bethenny

Love her tv show on bravo, skinny girl books, skinny girl margs, and I'm sure I will love her new talk show.  Here's a sneak peak! 

The show starts June 11th on Fox.  This is the schedule...

STATE	CITY	WEEKDAYS
ARIZONA	Phoenix	11:00AM
CALIFORNIA	Los Angeles	2:00PM
MINNESOTA	Minneapolis	10:00AM
NEW YORK	New York	11:00AM
PENNSYLVANIA	Philadelphia	11:00AM
TEXAS	Dallas	1:00PM

Since the show isn't available in Illinois or Indiana, I'm hoping they will air it online!

Look here for updates.

one year

Today is our 1st anniversary!  I can't believe it.  It seriously seems like yesterday that we were getting married.  Here are some of my favorites from our wedding.  They were taken by, the talented, Will Jacks.  

   

Happy 1st Anniversary, Clay!  Here's to many more...

eat up

This might be the most random post, but I wanted to share with you some new things that I've tried at the grocery store!  We can't get enough...
A friend and reader sent me this picture of sides she was serving with a really great recipe (I'll share that recipe too).  I am so picky when it comes to mashed potatoes.  My Mom makes them from scratch, and I cannot even eat the instant stuff.  I e-mailed her back and asked about the mashed potatoes.  She said that she didn't even make mashed potatoes anymore because these were so good. 

She was right!  We are hooked.  I take them out of the package and put them in a bowl and act like I made them when we have them (Haha).  You don't even need to salt and pepper them.  They're seriously so good.  Thank you, Tyler!  

I don't want to forget about the pretzel rolls.  If you like soft pretzels, you will love these rolls.  I think we will be having these a lot this summer.  I'm addicted. 

You can find the pretzel rolls in the freezer aisle, and the mashed potatoes in the open refrigeration by the meat.

Please share your food recommendations and recipes!  I love to try new things.

beach reads

top 5 beach reads...

1.georgia bottoms by mark childress
2.girl in translation by jean kwok
3.redeeming love by francine rivers
4.something blue by emily giffin
5.can't wait to get to heaven by fannie flagg

If you're headed to the beach (or pool), I would definitely pick up one of these books.  They're fun and will have your full attention.  Perfect for a day in the sun!

yes!

We had a very exciting weekend!  My sister and her long-time boyfriend, Grady, got engaged on Saturday.  We are so excited for them.  Congratulations Taylor and Grady!

We can't wait for YOUR big day!

In the meantime...

emily post's wedding etiquette

nyc

My trip to NYC was so much fun. I wanted to share some of my pics! 

frozen hot chocolate @ serendipity

on the nbc studio tour

 The NBC Studio Tour was so much fun.  We got to tour studio 1A (home of The Today Show) and watch the SNL cast rehearse.  We got to see Will Ferrell, Usher, and Kristen Wiig.  I was on cloud 9.  They don't tell you where they're taking you during the tour, I think we just lucked out.  We went on the tour on Thursday at 3:30.  I think that timing has something to do with what you see.  We also had some sweet little girls on our tour that were on a "play date" and their dads worked for The Today Show.  That might have been our backstage ticket!   

tourist pic with the tiny statue of liberty

dinner at bond street

the inside of the lion. pictures weren't allowed, but bones managed to snap one.

dinner @ san marzano for harrison's birthday
(hate that this is blurry)

jersey boys

once

 I'm so glad we decided to go see Once. It was so good!  I would go back to nyc just to see this musical.  It's bound to win a tony!

If you're headed to NYC, I would highly recommend...

San Marzano...in the lower east side. brick oven pizza.  delish.
The Lion...in greenwich village.  the food is incredible. the atmosphere is awesome.
Emporio...in nolita. authentic italian.  order the risotto croquettes.
Tartine...in west village.  perfect place for brunch.

I can't wait to go back!

twice-baked potatoes

Here's another pioneer woman recipe!  Love her!  This is so good.  I even cut the recipe in half and still had enough to feed 8 people. 

twice-baked potatoes

ingredients:

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed clean

canola oil

4 slices thick-cut bacon, fried

1 stick butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon Lawry's

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 green onion (optional)

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. with a paper towel, rub the outside of the potatoes with canola oil.

3. place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. (after they are cooked, turn the oven to 300 degrees F)

4. dice the fried bacon into bits

5. throw the butter, sour cream, bacon, milk, lawry's, and pepper into a large bowl.

6. while the potatoes are still hot, hold each potato in a towel and cut in half lengthwise.

7. with a large spoon, scrape out the insides into the bowl with the other ingredients. repeat until all the potatoes have been scraped.  reserve the potato shells on a large baking sheet.

8. use a potato masher to mix ingredients together.

9. stir in 1/2 cup of grated cheese.

10. slice the green onions (optional).  add them to the bowl.  if you plan on freezing some potatoes leave this step out.  stir, taste, and adjust seasonings.

11. fill each potato half with potato mixture and return to baking sheet.

12. top with remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese

13. bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F until the cheese is melted and potatoes are hot.

I baked my potatoes and bacon at the same time.  I put a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet for the bacon and baked it for 10 minutes on 400F.

 

My potatoes are definitely not pretty! 

I didn't add the green onion to the potato mixture because I planned on freezing some.  Green onions do not freeze well.  I just added a few green onions to the top of the potatoes I cooked.

 

If you plan on freezing the potatoes...just don't add the green onion. Wrap in tin foil and stick in your freezer.

 

I made this meal for Clay's birthday in April!

 

Enjoy.

For a full play-by-play of the recipe go here.

happy mom's day

...



Happy Mother's Day, Patsy!  We love you!  Thank you for all you do.



A special shout out to my mother-in-law!  Happy Mother's Day, Kris!

goop city

I love Gwenyth Paltrow and her blog (goop).  She always has great ideas and guides for all of her favorite cities.  I was more than excited when I found out she had an app called goop city featuring NYC.

goop city

I'm leaving for New York on Wednesday with friends from Ole Miss (Bones and Kara) to see, our friend, Harrison. I can't wait to visit, shop, and eat delicious food.  We're eating at some Gwenyth's favorite restaurants, and I am so excited! 

**goop city also has guides for London and L.A. coming soon.

     

Here's a picture of the four of us from college...

bones, me, kara, and harrison
the library
circa 2007



the paris wife

The Paris Wife

I finished reading "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain last night.  It was so good, I really hated for it to end.  I feel like I'm always a little sad when I finish a good book.  The Paris Wife takes a look into the life of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, and their life together in Paris.  Although the story is fiction, it is based on true life events.  This is a must read.  Definitely take this one to the beach this summer.

chase and me

This picture was taken a few years ago in front of Ernest Hemingway's house in Key West.  This house is also mentioned in the book!  I'm a little bit obsessed with Ernest's life right now (especially his life with Hadley).  I spent most of the night on google...    

scothcheroos

This is definitely an "oldie but goodie" recipe.  My whole family loves scotcheroos.  I've talked about them before, but I thought they needed their own post.  Actually, Clay thought they needed their own post.  He loves them (so do I).  They are addicting.  I make them for all special occasions.

Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat.

Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Make sure you have everything measured out because the next few steps go fast.

Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a microwave safe bowl. 

Spread evenly over cereal mixture.

Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Scotcheroos

Ingredients:

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal

1 package(6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. You can also melt it in the microwave.  Microwave and stir every 30 seconds until melted. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Note: Before measuring the corn syrup, coat your measuring cup with cooking spray--the syrup will pour easily out of the cup.