J'adore Wedding Blogs

ellow bloggers, I have a (non) confession to make. I am a wedding junkie. Ok...that's putting it a wee bit harshly. I'm not quite obsessed, but I do enjoy reading wedding blogs and seeing how people personalize their own weddings. But please understand, I do not read wedding blogs daily, or even weekly. I don't like everything about weddings, I do not have a secret file stashed away with my own wedding ideas, and I do not pick up wedding magazines at Barnes and Noble. I just really like anything about wedding invites, photos, and tablescapes.
I have a couple of friends who are planning their wedding and wanted to post some of my favorite wedding blogs. Below are a few:






I love The Classic Bride--her writing is sweet, her style is simple, and she is, in fact, very classic. I would say my style is close to hers--the vintage feel mixed with a classic/clean look and a dash of intimacy that brings its own charm.









I love Style Me Pretty. Love. This site has all the best photos, features a wide variety of weddings, and truly brings a lot of inspiration to the table. Plus, they make sure to feature all the vendors responsible for creating such beautiful weddings.









100 Layer Cake is similar to Style Me Pretty, featuring amazing photos and color schemes. They provide color boards with ideas that will definitely get you thinking. I love these guys as well. So pretty!
I know there are a lot more wonderful wedding blogs out there, but these 3 are definitely at the top. Below are a few others in case you need more ideas:
:: Rock My Wedding :: Very different. Very chic. Very cool.
:: Etsy Wedding :: Great place to go if you are looking for one of a kind wedding trinkets.
:: The Preppy Wedding :: The name is self explanatory.
:: The Sweetest Occasion :: This is also a gorgeous site filled with a ton of DIYs and other great ideas. I love her projects...she really brings DIY wedding decor to a whole new level!
:: Brooklyn Bride :: A site that provides creative ideas and solutions for the modern bride.

What are some other great wedding sites?

Friends and Family Sale at Bloomies!

very time I think of the word "Bloomies," I think of the Friends episode where Rachel is at a party and Danny (the yetti) tries to set her up with someone. When Rachel tells him that she works at Bloomingdales he says to her, "My mom calls it Bloooomiieess." Do you know what I'm talking about?
Anyway, here to announce Bloomingdales Friends and Family Sale!! 20% off almost everything and anything in the store! So if there's something you've been lusting after, swooning about, and drooling with desire for, now is your chance! I haven't been shopping at all since this past March (although I did buy a pair of jeans from Old Navy and I'm sure some random doo dads) and this was my prime opportunity. Carpe Diem! Viva la France! I'm getting carried away.
Anyway I purchased some Marc by Marc sunnies for $64 and I will also be purchasing a wallet or bag for a good friend of mine as she has been extremely generous with me and providing free treatments for my headaches. I'm also thinking of something else for me as a "you passed the bar!" gift. I always told myself that I'd buy me a real adult gift when I passed...and I think a watch is quite adult....but finances are tight my friends so we'll see. Enjoy! (you can use it online)

Cream-less Carbonara

reetings all, it's been quite a while since my last post! This week has been quite an eventful week and it feels like I haven't had a second to stop! But here I am, back and ready to post about my most recent conquest.
I wanted to try something new but relatively simple and healthy. I was up late one night and Oprah had an episode about her favorite recipes and Tom Cruise's Carbonara was a huge hit! Who knew, Tom and cooking? But all that cream makes for a really high calorie meal. The solution came to me during my search and voila! Cream-less Carbonara from recipezaar.
I generally improvise when following a recipe based upon what I have in the kitchen and what I want to use up before it goes to waste. I also added broccoli just because I had bought a bunch the night before. The bacon is an applewood smoked bacon, fresh from the butcher. The cheese is Monte Veronese, unpasteurized and made from cow's milk in Italy. It's got a firmness to it but not nearly as hard or dry as Parmesan. In fact, it's quite creamy.
The result:
This isn't the greatest picture but I was so hungry that I wanted to dig in as soon as possible! Some changes I would make: I only used 2 slices of bacon, I would recommend at least 4-5. Also I would grate a lot more cheese for more flavor. I found this dish to be a little on the dry side, but with some of the pasta juices and the wine, it should be fine.

