homemade raviolis with pancetta, arugula, & tomatoes

making italian for dinner is always very intimidating, as my boyfriend is italian & has grown up watching his family cook ( & thus is a really great cook too ) .  I surprised him by making cheese raviolis with crispy pancetta ( italian bacon ), arugula , & tomatoes.  I went an extra step & made homemade ravioli as well , and was so nervous about how they'd come out.

thankfully, they were delicious & I'm proud of myself for making these ricotta filled raviolis : ) .

[ pancetta, arugula, basil, olive oil, diced tomatoes, & the cooked ravioli 

delish !

make the raviolis here

& the topping here !

rockin around the christmas tree ...

today, joey & I did all things christmas-y in nyc.  I love that I don't have to drag joey to do the touristy things around christmas time ( macy's, looking at the beautiful window displays down 

5th ave, rockefeller center ), & we had the best time trekking around the city in the spirit of christmas.

luckily today was 51 degrees ( which is a little too warm for december weather if you ask me ) & the perfect day to leisurely wander around the city.

somehow, christmas is contagious throughout the city.  it's hard not to believe in christmas when the spirit of christmas is all around !

drinks & people watching in bryant park

rockefeller christmas tree - amazing !

ny state of mind ...

I had to get this framed poster from urban outfitters. not only was it a steal ( 24.99 ! ) , but I've been looking for wall decor to spice up my apartment.

It really felt like christmas when the package containing this frame appeared on my doormat this
morning ! I love the symbols in this map that really signify nyc ( read : new york pizza, yellow taxi cabs,
pigeons ). 

get it here !

zeppoles !

as you all can probably tell by now, I have a weakness for sweets. My sweet tooth led me to find this italian alternative of a donut : zeppoles. 

these literally took me 5 minutes to make, and are a simple treat to whip up if you have company. 

the ricotta in this recipe gives these dough bits just enough moisture while not overwhelming their flavor.

we covered ours in powdered sugar, but making these donuts plain & having different dipping sauces available ( chocolate, raspberry glaze, toasted coconut, cinnamon sugar ) in ramekins would be great for parties !

find the recipe here !

vacation on my mind ...

though we just started feeling the bitterly cold weather of winter in NYC, I'm already thinking of the long & warm summer days half a year away. to make matters worse, joey & I just booked tickets to palm beach in april, and the wait seems too long.

in anticipation of traveling south for a few days, I already starting looking for new clothes to bring on vacation. here are some of my favorite finds that I would love to pack in my suitcase :

I love shift dresses; they are easy to wear and are perfect when you're on vacation ( & probably a little sun burnt like I tend to get ) and don't want anything to stick to you. this asos orange shift would look lovely with a sun kissed glow.

 

these woven shorts from forever 21 would look nautical chic with a navy striped tee-shirt tucked in and ray ban aviators.

finding beach cover ups that are chic & easy to throw on and go is hard, but a necessity on vacation. I love this j. crew tunic, and I'm always a sucker for stripes.

yet another tunic by calypso st. barths that's just as pretty on the beach or out to dinner

I love these tassel sandals  by colin stuart in the tan color, but the dusty green is cute as well !

homemade fruit roll-ups

growing up, getting my mom to buy me junk food like gushers & fruit by the foot was tough ( which I am now very thankful for) . with that, I discovered fruit leathers, which taste exactly like sugary fruit roll-ups but are less processed & healthier, thus my mom would always let me drop them into the shopping cart.

wanting a little something to snack on without guilt brought me to find recipes for my childhood favorite : fruit leathers.

 I used this recipe, but cut the ingredients in half ( and still had to use two cookie sheets ) in lieu of saving cooking time. this was the recipe that called for the fastest baking time of 5 hours; some of the recipes called for us much as 15 !

4 simple ingredients ( we used pears & raspberries, but you can use any fruit(s) )

so pretty !