My Sunday Afternoon + Day 4 What I'm Thankful For

I spent my Sunday afternoon baking with Ina Garten. I'm kidding, well sort of. I did spend the day baking Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs from Ina Garten's new cookbook, Foolproof.  Her new cookbook is amazing, her best yet in my opinion. The recipes are simple, easy to follow, and well foolproof. The globs are addictive. This dessert is crispy on the outside like a cookie, and chewy and moist on the inside like a brownie. I want to take an entire day off just to make everything in the dessert section of her new book. You will just have to buy it and see for yourself. It is worth every cent. Have a great night.

Day 4

I am thankful for my home and all the wonderful memories made in it, and the many more to come. Home is where the heart is.

Taco Soup

One of my favorite foods ever has to be taco soup. I love how hearty and comforting it is. My taco soup recipe happened by mistake. One night my mom and I were making chili and instead of chili powder, we accidentally put in taco seasoning and the rest is history. We added a few more ingredients and ended up with our version of taco soup. It was delicious. My kids are fairly picky eaters, but none of them complain when I make this. We like to scoop it into corn chips when we eat it. The chips somehow complete the meal. Taco soup is also one of those foods that tastes better the second day, so it is perfect for leftovers. Great for busy moms. Do you have an accidental recipe? Please share.

Taco Soup

2.5 lbs 80/20 ground chuck
1 white onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, grated
1 package taco seasoning
1 tablespoon ranch dressing powder
1 can ranch style beans, undrained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
3 cups tomato juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
sour cream for garnish
shredded cheese for garnish

Cook the ground chuck until done. Drain well and set aside. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add in chopped onion and grated garlic. Let cook until onions are translucent. Add the ground chuck to the onion mixture. Add in the fire roasted tomatoes. Add in the ranch style beans and corn. Add in the tomatoe sauce and stir. Put in the package of taco seasoning, along with the ranch dressing powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir. Cook until the soup begins to simmer, about 20 minutes. Turn down to medium-low heat, cook for another 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese if desired.

My Fall Entertaining Essentials

It's that time of year again. Tis the season for holiday parties, dinners, and constant entertaining. If you are like me, and love to play hostess, I have a few entertaining essentials that might just make your life easier. I have selected a few of my favorites to share with you.




A monogrammed platter adds a personal touch to any dinner party.



A ruffled pie plate can be a multi purpose dish to hold either your pie or casserole.

I use my staub cocotte for cozy fall meals such as hearty beef stew.

Vanilla Syrup adds cozy fall flavor to any coffee and dessert.

Candles...candles.....candles. I always use white unscented candles. I use unscented because they dont overpower the delicious meal you are preparing, and white is classic. You cannot go wrong with white. They add a lovely ambience to any dinner party or table.

Let's Make Whoopie Pies

Aren't they cute?  I have a new obsession, whoopie pies. I have been looking on pinterest for the past hour at images of pinterest. I have narrowed it down to a few favorites, but there are so many to choose from. I am also trying to find the perfect whoopie pie recipe because I have never made them before. I cannot wait until fall is here so I can start baking again.  I can already smell the aroma of pumpkin throughout our house. The orange and black pies pictured above will make the perfect halloween treat.  Below are a few of my favorite whoopie pie images from pinterest.  Do you have a great whoopie pie recipe to share?

Spring Fever

Good morning. I have decided that I am officially addicted to coffee, which is very strange because I once despised the taste of any kind of coffee. I also try to stay away from anything with excessive amounts of caffeine because I suffer from ADHD, but oh well it tastes so good. As I was drinking my 20 ounce mocha latte, I was thinking about how beautiful the weather is again today. The temperature is suppose to be 84 degrees today. There is no doubt in my mind that I have spring fever. I have been looking at items for Spring on the internet for the last two weeks, so last night I decided to purchase a couple of things. May I just say that I think Anthropologie is becoming one of my new favorite stores. Anyways, here are my two purchases. Have you bought anything to get ready for Spring recently? Do you have Spring fever?




Farmer's market baskets from Anthropology. I bought two of these in white for all of the fruits and vegetables we buy at our local farmer's market this year. These will look lovely on my countertops with fresh strawberries in them, or placed in the fridge. These are adorable.




Twirl from Kate Spade. This perfume smells amazing and the scent is very reminiscent of Spring.



My Favorite Things

Anyone who knows me will tell you I have an obession with lanterns. I love them! I have them all over the house and in the warmer seasons, you will find them all over my back patio. Each time I walk into a store I have to restrain myself from buying just one more. Most of the lanterns I  have come from Potterybarn. I love how turning off the lights in the house and lighting the candles in the lanterns makes my house feel. I love to open the french doors in the kitchen on a warm night and use only the candles in the lanterns for lighting. Then just sit on the porch swing. The glow through the house is absolutely stunning. Here are a few of my lanterns.

My Favorite Things

 Here is one of my newest favorite things. They are indoor/outdoor rugs from Dash & Albert. I love them  because of the variety of sizes, colors, and patterns they come in. They are extremely versatile and so very pretty to look at. These are a few of my favorites.