weekend update: st. paddy's shenanigans

This weekend was St. Patrick's Day!  Dallas does it pretty big for ol' Paddy, and we have a giant parade that goes down a major street called "Greenville" (how appropriate!).  Austin, a bunch of our friends, and I had a great time on Saturday morning/afternoon thanks to all of the festivities! 

We started pretty early (6:45) on Saturday morning.  Austin woke me up, we donned all of our green gear, and we headed to our spot in the parking lot of Office Depot.  Our parade "tailgate" had a pretty cool set-up.  Austin and some of his guy pals had parked their cars there the day before, so we had a prime location facing the street where the parade would go by.  Our spot had a big tent, a table for games, tons of snacks, and (of course) green beer!  Cheers! 

Everyone goes all out in as much green and Irish stuff that they can find, so it is a GREAT place to people watch.  I was proud of what our friends came up with.  Our friend/neighbor Paul was even IN the parade because his company had a float!  He gave us swag from his float when they passed by us during the parade.

The highlight of this whole extravaganza is obviously the parade, and I had a blast watching all of the crazy floats/people go by...

We caught beads, koozies, coupons, shirts, hats, frisbees, and flyers as everyone went by us.  Like I said, everyone goes all out!

By the time the parade was over I was hungry and exhausted, so we went to Freebirds and then came home to shower and rest up.  We were supposed to go over to our friend Zac's to hang out and grill afterwards, but I guess we are just too old haha.  I spent Sunday getting geared up to go back to school (dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, errands)...wahhhh.  I miss Spring Break already! 

Happy Monday everybody!  The countdown to summer starts now!!

I'm linking up with Sami today for weekend shenanigans! 

a barefoot book review: white jacket required

A few weeks ago, my sister and her hubby went on a trip to California.  While they were gone, Austin and I kept their doggie, Riley.  Riley is such a sweet guest, and she always brings her babysitters wonderful "thank you" presents.  The book White Jacket Required was my latest "thank you" gift from that little pup.  I read it right away because I'd been itching to get my hands on a copy for quite awhile.

The book follows one of my favorite bloggers, Jenna Weber of EatLiveRun.com, on her journey through culinary school, and I felt like I got a good glimpse into what her life was like while she was trying to "figure herself out".  

I've read all of Jenna's posts, so I already knew her "story", but it was cool to read it through her eyes as she looked back on all of the events in her past.  I also loved that at the end of each chapter she included one or more recipes that had to do with the previous chapter.  

I wouldn't say that this is necessarily the best book I've ever read, but it was entertaining!  I think it would be the perfect thing to take on a vacation or to read while you're relaxing by the pool this summer. 

I'm looking forward to Jenna writing an actual cookbook because I love love LOVE her recipes.  Here are some links to my favorites:

Chicken Pot Pie

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Sweet and Spicy Crock Pot Ribs

Buffalo Chicken Dip

If you've never checked out Jenna's site, give it a whirl!

Happy Friday, friends...have a great weekend and happy St. Patty's!!

taste of tuesday: simple shrimp salad

I made this delicious, simple, fresh shrimp salad a few nights ago, and it was wonderful!  It's the perfect thing for the hotter temps that are (hopefully) right around the corner.  Here's how I made it...

Ingredients:

Baby spinach

Romaine lettuce

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 handful of cherry tomatoes

1/2 of an avocado

1/2 of an apple

Feta cheese

Olive oil 

Salt & pepper

(For the dressing)

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon whole grain dijon mustard

a good sprinkling of salt & pepper

This is an easy recipe that comes together QUICK, so make sure you have all of your ducks in a row before you start!  Peel and de-vein those shrimp, wash your veggies, roughly chop up the lettuce and spinach and stick it in a bowl, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and set out all of your ingredients.

Once you're ready to go, cover a baking sheet with foil and lay out the shrimp in a single layer.  Drizzle on a little bit of olive oil, and sprinkle on some salt & pepper.  Toss all of that around, and spread the shrimp back out.

Put this in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm.  Here's what they should look like:

While the shrimp are cooking away, cut your cherry tomatoes in half, chop the avocado into cubes, and slice the apple as thin as you can.  I like to arrange all of the "toppings" on a plate so we can grab what we want and leave what we don't.  

