Happy Monday, everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! This past weekend, we went into DC to celebrate my husband’s birthday. We don’t usually head into DC for dinner since we have so many great restaurants in the suburbs, but my husband requested dinner at one of his favorite restaurants close to Capitol Hill.
Two things that I am currently obsessing over are these Vince Camuto boots and the color grey for fall. I am in love with these new boots, they are the perfect transitional shoes for fall and they are so comfortable! This grey lace dress is over three years old, but is still one of my favorites. Lace is still a staple for fall and this color is just too perfect!
Happy Friday! Today, I am continuing my fall must-have series with handbags. Handbags fall a very close second to my shoe obsession {I don’t think anything will ever beat out shoes!} There are some beautiful bags out there for fall and these are just a few of my favorites. Although it was not my intention, all the bags on this wish list happen to be of the clutch or shoulder bag variety. Thankfully, you can’t go wrong with either 🙂 I’m all about leopard right now, so I am totally obsessed with the leopard clutch {#2}. And I’m always obsessed with pink, so the pink clutch {#1} is definitely a favorite as well. What fall handbag is a must for you? Let me know in the comments section below! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!
P.S. For those that missed the other posts in this fall-must have series, they can be found here + here 🙂
Some things just go together. Peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and peanut butter, you know what I mean? Well for me, it’s Sunday football and sandwiches. Most probably gravitate towards burgers, wings, nachos….but for me, it’s sandwiches. {I’m thinking this association started with having a Primanti Bros. sandwich at every Steelers game over the years! See my post about Primanti Bros. and Pittsburgh here}
I made this delicious short rib sandwich this past weekend and they were unbelievable. The short ribs were delicious on their own, but adding the brie cheese, arugula and pickled onions truly took this sandwich to the next level. It gave a typically heavy sandwich some freshness {or at least that’s what I told myself 🙂 } And since 2 pounds of short ribs is a lot for two people and two sandwiches, I used the leftovers the following day to make short rib quesadillas! I just placed the beef on a tortilla, topped it with the pickled onions and four Mexican cheeses and placed another tortilla on top. I baked it at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes before flipping. You can see the picture of me assembling them below 🙂
Short Rib Sandwiches
2 pounds beef short ribs
1 medium onion, diced 2 large carrots, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup red wine 1 cup beef stock {I used no salt added} Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 baguette or other crusty bread
For pickled onions {see recipe below}:
1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon butter 4 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Optional: garnish sandwich with brie cheese and arugula
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Salt and pepper each side of the short ribs. Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat. Sear each short rib on all sides until a crust forms {about 1-2 minutes per side}. Remove short ribs to plate. Reduce the heat to medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic; cook for about 1 minute. Pour in wine and beef broth and stir. Place short ribs back in the pot and place lid on the dutch oven. Move to the oven and cook for about 2 1/2 hours. By this time, the meat will be falling off the bone! Remove the short ribs to a cutting board and shred the meat using two forks; discard the bones. Place the shredded beef back in the dutch oven and stir to incorporate the meat with all the juices. To assemble sandwiches: Begin by preheating the broiler. Place a spoonful of beef on one side of the baguette and top with thin slices of brie cheese. Place the sandwich on a baking sheet under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cheese begins to melt. Top with arugula and the pickled onions.
Pickled Onions: Melt butter in large skillet and add the red onion; sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar and sugar and stir until most of the vinegar has been absorbed into the onions {no more than 1 minute}. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl to cool completely before assembling sandwiches.
Assembling the Short Rib Quesadillas!
I have to say, there is a reason why I chose to post this recipe today…it’s Thursday which means the Steelers will be playing in Baltimore tonight. Living in DC, we don’t get to see too many Steelers games, so we get super excited when they are on tv in our area. So in honor of tonight’s game, enjoy Thursday football short rib sandwiches 🙂 #gosteelers
Purple is definitely one of my favorite colors for fall. Although, I think the YSL lipstick is probably to blame for this latest obsession. Since my husband brought home this lipstick a few weeks ago, I have been trying to come up with different outfit combinations to highlight this beautiful color {see another look here}. I love pairing these “dark and stormy” pants with black, it just feels so chic! And I love how dressed up this simple outfit can look with the right accessories and a great lipstick 🙂 What are your favorite colors for fall? Let me know in the comments section below. Thanks for stopping by!
This is my first truly fall pizza and I am so excited about it! I made this over the weekend and it was so delicious! After eating the entire pizza, my husband expressed his initial concerns with this concoction: he thought the butternut squash would be too sweet for a pizza. I considered this too when I first came up with the idea, but my hope was that the kale and ricotta would balance the sweetness out perfectly…and I’m happy to say it did! The butternut squash browned just enough to mix with the crispy kale to create the most divine pizza ever. And the colors on this pizza are so awesome, they just scream fall! This was the perfect introduction to fall pizzas…I am so excited to try out new ideas in the coming weeks! Thanks for reading!
