If you know me at all, you know I can't resist a big bowl of noodles. Last month, La Crema asked me to come up with a ramen recipe that would compliment their awesome Pinot Gris and I was absolutely up to the challenge!

I made a big batch of broth and actually found some gluten-free ramen noodles, so we had regular and GF options. Then I set out little bowls of toppings so that everyone could make their own bowl, exactly how they liked it. I was actually surprised at how easy and delicious it turned out!

Ender wanted some, too. Can you blame him?

This post is brought to you in partnership with La Crema. Find my ramen recipe on their blog today! Make some this weekend and let me know how you like it--tag me (@mflynnpete) and La Crema (@lacremawines) on Instagram so we can see!

Photos by Sarah Gatrell for Freckled Italian.

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I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of makeup. I wear a lot of it and I love all the stuff you can do with it, but I've always just kind of figured it out as I went along. Last week, I sat down for a HiLovely Beauty Chat, where I spent a half hour getting one-on-one makeup coaching, discussed the famous smokey eye (plus a few liquid eye liner tips), and learned how to actually make it all come together for everyday wear.

Here are a few things I took away from my session:

• You really can use all four colors in an eye shadow quad, and you can do it without ending up looking like a clown.
• Concealer is your friend when you're working on the perfect winged liner.
• Good brushes absolutely do matter (I've always suspected this but now know it to be true).

This post is brought to you in partnership with HiLovely. My session was the "All About Eyes" Beauty Chat, but they have a variety of different topics that are customizable, easy, and so fun!

Rob and I aren't much into gift-giving for holidays or anniversaries, but I couldn't let our first married anniversary pass without something from this list of traditional yearly anniversary gifts that I think is so sweet.

Year one is paper, so I did what I always do when I'm looking for something personal and unique and browsed Minted for a print that might work. I came across this letter photo print series and thought it would be absolutely perfect. The hardest part was deciding which photo to use, but trying a few and figuring out how to make it work within the letter was actually pretty fun.

I ended up getting a little emotional, thinking about all the ways that this company has been there for me as I approach milestones in my life so far--from holiday cards together with Rob to our wedding invitations to my first stationary with a new last name to artwork for our home and still now, as we recognize and celebrate our first year of marriage.

I'm still trying to figure out where in our apartment to hang our new piece. I've been flirting with the idea of doing a gallery wall in our hallway, and I think this might make the perfect addition to the collection I've got going. Until then, though, it's propped up on a side table in our living room, and I get all heart-fluttery whenever I look at it.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Minted. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Freckled Italian.