Friday Tags

Thanks to DC Prep and Susan in the South for tagging me!

The rules:
1. Answer with 5 answers.
2. Tag 5 favorite bloggers.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

it was 1999 and...
-I was a freshman in high school, wow
-Running cross country and flirting with my soon to be high school boyfriend
-Dreaming about getting my drivers license
-Thinking about Homecoming and what to wear...(haha I did this a few weeks ago but for college)
-Watching some serious penn state football (ok, so this one never changes!)

2. What are 5 things on your To Do list today?

-mail Halloween cards for my siblings
-put finishing touches on my Halloween costume, haha I mean start thinking about it
-look extra professional for yearly performance review (failed, i wore a fur vest to work...oops)
-buy wine for halloween party
-dress up for tonight in black, and decide between witch or femme fatale look

3. Snacks you enjoy?

-Cheddar Chex Mix
-Grits, random I know--it's only a phase
-white cheddar popcorn
-Yoplait yogurt, raspberry cheesecake is the best!
-a really good apple

4. Where are 5 places you have lived?

-Lynchburg, VA
-Charlottesville, VA
-Richmond, VA
-Oxford
-anddd thats all I've got...for now ;-)

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?

-I would payoff my family's mortgages and then buy a ski house in Utah, a summer house in South Carolina, and an amazing everyday house.
-Give considerably to Red Cross, Brain Tumor Foundation, and Cancer Research
-Travel travel travel
-Work part-time/volunteer at a job I truly loved
-Buy a season football box at UVA and Penn State, throw amazing tailgates

My 5 tags are:

One Preppy Day
A Preppy Girl's Guide to Cross Country Living
Queen Bee Swain
Glamorous Newlywed
Nautical by Nature

Happy Friday and I hope everyone has a great Halloween weekend!

Peanuts Halloween

I love all of the Charlie Brown movies--we used to look forward to seeing them every year. I watched the great pumpkin playing on ABC last night and introduced Bry and Regan to the tradition...


I'm getting excited for the halloween episodes of my favorite shows tonight--and our property people brought in a huge pumpkin filled with candy, and not the dumdums and crappy chocolate kind, really good! candy...urgh. I've been eating milk duds all day--thankfully there was no candy corn or I'd be totally sick right now.

I also went to Target over lunch and found a really cute witch hat, if J Crew made a witch hat it would be this one with rosettes and feathers all over (I couldn't find the picture online). All of target's costumes are 30% off right now so if you're cutting it close there are deals to be had!

Wednesday's Philosophy

I just started using the Philosophy skincare line the last few weeks. I think these products really enrich the softness and quality of your skin, even after a short usage. Though they are a little pricey I would recommend getting the sample packet of items (I got mine from Sephora) including regular skin moisterizer, lip and eye moisterizer, daily wash, microderm packets, and a scrub. Give it a try!

They also have a line of delicious shampoos and body washes~




I also loved! Valentino: The last emperor dvd we watched last night. I ordered it from netflix a while ago and after a rave review from Southern Champagne Wishes I was excited to see it. The movie is documentary style and follows Valentino through his last few shows, including his 45th anniversary show in Rome--which is amazing. It's fun to watch his designs come to life and as an added perk you see all kinds of celebrities throughout the movie at his parties and shows.

Fashion Idol

I loooove Rachel Bilson's style. It's always so effortlessly put together yet classic and chic. I'm also loving her monthly style Q&A in Glamour--

Happy Friday!

I'm so happy to be in town this weekend--no more traveling for a little while. It should be a relaxing weekend filled with college football, errands, and wine! Have a great weekend everyone--

Traylor Papers

This has been circulating around the blog world but I thought I'd give it a try. These notecards are too cute to pass up.

"Send us an email to VIP@traylorpapers.com with your name & address and we'll send you a free customized card with your name. Tell us your favorite colors and/or style (i.e., whimsical, classic, girly..., etc.) and we'll try to make you a match ;) BONUS: post this offer on your blog or wall, send us a link and we'll send you a few extra! Good thru 10/28/09!"

Some of my favorites:





They also have adorable holiday cards!

