A New Year, A New Beginning

Happy New Year! 2012 was a truly amazing year for me — graduating college, moving back to Maryland, getting a job that I love, making some fabulous new friends and moving into our first grown-up apartment with my boyfriend.

Though a year of many firsts is over, I can’t wait to see what new firsts I have to look forward to. Along with my personal resolutions, I’ve made a short list of goals for the year:

1. Blog or vlog at least twice a week (brownie points for more!)
2. Update my website’s design and content
3. Go to the gym (twenty steps from my door! no excuses) at least every other day
4. Take more photos
5. Read a new book every month

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Comment below and tell me what’s on your 2013 list.

I’m Officially on YouTube!

I’m hopping on the vlogging band wagon and joining YouTube’s many channels. You can find Stuff I Spend My Money On’s videos here.

Check out my first video detailing my purchases this weekend from Ulta and Sally Beauty!

If you love this vlog post and want to see more — subscribe to my channel by clicking the SUBSCRIBE button to the left above the video.

Happy Watching!

 

xoxo Karlee

Celebrating the Day AFTER Valentine’s Day

Every year, right around February 10th, a sense of panic consumes my boyfriend. After over five years of dating he still gets confused about what to do around holidays, birthdays and anniversaries… somehow it’s a shock that I turn another year older every mid January (did I mention his birthday is two days after mine?)

To make things slightly less stressful, I proposed we celebrate what I consider truly the most romantic day of the year – February 15th.

Have you ever seen those people picking through 70% off heart-shaped boxes of truffles, sparkly red glitter headgear and the few boxes of conversation hearts hanging out in the corner of CVS’ shelving? Yeah — those are my people.

Anyone who would choose to dine at a ridiculously crowded restaurant with an insane prefix menu and buy a dozen red roses the morning of the 14th is crazy. The 15th is the new 14th. Go with it.

For my frugal efforts, I was awarded with 24 gorgeous pink roses (which apparently they were almost paying people to take,) adorable heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and the most hilariously round plush little woodland creature ever created.

Dinner (made by moi) consisted of bruschetta, penne alla vodka, salad and a sweet bottle of chianti.

BRUSCHETTA

Place fresh-cut baked with drizzled olive oil on a cookie sheet and place in the broiler for about 1 minute.

Take out and place fresh mozzarella slices onto the bread and place back in the broiler for another 2 minutes or so (check every so often so you aren’t burning the bread!)

 Cut two small tomatoes into fourths and blend in a food processor (or chop if you’re not lazy like I am) until small enough for a salsa-like mix. then, do the same with fresh basil, adding a bit of olive oil to the mix. Add the two blends together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix and place onto melted cheese/bread from the broiler. EASY, delicious appetizer in less than 20 minutes.

SALAD

For the salad (I apparently didn’t take a photo of this) I used mixed greens, one peeled and sliced cucumber, slices of an asian pear and  croutons along with my boyfriend’s mother’s homemade salad dressing recipe:

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tbs dijon mustard

1 tbs shallots

5 tbs olive oil

pinch of salt & pepper

whisk or use a food processor to mix and viola! amazing salad dressing

 PENNE ALLA VODKA

I first had this dish when I was in Florence and completely fell in love with it. A spicy mix of savory and heat make this pasta dish a must for any italian cuisine lover. I’ll admit this recipe takes a bit of time, but with some patience, it will come out delicious! *I used whole grain pasta* 

 

I hope everyone had a fabulous *post* Valentine’s Day!

Thank You!

Thank you to all my amazing loyal blog readers for making yesterday Stuff I Spend My Money On‘s most trafficked day yet!I can’t believe almost a year later it’s still up and running and I have actual fans who read every new post. Love you guys.

~Karlee <3

Baked Apples

It’s officially the holiday season! And for me, that means food! I’m in Rome for another couple weeks and while feeling a bit sorry for myself that I’m missing all the holiday cheer at home, I decided to bring a little to my  apartment here!

My next three posts are all about super easy-to-make treats that’ll get you in the holiday spirit and make your house smell amazing for hours!

