Springspiration

The time has officially come. Although I'm several months behind, I am now completely obsessed with Pinterest. My new catch phrase has become "Wow I love that... PINNING IT." So as you can guess I have accumulated MANY inspirational pictures from beauty to health. With Spring almost over, here are some of my most inspiration filled Pinterest photos.

My motivation to run this summer!

Ready to start riding my Public bike around town!

My absolute favorite way to exercise- Pilates! Check out my instructor's website here!

The amazing Jennifer Lawrence in a floral wreath crown = perfection.

The accents of green in this kitchen really pop!

LOVE this color. I think it would be even more amazing with a turquoise belt.

Can't wait for summer!

Restaurant Week

For our annual Restaurant Week and one of the last nights of my vacation, we went to Maestro's. Each person got three courses for only $20 it was a great deal and an even better excuse to go out for dinner! Their restaurant week menu can be seen here. All of our meals were delicious!

When we sat down they brought us a delicious white bean dip with balsamic vinegar, I had to sit on my hands to keep myself from filling up on this!

Next thing I knew they brought out freshly baked bread with butter that had been topped with hawaiian salt- so good!

We all ordered their famous Maryland crab cakes, needless to say at this point I was beginning to get full...

My entree- A filet with a horseradish demi glaze (It was delicious but a little too raw in some areas)

Yummy roasted chicken with peas and water chestnuts

A very delicious carbonara- It wasn't too creamy or heavy either!

And the best part of the meal- dessert, a lemon torte. At this point I was ready to start unbuttoning my pants! Everything was delicious and I was so happy that it was warm enough to sit outside! 

My Recent Travels: Florida Keys

Three weeks ago I jumped on a plane and headed to FLORIDA! It was a great week in paradise, and a perfect way to start my Spring break! We lucked out with weather- it was sunny and 80 everyday. Here are a few pics from my trip:

Our first night there- we ate outside on the water!

A water jet pack that could be rented for $350 for half an hour! Fun to watch!

The water literally looked like the color of lemonade!

We were lucky enough to be able to swim with dolphins! It was a great experience and we had a blast!

How I spent most of the vacation- reading on the beach! I finally finished The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo I have to  admit- I didn't love it, my expectations were really high which might have had something to do with it but I was very disappointed!

Had my camera with me so had to take pictures of all the beautiful things we saw!

The seven mile beach- We watched the entire sun set and towards the end were able to actually see the sun "moving." I also looked for the green flash but didn't see it : (

                                       

                                                   The Chef at Bitton- a delicious French bakery in Islamorada

 

                                        

                                      The crepe I ordered- full of veggies, swiss cheese, and ham- so delicious!

The best gelato I have ever had- Key Lime!

It was a great, fun, and most importantly- relaxing vacation! Loved my time there!

My Recent Travels: New York

This past February I was able to spend a long weekend in New York. It was full of shopping, exploring, and great food! Here are a few pics from my trip:

Tea at the Peninsula Hotel:

Yummy finger food- assorted mini sandwiches, scones, french macroons, cream puffs, and other desserts

One of my favorites- proscuitto with fig jam and arugala

One of my favorites- smoked salmon, cucumber, and caviar

One of my favorites- cream puff swan

The tea and food were delicious but also VERY pricey, a great experience but the price was a turn-off. The hotel itself is gorgeous and I also had a fun surprise there, while we were sitting at our table waiting for the tea to arrive guess who walked by our table- Martha Stewart! Unfortunately I was too shy to snap a picture! 

Walking around the city:

Pretty lights at Rockefeller center

A very festive window to a german chocolatier- needless to say... we went inside : )

New York

As I am writing this, I am sitting on a train heading to the city! I am really looking forward to having a fun long weekend in New York. A few things on my agenda:

-Dinner at Fig and Olive
I received this recommendation from a close friend and so far have only heard good things! Can't wait to
try it!

-Breakfast at Alice's Teacup

-Checking this out at the MET

-Shopping!
I plan on hitting Topshop, Urban Outfitters, and the Nike Store.
I am in LOVE with this dress!

-Tea at the Peninsula Hotel

(Via Cupcakes and Cashmere)

Will update again soon with photos from my trip. Have a wonderful Valentine's day!

Babycakes

One of my Christmas presents this year was an adorable pink cupcake maker. It makes 12 mini-cupcakes in only 12 minutes! Needless to say I am in love. Along with the cupcake maker it also comes with a frosting kit and a recipe booklet. For my first experiment with it I made gingerbread cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. They were yummy and SO easy to make! The maker also makes mini-desserts including brownies, cheesecake, scones etc. I cannot wait to try them all!

Also did I mention that it only costs $16?!!?!

Frosting in action

The delicious final product!

Holiday Party!

Our annual Holiday party was on Friday night and it was, as always, a blast! We served hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. We invited families with kids as well so the menu also had some kid friendly food!
The Menu:

-Spiced Nuts (Recipe here)
-Cheese Plate
-Veggies with Dip
-Shrimp Cocktail
-Nachos
-Fried Mozzarella Balls (Recipe here)
-Pigs in a Blanket
-Spanakopita (Recipe here) (I also added some dill and egg whites to this recipe)
-Assorted Subs
-Endive, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad
-Chicken Satay on Skewers with Peanut Sauce
-Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Pictures from the Party:

Some of our Holiday decor! The swan is from Pottery Barn

The bar

A Holiday touch- cranberries in the champagne glasses

Our Tree

Chaffing dishes for the Chicken Satay, pigs in a blanket, and fried mozzarella balls

Hors D'oeuvres 

Cheese Plate

Spanakopita

Assortment of Subs

Endive, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad

Nachos

Shrimp Cocktail

Cookie boxes (Each family brought a plate of cookies for to share)

What I wore: Dress-Macy's Pumps-Nordstrom



HAPPY HOLIDAYS!