Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage

Special thanks to Trader Joe's for making this recipe extremely easy to whip together.  I bought the frozen gnocchi and the roasted garlic chicken sausage from TJ's and kind of just made up the recipe over the weekend. The creamy pesto sauce mix can be found at your local grocery store, mine being Publix.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz bag Gnocchi al Gorgonzola

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

1 packet creamy pesto sauce mix

1 12 oz package chicken sausage, sliced

1 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup olive oil

I love these roasted garlic chicken sausages from Trader Joe's and will definitely use them again in the future to create different recipes.

What To Do:

1. Cook gnocchi according the directions on the package.

2. Cook pesto sauce in a small pot with milk and olive oil according to directions on the packet.

3. Combine all ingredients in dutch oven and simmer for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked. The chicken sausage is already fully cooked so it just needs to heat up.

This meal can feed about 4-6 people and takes 20 minutes to prep and cook so I recommend it if you're looking for an easy recipe to whip together for dinner during the week or whenever your strapped for time. 

Enjoy! 

Weekend: Pure Relaxation

Hello friends... I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!
Mine was, as stated above, pure relaxation which was much needed. I don't have a whole lot of fun stuff to share just the simpler things in life that make it ever so fulfilling.

~ Friday night was dedicated to catching up on Orange Is The New Black. I also watched a few more episodes on Saturday and Sunday but still not caught up yet. Let's just say I suck at binge watching anything but I'll get caught up soon hopefully. 

~ Cheap but pretty nail polish. China Glaze's "Too Yacht To Handle" is so pretty for summer.

~ Jimmy John's delivery impresses the hell out of me. Ordered lunch on Saturday and they arrived in 12 minutes. Considering they're located about six minutes away, that's awesome. Way to go JJ and the turkey beach club on whole grain bread is my fave!

~ Went to the hairdresser for some "maintenance". I just love my lady hairdresser and I'm going back again soon to add some burgundy streaks to my blonde before 4th of July weekend.

~ Loving my three new swimsuit coverups from Macy's but disappointed the Jessica Simpson black one (size small) can fit about 3 of my bodies in it. Debating whether to return it or take it to the seamstress to get it altered.

~ At least the JS wedges are comfy and Vegas approved for heavy walking. 

~ I've been on a cider kick recently. Redd's Apple Ale is delish, light, and refreshing. They also have a Strawberry Ale that's seasonal and so worth the calories.

~ Lola was the best snuggler all weekend which made it that much better.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Wedding Anniversary & Friday Favorites

Hope the week treated everyone well! I'm so looking forward to hopefully binge watching Orange is the New Black this weekend so I can finally get caught up but we'll see how that goes...

K and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on Tuesday (our wedding recap). Nothing special was planned because we have much bigger things in store for 4th of July weekend but I got home from work to some roses, a card, and dinner cooked. Chicken Cordon Bleu was on the menu...That was a nice treat and relaxing way to spend it on a week night.

Joining the lovely Amanda today for Friday Favorites.

I'm excited that another trip has been booked and confirmed for later this year. I know, I know we haven't even accomplished the Vegas trip yet but when a Southwest sale has cheap tickets we have to make quick decisions soooo we're heading to New Orleans for K's birthday in September!

Favorite Shopping Finds:
 Stocked up from Bath & Body Works semi-annual sale. Got all of this for $50 which is a steal considering one 3-wick candle is regularly $22.

 

Love this Beaded Bangle Bracelet set I purchased over the weekend. They're inexpensive but so pretty to dress up any outfit. 

Favorite Recipe:
I'm always looking for new smoothie recipe and next Im planning to try this Coconut, Milk and Almond Butter Smoothie from The Housewife in Training Files.

Favorite Fashion Find:

I tried on and almost bought this black Vera Wang jumpsuit over the weekend and now I'm thinking I need to go back to get it. I would have never thought jumpers would look good on me but I was surprised plus its super comfy and loose fitting.

Favorite Funny:

Have a great weekend everyone!

Crockpot Thai Red Curry Chicken

I know curry is a flavor people either love or hate but I happen to be a big fan especially Thai curry dishes. I found this recipe that requires cooking it in a crockpot and I knew I had to try it. I modified the recipe to my liking and it came out amazing.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons red curry paste

2 12 oz. cans of coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp peanut butter

1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp green onion, chopped

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1tbsp lime juice
Cooked white or brown rice

What To Do:

1. Chop and prepare all veggies.

2. Mix the red curry paste, chicken stock, coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce and peanut butter in your crockpot bowl. Place the chopped chicken breast, bell peppers, ginger and onions in the crockpot, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

3. Let the frozen peas thaw which curry chicken is cooking. Add in the peas and cook for an additional 1 hour. Stir in lime juice and serve over white or brown rice. I used brown rice.

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.

Summer Weekends in Florida

How was everyone's weekend?

I had all intentions of having a low-key and I accomplished that for the most part. On Friday night, a friend who was in town visiting came over bearing steaks for dinner so we grilled out and had fun catching up.

Saturday was beautiful and the perfect day to hit the beach. It was also friend's birthday so a group of us met out at Cocoa Beach to soak up some sun and celebrate the birthday girl.

