It’s been 5 months since I had my baby shower, so it’s high time I write about it. We opted not to find out the gender of Baby D so we needed a neutral theme and my best friend, Laura, offered to host it. She lives out of state so we decided having it in my home would be easiest for both of us. My sister-in-law, Carrie offered to co-host so I knew I was in capable hands all around, but since I’m very much Type A they both knew going in that I would want to have input and help out! 

I had some ground rules for planning…no baby shower games, no pastels and please don’t make it yellow and green just because we don’t know the gender. We opted for teal, purple and a golden yellow as the colors and theme per se. I wanted to have my husband involved, so we also decided to make it a Couples Baby Shower Happy Hour. 

On Etsy we found the most adorable invitations that could be customized to your colors. (insert pic of invitation) My husband and I are avid readers so we feel it’s important for the baby to have a love of books as well. We asked guests to bring books instead of cards and used this insert in the invitation. 

Next order of business was food…cupcakes of course! We found another friend, Kara who bakes the most gorgeous and delicious cupcakes. I had a vision on my Pinterest board and told her I would make cupcake wrappers using this template in glitter teal scrapbook paper. I am always looking for ways to DIY and save money, so this was definitely the most economical way to go. Kara created deep purple fondant flowers for the tops with edible glitter to match! If you don’t have a cupcake stand, then JoAnn’s has disposable ones for $5.99 that you can decorate to match your theme. We also found colored candy at Party City to put around the cupcake stands.

 For decorations, I found tissue pom poms on Zulily months in advance and ordered them. From my wedding, we had purple petal taffeta tablecloths that I knew we could use over and over again along with purple bud vases from Luna Bazaar and I picked up some large teal vases from Target. I made triangle garland using scrapbook paper and a banner using the same, all
from Michael’s and JoAnn’s. 

My sister-in-law, Carrie created the wine favors and
guests chose pink or blue on their way out. The tags read “Little Glogovac is coming, the time is near.When you get the big new…open your bottle and send her/him a cheer!” They were so adorable! 

Last but not least, I created my own Thank You cards to match the theme. It was such a wonderful time to be surrounded with so much love. 

I’m so very excited to announce that I’ve received the Liebster Award…the Lieb what? The Liebster Award is given by fellow bloggers to up and coming bloggers as a way to showcase talent and find other interesting, new blogs to follow.

The fabulous Rachel Lynn nominated me and you definitely want to check out her fabulous blog. She blogs about fashion but is sure to mix in quite a bit of humor whether it’s about her lack of a love life or to her love for cats! Thank you Rachel for being such a supportive fellow blogger and honoring me with this award. As part of the award, Rachel has asked me the questions below about myself. 

If you could teleport to one place, where would it be?
To a tropical beach where I could soak in the sun, snorkel, enjoy fruity drinks and enjoy life.

What is the most important thing you want your readers to get out of your blog?
I’d love for people to find a new wine that they enjoy and wouldn’t have found before, to try a recipe that is truly simple to make and turns out delicious and to know that motherhood is tough and you’re not alone on the journey.

Who is your biggest supporter when it comes to your blog?
I am lucky enough to have two big supporters. The first is my husband who helps me if I’m stuck on a topic, indulges me when I want to put together a bit photo shoot for a bottle of wine and who encourages me to do what I love. My other big supporter is my girlfriend, Tracy Wilbur at TeeWii. If it weren’t for Tracy, I wouldn’t have been introduced to the blogging world. She’s been such a supporter and educator and I’m forever in debt to her. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?
This is a tough one…I think once you experienced pregnancy and birth, nothing is considered embarrassing…

What is one thing you would like to accomplish by the fall?
I’d like to accomplish my goal of reaching 2,000 unique viewers, go on a vacation with my husband, and learn more about my website.

What’s your guilty pleasure snack?
Popcorn with parmesan on it, Ruffles with bean dip or onion dip and taquitos with guacamole.

What is your spirit animal?
I had to look this one up…apparently I’m a tiger.

If you could recommend one book, what would it be?
Anything by JoJo Moyes or Liane Moriarty or Emily Giffin. Those are my favorite authors.

Your ideal way to spend a night in.
With my husband and Baby D…enjoying roasted garlic with brie and crackers, a good wine or a Cosmo, Fondue for dinner followed by an old movie (Hitchcock, anything with Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant or Spencer Tracy in it).

Why did you start blogging?
I love wine. That should be pretty obvious just by reading my blog and I wanted to be able to tell people what I thought about the wines I drink. I cook a ton and want people to know that cooking isn’t really that tough and there are some super simple and delicious dishes you can simply whip up. I’ll test them so you don’t have to!

Favorite flavor ice cream.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Yum! Ok, now I want some!

Now it’s time to pay it forward and nominate some great bloggers that I’ve found. 

