Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Sparkly Snow and Ruby Slippers

Hi There!

How is everyone on this snowy December day? Fortunately for me, I was at a meeting in NYC, so I was able to look down at the snowy streets from a nice warm office building instead of trudging around through the slippery snow! While I don't love snow when it accumulates to a point where the streets are lined with big grey (sometimes tinted yellow, hehe) snow banks, I do love  watching the first sparkly flurries of the season cover the streets in a thin blanket of fluffy white  snow.

snow

So, let me catch you up on what's been going on with me over the past couple of days. Sunday involved drinking hot chocolate and decorating our small, but adorable tree.

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I made our hot chocolates with plain almond milk btw, and it was delish.


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Yes, she is a little peanut. However, I'm a firm believe that good things come in small packages. We opted for a fake tree this year, as PJ recently decided that he didn't like the idea of ending the life of a real tree for our viewing pleasure. I have to admit that I giggled when he first told me this. He displayed real passion around this issue (he had had a few drinks prior to making his declaration!), so I agreed to the fake tree. I mean, there is less mess, we can use her again next year, and I can get a candle to mimic the real tree smell that I love! Does anyone else find it ironic that PJ doesn't want to cut down a tree, but on the other hand does not consider food a meal unless there is meat included? But I digress... haha.

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Speaking of trees, I saw this beauty last night after enjoying a lovely, family style Italian dinner with coworkers in NYC. On a side note, does family style Italian dining stress anyone else out? I love the food and the "sharing" idea, but I feel like I lack the coordination to pass all those heavy platters of food around the table. I have nightmares of dumping a platter of chicken parmigiana on someones lap...

cute_baby_spaghetti_spill_food690Or head ...


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Before dinner, I met up with this little muffin at a beer bar called Beer Culture in Hell's Kitchen.


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I had a delish brew, and Valentine enjoyed a tasting sampler. I would like to go back to this spot as they had some unique beers on draft, and we only had a very short amount of time to spend there.


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Since I didn't have to cook last night, I will share my dinner from Sunday night. Roasted cauliflower with garlic asiago breadcrumbs, twice baked sweet potatoes, and roasted chicken thighs with artichokes and oregano. Sounds fancy, but it was SUPER easy and more importantly, delish.My view on cooking has not changed much since my early blogging days: I prefer to cook simple, healthy, and  flavorful dishes that don't require a ton of ingredients or prep/cooking time. This chicken thigh recipe is one of PJ's favorite dishes that I make. I probably make it 1-2x a month.


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I usually add feta, but I didn't think the feta went with the asiago in the breadrumbs. The recipe is below. I highly recommend this.


Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts


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The cauliflower was awesome, too. So much garlicky goodness :) I will definitely be making this again.


Garlicky Cauliflower


The sweet potatoes were the disappointment of the meal due to my heavy hand (dump) with the cinnamon. Oops! Better luck next time!


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After work today, I got in some yoga with my girl Kathryn Budig on Yogaglo. It was a great class filled with lots of stretchy goodness. Now I'm off to sip my candy cane  lane tea and get ready to slumber away!


Something to read: DO yourself a favor and check out this link. 11 Body Image Heroes of 2013.


Love. It.


Something to remind yourself:


dorothy quote



xoxo


Sarah :)

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