My Foodie Collection: Beyond The Traditional - The Ultimate Thanksgiving Spread

Have you ever used Foodie to collect recipes? It's a fun way to gather recipes and plan meals! This post was sponsored by Foodie, but as always all opinions are my own and I only share things I feel will benefit my readers.

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for everyday, so celebrating my gratitude with a holiday just seems fitting; we should have a monthly gratitude celebration or even weekly! Thanksgiving has to be one of the most amazing holidays: celebrating with food, family, friends, football, and other fun stuff.

I'm looking forward to celebrating this year and preparing The Ultimate Thanksgiving Spread Menu has been easy, I've been using Foodie to collect my recipes and I'm so excited to share the most delicious recipes ever with you today.

Check out Beyond The Traditional - The Ultimate Thanksgiving Spread
by Lauren Paints at Foodie.com

Check out my Foodie Collection above! I included recipes for soups, turkey, cocktails, desserts, stuffing, greens, potatoes, and more... a little bit of everything with a twist so you can have an un-traditional but still delicious Thanksgiving. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and let me know if you choose to make anything from The Ultimate Thanksgiving Spread!

Spinach, Cajun Sausage, & Sweet Potato Soup - The Perfect Fall Treat

This recipe has to be one of my favorites, ever. I know I say I love things all the time, and I really do love a lot of things, but I adore this soup. I adore it so much, in fact, it was served at my December wedding and when we go back home to Oklahoma I always ask my MIL to make it. This savory spinach, cajun sausage, and sweet potato soup is the perfect Fall Treat and full of amazing flavors that compliment each other amazingly. Not only is it tasty, it's super easy to make - so if you're looking for a delicious dinner this evening give this soup a try.

Spinach, Cajun Sausage, & Sweet Potato Soup Ingredients: 2 cups baby spinach leaves 2 cups sweet potatoes, diced ¼-inch 1 cup andouille sausage, chopped into small pieces ½ cup margarine 1 cup chopped onions ½ cup chopped celery ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper ¼ cup diced garlic 1 cup flour 2 ¼ quarts chicken stock 1 pint heavy whipping cream ½ cup sliced chives ½ cup chopped parsley hot sauce, salt, and cracked black pepper to taste Wash baby spinach leaves and chop. In a deep pan, melt margarine over medium-high heat. Add andouille sausage, onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir vegetable mixture to form a blonde roux (a thick creamy sauce). Add chicken stock, one ladle at a time, whisking constantly until soup consistency is achieved. Add sweet potatoes. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Add spinach and cook approximately 10 additional minutes. Additional stock may be added to retain proper consistency. Add heavy whipping cream, chives and parsley. Season to taste using salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Nailed It: DIY Chip-Free Manicure - This Christmas #DazzlewithVB Cosmetics & Dazzle Dry!

“Disclaimer: I am a member of The Social Media Panel, LLC. who was given the opportunity to review this product. However, the brand or company has not influenced me in any way to provide any type of review other than my true and honest opinions. I am disclosing all information provided in this review according to the information provided in Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I've never been one to hide the fact that I like to pamper myself and if you've been reading recently you may have picked up on the fact I like pretty nails... but I live a busy life and unless I go to the salon I usually don't let them dry long enough to set and they always turn out looking wonky. Plus sometimes when I do decide to treat myself to a salon visit, they chip the next day and then I just feel like it's a lost cause. Finding a polish that matches my busy schedule has been a tough mission, but I can officially say mission accomplished.  I nailed the perfect at home mani, I'm so happy I could shout it from the rooftops! I love Dazzle Dry's Nail Kit from VB Cosmetics!

The Dazzle Dry Nail Kit is a life saver; I now have a polished and pretty mani that will last for four weeks without chipping. Plus, the polish dries rock hard in just five minutes leaving me with plenty of time to complete my to-do list! I compare my Dazzle Dry Nail System to getting an expensive gel manicure at the salon, except it doesn't involve a UV light and it also doesn't include toxins.

They sent over the most adorable mini kit in a cheery shade of High Velocity Red and I cant wait to wow my family and friends with my adorable Christmas themed nails. I think I may even surprise a few of my closest girlies with a little something in their stocking this year - every girl needs The Dazzle Dry Nail System! I'm definitely adding this product to my holiday gift guide for all the fashionistas and divas in your life. This Christmas #DazzlewithVB!

