Broccoli & Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pack Ritz crackers, crushed
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & black pepper to taste

Serving size: 8-10

What To Do:
1. Steam broccoli and cauliflower florets on high for 10 minutes.

2. In a large saucepan, saute chopped onion in 1 tbsp butter for approximately 6-8 minutes.  Add cream of chicken soup, milk, garlic powder, salt & pepper and whisk together ingredients.

3. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Layer bottom of the dish with cooked broccoli and cauliflower. Pour cream of chicken mixture from the saucepan over the broccoli and cauliflower.

4. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

5. In a small bowl, mix crushed Ritz crackers with 1-2 tbsp melted butter.

6. Remove from oven and layer remainder of shredded cheese on top of casserole and then sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers over cheese topping.

7. Place dish back in oven for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and cracker topping is golden brown.

7. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve. This is a great side dish for holiday dinners such as Thanksgiving and Easter.

Enjoy!

 

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Celebrating Things To Come

As I mentioned on Friday, I've been needing a "my Netflix and my snacks" kind of weekend but this weekend had different plans for me. Friday night was pretty chill though, thankfully!

After going to dinner and drinks with my team on Thursday, we all arrived to work feeling rough on Friday. Very professional, I know, but sometimes we have to entertain clients and new hires that come into town and if they want to go out drinking then that's what we have do. We sent our new hire with a nice hangover on her flight back to the Netherlands on Friday.

K and I were supposed to go to a winery on Friday night that had live music and food trucks but I could barely keep my eyes open when I got home from work. We settled for a quiet dinner at Bonefish Grill and headed home after that. I've said this before but I'm obsessed with the bang bang shrimp at Bonefish. It's a must have when we go there! 

On Saturday we headed to K's hometown 2 hours away for a friend's co-ed baby shower. Baby Harper will be here next month and she got some wonderful gifts from their family and friends. 

After the shower we went out with some friends to catch up at the guys' favorite watering hole and then spent the night at my in-laws house.

On Sunday we headed back into town for one of my best friend's gender reveal party to find out whether their baby is a boy or a girl. Hence, the name of this post as we celebrated two babies coming soon.

The hosts asked everyone to wear either pink or blue depending what you thought the baby is going to be. I thought it was going to be a girl so I showed up in pink and K went in blue. They had a cute monkey pinata which the grandma-to-be was given the stick to hit and reveal the surprise. After many attempts out came a flood of blue candy. It was a really cute way to reveal the gender. 

As you can see based on the two teams below, the majority had a feeling it was going to be a boy. I was on the losing team but so excited for the soon-to-be parents and I'm looking forward to planning her baby shower.

How was your weekend?

Joining Biana for Weekending.

Never A Dull Moment in Summer

It might not only happen in the summer but my weekends have been packed with non-stop things to do ~ work events, birthdays, weddings, beach trips, baby showers, gender reveal parties... you name it.  There's rarely a weekend that I'm not obligated or at least invited to do something. I welcome the ones where I don't need to show up on time or bring a dish/gift/bottle of wine. Sometimes my couch needs attention too, you feel me?

Anyways, we made it to Friday and that's good enough.

Unfortunately my netflix and my snacks won't be happening this weekend as I've got things to do and people to see on Saturday and Sunday. Joining Amanda today for Friday's Favorites.

Favorite Photo:

Favorite Accessory: 

I built up enough points with Best Buy to get a Lifeproof case for my iPhone for free! I still don't own a professional camera so my iPhone comes with me to the beach and all over in my travel adventures to take photos so the least I can do is protect it from water and other damages.

Favorite Deal:
The cupcake bakery near to my office has $2 cupcakes on Tuesdays so I finally caved this week and picked up this carrot cake goodness to find out what the hype was about.

Favorite Purchases:
A #Selfie shirt has now been added to my WTF coverup collection. I'm loving these "social media-esque" shirts.

Have a great weekend!

Summer Rompers Under $25

The summer days are blazing here in Florida and rompers are perfect if you're looking for a light and breathable outfit. I've found so many cute yet affordable styles under $25 for those shopping on a budget, cause I know I'm always looking for great deals on clothing.

Rompers can also be dressed down with flats for casual day or dressed up with fancy accessories and heels for a night out.

I'm loving these comfy looks for summer days.

Recipe Swap: Tuna Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cans chunk light tuna (drain water)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup 2% milk

2 cups frozen green peas

1 pack egg noodles or whole wheat pasta

1/4 yellow onion, diced

1 cup shredded cheese

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Black pepper to taste

Serving size: 8-10

What To Do:

1. Boil pasta according to instructions on packet (approximately 10 minutes)

2. Saute onion with olive oil in large sauce pan for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add milk, cream of mushroom, green peas, tuna, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, black pepper to sauce pan and stir well.

3. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add remainder of shredded cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

 4. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

 1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin. 

