Roasted Artichoke with Mint

"A woman is like an artichoke, you must work hard to get to her heart."

- Inspector Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther (2006)

Roasted Artichoke with Mint

So simple, yet so good.

What you will need:

- 10 oz package of artichoke hearts

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1 tablespoon crushed mint

- salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, toss artichoke hearts, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a bowl. When the hearts are coated, cut them in half.

Cover a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the halved hearts on it. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle with crushed mint.

Enjoy!

Inspired by a recipe found in Cosmopolitan magazine

<3 A

Hello Kitty Madness

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." 

- Mary Lou Cook

I previously gave myself a newspaper manicure and it inspired me to be a little more creative one day. This was the outcome:

You will need:
- Base coat
- Top coat
- White nail polish
- Rubbing alcohol
- Orange Wood Stick
- Printed picture of Hello Kitty
- Printed picture of polka dots


Step by step:
1) Apply base coat
2) Apply two layers of white nail polish and finish with top coat
3) Let dry
4) Cut out printed picture to fit nail
5) Soak picture in rubbing alcohol
6) Apply to nail, press down and rub with finger or orange wood stick for at least 30 seconds
7) Make sure the ink from the image is properly transferred onto nail before removing the paper
8) Slowly peel paper off of nail
9) Clean off any residue of paper on nails with rubbing alcohol
10) Repeat on other nails
11) Finish with top coat

Side note: It may take a couple of tries to receive desired results... but practice makes perfect!

Inspired by R

Meet A...

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."

- Coco Chanel

Meet A. . .

A female in her early 20's with a major passion for fitness and fashion. She enjoys all things fun and glamorous. She is always up for trying something new and never backs down from a challenge.

Her current obsession: party planning. Anything that involves good music, good food and good company = an awesome time! In a dream world, she would plan fabulous parties for her friends and family, and occasionally a star or two. As long as those around her are enjoying themselves, A couldn’t be happier!

She plans on making all of her dreams and goals a reality, no matter how difficult they might be. Anything is possible with a glass of wine and killer heels!

Meet R...

“Photography is my passion, Music is my sanity, Food is my drug, and Love is my life.”

- R.

Meet R... 

A female in her early 20's with a major passion for photography and cooking. She enjoys all things creative and beautiful. Easily distracted and constantly looking to learn new things, she tends to take on a new task before the first is even finished!

Her current obsession: Learning a different language.... or 2..... or maybe even 3... She loves to travel and hopes to one day experience all the different cultures that the world has to offer. R's dream job is to get paid to travel, eat, and shop! Just like they do on the travel channel!

Full of dreams and hopes, she's determined on making 'PLAN A' happen. No matter what it takes....

Grilled, Boiled and Baked

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

- Virginia Woolf

Always hungry. . .so it came as no surprise when we dedicated the day solely to cooking.

On the Menu

Lunch: Grilled Asparagus and Mozzarella Sandwich

For two sandwiches
- 4 slices of whole wheat bread
- 6 asparagus stalks
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons of butter

1. Chop asparagus stalks and toss into boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain.
2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
3. Place butter-side down on cooking surface (we used a George Foreman grill but a frying pan will work just the same).
4. Sprinkle mozzarella and asparagus on top and close sandwich
5. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.
6. Enjoy!

Inspired by http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/06/asparagus-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

Dinner: Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabello with a side of Lemon Garlic Rice

For Stuffed Mushrooms:

- 2 tablespoons oil

- 6-8 medium sized portabello mushrooms, stems and gills removed

- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and coarsely chopped

- 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

- 1/4 cup mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup mozzarella

- 1 clove garlic, chopped

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 tablespoon oil

- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated

1. Brush the mushrooms with oil and roast in a preheated 450F oven on a baking sheet with the inside facing up until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile mix the spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, mayo, mozzarella, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Mix the oil, breadcrumbs and parmesan.

4. Divide the filling between the mushrooms and sprinkle on the bread crumbs.

5. Roast until the filling is hot and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Courtesy of http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/02/portabello-mushrooms-stuffed-with.html

For Lemon Garlic Rice:

- 1 cup white rice

- 1 cup water

- 1 stalk cilantro

- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon pepper

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons butter

1. Boil water in medium saucepan.

2. While water is coming to a boil, mix all ingredients together.

3. Stir rice mixture into boiling water.

4. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

5. Serve it while it's hot!

Created by A and R

Here is the final product! But. . . the Oriental burnt the rice and the Italian put too much garlic! We ended up eating crunchy rice and a pound of garlic. Oh my. How does that even happen?!?!

To make up for our failure we decided to do chocolate face masks and have some hot chocolate for dessert.

For the masks, we combined 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon natural yogurt. Mix, mix, mix, mix!

Apply mixture to face and leave on for 20-25 minutes. While waiting we relaxed and listened to Adele Pandora with a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

Rinse with warm water then pat dry. Don't forget to moisturize!

Inspired by bubzbeauty at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKbKgQyTc6Q

We hope you enjoyed our day as much as we did!

- A & R

The Promise

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

- Frederick Keonig

Meet A and R, two girls who became friends because of their love of fashion and all things glamorous. Fast forward through all the fun and fabulousness to a year and a half later, where they no longer see the flashing lights and beautiful people of the life they used to live but instead are stuck in a monotonous and mundane lifestyle that revolves around work, and not much else.

After what seemed like the millionth conversation about complaining how different their lives used to be and how they no longer feel the spark and excitement in their daily routines, they decided a change needed to be made. They made a promise to each other to have a different view on life and to never take any day for granted. With that came along La Via Della Felicita - The Path To Happiness. Through this blog, you will experience their love for fashion, food, fitness, and music.

Hopefully this blog will encourage you to find your path to happiness.