RECIPE 3: Sour Cream Flatbread

For our third recipe from Alison Roman's Dining In, Paulo and I chose Sour Cream Flatbread (with a side of Farmgirl ranunculus or maybe that's just me #sorrynotsorry).

You guys! What's great about this approachable recipe is that it's not just easy but it's customizable! Great for a pizza party OR as I did, topped with ricotta and oil-roasted mushrooms for a starter.

You'll totally win the dinner game if this is your appetizer. But I will say if you're considering making this recipe for a quiet family pizza night and not a crowd, skip it. You can buy pre-made pizza dough at a grocery store that will do the job just fine. I'm not recommending store bought because this flatbread isn't delicious but because it takes a lot of planning (the dough has to rise a minimum of FOUR HOURS) and most family pizza nights at home are on the fly, amiright?!

But as a starter or an app for a dinner party, this flatbread will definitely earn you some brownie points.

It's crispy and has just enough sour cream to trick you into thinking it's sourdough - which let's be clear sourdough crust is queen. And once baked, the flatbread can be smoothly cut with a pizza cutter for clean lines - winning the appetizer game because you want something people can eat without it falling apart!

Now recipe three is complete, any requests for what's next? AND don't forget that if you're cooking with us, post a photo with #pandwdinein.

RECIPE 2: Whole-Wheat Pasta with Brown-Buttered Mushrooms, Buckwheat and Egg Yolk

For our second recipe from Alison Roman's Dining In, Paulo and and I chose Whole-Wheat Pasta with Brown-Buttered Mushrooms, Buckwheat and Egg Yolk.

We doubled this simple but hearty pasta dish for my mom who was visiting this past weekend and my sister and her two kiddos (ages 8 and 5), which meant 4 pounds of mushrooms - WOAH! But it was an easy recipe to cook for a crowd (simply split up your saute into two pans) and pleased all ages - just hold the raw egg yolk for the young'ins. None of us had ever had buckwheat groat and what a wonder! It adds an unexpected but appreciated crunch that's likely to now get added to salads and the like.

And talk about good leftovers! This recipe is great the next day as a fancy lunch and good even a few days after that. (Further evidenced by the photo as this was taken on day two!)

P.S. In case you missed recipe #1, click here! #pandwdinein

WEEKDAY MUSINGS

EATING // All the Alaska King Salmon. Our neighbor's buddy fishes in Alaska part of the year and hooked us up with 20 lbs at less than $10/pound. We love Ina's salmon with melting tomatoes. Any other recs out there?

HOME*WORK // Ugh. A couple of weekends ago, we decided one small wall in our family room should match our dark grey paneled accent wall for a full effect in the space. It seemed like a pretty straightforward job but a small miscommunication led our painter to give us wrong color information. Now we have a BLACK HOLE and it's killing my sunshine - please send help!

A weekday cheers (and Gray Malin's genius!)

CRUSHING ON // Jacey Duprie's "modern mariniere" collaboration with Summersalt. We're headed to Palm Springs for our annual pilgrimage and I'm 100% certain I need the polka dot triangle bikini with lace-up bottoms. I haven't worn a two-piece in at least 5 years but with this suit, I'm ready to bare it all. Now just restock ASAP, please!

READING // When my bestie Paulo recommends anything, I hop to it. So when he said he loved Red, White and Royal Blue, I immediately downloaded the book on Audible and took it on the road with me across the state for a long work road trip. I was happy to learn it's the perfect book for getting in the Valentine AND election spirit. It also has some very DC scenarios that pulled on my heartstrings and made me a bit nostalgic. This romcom did not disappoint,

THANKFUL FOR // Snow (and dare I say a consistent temperature drop?!) We've witnessed extreme highs and lows here in Montana the last few months. This past weekend it was sunny and 50 degrees but less than 24 hours later we had over six inches of snow. I'm not a scientist but I know that if this temperature ping-pong continues, it does not bode well for summer. No snow results in fires, smokey skies and I just can't!

THINKING ABOUT // Bailing on The Bachelor, because I can't think about SOTU or the impeachment vote today. Yes, Pilot Pete is adorable but he's one lost puppy and the girls seem too extra this season. But it's also one of those car crash scenarios and I can't look away. I mean, who bumps his head while getting into a golf cart and smashes a glass to his forehead? Apparently lovesick Peter Weber. Are you tuning in this season? How you feelin' about ol' Pete?

