Hope everyone had a great weekend. Hubby and I had a pretty low key weekend, which was great for me. I’m in serious need of more down time. We pretty much just relaxed, took care of a few things around the house, and enjoyed some good eats. We did get the chance to make it out to a neat exhibition in town – Mummies of the World. I’ve watched a couple historical shows on mummies recently, so it was interesting to see in person.

Anywho, I made something fun this weekend and wanted to share with you guys…

A Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Mmm…

I realize it’s a bit late in the season (or completely past the season…whatevs), but timing hasn’t always been one of my strong points. I had a can of pumpkin I didn’t want taking up space in my pantry till next fall, so I decided to go ahead and open it for some everyday eats.

I based the smoothie on my Blueberry Pie Smoothie with a couple simple ingredient swaps. Pumpkin was obviously the star ingredient, but I also added one of my favorite, staple smoothie ingredients – banana. I think bananas give smoothies a nice texture and add natural sweetness, so I like to include them in most smoothies I make.

Hello beta-carotene!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Here’s a great way to use leftover (and healthful) canned pumpkin. I did a play on my Blueberry Pie Smoothie with a new flavor profile. You could add canned pumpkin to any ole smoothie, but paired with oats, cinnamon, and vanilla, you get a more pie-like flavor, which is way more fun.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy or dairy milk), sweetened (or use unsweetened milk, dairy or non-dairy – just also add a drop of vanilla and your sweetener of choice, to taste) – see notes above
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pumpkin (this will yield a light pumpkin flavor – add more to taste)
• 2 ice cubes
• dash-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste (or sub pumpkin pie spice)

Directions:

1. Combine milk and oats in a medium bowl/pyrex and let rest in refrigerator for 5 minutes.
2. Combine milk/oat mixture, banana, pumpkin, ice cubes, and cinnamon in a blender. Blend till ingredients are combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes, or until smoothie reaches your desired consistency.
3. Enjoy!

You may also enjoy:

• Blueberry Pie Smoothie
• Figgy Green Monster Smoothie (tastes like cake batter!)
• Healthy Cookies ‘N Cream Smoothie

Reader question: Do you only eat pumpkin in one season or all year long?

Lately, I’ve been uninspired to get out of bed in the morning. Why? I’m going to be honest with you. Work is kicking my a$$ and stressing me out big time. And if you’re in the same boat, I have a breakfast idea that may help make you ready to take on the day.

I normally don’t like talking about work on my blog, but you know what? If any of my co-workers were actually reading this, I think they’d be nodding their head and saying, “I hear ya, girl! Me too!” Our current work environment is very stressful and picking up stream. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel when our current project gets released in just a few short weeks. And then, we can all be normal again.

So, what do you do when you aren’t quite ready to face the day? Find something to help get you going. May I present…

Nutella Swirl Oatmeal!

This is really so simple to make.

Here’s my Non-Recipe:

Just make your choice of oatmeal (I like stove top, and the bowl pictured is made with pumpkin). Take however much Nutella you feel like eating (I used 1 tablespoon), and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the Nutella until it becomes soft and easy to pour (15-30 seconds should do it). Use two spoons to scoop and pour the Nutella into a swirl design (or carefully pour the Nutella straight from the bowl). Top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy.

I’m really loving this idea of finding a reason to get out of bed when you’re otherwise uninspired. I think I’ll have to brainstorm some more ideas like this one!

Reader question: What tricks do you use to start the day when you’re not feeling so ready for it? What’s your get-out-of-bed inspiration?

I woke up at my parent’s house to this awesomeness…

a handwritten note from my mom. She woke up before 5 am this morning to get ready for work and still prepared a pot of coffee for the family. I didn’t care as much about the coffee, but I did love the note. She used to write us notes all the time growing up, and I miss them.

Mom got some samples of the new Starbucks Blonde coffee, so we had that with breakfast.

Sis woke up in the mood for cooking. She made us waffles using the waffle iron she got for Christmas two year ago.

She found a special recipe online for extra-fluffy waffles. The trick is whipping egg whites and then folding them into the rest of the waffle batter. From the looks of the waffles, I think she’s onto something.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had from-scratch waffles. Actually, I don’t think I’ve had them since the last time Sis made them.

