binging with babish

it's no secret my love for food, and re-creating the food i love from movies. so, you can imagine my surprise when santa delivered binging with babish's new book this past christmas! i can't tell you how excited i am to crack into it. 

binging with babish tries everything from the giant pancakes in uncle buck to prison sauce in goodfellas (even using a razor to shave the garlic) to shrimp cocktail in beetlejuice, and il timpano in big night. 

one of the best qualities, besides the amazing food he makes, is that binging with babish aka andrew rea is not a professionally-trained chef. he's just your average joe who loves food, has a passion for it, and wanted to create the food he loved to watch. how great is that?  

here's to my future food in movies adventures!

cositas

[dinner with old friends]

have you ever felt that sense that personal change is coming? i have felt it at certain times in my life when things were clicking into place, or when my gut was speaking the loudest. the strangest thing about this sensation is that i can never pinpoint it to one specific thing in particular. nothing that screams out, "yes! that's why!". but, i know it when i feel it. it's a mix of calm, reassurance, nerves of the unknown coming, and anticipation. the one thing i know for sure is that when it happens, i know i'm on the right track. 

has anyone else felt this way?  

[stocking up on my favorite local goodies]

[dinners that taste as beautiful as they look]

[working on those goals]

[catching up over lunch]

[cocktails and tasties]

life, according to my iphone

[tasty appetizers]

is it weird i wish we were getting the snow that is hitting most of the south? i am feeling all kinds of winter weather blues. right now, my state is swimming in a sea of bitterly cold temperatures, whipping winds, and no snow. the only cure for these blues is a full cup of cocoa had with snow falling outside. doesn't that sound lovely? sadly, there's no hope for flurries in sight, but a girl can dream. here's to hoping we get at least one good snow storm in before the end of this season. 

[vanagon lounging]

[a bit of OK on the plane; layover cocktail hour]

[nighttime glow]

[big ol' burrito; coffee shop hangs]

[a tricky boy; oyster slurp]

[it's a girl!; sweet roses from a great friend]

[air bnb finds; breakfast tacos]

[latte time; step this way]

[me and my dudes]

[funny dinner date; lively views]

[my favorite mermaid; coffee pot de creme]

[shop views]

[wanna play?; wanna cuddle?]

[whiskey flight vs mimosa flight; beanie buddies]

[funky chandeliers; toasted 'mallow ice cream]

[new year's day recoup; late night drinks]

ringing in 2018

last, but certainly not least, on our holiday break recap is new years eve! knowing that brian + nicki would be in town for the holiday, we wanted to do something different. just then, michael and i came across the jones' new years eve fiesta where my so called band would be playing. we knew it'd be the perfect way for T and i, m+j, and brian + nicki to say farewell to 2017. 

[welcome cocktails]

before we set out to the jones for the night, T and i went to m+j's for new year's eve dinner. michael seriously out did himself...that steak, and the salmon bisque were to die for. 

[snuck in a slow dance]

[brotime]

then, we got to the jones, grabbed a cocktail, and met up with brian + nicki. i'd be lying if i didn't get super excited to see the rows of balloon nets and confetti cannons. 

[my cute date]

[waiting for mscb to play]

[love these guys]

mscb put on an amazing show. between hearing 'jumper', 'i wish (i was a little bit taller)', and 'waterfalls' our gang was boogieing and singing along the whole night through. 

[my girl, jana]

5-4-3-2-1-happy new year! so much cheering, confetti everywhere (there was so much stuck in my hair, ha!), and smooching. i loved it. 

[mid-dance]

such a memorable and fun night, and the best way to say adios to the past year and bienvenidos to the year to come. 

bubbles tasting

it's no secret my love for bubbles. to me, they are the glitter of cocktails, and can add an extra omph to any occasion. so when i heard en croute was having a tasting, i just knew it was perfect for a bestie date with alex. 

plus, i'd always been curious to learn more about what i liked or disliked in bubbles. since i hadn't had an opportunity to sort through it, this seemed the perfect way to do so.  

