WEEKEND IN SEVEN PICS...

Hi! I hope you had a great weekend! My long weekend was GREAT!! I...

+ Contributed that AMAZING vanilla pound cake that you see there to the Thanksgiving dessert table. My family loves it, so I make it every year for Thanksgiving. I posted the recipe here in case you are interested...

+ Made this macaroni and cheese recipe that contained a small fortune of fresh cheeses. It was so worth it though! I did change up the recipe a bit. I added double the cheese, an extra 3/4 teaspoons of seasoned salt, and 1/2 cup more of half and half. It was a hit!

+ Drank cheap, yet really good wine with my brother, watched football, read Giada's new cookbook (loved it), relaxed around the parent's house and had no worries or major responsibilities for five days straight. Heaven.

+ Ordered this top on Black Friday that I've wanted since last year. It was 20% off and I couldn't resist! I'm crossing my fingers that I'll like the fit once it comes in!

+ Topped off my five days of bliss by decorating for Christmas. My decor is simple and neutral (as always). I found that cable knit tree skirt at HomeGoods and that neutral berry wreath at Target that would be perfect for my office door... Love good finds from HomeGoods and Tarjay...

I hope you have a good Monday and Happy December!!

Images by me

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

Happy Thanksgiving!! I swear I have been waiting for this day since the end of Thanksgiving last year.  I'll be wearing a loose pair of jeans, eating until my stomach's content, napping, then doing all of that over again. Twice maybe.

More important that all of that, I have SO much to be thankful for. SO very much. I'll be taking stock in that today as I spend time with my family, the people that I am the most thankful for.

I hope you have the most wonderful day and weekend. I'll see you back here next week...

xo,
Tiffany

Image by Rachel Gomez Photography via Style Me Pretty

INSPIRED BY...

The chair, the throw, the rug, the books... the whole look.

This quote. I couldn't agree with Albert more...

Her sweater... and her blog.

That Daniel Wellington watch and the simple accessories around it...

So I'm just taking things slow here on the blog this week. Next week things will get back to normal. In the meantime, it's Thanksgiving week (my second favorite week of the year after Christmas ) and I'm taking some time to relax, cook, sleep and hang out with my family. I posted a quick recipe for you on Monday (let me know if you make it!) and today I have a few things that are pleasing my eyes at the moment... I hope your week is going well!

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

Hi there! I hope you had a good weekend! So - I know I don't normally start the week off with a recipe, but I wanted to post this early in the week for one particular reason. If you are like me, you hate grocery shopping at the very last minute before Thanksgiving. All the people and picking over the leftover items on the shelves that have questionable freshness - totally not my thing. So if you find yourself interested in making this oh so good smoothie, I wanted you to see it early and be able to shop for the ingredients if you don't already have them on hand! 

Anyway, this pumpkin pie in the form of a smoothie would be the perfect quick dessert the day of or the day after Thanksgiving. It tastes good and can be made a number of ways and STILL be good. You can make a light version with almond or skim milk or a full fat version (like the one in the pic) with whole milk and whipped cream. Here is how I made this one along with a few variations:

What you need: (makes 8 servings)

3 cups whole milk

1 can pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup plain vanilla yogurt (you could use Greek yogurt, but it's a little too tangy here in my opinion)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 banana, peeled and diced

Optional Toppings:

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Whipped cream

What to do:

If you have time beforehand, freeze individual servings of the pumpkin pie filling in muffin tins. Cover the muffin tin with foil before putting it in the freezer. If you don't have time to freeze the filling, you can add ice or use frozen bananas to make the smoothie cold. 

Add the milk, yogurt and 4 pieces of frozen filling from the muffin, banana and the cinnamon to a blender (in that order) and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with one or none (or both!) of the optional toppings. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Optional Ingredients:

Slices of pumpkin pie instead of the filling (yes!)

Almond milk

Skim milk

Honey

Pumpkin pie spice (if using the pumpkin pie puree instead of filling)

Recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Image by me

AN AUTUMN ENTRY + LINKS...

Happy Friday!!! I hope you had a great week. My week was good, but I'm sure this next weekend and week will be even better. My Thanksgiving vacation starts today and I am thrilled! I plan to start my time off with putting up my Christmas tree all while a cheesy Lifetime Christmas movie is on in the background (that's the way to do it right??) get in a good workout or two, run some errands, and put the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving meal. It's gonna be fun...  I hope your weekend is just as wonderful and I'll see you here next week!

Thank you SO much for your comments on Monday's post! You know how to make a girl feel good!

You know that fabulous dance at the end of the movie "Dirty Dancing?" This couple perfectly reenacted it for their wedding dance. Love this...

A Julia Child inspired kitchen makeover that is just gorgeous...

