This 'n' That

Hello lovely readers! Today's post is going to be random and only semi-food related, but here's what's been going on in my life over that past few weeks. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen this photos already, but if not enjoy :)

1) From the previous post you know that I went to ladies night at the Hotel Clarence. However what you may or may not know is that my new years resolution is to drink less (how cliche, I know). And this was my first glass of wine...I've only had 2 more glasses since then! Go me!

 

2) I've been attempting the Primal Blueprint Diet (very similar to the Paelo Diet) and if you're not familiar with these eating lifestyles, you basically eat what our caveman ancestors ate. Click on the links for more info about both. Here is a Primal/Paleo steak dinner! Nom nom nom.

Grilled steak with a dry rub marindate (basically whatever I could find in the pantry...oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg...there were probablly others that I'm forgetting. Be brave and experiment with a variety of flavors! This dry rub turned out to be so yummy:) Roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, salt & pepper, along with steam broccoli and Thyme Finishing Butter from Wegman's Supermarket.

3) Then the next morning created these Primal pancakes. We substituted coconut flour for regular flour. I'm not completely sold on coconut flour -it tastes great but has a gritty, sandy texture that I'm not a fan of.

4) My On The Go Life Planner from Erin Condren finally arrived! This is the most I have ever spent on something like this. However I am a sucker for cutesy marketing and they have it down to a science. Everything on that site is sooooo adorable. I need new stationary and gift wrap and a recipe box and a canvas photo for my bedroom wall, right?! Not really. A huge part of their appeal, is their southern California easy living lifestyle that comes across in their products. Meanwhile I'm stuck in freezing cold upstate NY. 

Even the packaging that your purchases arrive in are so colorful and happy. PS. I'm totally in love with the quote on this planner. (The white spots are blanked out for personal protection ;)

5) Speaking of freezing cold. This you guys, it hurts my soul a little bit.

Yes, that says a high of 9 degrees Fahrenheit for this past Wednesday.

6) My sister and her chicklins came to visit me over the past weekend! She now lives in a pretty swanky part of Connecticut now and she has become a master of finding treasures from her local Goodwill stores. I'm talking authentic Gucci, Coach, Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Prada and the list goes on....we didn't find anything nearly as exciting as any of those, but I did score this book that gives you a wine-for-dummies approach. I'm excited to start going through it and learn all sorts of wine things. Oh and did I mention it was only $2.99?!

6) Despite these bone chilling temps (ie. see point # 5) it does make for some beautiful pictures.

Happy Saturday all :)

Ladies Night

At the Hotel Clarence.

Who: Ladies Night at The Hotel Clarence

What:$5 glasses of wine with specially priced appetizers

When: Every Wednesday night from 5 to 7 PM for the month of January

Where: 108 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY 13148

Mandy's Sweet Heat Chili

First of all Happy New Year!!! The holiday season has distracted me with real life things for the past two weeks and I've neglected you dear readers, but I am back! I hope you rang the new year in with style because we are now all back to the grind. After the holidays I always fall a little bit into a funk. On one hand I'm exhausted from the crazy schedule, but on the other I am a little sad that the radio stations have stop playing Christmas music. Also the prospect of three more months of snow really puts a damper on things. This melancholic combination and a need for warmth puts me in the mood for some serious comfort food, and what is more comforting than a hot bowl of flavorful chili? Not much, maybe some mac'n'cheese.

This recipe is perfect for watching Sunday's football game or on those busy week nights as we fall back into our hectic everyday lives. I developed this recipe by taking parts of chili recipes I've made over the years and ideas gathered through Pinterest in my down time. This chili is sweet and packs a punch of heat for an irresistibly savory combination.

Mandy's Sweet Heat Chili

 Serves 8-10

You will need:

Ingredients

16 oz can kidney beans

16 oz can canellini beans

2 tbs grape see oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1 lb Italian sausage, taken out of its casings (I used turkey sausage)

12 oz tomato paste

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar packed

4 tbs chili powder

2 tbs cumin

2tbs dried oregano

1 tbs paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp baker's unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

28 oz can crushed tomotoes

28 oz can tomato sauce
For garnish
Sour cream (greek yogurt is an excellent substitute)
Shredded jack cheese
Sliced green onion

Equipment

Dutch oven (I used a cast iron one)

Large crock pot (AKA slow cooker)

