Cyber Monday

I've never been a fan of Black Friday. After a day full of family, food and wine, I much prefer sleeping in and being lazy to dragging myself out of bed at an ungodly hour and being pepper sprayed or trampled or whatever.

But I do love a deal, so when Cyber Monday became a thing a few years ago, I was right on board. My credit card has already gotten a workout this morning (as I sit at home in my pajamas), and there is still much damage to be done.

A few of my favorite deals so far:

50% off all full-price items at The Limited (code: CYBER)

50% off everything at Ann Taylor Loft (code: SHOP50)

Lots of stuff on sale at Drugstore.com (Clarisonic Mias are only $95 today - the best price I've seen!)

And you know how I love a Kate Spade Sample Sale...

and I'm just getting started.

BUT WAIT!

Whether you are a regular online shopper or you are just online today to celebrate Cyber Monday, you should definitely be shopping with Ebates. Today they are offering double cash back on all purchases, which means that I earned 12% back on my Drugstore.com purchase, for example. It takes awhile for your savings to add up (those people in the commercials who say they get thousands back from Ebates are either liars or have major online shopping addictions) but, I figure, if I can save even a couple of dollars with literally no work at all, why not?

Happy shopping!

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Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

During my most recent trip to Texas, we decided to skip our usual outing to Rudy's Barbecue and try something different by going to Black's Barbecue in Lockhart (which, we later learned, has been declared the official barbecue of Texas by the state legislature.)

 

As a vegetarian, barbecue obviously isn't my favorite thing in the world. But I fell in love with Black's as soon as I tried their delicious black-eyed peas, and I came home determined to recreate them. I think this recipe came pretty close.

 (source)

Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

 (adapted from this recipe)

•  6 cups of water or veggie broth (I used water + 1 tsp of Penzey's vegetable soup base)
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and sorted
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (the original recipe called for bacon and ham, so it's important to use smoked paprika here to mimic the smokey flavor of the meat)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Put everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the beans are soft. Add more salt and pepper if desired. This is good as a side dish or on its own with some crusty bread or over greens.

Enjoy!

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Friday Favorites

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, so let's go for it.

Glade Apple Cinnamon candles

I buy these every fall/winter and burn them pretty much 24 hours a day. Well, not really, because that would be irresponsible. But seriously, I love this candle. It makes my house smell so warm and delicious. I can't get enough.

Birchbox

I received my first Birchbox shipment last week and I can already tell that this is going to be a long and happy relationship. I love getting mail, and I love beauty product samples, so it's pretty much perfect.

If you're interested in signing up for Birchbox, I would love it if you'd use my referral code! 

White Noise app

I've heard a lot about the White Noise app but, like so many things, I was tragically late to the game on it. I finally downloaded it a few days ago and have already been incessantly nagging my friends to download it, too. Love at first listen.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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healthy recipe round-up

I just got back from my annual Austin vacation to see my sisters and to attend Wurstfest, an annual festival of sausage and beer in New Braunfels, Texas (I confess: I meat-cheated just a little. Don't judge me.) The trip was really fun, and it was wonderful to spend time with my sisters and family. 

Ryan and Kate with two of the ELEVEN pitchers of beer the seven of us drank. We were pretty proud of that number, to be honest.

Alison and I cheers-ing to Wurstfest!

Dad, beer, sausage.

And the delicious barbecue we had the next day, as if we hadn't consumed enough greasy food... 

But like all Texas trips before, this one consisted of too much beer, queso, chips, tacos, and ice cream, and I left for home feeling pretty sick. So this week I'm rebooting with lots of vegetables and very minimal cheese. Here are a few healthy recipes I'm pulling out of my Pinterest archives to help get me back to normal.

Slow-Cooker Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

Source: myrecipes.com via Erin on Pinterest

Risotto with Butternut Squash, Leeks and Basil

Source: epicurious.com via Erin on Pinterest

Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup

Source: wholeliving.com via Erin on Pinterest

Creamy Quinoa Primavera

Source: letsdishrecipes.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Sweet Potato Cakes with Sour Cream and Black Bean Salsa

Source: lisaiscooking.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta

Source: team-t-adventures.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Herbed Pea and Quinoa Pilaf

Source: foodfitnessfreshair.com via Erin on Pinterest

Two-Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella, Basil and Pine Nuts

Source: theitaliandishblog.com via Erin on Pinterest

Have you tried any new healthy recipes lately?

