Weekend Wrap Up!

Happy Memorial Day! The best part of the weekend..that it was extra long! Our weekend was full of errands, yard work, and more errands and yard work. The deck was powerwashed and stained by Mr. Allan, the flowers were planted, the yard spruced up and by Sunday afternoon...we were desperately in need of a break! Good thing my big sis and brother in law were having the family over for a good old BBQ. I must say...they put on a pretty good spread, have an absolutely beautiful home and it was the best part of the weekend! Here are some pics!

the grill full of food!

the lunch spread

 

the wonderful side dishes everyone made

My sister is known for pulling out some pretty good drink recipes...

to help celebrate Memorial day..we toasted with Champagne Sangria

then..the dessert spread and the to die for trifle

My favorite part of the weekend...sitting on their deck with a glass of Champagne Sangria!

Hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing, safe holiday weekend!

Fun Fridays!

Woo Hoo for the weekend! It's time for Fun Fridays with Jen from A Girl in Pearls and a Boy With Toys.

So what's on tap this weekend...My weekend started last night with a private part at Alex and Ani store in Newport, RI! (http://www.alexandani.com/). I love their bracelets and added four more to my collection..I went for a little bit of color. It was also a great night out with the ladies..we went to Fluke for drinks and apps before hand!

Today is a much needed day off. We need to bring Mr. Allan's car into the shop..then it's the gym, home to shower and some shopping! I'm in need of good white pants

I also need some casual summer dresses...

and some summer shirts!

Also...we're headed to my sister and brother in law's house for a bbq with the family on Sunday! My job..to make some of these



 
and every bbq needs a little guacamole as well

And..the blog needs some maintenance. Blogger is messing with photos in older posts..it figures they're mostly the recipe posts where pictures matter the most!

Hopefully a trip to the beach and a fabulous long weekend lies ahead! Happy Friday and Happy LONG weekend! Woo Hoo!

Today is my Friday

it's been one of those weeks...the longest kind ever. The kind where you wake up on Wednesday thinking it's Thursday and start driving to your wrong office. The kind where your cat starts meowing in the hallway because he knows it echos there at 4:45A.M. to let you know that he's hungry. When you fall back asleep five minutes later, your other cat thinks it's a fine time to start scratching a box somewhere in the house. The scratching is so loud that you jolt awake with the irrational thought in your head of ..oh no...she's scratching my brand new box of Seychelles sandals that were just delivered from Nordstroms.

When you finally roll out of bed and get in the shower and find out you're out of shampoo...it only gets better when you dry off, put your bathrobe on, only to open the bathroom door to feed the cats and step square in a furball. Once you're ready, you find out you're out of yogurt, and quickly heat up some leftover breakfast you had for dinner fritatta and make a fritatta sandwich to eat on the commute to work. While in the car, the fritatta decides it doesn't like to be between the pieces of bread and slips out to fall on your favorite new Ann Taylor dress.

Once at work, after you cleaned off your fritatta laden lap,  your voicemail is full of 9 messages of angry people who need to speak to you immediately. A day full of unhappy clients and a million cases exploding into monumental problems leads you home to crack open a bottle of pinot grigio. You go downstairs to get a leg up on some laundry so you can enjoy a long weekend to see cat #3 squat and pee outside the litter box onto a rug. Your theory that when the husband is away on business and the cats act mean, spiteful and naughty has now been undoubtedly proved true.

When you wake up the next morning on the actual Thursday, the one where it's really Thursday, you decide that you need to take a day off!

it's just been one of those weeks...so today is my FRIDAY!!! May my clients cooperate, not swear at me today, my cats pee in the appropriate places and keep their furballs down, and definitely no fritatta for breakfast today.

obsessed

with Kate Middleton in general..but I want her dress....

and another shot

The dress is made by Reiss and it is called the Shola bandage dress. Apparently after Kate was spotted in it, the website crashed due to the amount of traffic on it.

http://www.reissonline.com/

Kim Kardashian is Engaged!

and engaged she is..with a 20.5 karat ring...you can see the rock and a half on her hand!

From People magazine...It was a dream come true for Kim Kardashian when she walked into her Beverly Hills home May 18. Her boyfriend of six months, New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries, was waiting in her bedroom on bended knee with four words written in red rose petals: "WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

"I didn't expect this at all," Kardashian, 30, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview (out Friday) of the romantic, surprise proposal. "I was in such shock. I never thought it would happen at home, and I never thought now."

Humphries popped the question with a custom-designed, 20.5-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond sparkler. "I just knew I wanted it to be big," says Humphries, 26, who, with the help of Kardashian's mom Kris Jenner, planned an intimate family celebration later that evening.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

so what am I loving this wonderfully sunny Wednesday??

