Dreaming of Paris

A friend of mine recently spent some time in Paris.  I was following her all around that magical city via her facebook posts imagining that I was traveling with her.  Mark and I spent a week in Paris last May, and it may have been the best week of my life.  I spent a year reading travel book after restaurant guide after blog about Paris, but nothing could have prepared me for the majesty, beauty, and romance that we found in Paris.  

I'm dreaming of walking under the Tour Eiffel and strolling hand in hand down the tiny little streets in Marais.  I'm dreaming of gorgeous city views and paths less taken.  I'm dreaming of Chanel and hot chocolate.

Paris is a dream come true.  A dream wrapped up perfectly in a bow...

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My Daily Craving - Pinkberry

Have you tried Pinkberry?!?!  We live within walking distance of one, and it is dangerous.  I have convinced myself that since it's made with fat free yogurt and fat free milk and I walk to get it - it must be HEALTHY!!!!  Right?

If you haven't been, here's the deal.  There are six flavors of frozen yogurt  - original, coconut, pomegranate, mango, chocolate and a seasonal flavor.  You choose your yogurt flavor (or two if you're really adventurous) and then you select your toppings.  You don't pay by the weight like some yogurt places.  Here, you pay by the size of the cup and they fill it with as many toppings as will fit.  They have a huge assortment of the most amazing fresh fruit, brownie bites, graham cracker crumbs, granola, and a variety of syrups!

My favorite combination has been original with dark chocolate crisps and pomegranate syrup.  But then... they just introduced their new seasonal flavor, blood orange.  Wowsa!  It is the perfect combination of sweet and tart.  It was love at first bite!

What's you favorite way to mix and match your flavors?

Tasty Tuesdays: Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Olives

Tax season is rapidly approaching!  You know what that means...  I'll be spending more time in the office and less time at home doing things that I love, like cooking.  However, I have made it my mission this tax season to continue to fix delicious meals.  They just need to be quick and easy to prepare!  Mark is a fabulous sous chef, so I like to find recipes that allow him to help prep everything before I get home. Then we can be as efficient as possible in the kitchen.  Last night, we tested out this recipe for chicken breasts with tomatoes and olives.  Talk about multi-tasking!!!  Mark grilled the chicken while I prepped the sauce and voila.  Dinner was served!  This was a truly delicious meal!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• The 5 ingredients:
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1  cup  multicolored cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3  tablespoons  oil and vinegar dressing, divided
• 20  olives, halved
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Keep warm. Combine tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons dressing, and olives in a medium skillet over medium heat, and cook for 2 minutes or until tomatoes soften slightly and mixture is thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Brush chicken with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons dressing. Cut each chicken breast half into 3/4-inch slices. Top each chicken breast half with 1/4 cup tomato mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese and torn basil leaves, if desired.

SAG Award Fashion Review

The 2011 SAG awards were filled with fabulous red carpet looks.  Here's a few that I loved!

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta

This dress truly sparkled!  It showed off Lea Michele's incredibly teeny waistline. I loved the gold belt paired with her gold platform pumps.

Jennifer Lawrence in Oscar de la Renta

I thought the color in this gown was spectacular!!!  And the draping is perfect!

Mila Kunis in Alexander McQueen Resort 2010

The hair, the makeup, the dress - gorgeous!

January Jones in Carolina Herrera

I love that January Jones is willing to take a fashion risk.  This dress is my favorite of her choices!

Annette Benning in Tony Ward Couture and Warren Beatty

They are truly Hollywood royalty!

Julianna Margulies in Yves Saint Laurent and Keith Lieberthal 

Julianna looks so amazing in this shade of red!!!  She deserved the SAG and the best dressed honors!

Hailee Steinfeld  in Prada

I loved her in True Grit, and I loved her on the red carpet!  This dress was perfectly age appropriate.  The color choice and pattern were adorable, and the mermaid skirt added such a sense of whimsy!

Who were your favorites?

Dinner Party!

Mark and I are all dressed up and getting ready to head over to Trish and Matt's for a dinner party!  I do love a dinner party - good food, lively music, bubbly, conversation.  All my favorite things!

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

Cheers!!!

Best Stuff Ever...

Moving back home four months ago has made dieting quite a challenge.  While I did recently sign up for a gym membership, I also discovered the MOST delicious ice cream ever made.  I've only tried the coffee and chicory, so I can't speak for the other flavors like praline crunch, Pontchatoula strawberry, and bananas foster, but I can honestly say it is the most flavorful, perfectly textured ice cream I have ever tasted.

Locally, I have found it at Rouses and Winn Dixie, but if you're in need of a taste of New Orleans, you can order it

HERE!!!

Has anybody else discovered this tasty treat?  What's your favorite flavor?

One year ago today

One year ago today, we waited with bated breath as the Saints took the NFC Championship game into overtime.  We waited as almost each and every play of that overtime drive was reviewed for accuracy.  We waited as Garrett Hartley took the field to attempt the most important kick in team history.  And we watched in awe as the football sailed through the uprights sending our New Orleans Saints to its first ever Superbowl.  

The joyous celebration in our section no. 631 was truly one of the most memorable moments of my life.  We were able to catch some of the excited on film...

Watching all of the coverage of the championship games this morning makes me very sentimental.  I would love to relive last season over again.  I imagine that with Drew Brees as our quarterback, we will have more opportunities to challenge for the NFC title and take the incredible trip that is the road to the Superbowl.  But the more I think about it, the more I realize that there will never be a season as special as last year's.  It was truly magical.  It was dreamlike.  It was destiny.