Italian Rainbow Cookies

Hi Everyone! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

I spent the long weekend sleeping/napping, hanging out/brunching with CJ’s coworkers, having dinner with Tina and her parents who were in town, and eating cookies CJ made. GET THAT? I do probably 99% of the cooking, but the man bakes! (Actually the secret is that these were microwaved!)

 

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 8 oz can of almond paste
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 stick of butter
• 4 eggs
• almond extract (if you want to make it extra almond-y)

Beat together until smooth, and add red food coloring to 1/3 of the mixture, and green to 1/3 of it.

Microwave for 10 minutes on 50% until the mixture has set. Spread apricot and raspberry jam between the layers, and top with melted semi-sweet chocolate.

Every microwave “baked goods?”

~Tia

Happy Birthday CJ!

Pistachio cake from Magnolia Bakery. And yes, CJ’s name is actually Chris.

Weekend Adventures

Hi Friends!

How was your weekend? I’m excited because I only have two more days of work this week! 5 day weekend for Labor Day!

This past weekend, Tina was in Michigan, and I played tourist in my own city since some friends were in town.

First on the list – brunch.

Also, a Cubs game (the Cubs WON!)

Obligatory selfie with The Bean.

This is actually a Strawberry Daiquiri.

Second City!

Ever play tourist in your own city?

~Tia

Steak at Home

Last time CJ and I went out for steak, I got scallops. They were delicious, but I started craving steak.

Now, CJ says we never need to go to a steakhouse again, that’s how much he liked the above meal. Double-edged sword 😛

What’s your favorite cut of steak?

~Tia

Kate Spade Cedar Street Elissa Bag

Hi Friends!

So the other day, I was walking to spin class after work, and I saw a girl with a handbag that I had to have.

I was mostly obsessed with the color. I love love LOVE that shade of blue. I googled “Kate Spade blue bags” and immediately saw this come up. However, it was sold out everywhere, and also looked a little too much like my Prada Saffiano Cuir Dome Satchel.

After further googling, I came up with following – only 3 left in stock in the color “Bluebell.”

This is the Cedar Street Elissa Bag.

In addition to the main compartment, the two sides unzip to create extra storage space. I keep my iPad in one of them.

It’s made with cross-hatch stamped leather, making it water and scratch resistant.

Here are some additional pictures from the Kate Spade website.

What color is your current handbag?

~Tia

WIAW: BBQ Chicken and Beans

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I’m finally done (fingers crossed) with a very tedious project at work…whoo! Tomorrow is my last day at the office this week. I’m taking Friday and Monday off to go New Orleans to help my parents with their business (there’s a trade show going on). Ever take off work to work some more? 😛

So here’s a WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday).

• Chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces, and sautéed in BBQ sauce with white beans.
• Fresh corn cut off the cob and sautéed with a little butter
• Russet potato peeled, cut into wedges, sprinkled with garlic power, black pepper, and tossed with truffle-olive oil

What did you eat today? Tina and I also met for Panda Express for lunch. Haha.

~Tia

5 Ingredient Pasta

~Tia

Green Smoothie Recipe

Hi Guys!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was pretty low key. CJ and I watched Guardians of the Galaxy (I AM GROOT!), The Lego Movie, had sushi, got Margherita pizzas, went to yoga (me)/saw a personal trainer (him).

And I decided to try to make a green smoothie.

CJ and I are huge fans of the green smoothies at our grocery store’s juice bar. They’re actually pretty well priced at $3.99 each, but it adds up when you’re drinking them almost everyday.

So I made my version, and gave CJ a sip while he was playing video games. Apparently, it was so good, he stopped playing video games to get some more.

• 2 tightly packed cups of baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup of frozen pineapple (you can substitute another frozen fruit instead)
• 1 cup of orange juice (you can substitute another juice or liquid)
• 1 cup of almond milk (you can also use regular milk, or other milk substitutes)

Let ‘er rip!

My mom got me this NutriBullet for Easter, but you can use any blender…or mash it up with your fingers really well (Just kidding on the last part).

 

 

Any of you have smoothie recipes you’d like to share? Do you add protein powder?

~Tia

 

The Best Eyeliner Ever

I just went a couple of weeks without my favorite eyeliner, the Origins Automagically. The thing is, I thought I’d be ok without it for a bit, while I tried out a few other samples I’d acquired, but I missed it everyday. Haha. So dramatic sounding, I know.

It seriously is amazing though. It goes on smoothly, and you never have to sharpen it. It comes in a variety of different colors. I usually stick to black, but I ordered navy, which just arrived, and I really liked it. It pairs well with my favorite gold-toned/bronze eyeshadow, Stila in Citrine.

What’s your favorite eyeliner? Favorite mascara?

~Tia

Workout Clothes Spree

A few months ago, I wrote about work out clothes, and whether it was better to splurge or save.

It’s true that I’m about 90% more motivated to work out/during my workouts if I like my outfit. (Is that terrible?)

My current conclusion is – splurge on pants/crops, and save on tops. I’ve found that it’s more important to me that pants fit well, and don’t ride/scrunch up. They’re also easier to re-wear.

Here are a few of my recent purchases (from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, prices have since gone up).

(from left to right, top to bottom, Zella, Asics, Nike, Reebok).

I also bought 7 tops from Old Navy for $7 each. Can’t beat that!

Here are a couple of my favorites.

Do you dress differently for different workouts? I always wear capris/crops for yoga and spin. Yoga…too great of a chance for flashing the class if wearing shorts. This happened to my yoga instructor last weekend. Did not need to see that.

As a side note, a big congrats to Tina for getting a big promotion at work! Woohoo – congrats Tina!

~Tia