To make the dressing, just whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Easy peasy!

Once all of your toppings are ready freddy, put a big pile of lettuce and spinach on a plate and go crazy with your toppings!  Drizzle on a little dressing, mix it up, and enjoy!

This salad is so easy and SO delicious.  I love the way I feel after I eat this instead of a big greasy hamburger or something.  It's also very versatile!  Don't like shrimp?  Use chicken or even walnuts or garbanzo beans.  Feta's not your thing?  Leave it out or use bleu cheese.  Want to pile on the avocado and skimp on the maters?  Have at it!   

Try this out sometime, guys!  I hope you'll love it as much as Austin and I do.

I'm linking up with Ashley and Jessica today for Taste of Tuesday!!  I can't wait to go and read everyone's posts about one of my favorite topics: food!  

weekend update

Happy Monday everyone!  I'm typing this post from my comfy bed instead of my desk chair, and I couldn't be happier...woohoo for Spring Break!!

This past weekend was low-key but fun.  Austin and I went to dinner and hung out with some friends on Friday night, but I called it a night early because I taught all morning/afternoon at the dance studio on Saturday.  Going to sleep early was worth it though because I got to do the bunny hop with some of the cutest girls in Dallas.  Just look at these faces!

By the time I got home on Saturday, I was pooped!  It was also storming hardcore, so we decided to stay in and watch SNL.  Did you guys see Justin?  If not, you have to go back and watch some of the skits...he is hilarious!

Yesterday continued the low-keyness.  We slept in, watched a movie, and then headed to White Rock Lake for Austin to run and me to sit and read.  Look at my view!

Austin ran 10.6 miles (!!!), and I read a good chunk of my book.  When we were finished, we went to the store and stocked up for the week.  Here's our menu:

I'm off to start my busy day of browsing theknot.com and napping, so I'll catch y'all later!  Have a wonderful day :)

Linking up with Sami today!

wedding upDATE

As you guys know, Austin and I got engaged this past summer.  Since then, I think I've gotten the question, "when's the big day?!" about 7,000 times.  It's definitely a valid question, and I totally understand why people ask it.  He put a ring on it, so people want to know when we'll officially be Mr. & Mrs.
 

July 4, 2012

The thing that bugs me is most people's response when I give them the answer: "We don't have a specific date yet, but we're planning for June or July 2014."

"WHAT?!  WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WAITING ALMOST TWO YEARS TO GET MARRIED?!!!?!?!?!"

You would think I told them we were planning to get married on a glacier in the middle of winter wearing nothing but our smiles by the way they react.

So, in an effort to explain our waiting ways, I'd like to provide all of my wonderful readers with a list....

Why We're Waiting 2 Years Instead of 1:

1) The "new teacher" thing

Austin proposed on July 4th.  I was offered my first teaching position about a week later.  I don't know if you've ever been a first year teacher before, but it can get pretty intense/stressful/overwhelming.  I'd heard this little rumor from other, experienced teachers, so I thought it best to avoid wedding planning stress whilst in the middle of all my first year teacher stress.

2) The "vacation" thing

Austin and I are both semi-recent college grads.  He started his current job a little less than a year ago, so he does not have an abundance of paid vacation.  We are already taking a big trip this summer with Austin's family, and if we added a honeymoon into the mix, Austin would not be able to miss, like, any other days of work (even if he was sick). 

3) The "money" thing

As I'm sure most couples would agree, Austin and I want our honeymoon to be really special!  We want to go somewhere beachy and romantic and fun.  Most places like that require a little bit of moolah.  Waiting an extra year gives us (and my "us" I mean Austin) the opportunity to save up so we can go somewhere amazing!

4) The "Jamie is really slow at doing everything" thing  

If you know me, you know that I take my time doing just about everything.  Obviously this wedding is pretty high on my "important" list, so I want to really take my time and do this right!  I want to look at tons of venues, weigh my options, plan out scenarios, give myself time to think.  Since I'll have spring break and summer off, I'll have a lot of time to plan! 

