we put the “happy” in happy hour

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a few days backmiss elinor, hubby, and i grabbed some early dinner with my folks at st. francis.  it was mighty tasty. there is just something about heading to a restuarant on the earlier side and making the most of the evening.  it usually gives us license to try more dishes and double up…you can’t beat a happy hour deal, am i right?  and in this case, i am talking a big ol’ gourmet burger with a side of hand cut fries for seven bucks.  #winning.

the springtime weather was particularly springy and the restaurant opened up the side of the restaurant so there was a perfect breeze while we dined.  elinor sat in her little seat just playing away while we sipped some good wine and noshed on baked goat cheese with crusty bread, french onion burgers, chicken salad sandwiches, and radish/bacon/garden pea/buttermilk ranch salad.  good stuff.  and so local and fresh.  it was a simply delightful meal with great company.  happiness and satisfied tummies all around.

 

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stuff christians say

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a little christian humor to start your day…

yup.  i can abso-tively relate.

pretty sure i have said or heard all of these things.

what a good reminder that we shouldn’t just live in our own little world, speaking a bunch of seemingly silly sayings of the faith.  we should be having real conversations about real things with real people.  not just living in our little bubble with our own jargon.  and yes, our language should sound different.  but our conversations need to be seasoned and flavorful.  interesting and appealing.  stimulating and tasty.

chef…or shall i say…baker ben {macarons}

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as some of you may recall, my chef ben decided to set a new year’s resolution for himself - to become baker ben.  he normally isn’t too keen on the baking arts.  cooking fine cuisine, yes.  making up tasty recipes, absolutely.  but for some reason he has always left the baking up to me.  not that he isn’t into baked goods.  he is a cookie fiend.  but, he prefers preparing a savory entrée over frosting a layer cake.

so, when he decided to take on the baking realm, naturally, he started with the tough stuff.  delicate and intricate and temperamental macarons.  way to ease into things, chef.  and naturally {slash sickeningly} he killed it.  i mean, he totally killed it.  and as a result, i have eaten WAY TOO MANY of these little pretties.  i can’t wait for the next round.  baker ben said that he will make some intense chocolate for me so i expect those to last all of three hours.

{step 1}

create the candied grapefruit peel with star anise and vanilla bean

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{step 2}

whip the egg whites to create the merengue and then gently fold in the other ingredients.  including a perfectly measured amount of food coloring to create a vibrant pink-orange hue.

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{step 3}

melt the white chocolate for the ganache.  add in the campari to give it that citrus zing.

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{step 4}

assemble the cookies

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{step 5}

refrigerate the cookies for 24 hours to let the flavors meld. 

AKA endure the brutal wait until you can FINALLY eat the long-awaited cookies.  {darn those french and their delayed gratification} but let me say, it is more than worth the wait. 

and then…you eat as many as you can handle before slipping into a sugar coma.  amazing

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the gallery {amy whitehouse paintings}

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this post is my braggity-braggy post about my mother-in-law’s fabulous art.  not that i am taking any bragging credit for her art…but i sure can brag about the fact that our house is home to many of her lovely pieces!  we are so honored and blessed to have such beautiful and original works of art in our home.  doesn’t nice art just make you feel all cultured and fancy?  you know that feeling that you get when you are wandering around a museum or gallery…you feel kinda posh and smarter for just being in the presence of such genius.  even if you know absolutely nothing about the complexities or history of art, you can still absorb it enjoy the beauty.

well, we get to live in a gallery of sorts.  our walls happily display some very nice pieces.  and, sometimes when we are over at the whitehouse home just having dinner, we get to go shopping for fresh pieces in amy’s studio.  so cool.  she is always creating something new and allowing herself to be inspired by her environment and the creativity of others.  i love that she responds to God’s creation in such lovely ways.

unfortunately for you, her studio isn’t open for free take-out like it is for us {smiley face} BUT amy has recently taken a few of her vibrant and signature pieces and turned them into gorgeous print reproductions!  now, amy whitehouse creations are accessible for everyone!  if you are looking for something pretty to brighten up your walls…may i suggest that you pick up one of these beauties instead of just buying something mass-produced or generic.  i was able to watch her sign and number each one of these limited editions.  and they are just waiting to be snatched up and given a new home.

sunflower

favorite sunflower

trees

palms at sunset

flowers

sunflower in vase

…

want to see more?

http://amywhitehousepaintings.blogspot.com/

want to make one of these your own?