I asked my dad to tell me about his early life again over breakfast. He’s told us the stories hundreds of times over the years, but they never get old. I guess part of the reason is because I never really knew my grandparents, and they’ve all passed, so I like to get to know them through my parent’s stories. And every time dad tells a story, I learn another gem of information. For example, recently, I learned that my grandmother’s favorite color was light turquoise (like TCL-blue!) and that she studied fashion design at the Moore College of Art & Design. She even designed and sewed her own clothing. I wish she was around still so we could have sewing sessions together and talk fashion.

***

My sister decide to make lunch for us, too.

She made ginger-soy chicken with rice and one of her specialities…

Miso soup {with onions and potatoes}.

It was all delicious, and I ended up eating too much. But, I did save room for dessert.

My sister {who actually hates most vegetables} has recently fallen in love with winter squash. She made us roasted acorn squash with maple syrup and butter for dessert.

I know it sounds a little odd, but it was actually good and made for a great dessert. I told her she could save any leftovers to make a squash oatmeal for breakfast like this one I made awhile ago. Sounds weird, tastes great!

***

As for all that menu planning talk from yesterday…interestingly enough, hubby suggested we work on a meal plan on our car ride home. I don’t think he actually read yesterday’s blog post, but maybe he did. Either way, I agreed it was a good idea, so we worked on a draft on our way home.

I don’t love it, but it’s a start. I’ve realized that sometimes I don’t menu plan because I don’t think I’ll do a good enough job…so, I just do nothing at all. But, I suppose a so-so menu plan is better than none at all, right? Plus, perhaps menu planning is like most things – it gets better with practice? I like to think so.

What are your menu/meal planning tips? I loved the one Jackie left the other day saying to use categories or themes. My family (mom, dad, sis) actually likes to do that when they menu plan, and it definitely seems like a great idea. And reader Dione suggested having lazy/easy dinners and freezing batches of food. Hubby and I were actually just talking today about how we used to eat easier meals back in the day and that we should start doing so again. And I’m a big believer in freezing food – especially soup! Any other ideas, guys? Share your meal planning tips in a comment.

EIM Eats

We’re enjoying a relaxing weekend with my family, which means lots of down time with lots of good food, too.

We had eggs, biscuits/rolls, bacon and my fave – my dad’s potatoes.

Do you make your dog sit away from you when you eat? We do. We usually make him go on his bed, but when he’s at my parent’s house, we just make him sit away. I definitely had to give him the “I’m watching you” sign a la Meet the Parents. I think he knows what it means, too.

Sis and I wanted to spend some QT with my mom for her birthday, but she didn’t really want to do anything except hang out around the house. It’s been forever since I had the chance to just veg-out, so today, with nothing to do, we ended up watching TV. We got caught on the Investigation Discovery channel. Man, that channel really sucks you in…just like Lifetime! lol

We heated up leftovers from last night for a quick lunch with some fresh-cooked veggies.

For dinner, we had dad’s chicken noodle casserole with steamed broccoli & carrots, and a biscuit.

***

Menu Planning

I will be the first to say that I suck at menu planning. I think it’s because I’m always so busy running around, that I find it hard to sit still long enough to think through the week and actually plan something out. I also find that I like to decide on dinners based on what I feel like eating that day. I know – excuses, excuses.

Anywho, I think menu planning can be very effective for not only Eat in Month, but every day living. I keep meaning to start doing it, but I usually only make it a week or two before falling back to my slacker ways. So, since I can’t offer any advice on meal planning, I turned to one of my favorite resources – you guys!

I asked for your personal and recommended sites and blogs (via my Facebook wall and yesterday’s post) for meal planning and here are some you shared:

• Jackie of That Deep Breath posted a link to her Menu Planning category on her blog
• Emily at Relishments posted her tips on menu planning
• Athena shared I’m an Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday
• And Nicole mentioned finding good inspiration on Pinterest (PS click here to see my Pinterest profile and click here to go straight to my “Entree Chic” board )
• And lastly, I found a cool resource by Real Simple – a PDF you can print and use for menu planning (click here to view) along with a couple quick tips

Do you have any more meal planning sites/blog posts to add? If you’re a reader without a blog, you can just share your meal plans and/or tips in a comment if you want (here or on my Facebook wall).

