Thursday Pinterest Day 7: Quotes

One thing that has been getting a lot of traffic on my Pinterest page recently is my "quoted" board. Here are a few of my favorite quotes, to push you through that summertime slump! Lets have a great week, and a great summer.

Happy summer!

XOXOXO,

Kelsey

Thursday Pinterest Day 6: France

I am headed off to France for my school's French exchange trip really soon and I have very mixed feelings. I am overwhelmingly excited to explore France with some of my good friends from school, but as a vegetarian who doesn't LOVE cheese, I am scared for the cuisine aspect of the trip. I am also kind of scared because I will be missing a week of school and two weeks of lacrosse to go on this trip, and I do not want to get too far behind!
 
I have been planning what I am going to bring, and I will share that with you soon! Hopefully the weather will not be too bad. My teacher told me that a few years ago it was cold and rainy all but one day of the trip! He also said it could be in the 50-60's or it might snow. I have really no idea of what to expect! Today I will share some of the pictures that I have found via Pinterest that are getting me really hyped for the trip!

Have you been to France before? Any advice for what to see or what to wear? I would love to hear anything you might have to say!

XOXOXO,
Kelsey

Friday Food 5: Weekend Breakfast Recipes

I have seen so many recipes that are perfect for a relaxed weekend breakfast on Pinterest. They look great for a cold winter morning. I knew that I had to share them! Here are my 5 favorite vegetarian breakfast recipes!

1. "dirty chai pancakes + vanilla cranberry compote" from The First Mess (find it here!)

I'm a sucker for pancakes... and for cranberries. As a picky vegetarian, most of what I eat at Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce. This vanilla cranberry compote sounds like that but so much better. And I beg my parents to make me pancakes (because I'm too tired lazy to do it myself) on a weekly basis. These sounds healthy and filling and oh so delicious!

2. "Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake" from Alexandra Cooks (find it here!)

Photo from Alexandra Cooks

I made this a few years back and it was delicious. I originally found the recipe on Pinterest, I believe. I love blueberry breakfast treats! (On a normal school day I will have Eggo Blueberry waffles. Fancy? No. Delicious? Yes.) This cake is great warm and cold, and will help you have a great start to your day! It would also be really good with cranberries, just an idea!

3. "Mixed Berry Cobbler" from Bon Appétit (find it here!)

I use a wide variety of berries from my local grocery store!

Photo from Bon Appétit

My finished product

I have actually made this before, and it is so delicious. (Read my post from June about it, here!) I love having warm cobbler in the morning, especially in the winter. I also have it for dessert with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Cobbler is so versatile, and when made correctly, so perfect. The best fresh berries are available in the summer, but year round you can change it up with the in season fruit!

4. "Spiced Maple Pull Aparts" from Better Homes & Gardens (find it here!)

Photo from Better Homes & Gardens

I love cinnamon rolls, and these look like those, but a little bit fancier (and stickier)! To me, these seem like a classic breakfast dish, and I think that they just sound amazing! They literally look finger-licking good.

5. "Cinnamon Rolls with Pearl Sugar" from Alexandra Cooks (find it here!)

Photo from Alexandra Cooks

 I am the biggest fan of pearl sugar, and as I mentioned before, I LOVE CINNAMON ROLLS. They are such a big deal in my house. Whenever my mom makes them, it is literally a race to the kitchen. These look amazing. I love Alexandra Cook's recipes. They all seem to rustic and delicious.

Have you tried any of these recipes? Any other great breakfast recipes that you would suggest?

XOXOXO,
Kels

Friday Food 5: Vegetarian Recipes

I had Wednesday and Thursday off for snow days, which was so nice! I did not really do much, but its always nice to be able to sleep in 3+ hours later than I usually can, and wear a t shirt all day! I've been living in long sleeve lacrosse tournament tees and leggings for the last few days. Having only two days of school this week has been amazing, to say the least.

I have been on Pinterest a ton over the past few days. You can check out my account in the tabs above! One of the things that I have been posting on Pinterest are some healthy vegetarian recipes. I have been a full on vegetarian for over a year and a half now, so I love finding new recipes to shake up my normal go to favorites. Some of my favorite go-to meals are pasta with homemade tomato sauce, homemade macaroni and cheese with some sort of vegetable on the side, black bean tacos, homemade vegetarian chili, and pumpkin soup from Williams Sonoma (that they unfortunately only sell in the fall, and i am out and suffering majorly). Some days when I am too tired to make a big meal, I will just have a can of black eyed peas, or a bowl of butter beans.

I love going out and finding great vegetarian lunch items. Some of my favorite options are from Panera and Chipotle. At Panera I get the creamy tomato soup in a bread bowl with an apple on the side. I absolutley love this. I get it literally every single time I go. The bread bowl is sourdough and it goes perfectly with the tomato soup. And no matter where you go, I encourage you to put croutons on tomato soup. I do this where ever I go and it really makes a difference. I highly recommend!

