I was with a friend of mine talking about the Super Bowl party last month and she said "You have to have bacon at the party."  As soon as she said it, I said "What about bacon brownies?" You would not believe the look of disgust on her face.  

But I could imagine it.  Salty, sweet, creamy, rich, perfect.  A caramel topping with extra bacon on top seemed like the perfect way to finish it off.  Can you imagine a better dessert?  Especially for a big group?  

Bacon Brownies

makes 12

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare the brownies according to package instructions.  Crumbled three strips of bacon into the batter.

STEP 2

In a saucepan, melt butter.  When butter is melted add brown sugar and 2 tbs heavy cream.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  

STEP 3

Let the brown sugar mixture bubble for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.  Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let rest 30 minutes.

STEP 4

Remove the brownies from then oven when they are done and let cool.

STEP 5

Add the whisk attachment to the stand mixer and blend in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.  You may not need all of the sugar.  If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.

STEP 6

Spread frosting over cooled brownies and crumble remaining bacon on top.

1 box brownie mix

6 strips cooked bacon

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

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Over on Weeknight Society, I regularly post a recipe so I can share what I'm cooking on the app with people who can't download the app (Android).  When I'm finally willing to pop for the Android build (it's almost $20,000!) I may not post as often, but I like to be able to offer all of the people my recipes.  

This week I'm going on Q13 FOX News with my fun ideas for a fabulous Super Bowl party.  This salad is the centerpiece of the party - well, the chicken strips on top are the centerpiece.  The lettuce is like the greenery around the roses.  It also makes this feel a lot healthier than a big pile of chicken wings (which are my very favorite thing in the whole world).  I also baked these chicken strips adding another level of healthiness that traditional wings just don't have.  There is a bit of butter on these chicken strips so they aren't "health food" by any means.  Just slightly better than the greasy fried version at the bar.

Speaking of the greasy fried wings, where are your favorite wings?  I'm on a mission to eat them everywhere. Currently, our neighborhood dive bar has my favorite.  They serve them naked, but with a side of Franks for dipping + the blue cheese.  I'm getting hungry writing this, so I probably can't tell you about the ones I had last month that were rolled in a blue cheese dust before frying.  They were awesome.  A hint of blue cheese flavor without even dipping them.

BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD

Seves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 375

Toss all tenders in milk then bread in panko.  Bake 20 minutes until cooked through. (30 mins)

STEP 2

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside. 

STEP 3

Remove tenders from the oven.  Melt together franks and butter in a small sauce pan.  Dip each tender through the hot sauce. 

STEP 4

Toss lettuce, celery, tomatoes and dressing.  Top with blue cheese crumbles, buffalo chicken, and dressing.

1 lb chicken tenders

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

1 cup franks wing sauce

¼ cup butter

1 head butter lettuce

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2  cup blue cheese crumbles

1 cup blue cheese

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 clove grated garlic

salt and pepper

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So the dream for the living room is to be an open and inviting room that we can all hang out in - and is open enough for other people to feel invited in.  The current living room is pretty un-inviting.  You have to walk around a goofy little wall to get into the room and it becomes a weird stopping point where we end up hanging in the hallway instead of the actually spacious and inviting room.

The living room off of the main entrance at the Parker Palm Springs has been a big influence on how we want the space to feel.  The cozy, comfortable room centered around a statement fireplace is what we are going for. 

The living room as it is is the perfect size.  It's big.  I can re-arrange the furniture about a zillion ways unless - of course - you try to arrange around the fireplace.  When we first moved in, I loved the fireplace and the statement it made about the era of the house. 

In talking to the architect, keeping this giant and awkward fireplace intact requires rebuilding the thing.  Why would I want to rebuild something that has been a bit of a headache?  So instead, we're ripping it out.  This will let us have our cool Parker Palm Springs type fireplace instead.

The other issue with the living room is the lack of ability to get to our backyard.  Those large windows could be doors.  Wouldn't that be great?  Big doors so we can go in and out easily.  In Seattle there are definitely seasons when that would not be the best idea, but the whole summer would be lovely to have the doors open and the dog able to run in and out. 

