Too excited to work

Where Dreams Come True

So we randomly got a call from the boyfriend's brother asking us if we wanted to meet him in Disney World this weekend! um... YES. I am SO EXCITED for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Read more about it here. Hogwarts, here I come!! 

Found: Universal

Ray's the Steaks

Ray's the Steaks

2300 Wilson Blvd

Arlington, VA 22209

703-841-7297

For my birthday this year I wanted to cross off a local, well-known, always mentioned favorite: Ray's the Steaks in Arlington. This has been on my list forever and it was the perfect treat for this special occasion. Note: always make a reservation. Even on a Wednesday night at 8pm, there was a 45 minute wait, but it was completely worth it. We started off with deviled eggs stuffed with steak tartare which had very interesting flavors and a pretty presentation. As scary as raw meat can seem, this dish is delicious! The crab bisque was also amazing and reminded me of the classic New England flavors which we have grown up on.

Found: Washingtonian

We tried the ribeye and bourbon/molasses glazed flat iron, both cooked perfectly medium rare. The steaks have extra char and distinct grill marks which give it an extra smoky flavor. The menu explains how they pick and prepare their steaks as well as recommendations on tenderness, the best temperature to enjoy each cut, and a diagram of which part of the cow your dinner comes from. AWMP! The velvety mashed potatoes and tasty creamed spinach comes free and are the perfect compliments to the massive steaks.

Ray's the Steaks is a must in the area and lived up to my expectations. The bottle of pinot noir, glass of chardonnay, and glass of prosecco were perfect for toasting and enjoying the night! xoxo A

P.S. The sister sucks at remembering to take pictures. 

Beef Brisket

The boyfriend got a huge brisket for Christmas from his mom and grandma, so we made it the other day. It was really delicious!! It has a really peppery crust, and was really moist in the middle! It also came with BBQ sauce that is SO good. It's really vinegar-y, and I'm pretty much in love with it. I was too excited to eat the brisket, that I took horrible pictures. Really sorry about that. But if you ever need to give a gift, I highly recommend giving someone meat! 

Check it out at New Braunfels Smokehouse!

Breakfast Quiches To Go

I made these this morning for our monthly department breakfast. They were pretty easy, and tasted great!
Taste: Delicious! Great flavors of spinach, onions and cream cheese.
Texture: The crescent rolls cooked perfectly and the quiche was really cheesy. 
Would I make this again?: Yes, if I needed a brunch or appetizer recipe!

Breakfast Quiches to Go

Found: Food Network

2 cans (8 oz. each) Pillsbury® refrigeratedgarlic butter crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls each)
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 box (9 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 16 (2 3/4 x 1 1/4-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray.
Separate each can of crescent dough into 8 triangles. Press 1 triangle on bottom and up side of each muffin cup.
In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in onion, spinach, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold in cheese. Fill each cup to the top with egg mixture (do not overfill).
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and edges of rolls are golden brown. High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 18 to 23 minutes.

Remove from pan. Serve warm.

It's the weekend!

Found: Life, Love Laughter

It's a new year!

Found: An Apple A Day 

Found: The Cupcake Blog

Chicken Spaghetti

I have wanted to make this recipe for the longest time! But it has a lot of cheese and a certain boyfriend has the curse of cheese hatred. So my sister finally decided to make it last night! And it's pretty delicious! She didn't put in onions due to a guest preference, but I think it would have added a lot of great flavor. But she also added corn, which tasted great.

Taste: Pretty delicious, especially the next day for lunch. I would definitely add the onions and more cayenne pepper next time for a little kick.

Texture: Moist and the green peppers added a nice crunch.

Would I make this again?: Probably not. I feel like it needed a little more flavor.

Chicken Spaghetti

From: The Pioneer Woman

2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. (We just used chicken breasts) Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

2011 Calendars

Need a 2011 calendar for your cube?! Here are some adorable free ones! Just save and print them out. You can even frame them and give as gifts! 

View and download these and other calendars at Red Stamp.

Eggnog Cheesecake

These little cheesecakes were the last of my holiday baking extravaganza! And boy were they great! I highly recommend snatching up the last of the eggnog and making these!! The homemade whipped cream got a ton of compliments too!

Taste: Really delicious! I think everyone secretly loves Biscoff cookies, so it was a nice surprise. The cheesecake had just a hit on eggnog, which was really good and festive. Everyone was obsessed with the homemade whipped cream.
Texture: Moist! 
Would I make these again?: Yes, definitely! They are the perfect size for a party.

Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes

Found: Gingerbread Bagels

Biscoff Cookie Crust
1/2 package of Biscoff cookies
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

[If you can not find Biscoff use the crust recipe below]
Graham Cracker Crust
7 sheets graham crackers
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Eggnog Cheesecake Filling
12 ounces softened cream cheese (1 1/2 blocks)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup eggnog
1 Tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a food processor, grind up 1/2 package of biscoff cookies. Put the cookie crumbs into a bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Mix to combine.
Pour 4 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter over the Biscoff cookie crumb mixture and stir to combine.Using a Tablespoon, place 1 Tablespoon of the Biscoff cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Press the cookie crumbs down with your hand to create a crust for each mini cheesecake. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works fine) mix 12 ounces of softened cream cheese (that’s 1 1/2 packages). Mix until the cream cheese is smooth. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of flour. Mix to combine. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of eggnog. Now add in 1 large egg that’s at room temperature. Mix! Add in 1 Tablespoon of dark rum. Combine the ingredients but be careful not to overmix.

Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.Using an ice cream scooper, scoop the cheesecake mixture into each cupcake liner. Fill each one almost to the top.

Bake at 300 degrees for about 27-30 minutes.

Don’t worry if the cheesecakes crack in the oven. They will probably do this. Once they’re refrigerated, the cracks will disappear! Promise!

Once the cheesecakes are done baking, place the cupcake pan in the refrigerator to chill overnight. (I only chilled them a couple hours.)

Then once they’re completely chilled, top with whipped cream if you like. And enjoy!

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl with the whisk attachment (a handheld mixer works fine) mix 1 cup of heavy whipping cream on high speed. While the heavy whipping cream is mixing, slowly add in the 3 Tablespoons of sugar and then the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Continue mixing on high speed until stiff peaks form.