Recipe Review: Artichoke Bread

For me there are two ingredients that I can't pass up.. and they are artichoke and goat cheese. So when I saw this recipe on the internet for artichoke bread I had to get right on it! It is basically a hollowed out bread loaf with artichoke dip baked into it.. Doesn't get much better then that! There were I few things I would tweak about the recipe but overall its a serious winner!

Artichoke Bread

Artichoke Bread:

Adapted from Closet Cooking

1 14 oz can of diced artichoke hearts

1 diced clove of garlic

2 oz cream cheese (room temp)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of steamed spinach

1 loaf italian bread 

salt/pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Mix 1/4 artichoke, garlic, cream cheese sour cream, cream cheese, cheeses and spinach in bowl

3. Add salt & pepper to taste

4. Cut bread in half and hollow out center of bread

5. Scoop mix into hollowed out bread

6. Top with rest of artichoke and sprinkle of cheeses

7. Cover in foil & bake for 20 mins

8. Remove foil and bake until cheese browns & fully melts (5mins)

9. Cut into slices and ENJOY :)

Hope you like this!

XOX

Finger nail Fridays: Candy Cane

With the holidays coming up I wanted to do festive nails to celebrate! Around the internet there has been a lot of candy cane and peppermint recipes and inspiration so i decided to try out some candy cane nails!

Sephora: Mr. Right Now

They are very fun and festive and i love the finished product! I added some glitter for extra sparkle as well! However next time I will be more careful with the tape method.. they are a little crooked and some polish came off. 

Candy Cane Nails

Need:
White Nail Polish
Red Nail Polish
Top Coat
Tape
Scissors
Glitter

1. File nails down to similar lengths
2. Apply a coat or two of white nail polish (I wouldn't recommend more than 2 b/c it gets too thick)
3. WAIT for white to be absolutely, completely and positively dry before moving on!
4. Cut down small pieces of tape and place diagonally on nail where you would like white to stay
4. Paint one or two coats of red over entire nail
5. Once again, WAIT until red is completely dry before removing tape, then remove tape
6. Sprinkle nails with glitter or paint glitter over white areas of nails
7. Apply topcoat, let dry & ENJOY :)



Have a great weekend
XOX

Recipe Review: Butternut Squash Alfredo

After making butternut squash chili a couple nights ago I had half the squash left over and luckily for me I stumbled on this amazing food blog Petite Kitchenesse! She has so many great recipes (which I have bookmarked for later use) and I found one that could use the rest of my butternut squash. The Butternut Squash Alfredo looked absolutely perfect, creamy and rich with a mixture of veggies and cheese! Everything I look for in a good pasta dish. So enticed I started making my Alfredo! It was so simple and an amazing complement to a  light pasta dish. The flavors were great with the rich squash balanced out by the salty parmesan cheese.

My Alfredo with parmesan, peas and broccoli

Personally I would add slightly more milk into mine in future recipes because I love my sauces very creamy and I felt that this one could use some more creaminess!

Overall this was a great simple and healthier recipe to whip together for a quick dinner! I definitely recommend this to everyone!

Butternut Squash Alfredo:

Adapted from www.petitekitchenesse.com

1 medium-sized butternut squash (I only used my leftover half & it made about 4 cups of sauce)
2 ½ cups of half & half
1 cup of fresh parmesan cheese
2 tsp. salt

Package of pasta of your choice, broccoli, peas and any other veggies

1. Preheat oven to 450° 

2. Cut squash in half/ scrape out insides

3. Place squash cut side down in pan, cover with tin foil & bake for 45 minutes

4. Remove squash from oven & let cool (I got all the other ingredients together in the blender while waiting)

5. Start cooking pasta and veggies while squash cools

5. When cool, scrape out squash meat and add to blender with other ingredients

6. Blend sauce until smooth then add to pasta!

7. This made much more than I could finish in one serving so I would suggest keeping all elements of the dish in separate containers until ready to mix and eat! Keeps them tasting better in my opinion :)

Happy Cooking! 

XOX

Recipe Review: Cookie Dough Dip

So, I caved in tonight and made Chocolate Covered Katie's Cookie Dough Dip. It was pretty tasty and double bonus for being somewhat  healthy! It was yummy and I could definitely binge out on it and actually can because it doesn't contain eggs :) Overall verdict: 4/5 Stars, minus one because the taste isn't exactly cookie dough but it is very close! I would definitely recommend this!

Choc-Chip Cookie Dip w/ Gram Crackers

Glitter Tips

After long days of school I usually try to relax each night and do something that makes me happy. Painting my nails has always been something that is calming for me. Because I love to play around with trends and make my nails unique here is my latest:

OPI For Sephora: Leotard-Optional

I love the ombre glitter on the ring fingers! And a benefit with doing nude nails is that they will always match what I am wearing, something that only red or neutrals can do in my opinion. Well, there was a little part of what is new with me today!

Heres to New Beginnings..

http://whatannaloves.tumblr.com/page/25