Here are the priorities:

1. Get rid of the old fireplace and replace with something cooler.

2. Open up the back windows and turn them into doors.

3. Make it more inviting to the front of the house.
 

Here's the plan. 

1. Remove the fireplace and it opens up to the back room of the house creating a perfect passage into a new den?  Also, a bar can go there now.

2. Sliding doors! Big giant sliding doors!

3. Remove the ridiculous pony wall and replace it with a floating closet/wardrobe deal.
 

I'm dreaming of a super cozy space where we can kick back with a cocktail and our friends.  One tiny detail we haven't dealt with yet is where a television goes.  Our architect isn't really the "design around a TV kind of guy" but the reality of needing to watch the Super Bowl or - more importantly - the Oscars is really real. 

What do you think?
 

xoxo, ali

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My kids start school at 8am.  I am not a morning person.  Those two facts mean that I struggle to eat a decent breakfast.  And breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I love eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, fruit, waffles, pancakes.  All of it.  I love all of it.  

A few years ago I started making granola once a week.  With the realization that I wasn't regularly eating breakfast (although I should!) I started making "to go" breakfasts with the granola.  I pop it in a jar, add some dried fruit, and pack a separate jar of coconut milk to pour over the top when I get to the office.  It's actually really delicious.  

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

makes 5 cups

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, honey and vanilla until combined.  

STEP 2

Add remaining ingredients and mix until coated.  Pour out oats on to a lined baking sheet and pop into the oven.  

STEP 3

Bake in the oven 20 minutes, stirring at least once.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Break into pieces and store in an air tight container for one week.  If you need to keep it longer, pop it into the refrigerator.  

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup pecans

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

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My trick I've found for eating healthy is to plan ahead.  If I don't plan what I'm going to take for lunch ahead of time, I end up eating whatever random thing I find in the fridge and/or a CLIF bar. It's not pretty.  I also end up starving at 4pm and I eat a ton of food right before dinner.  And then, I clearly eat all of the dinner.  

So I've started packing lunches ahead of time.  This is one of my classics that I make ahead and keep in the fridge.  It's really simple to make ahead - the trick is to put a layer of salsa and tomatoes between the quinoa and the lettuce.  It keeps the lettuce from getting soggy.  

SOUTHWEST QUINOA LUNCH

makes 3 lunches

STEP 1

In a bowl mix together cooked quinoa, black beans, spices, and hot sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 2

Divide quinoa into three separate jars.  Divide out all remaining ingredients across the three jars.  Seal and pop in the fridge.

STEP 3

You can eat these out of the jar - or put them on a plate and feel slightly more civilized.  

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 can black beans, drained

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

3 cups lettuce

Welcome Q13 viewers!  I'm so glad you're here.  Click on the below images to see what was on air today and come back every day for more recipes, cocktails, and decorating ideas.  I can't wait to get to know you.

I'm so glad you joined me on television this morning.  Follow along the blog for new recipes, cocktails, and more daily!  Next week I'll pull together a really simple Super Bowl party!  

xoxo, ali

This is the time of year when my attempt at healthy eating has evaporated.  I usually start out great in the morning with granola and coconut milk.  I plan a lunch to take with me that's generally filled with vegetables.  But after that, it takes a nose dive.  The remaining Halloween candy beckons me.  Then a cocktail.  Then tacos.

This week I'm reigning it back in with a version of tacos that's way healthier.  Here's why

- I swapped out ground beef for ground chicken.

- Instead of traditional taco shells, I used lettuce.

- Eliminated cheese and added more vegetables 

my photographer hates photos of raw meat, so I use them a lot.

The great thing with these wraps is that they are generally family friendly.  My kids eat them.  The youngest still prefers a traditional tortilla instead of the lettuce, but everyone else is on board with the lettuce thing.  I've been known to add rice to this dinner too in the event my kids seem like they need extra carbs.  They are all so athletic, they need carbs way more often than I do.  

