4 in 3 weekends...

One down 3 to go. I love weddings, but when they fall so close together it can get a little repetitive. The last week's bride (and a wonderful friend since I was about 5) was creative and added great little touches to make it "their" day. I look forward to seeing what else is in store these next few weeks!

Dinner In

Ok I feel better. I was not loving the look of the blog lately so I was just staying way. So now that I've cleaned up we can move on. Just like cleaning your room or taking a shower. kind of.

Well now, As much as I love to food, it is great that Douglas and I can share that love. We don't get to cook together much right now because we are both living with our parents, but last night we stayed in and made a delicious chicken parmigiana. Its simple, for sure nothing fancy, but oh so yummy! Thanks B. Flay
You may be wondering why the pasta is black. Its squid ink! One of our favorite things is trying fun different things. We new it would look cool on the plate and we see them make it on Iron Chef so why not try?! The meal was awesome and I must say, we make a great team in the kitchen!

Everything is great about this Pie.

Easy.
Probably not too bad for you.
Soo Delicious. (so worth whatever calories)

(sorry for the crappy iphone pic)

Strawberry Pie with Balsamic Glaze.

Now I kind of combined a couple recipes and ended up having to make a few alterations because I was not going to go to the third store to find mascarpone cheese, so I made it work with what was in the fridge and again I must say it is delicious. (next time hopefully I can try the macsarpone)

Here is the recipe that I started with and followed most closely:

A pre-made graham cracker pie crust

2 lbs. fresh strawberries (sliced or quartered)

1/2 cup regular sugar

zest of 1 orange

1/2 a small lemon juiced

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Mix well with the regular sugar, orange zest and half the lemon juice. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Whip the whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and remaining lemon juice, with an electric mixer. Once it’s good and whipped, add in the mascarpone cheese and whip again just until it’s well blended.

--This is the part where I strayed. I used organic vanilla yogurt, sour cream, whipping cream and powdered sugar. I don't have measurements because I was just working to get the consistency right.

Spread the mascarpone mixture evenly into the pie crust. Now stick it in the refrigerator.

Your 30 minutes should almost be up now. Strain the juice from the strawberries into a saucepan. Put the strained strawberries on top of the pie and put it back into the refrigerator. Add the balsamic vinegar to the strawberry juices and boil it until it becomes a syrup. Take a pastry brush and brush the syrup over the strawberries until they are all glazed. You may not use all the syrup. Put that pie back in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

The orange zest and lemon juice make it fresh. You can't go wrong with strawberries and the balsamic vinegar adds the perfect flavor.

Summer Challenge

While I do still hope to be satisfied with my "swimsuit body" this summer, there are two things I plan to do that might make that a little more of a challenge: cooking and eating. More adventurously. I want to cook things I haven't cooked and eat at places I don't usually eat.
Keller's Drive-in is one eatery on my list is one that I have been to, but it has been ages. I didn't provide the link because it is the kind of local goodness that doesn't have a website. Unfortunately, I have a horrible memory so I can't sit here and tell you I remember the burgers are great and they have the best fries in town. The thing I do remember is sitting in the back of the car and enjoying the atmosphere (it's an old drive in, nothing fancy).
As far as cooking goes, who knows where I will start there. That's always the tough part for me. I always want to make desserts, but that's not always the smartest option. I've been reading tons of food blogs lately (and welcome any suggestions). I will let you know where it leads. Adventure is the key.

It's Complicated

It's Complicated was one of those movies I wanted to wait and watch on my couch rather than the theater so I might be a little behind in posting this. The plot was cute but I think what I was really drawn to about the movie was the set and Meryl Streep's character, Jane.

It opened with a gorgeous birds-eye-view of California and the Spanish tile roofs. Jane's house is Spanish style ranch home. A perfect kitchen. For some reason Meryl's character thought it needed remodeling, but I would take it 100% as is. Pot hangers on the wall, open shelving for dishes, window overlooking plentiful herb garden, marble island, viking oven. No, nothing to change.

But I guess if you are a french trained chef you might have higher expectations. This is the bakery she owns. I think here will be something like this in heaven.

Good movie. Great set design.

In Your Dreams

It must be bad when your body knows you need a vacation so badly that night after night it takes you on one in your dreams. Thanks brain. Its been a good year since I left Texas.

Last night I got to go back to what is probably my favorite place on earth. Florence, Italy. I went there 3 summers ago and had the time of my life. My dream was so vivid that I recognized the cobble stone streets and buildings, smelled the cheese and bread, and tasted the gelato. I even took the same short cut that I used to take when I walked to school. It was pretty great

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately... turns out I just need to go back to Italy. Well, I may not be going back tomorrow but until then I will keep dreaming because a wise friend once told me that it is important to dream.

Shameful Guilty Pleasure... Very Wholesome television


May 24... New Season of Bachelorette!
We'll see if this season I can go without reading or hearing all the spoilers