taco night

happy labor day! it was a partly cloudy labor day here in knoxville, but i still got to spend some time next to the pool with the vogue september issue in my hand.

tonight was taco night at my apartment! i had some of my sorority sisters over so they could see my apartment and so i could cook for them. i made tacos because its easy to feed alot of girls with them and i mean who doesn't love mexican? i made ground beef tacos, mexican rice, Mountain Mama Cook's blender salsa, homemade refried pinto beans (recipe below) and homemade guacamole. they brought the cheese dip, chips and margaritas! for dessert i made Peanut and Pepper's s'more rice krispie treats. i love cooking and it is so fun to cook for a crowd rather than just for myself and we are planning on doing supper together where i cook for them at least once a month!

everyone who has tried these homemade refried beans has absolutely raved about it. i love them because they are not the runny mush you get at mexican restaurants and they aren't the high-fat, high- sodium ridden canned refried beans from the grocery store. you can also smush them to the consistency that you prefer as well - i like mine thicker and not totally mashed.

homemade refried beans

serves 3-4 

2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 c water

cumin, red pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, etc. to taste

1. heat olive oil and garlic in medium-sized saucepan until garlic begins to sizzle.
2. add spices, beans and water to saucepan. increase heat to medium and stir. smash beans against sides of saucepan until desired consistency. 
3. serve warm. 

(slightly modified from A Dash of Sass) 

rather than use the package, I prefer to make my own taco seasoning. it is incredible how much sodium is in one of those packets. by making my own, I easily avoid excess sodium and can adjust the spices to suit my taste (aka I make it spicier!). this recipe made just enough for 2 pounds of hamburger meat.

homemade taco seasoning

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp black pepper

1. combine ingredients in small bowl and mix together. store in an airtight container (you can also just mix them together in the airtight container).  
2. add 2 tbsp of mixture plus 1/2 cup of water to each pound of cooked meat. simmer over medium heat, stirring until there is little to no liquid. 

(slightly modified from Rachel Cooks)

i guess today brings the official end of summer. however, here in tennessee, we will still be sweating through the end of the month. labor day makes me sad because i have to say goodbye to some of my favorite pieces of clothing. everyone has a different opinion when it comes to post-labor day fashion so here are the rules i personally go by:

1. white bottom, white dress, white shoes and accessories season is easter through labor day. (exception to this rule is while on vacation in a tropical location, white is acceptable year-round)
2. seersucker season is easter through the tennessee-alabama football game (this rule comes from Southern Living).
3. linen bottoms are acceptable through September depending on color (obviously no whites, but no light, summery colors) 

of course, there are exceptions to these and even i have been known to break my own rules. nonetheless, the white jeans, shorts and dresses went to the back of the closet today and will be brought back out next spring. though it is still hot as blue blazes outside, i am looking forward to some of the early fall outfits i have planned! i will be sure to keep the OOTDs coming!

xoxo,
clp

long labor day weekend

happy labor day weekend! between family coming in, the football game, and a long weekend in general, it has been a packed weekend!

the weekend started out great with a run to turkey creek with phillip. he drug me to gander mountain and i drug him to super target so i guess we are even. phillip, erin and i then met mawsie and tony for supper at our favorite, aubrey's. as usual, it was delicious and its safe to say that i certainly indulged with the slice of key lime pie i ate all by myself. below is the outfit i wore to dinner - sorry about the selfie quality!

j. crew schoolboy blazer, j. crew jeweled collar oxford, j. crew print shorts

kork-ease wedges, lilly pulitzer bangle

saturday brought college football back to knoxville. i woke up extra early with excitement! the entire family came into town for the game and brought along a big tailgate. since i have a kitchen this year, i can contribute to the tailgate spread so i made a southwest cornbread salad (recipe below) and some of my healthier pimento cheese. of course, i dressed up for the game because thats how we do football in the south and wore white since i adhere to the "no white after labor day" rule. i completed my outfit with my "AXO loves the Vols" gameday pin and power t nail appliques! 

lilly pulitzer shift, j. crew belt, j. crew orange bracelet, tory burch sandals 

as always, there was more than enough food at the tailgate. the lowe-parsley-jennings family knows how to tailgate and we don't mess around when it comes to food. the game was fun as well. the atmosphere in neyland stadium is unlike any other and 97,000 people singing rocky top will give you chills no matter how hot it is. most of the alpha chi's sat together in the student section so we had a good time. i liked what i saw on the field last night and its always nice to start to season out with a W. 

this morning, i am meeting the rest of the family for brunch at chesapeake's, one of our favorite restaurants. there isn't an OOTD for this outing because i am committing a crime to fashion and repeating an outfit i wore in july to loveless cafe. it is one of my favorite outfits and i wanted to wear it one last time before labor day. 

southwest cornbread salad

1 Granny's Cornbread 
1 can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can no-salt added corn, rinsed and drained

4 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 

cilantro, finely chopped

1 jalepeno, finely chopped

cumin, lime juice, garlic powder, to taste

creamy avocado dressing 

1 avocado, diced

1/2 c Greek Yogurt

lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients for dressing in blender and process until smooth. Place in small bowl and set aside. 
2. In large serving bowl, crumble cornbread. Combine all other salad ingredients and stir to combine with cornbread. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 
4. Serve with dressing on the side. 

this afternoon i plan on grocery shopping, maybe stopping by the new anthropologie (eek!), spending some time with my mom and dad and doing homework so i can hopefully relax by the pool all day tomorrow. i love being busy all weekend but it sure can be exhausting so i am going to try to rest up and get ready for this coming week.

xoxo, 

clp