Thai Chicken Wraps

serves 4

2 lb ground chicken

1 tbs sriracha

1 lime – zested and juiced

1 tbs rice vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tbs ginger

2 tbs soy

1 carrot

1 bell pepper

1 cucumber

1 cup basil

1 head butter lettuce

½ cup mayo

1 tsp sriracha

1 tsp cilantro

1 tsp honey

STEP 1

Mix the chicken with 1 tbs sriracha, the juice of ½ lime and the lime zest, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Let it sit for a few minutes.  (5 mins)

STEP 2

Mix together mayo, 1 tsp sriracha, 1 tsp chopped cilantro, 1 tsp honey, the juice of ½ lime.  (5 mins)

STEP 3

Cook the meat over high heat until browned.  (10 mins)

STEP 4

Serve in butter lettuce cups with vegetables on top + dressing on the side.

Usually I would say "This time of year I'm trying to eat healthier" but the reality is, I should probably cut out extra calories on the regular.  Alcohol is a pretty good place to start.  Do you know how many calories are in a margarita?!? It's like a zillion.  I wondered if I could combine tequila + a little juice + coconut water to make a cocktail that's not too heavy in the calories but is actually delicious.  

Nailed it.  

It turns out this is fantastic.  Because it isn't filled with the margarita syrup stuff, it actually needs less salt on the rim than usual.  But it's so much more fun with  a salted rim.

Tropical Skinny Margarita

makes 2 drinks

STEP 1

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all of the ingredients.  Shake vigorously.  

STEP 2

Run the edge of a lime wedge around the rim of a glass and tip into margarita salt.  Fill the glass with ice

STEP 3

Strain the cocktail into the prepared glasses and garnish with a lime.  Cheers.

80mL coconut water

80mL tequila

40mL pineapple juice

Blue and green are such a natural combination together.  Is it because of the sky and the grass?  Algae and water?  Because they live next door to each other on the color wheel and we all learned in art school that they have to go together if they are next to each other on the color wheel?  Who knows.  But it works. 

My signature color for about one hundred years has been Verdant Green by Sherwin Williams.  I painted my front door at the old house Verdant Green.  I painted the floors in our current house Verdant Green.  I purchased 12 yards of fabric that's shades of Verdant Green in a stripe pattern.  I painted a stripe in the boy's current bedroom Verdant Green.  It's clear that with the new house, Verdant Green is staying.  I don't think I'd shake it even if I could. 

FIND THE THINGS

1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | 10. | 11. | 12.

xoxo, ali

The dining room is actually just fine.  It's really only a space between the kitchen and the living room and it's not that remarkable.  But it will end up with changes because the rooms that it is smashed between are getting some massive alterations.

The biggest issue I think I might have with the dining room is making our vintage furniture that is a family heirloom fit into a new version of our decor.

I've seen loads of houses where they remodel and it looks amazing but then they stick in their old furniture that doesn't go with the space and it kills the whole thing.  I don't want to kill the whole thing.  Luckily I've seen several houses "get it right" combining modern style chairs with the old table.  We'll definitely try that - and Craigslist is a treasure trove of modern style chairs that no one wants anymore.  

This room is also ending up to be the room with the 'statement' chandelier. Unless I change my mind and decide to add one to the living room...  There's still time.  So it needs to be good.  Modern, but not too "modern;" classy but not traditional, providing light but not glaringly bright.  So far, I'm digging on the Jonathan Adler versions of chandeliers that seem to hit all of those points.  But maybe something vintage?  

Since there aren't that many issues, there doesn't need to be massive change.  However, since it's situated between two rooms that do need an update.  Here are the issues I do see us addressing:

1. The wall between the stairs and the dining room is a major block and I can't see the front door from the kitchen which is annoying because I like to be in the kitchen and still talk to people. 

2. I want to be able to go inside and outside from this room.  Nana walls are the dream - maybe?  They do have a hefty price tag however.  

Soon I'll share what I'm thinking for the living room + we'll get into some real, actual floor plans from the architect!  Can't wait to get this moving just a little bit faster.

xoxo, ali