One present in particular was used to create this week’s Sunday night supper- a food processor! I’ve been dying for a food processor since so many great recipes require one- pesto, salsas and even homemade granola bars.

I was craving Black Bean Burgers for some reason. I really love the spicy flavor, unique texture and filling qualities of these vegetarian burgers. I also wanted to test out my new processor, which is needed for this recipe.

Basically you just mash up a 16 oz. can of black beans so most of the beans are “mushy.” Then I threw 1/2 a green pepper, 3 peeled garlic cloves and 1/2 and onion into the food processor until they’re finely chopped.

In a separate bowl I mixed one egg, 1 tablespoon each of chili powder, cumin and hot sauce. Then I added 3/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs to thicken it a bit.

I strained the beans and onion/garlic/pepper mix to get rid of the extra water before mixing everything (beans, onion mix, and egg/breadcrumb mix) together.

While my grill pan heated up to medium/high heat, I formed patties out of the mixture. It was a bit sticky/soft, so don’t be alarmed if you can’t make perfect patties. Once I threw them on the grill that held together fairly well.

We topped ours with whole-grain flat bread buns, onion, cheese, mustard and ketchup.

For a side, I whipped together a Mexican salad with iceberg lettuce, Mexican cheese, tomatoes, canned corn and jalapeno peppers.

I also used my processor a second time to make homemade chipotle dressing. This dressing is really easy and delicious with a ton of chipotle kick. I like to make a batch of it and keep it around all week for salads.

 All it takes is 1/2 a packet of Ranch dressing mix, 1 1/2 cups light sour cream, pureed chipotle peppers (this is where you need the food processor),  juice from one lime and 1 tablespoon cumin. Just mix, refrigerate for a 1/2 hour and enjoy!

This meal was a great way to mix in some vegetarian eating into our diet. The burgers were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with lots of onion, garlic and spicy flavor. The chipotle dressing also had a nice kick to off-set the cold iceberg lettuce.

I definitely recommend you guys try this recipe out! If anything, it would be a nice offering at a barbecue this summer.

Tonight is my first dress fitting. I am so excited to see my gown again and also a bit nervous. I hope I still love it!

Leading up to this fitting, I’ve been running around town trying to find the perfect undergarments to wear with my dress. Unlike many gowns, my dress does not have much structure, boning or bodice built in, so I had to find something else to “suck me in.”

When anticipating what would be the hardest wardrobe piece to find for my wedding, I never would have thought about undergarments. But you would not believe how difficult it is to find the right ones! I needed something to shape my middle area and provide a “cinch” at the waist.

First I ordered some Yummie Tummie shape wear per a recommendation from a friend. She said they were great under clothes because they didn’t leave lines.

When it arrived, I was less than thrilled. It basically just laid on top of my stomach without make me look any smaller. Maybe I needed a smaller size?

I decided that the only way to get a good fit was to try some on in the store. I trekked down to Michigan Ave. on a Saturday and hit up Macy’s, Nordstrom AND Bloomingdales, all with no luck. I was surprised and frustrated that none of them had anything suitable for bridal undergarments!

As I was walking out of Bloomingdales feeling desperate, I spotted a small boutique called Intimacy-Bra Fit Stylists. A sign said they specialized in “helping women of all sizes find a fit that makes them look and feel sleeker, slimmer, and sexier,” which sounded promising.

As soon as I told them I was looking for undergarments to wear with my wedding dress, all the sales ladies directed me to a wall of bustiers, girdles and what looked like chastity belts. They then pulled out what is probably the least-sexy piece of underwear I have EVER seen!

Seriously, this thing looks like a lace cage or something! Lol. I tried it on while trying not to laughing to myself about how ugly it was. This thing requires some MAJOR pulling, tugging and adjusting before it fits.

Just as I was feeling thoroughly embarrassed to have three sales ladies yanking some granny undies onto me, I looked in the mirror and saw how TINY it made my waist look. It has boning within it that nips at the waist and smooths all over. And for all the pulling, it was pretty comfortable once in place.

