Fiesta!

KP and Adam

On Saturday night we celebrated those two love birds!  In June, they’ll tie the know in Cincinnati and we (four couples total hosted this shin-dig) wanted to make sure they had a proper NC celebration.  Fiesta style!  There were margaritas, tacos, tequila shots, laughs and most importantly, amazing friends!  Here are a few photos (I took over 110 – let’s just say, we had a good time):

Taco Bar

margarita bar

Margarita Cupcakes and Sombrero Cookies

tequila bar

Me and KP – OLE!

The Bride-to-Be!

tequila time

amigas

pinata!

 

Small Bites

Like I mentioned Wednesday, this past weekend I had the most perfect bridal shower I could ever imagine.  But today, let’s focus on the food.  The food was incredible (and all gluten-free!).

the spread

The hostesses totally out-did themselves.  I wanted to share the small bites because most of them come together in no time at all and I think they’d be perfect for any Spring gathering (it is officially Spring now…despite this cold weather).

apricot and brie bites

Daphne was responsible for these addicting nuggets.  From what I can tell, dried apricots (TJs has some fantastic ones) were cut in half and stuffed with brie, an almond and a sprig of thyme.  Quite the perfect bite.

skewers

Maggie was in charge of these pretty skewers.  On the left, there are skewers with pepperoni, olives and mozzarella.  On the right, skewers of grape tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.  Super easy and delicious.

avocado salsa

Daphne made this dish, too.  I know for a fact that it has avocados, tomatoes, feta and cilantro.  Whatever it is, it’s divine.  Daphne – can you share a link or exact ingredients in the comment section?  I think she originally found the recipe off Pinterest and it’s amazing.

There was also a platter of fresh fruit kabobs,  a cheese plate and some gluten free spinach ball with marinara sauce (from Pinterest) that were awesome.  Like I said, all the food was delicious.

Now go enjoy appy hour!

mimosa bar

Any good football food is messy.

Happy Monday!  Speaking of Monday, I bet a lot of y’all will be strugglin’ next Monday.  I always struggle on Monday but next Sunday is the Superbowl.  I can assure you I won’t be staying up for the whole game but I do plan on catching a few of the commercials and the halftime show.  But honestly, the most fun part of the Superbowl is the food.  And it would be even more fun if you made Sticky Thai Chicken Wings.   They’re manly enough for all football lovin’ men but they are so delicious that the ladies will like them just as much.  They’re messy but any good football food is messy.

 

These wings are finger lickin’ good.  The sauce is scrumptious.

 

The combination of flavors was out of this world.  Sweet chili sauce is the base – but it doesn’t do all the work on it’s own.  The chili sauce is mixed with coconut milk, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, peanut butter, ginger, lime juice and soy sauce.  Seriously, I can’t get over the sweet-savory combo.

 

After the wings are cooked until crispy they are drenched in the sauce.  And I mean drenched.  Then they are taken over the top with a sprinkling of peanuts for some more crunch and some cilantro for a burst of flavor and freshness.

Make these.  And if you can’t wait until Sunday I won’t blame you.

Another Whirlwind Weekend

Our weekends are simply jam-packed this fall.  This past weekend we headed to Raleigh for the “debut” of Big Guy’s sisters (debutante) and then woke up bright dark and early (4:30am) to head to Columbia to see ECU get spanked my USC.  Despite losing, we had an absolute blast with my brothers.  Here’s a peak at our whirlwind weekend:

 

 

For dinner last night, we went with burgers.  Green Chili Turkey Burgers with a green beans from the garden and sweet potato fries.  These burgers were insane!  Super flavorful and moist.  Instead of ground chicken I used turkey because that’s all our local store had (small town!).  Make these burgers!  I don’t care if summer is almost over (I refuse to admit it’s coming to an end).

Crazy-Fun Weekend

What a weekend!  Here’s a review of our crazy-fun weekend in pictures…from an early birthday dinner with friends to the Pirate’s beating App to pool time with Baby Haines to Pawpaw’s 80th…it was amazing.  Oh – and there’s a recipe at the end.

Dinner at BCC

ECU vs. App

Sunday Funday

 

Ladies on the dock.

all the kids

 

pig time

precious Baby Haines discovered rocks

And now for a recipe…apparently at some point over the weekend my dad and Big Guy had a deep discussion about Chinese food.  (Don’t ask – I still don’t get it.)  Because of this discussion, Big Guy wanted Chinese last night…so that’s what he got.  Sweet-Spicy- Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Double-Sesame Rice.  The only changes I made were using zucchini instead of snap peas and I omitted the fish sauce.

stir-fry

Chinese is served.

 

Friday Favorites

You know what today is!  Here are my favorite things from Pinterest this week….

Favorite Breakfast Splurge:  Imagine it:  runny egg, melted brie and sweet n’ salty bacon.  On a biscuit.

Favorite “BAHAHAHAHA”:  Pizza Sleeping Bag.  Hilarious.  Now I just need a spend-the-night-party to attend with this gem.  I’d snuggle with pizza any night.

