Whiskey + Aprons

Tuesday has come and gone and we are only 10 days away from Christmas! Usually this is the time I start to fall off the wagon with eating well, but I am happy to report I haven't had one single Christmas cookie or candy yet. I'm trying to keep anything "bad" out of the house and only splurge on the Eve and Christmas. So far so good ;) I've been trying to load up on protein, veggies and healthy fats. Nothing new that eating this way is the way to go, but sometimes when the weather gets colder and more temptations cross your way, it can get tricky. I started my morning off with an omelette, which was delicious and satisfying. It was simple to whip up and kept me full all the way through lunch. I love making a similar recipe on the weekends, but baking in the oven to make a breakfast frittata. I like to load mine with all sorts of veggies. My omelette below was made up of 1 egg, 1 egg white, 3 strips of turkey bacon, 1 small onion, 5 cherry tomatoes and 1 tbsp of p...

Happy hump day, W+A readers. Last night we picked out our Christmas tree and got it prepped for ornaments and lights. We got most of our decorating done around the condo and plan to put the finishing touches on our tree tonight. These little guys came out though. They are our favorites! Every year we try and find a new space for them to hangout for the season. We started collecting nutcrackers when we first began dating and have been adding to the collection every year. Look at those dapper gentlemen! Last night we were craving some comfort food so I decided to make a lightened up take on fettucine alfredo. I had a spaghetti squash in the fridge so figured I'd use that as our faux fettucine. Here's everything you need to know: Ingredients -1 medium-sized spaghetti squash -1 tbsp butter -3 cloves of garlic, finely minced -2 tbsp flour -1 c of fat-free milk -1 tbsp of light cream cheese (I used WW whipped) -1 c grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons e...

Happy post Thanksgiving lovely readers! I hope you all had an enjoyable turkey day filled with family, food and lots of relaxing. Our Thanksgiving was perfect. We spent the day at my parent's hanging with family, eating our favorite foods (all made by Mama P. herself) and watching the football games. There are so many tasty sides that accompany Thanksgiving Day turkey and my favorite is my mom's homemade stuffing (sausage and all). It's originally my grandmother's recipe and my mom nailed it. Some other favorite sides are stuffed mushrooms, sweet potato casserole and mom's homemade cranberry sauce. Mmm MM mmm. John and I contributed to the day's meal with a baked brie filled with honey, apricot preserve, slivered almonds and brown sugar (it was a hit!) and John whipped up a round of our favorite hot toddies. This year we found Apple Pie whiskey that made this warm indulgence the perfect sweet treat beverage. I think we got everyone a little tipsy by the end...

Happy almost Monday, readers. This weekend flew by way too fast, but only a few more days until Halloween! We are heading to our friends house for a Halloween party and I am pretty excited for us to dress up. John and I have never done a couple's costume before, and I think we nailed this Halloween's ;) We spent most of the weekend picking up some new home goods and headed into the city to review a new restaurant that opened on the Upper West Side called Tessa . It was absolutely delicious! I figured I'd rock some fall stripes, overalls and a red lip. This is definitely one of my favorite seasons for fashion and makeup. Sweaters, scarves long sleeves, boots and makeup shades in reds, berries, browns, wines, and every other rich, deep shade! I haven't gotten my hair done in months, but I am kinda feeling this color that evolved on its own. Sort of ombre-esque. We headed to the outlets and hit up West Elm, William Sonoma and Pottery Barn. We weren't looking for...

Hey there fellow readers. Another day down and a few more until the weekend. The weather is shaping up to be decent and I've been getting in some walking at night, which feels awesome. Trying to savor the last of this glorious fall weather to say the least. Tonight we wanted something hearty and healthy so I decided to make my mom's classic beef stew recipe. Its another easy one with minimal prep and "set it and forget it" cooking instructions. Here is what you'll need for this comfort meal. Ingredients:  -1 lb of beef chuck cut into 2-inch cubes -1/2 cup of all-purpose flour -2 tsps of olive oil -5 large carrots peeled and chopped -4 potatoes peeled and diced -2 yellow onions peeled and diced -1 large can of tomatoe sauce -1/4 cup of cooking wine -garlic powder  -salt -pepper Directions: Take your beef cubes and dredge in your flour tossing a few times to coat all sides. I added a pinch of pepper to my flour. In a deep skillet, heat your olive o...

Happy Monday W+A readers. Hope everyone's weekend was enjoyable and filled with lots of fall cooking! We spent our Sunday celebrating our first wedding anniversary with antiquing, Thai food and indulging in some champagne and wedding cake, which was as delicious as I remember on our wedding night! After work on Friday we headed to Trader Joe's for some special foods that we can't typically get at our local grocery store and we also went a little pumpkin crazy. Talk about pumpkin cranberry and rosemary crisps, pumpkin cheesecake spiced apple cider and some other tasty treats. We also made a variety pack of some seasonal beers and I snagged these adorable little pumpkins for our entryway table decor. Aren't they the cutest? Friday night John whipped together an iced toddy by mixing some Woodford Bourbon, Trader Joe's spiced apple cider and cinnamon to top. It was absolutely delicious. Monday started off pretty busy catching up on some work emails from...

Hey there W+A friends. I have to say, I absolutely love summer and warm weather, but fall is hands down my favorite season, especially since the weather has pretty much stayed warm these past few weeks, minus today's rainy cold front. There is nothing better than warming up with some Starbucks, a good read and my favorite fall scented candles, like pumpkin spiced cheesecake from Bath & Body Works . I've totally been digging my crockpot to prepare some hearty fall meals. Everything from roasts to soups, stews to just about anything else your heart desires can be slow cooked. Its a simple task to wake up in the morning, set your food in your crockpot and come home to the delicious scents of your dinner cooking. The other night I decided to make some slow cooker carnitas. I had a whole pork loin, so instead of roasting it in the oven, I decided to slow cook it for 8 hours. Its an easy meal to prep ahead of time and leftovers are always just as delicious if not more the ...

One more to go until Friday, readers! I hope you all are having a wonderful week. The weather has been spectacular and I am hearing it should last all through the weekend, which makes me very happy. Saturday we are celebrating my 30th Birthday (le sigh) I'm getting up there. But I am happy to hear the weather will be nice and we can all enjoy and hold onto the warmer air for just a little bit longer. Last night I knew John would be home later from work, so I decided to make something that I could prepare ahead of time and then pop in the oven right before he got in. Guiltless chicken enchiladas it was. I had mostly everything I needed at home, but ran out for a few items I didn't have on hand. Like chipotle chili powder. I most likely could have done without since I had standard chili powder in the cupboard, but I figured I needed a little heat in this dish. Here is everything you will need for this delicious, guilt-free dish.   -a pound of chicken breast shredded. I coo...

Happy mid-week to you, readers! We are so close to the weekend and with the short week its been flying by. Our Labor Day weekend was a great one with some plans here and there and still lots of time for some relaxation. John and I typically have a packed calendar, so we love to savor any one-on-one time we can get in on the weekends—catching up on Netflix, cooking a new dish or cocktail and running errands for the week.  My company gave us off on Friday (what a treat!) so I decided to head to the beach and enjoy some me time with new magazine and some iced coffee. This little guy wasn't too amused that I didn't have any tasty snacks to share. It was a bit breezy at first, but as soon as noon hit the sun was shining and the weather turned out to be perfect. Since we've been back from Italy and Greece over a month now, John has been big on throwing together these Greek-inspired cucumber salads. They call for olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta and red onion. He typica...