So yes, I am not embarrassed to admit that I walked out of the store with this monster of an undergarment- the Rago High Waist Long Leg Shaper. It may be ugly underneath my dress, but my body is going to look bangin!

What undergarments do you guys swear by? Spanx? Hanky Panky? Victoria’s Secret?

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to spending my Saturday in a room from 9:00 – 4:00, but it ended up being a pretty enlightening day. The purpose of the retreat was to prepare Luke and I not just for our wedding, but also the life-long marriage that comes after it.

It’s easy to get caught up thinking about the wedding portion without spending much time preparing for the marriage. During the day we talked about everything including: how we define the word commitment, how many kids we want to have, how we’ll manage our finances and how our faith will play a role in our lives.

My favorite part of the day was when we were asked to write each other a love letter describing our feelings about our upcoming wedding. It was nice to have a moment to document my thoughts and also to read Luke’s in return.

The letter was to start with the line “the biggest emotion I have about our upcoming marriage is…” I won’t go into detail, but some of the words used in our letters include: excitement, hope and anticipation.

I’m planning to keep those letters locked away safely, so on our anniversaries Luke and I can pull them out and re-live the emotions we’re feeling leading up to our wedding.

I wonder if we’ll have the same feelings years from now or if we’ll laugh at how naive we were! Either way, it will be a sweet memory to relive.

One line that struck a chord with me was “The most loving thing you’ll ever be able to do is to put each other first.”  

Well said, right? I think this is super important for Luke and I remember, because someday when we have kids, careers and 100 other things taking up our time we might forget to put each other as number one.

My parents have always lived this rule in their marriage, putting their relationship above all else…even us, their kids. They’d try hard not to take sides during disagreements with us, come to decisions mutually behind closed doors so we couldn’t tag the “nice parent,” and back each other up at all times.

Some people might balk at the idea of putting their spouse BEFORE their children, but I think the best thing parents can do for their kids is to love each other first. It provides a sense of security and a foundation for how to have a lasting commitment that so many kids miss out on.

As our wedding day draws nearer, I’m going to try to live this lesson. I’m going to do my best to not let the opinions of others or the stress of planning come before the reason for this day…Luke and I’s love and commitment to each other.  

Do you guys agree that your spouse should come first? How do you ensure you live that lesson in your life?

Thanks Amy @ResourcefulMom for reminding me of this important life lesson!

I wanted to get my ladies all something little as a token of my thanks for helping me celebrate. I wanted the favors to be personal, something they’ll actually use and not something that would bust my bank.

Last week I was pondering what to get them while getting my nails done when I came up with the idea of buying Essie nail polish’s with names that match each girl’s personality.

I love Essie because their nailpolish names are so inventive and there are a ton to choose from. Here are some of my favs:

One of a Kind – for your friend who is unique and has a style all her own.

Eternal Optimist- for the girl who always has a smile on her face.

Jackie Oh My - for your friend with a classic style.

Hard to Get -for the girl who loves being single and playing the field.

There are so many great names to choose from! I found ones that PERFECTLY matched my friend’s personalities, which I think everyone loved. Plus it was super easy to throw the polish in their purses for a night out.

Thanks again to all my wonderful friends who came out with us to celebrate!

The forward said I had to send it to six of my friends or I’ll be cursed with bad luck, but I figure at least six of my readers will enjoy this so maybe I will avoid being cursed. :)

Take a peek and let me know what you think about the Lotus Touts!

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, ‘I love you,’ mean it.

FIVE. When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, ‘Why do you want to know?’

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say ‘bless you’ when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

Luke and I had a wonderful day from start to finish. All week leading up to Sunday Luke had me guessing as to what we were doing. “It’s a surprise” he’d say as I questioned him endlessly. I’m pretty surprised he was able to keep mum all week given my prodding.

