The Amazing Dia Frampton

This is Dia's performance from the final night on The Voice. She is absolutely lovely and her voice is gorgeous!

Tonight was the results show and we found out that Dia got 2nd place (by a miniscule 2 percent!) right behind the also amazingly-talented Javier Colon. This song, "Inventing Shadows" will definitely be purchased by me ASAP because it is a must-have!

Have a listen and then go out and support the Utah native, Dia Frampton, by buying her CRAZY GOOD song on iTunes.

Easy, Healthy and Delicious: No Bake Mac and Cheese

I found this eye-catching recipe the other day on www.eatingwell.com (click here to see it) and it became a must for me to try to make this mac and cheese! I have to say up-front that this is definitely going to be added to my recipe arsenal and it turned out to be seriously delicious and apparently healthy too! Score.

Also, I do have to mention that I altered the recipe quite a bit from the one I found on Eating Well, so my annotations will be included next to the original recipe. I'm sure either way would be divine.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
  

(I USED ONE PERCENT JUST FYI)

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  

(ALL I HAD WAS BLACK PEPPER AND IT WORKED FINE)

• 3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  

(I SUBSTITUTED IT WITH MOZZARELLA AND USED ONE CUP)

• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  

(BROWN SPICY? AGAIN, ALL I HAD)

PREPARATION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta for 4 minutes. Add frozen broccoli and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 cups milk in another large pot over medium-high heat until just simmering. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk; return to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in Cheddar, Parmesan and mustard until the cheese is melted.
3. Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the cheese sauce. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until heated through, about 1 minute.

Servings: 4

Calories: 412 per serving

Total Time: 25 minutes

For more details check out the link to the recipe above.


Well, I hope you enjoy. I sure did. This will become one of my go-to meals in no time.

"Bang Bang Bang"

This is one of my current favorite songs! I sort of have an obsession with Christina Perri. If you haven't heard her "Jar of Hearts" you really really need to listen to it. I just love her sound and tone SO much! Enjoy. :)

Outfit #1

As promised, here are pictures of me wearing one of the new outfits I bought! Enjoy.

The Unseen, Unforgettable, Ultimate...

So, here I begin my dive into writing about fashion. I do have to say that I have always loved fashion, but never thought about it seriously enough to write a big portion of my blog about it...until now.

Today was the first time in a long time that I was able to go shopping! Even though hitting the stores is something I can do now without too much guilt, I still could never pay retail price for anything. Ever.

My favorite places to shop are Ross Dress for Less, Plato's Closet, and I've recently been introduced to the amazing, hidden wonders of the DI.

I may have gotten a little overly excited today finally being able to shop, but I did find some fabulous things!

I found this teal cardigan at Plato's Closet. Amazing deal. And gorgeous. Also I found the black and white camisole that's underneath at Plato's too. I kind of have an obsession with black, white and teal.

These gray skinny jeans and vintage print tank top were gems I found at Ross. If the teal cardigan weren't so amazing, these two would definitely be my favorite finds of the night.


Lovely snakeskin frame wallet I found on clearance at Target! Love it.


Super cheap necklace: Plato's.


Other super cheap necklace: Plato's.


On the right is a purse from Plato's. $8. Here's a snapshot of all of my recent purchases. I'm in love.

Well, that's all for now. I haven't actually worn these things yet, so there will definitely be more pictures when I do. I'll end with this great quote...

“It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure.” ~Coco Chanel