WATCHING // Netflix's The Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. You guys! If you love thrillers and true crime, this documentary is for you! It's got a real Serial vibe with recorded interviews from prison and makes you sympathize with the complicated Patriot footballer despite knowing the evidence. I just could not stop watching. But if that's not your jam... The GoopLab with Gwyneth is fascinating. It's definitely more Goop indoctrination but I'm here for it. 

WEARING // I'm a goal digger and with Palm Springs two and half months away, I'm laser focussed on crossing off #91 (working out five times a week for six weeks) on my #101in1001 list. I'm generally "in shape" but I'd love to be fully toned. What's your favorite workout gear? This girl is ready to sweat!

It's been 6 plus months...

It's been six plus months... since my last confession and I've eaten no less than my weight in Halloween candy and Ina Garten's rigatoni with sausage and fennel.

But you guys! The Bozeman move finally happened and we couldn't be happier. Literally we wake up grinning ear to ear... and we're obnoxiously happy. Yes, we're those people (face palm) but it's funny

what a place can do to you, especially a place you built.

So let's get right into it, shall we?!

EATING // We made a dank snack this past Sunday. Believe it or not, I'd never roasted a whole head of garlic. So while I peered into our new oven with fear at a softly tinfoil'd ball, I realized what a revolution for me as a cook. Without new oven stress, roasting garlic is dang easy and DAMN delicious! Don't believe me? Take the time for Food52's Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Garlic Lemon Aioli.

HOME*WORK // The garage is still Mount Vesuvius partially because of the height of the

remaining boxes but also because each box was packed with no care by our movers and may destroy

my heart with its messy hot lava contents. JK, but what's real is that it's been a journey and I'm quickly tiring of opening boxes of random things just thrown together.

We also have a ton of settling in to do... But we can't wait to share our home with you. For a few sneak peeks, follow me on Instagram and via #ProjectBoylan... I simply can't help myself.

CRUSHING ON // Tata Harper's Illuminating Eye Creme. I recently purchased Tata's moisturizing body oil (winter is coming/already here) and selected the eye creme as a free sample on a whim. I don't know how Tata does it but I swear this magic in a bottle gives this tired mama a dewy glow that could only be achieved by lots of diamond dust. Literally diamond dust is an ingredient! Each use makes me feel closer to Gwyneth, which is an obvious added benefit.

READING // I recently sped through Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key - which was the perfect read for getting spooky around Halloween. Not amazing writing but entertaining nonetheless. Now I'm a few short pages away from finishing A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, which should be required reading. Oprah calls this book "a nail biting thriller" but it's much more than that as it tackles a fictional shooting at an abortion clinic. Piccolo's skill in writing about this emotional hot-button issue while simultaneously putting a human face on it is startling.

THANKFUL FOR // The power of google docs. For the past year, I've been tracking and planning our furniture needs of our new house in a google spreadsheet. This spreadsheet automatically updated its budget while also tracking our current on-hand furniture, new selections, sales, prices, the quantity needed and final purchases! Dare I say this nifty tool was the secret weapon to keeping our happy marriage as I was able to design our space while also keeping our finances in check? 100% yes. And now we're almost fully furnished, there's a little bit of me that misses it.

THINKING ABOUT // DC. We're heading back to our former hometown for Thanksgiving and excited to see family, friends and revisit some of our favorite haunts. We'll lunch at Le Diplomate, snag coffee and treats from Little Pearl (now a Michelin star restaurant - eep!), take a spin around our favorite museums and of course stop by Salt & Sundry for a few necessities (mainly candles and hand towels).  DC folk, what's new that we can't miss?

WATCHING // Whelp, Silicon Valley is back on and I'll just leave it HERE...

WEARING // These Jeffrey Campbell Culvert Sherpa Combat Boots. They're incredibly comfortable  and responsible for keeping me warm and stylish on some of the most frightfully cold days. I snagged them early during Shopbop's site-wide sale. Who would have predicted me in combat boots? I sure didn't see it coming but I have no regrets.

Well... that about does it...  I'm excited to reconnect! Now take on the day like Bey, okay?! And come back Friday because I'm doing a snappy roundup of my favorite gifts this holiday season.

P.S. Dope Iris Apfel portrait by Victoria Villasana.