Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast for dinner is something that I used to love when I was little, as I think most children do. So last night while wondering the grocery store and trying to find something for dinner last night the Breakfast for dinner idea came back to us. We found some blueberry maple sausages at Central Market and decided to have pancakes with it. If you decide to go the pancakes and sausage route for dinner I advise putting a twist on things. Instead of syrup top your pancakes with butter and jam. I hope that you enjoy your next breakfast...no matter what time you eat it.

{Pancakes topped with Apricot Preserves and Blueberry Maple sausage}

Monday Must Do

As August is coming to an end I decided to make the second instalment of the Monday Must, a Must Do. Below are the top five must do things this week as summer is coming to an end...for most of us that is.

{A big, cold glass of sweet iced tea. In two weeks all you will want is a pumpkin spiced latte}

{Enjoy a big cold orange. It will cool you off and fill you with Vitamin C...to fight off those flu germs coming around about now.}

{Make your last summer manicure a fun summer color. This week I chose "Sunset for Two" by Nicole by OPI}

{Download "Today Is Your Day" by Shania Twain. It is a great song for all age groups and situations}

{Set your calendars! Your favorite tv show is about to premier its new session. Make a party out of the event full of friends, food, and fizz!}

Ending Restaurant Month with a BANG!

The month of August has been Houston restaurant month. Several of the up scale eateries create a pre-set menu for lunch and dinner so people have a chance to eat the "fancy" places without having to survive on Ramen for the remainder of the week. While John and I were very excited to try out some of the featured restaurants we have yet to make it out to one. However we have done a good job of making the rounds at the average man's bar. Due to the extreme temperatures that we were faced with this past weekend cooking was simply not an option. This gave us an opportunity to try some more restaurants without feeling guilty for eating out so much.

Friday night consisted of drinks, light food, and an Indian mixer at Hughes Hanger in the Washington Corridor. The food was good, however service was poor and the prices were a bit high for my liking.

On Saturday we had fajitas for lunch at Lupe Tortillas. The food was great and the inside is welcoming and very family friendly. The night was very relaxed. We had yet to explore the Heights area so we ventured to the new, old looking, Hubcap Grill for burgers. If you are ever craving a burger with a twist this is the place to go, featuring toppings such as crunchy peanut butter, Cheetos, country gravy, and the contents of the Texas famous, Frito pie. While most of the seating is outside the jute box along with the cold old fashioned soda's make the wait enjoyable. After diner it was off to Cedar Creek to meet a new friend for a drink. This was a hit for me and would highly recommend checking it out. The service was incredible and the prices are even better.

{Pyramid Apricot Ale and New Belgium Brewing Oktoberfest = $4.00 Total}

On Sunday we decided to go to Empire Cafe, which has easily become one of our favorite weekend brunch spots. While food here is incredible, the best part of the meal is the iced coffee. It comes with two delicious little cookies that are perfect for dunking. During the late afternoon we ventured downtown for Houston's 175th Birthday celebration. I was excited because there was talk of cake involved, however, the party was lacklustre to say the least. We decided to leave after taking a lap around the "party" and had a quick dinner at The Front Porch in Midtown. Overall the weekend was enjoyable but we are hoping that cooler weather is on the way.

{Hazelnut Iced Coffee with Cookies}

Midday in Midtown

After a couple of months at the new job John is finally taking his first business trip, which means I am on my own for a few days. This means that all of the "girly" places that I have been wanting to check out I will be gracing with my presence this week. Today I decided to take on Midtown. We have been to several places in Midtown already. The small community of McGowen to Grey is very cute and offers a variety of places to eat and shop. Today I decided to have a late lunch at Coco's Crepes and check out the local boutique Em and Lee (who is having a sale right now).

{Banana and Cinnamon Apple Crepe with Iced Coffee}

DIY - Easy Napkin Rings

Since being in Houston I have not done any entertaining, so when John suggested having some of our new friends over I was very excited. As I am inept in the kitchen when it comes to throwing a dinner party my job is cleaning and presentation. We were looking forward to be able to use the beautiful rooftop patio that our building has and to enjoy the rarely felt Houston breeze.Since we had just moved here and the dinner party was a bit last minute I tried to think of some inexpensive quick ideas that would still make the presentation look as though this had been planned for weeks. Being a Martha Stewart and HGTV follower, I have learned that cloth napkins with rings and place cards are easy and inexpensive ways to make an ordinary table look extraordinary. These napkin rings are quick, easy, and you should have everything at home to make them. I hope this will help you with your next impromptu dinner party.

{Materials needed: Cloth Napkin, Scissors, Colored Paper (I used an old envelope), Ribbon, Marker}

{Cut the paper into a 2.5" by 3" rectangle and a 30" piece of ribbon}

{Make a small slit in the upper left hand corner of the paper. Slide the

paper halfway onto the ribbon. Write guest names on paper.}

{Wrap the ribbon around the napkin making a bow in the front.

Place on top to create an elegant (and simple) place setting}

Monday Must Have

Many of the other blogs that I follow have some sort of a fun look what's hot now list. I decided that this blog would not be complete unless it also had a catchy list that would make readers Monday's a little more cheerful. Every Monday I will put together a short list of 5 things that, in my mind, are essential to have, see, or visit. I hope you enjoy the first instalment of the Monday Must Haves.

Fresh Flowers make a house, or apartment, feel more homey. Every time you look at the fresh flowers they will make you smile. They are an inexpensive and easy way to freshen up any room. I got these at the local Kroger store for only $3.99.

Dark purple nails are an old trend but still make your fingertips look great. The dark color goes with almost all outfits and make your hands look thinner. One of my personal favourites is Lincoln Park at Midnight by OPI.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate! It is a must have to have a little chocolate in your house at all times. You do not need a lot but enough to satisfy the occasional craving. You only live once so when you have that sweet tooth ache, give in. Some of my favourites are the Godiva Gems truffles.

Great bobby pins. Most women use bobby pins on a weekly if not daily basis. I for one am a bobbyholic. I use bobby pins everyday for one reason or another. The worst thing that you can do is purchase cheap bobby pins that make your perfect hairdo, undo. I would recommend going to your local beauty store for the best variety and quality.

Celebrity gossip. Ok so this one is a bit of a stretch, however, I find that checking up on the celebrity gossip sites is a nice distraction during the middle of the day. A quick five minute run through people.com will give enough juicy gossip and fashion tips to get you through that weeks girlfriend brunch/bar night.

Welcome to the Big City

Moving to a new BIG city across the country is a scary but exciting move. About a month ago I moved from the suburbs of the Motor City to the great big Bayou City. All my life I have said that I wanted to live in the “Big City”, but I guess I should have been more specific. My definition of “big city” always consisted of New York, Washington DC, Chicago, and even possibly Boston. So it was to my surprise when my boyfriend told me that he was offered a job in the 4^th largest city in the country, Houston TX. I wasn’t sure what to think. Having never been to Houston, or Texas for that matter, I was a bit skeptical. After having lived here for about a month I have to say that I have grown to really like the great city of Houston. Being new to the city my boyfriend and I have been trying to venture out as much as possible and try out the great restaurants, shops, and activities that Houston has to offer. I hope that this blog can be a sort of guide for the rest of the new Houstonians, or the Houstonians that are looking for something fun to do on a Friday night. We have has a lot of great experiences so far and I hope that there are more to come.