Weekend Whereabouts: Destin Beach & Birthday Cake

Last minute trips are the best. Especially with family. Wednesday night we packed up and hit the road and drove through the night to Destin beach, to meet family for the weekend.

We stayed in the sweetest beach house, just a few blocks from the beach with a private pool in the back. It was so awesome!

The street was like something out of a book. It was lined with hanging trees and Florida palms..

And what would a beach trip be without boat loads of seafood? Pun intended.

We bought fresh shrimp to throw on the grill, and baked the most beautiful crab cakes. It was delicious!

It was only a 48-hour trip, but so worth getting a little Vitamin D and putting our feet in the ocean. It beats the heck out of being in the office, right?

Excuse the iPhone picture quality, but the water was crystal clear!

We rushed home Saturday to have wine on the patio and fresh filets for my Mom's birthday!

And of course, birthday cake!

Found these wine glasses at Marshall's for $1.99 a piece! Needless to say: obsessed.

We also treated her to brunch Sunday morning. How does chicken and waffle benedict sound?

I can tell you from experience, it's pretty awesome.

It was such a perfect couple of days. There is nothing better than sticking your feet in the gulf and feeling the ocean breeze on your face. It was such a treat having the extra time with family. Having my mom come stay with us was so fun. We drank wine and ate birthday cake, and went on a redecorating spree on Sunday! Pics to come :) Standby!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! and, Happy Birthday, Mom!

XO

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I have been on a major banana kick lately. Banana bread muffins... banana bread cookies.

And then it dawned on me, I don't actually have a great banana bread recipe. As in, a loaf of banana bread. So, I have been trying different ones here and there.. and I think I have found the perfect one.

Honestly, what is there not to love about banana bread? It's light, but rich at the same time. You can have it with your coffee for breakfast or after dinner for dessert.

Any excuse to have chocolate chips for breakfast, sign me up.

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is so easy. You just mix everything together, put it in your loaf pan, and pop er' in the oven.

I think there is definitely somewhat of a science to banana bread.. it has to be the perfect consistency. Moist, soft, with lots of banana flavor. And this recipe nails it. The key is to have super mushy-overripe bananas. This is a must. They mix and cream together into your batter... its Heaven.

The other secret ingredient?

...... GREEK YOGURT

 ......Wait, wut?

No really.. 1/2 a cup of greek yogurt holds your batter together so nicely and keeps your bread nice and moist. (your favorite word, I know.)

This loaf was gone in 24 hours. Isn't that some sort of a record?

......... and my second is in the works to enjoy with my coffee on Sunday morning. I think banana bread was created to be enjoyed on a Sunday morning.

I hope you make some for your family this weekend, too. :)

Happy Saturday!

XO

FULL RECIPE:

1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) melted

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup greek yogurt

2 overripe bananas

1/2 cup (or a boatload) chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together melted butter and sugar. Add vanilla extract, and eggs one at a time.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to your butter mixture a little at a time (while mixer is on) until all combined.

4. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Pour batter into greased loaf pan (please please, grease your pan.) and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Kick your feet up and enjoy it with a cup of coffee!

The perfect Filet: Do's & Don'ts

Finding and crafting the perfect Filet Mignon is like, discovering a rare gem. 

People who overcook filets are bad people who cannot be trusted. I don't have much for you, as a well-done filet eater. 

But what I do have, is a particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.

…… Sound familiar? J

In all seriousness, it has taken me a lot of filet-loving years to learn how to perfect this beautiful piece of beef. I have burned them, I have over-cooked them, I am ashamed to say I have eaten them well done.

The horror.

I promise, I have perfected this method and it will give you the perfect, medium rare, tender, flavorful, filet every single time.

Let’s talk about filets for a second.

You do want to season your filet. I go with my trusty old friends salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. Rub it on real heavy so when you sear it, you get a nice crust. Also, use large grained salt and fresh ground peppercorns, the really contribute to the texture.

You don’t want to over season your filet. This piece of meat is so delicate and decadent, over seasoning it can overpower the flavors of the meat. Trust me, salt and pepper go a long way.

