Delicious Greek Lamb Burger

Greek Food is indeed hands down, one of my FAVORITE!! I love that fresh dill bite you get in most dishes. I love, love, LOVE olives! And don't get me started on the infamous tzatziki sauce... to die for!!!!

Now let me first start by giving my apologies for not posting each step with pics as I normally do, but I literally didn't plan on posting this recipe until AFTER we ate it and hubby gushed about how good it was (*tongue out & pats myself on the back*)!! So I figured I'd still post using the after pic of the finished product and giving you what matters most .... the recipe!

Let's get into it...

Ingredients for lamb burger:

*Ground Lamb (you can definitely opt for ground turkey or even ground beef, It's totally up to your liking)

*Seasonings of your choice (I used my normal go to's)- 

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Pink himalayan sea salt

Fresh cracked peppercorn

Minced onion

Fresh chopped dill

Diced red onion

Juice of 1/2 of lime

Feta cheese

Brioche bun (or bread of your choice)

Ingredients for Tzatziki sauce:

*6 oz. of plain Greek yogurt

*Fresh chopped dill

*Juice of 1/2 of lime and lime zest

*1/2 of peeled, seedless cucumber chopped

*1 teaspoon of minced garlic

*Diced red onion

*Garlic powder

*Onion powder

*Sea salt 

-Start first by making your tzatziki sauce and place in the refrigerator to chill. 

(The amount of each ingredient used really depends on the amount of sauce you'll need. I only had a pound of ground lamb which made 4 burgers so the 6 oz. of Greek yogurt was perfect).

-Now season up your ground meat with your the ingredients above and form your burgers. (I always form them bigger initially because as you know they'll shrink up once cooked and you want them to fit the bun).

-Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of oil of your choice (I use coconut oil) to the pan and add your burgers. Cook on med-high heat for about 3-4 mins. on each side or until well done (depends on your pan and heat).

-Drain your burgers and place to the side until ready to build.

-Lightly toast your bun of choice (I used a brioche bun) and get to building your burger.

And that's it! Your all done!

Here's the final product. I didn't have tomatoes on hand but that did not stop the show. It.....WAS.....ABSOLUTELY.....DELICIOUS!!!!

As you can see, I paired my "Greek lamb burger" with grilled corn and chips! I hope you guys try this out because it was easy, quick and DELICIOUS! Step up your normal burger and give it a go! If you do, come back and let me know how you liked it and if you did anything different!

As always... Thanks for checking out my blog: TwithTally!

Easy, Affordable DIY Designer Candle

If you've visited my blog before, then it's not news to you that I LOOOOOVE doing "DIY" projects!!! It's so much fun learning to create things on your own AND at affordable prices (because you know that's what it's about... easy and thrifty on the pockets)! 

Now I've seen these type of candles in stores like Home Goods, Marshall's etc. but not for the price I paid making them :) hahaha! 

Not only are these candles stylish, they're a great addition to your home decor and overall fun to look at knowing YOU made it! So, if you love candles and are a crafts girl/guy, see below how I made these beauties!

Let's get started (bird man hand rub)....

First let's get started with the needed supplies:

Set of Pillar candles from dollar tree ($3)

Scissors

Blow Dryer

Gift Tissue Paper

Wax Paper

(My apologies for leaving out the below supplies and steps)

**You will need a computer, computer/printing paper and tape for these next steps**

First go on your computer and do a google search of whatever designer logo's you want on your candle.

Once you've found your images, copy and paste them onto a "Word Document".

Play around with the size of your images making them bigger or smaller depending on the size of candles you choose.

Once you have the images copied and pasted on your Word Document, print out a test page on regular printer paper to insure resolution is good and that all images fit properly as seen below.

Once you've printed out your test sheet as shown above.... here's where the tissue paper comes in. It's time to transfer the images onto the tissue paper, then onto your candle!

Cut out a piece of tissue paper a little smaller than the computer paper. Then, tape the tissue paper down onto the computer paper. Make sure you tape it down REALLY well to prevent your printer from jamming. Tape down the 4 edges top and bottom and the 4 sides top, bottom and sides.

After tapping tissue paper down onto printer paper, load the paper into your printer upside down so the images print on the tissue paper side as shown below...

Now cut out your images very carefully not to cut into the image itself. When cutting out the images, keep your printer paper behind it (makes it more sturdy/easier to cut with out mistakes) see below....

Now, cut as closely to the image as possible cutting off access tissue paper without cutting the actual image. Do this with all of your images as seen below...

Okay, almost done! Take your image you've cut out and place onto candle. When placing image onto candle, make sure to use the more smoother (no scratches, dents etc.), more appealing side of candle. You can use a clear glue stick to glue image down, but it's not needed. See below...

Two more steps to go and your candle is complete!

Take your wax paper and cut off a square piece big enough to wrap around candle. See below...