I'm loving these new Seychelles Purr wedges that got delivered to my house today! I saw them on Cheap Chicas site and after reading about them I knew I needed them! I opted for the pewter wedge..since I must confess I have about 3 pairs of nude ones already..don't tell the husband. Here's a link to the post that lured me in..Click .Here. But more importantly..here's the newest addition to Mrs. Allan's closet

Another treat I've been loving..these So Delicious Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches. I was on the hunt for a treat to shove in the freezer that wasn't full of artificial ingredients, not too much fat and calories, and I'm trying to really limit our dairy intake. These fit the bill. I'm a huge fan of their creamer as well for my morning cup of joe!

I'm also in LOVE with the Real Housewives of New Jersey. I'll admit it..I'm a reality tv junkie! Thank god for TIVO which allows me to watch this crap in 15 minutes so I'm not parked in front of the tube every night. I loved the original season with the OC housewives and I've been hot and cold with some of the other seasons. I hated the DC housewives show, not a huge Atlanta fan, and the Beverly Hills lady restored my faith in the series. NJ and NY I went back and forth on. I think it's funny how the NY ladies are all about status and the socialite scene and nanny their kids out to the help. OC they're about status, name brand labels, but they see their kids a little more than the NY ladies. But, I really like the NJ ladies..although they completely confirm to me that the Jersey Shore look is alive and well and it is all about tanning and juiceheads, at least you see them making dinner and interacting with their kids and nannies aren't everywhere. But...I'm loving the dynamic between Theresa and her sister in law and cousin. I kind of feel bad for her that she's on this show and BAM..they cast her relatives! But..it's going to be a juicy season and I'm Team Teresa right now!

 I'm also loving my Alex and Ani bracelets. (www.alexandani.com). These are actually made in RI..they're made completely of recycled materials and I've been collecting and collecting the past couple months. I like that they're different. Here's a shot from my office this morning! A great website I usually buy them off of is www.zeeberry.com.

Happy Wednesday!

Best Pizza Crust!

Pizza was just something I banished from my diet. Back in the day, at 1 A.M., after the bars let out, the normal routine called for hitting up the local pizza by the slice place. Whether it was Antonio's during my days in college in Amherst (love me some Tortellini Pesto Pizza) or if it was grabbing a Four Cheese slice at Via Via in Newport...it was a part of my diet...which is probably why I was overweight and unhealthy. When I woke up, started to get my weight and eating habits under control, certain things just got cut off for me. Bowls of ice cream at night, nachos at restaurants, and my wee morning hour pizza snack was also another casualty.

But..last summer I got into grilling pizza. I found that I could make this forbidden food a bit healthier by using a whole wheat crust, and not loading down on cheese, pepperoni, and other toppings. I do love to grill pizza, but sometimes rolling out the dough, maneuvering it onto the actual grill and controlling the air bubbles in the crust gets the best of me. So, I was on the hunt for something else that was a healthy alternative..and I found it with this stuff...

Top This pizza crust..sold in the frozen section at my local grocery stores and Whole Foods too!

Why do I like this...they have a whole wheat version, it doesn't break the bank on fat and calories and it's pre cooked. You get 2 crusts in a package. It comes frozen, defrosts in about an hour, and I threw it on a pizza stone with toppings, cooked for ten minutes and had dinner.

My friend J suggested this combo...

I started out with some goat cheese. I spread it around as the base

next up..some fresh spinach

then some thinly sliced prosciutto

I popped it in the oven on my pizza stone for 10 minutes

Dinner was done.

Here's the website for Top This pizza crusts. I believe they're sold around the East Coast area...but even better..here's a link to their recipe page with so many combinations to try!

..http://www.topthispizzacrusts.com/recipes.html

Tom Brady is hot...

most of the time...here's the rugged New England Patriots quarterback tackling the slide at a Mexican resort this weekend.

Wiener Wars

I love it when my little town makes the news on such pertinent issues such as this. Our local news station might also want to take note that I believe it's Wiener..not Weiner.

Lazy Sunday Mornings

in bed with a cat and a kindle..my kind of morning

I often wonder

why I spend so much money on cat beds, cat toys, and little blankets and accessories for our three little ones...when they much prefer twist ties for toys and amazon.com boxes for their beds.

Love this

What a great proposal! I love that you can watch her reaction as it happens!

Southwestern CousCous Salad

I'm always on the hunt for good side dishes especially now that summer's around the corner..although this gross weather we've been having wouldn't be any type of predictor for that! So..this cous cous salad was featured on Whole Foods. It's a good recipe but needed a few tweaks. Overall we really did enjoy it and I like recipes that swap your typical white pasta for a good whole grain instead!

My washed veggies inside my lovely Rachel Ray garbage bowl...I love this stupid garbage bowl..it makes chopping tons of veggies a lot easier!

