Friday, October 30, 2015

Friday Favorites

It's Friday!!!  It's Halloween Weekend!  I am twice as excited this Friday!  

Today I am linking up with Momfessionals, A Little Bit of Everything, and Grace and Love! 

Here's What I'm Loving This Week.

Sisters
I share about this a lot on my blog, but having three girls is such a special experience.  I love watching them be sisters!  I was going through my phone and found this picture from earlier in the week!  Blakely and Paisley have such a special bond.  I am definitely going to write an entire post about it one day soon! 



OPI Venice Collection

I tend to either love or hate an entire nail polish collection.  When OPI comes out with their country collections (like France, Germany, and Brazil) I usually love love love it!  This was no exception!  I got three colors - I Cannoli Wear OPI, Gimme a Lido Kiss, and O Suzi Mio (what I'm wearing in the picture).  You can also get a set of four minis, which I also like to do so I get to try a lot of colors.
New Cookbooks 
I love cookbooks (this should come as a surprise to no one).  I have a bookshelf in our kitchen full of them.  I can read them like regular books!  I especially love when cookbooks have little stories for each recipe and lots of colorful pictures!  Two new cookbooks that I am loving are Bobby Flay's "Brunch at @ Bobby's" and Ree Drummond's "The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime."



 



 Coloring Books for Adults
Who knew this was a thing?  I didn't until the other way.  But I saw it at Wegmans and impulsively bought it!  It's supposed to help you relax, and I have to say it works!  I got this one, but they had about five to choose from! 




Elsa
Blakely's dance class got to wear their Halloween costumes to class this week.  Of course Blakely could have chosen any of the many princess dresses that we own.  She picked Elsa.  This was what Lacie was last year!  I love it!








For more of what I'm loving, check on this month's What's Up Wednesday Post!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

What's Up Wednesday

It's the last Wednesday of October!  This month felt super short...probably because there was a lot going on!  

Today I am linking up with Mix and Match Mama to tell you What's Up with the Hiloskys! 




What We're Eating this Week
I'm working on my Halloween Menu, and I definitely know that I'm making my Macaroni and Cheese!



What I'm Reminiscing About
Lacie's First Halloween!

Lacie's Second Halloween

Blakely's First Halloween 
and
Lacie's Third Halloween

And Halloween 2014

What I'm Loving
Fall Weather and All Things Pumpkin Spice!  
Like my 5 ingredient recipe for Pumpkin Spice Bread!


What We've Been Up To
Dance Class Dance Class Dance Class
Preschool Preschool Preschool
*and repeat*

What I'm Dreading
Well you can scroll down to what I'm excited about and see that there isn't anything to dread...except the plane ride.  John doesn't like flying, I don't like flying, and our kids have never flown...so yeah.  

What I'm Working On
Christmas Recipes to share! 

What I'm Excited About 
oh nothing much just
DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!
Folks we leave in just 17 days! 
When I planned this it felt like the trip was never going to come.  And now it's here!  


What I'm Watching/Reading
Lots of GIANTS football!
And of course the same shows I was watching in September!  
And Dancing with the Stars!  I'm really into this season! 

What I'm Listening To

CHRISTMAS MUSIC!  I will officially (and publicly) begin listening to Music on Sunday November 1st!  However, I have been secretly listening to it since Monday while I work on my blog in the morning!  I just love it, and I couldn't wait.  I would listen to Christmas music all year round!  

What I'm Wearing
Lots and lots of scarves!  It's the season! 


What I'm Doing This Weekend
Halloween!!!!  
Trick or Treat and eating candy!  


What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

This.
Yes we decorate in November.  The beginning of November actually!  

What Else Is New
In addition to our fun Disney Trip - Blakely Hope turns 3!!!  How did that happen?  We will celebrate her birthday on our trip and I can't wait! 

What Is Your Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe
I'm just here for the dessert!  I would be happy to skip dinner and just dive straight into the sweets.  I know everyone goes nuts over Thanksgiving dinner, but turkey and stuffing just aren't my thing.  In fact I would happily just eat some mashed potatoes. 
My favorite Thanksgiving Dessert is the Very Best Pumpkin Cake You Will Ever Eat!  I'm not totally in love with pumpkin pie - but this cake is everything!  I have made it for the past 2 years and will make it again!  It's so so so good! 

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Pumpkin Spice Bread



It's Fall!  And I am in love with all things pumpkin spice!  I have also fallen in love with making easy cake mix breads!  You can find two cake mix banana breads here and here.  So I did what I always do, and mixed my original recipe up to create a pumpkin bread!  It did not dissapoint!  


This pumpkin bread is quick, easy, and delicious!  It tastes like autumn!

It's also Cake Mix Recipe #57!



Your Shopping List for the Pumpkin Spice Bread:

  • one box spice cake mix
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup veggie oil
  • 1 bag mini chocolate chips


Now Let's Make the Pumpkin Spice Bread:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease two 8x4 (one pound) loaf pans
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add your cake mix, can of pumpkin, eggs, and oil
  3. Beat on low speed until just combined
  4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on low speed again for 30 seconds
  5. Fold in your mini chocolate chips
  6. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 40 - 45 minutes - until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few crumbs
  8. Allow bread to cool in pans for 10 minutes
  9. Turn out onto cooling racks and allow bread to cool completely before cutting and/or storing




You need two loaf pans like this to create this recipe:

Friday, October 23, 2015

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  This week has been super busy and I am more excited than usual to have reached the weekend!


