How to spend a Thursday night...

Tonight is the National Championship game, and I must admit I'm not all that excited. I would like for the Gators to win since they are representing the SEC, but I don't think I'll be paying much attention to the game. Instead, I'll be noshing on this delicious dip. The recipe is courtesy of the fabulous Giada De Laurentiis. Don't you just love her? I'm slightly obsessed with her modern Italian recipes and laid back style of entertaining.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

4 pita breads, split horizontally in half
2 Tbsp plus 1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used dried parsely and it tasted fine)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each pita into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges on a large baking sheet and brush with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Then sprinkle with oregano and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes, then turn wedges over and bake until they are crisp and golden, about 8 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining salt and pepper. Pulse on and off until the mixture is coursely chopped. With the machine running, gradually mix in the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season the puree with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer peree to small bowl and serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside.


I plan to spend the rest of the night curled up with a cup of tea and the new issue of Harpers Bazaar. Hope you all have a wonderful night!

Fashionable Treasures

While I was home for the holidays, I discovered some treasures packed away in the top of a closet. My mom had saved an entire box of vintage patterns from the 60s and 70s! I was beyond excited as I dug through them. I selected a few to bring back with me to start on. When I'm going to have time to sew, I have no idea. But the thought of creating unique outfits from these vintage patterns brings me a lot of joy. My mom also gave me an amazing Simplicity sewing book from the 70s, which I have been devouring. It's full of helpful tips and photos, and it sold for a whopping $1.00 back then! I think I may go fabric shopping tomorrow and try to make a dress over the weekend. I'm especially eager to try the coat dress (bottom row, 3rd from left). I can just picture it in yellow with heels and tons of pearls for Easter.

Polynesian Chicken Salad

I have never really been a big fan of chicken salad. However, a family friend introduced us to this recipe several years ago and I was blown away. I like to pair it with a buttery croissant for lunch or a light supper.

Polynesian Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1 1/2 cups diced canned pineapple or seedless grapes (or both)
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine chicken, celery, pineapple, grapes, and almonds. Blend mayo with sour cream and seasonings. Pour over chicken and toss lightly. Chill.

Wouldn't you know...

As soon as I decide to be "financially responsible" and stick to a budget, the JCrew website gets updated with all of the fabulous spring arrivals. Sigh. I want everything. I know I don't NEED anymore cute little cardigans, skirts, or long chunky necklaces, but I can't help but WANT them.

These jade beads would be a very versitile addition to my jewelry wardrobe. I would love to have 2 strands and wear them in layered lengths.

I want this entire outfit, right down to the candy colored belt.


I'm a sucker for anything leopard print, and lately I've been drawn to shades of yellow and mustard. This would be a perfect outfit for school.

To keep myself from dashing off to JCrew tomorrow, I seriously need to be productive and get to work on the rest of my resolutions. The getting organized thing isn't going so well! Maybe I should take the money I want to spend at JCrew and hire a maid for the day...

Working on my resolutions...

When my alarm went off at 7:00 this morning, I was so tempted to turn it off and go back to sleep. But I managed to drag my sleepy self out of bed and make it mass on time. I'm so glad I did because today Epiphany was observed and the church looked absolutely gorgeous. I really wish I would have taken a picture of the full Nativity Scene. Epiphany is also the start of Mardi Gras! Since I won't get to go home to celebrate, I'm going to attempt to make a king cake from scratch all on my own.

After mass, we went to one of my favorite spots in Tampa...Nola Cafe. I love going there when I feel homesick. It reminds me of the lazy mornings (and late nights) I used to spend at Cafe du Monde.

My delicious beignets and cafe au lait

Stuffing my face (once upon a time I could never eat all three beignets...now I practically lick my plate)

I should have taken a photo of hubby's breakfast...he ordered a crazy breakfast sandwich that consisted of an omelet and andouille sausage on a piece of french bread, smothered with cheese and hot sauce. It didn't look that appetizing on first glance, but my taste buds convinced me otherwise. It was pretty amazing, but I don't know if I could ever stray from my beignets.

The perfect bowl game snack...

We made these delicious little bacon and tomato cups for Christmas Eve, but I think they would also be great for snacking on during a bowl game. I'm going to make them again next week for the National Championship game.

Bacon & Tomato Cups

8 slices bacon
1 tomato, seeded and chopped (I used roma)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp. dried basil
1 (16 oz.) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough (regular size, not Grands)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease mini muffin pans. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon into a medium bowl and mix with tomato, onion, cheese, mayo, and basil.

