2014

Well, based on my lack of posts this year, I'm sure it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that this year kind of started out differently than I had imagined. Only five days into 2014, I got a phone call from my dad telling me that my sweet grandmother had, after almost 94 years, gone to heaven.

Though we miss her here, I feel a sense of peace when I think about the fact that she has been reunited with her husband, her son, all of her brothers, and many more members of her family. As a woman who lost her hearing at a young age, I know she is listening to the voices of those she loves and the hearing music she had missed out on for so many years.

She was a wonderful woman, with a deep love for God, her family, and friends. After years of struggling with poor health, she is finally in heaven, where I imagine they threw quite the party to welcome her home.

'Tis the Season

Image via

'Tis the season to be jolly! I love this time of year. It is a time filled with wonderful music, laughter, good food, friends, family, and holiday parties. It is a time of year where churches are filled with people singing and rejoicing. I'm not one for picking favorites, because I have a hard time narrowing it down, but this is by far my favorite time of year. 

Not only is it a fun and exciting time of year, but it's also a time to reflect and be thankful for all of our blessings. I can't help but walk around with a smile on my face, as I think about this time of year when we celebrate the birth of a tiny baby who changed the world forever. I feel that those of us who are in the holiday spirit should spread our good cheer to everyone around us, so put on your best holiday smiles this season! 

Happy Holidays!

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?