Spontaneous Moment #18: Friends From Afar

Since this is the season of giving, I've made some of my best friends a little holiday "cheers."

I drew on the mugs with sharpie and then baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This way it bakes the color into the mug and is dishwasher safe!

Spontaneous Moment #17: Random thoughts

Have you ever thought about the little things in life that make you happy? Those random little moments that make you smile?

I was lying in bed this morning and started compiling a list of what makes my day a little bit brighter.

I figured I'd jot them down and whenever I'm feeling blue, I can just look at this:

• Sunsets
• Marching Bands
• Sunflowers
• Snoopy
• Fireflies
• Peanut Butter
• Cookies n Cream
• Surprises
• Hopeless romantics
• Cheetos
• The olympics (my favorite time of every other year)
  
• My family
• A nice glass of wine
• Astros baseball
• UT Football
• Arts and crafts (DIY)
• Helping others
• A pretty smile
• Cats...obvi
• High heels
• Candles and twinkling lights
• Cowboy boots
• Mason jars
• Dessert dates
• A nice home cooked meal

Spontaneous Moment #16: Stuffed Silly

I never really grew up eating pasta at my house. My mom only really made your typical spaghetti and meatballs.

I decided I need to step up my Italian dishes. Here was my attempt at spinach and ricotta stuffed shells topped with mozzarella. They were so good that I was stuffed silly.

If there was one thing I would have changed, I would have covered the shells in more pasta sauce.

Spontaneous Moment #15: Not your average pizza

 I enjoy your every day pizza, but every now and then I want to spice things up. So why not literally throw everything in my fridge onto a pizza?


This might seem like a strange pizza, but let me tell you, it was gone faster than it took to make the pizza.


On the pizza: mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ham, feta cheese, pineapple, fresh jalapenos, and capers.

Spontaneous Moment #14: Bite sized fun

I love me a good taco. The problem is once I eat one, I can't stop. Five tacos later, my stomach is bursting and I have to put on my stretchy pants. So I decided to make a healthier version of a taco. These could even be fun for a party as an appetizer.

I bought wontons at the grocery store and put them in a muffin pan.

Put a dollop of fat free refried beans in the won ton

Cook lean turkey meat in 40% less sodium taco seasoning

Add a spoonful on top

Top with 2% milk Mexican cheese, a dash of hot sauce and pepper

Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

The final product! I served with a side of brown rice with tomatoes and arroz seasoning

Spontaneous Moment #13: A Little Taste of Texas

I was feeling a little homesick the other night. It's hard being over 1,400 miles away from home. So I figured I'd bring a little bit of Texas to Washington, D.C.

I made some enchiladas for dinner and as soon as I pulled them out of the oven, my man got so excited that he tossed two enchiladas on his plate and ran to the table. My pictures aren't the best, but they show how much we enjoyed our meal that we didn't have time to snap a pretty picture.

Right out of the oven

My man's plate right before he devoured his meal

Spontaneous Moment #12: Banging Breakfast

I finally have normal hours at work! Being a journalist can be incredibly time consuming. For the past three years, I've been living the lifestyle of inconsistent hours and days at work. I could work six days a week and have to be in as early as 5am or stay late into the night not making it home until 4am. I worked weekends and had random days of the week off. Now that has all changed.

I officially work 11am-7pm Monday through Friday. I still can't wrap my mind around how wonderful this is for me! I'm able to go to the gym in the morning and enjoy a nice cup of coffee and breakfast before work.

In honor of this great moment, I made a delicious breakfast for me and my boo!

HAM CUP RECIPE:

I placed two slices of ham in a muffin pan.

Crack open an egg inside the ham.

Sprinkle cheese, pepper and a splash of hot sauce on top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

TA-DA! Here's the outcome! I could eat an entire muffin pan of these! Scrumptious!