Separate biscuits and cut individual biscuit into quarters. Press each piece of biscuit into prepared muffin tin. Fill with the bacon mixture. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Repeat with remaining biscuits and filling. Can be baked and rewarmed.

Enjoy!

Happy 2009!

I hope everyone's new year is off to a fabulous start! I am back from my lovely Christmas holiday in Louisiana...it is always so hard boarding the plane back to Florida and this time was no exception. January is such a depressing month for me. I'm always so sad when Christmas is over. I used to be able to look forward to Mardi Gras break, but unfortunately Florida does not let us out of school for such things. My next break from school won't be until April. That's right...there is no spring break in doctor school. Sigh.

But I am determined to start 2009 off on the right foot and make some positive changes in my life.

1. I want to be more organized. My life is so hectic during the semester that I never have time to clean and organize things. I'm trying to get all of that taken care of before spring semester starts so that I can just do small amounts of "maintenance" until my next break in April.

2. I want to be healthier. This includes not only my physical health but my emotional and spiritual health as well. Again, this is something I neglect due to my hectic schedule. But this year I am determined to make time to enjoy the small things in life so that I'm not overwhelmed by stress. I also want to make it a priority to attend church, study the Bible, and do devotionals more often.

3. I want to make a budget and stick to it. I feel like now is the time to become more responsible financially. I've always been a hardcore shopaholic, but my closet literally cannot hold another thing. Not one shirt, one shoe, nada. I could probably "shop" my closet and not wear the same thing twice for 2 years. Seriously. So what better time to try to implement this lifestyle change?

I have also decided that in 2009 I'm going to try to spend more time sewing, crafting, cooking, and I REALLY want to get back into my music. I was a classically trained musician for 16 years...I miss it immensely. I want to go on picnics with my husband, take Heaven to the beach, enjoy Saturday mornings at the farmers market, paint teacups at the pottery cafe, relax on my porch with a cup of coffee...

I will have upcoming photos and recipes from my trip home. I send you all best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009!

P.S. Although I was certain I failed my Stats final because I stayed up all night finishing that monstrous Stats project, I ended up with an A in the class =) A true Christmas miracle!

I'll be home for Christmas...

Finals are done and I'm packing my bags! Early tomorrow morning I will be flying home to Louisiana to spend 2 1/2 glorious weeks with my family. Hubby and I had our Christmas last night, so I feel totally in the Christmas spirit now. He did such a good job picking out presents (and taking all of my hints!). My internet access at home will be limited to my IPhone, so this will probably be my last post until the New Year. My mom and I will be cooking up all kinds of delicious recipes, so I should have some fabulous food posts when I get back. My mom's Southern/Cajun cooking is AMAZING...I fully expect to gain another 10 pounds over the holidays! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. I can't wait to read everyone's holiday posts when I get back. I will leave you with some pictures I took at home last Christmas.



Merry Christmas!! I hope Santa is very good to all of you :)

xoxo,
Lacey

Yesterday MIGHT have really been Christmas...

This Christmas, I'm not really living with my hubby anymore. Instead, hubby has been replaced by a 5-year-old who begs every day to open his Christmas presents. Of note, we will already be celebrating our Christmas almost 2 weeks early because I'm going home for Christmas on Sunday (sadly, he will be staying here to work). I've tried to tell him that he's lucky because all the other boys and girls have to wait until the 25th, and he gets to open his on the 13th. I'm the type of person who likes to wait until Christmas to open everything, so I cannot fathom opening presents this early. In order to appease him, I allowed him to open one gift on Saturday. He promised he would not beg to open presents early any more if I allowed him that one gift.

Flash forward one day later to Sunday: "You know, we don't really know for sure that the 25th was really Jesus' birthday. His birthday could actually be today, so we should probably go ahead and open presents. Today might REALLY be Christmas."

So I have been scolding him and telling him no presents until the 13th. However, last night he found my kryptonite..."If you let me open a present tonight, tomorrow we can go to Nine West and you can get those 2 pair of shoes you were wanting." Two seconds later, I'm shoving a gift into his hands. So I guess we both won that battle. He got to open a present on December 8 and I'm getting 2 new pairs of shoes.

Where did the weekend go??

Why does it feel like Friday night was just a few seconds ago? Lately my weekends seem to just fly by at lightning speed. I spent the majority of the weekend doing school work, but we did find time to take a quick picture for our Christmas cards.


This picture makes me realize how tired I look and how badly I need a hair cut. By this point in the semester I basically start to look (and feel) like a walking corpse. But only one more week of craziness and then I can sleep...and make a hair appointment...and read a book that isn't related to school!!

