No Thanks to Cake

I mentioned my “roommate” for the weekend Janelle ever so briefly in my last post, knowing fully that I’d tell you more today.

Janelle and I had the pleasure of working together (with Natalie) for several years and grew very close along the way. Janelle left my company a few years back to be a full-time mommy of two of the most beautiful children on the planet… and it was SO NICE to have a chance to catch up with her in KC!

On Saturday morning, Janelle and I had made plans to meet up with one of our other former co-workers that lives in Kansas City for coffee. It was so great to see Casey and to chat over delicious coffee at Latte Land.

After coffee, we explored the area a little bit more… popping into stores to shop and checking out all the fountains. The weather was perfect and there was plenty to keep us entertained. We even peeked into Paper Source, which had the cutest gift ideas… I so almost bought that cookbook. Love it!

Hungry for our next meal, we had lunch at a spot that was new to both of us called Ingredient. After much perusing, Janelle and I both decided to try their House Chopped Salad, which was the perfect pre-wedding lunch. It was a chopped salad with roasted chicken, bacon, tomatoes, green onions, cucumbers, and (surprise) ditalini pasta. It also comes with gorgonzola cheese, but I had that removed… The lemony dressing it was mixed in was awesome too!

After Ingredient, we scooted back to the hotel to get fabulous. Something else wonderful about seeing Janelle was that she helped me decide what to wear to the event. I had some last minute hesitations on the pretty red dress I bought to wear to the wedding (fabric that bunched a little in the midsection in a way that couldn’t be resolved with spanx) and brought a back-up black dress just in case… Janelle helped confirm that black was the way to go. A much appreciated (and trusted!) second opinion.

I ended up going with a White House/Black Market dress that I actually wore to Robin’s wedding. I was so thankful I had it, considering the weird gathering of fabric that was going on. I also used Pinterest to come up with a fancy half undo… If you haven’t read the Small Things Blog, she seriously has the best ideas! Here’s how the elegant half updo with a secret braid looked.

Did I mention I had a job in the wedding? Yep, Nat “hired” me to distribute programs at her wedding…

And as a result, I got to be the first to see this VERY adorable present, that accompanied me at the gift table. So clever!

I can’t even begin to tell you what a gorgeous wedding this was. The bride? Stunning. The groom? Handsome. The venue? Exquisite perfection. The food? Absolutely delish! The 80s cover band? So fun!

Every detail of the wedding was handled with such care, and it was truly perfect. I loved that Nat wasn’t AT ALL stressed by the details and simply got to show up. (Well, we both know she did more than that… but she wasn’t even close to entering bridezilla-dom, if you know what I mean.)

After drinking all the vodka at the reception (oops!), I ended up dancing my little heart out. Yep, me… who rarely dances. Actually, if I think about it… it was likely the vodka dancing. Signature cocktail x 100 = DANCING!

All in all… it was SUCH a fun night, with some of my favorite people on the planet.

Natalie and Rick – - Thank you for including me in your very special day. Words can’t describe how happy I am for the two of you, and how jealous I am that you’re whisked away to paradise at this point! Wishing you many, many years of happiness! xoxo

Friend-Filled Weekend

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I know it’s not the right season for today’s recipe… but I don’t know that the weather has to be cold to enjoy one of my favorite side dishes!

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE: Oh yeah… one of my absolute favorite dishes. When I spotted this recipe on Skinnytaste last fall, I HAD to make it, and I was even able to talk Beth into adding it to our holiday menu.

The truth about regular green bean casserole is that it’s wildly unhealthy when you’re making it with the original recipe. All that cream of mushroom soup and those crunchy fried onions really ruin any hopes of the dish being good for you.

When I saw that Gina had tackled this holiday favorite, and figured out a way to make it healthy, I knew it would quickly become a family favorite. And, I was right!

** We made this recipe over the Christmas holidays, so you’ll notice extra special helpers in some of my pictures. Hailey was an amazing sous-chef, and even took some of the pictures you see below. Little Hayden also jumped in to help! Enjoy!

Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole

From SkinnyTaste

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

For the topping:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup shallots, finely diced

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh)

For the green beans:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup shallots, minced

16 oz sliced mushrooms, (I used cremini)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock (or vegetable for vegetarian)

1 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil a large pot of water, when boiling add green beans and blanch for 2 minutes (or 6-8 minutes if you like them softer).

2. Remove from the heat to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

3. Meanwhile make the topping, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low, add breadcrumbs, grated cheese and thyme; sauté until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, careful not to burn.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms, stir constantly for about a minute, then slowly add chicken stock, then milk. Bring to a low boil, and cook stirring occasionally until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in Romano cheese.