Hello friends! I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend. I’m feeling much better now that the weekend is here! Work has been stressful, per the usual, but I’m hoping to get some quality rest time in over the next day or two.

Today started great with scrambled eggs and cheese on whole wheat rolls with slices of blood orange on the side.

After brunch, I headed out to help with Zumba instructor auditions. We had some new guys going through group auditions today. Live auditions will be next week. You may remember when I went through auditions (back in 2010) – it’s scary stuff! The girls did great, and I can’t wait to see who makes it to the live auditions!

After the auditions, I headed home to do a quick packing job so we could head out to visit my family for my mom’s birthday. We were actually heading straight to their house for a quick change and then out for dinner. That’s right…I had to cheat on Eat in Month (since I already used my 1 cheat meal pass for that new restaurant opening event). I called my mom the other day to tell her when we were coming in town, and she excitedly told me that she’d made dinner reservations at a local Japanese steak house. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I wasn’t supposed to be eating out…especially since she seemed so happy about it. And, I want my mom to have a happy birthday celebration. So, I figure I’ll just tack another day to my challenge or something to make up the difference.

So, anywho, after a quick car ride, we did a quick outfit change and then headed out for dinner.

The martinis were on special, so I got an Asian Pear.

Soup (plus salad – not pictured)

I got the chicken and shrimp combination for my meals.

I think mom had a good birthday dinner…even if she was too shy to tell the staff we were celebrating. She didn’t want the big show they always do there.

We had a really special treat waiting back home. My sister had commissioned her friend to bake us a birthday cake for my mom and hubby’s birthdays (they both have January b-days).

We got a butter chocolate drip cake.

Please note luscious chocolate drips. Mmm…

The cake was, of course, delicious. I’ll probably still bake another one for hubby closer to his birthday, though.

***

I was hoping to share some meal plan ideas for Eat in Month (as resources/links, not my own plans). Does anyone out there already blog meal plans or know of any sites that do? I’d love to see some links and share them with the EIM challenge participants. please leave the links in a link.

I realize in this chilly weather that an ice-cold smoothie probably isn’t the first thing to come to mind, but since we’re still in cold & flu season, this one may…

I was feeling a little run down the other day and in need of a big blast of Vitamin C to ward off any approaching sickness. So, I blended up this little concoction to help the cause.

I call it Tropical {Vitamin} C Blast Green Monster Smoothie.

I picked fruits {and some other goodies} that I had in my freezer and kitchen that I thought were good sources of vitamin C: pineapple, mango, orange juice, bananas, spinach, and…wait for it…parsley.

We’ve talked about the health benefits of spinach before, but did you know parsley is a good source of vitamin C? Yup, it’s not just a pretty face…er…garnish.

Here’s a snippet from whfoods.com:

“In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of two vital nutrients that are also important for the prevention of many diseases: vitamin C and vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene).”

Tropical {Vitamin C} Blast Green Monster Smoothie

This smoothie takes me to the tropics flavor-wise, but it’s good for you, too. The smoothie contains a few ingredients that are good sources of vitamin C to help fight off colds and the flu: pineapple, mango, bananas orange juice, spinach, and parsley. Yes – parsley! Just a wee bit. I will warn you – parsley has a strong flavor. If you don’t really like it, you may be better off leaving it out. If you want to add some, err on the side of less-is-more. And if you’re a regular juicer, then, you’ll probably think lots of parsley is delicious.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups loosely packed spinach (or sub 1/4 cup frozen spinach)
• 1 small sprig parsley (about 3 leaves) – see note above for suggestions, optional
• 1 banana (a frozen banana will give you a thicker consistency, but non-frozen works, too)
• 5 small pieces of frozen mango, about 1/4-1/3 cup
• handful of frozen pineapple pieces, about 1/4-1/3 cup
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• soy milk (or milk of choice, but dairy may curdle with the acidic fruits), as needed to reach desired texture
• sweetener of choice, to taste, optional (but you probably won’t need it – the pineapple and bananas are very sweet naturally)

Directions:

1. In order: place spinach, parsley (if using), banana, mango, pineapple, and orange juice in the blender.
2. Cover and blend until ingredients are processed and smooth, about 1-2 minutes (if you need, stop and add milk and blend again until smoothie starts blending and/or reaches desired texture). Taste test and if desired, blend in sweetener of choice to taste.
3. Enjoy!

