She has brought us a ton of love & excitement – but MAN are puppies hardwork! I think this is very good practice for a baby I have never had a dog before so I am learning the ropes & trying to train her before she trains me! (haha!)

Then a week later, our house was broken into and many of our possessions were stolen!

candlelight vigil for our stolen tv.

I had just gone to meet some friends for lunch & when returned found our back door open & the house torn apart. It was very scary & an experience I hope we never have to deal with again. Sadly, my computer & both of our cameras were among the stolen items so any future posts will feature pictures from my lovely iphone Luckily, the things we care most about (each other, the pup, sentimental jewelry, etc) were ok. In another year or so Jolene should be big enough to scare off any future intruders!

Last night I got in the baking mood & scoured my Epicurious app (GREAT app!) for some cookies that don’t require eggs (we were all out) &came upon a recipe for Chocolate Chipotle Shortbread. These babies were so easy to whip up and feature my favorite combination of spicy & chocolate! The SC on the other hand doesn’t quite share my love of spicy chocolate & upon biting into his said, “you just had to add cayenne huh?” hehe…more for me! These were very delicious & are even better dipped in hot chocolate or coffee.

Chocolate Chipotle Cookies

Yield: 20 cookies

Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon cocoa chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.
2. Whisk together first six ingredients in a bowl.
3. Beat together butter, sugar & vanilla extract with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy.
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until well blended.
5. Scoop into small balls and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick circles. Place on greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.

The appetizer that got the most raves however, was this Cranberry Pistachio cheeseball. I was inspired by a recipe I saw in Real Simple but theirs looked a tad too boring for me. I jazzed mine up with some honey goat cheese from Trader Joe’s {substitute this for regular goat cheese in basically anything & you’re taste buds will thank you!} & also added a mixture of the pistachios & cranberries into the cheeseball itself instead of simply coating the outside with it. Pair this ball of yumminess with Trader Joe’s Raisin Rosemary Crisps & you’ll want to devour the whole thing immediately.

Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball

Note: I purposefully made this cheeseball small since there were only 8 of us. Double the amounts to make a full sized ball :)

Ingredients:

1/2 log of honey goat cheese (I find mine cheapest at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup cream cheese

Directions:

1. Crush the shelled pistachios & cranberries in in the food processor. (reserve a few tablespoons of each before blending)
2. Add to a small bowl with honey goat cheese & cream cheese & mix until creamy & well blended.
3. On a sheet of wax paper spread out the remaining whole pistachios & cranberries. Roll the cheese mixture into a ball and then roll onto the pistachio & cranberries until well covered.
4. Chill for at least one hour & then serve with your favorite crackers. (My favorite pairing are Trader Joe's Raisin Rosemary Crisps).

 And what New Year’s post would be complete without some resolutions thrown in there? Mine include:

1. Being healthy (working out, watching what I eat)

2. Judging & gossiping less.

How about you, did you make any resolutions this year? Or care to share a recipe you tried on NYE?

 The SC’s day of surprise in Philadelphia ended at the famous restaurant Osteria. I have heard many good things about this restaurant & celebrated my 27th birthday at one of the owner’s Mark Vetri’s other restaurants, Amis last summer. Osteria was nominated as best new restaurant in 2008 by the James Beard Foundation, and the chef won the James Beard Foundation Best Mid-Atlantic Chef in 2010.  I was really excited to partake in some amazing Italian food which I hoped would be reminscent of our honeymoon in Rome.

We started out by sharing the Polpo pizza which featured octopus, tomato, red chili flakes & smoked mozzerella. The crust was perfectly thin & crispy & was reminscent of my favorite pizza at Nashville’s City House. I’m usually not a huge fan of smoked flavor but the smoked mozzerella was not overpowering & I found myself really enjoying it. Lately I have become a lot more adventurous when it comes to eating meats & I got over the tentacles of the octopus & ended up loving the flavor & texture of the meat. The pizza earned a big thumbs up from both of us!

Moving on we both opted for pasta dishes. For me, the homemade paparadelle ragu with venison caught my eye. When in Rome one of our favorite dishes was paparadelle with lamb so I was hoping for a similiar dish at Osteria. However, I was a little disappointed when there wasn’t any tomato in the sauce. This dish was ok, but not my favorite. It didn’t help matters much that the SC ordered a dish that ended up being almost exactly the same as mine except with different noodles & meat. I was pretty disappointed in this dish. I really think I just ordered the wrong thing though.

We ended our meal with three scoops of house made gelato which unfortunately were devoured so quickly I didn’t get a picture The standout was the cinnamon gelato but they were all amazing. So cream & rich in flavor. Luckily the meal started and ended on a good note so I will forgive the main dish

The SC’s really big christmas present was his iphone but I felt kinda bad because I got myself one, too So I surprised him with a fun day in Philadelphia for just the two of us. We started out at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I hadn’t been since my high school days & was in awe at how huge the place is & what great art they have.

