Cassie DeNisco

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My Gardening Tips & Tricks!

After a little 2 week break, I’m back with more blog posts! The summer comes on fast and if you’re not ready for it, you often get swept away with it. One thing that has been consistent though is my gardening tips and tricks!

I started prepping it back in May and I’m starting to slowly see all of my plants come to life! Having a garden has been really therapeutic for me and given me the opportunity to get some sun every day! I thought I would walk through all of my adventures so far.

List of Plants

This was probably one of the hardest parts of gardening. When you get to the store, you just want to get everything but you have to go in with a plan and know what you can actually grow in your area. There’s lots of ways to figure it out but I just Googled “What Grows in Westchester NY” and I found a full list on a website.

It’s essential that you grow what you know will flourish so that it’s not a waste. What I did that I loved was once I made my list, I put it in a Google Doc that I not only shopped from but now I have it forever and can refer to it next season too!

Planters

After you decide what you’re growing, you have to decide what you’re putting it in! I went with these two versions of planters on Amazon. Both are great because so far my plants are really doing well in them and they’re holding up well.

I will say I feel like the metal ones are a little bit better price wise but the wood ones are great if you don’t want to be bending down to water the plants! These are affiliate links so I make a small commission if you choose to purchase from them!

Metal Planters: Shop Here

Wood Planters: Shop Here

gardening tips and tricks

Watering & Pruning

One part of the gardening process I really love is watering. It’s like a treat to be outside and getting to look at all of the garden progress each day. So far I’ve only been watering once a day, but now that it’s getting warmer, I’m going to increase to twice a day!

Pruning is also kind of fun because you get to get rid of all of the yucky leaves that aren’t helping your plants grow. I didn’t love this part but once I got a great pair of gloves, I’m able to really get in there and clean out the plants!

Gloves: Shop Here

gardening tips and tricks

I hope this post inspired you to at least get out there and give it a try. I know gardening seems so daunting but I’ve really grown to love it. If you liked this post of gardening tips and tricks, let me know! I’d love to continue sharing more!

Check out my latest blog post here!

My Homemade Salad Pizza Recipe!

I’ve been on a serious pizza kick after learning to make really great dough! Being dairy free has left me somewhat limited my pizza choices these days. I’ve been making this homemade salad pizza recipe on repeat because it’s so good!

This recipe is great for a leftover night when you have salad and veggies you’re just trying to finish up. I’m excited to make this over the summer once my veggies are ready to harvest from my garden. It’s going to be so fresh and delicious!

Ingredients for Dough:

1 packet active yeast

2 cups water

5 cups flour

2 tbsp salt

olive oil

Ingredients for Pizza:

Pizza sauce

Mixed Greens

1 diced red onion

1 diced tomato

1 large shredded carrot

1 diced cucumber

Directions:

  1. The dough is going to take the longest so make sure you leave ample amount of time for it. Start with your 2 cups of lukewarm water and slowly mix in active yeast packet. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add in your flour, salt and knead. Let this sit for about 2 hours and then kneed again and place in a clean bowl with a little bit of olive oil. I let it sit for another 3 hours just to make sure it’s set. Next I roll it out with just a sprinkle of flour!
  3. Preheat the oven to 425 and leave your pizza pan in the oven while it preheats. This is a pro tip to get the bottom crisp.
  4. After you roll out the pizza and form the crust, place your sauce on top and bake for about 10 minutes until everything is golden brown.
  5. While it’s baking, prep your veggies! Layer down the mixed greens first and then any toppings you love! I listed my favorites above!

As you can see, this is the easiest homemade salad pizza recipe ever. You get a delicious and healthier pizza in like no time. I’ve found that making my own dough is so rewarding and honestly just tastes so good. You’ll be just as obsessed as me if you make this!

Be sure to follow my blog and check out my pinterest so you don’t miss anything from me!! You can check out more summer recipes here!

My Chicken Roaster Recipe!

