Friday Foodday

Hey lovebugs! It's Friday Foodday! I'm so excited! Today I am featuring a special recipe and holiday tradition from a fellow blogger, an awesome recipe from a great friend and a classic holiday recipe from my friends from Orlando.


If you have a holiday recipe or tradition that you would like featured, please send it along to me! I would just love to see it!!!!

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
c/o Stilettos and Diaper Bags

With the holidays around the corner and the snow outside keeping everything cold, I decided it was time to make my yearly savory dish of macaroni and cheese with bacon. I make this dish just once a year because it is not very good for you, but it is VERY good! I'm sure you could tweak the recipe and make it lower fat, but what fun is that?! Here's what you will need to make this dish:

Ingredients

1 box of elbow macaroni

6 slices bacon, diced

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup (4oz.) shredded colby-jack cheese

1 cup (4oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

8 slices (6oz.) american cheese 

Directions

1) pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 3-quart broiler-safe dish with nonstick cooking spray. Bring a large post of lightly salted water to boiling.

2) cook elbow macaroni in boiling water, then drain. Meanwhile, in medium size sauce pan, cook bacon over med. heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Carefully pour off drippings, returning 2 tablespoons to pan. Add butter

3) whisk in flour until smooth. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over med. heat, then reduce heat and simmer 2 mins. In a large bowl, toss together cheddar, colby-jack, and mozzarella cheese. 

4) remove milk mixture from heat. whisk in american cheese and 1 1/4 cups of the cheddar mixture. Toss bacon pieces with remaining shredded cheese. 

5) in pasta pot, combine cooked pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half into prepared dish. Sprinkle with a generous cup of the bacon-cheese mixture. Repeat layering. 

6) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 mins or until top is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

ENJOY! This is one of my favorite recipes. I pulled it out of a magazine a few years ago and don't remember which one. Sorry! Hope you all have a wonder holiday season! For more recipes check out my blog the week of Dec. 20-24 for cookie week. 

Cream Wafers*

c/o LPU

My family fights over them every year and they never last until Christmas!

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter                                        

1/2 cup granulated sugar

½ cup whipping cream (the real stuff)             

1 cup Creamy butter filling

2 cups flour

Directions

Mix butter and whipping cream together.  Whipping cream does not need to be whipped.  Measure flour.  Mix butter cream and flour together. Chill dough for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 375 °.

 Roll dough to 1/8". Cut into circles or stars.

 Place sugar in a pie tin.  Transfer cookie to sugar and coat both sides with sugar.

 Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Prick cookies several times with a fork.

 Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until cookies are slightly puffy and lightly browned. Put on cooling rack. They're delicate so be gentle with them.

Put two cookies together with filling.

Butter Cream Frosting

1/4 cup soft butter

3/4 cup confectionary sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together.  Add powdered sugar until the filling is stiff enough to frost cookies.  Add food coloring of your choosing to make them festive!

*Note- I had the honor of stuffing my face with about 7 of these.  They're amazing.

Marshmallow Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

c/o Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes Orlando Pastry Team

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of chocolate chips

1 bag mini marshmallows

2 sticks of unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Directions

-Preheat oven to 375.

-Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

-Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Scoop out about one tablespoon of the cookie dough and shape into a ball.  With your finger make a hole in the center, stuff 2-3 marshmallows into the dough and then seal back up.

-Place each ball of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet and press lightly.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

If these recipes don't warm up your holiday, I don't know what will!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Be fabulous today! 

Winter Coat Perfection

My good friend asked me yesterday to find her a great winter coat.  I thought, yeah of course, no problem! But then I really thought about the winter coat.  Do you realize how important that is?  This is a staple for almost half of the year.  You wear it every single day to work, to the store, out on the town; and it's something everyone sees you in!  This is huge.

But, after some searching I came up with some pretty good picks.  She wanted a dark colored coat, not belted. Please also note that she said she is willing to drop more than $100 on it so that is why you will see some pricier options.  Let us begin...

Banana Republic, Ruffle Car Coat, $225

Hello chic and versatile.  I love this coat! I'm a huge fan of the car coat length, I have one myself, but look at this great waistline AND detailing on the sleeves.

J Crew Factory, tweed carlin coat, $138

I'm thinking Audrey Hepburn would have definitely wore this.

