Sangria.

 Last weekend I channeled my Hispanic side and made homemade Sangria with my Aunt who was visiting from Charleston, SC.  My sister Katie was having all of us over for dinner for some Peruvian Arroz con Pollo and we thought Sangria would be the perfect complement to the meal!  My Aunt recently had Sangria for the first time in Europe, and she was eager to try some again.  This recipe was superb!  Not only was it simple to make, it encompassed everything Sangria is supposed to be: light, fruity, and refreshing. Between the Sangria, the meal, and of course the company, it was a delightful evening.  To give you some background Katie isn't the best cook (once she put a whole cup of salt in a recipe) but she surely redeemed herself with this meal.  It was sooooo delicious and one day I'll have to steal the recipe from her to share it with all of you.

Sangria

1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup orange juice
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup triple sec
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup white sugar (to taste)
8 maraschino cherries
2 cups carbonated water

Directions
In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving. 

Note: I recommend doubling the recipe.  The pitcher will be empty before you know it!

Preparing for the Easter Bunny.

1. Glittered Sticker Eggs  2. Cracked Paper Eggshell Dishes  3. Easter Cupcake Decorating Kit
4. Bottle Brush Bunny  5. Bunny Fold for Napkin  6. 10" Pink Hobnail Pedestal Cake Stand
7. Spring Chickens

The pastel colors, crafty decorations, and scent of spring flowers makes Easter one of my favorite holidays.  I've gathered a few decorations to make my apartment more festive and will be putting them out later today.  I can't help but also fall in love with these touches of Easter that I came across.  I am lusting over the pedestal cake stands filled with adorable macarons and cupcakes.  It makes me want to host a garden party with lots of yummy food and delicious desserts.   Unfortunately that won't be happening, however, the good news is that I'll be spending Easter in New York with Kelly for our birthday. I am beyond excited and am already counting down the days!

Blogger Tutorial: Get a Mobile Site.

Ever wonder how some blogs have their very own mobile site? Well, I did! I naturally resorted to the wonderful world wide web to find out how I can create my own.  Lucky for me (and you) it's quite simple.  I am constantly keeping up with blogs from my phone so this is a huge help since it's much faster to load.  Below is a tutorial I put together so that you can have your own!

Twin Tales: Little Divas.

{We're not sure which one of us this is}

We vaguely remember this occasion, but we love hearing about it and can't help but snicker every single time.  When we were about two years old the two of us escaped our parents and pranced in our bright red footed pajamas to our mothers bathroom, grabbed a stool, and decided to play with her make-up.  We put on her shower cap and pearls and decided to play dress-up, just like the big girls do! As the picture depicts, we could certainly use a lesson...or two.  In most circumstances, our parents would have been upset, but how could you not chuckle at stumbling upon a site like this?

On the Wall.

1. Thanks You  2. Keep Calm - Blueberry  3. Desire and Gratitude  4.  Ride Above It 
5. My Sunshine  6. What's Inside AP = Prussian  7. Oh Deer - Kraft 
8. Flying Ducks  9. Shoot For the Stars

I've been wanting a framed "Keep Calm and Carry On" print for quite some time now and on my hunt for this famous saying, I came across the Keep Calm Gallery that contains so many prints that I immediately wanted to fill my cart up with.  Here I share with you some of my favorites that would immediately spruce up any room or would also be a great gift for someone.  I would love a large baroque style frame for these prints.  The challenge is finding an affordable one! A garage sale or thrift store would likely be an ideal place to find one.

The Perfect Scrambled Eggs.

My boyfriend was on a quest to find the perfect scrambled eggs and I am pleased to say he succeeded. Thanks to his buddy Gordon Ramsay that is.  In the past when I cooked eggs they tended to come out dry and cold by the time they hit my mouth.  With these eggs, that is not the case as they have a perfectly creamy texture and are delicious!  Everyone should know how to cook a mean scrambled egg and I'm glad to say I have finally learned how to (about time, I know).

