{girls} weekend in review...

This past weekend was very much a girls weekend, if there ever was one.  With Lance out of town, I find it completely acceptable to deem every night, girls night until he returns.  This will mean: lots good food... great company... a few new drinks... more good food... shoe shopping... ice cream for dinner... fresh flowers... and more good food.  This weekend was the kick-off, if you will.  Let the girls' nights begin!

My girls' weekend started off with an awesome dinner at a new (to me) restaurant, RYE.  It was amazing.  Those dinner rolls alone were enough to seal the deal for me.  We decided to order family-style and just share everything... it was perfect.  I definitely recommend if you live in the Louisville area.

My pretty, pretty friends... Ashley, Amanda and Anne... apparently that was the "A" side of the table.

Me and my friend Bekah... we had to sit in the kitchen since our names didn't start with an "A."

After dinner, we headed down the street to Garage Bar for the remainder of the evening.  Another "must-do" if you live in Louisville.

Saturday morning I slept in a little, then headed to my favorite farmer's market... sparkly clutch still in tow.  Apparently I'm too lazy to switch my purses again... besides I think the pink in my shoe laces really bring out the pink vintage beading... don't you think? :)

So much color at the farmer's market this week... I can't believe this was my first Saturday to make it out all summer... I forgot how beautiful the fresh flowers are and how tasty the breakfast burritos are.  I also found my new favorite obsession... Instagram & Over... together.  Love being able to write on my photos before sharing:)

Got home from the farmer's market just in time to clean house and put my flowers in a mason jar... because two of my very favorite friends will be here any second...

YAY!!  My friends April and Amy drove all the way from Georgia to spend the rest of the weekend with me!  They finally arrived late Saturday afternoon... just in time for us to catch up a little, then head out the door to dinner at The Blind Pig (one of my favorites).

We left The Blind Pig, only to head upstairs to one of mine and Lance's favorite bars, MEAT (they don't have an official website, but here is a great review).  Just the atmosphere alone in this place is worth the trip.  It's this awesome vintage speak-easy bar that's tucked away and hard to find... which adds to the ambiance of it all.  We had a blast catching up and laughing on the corner sofas.

Sunday was church, then lunch at the Butterfly Garden Cafe.  I ordered the olive nut sandwich and it was amazing... but you really can't go wrong with that much cream cheese, now can you? 

Then it was off to the Zappos Fulfillment Center.  Yes, it's true... Louisville is home to the shoe capital of the world... Zappos.  Well, actually it's located about 15 minutes south of Louisville... but totally worth the extra effort.  Best part??  You can actually SHOP at the Zappos Fulfillment Center (yes, it's really called that... and yes, it's really quite fulfilling).  The shopping portion of the warehouse is what you might know as 6pm... they always have weekly specials and incredible weekend sales.  Booking your trip to Louisville yet?? 

Sunday night we walked around the corner to another one of my favorite eating spots... Eiderdown.  I order the spatzle every.single.time.  It's amazing.

We decided to take it easy Sunday night and just chilled at the house and watched a movie.  It was perfect.  Little Cat thought so too.  

Monday it was time for the girls to head back to Georgia... but not without a send off brunch at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.  April ordered the french toast... and HOLY.FRENCH.TOAST.  It was ridiculously huge... and tasty.

It was an amazing weekend... and I miss my girls already.  Good news though... I have enough leftovers in my fridge to last me for eternity.  I'll be eating burgers and french toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner all week long:)

Perfect weekend... perfect weekend indeed.

i don't like salad... but i'm trying

I'm not really a salad girl. I've never been one to order up a big salad as my dinner. I've even been known to order a taco salad... without the lettuce. Yes, I do realize that lettuce is the main component of a salad... but have you had those taco bowls?? I mean, I would eat cereal out of those things.

But back to the subject at hand... salad. I have recently realized that it is really just iceberg lettuce that I don't like... and I'm totally okay with spinach and spring mixes. So I'm trying some new stuff out... I'm in Spring Salad Training, if you will. Not because I want to be super healthy or anything, but because I've actually found a few that I enjoy. Trust me... if you saw the salads that I put together... they would not be called salads... so not healthy.

Here is my most recent favorite... a simple blue cheese salad. Yum.

I start with the essentials... baby spring mix, a tomato, a sweet yellow onion, a cucumber, blue cheese crumbles, and Litehouse Chunky Blue Cheese dressing.

If I wanted to be super healthy I would stop here. You know, just the veggies and a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles.

Yeah right. My salad is not complete until I pour on the dressing...

On extra special days, I will add a left over Chick-fil-a chicken strip. Now that makes a good salad.

What about you? Do you have any salad favorites? Anything I should try for Spring Salad Training?

pumpkin, and spice, and everything nice...

