3 Easy Valentine's Day Desserts

We don't have plans for Valentine's Day, but I have been wanting to make a yummy dessert to surprise the bird with.

Here are 3 easy, last minute ideas if you're wanting to do the same:

M&M Cookies // Candy Bark // Popcorn Mix

I love making candy bark and this ooey gooey salty and sweet popcorn mix sounds delish!

And in case you missed it, how gorgeous was this Whitney Port and Lulu & Georgia Galentine's Day collaboration featured on Glitter Guide?

What are your plans this weekend?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Linked with Meet at the Barre

Freshly Picked Blackberry Scones

The bird and I just found the mother-load of blackberry bushes on the outskirts of a nearby golf course. Blackberries can be pretty spendy in the store. Plus these were fresh and local, so we definitely scored.

Once we got home, I immediately looked for some recipes to try out. I was looking for something fairly easy and healthy.

I came across this recipe for Lemon Blueberry Scones and made the fruit substitute.

They are so good! We've been having one for dessert every night!

The only changes I made were adding sea salt and brushing with butter right before baking. This made for a salty and crispy exterior.

I was worried the blackberries would make it too liquidy... so I added less than what the recipe called for blueberries, and it was perfect!

Five Friday Favs

Yay for Friday!

Here are five fabulous things to kick off the weekend:

1 | My favorite fall lookbook this year is from Banana Republic. Love this look!
2 | Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites for the win!
3 | This is such a beautiful quote. Found on Victoria McGinley's blog.
4 | How cute is this pegboard diy?!
5 | Love the anniversary issue of Rue, recognizing 7 new, up and coming designers.

Hope you have some fun weekend plans ahead. We are headed to a BBQ birthday party and hopefully doing a little furniture shopping for our home! yay!
 

Linked with A Liz Adventures and Meet at the Barre

Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies have been my go-to since it started warming up a bit. They are filling and I love how refreshing they are in the summer (which is a relative term in Dublin).

Here are two of my favorites:

 This one is perfect for breakfast. It's filling and nutritious with the added spinach and flax seed.

I like this one for a afternoon or after dinner snack since it's a bit sweeter. I love almond butter, but you can definitely substitute peanut butter.

Tell me your favorites so I can start mixing it up over here!

Camping, Glamping and a S'more Recipe Round-up

I am officially back from Brussels. It was a fabulous solo trip and I am so glad I did it. I'm sorting all the pictures and will have a recap up soon!

Photo via

Today, we are headed to a glamping adventure with a few friends in Wicklow. Isn't camping the ultimate summer kick off?

And... what better way to get excited for camping, than some delicious s'mores recipes?

1 // S'mores on a stick. Such a cute idea for a party if they need to be pre-made.
2 // Chocolate chip cookie s'mores with peanut butter. Three fabulous things, in one! omg.
3 // Skillet s'mores. Perfect for sharing after an indoor dinner party.
4 // Roasted berry s'mores with waffles. The jelly to the pb version above. Sounds like a dreamy combination.
5 // S'mores martini. Yum! (And here is a second drink recipe I found: S'moretini!)

I love that someone has the same love for s'mores as I do! Jillian, can we get together for book club night and s'mores!? :)

And before I forget, I am teaming up with a couple bloggers for an amazing giveaway for you on Monday... stay tuned!

Linked with A Liz Adventures and Meet at the Barre

Summer Recipes

One of my favorite things about summer are all the good food coming into season.

I am looking forward to going home next week for a visit and getting a taste of some of my favorites.

1 // Grilled corn, lime and cotija cheese make the perfect summer bbq dish.

2 // I love making my own granola. It's even better when I can top my morning granola with fresh summer berries.

3 // I have never had a watermelon salad this fancy, but I do love the watermelon, avocado and heirloom tomato combo.

4 // This recipe would be great with spinach or kale. Love the grilled ribbon veggies on top.

5 // My ultimate summer go-to is a green smoothie. My favorite combo is spinach, frozen bananas, mango and almond milk.

Here is my round up of recipe favorites from last summer.

Recaps + a Recipe

Happy Monday!

I have a mishmash of thoughts and pictures today. Sorry for being all over the place.

Since we are a few hours ahead, I spent my morning recapping the Oscars.

The bird's work put together Oscar ballots and boy, did we miss the mark. I think one of the only ones we answered right was Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave. So well deserved.

