Halloween

This past weekend, I went a bit crazy! Every recipe idea I found, I wanted to make! Tim eventually calmed me down and I narrowed it down to 3 recipes. Still a bit insane, but much more manageable. For our costumes, we dressed up like Spongebob and Patrick and went a friend’s party. Our costumes were a hit, and so were the treats!

halloween costumes
halloween treats
Banana Chocolate chip bread in a skull pan and monkey bread disguised as “Brains”
(recipes to follow soon!)

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Blood splattered cookies!
(i was in such a rush to finish everything and get to the party, that i had someone take this photo and send it to me!)

I already can not wait for next Halloween! Did you make anything fun?

Dressing for Fall: Leather Jackets

Last year, at the end of the winter, I found a Topshop leather jacket on eBay for $50! Since it was the end of the season, I didn’t get to wear it. The second there was a slight chill in the air this fall, I made sure it was front and center in my closet. However, I had never owned a black leather jacket before, so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration on how to wear it!

leather jacket 1
leather jacket 2
leather jacket 3

everyday details

Its amazing how much everyone tries to juggle in their daily lives. Between work (or school), basic everyday needs, friends, family and life obligations, this summer is just seeming to fly by so far. I can’t believe in less than two weeks, it will be 4th of July. I am very much looking forward to having that day off! Until then, here are the everyday details that keep me happy (and sane)!

Tim's pool
Tim’s parents pool! A welcoming site on days where the temperatures are hitting 90 degrees!

girls at concert
Two of my girlfriends and I at a recent concert! Love this photo!
succulents
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ucculents at the local greenery!
new baking pans
New baking pans for my kitchen and a torch!!!

pinterest inspired – camping food

I love to cook and I generally eat healthy, so when I go camping, I still try to add a creative flair to my cooking! Overall, we ate the typical hot dogs, sausages, and burgers. We also bought Jamaican jerk chicken, and potatoes. One of my favorites was wrapping red peppers, asparagus, and onions in tinfoil with a bit of olive oil and throwing them right on the coals.  They came out perfectly steamed and full of flavor!  However, for breakfast, I wanted something besides meat! After seeing this photo of pinterest:

camping - pinterest inspired food

I knew I wanted to make eggs! I bought a cupcake pan, a small Tupperware container and a fork! I cracked the eggs into the Tupperware container, and beat them to make scrambled eggs. I poured in a tiny bit of water, just to fluff them up a little bit. I sprayed the cupcake pan with PAM, so the eggs wouldn’t stick. I poured the egg mixture into the cupcake pan. I used 7 eggs and it filled 5 spots!  I put the pan on top of the grill, and covered it in tin foil, so no ashes flying up from the fire could get in! After about 5 minutes, I removed the tin foil and swirled the egg mixture a bit, just to make sure it was cooking all the way through! When the eggs were nearly done, I sprinkled a tiny bit of shredded cheese on the eggs! Once they were fully cooked, I took the pan off the grill and let it cool for about 1 minute. Using a fork, the little egg muffins popped out with no problem! They were perfect and everyone raved about them! THANK YOU PINTEREST!

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food on grill

Here is the rest of the breakfast we cooked! Yes, that is bananas. Turns out, grilled bananas are fantastic! Bon Appetit!

For more of my favorite recipes (camping or not), visit my pinterest! http://www.pinterest.com/mzenn85/favorite-recipes/

camping

This past weekend, my friends and I packed up for a weekend away camping! We went to Hickory Run State Park. This is not my ideal weekend away (I prefer the beach), but it does lend itself to a nice, relaxing weekend! While next time I will make certain changes (bigger tent, air mattress), I did enjoy sitting around the campfire, drinking a beer and seeing real stars! I hope you enjoy some of my photos!

our tent!
Our tent – which i helped to build!
views of lehigh river
View of the Lehigh River during a 7 mile hike we went on!
crossing water
My friend Shaila crossing a little bit of water on the hike
dam at camping
Finding a dam during our hike
by the dam
Tim and I at the dam
after hike
a bunch of us after the7 mile hike! We were exhausted!
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Sitting around the campfire and relaxing!

