Friday Faves-Holiday Gift Guide-12-4-15

Friday Faves-Holiday Gift Guide

Dun dun duuuunnnnn. Guess what?!? 21 days until Christmas! And if Christmas isn’t your holiday, it’s getting close to a lot of other gift giving holiday times as well.

I actually have the majority of my holiday shopping done! (I know…what a show off). But don’t worry, I still have a few things to make and complete but going out to the crazy stores for last minute things will NOT be happening this year (first time ever???)

So it’s been a while since I’ve done a Friday Faves post and today I wanted to do a special one and share with you some of this years new items (or new to me 🙂 ) that I’ve come across while holiday shopping that I think are really cool and wouldn’t mind receiving a few for myself…*cough cough* BUT FIRST!!! One little piece of exciting news for us!

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we will be doing a short segment for our local (Madison, WI) ABC affiliate channel, WKOW27. We were contacted by a representative for JoAnn Fabric and Craft stores to do a short (3 minutes or so) segment on some easy holiday crafts. Of course we said yes! I am pretty excited, I’ve never done anything like this so it’s be really interesting! If you’re in the Madison and a early riser we’ll be on at around 6:25 am tomorrow December the 5th! Tune in if you’re around and if not, send good vibes 🙂

Now onto these great gifts! There’s definitely something on here for everyone on your list.
Copy of FAVORITE

  1. Hair tie BRACELET: I can NOT believe I didn’t think of this!! Who doesn’t hate wearing those pesky things on their wrists? I need at least two on me at all times but I hate how it leaves marks and also hate that I know it looks tacky but there’s no way around it. UNTIL NOW PEOPLE!!!
  2. Blackberry Elderflower Pimms: Maybe this is a British thing (my dad is from England and I grew up visiting family there frequently) but  Pimm’s is delicious in the first place and then combine it with Elderflower (one of my all time favorite flavors) and blackberry and I’m already drooling over it. The *ONLY* thing that could make it better was if it was already chilled in my fridge waiting for me after work today 🙂 While it may be a more summery drink, I’m down for it all year long.
  3. Cooler Tube: I’m not sure why I think this is so cool but how awesome is this?! A cooler just for a couple of cans that you can wear and have both hands free to do activities?!? Ok typing it out it seems like sort of dumb, and unnecessary but I don’t care, I still think it’s cool!
  4. Swell Bottle: First off, they look so sleek and chic and pretty! (& there are a TON of designs to choose from) 2nd and probably most important, they keep your drink HOT for 12 hours (yeah not a typo) or they keep your drink cold for 24 (also not a typo). They’re composed of non-leaching and non-toxic stainless steel, comes in three different sizes, and the company gives back to many charities around the world. Talk about win, win, win!
  5. Typhoon Digital Kitchen Scale: I totally stole this from Oprah’s favorite things list of 2015. I love this because it’s sort of retro looking and cool. It also can be used with or without the bowl and really makes things easy to measure more precisely particularly if you’re cooking recipes from abroad that ask for grams and ingredients measured by weight.
  6. Perfect Skin Spin: I’ve been aware of these face cleansing brush systems for a couple of years now but they were all (that I had seen) too pricey for me to try and not know if I’d like it. But this one on the other hand is extremely reasonably priced and also is multi functional! There are multiple heads to use (rough, gentle, even pumice stone for your feet or rough elbows!) It comes in a variety of cool colors and it’s awesome to have an option to give this type of cleansing a try without breaking the bank!

So there are some of my favorite things this holiday season! Go out and get your shopping done so you can have a *more* stress free holiday! As always, thanks for stopping by and checking out our blog!

xoxo
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*Please know that we have not been compensated for featuring any of these items. There are no affiliate links contained in this post. We simply wanted to share some great products and are not benefiting from this post or earning income in anyway. Enjoy! 🙂 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash

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Um two days from now it’s November. WHAT? How did THAT happen?

First of all, don’t forget to change your clocks back Saturday night/Sunday morning. I’d like to go on the record here and state how incredibly STUPID and pointless daylight savings time is. I read an article a few years ago about how it’s pretty useless now and more of a pain than a benefit and we should do away with it. I 1000000% agree and could rant for a good 3 paragraphs here butttttt I’ll spare you 🙂

Next, THANKSGIVING! (side note, did you all hear about REI being closed on Black Friday? Read about it here. I wish every store would follow suit but that’s another topic I could go on a rant about and again, I’ll spare you, you’re welcome 🙂 )

Now serious time. It’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving day menu!! Some families make the same items year after year after year. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that! But if you’re like me and physically can’t seem to make the same thing twice, then you probably get so excited to try new recipes every year!!

