Spinach Stuffed Shells

When I made these spinach stuffed shells last week my boyfriend said they were one of the best things I have ever made. Which is pretty awesome to hear, so I thought I would share the recipe with you all. They are delicious and melt in your mouth! When your Thanksgiving leftovers run out, be sure to try this recipe! So Yummy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Basic Marinara, divided
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Cooking spray
• 2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 package fresh spinach, chopped, and sauteed
• 1 large egg
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small red onion, minced
• 24 cooked jumbo pasta shells (cook these first, drain and pat dry)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread 1/2 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine ricotta, spinach, egg, garlic, red onion, salt, pepper, and oregano and parm cheese in a large bowl, stirring well. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling into each pasta shell. Arrange stuffed shells in prepared dish; spread with remaining 1 1/2 cups Basic Marinara. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving, then ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Decor on a Budget...

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Decorating for holidays is always very fun. I have found a few DIY projects for you to do in preparation for your big holiday dinner.

1. Gold Leaf Place cards: Spray paint a sturdy leaf from outside gold. While the spray paint is still wet use a toothpick to write the name of the person on the leaf.

2. Pear Place cards: Either spray paint the pear or leave the pear in it's natural state. Find a pin color to coordinate with your other table decor and hand write the names on a piece of card stock. Pin name to pear and your place holder is finished.

3. Thanksgiving Treat Picks: You can easily create your own cupcake or dessert picks in a pinch. Just cut out a circle on card stock paper, then cut out another circle in another color but 2 inches smaller. Paste the circles together, write on your pick whatever saying you would like! Another option would be to add a small ribbon under the circle on the pick for a fancier look.

4. Fall Leaf Votives: Walk right outside your door find the most festive fall leaves and glue them to cheap clear votives. You can probably find these at Michaels craft store. Tie a ribbon or twine around the leaves to keep them in place.

5. Thanksgiving Pom Poms: I am not sure how easy these are to make but you can get them on etsy.com. I found them at this blog called Design Evolution. Check it out! Makes for great fun contemporary holiday decor.

All of these ideas are very inexpensive and easy to create. I hope I have inspired some of you to have some fun with your Thanksgiving decor. If you make something from any of these ideas or had other ideas of your own I would love to see them! Please take a picture and send to me at hello@amybirdtweets.com. I would love to share what you have created with my readers.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving with their loved ones.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry!

Janelle Haskin

{Circlet Scarf in Linen}

Beautiful handmade soft and cozy knit scarves...would make a great holiday gift!

I obviously adore the Circlet Scarf!

{Chain of Leaves}

{Extra Wide Pyramid Stud Lady Turban}

{Zooey Deschanel rockin the Lacey Bow in Cream}

Janelle Haskin from Philly really has a way with crochet. :) She makes all of her pieces look so trendy and hip. Her creations are really beautiful and very unique. The Circlet scarves are adorable and would make perfect holiday gifts. Who doesn't want to wrap them selves in a soft and cozy knit scarf this winter? I also adore the Chain of Leaves headband which can also be worn as a belt!

Janelle, you must have been so proud to see Zooey Deschanel rocking your Lacey Bow! I am so happy for all your success! You can all read about it here in one of her past posts. Her Etsy store has tons of other belts, hats, scarves, and headbands, so what are you waiting for?

Check out her blog Janelle Haskin & Etsy Shop now!

P.S. I absolutely adore Zooey and I loved (500) Days of Summer!

Currently Listening to:
"Hero" Regina Spektor
"The World at Large" Modest Mouse
"Goin' Home" Dan Auerbach

Sing, Shine, Fly!

Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.

-Victor Hugo

I wanted to share with you some motivational thoughts because we can all sing, shine and fly towards our dreams! Set small goals for yourself, keep yourself inspired, stay strong, and keep calm. Make sure to tell your friends and family how much you love them today! We are so lucky to be able to have such a long life filled with happiness and love! :)

I got these beautiful bird images from a blog called Inspired...By Life! . She created these images herself! You can check out more of her work at her blog now!

Tim Gunn Fashion Show

{Kate Spade Galleria Bette Dress with Bow...$395}

{Kate Spade Fifth Avenue Stripe Scarf...$95}

{Kate Spade Hello Goodbye Ski Hat...$75}





{Kate Spade Be Dazzled Kylie Skirt...$395}

{Kate Spade Be Dazzled Josie Dress...$445}





{Lucky Brand Sunset Plaid Western Shirt...$79.50}






{Lucky Brand Mt. Rainier Denim Jacket...$149}





{Lucky Brand Crossbody Convertible Bag in Navy...$178}





{Juicy Couture French Terry Shimmer Sweatpant...$138}





{Juicy Couture More is More Tee...$88}





Kerri from Champagne From Beer and I at the Tim Gunn Fashion Show!

