cotton top's weekly menu

here's what's on tap this week, foodies. stay tuned for the pics and recipe details. it's gonna be good.

monday: farfalle with cauliflower and turkey sausage

tuesday: stuffed chicken with a side of warm cheesy grits and simple apple harvest salad

wednesday: leftovers (i'll be at comedy night so the fam will have to do without their personal chef)

thursday: herb de provence steaks with roasted potatoes and sugar snap peas

TGIF: thanks goodness it's fajitas night. ariba, ariba!



(image credit - vi.sualize.us)

happy monday

my monday started when i came to work, looked in the mirror, and saw that i had on two different pearls. they weren't the same color or even size. cool life, kelly.

shoud've had that extra cup of joe this morning. here's to your monday starting off better.


(photo credit - vi.sualize.us)

happy belated birthday...

...to my favorite little chipmunk and one year old. love to love ya t-lukey.

dine me. wine me: crostini with ricotta and goat cheese, prosciutto and cheese stuffed lamb, champagne risotto, fried ravioli, & cream polenta

sister lynn jones asked me to help plan a celebratory meal for her main squeeze. she gave me a few must-haves for the night:

1. needed to include lamb (his fav)

2. needed to be elegant

3. needed to be easy

when i think of romance and elegance, i think italian. after all, isn't it the language of love? i immediately knew to turn to my culinary bff - giada de laurentiis. i love the simplicity and rustic aspects to her recipes and i knew sister jones could handle it.

i found the most perfect lamb recipe and i gave sister jones a few options for the sides and appetizers.

appetizer: crostini with ricotta and goat cheese
main course: prosciutto and cheese stuffed lamb tenderloin
side #1: champagne risotto
side #2: fried ravioli with marinara dipping sauce
side #3: creamy polenta with arugula

lynn is a natural in the kitchen that not even a little roadblock could stop her. whole foods didn't have any lamb so she improvised with beef tenderloin. she choose side option #2 because honestly, what guy doesn't love a little fried food? check out lynn's success below:

taylor-made

sis and i are both pretty obsessed with the rachel zoe project. each week i get inspired by the outfits, glitz and glam. now if only i had the cash flow to life that lifestyle.

i've been eying taylor jacobson's beautiful cross necklace since the first season. i love simple jewerly with little accents, especially anything in gold. apparently the one she wears is encrusted with diamonds and goes for around $2,000. not really my style.

so yesterday i googled the heck out of it, and found my perfect match. a handmade 14k gold filled sideways cross with a gold chain for a mere $40. gotta love those designers at etsy.com

go buy yourself one before they sell out!

guess hoooo?

there's some major hoooo-pla over my new favorite bird. and that says a lot considering i don't even really get down with birds at all.

i've never been much of a fan of animal-inspired anything. but somehow these little gems have captured my heart and i must hop on this trend immediately. designers everywhere are being inspired by these nocturnal creatures this fall - you can find all kinds of good stuff from earrings, bracelets, charms, necklaces, brooches, and more. i die.

(photo credit - hsn.com, littlewillow.com, nordstroms.com, etsy.com, owlslab.com, bonjoon.wordpress.com, photobucket.com, vintymag.wordpress.com, folksy.com)

so long, long weekend

the long weekend was so lovely. did you enjoy it?



but back on the saddle and at it again. you too? yeah, we thought so. hang in there, lovelies.



(photo credit - audreyhepburncomplex.tumblr.com)

nuts for salmon: pecan crusted salmon with sauteed spinach and lemon green beans

first off, sorry for the delay in this post. it was my intention to write this post friday afternoon before i left for va tech, but my afternoon turned into shambles when i locked myself out of the house for over 40 minutes. my b. i made this meal as part of my original weekly meal plan. it took no time to whip up and it was a definite crowd pleaser.

ingredients:

1 bag of 10 oz spinach

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups of green beans

1/2 lemon

4 tablespoons of dijon mustard

4 6oz salmon filets

1/2 cup chopped pecans

evoo

s&p

directions:

heat oven to 350 degrees. brush mustard over salmon filets and press chopped pecans down to make sure they are sticking. heat skillet with evoo over medium high heat. place salmon pecan-side down in pan and sear for 3 minutes. transfer salmon to oven and let cook for 5-7 minutes.

steam green beans in vegetable steamer. once done, drizzle with juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of evoo and s&p.

in another pan heat up butter, 1 tablespoon of evoo, garlic and tomatoes. let cook for about 3 minutes and then add bag of spinach. cover pan and let cook for about 3 more minutes. add s&p and you're done.

i tried to take a picture of the delicious meal, but mine and peg's camera batteries died. i've found one that looks pretty similar. enjoy!

JACKpot

the.

most.

comfortable.

sneaker.

ever.

if you are in need of new kicks, get yourself some jack purcells. i can't get enough of them. dare i say it?? yes, they are even better than classic converses. and don't worry, you are not technically cheating on chuck - they're all in the same family.

i believe j.crew has some on sale. and if not, go straight to the source.

nothing better.



