Well, any scheduled blogging posts of mine will make an appearance NEXT week…
…because we are in the midst of yet ANOTHER snowicane, complete with NO WORK the rest of today and tomorrow. I feel like a kid in school again! I just can’t bring myself to do anything computer related. Snow angels are about to be in FULL effect.
LOVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Weekend, Loves!
Las Vegas Sneak Peak:
SUCH a great show!
Blessings/XOXO
Saturday evening, my rock star of a husband whisked me away to Bolete.
Named one of the top 105 hottest new restaurants internationally by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. Set in an old farmhouse. Perfection.
I love food and wine. An ohhhh how I loved the food and wine at Bolete.
During dinner, he pulled out an envelope for me.
The contents: An enrollment for the two of us to attend a four week….
A course where we MAKE our OWN wine with our OWN label. After all is said and done, we will have 30 bottles of our own grape goodness to take home.
I mean, seriously.
My heart was exploding.
I can’t wait to tuck a few bottles away to give to our children on their wedding day.
What a SWEET, romantic and PERFECT weekend, finally HOME and back in the arms of my Love.
A week in Las Vegas, away from the comfort of my husband and our home, was such a sweet reminder of the blessings God has bestowed upon my marriage. I am in awe of His goodness and His gifts.
I hope you all had a wonderful week and weekend. We have so much to catch up on!
More to come on Las Vegas and the fabulous Julie & Julia night I hosted for my precious family! In the mean time, I will be busy getting back into the swing of things and enjoying restaurant week here in our happy town. I love restaurant week. As if Saturday evening weren’t perfect enough, we had reservations at a yummy sushi place last night and tonight we have reservations at Shula’s. My husband sure does know the way to my heart. He loves home cooked meals, and so do I – but, it’s nice to have a string of evenings set up where we can try yummy restaurants and different cuisines at half the price. And it’s nice to have a break from cooking. Who invented restaurant week? I love you. Also on the agenda this week - LOTS and LOTS of running. Which, by the way, I need to catch you up on my latest running adventures. More on that to come, too.
Sweet blessings to you all.
Have a wonderful and happy Monday.
Hello, Lovelies! We are alive and well over here in the frozen tundra. MAN, all I can say is HOLY SNOW! I’ve never experienced anything quite like this! While it was beautiful and exciting, the after math was a little daunting. But, someone in particular LOVED the whole experience. Although, at first, I don’t think he knew what to think of it…
Our little cutie. He looks so pensive and thoughtful.
Take a look at our mailbox right now. Haha, so crazy!
This kind of weather calls for warm, savory meals. I asked Hubby last night what he wanted for dinner and told him to request ANYTHING. I will be gone next week and want him to have satisfying meals before I leave with lots of leftovers to eat while I’m gone. His request? Shepherds Pie! I have never made Shepherds Pie before! I was up to the challenge and kind of excited about it. I went online and did a little research and decided to go with Alton Brown’s recipe on the Food Network. I think Hubby really liked it! And it was pretty fun to make! The recipe is here. And speaking of recipes, the Delicious Diaries, by moi, may be making a debut soon. It’s a little something I’m cooking up (couldn’t resist). All things delicious and all recipes that I take absolutely no credit for – which is why I can call them delicious and not be prideful. :o)
Well, tomorrow morning, bright and early, I am off to LAS VEGAS! I won’t be back until next Friday, so please excuse my absence from blog-land! I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend and week. To all those hopeless romantics, enjoy Heart day on Sunday. I am sooo excited to see what my Honey-Hubby has planned for us next weekend – I’ll be sure to fill you in on all of the details! And sweet Hubby, if you are reading this, thank you for being my One and Only. The cheese to my macaroni. The mint to my chocolate chip. The BBQ to my ribs. The keeper of my heart. You are my Valentine, forever and always, and I love you to heaven and back and in between – times a bazillion.
Have a great week, ladies!
