The Dunne's visit Houston!

We just love visitors and the Dunne's were no exception! We had a fun weekend eating and drinking around town. Plus, Jessica and I did a little shopping!

Check out the Texas waffles I made for brunch. Waffle maker courtesy of Chad (Eric's brother) and Amy (Chad's gf). So awesome!!

Halloween!!

We bought loads of candy in case of trick or treaters and didn't get a single one!! Boo hoo!!

Eric told me I have to get rid of the candy because we are eating it all!! I think it'll have to come to work with me!

Dixie was very festive this year, though. She was a penguin!

Jenn & Chris Peters's Wedding

And we were off again... This time to the Bay Area to celebrate the wedding of a great nursing school friend. It was a beautiful wedding and another fun weekend away!!

Quick Trip to Austin!

Eric had a business trip/guys weekend in Vegas over the weekend, so I headed to Austin to see my dear college friend, Caitlin. We had a great time checking out Austin and eating (duh!). We also went paddle boarding on a lake near downtown. Check out this amazing picture courtesy of Cait!

View from the hospital

Seeing Paula and Giada in person!

I have the best husband! I know it's only been a few months, but really? I hit the jackpot. Not only is he incredibly nice, forgiving and patient (he'll be sad if I don't say handsome too), he got me tickets to the Houston Metro Food Show!! Plus special tickets to attend a cooking lesson with Paula and Giada. Heaven!!!

We had a good time and came back with about 12 different BBQ sauces, mopping sauces, dry rubs, etc. time to learn to BBQ, Eric!

Tahoe in September

We were so lucky to be able to go to Tahoe for Eric's family friends, Fran & Renz, 50th wedding anniversary! Talk about an amazing milestone and such a great celebration. They had friends from every stage in their lives there as well as their kids and grand kids!

The weather was beautiful and we had a great time just getting away for a bit.

Cooking for Two

So, I'm still getting used to cooking for another person a big person who eats a ton!  When I lived alone, I would always halve recipes so that I didn't have a lot of leftovers (because they're gross).  I've started making whole recipes but it's still not enough.  Eric's always asking if there's more and usually there's only a little.  Then he doesn't have anything easy for lunch the next day (or his second breakfast, afternoon snack, pre-dinner meal, etc).

Here's another example... I made three chicken breasts thinking we'd each have one and then he could have the third the next day.  Right as we sat down he stabbed 2 pieces and there they went.  He wanted more but obviously I hadn't made any.  Ugh... here's to working out issues for the newly married...

Regardless, this was a delicious meal!!!  It's Barefoot Contessa's Tequila Lime Chicken.  I served this with a mango salsa and quinoa.  (Eric also recently discovered what quinoa was and has decided he's a fan... Go figure...).

Gram and Papa Come to Houston

Hey Ya'll!

We had a great celebratory weekend! Not only did Gram and Papa come visit, but we also celebrated me getting a job! Whoo hoo!! I'll be an RN at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital at the Texas Medical Center.  Check it out here.

Gram and Pops got here Friday night and we went to Goode Seafood Co for dinner.  Gram loves pecan pie and they have a 'world famous' pecan pie, so I knew we needed to check it out.  Gram did try the pie and said it was very good, so I'd say that's the stamp of approval.

Saturday we woke up and headed straight for NASA.  It was such a great tour!  I can't wait for Maddie and JJ to visit because their kids activities are awesome.








After NASA we went to Galveston for lunch.  People had warned us that it wasn't a pretty beach and they were absolutely correct.  I didn't get a picture but the water is brown and the beaches are small.  Regardless, it was a quick drive and we enjoyed our lunch!

Sunday we had a delicious brunch at this super cool restaurant called Backstreet Cafe.  Their menu made us all salivate and we had such a hard time deciding what to get because it all sounded fantastic!  After brunch we checked out an art museum by our house which is known for its gardens.  It was really neat, but so hot outside that we didn't spend much time admiring the gardens.  Finally, Sunday night we went to a Brazilian steakhouse, Americas.

Basically, we spent the whole weekend eating and then recovering before the next meal.  True to Sharp form...

