The Holidays

Hello all! I hope everyone's holidays were wonderful! We had a great time, but a very busy time!

Wed 12/20- After shopping, getting groceries, cleaning, and working, we went to a Christmas party and had a blast. This was the start of a long "week".

Thurs 12/21- Tonight (after another big day!) we went into Denton for the other company Christmas party. We had everyone at Master Grill, a churrascaria (brazilian steakhouse) and it was great! The food was wonderful, the wine and drinks (lol) were great, and we had a lot of fun.

Fri 12/22- Our Christmas party at our house. Right in the middle of the entire crazy busy week, we had our annual party here. We made a big dinner for everyone- vodka cream pasta with fresh basil, and garlic white wine chicken, salad, garlic bread, cheeses, fruits, cookies, oh YUM. There was hot cocoa (with spirits of course!) for dessert, holiday music, movies, and great company!

Sat 12/23- Tonight was Lesa's surprise birthday party and it was so much fun!! They let me plan it...normally Parties at Your Place is just that, at someone's place, but this one demanded a special night out. So, a big stretch Escalade limo picked everyone up. We went to Sambuca Uptown and had a private room. It was divine! The live jazz and dark, swanky atmosphere was so perfect and the food was incredible! We usually go to the Sambuca in Addison, but this one tops it. Everyone's food was impeccable, and we went through wine- and mojitos, and martinis, and who knows what else- like water. Then, back in the limo and we toured Highland Park for Christmas lights while having champagne and spirits in the limo. Those lights were gorgeous, but we were all having so much fun we didn't get to see them all! LOL. After that, we went to The Velvet Hookah in Deep Ellum to continue the party. Many drinks and hookahs later, we got home. Overall it was such a fun night, and she was so surprised!

Sun 12/24- Happy Christmas Eve. Papa won the "Christmas Eve Gift" this year, because he answered the phone with that when I called- drat, should have called him at 3:30am when we got home LOL. Today we cooked all day to get ready to take things to my Mom and Dad's. We made roasted garlic spread, breads, marinated mozzarella, and put together a cheese board. That damn garlic spread took about 4 hours LOL and my house smelled like garlic all day! (I think we roasted like 36 heads!) Then we headed off to Denton to see everyone. We had a great meal, opened presents, told stories, listened to music, sat by the fire, and just spent time together. It was such a nice evening. Then, home by about 1am, and getting stuff ready for the next day!

Mon 12/25- MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed and safe Christmas! This morning Matt and I exchanged gifts. He got me the fabulous new perfume I've been wanting (yay!) and a gorgeous vintage diamond pendant necklace. I LOVE IT! I got him a new camcorder and all the fun accessories. Then we packed up the car and headed into Denton. There we had one side of the family for a small Santa thing, and opened our gifts and stockings and had breakfast. This is our tradition with that side of the family, which is so nice. Then the rest of the family and extended family showed up and we opened more gifts and watched football (GO EAGLES!) and ate and drank more LOL. My mom and dad put together an amazing Christmas dinner- tenderloin with all the trimmings- and we ate and drank even more. (Getting tired of all the goodies- lol!) Then we came home around 6pm and had a nice night together all cozied up for our first married Christmas!

It was a crazy "week" but we enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to everyone that made it so special. We love you all and have a very Happy New Year!!

Updates

Hello all!

So sorry it's been over a month since my last post! It's been wild and crazy over here, of course. Working like crazy, getting ready for the holidays and all kinds of stuff. There really is too much minutia to write about, but I am sure all of you are in the same boat- too much to do and too little time to do it!

We did have a lot of fun at the company Christmas party on Friday night, and we did a surprise birthday party for 15 for my dad on the 13th. I catered that and took a full surf and turf dinner for 15 to Denton...lol, yes I am crazy. That same day (12/13) Frisco was having a toy drive and we were so pleased to donate a full car load of toys! Troy Dungan from Channel 8 and the Mayor of Frisco unloaded my car (with the top down, lol!) and it was so sweet. That really got me in the mood for Christmas, and we got our tree decorated and drank lots of hot cocoa.

I hope that everyone has a very merry Christmas and happy holiday season!

Too busy to post!! Updates!

Hey guys!

I've been too busy to post...I haven't been blogging in awhile! Between the spa and the growing (!) consulting business and the other new business ventures, I'm slammed! It's been a parade of meetings and networking, clients and projects etc.

Plus we're trying to stay really active going out and meeting other couples. There have been wine tastings, parties, new restaurants, etc. I'll try to remember to post on here when we find something fun! There is a new wine bar in McKinney called Zin Zen that I am dying to try. Cute name, and Zin is my fav!! (Gnarly Head is the best) We also found out about this place called Tijuana in Uptown and on Monday nights they have lobster or prime rib with sides and soup also served with a yummy Chilean wine for under $10!!!! What a deal. And, Zea Woodfire Grill here in Frisco is pretty good...we had a big meeting there and it wasn't bad.

And girls, I had a blast on Friday...that wine party was way too fun...I had no idea we'd be up that late...LOL. It's like a throw back to the slumber party at the Anatole!

