baked brie with apricot preserves & soppressata

tonight we made one of my favorites .

this brie wrapped in croissant rolls with

apricot preserves & soppressata is great to have for guests- 

quick & easy yet incredibly warm & comforting .

we had this for appetizer turned dinner ( it was that good ) , and will

definitely be making this more in the near future !

skinty minty cupcakes

I have been really into mint recently - I think

it started with the not - so - impulse buy

of mint chocolate chip ice cream , then the 

peppermint mocha coffees , then peppermint bark ...

then I decided enough was enough & I have to stop

the junk ! but who am I kidding , I am a choco-holic as I'm

sure you are well aware . 

I was trying to think of ways I can make something pepperminty

yet skinny at the same time , & I came up with the idea of these cupcakes .

by substituting oil with pumpkin mix ( something I have 

been doing for years - I swear you'll never know ! ) , my attempt

to skinnify my cupcakes was a success .

as for the peppermint , I placed a mini york peppermint patty

in between half of the cupcake batter , then made a fresh mint

whipped cream for on top . I love how the peppermint creates

an overwhelming chilly feeling in your mouth ... betcha can't eat just one

(especially after cooling overnight in the fridge - in fact joey & 

I each sneakily had one this morning & didn't tell each other ... shhh )

the map necklace by three jane by katie schloss

I am continually in awe of the pieces jewelry designer 

katie schloss creates for her line , three jane by katie schloss .

though she is a close friend of my sisters , I am 

tremendously proud of her success & 

only flourishing position in the fashion world .

mentioned in gift guides of nearly every 

important print media's gift guides for this season ,

I have a feeling katie & three jane are

only going up from here .

check out her "map necklace , "

an innovative , clever , yet classic chic

piece , allowing you to customize your necklace &

always keep fond memories & special places

close to your heart at all times ( & marked with a diamond , of course ) .

P S - she also created a collection based on classic 90's 

icons - gusher bangles & lego necklaces ... amazing .

http://www.threejaneny.com/

RHOBH lisa vanderpump vs kyle richards

I may seem crazy , but I feel like these women are my best friends .

actually , I know you feel that way too ( admit it ! ) .

over the past couple of seasons of the real housewives of 

beverly hills ( precaution : if you don't watch , you may not relate )

I have developed a relationship with the girls just like I did in high school

with MTV's "laguna beach " - laughing , crying , & watching 

their ups & downs in awe .

the beautiful houses , the beautiful families ( hello , mauricio ! )

and doesn't beverly hills look like the most magical place ever ?

anyway , I do love my life so I will not go on about the 

oh - so - glamourous lives of the housewives - BUT , 

I had an epiphany while watching the most recent episode .

lisa's hair is always perfect . she always looks so feminine ,

especially when she wears pink ( most definitely her color ) . 

I thought , my hair is thick , brown , & slightly wavy -

I have been needing a haircut , why not try the " lisa " look ?

but then kyle came on , and her hair is always perfect as well

( okay fine all of their hair is perfect ! ) - long , shiny, & manageable .

it kind of looks like my hair now - but note the word manageable ,

as mine is not .

anywho , the brunettes of beverly hills clearly have me inspired

as to my next much needed haircut - but as you can see

I am having trouble choosing between the ladies .

what do you prefer ? long & sleek , or short & chic ?

chinese chicken wings

[ teriyaki , soy sauce , sweet chili sauce , apricot preserves , 

ginger , & garlic ]

[ simmer above mixture in sauce pan & add 

green onions & honey ]

[ once cooking the wings through , place in sauce pot 

& allow to simmer covered for 30 minutes ]

[ broil the wings & flip halfway through for a crispy skin ]

[ serve with scallion pancakes - recipe to come ]

I have been wanting to make these chinese chicken wings

for years now . I used to make them for guests / friends

in high school , but lost my cookbook the recipe was in .

for some reason , the thought of preparing the wings 

without remembering the ingredients was intimidating .

two weeks ago , I made these chinese chicken wings 

for joey & we loved them so much we made them again !

by having the wings simmer in a sauce for 30

minutes , we allowed the meat to really moisten &

soak up the amazing honey / ginger / teriyaki glaze .

joey & I have really stepped up our food game  -

think prosciutto , apricot preserve , & gruyere on toasted 

truffle oil baguette and goat cheese , fig , & sopressata crostini .

I am excited to share the new , exciting things we have been

cooking up here in queens ! these chicken wings are just the start .

corn with queso fresco & chili powder

corn is underrated. in the hot summer , 

there is nothing better than coming home to my parents

making local corn on the cob from my family's farm .

the ability to eat local is something not a lot of people

are able to experience . being from the east end of long island

allows for fresh food of any sort- whether it's eggs ,

heirloom tomatoes, or fish .

