8 Things to be More Patient About in 2014

Let’s face it. We live in a fast paced society where the mentality is always to rush everything. With 2014 approaching, I encourage everyone to stop for a minute, take a deep breath, and read through this list of things you should be a little bit more patient about next year (trust me!):

1) Losing Weight: There is NO healthy way to lose weight fast. Losing weight and changing your body takes time and a shift in lifestyle. Don’t give up if you don’t see results from healthy eating and exercise right away. Losing weight the healthy way may take longer, but will last longer than crash dieting or crazy exercise regimens. Never compromise giving your body what it needs to shed a few extra pounds!

2) Under the skin pimples: I know I am not the only one that gets excited the minute I think I am able to extract one of these pesky pimples. However in my 25 years of unfortunate breakouts (that you can’t see but make you want to cut your face off), I have learned to LEAVE IT ALONE.  Just continue to wash your face and put a treatment on it with salicylic acid. You will really thank me and not have a swollen golf ball on your face.

3) Growing out your eyebrows: Whether you are a man or a woman eyebrows are so important on a person’s face. I know that most of you, like me, have one of those mirrors that zoom in 1000 percent on your face. This has resulted so many times in over plucking your eyebrows and making them look so thin! Give your eyebrows some time to grow out fully, you can get those unsightly stragglers, but don’t touch the actual shape. Leave that to the professionals every 2-3 weeks.

5) Driving: I have spent way too many years rushing to get places while driving. More recently, I have really tried to be more patient when driving. I know we all have places to go but getting a ticket or getting into an accident is not the better alternative. Next time you’re rushed take a deep breath, put on your favorite Jay-Z song, and just cruise.

7) Heating up Food: Whether you are getting amazing take out or have leftovers from one of Erica’s amazing recipes never rush when reheating food. I know this one seems silly, but it makes a huge difference and is an important tip I learned from my bestfriend. I understand heating up food in the microwave is so easy, however, if you take that extra few minutes to heat something in the oven or on the stove, I promise your food will taste 100% better. Microwaves make your food squishy and soggy which are two words I never want something I am eating to be described as.

8) Achieving your goals: I know we live in a world where all you see on reality t.v. and in social media are people your age spending millions of dollars without blinking an eye. Unfortunately, for most of us, we won’t be buying ourselves our own private jet, Rolls Royce, and Hermes Birkin bag all for our next birthday. That doesn’t mean you will never be there! Remember the sky is the limit and hard work pays off in the end! Don’t get discourage if something doesn’t work out, always keep reaching for your goals and in a few years you can be exactly where you want to be.

I hope next time any of these things come up in your daily life, pause for a moment and remember, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” – Aristotle

Xo,
Melissa

Chocolate Lava Cake

Photo Credit: Yvonne Duivenvoorden

One of my least favorite things to do in the kitchen is bake. There is something about exact measurements and all the technical baking terms that kind of freak me out. That being said, many of you have written in and asked many baking questions, so I’ve made it my mission to learn!

My first conquest was the infamous chocolate lava cake! This is one of my favorite deserts and since I’m always trying to find the best one in town, I figured making it myself would be a cool idea. I tested out this recipe with Dan’s mom this Christmas and it was a total crowd pleaser (not to mention pretty easy to make).

What You’ll Need
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 and 1/2 sticks of butter (plus extra few tablespoons for buttering soufflè dishes)
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
6 table spoons of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of all purpose flour

What You’ll Do
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat until smooth. Turn heat off and let cool completely.

Smooth chocolate and butter mixture

2) While cooling, liberally butter your soufflè dishes. This is important so the cake does not stick!

Buttered Soufflè dishes

3) Use an electric mixer on high to beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Do this for about 5 minutes or until stiff and pale yellow.

Egg Mixture once you Beat it

4) Gently fold your cooled chocolate mixture in with the egg mixture until well incorporated. Be careful not to break all the air you created. If you don’t know how to fold, make sure you watch this.

Fold the egg and the chocolate together

5) Once the chocolate is folded in, sift the flour over the mixture and gently fold that in as well (sifting is just putting your flour through a fine mesh strainer).

Chocolate/egg mixture with sifted flour on top.

6) Transfer batter to the buttered ramekins or soufflè dishes and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 16 minutes.

Lava Cakes on Baking Sheet

This recipe will yield about 6. The first time I made these, I doubled it for 12 and it came out perfect. These are best served warm with a dollop of ice cream!

Let me know how you like them :).