(photo credit - flickr.com)

puppy love

isn't he the cutest thing you've even seen? i've gotten some mixed reviews, but all this little guy needs is a haircut, maybe even a little bowtie. yes, i'm that obnoxious girly girl who thinks its socially acceptable to dress up dogs. i apologize.

i've been eying this pup for days, just hoping i could get him, thinking of all the new names i could call him - milton. hampton. curtis. hank. henry. herb. vern. i'm also the girl who thinks its funny to name a dog after old people names. i apologize again.

turns out my new commute isn't ideal for a new pup. bummer. richie would have made a perfect addition to cotton top.


(photo credits - mdpetmatch.rescuegroups.org)

passport to greece: chicken souvlaki with greek couscous and toasted chick peas

as part of my weekly meal plan, i cooked up this bad boy last night. it was such a hit, even brother gave me a compliment...you know the boy whose diet is a plain as a saltine cracker...yea, he even enjoyed it! i adapted the recipe for chicken souvlaki from cooking light to add a little more hint of lemon and freshness. here's how i do chicken souvlaki with greek couscous and toasted chick peas:

ingredients:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon evoo, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons bottled minced garlic, divided
1 teaspoon dried lemon pepper seasoning
2 cups sliced roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

directions:
combine feta cheese, yogurt, dill, 1 teaspoon evoo, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic in a small bowl, stirring well. heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and lemon pepper seasoning to pan, and sauté for 20 seconds. add chicken, and cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. pile pitas up with chicken, lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices and top with dollop of yogurt sauce.

now for the couscous...

i don't really have a real recipe i use, i kind of just throw things in there and see how it goes.

ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat couscous (when cooked, becomes about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons of evoo
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup chickpeas
1/4 feta cheese
1 tablespoon dried dill
s&p

directions:
cook couscous according to directions. fluff with fork when finished and add remaining 7 ingredients. taste and season with s&p to your likeness.
obviously, you saw what happened with the chickpeas earlier...so yeah, those got scrapped. i WILL try again.
now close your eyes, eat up, and pretend you're in greece. i am a grecian GODDESS.

is something burning?

i'm not really a competitive person. it doesn't bother me if someone can finish a sudoku puzzle before me. it doesn't bother me if someone is is prettier than me. it doesn't even bother me when someone makes more money than me.

but when it comes to cooking, i somehow turn into spencer pratt - a complete monster.

i have to be the best and always cook the best thing. i like to make everything perfect no matter how long it takes me. if i mess up one little thing, i've been known to start over - completely.

so you can understand my frustration last night when i was making roasted chickpeas and i smelt something burning. i opened the oven to find these burnt little turds smoking up my oven. i still don't understand what went wrong - i followed rachael ray's recipe exactly.

luckily, i'm not one to give up. i have another can of chickpeas at home. stick around for round 2.

chickpeas -1
me - 0

night cap

what's on your nightstand at the moment?

any good books? i am almost done with eat, pray, love...took me long enough and now julia roberts is filming the movie all over nyc. at least i will be able to say i read the book before i saw the movie and can't pre-judge the film. i actually did this with my sister's keeper too. i wanted to see it so badly and almost caved to go sit with all the other sisters on a rainy day and just sap away. but proudly, i held off. oh and this book is sitting on my nightstand too, waiting patiently to be cracked. i'm asking about for book recommendations because i'm going on vacation at the end of them on the month and need that fun, girly, borderline-embarrassing-that-you're-actually -reading-it book to come join me. and twilight doesn't count. i've held off this long. i can't handle another guilty pleasure to obsess over.

and back to nightstands. i need to find miss peg one to add to her new guest room/sis's room at the moment. i convinced her to buy this bed a few months back. then picked out a brass studded dresser and matching mirror to compliment it. oh and this bedding too. now the nightstands are necessary. a few potential options to match:

crate and barrel's nesting duo

loving crate & barrel's glass-topped tripod

my favorite of them all but ethan allen's $799 pricetag is not happening on peg's dime

i think two of these from smart bargains could are quite charming

jcpenney's nightstand looks heavy duty...but the price is nice and light

do we like any of them, ladies?

if not, i'll keep slaving. can't wait to get this project done for you girls and make you truly feel at home, sis. we're almost there.

(photo credits - crateandbarrel.com, ethanallen.com, flickr.com, home-furnishings.smartbargains.com, jcpenney.com)

"pick me. choose me. love me."

have you gotten one yet?

nyc doesn't have any patches for me to go pick one...but every little corner deli has them waiting for you when you walk in. i go in to get a coffee and i swear i hear them say, "buy me. bring me home." must add some halloween holiday flair to my apartment in the morning. stay tuned.

lou - where is the holiday box when i need it???

(photo credit - jordanferney.blogspot.com)

twice the fun.

of course, i just recently bought a fancy new digital camera and missed out on this even fancier one. i would guesstimate that at least 50% of the pictures i take would be much improved with this gadget.

girls love to take this picture. as for boys, i am pretty sure they hate it every time they see your arm twist around, right in their face, yet again, in an attempt to snap you both in the moment. this camera would ensure you don't have to take the same picture 8 times before getting both your heads in the shot. am i right or am i right? hint hint, santa.



one day i will be ahead of the next big thing. blast!

(photo credit - samsung.com)