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by Stef | March 25, 2011 · 8:09 am

{Inspired by} Blue & Gold

I never thought March could taste so sweet! If you didn’t watch the nail-biting game last weekend, our good old Golden Eagles of Marquette passed the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, making it into the Sweet 16. I am not usually a superstitious kind of a girl, but since I posted about March Madness last week and ended up with good results, I couldn’t put a jinx on it!

Blue and gold were my high school and college colors, so they have been in my wardrobe for quite some time now. (Yes, I still wear my sweatshirt from college and maybe even from high school. Don’t judge.) There are so many great options for your home, wardrobe, parties and even your food in blue and gold. They give me that little pop of nostalgia I need.

Left to right, top to bottom: Pottery Barn Cooper Cotton Mat ($39-$169), Crate & Barrel Chloe Chair ($899), West Elm Bazaar Duvet Cover and Shams ($15-$85), Mario Batali Pepper Mill ($40), Marquette Birdhouse ($50), Anthropologie Oil Paints Cardigan ($118), Navy and Gold Cupcakes, Dualit 2-Slice Toaster ($225), Rumba Watch ($20), Yellow and Navy Destination Save-the-Dates, Daisy Jersey Tube Scarf ($28)

Even if Marquette is not your team, hopefully you can be inspired by some of these fab finds. And maybe even cheer us on?

Go Marquette!

3 Comments

Filed under Fab Finds

Tagged as anthropologie cardigan, blue and gold, mario batali pepper mill, marquette, marquette bird house, ncaa basketball inspiration board, rumba watch, yellow toaster

by kkregel | March 23, 2011 · 11:20 am

A Bun in the Oven

My mom used to always make monkey bread for special occasions and since I can’t resist a good pun, it seemed fitting to pull out this caramel sticky bun recipe to announce my own little “bun in the oven”! The hubs and I are expecting our first baby in August and we couldn’t be more excited.

But back to the monkey bread…if you have any affection for sticky rolls, you must try this. With just a little pre-planning (it needs to sit overnight) it’s a delicious and impressive pull-apart breakfast “bun” that only takes minutes of your time to prep.

Monkey Bread
1 pkg frozen white dinner rolls (2 dozen)
1 pkg non-instant butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Lightly butter a bundt pan. Sprinkle pecans in the bottom of the bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding mix on top. Place frozen dinner rolls evenly into the pan. In a large glass measuring cup or small bowl, microwave butter and brown sugar until melted. Whisk in cinnamon and vanilla until mixture is smooth, then pour over dinner rolls.

Wrap pan with plastic wrap and set on the counter overnight to allow rolls to rise. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

17 Comments

Filed under Breakfast

Tagged as breakfast, bun in the oven, caramel roll recipe, monkey bread, sticky buns

by Anne | March 21, 2011 · 8:37 am

{Giveaway} The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries***

And the winner is…Alicia whose favorite meatless meal is “veggie lasagna, heavy on the veggies.” Congratulations!

I always find myself trying to cook at least 2 meatless meals per week even though nobody in my family is a vegetarian. There are so many benefits to cooking meatless: the meals are usually less expensive, it provides less strain on the environment and can help minimize your carbon foot print. Best of all, meatless meals can also open your mind to a variety of new foods you never thought to try!

When my husband and I were first married he let out a small groan when he heard we were eating a meatless meal that night. He is a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy and thought that a meal without meat would never be able to fill him up. That is why I was so happy when I came across this cookbook, The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook by Kim O’Donnel. It is full of hearty and delicious recipes that both meat lovers and carnivorous will enjoy.

The cook book is loaded with delicious recipes that leave your meat lover satisfied.

This week, we are giving away one copy of this fabulous book to one of our readers! To enter, just leave a comment below telling us your favorite meatless meal. We’ll select a winner by random on Thursday afternoon!

Good Luck!

85 Comments

Filed under Cook, Giveaway

Tagged as cookbook giveaway, Meatless meals, meatless meals cookbook

by Stef | March 18, 2011 · 7:52 am

March Madness BBQ Beef Sliders

Get your pencils and brackets ready…It’s March Madness! I love this time of the year: nail-biting games, googling universities I’ve never heard of, healthy competition between friends and endless hours spent in my pajamas. When all you want to do is park it in front of the TV, a delicious easy recipe is a necessity. So tonight, while I am cheering on my alma mater (Go Marquette!), I’ll be feasting on these yummy BBQ Beef Sliders perfectly tender, no doubt due to my new masterbuilt smoker.

Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Beef

3-4 lb boneless beef chuck roast
1 C ketchup
1 C BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)
1 C water
2 TBSP vinegar
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients except roast in slow cooker. Mix well. Add roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Remove roast. Shred meat and discard excess fat. Return to sauce and heat through. Serve on small to medium buns.

I typically serve these sandwiches with sweet potato fries. One of my favorite parts of this meal is the leftovers. You can freeze the beef and reheat a few weeks later when you just aren’t (gasp!) in the mood to cook.

Let the madness begin. GO MARQUETTE, GO GO GO GO!

Who are you rooting for this March?

6 Comments

Filed under Cook, Main Dish

Tagged as bbq beef sliders, easy bbq beef, shredded bbq beef, slow cooker bbq beef recipe

by kkregel | March 16, 2011 · 8:21 am

Slow Cooker Corned Beef Sandwiches

There are fancy ways to do corned beef and then there is the cheater way. By putting the slow cooker to work, these super easy corned beef sandwich melts may be using the cheater way but they are totally perfect for a weeknight St. Patty’s day meal. We left off the saukerkraut because neither the hubs or I are a fan, which means these aren’t technically Reubens but they’re just as tasty!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef Sandwiches
1 packaged corned beef roast
baby swiss cheese
thousand island dressing
pumpernickel rye bread

Place corned beef roast in a slow cooker and season with seasoning packet and extra ground pepper. Add 2-3 cups of water until roast is submerged about 1/2 way. Cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Remove from liquid and slice roast into thin cuts.

Toast two pieces of bread per person and slather toasted bread with dressing. Stack two layers of corned beef on one piece of bread and top with two pieces of cheese. Microwave for 30-40 seconds until cheese begins to melt. Top with other piece of bread.

And Now for Dessert!
Want a tasty Irish inspired dessert to round off your meal? Here’s ideas that range from easy to rich, in case you missed them:
Guinness Float
Irish Car Bomb Ice Cream
Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

5 Comments

Filed under Holidays, Main Dish, Quick & Easy

Tagged as corned beef sandwich, reuben sandwich, slow cooker corned beef, Slow cooker recipes, st. patrick's day recipe

by Anne | March 14, 2011 · 8:29 am

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

How’s that for the name of a dessert?

This Guinness cake recipe, given to me from a neighbor, bakes up with a rich chocolate flavor and a hint of Guinness. To add an extra kick, I like to poke holes in the cake and pour Bailey’s on top. Then, I top it with some Bailey’s cream cheese frosting. It is the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert. But it might be best to keep this one away from the kids.

Chocolate Guinness Cake
1 cup butter
1 cup Guinness
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
About 1 cup of Bailey’s to drizzle on top of the cooked cake.

Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces room temperature cream cheese
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
5-6 Tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter then, mix in the Guinness and cocoa powder. Set aside and give it some time to cool down.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In a third bowl, mix the eggs and sour cream.

Slowly mix the Guinness mixture into the egg mixture, being sure the Guinness mixture is cool so the eggs won’t curdle. Then, add the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Pour the batter into a well buttered spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 20 minutes, remove from the pan and place on a cake plate. Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork. Slowly spoon 1 cup of Bailey’s over the cake.

Next, make the frosting by creaming the cream cheese and confectioners sugar. Add the Bailey’s a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Frost your cake.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

19 Comments

Filed under Cook, Treats

Tagged as Bailey's frosting, Chocolate Guiness Cake, Guinness Cake

by Stef | March 11, 2011 · 8:07 am

Guinness Float

This beer and ice cream marriage has been years in the making. It all started back in college when my good friend Greg and I tried to make a beer float. Much to our chagrin, Miller High Life Lite and vanilla ice cream DO NOT go well together, no matter how many Miller High Lifes you imbibe before taste testing.

Fast forward some years.

Greg and I were playing Rock Band on the Wii and drinking Guinness when it came to us: Guinness and ice cream! Better yet, Guinness and vanilla frozen custard! We high tailed it over to Murf’s, ordered up some custard and mixed our newest concoction. We were onto something.

