Weekend Snapshots

Funfetti Cookies to start off the Birthday weekend right

A Friday night necessity after a very long day of work at El Tio Grill

My favorite post-run treat at our local Farmer's Market

We biked to the Farmer's Market for crepes!
I've convinced myself that the short bike ride there and back cancels out eating these huge and delicious things.

Gorgeous blooms tempting me at the market

OOTN for dinner and The Second City Improv Show Saturday night

Amazing restaurant for VABeau's Birthday dinner

I can never pass up a cucumber infused cocktail

Central's cheese puffs filled with tasty Gruyere were out of this world

This gorgeous lamb shank rendered the Birthday boy speechless

All other fried chicken has been ruined for me after having Michel Richard's version of the comfort food

Michel Richard's interpretation of a kit kat bar.  Kit Kats have been ruined for me now too!

VABeau's Birthday celebration Sunday morning

Birthday Breakfast of cinnamon rolls and fresh peaches

Homemade Blueberry cheesecake for the Birthday boy

Blowing out all 29 candles Sunday night!

We had a great weekend that was focused mainly on celebrating my favorite guy and watching a lot of the Olympics.  We dvr'd the opening ceremonies and enjoyed watching it Saturday afternoon.  We were both impressed by the show and how creative and inventive it was.  I also loved that they paid homage to the doctors, nurses, construction workers, and volunteers in London.

The highlight of our weekend was definitely Saturday night when we made the short drive into DC for a night of celebrating VABeau.  We started the evening with an amazing dinner at Michel Richard's Central.  We sampled something from each course and everything we ate and drank were pure perfection.  We ended the night laughing off our meal at The Second City show at the Shakespeare Theater.  The improv comedy show was hilarious and VABeau laughed non stop for two whole hours.  Hearing him laugh that much convinced me that there could be no better Birthday gift for my best husband!

Happy Birthday VABeau!

It's hard to believe we have now celebrated seven Birthdays together.

From our early 20s... 

(otherwise known as the wild college and post-college years)

to our first Birthdays as an engaged couple...

 to our first Birthdays as a married couple....

and to many Birthdays since as newlyweds...

to now!

(our late 20s)

It has been an amazing journey with you.
One that I wouldn't change for anything in the world.

You were a great guy who made me fall for him almost instantly many years ago.  

But you have somehow grown into an even more amazing man over the years and I feel blessed to get to spend year after year with you and eventually grow old with you.  

You still make me smile and laugh as much, if not more, than you did in the beginning.  You also continually impress me with your strong work ethic and your commitment to the one's you love.  I am one lucky girl to get to call you my husband.

 So thank you for being my best friend, my constant cheerleader, my guardian angel, and someone who makes me want to be a better person!

I can't wait to celebrate many more Birthdays with my best friend in the whole world!

Thursday Confessions

I thought it would be fun to share some of the more peculiar things about me that only those closest to me know.  No one's perfect, right?  So what better way to be real with you all than to confess some of my more embarrassing and strange habits: 

I am an obsessive list maker

Deep down I think it's a control thing.  Or it may be a fear that if I don't write everything down, I will forget to do something important.  Either way, it's definitely weird and excessive.  I have to have at least 2 to do lists going at one time.  I fill up my Erin Condren planer with daily to do lists but that's not enough for this OCD girl.  I also write up a master to do list with everything I want to accomplish over the course of several months.  I tend to rewrite this master list at least 4 times a week which means I probably could actually accomplish some of the items on that list in the time it takes me to write and write it.


I have to have an insanely clean car at all times
Every person who rides in my car has the same comment-"your car is so clean!"  This is pretty hilarious considering my lack of cleanliness in other areas of my life-namely our house and yard.  But for some reason, I really like having a clean car and do all that I can to keep it that way.  Maybe it's because traffic is so bad where we live so I like the peace of sitting in a clean space for hours on end?  Either way, I rarely, if ever leave trash or other items in my car and I get it washed and the interior cleaned at least once a month.  This is also my argument to VABeau for why I always deserve to drive the nicer car in the family :)






I am obsessed with our wild rabbits

Where we live is absolutely overrun with wild rabbits.  They are literally everywhere!  On a daily basis I will see one in our front yard first thing in the morning, another along my running route, and another in the evening in our backyard.  Some of our neighbors can't stand them because they eat their flowers but I absolutely adore them and think they are just the cutest things ever.  VABeau is aware of this and calls me outside whenever he sees one just because he knows those little guys make my day!


I'm addicted to Mini Drumsticks

At 110 calories per ice cream cone, you would think purchasing the mini version of the real thing is a fantastic idea.  Well, not so much when you manage to eat multiple drumsticks a day.  With it being so darn hot lately, I have been craving ice cream more than ever and these little guys somehow always find their way into my hands and eventually, belly which is not a good thing!

