Friday, January 28, 2011

weekly gratitude: third edition


Although I missed last weekend, I'm back for this week's reflection of things that I'm thankful for:
  • Thank you daily planner for helping me remember the things I'm supposed to do everyday. 
  • Thank you to brie cheese for being so delicious on sliced baguette. Yum!
  • Thank you to my husband for understanding when I just need to cry, freak out, and then cuddle. 
  • Thank you "No Strings Attached" for being so hilarious. 
  • Thank you February issue of Real Simple for the fresh organizing ideas! 
  • Thank you GAP for having some amazing sales this week to rescue me from my winter wardrobe blahs.
  • Thank you BFF for a great chat this week - (I miss her so much!)
  • Thank you Lennon for always being so happy to see me, especially at the end of a long day, it makes things so much better! 
  • Thank you black bean brownies for being my new delicious treat. 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

brunching

brunching: eating brunch. one of my favorite things to do. so favorite, in fact that it was the meal that we served at our wedding reception. 






this weekend hubby and i went to yolk. it was only our second time, and the first time we had excellent service, prompt food, so we figured we'd test it a second time to see if it was just a fluke. their menu is ginormous, so naturally i assume that to mean that it's going to be inconsistent quality. WRONG. the food really is good, service is good, and we didn't have to wait even 5 minutes to be seated; as we were leaving, the line was out the door. i had a frittata with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and goat cheese; hubby had the fajita omelet. both were absolutely delicious & we had plenty of leftovers for breakfast the next day. yum!

xoxo

Saturday, January 15, 2011

weekly gratitude: second edition


things that i'm thankful for this week:
  • oranges: they're so yummy right now! i've been eating 3 a day. 
  • my sister: she will go with me to see cheesy romantic comedies and not complain. ever.
  • our juicer/hubby: hubby  made me fresh orange juice this week when my throat hurt. it was fabulous.
  • my daily planner: it's lovely and colorful and helps me get through the mundane work weeks.
  • netflix instant: one of the greatest inventions of all time (in my humble opinion), especially for those of us without cable television. it gets me through the winter. 
  • my job: exciting new things are happening at work; and i'm also really excited to use my FOUR weeks of vacation this year. hooray!

xoxo

Sunday, January 09, 2011

epic burger


Friday night my younger (youngest) sister and I went for burgers at Epic Burger. Pardon the poor quality, but all the only camera I had with me was my phone camera. These burgers and fries really are amazing. Seriously, so delicious! And I love the Epic Rules!

PS. They also have turkey burgers for my non-(red)meat eating friends.

xoxo

Saturday, January 08, 2011

weekly gratitude: first edition




As a way to remind myself of the good things that happen during my week, I decided to participated in the Love, Life, Lace: Weekly Gratitude movement. It's important to remind myself that although I might have good/bad/ugly weeks, I have so many sources of hope, love, and inspiration in my life that bless me. I'm grateful for these things, but I don't always take the time to reflect. Yes, they may be silly, but together they make me very thankful for my life. 

  • Thank you fat-free half and half for making my coffee so much tastier, especially because I drink 5 cups a day.
  • Thank you Epic Burger for being the best burger joint in Chicago, and thank you sister for joining me in my Epic obsession.
  • Thank you CTA bus driver who tried so desperately to get my fare card to work, and after four attempts, succeeded.
  • Thank you husband for taking the dog out when it's (literally) freezing outside and I don't want to 'layer up'.
  • Thank you radiator for the warm towel post-shower.
  • Thank you Mom for listening to me freak out about nonsense, and assuring me that it's all going to be okay.
  • Thank you Lennon for cuddling with me and keeping me company when husband is gone.
  • Thank you 2011 for a fresh start, and for renewing hope for the future.


(...This feels a little Alanis Morissette 'Thank You'...)

xoxo

weekly gratitude: first edition

 

 
As a way to remind myself of the good things that happen during my week, I decided to participated in the Love, Life, Lace: Weekly Gratitude movement. It's important to remind myself that although I might have good/bad/ugly weeks, I have so many sources of hope, love, and inspiration in my life that bless me. I'm grateful for these things, but I don't always take the time to reflect. Yes, they may be silly, but together they make me very thankful for my life.


  • Thank you fat-free half and half for making my coffee so much tastier, especially because I drink 5 cups a day.

  • Thank you Epic Burger for being the best burger joint in Chicago, and thank you sister for joining me in my Epic obsession.

  • Thank you CTA bus driver who tried so desperately to get my fare card to work, and after four attempts, succeeded.

  • Thank you husband for taking the dog out when it's (literally) freezing outside and I don't want to 'layer up'.

  • Thank you radiator for the warm towel post-shower.

  • Thank you Mom for listening to me freak out about nonsense, and assuring me that it's all going to be okay.

  • Thank you Lennon for cuddling with me and keeping me company when husband is gone.

  • Thank you 2011 for a fresh start, and for renewing hope for the future.


(...This feels a little Alanis Morissette 'Thank You'...)

xoxo

green tea and prisonbreak





my parents bought us these mugs for our 4th anniversary last year. i guess we needed reminders that we love each other(?!). periodically, i make us use them simultaneously for dramatic effect.

xoxo

Thursday, January 06, 2011

easy as pie. rather: easy as pasta.






this is one of my "go to" meals for busy week night dinners. how easy is it to brown some ground turkey (add a tablespoon of italian spices), cook pasta (whole wheat linguine for us) and assemble a salad? yes, that easy. the result is delicious and nutritious. yes, i meant that to rhyme.

xoxo,
pilar

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

home skillet





tonight husband made dinner. gotta love when my hubby cooks. and tonight he was so proud of these potatoes he could hardly stop smiling to eat his dinner. confession: we are 'home fries' fanatics. our most favorite place to brunch in the city m.henry. their house potatoes are out-of-this-world amazing. while we can't brunch there everyday, we do, every so often try to re-create their masterpiece at home. these potatoes (by far) have come the closest to meeting the match of the m.henry potatoes. and all the credit goes to hubby. well, and rachel ray because that's where he found the recipe:

ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds red skinned potatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (hubs used rotisserie chicken flavoring)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika


instructions:
preheat oven to 500 degrees 
coarsely chop potatoes and transfer to a nonstick baking sheet. toss with oil, peppers, onions and seasonings and place in the oven for 25 minutes, turning twice. 
enjoy!

to finish the meal, hubs added scrambled egg whites (with ground turkey and shredded cheddar), and a salad. yum!

xoxo,
pilar