Happy First Day of Fall!

Yesterday kicked off the first official day of Fall and I couldn't be more excited.  This is by far my favorite season and I get giddy thinking about the cool weather rolling in.  Sweatshirts, vests, scarves and boots galore! Not to mention, the leaves outside, Fall scented candles burning in the house and lots of good Fall soups! 

We kicked off the morning with Mimosas!  Paired with a delish brunch made by my hubby.  Sweet Potato Hash with egg whites, chicken sausage, orange pepper, and onion.  Yum!

Unfortunately we lost to the Bengals today!  Boooooo!

Soup Sundays!  

We also made our first soup of the season.  Well, Doug actually made it, I just supervised laid on the couch.  Homemade chicken broth with homemade noodles, carrots, celery and onion.  It was so good!  And we have plenty of leftovers.

I'll be sharing some new recipes soon!  

Hope everyone had a great weekend and first day of Fall!  

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!

I'm super excited for the weekend.  

Football, cooking, time with my hubby and little man, AND the first official day of Fall is Sunday!  Could it get any better?!  YES! - Add wine to that list.  ;)

Here is my current love this for the week...

1.  I'm going to start with my favorite picture from this week.  Of course it's of my little guy.    Pretty sure I'm obsessed with taking pictures of him.  Now, I will add that he is not always smiling.  Who takes pics of their little ones crying?  Exactly!  So of course they're all happy happy happy pictures!  This kid cracks me up.  He's 8 weeks old and he is becoming a little character.  I'm so sad that he's growing so stinkin fast but it's so much fun watching him change and develop.

2.  This candle from Bath & Body is seriously the best for Fall.  The scent is called "Leaves." It smells so good AND how cute is the mason jar?!  

3.  Yep, this pretty much sums it up.

4.  I love handbags!  I haven't bought a new one in so long.   I came across this beauty and I think I need it in my life.  It's funny how when you become a Mom, your purse pretty much becomes the diaper bag.  Or at least for awhile.  I miss carrying a purse all the time.

5.  We tried a new Tilapia recipe this week.  We love Tilapia but it's such a bland fish that you really need to add tons of flavor.  This recipe was awesome and it turned out to be so fresh tasting!

Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia

1 lb tilapia fillets

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 inch fresh ginger, grated, about 1 tablespoon

1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped (optional)

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Scallions, chopped for garnish

Extra cilantro, to garnish

Heat the oven to 475°F. Pat the fish dry, season lightly with salt and pepper, and lay in a 9×9-inch or 8×8-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.

Put the garlic, grated ginger, chopped jalapeño, and cilantro in a small food processor with the white wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Whir until blended. (Alternately, you can finely chop or mash the aromatics in a mortar and pestle, then whisk together with the liquid ingredients.)

Pour the sauce over the fish, rubbing it in a little. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through. It will be very moist and even a little gelatinous, still.

Serve immediately over brown rice or orzo, garnished with the additional scallions and cilantro.

Hope everyone has a great Friday and an even greater weekend!

Five on Friday Link Up

It's Friday already?  Seriously, time flies when you have a newborn baby!  And boy oh boy, what a week it's been!

~ one ~

This little handsome man.  I'm obviously obsessed with his cuteness.  I didn't think it was possible but I fall more and more in love with him each and every day.  He is my little miracle baby and his Daddy and I adore him.  

~ two ~

Another fantastic recipe!  We actually tried this one weeks ago but I haven't had a chance to post it yet. We had it again this week and I'm so addicted.  It's such a light meal and it's even better the next day for leftovers.  It is the bomb.com!

Sesame and Peanut Noodles

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
12 ounces linguine
Peanut Dressing:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
Salad:
1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup roughly chopped skinless roasted peanuts, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the sesame seeds in a pie tin and toast in the oven until light golden in color, 4 to 6 minutes, and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain, reserving some of the starchy pasta water, rinse and set aside.

For the peanut dressing: Place the peanut butter in a large measuring cup and microwave to soften, 15 seconds. Whisk in with the soy sauce, vinegar, canola oil, ginger, honey, Sriracha, sesame oil and lime zest and juice in a small bowl. Thin with the starchy pasta water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. (Dressing should be thick, but pourable.)

For the salad: Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl and add the cilantro and vegetables and toss with the dressing. Top with the chopped peanuts and toasted sesame seeds and serve.

~ three ~

Bath & Body has all their soaps & scents out for Fall!  Eeek!  I'm one of those people that hoards soaps and the plug ins for our house.  Love, Love, Love!  They now have these mason jar soaps and mason jar candles.  I scored the Meyer Lemon scent in the mason jar soap - stinkin adorable!

~ four ~

News Flash!!!  We are going home to Wisconsin for Christmas!  We were just able to make it official this week and we could not be more excited!  My Dad has yet to meet his newest Grandbaby.  The name Marshall came from my Dad, so we are so excited for him to meet his little Marshall :)  I'm also excited for the rest of my fam & friends to meet him.

~ five ~ 

The look of Fall!  Our trees our beginning to change colors.  This is my favorite time of year.  I just hope our weather begins to cool down.  It sure doesn't feel like football season until the weather has cooled down!

Saturday is my hubby's birthday.  It's a little harder to really do much of anything with a newborn, so I decided to stay in, cook him a really great dinner, maybe have some wine on the patio and dessert.  I'm looking forward to celebrating him.  He's a terrific man, my best friend and an amazing father!  

Cheers to a fabulous weekend!