This is definitely a newer recipe for me! I love this chicken roaster recipe because it’s not only good the day of but I love the leftovers. Chicken is just about the only meat I’ll eat and making a roaster like this ensures I’ll have leftovers to use in so many ways!

I like to think of this recipe as my own at home rotisserie chicken. It’s essentially the same thing but I can season it how I want and it gets so fresh and delicious! You can serve with potatoes and gravy or really however you want to! It’s so easy it’s become a staple in my meal rotation!

chicken roaster recipe

Ingredients

Whole Chicken Roaster

1 tsp thyme

4 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp rosemary

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 and decide what pan you’re going to use. Sometimes I use my dutch oven and others I’ll use a throw away aluminum foil.
  2. Prep your chicken by patting it dry from the extra liquids.
  3. Melt butter and then mix in minced garlic, garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary. Pour mixture over chicken in pan and make sure it coats completely. (sometimes I add more, sometimes I need less)
  4. Cooking time will depend on weight of your roaster.. typically it’s 2-3 hours for a young chicken and sometimes you can even get the one with the pop up timer!
  5. While it’s cooking, baste with the drippings occasionally to keep it moist!
  6. Carve & enjoy!

This is the easiest chicken roaster recipe to make for dinners! If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out more recipes like this here! You can follow me on Pinterest @cassiedenisco for even more content!

My Set Active Review & Haul!

If you know anything about me I am a tried and true Lululemon fan. Being a dancer and teaching dance has made me truly try all the workout brands out there. There’s nothing I love more than Lululemon however I was in the market for more basics and.. seamless leggings from this Set Active review!

Some of my favorite pieces from Lululemon is their leggings. As you can tell from this post here, I wear them all the time but Set Active recently caught my eye. I have been seeing Tik Toks everywhere and wanted to give them a go. I got mainly basic pieces that I can rotate in and let me tell you, I was not disappointed with this Set Active Review!

Sculptflex Leggings- Onyx size S

Shop here

set active review

These leggings were the reason I decided to place an order. I love that they are seamless but super supportive. There’s nothing I hate more than baggy leggings when I’m teaching. These hug you in and give you a lot of support.

I also think they’re super flattering. The thick waistband really hugs you in and gives you a little more shape than regular leggings would. I did get these in a size Small and they do fit but are a little snug. I didn’t want to exchange them because I know over time leggings lose their elasticity and then don’t fit the right way.

I will keep you posted on these as I continue to wear them!

Mid Tee- Onyx Size M

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set active review

The website calls this their ultimate everyday tee and I agree! I sized up in this because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too cropped and it hits me perfectly.

I love the thickness of this material as well. It’s really high quality and I feel like could be worn in studio or even out to dinner. I already have two more of these in my cart and know they’re going to be a staple in my teaching wadrobe.

Form Tank- Onyx Size S

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This tank is sooooo form fitting! I love how it looks on! You can scrunch it up and wear it cropped or pull it down and wear it at regular length. I also am planning on getting another tank or too because these are going to be great for summer classes!

The material is so breathable and thin but not see through. I really can’t tell you how many tanks I’ve tried that are either too thick and hot or too thin and cheap feeling. This is exactly what I was looking for!

Sport Body Scoop Bra- Onyx Size S

Shop here

This is the only product I didn’t love. I purchased this more to wear at home but it’s not amazing. It’s cute and fits well but for the priced you can definitely get something cheaper at another store.

I was able to get mine in a limited addition hot pink color so it’s really cute but honestly not something I would recommend you get right now.

I hope you enjoyed this set active review! I love clothing hauls like these and trying new brands. Activewear is my jam because of dance so I feel like I can really tell you what’s worth it and what’s not. If you loved this be sure to subscribe to the blog!

The Luckiest Girl Alive Review!

I definitely am late to the party on this book since it’s already a movie, but The Luckiest Girl Alive review has been on list for so long! I’ve committed to 50 books again this year and this was book 3 for me.

I actually didn’t previously watch the movie not because I wanted to spoil the book but I honestly was super interested in it. It didn’t look really great to me but I am definitely going to be checking it out now.