***

How’s everyone doing with Eat in Month? Things are going pretty well on my end, especially since hubby is really into the challenge this year. With my work hours being pretty insane right now, he’s really been helping out with cooking and cleaning. Bless him!

I’ve updated the Eat in Month Challenge post (click) with links to blogs for those who left comments on the challenge page saying they were participating. I added names (sans links) for those who are playing but do not have blogs/web sites. I noticed a couple other people playing who left comments on other posts here on TCL, so once I find them, I’ll get you added.

If you haven’t commented yet, but you’re playing and you want to see your name in the EIM Challenge participant list, just leave me a comment, and I’ll add it!

Ooh, and fun news on the food front…I saw a neat feature in Real Simple where they did 5 take-out style meals you can easily re-create at home, and I’m working on some of my own so help you EIM-ers curb your take-out cravings.

What are your favorite things to order for take-out?

Put some frozen pastry dough in your fridge tonight, because you’re going to want to make these tomorrow…

Quick Cinnamon Rolls – no yeast or kneading required! It’s true…read on for details – see the end of the post for the recipe.

Frozen puff pastry dough is the key to this easy recipe. You can defrost it however you want, but I found placing a sheet in the fridge the night before was easiest and didn’t really leave me waiting like the “quick” method does. The dough was waiting for me in the morning when I was ready to bake.

You don’t really have to roll the dough out, but I opted to.

Brush the whole sheet with melted butter.

And spread with brown sugar…

…and cinnamon. I thought about adding nuts, too, but I didn’t want the crunchy texture today. If you want, you could add them easily with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

You’ll want about 1/2 inch border on 3 sides and 1 inch on another.

But, it doesn’t have to be exact.

Start on the end with the 1/2 inch border and begin tightly rolling the dough up.

When it’s all rolled up, pinch the end of the dough to the roll to help seal it.

Trim off the uneven parts from the ends.

Cut the dough in half.

Cut each half into thirds.

Just look at all the cinnamon-sugar goodness!

Spray a standard-sized muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick spray.

And here it is after baking only about 30 minutes. Golden deliciousness!

While the rolls cool, you can make the icing. I kept it simple with just powdered sugar and milk, but there are fancier versions out there (just a google search away!) with mascarpone and cream cheese.

Top your rolls with a bit of icing.

You can dollop it or drizzle it. You can even make more icing if you want it extra-sugary. Whatever you do, consider enjoying your “hard” work while it’s still warm (but not too hot – don’t burn yourself!). Mmm…now go sprinkle some flour on your face so people think you worked hard at this and stuff and serve them some breakfast all Martha-Stewart-like.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls {Without Yeast}

While I prefer a yeasty cinnamon roll, with its tender-swirled layers, I don’t always prefer all the waiting and kneading and what not involved. These are the lazy-gal version of the classic cinnamon roll, and frozen puff pastry dough is they key. You’ll have to let the dough defrost, but if you plan ahead, you can put it in the fridge the night before, and it will be ready for you in the morning. Or, you can do the quick defrost recommended by the package instructions if you forget. Do note that the rolls are a little on the small side. I thought they’d be a little larger for some reason, but they were only about 2 inches in diameter. They were small in size but plenty delicious.

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Easy Sticky Buns

*Vegetarian*

Prep Time: 10 minutes (not including time to defrost the dough)
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 rolls (but you can easily double the recipe); serves about 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• non-stick spray
• flour, to prevent puff pastry from sticking
• 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (follow package instructions)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk, plus additional, as needed

Directions (see photos above for tips):  

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a standard size muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick spray.
2. Lightly flour a large flat surface (I used a cutting board), and place puff pastry on top with folds/seams running horizontally. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough out a bit so it’s stretched horizontally by about 1 inch…unless you’re feeling particularly lazy and then just skip the rolling out step.
3. Leaving a 1/2 inch border on the top, bottom, and one side and a 1 inch border on the other, evenly distribute the brown sugar and cinnamon. Working toward the 1 inch border side, tightly roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal.
4. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces – I like to cut the dough in half and then cut each half into thirds.
5. Place each dough piece, swirl side up, into one of the muffin/cupcake cups and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown.
6. While the rolls cool, make the icing – in a medium bowl combine powdered sugar and milk and whisk to combine. If needed, add additional milk (just a wee bit!) and whisk till the icing is the consistency you want.
7. When cinnamon rolls are safe to touch, move them to a plate and top with icing – add a dollop or drizzle the icing over top.
8. Enjoy!

