Friday, May 31, 2013

Fried Mozzarella Bites


I decided to make these fried mozzarella bites last night with some leftover mozzarella I just so happened to have in my fridge :) They actually turned out to be really tasty. I'll definitely be making these again! What a perfect appetizer!





recipe inspired by Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

Olive oil, for frying
1 pound ball fresh mozzarella (Rachael Ray's recipe also calls for a pound of fresh smoked mozzarella but instead, I just used more regular mozzarella)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (I didn't add this because I didn't have any at the time)
Fresh parsley, for garnish
Sauce for dipping*

*See the full recipe for Rachael Ray's dipping sauce (I just used a jar of vodka sauce that I already had in my cabinet)

Directions:

Heat about 2 inches of olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Cut mozzarella into desired bite sized pieces (I just cut mine into slices). Set up your breading station: flour, 2 eggs beaten with 1/3 cup milk, Italian bread crumbs mixed with a few handfuls of the grated cheese. Roll the fresh mozzarella in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs. Fry the mozzarella in batches so that there is only a single layer. Cook until both sides are an even deep golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cool mozzarella bites on a paper towel-lined plate. Let stand and cool for a few minutes before eating so that the cheese isn't too runny.

On another note, I wanted to let you all know that I decided not to post while I'm away in Ireland next week. I'm going to spend some quality time relaxing and sight seeing and taking amazing pictures to share with you all when I get back (I'll pick up as usual on Monday, 6/10)! I will, however, be keeping up with my Twitter (@brittanyamonroe) and Instagram (brittanyannemonroe) accounts... as long as there is WiFi available... so follow along for updates and photos (you can also click the links on the sidebar)! Also, check back next week because I'll be hosting a pretty awesome giveaway when I return! Thanks for reading!

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Enjoy!

❤Britt  

Thursday, May 30, 2013

By the Bay


I was really excited to have my Hunter boots here so that I could walk on the beach (and in the water) even though it was kind of cold and rainy this day! These boots are a closet staple for me as I can wear them in any season (they work for the rain and the snow... especially since you can wear warm socks, I love the fleece ones, under them in the winter!). I also love that they are such a pretty shade of purple!



shorts- Lucky Brand (similar), sweater- Anthropologie (similar 1, 2, 3), belt- J. Crew, boots- Hunter Boots, sunglasses- Ray-Ban

This has been such a crazy week! We're leaving tomorrow and I'm still not totally ready! It's been really hard to pack for because I don't really know what to expect (they say you can experience four seasons in one day in Ireland). I have most of my clothes in my suitcase already but I feel so under packed! I'm hoping I'll have some down time to relax when we get there because I really need to de-stress!

❤Britt 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Little Yellow Dress


For some strange reason I have Prince's Little Red Corvette in my head but instead of the correct lyrics, I'm singing little yellow dress... On another note, I absolutely love this eyelet dress that I found at Old Navy! It is a gorgeous shade of yellow, it fits really well, it's eyelet, and it was very inexpensive. If you haven't been to Old Navy in a while, I definitely recommend stopping in to see what they have! I hadn't been there in probably over a year when I decided to go in to look for some tank tops and tees and just so happened upon this dress! It must have been fate :)




dress- Old Navy, cardigan- J.Crew, flats- DV by Dolce Vita via Piperlime, belt- J. Crew, bag- Kate Spade, necklace- BaubleBar, bracelet- J.Crew (similar 1, 2, 3), sunglasses- Ray-Ban

Today is Joe's birthday so we'll be going to dinner to celebrate tonight! Happy birthday to my sweet, handsome, amazing husband. Thank you for everything you do, I love you!

I'm also happy to report that Joe and I finally finished packing last night (well, mostly finished)! I can't believe we're leaving this Friday! Do you have any fun summer vacations planned?

 Have a great day and thanks for reading!