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli

In order to help us move, our parents each contributed somethings to make the day easier! Tim’s parents bought wine, paper products, and basic groceries to get us through our first week! My parents bought a ceaser salad and made us 3 stromboli’s! These are homemade strombolis and can be made with any ingredients you want! My mom made one cheesesteak stromboli and two buffalo chicken strombolis! This might be one of my favorite dishes she makes! Its easy and flavorful, and I have never heard anyone complain after having it!

Recipe:
Ingredients:
pizza dough
10-12 slices of provolone cheese (depending on how much cheese you like)
3 thinly sliced chicken breast
salt/pepper, EVOO
buffalo wing sauce (I just drizzle on top of chicken, more/less may be used, depending how much spice is wanted)
*you can also put some on the side when you serve it!

Directions:
1) season chicken with salt/pepper/evoo. bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cooked through
2) let chicken cool and shred
3) roll out pizza dough
4) lay slices of cheese in center. Top with shredded chicken and wing sauce.
5) fold edges of dough over each other and roll stromboli to completely close in the ingredients
6) flip over and place on parchment paper. Make tiny slits with knife and rub 1 tbsp of EVOO on top!
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
8) ENJOY!

stromboli dough
cheese
chicken
rolling stromboli
unbaked stromboli
chicken cheesesteak final

Herb Garden

Inspired by my Pinterest post a few weeks back, and the warm weather – I have an new addition to my porch! My herb garden!
The herbs included are:
Italian Parsley
Basil
Rosemary
Oregano
Lime Thyme

Next, I want to get some lavender and cherry tomatoes. Here is hoping my black thumb turns green!
herb garden on top
outdoor space
parsley
rosemary
oregano
thyme

nail polish color: Essie “strut your stuff”

everyday details

Hello! I took a week vacation from this blog. Between moving, going away to camping, unpacking and just life in general – I was exhausted! I’m excited to be back now and can’t wait to start sharing photos of my apartment! They are coming soon! We have about 3 boxes left to unpack. Also, if anyone knows a good place to buy pillows for a living room – please let me know!

phillies
Going to the Phillies game!
us at phillies
Us at the Phillies game – I love this photo
views of lehigh river
Views while camping!
manayunk bike race
My best friend Shaila and I at a bike race in our new neighborhood!

 

Goodbye Apartment

This post is dedicated to my apartment for the past year with my roommate Jen, and some of my favorite memories. I loved being on my own and being financially responsible/independent. However, it was wonderful having a friend there, when you needed her.  Monday night was always “Roomie Night”. We would go get take out, 90% of the time from Whole foods, and then go back to our apartment to lay in her bed and watch whatever television show we were addicted to that week. Our favorites were Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family and Criminal Minds. Our little family grew with the addition of a 4 week old cat we rescued, Theo. He was a handful and was often nicknamed “Devil”. He loved food, and on occasion, stole brie cheese, croissants, and edamame from us. I will admit though, it was nice coming home to a furry friend to snuggle with. Below are some photos from the past year!

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Our apartment! We lived on the 2nd floor!
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 Sanding furniture for the apartment!
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My mom painting the apartment!
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Theo, when we first got him. That’s my foot for size comparison!
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Plotting his next move. He loved attacking feet!
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Apartment door decorated for Christmas!
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getting my roommate to change the lightbulb!
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The reason we never had paper towels!
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Theo lounging in the sink!

P.S – happy birthday to JEN – thanks for being a great roomie!

Best Cupcakes Ever!

The Boozy Buttercream class came in handy. When baking this past weekend for an engagement party, I knew the exact design I wanted. I took a base detail I learned from making roses, and piped mini hydrangeas to fill in any gaps in icing. Then, to top it off, I dropped sugar pearls in the cupcakes. This was easy and the cupcakes looked beautiful! The recipe though, came from Natasha’s Kitchen! Her perfect Vanilla Cupcakes are just that – Perfect. Light and airy, they don’t weigh you down!  I highly suggest making these for your next event! 
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