Spicing Up Thanksgiving Leftovers

If you are like many of us and have more turkey leftovers than you know what to do with, keep reading! I love leftover turkey sandwiches and soup as much as the next girl, but they can only be had for so many days before you go stir crazy! So you can imagine my glee when Nicole over at Pinch My Salt provided us all with a spin on the classic B.L.T that is sure to please my husband, and many others I am certain. I give you the B.L.A.T.-

Bacon Lettuce Avocado Turkey Sandwich with Spicy Chipotle Mayonnaise

image/Pinchmysalt

Channeling My Inner Parisian

Today was one of those mornings I just couldn't seem to get myself out of bed. Though as I was pulling myself together, I decided not to stress, but rather to channel my inner french girl...so now here I sit, new grey striped boatneck tee, skinnies, flats and a loose ponytail of curls, just wishing I was enjoying a cappuccino and pan au chocolat instead of hot tea and cough drops.

And being in the spirit for Paris, I told my husband this morning of a decision I made-we will be visiting Paris in the next 5 years. I just adore the gorgeous city and would love to go back with him! Plus, I can't help myself when it comes to planning trips, given that I have our next 4 or 5 vacations at least semi-planned:)

Have a lovely Tuesday!

image/via

That Wonderful Time of Year

Phew, that week off work sure did fly by! In a way I am completely amazed at how much I accomplished last week and in another I can't believe I am not fully decorated for Christmas yet...my speed of decorating the past years has set the bar very high. Though I can proudly say we do have our Christmas tree! It's not yet decorated, but all 11 feet of our tree is beaming in all it's glory-gotta love high ceilings!

And by the way, I hope you all had a merry Thanksgiving! Ours was great-overflowing with great eats and dear friends and family. So here's to the official start of the holiday season! Christmas music and skinny peppermint lattes are most definitely calling my name!

Merry Monday!

image/cupofjo

We're Alive

Hello, lovelies! Just wanted to pop in and let you kow that we're alive and all moved in. But it seems we won't have internet at the house until next Friday...explaining my lack of posts and pictures:( Don't worry though, I fully plan on sharing our home transformation as soon as possible!

Naturally, we've acquired quite a few stories and new homeowner bloopers over the past few days, so be sure to check back next week! And in the meantime, have a lovely Thanksgiving!

Delivery!

The last few days have been like Christmas. And not just because we now own a little piece of our beloved California(!), but we have had a few packages delivered to the house!! I knew they were coming, but there's nothing like getting to the house after work, seeing it's progress and then noticing that in a corner of the garage a new little brown box has arrived!

PS~Overstock.com is my new best friend!!

A few of the lovelies that have already shown up on my doorstep~

&

And last night we got a delivery date on our new appliances!! Am I a complete geek for being so excited about this?? Who knew that a new gas range or fridge could make a girl so giddy?!

Come Monday, I will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of this beauty~

Not Possible...

It cannot be possible that Thanksgiving is next week! Seriously, with all the attention we've put on moving, I almost forgot we were headed right into the holidays! I haven't even busted out my Christmas music yet...yes, I am one of those people. But when my mom brought up the Thanksgiving menu last weekend it was kind of a wake up call that it's the middle of November! Did this come as a suprise to anyboby else? Geez-I guess time flies when you're having fun! So I am desperately trying to get myself in holiday mode and finding it to be much more difficult than it typically is. So for the next few days, amongst packing the last of my apartment, getting the house ready for move-in Friday and maintaining some amount of sanity, you can find me preparing my tastebuds for pumpkin pie and homemade cranberry sauce...the break may be exactly what we need!

image/via

{Picture Perfect}

Our pictures are in!! And can I say, once again, how much I adore Sarah Dawson...and her work! She is incredibly talented and so fun to work with! Here's a little teaser from our photo session last month~

Coming Right Along

Merry Monday! Phew, I am tired today, but we are coming along quite nicely at the house! Though I should throw it out there that my posts may be a little irregular the next two weeks as we continue getting ready for move-in and get settled into our house. Thankfully I took all of next week off, so moving should be a little less stressful.

And can I just say, thank you all so much for your kind words via comments, Facebook and in person! We are so very grateful for the wonderful people in our lives-especially our family! Seriously, this whole process would be a nightmare without their help and support! My father-in-law is here from the bay area for almost a week painting, helping install floors and the million other big projects we have for him. It definitely helps to have a licensed contractor and professional painter in the family:)

Just wanted to share some pics of the house while it's under construction. And please, pardon the dust~

A Very Good Excuse...

First of all, I must apologize for my complete blog neglect this week! But believe me, I have a very good excuse. Let me just get to it...

We Bought a house!!

Allow me a second to pinch myself, because I still almost don't believe it! Actually, this has been going on for close to eight weeks, but we decided to keep it quiet until it was a done deal-imagine the buzz kill if it would have fallen through (which it almost did)! So we would officially like to shout from the rooftops that it is ours!!!

Many of you know that we have been on this journey of house hunting for almost two years on and off. It's been immensly frustrating at times, but we were sure that when the perfect one came along, the wait would all be worth it . And I think we would both wholeheartedly agree that was the case.

