Takin' it back...

In honor of our "three-month-aversary," I'm gonna take it back today to a "Pinspiration" I used for my wedding day.  I found this picture on Pinterest and fell in love with the idea...

So as part of the gift for my bridesmaids, I had personalized waffle robes made for them at this site - hot pink with white embroidery (and black embroidery for my M.O.H.).  Then, I ordered a white robe for me, and a light pink robe for my step daughter, our flower girl.  Throw in some fun slippers and...voila!

How about a Two-fer!?!?

Tried two new pin projects today! Some good friends of mine have vowed to make every Friday afternoon "our time."  Today, we opted for the beach.  It was a scorcher: 107 degrees!!!! But the bay water was perfect and the drinks were a-flow-in.  Which brings me to my first pin project of the day: Nectarine Basil Tea (with a twist!)

I found the recipe for Nectarine Basil Tea here, and decided to put my own spin on it.  And by spin, I mean add alcohol.  (Its a beach day... duh.) I also substituted green tea for black tea, because if you are going to add rum and peach schnapps, might as well do so while boosting your metabolism!  Here's MY ingredient list:

-4 green tea bags
-fresh basil (oh yeah, know where I got that from... right!?!?)
-3 nectarines
-1/2 cup agave nectar (the original recipe calls for sugar.... but I prefer agave)
-Bacardi Silver
-Peach Schnapps

I started by boiling about 4 cups of water and seeming the green tea.  I also added the basil to the tea mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes to take on the flavor.  Then, strain the tea and basil out.

While I had that simmering, I brought the nectarines (diced, of course) and the agave to a boil.

I filled my pitcher up with ice and added about 3 cups of rum and 1 cup of schnapps.  I am really guestimating on those numbers.... just eyeball it depending on how strong you want the drink.  Then mix in the tea and nectarine/agave syrup and chill.  It was sooooo refreshing! Eleni, Amanda, Lauren, and I all give it a 10/10! Perfect beach drink.

And since I promised you a two-fer... check out the gorgeous braid Eleni put in my hair today inspired by this photo.

Eggplant Parmesan

My husband and I have been trying to cut out bad carbs from our diet.  Unfortunately, with us both being Italian, this presents us with some difficulties when it comes to menu planning.  Lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti... all OUT.  So when I found this recipe for eggplant parmesan on Pinterest one day, I thought I'd give it a try.  If it can impress my extremely carnivorous Italian husband, then it would be one for the books.

Ingredients:
-1 eggplant
-olive oil
-2 eggs
-2 cups breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
-about 2 cups of spaghetti sauce (ideally, I'd use homemade, but I didn't have any on hand, so I used Prego - traditional)
-1/2 cup mushrooms (I added this to the recipe)
-12 slices of mozzarella cheese (I used fat free mozz)
-parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
-shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Let me first note that I made a few changes to the recipe.  For starters, I'd always been taught to let your eggplant drain for at least 30 minutes before baking it.  So after I sliced the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices, I placed it in a colander to drain.

After 30 minutes, line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray (or spread) some olive oil onto the sheets.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Then, beat the 2 eggs, along with a tablespoon of water, in a bowl.  Then put your 2 cups of breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Dredge each piece of eggplant in the egg mixture first, then coat evenly with the breadcrumbs.  Place onto the covered baking sheet, and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through the cook time.  When you remove the eggplant, it should be a nice golden brown. (*note, if using Panko like I did, the color will likely be a little bit lighter).

Next, in an 8x8 glass baking casserole, begin to layer the following ingredients: sauce first! Followed by eggplant, mushrooms, sliced cheese... and repeat until you have about 3-4 layers.

Finally top with parmesan and shredded mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The finished result should be bubbly and golden brown...

Review: My husband and I both loved this recipe, and we didn't miss the pasta a bit!!!!

DIY Workout Tank? Why Not?!

I'd like to start this post by thanking Mr. Tommy Staples, former Athletic Director of Norview High, for giving me wonderful (though often oversized) coaching attire.  Let me just tell you how much I love being the smallest female coach, and thus, the coach constantly cloaked in men's polo shirts and oversized t-shirts.  Example A) My amazing Nike dry fit:

Looks normal right? Normal except for the fact that the shoulder seams lie slightly below my triceps.  So, my pinspiration for this project came from this site. I am constantly trying to tuck my sleeves up on hot days, so I thought I'd give this DIY tank a try.

Budget: $0 (assuming you have an old t-shirt and some scissors, this pin project is a freebie).

Step one: Cut collar, sleeves, and bottom seam of shirt.

Step two: Deepen the racerback and cut a deep "v" down the center of the back.  Then, cut the neckline how you'd like it.  I found that a low scoop neck worked best, which took off a bit of the top of the writing, but made the best fit in the chest. *note: if doing this project again, I'd cut my "v" a little bit deeper in the back than shown in this picture.  Ideally, the "v" should extend a little bit lower than where the sleeves are cut.

Step 3, take the bottom seam of the shirt and begin wrapping it to pull the back of the shirt into a racerback.  Tie a knot at the top and bottom of the coil, and cut the excess off.

Final (optional) step.... if you'd like your tank longer in the back, and shorter in the front (best if you do, indeed, have an oversized shirt, like me), lay the shirt on the side and cut at a slight angle.

Finally: trim any rough edges and try it on! I love mine!

 Total cost: as projected, nada!

My First Pin Project: Container Garden!

I am about a week and a half behind on my summer of pinning.... but I just embarked on my first adventure (of which I hope to be the first of many!).  My inspiration? A container garden I saw pinned a few months back from this site.  More specifically, I was in love with the idea of using a large silver drink tub for a container garden, as seen below.

So I recruited my crafty friend, Eleni, and we headed out in Chesapeake in search of the materials.  My budget? $100

First stop was Garden Ridge... that place has EVERYTHING! Everything, of course, except a large silver drink tub.  Siri was no help either, as she kept finding me pictures of bath tubs for sale.  I tossed around the idea of using other colored tubs, which Garden Ridge had plenty of... but I had my heart set on the industrial look of the silver tubs.

Alas, Eleni noticed three nesting stools with an industrial finish.  I fell in love.  We decided that using smaller silver tubs and buckets on top of the wood and iron stools would give the same effect.  Total amount spent in Garden Ridge: $175. (Yes, thank you, I am aware that I exceeded my budget by $75 before even leaving the first store.... tis the story of my life.)

After a quick stop at Lowes for soil, herbs, flowers, and some gardening tools, we headed home to start planting!  It took just about 30 minutes of hard labor (most tiring was getting the stools and soil out of Eleni's truck!), and here's the finished product!

Flowers include celosia, butterfly bush, petras, bush on fire, and some assorted succulents.  I also planted thai basil, sweet basil, and rosemary.  I was hoping for chives and parsley as well, but they only had seeds.  I'll keep you posted if they start to spring up!  Total cost of project: $250.... and I love it!!!