Monet is probably my favorite artist

But Van Gogh isn’t too shabby either

We could have spent all day there & had to rush through a few exhibits to make it out in just under 4 hours! Our stomachs were rumbling & I slyly checked Yelp for a place to grab a bite to eat before our next mystery stop. I choose The Belgian Cafe mainly because of the reviews saying it has  one of the most extensive beer selections in the city.

Note to self: Do not order a $16 bottle of french cider. For one it was wayyyy too big for just me & it was also much too sweet! Tasted like apple juice. However, I mixed it with a few pours of the SC’s stout & it was much better!

I ordered the small pot of Django mussels & ended up with about 30 of them! I’d hate to see what the large pot looks like! They were so delicious though & I ate everyone of those babies up {that is every one that the SC didn’t steal!} I declare them to be the best mussels I have ever eaten. The fact that they were bathing in a broth of bacon, garlic, blue cheese & pears probably helped them earn that title

We were only a few blocks from our next destination & so we walked off our beers & headed towards Eastern State Penetentiary. I’ve heard of this prison where Al Capone stayed & many movies have been filmed at for years but have never been. It was pretty spooky & the history of the place was really interesting to hear.

At halloween every year they give haunted tours…ummm, no thank you!

Al Capone’s cell. He was allowed to bring in his own furniture. He was obviously the Lindsay Lohan of the day

Coming up next….our surprise dinner location!

Our first stop the morning after we arrived was to Wawa for our beloved coffee. Sadly, we only went once but did brew the addictive hazelnut blend every morning in mom’s coffee maker. Nashville seriously needs a Wawa!

My parents had a stocked fridge of goodies for us including this little guy. I drank two within 20 minutes of each other. They are ridiculously good & I became a total sucker for the foil wrapping.

The SC & I were very good to each other this holiday season. He got me things I had been lusting over & a few surprises too but the most exciting thing was a YORKIE puppy!!! We don’t have the little guy/gal yet because he had picked out a toy yorkie & I’d much prefer a normal sized one. So we will be on the hunt for one for the next few weeks. I got him (& me) iphones & also took him on a secret outing on the day after Christmas.  Come back tomorrow to read all about our adventures on that day

I can’t believe it is already 2012. The past year has been the best of my life. I started a new job that I LOVE, we got married, honeymooned in Italy & the SC found his creative niche & started a successful business. We have been so blessed this year & I can’t wait to see what 2012 holds!

What were the top moments from your 2011?

What I especially love about the holiday season are all of the traditions that come with it. One of my favorites is when we decorate our tree & I get to see all of the ornaments that have special memories associated with them. As a newlywed couple, we don’t have many unique ornaments yet but I was lucky enough to obtain a few ornaments made by my late grandma. My grandma made these out of eggshells! Take a look at the detail!

Two years ago my family attempted to make some ornaments of our own. Below is the one I made, and let me tell you I give my grandma mad props because this baby took me more than an hour to make!

This year we were gifted an ornament from our friend Amy. She used our wedding invitation to make this unique & fun ornament. Check out her blog to see instructions on how to make one of your own.

Over the weekend I had some girl friends over to made some photo ornaments. We had huge plans for making something I had seen on pinterest that involves some of those clear ornament balls like Amy used, but every craft store in the area were sold out so we improvised & got crafty with some scrapbook paper instead. I made a few as gifts & one for us.

why yes that is a photo taken with  my iphone….

I do believe that ornament making will become a new tradition around here! However, we all know every good foodie has traditions that involve well…food! For me nothing tastes like christmas time as much as the English Toffee my mom made when we were growing up.  Now that I am off on my own I make the toffee myself each year. This year, I got the brilliant idea to add sea salt! It seems like salted sweets are all the rage lately & this combination did not disappoint. In fact, I can’t imagine going back to eating toffee the regular way ever again!

This recipe may seem intimidating because it does involve using a candy thermometer but I can assure you, if I can do it, so can you! And the end result is so worth going through the process.

Salted English Toffee

A unique twist on a Christmas favorite.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 lb butter
3/4 lb of slivered almonds
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
sea salt

Directions:

1. Put sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Stir on high until sugar dissolves.
2. Using a candy thermometer cook until softball (235 degrees F).
3. Add butter, one cube at a time, stirring constantly.
4. Once all butter is dissolved, add the almonds. Continue to stir constantly until hard crack (300 degrees F)
5. Pour into two greased cookie sheets. Let sit for about 3 minutes.
6. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and allow to melt slightly, spread evenly over the toffee.
7. Sprinkle chocolate topping with sea salt. Place in fridge to harden (about 15 minutes).
8. Break into bite size pieces & serve.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

On a smaller scale I’m interested in this cookbook. I’ve tasted a few cakes lately where people have mentioned getting the recipe from here & I’m a big fan of taking shortcuts when baking so figure this would be a fun little book to have.

Other than those two food related items I’m pretty set in the way of kitchen/foodie items.Therefore, I thought I would let you know of some of my favorite wedding gifts to give you inspiration as you shop for the foodie in your life.