Whole Wheat Cous Cous...I always grab it at Trader Joe's because it's cheap and always available!

The cooked whole wheat cous cous...it's SO easy to prepare..you bowl a cup and a half of water, add cous cous, cover, turn heat off, let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork!

Veggies, some cilantro, and a can of black beans are all added...

There's also some lime juice and spices (I tweaked the dressing a little..see below!) and your finished product!

Southwestern Couscous Salad
(adapted from http://www.wholefoods.com/)

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) (I omitted this)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 cup fresh corn kernels from 2 ears of corn (I used frozen organic sweet corn and defrosted it)

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Toss cous cous with all the remaining ingredients.

Nutritional Info: Makes 8 servings at 170 calories, 2.5g fat, 0g sat. fat, 7g fiber, 16g protein.

Just a note....I wasn't thrilled with the dressing of lime juice and chili powder. It tasted like nothing to me. I added a few tbsp of olive oil, my lime juice was more at 1/3 cup vs. the 1/4 cup the recipe called for. I used 1 tsp chili powder, and also added 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp salt. These will of course adjust the nutritional info listed.

enjoy!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's time for another round of What I'm Loving Wednesday..my favorite blog hop and the only one I faithfully do each week!

So what am I loving this Wednesday....

The weather has taken a turn for the worse this week in New England...it's been cold and rainy and miserable! My skin has been dry and weird with the weather ups and downs and I whipped out my all time favorite face scrub. I LOVE this stuff...I've tried the Kiehl's equivalent and Origin's Never a Dull Moment and it just doesn't compare to this...Fresh's Brown Sugar Face Polish.

I buy mine at Sephora and although one little tub is pricey..I typically use it once or twice a week and buy 2 containers a year.

Speaking of Sephora...another thing I'm loving from there...Dior's Airflash foundation. Two lovely ladies suggested it and raved about it..I wasn't loving my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer anymore. It's great for summer when I want something lighter, but I felt like I needed a little more coverage.

I read a lot of reviews online about this stuff. It seems like people either hate or love it to the point that they're obsessed with it. Some people complained of dryness or breakouts..but if your skin can tolerate it, it will become your absolute goto gotta have product. I did experience a little dryness on my chin but started using a primer and was good to go. Sometimes I'll alternate it with a different product or save it for special occasions or going out at night..because it does have a little bit of a hefty price tag. But...always buy your products at Sephora..they're so good with returns and take back items that you've tried and used and are not satisfied with! I shake this, spray a little bit on a big Kabuki brush and apply it with that...mostly so I don't waste any!

I'm also loving this stuff...Blue Diamond Crunchy Almond Butter...

I'm going to sound like a psycho wife telling this story, but I'm pretty strict with the food in our house. I cook, I grocery shop, therefore I rule the roost on what's in the pantry. Mr. Allan is generally pretty good. He eats whole wheat pasta with a smile on his face, he knows that our diet is more vegetable based, he knows there aren't 100 calorie packs and processed snacks in the house and is a pretty good sport about it. One battle we currently have...peanut butter. I won't buy JIF or Skippy because it's loaded with sugar. Mr. Allan hates the all natural stuff because of the weird oil layer at the top of the jar and it's near impossible to mix it...I kind of agree with him on that one! So, an alternate I found...Blue Diamond's Crunchy Almond butter. Almond butter had a surprisingly sweeter taste than peanut butter..not over the top sweet but just a different sweet. The ingredients..almonds and sea salt..and the crunchy version is thicker like a chunky peanut butter and no layer of oil..which makes Mr. Allan happy...even though he does refer to our house as a food prison.

Although this might sound silly...I'm loving that these two fur balls get along...because there's one more cat in the household that hates my fluffy orange boy, Davie. When the cats don't get along and the husband is away on business, it's the perfect storm to drive me batty...so when I caught the two cats that like each other together in a tender moment...it made me smile.

And..although I may sound cheesy and everyone always adds that they love their husband...I'm absolutely LOVING that mine is home this week! I sound like a broken record that he travels a ton, so a week where he's home is a good one..and although I'm a royal pain in the ass and sarcastic smart ass...he knows I love him to death!

Be sure to check out What I'm Loving Wednesdays at http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com/

A sure sign the 80's are back?

Sweet Valley High books are back...I heard a rumor they were bringing JEM back..you know the ordinary waitress who touched her magic earrings and turned from plain jane Jerrica to the rockstar JEM! Skinny jeans are in style...although back in the day we pegged our pants to make them look like skinny jeans. While shopping recently here's another affirmation that the 80's are roaring back into style. Look what I spotted at American Apparel.

a bin full of ...are they really? SCRUNCHIES?

The tag confirmed it

and all my junior high and high school memories came back when I saw the model's photo