Snowflake White Nails

I am going to Wisconsin Dells soon for my family Christmas with my mom, dad, brother (his fiance) and my hubby. We rented a cabin and it is going to be a blast I am sure. Swimming, eating and playing board games. In winter one thing that people often forget about since it is sock and boots weather is taking care of their toes and nails. Now as you can see from some of my really old posts I like to have my toe nails painted literally all the time. I did them for Thanksgiving and have not done anything since. I finally had some time to do my nails last night in between filling out some Christmas cards to send out. They turned out pretty good and are ready to be in the pool on Saturday for water aerobics and Wisconsin Dells for some swimming.

 Here is my line up of current favorite products for doing nails.
Base coat is Seche Clear. Trust me if you want your polish to last more than a week on your toes you need a good strong base coat for the color polish to adhere to.
Avon white polish. I know that this polish most likely has a fancy name but I forgot to look at it. I like Avon polish because of the tiny brush that comes with it and the formula of the polish is a perfect thickness for spreading.
Sinful glitter. This polish is cheap... Like $1 or $2 cheap at Walgreens. I always want to tell people that you do not have to have fancy polish when it comes to glitter since it is just a decorative element really. I love how it makes it all snowflake like on my nails.
Sally Hansen INSTA-DRY top coat. I have tried them all, I mean at least every big brand of top coat and this one has worked the best lately. I really love it because is not crazy expensive and has a easy to use brush.

I hate my toes but I wanted you to see how they turned out. This is like the worst blurry picture ever but you get the idea at least.

I hope during this busy season you take a couple of minutes to do something for yourself. Even if it is just 10 minutes to do your nails.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Taco Bar

Whenever I have people over and I have no idea what they like to eat I resort to a taco bar. It is a fool proof way to please everyone as they get to pick and choice what goes on their tacos.  We had some awesome friends over and Ryan threw together a great taco bar on Tuesday. I even did one for Halloween this year. Here are my top five recommendations for a good taco bar.

#1. Proteins. It can be chicken, ground beef, shredded beef or beans. You want to make sure you have a base protein for people to pick from. I tend to do ground beef as most people like that. Sometimes I get creative and will do chicken or fish tacos. Once you pick your proteins seasoning the meat is important some of my favorite things to use are (cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper). If you do not like to use your own seasonings the grocery store has pre-packaged seasonings you can pick from.

 #2. Tortillas. I always serve soft and hard shell tacos. Most people I find eat the soft but you always want people to have options. The size of your tortillas is also important as there are many sized to buy. Since you are making tacos pick a smaller size otherwise you are getting into burrito territory.Warm up the hard shells in the oven and the soft in the microwave so they are perfect for eating.

#3.SPICY. I like to have spicy options. What exactly do I mean you may ask? I like to make sure I have hot and mild salsa for people to eat. I also like to have different types of hot sauce for people to pick from. Some like it hot like me with a sriracha and some like it mild (taco bell mild sauce). It is nice to have some heat.
#4. Cool it down. Just like there are spicy things you want to have you need to cool it down sometimes too. I do this by have sour cream, avocados and cheese to add as toppings.
#5. Building your taco. This is the best part before eating. Make sure you have spoons or serving utensils for people to add the toppings to their tacos. Some of the best toppings you can put out-
shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, cilantro, salsa, avocado (guacamole), sour cream, onion, tomato, black olives, hot sauce, rice, beans etc. etc.

Tacos are so fun and tasty and I could eat them every day it does not even need to be taco Tuesday!

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Beef Vegetable Soup

Sometimes my husband requests certain things I have never made before. Which is exciting because I love trying to make new things. Sunday is a day were I love to take the time "if I have it" to make a large batch of soup for the week. This recipe was modified from one I found online but I changed a bunch of things because I am always doing that. It really turned out fantastic. I also make some rosemary dinner rolls which paired perfectly with the warm soup. Yum!

What you will need-
2- 32 oz beef broth
4 cups of tomato juice
1-16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1- 15 oz bag of mixed vegetables
3 cups of water
8 small yukon gold potatoes chopped
1/2 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic diced
1.5 pounds of beef
Paprika
Siracha
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
Mrs. Dash seasoning

 Start by browning your ground beef. Make sure to leave the meat in medium chunks. Once this is done drain the grease off of the meat and throw in your chopped up onions and garlic. I let these cook down for about 2-3 minutes before I added the tomatoes, potatoes, bag of veggies, beef broth, water, tomato juice and additional seasonings.

