Win the new Haven's Kitchen cookbook (and a Williams-Sonoma stainless steel tool set!)

Hello, lovelies! Today, Artisan Books has partnered with me to support an exciting new cookbook: The Haven's Kitchen Cooking School: Recipes and Inspiration to Build a Lifetime of Confidence in the Kitchen. One lucky The Lovely Side reader will win this must-have manual to kitchen confidence and a shiny Williams-Sonoma stainless steel tool set (prizing pictured above). Keep scrolling to read an excerpt and enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget down below.

No matter what kind of home cook you are—budding beginner or full-on chef—this book will come in handy and equip you with the fundamental building blocks you need to feel confident and at ease in the kitchen.Want to know how to boil eggs or whip up the perfect omelet? What about making dressings, stocks, and sauces? Or properly stocking your fridge and pantry? Cayne's got you covered. I'm most interested in getting over my fear of frying (it's a thing) and learning to pick and cut my own herbs. 

Summer Entertaining with Grove + My Go-To 3-Ingredient Dessert Recipe

We're finally starting to entertain at home. Last summer, we didn't do a whole lot of that. Instead, we were settling in, furnishing the place, and planning and tackling our first major projects. Our only guests were close friends and family who were popping in to see the house, help with projects, or hang out with us when we needed a break from home improvement conquests.

Now, our entire first floor (except for one room that I can live with until fall) has been stripped of wallpaper, painted, and decorated. We can spontaneously invite friends and family members over without fretting about old wallpaper, drywall dust, or "off-limits" rooms blocked off by plastic sheets. Instead of cleaning up construction zones, we simply have to tidy up.

How to Plan a "Paint & Sip" Bachelorette Party (and win 2 FREE tickets to Muse Paintbar!)

This giveaway is now closed. Click here for more contests.

This giveaway sweepstakes is sponsored by Muse Paintbar. 

Live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Main, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Virginia? I've partnered with Muse Paintbar to give away 2 FREE tickets to a painting session! Click through and scroll to the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom to enter. 

There's nothing like gathering your best girlfriends, getting gussied up, and going out for drinks—especially for a bachelorette or birthday party. But what could make the evening even better? Uncorking a bit of creativity along with the wine. Pulling out some paint brushes for the beer. And getting artistic with more than just cocktail recipes. I'm talking about throwing a little paint into the mix—making memories and a masterpiece on your ladies' night out—at a Muse Paintbar.

Turn Your Weeknight into #TysonFreeMovieNight

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

I can’t be the only one who doesn’t feel like toiling away in the kitchen on Tuesday nights. (And often Wednesdays and Thursdays, too.) …Right? Time just seems to be in short supply on weeknights. And while there’s often groceries to buy, chores to do, and house projects to take on, we try to reserve at least one of our mid-week evenings for some relaxing together-time—usually popping in a movie. But that doesn’t mean we want to skimp on supper!

Tyson® products are my go-to solution for a night in.

Cumin Lime Chickpeas | Recipe Recommendation

I'm kicking off a new mission in my life: to prepare more of my meals and to eat more mindfully. And I'll be sharing recipe recommendations with you here on the blog!

I'm doing this for several reasons. 1) My insides. I occasionally suffer acid reflux, and last fall I had a bout with diverticulitis. (It was awful.) Both of these conditions are all-too-easily affected by what I put in my mouth and when.

Brunch @ Bobby's Giveaway | Enter to win 3 Bobby Flay cookbooks! | #ad #giveaway #BrunchatBobbysBook (Closed)

*** This giveaway is now closed. ***

Prizing and samples provided by Crown Publishing.

I love brunch. Especially in the comfort of home. A little backstory: One Sunday, the bf and I hopped over to a nearby town for lunch. When we got there, we discovered that it was brunch-only day. So we decided to give it a try. It was decent, but not amazing. Then we went up to the counter to pay our bill. Our jaws dropped. Nearly $40 a person for a sub-par brunch that didn't even include alcohol. Ugh.

Needless to say, we didn't go back for that brunch. The next weekend, we whipped up our own brunch of tasty frittata and mimosas. It was delicious. It was affordable. And there were leftovers. ;)

So when Crown Publishing offered to send me over a copy of Bobby Flay's new cookbook Brunch @ Bobby's packed full of brunch recipes and a giveaway... How could I resist? 

