white before, after and always

September 2, 2013

“No white after Labor Day” – whoever started this awful rumor should be ashamed.  Hopefully by now we all know that it is not a guideline to be followed.  Yes there are certain fabrics reserved for warmer months (seersucker, eyelet, lightweight linen to name a few).  But when it comes to color, including white, all of them can be worn 365 days a year.  In fact I am partial to this classic neutral in leathers, wools and cozy knits even more than the summer versions.  Mixed with a touch a black (which happens to be a huge fall trend) makes it feel bold yet timeless all at the same time.  Here are a few whites I have my eye on for the coming season:

labor_day_11Mango contrast dress 2H&M dinner jacket 3Forever 21 harness sweater 4Marc by Marc Jacobs hobo 5Steven by Steve Madden ankle strap pump 6ASOS leather skirt 7Forever 21 zip detail denim

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day!

brandyjsig

 

 

 

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5 summer farewells

August 30, 2013

Labor Day weekend is upon us which for many signifies the end of summer days.  But before you trade in your flip flops for boots do not forget that there’s still plenty of days left for warm weather fun.  These are at the top of our bucket list before summer bids adieu:

summer_farewell_31.  Visit a zoo.  Feeding Jenali the giraffe at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is a such a wonderful experience that we certainly plan on doing at least one more time before the season ends.

summer_farewell_22. Shop a Farmer’s Market.  There is nothing like breathing in the summer morning air with a cup of jo while strolling the vendors.  Good news is these are still open through fall but don’t wait till then – there’s plenty of summer harvest to enjoy now.

summer_farewell_43. Dip your toes in the water.  Ocean, lake, pond or kiddy pool – doesn’t matter just get your feet wet.

summer_farewell_54. Make a date with America’s favorite pastime.  Whether you’re a baseball fan or not there is no denying that a day spent at the ballpark is a good one.  Lucky for us we have a date with the Fort Wayne TinCaps next week.

summer_farewell_15.  Enjoy the evening outside.  Yes it is getting dark earlier but it’s still warm enough to enjoy the nightfall.  It can be as simple as a campfire or a portable DVD player in a teepee.  Darkness adds a certain amount of magic to these late summer nights.

Have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend everyone!  Cheers to summer – it’s been a great one (and thankfully isn’t quite over yet).

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salsa taste test

August 29, 2013

Let’s be honest – half the reason we go to a Mexican restaurant is for the chips and salsa.  The mariachi music, hacienda style paint colors and limitless choice of Mexican cervezas – they’re all fabulous elements but take the salsa away and it’s not the same experience.  Not even close to being the same.  In fact, it’s just wrong.

For years I have been under the misconception that delicious non chunky perfectly flavored salsa was reserved for restaurants.  And then Pioneer Woman entered my life and rarely now does my fridge not have a container of homemade salsa in it.  The jarred variety simply does not compare.  If you have never made homemade I suggest you stop what you are doing right now and immediately make some – trust me.  Your life needs it.

I wanted to do a little experiment with the recipe and test which type of tomatoes everyone loved best.  Roasted, fresh or canned.

salsa_taste_test_4My judges were our husbands (that’s right Shan, you have one of those now).  Mexican beer and salsa taste testing – obviously there was no arm twisting for this one.  Later I realized we really could have done some evil things while they were blindfolded, but we are far too sweet and innocent for those type of shenanigans.  Or maybe we were watching toddlers while taste testing and there was no time (you be the judge).

salsa_taste_test_1Clearly they take this seriously.  I mean look at that concentration.

salsa_taste_test_2And the winner is….FRESH!  Both men chose it but honestly they were all good in their own way.  The roasted was sweeter, canned was a bit deeper and the fresh was well, fresher.  Make just one, make all three – it doesn’t matter they are all good.

salsa_taste_test_3salsa_taste_test_5

Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
  • 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
  • ¼ cup Chopped Onion
  • 1 clove Garlic, Minced
  • 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
  • ¼ teaspoon Honey
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • ½ cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
  • 1 whole Lime Juice
Instructions
  1. Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, honey, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
  2. Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour.
Notes
For fresh salsa substitute fresh garden tomatoes for canned.

For roasted drizzle olive oil on tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeno while on baking sheet and roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Blend with rest of ingredients.

recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Do you have a favorite salsa recipe or a fabulous secret tip?  We would love to hear, if you are willing to share of course.  We understand some of those things go to the grave (I have a sangria recipe you will have to pry out of my cold stiff fingers).