The Luckiest Girl Alive

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the luckiest girl alive review

Trigger Warning: SA, School Shooting

I won’t lie, this one started out slow for me. For some reason I couldn’t quite get into it and was almost just like confused at where it was going. Once the flashbacks started it slowly started to piece together and make sense. I really liked looking at Ani’s life in the present and how she got there.

This book has the NYC girl boss feels with twists and turns towards the end that you’ll never have guessed. When Ani is asked to do a documentary about an incident that happened in her Pennsylvania private school, the reader doesn’t find out about the incident until the end.

You almost think you know what it is about and then there’s another turn that twists even more. I loved that you got to see a sneak peak into her glamorous current NYC life juxtaposed to her less rich and exciting high school life.

There are definitely heavy topics that this book dives into which is why I listed the trigger warnings above. I really liked this book because you just didn’t expect the ending so it kept me on my toes. Sometimes thrillers miss the mark and are too easy to guess but this really was it for me.

I hope you enjoyed this Luckiest Girl Alive Review! I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars so I definitely recommend to read it! You can check out my January book of the month post here!

Reputation Book Review!

I am so excited to be sharing another book review with you! This one is seriously was on my want to read list for months before it even came out! We all love Bridgerton and this book gave me all those vibes! I seem to be obsessed with historical fiction since my last reviews have been just that!

This book was a quick read for me but really kept me entertained. I loved the vibe of it and it seriously was reminding me of Bridgerton meets mean girls! Here’s my Reputation book Review!

Reputation by Lex Croucher- Click Here

reputation book review

This book follows Georgina Ellers who is essentially abandoned by her parents. She’s sent to live with her aunt in this regency era and gets thrown into this world of high society. She meets Frances, the ultra high society queen bee and soon falls in with her friends.

The story follows them breaking the rules and pushing the boundaries that are set up for them during this time period. From underage drinking to sneaking out to party with boys, this book shows just how restricted teenage girls had it.

It also touches on the love lives of these girls and how they all essentially want to be married by the summer. They think that will magically solve all their problems and they can move up in society that way.

Final Thoughts

This was definitely a different book for me. I thought going in I would absolutely devour it but it wasn’t my top favorite and thought it was just a little all over the place. It definitely was a good read but the story line just wasn’t it for me.

It definitely was fun and Bridgerton/Mean Girls inspired but I guess I just had higher hopes for it than what it was. I think you definitely still should check it out yourself!

I hope you enjoyed this Reputation Book Review! Reading has been so much fun for me and I hope you’ve been inspired to read too! Be sure to subscribe here so you don’t miss another post!

Check out my other book reviews here!

My Sunday Reset for a Good Week

If you know me, you know I love a good Sunday Reset. Sundays are the only day that I actually don’t have to go anywhere so I take full advantage of that. I like to spend my Sundays setting myself up for a good week.

Life can get super crazy during the week so I generally leave a lot of things for Sundays to do. I’ve been loving reading posts like these to see what Sundays look like for everyone else so I figured I’d share my typical Sunday routine!

7:30 am

Sky is always up around this time no matter the day so we’re usually up and feeding her at this time. After she’s all set for the morning, I grab my ice roller and we head back to bed!

10:00am

By 10 we’re usually ready to be up for the day and will either grab bagels or make a yummy breakfast at home. I rarely have breakfast in the morning but on Sunday it’s so nice to spend the time making something like pancakes that I wouldn’t normally eat!

11:00-1:00pm

Depending on how productive I was on Saturday, I may or may not have to grocery shop on Sunday. We usually will need fresh salmon so we will make a quick trip out for coffees and whatever we need. I love actually taking the time to go for a morning ride on a Sunday because it’s leisurely and something Sky enjoys.

I always will take a few minutes to refresh the house though. I love changing my sheets, dusting, using the Roomba and mopping. This little refresh helps to keep cleaning simple and not overwhelming. During the week, I cannot be bother to do this so carving out time on a Sunday to do this is essential to keeping me sane during the week.