There are some flavors that scream fall and cold weather and family comfort time to me. Rosemary, sweet potato, pumpkin, sage, brussels sprouts, cranberry I could go on. Not to say I don’t eat those flavors throughout the year but you know what I mean. Turkey usually get to be the star of the show but for me, I’m obsessed with the sides. Stuffing, potatoes (yes both, you can’t skip either one) veggies, cranberry…

whoooaaa. I’m drooling.

But fo’ realzzzz that’s where flavors can shine! Turkey, meh, turkey can be good or bad (best Turkey I ever had was one that had been brined and then roasted….ohhhh mamma it’s to die for. Do it…) but it generally stays the same from year to year no experimentation. Sides! You can mix it up all the time. Different types of stuffing, different flavors in your potatoes, different roasted veggies and a million other things.

A few weeks ago I came across these BEAUTIFUL fresh local brussels sprouts and wanted to try a new flavor mix up. Enter this healthy and delicious fall flavored side dish. It’s packed with flavor, super easy to make, and healthy/low fat! I eat brussels sprouts like they’re going out of style but this is a great way to maybe sneak some into your menu and try to trick those that are too afraid to try them “don’t like them”.20151007_184353ALWAYSSUMMER (3)BEFOREOMGGG so good. Look at that roasty goodness.The cranberries get a little bit caramelized/chewy in the oven and every single thing about this dish is perfection.

I hope you make this (even if not for Thanksgiving) and enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo669058772380712020613

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash

All Whisked Up! {Choripán Recipe}

 {Choripán}

Our fave (1)This week’s post is extra special!

Also a little longer than normal (bear with me)….let me explain!

Recently I became a member of a blogging group called Wisconsin Whisk. It’s a group of food bloggers in the great state of Wisconsin. The main goal is to connect bloggers in Wisconsin together with each other as well as with local producers, sponsors, advertisers to really nuture a community of support. As of right now, there are close to 40 blogs that are members! The majority are located around the Madison, Wisconsin area but there is certainly an impressive footprint of Wisconsin covered, from Eau Claire all the way down to Milwaukee and everywhere in between. Here is a list of members. Check them out! And if YOU are a food blog located in Wisconsin, consider joining!cropped-banny3_1A month or so ago, we had a first sort of ‘meet and greet’ event where some of us close to Madison got together to meet each other face to face and briefly cover what the goals of Whisk are and brainstorm ideas and discuss what members wanted to see Whisk help them accomplish.

One of the things we discussed was a sort of secret santa recipe swap if you will. The idea would be that if you wanted to participate you could put your name in a virtual bucket and you would be then be assigned another blog to go and research and find a recipe of theirs you wanted to try. You would make the recipe and document and photograph in your own style. Then those participating would unveil their “secret” recipes at the same date and time! We decided to call the event, All Whisked Up!

None of us know who is assigned our blog until posts are published (that’s today!).

My ‘assignment’ was to check out Kristin over at Everyday Celebrations.

Kristin describes herself as : “A former teacher turned wife, mom of 5, and author of Everyday Celebrations. She shares recipes and tips for celebrating life’s memorable moments and everyday celebrations. Some days celebrate a certain food, idea, or activity. Sometimes a day is set aside to remember or to increase awareness of a need. Each and every day should be celebrated by spending time with family and friends enjoying whatever time we are given”

Personally I absolutely love the positivity and gratitude that is practiced through finding the good in every day and having little celebrations all the time! Not to mention my admiration for a mom of 5 finding time to blog!

While looking through Kristin’s blog one of her posts and recipes really stood out to me. Kristin had a post highlighting when she made Choripan and I couldn’t help but try to make it myself.

What the hellllllz is choripan you ask? Ohhhh, sit tight, you’re gonna want to pay attention.

Super high level: Choripan is a type of sandwich that is incredibly popular in South America, most notably Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, and a ton of others!

It’s name comes from a combination of it’s ingredients chorizo (chori) and bread (pan). It’s basically an fancy adult version of the american hot dog. Chorizo sausage grilled to perfection, split down the middle and served on crusty bread with chimichurri and pickled onions (that’s the most popular method).