Love always,
Erica

“Cheesy” Creamed Corn

I can’t believe it took me this long to share this recipe. I say this corn is “cheesy”, but in actuality, it has absolutely no cheese in it at all (although it taste so rich and creamy, you will think it does)!

I wish I could take full credit for developing this recipe, but sadly, I can’t. I got it from Wendy, my boyfriends mom who blew me away when she first made this dish. You honestly have to make this yourself to understand how delicious it actually is (and its surprisingly not too bad for you). I make this as a side dish with any Mexican  or Latin style meal. It’s also really good served along side a steak.

What You’ll Need
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped scallions (about 6 large)
12 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 large garlic clove
Salt and Pepper

What You’ll Do
1)  Heat butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides.

2) Add scallions to butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5 minutes). Add corn kernels and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.

3) Stir together cream and cornstarch in a small bowl until thoroughly combined, then add to corn and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

4) Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn mixture to a blender with garlic and purée until smooth. Return to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until just heated through.

Pretty simple recipe, huh? The last time I made this was for my friends Brian and Amy. I actually halved the recipe and it went so fast, that I wish I had just made the whole thing.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Love always,
Erica

What We Can Learn From Dogs

Melissa and Brady

This morning I was inspired by my 2 year old dog Brady. That little guy really knows how to live life. Sometimes I sit and think I could learn a lot from him. I know you may think this sounds crazy, but here are a few things we could really learn from dogs:

Enjoy the little things: Dogs are so appreciative and happy! The smallest thing, such as rolling down the window for Brady so he can get a fresh breeze on his face, can make his entire day. Last time someone rolled down the window for me I “barked” at them (pun intended) to roll it back up, my hair was getting messy! We should enjoy these little things more and I think we could find a little bit more happiness out of our day.

Brady enjoying the park

Greet your loved ones: In my opinion this action has been lost over time. Whenever I come home Brady rushes to the door to greet me and lets me know how much he loves and misses me! Typically when people come to your home, unless you have to open the door for them, you stay exactly where you are and shout out “hi!” Next time your family comes over (mine has their own key) or that special someone, get up and give them a hug first thing when they walk in. They will really appreciate it and it’s a great habit to get into!

Brady waiting patiently for Mommy to come home.

Take any opportunity to be outside: If you ask my dog (yes he understands English) if he would rather sit inside and flip through his Instagram page (@bradypickles) or be outside running around at the beach, he would choose the latter every time. With so many TV shows to catch up on and technology taking over our lives, we get so lazy. Try to be outside more, even if you live in the colder parts of the world, and enjoy the fresh air! Put down the technology once in a while.

Brady at the beach

Let people know how you feel about them: One of the most wonderful things about dogs is that their emotions are black and white. If they like you, they let you know. If they are upset with you they let you know as well. They don’t make you play the guessing game. When Brady meets a new person he really likes he instantly lets that person know it (usually by licking them to death, which I suggest you don’t do!). Be more honest and upfront with people, you will lead a much happier life if you don’t hold emotions back.

Brady wasn’t as excited as I was to meet Lea Black from the RHOM.

 

Find the silver lining in any situation: I genuinely believe dog’s brains are programmed to look at any situation as a glass half full. For example if Brady wants to play fetch but no one will play with him he throws his bone across the room by flinging it from his mouth and goes after it. When it is too hot out Brady will find the littlest bit of shade and lie down and just enjoy himself. It is so easy to pinpoint the negative in any situation but if you can find one small thing to make it better, go for it!

Brady hangin’ in the shade on a hot day.

Don’t hold grudges: This has to be my favorite attribute about my dog Brady and most dogs that I have met. Whenever Brady does something wrong, sometimes I lose my temper and yell a little (I mean doesn’t he realize chewing $800.00 Christian Louboutins is just NOT ok!). Even though Brady is clearly upset with me that I yelled at him, 10 minutes later he is back wagging his tail again and we can move on with the situation. If we focus too long on negative situations and can’t work past them, we will be wasting way too much time and energy. I know there are times that my dog is really upset with me, life isn’t always fair, but he never holds on to it for too long and he goes about his business. Life’s too short to be unhappy!

RIP my shoes

Of course I know dogs are not perfect. At no point should any human ever shred a 12 pack of Bounty Giant Rolls, the equivalent of 18 regular rolls, into 100 little pieces all over your condo (YES BRADY HAS DONE THIS). However, I do think our furry friends do facilitate some helpful lifestyle tips that we should try to incorporate into our everyday lives.

