cooking – Page 7 – forEVR and always

La Esquina / Hot Date

January 17, 2013Leave a comment

Last night I had a night out with one of my bests, Adie! We did some (unsuccessful) shopping in SoHo, explored the weirdest Asian store ever (we were both way into it), and went to taco heaven at La Esquina.

Here are some fun ones from last night…

(view from dinner)

(like i said, taco heaven)

(yummy food & sodas)

(wrapping paper for the birthday girl…she loves some jesse pinkman)

(at home after dinner snuggling the boy)

(bracelet purchase from last night)

What do you guys think of the site redesign?

xo-j

Surgery

January 14, 2013Leave a comment

Friday I had a procedure done to help with my breathing, or lack of breathing! Over the past couple months I haven’t been able to breathe well causing quite a lot of trouble for me physically and emotionally (I get so scared I won’t get air in!). Hopefully now that the surgery is over, and once I have recovered, I will be good as new and breathing like a functioning human being again.

Thank God my Mom was here on Friday to help me! I was a mess! Bloody nose on the subway, felt like I had been punched 29058035 times in the face, and a bit out of it. I couldn’t be more thankful to have had her with me, I’m a lucky kid…

(lookin fly in my hospital gown…yea…)

After the surgery Mom and I had lunch together at Forcella…it was just the medicine I needed.

(proscuitto, arugula, parm, and mozz pizza…holy cow…and cute mama with her spin pizza!)

Since I couldn’t really go out this weekend, or drink, or stay out late, we had a lazy one. We saw Zero Dark Thirty, ate a ton of delivery, and cuddled the boy…

(hanging with my boys, and the absurd amount of snacks i ate saturday night)

(nail color from santa)

(my crazy long hair…idk what to do with it)

(mural of paradise in my neighborhood…less than 3 weeks till we are here)

Now all I can do is hope I start to feel a big difference in my breathing and I’m good to go!

xo-j

Dinner / Movie / Mess

January 10, 2013January 17, 2013Leave a comment

Last night Jay and I decided to go to see Silver Linings Playbook (so good!) at Nitehawk! We love this movie theater! They have amazingly delicious food (clearly the most important part), a full bar (eh maybe this is most important), and its really intimate (not a huge megaplex). Check out their menu here!

(theater, how you order, ticket)

Anyways, we had a great meal (I had shrimp and fried grits oh.my.god.), we loved the movie, and it was a fun night out. Then we got home…

Where this monster had thrown up all over our comforter! YAY! It’s my own fault he overate and looks like he snacked on a toy too…poor little guy. So after a scramble to clean our mattress cover, get new sheets on, and find blankets to sleep with, we were off to bed. Always something right?

Wishing everyone a sick-dog free day!

xo-j

Lately…

January 9, 2013January 17, 20131 Comment

(our orchid is thriving…i have no idea how)

The past couple days have been busy with work for both of us. But here are some pictures of life lately…

(weirdo is obsessed with the butterfly chair. it’s his new hangout)

(he is way too loved)

(erin and i exploring at lunch found a beautiful church and indoor garden to eat our lunch)

(can’t stop eating brussel sprouts…i thought i was going to die i ate so many the other day!)

(it may not be beautiful, but those chicken tacos and beans were so delicious)

(3 more weeks…all we have to do is make it 3 more weeks until we are here ^)

xo-j

Ziti Time!

January 7, 20137 Comments

This weekend we did a whole lot of relaxing! A fun dinner at our friend’s apartment Friday, movies and fun night in Saturday, and laundry/de-christmasing the apartment Sunday. I think we both needed that kind of weekend.

On Friday I made ziti for dinner with friends and I wanted to share the recipe with you. It is a family favorite and one that I love to make!

ZITI RECIPE

What You Need:

1 – 16 oz box ziti
1 large onion (or two small)
2 tbs olive oil
8 cups sauce (I use original Francesco Rinaldi…any will work)
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic (I use a little close to 1 tsp though)
2 tbs sugar
1/2 cup ricotta
2 tbs Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella (I use more like 2 cups)
Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely chop up the onion…

Then cook the onion on medium heat with the oil until soft…stir constantly!

2. In a pot boil water and cook ziti for 10 minutes.

3. Once the onion is soft, add the sauce and seasonings to the onion (basil, sugar, garlic, I also add a bit of oregano, pepper, and parsley)

4. Cover and simmer the sauce mixture for 15 minutes.

yummy yummy sauce

5. Once the pasta is done and drained, and the sauce has cooked, mix the pasta and sauce in a pot. Add the ricotta and parm and mix.

6. In a glass pan, pour the pasta mixture. I do layers…put 1/2 the pasta mixture in the pan then a bit of the mozz cheese, then the rest of the pasta on top and lots of cheese….

7. Bake the ziti for 30 minutes at 375*.

Here it is…beautiful, delicious ziti!

8. Enjoy with friends…

(rondo and albus loving each other at em & reg’s while we ate)

I actually added chicken sausage for the first time on Friday and it came out amazing! To do this slice sausage into tiny bites (crumbles), then brown in separate pan, and add to sauce mixture for the 15 minutes. It was a new twist and came out really well!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

xo-j

Back to Business

January 2, 2013January 2, 20132 Comments

I can’t believe vacation is already over and it is 2013! Christmas and New Years Eve were both wonderful…couldn’t have been better (with the exception of a trip to the dr on christmas day)! Here are some pictures of friends visiting, family, and the great time we had closing up 2012. We’re ready for our upcoming year of big changes…bring it on 2013!!