If you're thuggin it out and not using the clear glue stick like me to keep image securely in place, be very careful when wrapping wax paper around candle to not move image from center! Hold wax paper at back of candle tightly. 

See picture below...

Here's where that hair dryer comes into play!

Set a timer for 3-5 minutes, and use med/high heat directly to image on candle. Once you see the image starting to get shiny and the candle starts to sweat/melt.... slowly and carefully remove wax paper. Image should be perfectly adhered to candle! If not, put wax paper back and apply more heat. 

Once done... it should look a little something like this!

****BOOM! WALLAH! MAGIC!****

Hope you guys enjoyed this DIY project as much as I enjoyed making it!

I'm currently creating an Etsy account but until then... If you aren't a crafts person but are interested in having these beautiful candles, simply leave a comment or email me! Email info in Bio.

As always... Thanks for checking out my blog: TwithTally!

Easy, Affordable DIY Candle Lantern

Hey Guys!!!

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! It was a dreary, rainy weekend for us here in D.C., so I thought it was the perfect time to complete this DIY project I've been wanting to do and of course I had to share with you guys... bringing you my very first blog entry under "Tally Taught You"!! 

"Tally Taught You" will be a section of easy and affordable DIY's or recipe's that have inspired me in one way or another. 

This very first DIY project is going to be a beautiful, did I say EASY and most importantly AFFORDABLE candle lantern/candle holder!! 

If you love candles as much as I do, hell as much as most women do.... you'll want to stay tuned to see how I made this BEAUTIFUL, EASY, AFFORDABLE candle lantern/candle holder. 

If interested, checkout these easy step by step instructions below.

Let's get started....

Items Used:
-4 3.5 x5 Picture Frames (purchased from Dollar Tree @ $1.00 ea.)
-2 Place mats (purchased from Target @ $1.99 ea.)
-1 3 wick Candle (not pictured- purchased from Walmart @ $4.99)
-Hot Glue Gun $4.99 & Glue Sticks $3.88 (purchased from Walmart)
-E6000 adhesive glue (purchased from Hobby Lobby @ $3.50 -which I didn't use)
-Scissors

I chose gold frames because that matches my decor best right now but these also come in black, white, silver, & deep cherry wood. But keep in mind, if you cant find the color you want, pickup some spray paint and make it ANY color you want!

I was looking for gold but I'm actually glad I got brown. I think the chocolate looks great up against the gold! But, again... if you cant find the right color place mat, don't trip. Grab some spray paint and get to spraying:)

Now go ahead and remove all plastic protector paper from your 4 frames. Once all plastic is removed, flip your frame over and undo the clamps just as you would when inserting a picture into the frame. If this is your first time taking apart a frame no worries, I've circled the prongs in red that you need to lift up.

All prongs have been lifted, now I can separate my frame.

This is how your frame should look separated. 

For this project, go ahead and toss that black cardboard backing, we wont need it. All you need is pictured above for each frame. The frame and the glass. 

Here are the 4 picture frames separated.

Here are the 4 glasses separated.

Take your glass and lay it on top of 1 of your place mats, using it as a stencil to trace and cut out the exact shape and size of the glass. (Better pic below)

Just like this. Lay on top and cut out the shape of your place mat.

Now you should have something that looks like this. Repeat that same step 4 times to fill each of your frames.

Here are all 4 place mats cut out in the size and shape of the glass.

Now, take the place mat piece you cut out and place inside of your frame as you would do a picture.

Go ahead and put your glass on top and close those clamps/prongs back down to secure place mat and glass in place. Do that for all 4.

Here's how all 4 frames look completely back together with place mat and glass.

Up close and personal!

First I have to apologize because I had many more pics of these last steps and have NO CLUE how I accidentally deleted them. MY DEEPEST APOLOGY! However, the show must continue!!
-Add a small line of glue along back of frame and make into a block or cylinder gluing all 4 frames together. Let sit overnight and BAM... You have a beautiful candle lantern. See below.

3 wick Walmart candle used.

Here's the final finished product!!! I tried to insert a video below of how the candle along with the pattern of the place mate illuminates the room at night but not sure of the quality once uploaded.

Hope you guys enjoyed my very first "Tally Taught You" DIY project!! I really enjoyed making it and have MANY MORE to follow!! If you liked it, plan to make it or have another DIY ... drop a comment.

As always... Thanks for checking out my blog: TwithTally!

Celebrating "Love" Day

Last week we, the world celebrated what I call "Love Day" known as Valentines Day! LOVE is definitely to be celebrated in my opinion! If you're in a friendship or a relationship, celebrate the person that puts a smile on your face, makes your day a little better just by the sound of their voice etc. And it doesn't take much.... a card, flowers/roses, dinner or lunch, quality time, a gift shes been hinting at, perfume etc.