I just love Ellen. And here were a few of my favorite looks for the night: Cate Blanchett // Lupita Nyong'o // Julia Roberts

Here's a recap of the best moments of the night.

On another, completely separate note, I am finally getting back into my groove after this awful bug.

Did any of you get it? It was terrible! And it's taken 2 weeks to feel like myself again! Time for yoga.

Lastly, the granola seen above was one of the things I accomplished this weekend. It was delicious!

Salty, sweet and filling. Perfect over yogurt or served in almond milk. Yum!

Linked with Join the Gossip

Weekend Recap

Today I am recovering from an awful bug I caught this weekend! No fun at all. But I'm on the mend... I think.

I don't have much to share today, but here are a few pictures from the weekend and last week.

On Friday, I met up with a few bloggers here in Dublin. I brought some homemade cookie sandwiches to share.

I used this cookie and this buttercream frosting recipe.

They were soooo good!

The gorgeous flower marts on Grafton Street on a rare sunny day in February.

We also made this delicious quinoa chowder on Friday.

We chose to add fresh salmon to it... I definitely recommend this recipe!

photo credit

So glad I got to enjoy this before my appetite took a nose dive on Saturday.

Hope you had a more exciting weekend than I did. :)

Linked with Join the Gossip
 

Weekend Recap

Hope you had a great weekend.

Mine did not consist of watching the Superbowl this year, since it started at about midnight. (But I was able to catch a recap of the commercials.) To be honest, football is so not my sport. Talk to me again when it's baseball season. #gogiants

Instead we spent our weekend watching two fantastic movies... my husband has officially turned me into a movie person!

Captain Phillips // 12 Years a Slave

Both of these movies were amazing! Tom Hanks can do no wrong. He was fantastic in this movie. And 12 Years a Slave... so hard to watch, but one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. No wonder it won Best Picture this year at the Golden Globes. And watching these makes me even more excited for the Oscars this year.

I also made these delicious brownies:

Healthified Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Recipe via Minimalist Baker

Their website is filled with deliciously easy recipes and much better pictures!

I would love to say we have some leftover... but they were too good. Make these immediately!

Linked with Join the Gossip

Recipe: Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

This week I was inspired to try out a new recipe.

We made a shredded brussels sprout salad with homemade dressing a lots of yummy toppings.

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

Serves about 4
20-25 Brussels Sprouts
1 handful Spinach
1/2 Crispy apple
1/2 Avocado
1/4 cup Thinly sliced onions
8-10 Sun-dried Tomatoes chopped
1/3 cup Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese, grated or sliced
20 Roasted & chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Homemade French Dressing
10 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T Dijon Mustard
4 T Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Cloves Garlic, minced (roasted or raw)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Water (for consistency and taste)

1. Shred brussels spouts with a food processor, mandoline or chop with a knife.
Optional: blend in additional lettuce, such as chopped kale or spinach
2. Roast nuts over heat for less than 10 minutes, or until brown & crispy.
3. Chop veggies and cheese
4. Dress, toss & serve... and Enjoy!

Weekend recap & recipes

I realize it's Wednesday. But Monday was a holiday here and I am getting back into the swing of things after we had the bird's dad in town.

It was such a nice visit... we love having our friends and family out to Dublin!

First Guinness at Stag's Head // Brunch at Avoca // Fallon & Byrne Wine Bar

We also made a couple delicious recipes last week that I wanted share with you.

First up was this pizza. Uh-mazing!

It was our first time trying out "cauliflower pizza." We used this recipe for the crust, which was so easy!

We topped ours with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, basil and pine nuts.

By the way, we are making it again this week.

I also made these gluten-free & vegan chocolate chip cookies.

I am a big supporter of refrigerating dough before baking. I much prefer a thick, doughy cookie over a flat crispy one.

So mine turned out more like balls or bites rather than the normal 'cookie shape.' And they were delicious!

And lastly, but certainly worth noting- Madewell is having a 30% off sale on select fall styles. Today only!

Hope you're having a great week! Happy Halloween tomorrow!

Weekend Recap & Delicious Recipes

Hope you guys had a great weekend! Here are some bits and pieces from mine.

