Five on Friday

Friday... oh how I've missed you! I'm so excited for the weekend because a) it's a three day weekend, woot woot and b) Emily is in town and we have plans with her and James! YAY!

One- Amen

Two- The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime

Buy it here

I am loving my new cookbook and I have tried a bunch of her recipes. I've made the Pawhuska Cheesesteaks, Baked Ziti, Mediterranean Orzo Salad, Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce, a roasted veggie side, Coconut Curry Shrimp, and Chicken Milanese. I made the Chicken Milanese last night and it was sooo yummy. I love that it was easy and full of lemon and parmesan deliciousness! I'll post the recipe soon, I promise.

Pawhuska Cheesesteak- Click here for the recipe

Baked Ziti- Click here for the recipe

Three- Fave New Shirt

Buy it here. 

I bought this shirt over Christmas break and I have been wearing it to death. It just goes with everything and is sooo comfy. It's hard to tell in this picture but it's a loose fit and is longer in the back. I wear it with vests, jeans, different scarves, etc. It's just one of those super versatile shirts. LOVE! 

Four- My Current Read

I posted about my 2016 goals here and one of them is to read 50 books. I fell a little short last year so I am determined this year to make my goal. I am currently reading Confess by Colleen Hoover and I love it so far. I like that I can't quite figure out what's going on and the character's motives are still a mystery to me. This will be a quick read because I'm dying to get through it. I am also working on a must read list since I've had so many requests. If you are looking for some ideas in the mean time check out the books I read last year in this post. 

Five- Making a Murderer

Okay, I'm sure you are tired of hearing people talk about this documentary but it's the only thing we've been watching this week. I've been sucked in but now feel like it might be ruined for me because I've seen so many FB posts and articles with new evidence against Steven Avery. Darnit, I was hoping he was not guilty. It's still worth watching because it's super interesting!

Six- Money, Money, Money...

So I know this is a Five on Friday post but this fun little giveaway deserves a mention a #6. I am part of a $250 giveaway on Karli's blog, September Farm. Just click the link below to find out how to enter! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Cure for a Cold Day

It was pretty cold in San Diego this last weekend and when I say cold I mean in the fifties lol. I know, I know we are wimps, but it's San Diego! I'm not complaining though... I love this crisp weather!

Anyways, I wanted to make something filling and hearty for the four of us (Lauren and Chase were in town). I chose the Pioneer Woman's Baked Ziti and holy moly it was good! At our house, we rarely eat pasta as a main dish but when we do, we go all out. Unfortunately, I don't have any great pics, just this one taken on my phone. I didn't plan on sharing the recipe but I had a few requests, so here we go!

Cheesy goodness!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
One 28- ounce can whole tomatoes
One 24.5- ounce jar marinara sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound (16 ounces) ziti
One 15-ounce container of ricotta cheese
1 1/2 pound mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons of minced parsley

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, sausage, and ground beef and cook until the meat is totally browned. Drain off and discard the fat.

2. Add the tomatoes, marinara, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Stir to combine, then simmer the sauce for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Place the pasta in a large bowl and ladle in 3 cups of the sauce mixture. Then toss to coat the noodles, and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, the Parmesan, egg, parsley, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Stir the mixture together until combined.

5. Toss the cheese mixture in with the sauce and pasta mixture. Do not over mix... you want some big chunks of cheese.

6. Add half the pasta mixture to a large casserole dish. Spoon half the remaining sauce on top. Then top with mozzarella. Repeat with another round of pasta, sauce, and mozzarella. **At this point you can cover and freeze if you want to bake it another day. To cook when frozen put it into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.


I served our baked ziti with a spinach and arugula salad. YUM!! Enjoy!

