Dolled Up

Hello Friends! Happy Tuesday!

As you may have seen on my Instagram, MK and I attended this years Heart Ball this past weekend and I thought it would be the perfect time (as it may be my only super dressed up date night this year) to share this Dior Dictionary Word.

If I’m being honest, 97% of the time I think the word “dreamy” is stupid. But in this case, I just love the way Dior describes a ball gown. He truly makes it sound, well…dreamy. Even in a time when they dressed up far more than we do now he still creates such an image.

It was so fun to get all dressed up with The Husband. As I said, we, rarely get very dressed up these days. So I feel like this is a good reminder that every now and again, it’s important to dress up with your significant other. And as Dior said, having a beautiful gown in your closet is just as important as a suit and great for when you need to look nice for a fancy occasion.

Enjoy your day!

Just Add Europe

Helloooooo Friday!

I love when I randomly get inspired by such cool people. Last week while doing food photos at one of my accounts, I got to talking to one of the chef’s. She’s originally from around the Venice, Italy area. We got to talking about different places in Europe and her upcoming trip to Spain to see her family (they relocated). I was saying how much I liked Europe. She then asked me:

“What is it you like about Europe?”

I’m not going to lie my head went so many places because there truly is so much to love. The coast lines, the views, the wine, but what I really didn’t want to blurt out was oh the pasta! Even though it’s close to true. What I ended up saying was “The people. They seem to be so relaxed and just enjoy life.” Excitedly, my chef friend responded “ You’re so right!! People in Europe take time to enjoy. Americans are so obsessed with work, it’s all they care about.” This surly struck a cord with me. Not that work is a bad thing by any means but when I step back and look it is so easy for that to be your main priority.

I then stumbled across and article about a woman who moved to Spain when she was 20 and built a life and family there and among a few other things, she basically said the same thing. Life was much more relaxed over there. The people, not so obsessed with work.

I’m by no means saying to quit your job (unless that’s right for you), or abandon your current work ethic, believe me mine is alive and well, but I do feel it’s important to add a little Europe to your day and take a minute to just enjoy the day. Dust off those books you’re only halfway done with or are on your list to read, have a drink and good conversation and not look at your phone, or maybe even take a hot bath! Me? I say incorporate them all.

Along with adding Europe to your life, add it to your drink, too. I’m not going to lie this drink is delicious but also a tad unexpected.

*Recipe from Food Network

1. Cut tomatoes into slices, and let sit in vodka with a little salt for 6-12 hours.

2. Prick grape tomatoes and toss with balsamic in a bowl and marinate for 4 hours at tome temp.

3. Drain tomatoes and reserving vinegar. Bring vinegar to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, and simmer until syrupy, about 20 minutes; let cool.

4. For each drink, drizzle some of the balsamic into the bottom of a chilled martini glass. In a shaker, muddle 2-3 basil leaves with a splash of tomato vodka. Add 1 1/2 of the vodka and one cup ice, shake it and strain into glass. Garnish with grape tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella balls on a skewer.

   Serving this cocktail at a party is a great conversation starter or just a unique drink to switch up a usual martini.

   Enjoy the weekend Friends! Thanks for stopping by!

Play With Fire

This wasn’t the post that I intended for this week but there was no way I could ignore all the messages I got on Instagram after I posted our V-Day food on my stories. 

Before I get in to this easy and unique recipe I have to first share the story behind it. You may or may not know that we are very big fans of The Florida Keys and have been there many times. One of the first times that MK and I went there, my Aunt (long time resident and food aficionado) introduced us to an amazing Tapas restaurant in Key West called Santiago’s. We quickly fell in love and ordered all the food. 

One of the things we ordered was “Saganaki”. Flaming cheese? Bring it on. We were quite amazed and probably a little drunk when our waiter proceeded to pour alcohol on our dish and light it on fire, adding the perfect singe to the cheese. We asked about this dish and he simply said that it was goat cheese and what he poured on it was Brandy. When in Key West we never miss a stop to this favorite joint of ours.

Fast forward a few years and if you’ve been to a party of ours we usually whip out this easy and fun appetizer. This past Valentines Day we were talking about how we hadn’t made the dish in a while so we did. You guys needed to know what it was and how to make it. So here it is!  

What you need: 

Brandy (don’t get super cheap Brandy it won’t work as well about a $15 bottle will do) 

Goat cheese

Spices

What you do:

Press the goat cheese into an oven safe dish and spice it up. I use a ton of spices so have some fun with different flavors.  Then, bake in the oven on 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from the oven and quickly pour the Brandy all over the dish. 

Light it on fire and enjoy the fun and sizzle. The fire will go out on its own and the booze ads the perfect flavor!.

Serve with crackers, bread, or pita

I’m so glad you guys were into this easy and fun appetizer! And if you ever end up in Key West, do yourself a favor, head in to Santiago’s, order all the food, and drink too much wine. 

Happy Wednesday Everyone!