hippity hop... hip hippty hop

lots of beautiful buds, a brand new table, delicious sweets from bakery gingham ... and family made a for a wonderful easter holiday. 

everyone brought a dish making prep super easy. and i got to focus on what i love the most.. going way overboard on easter flair.

here's the documentation...

{easter deliciousness everywhere}

{ he really loves his basket, really}

{bunny bread!}

 

{punch...ummm}

tales of a new pescetarian

pescetarian
part of speech: n, adj
definition: a vegetarian who will eat fish; also called pescevegetarian, piscetarian

thanks to an awakening after watching food inc. back in jan, i have cut meat out of my diet entirely- other than the occasional fish- and am continously on the lookout for new veggie meal ideas.
to add a little more complexity, my husband does eat meat, but rarely cooks- so i've begun to notice a pile up of ground beef, chicken, meatballs and steak in the freezer.
as i'm making my grocery list i am searching for ways to create easy dinners that can be versioned- meat and meatless. 

tonight:
vegetarian rueben (alt. add pastrami)
sweet potato wedges

meatless monday:
broccolini cheddar melt
napa cabbage slaw

introducing BHLDN...

a new line of wedding dresses from Anthropologie? man am i lucky that these weren't around when i was tying the knot. gorgeous designs ranging from $1000- $4000.

the official launch is 2.14 but i caught this sneak peek from glamour.com.

and don't forget the bridesmaids..

ooh la la!

hopping..

took an early evening trip down to the short north hoping to capture a picturesce view of falling snowflakes.

while the snow didn't quite cooperate, it was nice to see some of the new spots and capture a little color in the otherwise dismal grey sky.

the perfect day of window shopping.. capped off with a relaxing movie night w my boys.

wonderful. wonderful. saturday.

mac and football..

my big game app of choice. three-cheese. mini. macs.

yum.

source: food and wine

Ingredients:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup milk

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)

4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped

1 large egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, shaking off the excess water.

Brush four 12-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano; tap out the excess.

In a large saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar and American cheeses and whisk until melted. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni.

Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin cups, packing them gently. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano on top.

Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 minutes. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

Make Ahead

The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight.

happy friday!

photo: style me pretty

wheewwww! another week of works comes to an end.

weekend plans: relaxation

vacation's all i ever wanted..

i don't mind winter.

the snow is pretty and makes for some great outdoor doodle fun.

but i do still dream of sunnier tomorrows.

my travels have slowed down over the last couple years with the puppy and weddings. but

i am so excited to add las vegas (first time with my hubby) and new hampshire to the list this year.

until then, i reminsce in some fond memories.

hopefully next year at this time i'll have a few more to add.

ironman sunrise in madison, wi- '04

 

vee dubs of balboa island, ca- '05

 

 ironman in panama city beach, fl- '05

head of the charles in cambridge, ma- '05

  telluride bluegrass festival- '06

san francisco union street festival- '06

chataqua park wedding '07

scottsdale wedding '07

cancun wedding '07

sundance in park city '07

honeymoon in positano '08

martha's vineyard '09

almost tea time!

a date is almost set. i have built my tea cup collection to twelve.

twelve tea cups for twelve lovely ladies.

chamomile, earl grey, green and black.

and my aunt suggested a little grand marnier for some kick.

and this is a look that i love.

photo: our labor of love by heidi

perhaps i hit up my favorite antique store this weekend for some antique silver and milk glass.

and the winner is..

i love awards season.

the dresses. the glitz. the stars.

and the golden globes are one of the best.

natalie portman, brad pitt, johnny depp in the same room with the cast of glee and modern family? and seeing the stars get loopy just makes it so unpredictable.

ricky gervais was hilarious and the ladies looked incredible.

though the media never seems to agree with my pics, here are some of my favorite dresses.

oh scarlett... i love you but what were you thinking?

what were your faves?

sweets for the sweet

yum. yum. yum. nine days til i party.

Ingredients: regular sized marshmallows, caramel (homemade or pre-bought), chocolate, crushed candy canes (optional), sucker sticks

Directions: Make or melt your caramel. I use a double boiler on the stove top to melt caramel. While you are waiting for the caramel to melt, stick a sucker stick into the marshmallows. Set out a sheet of parchment or wax paper or the new non-stick aluminum foil. Once the caramel is melted dip each marshmallow into the caramel, covering completely. Place each dipped marshmallow onto the parchment or whatever you’re using. Allow the caramel marshmallows to cool completely. You can crush your candy canes now, if you haven’t already. Once cooled (this can take up to a half an hour) melt the chocolate. You can do this in a double boiler on the stove top or in the microwave. Dip each marshmallow into the chocolate 2/3 of the way then immediately roll the ends in crushed candy canes. Let cool on the parchment, wax paper or non-stick aluminum foil.

christmas-tini

tis the season for holiday parties. i plan to bring back martha stewart's famous (and quite potent) egg nog for my party, and probably a punch too. but i think that the hibiscus mocktini might be a nice addition a pre- "holiday hop" cocktail party that we are heading to this weekend.

enjoy...

naughty or nice tartini

If you're looking to save a few calories without skipping the spirits, go for this simple (and organic!) alternative.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Prairie Organic Vodka

• 2 oz. Honey-Rhubarb Simple Syrup

• 4 oz. Soda

Directions:

Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Fill the rest of the glass with soda water.

hibiscus mocktini

Ingredients

3 cups hibiscus tea (such as Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger)

3 cups ginger ale

6 fresh pineapple spears

Directions

In a pitcher, mix together the hibiscus tea and ginger ale. Serve over ice in a tall glass with a fresh pineapple spear.

martha's famous eggnog

ingredients

12 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

1 quart whole milk

1 1/2 quarts heavy cream

3 cups bourbon

1/2 cup dark rum

2 cups cognac

Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1.In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar to yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in milk and 1 quart cream. Add bourbon, rum, and cognac, stirring constantly.

2.Just before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining 1/2 quart heavy cream until stiff, and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

it's beginning to look alot like christmas

santas.. reindeer.. and doodles... oh my!

i made great use of my final day of thanksgiving "vacation" to get all of the holiday decor out. its always so much fun to pull out the decorations that have been passed down from my childhood.. and the new ones that have become fun traditions in my house.

unfortunately for kingsley, his antlers and bell collar from last year no longer fit.. so mommy had to find him a new outfit. as you can see from the image below, he is less than impressed.

new york, new york....

having a great time in the big apple with the family.

macy's thanksgiving day parade. bengals game.

poker, euchre and.. osu/ michigan!

and with six energetic kids running around i will definately

 need a nap when i get home. :)

kanye ...

..dora and india ari

...jessica simpson

... and the kids enjoying the paper bag turkey!