Embracing fall with festive nails

Butter London: West End Wonderland / Essie: Merino Cool

 I also picked up this delicious candle

The Country Candle Company: Warm Ginger

And the bird and I made a tapas-style dinner on Friday night.

It was so good!

(The iPhone pics aren't good enough to give this spread justice!)

Chips: Beet chips, Rosemary Crackers, Socca, veggies

Dips: Black bean Guacamole, Baba Ganoush, Roasted Garlic Hummus

YUM!

The bird and I also went to the Irish Film Institute. Its a small venue with only a few theaters and hosts independent films. They also have a delicious restaurant inside.

We saw Blue Jasmine and followed up the movie with dinner.

Linked with Join the Gossip & Sami's Shenanigans

Healthy & Easy Summer Recipes

I have been pinning some delicious looking summer treats lately.

I have picked only the tastiest, but healthiest and easiest to share with you today! These are the best kind, right?

 Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad // Frozen Banana Peanut (or Almond) Butter Ice Cream

Cinnamon, Banana and Peanut or Almond Butter Stuffed Apples

Frozen Yogurt Covered Blueberries // Quinoa Stuffed Avocado Salad

How delicious do these look?!

Feel free to contact me for my address to send me some of your homemade treats! :)

Peppermint Bark

This weekend the bird & I conquered what is becoming one of our favorite holiday traditions.

Its delicious, fun to make together and great for small gifts.

Peppermint Bark

1 bag White Chocolate Chips
1 bag Brown Chocolate Chips (I used Semi Sweet)
1 package of Candy Canes
Parchment Paper

First, I unwrapped all the candy canes and placed them in a freezer size plastic bag. I used the back of a plastic spoon to break apart the 'canes into small pieces.

Next, I emptied the bag of brown chocolate chips into a bowl and microwaved them at 30 second increments. At the end of each 30 seconds, I removed and stirred the bowl of chocolate. I ended up heating the semi sweet chocolate for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

I then placed the melted chocolate into the bottom of a 9x13 pan that was covered with parchment paper. That was then placed into the freezer for approximately 20 minutes.

I melted the white chocolate in the microwave at 30 seconds increments next. This chocolate only needed 1 minute and 20 seconds. Be careful not to overcook white chocolate.

After one last stir, I added half of the crushed candy cane. I let the mixture sit for about a minute. I then removed the semi sweet chocolate from the freezer and layered the white chocolate/candy cane mixture on top. Lastly, I added the remained of the crushed candy cane on top, pressing it down with the back of a spoon.

Once layered and smooth, I placed the pan back in the freezer for another 20 minutes to set. I removed the bark and let it sit for a few minutes before chopping into pieces with a knife.

I then placed them in individual boxes for early Christmas gifts!

Happy early Holidays!

Foodies to share

I have a few recent pics & meals to share today. Including the Cookies & Cream Cupcakes that I made over the 4th of July Weekend!

The first is a yummy Oatmeal recipe I had for breaky.

Oats, AB & berries

1/4c oats
1/8c oat bran
1T flaxseed meal
About 1/2c water

Topped with:
Almond butter milk (equal parts almond butter & almond milk)
Splash almond milk
Blackberries
Strawberries
Homemade granola

I loved the morning sunlight on the pics. I am usually taking my shots at night... so I really appreciated the natural lighting.

The bird & I also made it to the Whole Foods salad & sandwich bar this weekend. Such a treat!

I made a delicious salad with lots o' fixins! Tofu, edamame, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, & feta cheese.

I also had a little spoonful of a delicious orzo prepared salad! Scrumptious!

The bird opted for a sandi...

Also a fine choice. Its pretty hard to go wrong at Whole Foods. If you haven't visited this place, get there asap... its amazing!

And lastly, I wanted to share my cupcake recipe from 4th of July. The recipe is compliments of Annie's Eats. She has a fabulous website filled to the brim with great recipes to try. This really is one of thousands! The cupcake recipe I made this weekend was Cookies & Cream Cupcakes.

I have made this recipe several times, so I already knew it was amazing! Its great for guests because it has such a pretty presentation. And perfect for kiddos... what kid doesn't jump at the sight of Oreos on the top of a cupcake!

There are Oreos mixed in the batter & a surprise Oreo at the bottom of the cupcake.

Sinfully delicious... perfect for special occasions. Or breakfast tomorrow morning! ;)

Happy Eats & Happy Thursday!