Ciabatta Garlic Bread

Garlic bread has become a food that I make quite often as my boyfriend really loves it. He now asks if I'll make garlic bread every time I make pasta, which is pretty frequently.

Side bar on pasta. I LOVE pasta. When deciding where to study abroad in college, a huge factor for me was food. I asked myself, "what European cultures' food would I be ok with eating everyday?" The answer was a no brainer, Italian. I am obsessed with Italy, I think in a past life I was Italian.

Anyway, back to garlic bread. On this particular occasion, I had not planned to make garlic bread when I had gone shopping for the ingredients for Spaghetti. I got creative and took inspiration from my restaurant owning family's resourcefulness and looked though my cupboards and refrigerator for ingredients that I could use to make garlic bread. I sliced the rest of a loaf of ciabatta, mixed together fresh garlic and olive oil and spread it generously over the bread. My boyfriend and I are both garlic lovers so I'm never shy using garlic in my cooking. I stayed away from using butter because I'm trying stay on the healthier side (I used ground turkey instead of beef in the spaghetti). I am a believer that you don't need large amounts of butter or fatty oils if you season food properly. That goes for salt as well-herbs and spices add a huge amount of flavor and you can reduce the salt! For cheese, I only had pecorino cheese so I grated it on my bread. Pecorino is a pretty powerful flavor, similar to parmesan and is a bit salty. Because of the salty flavor, I did not add any salt to my olive oil and garlic mix, as I would have had I used mozzarella cheese. I baked the bread in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

I loved how this garlic bread turned out, great flavor and crunch from the baked ciabatta. I also liked that it wasn't so bread heavy like many garlic bread recipes that call for a sourdough roll. I've made this same garlic bread again since; the second time I added a little of my favorite seasoning I got in Florence. It's called arrabbiata, it has close to the same blend as a traditional italian spice blend, but with some spicy pepper flakes mixed in as well. We both love our food with a little spice so a sprinkle of the arrabbiata seasoning before baking the garlic bread really added some flavor and kick.

Homework: Have some fun trying out garlic bread creations, please share any success stories, as I'm always looking for new ways to cook favorite dishes!

Leopard Print Flats

Hi everyone, I just bought these Material Girl flats from Macys over the weekend and I wanted to share! I love little pops of leopard print, they can really make an outfit.

These will be great to wear to work, not too flashy but will give my outfits some personality. I am fortunate to work in an office with a pretty relaxed and casual atmosphere; I typically wear nice dark boot cut, straight leg or trouser jeans a few times a week. I also think these loafer type flats will look really cute with a dress as well, once the weather gets a little warmer.

I love having something new to wear to work, it makes facing a busy week easier :)

End Table Refinishing

A few weeks ago, my mom and I decided we needed a project. On a sunny Saturday we decided to go garage sale hunting to find some small furniture pieces to refinish. I am slowly starting to think about a furniture look I'd like for my next apartment, trying to keep the cost as low as possible without sacrificing a cute and sophisticated decor.

Here is an oak end table/night stand we found for $10. This photo was taken after its light finish was completely sanded away and the knob removed. The grain of the wood was so beautiful as this is a very solid, and at one time expensive piece, it would be a waste to paint the entire table. I really wanted to do something more interesting than just restaining, I was looking for a pop of color. To get the best of both worlds, I decided I wanted to paint some parts of the table and stain the rest. Here's how it turned out.

My dad had this stain called "chestnut red" in his work shed so that cost me nothing for this project. For the paint, my mom and I went to Lowe's to look at colors. I picked "a day at the jewelers" by Valspar. For $3 they mixed up a 7.2 oz sample, which was more than enough paint for this project (I actually have about half left to use on other DIY projects-yay!) The knob I also picked out at Lowe's for $4. My dad had the polyurithane as well; we applied 2 coats to give it a protective layer and that wonderful shine. $17 for a unique and beautiful end table. I'm a fan!

Make-Over

Hi Everyone,

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting very often. The main reason is that going out to eat frequently is just too expensive! I've started to really watch my spending and learning how to live on a realistic budget. During this time of financial maturity I've started getting into DIY home projects after realizing store prices can be obsurd for the quality you get. In addition to my crafting adventures, I'll also share some of my cooking experiences, restaurant reviews, my favorite beauty, style and household products, my ever evolving fitness routine for a happy and reduced stress life, and of course my biggest passion of all: TRAVEL. I'll be posting my first DIY project later tonight so check back later!