on my lust list:

Bracelets

I've been on a bracelet kick for months now. I just feel like adding a bracelet next to my watch dresses everything up a little bit! Here are two of my favorites:

From: Bananarepublic.com

From: Bananareublic.com

Chunky Knit Sweaters

Loving this new trend of chunky knit sweaters! And I'm dying to add a few to my collection. Here are some of my favorites!

From:Clubmonaco.com

From: saksfifthavenue.com (Vince)

Jackets

Finally, I am a jacket fanatic. I have a closet full of great winter coats, but I'm always looking to expand my collections. Here the one I'm lusting after now!

From bananrepublic.com

I'll be honest, I could go on FOREVER with my lust list...but we'll stick with this for now! Happy Shopping to all of you who will be partaking in the Black Friday festivities. I'll be enjoying time with family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Meatless Monday! Spicy Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

By now, you've all heard about the Meatless Mondays craze that's going around. I'm not sure we're jumping on board for good, but I thought I'd try my hand at a few meatless dinners over the next several weeks. And, while I'm at it...I'll try and plan them for Mondays!

This week was our first go at Meatless Monday. We are big eaters at our house...and we love all types of food, so I was a little hesitant about going meatless, even once a week. But this recipe was a hit!

I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers. I tweaked the recipe a little and it was a hit!

There was a fair amount of prep. work, maybe 30 minutes total, and then I just popped my baking dish into the oven and waited!

Here my version of the receipe:

Spicy Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 12 small corn or flour tortillas (I used flour)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ouce can of whole kernel corn 
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
• 1 28-ounce can red enchilada sauce, such as Las Palmas
• 1/2 cup grated manchego cheese + more for topping (or sub another Mexican cheese, such as Cojita or Pepper Jack) (I used a mix of Manchego and Mexican Quesadilla Cheese)
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
• salt and pepper to taste
• Topping Options: cilantro, guacamole (homemade), lettuce 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position a baking rack in the middle of the oven.
• Combine black beans, green chilies, sour cream, cumin, chili powder and 1/2 cup manchego cheese in a mixing bowl. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
• Warm 3/4 of the enchilada sauce in a large shallow pan over low-medium heat.
• Pour enough enchilada sauce to also lightly coat the bottom of a 9×13 dish. Swirl to coat and set aside.
• Using your hands or tongs, carefully dip the tortillas in the warmed sauce until both sides are well coated. Transfer the tortilla to the baking dish, scoop in 2 Tbsp of the black bean filling and roll up. Place seam side down and continue until the pan is filled – should be about 8 enchiladas.
• Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and use spoon to make sure all parts of the tortillas are evenly coated. Top with a bit more cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
• Serve with toppings such as avocado, guacamole, sour cream, green onion, cilantro or lettuce.
• Will keep in the fridge for a couple days. Reheat in oven

Before adding the cheese

With cheese, just before going in the oven.

Dinner is served!

NOTE: I topped ours with lettuce, cilantro and homemade guacamole. Next time, I think I would add salsa and some of my favorite hot sauce, Cholula. 

TIP: I would recommend spraying your baking dish with a light coat of Pam. Our tortillas were sticking to the bottom just a bit.

This was a great Meatless Monday option! Adam and I both loved it and we will definitely repeat it sometime soon!

Have you tried Meatless Monday? What are some of your favorite meatless meals?

Pumpkin Fusilli with Chicken Sausage and Thyme

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this recipe adapted and blogged by Liz from Sequins & Stripes. I was intrigued, mostly because I while I'm a fan of Pumpkin Pie, I wasn't sure about how pumpkin would be in a pasta dish.

There were a few ingredients in Liz's version that I didn't love for a savory dish (cinnamon, nutmeg, and sage) so I decided to substitute a few things I do like (thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes)!

Pumpkin Fusilli with Chicken Sausage and Thyme

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound mild Italian chicken sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 cup dry white wine {I used my new French favorite, only $10 a bottle}
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound fusilli pasta, cooked to al dente {we used whole wheat pasta}
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Directions:

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Clean the skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, rosemary, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. {I would recommend using a whisk for this part, it helps to incorporate the pumpkin without splashing the wine and stock} Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in milk. Season the sauce with the thyme and red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese.

Total time: 25 minutes     Servings: 4

The Review:

It was great! The sauce was creamy and hearty and the chicken sausage was a great addition. I was happy that the pumpkin wasn't too sweet, in fact, I almost couldn't even tell that it was pumpkin. This was a great way to make a creamy pasta sauce without actually using any cream!

In the future, I might try it without milk and maybe substitute a little goat cheese for some extra flavor! Adam and I each enjoyed a nice sized dinner portion and then had enough left over to save for three lunches (one for Adam and two for me)!

Hiatus and New Favorite Things

Wow! Talk about a serious hiatus. I can't believe that it's been two months since I've posted. This has definitely been the busy season for me at work...and I feel as though I've just looked up to notice that it's October...well, actually it is pretty much November.

The fall season is flying by and though I've enjoyed a few pumpkin spice lattes, I don't think I've really stopped to bask in all that is fall. Fall is one of my favorite season. I love the weather, the smells, the holidays and everything else that goes with fall (aside from the cold that my husband shared with me this week).

As you might have noticed, I've added quite a few blogs to my "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" list. And let me tell you, they are truly a few of my favorite things! Today I want to spotlight a few of the new blogs on my list and tell you a little about each one!

Atlantic-Pacific is a great fashion blog. The photography is excellent, and of course the outfits are amazing. I love that at the end of each post, the author lists all of the components of each "look" right down to the lipstick color. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen a lipstick or nail polish color on a blog or in a magazine and been so disappointed because the color and brand weren't listed!

Carolina Charm is one of my new go-to blogs for party planning, recipes, and decorating tips. Christina, a fellow Carolina girl, shares great information on decorating, and easy recipes. And, she and her husband are expecting their first little one. I'm excited to follow her blog through such an exciting time. I feel like she'll have great tips and ideas for those of us who haven't quite jumped on the baby band wagon!

Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers is another one of my favorites! Natalie is a stay at home mom with a son, and a sweet baby on the way. She writes about fashion, home decor, and shares her favorites recipes. Her blog is down to earth and very fun! And...she occasionally has blog sales, which always feature some fun and very stylish items. I'm dying to try out a blog sale!

Paris in Four Months is an absolutely stunning blog. The author, a photographer, takes beautiful pictures of her travels. She is a fashion photographer, but seems to have a flair for photographing food and the streets of Paris. Adam and I are planning to head to France in February, so I like to check in on Carin's blog every few days to see what else I'm going to have to add to Paris to-do list!

Last, but not least, I want to introduce you to Sequins & Stripes. Liz is a fashion blogger living in Chicago. She has a classic style with a fun and funky twist. She's just gotten engaged and I can't wait to hear more about her wedding plans! She also posts some great recipes from time to time! I'll be blogging about one soon!

These are just a few of my NEW Favorite Things. You'll have to check them out!