Snowmageddon 2014!

As a born and raised Florida girl, my time in the snow has been limited. I saw snow a few times in Colorado when I was little, and again in NYC when I moved there in 2007 (2 days into my February move, I realized that I needed to invest in a pair of waterproof boots ASAP!). Upon moving to Atlanta, I was pretty excited at the chance that we might see snow. Last year, Mother Nature just teased us with really cold weather and a few days of flurries. The last time Atlanta had a real snowfall was in 2011, so the odds weren't too strong of us getting another snow day soon. Every now and then, the 10 day forecast will show a little snow icon, only to disappoint yet again with a couple of flurries (if that) and more cold.

However, that all changed this Tuesday morning when I looked out my window. Holy crap - the meteorologists were right! We had snow! Not just flurries, but actual snow. And it was even sticking to the ground! I swear, I felt like a little kid, just sitting by the window watching the snow fall. I got a text from Mike saying that he'd be home around 2:00, and for me to wait to bring Penny outside until she got back since she'd never seen snow. We were psyched to see her reaction to it. Mike came home and walked in the door with a sled, of course. We put Penny's little pink down coat on her and took her outside. By now, the snow had accumulated quite a bit. He put her down, I had the camera ready to film, and...totally uneventful. We expected her to hop around or act like she didn't know where she was when instead, she walked around sniffing it, eating it, and peeing in it like it was nothing new. Turns out Penny loves the snow. Who knew?! We let her run around in it for awhile and she had a blast. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the park up the street. Seriously, you would have thought this dog had died and gone to heaven. What shocked us even more, was her reaction to the sled. Her reaction to the snow was un-exciting, so we were SURE she would freak out when she saw the sled. Nope. She loved that too. Mike would go to the top of the hill and she would follow him up there, and then run down the hill alongside him as he would go down the hill. It was quite cute, actually! After that, she ran around like the happiest dog on earth. Yesterday, the snow had stopped falling but it had accumulated even more on the ground, so back to the park we went. I tried the sled a little...down the world's smallest hill. I'm so accident prone and now that I'm carrying precious cargo, I didn't want to risk running into a tree.

The snow is starting to melt today, but I'm SO excited that I was actually able to experience some real snow. It's a good thing I still had those boots... As much fun as we had in the snow, unfortunately, not everyone had the same experience. I'm sure you've seen on the news or online that Atlanta was in a crisis the last couple of days. A lot of people think it's because we can't handle the snow, but it's not. Our government officials didn't handle the situation properly, and let all businesses and schools out at the same time, and didn't order the streets to be prepped to handle the snow and black ice. A lot of people were stuck in traffic for hours...some over 24 hours. Some schools stayed open and set up a place for students to sleep in the gyms overnight. Because the roads weren't properly prepped, there were nearly 1,300 accidents due to ice. It was pretty crazy. Mike got home from work in about 1.5-2 hours which is nothing compared to what others dealt with. Fortunately, it's over now, but it was such a mess. I just thank God that Mike made it home safe and that I was home, and that we were able to enjoy the time together. 

Here are some pics from our days in the park with our little ice princess (whose 3rd birthday happens to be today!). Enjoy!

Walking on our frozen fountain.

Is this not the happiest dog you've ever seen??

Our courtyard. 

The park by us, totally covered in snow.

Sledding down the hill with dad! She preferred running alongside it. 

Off they go!

Making sure mama's safe on the sled.

Making new friends in the snow!

Pretzel Parmesan Crusted Chicken

A few days ago, I was watching a show where they were making pretzel coated chicken. It looked amazing but it was also fried. Now, even though I'm pregnant and you could probably fry anything and I'd eat it, I wanted something a little healthier (besides, I live in Atlanta and would rather spend my fried food calories on some REAL fried chicken). Last night, I came up with an alternative pretzel crusted chicken that was baked in pretzel crumbs and parmesan cheese and it worked out quite well. I had the parmesan on hand, but I'm sure you could substitute any shredded cheese in your fridge and it would be fine. I may try it with cheddar next...

Pretzel Parmesan Crusted Chicken 

- Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into about 2" cubes

- 1 1/2 cups of crushed pretzel crumbs - the actual amount of pretzels you'll use will vary, depending on the size (I used the small pretzel sticks)

- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

- 1 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder

- 1 tsp paprika

- salt to taste, if using unsalted pretzels

- 1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 375. Place wire rack on a baking sheet and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. 

Cube chicken and set aside.