The Perfect Scrambled Eggs

5 Eggs
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Chopped Chives

Directions
Crack the eggs directly into a saucepan.  Be sure not to beat the eggs beforehand. Add butter.  Over high heat, begin to rapidly stir the eggs with a spatula.  While constantly stirring the eggs, bring the saucepan off the heat for about 5 seconds and then on the heat, and so on until cooked to desired.  At the end, stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper. Note, it is important not to season until the very end as this avoids making the eggs runny. Serve and enjoy!


Yields: 2 servings

Bright Lights.

1. Hazy Days Sunglasses, Urban Outfitters  2. Woven Fedora, Forever21  3. Pin Slim Patent Belt, J.Crew
4. Orange Pleated Swing Dress, Miss Selfridge  5. Spot Print Cut-Out Blouse, Miss Selfridge
6. Trina Lady Catherine Flap Leather Shoulder Bag, Nordstrom  7. Bhati Beads Silk Planets Bracelet, J.Crew
8. Joe's Jeans Diva 2 Sandal, Nordstrom  9. Show Stopper Resin Watch, Nordstrom
10. Solid Underwire Tie French Top, J.Crew  11. Solid Ruffle Shortie, J.Crew

It's no secret that bright colors are in this upcoming season.  As promised last week, I'd share some of my favorite bright finds with you so far.  Let's just say I'd be one happy girl if I owned all of these pieces.  Especially those shoes! They're the perfect platform to stand high in any outfit. With spring just three days away (yes, you heard right, that grueling winter weather is almost gone) I hear a shopping trip in order stat!  Who am I kidding?? Living in New York, every chance I get is a shopping trip, although I'll admit it's mostly window shopping. On a final note, make sure you wear you're green today!

 Happy St. Patricks Day!

Milk & Cookies.

I can't say I've had a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like, but some have been definitely better than others.  In my quest for this childhood staple, my taste buds are telling me I've found a winner.  I came across this recipe and I must say it lives up to its ratings.  The cookie is perfectly crunchy on the outside and delightfully gooey on the inside.  I baked over 30 of these yummy bites and felt compelled to bring some to work (otherwise this girl's tummy would be a few sizes larger than needed).  With their mouths half full, my co-workers were saying how delicious they were and endlessly thanking me for bringing them in!  So my recommendation to you is to do yourself a favor and bake a batch of these easy to make chocolate chip cookies.  Trust me, your family and friends will be thanking you!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Fish Feeding.

On Saturday afternoon my boyfriend and I decided to venture out to the Skyway Fishing Pier in St. Petersburg, FL.  He is a huge fan of fishing and had been itching to get back on the water with these warmer temperatures arriving.  While he's used to fishing off of a boat in Miami, here in Tampa we had to settle for a bridge and try something new.  So, the idea was to catch some fish for dinner (yes, you heard right and trust me, a year ago I would have squealed at the thought), but instead it was more like we were feeding the fish their dinner.  Each of us would throw our baited lines into the water and feel a few nibbles on our rods.  Unfortunately for us (but not for the fish), our lines would come out clean with nothing but an empty hook.  Finally after moving around and trying different strategies, Javi finally caught a whopper of a fish: a teeny tiny pin fish. He fed that fish to one happy bird lurking around because it certainly wasn't going to feed us!  Despite the fact that we came back empty handed, the day was beautiful and we both had a wonderful time...fish feeding!

Something Borrowed, Something Blue.

This past weekend we both traveled home to Miami to attend the wedding of our really good friend from high school. The reception was at Morikami Japanese Gardens, and saying it was impressive would really be an understatement! From the bride's dress (note in below photo how it's very similar to the gown Chelsea Clinton wore) to the groom serenading her with "L-O-V-E" during the reception, it was truly the wedding of her dreams! We had such a wonderful time seeing and catching up with old friends and tearing apart the dance floor (ok, so maybe I was doing the tearing, Kristen the gliding... ha!). They are currently honeymooning in Bali and I couldn't be more envious.

Over all the weekend was great and currently I am back in the City ready to recover from a rough couple months at work and SO looking forward to Spring! Enjoy your weekend my friends!