Broccoli cheddar soup

I mentioned in a previous post that one of my favorite things to eat during this time of the year is soup. There's something so warm and comforting about a bowl of soup that makes it perfect for chilly weather! I used to be really intimidated by soups due to a disastrous situation involving navy beans and a ham hock (don't ask) so making something so creamy and delicious was huge for me! Broccoli and cheddar is a classic and this easily became a regular in my cold weather cooking! It's also pretty quick and easy to throw together which is a huge plus!

Broccoli and cheddar soup
recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

• 1/4 brown onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 4 tbl unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 cups steamed broccoli florets

First, steam your broccoli and set aside. Grate the cheese and set aside. Dice 1/4 to 1/2 small onion, depending on your preference, and drop it into a saucepan with the chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until onions are soft.

 In a separate medium saucepan melt your butter and then add the flour, salt and paper. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes.

Heat milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warm and then slowly whisk it into the flour mixture.

Cook together for about 10 minutes or until soup starts to thicken. Stir in onions and chicken broth. Add steamed broccoli and grated cheese and stir until cheese has melted completely.

Cut up a few thick slices of fresh bread...

And enjoy! Make this soup on the next cold day... I promise you will not regret it! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Fall Meals

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It's finally starting to feel like fall around here, and I couldn't be more thrilled. We had our first big cold front of the season and even had a few rainy days this week! I love this weather. The air is crisp in the morning and you can't go out without a jacket at night. It's perfect for cozying up under blankets and lighting pumpkin spice scented candles. Last week I talked about my favorite fall fashions, but this week I wanted to bring it a little closer to home and talk about all of the delicious flavors in fall foods. First up, appetizers!

Fall is the perfect time for soups. There's nothing better than coming home from a chilly day out to a steaming bowl of soup packed with delicious flavors. I've been wanting to cook with squash this fall so this corn and squash soup sounds amazing. I'll definitely be giving it a try!

One of my all time favorite soups is baked potato. You just can't go wrong with bacon, cheese, and creamy potatoes. This recipe from Betty Crocker looks delicious. I can practically smell it through the screen! The best part? You can throw it in the crock pot while you're at the pumpkin patch and come home to a hot meal!

 Every October there is a big chili cook-off in my mom's neighborhood. Last year we entered and won, but this year my mom will be a judge. Chili is the perfect fall meal; its hot and filling and tastes amazing served with cornbread. How fun would it be to serve up chili and cornbread in a jar to your guests? I love that it's portable and easy to bring outside for a fall dinner party!

Another delicious traditional fall meal is pot roast. Juicy meat, tender vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes; is there any better meal than that? This roast from Jenny Steffans looks so beautiful and inviting. I've never made a pot roast, but this year I'll definitely be giving it a shot!

For dessert, nothing says fall like apples. I've been dying to go apple picking and now I have the perfect excuse... I need to make these amazing crock pot baked apples! With butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon it's just like apple pie without the crust! Can you say yum?!

I'm just gonna put this out there; pies are my specialty. Cherry pie was one of the first thing I ever baked completely from scratch when I was a teenager and my mom immediately named me the pie crust queen. I love the methodical mixing and rolling resulting in the perfect buttery, flaky pie crust. This year I really want to try some different variations of pies, including these adorable individual apple pies. Don't they look delicious?

I hope some of you are able to make some of these delicious meals this weekend and enjoy that crisp air! We're off to the pumpkin patch with family and I can't wait to continue our yearly fall traditions! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Favorite Fall Looks

One of my favorite things about fall is the fashion. I mean, fall does have the best fashion of the year, is anyone even denying that? Sure, winter has its coats, spring its cardigans, and summer its dresses, but fall gets scarves and boots so they win by default right? What I love most about dressing for fall is that you always feel warm and comfortable. Skinny jeans, boots, plaid, and camel... I am loving it all.  And if you're lucky, the clothes you wear can feel like cozying up with your softest blanket. Here are my favorite looks for the best season of the year.

1. I am obsessed with look #1. First off, how comfy does that top look, especially paired with that amazing cowl?! The boyfriend inspired, cuffed jeans are my favorite every day style and those floral TOMS and sunglasses seal the deal. I personally would lose the watch and bag; they aren't doing anything for me. I would wear this all day running errands with Cayden; it's comfortable and casual!

2. This look is just effortless and reminds me of something I would wear to class in college back in the day. I love stripes paired with camel boots and the feather earrings just tie the whole look together. However, I would probably swap out the boot cut jeans with a skinny jean!

3. The jeans in look #3 are the perfect example of a good skinny jean. I love the dark wash paired with that striped cardigan. The outfit is accessorised perfectly, except that awful gaudy gold watch. Am I the only one who cannot stand watches? Isn't that what your phone is for? I think this outfit would be perfect for a Friday night movie with your honey!

4. This look is a lot more put together and reminds me of something I would wear to church or brunch. I love the grey/teal color palette and all of the layering. I would wear those jeans every single day of my life, and those gray flats are what dreams are made of!