1:00-4:00pm

After that, I always make sure I spend time doing whatever I want. Whether it’s a nap, reading, or doing some yoga/pilates, I like having time for it. Sundays are only relaxing if I can be productive but also make time for myself to rest and recharge. We generally do laundry throughout the week so this time on a Sunday can really be relaxing.

5:00-7:00pm

I am all about an early dinner on a Sunday. I love eating early, cleaning the kitchen, and then taking a good shower. Sundays are my favorite days for a yummy meal but that has easy clean up. You can check out my favorite soup recipe here that’s always a go to on a Sunday for me.

My Sunday showers are also a ritual. I love washing my hair on Sunday to set myself up for a good week. I’ll lotion and also lymphatic drain as well since I actually have the time to spend doing that. I finish off my day with comfy pjs and a glazed donut skin on my face.

7:00pm

Once I’m all set, I’ll hop into bed and we’ll usually watch a show or movie that we’ve been putting off. I love being in bed early on a Sunday because it seriously sets you up for a good week. I’ll read and then finish off the night with essential oils and a quick mediation before bed around 9pm.

Everything I just listed is my ideal Sunday reset. Obviously not every Sunday will be this dreamy but I do try to make a few of these things a priority no matter what I’m up to that day. Also, your Sunday reset might be totally different and that’s okay too.

I’m all about setting yourself up for a successful week and you might have to do different things to do that. Let me know your favorite things to do on a Sunday in the comments below and subscribe here to the blog!

Finding a French Bulldog Breeder

The top asked question in my dms when I post Sky is who was her breeder. The next question is how did you find a french bulldog breeder you trusted. I won’t sugar coat, it took me over 6 months of research on not only breeders but the breed itself to find someone I trusted.

French Bulldogs are a unique breed and can have a lot of health issues if they are bred incorrectly. You are spending so much money already on your puppy. It’s crucial to make sure you can avoid major genetic issues as well as some physical ones as well.

I’m going to share with you my thought process in picking a breeder but not the breeder itself. Unfortunately they are no longer breeding but I also think you need to find a breeder on your own. Recommendations are great but honestly there’s a lot at stake when choosing your French Bulldog breeder.

Facial Features

This is probably my top tip and something I didn’t realize until after I got her. Frenchie’s can have major breathing problems due to their smooshed faces but so far we haven’t seen that with Sky. Her nose is actually much further out on her face and I think that’s why.

I’ve noticed the dogs how have the super smooshed faces seem to be the snorters and the ones that breath super heavy. Sky has minimal breathing like that but seriously not that bad. When going to pick out your Frenchie, I would look for breeders who have dogs with longer snouts because that just means more air and room for air for your pet.

Health Info

This one is pretty obvious but you need to have a breeder who’s willing to give you info on the health of all of their dogs. Not just the parents of your puppy but also the other dogs in their care. I was able to actually meet her parents and look at them as well as get their health info written out.

They didn’t have anything that would’ve been a warning sign or indicator of hereditary health issues that they could give to Sky. I wanted to also meet some of their other dogs because it gives you an idea of how well they take care of their pets and if they have any health issues.

Vibe of the Breeder

I can’t tell you how many breeders I talked to that were way too pushy. If I’m reaching out about a dog, clearly I want one but not just the first dog you have. I also was turned off by breeders who had insanely strict contracts for vaccines and spaying/neutering.

When I take home my puppy, I want to be able to make decisions for it that I have researched and feel is best, not anyone else. I get why breeders have contracts to preserve their line of dogs but I wanted a breeder who would guide me, not decide for me. Sky’s breeders were super laid back and answered any questions I had in the early months of having her.

Social Media Tags

This is one that I think a lot of people don’t think to do. My breeder had an instagram account and I found it super helpful to go to their tagged pictures and see how their dogs were doing now. This gives you an better idea of their health problems that maybe a breeder wouldn’t want to tell you.

