Livin' It Up... What I'm Loving This Week

ONE: While others can't wait for the warmer weather to come I am loving these cooler days. I am loving this Cream & Khaki Rainbow Space-Dye Sweater from By Design. It is so cozy, slightly oversized, and I received numerous compliments on it. From a distance it appears to be grey but up close there are colorful threads weaved throughout. Just looked at the forecast and see another week of cooler temps, yay! sweater weather.

TWO: Picked up a smoked cheddar and bacon cheeseball with a box of crackers at the store and binge ate it one night while watching trashy reality tv shows. 

THREE: My signature scent in a rollerball that I carry around everywhere. I got a sample and instantly fell in love. I've since bought 3 more after 1 was "misplaced" and the other shattered on the ground because of my butterfingers. This is such a sexy scent and perfect for a date night. 

FOUR: Found myself unprepared this week and without a lunch. Ran into a Starbucks with a coworker and picked up my current fave a tall skinny hazelnut cappuccino and grabbed one of their Hearty Veggie Brown Rice Salads. It was so delicious. Even more exciting was coming across this copycat recipe. Cheers to savings. 

FIVE: Purchased Benefit's Hoola bronzing powder and love the natural tan it gives. 

SIX: A coworker dropped off a stack of magazines on my desk. Grateful I don't have to subscribe to any of them because of her. 

SEVEN: I would love to add these Michael Kors Damita Wedges to my shoe collection.

EIGHT: I have the worst sleeping habits. I have a desk job, don't workout every day or consume nearly enough water, eat late most nights, and look at a computer or phone screen before bed. I know, I'm doing it to myself, but here's an interesting tidbit that I should keep in mind:

NINE: As a follow up to my #8 this week I subscribed to a new YouTube channel, Heidi Somers. Here's to restarting on another Monday, ha!

TEN: ... and as a another follow up to my #8 this week I thought I'd share this helpful tool for determining when you should fall asleep depending on what time you are trying to wake up, sleepti.me. My Monday thru Friday intention is to fall asleep at either 8:30 or 10:00 pm (depending on how I feel from my work day) and waking up at 4:00 am in order to get a workout in. We'll see how it goes. 

Doin' Some Cookin'... Shrimp and Pesto-Rice Salad

You can serve this warm or cold which makes this perfect for dinner and leftovers for work, especially since I do not like to reheat fish, especially at work. Do your coworkers a favor and NEVER! reheat fish at work. The smell is awful, stink up your own place.

Shrimp and Pesto-Rice Salad

Adapted From:MyRecipes.com

Makes 3 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 1/8 tsp sea salt, divided
• 1 lime
• 1/4 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 Serrano pepper, seeded
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (5 oz) package baby spinach
• 2 cups warmed brown rice
• 1/4 cup smoked almonds

And Action:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together shrimp, black pepper, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and half of the lime juiced. Spread shrimp in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, bake 5 minutes until shrimp are pink and done.

Process mint, Serrano pepper, garlic, other half of the lime juiced, baby spinach, smoked almonds, and remaining salt in a food processor. While processing pour 1/4 cup oil through the chute until combined. 

Toss rice with the pesto mixture and top with shrimp. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Kimchi Fries

I'm a food truck junkie and happened to stumble upon Chi'lantro BBQ here in Houston, Texas one weekend downtown. Ordered their tacos and kimchi fries. While the tacos were good the kimchi fries were ah!mazing!! Absolutely crave worthy!!

One afternoon a craving hit for their fries after coming across a blog post about the top Houston food trucks and their food truck made the list. I'm always down for any excuse to get out of the house, especially to satisfy a craving, however, it was rainy and cold. I do not like to weather the poor drivers here in poor driving conditions. So I went without.

While the fries baked in the oven I crisped up some bacon and caramelized the kimchi. Making this was torture. It smelled so good and looked fantastic. Each component on it's own is divine.

Whenever trying a new recipe I like to have a back up dinner plan, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Little Man are always on hand. Tonight, I stopped at JoJo's Asian Bistro and picked up some... knowing I had a Plan B just in case these fries didn't turn out.

But they turned out amazing and worth the time spent cutting my own fries.

... and I am so excited to share this recipe with you.

These kimchi fries make for the perfect movie snack or a dinner on their own... I have no shame.

Kimchi Fries

Adapted From: The Woks Of Life

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 russet potatoes, cut into fries
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 slices of bacon, diced
• 2/3 cup kimchi
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

And Action:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place fries on a baking sheet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Toss with olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Bake 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to make sure they brown evenly. 

While the fries bake, crisp the bacon. Once cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add kimchi to the bacon fat along with the sugar and stir fry until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set heat to low until ready to assemble the fries.

In a baking dish sprinkle half the cheese over the fries. 

Spread the kimchi mixture over the top and top that with the rest of the cheese. 

Broil for 1-2 minutes until melted. Top with bacon and scallions, if desired. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Slow-Cooked Rump Roast

I have not had pot roast since I was living under my Mom's roof. Her pot roast was incredible. She would slit the meat and place a whole glove of garlic in each spot and serve the roast with a side of roasted carrots and potatoes.

While watching one of my favorite beauty vlog channels on YouTube a new segment is her grocery hauls. I love seeing what others put in their grocery carts, how their pantries/fridges look, and what they eat. It was great inspiration when she picked up a rump roast and suggested slow cooking it for a weekend dinner. Why haven't I done this yet?!!

Low and slow is the way to go to create a tender piece of meat. The lower heat keeps the gristle from getting too tough on this less expensive cut of meat.

The leftovers are perfect for roast beef sandwiches, or "Shit on a Shingle" as my Mom used to joke. She would toast bread, layer on the roast beef, and cover it in gravy to make an open-face sandwich. We loved it!

Slow-Cooked Rump Roast

Adapted From: Taste of Home

Makes 6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 lb beef rump roast, cut in half
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp celery salt
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup cold water

And Action:

In a large skillet, brown meat on all sides in the oil over medium high heat, drain. Put the meat in a Crock Pot. Combine 1/2 cup water, horseradish sauce, onion powder, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and celery salt in a small bowl. Pour over the meat. Cook on low for 10-12 hours or until the meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and the 1/3 cup cold water until smooth. Stir into Crock Pot. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until the gravy is thickened. Serve with roasted broccoli, red potatoes, and carrots. Enjoy!

Livin' It Up... BFF's 30th Birthday Bash

We celebrated Kelly's 30th birthday this weekend. She is one of my best girlfriends and has been for the past 5 years. I am so lucky to have her in my corner and this girl deserves nothing but the best. In our circle she is known for three things: being your biggest supporter, the way her ass looks in jeans, and being a kissing slut. She also has the biggest smile I've ever seen.

I got her this Happy Birthday To You Wine Glass by Lolita and another one of our friends split the tab at dinner with me.

She picked dinner at, Grotto Ristorante, which is a charming Italian restaurant located in The Woodlands on Market Street. FYI, this is a Landry's Select restaurant if you are a member. No shame in using it to pay for our meal. I had their Lobster Bisque with a side of the Grotto Salad and we split the slice of birthday cake. The bisque was perfect for the freezing temps we've been having. 

I cannot wait to go back to this restaurant. Best Italian food I've had since I moved to Texas.