My Thoughts on School.

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Happy Friday! I've got a lotttt of studying in my near future. Next week = exam week!

xo,

C

Valentines Favorites

Okay, lets be honest. Valentine's Day is a cheesy, greeting card holiday, but it's always nice when your significant other expresses their love by doing something sweet. You cannot go wrong with jewelry, flowers or chocolate :) And girls - you know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach! Bake him some extra special treats or avoid the restaurant mayhem and cook him his favorite meal.

Here are a few adorable (and affordable) little Etsy finds that any gal would love :) (hint hint, all guys out there. pay attention)


I'm in love with this stamped initial ring:
True love ring, $25

This adorable sterling silver super-tiny heart necklace, $23

For those of you with a little bit bigger of a budget, these are perfectly perfect gifts (and girls, you know your heart flutters when you see that turquoise box and white ribbon):

A few of my favorites from Tiffany & Co:
Paloma Picasso Love Pendant, $175

Paloma's Crown of Hearts Medallion, $175
Gorgeous, and the hearts are kind of abstract so it just looks like a cool circular design.

And lastly, if necklaces aren't your thing, or you really want to match your pendant above, there's also
Paloma's Crown of Hearts three row ring, $200

Celebrity Inspiration (slash girl crush): Dianna Agron

Super busy bee this week, but I had to put this post up!

I have had a total girl-crush on Dianna Agron (Quinn from Glee) since Day 1. And here's why:

She is so flipping adorable on Glee:

She is BEAUTIFUL:

She call pull off anything: Raspberry lips and this awesome asymmetrical dress.



Another gorgeous red carpet look:

And last but not least, she has amazing hair.



Ok, I'm done now.

Happy Tuesday!

-C

I want this..

..To wear on Valentine's Day! Maybe with a cute skirt and heels (since V-Day is on a Monday, and I'll have work!)

How adorable!

It's Emerson Made, $38.

xo,
C

A Moroccan Meal

One of my most favorite food blogs to follow is Just Cook Already, a wonderfully vibrant collection of recipes written by two adorable girls!
They make some amazing-looking food, and one of their most recent recipes was this Moroccan Lentil Stew. It caught my eye, not only because it was out of the ordinary (I always like to try weird stuff), but it would be the perfect thing to make to warm me up in our most recent chilly weather.

Moroccan Lentil Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chipped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 18.2-oz. cartons prepared lentil soup
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons plain nonfat greek yogurt, optional


1. Heat oil in medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and saute three minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add garlic, and cook one minute, or until garlic is softened, but not browned, stirring constantly.


2. Stir in tomatoes, soup, chickpeas, cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bring stew to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.


3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered for twenty minutes, or until mixture is reduced and sauce has thickened, stirring often from bottom to prevent sticking.

Garnish each serving with one tablespoon of greek yogurt.
 
* I made a few changes to the recipe: I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit, and would definitely use less tomatoes in the future. There was not enough chunky-ness for my liking, but it was still super delish.


We served this with grilled moroccan chicken kebabs (this pic was after we pulled it off of the skewer):

Moroccan Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients:


1 1/2 lbs. chicken or turkey breast, cut into 3/4" cubes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 or 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsely
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Preparation:


Combine all ingredients except the chicken Add the chicken, and mix well to fully coat the meat. Cover with plastic, and leave the chicken to marinate for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.


Transfer the chicken to skewers and grill about 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until the meat is done. Serve immediately.


Yields 8 to 10 large skewers.

{sidenote: i have no idea where i found this recipe}
 
These were the most tender chunks of chicken I've ever had.. Sooo yummy. Super great flavor, moist, tender, and the perfect compliment to our chickpea & lentil stew!
 
A wonderfully different meal that was super easy and amazingly delicious! :)
 
Xo,
C
 

A Must-Read:

Do any of you remember a few years ago when Lisa Ling's sister, Laura, was captured and held in North Korea when she was trying to film a documentary?

Well, the two sisters wrote a book about it.

And it is the best book I've read in a long time.

It's called "Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home."

I literally could not put it down. (My Kindle that is..). The book simultaneously tells the sisters' stories. Laura, a hardworking journalist, on a mission to share the story of women trying to escape the communist regime of North Korea. Most of the women she interviewed were also forced into marriage or slavery.
Lisa (remember her when she was on The View?) tells her story of what it was like for the family fighting to get Laura home.

It's one of those books that makes you think.. Mostly about how different our two countries are.
On my drive to work today, I noticed the billboards and advertisements that I passed. Laura explains that in North Korea, there are NO advertisements. Just government propaganda about how great North Korea is, how much they are doing for their people and pictures of the 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-Il.

I just thought that was so weird.

And Laura, while in captivity, was also allowed to receive packages. Some of these included magazines, sweet smelling shampoo and snacks.
Her guards were fascinated by what America had to offer. And how different it was from their drab, regulated world they were used to.

Just thought I should share. It really does open your eyes and make you realize how lucky we are to live in the 'Land of the Free'. FREE. Absolutely free to do and speak as we please. Think about that for a second. We don't know any different.

We are pretty darn lucky, huh?

Check this book out. You will LOVE it.
And let me know what you think when you read it!

Happy Wednesday,
-C

NYC!

So, this Friday I jet off to NYC for the weekend. Please tell me what to do & where to go!

Happy Monday!
xo