Xo,

Melissa

2013 Best Bites: Chicago

Erica from everythingerica eating as usual!

In my 7 months in Chicago, I’ve probably eaten at more restaurants than people who have lived here for 7 years (if you don’t believe me, just ask my size 2’s that no longer want to button). As the end of the year is approaching, I wanted to share my 5 favorite dishes in all of Chicagoland and tell you where you can get them.

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#5 Bite: Samurai Taco

Big and Littles Samurai Taco Photo Credit: Steve Z.

Where you can get it: Big and Littles located at 860 N. Orleans Street
Why it’s the best: I am honestly not a cooked seafood fan. Come to think of it, this may be the only dish with cooked fish I actually like. Why? Because the fish is perfectly battered and fried then covered with two of the most irresistible sauces I’ve ever tasted (a signature spicy mayo and incredible sticky sweet “teriyakish” type sauce that you’ll have to taste to fully understand). The fish is stuffed into a delicious and surprisingly authentic corn tortilla and topped with lettuce and jalapeño peppers. It’s completely and utterly mind blowing.

#4 Bite: Lou Malnatis Sweet Vinaigrette

Lou Malnati’s Sweet Vinegrette

Where you can get it: Lou Malnati’s with over 20 locations all over Chicago
Why it’s the best: Who orders a salad at one of the best pizza places in Chicago? Well until my boyfriends mom came to town and taught me some discipline, I sure didn’t! Last time she was in town, we all ordered pizza from Lou’s and she ordered a house salad with their signature sweet vinaigrette. To all of our surprises, the dressing was the best part of the whole meal. For the first time in my entire life, I couldn’t get enough salad. The best part? They sell the dressing online and in stores. You can buy some and try it for yourself right here.

#3 Bite: Bombolini

Photo Credit: Siena Tavern via tripadvisor.com

Where you can get it: Siena Tavern, located at 51 W Kinze Street
Why it’s the best: This italian donut defies everything you would think a normal donut should be. First of all, the thing is made from potato, but taste like a pillow of sweetness. It’s covered in delicious sugar and served with 3-4 seasonal sauces that you’re supposed to fill the bombolini with. I’ve written about this before, but hopefully this post will serve as a reminder to get over to Siena Tavern ASAP to try this incredible dessert.

#2 Bite: Sakura Sushi Roll

Sakura Roll

Where you can get it: Rolls ‘N Bowls, located at 5501 N Lincoln Ave
Why it’s the best: Although this place is a little bit outside my River North neighborhood, this roll is worth the 5-mile drive. The Sakura roll literally embodies decadence. It’s stuffed with cream cheese, spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, unagi sauce and then covered with tempura crumb. I advise you only have this roll once or twice a year or you may experience sensory overload.

#1 Bite: Butter Cake

Mastro’s Warm Butter Cake

Where you can get it: Mastros Steakhouse located at 520 N Dearborn Street
Why it’s the best: If you’ve already tried this completely glutinous dessert, then you know why it’s in my number 1. I honestly don’t think I’ve experienced a better cake in my entire life. One time, I was craving it so bad, that I called in a to-go order and assembled it at my house (less people to judge me).  I have a feeling this one will be on my list every single year.

So, that is my list! Although I have a feel things I just spoke about will be around for a while, I encourage you to rush over to the places I mentioned and end 2013 with the best bites in Chicago!

Love always,
Erica

Erica’s Famous Green Bean Casserole

My Famous Green Bean Casserole

Growing up, one of my favorite parts of the Holiday season was getting to eat green bean casserole! I loved everything about how salty and crunch and just plain delicious it was. As I started to grow up (and I realized how much junk is in canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup), I decided to try and revamp the recipe using more natural ingredients.

The result? A MUCH better tasting, kick-ass casserole that will have your guests begging for the recipe. Last year I spent Thanksgiving for the first time with my boyfriends family. They asked me to contribute a dish and I chose this one. If that doesn’t tell you how confident I am (and how delicious is is), then I don’t know what will!

What You’ll Need
1 lb of fresh green beans (cleaned and cut in half)
1/2lb of mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cloves of garlic, mined
1 cup chicken stock (I love Swanson)
1 cup heavy cream
1 Teaspoon of soy sauce
1 and 1/3 cup of French’s French Fried Onions (no matter how unhealthy these are, they are irreplaceable)
Salt and Pepper

What You’ll Do
1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add a heaping tablespoon of salt and then add your green beans. Blanch them for 5 minutes. Drain and quickly place green beans in an ice bath (shock them) to stop them from cooking any further.

