Stella and Dot Trunk Show and GIVEAWAY!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting my second Stella and Dot Trunk Show and I have to say, it was a great time!  My Stylist (um, isn't it cook that they are called "stylists"!?) Anna Vig is just the sweetest lady and does a fantastic job of styling.  We had such a fun time trying on the jewels and having little bites of simple treats I whipped up.

 I did a quick and easy fruit salad ("recipe") to come :)

 Funfetti Cake Batter Dip (recipe also to come)

An easy fruit and cheese platter

And Mocha Brownie Bites (recipe to come)

 Oh and I had to sneak a picture of my new little niece, Ivy, and my cousin Elizabeth.  Two beauties!

So, Anna was gracious enough to offer two pieces for a giveaway on the blog!  SO fun, right?  These pieces are amazing!!!  Let me tell you a little about them!

The Bryant Park Scarf is a beautiful shade of blue and is super light and airy.  I'm someone who gets hot very easily and found that it's really the perfect weight.  I have the same type of scarf with an elephant and orange print :)

The second item we are giving away is the Eleanor Bangle which just happens to be sold out so you can't buy it any more! I was a little skeptical of this bracelet since I have bigger wrists and bracelets never a. fit and b. look right.  Well to my surprise, this one not only fit bit looked awesome!  I can only imagine how great it would look with a tan!  Kinda want to keep it for myself :) But I guess I won't….

To enter the giveaway there are a few options which are listed in the Rafflecopter widget.  You must use the widget to enter.  The cool thing about it is if you place an order through the Trunk Show I'm hosting (here is the link: http://www.stelladot.com/ts/omip5) you can earn FIVE entries!  The contest goes from today, July 1st to midnight on Monday, July 8th).  Email me at: MrsSchwartzsKitchen(AT)gmail(DOT)com if you have any questions. Good Luck!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

French Toast Breakfast Sandwich

This is probably the best breakfast creation I have come up with to date!  You know when you eat breakfast after church in the parish center…well this is exactly like that but in a sandwich.  I am a HUGE fan of putting everything on one plate and letting the syrup kiss just about everything except for the hash browns.  That concept inspired this French Toast Breakfast Sandwhich.  It really is the perfect combination of everything you love about breakfast in one portable unit.  

 Start by cooking some sausage.  I used maple flavored sausage and it was awe-some.

 Crack a few eggs in a bowl

 Give them a quick whisk

 Pour in some milk

 And vanilla

 Along with a few dashes of cinnamon.  Whisk again and set aside for now.

 Crack an egg in to a pan on medium high heat.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes or so...

Then give it a flip.

 Slice the bread, I used an Italian loaf.

 Dip in the egg mixture

 And on to a preheated griddle it goes.  Let them cook for 3 minutes or so

 Then give it a quick flip

 By then your egg should be ready and it will be time to assemble.  Add the egg

 Sausage

 And cheese (?!) if you are like my husband.

 Place another piece of bread on the top.

 Holy smokes, I'm not kidding you guys…

 Seriously amazing stuff happening here.

 Everything you would want in a breakfast...

Oh wait, you MUST dip in maple syrup.  You.are.welcome.

French Toast Breakfast Sandwich
(makes 2 sandwiches)

4 sausage patties (I used maple flavored)
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices of Italian bread
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices American cheese (optional)
Warm maple syrup, for serving

Start by preheating the griddle to 375 degrees.

Place the sausage patties in a small skillet on medium high heat.  Cook until no longer pink in the middle.

In a small bowl, whisk 3 eggs.  Pour the milk, vanilla extract and sprinkle in the cinnamon.  Whisk again and set aside.

In a larger pan (or two smaller pans) crack the eggs separately and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on each side for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

Dip each of the slices of bread in the egg mixture and place on the griddle.  Cook for 3 minutes or so on  each side.

Once the French toast is cooked, place the egg on one slice, then layer on the sausage and cheese which is totally optional.  Place the last slice of bread on each sandwich.

Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Italian Meatball Kebabs

We just got back from our trip out west to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park.  Wow was it amazing and I will be posting pictures from our trip soon.  

But for now, let's talk a little about food, this is a food blog and all.  When you go on vacation for a week or so, do you get stick of going out to eat?  This trip I tried my best to go out of the norm an not order a burger every time we went out to eat.  That being said, I always get to a point where I just want to make my own meals.  

Since the weather has been so nice out, I wanted to grill and didn't want the typical burger.  I had been craving Italian food but with it being 80 degrees out, I didn't want something heavy like pasta.  Then the idea struck me, Italian Kebabs.  These were SUPER easy and quick, perfect for a week night dinner.  

 Start by cutting a red pepper into bite sized pieces.

 Do the same with a green pepper.

 Toss them in a bowl

 And drizzle with Italian dressing.

 Give them a quick toss

 And start to assemble adding precooked meatballs to the skewer as well.  Remember to soak your skewers in water before assembling so they don't burn.

 Once assembled, drizzle with additional Italian dressing.  I just used the extra dressing at the bottom of the bowl I used for the veggies. Pop these on the grill, about 300 degrees for about 7-9 minutes.

 Meanwhile, heat up your favorite marinara/spaghetti sauce

 Here they are, hot off the grill.

The perfect summer meal with a little side salad.

 If you would like and if it's not 100 degrees out, you could aways toss the meatballs and veggies with the marinara sauce and pasta.

Dip in the marinara sauce.  Dinner = done.

Italian Meatball Kebabs

1 red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons Italian dressing
40 precooked Italian seasoned meatballs
1 1/2 cups marinara/spaghetti sauce

Preheat the grill to 300 degrees.

Soaking the skewers in water.

Add the peppers to a small bowl.  Drizzle with the Italian dressing and toss to coat.

Start to assemble your kebabs by alternating peppers and meatballs.  Drizzle the kebabs with additional Italian dressing, not to drench them, just a little drizzle.

Place the kebabs on the grill and grill for about 7-9 minutes or until fully cooked.

While the kebabs are grilling, place the marinara sauce in a sauce pan on medium high heat, just to heat through.

Once the kebabs are cooked, remove from the grill and serve with a side of the warm marinara sauce.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Humann Wedding

Yes, we have friends with the last name Humann.  Remember when that Android commercial came out making fun of the fact that you can search for your "friends named Humann?"  Well, we have them…and they are awesome.

Andy and Jaime were married on June 8th and it was a beautiful day and as we expected, fantastic night.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

 The Wives..well almost all wives… :)

 Andy's Aunt and Uncle. They are so in love, it's adorable.

 Waiting for his bride.

 Flash of the flower girl.

 The Bride, Jaime took our breath away.  Absolutely gorgeous.

 YAY! Husband and Wife.

 The cutest guy at the wedding : )

Um, she had a VERA WANG dress.  

 Seriously amazing.

 Poor Jeremy was stuck in the corner with all the Wives.

 Cake: AMAZEBALLS. From Buttercream Bakery.

 First Dance, Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen.

 Clearly having a good time.

Traditional Piano Man, a St. John's tradition.  No one knows where it started but the boys always do it.

Congrats to the Humanns!  We love you guys!