Pretty much from the first time we set foot in our house, we knew it was different from the rest, and not to mention more space than we were expecting to get! And even though the whole process took some time, it was definitely worth it as we were able to negotiate a brand-spankin' new roof!

So now's the time to move on to all the fun aspects of being homeowners! And let me tell you, we are like old pros-picking out paint swatches, doing an indecent amount of virtual shopping, and dreaming up a ridiculously long and exciting list of projects we would like to tackle. Let me just say, we've had a permanent smile glued to our faces this week!

So, what are some of our favorite things about the new house you ask?:

• It has character and charm oozing out of every inch
• It has a pool and a big yard for the pups to run and play!
• There is a huge, mature gardenia at the front door and about 13 full grown rose bushes lining the front yard!
• The house is set back on a quiet street with a long, semi-enclosed front patio
• You walk into the large, open living and dining room with really high ceilings, making it feel so open and airy
• Th way light filters through the entire house is just heavenly!
  
• It has a breakfast nook!!
  

Have I said that I love our house? Our official move-in day is next Friday, but we will be in there this weekend getting our hands dirty with painting and the installation of new hardwood floors! Looking forward to sharing our new adventure as homeowners with you!

Pooped!

Whew, I am entirely pooped after a week of go, go, go! And on top off feeling frantically crazed, I totally overslept today. This weekend I am looking forward to finally getting the house in order and catching up on my beauty sleep. And thankfully, daylight savings ends this Sunday-hooray for an extra hour of much needed zzz's! Have a good one!

image/wikimedia

Squashing all Misconceptions

With Fall comes a wonderful bounty of squash and oh man, do I love squash! This recipe incorporates the fabulous spaghetti variety. And just in case the prospect of cooking with squash intimidates you, listen up: this recipe proves how simple it can be-no nonsense, just quick, easy and wonderful! Don't believe me? Try it for yourself! This dish is so hearty and immensely flavorful, it just may be a new favorite comfort meal!

And might I recommend pairing with a glass {or two} of red wine...

Spaghetti Squash Marinara with Italian Sausage
recipe adapted from Whole Foods

1 (about 3 1/2 pounds) spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
2 links fresh Italian pork sausage, removed from casings
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup spinach
2 cups prepared classic pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange squash in dish, cut sides down. Pour 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Rake with a fork to remove flesh in strands. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and cook sausage, breaking into smaller pieces, until almost done, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, 6 to 8 minutes more. Add pasta sauce and spinach and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Portion squash into bowls, top with sauce and serve with garlic bread.

**And might I add, this makes ridiculously good leftovers!

image/WholeFoods

In Honor of Dad

Yesterday was my dad's birthday and in honor of him, I baked one of his favorites - carrot cake! He has a bigger sweet tooth than anyone I know and what better way to say, "I'm happy you were born" than with a good ole' fashioned sugar rush?

I made this cake a few months ago, merely to test its goodness and determine if it was worthy of a birthday cake. And after sending a few pieces home with my mom and receiving a voicemail from my dad the following day gushing over how tasty the cake was, it became clear I had picked a good one!

This delicious version comes from Pinch My Salt (shocking, I know!). It definitely delivers as a perfectly sweet treat! I love to pair a nice thin slice with a bold cup of coffee for that perfect balance.

Carrot Cake

recipe courtesy of Pinch My Salt

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot (about 4 medium/large carrots)
1 1/2 cups canola oil
3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together first six ingredients. Stir in oil then stir in eggs, one a time. Add carrots and stir until well blended then add nuts. Divide batter between two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans and bake in preheated oven, 30-35 minutes for the 8-inch pans or 35-45 minutes for the 9-inch pans. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for ten minutes, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

With an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and blend until well combined. Blend in vanilla extract. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting is at room temp, beat with mixer til smooth).

all images courtesy of Pinch My Salt

Well Done

And the Giants are officially the World Series Champions!! Well done boys, well done! There's no doubt my husband will be living on this high for the next year to come-at least!

{Cutest Giants fan I've ever seen! - Chris at 10 days old!}

A Few Firsts

Happy November! I trust you had a wonderful Halloween weekend-especially if you are cheering for the Giants in the World Series!! Here the weather was perfect and festivities abundant.

Wine tasting with the Hills on Saturday was nothing short of lovely. Brad and Laura had never been so it was great to experience with newbies! And thank you to Brad for being our entertained DD:)

{Notice he's pretending to hold a glass here...funny one}

And Sunday we had dinner with family where I cooked my first EVER roasted chicken via this recipe I've been dying to try for over a year! Well, I actually cooked two since we had seven people. And it did not disappoint - tender, juicy and flavorful, all a roasted chicken should be! Plus there are leftovers for dinner tonight-score! And I must say, roasting a chicken-much easier than I thought, which means I will definitely be doing it more often! Thanks for the guidance, Mom!

Is it just me or does roasting a chicken well earn you some kind of culinary right of passage?

{Look at those beautiful birds!}

{Roasted carrots and fingerling potatoes-a perfect side!}

Lovely dinner, family, adorable trick-or-treaters and another win for the Giants is a great night in my book! And in case you missed yesterday's post, check out our pumpkins here!

Here's to a merry Monday and a happy start to your week!