John's Birthday

Last night was John's quarter century birthday.  He is finally 25 can now enjoy the perks such as a deduction on car insurance, no longer being able to check the 21-24 box on surveys, and telling people he is in his early 20's.  However he didn't seem to be as worried about being on the closer side to 30 as I was.  We already had our blowout birthday bash last Friday so we thought we would have a low key night and just enjoy the day.

We decided to celebrating this special day in the only way we know how, eating and drinking.  In all seriousness though we had a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Houston, Paulie's. Paulie's is an Italian restaurant with great pasta, wine, and excellent coffee.  We were looking for something more casual so Paulie's was the perfect place.  The food and service were great but the best part was the wine.

We had a bottle of Opera 2 Lambrusco di Modena.  We have been looking for a good Lambrusco and I am glad that we finally found one to satisfy our craving for something refreshing for summer but not to sweet.  Lambrusco has become our new go to summer wine.  If you are looking for a refreshing drink to serve at your next summer party or are just planning a relaxing night at home after a hot Houston day, I would reach for a bottle of Lambrusco and enjoy.  

For everyone else that has an upcoming birthday in Houston and is looking for a place to go I suggest you head over to Paulie's for some good pasta and a great glass (or bottle) of what could be your new favorite wine.

Lambrusco di Modena	The Paulie's menu
The birthday boy

Monday Musts - Sunbathing

This weekend the weather made the dreaded turn from warm and enjoyable to hot, humid and unbearable.  Summer has officially arrived in the city of Houston.  I have however been taking full advantage of my last week before my new job commences by sunbathing on our apartments rooftop.  I figure once I am in an office 8-5 my tan will be non-existent so I better take full advantage while I can.  In order to make your tanning session the most enjoyable there are a few Must Haves that I recommend.  These are the five things that I think every sun soaked afternoon requires.  I hope that you find some time to enjoy the Houston sunshine as well.

{The first to remember is Sun Screen.  You want to get tan, not burned.}

{The best reading material is a stack of fresh magazines.  My choices include Lucky, Houstonia, and InStyle.}

{Music and Water are two other must haves.  I prefer a very large bottle as I
tend to get dehydrated in the sun.  For music I use this Bose portable speaker with IPhone dock.}

{The last Must Have for soaking up the rays is a nice view.  I am lucky that our patio has one of the
best views in the city.  A great view, however, does not need to be this extreme.
I recommend picking a spot that looks at flowers or a park, get creative.}

I'm Back

Hello again friends, family, and followers.  I know that I have been very absent for a very long time but don't fear I have returned to the world of blogging.  I have had a lot of things happen since the last time that I wrote.  I got a new job... and another new job.  I am very excited as soon I will be working in an actual public accounting firms with real professionals.  I don't officially start for a couple of weeks so I have been filling my time looking up fun new recipes, planning a memorial weekend beach party, and doing a lot of Pintrest work.  I will be back to posting regularly so be sure to check in with me each day.  I am excited to share new outfit ideas, restaurant reviews and general things that make me happy.

As spring is in full swing and the weather hasn't reached a boiling point in Houston yet I have been enjoying the fresh breezes coming into the house.  One of my favorite parts about the springtime is the great selection of fresh flowers that are available.  My favorite way to decorate my home, for a party and anything really is to buy fresh flowers and place them everywhere.  The scent, color and life that they bring to a space can not be recreated by anything else.  My local grocery store has Roses on sale every Tuesday for $1 each, however I was ever more surprised today when I walked in to find that they were having an after Mother's Day sale on my favorite flowers, Peonies.  I picked out a gorgeous bouquet and had the flower department strip the roses and wrap them up beautifully for me.  Once I got them home they fit perfectly in my large vase that I simply tied the raffia around to give it a little more style.  The best part about this million dollar looking bouquet is the price, $13.

I hope that you have all been enjoying your spring so far and hope that you will continue to check back daily and let me know what's going on in your life too.  If there is anything specific that you would like to see on the blog let me know and I will try to accommodate.  Talk to you all tomorrow.

