Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!  Oh, what a week.  What a super long week.  So looking forward to the weekend {as I always am}!  Dylan and I have a fun weekend ahead of us...I'll update ya next week on what we're up to! : )  Tonight, you guessed it, we grill.  I am making a little side pasta dish with some of the leftover veggies and toppings from our homemade pizza {as mentioned here} the other night.  Looking forward to that and to see what I can come up with and if it'll be a keeper in the recipe box.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with fun!!  Here are my Friday Faves:

1. Peach Mango Habanero Chevre. I've mentioned this before {here} and can't seem to shake the desire to devour it again!!  It comes in a small little package because a little bit goes a long way.  It's great smeared on a warm french baguette.  I mean, it's just divine.  Oh me and my love for good cheese!  I blame this particular love for the extra nudges up on the scale every now and again : )

This glorious cheese came from Roswell Provisions where Caly Road, a local creamery, showcased a few of their flavors.  The sun-dried tomato basil is good too but, frankly, this one knocked my socks off!!  Slightly sweet with a kick from the habanero and soooo creamy and perfect.  The contact info is on my pic below or drop on into Roswell Provision and scoop some up!  You'll thank me!

2. Yellow Flowers.  Not sure why I'm on the yellow kick but the last few times I've purchased fresh flowers I've gone yellow.  The latest: bright yellow sunflowers and mini yellow roses.  Yellow is bright and cheery so they liven up the place which I love!  The brighter and crisper the house is, the better it looks and feels.  I love dim downed lights for a dinner party, for sure, but for us moving about daily and me fishing for or completing some DIY projects, I like to have the house bright and airy.  Mission accomplished with yellow flowers!



Snapped this pic when I was setting up for our friends to come over for light appz and cocktails
before our amazing dinner at Little Alley a few weekends ago.  See how pretty and bright the sunflowers are?!?

Pretty little mini yellow roses



I stuck the mini roses in with some greenery, hypericum berries, and white Gerber daisies

 3.  Engraved Bowl.  This pretty little bowl was a wedding gift from my bro-in-law's mama and daddy.  So thoughtful and we adore it!!  It has our names and wedding date around the rim of the inside.  The polka dots add a touch of whimsy which I love!  I'm not sure exactly where she purchased ours but to my surprise I found a store in Roswell that sells them!  The Chandlery has some very very similar to this...almost identical!  This makes a great wedding or shower gift.

4.  Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice.  I've posted about this rice before {here } and I like it so much I thought I'd mention it again!  This is a staple in our freezer now and literally requires no effort to make...you just microwave it!  I like to add veggies and make a little stir fry with it but it's great all by itself too!  If you need a super fast, yummy side dish then go to Trader Joe's and pick this up in the freezer section!!

 

My version with the added veggies!  I like asparagus, onions, and mushrooms in mine.
 

5.  Another Birthday Celebration!!!!  Our little kitten Sushi recently turned one year old and now our little huge sweet puppy Abbey has followed suit.  Abbey turned one year old yesterday!!!  It was next to impossible to take good photos because she was literally all over the place!  Can't believe how fast she's grown!!  We love her so much and she really is our first "kid."  She gobbled down this smelly beefy canned food and licked her lips for a while!  Happy girl : )



Dylan tried his best to get good pics but she was so excited it was hard to get her to sit still!!

 

Homemade Pizza

Papa, who? Seriously, who needs Papa John's when you can have a fun evening with your spouse making your own homemade pizza with whatever toppings you'd like?!?  The last couple days, I'd been feeling a bit under the weather with not much of an appetite, so yesterday afternoon when the hunger hit it hit hard!!  I was craving pizza!  In fact, the idea occurred to me as I was picking up the ingredients at the grocery store how much I'd love an outdoor brick pizza oven one day!  Ahhhh, pause for a quick daydream....Okay back to reality.

Making homemade pizza is actually a little tradition of mine and Dylan's that originated back when we were first dating.  In your early-mid-late twenties, if you're trying to get away from the going out scene and save some "dough"~pun intented~then a meal like this is really great!  Its a fun way to spend time in the kitchen with your man {or your best girlfriend or whoever is special to you} and bond through the prepping and cooking!  It takes two, baby.

Use whatever ingredients your hearts desire. Admission: this is a sneaky huge way I can get my husband to eat more veggies so I throw in as many veggie topping options as possible.  A little Sinatra playing on our vinyl record player in the background, two glasses of cabernet, and away we go preparing our pizza!! Not quite sure who has more fun with this meal, me or Dylan?  Or if its the memories it brings back from when we first made this together when we were dating and both had such butterflies in our stomach, we didn't think we could eat a thing!  Sure enough, though, it worked then and it's still fabulous now!  This is a meal to laugh through, chat through, sip wine through.  To savor the smells in the kitchen and enjoy each other's company.  Without further delay, here's how we roll...

