Saturday, May 28, 2011

Greetings from Martha's Vineyard!

I am finally back on the Vineyard! Hope you all have a fabulous holiday weekend. Family, friends, beach, barbeques, beer... whatever it may be I hope it's a good one. Let's not forget what Memorial Day is all about - thanks to the brave men and women who serve our country. Party in the USA!
SHARE:

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Breakfast at Brennan's

Still covering my trip to the Big Easy, more food coming your way.  If crawfish weren't for you how about brunch? Doesn't that mimosa look great? Anyone I asked for itinerary tips said breakfast at Brennan's was a must.


The girls and I enjoyed 3 courses over 3 hours - it certainly was an "unhurried breakfast" just as the menu claimed. I know I've read that it takes your brain 20 minutes to register that your hunger is satisfied. Well, this was signaled and ignored several times.


For breakfast entrées there were several versions of Eggs Benedict to choose from. I opted for the Eggs Hussarde, a Brennan's original dish that includes Marchand de Vin sauce.


For dessert we had Bananas Foster, which we all know comes along with a show! I had no idea that the recipe originated at Brennan's. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!


With time to kill before our next meal we walked some of that breakfast off at the French Market. Had to laugh at this shirt Corinne spotted, "I want to be Barbie - The B*tch has Everything!"

I promise I'll get to the wedding part soon...
SHARE:

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Crawfish Boil

I love seafood but had never tried crawfish before my visit to Louisiana. It was an experience I will never forget - we were all memorized by this pot!


We hopped on a bus from our hotel in the French Quarter and headed to the West Bank of New Orleans where friends of the bride's parents hosted the crawfish boil. It was a great way to kick off the wedding weekend festivities.


The highlight of the event was of course seeing the bride, Lindsay, for the first time during the trip!


Let me tell you, they don't play around in Louisiana. I can only imagine what their tailgating scene must be like.


It was pretty obvious who was from the North, since we had no idea how to eat the "critters." For those not brave enough there was plenty of other authentic cuisine. A confused Amanda was asked, "What do y'all eat up there?" As you can see she was really enthusiastic to give them a try.


How To Eat Boiled Crawfish, courtesy of Southern Living.

Step 1: Grasp
Hold crawfish on both sides of the tail joint, your thumbs on one side of the shell and your index fingers on the other.
Step 2: Twist and Snap
With a twisting motion, snap the head away from the tail. (Optional step for diehards: Suck the juice from the crawfish head.)
Step 3: Peel
Use your thumbs to peel away the shell from the widest part of the tail, pulling back from the center, just as you would peel a shrimp.
Step 4: Tug
Hold the tip of the tail and gently tug out the tender meat. Enjoy!

I skipped the optional step... I wasn't feeling it. Maybe next time.


If crawfish aren't for you, I recommend Crawtators! These were in our wedding welcome bag at the hotel and didn't last long.

The party continued back on Bourbon Street. More NOLA to come...

Thanks to the Maid of Honor Amy for the picture of Lin on the bus!
SHARE:

Bling Alert


Blings 3 for $60
Mini Blings 3 for $50
Party Blings 3 for $75
See all the colors here.

I love my JoJo Blings! If you don't have a pair now is the perfect time to add to your jewelry collection and they also make great gifts. See my colors here. Good luck choosing, it's no easy task!
SHARE:

Monday, May 23, 2011

N'awlins

This sign sums my weekend up! I had such a great time in New Orleans for an extravagant wedding weekend. Over the next couple of days I will recap my trip to one of my new favorite cities.


We arrived early on Thursday morning to check into the Omni Royal Orleans in the French Quarter. It is a gorgeous historic hotel with an amazing lobby. Here is just a sneak peak!


I guess I shouldn't laugh at tourists in NYC walking around with maps; don't forget I work in Times Square. Blackberry Google Maps wasn't doing it for us! I needed the bigger picture.


My food itinerary didn't include breakfast for Day 1, but we had some time to kill before our friends arrived so we decided to wing it. The first place that caught my eye was closed all day for a Junior League event. Moving on, I liked the sign above this open dining area so we decided this would be it. Turns out you had to go in through next door and the restaurant was called Oceana. I just read that it was on Kitchen Nightmares, LAST WEEK! They must have shaped up since Gordon Ramsey visited because we were both satisfied with our breakfast. (Apparently he was confused on how to get into the restaurant too, haha.)


Our waiter was awesome and made a few suggestions on things to do and eat. He suggested we take the St. Charles Streetcar to see the Garden District of the city while we waited for the others to land. It was relaxing and gave us enough time until we were ready to eat again! This happened to be my first trolley ride.


Corinne and Amanda arrived and we made our way to Jackson Square to see the St. Louis Cathedral where our friends would be getting married. Beautiful! (Outfit change, the elastic on my dress was making me sick.)


The wait was finally over. My first trip to Cafe Du Monde! We decided to get our coffee and beignets to go. On my list of favorite foods ever! You have to order the frozen coffee - I did on my second trip. Yum!


