life, according to my iphone

[b&b stays; remnants of a great fiesta]

happy almost halloween everyone! i hope you all had fun celebrating this past weekend. with the past two months being as jam packed as they were, T and i felt like going for a low-key celebration this year. instead of sporting our latest costume idea, we opted to hang in for a b-rate horror movie marathon with spiked cider, comfort foods, and cozy lounging. it was the perfect way to recharge while still partaking in the festivities. 

[comfort food eats]

[my merman; cloud city lounging]

[pup spooning; a sweet moment]

[lazy sundays]

[feeling sassy pre-dinner; story time]

[sweet treats; the best crabcakes ever]

[fiesta goodies]

[snuggly pups]

[cooling off; wine-ing down]

[tasty pairings; the best!]

[party boat; late night walks]

[dia de los muertos goodies; am lounging]

chocolat dinner eats

for this year's dinner party food recap, i thought i'd switch up my breakdown of the night and its courses. with all of our chocolate-themed recipes being new (to us) dishes, i thought it would be more fun to review the course, what it tasted like, and who's favorite course it was. what i loved was by the end of the dinner, without meaning to, every guest had picked a course as their personal favorite. so, none were left out! i couldn't have been happier about the recipes we found, and can't wait to bring some of these back in the future. 

hope you all enjoy, and happy friday!

first up, before the dinner began, we started with a round of aperitifs. after reading up on the idea behind the aperitif - to help stimulate the digestive system before a long meal - i thought it would be the perfect way to welcome our friends, and kick things off on the right foot. i was pleasantly surprised to find i am a big fan of the cocktail maison (our cocktail of choice). 

first course: cocoa-rubbed tuna steaks with cucumber, radishes, and arugula drizzled with a vanilla vinaigrette

taste: oddly enough, the cocoa-rubbed tuna paired beautifully with the vinaigrette. i was most nervous about this course since i wasn't sure the flavors would match well, but they did, and it was the perfect course to start with.

favorite course: candace

second course (sadly not pictured): ancho chile chocolate soup garnished with sliced avocado and tortilla chips

taste: so freaking delicious! it was probably the runniest soup i've ever made, let alone had, but holy cow was it filled with complex flavors. i drank it from my bowl because i had to have every last drop.

favorite course: candace, michael, alex, and i

third course: prawns and plantains in a chipotle cocoa sauce with rice

taste: spicy, full of flavor, and so incredibly tasty with the plantains. funny story, the recipe didn't call for plantains, but i decided to add them since i love any excuse to include plantains. i had no idea it would match so well. 

favorite course: daniel

fourth course aka the palate cleanser: passion fruit ice cream with cacao nibs served in chocolate bowls 

taste: i'd never had passion fruit ice cream, but have had passion fruit mousse...still, i wasn't sure what to expect from this ice cream. but, wow, it blew me away. it was the perfect way to refresh our taste buds between courses, and it paired amazingly well with the chocolate bowls (yes, i made edible bowls!) and cacao nibs. it will most definitely be a repeat ice cream flavor.

favorite course: larry, and i 

fifth course: roasted turkey with mole and asparagus (not pictured)

taste: truth be told, i was less focused on the turkey, and more focused on the mole. i think larry said it best when he said, "the turkey is just a vehicle for more mole". it was T and i's first try at mole and we took away two things. one, we have a HUGE respect for anyone who makes their own mole from scratch. and two, omg is it sooooooo unbelievably worth it to make your own mole because it is crazy good. 

favorite course: jana

sixth course: chocolate almond torte

taste: dense, rich, chocolate-y, and a perfect match with my freshly made whipped cream. a lovely finish to a lovely dinner. 

favorite course: T (yes, my non-dessert loving husband, loved the cake most. i couldn't believe it myself, but he said it was the best cake he has ever had)

chocolat dinner party

this past weekend, T and i hosted our second annual themed dinner party. after having such a lovely experience with our first gathering, we couldn't have been more excited to host once again. our inspiration for this year's theme came from the movie chocolat. this meaning that our food would one, incorporate chocolate (in some fashion) into each course, and two, would be a combination of french and mayan cuisine (much like the main character's take on food in the movie). 

in order to find courses that fit our theme, i took to pinterest searching high and low until i stumbled onto recipes i felt would perfectly encapsulate what we were going for. i can't say it was easy, but oh my goodness, was it absolutely worth it!

