Bottoms Up: My Favorite Fall Brew

Every year, when Fall rolls around, I set out to try every single pumpkin ale available. I love to sip the rich flavors of autumnal spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg hugging the main flavor among them all- pumpkin. Harris Teeter, Total Wine and Whole Foods seem to have a great variety but what I really love is pumpkin ale fresh from the tap. Cottonwood Pumpkin to be exact. 

I have sipped on many a pumpkin ales, but none seem to compare to my beloved Cottonwood. The flavors are warm and comforting, but not too sweet or overbearing. I may love Cottonwood Pumpkin so much because it was my official tailgate beer of the fall, and that goes back to Boone life, which goes back to all things wonderful. Call me crazy, but I swear there's something special in that mountain air. Any AppState grad will express the same sentiments. 

Three cheers for Pumpkin beer! And an extra cheer to Cottonwood since it's a semi-local product and brewed right up 77-North in Winston-Salem. 

Also? This may be the year I add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and make a Pumpkin Ale float. 

I purchased a 6-pack of Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale at Harris Teeter for $8.99 

You Can Never Have Too Many Pumpkins

Fall is slowly making its way into our home and I'm enjoying adding festive touches here and there. One of my favorite fall decorations is my Williams Sonoma inspired pumpkin + moss wreath that I made last year when Crystal came to visit! I finally hung my wreath yesterday and it looks just as good as it did last season. I posted a photo on Twitter and Instagram yesterday and I received some requests to post the tutorial. Well, you're in luck!   I posted the pumpkin + moss wreath tutorial in September of last year. You can find it HERE. 

I purchased these mini pumpkins on wire sticks last year at Hobby Lobby for around $0.75 cents a piece. I have not been to Hobby Lobby to check out the Fall inventory, but if they no longer have the same pumpkins this year, I'm sure you can find something similar. 

Rosemary + Basil Mashed Cauliflower

When the crisp, fall-like feeling enters the air, I feel like the whole world presses the reset button. I always say that Spring is my favorite season, but when Fall rolls around, I seem to change my mind. Fall is definitely my favorite. This is the time of year that my body also seems to crave warm and cozy comfort foods. Why is it that our bodies tend to work this way!?

Ever since Mark and I started to make the Paleo Diet a blueprint of how we eat, I have discovered a new love of taking favorite comfort foods and trying to make them healthier (and Paleo friendly!) The first time I made mashed cauliflower, I boiled the cauliflower and mashed it with a potato masher. YUCK! It just wasn't the best and the consistency was off. But, after I made Paleo Farmer's Pie, I discovered that sticking the cauliflower in my food processor resulted in a much creamier and richer texture. I made this rosemary and basil mashed cauliflower last week to enjoy with our chicken picatta. This is a great substitute for mashed potatoes! I still love a giant pile of mashed potatoes with gravy on Thanksgiving, but for weeknight cooking, I think I'll stick with the cauliflower. With a drizzle of good olive oil and a handful of fresh herbs, you may not even be able to tell the difference!

Rosemary + Basil Mashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, washed and cut
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
Drizzle of good olive oil
Salt + pepper to season
Fresh shaved parmesan (optional)

Place washed and cut cauliflower in a medium-large heavy bottom pan. Fill with water until the the water just covers the tops of the cauliflower. Boil/steam cauliflower on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, until it can be easily pierced with a fork. 

Drain cauliflower in a colander and let cool for 5-10 minutes. In a food processor, add cauliflower and drizzle with good olive oil. Pulse until the cauliflower is the right consistency for you. 

Place mashed cauliflower in a bowl and season with herbs, salt, pepper and if desired, garnish with a small sprinkle of freshly shaved parmesan.

Project Pinterest: Gallery Walls, An Autumn Centerpiece + Repurposed Candle Jars

It's no secret that I love Pinterest, I mean how can you not? It's one thing to Pin and pin and pin but when you actually "do"? Well, that's something to be proud of. 

AP started Project Pinterest last week and I can't jump aboard fast enough. 1 pin each week is a mighty fine intervention for all of this digital boarding, wouldn't you agree? Last week, thanks to some Pinterest finds, I found the very best method to perfectly place the frames on a gallery wall, I made a quick and festive centerpiece for our dining room table and I cleaned the wax out of my very favorite Anthropologie candle so that I could repurpose the jar. I would call last week a Pinterest inspired success!

