In one palette, you’ll find the tools to create both day and evening looks. Rich browns, a pretty purple and smoky shades are all enriched with a bit of shimmer. It has basically replaced all of my other shadows. And, it does make packing much easier.

I will offer a quick disclaimer. Some of the photos have more shimmer than you might anticipate. They’re still quite pretty, but might be a little too disco-cha-cha for your work.

Of course, now Urban Decay has introduced this palette, which I’m pretty sure I also need….So maybe I’m not so good at simplifying after all.

Don’t believe me? Try them for yourself.

Turkey Burgers with a Mango & Avocado Salsa

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2  lb. ground turkey breast

2 tbsp. feta

1 tsp. Adobo seasoning

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 c. diced mango

1/2 c. diced avocado

1 tbsp. minced cilantro

Juice from half a lime

1 tbsp. mayo

1 tbsp. salsa

Spray a grill pan with non-stick spray and heat it to medium-high.   In a bowl, combine the ground turkey, feta, Worcestershire, and adobo seasoning. Mix with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Then, score the meat into two sections with your hands. Shape each half into a patty.

When the pan is hot, place the burgers on the grill. Turn the burger when you see white meat (cooked) starting to come up the sides of the patty (When meat is cooked, it will pull away from the grill, making it easier to flip.) Now, cook the other side.

As the burgers cook, combine the avocado, mango, cilantro and  lime juice. Then, season with salt and pepper. (This will make way too much salsa for two burgers, but it’s nice to snack on while you cook.)

When both sides are browned and the sides of the patties are almost all white. Turn the heat to medium-low and tent a piece of aluminum foil over the burgers. This will keep the heat in and help your burgers cook evenly. Check the burgers periodically, flipping them as needed, to ensure they’re cooked evenly and all the way through.

Meanwhile, place the mayo in a small bowl. Add the salsa and stir together. Spread the finished mayo on both sides of the buns.

Add your turkey burger to the bun and top with salsa.

There, I’ve finally said it.

I’ve thought about how to address it here for awhile and decided the best thing to do was just start writing something. This blog wasn’t meant to be a personal one where I tell you a lot about what’s going on in my life, but rather a place to share information.

That being said, my pregnancy is influencing the blog in ways I couldn’t have foreseen. For example, during the first trimester, I felt permanently nauseous with no appetite, so as you might have noticed the number of recipes seriously dropped off. I was also exhausted. All the time. As I started to feel better and cook more, I started to grow, which has meant very few (okay, zero) posts on fashion. It’s hard to post about clothes when nothing fits.

The other thing I’m not entirely sure how to express is how completely over the moon we are. How giddy and happy and scared out of our minds we find ourselves. I’m not sure we’ve ever been this close as couple. It’s absolutely wonderful.

In addition to all this, I’ve taken on some side projects, which are sucking up my free time. So, I ask you to bear with me as I find my footing over the next few months. I have a long list of things I’m dying to tell you about like a brunch I hosted, some killer turkey burgers, items to register for and spring fashion. 

But, I’m trying to be flexible, because I hear these babies sort of change things, and quite frankly, I have no idea where she will take us. But, we can’t wait to meet her and find out.

Here are two of my recent favorites.

Do you forgive me now? Or, should I send flowers?

At first, I wasn’t sure how to use it, but decided it would work best for me if I used it to organize things I found online. As I come across recipes or items I like, I pin them, so that I won’t lose track of them later. While this is the way I primarily use it, I also like discovering what other people have pinned.

Every day, I discover new sources of inspiration with just a few clicks. Can you tell I’m addicted? Recently, I came across a pancake recipe mimicking bananas foster in my news feed. I couldn’t get it out of my head. It looked delicious. But instead of making the posted recipe, I did a twist on my go to pancake recipe using orange and cinnamon, two ingredients I had on hand. The flavor combination was inspired by this recipe from Melissa D’Arabian.

The hybrid of these two great recipes is a really special take on pancakes. Warm and filling, it’s perfect for a cozy night in.

Orange & Cinnamon Spiced Buttermilk Pancakes

Makes about 9 pancakes

1 egg

1 c. buttermilk

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Zest from the half of a navel orange

¾ c. and 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle to medium-high heat and spray it with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Next, stir in buttermilk, vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest with a whisk until combined.

To the bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Do not over mix.

Now, pour the batter, a ¼ cup at a time (I use a measuring cup for this.) on to the pan. Tiny bubbles will appear on the surface of your pancakes as they cook. When the bubbles slow down, they’re ready to flip. The second side cooks faster than the first, so keep an eye on them. You’ll know they’re done when they start to set-up.

While these cook, start on the bananas.

The Bananas

Serves 2

1 banana sliced

1 tbsp. butter

Cinnamon, sprinkled

1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 pinch of salt

Juice from an orange

Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a pan over low heat. Add the sliced banana.

Toss the banana slices in the butter letting them start to cook. After a few minutes, add the granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon.

Stir occasionally, allowing them to caramelize. Squeeze the juice from an orange, scraping the pan as you go.

Top the pancakes with the bananas, butter and syrup.

*You can access my boards by clicking on the Pinterest link on the right side of the page.