amy.whitehouse@me.com

vinyl + dogs

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this past saturday was record store day.  just imagine thousands of hipsters all around the country gathering at local record stores to pick through piles and vinyl.  fabulous, right?  we have had our eye on a few records and figured that this would be the perfect day to hunt.  and vinyl snobs need to eat…so what better than a food truck?  a hot dog food truck.  oh, it was really something.

new and old music in hand, we strolled over to the short leash truck for some dogs.  some SERIOUS dogs.  we selected “the bear” {see menu below for ingredients.  and get ready for your mind to be blown and your tastebuds to be envious} and savored every. single. bite.  not gonna lie, i probably could have downed another…but, you know, restraint.  nah, just kidding.  i stopped at one because we were busy heading over to the dessert truck for a pecan tart and chocolate eclair.  go us.

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you are my sunshine

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happy monday folks!  how was your weekend?  we had the bestest weekend.  lots of time outdoors as a family and plenty of yummy food.  have i mentioned how much i love springtime?  perfect.  it doesn’t get much better than this…

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eyebrows

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let me introduce you to elinor’s incredulous eyebrows…

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she shoots me this glance sometimes.  mostly when i am doing something goofy and trying to make her giggle.  oh, baby girl.  so much personality for such a petite thing.  i love all your expressions.  you are the funnest.

speaking of fun…i hope you have a fabulous weekend!

pan di ramerino

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these little tuscan rolls look so, so delicious.

raisins, rosemary, and sea salt with a subtly sweet glaze.  sì, grazie.

i have a feeling that i would down quite a few of these cuties. yum.

…

from the gorgeous blog of la cucina spontanea

click here to view the recipe.  and don’t fret, they do include the english translation…keep scrolling.

date night @ searsucker

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oh brian malarkey.  you culinary conceptual genius, you.  thank you for gracing us with one of your restaurants here in the desert.  we thank you.

so my hubby ate at the original searsucker when he was in san diego for his boys weekend.  he came home and bragged about the best brunch ever.  and yes, pregnant me was very jealous of his gastro good time.  but then!  we discovered that mr. malarkey would soon be opening a searsucker in scottsdale {insert happy dance here}.  we waited for what felt like forever… long enough to have a baby even.  and then we finally stopped by for some brunch.  well, it was really something.  totally lived up to all my man’s bragging.

so, when we were planning our sans baby date night for this week {thank you grandparents!} we decided to give te dinner menu at searsucker a go.  good move, us.  it was amazing.  we didn’t even touch the real entrees, we just dabbled in small dish land. and oh my.  so darn yummy.  dare i say, scrumtrulescent?  yes, i dare say that.  we tried quite a few dishes and took our time savoring each one.  so much fun.  and so tasty.  if you are a local…go here.  and go here often.  it will rock your world people.

here’s what we had:

house made cinnamon infused bourbon + lime + ginger beer + bitters

cheddar puffers

nuts + spice + salt

duck fat fries + tomato jam

chicken + waffle + frank’s

shrimp “spicy” + bacon grits

and p.s. the menu descriptions are deceptively simple…what lies underneath is total creativity and flavor complexity.  i love that the menu is totally chill and then when you taste the dish it is like “woah!”  for example:  nuts + spice + salt = spice coated roasted nuts with a salty sweet, crunchy glaze.  they were the yummiest nuts i have ever had.  plain as that.

vitamin D overdose

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it is officially sunshiney time in arizona.  yes, indeedy-do.  and that is my sad little sunburned face.  pink forehead.  red lips.  melasma cheeks {thank you residual pregnancy hormones}  looking good lady, looking good.

this past saturday morning, i decided that i would take advantage of the gorgeous weather and go on an extended run.  elinor was enjoying her heavy morning nap.  and my sweet hubby was kind enough to hold down the fort so i could get some one-on-one time with the pavement.  it was glorious.  sunshine.  cool breeze.  vibrant blossoms.  springtime scents.  it was prefect.  and 11 miles later, my legs were starting to get heavy and it was feeling really good with that runner’s high and all.  plus, i had worked up a nice, cleansing sweat and soaked up some vitamin D.

oh, but silly me. i forgot that when you haven’t really soaked up any serious rays in months and months and months, anything longer than an hour in the sunshine will inevitable crisp you up pretty good.  desert sun, you don’t mess around.  and now, thanks to my lack of spf-ing, i have a super cool v-neck tan line AND a band on my left arm where my iPod was strapped on.  so, i kind of look like i’m rocking a red and white body chevron pattern.  nice.