Costume consultants

I need a service that will research and prepare my halloween costume every year. I am historically bad at coming up with ideas and then pulling something together. You would think that I'd have mastered the craft by now, seeing as how I had a different costume themed date function to attend every other month in college...BUT sadly no. This is why I was a princess for halloween my first 10 years of trick or treating. I like actually putting the costume together once I have a feasible idea. I have a few standouts like Kelly Kapowski (Bayside Cheerleader style) and Catwoman (I had a whip for this one!) but this year I struggled again to come up with an idea. Enter my sister--who is blessed with the costume gene. She had the idea to go as a black widow, sold!, I have black clothes and can definitely whip up some web-like eye makeup. I also may have bought a little black number on ebay a while ago...this is definitely do-able.


Ahh who remembers this scene?


So this is what I'm going for, or something like this--


Does everyone else have their halloween costumes all ready to go?

Apparently it's winter

Since it has been so incredibly cold lately I decided to try out a new soup last night, Roasted Potato and Leek Soup, courtesy of Barefoot Contessa. It was really delicious and hearty--perfect for a cold night in. I couldn't find arugula anywhere, is it out of season or something?, so I nixed it from the recipe. I did make the crispy shallots--after a few intimidating reads of the recipe I went for it. My mom gave me a candy thermometer a while ago which I promptly laughed at and threw into the back of a drawer but it's suprisingly easy to use and the end result is definitely worth it!

I also used my fancy handheld blender for the first time! It cuts down on time putting the veggies in the blender and transferring them back and forth, I always make a mess doing this. I have the Cusinart Smartstick and love it! It's perfect for making soups.

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces creme fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, recipe follows, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. (I skipped this part) Roast for 4 to 5 more minutes, until the arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over 2 burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan. (A good amount of the leeks got pretty crispy, or black in my case, I threw out the really burnt ones but I think it's expected since they're so thin.)
In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree. Pour the puree into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to puree the vegetables in batches until they're all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, creme fraiche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan and crispy shallots, if using.

Crispy Shallots:

1 1/2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
Reduce the heat to low, add the shallots, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are a rich golden brown. The temperature should stay below 260 degrees F. Stir the shallots occasionally to make sure they brown evenly. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and spread out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.

Yield: about 1/2 cup

Penn State Homecoming

We had a great weekend in State College! Despite below freezing temps and snow flurries we made it up late Friday night. Saturday it was still cold and drizzling but we layered up and went to the game after spending some time warming up and watching the other college football games. After watching the lions dominate Minnesota (thankfully!) we headed downtown to the Allen St Grill for dinner with my grandparents. I tried to order a hot buttered rum to warm up after the game but all they made were Hot Toddys (old school, yes). I wasn't a big fan of rum and tea and would advise against them....blah. I also realized this weekend, haha more like remembered, how insane my family is about football---we literally discussed all of the big games play by play and critiqued the Penn State game the rest of the night. I also learned about the fiasco my aunt caused having her wedding on the biggest PSU game day of the year 20 some years ago...haha. It's no wonder I've turned out the way I am...

ps. check out the guy in the pig hat behind us...not cute no matter how cold it is

pps. note Bryan is wearing an 80s rainsuit, yes pants and! a jacket, courtesy of my grandfather, haha it was hilarious

All bundled up and ready to go!

Brady Quinn Friday

It's time for a celebrity (or athlete) crush! I've had my eye on Brady Quinn since he started playing for Notre Dame...because, well, he's pretty attractive--and he plays football which always helps. He also seems like such a nice guy, haha but I have absolutely no idea. He was the reason to watch Notre Dame in college and slightly more of a reason to watch the Browns today, though they're pretty awful this season. He is definitely my idea of dark and handsome (except Bry of course!). Enjoy...



We're also headed up to State College tonight to visit family and see the Lions play Minnesota tomorrow afternoon. I'm soo excited to go, except that it's been snowing! in PA all week and the high on Saturday will be about 30 degrees. I feel like I'm going back to my second alma mater this weekend, after being at UVA for homecoming last weekend. My family has been visiting State College every year since I was born so the campus is like home to me. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

This is my game day outfit, brrr.

Costco Snobbery

Did anyone see Modern Family last week? Haha ok well first of all it was hilarious--go watch it, secondly I'm sad to admit that I too used to be a Costco snob. It's not that I thought I was too good for Costco I just didn't really see the benefit of signing up and buying food in bulk for 2! people. Well the times have changed! A year and 1/2 later I am as obsessed, if not more, than Bryan--and he is a Costco freak. We go probably every other weekend or so to stock up on food, household stuff, and clothes. At any given point in our apt you will find approx 50 sponges, 25 rolls of TP, and a 75 oz. bag of pita chips. I have become a bulk-believer.

