Tasty Tuesday- Sugar Cookies w/icing

In honor of my best friend, Ms. Ashley Dempsey, coming to visit me this weekend in Chicago, I would like to prepare one of her favorite treats... homemade sugar cookies! Her likings for this delicacy goes back to our college days. When we were freshmen, on the meal-plan, we would treat ourselves to at least one, two, or maybe three of the delicious sugar cookies that the dinings halls made on random days of the week. They were devine. The perfect combination of soft centers and crunchy edges with their mouth-watering buttery sweetness inside. Writing this post is making me crave them even more.

After doing some research, I've decided to use the recipe below for the cookie dough and even give some homemade icing a whirl while I am at it. I've never made icing from scratch before so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. I pulled these recipes from the GREAT, Amy Atlas' blog.

Here is the recipes:

Sugar Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
(can add 1 1/2 tsp almond extract here. Yummy. I do that.)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and blend well. Add extracts and blend. Mix flour and salt and gradually add. Cover dough with plastic wrap (I usually put mine in a gallon size Ziploc bag) and chill dough for about 2 hours. Working with about 1/3 of the batch at a time, briefly knead the chilled dough and roll about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes. Bake cut out cookies on parchment lined baking trays at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Note: You can also freeze dough. After mixing, put dough in a gallon size Freezer ziploc bag (or wrap well) and freeze. Thaw overnight or for at least a few hours in the refrigerator in the ziploc bag. If too chilled to handle, let sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour until it's workable. Chilled is good, though, don't let it get too mushy.

Frosting:
Note: This frosting is similar to royal icing, but I add shortening and flavoring to make it taste delicious. Thus, it dries hard enough to handle and pack when left overnight, but not rock hard, like traditional royal icing. The consistency is NOT the runny kind used for flooding. It's stiffer. Take a spoonful, turn it over the bowl. The frosting should cling to the spoon and slowly fall into the bowl. That's the right consistency.

4 tblsp meringue powder (available at many supermarkets and in most craft stores)
1/2 cup water
6-7 cups confectioner's sugar (may need more or less, see the consistency advice above)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Crisco

Whip the meringue powder and water on high speed for a looooong time, several minutes, until it's fluffy and peaks form (use an electric hand beater or the wire whisk of your standing mixer). Gradually add the rest of the ingredients to desired consistency. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a month.

Enjoy!!! Much love, xoxo.

Mix-it-up Monday 2

Ah, Monday. I'm torn between the feelings of the Monday Blues and let's-hurry-and-get-this-week-over-with. Isn't that sad. What has my life become? I know, it has literally become one giant countdown until A. When do I get to see Todd next? B. When do I get to move home to Atlanta and C. When can I leave the office? See, I told you so, it's really sad! (Insert the classic line) "Be thankful for what you DO have." Yes, that is true. I am thankful and yes, my life isn't all that bad. I did have a pretty good week even though I wasn't with Todd, home in Atlanta, or in the office for that matter.

Saturday, I went to an all-day photography class called Digital in a Day at the Chicago Photography Academy. My instructor, William Benson, was very intelligent when it came to photography and had a very witty sense of humor than made the 8 hours class all that more interesting. For all of you SLR camera lovers out there, this is the setting he told us to keep our Nikon, Canon, or Sony cameras on:

1. The exposure mode should be A or Av
2. Please use Autofocus
3. White balance should be Auto or A or AWB
4. ISO should be 400
5. All shots should be at 1/60^th second or faster

On Sunday, my friend Jen and I went to see Carrie Underwood at the Ravinia Festival which is an outdoor amphitheater about 30 minutes North of Chicago by train. We had a great time picnicking before the concert, singing and dancing to Carrie's awesome songs, and none-the-less just enjoying the summer evening. Here are some shots that my super-duper ZOOM lense was able to capture of Carrie doin' her thang!

It was a great weekend but I am SO looking forward to the neck weekend - LABOR DAY WEEKEND! Todd is coming to Chicago to see me and my best friend, Ashley, and her boyfriend, Whit, are coming to see me as well! I'm a lucky girl!!!

Much love. xoxo

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my older sister ALI NICOLE REIMANN who turns 26 today!!! She's only a year and a half older than me so it sort-of feels weird to know I'm not far from being over 25... which sounds old to me... yes, I know, I'll look back on this post 5 or 10 years from now and laugh! .... But, none-the-less, I wanted to give her a Birthday SHOUT-OUT just to let her know how much I love her!

26 things I love about ALI for her 26th Birthday!!

1. She's my older seeeester.
2. Her strikingly beautiful baby blue eys
3. Her sense of style
4. She loves everything turquoise
5. The way she quickly falls in love
6. Her love for babies and children
7. She is always willing to go shopping with me
   
8. Her amazing ability to save a person's life as a nurse
9. Her sweet tooth- it's probably bigger than mine!
10. The way she laughs
    
11. She loves anything that sparkles
12. Her ideas and dreams
    
13. She is always willing to help out a friend
14. Her obsession with weddings
15. She has exceptionally good taste
16. Her support as a sister
17. Her unconditional love as a sister
18. Her friendship
    
19. She is an avid reader
    
20. Her love of redecorating rooms
    
21. She is always willing to order dessert
22. The memories we had as children
23. Her ability to hate me then love me in the same day
    
24. She is a good listener
    
25. The way she surprises you in different ways
    
26. And most of all, I love her just the way she is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALI. I LOVE YOU!

Love you, Grandpa!

For my Thoughtful Thursday section, I wanted to send my love to my Grandpa today. He passed away 6 months ago today, and I know he is shining down on all of us from Heaven. He's in a better place (the best place) and I know he is enjoying being with my Grandma again :)

Grandpa was the rock of our family and everyone loved him very much. He's the reason that my family lives in America today and from an earlier post, you know I'm Proud to be an American.