You may be wondering, what the mini kit includes? I received the Nail Prep (7.5ml), the Base Coat (5ml), the Top Coat (5ml) with the polish color of your choice(5ml). This kit is good for numerous mani's and at only $20, it's a steal compared to salon mani! Dazzle Dry has polishes in all kinds of colors and full size kits as well as glitter polishes and cracking polishes... a little bit of everything for all different styles!

I decided to add a rhinestone to my mani on the center of each nail and I love how it turned out. All I did was use a little bit of clear coat to make a "glue" for the rhinestone and placed it on my nail in between the red polish and the top coat. I followed the directions sent with my kit to a tee and my mani turned out amazing. I would like to extend my gratitude to Vb Cosmetics for sending over a kit and sponsoring this post, I'm absolutely in love with their kits and can't wait to treat my best friends with a perfect at home mani kit as well! 

Mini Key Lime Pies with Sugar Cookie Crust

Summer is over but that doesn't mean I can't hold on to the taste of it with an impressively delicious Key Lime Pie with a Sugar Cookie Crust recipe. This recipe packs an amazing amount of tartness with the lime while satisfying your taste buds with a super sweet cookie crust... all while being fairly healthy since there is only ONE added cup of sugar in the recipe total.

The creamy key lime pie filling matched with the Sugar cookie leave you craving more. If you are looking for something creamy and tart, a dish bound to WOW your guests, and lastly an easy recipe to make - I've got you covered. These Mini Key Lime Pies with Sugar Cookie Crust are sure to be a huge hit! 



If you don't like Key Lime, choose a different filler... I'm thinking about making a batch of these with raspberries or pumpkin instead, because why not? I suppose I should mention this recipe uses cashews so if you have a nut allergy, beware! 


Now let's get to the point and get baking and blending:

Mini Key Lime Pies with Sugar Cookie Crust Sugar Cookie Crust Ingredients: 3/4 cup softened butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Key Lime Pie Filling Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours (or overnight), then drained 3/4 cup coconut milk, well shaken 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 3-4 large limes or 6-7 key limes (1 Tbsp zest, 1/2 cup juice) 1/3 - 1/2 cup agave nectar (depending on preferred sweetness) Begin by creaming together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla. Then stir in sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until dough is thick and looks like this: Flatten a 1 inch ball of dough into silicone baking cups. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until they begin just barely cracking on the top. Press cookie/cupcakes down with a spoon, compressing them, and place in refrigerator to cool. Combine & Blend Key Lime Pie filling ingredients in blender. Pour Key Lime Pie filling into the silicone baking cups once the cookies have cooled and place in the freezer for 2-4 hours. Garnish with a tiny bit of lime. Enjoy!

If you decide to make these delicious treats, be sure to come back and let me know what you think!

The LG OLED TV from Best Buy: The Ultimate Christmas Gift!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free

The holidays are quickly approaching and I'm so excited to have teamed up with Best Buy. They have something for everyone on your list but today I'm going to tell you more about the Ultimate Christmas Gift, The LG OLED TV.

What exactly is The LG OLED TV?
The stunning design of LG OLED TV is only 0.21" thick at its thinnest point. The picture quality is spectacular, with Infinite Contrast that ranges from the most blazing whites to the deepest blacks. Plus, LG's exclusive 4 Color Pixel technology delivers bright, vibrant colors.  The best quality TV on the market, want to learn more? Check it out here: LGOLEDatBestbuy.com

As we all know, actions speak louder than words. The LG OLED is one of those sights you have to see to believe, with deeper and richer colors, stunning contrast and ingeniously curved screens, it is unlike any technology you've ever seen, and it delivers a picture that exceeds your wildest imagination! We've been TV shopping lately and this amazing piece of electronic gold is definitely on our list. Another feature that I'm totally in love with, the voice recognition remote. I know it sounds a bit lazy to be so excited about this but while painting or blogging, this would be so convenient! Everything from the WebOS to the vivid screen make this TV the top of the line and worth every penny.

This TV is the best gift for the tech lover in your life, with a $500 savings and a price tag at $3499.99 you can't go wrong with this high-tech TV. You can do anything from browse netflix to blog on this gorgeous, super thin TV.

So now that you know more about the LG OLED what feature sounds the most appealing to you? Is there anything else you have your eye on at Best Buy?