Essentially Jackie

10
Nov
2014

Project House: The “Master” Bedroom

When we first looked at the house I thought the bedrooms looked a bit small and outdated, sort of like the rest of the house. Ha! However, I knew that with a fresh coat of paint, new carpeting, and some decor both rooms would be rejuvenated. The bedrooms were actually the easiest to remodel because of just that.

I decided to hold off on a whole new “master” bedroom for a little bit. The decor and bedding I had from my apartment bedroom were more than adequate for the time being. I wanted to direct the money to more important things. Nevertheless, there were a few things that needed to be completed before we moved in.

(more…)

04
Nov
2014

Home Improvement

categories: Project: House

November has snuck up on us. With that, the holiday season is right around the corner. This is traditionally a time for people to revamp their homes and complete those home improvement projects that have been dragging on for months. We are no acceptation to this rule. There are a few projects I would like to have completed before the calendar gets packed full of out of town guests, parties, and Christmas shopping. (more…)

26
Oct
2014

A Build-Your-Own-Pizza Girls Night

categories: Life & Adventures

It’s that time of the month again. My turn to host Girls Night! I went back and forth on what to make for our meal. With some input from a friend, I decided to do a “build your own pizza” night. This way the girls could create their favorite pie. Doing this would also take some of the tasks off of me; just some simple prep work for toppings and dough. (more…)

22
Oct
2014

A Little Wine Making & Tasting

categories: Festivities

I have previously mentioned that one of my good friends, Theresa, is marrying her sweetheart. The Big Day is quickly approaching with lots to do in between. Theresa and Matt decided that they wanted to make their own wine for their wedding favors. The most difficult part of this idea though was deciding exactly which wine to make. To solve this, Theresa came up with the great idea of a wine tasting afternoon!

Somehow she was able to corale the entire bridal party (minus one groomsman), parents on both sides, and a few signicant others for the same afternoon. This includes one of the groomsman who flew all the way from California to be apart of the festivities! Props to Adam! In total we had a group of about 20 people. (more…)

14
Oct
2014

Oreo Cheesecake

categories: Treats

A friend of mine has been requesting that I make a dessert for some time now. With a Sunday of house chores and relaxation ahead of me, I decided it was the perfect day to create this masterpiece. I decided on an Oreo cheesecake. I found a recipe on Pinterest that looked pretty straight forward. I also have never made Oreo cheesecake, since well, I’m not really a huge fan of Oreos. GASP! I know, I know. I’m told it was pretty delicious, so perhaps this will stay in my recipe book of “To Be Made Again” treats. (more…)

11
Oct
2014

Talula’s Garden

categories: Life & Adventures

I talked about my trip to Philadelphia in the past few posts. One of my favorite stops on our itinerary was Talula’s Garden. I decided to write up a review to illustrate our experience.

“A garden brings life to the table.” These are the words scripted onto the walls of Talula’s Garden in Washington Square, Philadelphia. This phrase rings true to owner Aimee Olexy who dreamed up this restaurant while reminiscing about her childhood playing in the gardens of her parents home. Aimee teamed up with restaurateur Stephen Starr to create a magical location where guests can savor fresh, yet unique plates while enjoying a serene atmosphere. We were greeted as soon as we walked through the gates of the garden strung with twinkling lights. Fortunately we had made a reservation earlier in the day, which is highly recommended if not necessary. (more…)

06
Oct
2014

Touring through the City of Brotherly Love

categories: Life & Adventures

As I’ve recently posted, last weekend I spent with one of my younger sisters in Philadelphia. I had been trying to get down to visit her and tour the city for the past five years. I know, I know. That’s a long time. We finally settled on a weekend and stuck to our plans.

I arrived early in the afternoon on Friday to give ourselves a full day. Melissa showed me around her new apartment and then we were off to explore the neighborhood. We ended up walking through the UPenn campus. This university was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. The profound buildings really illustrate the beauty of the architecture during that era. (more…)

28
Sep
2014

USA Food Tour: Pennsylvania

categories: Life & Adventures

My sister Melissa is attending graduate school in Philadelphia. I had been craving a weekend down in the city of Brotherly Love for some time now; this was actually well overdue. We finally settled on a weekend and I decided to incorporate this into my USA Food Tour. It would be a weekend full of historical sites, sisterly bonding, and of course enjoyable food.

You will probably assume and almost guarantee that the food of Pennsylvania has to be the Philly Cheesesteak. Well, you’re right. The iconic Philly Cheesesteak is one of the top items on any Pennsylvania food list. However, for those of you who know me, I am not a steak lover. I originally thought I could do a non-traditional “cheesesteak” substituted with chicken or pork but I realized that defeats the purpose of this whole food tour. (more…)

20
Sep
2014

A Tapas Kind of Girl’s Night

categories: Life & Adventures

As my week for Girl’s Night was approaching I pondered what sort of menu I should create. There really are so many options, especially with fall peaking through. I have a board on my Pinterest page with all sorts of ideas. However, nothing on there was really speaking to me. We had been talking about doing a cocktails and tapas night in the past. So I decided to take a stab at it. (more…)

16
Sep
2014

Butternut Squash and Candied Bacon Flatbread

categories: Treats

About a week ago I received a salivating photo from my dearest Amanda. She and her hubby were spending their Friday evening at their favorite spot, Sweetwater Bar & Grill. Some of you may remember my “review” post I had written back in May after visiting myself. They have the most creative, yet delicious cocktails and dishes. Anyways, as soon as I saw the photo of what they would soon be enjoying I had to know what made this dish. Amanda proceeded to list off the ingredients for me and I knew right away that I had to recreate.

Lucky for me, Girl’s Night was to be hosted by yours truly this week. This would be the centerpiece of the whole meal. However, I didn’t have the time to do a test run so tonight I just ran with it. I had purchased the ingredients that Amanda so kindly provided, along with whatever else I had brainstormed and here is what I came up with. (more…)