Experiencing New Things

It has been a little while, but much as happened. My promotion took effect and I am learning so many new things about my new role. I have a list going of all the things I want to change, update and keep the same. I feel very exciting about this role and I feel like I can really make a difference. My in-laws surprised me with flowers at work! It was such a nice gesture and they are still looking beautiful today.

Beautiful flower from my in-laws

Since February 11 (my last blog post), Christopher and I celebrated Valentine’s Day. On the 14^th, we had our pizza making contest. I made Christopher’s choice pizza of broccoli, peppers and cheese and Christopher made my pizza – a regular cheese and pepperoni pizza. We put the pizzas to a vote (thanks to Facebook) and Christopher won. I guess I will have to perfect my pizza making skills. Then on Friday, we went out for dinner to Salvatores to celebrate. We dropped Marv (our Sheltie) off at Nan & Papa’s house and spent the night at the Marriott. It was a great, relaxing and romantic night out.

Who do you think is the winner?

Then on Sunday the 17^th we celebrated my brother in law’s (J) birthday. We went back to Salvatores and had brunch. They were doing a chocolate themed brunch and it was absolutely wonderful! It included chocolate themed food items, a long stemmed rose for each lady and a strawberry champagne cocktail. The service was wonderful (as always) and we had the same waiter as Friday night. For anyone who loves going to Salvatores, ask for Karl – he is absolutely a delight!

On Thursday I went to our second splurge party group. My friend Tori won this month’s splurge pot. Our hostess Andrea put out a fabulous spread and has a lovely home. Fingers are crossed that I win next month…my list of splurges keeps getting longer!

This past weekend I attended my friend Jessica’s bridal shower. She is seriously the nicest person I have ever met! Her shower was lovely and held at Rizzo’s Banchetti’s. We all did crafts and received little heart measuring spoons as the favor. She and her fiancé Jason were so blessed with wonderful gifts for their future house. I ended up making a gardening basket out of a watering can. Inside were a pair of gloves, 4 packets of seedlings, a set of organic moss pots, trowel, hand shovel, a garden sign and garden flower stake. I included a picture below of the finished product. This worked perfectly as all invitees were asked to bring their gift unwrapped and I still wanted to make my gift look cute and presentable. It was super easy too to find all of the supplies as Spring is right around the corner.

Bridal Shower Gardening Basket

Crazy Weekend

So Friday the snow storm arrived. We got about a foot of snow total. The way it fell, all of the tree branches and bushes were beautifully outlined. The neighborhood looked beautiful until you had to drive in it. That is another story.

But the snow could not stop us Musialowski’s – we attended the Canisius High School fundraiser and had a great time. We then continued the party to the Empire Grill on Hertel for more drinks and discussion with Christopher’s parents. It was a great time.

On Saturday we decided not to go to Niagara-on-the-Lake, but instead, run errands and have a date night home. We made fondue – a beer cheese fondue then a milk chocolate fondue for dessert. It was delicious! And super easy too. We do not have a fondue pot, we used a saucepan instead and it worked out great. Recipes are included below.

Then on Sunday we visited our friends Dennis and Anna in Rochester and their beautiful baby boy, Jack Patrick. He turned 1 month and is just a little bundle of sunshine. It was so great to catch up with our good friends. At night, my friend Carly and I went to a Victoria’s Secret party for Valentine’s Day. It was really nice. They closed the store down except for those who had an invitation. There were many sales associates there to help with purchases. But it was mostly a fun time to shop for underwear!

Beer Cheese Fondue

¾ cup beer (we used a porter)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp mustard, a grainy kind NOT the yellow mustard

1 tbsp horseradish sauce (I would probably use a little less)

1 tbsp flour

12 oz shredded cheddar cheese (white or yellow is fine)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add beer to pan and stir constantly. Add the garlic to the beer and continue stirring. Do not like the beer boil. If needed, turn down the heat. Add the mustard, horseradish sauce and continue stirring. Finally add the cheese, and stir until the liquid has a smooth consistency.

We used cubed Parmesan-peppercorn baguette, broccoli, carrots and apples to dip into the fondue. Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Fondue

 1 cup whipping cream

12 oz milk chocolate chips

Optional: 2 tsp orange or other flavored liqueur

Over a low flame, heat the cream in a saucepan until warm. DO NOT bring the cream to a boil. Pour in the chocolate while stirring constantly. Stir until the liquid becomes smooth. If adding a liqueur, add now and stir in.

Dip with fruits, cookies, pound cake, pretzels or your favorite snacks.

Let it Snow

So today is the day of the big snow storm and it does look pretty bad out. Right now, I am having lunch at my desk at work with my little heater on. Speaking of work…I have some big work related news…I am getting a promotion! I am very excited about this opportunity. Effective February 15, I will be the SOX Compliance Champion. So far…2013 has been very good to me!

Last night I tried a new recipe I found on recipe.com (here is the link: http://www.recipe.com/spaghetti-pepperoni-pie/)  for Pepperoni Spaghetti Pie. I love twists on dinner staples and this seemed to fit the bill. Plus, Christopher LOVES pepperoni, so I felt like this would not really go wrong. And it did not! It was easy and delicious! I included the recipe below (I cut the recipe in ½ since it is only the two of us) or you can follow the link above.

Tonight we are suppose to go to a fundraiser, but if it is really bad out, I will be just content snuggling at home in my comfy clothes and watch the snow come down outside. Sometimes, those are the perfect nights.