It is always great when you can talk your husband into helping with dinner. He cuts up potatoes better than me.

I used homemade tomato juice we canned in the early fall with family. You can easily use normal tomato juice or spicy V8 for a little kick.

This already looks fantastic before I added all the liquids. As I like to stress every time I cook season in layers. Every time you add to the pot make sure you season. Also, you need to taste as you go to make sure your flavors are balanced.


Once you add all the liquids put it on high till it starts to boil. Then turn to a simmer for at least 1.5-2 hours. Cook covered other wise you will lose all the liquids.

The finished project with some oyster crackers added. It was divine and I will be making this again as it was so easy to throw together. I hope that in this holiday season you find some fun and easy recipes like this.

PS: I recently joined Instagram. It is an addiction. You can follow me at emilykielar.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Food Processor

Last week on Black Friday I was so excited to get a Cusinart 7-cup food processor. It was my Christmas gift to myself this year. To get this device I had to give up some other appliances to make room in my pantry. Totally worth doing this. I have been pining a ton of food processor ideas on Pintrest for years. I have always thought oh I love this recipe but I need a food processor. Now I can make all of those recipes.

Here is my short review and some of the things I have made so far-
The food processor comes clearly labeled and the tabs on the box explain in detail how to remove the appliance from the box. I found this to be silly and unneeded but it was interesting. It comes with two manuals a quick guide and a large manual with recipes. Thank goodness for Ryan because I kept putting the processor on the base wrong. He helped me work through the kinks.  Once you figure out how to put together the device it is really easy to use. It had two settings "on" and "pulse" I have now used both and they are both helpful depending on what you are doing. Pulse works best for chopping items up. The on setting is best for blending. Be careful when removing items from the bowl as the chopping blade will fall out if you are not watching.  That thing is sharp too. Washing it is relatively easy compared to my blender. I  thought it would have a ton of places for things to get stuck but the bowl and everything are easy to clean. Overall I am rather pleased with my $50 purchase. Gotta love the sales. Here you can see what mine looks like an purchase one of your own.

Here is an example of using the extra blade that comes with the device. You get a chopping blade and another extra blade that shreds (think cheese) and slices (like these sweet potatoes).

Sweet Potato Chips
What you need-
1 sweet potato
Olive oil
Salt
Cajun seasoning
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper 

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Using the food processor use the slicing blade and slice the sweet potato. Used the pulse setting. I had to cut it into fourths to fit inside and be sliced. I then spread the sweet potato slices on the cookie sheet that was covered with parchment paper. At this time you want to go ahead and put olive oil on the chips. I then season with the cajun seasoning and pop in the oven for 20 minutes moving the chips around after 10 minutes. Remove from oven and season with salt. They are so good!

 Pesto
What you need-
2/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Splash of lemon juice
salt and pepper
Cookie Sheet
Parchment paper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the walnuts on a cookie sheet with parchment paper in the oven for 10 minutes. Add all ingredients to the food processor besides the lemon juice and oil. (Use the chopping blade). Turn the food processor to the on setting and slowly add the oil and lemon juice as it all blends together. It is heavenly.

Cauliflower Rice
What you need-
1 head of cauliflower
Water

Cut up the cauliflower into large chunks and put into the food processor. (Use the chopping blade). Pulse the food processor until you get the cauliflower to a rice size. Add to a pan with about a 1/2 cup of water. Put on medium heat for 10-15 minutes covered until the "rice" is tender. I added the pesto to this and it was amazing. It tastes and feels just like rice!

I am loving my food processor and I really think it is here to stay in our home. I cannot wait to make other things such as hummus soon.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

How to decorate your Christmas tree

It has started! I love decorating for the holidays more than anything. I swear the whole week of Thanksgiving I dream about how I am going to change up what I am doing or what types of crafty things I am going to make this year to add to my collection of decorations. This year we moved our tree to in front of our back sliding door. This allowed me more room to really decorate my entire tree completely. As you can see in the final picture Luna (the lazy husky) was thrilled with me making a mess and noise all day. Anyway here are my top ten recommendations for making your tree look like a million bucks!