5. Can we just have a moment of silence for that AMAZING yellow hobo bag in look #5? I need it now! This outfit is effortless... a white tank, cardigan, and that adorable vintage inspired belt. I also like the idea of switching it up with vans or those strappy wedges. Perfect for a coffee date with a girlfriend!

6. Can you sense a theme here? I love stripes. I literally can't get enough of them. This striped shirt with jeans, and ballet flats is casual and put together. I would wear it to a play date with some mama friends. I love the aviator glasses and that across the shoulder bag is the PERFECT size and color. I die!

7. Look #7 is something that I would literally wear every day in fall. The off-the-shoulder top looks super comfortable and flattering and the skinny jeans and boots work perfectly with it. The accessories are really simple and easy. This would make a great weekend outfit for being lazy around the house.

8. Stripes again! What a surprise! This striped top in look #8 is super cute and I love the unexpected combination of the floral scarf. The bag works perfect and the boots? Gorgeous! This look is so fresh and cute, I would wear it to lunch with friends!

What trends are you loving this fall? I need to find the perfect boots. I say this every fall which explains my 7 pairs of boots, but I still don't think I've found the perfect pair! I can't wait to go shopping to try and re-create some of these looks! XOXO

**Please note, I am not the original curator of these looks. To find the original image sources you can go to my Pinterest Fashion board here.**

Friday Favorites: Fall has arrived!

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I don't know about you, but to me September 1st means one thing... Fall has arrived! Which means it's time to whip out the pumpkin puree and get to baking. My favorite favorite time to bake is in the fall. I love pumpkin, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and all of the other delicious fall spices. Since I've been waiting ALL year to make this stuff, I am dedicating Friday Favorites to our favorite orange flavor... PUMPKIN!

I love making pies, but they can be a lot of work. These mini pumpkin pie bites from Bakerella are easy to make and even easier to eat. Perfect!

I think you guys pretty much understand by now that almost every post of mine will contain a cupcake somewhere. These cupcakes with a graham cracker crust and pumpkin pie frosting (!!!) are making my mouth water!

I'm not normally a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, but I have to admit, cream cheese and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. These pumpkin bars look soft and moist and the cream cheese frosting is the cherry on top!

I love whoopie pies. I love them in the summer, in the winter, in the spring, and most definitely in the fall. Especially if that means I get to make these pumpkin whoopie pies with... wait for it... MAPLE cream cheese frosting. Uh yeah, enough said.



I don't know why I never thought of making pumpkin snicker doodles, but I'm sure happy Recipe Girl shared them with me. These are the perfect fall cookies to share with friends!

Last year I made chocolate chip pumpkin bread (which is still my favorite pumpkin recipe to date) so this year I really want to try these chocolate chip pumpkin bars from Bake at 350. There's just something about the combination of melted chocolate chips that's unexpected yet delicious.

I don't know about you, but I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on pumpkin! Have a great weekend everyone! XOXO

Exciting Announcement! Mama Matryoshka will be at The Threadery!

With all of the craziness of birthday parties, moving, and vacations, Mama Matryoshka has been on vacation mode for most of the summer. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did and I've missed it! I just love being creative and making pretty little things, and I always get inspired when the holidays roll around. This fall I really want to focus on trying new projects. One of my goals was to try and sell at a handmade/craft market and I'm happy to announce that on October 22nd, I will be! I've been accepted to sell at a booth at The Threadery! It's a new handmade craft market created by two lovely ladies (you can learn more about it here) in Orange County. I'm really nervous because this is my first time doing anything like this and I know it's going to be A LOT of work! I need to build a booth and backdrop completely from scratch and make a ton of inventory of both old and new items to sell! But mostly I'm super excited to put my product out there and interact with my customers face to face. I'll also get to hang out with Alyson of Eisley Rae Clothing and Heather of Happy Bee Boutique so I know we'll have tons of fun! If you're in the Orange County area make sure to stop by and say hi! I'd love to see you!

When: October 22nd, 9:00AM- 4:00PM

Where: 505 W. Lambert Rd. Brea, Ca 92821 North Orange County

I'll be sure to blog more details soon and keep you updated on all of the new products I'm making specifically for this event. I also have a giveaway coming very soon to say thank you for supporting my little Etsy shop for the past 5 months! Stay tuned! XOXO

My first Thanksgiving [in photos]!

So how was everyone's Thanksgiving? I've had a CRAZY week (more on that later...) and am just now getting around to blogging about mine. Seeing as it's now December that's a major fail, but what can ya do?

I won this 'GiveThanks' banner in a blog giveaway and I LOVE it! It has the perfect fall colors and I knew instantly that I would hang it behind the dinner table.

This is the centerpiece I made for the table. I measured the candle and cut out a circle with a sharp knife and then I hollowed out the pumpkin and rubbed allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon inside of it. My house smelled wonderful! Once the candle was in I started cutting leaves and berries from a fall leaf garland I got from Michaels and placed them all around the candle. It was so easy and I love how it came out!





















