Valentine's Day 2017

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a great time celebrating those you love. I know some people don't really like Valentine's day, but I am NOT one of those people! I understand why some don't like it. They're thinking we should always show our loved ones we care about them. We shouldn't need a special day to appreciate them. I completely agree with that; however, I think Valentine's day is a chance to go above and beyond to make everyone you care about feel special (this being friends, family, coworkers, and fur babies.. not just significant others)! I love every holiday, and Valentine's Day is no exception!  

My coworkers are so special. I couldn't make it through a single day at work without them! Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful since I first started working with them, so I wanted to show them my gratitude by getting them some yummy Valentine treats. I didn't get any pictures of the donuts, but they were so cute! Dunkin Donuts made heart shaped donuts and ones with pink frosting and sprinkles. Very festive!! 

I also made my baby sister a special Valentine gift bag. I filled a hot pink bag full of small gifts and had it waiting on her when she came to my house. She loved it! It had a pink and white polka dot coffee mug, pink nail polish, a face mask, strawberry scented body wash, pink lip gloss, and some candies. She got me a gigantic Reese heart (my favorite) and the sweetest card. I'm so fortunate to have such a close, special bond with my little Pooter girl! 

I made a trip to Target to pick up Valentine's gifts (stuff for Kelly's gift bag, a toy for Scruffy, and some baking supplies to make Valentine cupcakes). Of course, I was wearing my hot pink coat with a pink sweater when I went shopping. The cashier started cracking up at me because literally everything about me was PINK from my clothes to the things I was purchasing! LOL What can I say.. Pink is my signature color!

My sweet Scruffy girl liked her Valentine's Day gift!

As expected, Tyler made sure I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. He is always so sweet to me, but for this holiday he goes above and beyond. We celebrated for several days starting last weekend. I made lots of treats for us including strawberry heart shaped muffins and cupcakes. 

Tyler always does such a great job at gift giving. He got me some beautiful black rhinestone Michael Kors slip on shoes that I have been eyeing for awhile now. Also, since the RHONJ DVDs were such a hit on my birthday (and because I have re-watched the first three seasons 100 times now), he bought me season 4! 

We had already exchanged gifts over the weekend, so you can imagine my surprise when I walked into work on Tuesday to a gigantic edible arrangement! Y'all, I'm terrible. I did not get a picture of my beautiful arrangement. It was in a big red basket and full of chocolate hearts, strawberries, heart shaped pineapples, and grapes. It was so pretty! I rushed home from work to break into it, and after Kelly and I had about 14 strawberries, I realized I hadn't gotten a picture LOL So you all get to see the after picture once I had disassembled it. 

We had our Valentine's Day dinner on Tuesday at a place called Paterno's. It was delicious!! The restaurant overlooks the Power Park baseball field. We had an appetizer that was a green pepper stuffed with hot sausage and topped with marinara and cheese. YUM! Tyler and I both got alfredo as our main course. We will definitely be going back to that restaurant! 

For my Valentine outfit, I went with one of my favorites: my Lilly Pulitzer cashmere cape. It is so soft, and it is the most vibrant color of pink. I accessorized with my sparkly J Crew necklace that my mother in law got me and my Louis Vuitton clutch from my parents. 

My handsome Valentine.. the cutest, sweetest, smartest, most caring man I know! 

I think it goes without saying that I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be married to Tyler. He takes such good care of me. I am very blessed to be spending my life with my best friend in the whole world! I hope each and every one of you had a great holiday full of love and lots and lots of chocolate! Until next time.. Take care y'all! 

   

Super Bowl 2017

Hey y'all! What did everyone think of the Super Bowl?! Tyler and I had some friends over to watch the game, and we had so much fun together! I loved the half time show, and we couldn't have asked for a more exciting game! Tyler and I were technically rooting for Atlanta since they are a southern team, but I was happy for the Patriots when they won. I have family that lives in Massachusetts, and they are huge fans. I was tickled for them that their favorite team won! 

