Love Notes in Africa

My husband recently went on a business trip to Africa and I was excited for him but terrified at the same time. I don't know much about Africa and the unknown scares me! When I was little and my parents went out of town, they would leave me little gifts and I got to open one each day they were gone. They were usually just dollar store toys but I loved them and it made their trip go much faster for me. I wanted to incorporate the same idea for Spencer since he would be working most of the time and most likely not have Wi-Fi or cell service (the roaming charges are outrageous there!), and I was nervous that I wouldn't get to speak to him at all. I decided to write him little love notes that he could open each day he was gone, just so he would know that I was thinking about him and about what I was up to that day.

I found these cute cards at Target and started writing these notes with the plans I had for the days he was gone and just letting him know how much I love him. On the envelope, I wrote which day to open it and warned him not to open a letter early, because I know he would want to and it's not any fun that way!

Even though Spencer will usually just travel inside the United States in the future, I think I will keep something similar like this up. I think he appreciated the gesture and I loved expressing my feelings and hopes and dreams with him on paper. Even if you aren't into that lovey dovey stuff, it's a nice change to give a card to someone telling them how much you care away from a holiday or birthday.

Have a great day!

Greek Spaghetti

This is my favorite meal, hands down. My Grandma used to make it every conference weekend so we only had it twice a year. I have some of the greatest memories sitting around my grandparents table (or at the kids table) spending time with my amazing family and eating Greek spaghetti, chicken, and spinach pies. I didn't learn how to make this until I went off to college and I made a special trip home one weekend just to learn the ropes. The real Greek spaghetti takes all day to get the lamb broth to cook the noodles in but this is the easy adaptation!

I searched online looking for other Greek Spaghetti recipes and didn't find any that were made like this. There were a lot of other versions and you can add other ingredients like feta cheese, tomatoes, kalamota olives and so on but this is how I prefer it!

Here is the recipe (well, the adapted version!)

Cooking Time: 35 Minutes

Serves: 6

2 12 Oz. Packages of Spaghetti 

13 oz. Chicken Stock

3 cups water

1/4 cup butter

1 to 1 1/2lbs. parmesan cheese 

1. Boil chicken stock & water in a pot big enough to cook noodles in
2. Heat oven to 200 degrees
3. Lay noodles out on baking sheet in a thin layer
4. Put noodles in the oven while the broth is heating up (about 5-7 minutes)
5. Once broth is boiling, add noodles and cook until al dente (usually about 10-12 minutes). Since the noodles have been dried out in the oven, they will absorb a lot of the liquid.
6. Butter a 9x13 baking dish (I like a glass dish for this recipe)
7. Heat oven up to 325 degrees
8. Drain noodles and then layer in baking dish until the bottom is covered
9. Add a layer of parmesan cheese over noodles
10. Layer another round of noodles over cheese and repeat (keep going until all the noodles are used-I usually have two to 3 layers of cheese and make sure you have enough to coat the top, that is the best part!)
11.  Heat the butter up in a frying pan until it just starts to turn brown
12. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter over the spaghetti
13. Place dish into the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes (or until cheese has melted)
14. Once the cheese has mostly melted, turn the broiler on and cook for another 1-2 minutes to crisp the cheese on top

 Enjoy!

Resolution

My biggest personal resolution this year is to read at least 12 books, which means one a month. The first one I am cheating on a little bit since I started the book last month but since I hope to finish it it in the next few weeks, I am counting it! January's book is called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. While I have been reading this book, I have learned that Gretchen also has a blog and website and is so much fun to follow. You can check her out here: http://www.happiness-project.com. I saw this book featured on the Today Show and thought it would be perfect to read to start out the new year. It's about a personal project to be happier and living in the moment instead of continuously looking forward to the next step in life and how that will FINALLY make you happy. So far I have loved it! Please comment with any book recommendations for me to read this year!

The beginning of Print Mint

I am starting this little blog today, not only as a new years resolution but also because I have wanted to start my own blog for a while now. I follow so many wonderful blogs from fashion, DIY, cooking blogs and so many more and I decided that now is as good of a time as any to start my own. My personal blog started to become more and more random so I wanted to create a new one where I could share my own creations all in one place. I love creating new things and I want to share them with all of you!