Lets talk about the tiny trend...

No matter what store I walk into, they have small serving pieces on display. The tiny trend is to have multiple, small, servings of treats for your party. Pier 1 calls this trend "Tasting Party".

I took the bait and bought my own tiny serving pieces and used 'em at a recent party we hosted. One of the treats I made (with the help of my bestie, Caitlin) was this yummy-banana-creation

Pros and cons of making these little portions:
Pros:
- You get to buy the cute little pieces (most of them come with the cutest little spoons)
- Feeling like a real chef, piping the filling into the glasses
- They look so pretty (and, dare I say, professional) when they are completed
- You can go back and have seconds without feeling like a little piggy because the portions are so small!

Cons:
- Because they are so tiny, if you make a mistake, its pretty obvious
- You have to make like 5+ of any one dessert, to make the platter look full
- If you have men at the party, they tend to wonder where the rest of the dessert is
- The glasses don't stack which makes after-party clean up and storage a little difficult

CB2 has some super cute tiny serving pieces too, check them out here.

Organized-shmorganized

When I'd watch tv and hear people talk about "setting up a menu for the week" or "laying out clothing the night before" or "plan ahead" I always daydreamed I'd be that person.

I'd be the go-to-girl and people would ask me a question and marvel in how I knew the answer so quickly. "What are your plans for Wednesday night?" and I'd be able to answer without batting an eyelash.

I so wanted to be that girl. That uuber-organized girl.

I have become that girl.

We recently took a vacation, and before leaving I had enough time to plan out the week afters menu; this way I didn't have to think when we got home and my brain was still airplane mush.

When I was writing my menu for the week after the vacation I became so proud of myself. I mean, here I was actually taking a few minutes today; to save me a few minutes in a week. That's incredible. That's gold-medal-worthy. That's the new me. I plan.

The hubs and I have always "planned" things. Like when we wanted to get married, when we wanted to get a dog, buy a house, take vacations...that kinda stuff. The big stuff. I always let the smaller stuff just lay. Just be stuff.

Since acquiring more time, I have the ability to plan the small "stuff" now and feel more at ease with daily life. (Not to say I hid from daily life in a paper bag, I just didn't really think beyond a certain point.)

So how'd I do it? Easy. I made a list of what we typically eat in a week. (The list weighed heavily on pizza, tacos and something-chicken)...then I started looking at the weekly circulars from the supermarkets, and planned out our meals based on what was going to be on sale that week. It got pretty from there...and for that, I'm thankful.

If you haven't thought of making a weekly menu for your family; what are you waiting for? Beyond making my life easier (by taking the thinking out of my busy afternoons) it helps keep me on my budget!

So there you have it. The new me. I plan.

This is fantastic news

I'm not a big Bloomberg reader (by any means) but when something about the design world is printed, I'm always interested in taking a peak...

Check out this article which had me smiling from ear to ear!

Why does this make me smile? Because if buildings are going up, then the need for designers goes up; thus making me smile :)

Happy Friday!

Yogi Bear

I've always been interested in yoga. I bought a book a few years ago called "Om Yoga" by Cyndi Lee which is a daily guide for yoga. I've used it before over and over again, but always seemed to come up short with my yoga experience.

One of my girlfriends asked me earlier this week, "hey, do you want to come to yoga with me this week?" I thought about the practical side, "should I be spending that money on myself? Or should I use it towards something for the house?" and then I thought, "be selfish. Just do it". So I did.

Last night was my first class and it was awesome. I have no idea what our instructors name was, but it was so relaxing and gratifying. Stretching out on that mat, using my body in a way I've never known I could...

The room set the scene when we walked in. Long and narrow; no overhead lights on (which pleased me; I'm not a fan of overhead lighting...) soft music on, and two short lamps on either side of the room.

If you've ever had an interest in yoga, I recommend you attend a class. I couldn't understand from my book how important it was to breathe. Something so simple, but each movement was based on a breath. Inhale, plank. Exhale, downward dog.

If you want to call me Yogi, I'll answer.

Swoon

I need four of these. Stat.

Recipe of the week

Christmas 2004 (?) my mom put together a binder full- nay, STUFFED, with family recipes. Photo copies of my Nana and Grandma's hand writing. Recipes from my aunts...really good family recipes that we (my siblings and I) grew up on.

This morning my dad calls me asking for a recipe. I didn't even know I had the recipe in my binder. (I have flipped through that book so many times over the years, I've lost count!)

Anyway, without further ado, here's the recipe for, well actually, its not named. So we'll call it Noreen's Salad. (After my aunt who the recipe originates from...)

Shallot Vinaigrette
1/4 c sugar (or a little less)
1 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tblsp. red wine vinegar
1 tblsp. balsamic vinegar
1/3 c honey
3 tblsp fresh lemon juice
4 tblsp chopped shallots (2 large)
1 c vegetable oil
pinch of tarragon

Salad
4 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola
1/2 c dried cranberries
12 red grapes, sliced in half
1 pear, cut into small pieces
1/2 c shelled pistachios (sliced, chopped pieces)

Mix sugar, mustard, paprika, salt and vinegars until sugar is dissolved. Add honey, lemon juice, shallots. Gradually heat in oil and tarragon. Chill. Yields 1 1/2 c.

Spring mix romaine, endive & radicchio- add cheese, fruits & nuts- when ready to serve- toss with dressing.

Happy tossing!

Maybe I'll make this and take a photo...mmmm, PROJECT!

Puggy puppy

I'm on a domestic-diva roll lately. I had the chicken roasting in the oven yesterday, the smell of onions wafting in the air when I got a phone call from the hubs. "I want one of three things for dinner: Chili's, bourbon chicken or Chick-fil-a". Oh.

So when he came home, I wrapped up the chicken (which, I had to keep taking little nibbles of) and we went to the mall to get bourbon chicken. (We are totally having the roasted chicken tonight!) After dinner we walked into the puppy store.

Now, let me say first and foremost, I don't like seeing the puppies in the cages. It bothers me. I don't like knowing where the puppies came from, because you know it was from a puppy mill (more likely than not)...anyway, putting all that aside, we walked in just to window shop.

And then we saw this super petite little pug. We asked to see her, and sat in the room. As soon as she was set down, she went crazy!! She was so small (to give you an idea, my foot looked like Godzilla next to her) anyway, every time we'd pick her up, all the wrinkles would move to her face and around her neck, so she looked like this little fat teddy bear. We gave her back and drove home.

When we got in the car though we realized what mistake we just made. Jack is going to freak out over us smelling like another dog. So we get home, and within a milasecond, Jack was all over me like white on rice. Sniffing here, there, everywhere.

This is the problem with meeting new animals without Jack with us. He gets into super sniff mode.

As if he didn't follow me around the house on a typical day, this morning he has been glued to my side; its like he's telling me "You can play with other dogs, but don't forget, I'm your one and only"