It's All About The Wine!

Happy Thursday! What a wonderful day it is here in Virginia! It’s beautiful outside and the most perfect temperature! It’s one of those days you could just take a nap outside :) actually Miss Lily did during our lunch break!

So I have two little tid bits to share about wine today. First, our neighbors who we love and are so lucky to have recently brought us over a new type of wine. The Mr.’s grandfather owns a small vineyard in West Virginia and produces his own wine! So every time we have a fun gathering they come over and bring us a new type. This past time they brought us an Alicante. I’d actually never tried this wine but was super excited to give it a go! I will start off by saying that it was delicious! It was a medium red with an incredibly smooth texture. It had a very soft taste and I could only compare it to a sweeter merlot or pinot noir. Both Mr. Tan Lines and I agreed that it was a great bottle and gift! I did a quick search and found that Total Wine (aka Mecca) carries two varieties of the Alicante.  I’m also extremely intrigued because from my research I found that it’s said to only be bottled in Alicante, Spain and some areas in Italy. So the fact that our neighbors grandfather has mastered this concoction has me very excited! I can’t wait to stock up and try the other brands :)

The second tid bit I wanted to share was this great article about women and wine making. It spotlights multiple women how have taken charge in producing some of the world’s best spirits!

http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/August-2013/Women-of-the-Still/

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green – My Book Review

Happy Tuesday! I finally finished reading this yesterday so I wanted to write my review! So spoiler alert, if you’re going to read the book STOP reading now, I will ruin it for you!

I’ll start by giving it a 3/10 on the crying scale. I would probably put The Notebook (the actual book) at around a 9 on this scale to give you an idea. Overall for reading quality I would give the book a 4/10. It was pretty slow, predictable, I found it boring at some points and the ending just failed to really pull at my heartstrings.

The book is about a girl named Hazel and a boy named Augustus, both of whom are suffering from some sort of cancer. They meet at a weekly cancer support group meeting and yup, you guessed it, they fall in love! So now the whole time you’re reading you’re just wondering which one is going to kick it first. The two main characters are both very smart, I did enjoy the witty banter between them. And I think the author did a really good job of capturing the emotions that terminally ill kids might be feeling. There was just one thing that felt out of place in the book, Hazel is obsessed with a book called An Imperial Affliction (totally fictional not a real book) that’s about a young girl with cancer and how her mother meets a wealthy man who plans to take them away and get the young girl this new cancer treatment. However, the book just ends, like stops mid-sentence so Hazel doesn’t know how it ends. She reads it over and over again and writes countless letters to the author asking him to tell her the ending. So then Augustus reads AI and also becomes infatuated with it and the story just swirls around this book and their obsession. I think I probably missed the deeper meaning here, I understood her obsession, but I would have liked more storyline about their developing love instead of book talk. The book ends sadly with Augustus passing away from a relapse however not before he wrote a eulogy for Hazel. It was sweet, but alas similar to An Imperial Affliction the book ends with the eulogy, so we don’t know what happens to Hazel, whether she ever gets better, what becomes of her parents and Isaac (a fellow cancer fighter).

I think this is one of those situations where the movie will be better than the book. I usually do not feel this way, but I think there is great potential to make it a bit more exciting for viewers. The movie is set for a release in 2014 and I was happy to see the actors who will be playing Hazel and Augustus on IMDB. It’s amazing how they can pick people that you already had imagined in your head!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/

Miss Lily & Some Recipes!

Happy Monday!

I have quite a few things to share today! First of all, today is Miss Lily’s 3 month birthday! I can’t believe we’ve had her for a whole month already, it really feels like just yesterday we picked her up! She is definitely getting more comfortable and into her own little routine.  The most progress she’s shown is getting into her crate all by herself now! She knows when it’s time for mommy to go to work she’s gotta get in! Here are some comparison pictures of Mr. Tan Lines and I with Miss Lily, so much growth in just 4 weeks :)

Today I wanted to share two of my favorite recipes. They also happen to be Mr. Tan Lines' favorites! On Saturday night we grilled steaks and I made my infamous twice cooked red skinned potatoes. Here is my recipe :)

What you need:

5-6 small red skinned potatoes (serving for 2)

Kosher salt

Pepper

Cumin powder

Basil (I had 2 fresh leaves)