Through social media, I was also connected with some of Sky’s siblings to talk about the dogs and how they’re doing. This was just so helpful to see happy and healthy older dogs because it gives you an idea of what you’re getting.

What does your puppy come with

After talking to a bunch of breeders, it’s common to have dogs come with other health tests done. I think the more health testing your breeder can offer the better because then you know what you’re getting.

Some dogs also need vaccines so it’s important to make sure your pup comes up to date with those. Some breeders send home other things like collars or toys. I don’t find that as important as getting those health tests that you would want.

Obviously price and color come into play but these 5 things were at the top of my mind. You are trusting this person to give you a healthy dog that’s very expensive. Research is essential and taking the time to choose is necessary.

My top tip is just start emailing your local french bulldog breeder or breeders at a distance you’re comfortable in going to. Honestly, building a relationship with the breeder and getting to know their dogs is my top tip.

Check out more Frenchie posts here and be sure to subscribe to my mailing list here so you don’t miss a post!

Pet Favorites I Can’t Live Without!

Now that I’m a dog mom, I am always on the look out for new pet favorites. Today’s bonus post is dedicated to all the products I’ve found that make life so much easier. I think that the key to having a pet is finding products that work for the both of you.

As we head into the warmer months, I find myself grabbing for these products even more on walks and trips. I have affiliate links to each product below but there is no pressure to purchase from them!

Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag- Shop Here

pet favorites

This little bag is essential for my walks. I find that since we’re not wearing jackets in the spring with pockets, I need something like this. It perfectly fits my phone, keys, and of course treats for Sky.

Not only is this bag functional but I love that it is stylish and comes in lots of colors. This was also a great travel bag when we were on vacation but it fit everything I’d want to carry!

Snuffle Mat- Shop Here

pet favorites

At first glance you’re probably like you are crazy. This snuggle mat is seriously the greatest part of Sky’s day. I throw some treats in it, pull it smaller, and then she’s busy for about 15 minutes.

Enrichment toys like this are a great addition to your dogs day. They help to keep your dog busy and stimulate their brains. I like these especially on rainy days when Sky doesn’t want to walk but I know she needs to do something.

Freeze Dried Treats- Shop Here

pet favorites

Sky picked these out herself when we were at the pet store. They were on a bottom shelf and she wouldn’t stop sniffing them. She ended up loving them so we are now freeze dried raw people.

It’s funny because these used to gross me out but they really have a lot of health benefits for pups. I use these as a high value treat for her when we’re out and about and I need her attention.

I told you these bonus posts would be short and sweet! I’ve been enjoying putting them together for you to get more content out!

Let me know any pet favorites that you have tried or if you are planning to try any of these!! For more pet posts click here!

My Baked Oats Recipe!

If Tik Tok has taught me anything, it’s how to make a baked oats recipe to die for! Baked oats essentially is oatmeal that instead of cooking on the stove you blend the ingredients then bake. It turns into this delicious cake like breakfast that is so satisfying and delicious.

Baked oats is great because you can really customize it to your preferences. I’ve made it a few different ways but always go back to this simple recipe. This might seem super intimidating to make but with a few ingredients and a good blender you’ll have a great breakfast in no time!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c Oats
  • 1 Ripe Banana
  • 1/2 c Almond Milk
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • Dash of Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 tbsp Peanut Butter
  • Handful of vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degreees
  2. Add oats, almond milk, banana, baking powder, vanilla, peanut butter and cinnamon to a blender and blend thoroughly.
  3. Spray a mini baking safe pan and pour in mixture.
  4. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on how you like it. (Sometimes I like a gooey center and others I want it completely baked)

Do you see how easy and healthy it is to have cake for breakfast? I’ve even seen some people take out their baked oats and drizzle a little almond milk on top to make it even more gooey.

This baked oats recipe is my go to on mornings I’m craving something sweet and have time to make it. I wish I could make this every morning but because it does take a bit it’s a once in awhile thing for me.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog below and check out more recipes like this here! You can follow me on Tik Tok here!

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