lions and tigers and bears - oh my!

WOW! What a great weekend! Definitely one for the books.

First, Friday was a laid back kind of night just watching TV, which is sometimes just necessary after a long week.

Saturday, Bryan and I relaxed and watched movies most of the day, but we also made an epic lunch of Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas and Wraps!

They were absolutely wonderful.

Later that night was my friend Julie's birthday party.

We spent time in Huntington, Long Island and had dinner at Porto Fino and drinks at Christopher's, both of which were absolutely wonderful!

While most of the group had what I heave heard were delicious cupcakes for dessert, Bryan and I, along three of our friends went to Ben and Jerry's for some ice cream, which was a perfectly delicious choice.

 

But the real highlight of the weekend was a trip to the Bronx Zoo on Sunday.

It's one of those places that as a New Yorker, I know is always there, but I don't take advantage of nearly enough.

It was just the perfect day, the weather was perfect, the group was perfect, and the zoo was perfect.

Definitely a weekend to remember, and a perfect kick off to the warm beautiful weekends to come.

And what did YOU do this weekend?

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Linking Up!

weekend cooking love

Another laid back and wonderful weekend is in the books!

Friday night was another relaxing movie night with Bryan - sometimes extremely necessary after a long week of work!

Saturday was a laid back sort of day. Spent most of the day watching TV (including the Louis CK Oh My God HBO special. And if you haven't seen it, please find it online because it's pretty AWESOME!)

That night was a friends' birthday at Dave and Buster's, which is definitely a nice alternative to the usual scene. It was a great group of people and a relaxed atmosphere.

Literally perfect.

Yesterday, Bryan and I put our chef skills to the test trying out a Skillet Chicken and Ravioli recipe we found in Food Network Magazine.

We left out the mushrooms entirely because neither of us are fans, and subbed the parmesan for heaps of mozzarella.

It was absolutely perfect!

Next weekend is going to be a little more hectic, but I'm ready to grab the bull by the horns!

And how was YOUR weekend?

_______________

Linking Up!

nyc weekend adventures

Well, this weekend was another one for the books!

Starting from the beginning, Friday evening was much more relaxed than a normal Friday night.

Bryan and I stayed in and caught up on our shows from earlier in the week and just hung out. By the way, is anyone else loving New Girl this season?!

Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day in the city!

We were invited to a birthday dinner in the West Village and decided to use the occasion as an excuse to have a full-scale city adventure.

Bryan, our friend Sam and I headed to the Museum of Natural History. And while a lot of the exhibits there could definitely use some updating, it's a staple of living in the New York area that always proves to be a great time. The three of us just ran around and had a fantastic time.

It was like we were children again and I loved every second.

After that, we made a trip down to Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side. If you've never been there, you owe it to yourself to check it out. These cookies are the size of muffins and are absolutely incredible. I personally recommend the oatmeal raisin!

We later went down to Chelsea Market just to kill some time before dinner. We ended up wandering around Anthropolgie and spent a lot of time becoming sad about overpriced dresses and just being silly.

We finally met up at the restaurant of choice, Benny's Burritos and after some hassle over the seating arrangements (sitting a party of 10 in a tiny NYC eatery is a headache in and of itself), we finally got settled and ordered margaritas and burritos all around.

If you head there, and you're feeling adventurous, try one of the Bulldog drinks! It's a margarita with a shot of something extra, mine had white sangria, and a Coronita shoved in.

My waitress was even kind enough to add some guava flavoring to mine - which was awesome!

After dinner we ran around to a couple of the area bars, Down the Hatch and Slaughtered Lamb in particular.

Both were pretty typical bars of the West Village, but very enjoyable!

All in all, it was a fun night!

Sunday was a family day, as we were celebrating my grandfather's 75th birthday!

We'll all be going out for the occasion in June when my sister comes home from college, but for now we just had a home-cooked family dinner.

I love every opportunity to spend some time with my family - especially if it includes watching the Mets pick up a win in the final moments of a game!

I hope everyone had as great of a weekend as I did.

And I also hope that you all enjoy the rest of your week!

________________

Linking up!

easter weekend

While my family does not celebrate Easter, this was a great weekend spending this fun holiday with my boyfriend and his family!

Friday, Bryan and I dyed Easter eggs, which I haven't done in years. We had a lot of fun, and made some really cute designs.

After that we met up with our friends at Effin' Gruven in Bellmore, NY.

If you've never been and live in the area, I strongly suggest checking it out. They have an extremely diverse beer selection and just a great overall vibe!

Then for Easter Sunday, I joined Bryan's family for a vast and wonderful family dinner. This included lamb, ham, lots of veggies, lasagna, and sangria.

Did I mention that it was lots of sangria?

While Easter is not a holiday I've celebrated more than a handful of times in my life, I'd have to say this time was certainly extra fun!

And how did YOU spend this Easter weekend?

___________________________

Linking up with Synfully Delicious and Life of Love

Linking up with Sami's Shenanigans

 

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low key weekend recap

In my opinion, there's nothing like a relaxing weekend that features the return of some long-lost friends!

Friday night was a night in with Bryan spent with a little pizza and channel flipping.

