Thanksgiving Week

November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving week! Jake and I took the red eye to New Orleans on Monday night to be here with his family for the holiday and it’s a little different than what we normally do, but I’m happy to be in such an amazing city with loved ones. I just wanted to pass along the Fall / Winter Entertaining Guide I put together for ONEHOPE in case you were looking for any more recipe ideas for tomorrow. There are definitely some yummy ones in there so check it out. All of the images from that shoot can be seen here so be sure to visit there for some more decor tips and ideas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Meg

Images by Brian Tropiano.

Pink Party for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 23, 2014

Call me #basic, but by the time September rolls around, I’m ready to embrace all things fall. From autumn inspired recipes, to warm mulled wines, to pumpkins and candles that remind me of fall scents back home in Michigan – I just can’t get enough of my favorite season. October, however, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it marks the beginning of the most important time of the year for us at work. Since half the profits from our Chardonnay give back to Gateway for Cancer Research (providing clinical trials to women with breast cancer), just when we’re ready to dive head first into fall, everything turns PINK.

We have a division of our company called Hope at Home which offers at-home wine parties that benefit the cause of your choice with 15% going back to the non-profit of your choice. As our Art Director, I’m always on the hunt for creative and fun ways for our team to stay inspired and get motivated to throw their own parties – especially during our cause months. A big challenge for me this year at work was figuring out how to throw a pink party, when everyone wants to curl up with a blanket, drink warm mulled wine and pull out their orange pumpkins and decor. I poked around the internet for some inspiration and ultimately ended up coming back again and again to a flower arrangement that embraced pink and orange equally. It was inherently pink but also perfectly fall so I decided to run with it.

Since everything we put together had to be easily replicated by our team members who might not be full fledged floral designers or regular party hosts, I broke it down into three simple DIYS and four food/appetizer ideas that both embrace the fall season and pair wonderfully with our Chardonnay. The best part of this project (beside seeing it all come together) was definitely trying the recipes. They were SO good and everyone in the office chowed down while we popped open a few bottles of Chardonnay. Check out everything below from the DIY and recipes to shots from our own little Pink Party 😉

PS: If you’re interested in hosting your own PINK party for Breast Cancer Awareness Month or if you’d like to raise money for another cause that you’re passionate about OR if you’d like to make an income while giving back to various causes, please consider Hope at Home 🙂

DIY YARN FRINGE BACKDROP

DIY PINK FALL FLORALS

DIY FLORAL ICE CUBES

PINK MARSHMALLOW DIP

PEAR + GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

BRIE + FIG PASTRY BITES

CHARDONNAY CHEESE PLATE

CHEERS!

White Chicken Chili

October 24, 2011

10/2015 UPDATE! Hi there! Meg here! This recipe has been without-a-doubt my most popular post to date. I’m so happy you all love it and come back to it time and time again! That being said, I have a ton of yummy fall recipes that are dying to be tried including Pumpkin Doughnuts, Butternut Squash Soup, and a delicious fall flatbread. Check more of them out here. I’d love to hear what you think! If you’re just here for the best chicken chili ever, carry on and check it out below. Cheers!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where life takes off running and you spend the majority of your time just trying to catch up? The vision of a little girl chasing after her older sister and friends down the block keeps coming to mind for some reason and last week, that was totally me – life’s little sister. That being said, I’ve been a very bad blogger, but I’m anxious to catch up on everything I’ve missed and share a few things I’ve been dying to post about.

In the midst of all of the mayhem the temperatures cooled off and southern California finally started to feel like fall last Tuesday. Absolutely craving my dad’s White Chicken Chili, I pulled out my Crock Pot and decided to give it a shot for the first time on my own and I’m thrilled that it turned out just perfectly. I even received a, “Babe, we really need to start using this Crock Pot more often,” ovation from the boyfriend who easily downed multiple servings. My dad’s recipe is definitely the best White Chicken Chili I’ve ever tasted so I’m finally sharing it with the world… lucky you! Give it a try and let me know what you think 🙂

Ingredients

Chili:
1 1/2 lbs uncooked chicken breast (can be frozen) cut into 1-2″ chunks
2 – 15 oz cans of white beans (drained)
1 – 15 oz can of white corn (drained)
1 onion chopped (sweet/Vidalia)
1 clove garlic finely chopped (I love garlic so I used 2)
1 package taco seasoning
1 – 7 oz can of chopped green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 – 14 oz can of chicken broth

Toppings:
1/2 cup sour cream (I used low fat)
2 tbls lime juice
Finely chopped cilantro
Fresh shredded cheese (I used Colby-Jack)
Corn tortilla chips (the authentic yellow kind)

Directions

Place cut up chicken in the bottom of the Crock Pot (I use this one). Add beans, corn and onion. Mix the next five ingredients and pour over the top. Cover and cook on low in the Crock Pot for 8-10 hours. (I was running low on time so I cooked mine on low for about 4 1/2 hours and then raised it to high for the last two hours).

Before serving use a potato masher to break up the chicken. (Make sure you do this very quickly with pressure and alternating directions… the consistency should change from brothy with chunks of meat and beans to a very thick and even consistency. If it is still brothy, keep mashing).

Add shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, a splash of lime juice, cilantro and chips before serving. YUM!

* Yield: 6-8
**To complete our autumn meal, I made a fresh garden salad and hot apple cider. For dessert, we enjoyed our first pumpkin pie of the season. Mmmm 🙂 Get the look below!

PS: I finally took some new photos of this old favorite. I can’t believe how far things have come since my little old point-and-shoot camera from college 😉 Cheers!

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