Saturday, July 23, 2011

Thrifty Girl!

I just got back from a fun trip to Greene Street Consignment in Princeton. I was so excited about the deal I got that I felt I needed to share it with you!

First off: I think it's fair to say I am modest with my spending. I rarely splurge and try to make smart choices. I am more likely to spend money at Home Depot on paint for the house than I am to spend $50 on a new piece of clothing for myself.

Up until just recently I would always wear very inexpensive jeans. I would find them on sale at Old Navy or Gap.

A few months back one of my very good friends 'handed down' a few pairs of designer jeans to me. I have to say that I had no idea what I was missing out on. They seem to fit better and just be such a better quality product. I feel more confident when I wear them and I just feel good!

Before I share a picture of my new 'Lucky' jeans I wanted to pull out some dresses that I have bought over the past year and a half at both consignment stores and thrift stores. It's amazing what a unique and vibrant wardrobe you can build without spending much! :) I bought a few of these for only $4.95 and the most expensive was maybe $15.00 at the high end!


















This is the first and hopefully last time I post a picture of my butt on the blog!! I just had to share that great 'Lucky' tag that I snagged for a mere $18.00. (keep in mind folks that Lucky Brand jeans run from about $99 to $250 brand new!) I know I will be wearing these for a long time even if I am the second owner! :)


(ps. that's my dog, Jersey, and our friends dog, Archie, standing by my butt shot! I had never tried to take a picture of my own butt before. It wasn't easy!)


Thursday, July 14, 2011

How to Not Waste Kale

Being a part of a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm truly has its benefits.  There's something so deeply satisfying about getting food straight from the source. It's why something like apple-picking is so fun.  I love cooking with veggies that I know were just picked.

Problem is you don't know what you're going to get from that week's harvest.  Kale has not been my friend over the past few summers because it ends up rotting in my fridge.  But not this year!

Sausage Lentil Kale Stew
 from Katie Lee's Comfort Table
It starts off with this...


Simmers for an hour like this...



And then you eat it as this...


Super healthy for you because it's got tons of veggies. Got some heat from the andouille sausage.  Got some naughtiness from the bacon (which you saute the mirepoix from its rendered fat) and let's face it, because bacon makes everything better.

There you have it.  How to not waste kale. This will be a staple recipe from now on!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Summer Sangria

Over the 4th of July weekend we did something very nontraditional...

No beach.
No BBQ.
No swimming.
No fireworks.
No strawberry shortcake.

We went with our good friends to an IRISH PUB!
It was hard to believe that we didn't know about Dublin Square sooner! It's only about 10 minutes from our house!


http://www.dublinsquarepubs.com/bordentown/home/

It was a very authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant.
The bartender was even wearing a kilt!

And then, while sitting at the bar of an Irish Pub, I did something else very nontraditional...

I ordered sangria! And was blown away by how amazing it was. It's safe to say it was the best I've ever had!!

I got the details from my kilt-wearing bartender about how to make it at home.

So, here goes nothing!



















I started with the amazing South African wine called 'jam jar' for only $8.99. (Is that not the cutest bottle??!!)

Then I cut up some fresh fruit.






















Dumped it all together with some peach schnapps...
Add a splash of OJ or seltzer if you'd like!

And there you have it!

Easy.

Delicious.

Short Lived.

Happy Summer! :)