Girls' Weekend 2011: Galveston

Our yearly girls' weekend kind of started on Thursday night this year. Beth came in a night early and we met up with some friends at Bingo in the Heights. Some friends had been before and we had heard how fun it was, so we were excited to go. We however were not prepared for the massive number of people there! So glad Carolina and Lauren got there early enough to get us a table or we wouldn't have been allowed in. (Bingo started at 7:45 and they got there at 6 and luckily got a place for us to sit). This Bingo was primarily young professionals and oh so inexpensive. The cards I think were like $5 for the entire time! We had fun and had VERY interesting people sitting around us. One was quite vocal about her dislike of other people winning. We one time timed her "booing" for 14 seconds... Unfortunately none of us won anything, but we def. enjoyed ourselves!

On Friday, Beth and I got up and went for a little run before running errands to finish getting ready for the weekend. We then headed to our condo in Galveston to get everything set up before the rest of the crew got there.

Here are the cupcakes I made. (I would wait to ice/decorate them until the day and place you were going to serve them. I decorated mine the day before and the gum chairs became super floppy by the next day).

Once we were all set up, we realized the rest of the crew wouldn't be there for a while so we hit the beach for a bit.

Once Traci, Hannah and Liz arrived, we cooked a lasagna that I had previously made and frozen (great meal to prepare beforehand) and caught up with our sweet friends!

Saturday morning bright and early, Lauren and Carolina came down to Galveston for Lauren, Carolina, Beth and I to run a 10 miler. So glad we ran and finished, but my goodness it was hot and I was not prepared hydration wise for the run. We ran five miles down the seawall before realizing that all of us were out of water. At that point we realized we were out of water and still had the five miles to go back. We ended up running over to a fast food restaurant that was not yet open and finding an employee washing the windows. He brought us waters and saved our beehineys so we could rehydrate and finish our run. Thank you random man!

After the run (everyone else ran/walked too..we are so fit!), and did a little decorating,

we spent a little time at the Strand before grabbing lunch and heading to the beach.

Cutest little mama!! Traci (& Jaxson) Doesn't she look AMAZING!?

Dinner was at Gaido's and oh so yummy!! Afterwards, Liz, Hannah, Carolina and Lauren had to head back and the three remaining of us had a very chill night.

The next morning we had a little more pool time before heading to Mosquito Cafe for lunch. I don't know how I've missed this place every other time that I've been in Galveston...maybe because its off the beaten path, but I am so glad we found it! Its off the beaten path, not on the seawall, not by the cruise ships, not by the strand, but it is oh so busy! We got there right before the lunch crowd had picked up and had a very yummy lunch. I had a turkey sandwich that had bacon, lettuce, grilled apples, melted brie and mayo. It was ridiculously huge but a perfect mixture of textures and flavors. I will def. be returning!


We also happened to spy a cute little bakery right across the street called Patty Cakes so we decided to investigate. The "holy cow" was amazing. I cannot remember for the life of me exactly what was in it, but it was good! Then we headed back to Houston for everyone to return to their homes.


I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and to have such a wonderful tradition of meeting up each year! Our lives have changed so much since high school/college but am so thankful that our friendships have just continued to grow! Love you all and cannot wait until next year!

The Dog Days of Summer

Since I am now home during the day,
1. my puppies are EXHAUSTED at night
2. I am getting to see what they do during the day
Some parts are not exciting such as nap time or window time, but squirrel time on the other time is very exciting

The foe is spotted
The ladies then assume the hunting position

Until one undoubtedly gets distracted (see black lab rolling in the grass)and the other has to go for a closer look
Yes, I did have time today to not only witness this but to also document it. Wish you were a teacher now, huh? : )

S-U-M-M-E-R

I know those of you who are not teachers will not appreciate this very much....however, I finished summer school last Wednesday and am officially on summer break! WOOHOO!!! I just don't even know what to do with myself. Hopefully my summer will have a lot of crafting, running, time with friends, time outside, playing with the pups and reading for fun.

So far my summer has consisted of
1. Rangers v Astros game with Cody and Lauren (sorry Houstonians, but I had to put the Rangers first because they beat the Astros senseless..)

2. Yard Work

3. Running at decent times of the day (ie: not at 5:30 am or at 4:00pm)

4. Pool time with my friends!

5. A mud run (in which we did not get very muddy, but it was still fun) (The pictures are small for a reason my friends, that would be too much SB if it were any bigger...)

before

after

6. Time with my husband and precious pups

7. Celebrating the fourth with a pool party and a fish fry! yum!

Hope y'all are enjoying your July!

Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes

I completely forgot to post this yesterday! Hope everyone had a great 4th! We did yard work, went to a pool party and then a fish fry! What a great day, but unfortunately no pictures (I know, I'm losing my touch!)

Happy 4th of July! So thankful for the freedoms that we were given by others who gave their lives! So thankful also for getting to spend a good long weekend with my handsome husband!
Here's a little patriotic dessert for today! : )

Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes (aka Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes)
from Betty Crocker

*Recipe note: The icing listed did NOT work for me. It was very runny. I think that the butter was the problem. When I typically make icing, it is a mixture of powdered sugar, milk and about a teaspoon of vanilla. Sometimes I will add cream cheese. Next time that I make these, I will stick to what I'm used to. The cupcakes are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, but at least they taste good!

Cupcake Ingredients

1

box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon cake mix

1 1/2

cups fresh blueberries

3/4

cup water

1/3

cup vegetable oil

1

tablespoon grated lemon peel

2

eggs

1

package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

Frosting Ingredients

2 1/2

cups powdered sugar

3/4

cup unsalted butter, softened

1

teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2

teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt

1 1/4

teaspoons vanilla

1

tablespoon milk

1

cup fresh blueberries

Lemon peel, if desired

Fresh mint leaves, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375°F for shiny metal pans (or 350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. In small bowl, gently toss 2 tablespoons of the dry cake mix with 1 1/2 cups blueberries to coat; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, water, oil, lemon peel, eggs and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold blueberry mixture into batter. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until tops are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
5. In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the salt, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk on high speed about 4 minutes or until smooth and well blended, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls if needed. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Garnish with 1 cup blueberries the lemon peel and mint leaves. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

This was a very light salad that I made a few weeks ago. We loved the crispy tortilla strips!
Shrimp and Avocado Salad

from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 romaine hearts, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
• 1/4 small cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread in a single layer and bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the cumin and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. In a large bowl, combine the orange and lime juices with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the romaine, cabbage, avocado, and shrimp and toss to combine. Serve the salad topped with the tortilla strips and pepitas.

Linguine

Another great pasta dish from EmLoves.

Linguine with Spinach, Beef, & Smoked Almonds in a Lemon Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound beef tenderloin steaks, cut into cubes (about 2 cups cubed)
• 1 pound whole wheat linguine pasta
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 lb fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup smoked almonds (toasted almonds work too), chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped olives (green & kalamata)
• 4 oil-packed sundried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil for pasta.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Add onions and sauté until soft.
4. Season beef with about a tsp each of salt and pepper.
5. Add beef cubes and minced garlic to pan.
6. Sauté until beef is slightly browned and garlic is soft.
7. In a medium bowl, mix together diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, herbes de Provence, cannelloni beans, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Pour sauce mixture over beef in pan and stir around, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir.
9. Bring sauce to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
10. While sauce is simmering, add pasta to boiling water and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
11. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.
12. Remove sauce from heat and add to pasta.
13. Return pan to stove and heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
14. Add spinach to pan (one handful at a time) and cook until spinach is wilted.
15. Sprinkle cooked spinach, chopped almonds, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese over pasta and toss.
16. Serve hot with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Garlic Bread Biscuits

Ingredients:

• small Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layer refrigerated biscuit dough (5 biscuits per can size)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place biscuit dough on ungreased cookie sheet
3. In a small bowl, mix together garlic and onion powder then sprinkle on top of biscuit dough
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese on top of biscuit dough
5. Bake for 16 minutes, or until biscuit tops are golden.

How are you?

I've started to notice how impersonal a lot of conversations really are. When you see someone, both of you say "hi" (or howdy or hello...) and then inevitably, one person will ask "how are you?" The other person will reply with something like "Fine, thank you. How are you?" In which they will receive a reply of "good" or fine." Are we really doing well all of the time? Does the other person really want a real answer?
Like today, as I was running, I was saying "good morning!" to the people that I passed (I am a friendly runner, my friends) and one man, I am sure out of habit asked me how I was doing. I could have replied, "slightly winded and my left pinkie toe is kind of aching," but instead I said "great, how are you?"
Probably not a good idea to get into real life problems with perfect strangers, but maybe we need to be making sure that if we are asking those questions, we are really listening to the people answering and if we get asked by someone who cares about us, that we are giving honest answer. Its okay for everything not to be perfect all of the time : )

Happy 4th of July weekend!! I'm trying to wait to make my patriotic cupcakes until Sunday, but I might not make it that long...