M&M;’S® Crispy are back! Here are 3 tasty snack mixes to make with them

A few months back, the boyfriend and I were waiting in line at the grocery store. Surrounded by the usual candies, a bright green package caught our eyes. The conversation went something like: "Wait?! Is that..." "Crispy?!" "Yes, it is!" "They're back!" "Omigosh, let's get some!" And that evening, we snacked on a nostalgic favorite. 

M&M’S® Crispy are back! Apparently, we weren't the only ones who couldn't get our minds off of the rich milk chocolate, sweet rice puff center, crispy, crunchy, candy-coated goodness that had delighted us years ago. From Facebook to Twitter to calls to their customer service line,  M&M’S® Crispy were the #1 most requested variety to bring back between 2005 and 2014. And in January 2015, they hit shelves once again... this time, in a bright green back. (I can't believe it took us until spring to notice!)

Product Review: SLIMQUICK Pure Extra Strength Mixed Berries Drink Mix

I recently tried out SLIMQUICK's Pure Protein powder in vanilla, so I was pretty excited when the good folks over at SLIMQUICK also sent me over some of this mixed berries drink mix to try.

Product Review: SlimQuick Pure Protein Vanilla

New SLIMQUICK Pure Protein is the only protein supplement designed specifically to help women lose 3 times the weight. It's made with BioPure Green TeaTM, a natural extract that's been shown in a published clinical study to help overweight women lose 3 times the weight versus dieting alone, in just 13 weeks. Besides the BioPure Green TeaTM, it contains natural ingredients including whey protein, antioxidants, calcium, and natural flavors. And it's available in Double Chocolate and French Vanilla.

The good folks at SLIMQUICK sent me over the vanilla flavor to try. Here's what I think so far:

My 15 Bar Cart Must-Haves: Whiskey and Brandy and Gin, Oh My!

It's been a little over a year since I scored my bar cart at Target for a mere $30. It's become one of my favorite pieces of furniture to decorate - maybe because the accessories are so intoxicating interactive! To know me is to know I'm a big, big fan of craft beer. ...But G and I do dabble with mixing cocktails. ...And I do love a glass of red wine while writing or a glass of white with some dinners.

While there's almost always beer in my fridge, I also try to keep the bar cart stocked up as well. It gets most of its use on the weekends with G and I curled up on the couch playing cribbage or watching Netflix. But it's also nice to have some drink ingredients handy in case a friend or two comes over. 

1. Prairie Organic Gin 

Gin has become my spirit of choice. Oh, but it tastes like Christmas tree! I get that a lot. And I get it. Thanks to the juniper berries, most gins do take on a piney, spruce-infused taste. And I'll drink those - usually with orange juice mixed in. But not all gin tastes just so. Cedar Ridge (a local winery/distillery) makes Clearheart Gin that boasts a distinctly cucumber flavor. It's the first gin I truly loved. Recently, I tried Prairie Organic Gin. Distilled in my state's northern neighbor Minnesota, it has a more botanical, herbal flavor - with a subtle hint of spruce. I love both of these gins with ginger ale or tonic water. (Orange juice would hide the flavor too much!)

Basil Pasta with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce | Quick, Easy, Tasty!

This past weekend, the bf and I made a couple new friends at a new local brewery. (We love meeting fellow craft beer geeks.) We chatted it up, hit it off, and ended up at their place where they opened up their back deck and beer fridge. Before we left, Amy (who bakes bread and noodles, which she sells like hotcakes at the local farmers' markets under the name Baked Goods by Amy) sent us away with three bags of her homemade noodles: tomato basil, tomato garlic, and basil. 

Make-at-Home: Iced Coffee

With spring in the air and warmer weather an increasingly frequent visitor on the 7-day forecasts, I like my coffee cold. A nice creamy glass of iced coffee is a refreshing and tasty kick-start to a spring or summer morning. And I've finally mastered it.

After a long day yesterday and still more writing and job search stuff to be done, I knew I'd need some caffeine to stay alert and focused. A warm drink just didn't sound good and I didn't feel like driving to Starbucks - even though it's just a mile down the road. (If I start that habit, Starbucks is going to munch away at my wallet morning by morning.)

Round-Up: 8 Lovely Lunch Boxes (for Toting Your Lunch to Work or Campus)

Brown bag it... without the brown bag! Inspired by today's earlier guest post packed pull of Tips for Bringing Your Lunch to Work, I scavenged around for some of the prettiest lunch packers I could find. From a classic mason jar to bento boxes - and even a traditional Indian tiffin box - here are eight beauties that will perfectly tote your lunch to campus or the office.