These rolls don’t get the same doughy texture you get with the yeast version, but considering the time savings, they are a great quick-fix replacement.

We had ours with eggs and bacon…yum!

Happy baking!

The cold/flu season has hit me already, so sorry for the lack of posting the past week. I had one of those I-feel-terrible-but-not-bad-enough-to-take-a-sick-day kind of weeks.

You know…where you feel like total crapola but you don’t really have a fever and don’t feel like paying the doctor $50 or whatever for them to tell you that they don’t know what you have and to come back if your symptoms get worse.

It’s like being quasi sick.

So, I just pushed through.

I fought back with lots of my Mom’s Get Well Soup (a Filipino family recipe), hot tea, and some hippie medicine.

I seriously love this soup whether I’m feeling bad or not. You may note on the recipe that it says to add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of rice while cooking. If you do 1 cup, you’ll get a more brothy soup. Go 1 1/2 and it’ll thicken up like porridge.

Note Day #2 texture. I guess the rice just soaks all the liquid up. I suppose you could add some chicken broth to the soup while it’s re-heating, but it’s tasty regardless of the texture. I even ate it for breakfast one day, and I really liked it prepared that way.

Oh, and you know what else is pretty great when you’re sick? Oatmeal. I haven’t been eating as much of this for breakfast, but did you know oatmeal actually helps your immune system? It’s true…whfoods.com says so:

“…starting your day with a bowl of oatmeal may boost your immune response in addition to your morning energy levels.”

***

Anywho, I’ve been resting up this weekend, catching a few Lifetime movies, brainstorming holiday recipes (cookies and pot luck dishes!), and trying to generally chill out. I’m feeling much better today, so I’m hoping to be 100% sometime this week.

I’m hoping to get some holiday decorations up soon, too. How are yours coming along?

Hope you’re all staying happy and healthy!

My roomies and I went a bit rogue Saturday morning. After accidentally sleeping in a little too late, we realized we’d miss the first session.

So, we headed to the Ferry Building and Marketplace in search of breakfast.

We tried hitting up a couple restaurants with no luck, which ended up working out in our favor because Mara saw this Mexican food stand instead.

After asking the nice lady taking my order which she preferred between two options, she offered me 1/2 and 1/2 of each. Score!

First 1/2: Chilaquiles Guanajuato – with organic, local, scrambled eggs, refried beans, sour cream, avocado, white onion, and cilantro

Second 1/2: Oaxacan Tlcaovos – 2 tamales with black beans and cabbage salad

Amazing, unique, delicious and perfect for breakfast.

Good call Mara!

After breakfast, we realized we were too far away to make it to the other sessions on time, so we walked around the market snapping photos as we went.

Melissa and I split one of these vegan Pumpkin Pie Scary Spice doughnuts.

Loved the concept of these bars (similar to TOMS) – Two Degrees. For every bar you buy, they give a nutrition pack to a hungry child. And the bars were tasty, too!

{Roomies: me, Mara, Bobbi, Melissa}

And we hit up a craft market just next to the Ferry Building.

Then, it was on to the Tasting Pavilion!

I got to sample some of the TCHO drinking chocolate that I’d purchased the day before at their store.

The best pears ever – Frog Hollow Farms!

Delicious spiced nuts

Wonderful teas from a lady with a really cool concept and very special teas.

I was really excited to stop by the Cascal booth. I sampled their drinks last year and fell in love. I’ve been purchasing them now and again ever since. And now they have new flavors! I got to sample the mango, which was really tasty.

The Foodzie peeps.

The Boat Street pickled figs were the biggest surprise – they looked like black sludge ina cup (sorry – it’s true!), so I was scared to taste it, but it was actually really delicious.

I saw Teri over at the Alaskan Seafood booth. She was giving out samples of one of her recipes.

I tasted milk and yogurt for the lactose-intolerant – so cool!

This elderberry syrup drink was super-cool.

And the same lady made shortbread cookies with mushrooms – candy cup mushrooms. They were really nice and didn’t taste weird at all.