(present time!)

(rondo had a special christmas treat)

(nicks adorable kitty, visiting family in ma!)

(best friends from nc came to visit)

(the siblings on nye)

(my brother came to bk for nye!)

(can’t wait to enjoy 2013 with this guy)

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and a happy happy new year!

xo-j

little christmas/big gift

December 21, 20123 Comments

(our tree and wrapped presents)

Last night we had little Christmas at our apartment. We exchanged gifts, ate a ridiculous amount of Italian food, and watched a movie. Though I’m sad we won’t be together on the actual day, it was a lot of fun to have our first Christmas living together and with Rondo.

(rondo “helping” me wrap the other day)

We exchanged gifts and I didn’t know what to expect from Jay…what he gave was more than I could have imagined…8 days in Punta Cana at this crazy luxurious resort! You can check it out here! How did I get so lucky?! I can’t believe in just a couple weeks we will be sitting on the beach relaxing together with nothing to worry about…now all we need is a puppy sitter…Mommmmmm :)????!!!!

Here are some more fun ones from present time last night:

(rondo’s daycare gave him a stocking! they are the greatest!)

(rondo hiding all his new toys behind the pillows of our bed & our mantle full of cards)

(jay opening, rondo loving his new metrocard toy…such a new yorker)

(the boys tuckered out from playing/opening…so cute)

My favorite gift I got Jay was this custom made poster since he loves Game of Thrones so much…

Pretty cool right? With his real family saying too!

Almost time for 11 days off from work…11! Looking forward to spending time with so many friends and family at home, in Boston, and back in Brooklyn next week. Wishing everyone happy, healthy, and wonderful holidays!

xo-j

bon appétit

December 20, 2012Leave a comment

(frozen hot chocolate at serendipity)

Lately we have been on an endless journey of lunches, dinners, drinks, and holiday parties…not that I’m complaining, but we have been busy and completely stuffed for the past two weeks! Nothing like the holidays in NYC to fill you up…

(lunch at serendipity…erin and i dressed the same by accident!)

(more serendipty & dylans candy bar!)

(holiday lunch with all my girls from work!)

(rolling stone holiday party)

(i had 3 of these this week and a countless amount of cookies…oh dear)

Jay’s cousin from Italy came to visit NYC with his girlfriend and we had a great dinner at 1 or 8 in Williamsburg…so yummy…

(nyc skyline from our rooftop)

Now just a couple more days until Christmas and a whole lot more eating to do in the mean time! Can’t wait to do little family Christmas tomorrow with these two bubs…

xo-j

Visitors

December 17, 2012Leave a comment

This weekend Jay’s friends came to visit from Cali and boy did we party…seriously, I’m still tired! Here are some fun pictures from the weekend in Brooklyn with our friends…

FRIDAY

(out in manhattan for the night)

SATURDAY

(rondo in bed still at 11am…he was up playing until way too late)

(hanging before starting our day)

(rondo falling asleep sitting up in the sun)

(first stop of many at Spritzenhaus…the kale salad is seriously unreal)

(goofing around with em at surf bar for dinner)

(probably my favorite from the weekend. i somehow got the boys to take this one with the trees)

(last stop at lucky dog. rondo came for that one!)

Now it’s time to start my last week of work before the holidays!

xo-j

Home For Good Dogs/Looking Down On Us

December 14, 2012Leave a comment

I think you all know, not only by the name of the blog, we are kind of (ok totally) obsessed with our little Rondo. I thought today I would share the story of how we brought home this guy and the amazing work Home For Good Dogs is doing!

We had been looking for a puppy for a while….we used Pet Finder, looked through tons of sites, and sent countless emails to both shelters and breeders. Then one day Jay found Rondo (who was listed as a girl!) and we fell in love with his picture.

003 (the picture on pet finder of rondo)

Then life took a turn, as it does, and I lost my cousin. It couldn’t have been more tragic and is something I still can’t comprehend…the day after as we were making plans to travel home to be with my family, HFGD called and told me we were approved for Rondo (who at that time we thought was a girl and we were going to name Cholula). I told them I wouldn’t be able to come get him as we had a horrible loss in the family, but thank you so much…

As I was talking to Toni from HFGD (amazing woman!) it turned out HFGD is located in the town where my cousin lived. Again, I told her how I would love to meet the puppies, but I wouldn’t be able to. She understood, but as we were about to hang up she asked where I lived in NJ (about 45 minutes away from my cousins house and HFGD) and she said “no problem! we will just bring the dogs to that petsmart for you on Sunday”. And quick as that everything changed.

That weekend I went to meet up with Toni and the puppies. She picked them both up and that’s when we realized that though they were both listed as girls, one was most definitely a boy! I held them both and didn’t know how I could possibly decide who to bring home…then Rondo licked my face and I was sold.

I like to think my cousin was looking down (and even though she wasn’t a pet person) she sent us Rondo. I’m always calling Rondo my little heaven angel…

(rondo’s first day home sleepy in his bed)

I can’t say enough about the amazing work Home For Good Dogs does. They are non-profit full of loving, helpful, warm volunteers who only want the best for their adoptable dogs. Look at some of these cuties who need homes now…

Please take some time and like their Facebook to continue support for this wonderful place! If you know of anyone in the area looking for a loving pet to bring home please look to them! They have adoption events in Milburn throughout December.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and this story brings a little bit of light to your day, as Rondo does with us.

xo-j

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