One of my favorite things has to be Date Night with my Hubby. When we sit aside a special night to go out and we actually make plans to do something fun, instead of driving into town and asking each other where we should eat haha!

Another thing that make Date Night extra special is dressing up. I am normally a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, so when I take the time and actually get ready it's a lot of fun. I always have my husband in mind when I'm deciding what to wear. I know the things he likes to see me in so I always take that into consideration. Yes, I am dressing up for myself too, and I do enjoy the extra coat of mascara and lipstick, but after all it is Date Night, and he's the one who's going to be looking at me all evening.

The first thing I pick out to wear is of course the most fun, my lingerie. I recently heard about Adore Me, it's an online membership where you can choose lingerie, sleepware, swimwear, hosiery, loungeware and more, to be shipped right to your door monthly, or as often as you choose. Free shipping and exchanges are an awesome perk as well. All I had to do was answer a few questions about sizes and style, and then my showroom was filled with the things that I like! Easy peasy! It seems like a fun easy way to spice things up without having leaving the house ;) Choosing lingerie has never been so easy! 

Then comes the clothes. I do not consider myself a fashionista by any means. Like I said before, I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I love cute fun outfits, but I struggle when I try and put them together. So when I am choosing an outfit to wear, less is more. I try to keep things simple. I usually go for a dress and a jacket, or tight jeans and a flirty top. I try to look good for my Hubby, but I have to be comfortable too!

Next is my shoes. I am not your typical woman with tons and tons of shoes to choose from. But I do have a couple pairs of fun wedges that I wear only on special occasions, and Date Night falls under that category. So I pull out a pair of my favorites and I'm good to go. I love wedges because they look good with everything and they are much easier to walk in than heels!

Finally I pick out my jewelry and accessories. I always wear the same rings, so that's easy for me to choose. Then I pick some blingy earrings, or a statement necklace, and some fun bangles. Depending on the weather I might wear a cute scarf or leggings. And I always walk out the door with one of my MK bags.

Here's what I wore on our latest Date Night.

Black Plunge Bodycon Dress from Miss Guided
Black Gladiator Wedges from DSW

Michael Kors Cindy Satchel from Michael Kors
Lingerie Set from Adore Me

Vegetable Beef Soup

Right now my husband and I are on a little getaway in Sun Valley, Idaho. The seasons are changing and everything is bursting with color. Cooler weather means sweaters, blankets, and comfort food. I love a good, filling, hearty soup. Something that warms you from the inside out, is hard to beat.

When I think of this soup I always think of grandma. She made the best food and I especially loved her vegetable beef soup. Thank goodness my mom was taught by the best, she is an amazing cook too. I love that recipes get passed down from generation to generation, and this is one of those recipes.

Today I am going to be sharing our recipe for homemade Vegetable Beef Soup. This is super filling and is packed with tons of flavor, vegetables, and tender beef.

Here's everything that you'll need:

And you can't forget the shredded beef roast and the broth...

I prefer using chuck roast for my vegetable soup. There is more fat in a chuck roast and we all know that fat = flavor.

First I add the potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, and onions to a large pot.

 Add the beef broth and salt & pepper.

 Cook over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower temperature, cover, and let simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender but not all the way done, approximately 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

 Next add in the tomatoes, corn and green beans. Simmer for approximately 10-15 more minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are done.

Stir in the peas and shredded beff, and simmer about 5 more minutes.

Time to enjoy it and share with friends and family! This makes a large pot of soup, and serves up to 10 people. My favorite way to eat this is with a little bit of chili powder and some buttered saltines.