5) The "14" thing

The number 14 is significant to our relationship.  Austin and I started dating on October 14, 2009.  We got engaged on the 4th (that's 14 without the 1!) There are 14 tiny diamonds in my engagement ring (and 1 big daddy diamond).  I think it's cool to carry on the tradition of 14!

6) The "because we want to" thing

2014 works better for us, so that's when we're going to get married. 

There you have it.  A simple list of reasons in case you were interested.  I'm not trying to go all Bridezilla, I promise...that'll come later :)

Be on the lookout for more posts about our big day.  I'm hoping to nail down an official date and a venue over spring break, so that should be exciting!

Happy Friday everybody!! I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!!!

thin mint ice cream

I wanted to give you guys a little update on my birthday present from Austin!  He gave me the fabulous ice cream maker for my KitchenAid mixer, and I have definitely been getting some use out of it :)  Here's a little sample of something I scooped up recently...

Thin Mint Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups half and half

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups crushed Thin Mints

Directions:

1) In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the half and half until it is really really hot but not boiling.  Stir that sucker pretty often!

2) Once the half and half is hot hot hot, remove it from the heat and set it aside.  

3) In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, whip together the egg yolks and sugar for about 30 seconds on speed "2".  The eggs and sugar should be well blended and slightly thickened.

4) Keep the mixer on speed "2", and gradually pour in the half and half.  Mix that stuff up until it's blended!

5) Return the half and half mixture to the saucepan, and heat it over medium heat until little bubbles start to form around the edges and you can see a tiny bit o' steam.  Don't let it boil, though, and make sure you stir it constantly!!

6) Return the mixture to a big bowl, and add in the vanilla and salt.  Stir that up!

7) Cover the bowl, and stick that thang in the fridge for at least 8 hours.  I just put mine in there overnight.

"Vanilla ice cream, make friends will Julio!"

Fast forward at least 8 hours...

8) Crunch up your cookies!  I like to put about 6-8 cookies in a baggie, wrap that in a dish towel, and smack it with a rolling pin.  I didn't want to totally pulverize the thin mints because we like big chunks in our ice cream, but you can crunch them up as much or as little as you like.

9) Follow the instructions to assemble your ice cream maker, and pour in the good stuff!  Mix it up for about 20 minutes on the "stir" speed, adding in the crushed cookies the last 1-2 minutes.

10) Scoop your completed ice cream into an air tight container and stick it in the freezer.

11) Once your ice cream has been in the freezer for a little bit, serve it up!

I'm linking up with Ashley and Jessica for Taste of Tuesday today!  Have a good one, everybody! 

weekend update

Happy Monday everybody!  I'm in a chipper mood this morning because I had a wonderful weekend, and I am only 5 days away from my Spring Break!!!

On Friday night we went to a new spot.  This place is called "The Lot", and it used to be a sand volleyball bar.  They kept the sand pits but added in some other things that make it feel more like a beer garden and less like a volleyball court.  There is a huge garden area with a bunch of tables, a sandpit with horseshoes and washers for adults, a playground for little kiddies, and a huge bar/restaurant area.  Because it was brand new, it was packed!  We didn't mind waiting though because they also have delicious drinks.  When we finally got to eat, the food was really good.  I can't wait to go back when it's a little warmer so we can sit outside!

I got a pulled chicken salad, and Austin got a Greek salad...delish!

I worked for the majority of the day on Saturday.  I taught my little ballerina babes in the morning, had a little lunch break, and then helped put on a birthday party for Ella!  She turned 5 and had a "Barbie Pop Star" themed party.  All of the girls dressed in their best pop star gear, and we learned a dance to a Barbie song.  It was too cute.  I met up with Austin and a few of our friends after the par-tay, we hung out a bit, and Austin and I called it a night pretty early.  We were both tired!

How could I NOT love this job?!

Yesterday was full of productivity.  I cleaned the apartment, did laundry, went grocery shopping, did dishes, yada yada.  It was necessary but boring.  Luckily, VH1 was doing a countdown of the 100 best songs of the 90's, so that kept me company.  It also made me nostalgic for The Spice Girls, N*SYNC, BSB, TLC, Britney Spears, Hanson, etc.  Those were the days...

I'm linking up with Sami again today!  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend...send some happy thoughts my way as I deal with 7th graders who are 5 days away from Spring Break!!