Saturday Game Night!

While the rest of Kansas was experiencing severe storms and tornadoes on Saturday we had some excitement of our own. We invited Chris and Erica Thowe and Kyle and Abby FitzGerald over for dinner and a game night.We indulged in pork tacos with slaw, black beans, white rice, tomitillo salsa, cheese dip, and guacamole. To top it off we had our second batch of homemade ice cream - vanilla with chocolate chip cookie dough. You can see from the pics below is was a huge hit. We dined on our new dining room chairs (I am happy to report no spills!) and couldn't have asked for better company. Comimos como que no había mañana.  ← that is Spanish for we ate like there was no tomorrow!

After dinner Kyle and Abby attempted to teach us how to play Gin Rummy. It was a good lesson, but we might need another one soon. We opted to a game that you had to play a little less attention to while playing. Catch Phrase! The game works a lot like charades, but you can talk. So, maybe that makes it not like charades at all? There is a word on the screen and you have to describe to your team what the word is without saying it. Example: Holland - I would say things like, tulips grow here, they have big windmills, it's in Europe, etc, etc. But, the fun part is that whoever has the game when the buzzer goes off loses! People say really ridiculous things, and get very flustered. We laughed so hard that night, it was a blast!

We are so excited to be married, have our house situated and furnished so we are able to have lots more people over to cook for and entertain. It was a really fun Saturday night, and a good reminder of fun a relaxing Saturday night with friends can be.

What a fun group!!

Relaxing after consuming 432lbs of chips and dips.

Our delicious ice cream! We pre froze the cookie dough, added the balls at the end at it worked great.

Learning to play Gin Rummy.

Someone...aka Kyle - could not stay away from the ice cream!

This is how the night ended. Erica in Kyle's shoes doing who knows what!

Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!!

This past week was National Grilled Cheese Day!

This is amusing and fun for me for a couple reasons.
1. I love cheese. It may or may not be one of the best things to come into my life. (After Tom of course)

2. Tom and I have a story behind the ol' grilled cheese sandwich. 

One of the first times I met Tom I was living in a house with three girls in Brookside. My roommate Andrea, was dating one of Tom's good friends. A group of about 8 of us all came back to our house after an evening out on the town to hang out and grab a late night snack. I decided it would be a great idea to make grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone. To make a very long story short, I made the grilled cheese sandwiches on TOP of a gas stove on a cookie sheet. No one died, and I didn't burn the house down, but Tom still teases me to this day about my amazing culinary skills that night. Little does he know... I was on to something brilliant that night. We later found this recipe for grilled cheese: http://ow.ly/ajgaR


I celebrated National Grilled Cheese Day the best way I know how... eating a grilled cheese. Duh! I hope I continue to celebrate and indulge in this wonderful culinary holiday!

Don't worry - I only ate one!

Ice Cream, You Scream - Why Is Everybody Screaming?

Ice Cream, You Scream - Why Is Everybody Screaming? Because we made the most amazing homemade strawberry ice cream, that's why!

On Monday night Tom and I tested out our new ice cream maker that my grandma and grandma got for us at my bridal shower. (Thanks gramps and grams!) Tom could hardly wait, and honestly I am surprised we made it as long as we did (2 weeks) without making some. Tom surprised me when I got off work with all the ingredients, including fresh strawberries for the ice cream. For the most part it was fairly easy, freeze the bowl two days prior, add whole milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and whipping cream - throw in the chopped up strawberries at the last minute and let the machine work it's magic for 45 minutes, and viola - all done. It called for red food coloring, but we didn't do that. We used enough strawberries ours was pretty and pink!

The only thing we might change in our recipe was using whole strawberry milk from one of our favorite local companies, Shatto Milk. Next up on our ice cream adventures are:

• Banana ice cream
• Whoopie pies with ice cream in the middle
• Chocolate ice cream 
• Cookie dough ice cream

Was I starting to sound like Bubba off Forest Gump? Don't worry I won't try shrimp ice cream - ew. We are open to suggestions and recipes too! Please share.

