spirooli product review

long time no blog i know! but i guess i have been a bit busy with being in college! dad came up this past weekend and i really had a good time with him. we went to the basketball game, shopping and ate dinner at one of our favorites, aubrey's, and had brunch on sunday at cru bistro. it was a delicious breakfasty-brunch that i will definitely eat again. the smoked gouda grits were to die for! other than that, i have been studying and schooling and alpha chi-ing.

tonight for supper i tried something new: vegetable noodles! i have seen so many vegetable noodle recipes on the internet and have wanted to try them because they are a great low-carb alternative to regular pasta noodles! tonight i broke out my new spirooli spiral slicer to make zucchini noodles! it was so fun using my newest contraption! after i spiralized the zucchini, i ended up slightly warming it with my pasta sauce to soften them up a bit. for my sauce tonight, i simply browned a sliced italian chicken sausage link, dumped in some sliced stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce with some classic italian spices and let it simmer while i worked on the zucchini and made a salad. it was really a delicious and filling italian dinner free of carbs from pasta! with the spirooli, you can spiralize vegetables ranging from squash to potatoes, slice veggies like cucumbers or even shred cabbage! my dad made have made fun of me for buying it but i have a feeling he is going to get some good use out of it too when i bring it home for the summer. i think it is an essential tool for a healthy kitchen, and a time saver too!

i am crossing my fingers for a possible snow day tomorrow... which would give me a four day weekend! all but one of my classes are cancelled so i am constantly checking my email hoping it is either from my professor or UT! i don't like the snow at all (born and bred a southerner, i just don't know what to do with it) so i would rather have no snow or ice but if it is going to happen, i don't want to have to be out in it! i hope everyone stays safe and warm over the next few days!

xoxo,
clp

p.s. for dessert i made dashing dish's red velvet cupcake for one and it was delicious! perfect portion controlled treat without any tempting leftovers!

kate spade spring 14 favorites

oh, kate spade has done it again. last fall, they took us to new york and this spring they are taking us to paris! this collection is dreamy, just like the city that inspires it. the colors are bright and fun, and all the pieces have the classic-with-a-touch-of-whimsy that kate spade is known for.

gable colorblock fit & flare dress

roanne stripe top

sedgewick place tweed fairlee

dorothy coat

charming multi-strand necklace

haley top

paris and the single girl book clutch

well i think i may have gotten a little carried away with picking favorites! there are still many more pieces of the collection that i am in love with! maybe i can get my hands on some of these! 

my main man, my daddy, is coming to knoxville this weekend for winter family day! we are going to lunch in neyland's skybox and the basketball game! i really am excited to see him and hang around knoxville with him. it will be especially nice after all the tests that i have had this week! 

hopefully i will try out some new recipes or share some old favorites with y'all soon. i have been a bit busy and have been sticking to tried and true favorites that i have already shared. my brain is a tad bit overworked this week so the focus has just been to eat healthy and stay on track. 

the olympics start today so that is what my tv will be on for the next two weeks! i always love the winter olympics, with figure skating being my favorite. shaun white also never ceases to amaze me on the snowboard as well! i am quite looking forward to watching the opening ceremonies tonight. go USA!

xoxo,

clp 

scribble squares OOTD

i was all squared away for meeting tonight. literally. tonight's OOTD features the custom LEONA print known as "scribble squares" and i love it! the colors transition well from season to season and both pieces work great together or apart!

LEONA peplum top and skirt, j.crew black shirt and tights, steve madden heels

i got many compliments on my outfit from my sisters tonight at meeting! it was so fun being able to say that i would be interning for LEONA when they asked what brand it was and where i got it! 

xoxo,

clp 

in review: thai, pie, books and movies

well it seems like i have a few things share with y'all! in the past week, i have seen a couple of movies, finished a book and am halfway through another and tried out two (new-to-me) places in knoxville!

• movie: American Hustle: honestly, i walked out of the theater completely unaffected by the movie. for one thing, it was terribly long and i have a hard time sitting still. but regardless of the time, i felt like it left something to be desired. don't get me wrong, the all-star cast was great. because of the buzz surrounding it, i felt like i was supposed to rave about it afterwards. however, it was a movie that i was glad when the credits rolled on the screen. 
• movie: Last Vegas: better than American Hustle that's for sure. while it was funny at times, it was a bit predictable but a good renter nonetheless. i think that the older crowd might find it funnier than my generation but it still had some good laughs here and there. 
• book: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter: not sure why it was on so many bestseller lists. the plot jumped around from different characters and time periods which could occasionally be confusing. while everything connected at the end, there was still something missing from the book as a whole. 
• restaurant: Taste of Thai: hands down the best thai food i have had in knoxville. i ordered the pad thai with veggies and it was beyond good. the portions are huge and i brought more than half of it home. erin and ellie both got drunken noodles with chicken and it looked quite tasty as well. i will definitely be returning there to get my thai food fix in knoxville! 
• bakery: Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop: i have been dying to try this little pie shop and couldn't resist the temptation after supper tonight. i got granny's apple pie, erin got classic pecan and ellie got chocolate meringue. my mini-pie was one of the best things i have tasted in a long time and was sad to see it gone. the mini-pies are the perfect individual portions, but they also have whole pies available to buy, as well as thumbprint cookies, homemade buttermilk biscuits and ice cream! it is going to be a dangerous place for me, and worth every calorie!  

its Super Bowl sunday (and groundhog day but that's getting a little overshadowed this year)! what team am i cheering for? peyton. the team of peyton manning. we tennesseans loved him in '98 and we love him just as much, if not more, today. i will be watching the Super Bowl (aka the commercials) at my apartment tonight while partially studying (4 tests in 7 days). i made a big pot of taco soup and a batch of jalepeno cornbread that my cousin erin and best friend ellie are going to munch on during the game! 

the groundhog saw his shadow this morning, which means six more weeks of winter. my fingers are crossed in hopes that he is wrong and that spring is right around the corner. the spring collections that are appearing in stores have me dreaming of warmer weather! i have a busy week ahead and i am sure you do too so i will keep this short and sweet. happy groundhog day and Super Bowl sunday! go broncos!

xoxo,
clp