Back!

Phew I'm so sorry for that long hiatus on here, but I have a good excuse:
I became a college graduate!

Tasty Thursday

My graduation is right around the corner! And that's my latest excuse for slacking on  updates - forgive me!
In high school, I felt like grad parties were the thing to do, and it just seems different for college graduation? Since my college friends will all have their families in town and doing their own thing, I'm opting for a small get together with my family. I found these on pinterest and they are a MUST.

No real recipe since you could make any kind of cupcake you prefer! Obviously the base of the cap is a mini reese's cup and I think the top of the cap could either be a small cookie or chocolate square. 

I'm hoping to find mini m&m's in orange and blue for the top to match my school colors =D

Interiors

I guess I'm into teal lately?

Tasty Thursday

I obviously have a thing for mac&cheese.

Gouda Stovetop Mac& Cheese. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Campanelle Pasta
• 5 slices Bacon
• 1 whole Sweet Onion, Chopped Finely
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Shredded Gouda Cheese
• 1 pinch Salt To Taste
• 1 pinch Black Pepper To Taste

Instructions:

1. Boil some salted water and cook the pasta until al dente; set aside.
2. Fry the bacon slices until they’re starting to get crispy, then remove them to a paper towel and pat off the grease. Roughly chop them, and set them aside.
3. Remove most of the bacon grease from the pot, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Fry the finely chopped sweet onion in the bacon grease over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until translucent and slightly soft. Season the onion with salt and pepper as it cooks.
4. Add the bacon back into the pot along with the heavy cream. Simmer over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the mixture has reduced and thickened a little.
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the Gouda cheese. As soon as it has melted into the sauce, add in the cooked pasta and stir until the noodles are coated in the sauce.
6. Taste and re-season, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot!

(credit: The Pioneer Woman.com)

Tuesday Trends

After my bronchitis hiatus, I'm back for some Tuesday Trends.
This past weekend my Forever 21 store moved to a temporary location while our brand new store is under construction. We had to send a lot of our inventory back to corporate because the temp store is a lot smaller, so the visual managers had to choose which things to keep & let go - and fun, colorful bottoms were some of the winning pieces that got to stay.

  

down with the sickness

after a week of not going to class because of the worst sore throat I've ever had, my friends & mom convinced me to go to the doctor where I found out I have - bronchitis =[

I think this is the first time I've turned on my laptop in days! So I'll probably be MIA from the blog for a few more days until I'm feeling myself again.

An outfit post?

This is my attempt at an outfit post.

Top and Belt: Forever 21

Jeggings: Old Navy

Cardigan: American Eagle

And some of Rocko because, well, he's cuter than me!

Tuesday Trends

I apologize for slacking so much on posting. I got a third semi-part time job doing birthday parties at a local petstore and forever 21 is moving to a new location so I'm getting more hours than usual! Add that on top of school and Rocko and I have no time!

Instead of just posting a trend per se, I put together some of my favorite looks for spring (via pinterest)

  

Tasty Thursday

Roll Em' Ups!

I love recipes like these because you really can alter them in a million ways.

BBQ Ranch Chicken and Cheddar Pizza Roll em’ Ups

1 Roll Pillsbury Pizza dough in can (or use other pizza dough of choice)
1/4 Cup prepared ranch dressing
2 Cups prepared shredded BBQ Chicken
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 Cups shredded smoked cheddar cheese

Ranch Dressing for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Open can of dough and press into rectangle. Spread or drizzle ranch dressing evenly over dough then top with evenly with chicken, cilantro and cheddar cheese. Starting at long end roll dough into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1 inch pieces and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a side of ranch dressing for dipping.

(source: http://picky-palate.com/2009/05/28/bbq-ranch-chicken-and-cheddar-pizza/)

Tuesday Trends

Bright Bottoms!

all images from pinterest

Tasty Thursday

Alright I confess, I haven't actually made these...YET.

I am obsessed with Dexter and when I saw these on pinterest I think I actually squealed out loud.
Yes, these are edible! =D

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbs water
• red food dye
• bamboo skewer or tooth pic

Directions

1. Line a few baking sheets with Silpat nonstick baking mats or parchment paper.

2. Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 2 Tbs water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Don’t stir, but occasionally wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystals from forming; boil until mixture turns golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

3.  Pour the melted sugar mixture in a line down the center of the pan.  Using a skewer or the flat edge of a large knife, spread sugar into a thin flat sheet.  Glass slides are pretty thin, so the thinner the better.  It will also be easier to cut in the next steps.

4.  Once you have the mixture spread into a flat sheet, let it cool and harden for 5-10 minutes.  Once the mixture is hard, pull it away from the mat or parchment.  If its super thin, try not to crack it.

5.  Place the blade of a large knife (not necessarily your best) directly into your burner to heat.  If you have an electric stove, you can use a lighter.  Once the blade is hot, begin to cut your sheets of sugar into strips.  Cut edges to be the length of a real slide.  Its good to have a glass slide to use as a template.

This step can be a bit annoying.  Don’t worry if you break a few, it happens.  Reheat the blade for each cut.  Between each cut, wash your blade off with water to keep the sugar from burning to your blade.  I don’t suggest using your best knife, since this heating and cooling isn’t the best treatment for your chef’s blade.  If the edges are really rough, dip your finger and water and smooth them out.

6.  Lay your cut slides on your baking tray and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

7.  Take slides out of fridge.  Using a tooth pic or a bamboo skewer, paint on the blood circle in the center.  You don’t need too much.  A small droplet off the tip of your tooth pic will be enough.  If you put too much on, it will run all over the slide and make a huge mess. Refridgerate again until the dye is dry and you’re done!