Our first batch of homemade ice cream was so delicious, and hard not to eat too much. We had some friends over Tuesday who got to enjoy the leftovers. I think it will be the perfect treat to finish off an outdoor BBQ this summer, and a good way to lure our friends over to see us every once in awhile. :)

Perfection in the works!

Happy Easter!

Tom and I had a very relaxing Easter weekend. I had every intention of documenting our Easter Sunday but between church and a food coma (Food Coma: A state in which a person is generally lethargic, lazy, and very full from eating a large meal) I got distracted and didn't take hardly any photos. Sorry!

Our Easter started out with a packed service at church. It was fun to see that many people at our church, and all of the little ankle bitters dressed up in their Easter garb. One kid even had dinosaur rain boots on - how cute! We couldn't have asked for nicer weather in Kansas City.

After church we went to World Market in Westport because I have had my eye on some dining room chairs there, and I got an email that morning that said they were on sale. The Easter Bunny DOES exist! They had the chairs in stock and we got a great deal. (pictures below!)

We made a delicious Caesar Salad, that I would highly recommend. It has anchovies in it that add a lot of great flavor to the salad. Don't worry they are minced very small. We enjoyed lunch with Abby & Kyle FitzGerald and Rob and Ashley Malone. We celebrated Easter the best way we know how... eating Italian food! We gorged on lasagna, pasta carbonara, focaccia bread, cauliflower, my caesar salad, and topped it off with tiramisu.  Yum! It was a really fun and relaxing afternoon.

Tom and I went home and put our new chairs together, and went on a nice walk in Fairway. All in all it was a GREAT Easter. Best one yet! :) I included the few pictures that I took below. I would also like to note that this is my last Easter as a single lady. Happy Easter!

New chairs! They are wonderful.

Abby! Thanks so much for hosting a yummy Easter lunch.

It was a great church service.

I decorated the mantel... no furniture but hey! I have stuff on the mantel.

More new chairs! These will go on the end of the table.

The Malones (and Tom's feet). It was gorgeous out.

Jamaica Mon!

Tom and I have been so excited about the wedding and busy planning the details that we haven't had much time to think about the honeymoon. We spent MANY hours researching a honeymoon spot after we got engaged, and we decided on Jamaica!

Our requirements were:
1. It was a warm destination. 
2. It was somewhere that neither of us had been.
3. It was an all inclusive resort.
4. It was a good combination of fun activities and relaxation.
5. We get to be together. (duh!)

Normally when Tom or I plan a vacation we love to research our destination in and out. Finding unique food spots, breweries, and popular tourist attractions make enjoying a vacation all that more fun. But, after planning a wedding we are ready to just sit back, relax and enjoy our resort, Couples Negril. We are going to take scuba diving classes, snorkel, lay out, fish, run, have a massage (maybe two?), and eat and drink until we are so full we can't talk anymore.

Jamaica is going to be so fun! Our resort has great reviews on Trip Advisor, and has won several awards. Not to mention amazing beaches, nice people, and I get to travel with my favorite person! Plus, I am slightly obsessed with Bob Marley (thanks to my dad!) and this trip has given me a great excuse to download lots of reggae music. 

One of the best things about being with Tom is I never get sick of him. (I will go back and read this at our 50th wedding anniversary) Of course we bicker and get irritated at each other like most couples, but I genuinely love being around him and love his company. Tom is a "vault of information" he will be able to tell you a random fact about anything from the plastic cup your drinking out of to the beer inside that cup. I am so lucky to be in love with such an intelligent, fun, and interesting person! I cannot wait to spend a week with just Tom and I.

 26 days til Jamaica Mon! 

Jamaica! I am sure we will have lots of fun stories, pictures, and times.

Our Resort!

That hammock and I might become best friend's.