Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Adapted from: Skinny Taste

Ingredients:

2.5 lb Ground Turkey, browned

1 Can Pumpkin Puree (15 oz)

1 Small Can Green Chiles (4.5 oz)

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Small Onion, chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 t Chili Powder

1 T Cumin

1 t Oregano

1 T Cinnamon

2 Bay Leaves

Directions:
Brown turkey and saute onion and garlic.
Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook for 4-6 hours.
Top with cheese, sour cream, and a shake of cinnamon.

Spaghetti {Squash} and {Quinoa} Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash

Salt

Olive Oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425
Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds and pulp (just like you would in a pumpkin)
Sprinkle with salt and brush with olive oil
Wrap tightly in tin foil, cut side up, and place on a cooking sheet and bake at 425 for 25 minutes.
Unwrap carefully from tin foil and bake at 425 for 35 minutes.
Run a fork along the sides to string the squash and place "spaghetti" in a bowl

Quinoa Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Cooked Quinoa

1 lb Lean Beef

2 T Parmesan Cheese

1 T Garlic Powder

1 T Italian Seasoning

1 Egg

Directions:
While spaghetti squash is cooking, mix all ingredients together.
Form into balls and place on baking sheet.
Turn down oven heat to 350 and bake for 27-30 minutes.
Toss spaghetti squash and meatballs with hot marinara sauce and enjoy.

#KarensAPansy

What do you do when your best friends are spread out over four states and 1200 miles?  You plan a weekend at the beach of course.  So what do you do when that girls weekend that you have been planning and looking forward to for months has a weather forecast that looks like this?

Cry. Make a Plan B E.  Pray that the weathermen are idiots and the forecast is wrong.  Stock the fridge and the guest room. Make slutty brownies.  Start hashtagging #karensabitch.

In reply to all the straw comments, I ordered them from Krazy Straws!! I think they are so cute and they were quite a hit at the bars ;)

Thank goodness the tears were for nothing and it turned out the weathermen actually were wrong!  We had gorgeous weather, 85 and sunny, all weekend!!  The storm broke up before it ever hit land and ended up hitting much further west than predicted.  Although I'm sure we would have made the most of whatever weather, I felt so lucky that I was able to show them all of my favorite beach spots.  (We changed our hashtag halfway through the weekend to #KarensAPansy)

Thursday I picked the girls up from the airport and we stayed up way past our bedtime talking and catching up over a few glasses of wine ;)  Although we had to fill each other in on some new details, I love that we can always pick up where we left off and it feels like we were just together.  When we woke up on Friday morning, the weather looked nice so we figured we better head out to the beach and soak up as much sun as we could before the rain started.



After the beach, we all got ready to go out.  It felt like we were back in the sorority house, all crammed together in front of the mirror, curling hair, sharing make up, and predicting what the night had in store for us.  While I love my husband, there is just something special about getting ready with your best friends.


We went to McGuire's for dinner and then out to the dueling piano bar in Seville's.  Somehow we landed a table right behind the piano and had a blast closing the place down.


Saturday, we woke up to another sunny day so we headed to Pensacola Beach to hopefully watch our Hokies play.  Although, they couldn't put the game on at the bar, we kept track of the game on our phones and loved celebrating a Virginia Tech win together.  We had lunch at Flounders and drank frozen drinks on the beach until the sun set.



Not ready to go home and definitely not ready for the weekend to end, we headed straight to Florabama.

Sunday came entirely too fast and I was not ready for everyone to go home.  No matter how many times I do it, it never gets easier to say goodbye to these girls.

Linking up with Sami

Is it possible to ever get used to this view?

It's been four months and I still don't think I will ever get used to this view.



Some mornings, when I'm up early with a cup of coffee reading while Rob gets ready for work, and some evenings, when we sit outside with a glass of wine and watch the sunset, it simply takes my breath away.  How lucky are we - to experience this beauty each and every day, and to enjoy it together.  I truly can't believe we get to call this place home.

View from our bedroom

View from our kitchen

Margarita Dip

Margarita Dip

Adapted from: Kraft

Ingredients:

1 Package Cream Cheese, thawed

1/4 Cup Frozen Margarita Concentrate, thawed (this stuff in the can)

2 T Orange Juice (I used the juice squeezed from one orange)

1 t Lime Zest

1/2 Cup Cool Whip

Directions:
Beat the cream cheese, margarita concentrate, orange juice, and lime zest until smooth.
Fold in cool whip.
Refrigerate at least two hours and serve cold with fruit and graham crackers.

Nancy's Haute Affairs

With no real dinner plans and no motivation to cook, Rob and I were throwing around ideas of where we should order take out from.  After a little yelp searching, I came across a new place in Pensacola that piqued my interest.  Excited to make a date night out of an otherwise boring weeknight, I went into full blown research mode.  What followed was a relaxing drive, a gourmet picnic, and a new favorite spot in town.

We started our date night with a drive along Scenic Highway, an 11 mile drive right on the bay.  We stopped at Nancy's Haute Affairs to pick up food.  This place is unlike anywhere I have ever been and I was in love the second I saw the bright blue building.  Nancy's is famous for their "gourmet to go" food.  Their menu changes weekly and seriously every item on the menu looks incredible!  You head up to the counter and place your order, look around the adorable store while your food is made, and then take your food and you are on your way.  OH, and the people here are simply lovely; southern hospitality at its finest.




Rob ordered the seared snapper in lobster sauce with bleu cheese mac and cheese and stewed okra and tomatoes.  I ordered the grilled rib eye with caramelized onions, spaghetti squash, and stuffed zucchini. Of course our order would not be complete without some focaccia bread and a couple of cookies.  We took our food to the scenic bluffs and enjoyed it overlooking the water.  EVERYTHING was incredible.  The name says it all - it was truly gourmet take out!  We brought a bottle of chardonnay and had the perfect picnic, with barely any work!



As Rob's schedule starts to get busier with his school picking up, it is important to savor the little moments together and make regular nights into date nights.  A gourmet picnic was the perfect way to spice up dinner, not to mention enjoy the incredible sunset together!