Happy Halloween!

It's that time of year again, when ghosts and goblins come out to play! I finally got my Halloween decorations up today, I know, only a week and they will come down again. I promise I'll be more up on decorating for Christmas and will share pictures. I plan on going all out, and even have some pinterest projects lined up! 

Last night I attended a Halloween party hosted by one of the girls at work, and it was epic! I tend to be socially shy and stay home from such activities but since moving out here I've been more and more social which is a good thing! Being a procrastinator I hadn't put much thought into a costume, but thankfully there is this thing called Pinterest to help get your creative juices going. This year I went as Hawaiian Punch. It took a few guesses for people to figure out my costume, but once they did, they laughed and called me a nerd ;) 

Wolverine

Our hostess the Minion

Ketchup and Mustard

Mr. Rogers

Old Man, Homeland Security, Mr. Rogers

Cheetah girl and I shot the sheriff

Day of the Dead and Hawaiian Punch

PS: I stole all the pics from the party from others. The pumpkin picture is mine :)

I'm on a Mission

No... not that kind of mission, but a mission nonetheless. I am racking my brain trying to change my outdoor patio space. It's the first thing I see when I come home from a long day at the office and it's just kind of blah. It needs more color and character.  I've been on Pinterest longer than I care to share today looking for ideas.

The green faux turf was there when I moved in, but I'm thinking a brighter rug wouldn't hurt. The weather here is finally starting to be 'cooler' I can definitely feel it in the mornings and evenings. Funny how lower 80's/upper 70's is chilly here. I'm told October the temps fall quick throughout the month, though today it's supposed to be a high of 100° which the weatherman says is our last 100° day. The 10 day forecast doesn't look too bad, although of course there would be rain in there because I just washed my car today. 

Any ideas to transform this space? Don't expect and update too soon, I'm sure this will require extensive research and procrastination.

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla

I've been kind of lazy lately when it comes to dinner. It's hot and I'm not creative. Usually a bologna sandwich or a bowl of cereal will suffice for me. Last night I decided to be fancy and make a Pinterest find for dinner.

Pinterest linked me out to The Girl who ate Everything's blog where you can click and find the recipe. It was very simple to make and it was suuuuper delicious. Next time I will be sure to add more cheese and a little bit less sauce to try and make it a little less messy.

Pinterest Find: Summer Salad

We had this for dinner and it was amazing! I had to share. The pin on pinterest links you back to the blog 'What I ate' (click the link to go to the original recipe)

We paired it with chicken but it's a meal in itself. It makes quite a bit so it's perfect for a summer party of food day at work! I have the ingredients list below so you can take a quick look. It was delish! I don't like feta cheese so we substituted with Parmesan. This meal has been gpa approved!

SUMMER SALAD - CORN, AVOCADO, TOMATO, FETA, CUCUMBER & RED ONION WITH A CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE (serves 6-8)  

- 4 ears corn, cooked

- 2 avocados, diced

- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I use orange & red for a little color) 

- 1/2 an english cucumber, finely diced, skin on

- 1/3  C. crumbled feta

- 1/2 red onion, finely diced

Cilantro Vinaigrette

- 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

- 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

- 1/2 tsp. salt or Herbamare

- 1 tsp. garlic powder

- 1/2 freshly ground black pepper

- 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

- 6 tbsp. EVOO

Pinterest Food: Low Fat Baked Pasta with Spinach

I found this recipe on Pinterest first and it linked me to skinnytaste.com there are lots of great good for you recipe's to choose from. We had this for dinner tonight and it was delish! Even gpa liked it, we didn't tell him it was healthy. ;) Here's the recipe, enjoy!

Low Fat Baked Pasta with Spinach
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 1/8th portion • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 296 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 16 g • Carb: 44 g • Fiber: 5.5 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 524 mg


Ingredients:

12 oz uncooked pasta such as ziti
28 oz crushed tomatoes 
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste
8 oz fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella 
olive oil cooking spray 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil spray.

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and chopped tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan.

Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned. Let it cool 5 minutes, then cut it into 8 equal portions.

This can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Pinterest Project: Mason Jar to Go

My very first non-food Pinterest Project! The mason jar to go glass. Super easy to make and only costs $1.85. My only complaint is the condensation, but other than that it's totally cute! We threw around the idea of a knitted sleeve (but I don't know how to do that) or some kind of fabric wrap, maybe some burlap and a cute gingham bow (I just now thought of that!) 

What you'll need: 
Supplies
- Mason Jar any size (mine pictured is a Quart jar)
- 2 #14 finishing washers (got them at Ace $0.14 each)
- reusable straws (I found mine at our Alco store, Starbucks sells them too) 

Tools
- hot glue gun
- something to punch or drill a hole in the top of your lid

Directions: 
1. Wash your jar and straw obviously.
2. Drill a hole in the top of the lid (I used the drill press, but you can use a hammer and nail or something fancier)
3. Take your finishing washers and fill the inside with hot glue. I found it best to fill in a layer of glue first, then let that cool. Then go ahead and fill in another layer of glue (since it's kind of deep) You'll do this for the top and bottom of the lid.
4. Let your glue dry and bam you're done! Enjoy!

I'm not 100% on how the hot glue will hold up after washings but I'll keep ya posted. 

Update:  I am having problems getting the hot glue to stick to the top of the jar lid. While the top piece is more for show, I appreciate it being there to help give a finished look. I tried scoring the top of the lid around where the glue would go to give it something to stick to but no luck. Man they just make it look so easy on Pinterest don't they...