This morning roll was to-die-for. It was exactly the type of sweet, baked goodness that I crave when I want a decadent breakfast item.

California endives

Fun sauces

One of my faves – specialty sodas. I’ve really been getting into fancy sodas, and these were really good. I tried the Cherry Cola Tree and Ginger Beer drinks, which were both great.

And if I remember correctly, they have these drinks on the East coast, so I may be able to find them! (A lot of the vendors were only selling in-state or regionally.

Really tasty fudge. If you live in Napa Valley – get this!

Elaine’s Toffee Company – lovely toffees.

Vegan breads, toasts, and other goodness.

{Courtney, me, Farihah}

And I saw even more fun bloggers at the Tasting Pavilion! I saw blog friends I haven’t seen since last Foodbuzz or HLS. I even got to meet a couple bloggers who actually read my blog! I didn’t think I’d run into any one who read my blog at Foodbuzz, so it was such a nice surprise.

And then we spotted…Tyler Florence!

I got to meet him and tell him we’re both from the same hometown. I got one of his cookbooks, his autograph…

…and a photo! The photo almost didn’t happen. My camera memory card filled up just after the previous photo, but Sarah saved the day by snapping this one for me. Yay Sarah – you’re my hero!

Next time on TCL – the Foodbuzz Gala dinner.

And we’re almost done with the Foodbuzz blog posts. Sorry it’s taking so long, but I have so many photos to share, and they take awhile to edit. Plus, I’m trying to not let myself get overwhelmed again, so I’m trying to pace things out.

Coming soon:

• an interview with the CEO of The Limited
• a giveaway of 2 gift cards to The Limited
• plus fun recipes: chocolate cake minis, Mexican hot chocolate dough balls, and more!

Reader question: I’ve never really eaten Mexican for breakfast before. Have you? What’s your favorite Mexican breakfast?

One of my favorite things to do when I have guests over is make them TCL-style eats. My sister is the easiest to please because she always comes prepared with a list of things she wants to try.

I decided to make a few of my most popular recipes for my friends Beth and Bri.

Basic Green Monster Smoothies

I even decided to do a play on one of my faves for entertaining – mini frittatas.

This time, I made them sans rice and just with parsley and parmesan…and served them with Individual Blueberry Breakfast Crisps.

Parmesan Parsley Mini Frittatas

These easy mini frittatas are not only great for sharing…they whip up in under 5 minutes and take only about 10 in the oven. Switch out your favorite mixins to suit your tastes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Serves 4 (makes about 16-18 mini frittatas)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F and prep a mini tart/frittata pan with non-stick spray.
2. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir in cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.
3. Use a mini ice cream scoop (or melon baller) to fill tart/frittata cups about 3/4 full.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes until the eggs are cooked through (I usually wait till the tops are just starting to brown lightly).

Hello gorgeous!

In the afternoon, I did a super-fun kickboxing-inspired workshop that my friend Megan was leading with another friend Ashley.

And post workshop, I went with my friends Sarah and Bri to Mac’s for some casual afternoon eats.

We shared a basket of fried pickles. I’m starting to think that Mac’s makes the best fried pickles I’ve ever had. They’re nice and crispy with just the right touch of spice to let you know it’s there without burning your tongue.

Hubby stayed home to watch football, but he requested I bring home leftovers. So, I ordered the small (haha – do you see that photo?!) combo, which yielded plenty of leftovers.

After such a big lunch, I just whipped up a simple bowl of udon-noodle soup for a light dinner.

I had to save room for dessert…two desserts!

First up…a hefty slice of cheesecake that my friend Sarah made (thanks Sarah!). She first made this tasty dessert way back when for my housewarming, and I still rave about.

Plus, I had caramel apples, which were birthday gifts from Megan and Erica (thanks guys!).

They gave me four fun flavors, but I decided to crack open the pecan pie first.

It had a lovely layer of chewy caramel with crunchy nuts and warm cinnamon.

Delish! I think I’ll be ordering more of these in the upcoming holiday season. I mean…is it just me or do caramel apples scream “holidays”?!

All settled in for a cozy night at The Chic House.

Fried Pickles: Yay or Nay?

Reader Question: Do you like caramel apples? Have you tried any interesting flavors?