Texas in Pictures: Installment 2

Cheese! We explored Central Market over the weekend it is AMAZING!! It's the coolest grocery/cooking store I've ever been to.  The cheese section is as big as the bottom floor of our house! And the bread... oh, the bread.  They've got tons of choices and let you try whatever you want to!  Oh heaven!
p.s. a quarter wedge of one of these authentic parmesan wheels is almost $200!!
p.p.s. I did not buy one.  :(

Texas, in pictures: Installment 1

Becoming Texan Transformation: Part 1

Hey Ya'll!  We're on week 3 of married life and living together and it's starting to feel normal!

We had a great week and an even better weekend.  On Saturday, we saw Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney in concert at Reliant Stadium.  It was an amazing show! Even Eric said he'd go see either of them in a heartbeat.  They put on such an exciting and entertaining show! We loved it!

And totally random, we ran into a girl that I went to grade school with in Portland! She's just  moved to Houston and only lives a few minutes away.  We're already planning a happy hour to catch up!

Here's our new boots!  

Tim McGraw performing!  We had great seats on the first level almost directly back from the stage.

Tim!

Do we look like we could be 'real' Texans?

Kenny!!!!!

Crafty Projects

Been working on some decor for the house.  I found these on Pinterest and have been wanting to make them for a while.  My hiatus from work has allowed me all kinds of time!

Sharing some delicious dinners!

Hi All,

Of course I have to share some recipes.  We've been eating really well (and somewhat healthy) around here.  With not much to do during the day, it's fun (for me) to plan menus, read my favorite cooking blogs and whip things up!  Here's a bit of what we've been chowing down on...

Spicy Smoky Salmon with Black Beans and Corn from here.  It only took 30 minutes too!

Barefoot Contessa's Pappa al Pomidoro (tomato soup with bread). I made a few changes (celery instead of fennel, didn't roast the basil, and halved it), but it was absolutely divine! You can find the recipe here.

Summer Vegetable Pancakes with Basil Chive Sour Cream.  Really good and light side dish to the tomato soup.  Eric said he wouldn't order them out but they were good.  The Basil Chive sauce is fantastic! I put a dollop in my soup for lunch the next day.  Go here to find this one.

Strawberries Romanoff.  My sister ordered this at a restaurant the other day and it was really good.  I wanted to  make it and home and was shocked that it's only 3 ingredients, which you probably have in your fridge right now! Great treat after dinner and almost guilt free.  I used this recipe but others call for Cointreau or an orange liqueur.  Still good without it though!

Homemade Pizza Chefs!

I introduced Eric to his first homemade pizza experience tonight. He'd made pizza at home before, but never pizza dough. He told me I may have created a monster because he's hooked!!

Eric's pizza had Hungarian salami, smoked Gouda and tomatoes. My pizza was peaches, goat cheese, mozzarella, basil and a balsamic reduction. We are stuffed!

Our first married dinner at home!

For our first official married dinner at home, I made salad, Italian breaded chicken and a sundries tomato dressing. It was great and healthy since we've both decided we could drop a few lbs. Eric picked the wine and we watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony. It was lovely and regular, something we haven't had a lot of.

Texas Caviar and Ashley comes to Houston

My lovely sister brought Dixie Lou to Houston. For a dog, she's a great traveler but she did give Ash a bit of trouble. Specifically, she chose to go to the bathroom in the boarding area. Luckily, my sister is so awesome and handled it like a champ!

While Ash was here we shopped, unpacked, decorated, ate and drank. It was a quick three day visit but I loved every second.

Ash went to school in Dallas and so gave me a few pointers on being a Texas lady. This included making Texas caviar. It's basically black beans, corn, red onion, sugar, vinegar, s&p, and cumin or chile powder. It was so delicious!!! I know we will be making this all the time!

Family Time!

I think Eric likes the dog as much as he says otherwise.

A couple honeymoon pictures

We honeymooned in the Riviera Maya, Mexico which is about 30 minutes from Cancun.  The resort was incredible! We had private check-in, a personal concierge, 24 hour room service and a preferred lounge with a bar and food!  It was all part of their honeymoon package, aka awesome!  Not to mention it was all inclusive so any food, drinks, whatever were included.  Now that we've traveled like this, we think it's the only way to go!  Talks are already happening about vacation for next year.  Meanwhile, check out some of these pictures!