 Ingredients:

• Beef Chuck Roast
• 8 cups Water
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• 1 quart Tomatoes, I use home canned
• 6 Potatoes, cubed
• 1 can Green Beans
• 1 cup Green Peas, I use frozen
• 1-2 cups Carrots
• 1 small Onion, diced
• 1 cup Corn Kernels, frozen 
• 1 cup Celery, chopped
• 1-2 cups Green Cabbage, chopped 
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper

Directions: For the Roast & Broth

1. Place the roast inside a roaster pan, salt and pepper it well, cover with a lid, and brown it in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 60 minutes.
2. Remove from the oven, flip it over, and add about 8 cups of water to the roster pan, or enough to almost cover the roast. 
3. Turn the oven down to 350, cover with a lid, and bake it for approximately 4 hours, flipping it over halfway through. 
4. Roast is done when it is tender and falls apart/shreds easily.
5. For my broth, I use a fat separator, like this, and get most of the fat from the broth before adding it into the soup. If you need more broth you can always add some boxed broth, I prefer Swansons.

Directions: For Vegetable Soup

1. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, and onions to a large pot.
2. Add in the beef broth and salt & pepper.
3. Cook over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the temperature, cover, and let simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender but not all the way done, approximately 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Next add in the tomatoes, corn and green beans. Simmer for approximately 10-15 more minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are done.
5. Stir in the peas and shredded beff, and simmer about 5 more minutes.
6. Enjoy it and share with friends and family! This makes a large pot of soup, and serves up to 10 people. *Optional but recommend is to serve with a little bit of chili powder and buttered saltine crackers.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Let me know what your favorite soup is, and have a sweet and wonderful day!

Photography Sneak Peek ~ Tad & Heidi Engagement

Young Love...

I just love to photograph engagements. There is always so much love and laughter between the couple. I always leave with sore checks from smiling so much.

Tad and Heidi we so much fun to photograph. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful bride-to-be, and the groom-to-be, was so easy going, I don't think I had to ask him to smile once. Everything was genuine and I am in LOVE with this sneak peek.

The setting and the couple were perfect. I kept telling them that I was in LOVE with the pictures as I was taking them. Then once I got them on my Mac, I just squealed, and I kind of wanted to to text them some pictures at 1am, but I refrained lol.

Obviously I had a hard time choosing a few favorites, so here's a whole bunch...enjoy...

Thank you so much for stopping by! And congratulations to Tad & Heidi! I wish you a beautiful and sweet life together <3 Have a sweet and lovely day :)

One-Pot Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Simmering Saturday...

I don't know about you but I am always trying to squeeze more vegetables into my diet. I don't have picky kids, but I do have a picky husband who doesn't like "green" things because "that's what rabbits eat." Oh brother...*insert eye roll* So anytime I can't trick him into eating more "green" things, I do it!

The summer is starting to wind down but my zucchini plants are still producing like crazy! I try to find new ways to cook with zucchini and the other day I thought of this yummy side dish. Cheesy Zucchini Rice. Cheesy goodness with a full serving of vegetables, what's not to love!

This is so easy to make and it's super delicious. In the words of my husband "this is really good, way better than the normal rice you make." I make a lot of plain steamed white rice lol. He didn't even question the little "green" flecks in the rice either. He filled his plate, ate it, and then had seconds. Win for the wifey!

I had everything I needed for this dish, and it only takes 25 minutes to make, start to finish. Also it's made in just one pot which makes clean up super easy! I served mine with pulled pork, but this would be delicious with just about everything, grilled chicken, or fish would be superb.

Here is what you'll need:

Add the rice, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to a medium sized saucepan.

Cook over medium heat and stir until the butter is completely melted and the garlic is aromatic, approximately 90 seconds.

Pour in the chicken broth, stir the pan a couple times, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the zucchini and cheese until everything is mixed together.

Voila! One-Pot Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Long Grain White Rice
• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup Grated Zucchini

Directions:

1. Add the rice, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to a medium sized saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat and stir until the butter is completely melted and the garlic is aromatic, approximately 90 seconds.
3. Pour in the chicken broth stir the pan a couple times, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the zucchini and cheese until everything is mixed together.
5. Serves 4, including your picky kids and husband lol!

This would be easy to make even more healthy just by swapping out the white rice with quinoa or brown rice. If you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth it would be vegetarian friendly too.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a sweet, cheesy, wonderful day :)