Style File 12/5/11

 I have been looking for new jeans for a very.long.time. Jeans are always so difficult. But I finally found GAP Perfect Boot cut jeans, and I love them. They have a great amount of stretch, fit well, and are long enough for me. My number one problem with jeans is the length. I am at an awkward height where regular length jeans are too short, and long jeans are too long. Well, they're too long until I wash them a couple times. These are quite long, so these might be my new "wear with heels" jeans, which I am completely fine with.

 Sometimes I like to put unexpected colors together, like teal and red. I think it works because it's broken up a bit.

I'm also loving stripes. That is all. :)

Outfit rundown:
Drapey sweater thing: Target
Striped shirt: GAP
Jeans: GAP
Shoes: Target (old).

What's for Lunch?

This week has been long and tiring. I especially love taking extended weekends for holidays, but it definitely makes coming back tiring. So to be honest, cooking this week has been boring. We have been scrounging for stuff because i'm tired and don't feel like cooking. Or we've had to be somewhere so I didn't take pictures.

In lieu of dinner pics, I thought I would share with you what I packed for lunch and snacks today. :)

Morning snack (around 9:30 or 10 am): plain, nonfat greek yogurt with a smidge of honey stirred in. Clean pumpkin bread.

Lunch (around 12:30 or 1): banana and peanut butter wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla (all natural nut butters are a great source of protein. My favorite is almond butter), broccoli florets, baby carrots, and some crackers (Trader Joe's multigrain cracker minis).

Afternoon snack (around 3:30 or 4): 1 apple and scant handful of almonds.

What sorts of things do you pack for lunch?


Oh, also because it's December first, I am going to share one of my favorite Christmas youtube videos (also posted on Facebook). It's an oldie but a goodie!

Style File 11/26/11

Ok, so, Brad and I went out  on Black Friday. We left here around 10am, not really expecting to hit anything good. We mostly just like to see the mayhem, and to look around and see what there is to see. But every couple of years I find something awesome. This year, I found two things! So I styled them for your viewing pleasure. And because I love putting on new clothes!

The first Black Friday score: A new pair of skinny jeans for 20 dollars. These jeans are actually grey. They look blue in this pic, but they're grey. I like them. Here's a link to them on JCP's website. Had I seen them online first, I never would have bought them because they look a little lame. But they fit wonderfully and they are so comfy. Almost like PJ's.

 I've had this suede jacket forever. I had my senior portraits (as in: Senior in HIGH SCHOOL portraits) done in them. I've been too big for this jacket for a long time, but I never got rid of it because I like it so much. I'm glad I held onto it because it fits again! Yay!

 Sometimes less is more, you know? White tee, jeans, boots, go.

And these boots are my second score. 30 dollars. Originally 100. Yes. I wanted some flat brown boots, but for 30 bucks I couldn't say no to these. I'll just have to get some flat boots after Christmas. ;)

Outfit Rundown:
Suede Jacket: Charlotte Russe, I believe. It's old. I think I bought it my Junior year in high school. 
Tee: Target
Jeans: JC Penney
Boots: JC Penney
Earrings: Vintage. From my mom's closet.
Necklace: Gift.

What was for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving was wonderful! The Turkey turned out great. We have lots left over though. Now to figure out what to do with the left overs?

For dinner tonight I ate pumpkin pie. Don't judge me.

:) Hope you're recovering well from your food comas. Style file up tomorrow morning!

What's for Thanksgiving?

TURKEY! That's what's for Thanksgiving! :) Here's what I'm using as a guideline for roasting our Turkey breast:

• 1  (10-to-12 pound turkey) turkey
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and/or marjoram, divided
• 2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• Aromatics: , onion, apple, lemon and/or orange, cut into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 cup(s) water, plus more as needed

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Directions

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475°F.
2. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve for making gravy. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.
3. Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven. If using a remote digital thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the thigh, close to the joint. Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water. The turkey is done when the thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone) registers 165°F.
4. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. (If you're making Herbed Pan Gravy, start here.) Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve. 

