Time For Change

For a while now, I've been wanting to move away from Blogger. Honestly, the site isn't easy to use and if you're not familiar with coding it can be even more difficult. Anything I've learned is simply from trial and error.

I also don't enjoy that there is very little flexibility in how you can set up your page. You can customize to an extent, but there are very few options, and figuring out how to change things is even more difficult at times.

I'll be researching other platforms in the next few days, and then I'll be transitioning away from Blogger officially.

Hopefully everyone can continue to follow along!

Preparing For Spring

I know it seems crazy to plan for spring when it's still summer, but you really have to if you're interested in having spring time blooms. Blake and I moved into our new house only a month ago, and the yard was the furthest thing from my mind. Now that we've settled, I've been more eager to tackle the garden... or lack there of.

I'm pretty sure pulling out someone else's crappy garden is the worst thing about moving. We had to do it in our first house too. This time around, there are a lot of bushes that need to be ripped out, which is absolutely exhausting. We drew up a plan (seen above) for our front and side yards. Most of this is attainable, but the pond and walk way will most likely take far more time next summer than we think.  Unfortunately, it's very easy to dream up a plan, but not so easy to actually get it done. Fingers crossed!

Exploring Pittsburgh {We've Moved!!!}

If you haven't been to Pittsburgh, you wont understand. If you have, you know this is a completely accurate picture of the city. With an estimated 446 bridges, it's impossible to avoid crossing them.  If you have Gephyrophobia, this city is not for you.

Lets Raise Awareness!

This is Emmy. She is my (almost) 1-year-old Yellow Lab. She is turning one this week, and Blake and I can hardly believe it. She has brought us so much joy .... and sometimes anxiety into our life. Emmy might be the sweetest dog I've ever met. She loves belly rubs, and spends most of her day sleeping. People often don't believe us when we say that she is lazy, but trust me she LOVES to sleep!

In honor of Emmy's birthday, we are pledging her big day as a way to raise money for individuals with disabilities.

I have worked with children diagnosed with Autism for many years. Each individual I've worked with has touched me in some way or another. I have learned more from them than I could ever express.  Autism awareness has grown tremendously since I graduated from school, but it could grow even more.

A Michigan Based Organization called Paws With a Cause provides Assistance/Service dogs for those with disabilities. They provide these dogs to those with many different needs, but one of the Service Dogs they provide are those for Individual's with Autism. I know the love, affection, and companionship I have been given by my beautiful Emmy, and I want other's to have that as well. These service dogs can bring these individual's independence they may not have had otherwise.

It costs upwards of $30,000 dollars to train/raise a Service/Assistance Dog. Paws With a Cause place 60-90 Assistance Dogs per year, but get about 2,000 applications annually.

Click the link here to donate in Emmy's name! Even $2 can help! Let's work together to make someone's life easier and better!

Winter Blues

Now that Christmas is over, I'm beginning to feel that cabin fever coming on...

It was only a few weeks ago that I was wishing for snow to finally arrive so that Emmy and I could play outside. I was very excited to see whether she enjoyed the snow or not. At first, she wasn't sure what to do with it, but I think she actually enjoys it more than the summer. I practically have to beg her to come inside.

I don't know about you, but I'm already ready for spring. The days of not pre-heating my car, seat warmers, gloves, or winter boots. I look forward to walking the dog without worrying about slipping on ice as she pulls me down the street (we're working on that...).  Thankfully Blake and I are headed to warmer climates for a few days at the end of the week. I could not be happier!

Thankfully, her cuteness overload makes it easier to deal with. She absolutely LOVED our trip up north for New Years as you can tell in the pictures below.

I also love her enjoyment in this video ...

Fall Brussel Sprout Salad

Save some room in your oven with this raw brussel sprout salad. Most likely, you have about 5 different side dishes plus a turkey that all need to be cooked in one oven.  Instead of adding another dish to your list, why not make a no-cook side featuring brussel sprouts?