Blessings/XOXO
I’m so glad so many of you liked the recipes that were posted last week! I hope everyone had a FABULOUS time on Sunday watching the game. Our Super Bowl party was a SUCCESS! YAY! There were about 20 of us total and we had SO.MUCH.FUN! TONS of food, laughter, chit-chat, game watching and GOOD TIMES! I looked around the room at my Hubby and our group of friends and just felt SO incredibly blessed that we were spending our Super Bowl Sunday with them, in our house, having an amazing time together. It was the BEST feeling! I didn’t do a ton of picture snapping BECAUSE, I was actually feeling a little-tiny-bit under the weather. Luckily, I was able to look past it and still enjoy myself throughout the evening. After everyone was gone and Hubsy and I had finished cleaning up, we went to bed and……..the initial little-tiny-bit-under-the-weather feeling kicked into HIGH gear. YUCK! Fever, chills, tummy ache, head ache…NOT FUN. I didn’t get out of bed at all yesterday except to feed our furry baby and eat the soup and grilled cheese that my personal, handsome care-giver made me. Exactly 24 hours later and I’m feeling TONS better! PTL! Just in time for yet ANOTHER snow storm to hit us 2night, and, lucky for me, allow me to be off work again tomorrow! Hip hip hooray for that! I do wish I had at least taken a picture of the food table and the game-watching set up. Ohhh man, THE FOOD. YUMMMMMMMY! We hit the jackpot with all of the delicious food that was made and brought by our friends. And the house was so nice and CLEAN for our guests! Hubsy and I spent ALL DAY on Saturday cleaning the WHOLE house, top to bottom, and it was all ready for our guests on Sunday evening. Isn’t that the best feeling in the world, when you finish cleaning?! We also did some more decorating in our “happy yellow” room. I’ll be sure to post some pics soon!
Today, I am working, playing catch up and getting ready for this second, big snow monsoon of 2010. We had a little under 2 feet on Friday and we are expecting another good foot of snow tonight and tomorrow. I just finished talking with my boss about us being off tomorrow. I mean, HOW AMAZING IS THAT?! It’s not even snowing yet but we already most likely have off. I grew up in Texas, and even after living on the East coast for almost eight years now (WOW! Eight years already?!) I don’t think the joy of being snowed in will ever really wear off. It probably has to do with the fact that I get to enjoy the snow and never have to actually shovel or plow it, HA. Sooo, snow storm tonight, tomorrow we have BBS, Thursday night my hubby has an indoor soccer game, and then this weekend I’M LEAVING FOR LAS VEGAS!!! I will be in Vegas until next Thursday, and when I get back my hubby will be gone on a business trip of his own! Busy-ness all over. Luckily, we will only miss each other by two days AND he is coming back early Saturday morning and has a secret-something planned for us Saturday night to celebrate our Valentine’s Day together, since we will be apart this weekend. I am so excited to see what it is! It makes my heart melt that he has something so special planned as a surprise. LOVEEEE HIM! Oh, and next Friday, when I get back from Vegas (sans my hubby for the night), my mom, sister, niece and dad are coming over for the night for our planned ‘Julie and Julia date night’, Aka: an entire evening of french wine, french cooking and Julie and Julia watching. I promise, cross-my-heart kind of thing, to take LOTS of pictures. Oh, and TONS of pictures in Vegas! I am hoping to post again this week before I leave and am away from blogging land for a good week and a half. WHEW, lots going on! God knows that I like to be kept on my toes – He is good!
Okay, I think that’s enough words for a post without any pictures! I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Tuesday! If you’re getting hit with the white madness tonight, stay warm and safe!
Blessings/XOXO
I know this recipe isn’t exactly Super Bowl related, but I can’t resist sharing it. We’re supposed to get about two feet of snow this weekend! Yes, I am VERY eager for sunshine and beach days, but the thought of a snowy weekend makes me pretty excited right now, too. It’s so cozy! We’re still having our Super Bowl party on Sunday – can’t wait to tell you about it! In the mean time, we will be preparing for our shindig while simultaneously doing all of the cozy, warm things that being snowed-in calls for – movies, yummy food and hot chocolate. Homemade Chai-Spiced Hot Chocolate, to be exact. I am soooo going to try and tackle this. Even just the smell of Chai makes my heart warm.
Ingredients: 4 cups low-fat (1%) milk, 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, 10 cardamom pods – coarsely cracked, 1/2 t whole allspice – cracked, 2 cinnamon sticks – broken in half, 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper, 5 T packed golden brown sugar – divided, 6 quarter size slices of fresh ginger plus 1/2 t grated peeled fresh ginger, 1 t vanilla extract – divided, 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream.
Directions: To crack the spices, place in a resealable plastic bag and tap with a rolling pin. Combine first 6 ingredients, 4 T brown sugar and ginger slices in medium saucepan. Bring almost to a simmer, whisking frequently. Remove from heat; cover and steep 10 minutes. Min in 1/2 t vanilla.
Meanwhile, whisk cream, remaining 1 T brown sugar, grated ginger, and remaining 1/2 t vanilla in medium bowl to peaks.