Here are my top 5 reasons to love Costco:

1. Um free samples, yes please---I could have a full lunch of samples any day at Costco

2. The cheese section--amazing, they have at least 100 types of fancy and delicious cheese

3. The beer section is also great--they always have cases of seasonal stuff
4. You can buy movie tickets, ski passes, and entire vacations! at a discount

5. The Fuggs are amazing

Homecoming Recap--finally!

Here is my belated weekend recap! We were in Charlottesville for Homecoming and it was an awesome weekend. I came in Friday night to stay with my sister while Bry was at home studying for the GMAT that he took on Saturday. We went to a new-ish restaurant the Local, which I thought would be amazing but...wasn't so much. After dinner I went over to a friends to pre-game and then out to bars on the Corner. I might have had a little too much sweet tea vodka/whatever someone put in my hand throughout the night but I was proud of myself for staying out until last call, on a Friday!

Saturday was the game and UVA unexpectedly killed Indiana--I mean it wasn't even fun to watch. The weather dropped literally 40 degrees on Saturday so it was a cold night out. Bars were packed and I got to see lots of old friends and some other unexpected people--that's coming later. Sunday we watched the Dallas Chiefs game, yay Dallas won--that was an exciting game that went into overtime. Now don't hate on me for liking Dallas, the boyf likes the cowboys and I think Romo is super cute--so it's not really a choice.

Overall it was a great weekend--I felt like we were in college again!

DCC, no, not the Dems...Cheerleaders!

I just discovered my favorite show is back on CMT! It's kind of ridiculous, and I'm probably the only woman actually watching this show, but the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is amazing! Yes it might be about "grown up" women trying out for a cheerleading squad. Yes, they run around in skimpy outfits and have a can of hairspray duck taped to their hands. Yes, its flashy and trashy and all things superficial but I LOVE it!

I used to watch this show in college with my roommate and we did not miss an episode. The women are well...let's go with a little airheaded until proven otherwise. It's also an excellent showcasing of Texas style--big hair and big attitude. I love Texas, especially Dallas, and it holds a special place in my heart. My BF lived there for the first year we were dating, I was in VA and he in Dallas. We flew back and forth for months and months but I had the chance to spend a lot of time in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio--places I would never have visited otherwise. Whenever the show has clips of Dallas sights I can remember flying into the city late on a Friday night and seeing the green building all lit up and the Dallas skyline. I actually grew to love Texas during the course of the year, though it's certainly a state with lots of personality. I always thought it was funny that I was considered a "northerner" from "up there" in Virginia.

Closet Swap Out

This weekend was the first of many cold days to come. It's time to switch out my closet! I'm so tired of looking at my summer clothes--time to pack them up. I've done a little bit of fall shopping thus far, just basics like thin turtlenecks for layering and a sweater dress or two. I'm big into layering this year so I've also been stocking up on the open cardigans that seem to be everywhere (I really think they make you look skinnier because of the shape). I'm trying to keep a running list of fall must haves in my head as I shop, here are a few ideas:

I have these J Crew cords in a ton of colors. My office is pretty casual so I'll be rockin these with boots all fall/winter.

I am so into scarves--especially cashmere! This Burberry is so soft and timeless. I also found a great organic cotton scarf at H&M, really big and comfy.

The open sweater--goes over everything.

A fitted tweed jacket is great with jeans or even this strapless J Crew.

Weekend Recap is coming tomorrow! We had a great time at Homecoming--I even felt like I was back at school, isn't that what homecoming is for anyway?

Friday Goodness

Tonight I'm headed to Charlottesville for dinner with my sister at a new all organic restaurant--it's supposed to be delicious! I hope we get to sit outside on the beautiful porch. Then we'll be headed out to see everyone in town for Homecoming festivities, I can't wait! Saturday UVA plays Indiana (hopefully it won't be too ugly) and then another night out! It should be a great weekend...I need to start planning my outfits stat--

I'll also be bringing some of these minis along for tailgating--sooo good with Arnold Palmers or just sweet tea!