(All credit and a TON more pictures over at the blog Forkable)

Tuesday Trends

Wedges!
I feel like I see wedges on the shelves every spring, but this time around, I really feel like everyone is wearing them and there are more styles than previous years.

I just ordered these lovelies and I'm hoping they work out alright - some of the reviews say they run narrow so I tried ordering a size up, but they were sold out so I ended up ordering my usual size. On that note though, Blowfish definitely has some amazing customer service. I put in my order late Sunday night for these in a size 9, and yesterday I got a phonecall/voicemail and then an email from one of their employees telling me that the size 9's were sold out and she offered to swap sizes, refund or change for a whole different shoe! So much nicer than just getting an email saying a company was refunding/cancelling my order.

i caved

I caved and finally joined tumblr. I'm not sure why I never joined earlier! I'm basically just using it to repost things that I find funny or cute instead of saving them on my computer, but if you feel like following me, here's the link! http://mylyfeasliz.tumblr.com/

It was beautiful this past week in Syracuse (and by that I mean it was about 55 outside!) so I tried embracing every bit of sunshine I could by bringing Rocko to the park when I wasn't working. He's going to be very upset when he sees it snowing again this week.

100% for Japan

Until midnight tonight at forever21.com...

Follow Friday

I should really just suck it up and make a tumblr since I find myself looking at other people's tumblr's all day anyways. I think I found this gorgeous lady via Kaelah's tumblr a few weeks ago and I'm hooked! I love her fashion and sense of humor. Definitely a fun lady to keep up with!

Miss Melissa

 

Tasty Thursday!

Sorry for slacking  on Tuesday Trends - I'm spending my spring break putting in some major hours at work!

My dad introduced me to Quinoa awhile back and I love having it as a side dish to a meal but I never thought of using it to make the main part of a dish!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 15 ounces great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 pitas (each 6 inches)
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quiona, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
3. Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick paties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and the remaining scallions; season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers 

(ps. I made over a pound of this Buffalo Wing Mac& Cheese this past weekend and it is uh-may-zing. My brother said if he could, he would make it and eat it everyday! The recipe calls for almost a cup of hot sauce and I thought it was a little bit too much for me at first, so if you make it, feel free to alter the hot sauce amount to your liking.  It also was really yummy as a cold dish!)

Music Monday

I'm cheating with this a little bit this week too! The past two years I've gone to SXSW with school and this year I opted not to so I could work and save some money. And go figure the year I'm not going is the year with some amazing lineups, including one of my all time favorites, City & Colour.

City&Colour is one of my guiltiest pleasures. I always end up writing all my music industry projects on him and it's that go-to kind of music for a bad (or really good!) day. Dallas Green is so amazingly talented.

Follow Friday

I'm changing things up a little bit on this week's follow friday - I usually post a blogger that I've recently found and enjoy. This week, however, I'm posting a blogger that I've followed for forever and was even able to share many memories with in New York City... Kaelah! The gorgeous, fashionable Kaelah got engaged recently and I'm overflowing with joy for her =D

So if you don't already (but I'm sure many of you already do) make sure you check out her blog: Little Chief Honeybee and send many congrats her way!

 

     

Tasty Thursday!

Typing this while I'm hungry is the wrong thing to do, because I'm craving everything.
Has anyone tried those new Philadelphia cream cheese mixers for dinners? They come in a few flavors (garlic herb, chipotle, etc) and are meant to be used for cream sauces, etc etc. I bought the garlic style and want to get crafty!

My sister took my camera on her spring break trip to Washington DC so unfortunately I won't be showing how this comes out, but this is my plan for dinner tonight:

Chicken Capri Pasta

Ingredients: 

1 lb.

boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 cup

halved red pepper strips

2 cups

frozen broccoli florets

1 tub

(10 oz.)PHILADELPHIA Savory Garlic Cooking Creme

2 cups

hot cookedangel hair pasta

1/4 cup

KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook and stir chicken and peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 to 7 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in broccoli; cook 2 to 3 min. or until heated through.
2. Add cooking creme; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until heated through.
3. Serve over pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan.

Tuesday Trends

Skinny belts!

Normally when I want to create a cinched-waist look, I throw on a huge, wide belt to a dress or shirt but I find that sometimes it can make me look even bigger! Forever 21 had skinny belts for just $2.50 and they were flying off the racks like crazy this past weekend. I like how skinny belts give just enough of a pop of neutral color to an outfit, especially to break up too much of a pattern, or too plain of a shirt or dress.

skinny belts on Polyvore.com

Music Monday

I don't know if I've mentioned it in previous posts, but All Time Low is up there as one of my favorite bands. I don't know why pop-rock type of music makes me feel happy and good, but I love it.

Their new album was supposed to come out at the end of March but got pushed back until May or June, so instead they leaked a song to fulfill their fans! It's on their facebook page but I decided to post the youtube video, assuming people weren't a "Fan" on facebook.

Follow Friday

I found this gorgeous lady when I stumbled on some coverage of London Fashion Week - how lucky is she that she got to attend some shows! Following blogs from London makes me miss some of the stores over there, especially primark, but I definitely don't miss how crowded that store always was.

Meet Lily from LLYMLRS! I hope one day to tailor  my outfits as well as she does.

Tasty Thursday!

I'm watching "Shedding for the Wedding" as I type this and I almost feel guilty for always posting dessert! But hey, sometimes you just need to indulge in some chocolate here & there.

My grandma makes these oreo truffles every year for Christmas and I'm obsessed with them! I've always associated them as a holiday thing, but I think they'd make a cute idea for any occasion.
(I also found a recipe where someone swapped out the oreos for nutter butters!)

Makes 42 truffles!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

(courtesy of All Recipes.com)