She Reads daily devotional has changed my life

I have gone to church my entire life and have always had faith in God's existence and presence in my life.  But I have been lacking that extra personal relationship with Him.  That all changed when I started the She Reads Devotional on my iPhone.  I have never really done a regular bible study before and this one is perfect for me.  I downloaded the You Version Bible app and each day I'm treated to a bible verse and corresponding devotional.  It literally only takes up about 10-15 minutes per day to read the passages and as a result, I start my day rejuvenated.  This bible study and the increase in my trust in God could not have come at a better time for me.


I actually love Kathy Lee & Hoda 

These two and their show are constantly mocked by people I know and even SNL.  But secretly, I absolutely love them.  They are my favorite part of daytime TV.  I think they are hilarious and compliment each other perfectly.  I kind of want to be best friends with both KLG and Hoda.  I picture the three of us sipping wine together and completely inappropriate times and loving it!

I stalk dog rescue websites

It's no secret that I have wanted a dog for a really long time.  This desire for my own furry best friend went to a whole new level after our stay with CAWife and their 2 adorable boxers.  Since that trip I have literally been stalking 2 local rescues websites on an almost daily basis.  This stalking is so bad, that I have many of the cute pup's profiles and names memorized.  I was trying to wait on getting a dog until we completed our fence this Fall so that our new pup will have plenty of space to run free, but each day it's getting harder and harder to resist.  I just know once I meet these dogs in real life, it's on and VABeau will be surprised by a new addition in our house!

Menu Monday

Monday

*Turkey & Artichoke Stuffed Shells

*Salad
This make ahead recipe never fails.  We absolutely love Giada's stuffed shells in this house so this meal gets made pretty often around here!

Tuesday

*B L T A E (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, and Egg) Sandwich

*Tomato Soup
I am in love with this sandwich.  I never thought anything could be better than a classic BLT sandwich.  But the addition of a fried egg and avocado took it to a whole new level of deliciousness.  To truly enjoy this sandwich, however, I recommend using only the best bread and freshest tomatoes.  The tomato from our Farmer's Market made all of the difference!

Wednesday

*Turkey & Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Yay for leftovers!

Thursday

*Cedar Plank Salmon

*Tomato & Dill Couscous

*Strawberry, Walnut, & Goat Cheese Salad
*Homemade Blueberry Pie
We hosted 5 friends for dinner on our deck Thursday night.  VABeau and I wanted to maximize our time with our friends while they were at our house, so we planned a super easy meal that we could mostly make ahead of time.  Before our guests arrived, VABeau had made a salmon rub, I had thrown together the strawberry salad, and my couscous was ready to boil at a moments notice.  I think the meal was a hit and it finished with a bang when we all indulged in Elise's delicious blueberry pie.  I can't imagine a more perfect Summer evening! 

Friday 

*Present Vietnamese
A long week of cooking called for a night of easy take out.  Vietnamese is quickly becoming one of our favorite take out meals this Summer.  The meats and noodles are much lighter and perfect for hot Summer days.

Saturday

 *Burgers

*Corn on the Cob

*String Beans

*Peach Pie
I had way too much fun at our local Farmer's Market Saturday morning.  I came home with a ridiculous amount of fresh produce so that we were able to make almost an entire meal from my FM finds.  Everything from this quintessential Summer meal came from the FM except the burgers.  The peach pie, by the way, was amazing and was another FM find!

Strawberry Basil Martini

Since this delicious cocktail has made an appearance in 2 out of 3 of my posts this week, I felt it was my blogger duty to share the recipe with you all.

Last week my mother-in-law ordered a round of Seasons 52's signature cocktail, the Strawberry Basil Martini, for the table during our girls lunch.  Ever since that day I could not stop thinking about that refreshing and uniquely delicious cocktail.  Fortunately, we thought to quiz our waitress on it's creation before leaving the restaurant, so I was armed with all of the tools I needed to make my own S.B.M. 

A few days later I bought a new bottle of Absolut vodka, a pint of strawberries, and got to work.  I took an empty liquor decanter, filled it 2/3 of the way full with strawberry quarters,

and then filled the whole thing with vodka.

I then set the decanter in our buffet (a dark, cool place is ideal) and let it do it's thing for 4 days.    Each of those days I inverted the decanter to ensure that the strawberry goodness was mixing throughout the vodka.

On the fourth day the strawberries were as white as could be and rather creepy looking.  But that was the sign that the vodka was done and completely infused with the strawberry juice.

I strained the vodka through a mesh strainer and voila, had strawberry infused vodka to use however I chose!

For my current drink of choice, simply fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add the strawberry infused vodka to the shaker.  Shake well.  Strain into a chilled martini glass and top with a fresh basil leaf.

  I promise that this will become your new favorite Summer cocktail!