Cash Giveaway on September Farm

I'm part of a big cash giveaway on Karli's blog, September Farm. Head on over and enter yourself to win :)

Super Easy Diaper Cake Tutorial

This past weekend I helped out with a baby shower for my cousin Laura. It was my job to make the diaper cake and I was so excited to be assigned this fun job! :) I've made a couple other diaper cakes this past year and they were all pretty similar. I decided I wanted to branch out and do something different. I saw these super cute baby buggies and car seats made out of diapers. HOW FUN! After further investigation they would have taken WAY too long and were super overwhelming. Maybe next time lol. I decided to go a tradition route and knew I wanted to add moccs to the top for an adorable touch. By the way the moccs are made by my friend Brittney. She owns the company Bare Soles Moccasins and makes the CUTEST moccs ever. Check out her website here and make sure to follow her on Insta and FB because she posts flash sales! 

Anyways, I was on the hunt for some cute ribbon to jazz up the cake I found these three styles at Joann's Fabric and to say I'm obsessed is an understatement. HOW CUTE ARE THEY?? I want my future baby nursery to be in these colors. :)

 If you want to see how I made this cute little cake follow the super easy directions below...

1. Gather your supplies. I used 62 diapers total but these are size one. If you use a bigger size you can get away with using less diapers. You will need scissors, a hot glue gun, a 14 inch round cake stand (just cardboard), various ribbon, a paper towel roll, and small rubber bands. 

 I also used chevron/ burlap ribbon, three different types of specialty "ribbon" (1 yard of each but I had extra), and a spool of curling ribbon. 

2. Start by rolling up the diapers and putting a small rubber band around the middle to hold them together. I started with the end of the diaper and rolled it towards the middle to cover up the cutesy designs. 

3. Hot glue the paper towel roll to the middle of the round cake stand. Hold for a minute or so to ensure that it will stay. 

4. Gather six diapers and place them around the paper towel roll. Use curling ribbon to secure the diapers together. Make another layer on the bottom with 12 diapers and secure those diapers with more curling ribbon. Then make a third and final layer of diapers around the bottom section by using 18 diapers and tie with a curling ribbon. 

5. Start the second layer with six more diapers and repeat the steps with another layer of 14.

6. The top layer will have 6 diapers.

7. Measure the thicker bottom layer of ribbon to fit each layer. Use a small dot of hot glue on the back to secure the ends together. Repeat on all layers.

8. Do the same with your decorative ribbon.

I also added a flower from the ribbon to the top of the cake to cover the hole. You can place a stuffed animal on top or some super cute moccs like I did. :)

Weekend Recap: Hockey game, Baby Shower, and more...

Hey there everyone! Wow, what a jam-packed weekend! Mark's mom and brother came into town so we were busy, busy, busy!! Let's jump in because I have lots of pictures to share...

Friday-

After work, I got ready in a hurry so we could head to dinner and then the San Diego Gulls game (the minor league hockey team in SD). We grabbed tacos at Wahoo's because every other place was packed! The game was a blast even though we lost :(

Saturday-

We had an early start because we had to prep some food and get ready for Laura's baby shower. I made white chicken chili in the morning (courtesy of the recipe from Brittney Andersen... thanks girl!) and piled the diaper cake and all the other baby shower necessities into the car. The shower was a huge success and Kathy and Tracy did an incredible job!!

Afterwards we went home to hang out and wait for Mark and Chase so we could head to dinner at Harbortown. Dinner was soooo good, per usual. Then we went back to the house to play Mexican train. We love this game! We played several rounds before everyone was exhausted and decided to go to bed.

Mark, Greg, and Chase

Sunday-

Everyone slept-in since we were exhausted from all the activities the previous day. Around 9 we went on a walk up to the Coffee Bean with the pups. I love walks and I especially love walks when it's nice and brisk outside. We spent the rest of the day grocery shopping, doing laundry, and prepping food for the week. I also made a big batch of baked ziti and a spinach and arugula salad for dinner. SO hearty and delicious.

Bentley didn't want to look at the camera...boo!

Oli was equally as distracted

Meal prep!

This is ultra healthy... can you tell?? :)

I'm ready to attack the week :) Just praying for sleep tonight... I never sleep on Sundays! I hope you all have a great day!!