Butter (light if you have it)

Crushed garlic

Garlic powder

Light extra virgin olive oil

Here’s what I did:

I cut my potatoes into fours and boiled them until they were fork tender.  Then I drained them and let them cool off in the sink. In the same pot I put 3 tbs of butter and 2 tbs of olive oil and once it was hot I dropped my potatoes in. I seasoned with 1/2 tbs of salt and 1/2 tbs fresh cracked black pepper, 1/2 tbs cumin,  2 freshly chopped basil leaves, 1 tbs crushed garlic and just a pinch of garlic powder. I stirred them then let them sit until they had a nice crunchy golden crust to them, super easy and super delicious! And a few tricks to my success, my parents gave us a basil plant about a month ago and my goodness has it grown, she is about 10x bigger then when we got her. The basil combined with the garlic made the house smell amazing!

Second, I got this neat product at Trader Joe’s, frozen crushed garlic cubes that you just punch out and use as needed, GREAT addition to my condiment collection! They also had some with basil and parsley I think.

Anyway, I almost always make these when we have steak, they just always turn out delicious and they’re really easy!

The second recipe I wanted to share is Mr. Tan Lines favorite, my shrimp tacos! We have these once a week, and they are just so delicious every time! Now if you’re like me a few years ago and thinking fish & Mexican flavor just don’t mix, let me just beg you to try this recipe,  it certainly won me over!

Side note, I always use frozen shrimp that is peeled and devained, but if you’re feeling fancy and have the time use fresh shrimp by all means!

What you need:

About 2 lbs frozen shrimp (2 people)

Whole wheat tortillas

Avacados

Tomatos

Taco cheese (low fat if you can find it)

Sour cream (I use light)

1 lime

Fresh cilantro

1 red onion

Light extra virgin olive oil

For the seasoning:

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs red chili powder

1/2 tbs kosher salt

1/2 tbs oregano

1/4 tbs pepper

1/4 tbs garlic powder

A few dashes of cayenne pepper (more if you like it really spicy)

Here’s what I did:

So here is the frozen shrimp we got at Walmart, I let them thaw per the instructions and then removed the tails.

Then I added all of my seasonings from above to the shrimp with 1 tbs of light olive oil. Mixed it all together and put back in the fridge.

Next I prepared my toppings, you can really use whatever you like on your tacos, this is just our preference. Avocados, tomatoes and red onion.

Then for the "salsa" I combined about 1 cup of light sour cream, the juice of one lime and usually I use about 4-5 tbs of fresh chopped cilantro but since Walmart was out I used this tube thing as a substitute. I probably put in about 3 tbs. Do you like my little helper in the background? :)

Here is what the end product looked like.

Now for the assembly. I pan fried my shrimp with a little bit of olive oil and threw my tortillas in my miniature oven for 2-3 minutes at 400 degrees, just trying to warm them up. Then I spread the sour cream mixture on the tortilla, threw about 8-9 shrimp on it (they are small and the tortillas are big!), sprinkle some Mexican cheese on top, then added our toppings! A little time consuming up front but super delicious!

If you decide to make them I hope you love them! :)

Get Your Puppy Fix!

Happy Thursday everyone!

I wanted to share one of my favorite links with you, something that will brighten up anyone’s day! It’s a live cam of the newest litter of Labrador puppies to join the Warrior Canine Connection (WCC)!!  The WCC is staffed by volunteers who help nurture the puppies and provide “positive bonds with humans” before sending them to be trained to assist our wounded vets! :)

This facility is located in Brookeville, MD which isn’t too far from where we live!

It’s a great way to get your puppy fix throughout the day, I know it always puts a smile on my face!

Enjoy :)

http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/service-puppy-cam

Connecticut Wedding!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I’m sorry I’ve been MIA lately, but I’ve been pretty busy! I wanted to start off by giving you a Miss Lily update, she is doing fabulous! We missed her so much this weekend while we were in New Haven, Connecticut for a wedding! M&M puppy sat all weekend and we were so thrilled to pick her up yesterday :)

So, back this wedding! Mr. Tan Lines' cousin got married this past weekend and boy was it a beautiful wedding! We headed up Friday late in the afternoon which was so yuck, traffic + rain made for a very long road trip! We spent Saturday hanging out with his family, which obviously I had never met and it was so much fun! We also had the most delicious homemade lasagna for dinner that his Aunt B made…nom nom nom!

