Friday Five 11.14.14

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Hey!! I hope that you had a great week!! Here are a few things that caught my eye this week!

Please pin from original source provided below the photo, thanks!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Love this modern and organic tablescape by Craft and Couture

via craft and couture

Remodeling your kitchen? This Old House provides diagrams for standard measurements! After living in a few rental kitchens over the past 3 years, I know first hand that having plenty of space between the countertop and island is crucial!! In our first TN apartment, David and I could barely be in the kitchen at the same time and Annabelle was definitely not welcome, I was constantly tripping on her! Our current rental has 46" between the countertop and island, and all three of us can comfortably be in the kitchen at the same time!

via this old house

One of my favorite SUPER easy weeknight meals is baked potatoes with caramelized balsamic onions and bacon. The topping takes it from a side dish to a main dish (at least to me) The best part is, you can customize it based on what you have in your pantry and refrigerator.

Here's what I do: scrub potatoes (I typically buy organic) pierce it with a fork a few times, wrap them in wet paper towel and microwave them (cooking in the oven, wrapped in foil works too, it just takes longer). Meanwhile, I chop about half and onion and turkey bacon (from trader joes) and mushrooms if I have them. I add a little water or broth to the pan and cook the onion, bacon, and mushrooms - when they are just about done, I add some balsamic vinegar and let it reduce. At the end, I'll throw in some kale or spinach till it is just wilted.

To finish it off, I'll add a little butter and cheese to the potato, top with topping, salt and pepper and add a little sour cream on the side. SO easy! This week, I cooked some sugar snap peas on the side too!

Image via Good Life Eats, make sure to stop by and check out their baked potato recipe!