And yes, I do believe we should show and express our love on a daily for our significant others however, if there's specifically a day designated for it ... it ain't my fault and therefor we're celebrating :)

Now on to my OOTD (Outfit Of the Day). Take a look at my laid back, cute and comfy fit I wore for our day date.

What I wore:

Long Cardigan: Forever21

Tank Top: Target

Jeans: FTF (Fashion to Figure)

Patent Leather Mules: Target

As always.... Thanks for checking out my blog: TwithTally!

2017 Caribbean Cruise Vacation Re-cap

Yup! You read it right... 2017 vacation recap!! I'm so sorry guys. I've been meaning to post these pictures from LAST YEAR!!! Again, I'm sorry- but LIFE happens. I'll be doing better with my post as allot has cleared my plate which allows more time to focus on my baby... MY BLOG!

Hubby and I went on another Caribbean cruise for my b-day April of 2017. Doesn't matter to me if we vacation local, or international...vacation is vacation and it's definitely what you make it! 

So, the BIG question is as the tag says: Did I like it, love it or leave it?? What do you think? I'm not gonna run a muck off at the mouth being as though this post is already a whole year late! So here goes...

On the plane taking off... getting in VACA mode.

Once on the boat, we wasted no time! Straight to MARGARITAVILLE for a drink.

And as promised...here's number one.

On to number 2....

Yup! Let's just say we spent a nice time at Margaritaville! The servers knew us.

"Fried Conch Fritters" were DE-LICOUS!!
Guess we should put some food on our stomach with all the drinking huh?

Roatan, Honduras- One of the BEAUTIFUL Islands visited on the cruise

Margarita Bar??... say NO MORE!

Cool street bar with more than affordable cocktails.

So of course we stopped and had a few....

Not sure if we had the look of "YES! FEED US MORE LIQUOR" because we
never had to ask for another one. They literally keep them coming!

Hubby and I enjoying another round of drinks.

Port of Honduras selfie :)

This drink was called "tequila sunrise' and it was EXCELLENT!

Cant beat it! And no, they weren't watered down AT ALL!

More options....

Breakfast of a champ.

Couldn't skip the fruit!

Cute rock climbing wall on the boat.

Walking around the boat I saw & Loved this design on the pillar.

Bring that coin, you may hit BIG (IF you're into gambling)!
Slot machines all throughout the casino.

Activity side of boat- small 2 lane bowling.

More on the activity side- 

Basketball hooping game on activity side.

O'Sheehan's Pub menu. Really good food with daily specials.

O'Sheehan's menu extended.

O'Sheehan's- Honey Teriyaki wings and spinach dip with tortilla chips!
So freakin good. O'Sheehan's is apart of the INCLUDED meals, so no extra cost.

More from O'Sheehan's- Blue Cheese burger!
THIS burger.....LAWD talk about juicy, flavorful and filling!

O'Sheehan's Welcome Sign.

O'Sheehan's seafood basket- fried calamari, fried shrimp, fried scallops and french fries.
$$-ALL INCLUDED!! 

Arriving in Costa Maya, Mexico! Had to stop and get a good selfie in :)

I love nature and SOME animals lol. Flamingos happen to be one of them.

Y'all already know!!! 

On the trolley taking us from the boat to land in Costa Maya, Mexico.

This was ALL Hubby!!! I will NOT and can NOT drink tequila with the worm!
(see it at the bottom) NOPE...not doing it!

Costa Maya, Mexico waiting to feed the dolphins.

Talk about EXCITED!!!! I LOVE flamingos. They're so pretty to me!

Back on board, hubby wanted some sushi.

So sushi we got :)

I think Mi so soup is delicious!!!! Especially on a cold day.

Terriyaki prawns...

Ocean Blue treated us GREAT! From the service to the food!

See.... they did a GREAT job. Not to mention Hubby is the BEST! 

*Toast*- Pour it up, pour it up!

B-day girl-B-day night!! So much fun!

One of thee best veggies invented- lol

Alaskan Crab legs...

Fried prawns. Yummy!

Sea bass with a bunch of goodness-lol

REALLY soft and buttery bread.

LOVED the fried calamari!!

And lastly... Our vessel aka cruise ship! Norwegian is a BEAUTIFUL upscale cruise line and we will definitely be cruising again with Norwegian!!!

Hope you guys enjoyed the many LATE pics lol. If you have any questions on cruising, hit me up. If you've never cruised, give it a try!! I think the cool thing about cruises is you get to visit different places while on one vacation. I look at it like getting a sample taste off of the menu to see if you'd like to order on your next visit. So, if I like a certain island and only had a few hours to visit, I'd add that to my list of places to visit!

Needless to say.. I LOVED this vacation and looking for to our next!

As always... Thanks for checking out my blog: TwithTally!