Giveaway Time!!

I hope everyone has a "delicious" Thanksgiving today! To help in getting into the holiday spirit, I will be giving away this beautiful Tazo mug along with their amazing Passion tea! In the words of Tazo, Passion tea is "an exuberant herbal infusion of hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips and passion fruit flavors. Tart rose hips and citrusy lemongrass woo the voluptuous blooms of hibiscus flowers. An infusion that's bursting with life and tinged with the color of true love to make sure you never have to live a day without passion." I couldn't define it any better!

To enter my giveaway, simply follow me on Instagram @aubreyjarman and follow the directions under the picture! The giveaway starts at 7:00pm and a winner will be chosen within 24 hours! Good Luck!

Raleigh Bloggers Dinner

So happy to have helped host the first ever Raleigh Bloggers Dinner last week at the Stockroom in Raleigh, NC, with Sara Kate (sarakatestyling.blogspot.com)! With her amazing styling skills and my cooking ability, we were able to put together a beautiful evening full of fun and laughter. The lovely ladies of Head to Toe Chic, Spray Paint and Mascara, The Daly Dress, Belle of the Blonde, Champagne and Suburbs, Sugar and Shine, and Kendall Lynnette Photography were among those who attended. It was nice getting to know these local bloggers. 

With the help of Sara Kate's boyfriend, we were able to cook up chicken and steak kabobs, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes (with topping tray), and a kale and butternut squash salad. We also made cucumber water and delicious blackberry mojitos!

Big shout outs to Autumn Glow and Design for the invites, place cards, and pie cards, to Classic Party Rentals for the China, to Swagger Gifts for the monogrammed glasses, to Eclectic Sage Florist for the flowers, to Sharon Bui for her day-of help and coordination, and to Kendall Lynnette for the awesome photos! Below are a few of my favorite shots from the dinner as well as a few of the recipes featured. 

Kale and Butternut Squash Salad

Ingredients:
1 bundle of kale
1/2 pound butternut squash, diced
1/4 olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds, de-shelled
1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spread diced butternut squash on sheet and drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil, honey and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast squash for approximately 15-20 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, tear the kale leaves from the stems and set aside in a large bowl. Whisk together the 1/2 cup of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard. salt and pepper the dressing to taste. 

Before serving, toss the kale with the dressing and pumpkin seeds. top the salad with the butternut squash.

Roasted Vegetable Medley (super easy and personal side dish)

Ingredients:
Any variety of vegetables (use whatever vegetables you prefer...I used cauliflower, broccoli, red onion and okra for the party)
1/4 Olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
This is a quick and easy dish that everyone can make! All you do...chop up your vegetables and toss together in a backing dish. Then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Get creative and add any other herbs and spices that you may prefer!

Bake the veggies for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees!

Blackberry Mojito

Ingredients:
A couple pints of fresh blackberries
a bundle of fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup lime juice
Sparkling water
a fifth of your preferred alcohol

Directions:
Muddle the berries, mint, lime juice, and alcohol together. Scoop into cups and fill the rest of the way up with the sparkling water. This tastes great without the alcohol as well.

For dessert we were able to indulge in these delicious pies!

Pear Pie made by Sugar & Shine/ Apple Grape Pie made by Spray Paint and Mascara

 I'm so happy to have met these wonderful bloggers and I can't wait until our next party!

Top row (left to right): Head to Toe Chic, Sharon Bui, Champagne and Suburbs, Spray Paint & Mascara
Bottom row (left to right): Me, Sara Kate, Belle of the Blonde, Sugar & Shine, and The Daly Dress

It's Almost Turkey Time!

Last Thanksgiving, I volunteered to prepare my family's turkey. Having never made a turkey before and was a little bit nervous. I mean, what if I ruined it?! What's a Thanksgiving without a delicious roasted turkey?! There was no backing out now. Everyone was relying on me. As I spent days googling  "how to prepare a turkey," "best turkey ever," "delicious turkey," I ended up combining a few of the techniques I read about. 

And guess what? My turkey turned out to be one of the most amazingly juicy turkey's I've ever tasted! This is what I did:

Ingredients:
Turkey of any size
Stick of butter
Herbs of your choice (I used Thyme and Rosemary)
Salt and pepper

Tools:
Meat thermometer
Roasting pan and rack

Directions:
If frozen, go ahead and thaw the turkey. Make sure to give yourself enough time with this step, my turkey took a few days to thaw in my refrigerator. Once completely thawed, rinse the bird off with some cold water to ensure that it is clean. Place the turkey on a roasting rack. 

Let the butter sit out until it is room temperature and soft enough to mash. In a bowl, mash the butter together with your chosen herbs. Once thoroughly mixed, use your hands to spread the herb-butter under the skin of the turkey. You may need to use a knife or fork to help you separate the skin from the breast meat. Lather the butter under the skin, leaving butter "chunks" throughout. Use any excess butter to spread on the outside of the turkey (covering the wings and legs). Sprinkle entire bird with salt and pepper.

Now, this is where it gets technical. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and roast the turkey for 20 minutes, UNCOVERED.

Once the first 20 minutes is up, take the turkey and place it into a roasting bag. The bird may be extremely hot. I used forks and tongs to transfer it. 

Now that it is in the bag, place the covered turkey back on the roasting rack and place back in the oven. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees and roast 20 minutes for every pound that the turkey weighs. You may have to adjust the roasting time depending on your oven, etc. I used a convection oven, which probably aided in the roasting speed to my turkey.

Make sure you have a meat thermometer that can go in the oven and stick it into the thickest part of the bird. You want the breast to reach an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees and the thighs to reach 175-180 degrees.

When you take the turkey out of the oven, it will probably be easiest to cut the bag open to remove the bird. (Sorry for the blurry picture!)

Finished product!

Halloween Weekend in New England

Hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween weekend! Fortunately, I had a little bit of down time from school and work and was able to take a mini vacation and fly up to Rhode Island to visit my friend, Lauren (of loalamode.wordpress.com). I had only ever been to NYC, so this trip was a more "real" taste of New England. While I was visiting, I knew I couldn't leave without having some authentic New England lobster and clam chowder. Lauren told me that I HAD to try a classic New England lobster roll before I left. So when we drove up to Newport, I decided to get one there! We were told by a Newport local to eat at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Benjamin's Raw Bar (http://www.benjaminsrawbar.com/).

The lobster roll did not disappoint. Made from fresh local lobster and accompanied by creamy cole slaw and fries, it was amazingly delicious! You can bet that I ate every last bite!

Overall, Newport was amazing. It's the kind I place I would want to retire to if I ever became rich ;)

Downtown Newport, RI.

Rocky shoreline in Newport, RI

On my last night in Providence, I was able to finally try some clam chowder from a restaurant called Providence G (http://www.providencegpub.com/). It was everything I expected it to be. Hot, flavorful an loaded with local clams and potatoes.

I think it is amazing how different regions of the US have so much to offer. This is what makes me obsessed with traveling! There's nothing quite like immersing yourself in a new town, city or culture.

Can't wait to see where I have the opportunity to go to next!