Y'all know I couldn't have a get together without whipping up some yummy snacks! We only had three people over, so I didn't go overboard. I made smokies, chocolate covered strawberries, jalapeño poppers, spinach and artichoke dip, and pasta salad. There wasn't a bit of food left by the end of the game! We ate like little pigs all day long LOL

Tyler surprised me with this huge crate of strawberries he got from The Strawberry Lady. She brings fresh strawberries to WV from Florida. They were so delicious! I cut some up to keep in the fridge to snack on, froze some for smoothies, AND used some to make the chocolate covered strawberries.

I use this spray called FIT to wash all of my fruits and veggies. It is an organic spray that removes pesticides and any residues left on the food. I just spray it on, rub it in, then rinse off the fruit/veggies. It is easiest to do this in a colander so the water will just drain right out of the bowl. 

Red, white, and black (well chocolate brown) strawberries since we were rooting for The Falcons!

This is Tyler's absolute favorite snack. They're called jalapeño poppers, and they're super easy to make. All you need is a can of diced jalapeños, a block of cream cheese, a can of original crescent rolls, and a smidge of sugar. 

Little smokies in the crock pot.. Kelly's favorite!

Spinach and artichoke dip - y'all I can't lie.. this isn't homemade LOL Walmart has the best spinach artichoke dip in their deli. I live off of it. All you have to do is heat a little up in the microwave. The chips we use are Wheat Thins Toasted Pita Chips. I prefer the original, but I think the ones pictured are the garlic and herb flavor. 

I always think of my cousin Taylor when I make pasta salad because she absolutely loves it! I used whole wheat noodles to make this dish a little healthier. Whole wheat noodles and chocolate covered strawberries - it's called balance y'all LOL

Tyler says that weekends are his "cheat days." LOL We have been trying to eat a little healthier (with the key word being TRYING). Tyler has definitely been more successful than me. I just can't quit Cherry Coke, y'all! Last week I meal planned and prepped, and we had several dishes that I really enjoyed. My favorite was blackened chicken, roasted garlic asparagus, and sweet potatoes. My parents got me some new mixing bowls and measuring spoons that match my KitchenAid mixers and food processor. I was able to put those to good use during my meal prep sessions! Tonight I am going to throw some chicken and salsa verde in the crock pot for dinner. I bought romaine lettuce boats to use as a tortilla when I make the chicken tacos. It is actually a delicious alternative!  

Y'all know my ice blue KitchenAid mixer is my prized possession. My maw maw got it for me when I got married. My mom got me the matching hand mixer and food processor for Christmas, and then recently she and my dad found the matching KitchenAid mixing bowls and measuring spoons! I love them so much, and I've been putting them to good use with all this cooking I've been doing!

This was my favorite meal we had last week. I just sprinkled blackened seasoning on the chicken and made it in my cast iron skillet. I didn't use any grease or oil besides some cooking spray to coat the skillet so the chicken wouldn't stick to it. I baked the asparagus and added some olive oil, pink himalayan salt, black pepper, and a hint of garlic powder. If you're craving something cheesy, parmesan is your best option. Asparagus is delicious with a little parmesan sprinkled on it! Tyler ate his sweet potato plain, but I couldn't resist adding a little cinnamon to mine. My mom likes to put nutmeg on them as well. 

I have to say that the one thing I've done with this "new healthy eating" thing is drink more water. I have limited myself to one Coke a day, and when I go to work I take a huge thing of lemon water. I use half a lemon every day, and it gives it just the right amount of flavor without being overbearing. I was never a huge water drinker, but this has really helped me drink more of it. Now I sometimes actually crave an ice cold lemon water. Just like I did with the strawberries, I always wash my lemons off with the FIT spray before I use them. I also pick out any seeds so I don't choke to death by sucking one of them up through my straw LOL 

I'm not sure when my blog shifted from a lifestyle blog to a cooking blog. I guess all I really do anymore is cook, clean, and go to work. Since I'm sure y'all don't care to hear about me filling prescriptions and doing laundry, I guess cooking posts is what you'll get. Although, I do have a few hilarious work stories... we'll save those for another day. Until next time, take care y'all!