{Five Things}

Currently working my way through these fall catalogues.

This week, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and around fall-themed things. We had so much food in our fridge and freezer, that I knew if I didn't use it for one thing or another I would have to throw out its entire contents in the near future. I'm working at the store again today and tomorrow, and look forward to a quiet weekend at home planning my next adventure (to be announced soon!).

Have a great weekend!

With a real pumpkin sitting on our counter for almost a week, I had to do something about it. The result? Pumpkin bread.

Loving the mums and pumpkins on the front stoop!

Maybe the cutest invitation I've ever seen: An empty wine bottle with a great bottle stopper.

Spaghetti Squash that I probably will not make again. It was okay, but not my favorite. Plus the whole time I only thought about the pasta that could have been in my bowl. 

Monday Meals (or Snacks)

Almonds are one of my favorite healthy snacks. I grab a handful while I'm cooking dinner or sipping a glass of wine at happy hour. I'll happily eat them plain, but a friend in Paris introduced me to the brilliant idea of roasting them. I haven't done it since I've been home, but decided to try it today. It's a simple process that really enhances the flavor. Try it. I promise you won't regret it.

Ingredients:
Whole almonds
Sea Salt, finely ground
Tablespoon of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil over almonds, sprinkle some salt and stir, coating them in the oil and salt. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle a little more salt to taste, let cool and serve.

{Five Things}

A pumpkin patch just north of town where we found seven pretty ones to bring home.

While this week was full of the usual (errands, work outs, and cooking), today and tomorrow I'm breaking the mold by working at the store where I used to work. The boss is out of town so I'll be helping out while she's gone. I'm looking forward to putting in a couple of days of work, and am excited to see some former friends/coworkers/customers and catch up on the past few months. Have a great weekend!

Kindle and coffee on a cool, early fall morning.

Getting a toy for Little Bit, which was quite overwhelming.

I'm thinking about sprucing up my room with a succulent or two.

Taking a break during Wednesday afternoon's brutally hard tennis session.

PS. Happy Aaron Samuels Day! (h/t Katie for reminding me.)

Monday Meals: I Learned Something This Weekend

There is a reason there are no honey mustard maple beef recipes out there. Yesterday, I felt like making something delicious, so naturally I went to a maple inspired dish. Though everyone everywhere has recipes for honey mustard maple chicken -- which I've made a few times -- I wanted to try it with beef. I feel like I've been eating chicken a lot lately and wanted to switch it up. It was a mediocre success that left me simply shrugging and putting most of it in the fridge for later consumption. Not that it wasn't fine (because with honey mustard and maple syrup how can it be bad?), it just didn't turn out as delicious as I wanted. The beef was tough and the sauce was kind of...weird with it. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

I based it off of this simple recipe for chicken with a delicious sauce that I found over at Witty in the City. Suffice it to say, I'll probably stick with chicken from now on when I want honey mustard maple goodness.

I thought it would look exactly like this, only beef. I was wrong.

Oh well. Live and learn, right?

{Five Things}

Yellow roses from a library fundraiser.

This week, I revisited some things from my youth. I began learning a new song on the piano, which I haven't played in months, I went to the library downtown to check out some books, and tomorrow, I'm going roller skating with a friend because it sounded like fun. It's amazing how random your life can be when you don't have a full time job. I'm kind of loving it.

Fun new sunglasses cases

Books on books on books.

Little Bit is letting us get so much closer to him than before. He is also so camouflaged in that mulch.

My grandmother's handwritten notes on one of her favorite pieces of music.

My Favorite Time of the Year

Tuesday was the first day of Fall!! I love fall, you love fall, all white girls love fall. But for me, it's more than the scarves, the leaves turning colors, and comfort food. For me, it's all about the TV shows. The stories, the drama, the everything. It makes me giddy. This list is going to seem like I do nothing but watch TV, but I promise it's not true.**  I limit my TV time to only a couple hours per day, and only after dinner. Otherwise, I could pretty easily sit on the couch all day with a bag of Doritos and do nothing productive ever.

I wrote last week about lessons learned from medical dramas, but this year there are a whole slew of other shows that I'm super excited about.

1. Once Upon A Time (Sunday) -- I've tried to explain this one to people that haven't watched it and I feel like a total dork. Everyone loves fairy tales, but a show where all the fairy tale characters live together in the real world and don't remember who they are because of a curse doesn't really sound that appealing. But the same writers and creators from LOST always leave you wanting more, and I'm excited to see where this season goes. Also, I should probably watch Frozen so I have some semblance of what's going on:

2. The Blacklist (Monday) -- Only in its second season, The Blacklist struck me early on as a show different from any other. James Spader is the master of this dark FBI drama and commands your love and respect. He also knows how to straight up CUT someone iffin they get out of hand. It gets more intense every episode, and the twists and turns in the first season left me panting for breath and more wine. It's on Netflix now, so go catch up on the first season and watch the second one with me!

3. New Girl and the Mindy Project (Tuesday) -- These two go hand in hand for me because they are on the same night and both tickle my funny bone in similar fashions. Jess and Mindy are very lovable and I would like to be both of their best friends.

4. Modern Family (Wednesday) -- It's just great writing, pure and simple. Dry, amazing humor that doesn't quit. What a wonderful hump day treat.

5. How to Get Away With Murder (Thursday) -- I love being in Shondaland. Viola Davis pretty much kills it (no pun intended) in everything she does, so I'm intrigued by this show and am anticipating how good it will probably be.

6. Biggest Loser (Thursday) -- Not a new one, but the only reality show I watch. It gets very dramatic with all the competitions, but it's also all about learning to eat right and live a healthy life.

Bonus: Who is excited about the new True Detective??

Double Bonus: Downton Abbey and Parks and Rec both start in January, so I'll revisit this when the year is ending. Get ready.

What shows are you excited about this fall??



**As I finished this blog post, I was a little ashamed and embarrassed to realize how much TV I actually watch when my shows are back. But then I thought, "eh, what the hell, that is how many TV shows I watch," and decided I shouldn't pretend.

Monday Meals: Chicken and Mushroom Sauce

I love a good chicken and mushroom recipe. So when I saw this one on Pinterest (obvi), I wanted to try it right away. This slow weekend was the perfect opportunity. Though the recipe, found here, says to buy bone-in chicken and bake it, I bought boneless and kept it in the skillet. It was easier and still delicious. Win win. The whole thing, in fact, is fairly simple, and I can see this being a future staple for those busy week nights.

I'm using her picture because the ones I took were terrible.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts

Sliced mushrooms (I always use a lot because I love them)

Olive oil

Minced garlic

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat chicken over medium to high heat until they are about halfway cooked through. Set aside. In another pan, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat and add mushrooms, cooking until they are almost brown. Stir in chicken broth, thyme, oregano and basil. Add chicken to the mushrooms, cover and turn heat down to low-medium. Let cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken. Add cream, Parmesan and mustard to the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until it's slightly reduced and creamy. Et voila! Pour sauce over chicken and serve.