Guest Post Risotto!

Boy do I have a treat for you today! My friend B is going to share another one of her recipes with you! It sounds delicious and she kept telling me that is it super easy and quick to make. I love that! So without further ado- here she is!

Hey everyone! I’d like to start off by thanking E for inviting me back for another guest post; I am going to share two new fun things with you today so I hope you enjoy them!

#1 My birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I got to spend it with my family and boyfriend out in Beaver Creek, Colorado, which was fabulous and fun! I love being out in the mountains, escaping the busy city life. I only checked my email once (can you believe it?) and it felt amazing!

One of my favorite gifts that I received was this purse from my boyfriend! Now I know what you are thinking, “Wow, that’s really cute! It can go from spring to summer to winter, has a nice sort of 60’s mod feel with the geometric lines and also a touch of nautical with the navy and white”  (that is what you are thinking right?). Well this bag is so much more, because form the outside it looks like just a purse, but in actuality it is a camera bag! See the inside below! It holds all my camera stuff, lens’, manual etc. and also has room for my wallet!

My boyfriend got this awesome handbag/camera bag (handcamerabag?) from Ketti Handbags (kettihandbags.com). This designer makes the bags by hand so each is slightly unique. She also only makes about 5 per week, which go on sale every Monday at 9am Pacific Time. It took my boyfriend 2 weeks to get one because you have be so quick at getting the bag into your Shopping Cart and payment in. It makes it that much more special!

#2 The second thing I am going to share with you today is my recipe for Autumn Cranberry Risotto! I like to make this on rainy, chilly days, particularly in the fall. But just the other night we had a spring chill and I felt inspired. The best part, it does not take all the time and work that regular risotto recipes do!

You will need a Deep Covered Baker for this recipe. I got one for Christmas this year and I use it ALL THE TIME! There are so many dishes you can make in it that are so fast! Rachel Ray has a great line of colored ones. I have Rachel Ray’s orange one, which matches my brightly colored kitchen.

Things you will need:

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (I like to also add in about ¼ cup of golden raisins for flavor and color)

1 medium onion

1 cup uncooked Arborio or Risotto rice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 ¾ cup chicken stock

¾ cup dry white wine (like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)

salt and pepper

½ cup blanched slivered almonds

2 stalks of celery

3 oz cream cheese

¼ cup parsley

2 cups chicken breasts cooked and diced (I usually by a rotisserie chicken and shred 2 cups)

Steps: 
1. Combine cranberries (and golden raisins if you are using them) and 2 cups of hot water in a cereal sized bowl, set aside

2. Coarsely chop onion. Combine onion, rice and oil in a Deep Covered Baker, stir. Microwave UNCOVERED on high for 2-4 min. or until onion starts to appear translucent.

3. Add stock, wine, salt and pepper to Deep Covered Baker and microwave on high COVERED for 13 min. stirring halfway through.

 4. Meanwhile toast almonds in pan until brown.

5. Slice celery, cut cream cheese into cubes and drain cranberries.

6. Remove Baker from microwave and add chicken and celery. Microwave on high COVERED for 3-5 min. or until risotto appears to be creamy.

 7. Remove Baker from microwave. Add cream cheese and almonds; stir until cheese is fully incorporated. (add more cream cheese if it is not creamy/cheesy enough, who doesn’t love more cheese?)

8. Fold in cranberries and raisins, garnish with parsley (when I am making it for myself I don’t bother with the parsley, but when making for others, it adds some color).

9. Enjoy with some green beans (like I did) or a nice salad or asparagus!

Thanks B for sharing with us!! I think its nuts that you make this whole thing in the microwave! And I bet you don't even need a covered baker just a microwave safe bowl and lid! Neato!

Let's Pretend for a Moment

Let's pretend for a moment that we are having a lovely dinner in DC. A tasty dinner with charming company in an adorable apartment. I can't think of anything better actually. 

:)

My dear friend B has shared with us one of her go to dinner recipes. I personally can't wait to try it!

Spicy Garlic Chicken with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I just buy the bottle kind)

2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp tabasco sauce

1 tsp minced lemon zest

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1) Season chicken with salt and pepper, Stir together panko, garlic and oregano; place in shallow dish. Dredge both sides of chicken in panko mixture.  

2) Combine lemon juice, honey, tabasco and zest for a glaze in a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside

3) Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; saute until browned on both sides and cooked through (about 12 minutes)

4) Add lemon-honey glaze to the skillet; reduce until syrupy, about a minute.  Return chicken to the skillet, flipping the pieces once to coat them with glaze.

Voila! 

FYI I usually double the recipe since MR eats enough for a small village. 

All photos courtesy of Miss B!


Thanks B for sharing such a tasty recipe! I hope you all get a chance to try it!

Guest Post ~ Lou Lou in DC

Hello!

I have the privilege today to share another guest post from B! When we lived together in DC I was constantly raiding her closet and desperately miss her (and her closet) now in San Diego! Today she is sharing a fun find in DC. Maybe if you're in the area you'll check it out or share (with a comment) how much you already love it!

One of the other more sparkly things in town that I love is Lou Lou Boutique. One location is in DuPont Circle, the other around Metro Center (near the Ford’s Theatre, which is part of the Smithsonian and therefore free to the public, and has a really exceptional museum/tour by the way). 

This quaint store has many sparkly and fun things. Earrings, headbands, necklaces, bracelets, hand bags and rings to your hearts delight. It has a super cute, shabby chic style, not quite as alternative/indie as urban outfitters or Anthropologie and less expensive! I believe this fun find originated in northern Virginia, as there are also 4 locations in that area. 

You can go to: www.loulouboutiques.com for more information! 

Boyfriend and I are headed to DC the first weekend in June and I am definitely going to have to drag him to Lou Lou to check it out! 

Thanks for sharing B!

I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! I'll be camping and I'll try and do a mobile post!

~Elise

Guest Post ~ Biking Fun in DC with B!

Alright everybody, I am so excited to introduce my absolute bestie. Her name is B and she lives in Washington DC where we met at school, and she is going to GUEST POST! I just shared with her that I was writing a blog and it seems like a perfect fit to also have her add to it and give it a little East Coast flair! So here she is Miss B!

Here we are berry picking in college! More on that if you wanna know... let me know!

Let me start by saying that I am honored to be a guest blogger on “Sparkle at Twenty-Something”! 

I am a young professional living in Washington, DC and would love to share how I make my life Sparkle at Twenty-Something in the District (and on a budget). 

Capital Bikeshare is one of my favorite new programs in the District, designed to get DC residents exercising, having fun around the city and also offering a new style for commuting. Recently I spent a day with my boyfriend biking around town, running errands and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. 

A one-day pass is $5 for the first 30 minutes that you bike. After 30 minutes you get charged a small fee per hour you have the bike out. There are 114 pods of bikes are the area so we made sure we returned out bikes every 30 minutes to not get charged extra. 

It sounds inconvenient but with at least one pod in every neighbor of DC it was not at all hard.  This is great whether you are a resident or visiting in town. You can also get yearlong memberships if you live in the area. 

Here is a picture of me, looking maybe not as sparkly as I would have liked, but wearing and helmet and being safe comes with some sacrifices!

I love them. End of story. ~E

As well as my boyfriend and me with our bikes in front of the White House. 

You can go to: www.capitalbikeshare.com for more information! 

Well that’s all I have for now! Thanks for reading and make sure to check back with “Sparkle at Twenty-Something” for more exciting posts! 

-B