A week later, I was still thinking about it and thought I could make a similar version at home. My grocery store didn’t have blood oranges, and I didn’t want to invest in another expensive olive oil, so I used plain navel oranges instead. And, they worked just fine.

My version is delicious and simple to put together.  The most intimidating element might be the jicama. If you’ve never seen, eaten or cooked with a jicama, you’re in for a treat. Although not the prettiest person at the party, it’s a tasty ingredient. Jicama has basically, no flavor. It’s crunchy and porous, which means it will take on the flavors of other ingredients easily, while remaining firm. It looks like this.

To use a jicama, peel it and then, slice it. Here’s how the julienned slices looked.

Jicama, Almond and Orange Salad

Serves 2

1/4 c. jicama, julienned

1 orange, supremed

Juice from one orange

1/4 c. sliced almonds

2 c. arugula

1 tbsp. citrus champagne vinegar

2 tbsp. evoo

Salt and pepper

Peel and julienne the jicama. Place in a bowl. Supreme an orange, adding the segments to the jicama. Squeeze the juice from the orange into the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Next, toast the sliced almonds in a pan over low heat. Removing before they turn brown. Add the arugula and almonds to the same bowl. Drizzle with vinegar and evoo. Toss together. Season with salt and pepper.

I’ve had a big container of wild rice in my cupboards for longer than I’d care to admit. Inspired by a rice salad I saw here, I used ingredients I had on hand to create a dish perfect for lunch.

A tangy vinaigrette forms the basis of the salad with tart, dried cherries and spinach adding brightness. The ingredients are healthy and perfect for any New Year’s resolutions you might have made.

Wild Rice Salad

Serves 4 as a side

1 c. wild rice

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. evoo

1 c. chopped spinach

1/4 c. dried cherries

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

2 tbsp. feta crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil wild rice until softened. Drain and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile, in another bowl, add the mustard and whisk in the red wine vinegar. Next, stream in the evoo, whisking as you add it. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked rice, chopped spinach, cherries, walnuts and feta. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.

via Vogue

One of the huge trends for spring and summer this year is pastels. Designers around the globe marched whispy fabrics and structured silhouettes in mint, pale pick, soft orange, lilac and sky blue down the runway. The results are pretty, dreamy pieces that can best be described as either ladylike or womanly.

via Vogue

Karl Lagerfeld showed his spring collection in a winter wonderland, which had me thinking this is a trend you could start wearing now. How chic does that pink look in snow?

via Vogue

Try adding a light colored, filmy blouse under a blazer or a pop of pale jewelry.

via Vogue

I will add this piece of caution for wearing pastels. Think carefully about how you will add warmth to the look. Choose rich neutrals, flushed cheeks or a berry lip, so that you don’t appear washed out. For the office, these feminine pieces look best when grounded with structured cuts and neutrals. But, if you’re venturing out for lunch with friends, try something feminine and polished like the dress below.

via Vogue

A sucker for period dramas, the storylines and rich details had me hooked immediately. I first caught a reference to the show from the Fug Girls (I think). It was after the first season had ended, so I watched it on Netflix and was immediately swept away by the upstairs/downstairs residents of Downton.

The new season picked up two weeks ago on Sunday. It airs at 8:00 p.m. CST  on PBS and is a nice balance to the Jersey Shore.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Krieger, I first became “introduced” to her on the Food Network. Her show was great and a nice change from some of their more decadent programming (I like butter too, but no one should eat like that all the time.). Unfortunately, she is now on the Cooking Channel, a station I do not get.* Here’s a video clip I found of her on her Web site making something that looks lovely.

I’m happy to report the recipes in her new cookbook are wonderful. I made three after Christmas and loved them. These included her garden tuna melt, French bread pizza and blueberry muffins.

While the muffins were quite good, mine were heavy on the blueberries. I’m not sure what happened, but my blueberries were huge. I suspect I bought some sort of mutant frozen variety. So, I will either dial down the number of blueberries or find smaller ones next time.

French Bread Pizza

The French bread pizza was simple, but good. The recipe follows:

Ingredients:

One, 8 oz whole grain French baguette

1 c. marinara sauce (I used leftover sauce from here.)

2 c. lightly packed arugula coarsely chopped

1 c. grated part skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the bread in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into four pieces. Scoop out the center of the bread and discard. Place the bread, scooped side up, onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread 2 tbsp. of sauce on each piece. Top with arugula, then mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until toasted and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 12 minutes.

Garden Tuna Melt

We had our tuna melts with segmented oranges stirred into plain yogurt – pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

2, 6 oz. cans of light tuna in water, drained

2 c. lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves, finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 medium carrot shredded

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

3 tbsp. mayo

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 slices whole wheat bread

4 thin slices extra sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine tuna, vegetables, mayo, mustard and black pepper. Place the bread on a baking sheet, divide the tuna mixture among the four pieces of bread and top each with a slice of cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and the edges of the bread are toasted, six to eight minutes.

Other favorites from past cookbooks include:

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Sloppy Joes

*Do not ask me about this or what I think of the Food Network’s current programming, unless you want to see a 5’3″ woman go on a rant.