Do splurge on a nice piece of meat. Go to your local butcher and have him cut the filets for you. Whole Foods also has a lovely fresh selection of filets as well!

Don’t cook your meat cold. Let it rest at room temperature for at least half an hour prior to cooking.

Do sear your filet in a roaring hot skillet full of smokey garlicy butter to get a good brown beautiful crusty sear.

There just aren't adequate adjectives to describe this.

Don’t place your filet in the pan before the pan is burning hot. You will not get a good textured sear on the outside. Which is key.

Do pop your seared filet in a hot oven. This will cook the center perfectly.

Don’t slice into your filet as soon as it comes out of the oven… let it rest! Leave it be. I know it is so tempting to slice right in once it comes out, but letting the meat rest will help it stay tender and hold in the heavy juices & flavors. Most importantly, it continues to cook after coming out of the oven, which brings me to my next point..

Do use a meat thermometer. You may think you don’t need one or you can wing it on your own, but I promise, it is the only way to ensure you aren’t overcooking it! I recently bought myself an electronic one like this one and I absolutely love it. I even take it on vacation with me. ….is that normal?

Lastly, serve your filet with some beautiful sides! Baked potato is required. Mushrooms optional but perfect, too.

I hope these tips send you on your way to filet heaven. Just remember, it really takes trial and error. 

DO keep trying! It's worth it, I promise  :)

XO

Full Recipe:

1.      Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

2.      Rub your filet generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3.      Heat a non-stick skillet with two tablespoons of butter. (real, real hot, bubbly)

4.      Lay one side of your filet in the hot skillet. Do not touch/or move the meat. Let it sear in the butter  for two minutes.

5.      Flip your filet and sear the other side for two minutes in the hot butter.

6.      Place your filets in the hot over (you can move them to a baking sheet with foil, or put them in the oven in the skillet they are already cooking in) for 8 minutes.

7.      Use a meat thermometer to check the center, pull the steak out at about 130-135, let rest to ultimately reach 140 degrees, or medium rare.

8.      Pair with baked potato the size of your head.

OFW: PUPPIES, PATIO, & PASTA

This weekend was great, and soo needed. Almost too great. Getting back in the work groove has been so tough. Is it really only Tuesday?

We had an OFW - Obligation free weekend. No plans, just relax with the pups. I REALLY need more of those.

My pups are cooped up so much during the week and it weighs so heavily on my heart. I wanted to give them a full day on Saturday, and boy they loved every second!

There is an awesome dog park right around the corner and it's right on the river! We try to take advantage of it as much as possible during the summer. The pups love it!

Of course after getting all wet and smelly, it was bath time.

They both hate being bathed. I don't know if it's the hose, or just that they are stubborn and being forced to take a bath.. but I secretly love it. Look at those sudsy faces.

Saturday night was the perfect summer night. Wine on the patio and lobster tails on the grill. 

My favorite spot.

Nothing feeds my soul as much as a quiet Saturday night at home, with good food. The week is so nuts and all I want to do on the weekend is nothing but eat, enjoy, and relax. Spoiling my pups is at the the top of the list too :)

How beautiful are those lobster tails? I infused butter with fresh garlic and lemon juice, threw them on the grill for about 8 minutes, 4 each side. They were absolute perfection. 

I paired them with a mushroom and zucchini Parmesan, linguine pasta.

Say that five times fast.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Put an OFW on your calendar soon, I promise you won't regret it!

XO

AFTER I DO - TAYLOR JENKINS REID

This book had me hooked. I am sucker for a character I can relate to, and I can see myself sharing a cup of coffee with Lauren, wanting to help her through her dark time.

Lauren and Ryan have been married for 5 years. They started their marriage in wedded bliss; college sweethearts, true lovers, romance and passion we all long for. But, the monotony of marriage sets it. Arguing, bickering, their relationship starts to fall apart.. Is this love? Is this a rut? Where do we go from here?

Until one morning, Lauren looks at Ryan and tells him she is not in love with him anymore. Ryan tells Lauren he has been feeling the same way.