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Weekend Sunshine & Birthday Celebrations

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

On Friday night we went out to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday at a Sushi restaurant I've been dying to try out. We had a fun night catching up with friends over sushi, wine and some birthday dessert.

On Saturday we headed to the beach to celebrate another friend's birthday. The weather is sweltering hot in Florida so we got some frozen drinks to cool us down at Coconuts beach bar and spent the day lounging in the sun.

Sunday was a nice lazy day at home just as I like it these day.

In other news, K and I have been on a kick recently trying out new "fancy" beers every week for our happy hour on the patio. This past week we tried Blue Moon's Pumpkin Ale which was really good. I actually prefer it to the original Blue Moon. I was also surprised Pumpkin beer is already out on the shelves.

And my steals and deals of the week...I snagged a pair of silver sandals, a pretty lilac top and the most comfortable "WTF" beach coverup for $10 a piece from Express's sale.

How was your weekend?

Joining Molly for Funday Monday and Biana for Weekending.

Friday Favorites: August Already!

It never gets old being excited when the weekend rolls around but can you believe we're in August already? Shit...soon it'll be time to start preparing for the holidays! This year seems to be flying by as they seem to do when you're having fun. So I guess that's a good thing!

 I ventured over to an Alex and Ani store on Wednesday to check out their pieces and I'm in love!

Of course, I ended up purchasing a bracelet to start my collection.

After my little shopping trip, I took a stroll through Park Ave and then headed back to my car which was interrupted by a train that sat still for 15 minutes blocking my path to the parking lot. So while I'm standing there in 95 degree Florida heat twiddling my thumbs I spotted this pretty sign and snapped a few photos. I love the beauty of this small city where I work.

 And some favorites from the week...

Favorite Recipe:

Naked salmon burgers with siracha mayo sauce from SkinnyTaste.com. Recipe found here. I have to try this out for dinner soon. Salmon + avocado + spicy mayo = heaven for me.

Favorite Quote:
Embrace your differences...

Favorite Beer (of the week):
I discovered this local beer at happy hour yesterday which was really good. I love trying out new beers from random breweries and being pleasantly surprised.

 Favorite snack:
 I am obsessed with this hummus from Trader Joe's. I don't snack on junk food at home but I've always liked some hummus or different cheeses and I've found a keeper!

Favorite Funnies:
After my crazy busy week at work dealing with an acquisition and random annoyances like people who are hired to help you but create more headaches this ecard says it all...SO glad it's the weekend and perfectly acceptable to crack a cold one (after 5pm today of course).

This ecard was made for my husband. I cringe sometimes during football season by how excited and loud he gets yelling in front the TV. Who knows what the neighbors think is going down in our house!

Breathe in and breathe out...

Joining Amanda today for Friday Favorites.

Have a great weekend!

Summer Ulta Haul & Free Beauty Bag

I recently posted my beauty and skincare wishlist on the blog and finally took the plunge to purchase several items for my mid-year/summer Ulta haul.

Batiste XXL Plumping Powder - I'm still experimenting with this powder but so far so good. It gives your roots that extra boost but I think the XXL title might be a slight exaggeration. I'm not one that teases my hair but this powder would probably work really well for those that do.

Benefit's Agent Zero Shine - Love this so far! I apply a small amount on my T-zone half way through the day. It applies evenly over makeup or you can apply before makeup to prevent shine later in the day.

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - I used this over the weekend before I headed out to a party and it gave my legs a hint of extra color and some added glow. It was my first time using it so I was afraid of applying too much or making a huge mess. It's actually quite natural looking and I really like that it dries in a matter of seconds.

NYX Butter Lipstick - I really love the moisturizing texture of this lipstick and for $6 it's well worth the price. I wish I bought a slightly brighter color but it's cheap enough to purchase additional colors. 

 

China Glaze Nail polish - This nail polish is very comparable to Essie and OPI at a slightly cheaper price. I painted my toes with the turquoise color I purchased called "too yacht to handle". I love their vibrant colors for summer and so far it's lasted about a week with no chips. 

Philosophy's Pure & Wrinkle Free - I lucked out with the price of this set being the same price as an individual bottle of the Purity cleanser so I basically got the Miracle Worker moisturizer for free. I've started using the moisturizer every night after I shower. It's quite expensive to re-purchase so I'm curious to see if there's a noticeable difference in a couple months. I've been using the Purity cleanser for about 6 months now with my Clarisonic Mia and I love how gentle it is on my skin so I've kept it in my long-term skin regimen.

I also received this beauty bag stuffed full of goodies for spending over $60 at Ulta.com. So many great samples to try.

From the beauty bag, I think I was most excited about trying out Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara and the Mally's waterproof eyeliner in "Caribbean sea" color which is like an emerald green.

I tried out the eyeliner yesterday for work and really liked how smoothly it applied to my lower and upper eyes and the emerald green is a great compliment for my hazel eyes.

What makeup and beauty products are on your wishlist?

Do you recommend any products that are better or comparable to my picks?