WE LOVE YOU GRANDPA!!!
Much love, xoxo

This is the last Reimann family picture with Grandpa from Lindy's wedding last June.

Wedding Wednesdays!

This is probably my favorite day to write on my blog! It's Wedding Wednesday and I could not be happier to share with you these fabulous photos by Ali Harper Photography!!

About three weeks ago, Todd and I had our ENGAGEMENT PICTURES taken by the wonderful photog. herself, Ali (no, not my sister Ali). We had a two-look shoot: the first look was a more fun and flirty shoot taken at the Frosty Caboose where Todd and I had fun eating our favorite ice cream flavors while Ali shot us in the act. The second look was a more formal look taken at Oglethorpe University right outside of in Atlanta. It has a gorgeous campus and the lighting was just beautiful!

We are thrilled with the way they turned out! Ali is SO talented and we LOVE her creative and artistic eye! Thank you, Ali!!!

Okay, enough already... here is the site: Mandy & Todd's Engagement Pictures

And here is Ali's blog + website where you can see her favorites form our shoot and more of her work: Ali's Blog and Ali's Website.

Much Love, xoxo.

Tasty Tuesday- Black Bean Recipes

I've been reading more and more about how black beans are one of the world's healthiest foods. Also, realizing I need to add more lean protein to my diet, I figured I would hunt down a few tasty recipes incorporating these little protein-packed goodies. Here is what I've come up with:

1. Quinoa and Black Beans
   
2. Black Bean Soup
3. Black Bean Quesadillas
4. Black Bean Salsa
5. Black Bean Patty Cakes

Any of these recipes should get your taste buds going! Remember, you can also substitute other (less healthy) ingredients for their healthy version or option i.e. cheese made with skim milk, canned beans without additives or sodium, etc. It's simple and will save you many calories in the long run! Enjoy!!!

Mix-it-up Monday 1

Another great weekend with the fiancé! This past weekend Todd and two of our friends, Austin + Emily, came to visit me in Chicago. We had a great time and the weather was beautiful! It is so nice to have friends come to visit- It makes my weekends the highlight of the week and my time here even better. I love to show people around this beautiful city!
Friday night we went to dinner at a cute little pub near my place in Bucktown. The pub, Northside, has a great vibe with a fun patio. We enjoyed catching up with some yummy, (not so good for you) food and some refreshing adult beverages. Saturday, we hit the town early and started with a tour of Millennium Park and then went 103 stories to the top of the Willis (a.k.a. Sears') Tower. The Skydeck is a popular tourist destination where you can walk out onto a glass box and look down to the streets way below you. It is an Eerie feeling, but so worth the experience. Then we took a cab up to the infamous Wrigley Field to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Chicago Cubs! We had great seats right on the 1st base line, but unfortunately the Braves lost. Later that night, we had some fun at Murphy's Bleachers and then grabbed pizza from Piece Brewery. Delicious! Sunday, we had a great breakfast at Clarke's then took at cab to Lincoln Park, walked around for a little, then took another cab to Michigan Ave. We walked all the way down Magnificent Mile, picked up some Garrett's Popcorn then headed back to my place before my visitors had to pack up and leave Chicago.
The weekends always go by too quickly; I wish they could have stayed longer! Now, I get to look forward to Labor Day weekend when Todd and my friends Ashley + Whit are coming to visit! I can't wait to enjoy the long Holiday weekend!!! We're already planning...

I'm Proud to be an American.

To kick off the Thoughts Thursday section I was thinking about going with a personal classic. This is a thought that re-circles my mind and I am sure some of you have thought the same thing... What is it you ask? Well, it's quite a simple thought, but there are so many different answers and I think that is why I find it so fascinating. Okay, okay, I will get to the point. The thought that I often have is...

Why am I an American? How did I get so lucky? Why did God give me this gracious gift? Okay, I know, that's three thoughts not one, but all of them can be grouped into the same thought. Have you ever thought about this before?

There is really no correct answer, but it does make you wonder, right?

Bottom line, I am not sure how or why I was giving the gift of being an American, but I am truly grateful! We live in the greatest country in the world, have freedoms unlike any other, and can live the life we dream of... but do you ever look up and say "Thank you, God." "Thank you for letting me live in this amazing country." ??? If you never have, maybe is the time that you do.

Wedding Website

So, as I start my first Wedding Wednesday specialty, I am beyond thrilled with all the things I am going to share during this time of planning. I have SO much to talk about and such great things to share, I don't even know where to start!

I think the best place to start is with the Wedding Website. This little project (well, I can't exactly call it little) was definitely a Labor-of-Love for both Todd and I over the last two months. I got started on the website right after we got engaged. I was so excited to get it started, but then it took us roughly two months to complete mainly because I was requiring Todd to finish up some last minute details... and you know how guys can be! Well, after a little nudge, and then maybe a slightly harder shove, he got the message and finished his portion of the website: the Proposal Story and his Groomsman's bios- not a hard job!

And without further ado, here is the debut of our Wedding Website: www.MandyandToddwedding.com

I hope you ALL enjoy checking it out and don't forget to take the quiz and sign our guest book, thank you!!!

Much Love XOXO

In Need of Motivation

Well, it's been another two week dry spell. I am disappointed in myself, once again, for not posting anything the last two weeks. I have come up with a plan to fix my lack of motivation... I am going to feature special days to give me more incentive to write everyday.

- Monday: Mix-it-Up Monday
- Tuesday: Tasty Tuesday
- Wednesday: Wedding Wednesday
- Thursday: Thoughtful Thursday
- Friday: Fun Fact Friday

I might change it up every now-and-then, but hopefully this will be the start of a more consistent blogging lifestyle :) Wish me luck!!!