Girls Night Re-cap!

Girls Night.
If you don't currently have some form of a reoccurring

girls night, you need to.
STAT.

It is so important to have girl time.
I've read before that lots of studies have shown

the need for us girls to connect with one another.

Women need this time to really develop relationships and

to just let our hair down, be silly, sip wine, and dish about the men in our lives.

Food easily brings people together, and having at our homes

saves money, ensure good food quality, and adds the no pressure feel

of just enjoying each other.

My favorite quote form Girlfriendology.com

Failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships 

with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking! 

So don't tell me you don't have time, make time!!

We meet the first Wednesday night of each month

and take turns hosting.

I picked a cute but comfy outfit and just added some pearls to 

feel all housewifey.

OOTN

Dress: Loft

Wrap: Charlotte Russe

Leggings: Sissy Boy {Amsterdam}

Earrings: From Tricia {step-mom}

Necklace: Kohl's clearance $8

Makeup: Bare Minerals

I hosted yesterday, so I made sure to stock up on

some Pinot Grigio!

 Matty bought the appetizer-

mini fritata--goat cheese, ham, tasty!

Alison brought a salad-blue cheese, caramelized pecans, 

grapes, golden raisins, arugula, a fab dressing. It was so good!

Kristin brought the dessert-a platter of fresh fruit

and melted sea salt chocolate. YUMM.

For the main meal,

I wanted to make a simple meal that my friends may re-create themselves,

so I went with Giada's Turkey Meatloaf.

I also had some olives to snack on, sweet potatoes in the slow cooker, 

and some crusty Tuscan Garlic Bread from Wegmans.

WINNING.

 Recipes:

Sweet Potatoes:
3 large sweet potatoes, cleaned, peeled, cubed.

Place in a slow cooker

Cover with Extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, cinnamon, maple syrup.

I eyeball everything, but just taste it after awhile and add more if you want.

On high 2 hours or on low for 4.

Stir often.

Giada's Turkey Meatloaf

Recipe: From Food Network

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, optional
• 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, if using, eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.
Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

Kristin in her over-the-moon giddy about a new guy mood!!

Matty is awesome!

Alison making a face just like her kids do!

It was a perfect night, but we forgot to get a picture of the four of us! 

:(

Sorry for the blurry ones.
It was fun, I can promise you that!

I loved having the sliding glass door open a bit,

Michael Buble on Pandora,

and taking turns talking about the new happenings in life.

As the night progresses, the music turns to Zumba

and you may find Alison and I jumping around to some

of our favorite songs from our Zumba class.

I love that we are all in different spots in our lives 

and to know that each first Wednesday of every month,

we'll connect and laugh until my belly hurts.

I am detoxing with a smoothie and water today.

What do you do with your girlfriends for fun??