Cayden looked so cute on his first Thanksgiving! He was full of smiles!

















As you know I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time this year! I had so much fun putting everything together but it is HARD work! I woke up and started right away baking my annual cherry pie. I made the dough and let it refrigerate while I worked on the filling. I still haven't learned how to properly lattice the top so it always looks messy but believe me, it tastes delicious!





















The funny thing is that I was going by a 14 lb turkey recipe and failed to think that my 20 lb turkey might just take a little longer to cook. We didn't end up eating until 7pm but thankfully no one complained so it all worked out! The turkey turned out gorgeous and was SO yummy! I think it may have been my biggest cooking accomplishment yet! I was so mad at my mom because she picked it up and put it on the serving tray and totally mutilated it before I got a good picture, but I did manage to snap this one which shows how yummy and golden brown it looked!

All of my sides came out so yummy! Garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, , asparagus and of course stuffing!

To top it all off, I ended the meal with a homemade apple crisp topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce! I made this specifically for my sister who was too full to eat it in the end! What a brat!

The day was a success! I may or may not have Tweeted 'I AM THE THANKSGIVING MASTER!' that night... But everything turned out great and I couldn't be happier to spend the day with those I love most! Mando, my mom, my sister and I sat around the table and I made everyone say what they are thankful for. (Yes, I am that person. We sounded like a bad Lifetime movie!) Hopefully this can be a new tradition for my new family.

After dinner my mom stayed the night so we could wake up early the next morning and go shopping without worrying about bringing Cayden out in the cold. We spent way too much money of course but ended up buying presents for all the babies in the family plus some crafty stuff for me to make some presents! I seriously can't wait to get started!

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Edition.

Okay, I know it's November 2nd and you guys are so over Halloween posts, but I wanted to share a few pictures of Cayden's first Halloween! We actually celebrated twice... Once on Halloween and once the weekend before. My mom's neighborhood always has a 'fall festival' for the neighborhood kids. Good thing Cayden had 2 costumes!

Domesticated Delight Halloween Event - Cayden's first trip to the pumpkin patch and pumpkin gooey butter cake recipe.

Last weekend my family and I took Cayden for his first trip to the Irvine Park pumpkin patch. I was so excited to cross off one of my 4 Simple Goals and start a new family tradition! Everything is always so much more exciting when you’re seeing it through someone else’s eyes for the first time. I know Cayden is too young to remember this trip, but I have hopes that he will be able to look at the pictures and know that he had a great time with his mommy and daddy.

The morning of dawned cloudy and rainy, but I was determined to have a great day anyway. I dressed Cayden in what I called his ‘pumpkin outfit’ and we were on our merry way. First we met up with my sister, my nephew, and my mom at her house and we all carpooled to our location. Even though it was a bit cold and sprinkly outside it was very crowded! We did everything the place had to offer (that was baby friendly of course)… went through a corn maze, saw the ‘haunted’ house, visited the zoo they had on site, and of course picked out a big fat pumpkin to take home! I also ran into @ToniRaquel and little Lucy which was a fun surprise! I was snapping pictures like crazy… I think I was driving everyone nuts who was with me but it’s MEMORIES people! My favorite part was the zoo. I didn’t even know they HAD a zoo there! It only cost us $2 to get in (both the babies were free) and we got to see all kinds of animals including the cutest 2 bears in the world. They even had a little petting zoo where you can feed baby goats and brush their hair! We had a blast.

I’m so glad we did this with Cayden. I plan to take him back year after year until he’s begging to bring a friend along or protesting that he’s too old for that kind of stuff. I think family traditions are so important in creating a happy and secure child. I want him to love the holidays just as much as me!

(Make sure you check out a yummy pumpkin cake recipe below!)

















Pumpkins!
















A family portrait
















Isn't this the cutest shot ever?!?
















Playing in the pumpkins
















Chillin' with daddy
















My nephew... he was very excited!
















Grandma and her boys (Can you tell she hates being photographed? Now you know where I get it from)
















Cayden riding the horse
















The entrance to the corn maze
















My sister and nephew feeding the goats
















Mando and the baby goat
















Every time Mando took a picture another goat came to me!
















The cutest, fuzziest bear ever!




This time of the year my mom always make this Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake… it’s a doctored cake recipe from Paula Dean (butter ya’ll!). If you aren’t familiar with doctored recipes, it’s basically just taking a boxed cake mix and adding some other ingredients to make it even better. I actually prefer this method (for cakes only) because I find that cakes made from scratch never come out as good as boxed cake mix. This method is the best of both worlds.

The pumpkin gooey butter cake is yummy and perfect for your Halloween or Thanksgiving get-togethers. I like it because it’s not your average pumpkin recipe… the gooey center is really different and I love the sweet pumpkin flavor. It’s definitely a decadent dessert so unbutton your pants and enjoy!


Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tbl butter

Filling:

• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and enjoy!