Weekend Rewind

It was the best of weather, it was the worst of weather.

The hurricane force downpours stopped just in time for the engagement party Friday night. The courtyard was beautiful, and I rediscovered an old favorite dip: pimento cheese covered in jelly. Friday night win.

Until Saturday night - Date Night did not dissapoint. And I think the beef and brocolli dish might have won a spot over the Thai Noodle. This is breaking news in my world of Thai food love.

Just in time for Sunday, the rain came - perfect for afternoon reading and some resting of the eyes. I'm officially over halfway through Revenge Wears Prada, and I can recommend it as a mindless summer read. You can thank me with a big bowl of beef and broccoli.

Five on Friday

Today I'm linking up my normal Friday Favorites to Hello Happiness' "Five on Friday". I love hearing about things other people love, and love to share my own as well - especially when it comes to food.

(1) Palmetto Cheese Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Spread - This came recommended by two different people, so I knew it would be good. Continuing yesterday's theme of snacks that are good by the lake or pool (or maybe not, since you're in a bathing suit...) this tasted like homemade. The Jalapeno version had a nice kick. I found it at Costco, but I believe it's also sold at Publix, Wal-Mart and other fine retailers.

 (2) Summer Reading - I did so well reading when I was off over Christmas, but I've kind of dropped the ball and spent more time with Parenthood and the Real Housewives. Shameful. It's not like I'm making a jump to the classics, but I think reading always wins over TV. I was so excited when I saw this sequel promoted on the Today show this week. Perfect to download for a pool read...while I eat my pimento cheese.

 (3) Date Night - I. Love. Date. Night. It's such a good chance to eat some good food, and talk with no distractions. I requested Surin this week, and the Thai Noodle and coconut soup are already calling my name. Don't worry...I'll be there shortly!

(4) Summer Nails - I've let me Thursday night manicure habit go the past couple of months, and it shows. I bought one of my favorites, OPI Cajun Shrimp, to motivate me to paint my toes. The fingernails might need some professional treatment this weekend.

And if you have a huge sapphire and diamond ring, and drive a tractor, this is what Cajun Shrimp would look like on you. Thanks, Google Images.

(5) National Running Day - Apparently Wednesday was National Running Day. By some stroke of luck, I actually ran on Wednesday - albeit a 3 miler around the neighborhood. In recognition, one of my favorite running pictures, post marathon. In related news, today is National Donut Day.

Anything else that should be on my reading list, or in my pantry? Hope you have a weekend of sunny skies!

Get This Party Started

I was put in charge of snack food for our lake trip a few weekends ago. Snack foods and appetizers just happen to be my favorite food group so I was more than happy to search the great wide internet for a good recipe.

MS has been eyeing the party mix at Costco recently, so I had a feeling these party pretzels from Life in the Green House would be right up his alley.

I decided to add a few things to make it more party mix.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 lb pretzel twists
• 1  cup of oil
• 1 pack Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 box Cheez Its - I used the mixed box - I think it was regular and parmesan
• Salted peanuts - I used almost a jar - these are my favorite part of the mix.

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Mix the Ranch seasoning, oil, garlic salt and Cayenne pepper in a large bowl and then add the pretzels to the mixture.
3. Mix the seasoning mix and pretzels until all pretzels are coated. I mixed everything in a large bowl.
4. Pour the pretzels onto baking sheets, evenly. I had to use two sheets. It was quite the party....mix. Bake for 1.5 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.

Voila.

My friend Jennifer was kind enough to take a picture of her mix when I insisted she make it for her lake weekend. I'm demanding when it comes to good snack food. And was too busy taste tasting to take pictures when I made my own.

This stuff is so addictive - I think it's the cayenne pepper that keeps you coming back for more. Whatever it is, this is great by the pool, on the couch or in your lunch. It's a winner!

Summertime, Summertime

 After two weeks of Spring, I think Summer has arrived. I was really hoping for more days of perfect running and porch weather, but I don't foresee many 70 degree days hitting now that we've flipped our calendar to June.

Batters up...one of our favorite summer activities is the Baron's games with friends. Bonus points if it's Thirsty Thursday. Double bonus since they have an awesome new stadium smack in the middle of downtown - and walking distance from Momma G's.

Thankfully, MS didn't have to be at warmups too early, and could join me for a Momma's Love, Momma's Nachos and a pitcher of PBR.

Sidenote: We sat next to a table of med school residents swapping stories- and apparently that whole "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant"  thing happens frequently. Very frequently.

You can't beat a beauitful night at the ball field.