Okay... I have been wanting to try this pumpkin spice cake recipe for a while now. I first heard about the Pumpkin-Spice-Secret from my co-worker and good friend over at Tales From the Fairy Dust... she heard about the Pumpkin-Spice-Secret from her good friend over at Chicago Cuisine... who originally discovered the Pumpkin-Spice-Secret over at PB Fingers.

So what is this brilliant Pumpkin-Spice-Secret, you ask?? It is only the most amazing fall dessert ever... not to mention the easiest dessert ever...

All you need are these 3 ingredients: {1 box of Spice Cake mix :: 1 can of Pure Pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling) :: 1 container of Cream Cheese icing}

Combine the Spice Cake mix with the can of Pure Pumpkin...

Put some elbow grease in it and you should eventually get something that looks like this...

Plop out some big spoonfulls onto a couple of cookie sheets. {I decided to make cookies, but Tales From the Fairy Dust and Chicago Cuisine both did theirs cake-style... whatever suits your fancy.}

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 12-15 minutes. {They should feel slightly firm to the touch.}

Let these bad boys cool down for a while, then slather them up in Cream Cheese icing.

If your feeling a little adventurous, go ahead and give them a little cinnamon shake-down.

Then, find a comfy spot at the table (or counter top) and enjoy your not-so-hard labor.

Go ahead... have another. I won't tell.

finally... we found it...

...Good southern food, that is. Lance and I have been on a massive hunt here in Louisville for some good-ol'-home-cooked-southern-soul-food-goodness. And finally, we found it.

Nothing beats homemade macaroni and cheese, real mashed potatoes, crispy fried chicken, and good salty green beans. You know... the kind of food that clogs your arteries, but you are happy to let it do so. This is one of those things that we have really been missing from Georgia... no, scratch that, from the South. Beacause really, Kentucky is unsure if it is a southern state or a northern state. It can't quite seem to make up it's mind on this issue. Lance and I were afraid we were never going to eat soul food again...

And then, we found Indi's.

Indi's has given me hope for the southern side of Kentucky. The macaroni and cheese was some of the best I've ever had. Almost as good as the mac-n-cheese Lance's grandmother Meme would make. The chicken was just right. And the green beans were supurb. But the best part... the people serving up the food behind the counter... super friendly, and struck up conversation with us like we grew up down the street from them. That is what I miss from the south.

We will definitely be back. Sooner, rather than later...

best party dip ever...

Okay... well, I might be a little biased about this dip, but it's pretty dang tasty. Ask anyone who's ever come over to our house after a football game, or for a get-together. There is rarely any leftover, and if there is, I can usually finish it off myself. My mom always made this dip growing up (and still does)... it's known to be her signature party dish. Since my mom and I are in different states, it is totally legal for me to borrow her signature dish, and call it my own:)

This little dip is not only the best, but it's also the easiest. It's basically a 5 layer dip. It's a cinch to make with only 5 simple ingredients...

3 ripe avocados

1 small container of sour cream

1 bunch of green onions

1 small container of mild Picante sauce

1 package of shredded chedder cheese

And then 5 simple steps to create 5 simple layers...

1) Cut your 3 avocados in half and scoop them out onto your dish (a shallow serving dish works best). I usually slice the avocados pretty thin to make them easier to mash. I just take a regular dinner fork and mash them up by hand straight on my serving dish. This should be a pretty simple task assuming your avocados are ripe. Spread the mashed avocados so that they cover your dish completely. It should look like the photo below. This is layer #1, and in my opinion the tastiest and most important:)

2) Take your small container of sour cream and spread over the avocado. It should be just the right amount. It's important to put the sour cream on next, as it helps to keep the avocado from turning brown. This is layer #2.

3) Chop up the bottom portion of your green onion bunch. This one was a pretty small bunch and I probably should have got 2. This is totally up to you... want more green onions? Use 2 or 3 bunches. I just use a knife to thinly slice the onions, but sometimes when Lance makes the dip, he uses a food processor for really finely chopped onions. This is layer #3.

4) Pour the container of Picante sauce over your sour cream and green onions and spread evenly. Your party dip should start to resemble some type of child's finger painting artwork (with green onions and peppers, of course). This is layer #4. (almost done)

5) And finally, take your entire bag of shredded chedder cheese and sprinkle evenly over the Picante sauce. Do not dare skimp on the cheese. If the avocado is the best part of this dip, the cheese is a close second. You can never go wrong with too much cheese. I've even been known to open a second bag, just to make sure my top layer of cheese was plentiful... don't judge. This is layer #5.

Your dip is complete and ready to eat. I usually serve with a big bowl of Tostitos chips. Give it a try this weekend. It's a perfect tailgating dish... or great to munch on all day Saturday while you watch college football. You will not be disappointed. Promise. Enjoy!