Sunday, was wedding day :) The ceremony was held in this beautiful little white church. The bride looked stunning in her dress and so did her bridesmaids! The reception was held at a place called Anthony’s that is right on the water in East Haven and wow was it a spectacular venue! We had beautiful views of the water as you can see below!

The cocktail hour did not disappoint! There was so much food! There was a raw bar, a pizza station, a bruschetta station, various mini sandwiches and pin wheels…and more..they passed around various fried yummies as well, cheese sticks and calamari to name a few! We had to pace ourselves or else we wouldn’t have had room for dinner! After about an hour we headed in and really got to take in the venue. It was held in a large room and decorated with white everywhere! They had beautiful draping and up-lighting on the walls. Here are some pics of the the views and inside the venue!

After the formal entrance and speeches it was time for dinner! Dinner included four different pasta stations, chicken, fish, rice, tons of different veggies, filet mignon and beef loin cutting station, mashed potatoes and green beans! I put as much as I could on my place and enjoyed every bit of it! My favorite was the filet mignon and the pasta with vodka sauce!

After dinner it was time for dancing, we had a blast dancing the night away to all of our old favorites! I loved meeting more of my future family and I cannot wait to see them again in October for our big day :)

New York! New York!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Mr. Tan Lines and I love planning for the future, we recently planned a trip to New York City for this December. We have both been before, but he was very young the last time he was there! My sister Luti and I went in June 2009 right after I graduated from college as a fun girls getaway weekend! Because I am so excited about our trip this winter I wanted to share all of the fun we had with you and maybe give you some ideas if you’re planning on going too :)

Well, first of all we drove. And it rained the ENTIRE way which was a bummer but we made it alright! It took about 4.5 hours, we stopped a few times and the tunnel was backed up as usual, but eventually we made it!

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel which has a great location and great rooms!

We grabbed a quick bite then got ready for our very first Broadway show!! Prior to arriving we had purchased tickets to see The Lion King and we were both super excited! It was AMAZING and I would see it again and again if I could! If you’re ever in New York this would be my first recommendation, it was a great show!

On Saturday we decided to do all of the touristy activities since we hadn’t done them in years! We headed to the Statue of Liberty and did the boat tour which was fun! The lines can get pretty long, luckily we got there early so it wasn’t too bad, but keep that in mind! I also paid this statue man $5 to take a picture with me, definitely a great ‘Merica pic!

Next we visited Rockefeller Center and walked around, took some pics.  This is a place I am particularly excited to visit in the winter, I can’t wait to see all of the people ice-skating!

After that we headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral which was just breathtaking and a wonderful place to see. The architecture is beautiful and the inside art work is just incredible!

Next…phew I know right?! We headed to the Top of the Rock! We opted for this instead of the Empire State Building for a few reasons, first of all…it’s cheaper…a lot cheaper to do this option. It’s also less crowded and…

Most importantly, you get pictures like this!

Next we headed to the M&M store which is a true tourist trap! There is so much to see and buy in that place, I’m amazed I walked out empty handed! We also did some shopping down on 5th avenue and walked around the streets for quite some time. We braved the subway so we were able to get around relatively cheap!

Afterwards we hit Magnolia Bakery which we’d heard great things about and got two cupcakes. Worth the entire trip…the best red velvet cupcake that I’ve ever had!

Finally, we decided to go out for a nice dinner. We originally wanted to try one of Bobby Flay’s restaurants, but they do that weird thing where they close in the middle of the day for a few hours and because it was all the way downtown we decided to stay close to our hotel for dinner. This is also one thing I can’t wait to do on our trip, Bar American here we come! We ended up at City Lobster which was a delicious meal! It was pretty empty inside but no matter, we got a nice bottle of wine and Luti ordered the lobster, rarrrr! And I ordered the filet mignon! Both were delicious and we had a great time!

Sunday before heading out we headed to Times Square and just people watched for a bit and I took a picture with this NYPD station!

All in all it was a fabulous trip and I hope that we can do another fun sister girls trip in the future!

I also had to share this picture..a Taco Bell somewhere in Jersey…yikes!

