Lunch + Art = A Fabulous Afternoon

This past Saturday afternoon the women in my family had an early mother's day celebration at Cafe Sebastienne at the Kemper Museum. It was absolutely delightful. We feasted on flavorful bread, asparagus soup, ham and goat cheese sandwiches, couscous salad and we could not resist splitting the sinful flour-less chocolate cake :)

We ate lunch in the intimate and sunny courtyard. Afterwards, we enjoyed the galleries and of course, we ended up in the gift shop, which was perfect for a last minute Mother's Day gift!

Next time you visit the Kemper Museum make sure to stop by Cafe Sebastienne. It makes for a great afternoon get away; whether it be a hot date or a lunch out with the girls, it is a KC must!

Home Decor: Closet

TGIF!

Today marks the day that my closet is finally completed! I love the result! The work was completed by Matt Good Construction, a family friend. Check out the photos below:

I rarely go into Pier1, but I was out and about the other day, and found the perfect chair for my vanity! I love the print!

The vanity! Sorry it's a little blurry :)

The built-ins

Enjoy the weekend!!

The Incredible Edible Egg

For lunch today I cooked myself a very simple meal of toast and eggs and as I was cooking I thought of the sentiment, 'If you can cook an egg then you can cook.' For all of you who think you can't cook and want to try out eggs as your first cooked meal here a few tips for eggs and toast:

- Always use fresh (organic if possible) ingredients. For this meal the eggs are organic brown eggs from The Merc, the jam is homemade from the Minturn Market in Minturn, Colorado and the toast is fresh-baked from Wheatfields.

- As you are beating your eggs and preparing your ingredients put your pan on the stove (medium heat) to heat up the pan before you pour in the eggs.

- Add a little milk, pepper, and Lawry's season salt into the egg mix before you pour into the pan.

- Always add a bit of your favorite cheese to the eggs as they are cooking to add some extra flavor and texture.

- Most importantly, don't overcook the eggs. Once they are no longer juicy in the pan they should be done, you never want 'golden brown' eggs.


I hope these tips are helpful, enjoy your eggs and toast!

A Laid Back Cinco de Mayo

After a long day of work, a Cinco de Mayo celebration with friends was a must. However, dodging the crowds seemed just as important.

A roof top, Coronas, margaritas, music, festive dip, Manny's take-out (yum!) and best friends make for the best kind of celebrations. The simplicity of the get together, the on-going laughter and the intimate setting was exactly what we needed to unwind from our busy day.

How do you like to unwind w/ friends after a long day?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

E-mail subject today from a fellow dinner club member: HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

First reaction: Oh ya! Let's celebrate!

Next Reaction: I have to revamp my dinner menu to coincide with this celebration! I told my fellow dinner-club members to head over around 5:30. Hoping this would leave plenty of time to get to the store and prep. I knew I had to make my mom's black bean and feta dip: fast, easy and delicious!

Original Menu:

Sauteed Shrimp

Roasted Tomatoes

Angel-Hair Pasta

Bread

Salad

Revised Menu:

Black Bean and Feta Dip

Mexican Spiced Shrimp Quesadillas

Refried Beans

Southwestern Rice

Skinny Girl Margarita

Black Bean and Feta Dip:

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. package feta cheese

small can chopped black olives

1 bunch of cilantro - chopped

1 bunch green onions - finely chopped

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Layer all of the ingredients in a serving dish. Top with Red Wine Vinaigrette. Serve with tortilla chips. Simple, yet delicious!

Skinny Girl Margaritas:

Also tried making this margarita recipe for the first time. I must say, I was quite disappointed. I spent a lot of time juicing the limes, but found the result too tart. So I went with the traditional Gray family recipe: frozen limeade, tequila, cointreau (or triple sec) and ice in the blender. Tasty!!

After my friends left, I made dinner for the fiance. I made Mexican-spiced shrimp quesadillas, refried beans and rice. Perfect ending to the Cinco de Mayo celebration!

Furry Friends

Meet Our Pups:

Gracie

Gus

Our dogs always provide us with entertaining conversation. Each of our dogs play such a big role in our lives and are truly our most dear companions. We can always count on them to greet us with excitement and kisses. You can expect them to make many more appearances in the future!

Not yet pictured: Britain... coming soon :)

Note: Have you ever been to a social function where you did not know many of the party-goers? Pets are a great conversation starter! People love to share stories about their own furry friends :)

Delicious Salad from Sunday Dinner

We made this recipe for our family dinner on Sunday. It was delicious and very satisfying! It would be a beautiful lunch salad - just toss in some grilled chicken. The recipe is courtesy of our of our favorites: Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman

El Rancho Chopped Salad with Creamy Poblano Dressing

Serves 8

For the dressing:

1 large poblano chile

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 medium lime)

2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped (We used 2 cloves)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

Kosher Salt (We used 1/2 t.)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo) (technically for the salad to cook the bacon, but we added it to the dressing)

Roast the poblano chile with a kitchen torch, over a gas burner (our choice, see pictures below) or under an oven broiler until evenly charred. Using an oven mitt, place the chile in a brown bag, close the opening, and let the pepper steam for at least 10 minutes. Remove the pepper from the bag and peel off the skin, which should slide off easily. In the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, puree the poblano, cilantro, lime juice, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, and buttermilk until smooth. We added the evoo at this point. Season with salt and more lime juice. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the salad:

8 strips thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

8 ears sweet corn, unshucked (timesaver: we bought a bag of frozen corn)

Croutons (we bought ours from Dean & Deluca)

2 medium heads romaine lettuce, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 large ripe avocados, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 cup thinly sliced celery hearts

8 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

1 pint yellow or orange currant or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup finely grated Cojita cheese (we used Queso Fresco)

Have a plate lined with paper towels ready. Heat a grill to medium-hot. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the pieces are browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to the prepared plate. (Here is where you would grill the corn, we choose the timesaver route and bought already prepared corn).

Combine the lettuce, avocado, celery, green onions, tomatoes, bacon and corn kernels in a large salad bowl. Drizzle the salad with dressing and toss well to evenly coat the ingredients. Garnish the tossed salad with the croutons and grated cheese. Serve.