In a food processor, crush pretzels and parmesan until you have about a cup and a half. You'll have some fine crushed pieces (like breadcrumbs), and some larger chunks. Toss into a large Ziploc bag and add the garlic powder, paprika, and salt (if using).

Beat the egg in a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and add to the bag, about 1-2 pieces at a time. Make sure each piece is nicely coated in the crumb mixture. 

Place chicken pieces on the wire rack and bake for 30 minutes (the rack will allow them to cook evenly on top and bottom).

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce on the side. I served these with BBQ sauce to dip them in. 

Serve along with your favorite sides and that's it! I made a simple carrot/zucchini dish, marinated in herb infused olive oil and garlic, and roasted for about 25-30 minutes at 375, and rice pilaf (which was Uncle Ben's. I cheated.)

If you reheat these as leftovers, I recommend heating them in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes, or until hot. Microwaving them might make them soggy. Enjoy!

Pickles & Peanut Butter

Wondering why I've been quiet for so long?? SURPRISE!!! It's been a busy few weeks in the Gorecki household, with most of the excitement surrounding our big secret that we can FINALLY spill. Baby Gorecki will be joining us in June, and we are beyond thrilled!

I'm now 14 weeks and feeling really good. Fortunately, Baby G. has been good to mama. I felt a little queasy and REALLY tired in the first few weeks, but all that went away around week 9. Now, I've got lots more energy back and I'm staying up past 9:00. The doctor said everything looks great and the baby's nice and healthy. Last Monday, we were able to go in for our most recent ultrasound and we heard the heartbeat, which was amazing! We won't know what it is for a few more weeks, but we're definitely going to find out. Neither of us really have a preference - we're just so excited. I've been having a hunch it's a boy, but had a dream last week that it was a girl, so who knows.

Thankfully, I haven't had any crazy cravings (yet). I've really been wanting sweet stuff - not necessarily junk food - just anything sweet. I've been trying to curb the cravings with fruit and yogurt, but I still have my chocolate every day. I've also been wanting lots of cheese. The baby's probably gonna come out looking like a block of Dubliner Irish Cheddar if this keeps up. I'm still working out regularly so hopefully that takes care of that cheese problem...

Other than that, things are really good. Our families and friends are so excited, and I'm pretty sure Penny has a hunch that I'm pregnant too. She's been more protective than usual lately. I think she'll be a great big sister! Though I'm pretty sure she'll think all the hype (and toys) are for her.

Here's the announcement we posted on Facebook. We couldn't resist - we had to do it! The other one is the pic we used for our Christmas card pic this year.

Can't take credit for this one. I saw something similar on Pinterest and fell in LOVE with it!!

Thanks for bearing with me while I kept this a secret! More posts (and belly pics) to come soon :)

Love,
Brie & Baby G.

My Husband Hates Beans Bean-less Chili

I feel like that's an appropriate name for this recipe. As you know from previous posts, my husband Mike HATES beans. Which is a shame, because I love them. Not to mention, they're good for you. I have a great chili recipe and every time I make it, Mike pushes all the beans to the side and asks if I can make it bean-less. Sigh. When I think "bean-less chili" I think of a big bowl of meat. So, out of the kindness of my heart, I altered the recipe and added in some extra veggies to sub for the beans. It was actually pretty good and best of all, Mike-approved :)

Mike's Bean-less Chili

- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lbs of lean, ground beef
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- 28 oz can of tomato puree
- 6 to 8 oz ale or lager style beer
- Salt and pepper to taste

Chop all vegetables. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, peppers, zucchini, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt to taste. Cook about 7-8 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the garlic.

These were a good hearty option to replace the beans. Carrots and corn would work too!

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the beef. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato puree, and beer. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes.

Remove cover and cook for another 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

* If you don't want to use the beer, do not drain the diced tomatoes. You can use the juice from that instead.

Enjoy!

Catching Up! Falling Leaves & Doggie Swag

Ahh...fall is here! I absolutely LOVE living in a city that actually has a fall, which happens to be my most favorite season. I loved having a fall when I lived in NYC and was so bummed when I moved back to Florida and back to 85 degree Thanksgivings. It's been beautiful here the last few weeks - especially this past week. Clear, blue skies with no humidity and fantastic cool temps in the morning. I actually like that I have to put a sweater on to take Penny out in the mornings and leaving the air off and the patio doors open has been awesome. The leaves are starting to fall and I noticed some red on a few of the trees yesterday. Love it!