Madeline has turned 1!! Can you believe it? What a cutie! Our Isabella is 10 weeks old now and cute as can be!! Darby and Zoe have really warmed up even more and Darby and Bella are best friends...its too cute.

I've been doing some shopping lately too (in all the "spare" time LOL) and I had a great "Ross day" the other day. You never know about Ross, but sometimes it's amazing! I got some fabulous iron and a gorgeous mirror and wall clock- REALLY amazing stuff for SO cheap! Love that. (I am redoing our guest bath-again!) I found the most adorable Nicole Miller shower curtain and that inspired the whole re-do.

M and I are doing great, about to celebrate 8 months! We've booked our tickets to PA for January, we are staying in town for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year since we were gone all last year. I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost just a week away!! I have shopping to do for Christmas, although I have finished our Christmas cards, just have to stamp and send out the first week of December.

Tomorrow is the big corporate event (150 people!) and I am looking forward to that. Toby, thanks for all your help in getting that organized! Donna and Lisa, ya'll too! I had fun at LaMadeline with ya'll...LOL :)

Michelle, my hair is too cute...you did a great job...thanks! And I love those new products :) I've been meaning to write that for a couple weeks now!

Hope everyone is doing great...we'll talk to ya soon...hugs :)

Home Sweet Home

We're back from our trip to Lake Tahoe and it was a lot of fun! We left on Sunday and stayed through Thursday. We were supposed to leave Friday, but decided to come home due to several things- our alarm going off, tons of work to do, and having seen all there was to see in Tahoe! (in the off season) We were very adventurous and got up early every day to explore all we could. We even drove around the whole lake in one day (72 miles, plus hiking, sightseeing, shopping, etc) 72 miles doesn't seem like a lot, but on mountain roads-it is! Took about 6 hours...so pretty!

So- I can't wait to get our pictures up- Tahoe is GORGEOUS! We had a blast driving around the lake and hiking (A LOT!!), a bit of rock climbing (nothing too serious!), snuggling by the fire in our condo and drinking homemade hot cocoa. It was the perfect getaway! This was the off-season in Tahoe, so a lot of places were closed, especially ski-related places. We did not go to ski, we went for the scenery and for some "couple time". We definitely got all that! The lake is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. It's SO blue, like a sapphire, and the mountains, trees, winding roads, crashing waves against rocks, and small mountain towns were just SO charming! I highly recommend everyone go!

Getting away is nice, but we're glad to be back home. I love the home we've made and it's always so nice to come back and be with our babies too!

TWO YEARS!!

It's our 2 year anniversary of being together! Happy Anniversary Honey!! Love you!

VIP Wine Tasting and the Best Dinner Ever!

Today we got together with our group for a "VIP Wine Tasting" at Premier Wines in Plano. It was a blast! We tried 15 (yeah, 15!!) wines and they were all wonderful. They had cheese, bread, and fresh meats for us to have with the wine. We shopped in their boutique and bought a delicious vintage French Bordeaux, an amazing Australian Cab, a fun French champagne de peche (great brunch wine!) and several bottles of "blue wine". That is a "wine" made from the Blue Agave cactus, and it tastes like a margarita. Fun for a twist on traditional wine, (or margaritas!) and it will be a fun party wine.

I highly recommend this fabulous place. They have several tasting rooms and hold classes and tastings (private, corporate, public, etc).

We were then told about a great Italian restaurant called Covino's in Plano. It's off Parker and Independence and if you haven't been- you HAVE to go! It's kind of a hole in the wall place (in a shopping center) and we thought, uh oh, but WOW, it was one of the best meals we've had in a long time! AND ITS BYOB!!! So, we had a fabulous meal (calamari, I had gnocci with beef and garlic and marinara, and M had cioppini (seafood and linguine with a red clam and white wine sauce) and garlic bread, salad, and tiramisu- the best ever!) along with our favorite wine. YOU HAVE TO GO!

What a fabulous day! We have a brunch tomorrow morning with a big group of us at Kathleen's Art Cafe in Plano. I've been for lunch, but we'll let you know how brunch is.

The Best Husband Award Goes To....

My honey is the sweetest thing! Our two year anniversary of being together is Sun 10/22/06 and so he completely caught me off guard on Friday night by coming home with 2 dozen roses, a bottle of our favorite wine (Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin) and a lovely dinner! He totally pampered me with a foot massage and a bubble bath...what a sweetie! It's hard to surprise me, but he pulled it off. Thanks honey, I love you so much!

Prayers Needed

Prayers are needed for our friend Derek and his family. He is part of the company softball team and he was playing pitcher on Thursday's game.

He was hit with a line drive ball that shattered his fingers (his hand was trying to block his face) and broke three bones around his eye. One bone shoved into his sinuses and he underwent surgery and will need plastic surgery as well.

His wife, Selene, is pregnant with their second child. Their first, Elizabeth, is just over 1 year old. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers!

A New Baby!

We've received a new baby!!! The wonderful addition to our little family is Isabella, a beautiful little 6 week old chihuahua puppy. She is SOO cute! She is really working hard to fit in with our older babies and hold her own. She is eating well and sleeping through the night, most of the time. Potty training is still in progess, although she does good on the pee-pads and outside sometimes. She is just over 1 lb. so it's hard to put her in the grass (she gets lost!!!) I'll get pictures of her up soon.