Photo courtesy of Mrs. Garfunkle on Pinterest. Not owned by me!

At Chipotle I get a bowl with black beans, hot salsa, pico de gallo, corn salsa, lettuce, and extra cheese (with chips on the side that I share with my mom!). Other times I will get basically the same thing, except as hard shell tacos. Another place I love is Noodles & Company. They have the best pastas, and its a similar type of ordering format as Panera. Of course I have a lot of local favorites that are locally owned and delicious, but I think these are great options that you can find all over! What are your favorite places to grab a great vegetarian lunch?

I found some great vegetarian recipes that I totally want to try! Here are my 5 favorites.

1. "Gingered Pumpkin Soup" from Eat Yourself Skinny (find it here!)

Photo from Eat Yourself Skinny

Totally reminds me of the Williams Sonoma pumpkin soup that I have fallen in love with. At only 85 calories a serving, it sounds not only delicious, but also really healthy too!

2. "Parmesan Roasted Asparagus" from the Barefoot Contessa (find it here!)

Found on tumblr

My family actually had this for dinner last night, in a recipe from a really old Homestead cookbook. Coincidentally, I have seen this photo on both tumblr and Pinterest, and knew it would make it onto this post. Parmesan on asparagus is heavenly. I could not find the original recipe my family used last night, but I know that the Barefoot Contessa's recipe is basically identical. This is a great side dish that is really simple to make. You can easily make it without strictly following a recipe, for sure.

3. "Olive Garden Inspired Minestrone Soup" from Eat Yourself Skinny (find it here!)

Photo from Eat Yourself Skinny

I love minestrone soup, and order it all the time at Italian restaurants. I also sometimes eat it from a can that I got from the grocery store, and it never really compares. I would love to try this recipe and make my own healthy version!

4. "oregano roasted brassicas with maple + dijon dressing" from The First Mess (find it here!)

Photo from the First Mess

Unlike most American teenagers, I actually like Brussels sprouts. This dish sounds right up my alley. I can see it served at Thanksgiving, or just an average weeknight at my house. I feel like I would have some sort of potato with it, and my parents would have chicken! Looks fresh and amazing.

5. "Spring Vegetable Lo Mein" from Half Baked Harvest (find it here!)

Photo from Half Baked Harvest

I love Asian pasta dishes, especially for a light lunch. the only thing that I would change about this recipe is to take out the mushrooms! Otherwise it looks fresh and healthy.

I hope that you've enjoyed this post. Its a little bit different from the other stuff that I've recently been posting, but I hope you like it! Let me know if you try any of these recipes, or if you have any suggestions!

XOXOXO,
Kelsey

Thursday Pinterest Day 5: Interior Design Obsession

I'm bringing back the Thursday Pinterest Day! 

I haven't had one since... July? August? Oh my gosh I miss summer so much! I have already started shopping for rompers and other warm weather clothing for summertime. I cannot wait to be tan and live in shorts and sandals. Only a little bit more than five months left!

This summer my family hopes to make it to Europe (I really want to go to Italy and London). I really want to study abroad in college in London or maybe Italy or Spain, and I want to go with my family first to see how I like it! If anyone has any suggestions about where to go/eat/stay in Europe, make sure to email me or comment below! My family would love any suggestions.  I am also going to the Dominican Republic this summer with a group from my school for a mission trip! Some of my good friends are going and I think that it'll be so much fun. What are you doing this summer?

Something you should know about me: I love interior design and fashion to death. When I am older, I would either want to be an interior designer, fashion journalist, or own my own store. It's something that I am obsessively passionate about! If you follow me on tumblr or pinterest, I am sure you can see how fashion and interior design are both very appealing to me. Here are a few of my favorite interiors that I have found or posted on Pinterest!

 I love the contrast of the beautiful black and white wallpaper and the bright blue chair!

 The red and pink paint on the walls really brightens up this bathroom!

 I love white bedding with colorful accents. Plus the beautiful green background has me dreaming of summer!

A simple and beautiful office space for an artist! 

I am a huge reader, so wherever I live I want a room dedicated to books! I love how books surround this bright window seat. 

XOXOXO,
Kelsey

Dream Gowns Off the Runway

Even though prom is a long long way away (4 months!), but I have already started looking for my prom dress, but not intensely at all; I know I would change my mind if I got a dress now! However, if I had an unlimited budget, here are the dresses that I would kill for! I have collected them on my Pinterest page after hours sorting through collections over the past few years. Although these are probably more suited for an award show (it is, after all, award season!), these are some dresses that I just adore!

Check out more amazing runway looks on my pinterest page (there's a link with the tabs above!)

XOXOXO,

Kelsey

2014's First Weekend - Saturday Six

This post was originally going to be a Friday Five when I started it a few days ago, but it got pushed back so now... Saturday Six?

 

1. Painting Results: I got my light switch plate and mason jar that I painted a few weeks ago back, and I'm loving them! I put one of my Vineyard Vines stickers on my ceramic mason jar, and put some of my pens in it!

