Happy Halloween!

Happy Friday lovas and more importantly Happy Halloween!!  I have been looking forward to Halloween all month long since this is our first Halloween in our new house.  We live in a very family friendly community, and there are tons of kids in our neighborhood so I'm hoping we get a really good turn out of trick-or-treaters tonight!  I've been slowly getting my front porch decorated throughout the month, and finally got it finished this week.  I posted this picture over on my instagram account, but in case you missed it here it is!

I"m so happy with how it turned out!  I popped into my local Pottery Barn a few days ago, and they are having MAJOR sales on Halloween decor so I stocked up on the trick or treat banner, the skull lantern, the two black owl luminaries, and the ceramic orange pumpkin all for 60% off!  The selection online is pretty slim pickings, but if you have a Pottery Barn in your area, I would suggest swinging in and seeing what they still have available.  I know I'll have most of this decor for years to come :)

I picked up this "Poison" bowl from Target, and stocked it full of all organic candies.  It has been SO hard to stay out of this for the past few days, and I'll be glad to give it all away tonight lol!  Our plans for this evening involve staying in, passing out candy to the littles, and drinking a pitcher of apple cider sangria which I'll post the recipe for next week!

Hope all of you have a safe & happy holiday! xx

Roasted Cauliflower and Curry Soup

Who's ready for soup season?  Today's recipe is inspired by one of my favorite local restaurants that Adam & I frequent quite regularly.  Over the summer, they had a roasted cauliflower & white truffle soup that was absolutely divine!  Since I tend to use a lot of truffle oil & truffle salt in other recipes,  I decided to omit the truffle flavor, and give this recipe a playful twist.  

Roasting the cauliflower in the oven brings out the natural sweetness, so not a lot of added flavors are needed in this dish.  Just a hint of curry, celery and onion, balanced out with chicken broth and a touch of half & half.  This soup is the type of soup that begs to have something dunked into it, so I paired it with some homemade croutons which I'll include the recipe for at the bottom of this page.

I really hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets {about 6 cups}
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cracked salt & pepper
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup half & half



Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place cauliflower florets on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with ground salt & pepper, and roast in the oven for around 20 minutes, flipping florets once during that time period.  Once they begin to lightly brown up, and can easily be pierced with a fork, remove from oven and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium sized stock pot over medium-high heat.  Cook the celery, and onion until soft and translucent, around 5 minutes.  Stir in the curry powder.

Next, add in the roasted cauliflower {making sure to scrape in the browned bits from the baking sheet} & chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  If your blender is smaller {like mine}, you may need to do this step in a few batches.  Once complete, transfer back to your stockpot.

Add in the half & half, season with salt & pepper to taste, and simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, pour into bowls, lightly drizzle with olive oil if desired, and serve with crusty bread or home made croutons {recipe follows at the bottom of this page}.

For homemade croutons:

Take a large baguette, and slice 1 inch rounds on a diagonal.  Place rounds on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and lightly sprinkle with salt and garlic powder {optional}.

Place in oven, and bake at 375 degrees F, for around 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Store in an airtight container.

Thanks for reading!  xx

What Your Closet Needs Right Now

If you're starting to experience chilly temperatures, I hate you.  Just joking, but I do have a serious case of envy for my friends that live up north and are constantly posting pics on Instagram of gorgeous golden leaves, and all the cute warm weather gear that they get to wear.  Meanwhile, I'm just down here in Miami, patiently waiting for the day that it dips below 80 degrees.  You all can have your winters, I have absolutely no interest in that business.  While you're in the thick of a snopocalypse, buried under a hundred feet of snow, I'm loungin' by the pool, basking in our warm, subtropical weather.  But for now I'm jealous, and your pictures of pretty leaves, and scarves + boots may or may not make me want to kick over your pumpkins.  :)

Let's chat about what your closet needs right now.  I've seen a big trend this year with sweater dresses.  It seems that they're going to be quite popular this year.  Since they usually have a tendency to sell out rather fast, if you find one that you absolutely love, I'd recommend scooping it up fast.  Another huge trend this year is the plaid scarf.  While the plaid scarf is nothing new, different versions such as the plaid blanket scarf, and plaid infinity scarf have been popping up with a vengeance.  Below, I've featured a few other essentials {mostly in budget-friendly prices} that need to take up permanent residence in your closet ASAP.

Shop These Items:

Sweater dress - H&M {available here} //  Wool duffle coat with fur hood {loving the buckles! under $300 here} //  Black suede leather ankle boots - Steve Madden {on sale for 20% off here} //  Oversized turtleneck sweater - H&M {under $50 here} //  Plaid infinity scarf {such a steal for $14 & comes in 2 colors here} //  Felt fedora {comes in many different colors, all priced below $40 here}

Ok, I officially want everything on this list!  How cute is that coat from Zara?!  It also comes in this cream colored version which I ordered for my trip to Austria in December.  I'll report back how it fits!  I'm also in love both the sweater dress and oversized turtleneck.  Both would look perfect paired with my favorite cozy fleece lined tights and those Steve Madden booties!  Top your outfit off with the plaid scarf, or chic fedora and your good to go!

Which item is your favorite?