Disney Magic Bands Are Here


In my most favorite moment of the week, 2 packages full of Disney Magic Bands arrived at my doorstep! I did a happy dance - and of course my kids wanted to wear them right away to which I had to explain that they were for the trip! 
We are 22 Days Away!!!!!



Lacie's First Field Trips
Lacie had her first two field trips ever on Friday and Monday!  First we went to the pumpkin patch and then we went to the fire house!  


Lacie had so much fun on her first two field trips, and I know she can't wait for more throughout the year.  It was so much fun getting to go with her!  






The weather changes daily in NJ during the fall.  Some days we are outside in t-shirts and other days we already need jackets.  Since Lacie was a baby, I have been getting her a North Face fleece for the cold months.  I love these jackets because they are super warm - my girls wear them through the winter unless they are playing in the snow, in which case they wear snow suits.  They are also comfortable for the kids, allowing them to still be able to move around easily.  A big bonus is that they are able thin enough to wear in car seats.  Bulky jackets don't allow for the car seat straps to be tightened properly but the North Face fleece does - so this saves an extra step of removing coats when we get in the car! 
And they are washable!  Wonderfully machine washable!  If you have kids, you know that this is important!  
You can usually grab them on sale at the end of the season to use the following year.  I found Lacie's new Hot Pink one during Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale this summer! 
La Croix Water 


Fall comes and I drink less water. A lot less. Like I will start cooking dinner and realize I didn't drink any water all day. That's because it gets colder and I would be content to drink coffee all day long! So I've been buying and drinking a ton of La Croix water. They have lots of fun flavors. Recently I've been hooked on buying the plain La Croix sparkling water and adding drops of essential oils to it!


Today I am linking up with:

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Pink Lasagna


We love lasagna!  All five of the people in my house - including Paisley - just adore this dish!  After all what's not to love about a ton of cheese and pasta?!?  And instead of red sauce, my sauce is PINK!

Let me begin with a small disclaimer.  John and I are not Italian - not even the teeniest tiniest bit.  That's no surprise when it come to me but most people assume that John is at least a little bit Italian.
 I am putting this disclaimer here because this lasagna, my pink lasagna, is how we love lasagna... but it's not a very traditional lasagna.  

Did I mention the sauce is PINK! 


Your Shopping List for my Pink Lasagna:

  • one package Whole Wheat Lasagna (I use no boil)
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 - 28oz can tomato puree
  • 1 packet Italian Dressing Mix
  • 1 - 15 oz container ricotta cheese 
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese 
  • olive oil

These two ingredients are what makes this lasagna so so so easy! 




Now Let's Make the Pink Lasagna:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and oil a 9x13 casserole dish
  2. In a pan, cook your ground beef in olive oil until brown and crumbly - drain and set aside to cool
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the tomato puree, ricotta cheese, Italian Dressing packet, and 2 eggs until well mixed *your sauce should look pink*
  4. Mix in two cups of the mozzarella cheese and the cooled ground beef
  5. Using a soup ladle, spread one spoon of sauce/cheese/beef mixture on the bottom of your casserole dish
  6. Next place a layer of whole wheat lasagna sheets - I use no boil which I highly recommend
  7. On top of the pasta, place another layer or the sauce/cheese/beef mixture
  8. Continue alternating pasta and sauce layers, finishing with a sauce layer (mine had 3 layers with 4 sheets of pasta per layer) 
  9. Top the entire casserole with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and the cup or parmesan cheese
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes until the edges of the casserole are nice and brown
  11. Allow lasagna to sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving




Friday, October 16, 2015

Friday Favorites

Happy Happy Happy Friday!  

Today I am linking up here to bring you everything I'm loving this week! 

Disney Nightgowns




John's Mama bought the girls these sweet Disney nightgowns that are perfect for the cool fall nights we are having in New Jersey!  My girls are in love!  The rule in our house is that I pick out their clothes and they pick out their pajamas.  Well as soon as these nightgowns were washed, my girls immediately picked them to wear that night! 


Speaking of Disney
We are at one month out!  Like 29 Days to go!!!!  I got the email this morning that our magic bands shipped!!!



I know I shared last week but these dresses are just the cutest!  


And a reader emailed me and said my picture reminded them of this picture - and it is so true! 




They will definitely be wearing their mermaid dresses in Disney!
Ten Months Old 
On Sunday, Paisley Jean turned 10 months old! I really can't believe that she's only been in our family for 10 months because it really feels like she has always been a part of our lives! It's also hard to believe that in two months we will be celebrating her first birthday! You can read my 10 month post here!


Blair's Banana Bread
Yesterday I shared my 56th Cake Mix Recipe!  It's an super easy cake mix recipe that I created for my friend Amanda's daughter Blair's first birthday!  



What are you loving this week?

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