I was also playing around with the camera and took this picture of Heaven:


I'm not the best photographer so I was very excited to have captured this "artsy" shot of her :)

And finally, I thought I would leave you with this image that I cannot get out of my mind:



I NEED this ring. I am trying to fight the urge to buy it because I know it's Christmas, and I should be buying for others and not myself...but just look at it! Sigh.

Santa, if you are reading this, could you please add this to my Christmas list?

Tagged

I have been tagged by the fabulous Jeanie of Serious Shopaholic! She has an amazing blog so you should definitely check it out! Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

So here goes...

1. When I decide I want something (clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc.), I totally obsess over it until I get it. Sometimes this may mean driving to every mall in the area, online shopping at 2 AM, or neglecting other activities I should be doing (i.e. studying). I seriously cannot think of anything else until I get whatever I'm obsessing over.

2. I secretly indulge in ridiculous reality shows like The Hills, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and Rock of Love. I feel like I have to use my brain so much that sometimes it's just nice to do an activity that doesn't require any thinking at all.

3. I'm anal about the way I pack my lunch. Everything must be in a separate bag and assembled right before I eat. It grosses me out when a sandwich is all soggy because it was assembled hours ago.

4. Although I've wanted to be a doctor most of my life, I got burnt out after the first year of my master's program and decided to totally switch career paths...so I worked for a while as a make-up artist and stylist. The time off made me realize that I really did want to go to doctor school.

5. I am crazy about making lists. I love the satisfaction of checking something off my lists. My To Do lists are outrageous because I list the most mundane tasks just so I feel like I've accomplished something by checking them off.

6. Because my specialization is forensics, I am constantly reading books or watching shows about serial killers and the criminal mind. But I never have nightmares about it. Instead, my nightmares involve shopping scenarios. I might be in a store where everything is on sale but I can't find my size. Or I might have an armful of fabulous clothes and not be able to check out. It's weird, I know.

I think most of the ladies of the blogs I follow have already been tagged. If someone hasn't that would like to be, let me know and I will be happy to tag you :)

It's beginning to look a lot like finals week...

This time next week I will be basking in the glory that comes with completing yet another semester of school. But I am totally dreading getting through this weekend and next week...so much to do and so little time to do it. In the midst of all the finals hoopla, I hope to squeeze in some fun things too. Thursday night we attended my university's annual winter party at a cozy restaurant right on the bay. Because the party is strictly for students and faculty in my doctorate program, one of the highlights of the night is the psychology themed gift giveaway. If you don't personally know a psychologist or psychology grad student, it is important to note that we are HUGE nerds when it comes to anything psychology related. Sadly, I have yet to win a gift giveaway, so I decided to compile my own list of psychology gifts that I need. Fortunately, hubby was there to witness my strong desire for these things, so hopefully some of them will end up under the Christmas tree.

These Freudian Slippers are the holy grail of the party giveaway. I think slipping my feet into these would be a nice treat on those mornings I have to get up at 5:00 AM to go see patients.

This Freud and his couch finger puppet sticks to the fridge when not in use.



Pavlov's dog finger puppet




Rorschach inkblot coasters


This canvas bag would be great for toting around testing supplies.


This magnet would be the perfect gift for a Rorschach junkie such as myself. I would really love to have this on a coffee mug.



I think this shirt just says it all.

I'm now going to try to force myself to finish that stats project today because I really want to spend tonight making a gingerbread house. Hopefully fun photos to come!

I'm working REALLY hard on my motivation level...

One whole page of my stats research proposal is officially done (right now we won't focus on the fact that I still have 11 pages to go). I am proud.

Procrastinating

I have been seriously anti-schoolwork the past few days. Dangerously so. In addition to finals, I have a huge statistics project due. Statistics is possibly the most boring subject ever, so you can imagine my desire to put this project off until the last possible moment. I also have client reports due this week, but all I want to do is curl up in bed and watch Gossip Girl. As part of my efforts to procrastinate, I made gumbo. Gumbo is a classic Louisiana dish. It's spicy and full of flavor.


In a further effort to procrastinate, I decided to make a Christmas wish list for my fur baby Heaven. If she were able to write her own letter to Santa, I'm sure it would include these things:

An elegant rhinestone collar

A credit card for Barkingdales



A pink I-Paw



A sweet little raincoat


Something from Sniffany & Co



A luxurious bed for afternoon naps




A cute little sundress



A wardrobe for the latest fashions



A jar full of treats

If only I could turn in letters to Santa instead of some boring ole stats project. Sigh. Oh well. I promise I'll start on it tomorrow.