Recipe is as follows:
Ingredients: {serves 3}
* salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 lb pasta, spaghetti
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 lb pancetta, chopped
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 2 large egg yolks
* freshly grated romano cheese

Instructions:
First, put a large saucepot of water to boil. Once boiling, add a liberal amount of salt and pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta about 2 minutes.
Then add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all pan drippings.
In separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup)of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to pasta.Drain pasta well and add directly to skillet with pancetta, garlic and oil. Pour egg mixture over pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg.Remove from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn pasta until soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with extra Romano.

Happy Halloween!

{Our Jack O'Lantern Bat!}

Nothing says Halloween like...Pumpkin Bread

aking isn't really my forte but lately it seems like it's all I'm doing! Pumpkin pie is my least favorite of all pies but I love pumpkin bread and so does the boyfriend! Via facebook eavesdropping (a friend recommended this recipe to another friend through a wall post) I decided to give this one a shot. I actually improvised quite a bit which may explain why the bread wasn't super pumpkin-ey.
Here are the changes that I made: I didn't use pumpkin pie spice, I used cinnamon (didn't feel the need to spend money on it), I also used some fresh pumpkin gut in addition to Libby's pumpkin filling. We carved a pumpkin earlier on and I saved the insides, microwaved them, then pureed them. I also did not add any cranberries since the boyfriend is not a fan. And lastly, I baked in the oven for 50 minutes instead of 60 to keep it moist.
The bread came out quite yummy and the pumpkin aroma in the air really made me feel like the season was in full swing. I wouldn't say that it's the best I've ever tasted-- it could stand to be a little more moist, and I think if I used the pumpkin pie spice it would be more pumpkin-ey. But all in all, it was a success and I would use this recipe again. Click here for some of Libby's Pumpkin Craneberry Bread goodness!

Good Reads

tarting a new book comes with such a feeling of excitement and hope and even an eagerness to find a spot where I can sit, undisturbed, and dive into my new book. My latest endeavor is a book entitled Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. A friend recommended this book to me many years ago and it's only now that I've gotten around to it as it's about a 900+ page book. So, it's now or never! A good way to stay on top of your reading is to join a book club. I've been a part of (and started) a great many of these, but sometimes they don't always work out. In comes Goodreads.com, a site where you can list the books you've read, state your reviews, and list the book(s) you are currently reading or want to read. I really enjoy it. If you do join, add me as your friend and we can compare notes!

Nutella and Hazelnut Biscotti

uesday was definitely a stay-at-home-and-bake-day. After watching Giada over on Food Network bake biscotti after biscotti, I was inspired to give it a little test drive of my own. A visit to my local grocery store and with my sister at hand, we were ready to bake some chocolatey goodness!
I noticed that Giada's Chocolate Biscotti looked more like a cookie. After some discussion, the sister and I decided to nix that idea and find a more traditional biscotti recipe. Surprisingly, baking one of these treats is easier than I thought and with some Nutella, how can you ever go wrong? We were tempted to just eat the dough!

The verdict: A plate full of yummy, chocolatey biscottis that pair well with the coffee we brought from Puerto Rico.

Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients: {makes 2 dozen}
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/3 tablespoons cocoa
* 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/3 teaspoon salt
* 2 large eggs
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup nutella
* 1/3 cup chocolate chips
* 1/3 cup hazelnuts (optional)

Instructions
First, preheat oven to 350°F. Then sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. If you don't have a sifter, use a fork to make sure all the lumps are gone and dry ingredients are mixed well.

In another large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar and continue beating on high for 2 minutes. Stir in Nutella. Then add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until well combined. Add in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts, if using.

Finally, divide dough into 2 or 3 logs with well floured hands and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press logs into rectangles approximately 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven and turn down oven heat to 300°F. Using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/3-1/2 inch slices. Arrange on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turn biscotti over and bake an additional 10-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of your slices). Remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

I would recommend chopping the nuts into 1/4s if you like the taste of hazelnut. Brew a cup of your favorite coffee or tea and you're good to go!