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In Which Tyson's Corner Vaguely Resembles a Ski Lodge for One Night*

Eddie Bauer invited something like 50 bloggers from around D.C. to check out their holiday collection and style up a couple of guinea-pig models in some of the new pieces. Seeing as I hadn't stepped into an Eddie Bauer store since my prep-tastic high school years, I was pretty curious to see what they were up to. (Also appealing: A visit out to Tyson's Corner. Delicious, unhealthy mall food!)

The collection was perfectly cozy and casual: Lots of thick sweaters, earflappy hats and flannel pieces, very New England ski lodge chic. I maaaaay have gone home with the snuggly sweater leggings on my girl model, above right, which I plan on trying to get away with at work on chilly days. (Also, um, this awesome flask.) And, OK, I ordered my model's Sperry Avon boots on my iPad while I was still in the store and have been wearing them relentlessly. And I probably would've grabbed this quilted sweatshirt if someone (cough, cough) hadn't snagged the last small size. All in all, a very fun trip.

*Oh, yeah! That's me, above left, in my Valentino for Gap parka and a slightly goofy smile.

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TOPSHOP Butterfly Print Fabric Holdall

At the risk of seeming predictable I wandered into wonderful, wintry Topshop the other day. Instantly my gaze was stolen. Not by a bodycon skirt, or by something burgundy or by some unusual looking jewellery.

It was stolen by a bag. At first glance my eyes were deceiving me. Why is there a Gucci Boston Doctor Bag in Topshop? Have Topshop gone designer? Has someone left this poor baby unattended and it's now seeking a good samaritan to rescue it?

The answer to all three questions was no. It was just a bag that looked like it's Gucci cousin. Oh but what a beautiful bag it is! If you take a closer look the butterflies seemingly appear as Gs.

Not only is this bag absolutely, fantastically beautiful but it also goes with everything. You name it, and it probably goes with it. Not only does it have style, it has substance too. It's really sturdy, built to hold everything you could possibly want to put in it.

If there's one downside to the bag it's that it's so huge! "Why is this bad?" I hear you say. Well it's great that I can fit all my stuff in but I find myself putting more stuff in than I actually need. As time goes on, I'll keep putting more and more and stuff inside it. Stuff that I err... need. Yeah. Need. Ahem.

At £45, this bag is a steal. There's still some left on the Topshop website, LINK!

 

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The Ultimate Bodycon

Burgundy. Definitely this season's colour, I've been obsessed with any shade even remotely burgundy: Oxblood, Maroon, Red Wine. You name it, I'm on it! There's something sexy about it that just oozes femininity.

As well as loving Burgundy, I've also been getting back into Topshop of late. I've never really got their spring/summer ranges, it's all a bit samey. But when it comes to autumn/winter they always seem to be streets ahead of the competition.

This outfit combines Burgundy with Topshop, it's a Topshop bodycon dress. The shape and the pleats really caught my eye. They had it in a teal, but the burgundy coupled with the pleats just blew me away! Trying it on sealed the deal for me. The pleating detail around the chest looked stunning and the cut is über flattering.

Despite this being such a simple looking outfit, I can see it is an outfit for all occasions. With this dress, less is definitely more. The dress is will be perfect for cold winter days, it feels so thick without really looking it.

I managed to get hold of it just before it sold out at £46, if you're lucky you might still be able to find some in your local shop, otherwise you'll have to make do with the Teal or Camel ones on the website. Maybe when payday comes around I might nab the Turquoise one if there's any left.

I adore this ring. It's a spikey, quartz-y looking little thing from the Dorothy Perkins sale. £2. Yes you read that right! Bargain! It compliments Topshop's Jewel In The Crown nail polish pretty darn well. I simply cannot put this colour down right now, it's a gorgeous turquoise, petrol blue-ish colour. Two coats of this stuff and you're good to go, application is a breeze too!

Ponte Pleated Bodycon Dress - TOPSHOP
Cropped Lace Cardigan - Divided at H & M
Spiked Quartz Ring - Dorothy Perkins
Nails - Topshop Jewel in the Crown

You may be able to tell that taking these pictures wasn't such a breeze, I'm testing out a 50mm 1.4f aperture Nikon Lens that works really well in low light situations. It is a great lens but it's so bloody difficult to focus! I will get there, one day.

And to those of you celebrating Eid tomorrow:

Hope you all have a great day! :)

 

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: TOPSHOP Premium Acrylic Layer Ring

RRP: £30

 

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