Monday, March 3, 2014

Finding the Perfect Hunters

I heart Hunter boots!

Colors Hunter
Image cred: Molly & Kate

Ok, really though, who doesn't!? I've owned the classic green pair for a lifetime, but they were really starting to wear. Oh and did I mention, they were also kids size because I have itty feet. They were therefore always too short and I yearned for the day when I would get a nice, new, tall adult pair. I was so ready to put my big girl booties on y'all!
When Ry surprised me on my birthday this year with a pair, I died! And then I put them on. Why were they scruchie? Oh yea, I'm short and don't have the standard 15" or below calf. But, no, no, no, no they have to fit, I've been pinning them on Pinterest every single day, they have to fit!
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Scrunchieness!

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Too bad you can't suck your calves in.
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Then Ryan, being the sweet man he is, meekly but knowledgeably says, "you know, they did have an adjustable boot...". Oh heck yes!

I have to admit though, it took me quite a long time to decide what I really wanted. Ideally, I was looking for the Original Tall Glossy in adjustable, but they don't make that combo in the US apparently. So I started looking into the shorter, but wider, Huntress boot that comes in gloss. Didn't love that they were about 2" shorter though.

In the end, I went original, adjustable classic black. And I couldn't be happier! They're fantastic!

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Cotton approves!
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Here's a look at the adjustable backs, I'm in love!

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I have to admit though, when my email dinged recently and I saw all the bright new hues, I got color envy. I mean look at these, they're beautiful!

Hunter Boots Orig

I'm lusting over that Lipstick Pink pair! Oh and the Clementine and Jade, don't even get me started! So what's your favorite color?

XO!

Erin

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Bachelor Viewing Girls Night PJ Party

Every Monday I get together with a group of girls at my house to nosh on munchies, sip on wine and indulge in the never classy, always trashy TV that is The Bachelor. We even turned it into a game and our two teams, "Juan Direction" and "Don't You Juan-t Me, Baby?" play against each other (recap of the rules to come soon!).

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This past week gave us the gift of double episodes on Monday and Tuesday. Yay us! So we decided to postpone our viewing party to Friday to watch both episodes and do a girls-night-in PJ party. We're all such little girls at heart, mention the idea of doing a slumber party and we all get giddy!

Here's a sneak peek into the decorations, food, comfy seating, PJs and fun that made the night a huge success!

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Target was having a sale on a lot of their party decor this past week so I scooped up these paper lanterns for $5 and also some tags, straws, pinwheel toothpicks and napkins all around $2 per pack!


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I made mini chicken and waffles as an appetizer, it was so easy! I just got nuggets from Chick-fil-A, toasted some Mini Eggos and poured on our favorite Pure Ohio Maple Syrup!


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I kept them warm in the oven at 170 degrees until the girls arrived.


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I blew up the air mattress so we could really cozy in for the night! Our points system hung behind us on the windows.


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2.28.14 286 2.28.14 287 2.28.14 288 2.28.14 292 2.28.14 293Had to include my favorite, sushi! Thanks Sarah for displaying them so beautifully!


2.28.14 294 2.28.14 295The bar for the night!


2.28.14 297We all indulged in a little pre-viewing bubbles at the champagne bar!


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2.28.14 308 2.28.14 309 2.28.14 310Erin not only played bartender extraordinaire, but also brought some of the best slices of cake from Shindigz!


2.28.14 311Moscow Mule time!


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Cheers!


Erin


 

 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A Gal's Guide to Steak

Steak. You love it, you're kinda meh about it or it grosses you out. I was in the last category up until I met my husband and fell gloriously in love with the deliciousness he would create from steak. (oh and him, yeah I fell gloriously in love with him too!)

So what was it about Ry guy's steaks that converted me? A little love and bacon grease. Doesn't that just solve about everything?
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But don't ask me to grill it for you, I'd rather bake it! Yep, bake it! So here's my guide to all the gals out there looking to make a great steak fo yo man! In less than 15 mins. you'll be the perfect significant other noshing away on your perfect steak! Like her...
ladysteak_TMA
Image cred: Gaia Health Blog

Anyways. First, decide on  the type of cut you want, I chose NY Strip (see my "steakpendix" below). No matter what you choose, make sure they're at least an inch and a half thick!

Bring that steak home and don't put it in the fridge! Leave it out to come to room temp. Also heat your oven to 350. While you're at it, prep a cast-iron skillet by putting it over some really low heat. 

After your steak is room temperature, salt and pepper both sides of the cut.

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Now, its bacon time. So guilty confession, we save the grease from bacon in a mason jar that we keep in the fridge at all times. If you have it, great, use it. If you don't, substitute canola oil.

At this time, you can crank the skillet heat up as well.

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Drop 2 tbs. of bacon grease into your hot skillet, it should sizzle and immediately start melting.

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Now, time to lay your steaks into that beautiful sizzling grease. I recommend using long stemmed tongs to do this so that you don't get burned!

You're going to cook these for about 2-3 minutes on each side. These were pretty large steaks, so I cooked them for the good 3 mins on each side.

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Next, pop that whole skillet with the steaks in it in the oven. Leave it well and alone for 5 minutes.
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Remove your steaks and let them rest with a piece of tin foil laid over the top very lightly, don't close it all the way off. Leave them for 10-15 minutes (or as long as your gurgling stomach will let you).
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Ta-da!!!!! You did it! Isn't that easy peasy!?

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Now plate it up and get ready to blow. your. man's. mind. Seriously, screw the wedding chicken, I think a lot more guys will be ready to pop the question after trying this masterpiece.

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Ingredients:

  • Steaks of your choice

  • Sea salt to coat each side

  • Pepper to coat each side

  • ~2 Tbs. Bacon Grease (can substitute canola oil)
Let me know if you all ended up trying this method and have any tips for the group!

XO!

Erin

The "Steakpendix"

aka: My common gal definitions for the three types of steak I would use for this recipe.

Any of these will work for this method, the key is just to make sure it’s at least an inch and a half thick. Here’s the three I would choose from and why:
  • NY Strip – This is my fav cut and what I used for this post. It’s #1 in my book because it’s the perfect combination of fat to meat ratio (aka: it has good marbling) and is usually about middle of the road in $$. It’s also sometimes only a $1 or $2/lb more compared to Ribeye. Again, key is to get a thick piece.

  • Ribeye – The Ribeye is reaching Cher Horowitz status y'all (Clueless, anyone?). Its quickly becoming more popular because people are starting to realize that in this highly marbled steak, fat content = flavor. But beware! Fat can harden if you cook it too fast and be gristley (ew!). It is the least expensive of the three. If you can't find a thick one, you may need to reduce the oven time some.

  • Filet/Filet Mignon/Tenderloin – Obviously, we all love a good filet and know it’s more expensive. Keep in mind a filet is the tenderloin of the beef, you know, like pork tenderloin, but cut into the little thick pieces you see in the store. If you’re up to it, buy the whole tenderloin, cut your own and freeze the rest for later. This one’s always delish, and in one of my favorite steak dishes – Beef Wellington!
(side note, if you slice the steak to plate it, cut against the grain. I didn’t do that this time around, but Ry usually does that when he cooks steak)
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