Green Beans in Ice Water

2) In a large pan over medium high heat, melt the butter and add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes (don’t add salt yet, it draws out the liquid and will make the mushrooms take longer to cook). After the mushrooms have begun to soften a little, add the minced garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another minute or two.

Mushrooms in Pan with Butter and Garlic
Photo Credit: wednesdaychef.typepad.com

3) After your minute or two is up, sprinkle the flour over the mushroom/garlic mixture. Stir it around for a minute and the add in the chicken stock. Cook for one more minute and then reduce the heat to medium low and add the heavy cream and soy sauce. Cook until the mixture thickens (about 8 minutes)

4) Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat and stir in your green beans and 1 cup of the french fried onions.

5) Transfer mixture to an oven safe baking dish (I just use a pie dish, why not?) and put into a 350 degree the oven for about 20 minutes (or until bubbly and hot). Add remaining french fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Super simple right?! The other great thing about this dish is that you can make it ahead of time (skip step 5 and just transfer it to your oven safe dish, let it cool and store it in the fridge until you are ready to bake). A half hour before you are  ready to eat, just finish with step 5!

I am getting hungry just thinking about this dish and I’m confident you and your family will love it as much as I do.

Love always,
Erica

3 Ways Food Can Make You Beautiful (without even eating them)

Photo Credit, skinwerein.com

Did you know that some foods have other purposes besides just tasting delicious? Recently, I’ve been totally obsessed with finding natural ways to improve my beauty routine. There are so many chemicals in todays products and it started to freak me out! When I started researching/experimenting, I knew there had to be a way to achieve the results I was looking for without having to use all the harsh chemicals.

After months of research and trials (yes, I am a human lab rat), I have found 5 amazing ways to use food (my favorite thing ever) in your beauty routine!

1) Egg White Face Mask: This is like a mini facelift! Just simple separate the egg white from the egg yolk and whisk the whites until frothy. Apply the whites to your face in an upward motion and allow to dry for 15-20 minutes and then rinse off with warm water.

Your skin will feel really tight for about an hour after you’ve rinsed the mask off, giving your face a beautiful glow and minimizing the look of fine lines. While this mask works best for people with oily skin (since it’s a bit drying), if you have dry skin, simply add pureed avocado to it for nourishing moisture!

2) Olive Oil Hair Treatment: In addition to your skin getting dry in the winter, your hair does too! One simple solution to nourish your locks is with an olive oil hair treatment. It’s easy and will improve the strength and elasticity of your hair.

First, rinse your hair with warm water and then take about 1/4 of a cup of olive oil and massage it through your scalp. Once you’re entire scalp has been massaged, rub the remaining oil in the ends of your hair. Place a plastic bag over your hair and let it sit for at least a half hour. Rinse out with shampoo as normal! You will find you will need to condition your hair less if you do this once a week.

3)  Honey and Brown Sugar Scrub: I love a good exfoliator, but have you ever read the ingredient list on your favorite bottle? When I finally looked at what I was putting on my skin,  I knew there had to be a more natural way.

To get a more natural scrub (that smells and works incredible might I add), fill a jar about two-thirds full with honey, add a big scoop of brown sugar and one halved vanilla bean. Keep this in the shower and use it as a body scrub in place of your exfoliator!

That’s it! Let me know what you think of these natural remedies. Since I’m still on the hunt for more ways to use food for beauty, I’d love to hear your suggestions too. 🙂

Love always,
Erica

 

5 of the Best “Workouts” That Won’t Make You Break a Sweat

The title of this post is semi misleading only because I sweat no matter what kind of physical activity I am doing (and yes I consider walking up two flights of stairs to my apartment exercise). However, over the years of trying to find the best way to stay in shape with doing as minimum work as possible, I found these top 5 “workouts” incredible calorie burners that work for me and you won’t even know you are working out:

1) Cleaning your home: Since I am a self-proclaimed work-a-holic, sometimes my house can get pretty messy. This actually works out well because if I don’t feel like going to the gym in the morning, I will get up an extra hour early, put on my favorite old school 50 cent CD, and get to work on my place.

My favorite calorie burners are putting clothes away, making the bed, vacuuming the carpets, and “windexing” (yes this is a verb) the bathroom mirrors. I know it doesn’t sound like a strenuous exercise, but you will be burning calories. Plus, you will tidy up your place before you head off for your day, double bonus! Getting up and moving around is half the battle with AM workouts.

