Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

In the winter time I'm really big on soups, my husband cringes every time I say we're having soup for dinner.  This Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup is a hearty happy medium for both of us, his pasta preference and my soup preference, and is absolutely perfect for a chilly evening.

Personal Photo

    

9 Secrets to a pro-quality paint job

Over the past month, we've been selecting and testing paint for our house.  We've narrowed down some choices, now the debate is if we're going to tackle the painting ourselves or hire some professionals.

When we moved in our house, our Realtor gave us a copy of This Old House Magazine for Prudential Spring 2013 with a great article on how to achieve a pro-quality paint job, find it here.  Armed with these tips and others from that issue I'm leaning more towards us tackling the project ourselves.  Do you have any fun tips that helped you get thought a paint job?

Photo from HGTV

Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese and Honey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

When my husband goes out of town, I seize the opportunity to try recipes I know he wouldn't be thrilled about.  I found this Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese and Honey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes recipe on Pinterest via Joybx.  It is definitely an interesting and surprisingly delightful combination of flavors, this is a meal that pairs well with a glass of wine.

Personal Photo

Frozen

No, I'm not talking about the type of weather most of us on the east coast has experienced this month.  I'm talking about the new Disney movie, Frozen.  We took our goddaughters on a date, dinner & a movie, and had an absolute ball with them!  These girls are full of personality and had us laughing the entire time.  Frozen was a sweet movie about sisterhood, a nice change from the princess-prince charming Disney movie that depicted the importance of a relationship between siblings.  I hope they enjoyed our time together as much as I did!

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo 

Fresh Strawberry and Balsamic Crostini

This super cute, super classy hors d'ouerve would be perfect for your next dinner party, or even for a certain romantic holiday coming up soon.  I originally saw this recipe in Cosmo's June 2013 issue, but you can also find the full recipe over on Cooking for Keeps blog.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Photo from Cooking for Keeps

COLOR INSPIRATION: Red Valentine's Day Wedding

February is the month of love!  With Valentine's Day falling on a Friday this year, we're sure there will be a lot of couples saying "I Do's."  There is nothing we love better than a modern themed wedding based on the day of LOVE!

From To the Bride and Groom

From Ruffled Blog

From Gray Likes Weddings

From Bubbly Bride

From My Sweet and Saucy

Magic Raspberry Cookie Bars

This sweet treat is super simple to make.  I came across it on the back of a box of Keebler Graham Cracker crumbs that we had.  Since I was craving something sweet and had all the ingredients on hand, I thought why not?  They are delicious!  Use a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut them into heart shapes and give them to your Valentine.

You'll Need:
2 cups Keebler Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups seedless raspberry preserves
1 1/3 cups flaked coconuts
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven for 350 degrees.  In small bowl combine crumbs and sugar.  Add butter or margarine.  Toss until combined.  Press into bottom of 9x13 baking dish.

Evenly drizzle sweetened condensed milk over crumbs.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Spoon preservers over top.

Sprinkle coconut and nuts over top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool completely.  Cut into bars.  Store, loosely covered at room temperature.

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo 

Personal Photo

LOVE Yarn Letters

My Sister's Suitcase created the CUTEST Ombre Valentine's Decoration.  Though it was on my list of things to do that didn't get done this year, I still wanted to share it with you.  This is absolutely adorable and festive and can really be displayed any time of  year.

Photo from My Sister's Suitcase