I heart..

monogram. Really, it's nearly an obsession. I bought an A for Alicia and my living room wall. I have a B in my kitchen window. I have A mugs and A tea cups. And now Anthropologie comes out with one more, heartbreaking-ly adorable mug...monogrammed.

if only they had monogram sheet sets, my life would be complete...

Snickerdoodle.

Just as a caveat-I'm not going to turn this blog into a cooking blog. I promise.

However, that being said, I have been cooking a lot more lately, and now I'm kinda into baking. I made PW's chicken parm last week, and last night I made these amazing Snickerdoodle Muffins.

*these are photos from the Tasty Kitchen



I'm telling you-these are amazing. So gooey, so scrumptious. I brought them to work today, and I'm sure my coworkers hate me for it.

ps. I substituted Bob's gluten free flour instead of real flour...next I'll sub greek yogurt instead of the sour cream...

Ree-cap.

Remember my post yesterday about meeting Ree?? Well I didn't know I'd get to meet the whole fam! (they were present, but I did my best not to stalk them all).

Even Marlborro Man was there (real name Ladd Drummond), signing books as well. His line was very popular as you can imagine. My friend Mandy said "what should I say to him?" and I jokingly replied "Hi, you have a nice butt" since that's mostly what Ree posts of him.

All in all, a successful evening out to get our books signed and chat in line with people who stalk Ree incessantly as well (or even worse!)

Took some pics but will have to post those later..

So excited.

Today I get to meet Ree.

You've all heard of her, right? The Pioneer Woman? Well if you haven't, get on it. Spend an hour or 12 reading her love story.
Here's her husband, whom she affectionately refers to as Marlboro Man (not because of any nicotine habits):

Here are the kiddos:

And here she is in her element: cooking up a storm in the kitchen:

Can't wait to meet her tonight with my sister at her stop here for the book tour.

Nothing of significance.

I've got my mittens on today. Wore them on the way to yoga..(note I have the black & white ones)
So I'm getting into the first downward dog and do you know what I realize? My pants are on inside out. Perrrrrrfect. Well, the room is dimly lit and you're SUPPOSED to only be paying attention to your own practice, so I decided to let it go and stick with them as is. And you know what? After a while I forgot all about it.

These mittens are totes cute and warm, grab yourself a pair!! As a side note, I had the most amazing breakfast smoothie (which Julie will vouch for me here). Want to know what's in it? Ok!!

1/2 cup frozen organic mango slices
1/4 cup pineapple
3/4 cup organic coconut milk
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 cup ice cubes
blend blend blend.

mmmmmmm delicious.

I apologize for today's post being solely about the amazingness of my shake and the retardedness of my yoga attire.

The atypical.

I like the odd dishes and kitchenware that Anthropologie sells. I also like mugs and cups that are more rustic... As I spied the section on their site, I was picturing the perfect outfit to wear with it..

...waking up in the morning to a nice mug of coffee....

...in a relaxed striped tunic (perhaps with leggings, boots, and a shawl sweater?)...

...sitting down to dinner in this unique flatware...

...with candlelight, something warm, and this rich colored dress...

...sipping some tea (or a hot toddy?) in the evening...

...in this sweet little frock...

How to Make Baked Brie

Last week I had some friends over for a little wine and cheese. My sister, Virginia, just moved back home with her family, so she shared her awesome baked brie recipe with me. She said it is a total crowd pleaser, and I believed her because I have been part of that crowd :)

The secret is -- it is SO easy!!! This is a great appetizer to prepare during the cooler months (is that going to happen in Texas?)

You will need:

1 tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 jar of jam - we prefer preserves but we tried Pumpkin butter this time and it was fantastic!!

1 ounce of chopped almonds or nuts (you can chop them yourself and it is usually cheaper; I used almonds this time)

1 "round" of brie

rolling pin

cookie sheet

Directions:

Heat oven to *375. Sprinkle flour on the counter top and roll out the crescent roll dough. It is slightly difficult to do this since the dough has been perforated for the rolls and it not the easiest to roll out in general. Lay brie in the center. Make sure you have enough dough on the sides to pull up and over the brie and pinch together (but don't do that yet!). Spread preserves/pumpkin butter on top (I do it generously :)). Sprinkle nuts on top. Pull up and pinch sides of dough over the brie, preserves, and nuts and pinch to close. It is very important that it is closed! Bake for roughly 15ish minutes or until brownish/gold on top.

When serving, cut out a slice (like a pie) and leave it in the brie, or the cheese will run out. This will serve the purpose of cooling it a bit, and enticing your guests to go ahead and sample some! I made 2 baked Bries for 10 people, and had a bit left over. I was not able to take a snapshot of the end result :( But it should come out looking something like this...ours is usually pinched up to the center on the top, but still a good picture :)