Happy Salsa-ing!

brandyjsig

Posted in Cinco de Mayo, recipes, what's cooking | Tagged | 2 Comments

creme brulee cheesecake bars

August 28, 2013

creme_brulee_squares_2

I love surprises.  Okay, thats sort of a lie.  When I am the person being surprised my patience quickly runs out and I’m usually snooping around trying to spoil it for myself.  But when the surprise is for someone else.. eeeeekkk!   Especially Josh, he is so fun to surprise.  He doesn’t guess, or snoop, or try to figure it out, he just lets me have my fun.  His birthday is tomorrow and I have a big surprise planned.  (I would tell you guys, but I’m one day from pulling this off and can’t take any chances!)

In the past few years, we have gotten so slack at birthdays (really, at all holidays).  We skip out on gifts to save for other things, and settle for simple date nights instead- but no more.  It is too easy to let these special days roll in and out, claiming that the next will be better than the one happening.  We have far too much to celebrate to let it slip through our fingers.  His only requests are that he is able to watch his beloved Clemson game on Saturday, and a red velvet cake.  Only one of those will be happening (fingers crossed that he is having too much fun to notice he is missing the game!)

Okay- on to these bars.  These lovely little cheesecake bars.  I don’t make cheesecake often, and when I do it can’t be plain old cheesecake because I don’t really like plain cheesecake.  The brulee topping on this recipe really gives it something extra- a completely added flavor that sets it right over the edge.

creme_brulee_squares_1

creme brulee cheesecake bars
 
Print
Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • 9 whole graham crackers
  • ½ stick unsalted butter, melted
  • Filling:
  • 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • Brulee:
  • ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Crust:
  2. Preheat oven to 350F, and line an 8x8 baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang.
  3. In a food processor, pulse the crackers until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until cracker crumbs are moistened. Press into bottom of baking dish, and bake about 10 minutes until crust is set. Let cool and reduce oven temperature to 300F.
  4. Filling:
  5. Place the cream cheese in your mixer, or a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, yolk, vanilla and salt, and beat until well combined and no lumps remain. Pour the mixture on top of the crust, spreading evenly. Bake until cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 45 minutes. Be careful to not overbake.
  6. Once completely cool, cover and chill for at least two hours.
  7. To make brulee topping- uncover dish and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Set your oven to "broil", and move oven rack to appropriate broiling place. Place cheesecake back in the oven- and watch closely until top is golden brown, this will only take about 3 minutes so be careful! Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Handle The Heat.

creme_brulee_squares_3Bubbling over,

shansig

 

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5 minute face

August 27, 2013

As hard as I try, I am nearly always late.  For everything.  Even before I had Adelynn, I was notorious for not being able to make it anywhere on time (having a baby is your ticket to being acceptably late- before hand you’re just rude) .  If I absolutely need to be on time, please lie to me and tell me I need to be there a half hour before I really do.  Seriously, its my only chance.

I have done my make-up in five minutes far more often than the times I have a half hour to an hour to tinker with it, so it has gotten to be a routine that I feel comfortable with. Having a five-minute routine that you feel good about makes those rushed days a bit smoother- or at least you don’t feel like such a hot mess.

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All faces are not created equal- for some people concealer, foundation, or eyeliner are a must.  For me, I know exactly the minimum I need to feel good and stick to it.  If you know what your priorities are in your make-up bag, the five-minutes you have to throw yourself together can be more efficient.

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After moisturizing (I use coconut oil,  straight from the tub!), here is my five minutes, step-by-step.

1. Bronzer.  When applied correctly, bronzer in itself can make you feel a million times better.  Don’t go overboard and bronze your whole face, and look for a bronzer that keeps shimmer to a minimum.

2. Blush. Using an angled brush, give your cheeks a little pop of color to aid your bronzer in contouring your face.  My all time favorite- Orgasm by Nars.

3. Brows. I’ve talked before about shading my brows but I can’t stress enough what a difference it makes.  If I could only choose one thing to apply, for me this is it.

4. Shadow detail.  I skip the liner because to me it is too harsh without shadow- so instead I use a small flat brush to outline my eyes with a flat, dark brown shadow.

5. Mascara. With no shadow, I apply a heavier coat of mascara than usual, to give my eyes a bit more definition.

6. Gloss.  A great nude gloss with shimmer goes perfectly with subtle, natural makeup.

Five minutes can be plenty of time to put your best face on- all you need is a plan!

shansig

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