1. Decorate the whole tree- I mentioned this already but you cannot half decorate your tree make sure the back has ornaments too. Trust me people will notice if you do not have any in the back when they walk by.
2. Layer your ornaments- I learned this from my mother in law before she passed away many years ago. I noticed whenever she decorated her trees she had large or shiny ornaments pushed way in her tree. No matter if you have a real or fake tree you will have bare spots. Fill these spots in with large ornaments and try to stick some in by the trunk of the tree. This creates wonderful depth to your tree.
3. Wear gloves- You may need to wear gloves if you are handling the tree and trying to put it in a base. I now have a fake tree and do not have to worry about this .If you have a real tree the gloves will protect your hands from sap and needles.
4. Add texture- I use little icicle ornaments and gold sticks to create texture all over my tree. Having all that green can be boring. Some people even flock their trees to make them look like snow. I love the look of that but not the mess.
5. Add more lights- When you think you have enough add more. There is nothing like a sparkly tree. My tree is so bright it makes my light sensor coo-coo clock think it is day light and the darn thing goes off at night!
6.  The more ribbons the better- I am not a fan of ribbon around my tree or garland. That does not mean you should not add it to yours. My great aunt puts it on her tree and it always looks fantastic. I like ribbon bows trailing down the sides of my tree. I have four ribbons like this on my tree.
7. Always have a tree skirt- This really pulls your tree together and makes the bottom of your tree inviting for all those gifts you need to store before giving. Luna almost looks like a gift in the picture. Most days you will find Stella my cat under the lights on the tree skirt as the tree is like a warming lamp for her.
8. Water your tree- I have a fake tree but if you have a real one please water it regularly. this prevents you from losing a ton of needles. No one wants to get to Christmas and have a naked looking tree.
9. Tree topper! This is most likely not something you think much about but I personally think it could be the most important part of decorating the tree. My husband picked out our topper after our last one mysteriously feel down and smashed on the ground. It is a mega watt star that is so bright it is like looking at the surface of the sun. There are a ton of fun ideas if you do not want a light up star. Giant ribbon bows, angels and santas are some other fun options.
10. ENJOY!
This is such a warm/loving and fun time of year. I hope that after you spend all this time making your tree perfect you take the time to enjoy it for the short time we have the tree up each year.

Here is a sneak peek of my baskets I made for outside and my centerpiece for my kitchen table. They took about 45 minutes to make but look fantastic outside.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Relish Tray

 

 Not that people want details but I have not posted lately because I had the flu. We can all applaud that I survived and managed to eat some green beans for lunch today. This past weekend for my husband's family Thanksgiving I was asked to bring a relish tray. I had no idea what this was. I researched a lot and was able to put something together that was fantastic. 

 What you will need-

*Pickles (I had dill whole pickles and spicy slices) 

*Asparagus (pickled)

*Beets (pickled) 

*Corn relish

Olives (green and kalmata) 

Cheese (thinly sliced)

Salami  and summer sausage (thinly sliced) 

Crackers 

 

*The starred items above came straight from my mothers garden that she canned for me. I am spoiled I know. The rest were bought at the store. 

My platter is hiding in the background. You can use any platter just arrange your items together in a neat way and set out for a fun appetizer. The dill pickles were a huge hit and that entire jar was gone. Make sure you warn people about those sneaky spicy pickles. They surprised a couple people.

Since I will not be posting till after Thanksgiving I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family. I hope to have some fun upcoming posts about the holiday soon.

Until next time~

XoXo Emily

Prepping for Thanksgiving

Tis the time of year when we eat way too much food and then go shopping or hunting. At least that is what we do in my neck of the woods. Wisconsin is full of delicious food options for the holidays. I actually spend a ton of time researching what to serve and I have learned rather quickly that depending on where you live you will have different things served on Thanksgiving. The traditions are amazing and I hope to be able to host my first Thanksgiving at my house and stay somewhat true to my family traditions. 

This is my ever growing grocery list for next Thursday. It is really important to be super prepared when you are feeding 11 plus people. Tonight and Sunday I will be purchasing all of these tasty things. I plan on making some things from scratch and others will be semi-home made.