{The vase is from Crate & Barrel, a similar one can be found here}

Monday Musts-Guys Weekend

Hello all, I understand your disappointment in the lack of posts. I am disappointed in myself. I hope that this post will be the jumping off point for the year 2012 and together we can all be Happy in Houston, or where ever it is that you reside. After the business of Christmas and the New Year we decided that we were not done celebrating. We have not had a house guest yet so we were very excited when my boyfriend's high school and college friend was able to come for a mini vacation. Moving all the way to Texas has not allowed us to see our good friends very often so we were ready to seize this opportunity and give the weekend everything we had. If you ever have a friend in from out of town or are just looking to host a great "guys weekend" I thought that I would share some of the experiences that we had. Here are FIVE MUSTS for a great guys weekend:

{We started the weekend off with dinner at El Tiempo and ordered the Fajitas for 2 (which could have fed 5 or 6). It came complete with chicken, steak, sausage, ribs, shrimp, shrimp wrapped in bacon, and quail; and of course of the trimmings for fajitas. The ultimate man meal.}

{The Houston Rockets basketball game}

{You must take all visitors to taste the local cuisine, and what better Texas staple than Whataburger, good for preparing for a long night or recovering from one}

{To celebrate our big weekend and a couple of other big occurances that week we spoiled ourselves with an excellent bottle of champagne, my personal favourite!}

{After eating out all weekend, and spending our nights out on the town we decided to spend our last night visiting at home. We made a couple of big Texas sized steaks, mashed potatoes, and veggies. The perfect ending to a perfect weekend}

I hope that all of you have are having an excellent 2012 so far. Let me know what makes you Happy and I will try to tailor a couple of posts for you.

Monday Musts - Thanksgiving

As today is the Monday before Thanksgiving it is only fitting that this week's post have to do with the big day. While I will not be preparing a big meal this year I feel that if the task were placed in my hands that I would be fully prepared. It seems that every show on TV for the month of November has revolved around the preparation of the big feast. Many of the shows have been giving the same tips over and over so they must be key in preparing the perfect dish. Many of you might not know these so I thought that I would pass along my new found thanksgiving knowledge to you. I hope the following five hints help you out this season or at any time of year, because a good meal should not be saved for just the holidays but enjoyed year round. Happy cooking to those of you who are taking on the task and for us who are just coming to indulge do not forget to thank the chef!

{If you choose to put out appetizers keep them light with a simple Antipasto platter}

{Be sure to keep plenty of stock at hand, you will use it in many

dishes and can pour over a turkey that turns out a little dry}

{Use a nice whole loaf, from a bakery, for your stuffing bread cubes, sandwich

bread will actually become moldy before they become crispy}

{Canned Cranberries are a must at any table, even if they are simply for nostalgia}

{When making a pie crust make sure your butter is nice and cold to get a flaky crust}

Penny Pinching Tip

As the holidays approach everyone is looking for a way to save to some money. I thought that it would be a good idea to share with you how I will watching my pennies so that you can also stretch your dollar. My first penny pinching tip is for all of the bakers out there. If you are like me you find baking to be very therapeutic, and makes the house smell good. While baking usually consists of simple ingredients i.e. flour, sugar, and eggs, stocking up on spices can get quite expensive. If your recipe calls for two or more spices your once $3.00 cake can turn into your most expensive meal of the week. My advice is to buy in bulk, not 5 lbs bags, but rather in the bulk food section. If you are fortunate enough to live in a metropolis like Houston then you can visit Central Market or any other speciality market. If you live outside of Texas I recommend first looking for a Whole Foods in your area. Buying in the bulk food section will allow you to purchase just the amount that you will need for whatever you dish of the day is. So instead of having to buy an entire jar of cloves for $6.00 you can purchase the 3 tsp. that you need for $0.50. If you are not an avid baker I would not only buy my spices this way but sugar, flour, and vinegars this way as well. So the next time you are thinking of baking a delicious gourmet cake to cheer yourself up, go for it, it might be the cheapest thing you do all week. Let me know what techniques you use to stretch your dollar! Happy Baking!

{Some Balsamic Vinegar and Honey}

{You can buy spices, nuts, and even pasta in bulk}

Renaissance Festival

Last weekend we took a relatively short road trip to the 43rd Annual Texas Renaissance Fair. Having never been to a Renaissance fair I was very interested to see what all was involved. I knew about the giant turkey legs, people in costumes, and jousting but did not realize the magnitude of the event. Unlike all other festivals, this is not just a fairground with tents set up, but rather an entire city built in the middle of the forest. The food is in abundance ranging from fair favourites such as elephant ears and chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick to giant hickory smoked turkey legs and fried alligator. There are games, shows and a jousting competition. Overall the road trip was a success. If you have a free Saturday I would recommend going. Dont' worry if you arrive and are short on cash because believe it or not there are plenty of renaissance period ATM machines strewn across the city.

{John with his giant turkey leg}

{One of the very elaborate costumes}

{The Jouster representing France}