Foodie Friday: Dining Out For Life

I'm happy that Jon and I both had the day off so we could partake in Dining Out For Life yesterday, such a great cause and a lot of generous restaurants willing to help out their community.

For breakfast we popped into Filter Coffeehouse. Jon got a regular iced coffee with a banana nut muffin and I got my regular vanilla soy blended chai. Filter uses Big Train Chai, my absolute favorite!



dress: thrifted
belt: h&m
purse: target
shoes: target
sunnies: no names from a shop in old town
polish: peas and q's by opi

For lunch I made a quick snack (long to make, quick to devour) artichoke.



For dinner we met a few friends at Blind Lady Ale House, somewhere I've been wanting to take Jon because it's one of the few places that offers potato pizza.



Our friends are having a baby, so Jon picked up this adorable Keith Haring bib while he was in NYC.



After dinner we grabbed some dessert from Mariposa ice cream parlor, where all the ice cream is made in house. I was really craving a root beer float, but I opted for the mint cookie ice cream. Jon got a scoop of the banana walnut ice cream.



Perfect day full of awesome/guilt-free food, all of which helped raise money for AIDS service organizations :)

Did you eat out for Dining For Life?

outfit post

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shirt: urban outfitters
pants: forever 21
shoes: thrifted
glasses: d&g
polish: peas and q's by opi

My closet consists of mainly black clothing, a lot of plain black tees and tanks, so there was no question that I had to have this shirt when I saw it. Oh and this polish I'm totally in love with, prettiest sea foam green.


ps; don't forget that today is Dining Out For Life, help support AIDS service organizations by eating out!

April Favorites

Yesterday I bought my very first pair of Jeffrey Campbells! You'll all have to wait in eager suspicion to see which ones, but you won't be disappointed. Onto my personal April Favorites!


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hemingway ring by lola and george :: comfy suitcase chair :: macaroni grilled cheese, yes please :: intricate nails + love the purple :: so it goes :: pretty panties :: ouija board wall art :: delectable lunch box :: i need this sleepy lil babe in my life :: wish this was my house :: kitty paws! :: loving the seductiveness :: ruffled pillows :: bread bowls mmm :: shoes with bows :: prints by Charmaine Olivia

side note: everything without a link I either took myself or found via tumblr.
If they are your photos, please leave a comment, as I would love to give credit where it is due :)

one year blogiversary

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Wow, how time flies... My Little Artichoke is one year old today!

In celebration of the last 365 days AND it being my birthday next weekend, I wanted to put together a special giveaway from me to one of my lovely readers!



Recently I was strolling along the beach and happened upon a bead store. I chose to make this necklace because as far back as I can remember I've had a fascination with skeleton keys; I even have my most favorite key that I've come across tattooed on my arm! Making this necklace was so much fun, I truly wish I had the time and money to make lovely little keepsakes for people.

Giveaway item: 22" skeleton key and lock necklace made by yours truly



Mandatory Entry:

Follow my blog via GFC or Bloglovin' and leave a comment with the date of your birth!

:: please include your email address with each entry ::

Additional Entries:

- Leave a comment telling me your most memorable birthday story! (1 entry)

- Follow me on Twitter and let me know you did so. (1 entry)

- Post a link to this giveaway either on your blog, Twitter and/or Facebook. Please leave additional comment(s) with a link to the blog, tweet and/or status update. (up to 3 entries)

Overall, that's six ways to win! I will be drawing one winner at random next Tuesday, May 3rd at midnight!

Homage to Quorn

Quorn is probably my favorite substitute meat product. Meatless, soy-free, plus a good source of protein. If you read my blog regularly or follow me on Twitter, you've probably noticed I use the naked chick'n cutlets and other Quorn products in a lot of meals. I recently came across these two new delicious products:

Gruyere Chik'n Cutlet - just like the naked cutlet, but topped with gruyere cheese and coated with breadcrumbs. I cook these in the toaster oven and pair them with rice or veggies.



Southwestern Chick'n Wings - spicy chipotle nuggets, great as an appetizer, snack, dinner entree or on top of salad!

Marty's adoption story

I remember last year like it was yesterday. After scouring craigslist, we headed to National City to look at an available kitty up for adoption. Once we arrived and met said kitty the owner concluded that this cat wasn't as right for us and brought out Marty from another room. She was so teeny tiny and friendly with a freshly shaved belly from getting spayed, it was love at first sight. I knew right away she was meant for me. A year later and I don't think we could have found a better kitty or made a better choice!

lightlife #5

#5: Smart Sausages - Italian Style


Whatever toppings you desire is optional. I really like onions with sausage, so I chose to have fresh diced tomatoes and (lots of) sautéed onions on mine!

Lightly coat small skillet with oil or butter and sauté onions on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add however many sausage links you would like to your pan of onions and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, turning the sausage(s) as they brown.



While the sausage links are cooking, heat up the hot dog buns. Once your onions and sausage(s) are cooked the way you want them, put em on your buns and pile the toppings on! ...in the end, I even added a little thousand island dressing.





What I liked: The sausage had a lot of flavor and paired very nicely with the onion. I could see myself eating these not only on a hot dog bun, but in spaghetti and even on pizza.