2) Going for a long walk: I know this one seems like a no brainer, but it’s surprising to me how little people take advantage of this. Walking is so good for you and your body. In more recent years I have stopped running almost all together due to bad hips, and have found walking is such a fabulous alternative.

I am lucky enough to live about an eight minute walk to the beach. Therefore, one of my favorite things to do before or after work is to take an hour and go for about a 3-mile walk with my 8lb Maltipoo, Brady (he has more stamina then I do). I have the perfect route that I have been doing for a long time. Check out www.mapmyrun.com to create your own route (no one needs to know it’s for walking)!

3) Spending the day doing errands: When I say errands, I really mean shopping, but I will keep this more general because I know not all of us care to go shopping. I never feel like I have gotten a better work out then when I spend the day out of my house going to the mall, Target, the grocery store, Best Buy (maybe Bed Bath & Beyond…I’m not sure we’ll have time!!) and all those other great places!

Being constantly on the move is not only productive but a good way to get your metabolism fired up. Next time you’re contemplating spending your Sunday in bed watching a movie or running around town, choose the latter then treat yourself to a big Sunday dinner without worrying so much about calories.

4)  Yoga:  By no means do I consider myself a “yogi”, however I have found Yoga to be one of my new favorite ways to get in a low impact workout. Every Saturday, my neighborhood provides free yoga in the park and I have tried my best to take advantage of it.

For me, Yoga has been allowed me to escape all the stresses in my life for that one hour and let me slow down to take a deep breath. On the physical side, Yoga drastically increases flexibility and improves core strength. The part I love most is unless you are practicing hot yoga or outside in the Florida summer (yes I have done this) sweating can be kept to a minimum and you can just enjoy the positions. Again I am not an expert on Yoga, but if you haven’t tried this I suggest you do!

5)  Going to a night club: For some of you I know this is probably totally out of the question, but hear me out! Getting out for a night of dancing, socializing, and moving around the city/town you live in is a great way to burn calories without even knowing it. I’m not going to lie, I have totally broken a sweat at a night club, but you don’t always have to!

Additionally, it is a bonus for us girls that wear heels because it is a great calf workout. If clubs aren’t really your thing, bars are a great place too. Anywhere that is playing music and can inspire you to move just a little. No effort necessary besides having a good time.

I hope this helps inspire you to get moving a little more!

Xoxo,
Melissa

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
Photo Credit: http://abitchinkitchen.blogspot.com/

Although I’m not a huge football fan, when I’m forced to watch a game, I love nothing more than delicious buffalo chicken wings.

A few years ago, I was just getting into a new relationship and wanted to be the “cool girlfriend” and host Sunday Football at my apartment. (Side-note, I’ve since realized you should never try to be someone that your not. Even if it makes you uncool.) Of course, I wanted to order chicken wings, but I was embarrassed to eat them and get messy in front of my new man. Enter, buffalo chicken wing dip.

This dip has EVERYTHING you could ever want in a delicious, juicy chicken wing, but with much less mess (and you won’t have chicken bones lying all over the table). It’s easy and I promise you’ll be the hit of your next tailgate party if you show up with it :).

What You’ll Need
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened (I prefer Philadelphia brand)
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (substitute ranch if you don’t like blue cheese)
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce (this isn’t the regular hot sauce, it’s a different version)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 large chicken breast (about 2 cups), boiled and shredded

What You’ll Do
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese, blue cheese dressing, buffalo sauce and half the cheddar cheese together until well mixed.
2) Fold in the shredded chicken breast
3) Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top

That’s it! So the next time you’re craving some buffalo chicken wings, do me a favor and try out this dip. I promise it won’t disappoint!

Love always,
Erica

P.S:  Remember,  for more tips, tricks and recipes, please follow me on social media:
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Instagram: @everythingerica
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Ask Erica: Where Can I find Your Utica Greens Recipe?

Hi Erica,

I’m not on Facebook but would like to know how to get your recipe for Utica Greens. Thank you .

-Bill

_________

Hi Bill,

Thanks for writing in! 

You can find my Utica Greens recipe here. I think you will really enjoy them. I’ve been told that they are every bit as good as the ones you’ll get at Georgios and Chesterfields!

Also, I wanted to take this time to point out that you can search ANY of my recipes using the “Search” bar on the right of the page.

I have lots of old blog posts to search through. Just type in your favorite food and see what kind of recipes you find!

If I haven’t written a recipe for something and you want it, just submit an Ask Erica! I will get back to you within 24-hours with an answer, recipe or a plan to get the recipe accomplished.

Love always,
Erica