We kicked the day off by jumping in a cab near my apartment and heading out to Bucktown. I still had no idea where we were going at the time.

When we arrived at our destination I was super excited to see that we were outside my favorite restaurant Hot Chocolate.

This place is my favorite for many reasons – including of course their amazing hot chocolate. I had never been for brunch before, so I was excited to see what was on the menu.

We started out with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat oatmeal bread and a shot of organic milk.

Then we moved on to lamb hash with winter vegetables and poached eggs and scrambled eggs with giardiniera peppers and salami. We topped it off with blueberry and pineapple/passionfruit smoothies.

It was such a delicious way to start Valentine’s Day and definitely reaffirmed my love of Hot Chocolate.

Our next activity was “within walking distance” according to Luke and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was massages at Asha Spa across the street. Luke’s never had a massage before and I’ve been telling him about how amazing they are for awhile.

My suspicions were right! Luke had made appointments for us both to get one-hour massages and they were soooo relaxing.

If you’ve never had a professional massage before, trust me you’re missing OUT! A professional can soothe and relax your muscles in a way you can’t imagine. They are well worth every penny spent.

I felt so spoiled and special after the surprise day Luke had planned for me. To return the love, that evening I made homemade pizza and gave Luke a box of dark chocolate truffles from Voges.

It was a perfect Valentine’s Day spent with my future husband.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?

I’m one of Liz’s soon-to-be-a-bride friends guest posting this week.

Now, I myself don’t have any great words of wisdom for the wedding bound since I’m just about to walk down the aisle, but thought I’d share a cute idea and some advice from family and friends that I’ve received so far.

For my bridal shower a few weeks ago, all the ladies created a chainlink countdown (you know, like this one, ala grade school crafts —>).  

Each person wrote a note about me and my fiance, marriage or advice. Each day since the shower, we’ve been removing a link, and it’s been a fun thing to look forward to each night (especially when the RSVPs start to slow down – you know, there’s a boom at the beginning when you send out and then they slowly trickle in). I highly recommend this to anyone who has to throw a shower!

So here are some of the Words of Wisdom I’ve opened so far and have stuck in my mind -

• Those who cook together stay together
• Always have something to look forward to
• Never go to bed angry and always kiss goodnight

And of course a few funny ones -

• If you don’t get something you want, CRY, and then you’ll get it
• Avoid wearing oversized T-shirts (suited for the gym) to bed
• Remember, just because you’re married doesn’t mean you have to let him win

Enjoy!

This past Sunday my Grandma Germaine passed away after suffering from complications of a stroke. Although we have been anticipating that she would pass for some time, it’s never easy to say goodbye to a beloved family member.

Luke and I were lucky enough to be able to fly to Cleveland to spend time with my family and say goodbye to my grandma. While celebrating her life, I was reminded of what an extraordinary woman she was.

She raised six kids while working full-time as a guidance counselor with the Cleveland Public Schools. Believing that education was the key to a promising future- she even went back to school mid-life to earn her PHD in education from Case Western University.

She was devoted to her family, being married to my grandfather for 58 years, caring for her own mother until she died at 100, and supporting her six children, including my mother, whenever they needed it.

She was a tremendous grandmother as well, making trips to Toledo to see my school plays, hosting my dad and I on weekends when I’d have a volleyball tournament in Cleveland and always remembering birthdays and graduations.

I’m really happy my family got 86 years with her in this life. I hope she’s with my grandfather, dancing  among angels.

Any prayers or thoughts you can offer up for my grandmother and family would be much appreciated.

We’ll miss you grandma.

I came across one seller called LuLu Splendor that had some gorgeous jewelry that I just had to share with you guys.

Very glamorous, bold and beautiful jewelry, right?  I also really love that it’s made using vintage components and real pearls.

I think I’ll ultimately go with something a big more understated since my gown is intricate, but I think this jewelry would be perfect for a bride with a simpler dress who is still looking to make a statement.

What do you guys think? Do you like the intricate floral designs?

TGIF!