Nordstrom, Steve Madden toggle coat, $99

I love this coat.  Kind of sporty but that rounded collar give so much girly flare.

Dillard's, Antonio Melani Stand up collar coat, $149

I love the swing effect of this coat, and the purple would pair great with colorful scarves.

Macy's, Michael Kors standing collar, $170

Hi, my name is gorgeous.

Macy's, DKNY Julie empire waist with hood, $140

I LOVE this coat! Hooded, knee length, nips in at the waist and it comes in a bunch of gorgeous colors!

So those are some of my picks for her.  I think they're awesome because they are super warm, professional and fashionable.  Winter coats come in all sorts of shapes and sizes so make sure you know your size before purchasing.  Also, don't forget to love your tailor.  Don't love the hemline on the coat? No problem, buy it and take it to the tailor and make it fit you and your style.

Be fabulous today!

News from The Capital Barbie!

Hey lovebugs!
Today's post isn't full of wonderful clothing picks and stocking stuffer ideas, but rather a new addition to the blog.  A sign off.

Now most people wouldn't announce such a thing, they'd just start doing and have people catch on. A signature isn't exactly a life changing event or something to be yelled from the rooftops, but I think it is a very personal way of including you guys into what kind of tone and message this blog is all about.

This blog isn't huge, but it has some really fantastic followers, a group of people I consider my friends even if we've never met.  This blog is about making you feel good inside and out through putting on great clothing and accessories that will always put a smile on your face but (hopefully) not a dent in your wallet.  It's a place to share ideas and great finds and occasionally, really deliciously bad for you recipes!

I wanted to set aside a post to talk about my new sign off because I want you to realize how important it is for me to make sure you take it to heart.  Every single day.  So without further ado:

(drumroll)

Be fabulous today.

That's it!  That's the new way I will end every post.  Why? Because I want you to believe it.  I want it to be your pick-me-up and your mantra.  Sometimes we need a reminder, and sometimes we need a motto.  Please feel free to borrow this one.  Now let me break it down for you.

Be- a verb that means to exist.  Just be.  Be with yourself, with a loved one, with an enemy, with a pet.  Just be.  Learn how to be comfortable with just being.

Fabulous- do you have 3 days? Because that's how long it would take me to truly convey the meaning of this word to you.  It's probably my favorite word.  It encompasses everything that is wonderful.  I could go on and on with synonyms all day but maybe I can nail down the meaning of this word by using it's antonyms? The opposite of "fabulous" is ordinary, common, and normal.  See? Are you ANY of those things? Nope.  You're not.  You. Are. Fabulous.

Today- that's right.  Right now.  Right this second.  Whether you're in a staff meeting or shopping or sleeping.  Today. Right now.

Be fabulous today

Think about it.  Why wouldn't you want to remember this all of the time.  I know you are fabulous, I think I'm pretty fabulous and I think this blog is pretty fabulous.  So why don't I remind you of everyday.  Cool with you?  Great!  

And don't worry, we'll get back to the fashion tomorrow.

Hey- be fabulous today.

Wrapped up in Warmth

Scarves are tough.  When you think about gift giving for a stranger or acquaintance what do you think? Scarf.  And as well you should; they're functional, warm, cozy, and usually reasonably priced.  But what about the scarf you pick out for yourself? That's right.  You time.

For me, a scarf is a very important accessory.  I don't like to collect scarves, I limit my closet to maybe 3 not including pashmenas.  So, it's tough to make the scarf cut in my house. When I find one I love, I wear it pretty much everyday.  Especially right now when it's colder than the North Pole with a leaking freezer.

LL Bean, lambswool scarf, $19.99

Ok bear with me, its not sequined, sparkley or bright colored but its warm, chic in a suburban class kind of way, its lambswool, AND its $19.99.

Ann Taylor, Knit endless metallic scarf, $34

This beauty is just cozy-tastic.  I'm not much for the "infinity" scarf craze but this one does it with class

Target, Muk Luks Nordic Long Scarf, $29.99

I just love these colors and for some reason I picture Jill GG wearing it with her Ugg clogs!

Nordstrom, Michael Kors Rugby Scarf, $78

I love chocolate anything, I love this sporty take on the scarf and the hardware is just beautiful.  And apparently it has pockets? Not sure where but I never say no to pockets!

Gap, Fair Isle pocket scarf, $29.50

If this doesn't say December I don't know what does!