Puppy Approved: Camp Bow Wow

I've been waiting to take Emmy to Doggy Day Care since we got her. I love the idea of her socializing with other puppies and wearing her self out a bit. I always feel bad during the week when Blake and I have to leave her alone for hours at a time.  Finally, she has met all of the criteria to start going (shots and being fixed), and I'm so excited for her! We are lucky because we have a Camp Bow Wow right down the street from our house, and off she went this Wednesday for her first day of camp!

Pot Roast

It is time for me to come clean about my addiction. Food Network ... I seriously cannot get enough. I actually look forward to Saturdays so that I can watch morning television with my cup of coffee. There used to be a time, not long ago, where I was looking forward to tailgating and drinking on Saturday mornings. Oh how things have changed since college.  I must admit, my addiction could be far worse. Honestly, it's made both mine and Blake's life a lot better!  Blake's been wanting me to make a pot roast for a few weeks now, and so of course I turned to my favorite leading ladies, The Barefoot Contessa and The Pioneer Woman.  I liked different aspects of each recipe, so I basically blended the two to make my own. Keep reading to see the steps I took to make this perfect cold weather dish.

Living the Little Things: Halloween

Michigan unfortunately experienced a pretty cold and wet Halloween this year, but it didn't stop us from having a great time! Blake and I hosted a Halloween party this year for friends and family and it was a great time! I've spent the last month prepping for our Harry Potter themed party and I didn't take nearly enough pictures. I'm not sure it would have been as easy, but thank God for Pinterest these days! The best part of showing up late to the Harry Potter fan club is everyone and their mother has already had a party, so the internet is FULL of fantastic ideas! One of my favorite parts of this weekend was being able to see my nephew Emerson, who lives across the country from us and is growing WAY too fast! 

Sunday Mornings: Biscuits & Gravy

Blake and I are always very into breakfast. It's not unusual for us to eat pancakes for dinner once a week. We're just beginning to have morning frosts, and during the fall & winter, Blake spends his Sunday mornings playing hockey. By the time he gets back, I'm usually ready with breakfast. Our usual meal usually consists of the simple pleasures, eggs, bacon, and potatoes, but today I decided to switch it up.  

The Family Farm

Blake and I took a quick trip to Pittsburgh to visit family, and so that we could make a trip to his family's property. We love to visit and we couldn't wait to take Emmy.  The property is huge and is surrounded by gorgeous valleys of changing leaves. The Amish buggies always bring a smile to my face, and I love how gorgeous it seems each and every time we visit.

UPDATE

I took a much needed break from this blog. Not only was I feeling uninspired to make fun and unique food dishes, but it consumed a lot of my thoughts. Instead of worrying about what I will post next, I decided to just pretend this didn't exist.  I was also really bored of only posting about food. Although I still love it and I still cook/bake on a daily basis, it isn't the only thing I'm doing.  I'd like to say my "break" was all voluntary; however, a little nugget that we adopted as our own has taken up much of my time these past 3 months.  We have spent a lot of time training, learning to walk, and having puppy dates.  My last post was on March 16th and since then I've been having a lot of fun with friends, family, and my "kids." 

From here on out, the blog will feature not only food but fun!

Banana Muffins - Pinterest Review

After getting back from a week long vacation, the bananas I bought before leaving were looking less than appetizing sitting in our fruit bowl.  The best part of buying bananas is that even if they go bad, they still can be useful.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, and decided to try it out with my browning and bruised nanners.  They ended up turning out delicious and super moist.  If I had been stocked in powder sugar, I would have added the cream cheese frosting to make these even more decadent.  This recipe is perfectly easy, and I love how chunks of banana can be found inside. Check out the original recipe here at Clockwork Lemon's Blog !

Salted Caramel Pear Tart

I was inspired by a recipe I found on Bluebonnets & Brownies blog for pear bars. They looked delicious and I loved that they weren't the standard apple that we usually see. I finally got around to making something myself with pears.  I didn't have all the ingredients and wasn't in the mood to make my own dough, so I came up with this idea inspired from her original post.  For this recipe I used crescent dough because that's what I had in my fridge, but it would have been better with pie dough.  You could also make this flat on a cookie sheet with puff pastry if you wanted.  If you don't have pears, or if you don't like them, apples, plums, or peaches would also be delicious in this recipe.  Using the packaged crescent dough made this an effortless treat.  I think Blake's work will be happy tomorrow when I send him in with the left overs!

