Good Reads

03 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Planning for Paris in Life's Loves

Tags

My current literary obsession: The Invisible Wall
By: Harry Bernstein

This book breaks from the traditional war story by zooming in on an English street just before World War I begins. Told from the naive perspective of a young Jewish child, the novel looks at the way in which a war and tragedy can bring people together. In addition to showing how a mill town suffered during this time and how that brought both the Christians and Jewish people living on one street together, it also contains a heart wrenching love story that definitely makes this book a page turner.

This is a great book to cuddle up and read with a good cup of joe.

Happy Reading!
Erin

Happy Weekend!

01 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by Planning for Paris in Daily Happenings

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

favorites, Purdue, Weekend

First Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season on our way to DC for the weekend to watch the Purdue game with some friends!

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Erin

Kansas City Bacon Fest

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bacon, kansas city

The title basically sums up everything I want to write about in this post. I’m going to apologize in advance if you’re hungry. Or a vegetarian.

BACON. FEST.

An entire afternoon devoted to eating the most bacon you could possibly consume from the most supreme restaurants in Kansas City. All you can eat bacon and beer. Need I say more? Somebody definitely had their thinking caps on the day they came up with this. We left physically in pain, having sampled everything we could have sampled and even going back for more.

Various restaurants from around the KC area gathered together their best bacon dishes in hopes of winning over the judges for Best Bacon Dish. We had everything from bacon wrapped sirloin to pulled pork to bacon topped brownies. They even had bacon vodka bloody mary’s. We were in heaven.

FRIED BACON with egg yolk aioli a top a sweet biscuit.

Have I mentioned I’m not eating for the next week and a half? I’ve never found a more appropriate time for a juice cleanse.

Nat and Tad

My arteries definitely took a beating that afternoon… can’t say I regret a single bite though. How many times can you say you spent an entire afternoon completely devoted to bacon?? Check that off the bucket list!

Bacon Topped Brownie, aka The Star of the Show

Bacon-ed out,
Natalie

Back To School Favorites

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Planning for Paris in Life's Loves

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

favorites, School

1. Happy Notes. Love the idea of spreading the happiness that surrounds the first day of school all year long.

2. Marimekko Coffee Mug. Nothing says back to school more than a cup of coffee.

3.Mara Mi Sticky Pad. Can you have enough of these?

4. Kate Spade iPhone Case. Gah.

5. Memorandum Mousepad. This is more useful than sliced bread.

6. Elements of Style. I cannot believe this version of grammar do’s and don’ts did not exist when I read it in college. This one has pretty pictures and a pretty cover while still covering the Oxford comma! This is pure gold.

7. Magnifying Glass. Why not?

8. Journal. Love everything about this.

9. Rifle Cities Calendar. This needs to get on my wall as soon as possible.

Whether you’re a teacher, a student, a parent, or just LOVE back to school season as much as me– I hope you have a great school year!!

Erin

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

29 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by Planning for Paris in Good Eats

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

chicken, Dinner, Good Eats

Hi! Natalie here… I’ll be testing recipes and sharing them here with you on the regular (only the delicious ones, of course). Today is a tasty recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen (Deb is an absolute genius in the kitchen). This is definitely a go-to recipe in our house for those extra busy weeks (is there ever NOT a busy week??) where you want something homemade, delicious, and quick! This recipe is SO easy and is sure to please everyone.

I typically serve this with a green bean casserole and roasted potatoes. Make the casserole and potatoes ahead of time, and you’ve got yourself a hassle-free dinner! That leaves extra time for a glass of wine, a good book, and Mad Men (anyone? anyone? I’m absolutely obsessed)! I may or may not picture myself as Betty Draper when I make this dish… I think you should do the same. 🙂

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Ingredients
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. paprika + 1-2 tsp. for sprinkling
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 Tbsp. dried basil
Large amounts of ground black pepper (I used around 2-3 Tbsp.)
Roughly 2-3 lb. chicken parts (I use all legs)
Olive Oil for drizzling
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
Whisk together the buttermilk, paprika, salt, sugar, garlic, basil, and pepper. Place chicken in a gallon size bag or a large tupperware container. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken, close the bag or container tightly and let it sit in the fridge to marinate. I like to make this the day before and let it sit for 24-36 hours in the buttermilk. However, I’ve also made it the day of with only marinating it as little as four hours (either way, it’s delicious).

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil (easy clean up!). Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and arrange the parts in the baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the paprika and salt on the chicken. Bake in the oven for 30 mins until brown and scorched in some spots. If baking chicken breasts, increase the time to 35-40 min. Serve immediately!

Bon Appétit!
Natalie