Winter Necessities. Guest Blogging at D, etc

I don't think this post could come at a more perfect time considering millions of people are stuck in the middle of a snow drift!

Head on over to Daniela's blog: D, etc. to read about my ideas for Winter's must haves.

Everyone wants to stay warm, right? But do you want to look like this?


Didn't think so!

Winter Comfort Food

When the weather gets colder it's time to turn up the heat in the kitchen. I'm talking stews, soups, casseroles, etc. The only problem with a lot of these dishes is that they're loaded with calories.

Here's a fool proof and low-cal way to get a tasty and warm pasta dish!

What you'll need:

-Whole Grain Penne
-2 small heads of Broccoli
-Artichoke Hearts (I used 1 can of artichoke hearts)
-Chicken
-6-8 cloves of Garlic
-3 T. Olive Oil
-Salt
-Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Chop the broccoli, place in pan and add 2 T. of olive oil and 6 cloves of garlic (+/- depending on your love for garlic)





3. Chop the artichoke hearts, place in dish and add 1 T. of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic



4. Roast the broccoli and artichoke hearts for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes flip them around in the dish.



5. While the B&A are cooking, boil water for the pasta.
6. Cook pasta as directed.
7. Save 1-2 cups of the boiled water for the pasta before draining.
8. Chop up chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken so I didn't have to prepare my own)
9. Mix the pasta, broccoli, artichoke hearts, and chicken together.
10. Add at least 1 cup of the reserved water to the pasta. Add more if you'd like.
11. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese

You can add more olive oil to the pasta but the broccoli and artichoke will be full of flavor!!

Enjoy!!

I'm going Christmas shopping with my mom tonight and we're grabbing dinner at the famous Walnut Room! Don't worry, I'll blog all about it!

Brr Winter is Here

I'd like to know where Fall went? When did the weekend end? And how cold is it really going to get this year??

How is it already Monday?

Saturday I woke up to our first real snow! It just started coming down and took it's sweet time blanketing the whole Chicago area.

Later that night I had my friend L's bridal shower. It was at D.O.C. Wine Bar and not only was the food & wine great, but we giggled like little girls. It was such a great night out! Her maid of honor, and our mutual friend J, hosted the shower and she did one heck of a job!

My parents' backyard covered in snow!

Ozzie lives for the snow!

Boots are a must for weather like this. And I actually need to order a pair of cozy liners, mine are currently MIA.



I spent the rest of the weekend snuggled up in warm sweaters and throw blankets!


Hope your weekend was fabulous! And I really hope it wasn't as cold where you're at!