Favorite Bathroom Addition:  So fresh and so clean, clean.  I can just hear Big Guy chanting this in my head.

Favorite Beach-House Detail:  For, you know, when I have my own beach house.

Favorite item I need in my closet:  This blazer could go from work to play, day to night.  It’s perfection.

Favorite Twist on a Classic:  Instead of a loaded potato – how about a loaded mushroom?  I’m in.

Favorite Party Game:  Such a fun game!  But now you don’t have to worry about sliding on the mat.  Too bad Big Guy is a party pooper and would never a.) play a game and b.) spray paint the yard.

Favorite “Big Guy Would Love This”:  Bourbon anything is right now Big Guy’s alley.

Favorite way to make any day better: 

Wedding Wednesday, Craig Woolard Band.

Everything is starting to come together!  As we discussed a long time ago, Big Guy was in charge of the band.  I simply required that it be a fun band that would get the guests excited to be at our reception.  And I think Big Guy went above and beyond.  I’m so excited to say that we’ve booked the Craig Woolard Band for our wedding reception!

I’ve seen this band play a couple of times in various venues and their always entertaining.  My family even got to go see them last Friday at Ocean Isle Beach.  And I’m planning to go see them when they play in Rocky Mount in a few weeks.

A huge “thank you” to Big Guy and his Momma for booking the band.  Once less thing to worry about…

Summertime Sides

Here we are, July 3rd.  I bet you’re going to a cookout tomorrow.  And if you are, you might need a side or two to take along.  Here are two side dishes that are sure to please.  We actually ate these alongside chicken on Saturday night.  There were “mmmm’s” all around the table.

The spread.  Chicken (Big Guy was in charge), Warm Mexican Corn Salad and Creamy Coleslaw.

Big Guy out-did himself with this corn.  Man alive, it was tasty.  (I have to admit, I love chicken with crispy skin!)

I think part of the reason the Mexican corn salad was so delicious was because of the fresh-from-the-garden corn.  Out of this world.  I’m addicted to homegrown corn now.  We couldn’t find the cojita cheese so we subbed in queso fresco (welcome to small town living!).  It’s hard to believe how creamy and rich this tasted despite the fact it only had 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of fat free Greek yogurt.

And slaw.  Big Guy usually isn’t a fan of my slaw.  (Don’t deny it.)  But this time he raved about it – and guess what…there’s no mayo in sight!  Instead of sour cream like the recipe called for, I used fat free Greek yogurt.  That stuff works wonders in the kitchen.  We used pre-shredded cabbage which saves so much time in the kitchen.  And I made the executive decision to leave out the tarragon, walnuts and grapes.  I know, they’re all delicious things but we had a lot going on already.  I loved the flavor that the dill brought to the table (literally).

By far the best dinner we’ve had this summer!  With the best company.

 

Weekend Perfection

If a perfect weekend exists, this past weekend was a prime example.

Big Guy took me out on a date Friday night.  And Saturday was filled with friends.

Big Guy spent some time with Smokey and smoked us a brisket.

Cocktails were enjoyed.

I laughed.

I helped KP get over a hangover.

We played corn hole.

I changed outfits…three times.

I put together two recipes from the newest Cooking Light.  Cabbage Slaw with Tangy Mustard Dressing and Pinto, Black, and Red Bean Salad with Grilled Corn and Avocado.  You must make these this summer!

We celebrated a birthday (p.s. according to Big Guy, I need this recipe.)

We even had arts and crafts time – inspired by Pinterest.

Like I said, it was perfect.

How was your weekend?

Sprinkles make life better.

1.  Sprinkles make me smile.  Even if I’m not eating them.  And the recipe couldn’t be simplier.  Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies. 

2.  Speaking of sweets, I want this Ice Cream Crunch Cake in my freezer when I get home.

3.  This past Monday started “Farmers Market Mondays” at my place of work.  I snagged a head of cabbage and 3 onions for $2.50.  $2.50!!!!!!

4.  I used those local goodies to make Kalyn’s Stuffed Cabbage Casserole.

This is comfort food, folks.  It’s basically a deconstructed stuffed cabbage.  It’s a little time-intensive but it’s so worth it.  I used ground turkey instead of beef and I also halved the recipe.  It was just me and the Big Guy – no need for a 10-serving casserole.  And instead of the water, I used a splash of beef broth.  I also cooked mine for 20 minutes at 400 degrees covered with foil, after 20 minutes, removed the foil, topped with 1 cup cheese and cooked for 10 minutes longer.  Don’t leave out the cheese.  Please.

5.  Enough eats.  Let’s go to the beach.

6.  How cute is this Tibi dress?  I want it.  Now.

7.  How adorable is this garden shed?

8.  This.bag.is.gorgeous.

9.  I want to throw a pool party (not that I have a pool) just so I can make these.  That’s a good enough reason, right?

10.  This summarizes a perfect end to the work week.