changes.

This past Sunday, my husband pointed out that the leaves are changing colors, and I had a freak out moment. I swear every year I am thrown aback by the sudden change in the colors.

Shocked. Excited. Sad. All at once, because...
I love the colors fall bring yet so sad because I always realize it too late,
...which means all the leaves will be on the ground before I get to fully enjoy the colors of fall.

BUT as it gets cold and drab, a few things get me excited about the season...

-lights to light up the night
-all things pumpkin
-smores to warm our bellies
-stripes, prints, and leather oh my!
-cozying up in a blanket with your loved one
-knocking down my pins of cozy foods
-AND taking a trip the NYC for the FIRST time!

To celebrate the season of warmth and the start of completing my pins, on tonight's menu: Beer Braised Chicken from Everyday with Rachel Ray.

What makes you excited for the dark days of winter?
::elle.

sweet smell of fall

Growing up, when your mom bakes fresh dessert I would check the oven almost every 2 minutes to check up on the sweet scent that is filling every ounce of open space. The smell of fresh zucchini bread brings me back to my childhood when nothing mattered except for the thought of jumping into a pile of freshly racked leaves. Just "don't jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker"like Linus.

So today just seemed like the perfect fall day to bring back the smell of fall with a carrot and zucchini bread. You wouldn't think carrots and zucchini could fill the room with one of the most amazing aromas, but the smell just makes me want to cozy up next to my nonexistent fireplace. I wish you could smell it right now. I just want to eat it up! This smells WAY better than the lingering smell from last night's dinner...

Skinny Carrot Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Lick the Bowl Good
Makes 1 loaf

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 baking powder
1/2 sea salt
1/4 cup minced candied ginger, optional
2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup coarsely grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 235F. Grease an 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk in the salt and candied ginger(opt).

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they are foamy. Whisk the applesauce, sugar, and vanilla hard until well combined. Stir in the carrots and zucchini into the wet ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir/fold until everything is just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until the loaf passes the toothpick test. Cool it in the pan for about 10 minutes, then let it complete cooling on a cooling rack.

And the baking season of spices begins...

What are you going to bake this season?
::elle.

getting ready.

Getting ready for a dinner party is unbelievable. My husband and I love having company over, but when it is 10+ family members in our tiny little condo where our dinner table is our ottoman; its crazy.

So this was me organizing our dinner menu for when we had my cousins over for a taco night...

This time we are having my aunts, uncles, and grandma over, which means its time to pull up my sleeves for a korean menu. 

Menu & pictures to come...

How do you prepare for big dinner parties in small spaces?

::elle.

ombre veggie stamped tote

I wanted to make a first year teacher bag for my cousin, Jeannette, who is making a difference in the Galewood community in Chicago and was inspired by Martha Stewart's Apple Stamped Bags.

ang.jeannette.me @ volare for her 24th.

I wanted to make a bag that would be versatile, so rather than using apples I decided to go ahead with using celery. Who knew celery could be so darn cute? I absolutely love the simplicity of the pattern that the celery creates.

I cut my stick of celery near the bottom to get a larger print. A fresh cut will give you a more defined shape, so I suggest slicing to for a fresh cut every so often.

To get this ombre style, pick two shades that can blend well.

I picked a red to yellow gradient and green to blue gradient. These two gradients are usually the easiest to create, but you could also do a gradient of the same color hue like red to pink.

The best part about ombre is that even if you mess up, it looks awesome because it gives it character.

My all-time fav gradient is the red to yellow because it looks like a beautiful sunset. 

Look at what else comes from celery prints:

Celery Stamped Gift Wrap from Geninne's Art Blog

Celery Stamped Scarf from A Beautiful Mess

Are you in love? I thought I loved celery with peanut butter, but now I am more in love with celery.

::elle.

I Think I Just Cried..

First time I've been excited for a musical movie edition since RENT. Who else is excited about Les Mis THE MOVIE? Watching this exclusive clip of Les Miserables made me tear up. I think I'll be an emotional wreck during this movie. The last movie I balled my eyes out for was I Am Sam; by the way I think Sean Penn should have won the Oscars that year, but that's just me.

This is my Christmas movie for the year.
Do you have a favorite "Christmas" movie? All I know is that back in 97, I think everyone would have said Titanc.
.:elle

lunch-ables: honey lime flatbread pizza

Having been pizza deprived for almost the past two years[with my husband being lactose-intolerant AND being a calorie loader], when my husband suggested we get some flatbread from Costco I jumped at the chance of making me some pizza at home without having to make my own dough. The best part about making your pizza is that you can pretty much put anything your heart desires. 

The yummiest part of this pizza is this honey lime vinaigrette that I found online: http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2009/07/grilled-corn-avocado-and-tomato-salad.html

[by the way this corn, avocado & tomato salad is a crowd pleaser too]

Recipe: Flatbread Pizza

Serves 1

[Today I made it a veggie pizza with zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and chihuahua cheese.]

You'll need:

1 FlatOut Flatbread Multi Grain with Flax

1 cup worth of sliced veggies

1/4 cup of any cheese 

-1/4 cup honey lime vinaigrette

-splash of olive oil

-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat conventional oven to 350F. Chop all your veggies and set them aside. Once the oven is ready, put the flatbread in the oven for about 7 minutes. 

Pout the honey lime vinaigrette on a heated pan and add the chopped veggies. Sprinkle the veggies with some salt and pepper and let the veggies sauté. Pull out the flatbread and spray on olive oil  and sprinkle the cheese onto it. Now, stick it in the oven for about 3-5 more minutes. 

Once the cheese is all melted, top it with the sauteed veggies and fresh cilantro [I forgot them today]

my next pizza journey:

enjoy your personal pizza!

::elle.

my first.

o·rig·i·nelle/əˈrijənl/
fresh & genuine take on all things: eats, travel, & makeables.

married about 3 months ago. 

i am embarking on a lot of my firsts [and my 

husband's] in this new chapter we call marriage. 

MY big first: this blog!

OUR big first: i guess it would be getting married.

HERE WE GO!

::elle.