pretty plain janes

these things

November 7, 2014

For years I have felt alone in the awesomeness that is Gilmore Girls. A show about a mother and daughter facing life’s challenges with quick wit and a myriad of colorful characters. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you wish you lived in Stars Hollow with Lorelai as your BFF. (Which is not possible of course because Sookie St James is her BFF. Who happens to be played be Melissa McCarthy. Why wasn’t everyone watching this show again?) Thank goodness for netflix and the recent release of my beloved Gilmore Girls. I love seeing my feed full of new fans. Finally the masses are keen to why Lorelai and Rory are worth knowing. Let’s dish!

Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere (one of my favorite bloggers) is pregnant and yesterday her husband weighed in on his soon to be new role of Dad. Immediately upon reading this I felt connected to this man’s point of view. Simple, logical lessons for life that can often be lost or forgotten in the craziness that comes with raising a child in today’s world. A link worth bookmarking for sure. I believe their little girl is in good hands.

And lastly there is this. An 80’s aerobic video set to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”. It’s so wrong yet so right. I feel if every person on the planet sat down and watched this together world peace could be possible. Or at the very least a good group laugh. If you have yet to see this stop what you are doing, now:

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

xo,

Posted in these things | Tagged Post by Brandy J | 6 Comments

vegetable soup

November 6, 2014

If the incredibly dreary weather we are having today does not scream for soup I have no idea what does. Cold wet weekdays like these can certainly put a drag on your mood. Losing yourself in a warm bowl of goodness is one way to look on the bright side of things. After all, no one in Florida is sitting by their pool in 80 degree weather enjoying themselves some hot and steamy soup. How unfortunate for them.

Other than the chopping this soup is about as low maintenance as they come. And it’s vegetable soup which means there are no rules when it comes to ingredients. Throw in any veggie that you have on hand and sure enough, you will always end up with vegetable soup. The ingredients I used are pretty much my go to and things that we almost always have. If you want to make this extra special (here comes a tip I have said before but it’s worth repeating) throw in the rind of your depleted parmesan. It will give the broth a hint of nuttiness that no one will be able to put their finger on yet they know there is something sneaky and amazing going on in their bowl. (Discard it before you serve as to not spoil the surprise.)

The spinach at the end is completely optional. I for one am not a huge fan of a cold salad this time of year. I want comfort and warmth – so my greens typically end up in my soup. Spinach tastes and looks much better if you add it in the individual bowls upon serving as opposed to the pot. If it sits in the warm liquid for too long all of it’s color will vanish and the texture will turn to slime. Not pleasant.

We are being told to brace ourselves for an even worse winter than last. Fabulous. At least we have soup (our sanity on the other hand is yet to be determined).

Enjoy!

vegetable soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 medium red potatoes diced (skin left on)
2 celery stalks chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 bay leaf
1½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
4½ cups vegetable (or chicken) broth. (can use a combo of broth and water)
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
splash of worcestershire sauce
splash of hot sauce
Fresh Spinach

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, potatoes, celery, carrots, bay leaf and Old Bay. Stir and cover for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans, broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add desired amount of worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.
Place healthy handful of spinach in bowl. Ladle soup on top and enjoy!

Posted in healthy eats, recipes, soup, vegetarian, what's cooking | Tagged Post by Brandy J | 4 Comments

pumpkin white chocolate oatmeal cookies

November 5, 2014

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies were the result of a needed road trip snack, and they turned out pretty darn good. Super soft, perfectly pumpkiny with a touch of creamy white chocolate chips. Fall perfection.

Yesterday we packed up our car and headed south for some time away, just the three of us. We are unplugging, and taking some time to focus on our family and heal our hearts.
I quickly wanted to thank you all for your condolences and for all of the love you have showered our family with in the last year! Oh, and I also wanted you to have this yummy cookie recipe.

Enjoy!

pumpkin white chocolate oatmeal cookies

Ingredients

½c butter
¼c sugar
¾c brown sugar
2c flour
2c oats
1 egg
½c pumpkin puree
1tsp baking soda
¼tsp nutmeg
1tsp cinnamon
dash cloves and allspice
¼tsp salt
½c pumpkin chips
½c white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven 375F
Mix wet ingredients in stand mixer, dry ingredients in separate bowl.
Combine wet with dry, fold in chips.
Drop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11 minutes.

Posted in cookies, recipes, something sweet | Tagged Post by Shan | 2 Comments

listerine vinegar foot scrub

November 4, 2014

I had good intentions for today. Bingham had a doctor’s appointment this morning and if all went well we would have breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts right after. In a nutshell my day consisted of poop, crying, false alarm poop, Jettie asking a woman if she was a “he” or a “she” and more poop. We did in fact make it to Dunkins’, which would have been fabulous if I had not driven off with my coffee on top of the car. You’d think that would be the biggest brain fart I had all day but alas, I did something even worse. After rolling into our drive I looked in the backseat to see my two precious angels snoozing. It was such a peaceful scene, one that I wanted to savor for a few more minutes. So I sat back in my seat a bit, exhaled and then…crunch. Of course I forgot to put the car in park. Poor garage door (and poor dog who was in the garage and thought his life was in peril).

So here’s a foot scrub for those hard days. Okay – let’s be real, I just want to dump the scrub and fill that jar with wine. But for those days where your only problem is that your feet are tired, this DIY is right up your alley.

Listerine Vinegar Foot Scrub

2 Tablespoons of Listerine
2 Tablespoons of White Vinegar
1 cup of sugar (more for consistency)
1 8oz container with lid

Combine all ingredients in bowl and combine well. Add more sugar to achieve consistency you would like. Pour into container. Rub desired amount on feet with hands towards the end of a warm shower. Rinse well. Keep jar in tub and use as needed (may have to stir a bit before each use).

recipe from Family Savy

Having a kid is really coming in handy. Look at her pro moves!

I have used this scrub for two weeks and can attest that it makes the feet softer and leaves that tingly “fresh” feeling. It’s a great quick trick to get that pedicure soak sensation without putting in the time or money. Also a terrific gift for anyone who needs some feet pampering. Easy ingredients, simple DIY, cheap and a fabulous gift – what more could you want? The wine…yeah, me too.

Cheers!

Posted in beauty, diy, skin | Tagged Post by Brandy J | 4 Comments

affordably warm

November 3, 2014

November, how on earth can that be possible? Every year I wonder where October went but this one in particular felt extremely fleeting. I can’t believe we are staring at the holidays and knocking on winter’s door.

While cold weather is not exactly everyone’s cup of tea you can’t deny that the outerwear is absolutely fabulous. A great coat is just as timeless as a great pair of boots. You shouldn’t feel guilty about having a few in your closet because you will be able to wear them year after year. This season is boasting some especially beautiful coats to chose from. Even better are the prices – all of these are $70 or under (and worth every cent):

Dressy:

1H&M Textured Woven Coat 2Necessary Clothing Nancy Drew Pea Coat 3Forever 21 Belted Wrap Coat