 

Baked Apples

Baked apples have always been a favorite of mine, and how could they not? They’re delicious! As my roommate, Alyssa, put it, “it’s like the inside of an apple pie.” Making them is really easy and only takes about 50 minutes, including bake time.

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

 

Sugar, Cinnamon, Butter

 

2.  Mix sugar (can be brown sugar if that’s what you like), cinnamon and butter in a bowl. I never measure this out, so eyeball about how much you’d want to fill an apple with.

3. Core out a few apples with a knife and a small spoon.

4.  Fill each cored apple with the sugar mixture

5. Place apples into a baking pan

6. Fill about an inch and a half of the pan with boiling water

7. Bake for about 35-40 minutes

8. Take out, let cool, sprinkle on some cinnamon and enjoy!

Hint: Vanilla ice cream makes this ohhh so much more decadent.

Another Hint!: Using sugar substitute as well as a low fat butter product makes this a much healthier sweet treat.

Health in Hydration

Water is the oldest symbol of health, immortality and wealth, used in ancient sculpture and paintings to symbolize the eternal greatness and power of the Gods in both Greek and Roman tradition.
I’m sure everyone has heard the “drink eight glasses of water” advice more times than they can count, but you might be more willing to follow the rule after you hear the hidden benefits.
Reasons you should drink more water:
1.  Not only will you be and feel healthier, but your skin with glow with a radiance it has never had. Notice in the winter your skin takes on a sallow, more fragile look? The vast majority of moisture in the air that your skin relies on to look its best is no longer there and thus comes the need for tubs and tubs of Nivea. While moisturizing from the outside is always a plus, moisturizing from the inside is a MUST. Drinking “eight glasses” or two extra large bottles of water everyday will plump up your skin cells, giving it the reminiscent of summer glow.
2. Water makes your nails shiner. Along with a bit of olive oil in your diet, extra doses of water will help breakage prone nails grow stronger and take on the illustrious shine we all crave.
3.  You’ll be more flexible. A dehydrated body is a stiff body. Ever think about what you’ve done right around the time you get a charliehorse in your calf? More than likely you haven’t had much water and your body is yelling at you with the muscle strain, begging to be hydrated.
4.  You’ll be an all around healthier person. And let’s face it… a healthier person, is a happier person, is a more beautiful person. And that’s the goal right?

Tip: A balanced diet full of vegetables and fruit and enriched with protein and fiber will dramatically better the look of your skin, hair, nails and even eyes! If your body is happy on the inside, it’ll look happier on the outside.

Fiori di Zucca Fritte

I’ve been wanting to expand my blog a little for a while and I figured since I’m living in Italy for a bit, now is the perfect time!

Fried Zucchini Flowers, or Fiori di Zucca Fritte, as we call them here, are amazing. I had never tried these delectable little guys until a few weeks ago, and now I can’t get enough.

I decided to attempt making some on my own…(mind you, I have VERY few kitchen appliances here in my little apartment in Rome. Just wait until I get home!)

 

After finely dicing mushrooms, onions, zucchini and tomatoes, I sauteed them in a pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, pepper and salt.

 

Flour, Water, Milk, Water, Pepper, Salt

 

Mix about 2 cups of flour, equal parts milk and water, a pinch of salt and pepper. I didn’t measure out the liquid, but you want a thick creamy consistency.

 

 

Mozzarella and Veggies

 

Melt down some shredded mozzarella (I used whole balls, but it’s easier to find shredded in the States). Add the mozzarella to the sautéed veggies and mix.

 

Zucchini Flowers

 

Pluck the stamen out of a few zucchini flowers and make room inside of the flower with you finger. Pour some of the cheese and vegetable mix and close the top of the flower. Dip the flowers into the already-made flour mix.

Drop the flowers (only a couple at a time) into a pan with a bit of vegetable oil at the bottom. Slowly sear the batter to fry.

 

Fried Zucchini Flowers

And there you go! Take out the flowers once they’ve browned a bit and enjoy!