 

 

 

2.  I recently watched the movie "Take Me Home" on Netflix. Its a highly acclaimed romantic comedy with a much more "indie" feeling than most rom com movies I watch. It follows the cross country road trip of Thom and Claire in a fake NYC taxi cab. Great movie!

 

 

3. I can't believe that in three months I will be in France for the French Exchange. Like what?

 

 

4. Music: One of my recent artist obsessions is Bastille! I think that they are amazing! Besides their most popular song, "Pompeii", some of my other favorites are "Things Lost in the Fire" and "Flaws". I hope you check them out! All of those songs are off their album "Bad Blood".

 

 

I listen to all of my music through Spotify. If you don't have an account (it's free!) I highly recommend that you sign up! I think I might do another long music post soon.

 

5. This quote I found in the New York Times Sunday Styles section a few weeks ago. (The Styles Section of the NYT is actually my addiction.)

"I always tell him, ‘After we die, we have to find each other in our next life.’ I also tell him if I die before him, I really want him to fall in love again. But in our next lifetime, he has to find me, not her. That’s the deal." -Meghan Milewski

 I am not sure whether or not I believe in reincarnation. I have heard theories before that you are always reincarnated with your same family unit, with the members in different roles. It's an interesting topic to think about. No matter my thoughts on the subject, I feel that this woman's love for her new husband is so strong, it really moved me.

 

6. KJP and Sarah Vickers engagement: Okay if anyone doesn't know this power couple, let me introduce you! Kiel James Patrick is a New Englander and clothing and accessories designer. His site is here and this is his tumblr! His fiancé's name is Sarah Vickers, and she runs one of my favorite blogs, Classy Girls Wear Pearls. They have been dating forever, and they recently engaged! They have the BEST style. Also, they have all these amazingly stylish friends who hang out together and work together and do these extremely preppy and admirable things. (Can you tell how obsessed I am with them?!) I love her friend Sadie Zucchi's style the most out of their whole gang. I have been reading Sarah's blog for a few years now, I highly recommend.

 

Here's their engagement photo! (taken from KJP's tumblr)

 

 

Here are some of my favorite shots from Sarah's blog:

 

 

Trust me when I say that these aren't even all of her shoes. SO jealous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

XOXOXO,

Kels

 

 

 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

Hey everyone!! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I cannot believe it is already December! Time has really flown by this year faster than I thought it would. I have less than three weeks of school left, including a week of exams.

 My family got our Christmas tree on Sunday, and just brought it into our house last night! We haven't decorated it yet, but I am soooo excited to do that! Here is a picture of our tree from last year (I was messing around with the bluriness-its intentional!)

Decorating a Christmas tree is honestly is one of my favorite things to do in Christmas time! ... Along with doing advent calendars  (my family has two) and BAKING!

One recipe that I love to bake anytime of the year, but especially around Christmas, is for pretzel buttons! My friend sPg always makes them for Christmas, and I was so excited last year when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. The original recipe was intended for Valentine's Day, but I love them during Christmas! Last year's batches looked so much better than the ones I made this year, so here is what they should look like!



They are really simple to make, and they are great gifts for your friends, or for a hostess, as well! They are also the perfect sweet to have out at a Christmas party! At my family's annual Christmas open house, we had them sitting out for people to much on, and they disappeared quickly! Last year I put them in small mason jars with custom stickers, and gave them to family and neighbors.

Here's the recipe!

You will need:
- A bag of M&M's
- A large bag of pretzels (I have found that the square pretzels work best, but normal shaped mini pretzels or the ones that are just circles work fine as well.)
- 1 or 2 bags of Hershey's Hugs (The candy cane Hugs work, and so do Hershey's Kisses!)
- Parchment Paper
- 1 cookie sheet

Side note on the HUGS: This year I used a combination of Hugs from early 2013 and brand new HUGs. The melting process did not move at the same speed for the different kinds, so I encourage you to use all new ones, or at least ones that were all bought at the same time!

Side note on the M&M's: This year I tried mini M&M's, but I think the normal sized ones work best!

Step 1: Fit a piece of parchment paper to your cookie sheet.

Step 2: Begin placing pretzels on the sheet. I normally try to fit as many as possible.

Step 3: Unwrap your HUGS, and place one HUG on top of every pretzel.

Step 4: When you are half way done with unwrapping and placing the HUGS, preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5: Place your pretzels and HUGS in the oven for about 5-6 minutes (brand new HUGS will take far less time than older ones). You do NOT WANT to melt the HUGS, just to have them be soft. They will be shiny when you remove them from the oven!

Step 6: Get your arms ready! As soon as you remove the pretzels from the oven, place a M&M on top of the HUG. You can decide how far you want to push them, it's all up to you!

Step 7: Place the buttons in the fridge for a few minutes to let them set. Then you can package them!

If you try this recipe, tell me how it goes! I highly recommend them!

XOXOXO,

Kels