1. Get all ingredients on your counter from the toppings to the ingredients for the dough.
Tip: Remember you eat with your eyes first so the more vibrant and colorful the toppings, the better!

Our ingredients up close and personal

Mild Sausage {or hot whichev you prefer} cooked in a skillet and crumbled.
Dylan handled this part!

This brand is just as good to me as a homemade pizza sauce.  Classico in a jar!



My favorite, the star of my half of the pizza, Vigo Marinated Artichoke Hearts.  These are even great in pasta
dishes or in a green salad with some kalamata olives and crumbled feta. 

Our Spices: Dried basil, pizza seasoning, Herb de Provence, thyme, rosemary, and italian seasoning

2.  Start working on your dough.  We bought Martha White Pizza Crust mix but feel free to make the crust entirely from scratch!  I got Dylan started then he took over like a Master Chef!

Add hot water to the mix according to the package.

Stir stir stir!!

I knead the dough until its a more cohesive mixture.

Form it into a ball, drizzle with olive oil, and cover with cling.  Let the dough rest for at least 5 mins.

Husband takes over!  Flour on the board, get rid of the cling wrap and cover the rolling pin
with a little dusting of flour so the dough won't stick to it.  He knows what he's doing!!
 



Roll away to spread out the dough into a circle.

He then placed the dough on a pizza pan and pricked it all around with a fork to keep the dough from rising and ballooning up in the oven.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 475 for 5 mins on the bottom rack.  This is just enough time to brown the top of the crust so you are ready to add toppings before cooking it all.  {These directions are on the Mary White package as well}

3.  While Dylan worked on the dough, I chopped all our veggies and got em ready for decorating the pizza!

Interruption picture!  Here, our lovely music for the evening...Sinatra on vinyl.  Perfection!

Back to it!  How cool is this bamboo cutting board with these cups that sit in it!  Ideal for this type of meal when you want to choose which ingredients to add to personalize your meal the way you see fit.  Also, great for serving food that require dipping sauces or spreads on the side...easy access all on one board.

 

4. Decorate your pizza!  This is the super fun part! Take out the crust that's been in the oven for 5 mins and go to work! 

Look at Dylan! Impressive marinara spreading tactic!



Our toppings...unfortunately, we added a few more so I decided to only show this pic!

Pizza piled high and into the oven!  Bake for about 15 mins.

Tada!  Deeeelissssh!!!!

Trader Joe's Brown Rice with Veggies

Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice {found in the frozen section} might be the best brown rice I've ever had!  Well, except for my mama's, of course, which has that yummy southern flair with a few added ingredients ; ).  Dylan absolutely loves my mama's recipe but is not a fan of the organic Trader Joe's kind {imagine that!}.  So this is something quick I make just for myself either on nights when he has a heavier side dish and I want something lighter and full of veggies or if I simply need something to take for lunch for a few days to replace those pitiful lean cuisines.

One package makes quite a bit so you'll have lots o leftovers especially if you add veggies to it.  It's super super healthy and low calorie which is always a good thing!  I'll share my take on it below...

3 pouches come in a box so you don't even have to figure out portion control,
it's already figured out for you! And another great thing is that all you have to do is
throw the pouch into the microwave to cook the rice!  How simple!

Trader Joe's Brown Rice with Veggies {my version}

*Prep and chop veggies. For me, onion, asparagus and mushrooms.  I like the meatiness that the mushrooms brings to the dish without having to add actual meat.



*In skillet, spray no calorie Pam or any non stick cooking spray.  Add onions and asparagus and sautee.

*Add salt and pepper to taste and a few dashes of low sodium soy sauce.  I've also added worcestershire sauce before and that gives the veggies some depth for sure and a little extra salty bite.  You could even use a little of both!

*Next, add in mushrooms.  Mushrooms are literally filled with water so that's why you don't need to add any type of olive oil or additional water to the skillet.  Trust me, a lot of water from the mushroom will surface and even bubble up to a boil in the skillet but then, never fear, it will eventually cook out. 

*Cook on med heat after the water from the mushrooms cooks out and until they reach the desired consistency.  I prefer my veggies a bit crunchy so I don't cook them too long.

*Next up, microwave one pouch of rice and add to your veggies and toss in a bowl.

And finito!  Brown rice with veggies!  I store mine in two containers when I take it for lunch so I have two days worth of it in the work fridge.  It's one of those dishes that's even tastier the next day!  Enjoy!