5 for 5 meme!

5 for 5 meme!
Lace tagged me, and it looks like a fun one!

1) Five Minutes to yourself. How would you spend them ideally?
Reading
Napping
Playing with the babies
Talking to a friend
Stretching and taking some deep breaths

2) Five Dollars to spend right now. How or where would you spend it?
Everyone else got me in the mood for Wendys!!
I would put it into savings, LOL
A new doggie toy for the kiddos
Admission to a state park and go starwatching
Parking downtown and go shopping

3) Five Items at your house you could part with right now?
M’s receipt “collection” (packrat!)
Bills and papers to be filed (BURN EM!)
Old stuff in the garage
CLUTTER CLUTTER CLUTTER
The dining nook table (Hate it!)

4) Five Items in your house you absolutely, positively could never part with?
(Family and doggies aside)
My bed
My pictures
Some of my vintage posters
A throw that I LOVE
My pillow

5) Five Words you love?
Love
Hope
Laugh
Dream
Bliss

5 people I will tag...
Anyone who wants to do it!

I'm baaack!

Wow! Seems like I haven't posted in forever- almost a month! Well, things have been very busy. We went to Philly for a Thurs-Tues trip and had a lot of fun. We saw the WHOLE family, went to a friend's wedding and enjoyed a surprise 6month wedding reception for us! SO sweet!

Things have also been busy around the house and with work. I have two new clients I am consulting for and I'm starting yet another business!! The spa is going great and growing by leaps and bounds! (We were just in Lucky Magazine in OCT, so we got national exposure!) Massasge Therapy Journal is working on a profile of the company and that is due out at the first of the year.

M is feeling quite a bit better, although there is still some swelling in the ankle and knee- we'll probably be going to another orthpaedic surgeon for an MRI. Today is my big day for the endocrinologist and fertility specialist. (Cross your fingers!!) We get to learn about all the fun interventions to get us pregnant- IVF, IUF, hormones and the like. Fun, fun!

I have also been cooking a ton! I have some new recipes to share that are just out of this world!! First is a Vodka Cream Pasta that will knock you over and the other is the most amazing Garlic Tenderloin-yum (and Roasted Garlic Soup!) Enjoy :)

Vodka Cream Pasta

INGREDIENTS
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka (good quality)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28-32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such linguine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 10-20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Serve with:
• Crusty bread, for passing

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan (3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup). Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

Now I served this with salad, rosemary ciabatta bread, and an herbed chicken breast.

For the chicken, just cut into strips, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and then coat with a breadcrumb mixture (store bought breadcrumbs combined with italian herbs, salt, pepper, fresh grated parmesan will work if you dont make your own) Then heat a moderate amount of olive oil in a large skillet with a touch of butter and brown the chicken on both sides. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and fresh grated parmesan. Serve on top of the pasta!! YUM!

Here are the garlic recipes-WOW!

Rib Eye Steak with Garlic
Ingredients:
Serves 4
2 rib-bone rib eye steaks, (2-3 inches thick)
Gray salt
freshly ground pepper
4 Tbs. olive oil
1/4-cup roasted garlic paste (recipe below)
1/3-cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Season steak all over with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet.
4. Sear the steak on all sides until well browned.
5. Spread roasted garlic paste on top of steak.
6. Place in oven, and finish for 20-25 minutes for medium rare.

Roasted Garlic Paste

Ingredients:
Yields 1 cup
1 lb. whole garlic heads
1/2-cup pure olive oil
gray salt
freshly-ground pepper
1/4 -cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic.
3. Cut off the top third of each head to open the cloves.
4. Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cover tightly, place in the oven and roast until about 3/4 cooked (about 45 minutes).
7. Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown (about 15 minutes). Let cool.
8. When cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl.
9. Press firmly against the skins to extract all the sweet roasted garlic you can.
10. Add the oil from the baking dish, the Parmesan cheese, rosemary and a pinch of gray salt.
11. Mix well until a paste forms. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.


Poached Garlic Soup
Ingredients: Serves 4-6

2 cups garlic cloves
Gray salt
freshly-ground pepper
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup finely chopped leek
1/2-cup diced celery
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup diced, peeled russet potatoes
1 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh oregano
4 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half or buttermilk

Directions:
1. Peel the garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the central greenish core.
2. Bring a small pan of salted water to a boil. Add garlic cloves.
3. Drain and repeat twice to remove the garlic’s heat and leave only sweetness behind.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until hot.
5. Add the onion, leek, and a little salt to draw the water out of the onion.
6. Cover and cook until the vegetables are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the oregano, potatoes, blanched garlic and stock.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the vegetables are very tender (about 15 minutes).
10. Puree the soup in a blender or use an immersion blender.
11. Taste for seasoning. Add in the raw spinach. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen).
12. Reheat the soup in a large pan over low heat.
13. Whisk in the cream, heat through and taste for seasoning.
14. Ladle into warm bowls and serve.

Chef's note: For added flavor poach whole heads of garlic in stock