Project #1- How to Perfectly Place a Gallery Wall

I actually learned this neat method from Amy and was later reminded of it from Emily. When hanging anything on the wall, I measure and re-measure and then, when it looks just about right, I re-measure again. I don't think you can ever be too meticulous when it comes these home details. I knew that I wanted a gallery wall down the hallway to our bedrooms in our house and I had a very clear vision. I started out by laying out all of the frames on the floor in varying compositions, trying to place them just right. Once I knew exactly which frames I was using, I grabbed some wrapping paper that I picked up at the dollar section in Target. (I didn't have brown craft paper) I traced each frame, cut out the squares/rectangles, and then with painters tape, arranged my gallery along the wall. The beauty of this method is that I could re-arrange the frame templates to my heart's content. Once I was happy with the arrangement, I simply hammered a nail in the center of each template, removed the paper, and everything was ready to be hung. From now on, I'll never hang anything on the wall without this method!

Project #2- Autumn Centerpiece

Fall is finally here! This weekend, I slowly started bringing out the Autumn decor, and I started by putting together this quick and simply centerpiece. Using my trifle dish as the base with an orange cinnamon candle in the center, I filled it with layers of dried split green peas, white beans, popcorn and red kidney beans. I think this same idea would look great on a mantle or coffee table with filled hurricanes and orange candles.

Project #3- How to Clean out Candle Jars

There is a clever pin floating around with instructions on how to clean the wax out of your candle jars once the candle is done burning. I've been holding onto my favorite Anthropologie candle for quite awhile now because I was convinced that I would find a way to repurpose it. Thanks to this pin, I learned how to clean out the leftover wax and my pretty green jar is now the perfect vase for a bathroom countertop. By sticking the glass jar in the freezer, the wax left at the bottom of the jar is easily cracked and removed with a dull knife. I stuck my jar in the dishwasher and it came out shiny and clean. I picked up a fresh cut purple tipped hydrangea just for this vase and it's a breath a fresh air every time I see it. I really believe there aren't many things better than fresh flowers in the home!

This week, I'm buying mums and pumpkins! I can't wait to make the entryway of our home ready for Fall!

Dear littlest sister, We're so glad you were born

It's a certain little lovie's 20th birthday today! This calls for a sister celebration. IN BOONE!!!

 Get ready, little one. We're coming to get you.

Happy Birthday, Natalie!!!

Fitness Friday: Smart Shopping, Meal Planning + Healthy Lunches

Happy Friday everyone! My friend Jen started a new Friday linkup and ever since we've all been kicking major butt in the LGN department, I thought it would be fun to join this week and  share some health and fitness fun. 

When it comes to staying healthy and taking care of your body, I firmly believe that this starts in the kitchen. Plenty of sleep and daily exercise are huge factors as well, but in order to make sure those things fall into place, you have to make sure you're fueling your body appropriately and with intention.  I could run and run and keep on running, but if I countered all of my hard work with donuts for breakfast every morning and a giant bowl of ice cream for dessert every night, all my hard work would go nowhere. I wish I could say that I workout so that I can eat whatever I want, but that is not the case. It's just not how my body works and I've come to accept it. It took me awhile to adopt this mentality but once I got into a solid routine and saw the positive effects that eating well had on my body as well as my workout performance and even sleeping, these healthy habits became second nature. Now, before I share some of my favorite lunches, I need to give you some background.

When I moved into my apartment my junior year in college, I was able to really take control of what I was eating because I was grocery shopping and cooking for myself. I was no longer confined to college campus food and I was excited to hone my cooking skills. This is when I discovered that if I planned my meals in advance, and made sure my refrigerator was stocked with good for me foods, I was less likely to head to the bar for beer and wings and more likely to stir fry up some chicken and vegetables at home. If I had a long day on campus ahead of me, I almost always packed a lunch to go. Knowing I had spent good money on groceries for the week was also a clear incentive to let nothing go to waste. 