Low key and perfect.

Saturday was a little bit more productive. The day started off with a trip to Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Huntington. Which if you've never had it, is the greasiest but most glorious thing in the universe!

We then spent most of the day shopping around before going out to eat at Hurricane Grill and Wings in Syosset.

If you like wings, you HAVE to try this place.

I mean, you can even sample any of the sauces! My personal favorites are Mango Barbecue, Chipotle Raspberry, and Cyclone!

My beer choice that evening was called Leaf Pile. And while I found it to be extremely weird that a fall beer was available so close to April, I was more than happy to give it a go since fewer things make me happier than a glass of beer with cinnamon sugar on the rim.

Later in the night we went to Miller's Ale House, which is the usual hangout spot of choice for my group of friends. We had two of our out of town friends in for a visit and sometimes there's nothing to brighten your spirits like seeing some old friends.

Finally, Sunday was just another bum day with Bryan watching movies and eating snacks. Basically, a perfect lazy day is sometimes all you need.

It's always sad to see the weekend end, but it's back to the grind today. As always, I like to start my week in good spirits.
So I say to all of you: Happy Monday!

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This is a Weekend Shenanigan link up with Samis Shenanigans!

st. patty's day weekend recap

Well, St. Patrick's Day Weekend 2013 was a great success!

Saturday was the start of festivities with my friends. For the first part of the day I had a small group of people over to my house for what I intended to be some fun in the sun.

Little did I realize it was supposed to snow that day.

My friends and I being the crazy people that we are, we all decided that we weren't going to let a little snow ruin our plans.




After hours of snowy beer pong, we headed over to the local bar to meet up with the rest of our friends. Needless to say, the day turned out perfect overall.




It really just goes to show that you can't let silly things, like snow, get you down.

Since Saturday was so wonderful (and a little wild!), Sunday was a little bit more low key.

I spent the day with Bryan and his family, where despite the fact that they are not the slightest bit Irish, they served a traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage.

It was my first time trying this and I was pleasantly surprised to how much I enjoyed the corned beef. There was also potatoes, carrots, Irish soda bread, and Guinness to be had - all of which were great!

All in all, this St. Patrick's Day weekend was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Great friends, great food, great drinks, and great fun.

So until next year...

my boozy foodie weekend

Well, another relaxing and wonderful weekend is in the books.

In my world, Friday usually seems to fall as the casual night out with my friends. As much as I love how consistent we can be about that, I am so excited to mix it up this weekend with a holiday I love way too much for someone with no Irish blood whatsoever: St. Patrick's Day!

Saturday, Bryan and I went to The Good Life in the Massapequa Park area of Long Island. This evening was set up as a surprise dinner for me which as always, I was more than thrilled to go along with. 

While driving to the mystery destination, we went past this very interesting place that had a classic English telephone booth as its doorway. Of course, I felt the need to point out how interesting I found this to be and got even more excited when I found out that was indeed the spot he had chosen! 

Dinner consisted of an amazing beer selection and some of the best, if not the best, appetizers I've ever had.

If you ever get a chance to go, the Chicken Cordon Blue Balls will change your life. I promise.

After that we decided to go home for some wine, cheese and Saturday Night Live. For everyone else who has not had the pleasure of experiencing it, we make a mean cheese platter.

Of course, the purpose of this blog is not to review television shows. However, the fact of the matter is I watch a lot of TV that I am very passionate about and will probably end up discussing it here from time to time.

It is worth noting that SNL is one of my favorite shows. Not because it is the most funny or smart show on right now, because it isn't. The main reason I love it so much is because of the history that comes with a show that has been on as long as this one, not to mention the comedic geniuses it has produced. 

This reason was reconfirmed in this latest episode when Justin Timberlake officially became a member of the coveted Five Timers Club. To celebrate this occasion, many of the greats that have also achieved this honor such as Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, and Alec Baldwin all made surprise appearances. Needless to say, I think we could call this the best episode of the season!

On an unrelated note, I must say that I am excited for this week to start if it is going to bring weather similar to this weekend. Because quite frankly, I am over the snow. 

mint + mustaches

Sometimes, when the hectic daily grind can seem to be a lot, there's nothing like a relaxing weekend of not much that can make things feel just right. After a great night on Friday out with my friends Saturday and Sunday were much more low key. Saturday was spent relaxing in with my boyfriend and we (he) created the greatest little dinner time treat. We called them Buffalo Chicken Pockets.

There is something so simple and delicious about the combination of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, chicken, hot sause, and a fun array of cheese. It was really the perfect dinner for a Saturday night in.

Sunday was spent with my family as a celebration of my mother's birthday. Since I was just starting this blog, I wanted to show off my brand new Old Navy sweater. It's sporting polka dot and mint, both of which I'm very into right now. While hoping I would get the perfect "trendy" angle for a picture to feature my new frock, the best shot of the day is this:

Sometimes there's no better definition of "Sunday Funday" then an afternoon (into evening, my family likes to spend a lot of time together!) just spending some quality time with your loved ones. A number of things today have reminded me of how special and scared the bond of love is and while it may sound cheesy, John Lennon really did say it best.

All you need is love.