Namath was still thirsty on Friday. File this under 'dogs who think they are human'. He's spent a lot of time alone lately. In the guest bathroom. With the door closed. So we've welcomed any time he feels like he wants to be part of the family. He only got a little sip of beer.

MS says I take too many photos of Namath with a cocktail sitting in his chair. But it makes me laugh, so I'll keep snapping away.

 Can you blame me? He may be the most handsome dog in all the world. At least top 10. If I'm the only voter.

I've seen a lot of Summer Bucket lists floating around blog world and have thought about making one of my own. Maybe while sitting by the pool. Don't hold your breath.

Recipe - Italian Potato Salad

I love  a new recipe - especially one that is this easy. I'm not a big mayonnaise fan, so a mayonnaise based potato salad will not be found in our fridge. I heard through the grapevine this Paula Deen recipe for "Italian Potatoes" tastes exactly like Zoe's potato salad, of which I'm a HUGE fan. Memorial Day was the perfect weekend to break it out.

Put 5 lbs of red potatoes in a large pot, just covering with water.

Bring to a boil. Let them boil for 30-40 minutes. I did mine for 30, and they were perfect.

Drain and let cool - cool enough to handle.

While you're waiting for them to cool, whisk together:

3 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 heaping teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 scant tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup tarragon vinegar

Slightly peel the potatoes, leaving some skin on. Cut into bite size cubes.

Top with parsley and green onions. I left out the green onions, because someone in our house doesn't like them. Pour oil mixture over potatoes.

Isn't it pretty? In the way only carbs mixed with olive oil are.

This recipe is a little funny - you leave it out for 4 hours. I covered mine with a towel, for peace of mind. Stir it every hour. Your food safety red flags might go off - but I promise we had no issues.

We had enough to serve for company twice. The second day I chopped up some marinated feta to mix in - it was a great addition. This paired well with chicken both nights - fried and bbq.

Memorial in Pictures

We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. Isn't it amazing what a difference an extra day makes? Makes for plenty of time to do all my chores (makes it sound like I live on a farm) and still have plenty of time to relax with our nearest and dearest.



1. Drinks on the patio Friday to toast 9 years of gainful employment. How am I old enough to have been working at the same place almost a decade?!

2. Grilled chicken with tzatziki sauce, sauteed spinach and grilled vegetables from the farmers market. I like the vegetables a little on the crispy side.

3. Date night at Five. Five reds, five whites, five beers, five cocktails, five appetizers and five entrees. Get it? The food was incredible, and it has a great atmosphere. Even though I had to look at everyone's beach and lake pictures all weekend, it just about paid off when there was no wait.  It was a beautiful night, so all the doors were open. We sat by the patio and dined semi al fresco. It may just be my new favorite spot.

4. Someone I love had a solo Sunday morning. Nailed it. I think I was more nervous than he was.

5. We broke out the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for our family dinner Monday night. Why haven't we used this before? So easy and we had homemade ice cream in 30 minutes. This could be a problem.

6. I was inspired by one of my favorite Washington D.C. spots for a Memorial Day quote for the chalkboard.

Friday Favorites - Budget Beauty Edition

Last Friday I took a lunchtime stroll around Target and ran across the ELF display and found myself fascinated at all the goodies. I remember when ELF (eyes, lips, face) came on the market several years ago, and there was a lot of buzz about the products and the prices, but haven't thought much about it since.

I'm big on reading the reveiws of just about everything. So I was pumped to read this, this, and this review.

All Over Color Stick - I got this in Pink Lemonade. I've never used a cream blush - and that's what I use it for. It says you can use on eyes and lips (hence the all over verbiage), but I cannot imagine the atrocity of me having pink lemonade on my lids. And I prefer a gloss for my lips. It's worked great thrown in my makeup bag to touch up blush during the day.

Eyelid Primer - I bought the Urban Decay Naked Basics pallete a few weeks ago. I've loved playing around with all the colors, but didn't love the look of it sliding off my eyes by  2 p.m. This stuff has worked wonderfully and made my shadow last all the live long day.

HD Powder - I was running low on my Bare Minerals Mineral Veil, and read on the reviews this was a good replacement. I think it gives a nice soft focus finish - if you know what that means, you're a product junkie like me. Or a photographer.

The best part? I think my grand total was under $10 for all three products at my local Target. A steal. If you hate it, you're barely out your lunch money. As if you needed an excuse to go to Target.

The weather forecast is looking beautiful for the weekend - so we are looking forward to breaking in the neighborhood pool and getting in some time with friends. Hope your weekend is full of much of the same!