Through my research I found that while most recipes you will see call for Chorizo, not all chorizo is the same. Normally when someone says Chorizo you think of mexican chorizo which has that classic red color needs to be removed from it’s casing and ends up as ground meat. But there are many different kinds of chorizo. Spanish chorizo even has many version all depending on the locale. But most notably, Brazilian and Argentinian Chorizo is made with pork sausage which is very closely related to italian sausage and has similar flavors with more heat and less fennel flavors.

I looked at every.single.type. of chorizo that was available at my grocery store and tried to pick the one that was like what’s described above. I decided to give two of them try for comparison. Both were actually very good but I would pick the Usingers brand over Klements. Probably just personal preference but I like the consistancy (less crumbly, more sturdy) and the taste (more robust) better than the other. Both were great and totally tasty though!
Our fave

flag_of_brazil_heart_sticker-rd0816af7c62d425787003e4c3b1597b1_v9w0n_8byvr_1024I have a special place in my heart for Brazil (Brasíl  ❤ ) from my travels there when I was in high school. And actually had choripan while I was there! This brought back memories for me and the chimichurri was like a walk down memory lane for my taste buds. This post and recipe was fun to make and even more fun and delicious to eat.

Kristin is keeping her recipe for her chimichurri on lock down 🙂 so we made our own version but stayed true to her vision. So without further adieu, here is our take on choripán!
20151004_164217444444 ALWAYSSUMMER (1)I pan fried my sausages
20151004_162423and made the chimichurri
20151004_163058and the pickled onions & tomatoes
20151004_163226it was such a beautiful spread I couldn’t help but snap more photos!
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20151004_162912Then you put it all together!

I slathered both sides of the bread with chimichurri and then placed the sausage on top, garnished with pickled onions and tomatoes and squished together.
20151004_16393722222And take a big bite
20151004_16432533333My favorite part was definitely the chimichurri. I actually used the leftovers a few days later on a baked chicken. Just stuffed some under the skin of the chicken and rubbed it down all over. It seriously tasted so good. You might will have some left over of this so experiment, have fun, and find another use!20151004_162630Whew! Done with pictures 🙂 This was really super delicious and Jake loved it, I loved it, so unique and flavorful. You should definitely give this recipe a try.

Also make sure to check out all the other blogs and member of Wisconsin Whisk! You can click on the little blue frog link down at the bottom to see all the other members who are participating in the recipe swap!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

xoxo

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To view all the other All Whisked Up recipes, click here:

 

*Here is the inspiration post from everydaycelebrations

Fresh 5 Minute Salsa

Fresh 5 Minute Salsa

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ohhh helllooo my fraaands.

Did anyone else have tomato overload at the end of the season? Like I ate cherry tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about 2 weeks straight. I loved it, but just explaining the depth of my tomato haul.

After eating so many that I get a belly ache, canning and freezing…one of my favorite things to do is make SALSA!

My hubs and I eat ungodly amounts of salsa. Seriously I put it on eggs, rice, chips (duh) and way too many other things.

This salsa recipe is one of the easiest things a person can make. Cooking skill required on a scale from 1-10…

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I only say that because you need to be able to identify ingredients, other than that….easiest. thing. ever.

You need to try this out. Even if you don’t have your own tomatoes or aren’t drowning in any you need to try it.

It’s so good.

Like you know when you go to Mexican restaurants and they give you the house chips and salsa and you eat your body weight in them and then your meal comes and you can’t even look at it?

oh what? Don’t lie…you do it too.

Well this salsa is that good. So I’ll stop talking now and lets get to the good stuff!

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*drooool*

Hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

xoxo

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Super Simple Refrigerator Pickles

Simple Refrigerator Pickles

3HEYOOOO. It’s the weekend! This week I am sharing with you one of my FAVORITE things in the entire world.

Refrigerator pickles.

These babies are so good and fresh and crisp and all around, better than your average pickle!

1I know it’s a little late and past prime cucumber season but if you have some stragglers laying around or even save this for next year, you have to try this recipe!!

It’s a great first timer canning recipe because it really eases you into the process (i.e. you aren’t 100% true canning as these need to be refrigerated buttttt it’s a good start for newbies).
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See how easy it is?!?! And they’re so good.
I may orrrr may not have eaten an entire jar by myself over the course of a week. You’ll be hooked.
2You can cut the cucumber however you want. I’ve done all cut the long way, all cut into little rounds, and this year a mix of both!!!
4Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! We are off to a wedding today. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous!! (78 and sunny!) and then tomorrow depending how much we indulge tonight ( 😉 ) we’ll hopefully get outside and enjoy the last of this beautiful late summer weather!!
xoxo
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