Hello there! I can’t believe that it is just about mid-August. Where does the time go? Seriously. Where is my ‘stop time so I can think’ machine? I hope you all had a nice weekend and are soaking up the last few moments of summer. I experimented with a curry recipe this weekend which didn’t turn out the best, tried to get organized with the randomness of my desk, had some contemplative moments about life, went for a bike ride, and attended a friend’s margarita party. But first . . . . and foremost . . . (more…)
August 8, 2010
July 25, 2010
Buitoni Pasta Party
This weekend is already flying by! It always goes by way too fast, especially when you’re trying to balance work and play 🙂 How was your weekend? I had the wonderful opportunity to host a Buitoni Pasta Party for some of my friends Saturday evening, which included lots of good food, conversation and vino to wash it down. Join me for a tasty re-cap! (more…)
July 13, 2010
gangsta luv
Wazzz up my readers?! Don’t worry I haven’t gone loopy on you, well almost, but I did have the wonderful opportunity to see the one and only Snoop Dogg on Sunday night/Monday morning! It was at the night club Rain in the Palms Hotel. It was a private party for the group at pokerstars.net, which I have no affiliation with, but a good friend offered me a ticket and I was like . . . heck yes!
Now many of you may be quite confused . . . Kristen? A Snoop fan? That sweet, white girl likes rap and hip hop? Well, actually I do! Many of you may not know that I love to get my groove on since I’ve been a dancer for most of my life and on dance teams in high school and college. While my predominatly ectomorphic body type really was best for ballet, I sure like to busta move on the dance floor with some good ol’ hip hop. Probably one of my other favorite artists of this genre is Ludacris. I’m not going to lie, I was struggling on Monday morning, but let’s recap a great evening, shall we? . . . (more…)
July 5, 2010
food, friends, and independence
I just love three day weekends! With that one extra day it feels like so much more can be accomplished, in addition to some much needed relaxation. I’m so thankful I was able to have it off. I sure hope you guys had a nice fourth of July no matter what you were up to, working or otherwise. There was much to celebrate and be thankful for with great food, fun times with friends, and our country’s independence . . . (more…)
June 7, 2010
weekend with friends
Boy this past weekend flew by for me! Well, I do say that most every weekend, but this one was packed with friend meet-ups and recovering from late nights 🙂 It was nice to catch back up with good friends since we’ve been caught up with life and busy with cycling, school and work. Sometimes it sure is hard to keep in touch with everyone, although I know that shouldn’t be an excuse. Do you find it hard to juggle it all sometimes? I sure do and I hope that my buds don’t think any less of our friendship. So here’s to a great weekend catching back up with good friends 🙂 (more…)
April 26, 2010
whirlwind wedding weekend
Hello! Boy this last weekend flew by and was jam-packed with fun wedding festivities and new road bike adventures! I’m still playing catch up and felt pretty terrible today with the lack of sleep catching up with me and my tummy wasn’t happy for some reason. I swear I felt like someone hit me over the head with a hammer and didn’t let me sleep all night, but I didn’t even drink anything! Weird. Anyway, I thought I’d do a quick re-cap of the weekend. Hope you all are doing well, I have so much to catch up on! I can’t post most of the wedding and bachelorette party pictures for obvious reasons, but by clicking on this link to read more you understand that there are a few pictures that involve adult content and are not safe for work! (more…)
February 15, 2010
simple, sweet and full of love
I can hardly believe yet another long weekend is about to come to a close! I always enjoy having an extra day 🙂 I hope you all had a nice weekend as well! Our Valentine’s was simple, sweet and pretty low-key filled with a few parties, a nice bike ride and a new breakfast creation . . . (more…)
February 8, 2010
Sunday Funday
Boy, Sunday just flew by and was packed with a lot of food!! Hope you had a nice Super Bowl and/or Sunday. I wasn’t really rooting for anyone in particular and only watched maybe the last part of the game (the most thrilling part!), but it was kind of nice to see the underdog win. Sorry Colts fans!
