I'm Alive... and Cooking!

Hi there! Sorry to miss you fabulous folks the last couple of days. You may have noticed {via instagram - follow me... username 'ktzeller'} I snuck away for a quick trip to Colorado this past weekend! I went for my best friend Lisa's baby shower. She is the most wonderful person and I just can't wait to see her as a mom... although I kinda hate her right now because she's one of those pregnant gals that looks amazing while taking on the task of creating life. Lisa, her sweet hubby Ryan and pup Lucy were the best of hosts for a relaxing weekend in the mountains!

I can definitely understand why so many people love living in the mountains... I had the most amazing scenery for my morning run where there was zero humidity, followed by an afternoon of hiking. I was more outdoorsy in one day than I've been in the past two years put together! Yikes!

While I was away, my family took a little trip to the farmers market. I was sad to miss it {I love fresh fruits and veggies... they're my only inspiration to make anything besides sweets!}, but I sent them with long list and they delivered!

Tonight, I'll be putting this Eggplant Parmesan recipe from Martha Stewart to the test:

 

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for baking sheets
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 6 cups (48 ounces) store-bought chunky tomato sauce or homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.

2. Step 2

   Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.

3. Step 3

   Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Feeling Artsy

If you've been keeping up with your fav lifestyle blogs lately, you've probably noticed a few of them doing round-ups sponsored by Fab. This is definitely not a sponsored post {I wish!}, but the other bloggers have inspired me to peruse the goods on the site.

Can't wait to have walls of my own to hang art like so:

Not even sure what I love about them so much, but I do... especially that last one. I could do a whole room around that baby!

All paintings are by artist Eileen Lang and can be found here on Fab. 

Today's Motto

source

Playing Dress-Up With Pleats

My super-stylish friend {who's closet I want to raid!!!} had this dress on the other day...

source $98

...and I fell in love! The color is great. I love that it is light and airy. Big fan that it's not strapless. And most of all, those pleats! Ah-mah-zing. Since falling for this number, I've been on the hunt for acordian/knife/deft pleated pieces. Here are a few good finds to icorporate this look in your closet:




source $23 {what a deal!.. and it's reversible! 2 for 1!}




source $56


Any my favorite find:

source $98

Don't you just love the unexpected deep-v in the back? I sure do!

Friday 5: Funnies

I recently purchased some cute sticky notes at J.Crew that seriously brighten my day on a daily basis.

I tell ya, it's the small joys in life!!!

I did a little research on the brand or these funny little notes and found many products that were right up my alley... in fact I was happy to find out that I already owned one of the products listed below... can you guess which one??? I've had it for years and I'm not afraid to use it!

All of these products {plus lots more} can be found here. Even if you're not in the market for new paper goods, I highly recommend perusing the sight for a good laugh! How can you not love a company who's tag line is "We put the fun in functional!"?

And it if you're still wondering, I've had the Fashion Citation notepad for quite a while... and have issued them for sure! You've been warned!

SOS: Stressed Out Skin

I feel like I'm always saying how crazy and stressful life is. In the grand scheme of things, this week/month/stage of my life is probably no more or no less stressful than other times I've been through in the past, nor will this be the end of stress. I'm just glad to have friends, family and fun {and maybe wine} to help me get through.

But no matter how much I seem to put my stress into perspective, my skin seems to miss the memo. What do I mean by this? I mean my face is broken out like a junior high girl waiting to see N'Sync in concert. It is not fun. And it doesn't feel good. And it definitely doesn't look good.

One of my saving graces when my skin overreacts {ha!} is this little miracle in a bottle:

bobbi brown face tonic $29

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Tonic. It's like a refreshing glass of water for your face. It's infused with cucumber, lavender, chamomile and aloe... basically it's heavenly. When you first put it on it immediately gives your face a cooling effect that feels so fresh. It definitely has helped to restore balance to my face, while smoothing and soothing!

So that's that. Heaven for your face in a bottle. The bottle lasts for a long time, so it's well worth the price. I highly recommend you try it. You'll thank me later.

Shop Kate Spade TODAY!

Kate's having another suprise sale! Hurry over... it end tonight!

Here's a few things that have caught my eye:

With all the travel I do for work, and now adding trips to Canada to my regular rotation, carrying my gear in style is a must! This laptop bag, which is a steal, is at the top of my wishlist:

Lindenwood Leopard Chad $85

If all else fails with you outfit for the day, just put a bow on it!.. with this cute bracelet:

Double Bow Hinged Bangle $35

You can never have too many statement necklaces! Especially at such a good sale price:

Cut to the Chase Bib Necklace $49

And lastly, my favorite wallet style of all time:

Astor Court Neda $79

Seriously, I've had my wallet of the same style for over 5 years!!! Just now looking to replace it. I'd say that was money well-spent.