This recipe is definitely a keeper! Pepperoni Spaghetti Pie

Pepperoni Spaghetti Pie

 Ingredients

½ lb spaghetti

1/3 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs

2 cups bottled pasta sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 oz sliced pepperoni, chopped (quartered each slice)

4 large eggs

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring water to boil and cook spaghetti once water is boiling. Cook the spaghetti until it is just about al dente. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set aside.

I used a pie plate to bake the spaghetti (the online directions said oven-safe skillet) and it worked out fine. Coat the plate with some non-stick spray. In a bowl, combine the spaghetti, bread crumbs, pasta sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. Stir in the beaten eggs. Then put spaghetti mixture onto the plate.

Note: I mixed up the sauce, crumbs, cheese, pepperoni and eggs together then I tossed the pasta to coat. This also worked very well to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (our top was golden at about 22 minutes). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and let the pie cool. Cut the pie into wedges and enjoy!

Almost the Weekend

So excited that today is Thursday and the weekend is almost here. Last night we went out for coffee and dessert with my in-laws. It is always great catching up with them. We will be seeing them again tomorrow night at a fundraiser for Canisius High School. Before meeting out for dessert, I cooked one of my favorite crock pot recipes – Apricot Glazed Pork Roast. I got this recipe from my mom, Kathy, when I was in college. Boy did I show off when I made this. Most college students are lucky enough to cook a pizza and I used my crock pot like a pro.  I think my roommates enjoyed it too. I included the recipe below, but I have no pictures of the finished product. But no worries, if you make the pork roast, I am sure there will be no leftovers for you as well.

Today I am excited to catch up with my very close friend, Christine. I am very excited for her family as they are expecting! I am going to be an aunt all over again! I just keep telling my friends and family – keep it coming.

We have a busy weekend coming up. The CHS fundraiser kicks off the weekend for us Musialowski’s. Saturday we are going up to our favorite vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake for some wine and fondue. It is a special the vineyard is offering to its wine club members and the best part…IT IS FREE!

Saturday is also my friend Ashley’s birthday and I am hoping that we will be going out with her and her husband to celebrate. Then Sunday we have mass and we are hoping to visit our friends in Rochester and their 1 month old baby boy! Oh I love babies!

Apricot Glazed Pork Roast

Ingredients:

¾ can of chicken broth

1 jar (about 18 oz) Apricot Preserves

1 onion, sliced or chopped

3-4 lb boneless pork loin roast

Directions:

Mix broth, preserves, onion in crock pot. Add pork & turn to coat. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours. It is that easy! Great for week day and busy schedules!

What is for Dinner Tonight...Taco Bites

You want to know my least favorite question of the day…What is for dinner?  It makes me cringe just typing it. I love cooking and creating recipes, but when I come home from work and nothing is thawed and ready, I suddenly become puzzled and frustrated.

This was last night. Christopher loves tacos but I really was not feeling it. I started to make them when I thought…why not make little taco cups? I had the won-ton wrappers from a Super Bowl party dish I made (Crab Rangoon’s – turned out super cute) and I now own mini muffin pans. So I thought I would give it a whirl.

So glad I did because they turned out perfectly! I made 12 little taco bites, 6 of them were enough for me, but Christopher ate his 6 plus a small taco on the side. (Note to self: make 24 – any leftover can be frozen!)

All I did was brown the ground beef ( I used about 1 lb of beef), drain, then stir in 1 packet of taco seasoning and about 1/3 cup of water. I sprayed my mini muffin tin with some non-stick cooking spray and put 1 won-ton wrapper in each cup. Then I used a teaspoon and filled each cup with ground beef. Next – the toppings! I put shredded cheddar cheese on my 6 and cheese and hot sauce on Christopher’s 6. Then I baked them at 375 for about 10 minutes.

I will definitely be doing this again. And since I have like 20 some wrappers left, I have a feeling I will be making something else with them later this week.

12 Bites - Yummy!

Taco Bites (or Cups)

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef (if you are only making 12 little cups, you will have excess beef)

1 taco seasoning packet

12 won-ton wrappers

Any toppings you desire (cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce, etc)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Brown the ground beef. Once fully cooked through, drain the grease from the pan. Stir in the packet of taco seasoning into the cooked & drained ground beef, adding about 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Stir the beef with the seasoning and water until all of the seasoning is fully blended and the water is absorbed. Take a mini-muffin pan and lightly spray each individual cup with a non-stick cooking spray. Place 1 won-ton wrapper into each cup (the ends of the wrapper may stick out of the cup – this is okay). Next using a teaspoon, spoon the seasoned and cooked ground beef into each cup. Top each with your desired toppings. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until the won-ton ends turn golden brown. 

Welcome to my Blog

My name is Elle. I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from Canisius College in 2008.  I am married to my wonderful husband, Christopher. We were married on September 24, 2011. Together we have an adorable Sheltie named Marv Eric Moulds Levy – Marv for short! This blog is dedicated to the life we are living together.

I have wanted to start a blog for a while now. I think it is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends and it is a useful tool for sharing ideas. I love to cook, bake, craft and I am getting into home projects. I think blogs are an excellent way to share best practices and display your creativity.

In the upcoming months, I am hoping to tackle several projects around the house, begin our backyard garden and try some new recipes.

I hope you all enjoy!

Christopher & I on vacation in Disney World