“This is the saddest moment of my life.”

Lauren and Ryan sit at the kitchen table, once blissfully in love, and now deciding who will move out, who will take their beloved pup, what they will do next. They agree to take one year off of their marriage, one year apart, in hopes of reuniting and finding out how, or if, they can fall in love again.

However, there is one rule: they cannot contact each other for the entire year.

Can you imagine how hard that would be? The person you fell in love with, you swapped vows with.. the one you wake up with each morning and go to bed with each night. To leave them for a year, to live alone, no contact, cold turkey.

Lauren embarks on a year of self-discovery. She is heartbroken and devastated, but relieved and hopeful. She has to learn herself all over again. Dating, living alone.. being single. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to just be able to call Lauren on the phone, or take her out for a beer. I could picture myself having chats with her about how sad she was, I so badly wanted to reach out to her and give her advice about her and Ryan.

And that is what I loved most about this book.

Not only did I feel like I knew Lauren, I felt like this book was so raw and so real. Nobody tells you how difficult it is to be in a long-term relationship. Married or not, commitment is hard work. Day in and day out with the same partner is truly a struggle, and you can decide to work on it or to walk away. It is a choice that you make every single day. This book shines such a real light on just how hard commitment can be, and how much hard work it takes to commit your life to your partner. Sometimes, loving one another is not enough. You have to work, you have to choose. And although unconventional, Lauren and Ryan choose to work on their relationship separately.

I love how Lauren works on her own self-discovery. Commitment does not always mean working on things together, it can mean bettering yourself so that you are better for each other.

Suddenly Lauren and Ryan must make decisions about monogamy, marriage, romance, and loyalty. Can you have love without marriage? Can you have loyalty and commitment without romance? And what does that mean? When do you throw in the towel, and when do you fight? These are real questions we answer in monogamous relationships every day, and Taylor Jenkins Reid truly sheds a real light on the hard work relationships require. And the heartbreaking decisions you are faced with when things don’t go as planned.

This novel is such a far cry from your average cookie-cutter love story. After I Do is a love story about what you face when love begins to fizzle.  About staying in love, holding onto love, selflessly loving one another, and committing to the good and the bad. In the end, After I Do is a story about two normal people facing real hard decisions, and searching for what a happy ending really means for them.

You will love every page of this novel. I cannot wait for you guys to read it! As always, reach out to me and tell me what you think!

XO

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bars

Summer and strawberries go hand in hand, Summer means fresh strawberries.. I literally want to put them on everything.

90% of the time, I am a chocolate dessert person. I am really not into fruity desserts. But, how could I resist doing something fun with these fresh summer berries?

So, I thought I would use these red beauties to whip up a strawberry dessert... And it is such a good one.

It starts off by mixing your dry and wet ingredients together to make a GIANT COOKIE.

Does it get any better than that?

Pour some sugar on mayyy...

Giant cookie dough.

Roll out your giant cookie, bake it, and then... you start the white chocolate, cream cheese frosting...

Ice your giant cookie.. 

And bring in the gorgeous berries for their close-up.

I think the hardest part is waiting for them to cool.

.....Good things come to those who wait, right?

...... Right :)

Enjoy! XO

Full Recipe:

Bars:

1 Cup unsalted butter (two sticks)

1 Cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

Icing:

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup white choc chips

1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 11 baking dish or cookie sheet with non-stick baking spray.

2. Using your electric mixer, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, on medium speed for 3 minutes.

3. Add your flour half a cup at a time on low speed, until a dough forms.

4. Roll your dough/press into your baking sheet or dish, and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until edges are golden.

5. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

6. Melt white chocolate chips (you can use a double broiler, I used the microwave. Just do 20 second intervals.. stir each time.. easy and quick).

7. Beat the cream cheese until smooth with standing mixer. Mix in the melted chocolate (you want the chocolate to cool for a few minutes, you do not want it to cool completely or it will harden. But you do not want to add it to the cream cheese while scalding hot or it will curdle the cheese.) Mix until combined.

8. Spread the cream cheese on cooled cookie, top with fresh strawberries.