Rinse a 16 oz can of kidney beans and a 16 oz can of cannellini beans, place in a large crock pot (make sure it is off! You will turn it on at the end of the recipe). In a dutch oven, put 2 tbs of grape seed oil (I'm partial to this kind) with 2 chopped medium onions and 1 lb of ground beef on medium high heat. Once the beef is browned and the onions are translucent, transfer the beef & onion mixture to the crock pot with the beans. Next in the same dutch oven, cook 2 chopped green bell peppers, 1 lb of Italian sausage out of its casing, and 3 minced garlic cloves. When the sausage is almost completely browned, stir in 12 oz of tomato paste and 2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce. You want to cook this for 1 to 2 minutes more to release the flavors of the tomato paste. Now transfer the sausage mixture to the crock pot. Then directly into to the crock pot, add 1 & 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar, 4 tbs of chili powder, 2 tbs of cumin, 2 tbs of dried oregano, 1 tbs of paprika, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp of baker's cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp sea salt. Carefully mix the spices with the rest of the beef, sausage and beans. Now add a 28 oz can of crushed tomotoes and a 28 oz can of tomoto sauce, mix with the contents of the crock pot. Now is when you want to turn the crock pot on, put on Low setting for 6-8 hours or High setting for 3-4 hours. I suggest serving it with shredded jack cheese, sour cream and sliced green onions.

Connie's Diner

I have a standing breakfast date with a good friend. We try to meet up at least once a month at Connie's Diner in Waterloo, NY. This place is old school and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's the sort of place where they know your name (and your parents and your grandparents names) and it never changes. I've only ever had breakfast there but they do offer lunch and dinner as well.

I love me some tea :0)

  All of the tables have these individual juke boxes with classic oldies...alas ours was out of order.

Le menu. I typically get the breakfast special because it's 1) the best value for your money and 2) it's just so darn yummy.

Nom nom nom. Clockwise: sausage links (always get the links! they're better than the sausage patties in my humble opinion), wheat toast, 2 eggs over easy, and home fries.

The eat-in bar.

The Christmas tree!

Fun fact, there was this older gentleman there who had a hat on with mistletoe taped its brim. I thought it was cute because he seemed like a nice old man and wanted to ask him to take his picture, but I realize how this could easily veer into dirty old man territory. I digress, if you ever get the opportunity go to Connie's Diner!! PS. The Belgian waffles are stuff dreams are made of, but make sure you bring your appetite because they're huge.

Who: Connie's Diner

What: small town diner with a classic '50s vibe & awesome comfort food

Where: 205 East Main Street,
Waterloo, New York 13165-1508

Need to Know: They only accept cash. No debit/credit cards or checks, so be prepared with some old fashioned $$. They also have an ATM in the entrance in case you need to take some cash out. 

My Christmas To-Do List

Camouflage Cupcake Frosting

I realize this cupcake is really not Christmas-y at all but I think more than a few hunters will appreciate this one. I had a special request from a friend to make camouflage cupcakes for her boyfriend's birthday. When she asked if I could do it, I've never done anything like this, but I'm not one to back down from a challenge, so of course I said yes.

This cupcake is all about the frosting, so you can use any type of flavoring you'd like for the cupcakes. I also used these cute camouflage cupcake wrappers I found in Wal Mart.

 

This turned out to be really easy and sort of difficult at the same time, and really messy.

There was frosting every where!

Camouflage Cupcake Frosting
Yields enough frosting for 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup of vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco)

1/2 (1 stick) of soft unsalted butter

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

food dye -brown, green, & yellow

1) Cream the vegetable shortening & softened butter until well combined & creamy.

2) A half a cup at a time slowly incorporate the confectioners sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl between adding the sugar. 

3) Once well combined, add the vanilla extract and mix.

4) Now divide the frosting equally into 3 bowls and mix in the food coloring.

5) In a pastry bag fitted with a ribbon tip, try to add equal amounts of the 3 different frostings. This is easier said than done, but trust me the colors will combine as you squeeze the frosting out, creating a cool camouflage look. Then go ahead an top with brown sprinkles. Here I used dark green and brown leaf sprinkles.

Silence + Support For Sandy Hook

I came across this today at Glam Hungry Mom....

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To the Blog World and Anyone Else who Wants to Help,

Yesterday, tragedy struck so many of us in ways we did not foresee. An elementary school and small town in Connecticut was shattered by a mass shooting. We knew we wanted to help and we came up with this:


<img src="https://sites.google.com/site/megoblogdesign/files/sandyhooksupport.png" />
On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence.
We will post the button and that's it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.

We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services. Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:

"Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING."

Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

We can't imagine how they must be feeling, especially this close to the holidays. We would love for you to spread the word on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let's make a difference and use blogging in a positive way. Thank you in advance for participating.

Love,
The Blog World

p.s. If you would like to, copy-paste and repost any part of this, please do. Share on.