Last but not least, time for a drink on Bourbon Street. The famous Hand Grenade, "New Orleans' Most Powerful Drink," from Tropical Isle. And this was all before 5PM. Next up is the crawfish boil... stay tuned!
SHARE:

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Pink and Green Thursday: Puzzle

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

If only "B" was as easy as "A." This required a few attempts, and may burst. Fellow product junkies, tell me you have this problem also when flying carry on!


Somewhere in the puzzle is this OPI polish in ElePhantastic. So many pinks to choose from, the name got me on this one! Not taking any chances on chips, despite using my newfound topcoat.

Do you strictly abide by the TSA 3-1-1 carry on liquids restrictions or hope a few things slip by? I have witnessed women handing over some pretty expensive products at security. Devastating! I've got the 3-1-1 down, haha. See you next week!


SHARE:

Packing for NOLA

I hateeeeeee packing. It's always a challenge for me, but especially when flying. I'm paranoid that my bags will be lost if I check them so I try to carry on when possible.


I started pre-packing a few days ago to avoid stressing out at the last minute. I finally narrowed down my choices and was able to squeeze everything into one bag. No overpacking here. Do you have a packing routine?

I will be in New Orleans until Sunday for my friend Lindsay's wedding. Suggestions on what to do, eat and drink are welcome! I may be tweeting (still trying to get into it) - you can find me @msslindsay.
SHARE:

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Dori and Dave

Last weekend I went to the wedding of my college friends Dori and Dave. This has been fun to see unfold. Dave's proposal was caught on camera in Rockefeller Center in front of hundreds of tourists and their engagement photos taken back on Lehigh's campus.


The ceremony was held at a winery in Warwick, NY. Thankfully the weather held out, I was checking their website for the forecast all week. On Friday they declared, "OK, we're going for it!" despite shower predictions. I wore clear Jack Rogers sandals just in case it started to rain and you can trust there were umbrellas in my bag.


The ceremony incorporated both Christian and Jewish traditions. Dave, a proud Eagle Scout, built the huppah they stood under. They nailed a wooden box (also built by Dave) with a bottle of wine and letters to each other shut to be opened on their 10 year anniversary.


While the wedding party took photos we headed back to the nearby hotel to change for the cocktail hour and reception. Enjoying a dirty martini with Danielle.


Dori looked GORGEOUS in her Monique Lhuillier gown. Navy Louboutins are hiding under that skirt. Fabulous from head to toe!


The floral arrangements were beautiful. The newlyweds have traveled all over the world and each table was named after an exotic location they have visited with an accompanying photo. I was sitting at Bangkok, next to Ochos Rios.


Destination Morocco! A honeymoon inspired photo op was set up outside the ballroom for guests.This was really fun, especially the more drinks everyone had, haha.

Best wishes to Dori and Dave. We had an amazing weekend celebrating your marriage with the Lehigh crew!
SHARE:

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Help

It's already May 16th, really? I know I'm not the only one that has been super busy lately. I did manage to squeeze in reading the insanely popular novel The Help last week. If you haven't read it yet, get on it!



I heard the movie was in the works, but didn't realize it would be out so soon. It hits the big screen August 8th and will star Emma Stone. What do you think of the trailer? I hope it is as moving as the book - it looks like they are on point with the humor!
SHARE:

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Prep World

Cape Cod? East Hampton? No, it's the Tommy Hilfiger Prep World traveling pop-up shop in Manhattan's meatpacking district. The weather couldn't have been better last Saturday to visit the beach cottage on it's last day in the big city before heading to LA.


I first posted about Prep World back in February, time flies! If you aren't familiar, you can read more about Tommy Hilfiger's collaboration with The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep author Lisa Birnbach at The Preppy Princess


I had seen plenty of pictures online prior to my visit so knew what to expect. I loved the wall of decoy ducks.


There were still "True Prep" details to be discovered. Leave it to me to find the sweets - "The Taste of Prep" Polo Shirt Cookies.


Ted and his roommate lounged outside while I browsed the shop.


I couldn't leave empty handed!


After visiting the shop we went for a stroll on the nearby High Line, a 22-block park built on an elevated rail line.


I bought these ice cube trays, which I plan on making Jell-O shots with as suggested by the sales associate.

Keep tabs on the Tommy Hilfiger Facebook page to see where the cottage travels next. I was really impressed and glad I had the chance to pop-in!
SHARE:

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

BYOB In Style

My friend Danielle brought this natural jute wine bag to a girls night out dinner at a BYOB restaurant. We all loved it. Drink we did!

Set of 4 Acts Of Kindness Wine Jute Bags, $15.20 (On sale, 20% off!)


She received her bag as a hostess gift. What a great idea for the wine enthusiast.

Note: This post has been updated to reflect the correct current price! 
SHARE:
Blog Design Created by pipdig