Fall also means it's pumpkin time! I love anything with pumpkin. I even have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to pumpkin recipes: http://www.pinterest.com/bgorec/my-pumpkin-obsession/. I went to Target yesterday and walked out with pumpkin coffee creamer, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin spice M&Ms, and pumpkin pie spice tea.

This is what my morning included today. Yum!

Now to a totally different subject - dog bandanas! I've been selling baby shower decorations on Etsy for almost a year now, and not too long ago, decided to open up a dog store on the site called Bark Street Treats. I started off with dog treats and once I inherited my sewing machine, started making dog bandanas for Penny and decided to put those up there as well. It's been great so far! The most popular ones seem to be the chevron pattered ones, and I just put some Halloween ones up there last week. I've even had a few people send me pics of their pups wearing the bandanas I made, which I love seeing :)

You can click here to go to my shop. It's been a fun side project so far!

Off to get a few things done before taking Penny to Paws in the Park Atlanta. Have a great day!

Slainte!

Happy almost-fall everyone! It's been a fun few months for us...in the midst of hectic, everyday life, we made a very special trip - to Ireland! I came back with 1,061 pics. Yes, that's the actual number. I'm STILL sifting through them all and want to talk about all the places we saw and things we did, but for now, here's a little taste of the greenest place I've ever been. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen so much green. Or sheep.

Fun With Neon! Throw Pillow Makeover

First off, remember these crazy mutts? Finn left on Friday night and Penny slept ALL weekend. Seriously, this dog was in total zombie mode. How cute are they, though??

I made those bandanas for them last week. They were pretty easy to make and I like how they slip over the collar instead of tying around the neck. I'm making Penny another one this week, so I'll post pics of how I did that in a few days.

Sorry for the no-so-awesome quality pics. Those were from my phone. They were just too cute not to share :)

Anyway...I wanted to share my new neon-trimmed throw pillows. I really wanted new throw pillows for our sleeper sofa in the guest room. The old ones I had in there were from Pier 1, and I've had them since the days of yore.

Boring.

Since I started working with Fabric.com a few months ago, I've come across so many fabrics that I fall in love with. We're allowed to take the sample fabrics home, which is coming in handy now that I have my sewing machine. Now, I have a confession to make. I love neon. My inner 80s child just can't get enough of it. Hardly a day went by in the 80s where I didn't leave my house looking like a box of highlighters. Those days are over however, I love using bright neon colors as an accent color - especially next to dark colors. I was playing around with some of my fabrics this weekend, and came across a combo that I fell in love with - dark grey and neon green. Who knew?!

. 

I started toying around with a few pattern combos. Being new to this whole sewing thing, I made it more complicated than it should have been. I finally came up with a pattern that I liked, that was surprisingly easy to do. 

Step 1: Cut fabric to size. To make 2 throw pillows, you'll need to cut out 4 squares and 4 side strips. I made the main squares 16" x 16" each, and made each neon strip 4.5" x 16". 

Start by sewing one strip to one side of a square. Remember to sew the wrong sides together so you can eventually turn it inside out. I used a straight seam and a 3/8" inseam.

Step 2: Do the same thing on the opposite side of the square. You'll end up with this:

Step 3: Iron the seams down to flatten them out. This will help the pillow lay better and will help you sew through them easier.

Step 4: Sew the other square to the opposite side of one of the neon strips (it doesn't matter which one).

Step 5: Fold it over (with the wrong sides still facing out), and sew the last non-sewn neon end to the other non-sewn end of the square fabric. They should be all connected and look like this:

Don't forget to iron down the 2 new seams.

Step 6: Line up the seams of each so that they are even, and sew entirely down one side. Do the same on the other, but leave a 4-5 inch opening on that one.

Step 7: Stuff away! I took the stuffing out of the old pillows and used that. These pillows were also slightly larger than the old ones, so I took a spare flat pillow that we had in the linen closet, and used some of the stuffing from that to finish them off. Either hand sew, or carefully use your machine to close up the seam.

The end result. I love them! I never would have thought to mix those colors, but I love them. The neon adds the perfect pop of color.

She sees a camera and immediately has to jump in. God forbid I don't include her.

What do you think? Not gonna lie, I totally wanna decorate the room with neon now. Though I'm sure that Mike would veto that in about 2 seconds flat... 

In case you're wondering (and are as smitten as I am with them). Here are the fabrics that I used:

Grey: Moda Shades of Black Dilly Dally Grey

Green: Riley Blake Neon Green