Catching Up: This Sunday

This weekend has felt like a nice blend of going out and doing things around town and staying in to relax. I've been making it a point to visit the gym more regularly (I'm just so much happier after I've exercised), and so am hoping to hit up the treadmill later today as well! 

Yesterday evening we had some sweet friends over for dinner and their three kiddos tagged along too! I met these friends back when I was in college in California, and we hadn't seen eachother for 6-7 years. Isn't it so great to reconnect with people?! Since that time, they have had three beautiful children and I had so much fun holding their youngest who was nine months old-- so stinkin' cute! For a comfy dinner at home, I wore another one of my favorite cotton plaid button downs and the gray high-waisted Charlotte Russe skirt I've worn in a previous post. I wore my satin house ballet slippers around to keep my feet cozy. 

Excuse my #showerhair! :) Also, one of my favorite things that I made last night for dinner-- and that if you've never tried you should go make right now is an Ambrosia dish-- I use the FoodNetwork recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ambrosia-recipe.html  (Except I substitute in walnuts instead of pecans). I think I ate more than half the bowl myself.

For today's Sunday School class, I picked another comfy floral dress that I've owned for a long time. This one is from Ralph Lauren that I picked up in a Macy's back in college...and I paired it with another one of my favorite Kohl's cardigans. For Sunday School, I just wore my favorite comfy tan flats...but put on my caramel heels for a bit more flair at home! :)

xo,

Shannon

Mondays: Black Lace & Beef Stew

Surprisingly, I was actually really looking forward to this Monday, and getting a fresh start for a busy week. Unfortunately, after tossing and turning all night long and a few nightmares, I overslept and woke up less than refreshed. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. 

I felt like I had no idea what I wanted to wear today, so I just want with a simple and easy outfit that still managed to look cohesive. This comfy black lace elastic-waist dress is one of my go-tos to just toss on (same for the nude heels). I picked this dress up at Marshall's this previous Fall for around ~15 or so, and wear it all the time.

After leaving for the day and getting things done around town, I ran a few errands and came home to arrange some flowers and make a crockpot stew for dinner. Below I've shared some of my daisy arrangements, and the beer-based beef stew that we'll be eating later today! It's a recipe from the Pioneer Woman, whose cookbooks I just adore. I've never actually seen her show, but I love her recipes because they're all so savory and the cookbooks have bright, colorful pictures that are easy to follow. 

This Morning...

Back at the house arranging blooms and cooking stew with my little helper...

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

xo,

Shannon

Afternoon Tea Time

Making tea is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. I got hooked on tea in college, when my best friend and I went to a tea serving at the Bloomsbury Tea Room in Capitola, CA. 

Ever since, I've so enjoyed tasting new flavors,  picking up cute teacups, and introducing my friends to old fashioned tea. Sometime soon I'll post a list of my tea house favorites all across the United States! Here are a few photos of my afternoon service for one- I've highlighted a few of my favorite teas in the background (black teas are definitely my go-tos! )

The teas shown here are:

(1) Revolution Tea: Earl Grey with Lavender:  This is probably my favorite tea, and one that I drink the most often. I definitely recommend trying it if you like Earl Grey, and the lavender notes bring a unique flavor that adds some extra spice outside of the more traditional blends.

(2) Ceylon Ahmad Earl Grey Tea: This is probably my favorite traditional Earl Grey, although I think that Tazo Tea also makes a fantastic traditional Earl Grey as well.

(3) Bigelow French Vanilla: The first black tea I ever tried was a vanilla black tea that I just loved, and this tea is the closest I've ever found to replacing that flavor. I can hardly ever find it in the grocery stores, but when I do, I definitely stock up on it! It's a really nice and simple tea, and one that I think most everyone would enjoy.

(4) Bigelow Vanilla Chai: This blend tastes to me like the perfect mixture of Bigelow's French Vanilla tea and a Chai Latte that you would get at Starbucks. Having this tea holds so many college memories for me...it was good late night fuel for some cram-study sessions.

(5) Republic of Tea: Downton Abbey Earl Grey: This Earl Grey was one that I found at Cost Plus World Market, one of my absolute favorite places to find new tea flavors! Cost Plus also has a lot of fun mugs and has a nice selection of scone mixes and scone toppings that are perfect in combination with tea. I've never actually seen Downton Abbey, but this Earl Grey has some unique almond/vanilla notes that make it another fun twist on a classic tradition.

(6) Zhena's Coconut Chai: I tried this coconut chai blend for the first time today, and thought it was really delicious (although I found it very sweet for a Chai tea)! I got it in a chai sampler, and I think I wish it was just a full tin of this tea because it's so good.

I found these macarons at the local grocery store....my favorite place to buy macarons is usually at the Whole Foods dessert counter (they're so yummy!), but these were scrumptious also. I still haven't figured out how to successfully bake macarons myself, but I'll get there someday.

I'd love to hear any of your tea recommendations if you have some-- I'm definitely working to broaden my horizons and try more fruit teas and green tea blends beyond the black teas that I already adore.

xo,

Shannon

Food Attempts Day 1: Pork & Potatoes

In complete honesty, I don't know the best way to start a blog... so I'm just starting with what I did most recently. Which was cook dinner on a Sunday night. My culinary successes definitely don't happen every day, and so when they do, it feels like something I should share!

Up until I got married, I legitimately did not understand the point of cooking. When I was in college, I ate dining hall food, or quick fix meals, or I just ate out a ton. And truthfully, this worked out pretty well for me by myself. I could always go to my favorite Thai restaurant and then eat that for the next three meals or so, and it didn't turn out to be that expensive. But cooking seemed like a waste of time...it took so long to prepare just a few things, and I had to keep all of the extra ingredients in stock, etc. etc. My best friend in college was an amazing cook, and I loved to eat whatever she made, I just was not incredibly interested in doing it myself. Maybe it's because I was a science major in college, so I got enough of "cookbook"-style activities in lab classes!

But when I married my husband, I found out that he was a wonderful cook. And, I also found out that he really appreciated it when I went out of my way to learn to make something for him. I never fully understood the love languages people talked about before I got married and realized how truly different what makes me feel loved can be from what makes someone else feel cherished. My husband is definitely an "acts of service" love-language kinda guy, and it felt fantastic to me to be able to make his day by throwing a few things in a crockpot. And so, my love-hate relationship with cooking was born.

Today was one of the first few times I've cooked pork loins. Again, before college, I had never tried pork outside of a Hawaiian Luau, and really didn't think it was something I'd like. But I think pork loins can taste like more flavorful chicken. So here's the (sort-of) recipe I used for today's dinner:
http://www.qvc.com/RosemaryAndGarlicCrustedPorkLoinWithPotatoes.content.html 

It actually came from the cookbook In the Kitchen with David. When I found this recipe today, I had no idea where I got this cookbook from, or who David was. My mom must have sent me this cookbook or given it to me for Christmas (thanks Mom!), and apparently David is a foodie over at the QVC network (thanks David!). The version in the cookbook is slightly different than the one on the website and calls for a honey mustard blend as well. I really liked the way it turned out, but I recommend marinating the pork overnight if you've got the time and are a good meal planner! I served the pork loins with a side of garlic roasted potato wedges-- I got the spices from a package at Safway-- and lightly salted greenbeans. We paired the meal with our favorite beers from the local store...mine is a chocolate stout. Probably not a conventional pairing, but I believe in pairing meals with whatever makes you happy!

Let me know if you have any favorite pork recipes! I've been pleasantly surprised with pork every time I've tried it, so I'd love to learn a few more.

xo.

Shannon