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Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup: My tasty alternative for a festive St. Patrick’s Day Meal
Growing up I always complained when my mom made corned beef and cabbage and to this day it’s just not my thing. Then, 5 or so years ago, Megan had us over for St Patrick’s Day and made this Skinnytaste Corned Beef and Cabbage soup and admittedly I wasn’t thrilled about it; how could it be that different than regular old corned beef and cabbage? Well, to my surprise, I loved it and I have made it every year since for St Patrick’s day. So not only do I really enjoy the soup, especially when paired with cheddar beer bread, but I think it’s always more fun to make meals…
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Hawaii. Where we stayed, where we ate, and what I wore
Where we stay I grew up going to Maui but since having little ones we have been going to the Big Island more often and we love it! It is so kid-friendly, more affordable, and their are much nicer accommodations at a lower price point (meaning the homes we stay in would cost twice a much if we were in Wailea, Maui). This was our fourth stay in Mauna Lani and if you have been considering a tropical vacation – I highly recommend it! There are so many places to stay within Mauna Lani, including the recently redone Mauna Lani Resort, Fairmont Orchid, and numerous homes and condos to rent.…
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“Luck of the Irish” Garden Focaccia
While I have baked A LOT of bread during COVID-19 (make sure to check out our banana bread and no knead bread recipes), until this weekend I had yet to try my hand at Garden Focaccia. While the pictures are beautiful, I was intimated by the idea of baking focaccia until my husband Ryan reminded me that we had a recipe from our Stirred Travel cooking adventure outside of Sicily. So with Ryan’s encouragement and St. Patrick’s Day inspiration from @30minutefoodie, yesterday Sam and I made “Luck of the Irish” Garden Focaccia using the Stirred Travel recipe below. We also tried our hand at making @kingarthurbakig’s golden focaccia recipe. Turned…
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Kiss Me, I’m Irish…
Or at least your cocktail can be! Its the first Friday in March and I think everyone should celebrate with an Irish-themed cocktail to start setting the mood for upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe its because Mallory is in Hawaii and I’m not 🙁 but I really felt like this weekend needs a special celebratory cocktail. Heck, I even pulled out (and ironed!) my green striped shirt that I save in my closet just so I have something to wear to the office every St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe its the Irish cocktails speaking, but yes, I am indeed admitting that I keep a shirt just so I can wear once…
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Resort Lounge Wear
Resort Lounge Wear? Is that a thing? Not sure, but it’s 2021 and I’m making it a thing. I was kidding myself when I thought just because I was in Hawaii I was all of a sudden going to get dressed up every day. So, I definitely needed some warm-weather lounge wear for our vacay. Naturally, this thought occurred to me AFTER ordering all my cute new sun dresses. Also, I feel like resort wear usually means expensive but not the case here! Not to mention, Spring is just a FEW weeks away so I’m going to need some warmer weather lounge wear so obviously these purchases are necessary;). I…
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New week, New nails
I had to finally give up on Gel and Dip nail manicures – I just can’t do it anymore. Don’t get me wrong – I love having them but finding the time to get back to get the polish removed and the amount of time it takes to maintain them has just become way too much of a pain and hassle! Not to mention, it destroys my nails. I did start using Dazzle Dry Nails last year which I love and highly recommend, but it still require me to paint my own nails. So… Megan and I recently decided to try Fake/False Nails and we LOVE them. I never saw…
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Waffle-Iron Cookies
I’m sure you’ve seen this done before but we had to try it for ourselves. Sure enough – it works! The best part about these crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside cookies is that they are ready in just a minute or two – no oven preheating required. Not to mention, it’s just a little more fun than your average cookie – for everyone one in the house – kids, adults and everyone in between. We also used my favorite guilt-free cookie recipe from Simply Real Health which made them that much better. Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies 1 cup gf oats…
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Megan Had a Little Lamb
One of my new Instagram obsessions is @FiveMarysFarms. Do you follow this account? Maybe its because we grew up with dear friends that operated a small sheep farm just down the road where I spent A LOT of time or that in my next life I want to come back as a cattle rancher and play cowgirl for real, but for whatever reason I have fallen in love with this Instagram account. With four daughters and a mom all named Mary, this family moved from Silicon Valley where the dad practiced land use law (that’s what I do too!) to start a ranch. They now rodeo on the weekends and…
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Highlights from Megan’s Birthday Weekend
No one should be surprised that we spent the weekending wining and dining with the birthday girl! Here are the highlights: Chateau Igloo Wine Tasting Who doesn’t want to sip wine in a private igloo? The igloo comes complete with a bottle of wine, charcuterie board, speaker and heater! It was shockingly warm and such a unique experience! We ordered a few more of our favorite Ste. Michelle bottles and french fries from the Metropolitan Grill (currently catering the igloos). So fun! Isenhower Cellars Before heading home, we also had to stop by Isenhower Cellars new tasting room in Woodinville. Exciting to have more great Walla Walla wine open a…
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Friday House Update
Megan’s birthday is this weekend and we thought it would be fun to kick off the celebration with a little house remodel update.Go Here to know more about home renovation services. My House Painter can also help you out in getting your home improvement services done. Nothing says happy birthday like a new roof and windows. Composite shingle installation was completed this week (despite a little delay thanks to the snow) and as you can see from the picture, the rotting portico above the front door has now been removed. Goodbye baby fern growing out the side. It will be replaced with a new (sans dry rot) portico designed to…
