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Thursday, March 10, 2011

tulips, vegetables, & chalkboards.

What do these three things have in common?

Not too much, other than they have been making my week a little sweeter!

I bought a couple bunches of tulips at the grocery store at the beginning of the week, and they have been brightening the house ever since. I had enough to scatter small bunches and bud vases around. Is there anything better than fresh flowers? Well...besides maybe, puppies, but I'll get to that!

If you follow me on twitter, you might know that the hubs and I went to visit some little baby chocolate labs on Monday night. Well, everyone should be aware that you don't go visit puppies unless it's something you're really serious about...they are kinda irresistible. So needless to say, we'll be having a new addition to our little family in about a week! More on that to come :)

After visiting what will be our new baby, we made a little dinner. Have you ever tried roasting vegetables in the oven? If not, you definitely should. So delish! This week we tried brussel sprouts, which are SO much better roasted than any other way I've ever tried. 

Start with some finely chopped garlic, and saute it in a generous bit of olive oil, {enough oil to drizzle on the veggies, depending on how much of those you have} then add some kosher salt and cracked pepper. Music is also a necessity. Makes cooking that much better :)
Drizzle that mixture on top of whatever you are roasting. In addition to the brussel sprouts we also tried some loose spinach, which was also good, just cooks much faster!
Sorry this is a little blurry.
Roast at 400 degrees for about half an hour. {less time for the spinach} The outside turns crispy and the inside turns soft. Then enjoy! We've also tried asparagus which is equally as good, and only takes about 20 minutes. You can also add lemon or other seasonings to mix it up.
 
We found this vintage chalkboard at an antique shop. Last week when my nieces were over, I asked them to draw me a picture for the new house and this is what they came up with. Makes me smile.
 

Anything making your week a little brighter?

Maybe if you won my giveaway, that would help!
Enter here, you only have until noon tomorrow.

21 comments:

a_jorgenson said...

Ahhhh puppies. I've finally convienced my hubs to get one (we have two kitties already). I've been playing him a youtube clip from "Fox and the Hound" with the little puppy howl. It's won him over. ;)

<3
aj

Holly said...

puppies ARE irresistible! i want one so badly!

Liesl said...

Aww how cute on your new addition to the family! :) Also, those tulips are just beautiful...they are so perfect for spring too! I am not a huge fan of brussel sprouts, but seeing the way you made them makes them look delish and I'll have to try that! FAB chalkboard too...love it! :)

Liesl :)

Megan said...

oh goodness. so many things i love in this post.

a. tulips are my FAVORITE. i love the yellow ones with the pink base i think? i forget the exact name..french tulip maybe? i cant ever find them. but im in love.

b. PUPPIEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS! nuff said. you know i feel about this.

c. roasting veggies is my fav way to do veggies.

Virginia Belle said...

Tulips are my favorite flower and one of my favorite things about Spring. Yours are beautiful! Congrats on the puppy, that is so exciting! I can't wait to hear more about your new addition :)

Anonymous said...

I love tulips. Don't they just scream spring and happiness?!?!

Jenna said...

Awww congrats on the new addition. We have a yellow lab and a chocolate lab that we got last year... so adorable and so much fun :)

xoxo
Jenna

Sam W. said...

a puppy?! oh how fun!! can't wait to hear more :)

Super Burbs said...

AHHHH Congrats on the new addition!!! They are SOO fun! I can't wait to see pictures :)

P.S. I have been obsessed with roasted brussel sprouts lately :)

Kassie said...

I love the tulips! So cheery. And a reminder that spring is almost here!! :)

jillian :: cornflake dreams. said...

super excited to see the pupppy!!! love the chalkboard too, we have a white board in the apt where we currently have our summer to-do list..lots to look forward to! happy almost friday :) xoxo jcd:: cornflake dreams

Mrs. Ruby said...

LOVE the chalkboard idea...so cute! ;)

jayme said...

whoa whoa whoa! a new pup!? so exciting! ...i can't wait to be an aunt (in april!!!) so my little nieces and nephews can draw things like that for me!!

xo

Megan said...

Ahhh!! Yay!! Can't wait to meet y'alls new puppy!! Tulips are my absolute favorite.

Faith said...

ooooh i love fresh flowers around the house!

i agree! roasting veggies are the best way to do it ... i absolutely love roasted brocoli and cauliflower! so delish!

Diana Mieczan said...

I love having fresh flowers around my flat too and those tulips are stunning...Im so excited to see photos of your new puppy...Awww..so sweet! Have a relaxing Friday
Kisses

Kelly said...

Tulips (and flowers in general) are such an amazing pick me up. Such a simple thing, really.

*** said...

Tulips are such a lovely sign of spring coming.

I love all kinds of rosted veggies. This looks yummy ...

I am a sucker for vintage cahlkboards. They are so much fun and you can get really creative with them.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. So glad I found you :)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Kelly said...

Wanted to say hi, I'm your newest follower :-) I loooove brussel sprouts and can't wait to try this recipe! Love your tulips-- Happy Friday :-)

Michelle said...

I have a Chocolate Lab. They are the BEST dogs ever. Congratulations!

www.michellelovesmike.blogspot.com

Meredith said...

We went to visit puppies and I explicitly said, "We are NOT bringing a dog home today. We are JUST LOOKING." We had a puppy and some to-go puppy chow in the car within an hour. Yay for puppies!