My friend Kerri and I went to a recent fashion show at the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, PA. The show featured Kate Spade, Lucky Brand and Juicy Couture. Each brand featured fall/holiday looks from each of their lines and showed different ways to wear them. Of course Tim Gunn was the host of the show and he was hilarious in person just as he is on TV. I know most of these looks are pretty pricey, but it is great inspiration for putting different looks together for fall. I am sure we can all find a scarf like the Kate Spade Fifth Avenue scarf at Old Navy or somewhere else.

This runway show was a functional show making things seem accessible for the audience. Tim Gunn interacted with the models and took off a blazer and threw on a cape to try different looks. He wanted people to believe the looks and make them street ready. Most of the pieces were very wearable and styled flawlessly. I really liked the Kate Spade dresses they had really intricate details.

Photo Credits: Kerri from Champagne From Beer

Glitz & Glam

{Matix Shine A Light Dress...$80}

{BB Dakota Roberts Dress...$88}

{MinkPink A Little Spesh Dress...$69}

{Matix Aces High Bag...$70}

I am not gonna lie, when the Swell catalog comes in the mail I always wished I just moved to Hawaii or Puerto Rico and lived a relaxed lifestyle. However, you can still live a relaxed lifestyle and your clothes can reflect that effortless chic surfer chick look. Swell is also good for inspiration because they really mix and match their looks, which I like to do. Most of the things they have are not too expensive and they usually have sale items which you can get for a steal.

The looks I picked here are mostly for dress up because it's almost time for NYE! I am also headed to Atlantic City this weekend for a friend's birthday and I am trying to find a fun dress to wear. These were my inspirations for this weekend and NYE. I am loving the Matix Shine A Light Dress with the leopard print and I threw the Matix bag into the mix because it's simply just awesome! It is definitely on my Christmas wish list!! :)

Which dress do you like?

Spirit Hoods

Word on the street says packs of young teens and 20 somethings are running wild in L.A. adorning these fancy faux fur garbs. Including Method Man featured in the above picture and Kesha who is a big advocate for these faux fur hoods.

They are called Spirit Hoods and seem to be all the rage right now on the West Coast. Alexander Mendeluk co-owner and designer of Spirit Hoods wanted to create a line of animal inspired hoods. After creating these versatile hoods, Alexander and his brother hit the streets of L.A. and rocked them when they went out with friends at night. This of course created a buzz, and people wanted to wear them too. Now they have a growing line of all different styles of hoods for men and women from Wolf, Leopard, Bear, Panda, Zebra, Husky, and more.

They full length hoods include:

• an inside zipper pocket for your cell phone or ID or cash
• a front button closure/clasp
• a set of paws
• and of course front pockets

They are really affordable ranging from only $59-$129 and would make perfect holiday gifts for any animal lover. Another reason Spirit Hoods are awesome is they make a donation when you purchase a hood with Product Blue, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping your particular animal of choice. This includes the Wolf, Panda, Polar Bear, and Snow Leopards!

Who is buying one and which one would you get? I think I would get the Leopard for sure, so cute! Love these!

Halloween Recap

Check out my pumpkin carving skills!
Photo Credit: Amy Bird Tweets iPhone (haha)






Funfetti RIP Cupcakes made by Amy Bird Tweets :)
Photo Credit: Charlie Layton






Dracula's Delight Red Velvet Cake by Pastry Chef Amanda Boutcher
Photo Credit: Charlie Layton





Helicopter & Ghetto Cookie Monster
Photo Credit: Charlie Layton

Coach Ditka, Nurse, Ghetto Cookie Monster, Indian, Gumby, Robber
Photo Credit: Charlie Layton

Illustration By: Charlie Layton

Happy Belated Halloween! I was too tuckered out from the weekend to post this yesterday but I wanted to share these pictures with you! My friend Charlie's party was super fun and he is also a fantastic photographer and illustrator! How scary do I look in that zombie illustration that Charlie drew?! He drew one of everyone who came to the party which I thought was pretty awesome!

What did everyone else dress up as? I was Ghetto Cookie Monster! haha

Photo Credits: Charlie Layton