Strain hot chocolate. Ladle into mugs. Top each with dollop of ginger cream and sprinkle cinnamon on top, or throw in a cinnamon stick for the ultimate gourmet treat.
Recipe compliments of Bon Appetit, Feb ‘10 issue. LOVE this magazine.
I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend!
Have fun this Sunday watching the game! I know Hubsy and I will be enjoying all of the delicious snackies the Super Bowl weekend provides. YUMMMM.
Blessings/XOXO
I am NOT even kidding…
…this is probably one of the best little recipes I have found.
PLEASE make this salsa and present it to your buddies. They will be eternally grateful.
I am still shocked at how much praise this baby gets. The funniest part about it? You use STORE bought salsa! Talk about EASYYYY!
Make it. Taste it. And try your hardest not to eat the whole thing. SO GOOD!
Mix all of the above ingredients. Make sure you use FROZEN corn and not canned. It makes the salsa instantly chilled and tastes a lot better. If you try this, let me know! If you’re anything like me, and LOVEEEEE chips and salsa, then I think you’ll consider this recipe a TOUCHDOWN (couldn’t resist). SO easy and SO yummy! OH, and, of course, I take NO credit for this baby. One of my bffe’s mom is the brilliant mind behind it. Thanks, Mrs. M!
Happy Thursday, Lovely Loves! Any fun plans for Superbowl Sunday?
Blessings/XOXO
Hellooooo, Hello! I feel like I’m baaaaack! YAY!
This is a great week. I have officially donned it Recipe Week in our house. This Sunday we’re hosting a super bowl party and I just absolutely ADORE hosting anything, especially in our abode. I also love any excuse to come up with a menu full of dips, appetizers and football snackies, galore. YUM, I’m hungry just thinking about it. Before I get to the super bowl goodness, I promised last week that I would share the super-easy, super-delish Chocolate Cream Silk pie recipe that my mom gave me and was a hit. Here it is!
Ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 stick of butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 square baking chocolate (I even used the nifty pre-melted pouches – talk about EASY!), whipped cream, store bought graham cracker crust, block of German chocolate for shavings, and a bag of almonds to toast and garnish to your pleasing.
* Use store bought whipped cream or make your own! My mom taught me how to make my own and I swear I will never go back to the store bought stuff again. YUMMO! Whip together 1 cup heavy cream, 1 T sugar and 1/2t vanilla until you get the perfect, ideal consistency. Keep watching it!
Directions: 1. Cream butter and sugar until very fluffy 2. Add chocolate square 3. Add 1 egg and beat for 5 minutes (seriously, time it, it’s the trick to the flavor and silkiness) 4. Add 2nd egg and beat, again, for 5 minutes 5. Pour into prepared pie crust. 6. Chill 7. Add whipped topping 8. Use a vegetable peeler and shave off pieces of chocolate from the German Chocolate bar onto the top 9. Toast some almonds and sprinkle on top – this little touch was AWESOME. I highly recommend adding them.
Voila! Enjoy! Let me know if you try making it. I loveee no-bake, effortless desserts.
So far on the menu for this Sunday I have Crockpot meatballs for meatball subs, a vegetable platter, queso dip, sour cream and onion dip, guacamole, perhaps a seven layer dip, and I’m eyeing these Texas Hold-Ums Mini Chipotle Beef Burgers with Warm Fire Roasted Garlic Ketchup from the Food Network. Ahhh, there are too many things that sound like so much fun to make and serve. I would actually keep on adding things to our food list, but, here’s the thing – everyone is already bringing their own dish, too. I think we will have a TON of food! I am still, however, taking pleasure in perusing recipes and continuously tweaking the recipe list. The dips are SO easy to make, so I want to add some new, fun elements, as well. I don’t think I will EVER tire of browsing recipes. Loveee it!
For today, I present what I deem the world’s best guacamole recipe. EVER. I take absolutely no credit for it, by the way. But people still always ask me to make it and bring it. I shared this recipe (and the world’s-easiest-best-EVER salsa recipe) last year for the super bowl and I wanted to share it with you again this year. I’ll share the salsa recipe later this week!
Mix all of the above ingredients together. If you have trouble chopping the cilantro finely, use some kitchen scissors. Start with half of the lime and add more after you taste it. I also use a potato masher to get the avocados nice and soft. Mmmmmmm, I think I could live off of guacamole. Pretty easy! I love that this recipe only uses fresh ingredients. Perfection, indeed.
Happy Cooking!
Blessings/XOXO
