what i love

[celebratory dates for great moments. sweet and romantical..yes, that is my made-up word]

[springtime because my favorite magnolia trees begin to bloom]

[freshly made strawberries and cream...yum!]

[jewels with feather accents]

[rootbeer floats, a forgotten favorite]

[this snapshot because it was so much fun and reminds me of why i love my dad so much. he always thinks of the best ideas. including shrinky dinks :) can't wait to go home this weekend and celebrate his bday with the whole family!]

foiled fish

while my post title sounds as if something went wrong with this fish, it was so opposite! this recipe is so yummy and SO easy. when i made this i used halibut as my fish of choice but really you can use any type of light fish.

here's what you'll need:

1 lb of fish sliced in half

fresh spinach

20 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 of a red onion, sliced in long strips

1 lemon
evoo for drizzling
salt and pepper, to taste
aluminum foil

tear off a large piece of aluminum (make sure it is big enough to fold over on all sides to seal up the mixture prior to placing in the oven

preheat the oven to 400 degrees

places a large handful of your spinach in the center of each foil and drizzle lightly with evoo

season your fish with salt and pepper; place on top of the bed of spinach

sprinkle sliced red onions over both pieces of fish

sprinkle tomatoes over mixture; make sure some of the tomatoes are on the fish

squeeze your halved lemon over each piece of fish and drizzle the entire mix with evoo 

fold sides of aluminum foil together and make sure the fish and mixture are well sealed so no juices seep out; place both foil packets on your cookie sheet and place in the oven

cook your packets for 18-22 minutes

once your timer has gone off, take packets off the cookie sheet and unfold your aluminum foil (be careful in unwrapping so that no juices spill out)

grab a fork and dive in while still in the foil or plate

enjoy!

over the weekend

friday night T and i made our way over to our neighborhood deli for some yummy pulled pork sandwiches and a little local musical delight. the person featured below is a homegrown tomato by the name of camille harp who has a way with writing songs and a folky rasp to her voice. i kind of have something of a girl crush on her and you would too if you heard her. plus i always love a fellow curly girl ;)

then sunday we made our way to tulsa to see a sweet indie band by the name of edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros. i have been dying to see them in concert and even though it meant we had to drive there and back (same day..boo), it was worth it!

we first stopped at my favorite mexi restaurant el guapo for some margies and food with my parents. if you are EVER in tulsa you must go there. and please sit on their rooftop patio..it's the jam.

yum! and then off to cain's...

he's just the greatest :) i also loved the pregger mom standing behind us at the concert. kudos!

blurry photo and sadly the only close photo of the band i took since T and i danced the whole time. so much fun and worth the late night arrival back home/the SUPER sleepy morning following after. love them :)

rainy day & catch up

spring has sprung all around here and even though today is particularly dreary, i have to say it's probably the prettiest rainy day yet. these pictures really aren't doing it justice.

sorry for the week long absence! my computer needed a little spring cleaning so i took the extra time to enjoy the amazing spring weather. so to catch you up on what you may have missed in the week, here are a few snapshots i took along the way. enjoy and happy spring showers!

[icing the lemonade cake...mmm, i've got to hold on to that lemon cream icing recipe]

[ribs from my family birthday fiesta back home, yum! a few spring blooms in our yard]

 

[my two favorites and quite possibly the goofiest pup photo yet]

[balmy spring evenings that make me so excited for the warm seasons to come and patio lunches]

 

[enjoying breaks from work at my favorite deli. can you imagine a better lunch? that's cake included!]

[handsome isn't he? ;) the pup enjoying walks in the spring air..more to come once the rain's gone]

[snapshots of spring sunsets and tulips]

[pasta carbonara...garlic-y, bacon-y delicious! recipe to come..yum. tickets to a great indie band. more details to come on this as well as our weekend plans!]

lemonade cake

on a whim, i decided a couple of nights ago that i wanted to make a cake that had a slight twist to it. so i baked this lemonade cake recipe i found from pinterest and all i have to say is YUM! i think next time i may add a few tablespoons of lemon juice but other than that, perfecto. (plus the homemade lemon cream icing was beyond delicious...oh my gatos)

happy friday!

25 balloons to the 25th year

i meant to post this last monday but was so caught up in birthday celebrations i had forgotten..strange right?! but last monday i came home to a sweet surprise from T of 25 balloons for my 25th birthday. T's idea was that instead of blowing out the candles, i could set free my balloons to make my wish. it was so sweet and unique plus these photos are such a great way to capture the moment we shared together :)

i love how sets of photos can perfectly illustrate a moment with little effort...kind of like a  mini story book. and this will definetly be a favorite of mine to look back on.

yay to 25 and beyond!