What I disliked: Nothing. At first they seemed a little thick, but then I remembered Italian sausages are thick!

Thanks again, lightlife!

CAPow! Print Giveaway Winner

And the winner is...




Congratulations, Lesli on winning the CAPow print giveaway! Lesli, Crystal will be contacting you shortly.

Thank you to everyone who entered, I have another special giveaway coming soon!

Foodie Friday: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!

The other day I came across this recipe for cinnamon roll pancakes and immediately knew this is what I'd be making the first morning Jon was home from vacation.


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I woke up early yesterday morning, gathered all the ingredients and spent an hour in the kitchen. With that said, be aware that this can get messy!



What you will need:

For Pancakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
3 tbsp. canola oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

For Cinnamon Filling
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

For Cream Cheese Glaze
1/4 tbsp. butter
2 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

For Pancakes Mix
Whisk all dry ingredients together. Then add in wet ingredients, mix well.



For Cinnamon Filling
Mix together all ingredients and pour into a baggie or bottle.



For Cream Cheese Glaze
Heat butter and cream cheese until melted in microwave. Whisk until smooth, then add powdered sugar and vanilla, mix well.



Alright, set these puppies aside.



1. Add a little oil to your pan and place over medium-low heat.

2. Pour batter into the skillet (Jon likes big pancakes, I like small).

3. Cut a very small piece off the corner of the baggie (I mean small, I cut the first corner too big and had to tape it shut and start over with the other corner).

4. Via baggie or bottle, pipe a spiral onto the pancakes.







Reheat the Cream Cheese Glaze in the microwave for a few seconds if needed before pouring over the tops of your glorious pancakes!

more presents!

One of my favorite things from other people's travels are postcards! Jon has known since the day we started dating that if there is a trip being taken, which happens often in this household, it's imperative that a postcard had better follow. I've collected a few dozen postcards from friends, family members and internet buddies over the years.


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Jon sometimes brings me home extra goodies because he knows that I can't afford to travel as much as he does. Here were my presents from Boston (and I'm sure a postcard is somewhere in route):


new toothbrush holder, i love teeth!


artichoke parmesan dip


something pretty


rad book he found for himself and $1 to boot

ps; We saw Scream 4 this afternoon and it was superb. So many clever one-liners and not all that predictable (until near the end). It absolutely made my month!

my giveaway loot

This post is long overdue, but better late than never. After winning Sometimes Sweet February giveaway, I got so many goodies in the mail! I was holding off on posting all my sweet loot because not everything has arrived, but for what did arrive and to all of her lovely sponsors...
THANK YOU THANK YOU!



Miss You Salt Lake City print from CAPow!
(Crystal is hosting a giveaway here if you would like to enter for your chance to win!)





Delicious recipe cards that I plan to use as postcards and a pastel dress from Opal Vintage



Triangle glass locket (with a little feather included!) from Moon and Sable



Cute antique brass necklace from A Beautiful Journey





2011 'Year In Yes' calendar from Yes and Yes



These two prints from The Little Illustrator





Awesome hair products from Lisa B. They all smell so delicious and I really love the smooth essence/anti-frizz stuff, it works wonders.
_________________________________________

I also recently won this neat handmade print from A Wild Tonic



Thanks again, fellow bloggers!

Lazy day + Florencia's

What a lazy day off. Jon has been visiting friends and family in Boston for the past week and comes home tomorrow. It's been lonely not having someone to cuddle with at night, but kind of relaxing and awesome being able to sprawl out in bed with Marty.



I'm totally jealous of all the awesome food Jon's been engorging, so this afternoon I splurged on a large pizza and finished Teen Mom 2 (via Hulu Plus). I don't know what I was thinking starting Teen Mom, but it definitely pulled me in. The first episode had me wanting to see what kind of crazy shenanigans Jenelle would later get into and how these young teenage girls were going to handle mature adult life at a juvenile stage.



Back to the pizza. After a friend sent me pictures of her artichoke heart pizza from Florencia's, I poked around their website and noticed that you could order online (awesome) and have it delivered, that's just what I did. Once it got here, it smelled like chinese food and a donut shop (weird), I snapped a quick photo and dug in. There was something sweet about the pizza that I did not like and the cheese was...not very good.



Shortly after I had finished about half the pizza, I started feeling nauseous. I'm not sure if I overate or if it was the food in general. I don't know if I'd be up to try Florencia's again after the way my stomach has been feeling, BUT I really appreciate and loved how simple everything was online.

Insidious

After a friend said Rose Byrne (Wicker Park, 28 Weeks Later) was my doppleganger in Insidious (I just don't see it) and hearing that this movie was great, unpredictable, oh and my love for horror films, I had to see it.





My opinion: this movie dragged. To me, it was totally predictable and there were so many long, drawn out scenes. The music/loud noises they played in just the first 5 minutes of the opening credits even made me want to walk out! I also think the best actor overall was played by Lin Shaye, random.



What I am really looking forward to is Scream 4! We're seeing it immediately when Jon gets home from Boston.




I can list 100 horror flicks that I love to death, what are some of yours?