Roasted Butternut Squash + Kale Pizza
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds remove and diced 1 1/2 cups kale, de-stemmed 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons basil pesto 4 tablespoons ricotta cheese 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese Olive oil Pizza dough Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray. Place diced butternut squash in a medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to baking sheet and spread evenly into one layer. Roast for 30 minutes, turning with spatula once. Transfer roasted butternut squash to a clean bowl. In the same medium bowl previously used to coat the squash with olive oil, toss kale with 1 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange kale on same baking sheet used for the squash and cook for about 6 minutes until the kale is crunchy. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. To assemble pizza: place a thin layer of basil pesto on the pizza dough and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Place kale on top of the mozzarella followed by the butternut squash. Finish with a few tablespoon dollops of ricotta cheese and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese begins to melt.
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! We had a pretty relaxing weekend — watching the U.S. Open, trying some new recipes {stay tuned!} and watching football {although we didn’t get the Steelers game today 🙁 } Today I am sharing one of my favorite new combinations. This shirt was mentioned in my Labor Day sales post and I am so happy I got it. I think it will be a great top to wear throughout fall. And these pants are SO comfortable! I picked them up at our local Nordstrom Rack. And although you are able to shop Nordstrom Rack online {yay!!} these pants aren’t showing up online, so check your local store! I’m loving this easy and comfortable look as we transition into fall! Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Friday! Today, I’m continuing my series in fall must-haves with jewelry. There is no better way to accessorize an outfit than with a great piece of jewelry. I have really been gravitating towards gold this year, especially for fall. And I am so in love with all of these — the stacking bracelets, statement necklace and delicate earrings. There are just too many great pieces to choose from! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! As always, thanks for reading!
P.S. If you missed part I of the fall must-have series, click here 🙂
When I first came up with the idea of a fajita salad, the vegetables were going to be grilled. But Mother Nature had a different plan. The clouds opened and it started POURING. So I went to plan B. The recipe definitely works with sautéed vegetables, but if you do have access to a grill {and it’s not storming terribly!} I think the flavors would only be enhanced with the grill. The great thing about the sautéed version is that the juices from the vegetables mixed with the olive oil creating it’s own dressing for the lettuce {and the sour cream and guacamole only add to this!} Also, I went with the cumin, chili powder, onion and garlic powder mixture for seasoning, but you could use store-bought taco seasoning as well 🙂 It was the perfect weeknight meal, and it’s great to know that this recipe can be made year-round!
Veggie Fajita Salad
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced 1 green pepper, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon cumin 1/2 tablespoon chili powder Salt and pepper to taste 4-5 tablespoons olive oil 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 large handful {per serving} spring mix Optional toppings: shredded 4 cheese Mexican cheese, guacamole and sour cream
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, red and green peppers; season with the salt and pepper, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and chili powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook for another 2-3 minutes, just until the tomatoes are soft. To assemble: place lettuce on plate as a base and top with vegetable mixture. Add toppings, as desired.
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I thought I would post a typical work outfit. I don’t often post office clothing, but I wanted to share an outfit that works well for both day and night, especially as we are in a very awkward clothing time of the year. My office is super cold, so a cardigan is always a must! But with this dress, you can definitely remove the sweater to create the perfect after work dinner dress. And although now we are officially post-Labor Day, with temperatures in the 90s this week, {dark} sandals are still a must!
My husband has been asking for scallops for a couple of weeks now. I’m not a huge fan of fish, so we don’t eat it that often in our house, but I thought I would make this familiar recipe for him. I had first made the Barefoot Contessa bay scallop recipe back when I was in college for my husband. I remember it being super involved and extremely overwhelming {maybe I was just inexperienced!}. This time, I used Barefoot Contessa’s recipe again, but only as a basis {and it seemed a lot less overwhelming and rather quick in fact!}. I wasn’t able to find the bay scallops she uses, so I went with the sea scallops. And I wasn’t able to find fresh, so I had to go with frozen. I have to say though, the frozen scallops were not bad! Just be sure to remove the muscle {as a mentioned above} around the scallops if has not already been removed. Scallop gratin seems like such a fancy dish and it took hardly any time at all. This modified recipe is definitely a keeper 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Scallop Gratin
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot, minced 1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, minced {regular prosciutto is fine too} 2 tablespoons parsley, minced 1 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup panko 2 tablespoons white wine {I used a Sauvignon Blanc} 12 oz. sea scallops {I had to use frozen because fresh were not available!} Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place 2 small gratin dishes on a sheet pan. To make the scallop topping, place the butter, garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and mix with a hand mixer until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add the olive oil until completely combined. Carefully fold in the panko. Place 1 tablespoon of wine in the bottom of each gratin dish. With a knife, remove the white muscle from the side of each scallop, if necessary {I didn’t need to remove}. Distribute the scallops among the two gratin dishes. Spoon the butter mixture evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and sizzling. If you would like the top to be crisper, place the gratin dishes under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until browned.
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