Monday, November 17, 2008

Time flies when you are having fun!

This weekend flew by as have the past 6 months! The Beau and I are celebrating our 6 month anniversary today ... if you consider dinner at home and a new episode of Two and a Half Men "celebrating". It seems like our wedding was just yesterday and, at the same time, it feels like we have been married forever. But regardless, I cannot imagine my life any other way! We have been so busy but we have had so much fun .... I look forward to the next 6 months and hopefully we will have a real celebration in May (like an exotic vacation ~ hint. hint.) :)


Lots to report from the weekend.

Friday night started with an Engagement Party here in town for one of my very best friends from high school. It was so great to see everyone -we had a blast!

The bride and groom-to-be. Such an exciting time!

A delicious spread of food!
I had to crop out the boys because they were not cooperating.

The bride, me, and H ... we have been best friends since 5th grade!


Our whole group. Take two ... being silly (and to think he is going to be a surgeon)! :)

Saturday morning the Beau and I drove up to Atlanta and went to Phipps to do a little bit of shopping. Well I had this platter that I received as a wedding gift that really wasn't my taste and didn't go with anything in my house. It came from Belk so while we were at the mall I was going to exchange it for something else. I figured I might get $50 for it tops and I would just get something practical for our kitchen. Well it turns out that this mall's Belk didn't have a home store but the lady said we could still receive a gift card at customer service. When I returned the platter, the lady gave me a gift card for $178. I was in shock! I am go grateful to be given such a generous present (from family I barely know) but I find it strange that you would spend so much on something that you have no idea if the person will love or hate. That's why people create registries ... but that is beyond the point. Anyways the Beau (because he is such a sweetheart) told me to go look for a cocktail dress for a wedding that we are going to in December and we would use the gift card towards a dress. Well for the first time in my life I couldn't find anything that I loved and after trying on 10 dresses I told him that I would just come back another day with my mom or a girlfriend. On the way out we stopped by the men's shoe department and the Beau was looking at some new driving loafers ... which in all honesty he really needed. He finds a pair that we both really like and I open my big, fat mouth and tell him to go ahead and use the gift card to buy the shoes. Good one. Now I will be searching Belk for a $40 dress. That's going to happen. A tube of lipgoss, anyone? The joys of being married ... sharing and caring. He better be glad I love 'em!

Saturday evening I dropped the Beau off downtown for his Employee Appreciation Party that, I might add, spouses, dates, etc. were not invited to ... stupid economy. So I met up with my friend Jenn for a pedi and an incredible sushi dinner at Genki. It was my first time there and it might have been some of the best sushi I have ever had in Atlanta. So any of you Atlantian sushi-lovers should definitely give it a try ... right in Buckhead on Roswell Road. Mmmmmm!

On to the most important part of the weekend ~ what I cooked last night! We had some friends over for a Sunday night dinner and I tried 2 new recipes that turned out fabulously. I did a shrimp pasta and a mandarin and kiwi salad ... both were to die for! Now the shrimp pasta is not, I repeat, not low-fat in any way, shape, or form but both the salad and the pasta were great for having company over. This will be my from-now-on meal for special guests. It was pretty easy too!

Divine Shrimp Pasta

1 pound cooked shrimp (I got mine from the seafood counter at Publix)

1 block of cream cheese

1 jar of sweet roasted red peppers

1 cup of chicken broth

3 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped basil

1 package of linguine or vermicelli noodles (I used linguine)

Cook your noodles and drain. Pull the little tails off your shrimp and cut shrimp in half. In your blender, puree the cream cheese, chicken broth, roasted red peppers, and red pepper flakes. Put the noodles back on the stove on low-medium heat, add the pureed mixture, the shrimp and the basil. Stir together, cover, and let simmer ... it will thicken up as it simmers. So good and makes a great presentation!

Mandarin and Kiwi Salad

Romaine lettuce (I used a bag salad)

11 oz. jar of mandarin oranges, drained

3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1 large red onion, sliced

Croutons

4 oz. bleu cheese crumbles

Toss lettuce, oranges, kiwis, and onion together. Add croutons and bleu cheese to the top. Super simple!

Salad Dressing

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

I added some mined garlic as well even though it didn't call for it. Shake well. I served the dressing on the side. Enjoy!

Ya'll have a great week!!!

xoxo~

24 comments:

Red and White Preppy said...

Glad you had a great weekend! Hope you have a great day :)

morewineplease said...

such cute pics!! you girls are all beautiful.
We just had to cut spouses out of our Holiday party too... stupid economy!

Lulu said...

You girls all look adorable in your dresses!

Unknown said...

Love the pictures! What a fun weekend!

The recipes sound amazing!!!

Elizabeth said...

Hi, those recipes look delicious!! Thanks for sharing!

Rachel said...

the pics look great! and that dinner sounds amazing...thanks for sharing the recipe! And why did you have him get the shoes silly! I know I do it all the time!

Muffy said...

What a lovely party!!!! Looks like you had a lot of fun!!!

Leila said...

happy 6 months! the pics are so cute and i may have to try your salad recipe! have a great week!

Lindsey said...

The pasta sounds delish! And the pics are so precious! You girls are gorgeous!

Sandra said...

Gorgeous pics! And isn't it great to find "that meal" that you can count on!!!

Hopsy said...

Your photos are super cute! You looked so pretty for the engagement party. Glad you had a great party and sorry about not getting to go to BF's appreciation party, but hey you had more fun getting your nails done I bet!

Elizabeth said...

Those pics are very cute. Congrats on 6 months! Ours is on the 7th. :) My husbands all time favorite restaurant is Genki! Unfortunately I have never been, he travels to Atlanta frequently and always goes while he is on business. Your shrimp dish sounds delish!

With Love from New Orleans said...

Ya'll are just gorgeous! Love the dresses! Engagement parties are the best.

XO,
Nola

Kelli Radford said...

Love the pics... what a great surprise with the platter :)

Anonymous said...

I am with you on time seeming to fly by :)

~Mrs. Guru~ said...

Sounds like you guys had a great weekend! Congrats on your 6 month anniversary!

Mandy Rose said...

You ladies all look so adorable in your dresses! It's making me wish I had a dress party to attend in the near future...hmmm...nope! haha!

Mandy Rose said...

Wait, I do have my work Christmas party. Does that count? :)

And I agree, work "get together's" should ALWAYS include spouses! I hate when companies exclude the spouse.

Hollie said...

great photos! Gorgeous!

the recipes sound yummy!

Sarah Ring said...

Those recipes look great!

I don't know how many pictures I have had to crop because of boys "not cooperating"! LOL

Lavender Lily said...

that pasta sounds amazing...I will have to give that a try!

The Golf Widow said...

The pasta sounds so simple and delish! And I loved the little pea pods. I would stalk them,too!

Jennifer H. said...

The pasta sounds delicious. Since it isn't figure friendly I'll probably make a few swaps (low fat cream cheese, fat free chicken broth, and whole wheat pasta), but I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the recipes!

preppy little dress AKA "PLD" said...

great recipes, thanks for sharing!