Guest Post | Bring Your Lunch to Work (Benefits + Tips + Recipes)

Dining out or eating in the dining hall or workplace cafeteria can add up quickly - not only in dollars, but also in pounds. Below, guest contributor Daria Patrusheva highlights the benefits of packing your lunch, provides some friendly tips, and shares some of her favorite take-to-work recipes.

____________________________________

Tips for Bringing Your Lunch to Work

Guest Post by Daria Patrusheva

Let me just begin by saying, I am not one of those people who bike to work and eat kale for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I find many cookbooks overwhelming with their abundance of exotic ingredients and unrealistic preparation times. As a student, I juggled full-time studies, two part-time jobs, and volunteer commitments, which often resulted in chaotic eating schedules and dependence on frozen pizza and food from the cafeteria.

Chicken & Veggie Multi-Grain Bowl | Throw-Together Meal: Quick, Easy, Tasty, & Healthful

Healthier eating. Is it on your list of new year's resolutions? While it's not a goal I specifically devised for 2014, it's something I've been working on for the last few months. I don't aim for limits - I aim for possibilities. I don't want a short-term fad diet - I want a long-term commitment that I can live with. I also want it to fit my young professional budget, be quick and easy to stick to (for office lunches), keep me full (to avoid vending machine temptations), and taste good.

The other night when I did my grocery shopping, I tried to buy food items that could mix-and-matched to create different meals for breakfast and lunch. I usually eat both breakfast and lunch at work - so I need that flexible wiggle room to shake up my meal options with versatile ingredients. I call these "Throw-Together Meals," since they require minimal effort when whipping them up at work.

Boost Your Brain with Mental Mojo: Back-to-Campus & Off-to-the-Office

With the relaxing holidays behind us, it's time to get back into the swing of things. Whether you're starting a brand new semester or just trying to readjust yourself to the daily grind of the office, alertness and energy are of the utmost importance. Maybe you get your focus-fix with coffee - and then (like me) spend the day making trips to the java bar. Perhaps energy drinks are your go-to, though they're too sweet, unhealthy, and crash-prone. But what if you could get a long-lasting boost of energy, focus, and alertness by simply adding something natural to your hydrating bottle of water.

Meet Mental Mojo. Mental Mojo is "rocket fuel for your brain," which comes in convenient stick packs that you add to a 16 oz. bottle of water. Shake it, drink it, and get to work. The power comes from a blend of 100% natural brain boosting nootropics and energizing amino acid / vitamin complexes. It goes beyond just boosting your alertness (which coffee and energy drinks easily accomplish) and also fosters focus to put get you "in the zone" and keep you there.

Q&A; Quickie | Advice for a wine / whiskey drinker looking to get into craft beer?

Question:

A really awesome brewery just opened up in town and I can't wait to spend my Friday nights there with my friends - but I'm not a beer drinker! Would you have any suggestions for a wine and whiskey drinker looking to develop a taste for beer? (asked by Shelby)

Answer:

How exciting! To know me (and my other blog Yeast, Love, & Hoppiness, co-blogged with my bf) is to know that I love craft beer - especially when imbibed at local breweries. Before I begin with my suggestions, I must first divulge that I wasn't always a brew lover. In fact, just about two years ago I hated beer. It was largely due to the college scene - flooded with Bud Light, PBR, and the likes.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cafe au Lait

I love myself some pumpkin spice. And if I didn't have good self control, I'd stop at every coffee shop on my way home from work (Starbucks, Panera, Coffeesmiths, the list goes on...) for a pumpkin spice latte every single day. Instead of doing that, I concocted a delicious pumpkin spice coffee treat to make at home. It's easier on my waistline (so I tell myself) and my wallet. 

Quick 'n' Tasty Chicken Avocado Sandwich

Toward the end of my work shift tonight, I was hit with massive avocado cravings. I could probably blame it on a five minute scroll through Pinterest on my break or even my bf's nobody-makes-it-better guacamole. But I needed avocado and I needed it NOW. I couldn't get it now. So right after work I hit up Target to get the goods. You see, in my last fifteen minutes at work, I conjured up a sandwich idea that sounded irresistible. And it turned out delicious!

One Does Not Simply Whip Up a Cheesecake

So because lately I've suffered some unbearable cheesecake cravings, the bf and I decided to whip up some cheesecake during my weekend visit to his town.  After a quick web search, he suggested this White Caramel Cheesecake from the blog Not So Humble Pie.  I skimmed through the recipe, drooled over the pictures, and nodded in agreement.  We figured... How hard could it be?