❤Britt

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Red and Pink


Red and pink always makes me feel super feminine. It is also a color combination that I don't wear all that often so it is also a bit of a different look for me. I'm usually drawn to blues and greens and anything that reminds me of the sea but sometimes it's fun to wear something different. I'm also still loving these floral pants (remember them from here and here?)!




top- Target, pants- H&M (similar 1, 2), heels- Style & Co. (similar 1, 2), bag- Avon (similar), watch- Fossil (similar 1, 2), sunglasses- Ray-Ban, rings- Madewell

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day and that you enjoyed the long weekend! We spent half of the weekend with Joe's family in Maryland and the other half at home cleaning and packing... but I'm still not fully packed! In my defense, we also spent much of yesterday with my family and picking up last minute items for our trip so that didn't leave much time for actually packing. I'm also having trouble deciding what to bring! I think it is going to be pretty chilly!

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

❤Britt  

Friday, May 24, 2013

Strawberry Scones


I made this recipe last weekend when I was craving both strawberries and scones :) I wasn't sure how it would turn out as I'm more of an apple/banana/peach girl when it comes to baking fruit but these were delicious! Joe actually ate two in relatively quick succession he liked them so much! 









Recipe from The Kitchn, makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup roughly chopped strawberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and work into the dry ingredients using a fork or a pastry cutter until the batter is crumbly.
Whisk to combine sour cream, egg, and vanilla, pour and fold into the dry ingredients using a spatula or a wooden spoon. Take care to be gentle and not to over mix.
Turn out the dough onto a flat surface and sprinkle half of the strawberries on top. Fold the dough over onto itself and pat down again. Pour the remaining strawberries over top and fold it over itself a few times to work in the strawberries, being as gentle as possible so as not to crush them. *
Knead the dough into a circle and slice into wedges (I used a pizza cutter and cut 8 wedges). Fold the wedges in half (if you can) and position on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until scones are golden-brown on top (I took mine out between 16 and 17 minutes). Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve warm with butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar if desired.

*The original recipe says to refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight (covered) but I skipped this step. There is also a brown sugar crumb topping to go with this but it notes that if you use the topping, the scones are best when served immediately. Since I was only making these for two people, I thought it would be best to leave that out to avoid soggy leftover scones :) Click on the link for The Kitchn under the photo to go to the site for the full recipe! There are some amazing recipes there... everything looks delectable.

Have an amazing three-day weekend everyone!!! What are some of your plans? We're planning to spend the long weekend with family and friends and getting ready for Ireland next week! It will be really nice to have that extra day off :)

Enjoy!

❤Britt 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Popover


Here I go again with the cobalt! I told you I have a ton of it in my closet :) And remember when I talked about how versatile this chambray popover is here? I wasn't kidding! I wear this everywhere and with everything. It's what I wear when I feel like I have nothing to wear. Ever have one of those days? I'm also loving these floral print Keds- so cute, right?! I'm wearing Joe's watch in these photos :) I thought I'd mix it up a bit by adding a more masculine piece since the sweet floral prints and otherwise dainty jewelry make the outfit so girly. What do you think?





dress- Express (similar), top- J.Crew, shoes- Keds, watch- Burberry, bag- Kate Spade, lips- Bobbi Brown in Cosmic Raspberry

Have a great day everyone! We're almost made it to the weekend! Do you have any plans for this Memorial Day weekend? 

❤Britt  

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Palm Print


I just recently picked up this top from H&M for only $10! No, I'm not kidding. I've been looking for some palm print pieces for summer and I haven't had a whole lot of luck so when I saw this, I just had to have it (and who could pass it up for the price?). I thought it would be fun to pair it with some equally bright and fun pieces since the palm print reminds me of vacation and days spent relaxing in the sun with a tropical drink :) This outfit made me so happy wearing it with all the bright colors! What do you wear when you want a pick me up?



jeans- J. Crew, top- H&M (similar), flats- J. Crew, hat- Urban Outfitters (similar 1 & 2), bag- Kate Spade, sunglasses- Ray-Ban, necklace- Tiffany & Co. (similar)

So, of course I still haven't started packing for Ireland yet, a true procrastinator through and through :) I'd like to say I'll start tonight but I'm sure it's going to get pushed back to the weekend...

