If You're Ever in Joshua Tree. . .

If You're Ever in Joshua Tree. . .

You should visit Hicksville Trailer Palace. A themed compound that can be rented out by groups, it is filled with kitschy themed trailers to sleep in, bb guns to shoot your eye out with, bbq's, hot tub, archery, outdoor showers, old soda/beer machines, ping-pong, darts, horseshoes, and just general super-fun-ness.

The BF took the big plunge of turning 25 and I wanted to plan something really special. So we took a group of 13 friends,  and trekked out to Joshua Tree to celebrate my man getting just a wee bit older.
It. Was. So. Fun!
We rented the whole place and just relaxed, drank beer, made tacos, and had a good time.

We ate breakfast at a little country kitchen and dinner at Pappy and Harriet's, a honky tonk bar with good food & good music.
We watched sunsets while soaking in the hot tub and took a look around Joshua Tree National Park.

It was so nice to see old friends and to celebrate a person whose life is worthy of celebrating!

The End As We Know It; A Yummy Beef Stifatho Recipe

The End As We Know It; A Yummy Beef Stifatho Recipe

Something I swore I would never happened. . . has happened.

I. Own. A. Crock pot.

I have cooked with said crock pot.
I liked it.

I know, I'm so embarrassed. I am so old.

Would it be less mortifying if I explained that the crock pot was a Christmas gift? Along with five or six cookbooks, some copper pans (yes, yes yes, totally compensates for the fact that I am a crock-potter now), an electric mixer, salad bowls & accessories, etc etc so on and so forth.

I basically have a completely restocked kitchen as of December 25th 2010.

So get ready for a whirlwind of recipes, food porn posts, and just general yummy goodness from Little Girl, Shiny World.  Blame the people in my life who think I'm a budding Julia Childs.

Ok no one thinks that. But whatever lol. For my first act of crock-pottery I made a Greek dish called Beef Stifatho for the bf's big 25th bday dinner.
Red wine, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, sugar.
Tell me that doesn't sound delicious.

Below is a variation of the recipe I used.  I threw everything together in the pot the night before & refrigerated it, then started the cooking the next morning before work. So easy, so good. The way it should be.

• 1 3/4-2 lbs beef top round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large onions, halved and cut into 8 thin wedges
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar  

Directions:

In a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker, toss the beef with the flour until evenly coated. Mix in the onions. In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, red wine, cumin, cinnamon, lemon juice, and water until well blended. Stir into the beef mixture in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6-7 hours or until meat is tender, but not falling apart. Stir in the sugar.

Deckin' the Halls for 2011

Deckin' the Halls for 2011

I hate when people rephrase things to make them sound better.

We all know that a "Winter Wonderland" is really a "Frozen tundra" and that
"Jack Frost nipping at your nose" is code for "Frost bite rotting your nose off"

So in the spirit of honestly I will tell you. The things I'm sharing are not just for the New Year.
At least not for me. I have an obsession a healthy appreciation for all things glittery, sparkly, shiny, gold, silver and gaudy.

For those more reasonable, this is my little guide to looking good & livin' good this New Year's Eve.

Pairing a LBD with some gold pumps (or--be still my heart--gold oxfords!) would be gorgeous.

Or maybe feathers are your thing and you could pair a LBD with a great feather cape or necklace.

I am loving the Little Gold Dresses, and a mesh neckline & sleeves. Wouldn't that be so cute with a simple topknot hairstyle?

Give me a Voluspa "Crisp Champagne" candle to go with my flutes of rose and I will be a happy camper.

For me it's all about containing the crazy. Which means these guides were created with the idea of using small glittery accents to celebrate the New Year. That way they are easily interchangeable and your house doesn't look like a craft project exploded all over it! If that makes any sense. . .

New Year at Home

Little accents to make your home feel festive.

Candles at Unica Home
Accent Bowls by Jayson Home & Garden

LBD & LGD

Little Black Dress & Little Gold Dress for NYE

Cocktail Dresses by Rare
Teen Girls' Dresses by MinkPink

Accessorize the New Year

Flats by Urban Outfitters
Scarves & Wraps by Asos

Christmas Wishes

Christmas Wishes

If you happen to know the real-life me (much more boring than the blogger-me I should mention) then you probably received one of these in the mail.

If you know me and didn't, I apologize. I was drinking red wine while writing. So some maaay have slipped through some rose colored cracks. Or it was the Post Office. Yes, yes it  must have been them.

Wishing everyone the merriest Christmas! The older I get I'm realizing how much the holidays are really about family ( however crazy or annoying), friends, and relaxing together the best way you can. Be it with special food, drinks, games or presents.

So I hope you are doing these things, somewhere warm, cozy & happy.

Cheers!

We Wish You a Homemade Christmas. . .

We Wish You a Homemade Christmas. . .

I love my friends. I love my family. I love my work.

Basically, I love WAY too many people.
Especially around Christmas time! Gifting, for me, becomes a hierarchical battle.
I am forced to attempt to quantify my love for people, and then rank them accordingly.
"Super love", "Kind of like" "Find annoying but don't dislike".

These are real categories. Don't pretend you've never done it.

In the end, I give most people some sort of gift. This is selfish on my part. I love to shop, even for other people. After hours of perusing, and many dollars spent, my joy is cut short by the arrival of my bank statement, and I decide to get thrifty about things.

So I share with you my Cinnamon Espresso Butter & my Salt n' Spice Blend.
The butter will make you wish you could eat it raw, by the bucket load. Seriously it smells that good. Slap it on an English Muffin with your coffee & you're good to go.

The Salt n' Spice is a spice recipe meant to mimic a McCormick product that was discontinued a bit ago. This stuff was the BEES KNEES on a microwaved baked potato. It's basically how I survived college. I found the recipe online (strangely enough from McCormick itself--hmmm) I bought cute spice bottles from Cost Plus World Market (did I mention this place is my Mecca?) Also, both these recipes follow my "takes less than 20 minutes" rule of DIY. Score!
Anyhow, enjoy.

And if you are a possible recipient of these gifts, STOP READING THIS! :)

Salt n' Spice

Ingredients

1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Salt Free Garlic Pepper Seasoning, McCormick® Seasoned Pepper Blend or Lawry's® Seasoned Pepper
1 tablespoon McCormick® Garlic Salt
1 tablespoon McCormick® Onion Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Celery Seed, crushed

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients until well blended. 
2. Store in tightly covered jar in cool, dry place.

 

Cinnamon Espresso Butter

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon Spice Island® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and vanilla. In a small bowl, cream the butter, confectioners' sugar and cinnamon until light and fluffy. Add coffee mixture; beat until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Yield: 1/2 cup.