OUR WEEKEND

Champagne to celebrate my first real estate closing

The kitty litter dessert I made for a friends Halloween dinner party

Recipe

My brother KJ who is leaving for the Navy in one week LOVE you to pieces

KJ offered to make me breakfast Saturday morning, sweet right?! He just literally started learning how to cook & got a little carried away with the ingredients...he put cinnamon, rosemary, asparagus, cheese, and coconut milk in my eggs...ugh I almost died.  It made me laugh because when I was his age I made my Dad Diet Dr. Pepper chicken.

Scored this twice used white Kitchen Aid at an estate sale for $50, so in love with it

Sunday night Football & Chinese takeout

SHOE SHOPPING



Photo credit: Nordstrom.com

These are my most recent shoe purchases

1. Steve Madden boots with red zipper accent, these feel rugged/equestrian to me here

2. Sam Edeleman studded stilettos "Lorna", bought these for a wedding here  

3. Via Spiga "Vanita" chunky heels in black, these are super comfortable. I plan on pairing with black tights & shorts for winter here

FEELS LIKE FALL

Picked up these carmel apples for dessert tonight

For dinner I am making a white bean chicken chili

 Photo credit

Recipe

5 cans chicken broth

3 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 can kidney beans drained & rinsed

1 four ounce can diced green chiles

1/2 four ounce can jalapenos(1 can if you like spicy)

All of these drained...

1 can black beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can white beans

1 can corn

tablespoon garlic

1 yellow onion diced

teaspoon cumin & cilantro

Saute chicken and onions in olive oil until cooked. Meanwhile open all of the cans and pour ingredients into a stock pot. When the chicken is done add it to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil takes about 10 minutes, then simmer for one hour. 

Garnish with avocado, sour cream/greek yogurt, shredded cheese, & lime

Serve with tortilla crisps

Place tortillas on a baking sheet, brush them with a light coat of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt & parmesan.

Bake at 350 until golden about 5-7 minutes

cut with pizza roller into squares and serve on the side of plated bowl.

MISC. MONDAY

I bought the celestial coasters from Anthropologie in "milk & honey"

 While Halloween shopping at Savers I found these old school neon Keds (never worn)for $3.99

 My big splurge were these beauties, they are very Rachel Zoe meets Jackie O.  The sales girl had me sold at "these are the last pair" they sold out immediately. So of course I had to have them.

 Dinner at Ruth Chris with the family, before my brother leaves for the Navy in 2 weeks.

OVER THE WEEKEND

 I made my first batch of limoncello

1. step one zest 10 lemons

2. Make 3 cups simple syrup (1 cup water to 1 cup sugar) boil until dissolved

3. Add entire bottle of vodka

Recipe here

I will post the finished product in 4 weeks!

I baked homemade pumpkin bread

Forgot to take a picture of loaves before I gave to my grandpa & mom, duh!

 We planted 2 bougainvilleas & a Mexican lime tree

We also did our winter lawn, in AZ you have to spread seed & manure over your grass, it stinks!

Lots of home projects to do now that the weather is cooling down!

BIRTHDAY BRUNCH

My Husbands Birthday is coming up and I want to do something different this year so I thought what about BRUNCH!  The weather is just perfect this time of year and we can entertain outside. Invite our friends over for finger foods & cocktails and the men can watch football.  Here are a few ideas I have so far.

BET Cups(bacon,egg,&toast)

Recipe

Create your own Bloody Mary bar

Photo credit: Betty Crocker

Pull-apart cinnamon sugar pumpkin bread

Recipe

Peach Bellini's

Photo credit Pinterest

Recipe

Bithday inspired rice krispie treats

Source

HALLOWEEN MASH UP

1. Candy corn hurricanes

 Source Pinterest

2. My favorite movie as a little girl, she gave me nightmares

 3. Cutest baby costume a sushi roll

Source

4. My Halloween project last year that is hanging in our front yard

5. The huge spider crawling up our house

6. Inside decor: EEK candles from last years post here & skull

7. My witches brew recipe & broomstick (picked up at JoAnn's)

WISH LIST

1. Celestial Coasters

Source

2. Statement necklace to pair with a basic tee

Source

3. Still on the top of my list Alexander Wang Rocco Duffel

Source

STUDDED

This jacket is part feminine & part rocker! The pink color softens the hard look of the studs & I love the zipper details!  You can shorten the jacket by un-zipping the bottom.  Genius on so many levels, I think it's reasonable too at $155

I must have this for fall!

Purchase HERE

Source

VOTE FOR ME!

After a long weekend of dinner with friends at the Culinary Dropout, going to a comedy show, helping my sister in-law purchase a new condo, tailgating & going to the Cardinals game, etc.... I plopped down exhausted on the couch with my lap top last night to relax. 
Only to find out my cousin had posted on my facebook a link to the Arizona Foothills Magazine "Most Fashionable in the Valley over 30",  so I clicked the link and laughed with joy and a little bit of horror once I saw my name on the list. I was mostly concentrated on the "Over 30" part of it, once I got over those horrific words I had a good laugh and then decided what the hell if my name is on the list I will embrace it! 
So if you have a chance today please vote!  Kristin Van Leer Edwards 

http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/best-of-our-valley-2012/voting/98.html