If you need an honest review about your next purchase of a fashion or lifestyle product, this genius site might help...

In case you are looking for a budget friendly dress for that holiday party...

A perfect, simple and delicious looking Thanksgiving dessert...

And a great guide on how to find the perfect wine for the Thanksgiving table...

Did you know you could schedule Facebook status updates??

Truth...

Image via 

GIFT GUIDE FOR HER: $100 OR LESS!

ROW 1: Rifle Calendar | Banana Republic Scarf | J.Crew Cashmere Gloves

ROW 2: Nike Free Sneakers | Gorjana Griffin Cuff | J.Crew Calf Hair Clutch

ROW 3: Pottery Barn Cable Knit Throw | BKR Water Bottle | Gold Tray

ROW 4: "Be Still" Art Print | Anthropologie Mug | Oven Mit & Pot Holder

ROW 5: Old Navy Crossbody Bag | Giada's Feel Good Food Cookbook | Anthropologie Desk Suite

Well yesterday was about Thanksgiving and today I have moved right on to Christmas! Yikes! Welcome to my first gift guide of the season! I wanted to focus my guides this year on thoughtful yet budget friendly items. There are so many great things out there this year that meet that criteria, so it was pretty tough for me to narrow down my picks! But here are the items that made the cut. I tried to include everything from the girl who cooks to the girl to loves fashion and decor to the girl who loves to just lounge. I hope this is helpful! :)

MAPLE-DIJON ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner??!! I can't! But I'll take it! Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorite holidays. Any excuse to be with family eat, sleep, lounge, then eat, sleep and lounge again is perfection to me. Today I thought I would share a quick and simple dish that would be a great little side dish on the Thanksgiving table. It also make a great vegetarian dish for any winter meal. I found this recipe for maple-dijon roasted winter vegetables in Gwyneth Paltrow's first cookbook, "My Fathers Daughter." I love roasted vegetables, but the real maple syrup in this recipe is what grabbed my attention. Lately I have been using real maple syrup in everything from oatmeal to salad dressings. It's naturally sweet, slightly smokey and just a small bit of it adds SO much flavor to food. That's exactly what it does to these vegetables. The sweet syrup paired with the spicy dijon mustard adds the perfect amount of flavor to these fresh winter vegetables. I used sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots in this dish, but I think this sweet and spicy sauce would work on pretty much any combination of winter vegetables. So good... 

Here is what you need: 

3 tablespoons real Vermont maple syrup (the fake stuff will not work here!)
3 tablespoons course ground Dijon mustard (regular Dijon mustard works, too)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon course salt
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3 inch sticks about 1/2 inch thick
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 3 inch sticks about 1/2 inch thick
4 medium-sized carrots or 8-10 small carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch sticks about 1/2 inch thick

Here is what to do:

1/ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil. This will make for easy cleanup!

2/ Place the vegetables on the cookie sheet. In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper together.

3/ Pour the mixture over the vegetables and toss well. Make sure each veggie is coated with the mixture.

4/ Roast the vegetables for about 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Stir them occasionally to ensure even roasting.

Enjoy!

Images by me

I'M WEARING: CLASSIC BLACK

Well hi there! I hope you had a good week last week and a great weekend! So I'm back this week with my first outfit post in like 100 years! :) It obviously hasn't been that long, but it has been quite a while. This outfit is like a representation of about half of my closet. About half of my closet is made up of black clothes. I've always liked black because it's sassy, classic and easy to mix and match. I keep black from being boring by purchasing clothing that has a little edge to it. The sheer panel on the arms of that Zara top I'm wearing = edge. I paired the top with two different black skirts, a fluted skirt and a leather skirt. I've had that leather skirt for 8 years, so classic is the word! I love the details of the both of the skirts and how each of them are made. I often pair all-black outfits with pattered or colored shoes. They just rev up the whole look. Of course you can never go wrong with leopard... When it comes to jewelry, I always keep it simple. That's just how I roll. I meant to pair these outfits with this necklace (which I LOVE), but forgot to bring it with me to the shoot! :) 

Speaking of the shoot, a HUGE thank you goes to my friend and photographer, Paula Coldiron. Not only is she an amazing photographer, but she made me feel so comfortable - which is fabulous because these shoots often make me feel so nervous and awkward! We did a few more shoots (more colorful ones!), so more "I'm Wearing" posts to come! 

Top: Zara | Fluted Skirt: J.Crew | Leather Skirt: Banana Republic (old) | Heels: NineWest/InStyle (similar here and here) | Clutch: Zara | Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabanna | Bangles: J.Crew (similar) and Madewell | Stacked Rings: Banana Republic (similar) | Watch: Michael Kors | Nails: Essie (one coat of Material Girl, one coat of Shearling Darling) | Lips: Nars "Fire Down Below"