Have a lovely day!

❤Britt 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Cobalt Love


Mixing bright jewel tones (especially anything involving cobalt or any rich shade of blue) is one of my favorite ways to mix colors. I didn't realize how much I loved this color until I was looking through my wardrobe recently and noticed how many items I have in various shades of this blue (same goes with green... I think I need to be a little more conscious of wearing more colors outside of my comfort zone). I have, though, been trying to mix up the color combinations that include this color, at least (it pretty much goes with everything). Is there a color that you seem to tend towards more often than not?




dress- Cynthia Rowley via Marshalls (similar), cardigan- J. Crew, belt- J. Crew (similar), wedges- Madewell, bag- GiGi New York (also love this Juicy Couture lucite bag), bracelets- Bedazzled Boutique, J. Crew, sunglasses- Kate Spade

Hope you all have a wonderful day! Thanks so much for reading!

❤Britt

Monday, May 20, 2013

Floral & Gingham


As you can see, I'm pretty obsessed with patterns over here! I'm also really excited about my new Kate Spade cross body bag that Joe surprised me with last week :) I've been talking about getting one for Ireland and this is perfect! With all the different colors, I can pretty much wear it with anything which makes it perfect for traveling and packing! I can't believe we're leaving in less than two weeks already... May passed by so fast! 




jeans- J. Crew, shirt- J. Crew, sneakers- Keds via DSW (similar in gingham), belt- J. Crew, bag- Kate Spade (similar in stripe), bracelet- J. Crew, necklace- J. Crew Factory (similar), sunglasses- Ray-Ban, lips- Bobbi Brown in Cosmic Raspberry

As usual, the weekend went by way too quickly... I'm so not ready for Monday! I was supposed to start packing this weekend... and clean my house... which I didn't do but I did do some shopping, baking, and lots of gardening :) There are so many cute things out right now- it was really hard to pick and choose what to buy. I love this Topshop pineapple print sundress, this Shop Ruche polka dot top, and these melon wedges by Seychelles on Zappos.  What is your favorite?


❤Britt

Friday, May 17, 2013

Tomato, Basil, & Mozzarella Bites


At the risk of telling you something you don't already know, this is the best appetizer ever (and it's so easy!)! While you all know that I love to bake a good (and sometimes even painstaking) cake or whatever dessert it may be, I also enjoy a good, simple recipe. To be quite honest, I rarely have the time (or ingredients) for many recipes I find, and I'm sure many of you can relate to this... buttermilk, anyone? Plus, fresh tomatoes are perfect in the summer... especially if you're able to get Jersey tomatoes! 





Ingredients:
2 tomatoes (I like the vine ripened tomatoes and got about 1 tray full per 2 tomatoes)
Basil leaves (1 per tomato slice)
Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt (I think sea salt tastes best)
Pepper

Directions:
Slice the tomatoes and lay flat on a tray. Slice the mozzarella next (if your tomato slices are thin, you may want to cut the mozzarella into smaller pieces so that it doesn't overpower the other flavors) and place over tomatoes, one piece per slice. Top each with a fresh basil leaf and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over top, following with the olive oil (I tend to be generous with my drizzling but I like to be able to taste the vinegar and oil). Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and serve!

I first learned this recipe from my sister-in-law a couple summers ago and I've been making it ever since! The great thing about this recipe is that you can really tailor it to your own tastes and add or subtract whatever ingredients you'd like. Another fun twist on this for appetizers is to use cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls and put everything together on a toothpick :) It's a fun presentation and still tastes just as good (you may want to leave off the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil this way, though, as they can be a little messy). I hope you all have a great weekend! Any fun plans?

Enjoy!

❤Britt