I think it is so important to know where your food is coming

from , and supporting local farmers & people who are able

to bring such fresh, natural ingredients to the general public

is something I aim to embrace more & more in the near future .

on that note , the corn I used to make chipotle seasoned corn

topped with queso fresco ( a mexican crumbled cheese ) was 

in fact not local , & made me appreciate the fact that I can walk 

down the street in late august & buy vegetables, knowing where

they were grown ( if it's not corn I can get my veggies right in my 

backyard from my parent's garden- now that's the best ) .

[ stalks of corn I got from the grocery store in astoria ]

[ chipotle-mayo seasoning - low fat mayo, sour cream ,

paprika , cumin , cilantro , lime juice , & chili powder ]

[ after rubbing the chili powder mixture onto the corn ,

I wrapped the corn in tinfoil and baked in the oven ]

[ after the corn was nice & hot , I crumbled

the queso fresco over the corn ]

[ full of flavor & so easy ... my kind of side ! ]

chicken fajitas with garlic cilantro aioli

mexican is my favorite food group . wait, is it a food 

group ? whatever, it's amazing. 

last night joey & I made bomb chicken fajitas ,

& before we even sat down to eat we knew

it was going to be one of the top 10 things we've made.

it was that good .

obviously you can tell by now that joey & I 

are into making aiolis- mayo based sauces that you

can pretty much cater to whatever dish you're making .

for our fajitas, we made ours with sriracha , 

garlic , cilantro, lime ,  and sour cream .

it was just the right amount of freshness added to our

sauteed veggie & chicken mix . 

[ start of our aioli ]

[ joey made his own fajita seasonings which really

made the difference- including my dad's chili flakes

from the garden- spicy spicy ! ]

[ we added a piece of a hard taco shell to give it 

some crunch- I love different textures in food ]

[ had to ... ]

caramel apple slices

I don't think I'm the only one that 

fully embraces the fall season when it is still

clearly summer .

not only have I started my daily pumpkin 

iced coffee habit, but I've already fully

transitioned into my fall wardrobe ( yes I wore a 

cowl neck sweater tunic when it was 80 degrees )

and have begun a list of autumn-inspired recipes

( read : roasted pumpkin seed brittle ) .

I love this time of year - the fresh smell of the air ,

crisp mornings , and cool evenings - but inside my apartment

fall also means warm candles, comforting meals , &

enjoying the company of good friends .

my friend melissa from college came over for dinner

last night, so for dessert I made these caramel

apple slices using halloween sprinkles - because I know

she'd appreciate the cute skull candies as much as I did .

granny smith, gala, & fuji apples .

soaking the apple slices in lemon not only adds 

amazing flavor , but also keeps them from browning .

instead of making homemade caramel ,

I cheated and melted down caramel squares

in a double boiler .

caramel squares + milk 

how cute are these sprinkles ... I can't

finished product !

turkeyteki burgers

yes... we're back & reunited with the blog 

and it feels so good !

I say "we" because I have got 

to give due credit to where it belongs ...

& that's to joey, who basically 

does half or as much of the cooking as I do .

anywho ... while grocery shopping / 

wandering aimlessly around the store ,

I was stuck on what to have for dinner until I

saw feta ... and then walked by the mint .

voila ! I was inspired to create a fresh take

on a burger ... so last night , we made 

turkeyteki burgers . a beefteki burger

is a greek spin on a classic hamburger ,

incorporating fresh mint , parsley , & feta .

we made ours with turkey meat rather than beef 

to make our burgers extra lean .

our burgers were made with parsley , mint , feta , garlic , 

& squeezed lemon juice

joey made the tzatziki sauce to complement

the burgers using greek yogurt , sour cream ,

cucumber ,sriracha , & lemon juice

mmm !

 garnished with  a sunny side egg 

simply the best !

Three Jane by Katie Schloss Trunk Show

to all you NYC-ers ... I advise you to clear your schedule

for this event ! 

katie's jewelry is one of a kind , a collection of drool - worthy bright colored

& stone pieces that 

can be dressed up or down ... a necessity when living in the city !

below are some of my favorite pieces ... though just these 

five does not give enough credit due to the lovely katie schloss &

her jewelry line three jane by katie schloss .

check out the line's facebook page at 

https://www.facebook.com/ThreeJaneNY

if you can't make it to the trunk show !

how gorg for the holidays ?

love these cocktail rings 

a touch of color 

wilma flinestone chic

I need these present earrings 

hot turkey sausage & goat cheese pizza

I love experimenting with different pizzas.

to me, one can rarely stumble upon a bad pizza -

from lunchables ( yes I still like them , no joey doesn't

let me get them ) to gourmet brick oven .

this pizza was created from the random 

assortments in our refrigerator +

hot italian turkey sausage , creating 

a delish pie !

[ de - cased turkey sausage to make into chopped meat ]

[ I love the texture & added flavor of whole wheat dough ]

[ mozz + goat cheese + garlic ]

[ + the turkey & sauteed red onion ]

[ + arugula & olive oil ]

[ = amazing & easy pizza ! ]