Fast forward to my Charlotte apartment when I was working a corporate job, my roommate Ashley and I would sit down every Sunday, plan our dinners for the week and go to the market to pick up everything that we needed. I credit this wonderful living situation for really making me fall in love with meal planning. We actually enjoyed it and we always looked forward to our meals together. Ashley and I were both big on bringing our lunches to work. We stocked up on salad ingredients, hummus, veggies and yogurt. Some weeks, we would even buy a rotisserie chicken to shred up and use for the week. We also planned our meals accordingly so that we had yummy leftovers to use as lunch options as well. When you work in an office environment, it's especially hard to turn down lunches out and treats from the gift baskets that clients send in. I wish I would have added up all of the lunches out that I turned down in my my time there, I bet I saved a TON of money. Working in an office like mine was a HUGE test in self control and looking back, I am honestly proud of how well I did. 

Now that I work from home most days, I don't really operate any differently. When I do my grocery shopping for the week, I make sure to pick up things that will be good options for lunch, also knowing that I will have some leftovers from dinners throughout the week. I'm a big fan of re-purposing dinner leftovers for lunch. If we are grilling chicken for dinner, I try to plan that for the beginning of the week. We'll make four times what we need and that way we have chicken to throw on salads for lunch. I do the same thing with flank steak, pork tenderloin, shrimp and salmon. Leftover roasted veggies are also great the next day! I enjoy all of these cold straight from the fridge and on salads is the perfect way to eat the leftovers. 

Here are some of my favorite go-to lunches:

Big Salads

I'm a big salad eater. Trader Joe's is my favorite place to grab fresh arugula or mini lettuce mixes- I always have some on hand. Sometimes, I skip the lettuce all together and just go leafless. On my salads, I like some form of protein and just add in vegetables and sometimes fruits if I want something sweet. Avocado is one of my favorite salad toppings! Sometimes I'll add crumbled goat cheese and a handful of nuts. Walnuts are my favorite right now. I just top my salad with a small drizzle of good olive oil, some balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. 

Mediterranean Tuna Salad on Cucumbers

This tuna is so yummy and quick to whip up. I take a can of tuna in water, throw in some chopped red onions, tomatoes and kalamata olives. I mix in some balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano, and eat it on top of cucumber slices. 

Turkey, Avocado + Tomato Lettuce Wraps

We love lettuce wraps around here. I almost always have a head of iceberg lettuce in my refrigerator solely for making lettuce wraps. I have my turkey cut fresh in the deli and just build a normal sandwich using lettuce instead of bread! I like to pile my lettuce wraps with turkey, tomato, avocado and dijon mustard.

All of these lunches are incredibly healthy and take less than 10 minutes to prepare. The extra time it takes to plan is worth the extra inches off of your waistline. 

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!!

Lemon Basil Cookies

Last night I enjoyed a lovely evening with some of my best friends. Sometimes, there is nothing better than a girls night to renew and refresh your spirit! I have missed these girls so much and nights like these are one of the many reasons why my heart is so happy to be back in The Queen City. 

A girls dinner always calls for dessert and I was happy to whip something up to enjoy after our wine, appetizers and Meredith's incredible Autumn chopped salad! I knew that I wanted to make something light and refreshing so I started with a little lemon. I made a homemade lemon sorbetto but wanted something else to go with it. I spotted a fresh bunch of basil that had been sitting in my fridge neglected for a few days and then a lightbulb went off. I grabbed some more lemons, browsed a few recipes and my lemon basil cookies were born! They are soft and slightly chewy with bright citrus notes and hint of basil. The flavors are light and yield a creation barely sweet enough to even be considered a cookie. A perfect pairing to the lemon sorbetto and a sweet ending to a wonderful night, if I do say so myself.

Lemon Basil Cookies

2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1 1/4powdered sugar, plus more for rolling cookies prior to baking
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons, juiced)
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, very finely chopped
3 egg whites

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together butter and powdered sugar until mixture is creamy. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and basil. Mix until just incorporated.

While mixing on medium speed, slowly add flour and baking soda mixture to the mixing bowl. The cookie dough will be crumbly- that's okay!

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until light and fluffy. Gently fold egg whites into cookie dough, this will moisten the dough. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for an hour or stick in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a regular sized spoon, scoop out dough and roll into a ball. Roll each ball in powdered sugar and flatten with your hands. 

Place cookies on a greased baking sheet or parchment paper. Bake 11-13 minutes. Serve with an additional dusting of powdered sugar and lemon zest if desired.