[tasties for snacking]

during our tasting we learned about the different processing techniques in the making of bubbles, grapes used, and several random fun bubble factoids along the way. meanwhile, we sampled four different types of bubbles: cava (from spain), prosecco (from italy), california sparkling (from cali, obviously), and champagne (from the champagne region in france). 

post-tasting, i found my least favorite to be california sparkling, and my absolute favorite to be champagne (surprise, surprise). but, my runner-up for first place turned out to be the cava. fun fact, we learned that cava, palate-wise, is the most like champagne. so, if you want to sip champagne without the hefty price tag, go with cava! the prosecco we sampled was also really great. perfect for sipping on its own, or could be paired with food. 

[that bubbles glow]

after our tasting, alex and i grabbed dinner and a couple of their seasonal cocktails while we got caught up. it was the perfect way to end such a lovely experience, and we already can't wait for another tasting. 

thanks again en croute!

holiday-themed in betweens

not only were our christmases loads of fun, but it seemed to be a trend for all of the little moments in between. there was a holiday high tea, trivia night, stumbling onto a bar with champagne on tap (!!), seeing the latest star wars movie, viewing christmas lights in the snow, and seeing so many of our friends from out of town. holiday fun aside, it felt like the theme for this year's break was reunion of old (read: great) friends. 

you know that gal pal who is always game to try out any idea you have, even if they aren't completely sure about it? one, keep them always. and two, jana is the epitome of that friend. i asked her during a camping trip if she wanted to check out holiday high tea with me. neither of us had ever gone, or really knew what it was about aside from seeing it in movies. 

picture festive decor, inviting finger foods, unique tea samplings, and christmas music being played on a harp. we loved everything about it, start to finish, and already can't wait to go again next year!

[the cutest way to add sweetness]

[feeling festive]

[champagne campaigning]

next up, brunch with my fellow champagne lover, pinkey. a long-overdue catch up with dashes of sharing holiday traditions had in our families. the food, delicious (as always); the atmosphere, cozy and warm; and the conversation, varying from silly to serious every few minutes. 

[post-mimosa glow]

after our initial plans fell through, T and i wandered around the myriad gardens to see all the twinkly lights and festivities. after awhile, we needed to warm our toes and decided check out a new (to us) bar nearby. there was a roaring fire next to us, a glass of jammy red wine in hand, and a divine pot de creme to satiate the sweet tooth. it was perfectly cozy and tucked in from the crowds, just the way we like it. 

[mmm]

[cute date]

[star wars viewing]

[funky lighting, and champagne on tap]

much later, T and i got to finally see one of his dearest friends, chris. he happened to be back visiting family while we were in tulsa, and it was oh so good to see him again. he's the perfect example of a friend who makes all the distance and time apart melt away in an instant. it was like we'd just seen him yesterday, even though that was not the case. (move back please!)

[love these two]

[my hometown]

having not seen candace and daniel since our chocolat party, we'd been missing them quite a bit. and they were sweet enough to meet up with us during the weekday when they had work the next morning. 

i really love any opportunity to get to see these two and catch-up. i just wish we lived in the same town so we could see each other more! 

later that night, we saw more of our tulsa crew (minus jules and melanie...:( ) for trivia night, but the most surprising moment happened while we were there. an unexpected reunion with one of my dearest friends, who i had not seen since high school. that surprise meant so much to me, and it's been so amazing to reconnect after so much time. 

[the boys are back]

once we returned home, we got to reconnect with brian and nicki who were back in town visiting family. seeing how happy the guys were to finally be back together was equal parts adorable and hilarious. 

plus, i love getting to see nicki and talk wedding plans with her. (it's getting so close!)

[cuties]

[late night drinks]

and last, but most certainly not least, one of T's best friends, corbin, came home for a brief break from the peace corps. i cannot explain the excitement T and i shared counting down the days for him to come home, and then to finally have him here...it was everything we'd hoped it'd be, and then some. 

[comforting lunches]

we spent the remainder of our holiday break soaking up as much time with corbin as possible before he headed back. 

and now our countdown to seeing him, and our other friends, as started back up again. but it made for an extra lovely time. it may have been one of the few times that an overly packed schedule didn't exhaust me...but, i imagine that was due to the company :)