[my date, and co-chef/host]

[mid-storytelling and jokes]

[the ladies]

our dress and overall theme was paris in the late 1950s/early 1960s. so all our guests dressed in their time-themed pieces, brought over some french wines for sharing, and were ready for a night to remember. 

[the gents]

not only did our courses taste delicious, but they paired amazingly well with the wines our friends brought. it couldn't have been more perfect of a pairing than if i planned it that way. 

[the classic themed dance party mid-dinner]

and while you can't tell from these photos, there was an intense storm brewing outside during the party. so intense, that at one point, we actually had to pause the dinner party, and head to our storm shelter to wait it out. we of course brought wine to keep us company, and had a good laugh about the whole experience. once the tornado had passed through, we pressed play on the party, and got back to feasting and sipping wines. 

it was such a magical night, and while i never expected top last year's fun, this one seamlessly blew it out of the water and then some. i couldn't have been more in love with the entire night, and truly love our friends who are always game for a good themed party ;)

celebration of life

this past weekend, T and i had the pleasure of driving down to flower mound to visit his family to remember the life of his great aunt trudy. she had passed not long ago, and after having time to grieve and process her passing, his family decided a celebration of life was the best way to memorialize her. and then, something kind of wonderful happened. since there was time to grieve, and plan for the celebration, it inadvertently became a webb family reunion. family, and friends (who are already family in our eyes) from all over the country were able to get together - some meeting for the first time, and others for the first time, in a long time. it truly was amazing to watch everyone (myself included) thrown into the mix of meeting new faces and mingling. 

the entire experience made me wish two things: one, that it was a longer weekend altogether, and two, that aunt trudy could have been there. she would have really enjoyed it. 

[looking at family photos]

saturday, was the main event, and was beautiful. there was plenty of drinks following, catching up, and snacking on delicious barbeque. then, a few family members got up to speak about their favorite memories of, or with, aunt trudy. what i loved about each story was seeing aunt trudy's spirit and fire come through with every funny moment. you'd be hard-pressed to find a dry-eye in that room from all of the laughter and tears. hearing everyone's favorite memories made me treasure meeting her, and spending time with her all the more. 

[viewing the slideshow]

[catching up]

[sweet treats]

[listening to other's favorite memories of trudy (above and below)]

[catching some of the ou/tx game]

[play time!]

sunday, most of the group headed home, but those that were still in town, got together for brunch. for those who don't know, T's cousins mark and joanna (the hosts for the entire weekend) are quite the cooks. i mean, i consider myself to be pretty skilled, but against these two...forget about it! i am still daydreaming about their homemade biscuits, and béchamel with beef tips. 

[a calm moment in the kitchen]

more laughs were had, more stories exchanged, and then, before we knew it, it was time to head back home. we could not have had a lovelier time surrounded by family remembering such a knockout of a personality that was great aunt trudy.  

jonesin' for st. paul

last friyay, T and i got to check out the newly-ish opened jones assembly to see st. paul and the broken bones. the space is primarily a restaurant and bar, however when they are featuring bands or musical guests, the space becomes an open, inside-outside concert venue. i'd heard great things about the restaurant itself, but i have to say, if you get the chance to go for a concert - do it! between the concert cocktails and food featured, the general atmosphere, and acoustics, it was amazing. 

plus, their walk-up food line for their concert menu was exactly the thing that had been missing from all concerts had in the past. i mean, who could say no to a funnel cake ice cream sandwich?!

[disco nap, and gin + soda]

[personal bonus: running into one of my all-time favorite people]

needless to say, st. paul and the broken bones put on one dynamite show. not only were we floored by the lead's incredible voice, but their tunes kept us boogieing all night. 

[the blurry ones are sometimes the best ones]

[funnel cake ice cream sandwich, i love you]

thanks to the jones for treating us to a friyay done right - we will most definitely be back.