1. Pottery Barn Vintage Tumblers.

We received these in the clear color & I love them! Perfect for water, juice, milk or wine. I love them so much I get mad at the SC when he uses it as a glass in the middle of the night & leaves it on the nightstand because I’m afraid they will break.

2. Nambe Butterfly Salad Bowl & individual bowls

Having never had a proper salad bowl & servers, I really appreciate this gift. We served salad in this twice when we have had people over for dinner & received great compliments on it. We’ve also eaten a lot more salad lately just so I have an excuse to use it!

3. Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender

This is one of those things that you don’t know that you want until you have it. My best friend gave it to me at my bridal shower in the summer & I used it a lot for making smoothies. So much easier than hauling out & cleaning the big blender. I’ve also recently used it when making soup.

4. Cute aprons

I was lucky enough to be gifted three different cute aprons, including the above from my MIL. They make cooking so much more fun & are perfect for anybody who loves to host dinner parties such as myself because you can continue cooking & mingling with guests in style.

Do you have any foodie’s to shop for? Or are you a foodie & have items you are lusting after this holiday season?

I made this one last year & remembered loving it. The second time around it did not disappoint. What is there not to love about melt in your mouth gnocchi, paired with chicken, spinach, and all the best seasonings? For this recipe I adapted a knock-off of the Olive Garden’s soup. I have never had theirs so I can’t vouch for how closely it comes to replicating that soup but I can say that it is delicious. {side note: the SC & I like to make fun of people who say the olive garden is their favorite restaurant. This is one area in life where I feel it is ok to be judgemental }

Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded & chopped
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 pint half and half
1 pint fat free half and half
1 14 ounces can of chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lb mini gnocchi

Directions:

1. Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding both pints of half and half.

2. Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

3. Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth.

4. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and all of the spices; simmer until soup is heated through.

First, as a Yankee transplanted in the South I knew I wanted my wedding to be a southern affair since I was asking all of my family to travel all the way to Nashville from places like Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, New Jersey & New York. Within days of getting engaged I had my heart set on an outdoor farm wedding. We only looked at two venues & as soon as we walked onto Southall Eden the SC & I both knew it was the place to be married. With a barn like this what is there not to love?

We were so lucky to work with the wonderful CJ Dickson of Williamson County Weddings & Events. She helped us coordinate every detail of the wedding & truly helped us pull of a unique southern wedding with some of our own personalization & charm thrown in there.

The food which included fried green tomatoes, shrimp & grits & brisket, as well as the fabulous Country All Stars from Blutone tied everything together nicely.

Without further ado, I will let the pictures do the talking…

One of the tabletops. Of course a librarian has to have vintage books on some tables!

Letters came from the SC’s grandfather’s restaurant “Wendell Smith’s”

Me with the BFF moments before the ceremony. yes, I had to have a glass of wine to settle the nerves!

We had a love bird theme & I was in love with our cake topper. After searching near and far & almost spending $100+ on one, my mom found this one at GOODWILL for THREE DOLLARS!

I literally squealed with delight when I walked into the bridal room & saw my flowers.

The inside of the barn where the ceremony took place. The cross was made from old barn wood & was handcrafted by my wonderful HUSBAND! I loved it so much & he truly surprised me with that one!

table for two

The photo booth was so fun!

With the fam

bridal photo shoot

Everyone told me it was the best wedding they had ever been to {& I have to selfishly agree!} but at the end of the day the most important part was that I got to marry my best friend, my significant chef & my one and only southern charmer!

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. West

When the SC & I were trying to decide where to honeymoon, Italy immediately came to mind. We toyed with the idea of doing a few days in Paris and a few in Rome but ultimately decided to just stay in Rome so we could relax and not have to pack up and go every few days. Rome pretty much won over Paris due to the food! I am so glad we decided on Rome because it was by far the coolest city I have been to and the food was AMAZING. Even the simplest things like the bread & olive oil were so much better than what you usually get in the States. One thing I found particularly interesting was the fact that each restaurant seemed to have the exact same bread. The SC joked that one bakery supplies all of the bread in Rome. It was a delicious soft white bread that was fabulous for soaking up all that fresh olive oil.

I fell in love with the fresh buffalo mozzerella & procuitto. I wanted to order it at every restaurant & practically did! The pastas were all delicious & the gelato…oh goodness, I ate it twice a day! My favorite combination was hazelnut & chocolate so it tasted like nutella {which I also ate a lot at since they had mini packets at our hotel breakfast}

I plan to do a few more detailed posts soon but to hold you over until then…here are some of the delicious foods we ate:

Italy’s signature dish, Carbonara! I ordered this three times!

A delicious spread of meats & cheese

Nutella pastries. Flaky, crispy outside, gooey chocolatey inside. YUM.

Homemade paparadelle with lamb. This was our favorite dish the whole week.

Proscuitto & mozzarella panini

Gelato. Needs no explanation.

More posts {including restaurant recaps & historic sights} to come!