Weddings and Chicken

I am so excited for the Office wedding tonight--not that it takes a lot for me to get excited for a wedding, but it's Pam and Jim, how could you not be pumped up about it?!________________________________________________________________

I'll also leave you with this Chicken Saltimbocca Recipe, courtesy of Giada. I made this last week and it was absolutely delicious!!(surprisingly). I'm usually not a huge fan of Giada, especially watching her shows when she says things like prooooscuittttooo and parmesshannn--but I'm sure she's very nice--moving on! This recipe takes a little bit more prep work but the outcome is soo worth it. The sauce is to die for--I served this with cous cous, enjoy!

Ingredients

6 (3-ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 paper-thin slices prosciutto
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 slice of prosciutto atop each chicken cutlet.
Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water. Season the spinach with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of oil to coat.
Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach atop the prosciutto slices. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each. Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet as for a jellyroll. Secure with a toothpick.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove toothpicks from the chicken. Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.

Luke...where is your blackberry?

Friday night I went to the dark side...and bought a blackberry. I'm not one for new "Techie gadgets" or updated apps, or whatever else people seem to be so into. Instead I have been living in the dark ages with my desktop computer, flip phone (whose extra features include texting), and VCR--haha ok it's not quite that bad, I do own a 8 yr old dvd player. I won a laptop from my company a few weeks ago--they have a fire-sale of old laptops for super cheap when they are no longer being used. It has become my love and I even bought a monogram to make it cuter.

So I had the full Sprint phone credit and saw that BBerrys were only $50!! after discounts, mail in rebates, etc--I mean a BBerry for 50 bucks?! yes, SOLD. So Bry and I went to Sprint on Friday night for a hot date/to get new phones. 3 Days later I'm still pretty amazed at all the things this phone can do--I'm in awe that it can take pictures, much less get emails, gps, internet! it's craziness. I'm now a rightful member of the 21st century!

Weekend Recap

This weekend flew by, as usual, but I got tons of errands and football watching completed! Costco and H&M runs on Saturday turned out to be incredibly sucessful. I found some serious fall basics at H&M, 3 turtlenecks, 1 black sweater dress, organic cotton scarf, brown open cardigan, and bangles. Bring it on fall layering, bring it on.

Once again my Nittany lions came out on top--it will no longer be too emotionally damaging to post images such as these (let's just say I've been a little down about the Iowa loss two weeks ago):






Sunday was the Wine Festival in Richmond. The weather was beautiful. We drank wine for 3! hours--I can't believe I made it that long. Tons of local wineries were there doing tastings, I love Virginia wine! The Cabot cheese people were also there...probably the main reason I was able to sustain all that wine drinking. I must have eaten at least a block of cheese yesterday, tipsyness + cheese= lots of cals. I tried horseradish cheese for the first time--amazing!

Ebu(a)ys of the Week

Though I'm trying to cut back on my online shopping habit I still don't have the ability to bypass amazing! bargains that may find me on Ebay....or that I might find--whatever. In the spirit of holding myself accountable, while at the same time flaunting my thriftiness, I thought I would share my recent finds:

Loving the J Crew bubble necklace--even with all the gray and black for winter this will spruce up some of black tops!

Lilly Pulitzer Bee flats--these will look great with jeans this fall. They are in need of some serious wearing in though.

Hunter Lady Boots--these are on the wishlist for now!

Have a great weekend everyone! Ours will consist of the usual Costco run--exciting, I know, Chinese food takeout--I've been craving this all week for some reason, college football Saturday, and wine festivalness--I can't wait, it's been such a long week!

October Road

Today got me thinking of all things of all things October. It's the beginning of Birthday clusterfrick in my family with 3 birthdays within two weeks later this month...I need to get shopping! What does one buy their 17 year old little brother? It also gets us a little closer to Thanksgiving--my favorite holiday, cold weather (crossing my fingers for snow days), and the best movie season of the year!

First official pumpkin beer purchase!

Trips to the Orchard to pick some of these--and apple cider! There might be some serious pie baking in our apt this fall.

Homecoming at UVA!! I can't wait to see old college friends and tailgate all day--

And Halloween--yum look at that candy corn. I'm also notoriously bad at costumes, I should have started planning months ago. I was always that girl 3 hours before a date function that needed an idea and an outfit STAT!