Tortellini Soup

This winter has already been a doozy, and it's only the middle of January.  Cold, snowy weekend days like these call for soup making.  I love soup because you can use up vegetables and other items in your fridge and no matter what the combination, somehow it always tastes great! The cheesy tortellini adds a wonderful change from the normal boring old pasta, and it is wonderfully filling.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

It's soup season here in Michigan.  It's supposed to be in the thirties all week, so nothing tastes better than a nice worm bowl of soup.  I can honestly say that I never liked squash growing up, but I was never really forced to eat it either.  Lately, I've become more and more in love with these delicious veggies.  This soup does require some time, so keep that in mind if you're looking to make it for dinner.  There are also quite a few steps involved, and you are going to want to make sure you have either a regular blender or an immersion blender.  The natural sweetness from the squash and sweet potatoes are complimented wonderfully by the salty bacon. 

Cranberry Pistachio Pumpkin Spiced Biscotti

This cold weather makes me want to sit on my couch drinking coffee for an entire day.  Unfortunately, I usually have to go to work, which turns my ideal coffee and couch date into me rushing out of my house with my thermos and chugging my coffee in time to have my first meeting at work.  I'm not a fan of the pumpkin spiced coffee drinks, but I definitely enjoy pumpkin flavored desserts.  This was my first time trying a Biscotti recipe.  I found the main recipe on Pinterest and then adapted it by adding in cranberries, pistachios, and dunking it in white chocolate.  The best part of Biscotti cookies, is that they are already hard and therefore make for easy Christmas gifts.  They would do perfectly fine if shipped and they would taste as fresh as the day they were baked.  You can find the original recipe here at On Sugar Mountain blog .

Sriracha Dressing

I don't know about you, but Sriracha is a staple in our household.  Blake literally will put it on anything and everything.  I have grown to love it on pizza and eggs, and it's obviously amazing with tacos.  Since I was crazy and planted three tomato plants, and we clearly could not eat them fast enough, I decided to make a simple tomato and parsley salad for dinner.  To spice it up, I sprinkled goat cheese on top.  The real kicker, however; was the Sriracha salad dressing.  It gave the salad a kick without taking away from the freshness of the herbs and tomatoes. 

Spice Rubbed Sweet Potatoes

Fall is here, and there is no better way to celebrate it than roasting sweet potatoes.  Roasting tends to be my go-to method of cooking vegetables of any kind, since I can basically leave them unattended for 20-30 minutes while I cook the rest of dinner.   I think onions and garlic are sweet potatoes best friends, and they should always be eaten together.  Of course if you're lame and don't like onions, you could leave them out. And, if your just ridiculous and you don't like garlic, you can just get the Hell out of my blog.  I kid, but seriously, do those people exist?

Anywho, this side dish is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  The combination of cinnamon and sugar offsets the spicy kick from Cayenne.  If you want a bigger kick you can always add more Cayenne pepper, but I found the below measurements to be the perfect ratio.  Once you mix all the ingredients together you can throw these potatoes into the oven and forget about them for half an hour!

Changes.

As you've probably already noticed, the blog looks a bit different.  Yes, I've changed the name... again.  I've been struggling since day one to pick a blog name that I love, and now I think I've got it.  I definitely don't think it's the most original, but lately I've wanted to be able to blog about things other than just food.  

Don't get me wrong.... I loooove food, and that will be the number one thing I post about. I just don't want to feel confined by my blog title anymore.  My hobbies, including work, thrifting, home repairs, etc. are all things I'd love to blog about, but haven't been because I felt like this was only a "food blog."  Now, posting on tips for thrift store shopping wont seem so out of place.  

Why "Table for Two?"  Because it's just Blake and I of course! Most of my recipes are tailored for 2-3 people since that's all I cook for, and because this blog will now entail adventures,vacations, and everyday activities that Blake and I experience. 

As promised, baked apples are soon to come, so keep an eye out!!!!!