Of course shots were had at Coconuts beach bar for H's birthday.

After the beach a few of us headed to Rusty's Seafood restaurant at Port Canaveral for some dinner. We had a nice view of the ocean by the cruise ship port and saw some dolphins swimming by.

On Sunday, K and I cooked up some eggs benedict for brunch, caught up on a few shows, and then went out to get some shopping done for our upcoming trip to Vegas. Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow but we're going to wait until Vegas to celebrate so we wanted to get a few outfits for the trip.

The rest of the day was spent blogging, food prepping, laundry and just relaxing before the arrival of Monday.

If you like Indian food, I recommend Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce (cooked with chicken breast chunks, chopped onions and green peppers) and TJ's Garlic Naan to make a quick and easy dinner.

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Friday Favorites

We made it over that hump and I'm crashing right into the weekend. Lots of relaxing, a beach day, and hopefully more relaxing is in store. This week was super busy at work. I worked until 10pm some nights leaving no time for relaxing or family time. I envision tonight looking like what you see below...except with a glass of wine in hand (of course) and maybe a side smile.

I loved having two of my favorite girls visit me recently and I spent most of the week missing them after they left and I returned to my mundane (yet crazy busy) schedule.

Joining Amanda for some favorites on this Friday....

Favorite Article:
I stumbled upon the Wandering Mon and her article about 11 Things You Learn Living on an Island. Let me tell you, she knows what she's talking about. It made me miss home but not really in some other aspects.

My additional two cents is that Coconut water cures everything. Not the crap you get here in the store. Real coconut water from a coconut, nothing added. I truly believe it cures most of my ailments.. stomach troubles, headaches, lethargy, hangovers...you name it.

Favorite Shopping Finds:

I'm loving all of the cute swimsuit coverups I posted about yesterday. I think I made my decision to purchase this Lattice-Back Cover Up by Jessica Simpson for our summer Vegas trip since we plan to spend the day at the pool for 4th of July.

Favorite Recipe:

I need to make these Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor asap. Sounds like a great Sunday night dinner.  

Lola's Favorites: 
Treats of course! She can't get enough of the Wellness Core Grain-Free Protein Bars from Chewy.com. We got two types to try but her favorite were the Chicken & Turkey with Sweet Potatoes.


   
"Mom... I'm sitting, now where's my treat?" ~ Lola

That's all I have for today...

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Swimsuit Coverups

The warmer days are here I'm excited for more pool days, beach trips, and Vegas for 4th of July weekend where we plan to lounge by the pool so I've been on the hunt for cute beach coverups. These are some of my favorite picks.

Jessica Simpson Lattice-Back Cover Up

 

La Blanca Crochet Trim Kimono Sleeve Cover-Up

 

Miken Crochet Tunic Cover Up

Anne Cole Short-Sleeve Printed Cover Up

Miken Crochet Pullover Tunic Cover Up • $14

 

Raviya Crochet Back Kimono Cover Up

 Raviya Mixed-Print Beaded Tunic Cover Up

Miken Printed Kimono Cover Up

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

It's been a year since we were in the Dominican Republic at a beautiful resort in Punta Cana celebrating our wedding anniversary and the marriage of some of our best friends. 

I did a full recap of our trip last year here where I talked about the resort, the food, the wedding, entertainment & fun, and the excursion we went on so I wanted to share that today for our Wanderlust Wednesday linkup.

I grew up in the Caribbean and spent a lot of my childhood traveling to different islands on vacation with my parents but there is something about the Dominican Republic that blew me away. It is probably the prettiest island I've visited to date other than Barbados so hop over and check out my review of our trip to Punta Cana.

Doesn't it look tropical heaven on earth?

<div align="center">
<a href="http://peridotkutie.blogspot.com/" title="Wanderlust Wednesdays"><img src="http://i60.tinypic.com/14ttvdc.jpg" alt="Wanderlust Wednesdays" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Link-up Rules:
1. Follow Kerri, Kate and myself on Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite travel recaps or travel related posts
3. Grad our Wanderlust Wednesdays button and link back to our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and build your travel bucket list!

Breakfast Sausage Crescent Casserole

I've made several different breakfast casseroles before but never with crescent/croissant pastry to make a crust. I slightly burnt my crust so I've adjusted the temperature and baking time below to hopefully perfect this dish in the future. This recipe is perfect for breakfast or brunch and you can modify the meat/veggie ingredients to your liking. I went with maple breakfast sausage and orange bell peppers this time around and we loved the end result. Other ingredients I recommend are mushrooms, green peppers, chopped ham and shredded Swiss cheese.

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated crescent/croissant dinner rolls

1 cup cooked breakfast sausage, chopped

1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped

1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 eggs

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescent dough and press onto the bottom of an ungreased glass baking dish. Use your fingers to press dough together and prick all over with a fork.
2. Bake for 7 minutes or crust is cooked but not brown.
3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and then stir in chopped pepper, breakfast sausage and shredded cheese.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the eggs are set in the center of the dish and the crust is browned.

Enjoy!