The Conservative Mommy
Supermommy-N-Me
Sarah Smirks
Lone Star Blogger
Mommytime 365
New Hampshire Gina
Mom Loves Scifi
Intrepid Forays and Adventures
Frugal Expedition
Tiara’s Way
Thoughts by Morgan

Nominees, here’s what you do next!

My questions for my nominees…

1. What’s your favorite meal to eat?
2. Cook or takeout/go out?
3. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
4. Who is your favorite movie star?
5. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
6. Why do you blog?
7. What do you value most in life?
8. What does a normal day in your life look like?
9. What would you do today if you knew you wouldn’t fail?
10. Where was your best vacation?
11. Cat or Dog?

Thank you so much, Rachel for such an honor! 

I was originally going to make Tuesday night’s dinner with salmon but decided last minute to use Aidell’s Bacon, Mushroom and Swiss Sausage which was a nice twist and treat for us. I found the asparagus and tomato recipe on Pinterest. It was a simple, fresh side that made it feel like spring. You can roast the veggies a bit longer if you don’t like the crispness of the asparagus and you can use fresh Parmesan cheese or finely grated. 

One of my tips is the shopping I do at Costco. I always have ground beef, ground turkey, chicken breasts, salmon and a variety of sausages in my freezer. This helps not having to go to the grocery store so often and always having staple items on hand. 

Balsamic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes

2015-04-03 09:21:36

Serves 2

A springtime, fresh side

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

1. 1lb asparagus
2. 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3. ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
4. salt and pepper to taste
5. ½ cup Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Spray a baking dish, I used a 9x13 inch, lined with foil and cooking spray and set aside.
2. Snap the end pieces off the asparagus and place them in the baking dish. Add tomato halves. Season generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over asparagus and tomatoes. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until asparagus softens a bit and begins to get brown.
3. In the meantime add the balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until it reduces and starts to thicken. I also added some extra balsamic directly to the dish and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
4. Drizzle some of the balsamic reduction over the roasted asparagus and tomatoes and serve warm.

By Jo Cooks

Adapted from Michelle Glogovac

Adapted from Michelle Glogovac

My Simplified Life http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/

Shhh…Monday night’s dinner looked like I had worked extra hard in preparation for dinner, yet I didn’t! This was such a simple meal and it tasted out of this

world delicious. I normally like whatever it is I make for dinner but this dish was over the top and my husband agreed! Absolutely delicious! 

I followed the original recipe pretty closely but reduced things to serve just 2. For the wine, I have an abundance of La Crema on hand since I became a wine club member two weeks before I got pregnant. I chose La Crema Chardonnay 2012 Arroyo Seco and since I opened the bottle for the meal, it made sense to enjoy a glass with dinner! I enjoyed this wine, as I do with most La Crema varieties. It’s a bit oaky and the key lime flavor is very apparent. Remember to always cook with wine that you would drink, not with something that is of lesser flavor. This helped make the meal even more enjoyable.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Herb Butter Sauce over Pasta

2015-04-02 11:57:33

Serves 2

A delicious, easy chicken and pasta dish

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Prep Time

25 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

25 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

45 min

For the Parmesan Crusted Chicken

1. 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2. 1 egg whites
3. 1 teaspoons cornstarch
4. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
5. 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
6. 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
7. ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8. Salt and pepper, to taste
9. 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Herb Butter Sauce

1. ½ cup La Crema Chardonnay 2012 Arroyo Seco
2. ½ cup chicken broth
3. ½ cup heavy cream
4. Juice of ½ a lemon
5. ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized portions
6. 1 tablespoon fresh chives, parsley, and basil (or other herbs), finely minced
7. Salt and pepper, to taste
8. Cornstarch
9. Tomatoes and herbs, to garnish

For the Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Pound each chicken breast to about ¾ inch thick.
3. Combine the egg whites, cornstarch, and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a shallow dish for dredging. Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper in another shallow dish.
4. Dredge each chicken breast in the egg white mixture, and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure the chicken is completely covered with the breadcrumbs.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the chicken. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the crust is golden brown.
6. Transfer the chicken to the oven (either in the skillet if it's oven-proof, or in a baking dish) and finish cooking for 8-10 minutes. As the chicken cooks, prepare the sauce.

For the Sauce

1. Add wine, broth, cream, and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes, scraping the bottom occasionally.
2. Once the sauce has reduced, add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk the sauce until the butter has completely dissolved. Add in the herbs and the salt and pepper, and cook for an additional few minutes.
3. If it seems like your sauce hasn't thickened to your liking (it most likely didn't reduce enough in this case), feel free to make a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cold water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch) and whisk it into your sauce and heat over medium high. This should thicken your sauce to your desired consistency.
4. Serve the sauce over chicken and your choice of pasta (I used angel hair). Garnish with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

By Morgan at Host the Toast

Adapted from Michelle Glogovac

Adapted from Michelle Glogovac

My Simplified Life http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/