Except obviously I am not doing a whole bird. So my plan of action is to make the herb/olive oil rub. And then place the Turkey in my pan. I don't have a roaster pan, so this might get interesting. I'm thinking I'll use a generic 9 x 13 pan, and then cover it all with tin foil. But anyway, in the pan I'll place the lemon, apple, and onion. I'll probably only use half of each thing. And then I'll place some sprigs of herbs around and under and probably on it. It's going to be herby! :) I bought some turkey broth that I'll probably use instead of water, just for added flavor, and again, i'll be using less than the 3 cups listed here. Cover it all with tin foil and roast for a while, then i'll uncover it and let it brown up for the last half of the cooking. I think it should go well.


As for the whole day to get in my cooking, here is my Plan of Action to get it all done:


-Tonight after work: Brad is picking up Turkey Breast from the butcher. We'll have to find some space in our fridge. Tear up half of the bread to dry out (for stuffing)
-Wednesday after work: Bake pumpkin pie. Wash broccoli and let dry.
-Thursday am: break up rest of the bread, toss the salad (minus the dressing). Chill beverage.
-Thursday afternoon (around 2ish): prepare turkey, and prepare stuffing, put turkey in at 2:30 (we want to eat around 5:30 or 6). The Turkey Breast will be 6-8 lbs (not sure yet!), so I figured 2.5 hours to cook. Is that correct? Put in stuffing (separate pan) in around 30 minutes before Turkey comes out.
-Thursday evening: prepare and boil potatoes/parsnips, prepare broccoli and put in oven 15 minutes before turkey comes out, mash potatoes, put it all in serving dishes.


We shall see how it all goes! :)

What's for Thanksgiving? 11/21/11

Thought I would share the recipe I will be using for my pumpkin pie this year. I thought I would break out of using the recipe off the back of a Libby's can. :) This recipe is in no way clean, but pumpkin pie is ok to eat on Thanksgiving, right! I would prefer to not use store bought pie crust as it has all sorts of icky additives, but I honestly do not have the time to make a pie crust nor am I that great at it. If I had a food processor, I might consider doing a no-roll type of crust. But, alas, i have no food processor.

Not my picture. :)

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 -9 inch unbaked pie crust (I use Pillsburyt)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.  Add eggs, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. Mix everything until completely smooth (about 3 minutes in my KitchenAid mixer on medium speed).  Pour pie filling into an unbaked deep dish pie shell.  Bake the pie for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.  Bake for an additional 50-55 minutes until the center of the pie does not jiggle (loosely).  Allow the pie to cool on the counter and then chill it in the refrigerator before serving.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.


Sweetened Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Tomorrow I'll share how I'm going to do the Turkey as well as my plan of action to accomplish all of the cooking!

What's for Thanksgiving? 11/17/11

GOOD NEWS! I got a turkey breast! yay! Well, actually, I ordered it. I will pick it up on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. I ordered it from a Butcher who sells all natural turkey. So that is going to be awesome. Except I've never cooked a fresh turkey breast. I'm assuming it won't be much different than cooking a thawed frozen one.

On to the recipe for today. Liz's Famous Broccoli (i've been cooking it this way since long before it went up on pinterest).

Not my picture. Came from pinterest. :)

What you'll need:
-Fresh broccoli florets (I will probably use two bunches for Turkey Day. chop them off the bunches. Wash and allow ample time to dry before cooking)
-Half of a lemon
-Olive Oil
-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
-Salt
-Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 (or if you're like me, just put it in the oven with whatever else you're cooking and adjust cooking time. Lower the temp the longer the cooking time!).  In a large bowl with a lit, place the broccoli, 3-4 tbsp olive oil (or less if it will cover the broccoli), garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Put lid on top and shake it all up. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet (it helps crisp the broccoli up) and put in oven until the broccoli is crispy and just starting to brown (about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees). Remove from oven and place in serving dish, squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon over and mix to distribute throughout the dish. Serve hot.