A Side of Sweet

Thanksgiving in Photos {Family}

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, in no small part because it’s the day that Pat and I got engaged last year. The huge helpings of home cooked food and flowing libations don’t hurt either! I celebrated this Thanksgiving with my future in-laws. Thanks to Pat’s four sisters and their significant others/friends, the house was always full and there was never a dull moment. It was a wonderful weekend. I have so much to be thankful for and a weekend surrounded by family was the perfect way to be reminded of this.

Happy Holidays!

Coffee Filter Garland DIY

I made this pretty and easy coffee filter garland for a recent Ladies Who Brunch that I hosted. The puffs are delicate and elegant. The garland can be customized to suit your special occasion and would look great at a wedding! I found that dipping them in multiple different colors created a soft ombre look.

Coffee Filter Garland

Adopted from Martha Stewart Weddings

Supplies:
Small containers
Rubber gloves
Food coloring or powdered dye
Coffee Filters
Baker’s twine or fishing line

How-To

1. Squeeze several drops of food coloring into a bowl of water big enough to dip your coffee filters in or prepare your dye bath according to package directions. I suggest using rubber gloves, especially if you are using dye.

2. Dip coffee filters, multiple at a time, into the dye until they are saturated. I didn’t dip them all the way in and let the dye bleed up a little to give an ombre look. You can also dip in more than one color. Gently press the extra liquid out of them.

3. Let dry.

4. Stack 12-18 together, and connect the layers by pulling a needle and thread through the center. Use your fingers to fluff up the edges like rosettes.

5. String the puffs on fishing line or baker’s twine and tie knots on either side to keep them in place.

Weekend in Hawaii, Part I {Travel}

I spent last weekend in Hawaii for a medical school conference. Our hotel was in Waikiki, which as you may know, is very touristy and pretty much a concrete jungle. Luckily, thanks to Couch Surfing, my friend Ariel had an amazing day of adventures with a Brady, a guy who lives on the island.

Brady owns a polymer water bead company. The beads he sells are amazing! They start out the size of seed beads and then swell up with water that they slowly release it to water plants over several weeks. Plus they feel crazy, like slippery jellyfish. Thanks to Brady, we were able to see a lot of awesome island highlights and escape the tourist kerfuffle.

We started out the day with a hike on Mariner’s ridge. For about 30 minutes of climbing, we were rewarded with several spectacular views of Oahu. It was nice to be surrounded by nature. The plant is the top right corner of the picture below is actually peppercorns! We could pull the little red berries off the tree and there was a little peppercorn inside each one.

Have you every couch surfed? I’ve done it all over the world, even in places like Dubai and Greece, and I’ve had amazing experiences! Pat and I have also hosted Couch Surfers from all over. I cannot say enough nice things about the website. As with anything, you should use common sense when booking a couch. Meet in a public place and only stay with someone who is verified and who was excellent references! Don’t be afraid to cancel an experience if you have a gut feeling that something “isn’t quite right.”

Seasonal Breakfast Salad Recipe

Vegetarian

This seasonal breakfast salad doesn’t really need a detailed explanation, but I’ll give it a shot! This version is for a summer salad because I actually made this for brunch a few months ago. I just dug the photos out of a folder that had been forgotten – I’m such an archeologist! You can make it seasonal by using squash as the vegetable. Mmmm, butternut squash. I think I’ll have to make it again this weekend!

Seasonal Breakfast Salad

Inspired by The Healthy Everythingtarian (Who is also from Madison!)

Ingredients

Greens of your choice (I used arugula)
Oil
Garlic
Vegetables of your choice (I used summer squash and zucchini)
Fresh spinach
Fresh herbs (I used basil)
Cherry tomatoes
Eggs
Feta cheese (I forgot this part)
Crusty bread

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds

2. Add the veggies and cherry tomatoes and sauté until tender and the tomato skins start to wrinkle and char

3. Add the spinach and herbs and cook until wilted

4. Crack two eggs per salad over the greens and cook until the whites are set

4. Serve on all of the above on a bed of arugula, with crusty bread on the side for dipping in the yolk. Don’t forget to sprinkle with feta! 🙂

I was in Hawaii all weekend for a conference. What better way to celebrate being done with my licensing exam than to spend a few days on the beach!? I was only there for two days and it was almost 24 hours of flying on either side. The things I’ll do to put my toes in the sand. I took a few pictures which I’ll throw up on the blog soon!

Canning Homemade Applesauce

Gluten Free Vegetarian Vegan

Ever since I bought a canning kit from Costco, I’ve been excited for fall because it means it’s time for apples! I’m dreaming of apple pie, apple bread and of course, applesauce.

Canning applesauce is much easier than it sounds. The recipe is simple and having the right equipment is important. If you don’t have the equipment or a pot big enough to make a water bath, you can still make the recipe and keep it in the fridge. Better make more than you think you need – I can eat an entire jar in one go!

Pumpkin Pie Granola Recipe

Gluten Free

Are you getting sick of my travel photos year? Then I have a special treat for you – a recipe post! Now that all of your Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, I hope you are ready for a new twist on pumpkin pie. I want to share with you a pumpkin pie granola recipe that was featured as a guest blog post on one of my favorite blogs, Click Clack Clunk.

Now that I’m finishing my last year of medical school and going through the residency application process, I had to gather letters of recommendation from the doctors I have work with. To say thank you to them for taking time out of their busy days, I whipped up this batch of delicious pumpkin pie granola. It is easy and healthy and as a bonus, it is also gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free oats).

I would also like to share with you the label I made for the treat bags I gave the granola out in.

Just print them out on full sheet label paper (I got mine for $.25/sheet at Kinkos) and cut them out. Tie on a little ribbon and you have an easy gift! Click here to download the labels!

Click here to download the labels