Friday Favorites

Hey Friday, how you doin?  : )  I'm so happy to see the weekend! Yet another fun one in store for the Bowden's.  Tonight, you guessed it, we grill, although I must admit I have eaten quite the substantial lunch that hubby might, in fact, be the only person dining this evening! Tomorrow, I'll enjoy a much needed hair appointment, picking up my bridesmaid dress from the alteration store for Kim's wedding next weekend, and finishing a few more little errands. Dylan's on yard duty {I did promise, however, to pitch in and help rake those annoying beautiful magnolia leaves in the front yard....urgh!} and then a fun night with our friends!  Appetizers and cocktails at our house for a bit, then on to Little Alley for the best food ever!!!  I can already smell the filet!

Sunday is church at North Point with a new series starting which we can't wait to hear!  Then, I think we'll relax {or try to unless I come up with some project or something, ha!}. 

I do want to get started on a new book that is out called Gone Girl which is a suspense novel and I'm always a sucker for that on the edge of your seat, suspense in books, movies, etc. I'll report back on the novel and if I find it to be as good as the critics say.

Here are my Friday Faves:

1. Cheese Plate Dinner.  I'm sure I've mentioned this before but Dylan and I love having nights of trying different cheeses and nibbly things for dinner.  Especially on weekend nights~usually Sundays.  Well, last weekend we ventured into our favorite store, Roswell Provisions, to pick up some delicious items.  Of course, we always get their freshly baked baguettes and some dipping sauce and some type of meat to go along with the cheeses.  We splurged a bit and also got one of their divine strawberry cupcakes.  Hey, a girl's gotta live, right!



We enjoyed a delish local white cheddar, some peach mango habanero chevre, sausages, baquette cut
into cubes, crackers with black pepper, olives, and three dipping sauces: A balsamic and olive oil mixture, a Roasted Garlic Rosemary dipping sauce we've had for a while from RP {these spices last a long time!}, and finally a creamier Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese dip {also from RP}.  All scrumptious!

Instructions are on the package, this one you just mix in to light sour cream and
mayo and stir.  I added more than the 2 Tbs of seasoning because we dig a big kick of flavor!

For this one, just mix in some of the spices with a tbsp of hot water to release the dried herbs fragrance, oils, and flavor and bring it to life.  Then you drizzle in olive oil and give it a stir!  Super easy!

The heavenly strawberry cupcake!!!  We rarely eat sweets but this
pretty little cupcake is so good and moist and not too terribly rich.   I adore strawberries
so the owner gave me three fresh strawberries to go along with the cupcake. MMMM GOOD!!!

2. Unique Color Combos.  I recently completed our guestroom {well all except for finding curtains} and I don't really know where my inspiration came from but I ended up with a color combo of this slate blue-ish gray color for the walls, white bedding with orange {tangerine} and white zebra print pillows and a sky blue additional flower pattern throw pillow.  Sounds strange but it turned out beautifully I think.  Serene enough for guests to enjoy but still pleasantly bright and airy {I think because I limited the paint to only one accent wall}.  The bed frame is a super super old antique bed from my Mama Ruth's house.  I adore it and often think how lucky I am to have received this beautiful piece with so much history. I must walk in this room 2 or 3 times a day when I get home from work to admire the bed and the colors.  I'll have to get a pick of the detailing on the headboard and footboard and post soon.

The sunburst mirror was a huge score from Home Goods and adds
another aesthetically pleasing element, reflection of light and the sparkle it brings to the wall.

The orange and white pillow, another Home Goods find.  $10 a piece, so cheap!
The blue flower pillow from The Painted Monkey in Roswell on Canton Street.

3. Eye Shadow from Ulta in Granite.  This is an eyeshadow I picked up about a month ago during a sale at Ulta and it really is great shadow!  This color works well with my green eyes and helps them to pop!  It looks great when wearing a black dress/shirt or with a crisp white shirt.  A little fancy for day unless you do clear mascara...to me, more night appropriate for a smokey, but not too smokey, eye with a little shimmer.

4.  Trader Joe's Sparkling Lemonade.  I've enjoyed {and posted about} their Sparkling Blood Orange Juice so wanted to give another flavor a shot.  This lemonade is sensational!  Not your run of the mill type lemonade by any means. Its slighly sweet with that kick of sparkle and zing!  I think this would be great to serve at a baby shower or for a kid's birthday party.  I like to have these sparkling juices as a departure from soda's like diet coke and diet sprite.  Those are just not good for you!  So this is my attempt at slowly easing away from those type drinks.

Last week, I curled up on the couch in our living room, sipped on this fabulous lemonade and read all my party planning books!  Pure bliss!  : )

5.  Two Favorite New Blogs.  http://www.brooklynblonde.com/ and http://www.eatsleepwear.com/   Both of these bloggers scream style!!  Love looking at their outfits and ideas.  If you're really girly like me, you'll love it too!  Both have sophisticated yet trendy styles.  And they both frequently sport a high top knot bun!! My fave summer hair style!!! : )

 Hope you have a super wkend!  Of course, I must leave you with pics of our "babies!"