Happy Monday! :)

I hope you all had a great weekend! We sure did! We went to a friend’s housewarming/4th of July party on Saturday and Mr. Tan Lines parents arrived Saturday night to spend a few days with us! We are traveling north next weekend for a wedding so they decided to stop by on the way. We love having them around and we are so happy they are here! They are also taking care of our baby Lily so it’s nice to know she’s getting some lovin’ while we aren’t there. They’ve never been to Chipotle, they don’t have any in Alabama so we are taking them for their first time tonight! I can’t wait for them to experience it! Here are a few recent pics of Miss Lily!

Here is a great crafty article I found featuring 32 Unexpected Things To Do With Balloons! I was browsing through one of my favorite sites, Buzzfeed, and stumbled upon this article. It had too many cute ideas in it not to share, enjoy :)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/unexpected-things-to-do-with-balloons

Dancin' Shoes!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a great 4th of July! I don’t think I’ve mentioned that the 4th of July is my absolute favorite holiday! I just love fireworks so much and I love how patriotic it always feels! We didn’t get to see live fireworks this year, poor Miss Lily is so scared of them! But we did play with some sparklers on our deck :) I also put a picture below of Miss. Lily rockin’ her red!

This past week we finished yet another DIY wedding craft! The location of our wedding reception is outdoors and the floor is made of brick, not very barefoot friendly! So I wanted to give out flip flops to the ladies in case they wanted to take their shoes off! Luck was definitely in our favor as last week Old Navy had all of their flip flops on sale for $1 !! We couldn’t believe it! We headed there early in the morning and picked up 30 pairs of flip flops! We were told we weren’t the only wedding party there that day, all of the white flip flops were already gone! However it worked out better as we got all of ours in a pretty light blue color that matches everything else!

Yesterday I went to Home Goods and found this amazingly perfect box to hold all of our flip flops! I was planning on buying a box then adding some paint, pictures of seashells etc. but this one turned out much better than expected! It matches our colors perfectly and has the beach theme with "Anchors Away" written on it...love!

When I left Home Goods I walked by Michael’s and noticed that they had ribbon on sale for $1, I know right?! Another great deal! I grabbed 12 rolls of all different blue ribbons, used my 15% off coupon and ended up only paying $10!

When I got home I removed the Old Navy tags from all of the flip flops and wrote the size of each flip flop on the bottom, making it easy for people to find their size! I then proceeded to tie a piece of ribbon on each pair, securing them together and adding a really cute touch! They look so cute in the box, and I really love the different ribbons! This DIY turned out great and I can’t wait for everyone to see it :)

Crabfest 2013!

I can’t believe how fast this weekend flew by! We had a pretty great and busy one. Saturday we hosted our second annual Crabfest soiree! It was a huge success and everyone had a great time! We headed down into DC around 11am and arrived at The Wharf a little before noon. We had the routine down from last year so we headed straight for the crab legs! We ordered 20 pounds of the large crab legs, 5 pounds of shrimp and 4 dozen medium female blue crabs. The prices are great there too, we paid $170 for the crabs, $50 for the shrimp and $1 a crab for the whole ones! Last year we made a real morning of it and looked around for a bit, then got a steaming hot bowl of the freshest clam chowder and sat by the water and relaxed! We were just so anxious to get back to Lily this year that we wanted to be in and out! Not to mention it was almost 90 degrees out! They steam and flavor all of your seafood for you right there, so about an hour and a half later we were on the road heading back home! You can also take it home frozen and cook it yourself, but it’s much easier to have them do it! Here is a picture of Mr. Tan Lines at the front of The Wharf!

We also cooked a classic shrimp boil for everyone, something that is very common in the south, but most of our friends hadn’t experienced! We cooked shrimp, 10 ears of corn and about 10 pounds of small red potatoes in a huge pot seasoned with cajun packs. This turned out great, everyone enjoyed the shrimp and potatoes! We are actually serving this same dish at our rehearsal dinner! The restaurant where we are hosting it will do all of the cooking, but we can’t wait, it’s going to be delicious!

All in all it was yet another successful hangout with all of our friends, can’t wait until next year! :)

We also introduced Miss Lily to all of our friends which was also a success! She just loves people and everyone thought she was so great! :) She was so worn out by the end of the day; she even slept in with us on Sunday!