The day started out really nice with a casual and easy breakfast of (more…)
February 6, 2010
crispy, flaky goodness
I had some leftover phyllo in the freezer from when I made chocolate baklava over the holidays and I had been contemplating what to do with it. I saw Diana made this wonderful almond pastry (galette des rois) and really wanted to try that, but it used puff pastry not phyllo. Hmmm, soon I had the idea to try my hand at spanakopita because I adore all things Greek and had never really tried making it before. Well, it turned out nothing less than wonderful, as something wrapped in crispy, flaky dough would, and it just about tasted as good as the real thing! Give it a try, it’s great for parties too (uh em SuperBowl) because it makes a butt load! I have another fun appetizer to share as well 🙂 (more…)
June 21, 2009
party time
I absolutely LOVE planning for events, especially events that involve food and friends! I think I should be a caterer and go to culinary school (this is my dream someday). While I don’t handle stress/anxiousness too well sometimes, I love the stress of the kitchen. That rush you get when you prepare something that turns out so well you want to jump or giggle, or the sheer disappointment you feel after messing up a dish and the determination to tweak it and make it better the next time (or right at that moment!). I love preparing great nibbles and seeing the joy on people’s faces when they are enjoying the company of great friends and food.
Even with lots of planning, things just don’t always go as planned haha, and this is where I get a bit discombobulated :/ This week was pretty uneventful, but I did get in a small fender bender on Wednesday that put a ‘dent’ in things so to speak. I was okay thank goodness, but my poor car got about $2,000 worth of damages. The guy in front of me with the truck didn’t even get a scratch, go figure! This is my first accident, so I hope that my insurance won’t go through the roof. While I did get a moving violation for following too close, I don’t even remember being that close. All I remember is coming to a slow stop, starting to go again and before I knew it I was smooshed in the car in front of me. I didn’t have enough time to react, and the guy in front of me also hit the guy in front of him. Not a pleasant experience, but not too bad. I was just bummed because my gym plans were shot! Crazy I was thinking about that, but I’m definitely glad it wasn’t more serious. After filing a claim with my insurance and blah, blah, blah, I’m waiting for the body shop to finish the work . . . (big sigh). Have you ever gotten in a car accident? They scare me so much, and when I first started driving I about went into a panic attack every time I got into the car, especially on the freeway. I didn’t get my license until the middle of my junior year of HS! Now I’m not that bad, but they still give me serious chills.
On to something more fun . . . . PARTY TIME!
Once all the planning, prepping, making and cleaning was all done, it was so nice to have a cocktail (or two!) and enjoy the good company of family, friends and yummy nibbles celebrating our first home.
Oh and I have to fess up that I got myself a new toy! I didn’t really ‘need’ it, but really believe that it will be a great investment for the future of my blog, business and tasty travels. Drum roll please . . . . it’s the Canon Rebel XSi aahhh! I’ve been dreaming about taking pictures like these for years. Yea, I could have gotten a new road bike, a flat screen tv, a bedroom set, or fake grass in the backyard, but I decided to get an awesome camera. What is wrong with my head? I love learning about food styling, and while my pictures are not professional at all, I hope to start learning a lot more about photography, particularly with FOOD! By the time I made my decision, (I swear I was contemplating all freaking day!) it was too late to get it here by the party date, so I decided to speed ship it for a little extra so I could have it for the pics. Let’s see how I did for an amateur right out of the box . . . There is so much to learn with this thing!
And if you have ANY experience with food photography, lighting, etc, by all means please give me some ideas and feedback for what works best for you 🙂
Here’s the spread:
For munchies to start:
Assorted cheeses – Colby, fontina, sharp cheddar, aged gouda, honey and grapes
Brie, herbed brie, and aged parmesan
Bruschetta with fig compote, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto. We also had caprese bites with balsamic reduction.
Panzanella Salad
Chocolate Fountain! This was a hit, who doesn’t love dipping things into falling chocolate?!
Spinach artichoke dip with Hawaiian sweet bread, this is always a crowd pleaser.
Roasted Veggie Calzones with marinara dipping sauce (still have to work on the aperture and depth of focus)
And we got a new TV!! I think I about died right then. Buster likes watching TV haha
It was such a wonderful party, and while it took most of the week to prepare for it, it was so much fun. I think we will have to have another party soon because we have a ton of liquor left! I forgot to take pictures, but we opened up 3 bottles of wine, had that lemon champagne punch (It was so good!), and also made another cocktail, and some pyramid apricot ale beer. We still have a giant thing of vodka, coconut rum, cranberry and pineapple juice left. We’ll have to keep it for another time. Now I have a ton of dishes in the kitchen and loads of wash I need to get cleaning (boo!) . . . and Happy Father’s Day! Give those men in your lives a big hug!
What’s your most memorable party that you have hosted?