Anyway here are my top ten tips to prep for Thanksgiving. This maybe my first time hosting at my home but trust me I have thrown a ton of parties and I think I got it down at this point.






#1. Turkey it needs time to chill. I feel like we need to start here. Turkey should not scare you. 
Turkey's take a long time to thaw. I plan on getting mine tonight and on Monday setting it out in the fridge to thaw by Thursday. In general, a frozen turkey will require approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds at or below 40° F to to fully thaw. There are a ton of ways to cook your bird I plan on roasting mine in a roasting pan. I am trying something new this year and I am doing a cheesecloth method. More on that on a later post. I really feel like focusing on the meat is the most important part of my Thanksgiving. I am making a turkey and a ham as they are on super sale right now and most of the people I invited actually prefer ham.

#2. Make a list and check it twice. Actually check it 12 times. I am a list maker and if you plan on hosting an organized and successful Thanksgiving you should be one too. The reason it is important is you do not want to be that person on Wednesday night in your sweats trying to buy last minute stuffing with the other 500 people that forgot to get something. Make your list and make sure you get everything as early as you can. 

#3.  Do not forget the little things. Serving utensils, plates, stiring sticks for drinks and platters. I know this seems like a no brainer but I can count numerous times where I am at a party and they do not have proper serving spoons or platters to put food items on. 

#4. Make a good first impression. We tend to forget some things when we live in our space all the time. Make it smell good before guests arrive by lighting a candle or cooking bacon. I am only slightly joking about the bacon. You do not have to have a spotless home but put away clutter if you can. Specifically make sure your entry to your home is clean and people know where to put their shoes and coats. 

#5. Do not let people starve. Wait... What? This is Thanksgiving how could this happen you ask? We tend to focus on the meal and not that when people arrive they will be hungry when they arrive. How many of us have not eaten all day to prepare for the giant feast? Put out some snacks and they do not have to be fancy. Some meats, cheeses and crackers will do or even a veggie platter. 

#6. Tupperware. If you plan on eating all the leftovers yourself all the power to you. I do not plan on doing this I plan on sending a lot of the food home with my family. I do not keep a huge stack of Tupperware so I reminded my guests to bring their own to pack up leftovers. 

#7. Drinks. Ryan and I do not drink soda and do not keep any in the house. I will still have it in the  house for everyone else though. It is important to try to cater to others when throwing a party. I do not mean go buy specific drinks for each person but having a nice bar full of options is nice. See HERE on how to set up the perfect bar cart. 

#8. Do not try to do it all. I mean sure you can go ahead and make a turkey, ham, homemade mashed potatoes etc etc... It is possible but I do not recommend doing that. You will work yourself to death.   Everything I have read states that you should not try to do it all. Thanks to some of my guests they are bring dishes to pass. I totally recommend asking people to do this if you can. It takes some of the pressure off of you from cooking all day. The other thing you can do is buy some things pre-made. GASP. I know it sounds crazy but if you do not home make the cranberry sauce no one is going to care or die. One year I actually took the time to make home made cranberry sauce and my husband told me that it was a waste of time everyone likes the can stuff anyway. I was out to dinner with some of my Zumba friends last night and we talked about how crazy it is to make your own bread. I will also be buying rolls because I am  not spending hours making and baking rolls.

#9. Ask for help.  I am blessed that I have a spouse that is down for anything. If I ask him to do dishes while I cook he will do it or clean the whole house. Shout out to Ryan for being a boss. He is not the only person I have help from though. My mom I know will show up early and do whatever I ask her to do. This is fantastic and it is good to be able to have help when you need it. It does not take away from the meal if people help you along the way. Make sure you ask for help if you need it. 

#10. Be thankful and soak up the family time.  Sometimes we only get to see family on holidays. It is sad and we do not know how much longer people will be with us. Make sure you take time to speak to each family member or friend one on one during your Thanksgiving. I am really excited to spend time with my family that is the whole reason I planned to host this year. 

I guess in the end Thanksgiving is what you make it. I plan on making it the best experience I can for my family and I this year. I am so blessed and happy to be able to feed them some yummy food and laugh around the table together. 

What do you plan to do this year? Leave a message in the comments! 

Until next time~
XoXo Emily