This year, I perfected the Guinness Float. The creaminess of the custard, the thick, bold taste of the Guinness and the smoothness of Bailey’s Irish Cream make for one delicious Irish treat.

Guinness Float

2 small scoops vanilla frozen custard or vanilla ice cream
1 bottle or can Guinness
1 shot of Bailey’s Irish Creme
Dash of nutmeg

Scoop frozen custard or ice cream into a pint glass. Pour one shot of Bailey’s over the ice cream. Slowly pour Guinness in the glass until full. Top with a dash of nutmeg.

So let us raise our glasses: “May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends beneath it never fall out.”

Slainte!

5 Comments

Filed under Drinks, Treats

Tagged as bailey's and guinness, guinness float, ice cream and beer recipe, st. patrick's day recipe

by Anne | March 9, 2011 · 8:29 am

Rustic Fall Wedding

This past fall, the ladies of HAP were asked to style the wedding of dear friends of ours. Lane and Craig’s vision of their wedding was very specific. They wanted a rustic and organic theme with an emphasis on trees and nature. They didn’t want anything too over the top, but wanted it very simple and personal.

The finished product was everything the couple wanted; rustic and simple with special personal touches.

The couple was married outdoors by the Calatrava in Milwaukee. An arbor, created by La Tulipe Design, covered in fall foliage acted as the backdrop to the ceremony.

The programs were created by Katie and were kept simple with a tree watermark.

The bridesmaids wore different shades of burgundy and purple and carried fall colored bouquets with natural additions like leaves and twigs, also created by La Tulipe Design. All of the ladies, including the bride, wore flowers in their hair.

The reception was held at Coast in Milwaukee. Guests were greeted by a place card table dressed in burlap, natural twigs and and leaves, and personalized place cards.

The centerpieces were simple and played off the rustic and natural themed event. Low, glass vases were filled with river rocks, moss and candles. Katie wrote table numbers on kraft paper and secured them to twigs, giving them a more natural feel.

Other tables had vases wrapped in burlap and filled with twigs, river rocks, seeded eucalyptus and other greens.

Instead of having a traditional guest book, guests were asked to write wishes to the couple on kraft paper tags and hang them on a wishing tree.

Most importantly, the couple spent the day blissfully happy and surrounded by family and friends.

Congratulations Lane and Craig!

1 Comment

Filed under Entertain, Weddings

Tagged as natural wedding, outdoor wedding, rustic themed outdoor wedding, Rustic wedding

by kkregel | March 7, 2011 · 8:02 am

Creating an Eclectic Gallery Wall

I’ve been working on a gallery wall for our master bedroom for nearly a year now. That’s a long time and way longer than necessary but ending up with a wall of pieces that I love was worth the time. Like most gallery walls, it started with a piece of artwork or two that were great on their own but had no real place in our house. Since our master bedroom has a very large wall it was the ideal spot to get started with these prints.

The beauty of gallery walls is that you can do them a billion different ways, mixing and matching frame shapes & sizes or sticking with a consistent style. I wanted a mix of new and vintage frames for a look that seemed to be acquired over time (which it turned out to be!) but was unified by color. I spray painted two intricate empty frames found at flea markets and an old frame of my husband’s with white spray paint to use as my large foundation pieces.

The three empty frames didn’t have glass or backings so I bought framing glass at Michael’s. You can ask the framing counter there to cut glass down to size for you as needed for a nominal fee. Since no one will see the backs of the frames you don’t have to spend the money to professionally back them. I just attached a hanging hook and 1/8″ offset clips to keep the cardboard and glass backing in place. I’d recommend affixing these items while the frame is empty so you don’t break the glass when you apply pressure….which I may or may not have done!

Once you have all your pieces, try a test arrangement before you start banging holes into your wall. Somewhere in the past I had seen someone suggest mocking up a gallery with paper before you start. I traced the outside of each of my frames onto plain kraft paper and played with arrangements on the wall until I found the right placement and then left it up for awhile to be sure I liked it.

Finally, we hung them! Be sure to use a level when you’re hanging since it can be really obvious if something is off when you have multiple pieces that are straight.