OMG. DID YOU WATCH THE REUNION LAST NIGHT?

I was sooooo tired, but I just couldn't stop watching. 

I don't think trashy reality TV gets better than this reunion.

I truly believe that Danielle is the craziest most delusional person I have ever seen. From what I hear she isn't going to be on Season 3. That kind of makes me sad...who will provide all the drama?!

weekend exploration.

Saturday morning Julia and I headed to the city for another day of exploring. This week's stops: 

• The OKC Farmer's Market
• The Asian Market
• House of Clay
• Sushi Neko

The OKC Farmer's Market was a little disappointing. I'm not sure if it was because we didn't get to the market until almost 10, but the selection was poor. Norman still gets my vote for best Market!

Next stop was the Asian Market. It was quite the interesting spot. Maybe I should just tell you about it in pictures....

Only at the Asian Market do they sell food and household goods.

Want some jelly fish?!

The Meat counter...What's weird about this?! Let's take a closer look....

don't those look appetizing?

feet weren't bad enough? how bout organs?

Next up the fish counter...these are the live ones

Here's a frozen one....there were also some that were fresh and unpackaged! GROSS!

Canned Jello.....ewwww

and the home goods sections....

where we found this....

would you really put that in your yard or house? I mean seriously. That's just awkward.

I will say we did find some good things there. I got a mini strainer that I've been wanting for awhile. Julia picked up some rice paper and Cafe Du Monde coffee {yes, that was at the Asian Market}. We also found some SUPER cute soup bowls and spoons...now we just need to learn how to make sushi!

If you are needing a special kind of fish or meat, definitely head to the Asian Market. They have way more of a selection then you will ever find at the regular grocery store!

After the Asian Market, we headed back to House of Clay to pick up our pottery! Julia's mug turned out super cute! 

My bowl turned out ok, but I'm not crazy about the colors anymore....I'll be sticking to something much more simple next time!

We were stuck on what to have for lunch. Pho or Sushi. 

Of course we went with Sushi.

Sushi Neko of course.

definitely some of the best sushi in OKC!

I'd say it was a pretty great day exploring. We'll have to wait till the next away game or off weekend to explore again..because....

IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN OOOOOOOOKLAHOMA!!

seven.

7 days!!!

tilapia & vegetable packets.

I'm not a big fish eater. Something about it creeps me out. However, I'm getting better about it. I ran across this recipe on Yahoo and the same day, Target was having a sale on Tilapia...I felt like it was a calling to step out of my box and try something new.

Since Julia is recently a fish-eating-vegetarian, I invited her over for a night of cooking and PJR. {BTW...I haven't fallen in love with this season just yet}

Introducing Tilapia and Vegetable Packets:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup diced summer squash
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 4 equal portions




DIRECTIONS

Preheat grill to medium, 350º F. {No grill? See Oven Variation, below}

Combine tomatoes, squash, onion, green beans, olives, lemon juice, oregano, oil, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

To make a packet, lay two 20-inch sheets of foil on top of each other {the double layers will help protect the contents from burning}. Generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. 

Place one portion of tilapia in the center of the foil. 

Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then top with about 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture.

Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. 

Repeat with more foil, cooking spray, and the remaining fish, salt & pepper, and vegetables.

Grill the packets until the fish is cooked through {5-15 minutes depending on the thickness}, and the vegetables are just tender. 

To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates.

{I served it with some Uncle Ben's 90 second Wild Rice. Delicious!}

Oven Variation: Preheat oven to 425º F. Place green beans in a microwavable bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave on High until the beans are just beginning to cook {about 30 seconds}. Drain and add to the other vegetables, then assemble packets the same as above. Bake the packets directly on an oven rack until the tilapia is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender {about 20 minutes}.

exploring.

I was awoken Saturday morning with a text from Julia suggesting we head to the city. As I had nothing planned till that night, I was down for it.

We started out at Red Cup, so Juls could pick up a cup of joe. It's a cute little "hippie" coffee joint almost in the heart of the Asian District.

After shopping a few stores in Nichols Hills, we stopped at Cool Greens for lunch. I was happy and disappointed with this place. The restaurant was so airy and relaxing and it was great to pick out my own ingredients {even though I'm like the plainest eater ever}. However, I was really disappointed with my margarita pizza.

Of course after a healthy lunch we I was craving something sweet, so we headed downtown to Sara Sara Cupcakes. We were overwhelmed by the choices!

We decided on Crimson & Cream {red velvet}, Apple Cinnamon, and Strawberry Shortcake. They were QUITE delicious! I'd recommend this place to anyone! 

We then explored a cute little "recycled in Oklahoma" store and then headed over to House of Clay to paint some pottery!

I have been eyeing this place for years and was so excited to finally get to go! Julia painted a mug for her coffee and I did a bowl for my front table. They both looked so bright when we left, but we can't wait to pick them up this week and see the darkened results!

We stopped by Market C on our way home. I have heard so many great things about this place. I picked up some Roasted Artichoke Dip {to go with all of my left over crackers} and a container of Chicken Salad. The Artichoke Dip was so-so, but the Chicken Salad was to die for! The container didn't last long!

After returning to Norman, taking a much needed 3 hour nap, and getting ready in the dark {thanks to the surprise hurricane that came thru town}, Julia and I headed to the city with D, Ev, and Anne for a night on the town!

We started at Pachinko Parlor. I've heard such great things about it and seeing as I love sushi I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  The mood was fabulous, but the wood floors and bare walls provided a lot of "huh's" and yelling across the table.  We started with their edamame, which is fried and of course absolutely delicious! I stepped out of the boxed and ordered a Surf & Turf Roll. It was filled with steak and raw tuna. I believe that might have been the first roll I've had with raw fish in it. I was quite proud of myself! The whole table ended up splitting the Crab Rangoon Roll. It was one greasy fried mess, but made for a good break up in my other roll.

We left Pachinko stuffed and headed to Republic. It's a gatsropub located on the new Classen Curve {the new hot spot of OKC}. Besides being below 32 degrees in there, it had such a great vibe and a fantastic list of beers! It was full of 20 & 30-somethings and will definitely be a good place to be single and mingle in the future!

I forgot to mention that while we were at Pachinko, we ran into Danny from The Real Housewives of New Jersey's long lost relative. 

My picture is terrible, but the resemblance was CREEPY!

It was suuuch a fabulous Saturday! I can't wait to have more like it!

recreating.

It's odd for me to admit that my all time favorite wrap is from Buffalo Wild Wings.  Their Grilled Chicken Wrap is nothing but fabulous. I had been having a craving for it, but decided to make an "at home" version instead of making the trip up there!

Start with a flour tortilla. {these were 8", I'd probably go with a bigger one next time}. Add some diced grilled chicken to it, leaving some room at the end to roll up like burrito.

On top of the chicken sprinkle your desired amount of cheddar cheese {or a mix} and put in the microwave for 30 seconds {or until cheese is melted}.

Next lay on some shredded lettuce and spread some pico de gallo {homemade or store bought}.

Roll it up and enjoy!

I filled mine so much I needed toothpicks to hold it together....bigger tortillas next time!

This is super easy, super cheap, and just tastes fabulous! Great for a quick summer lunch or dinner!

wine & cheese.

Since all of the weddings have been over, I've been craving a party. So I decided to host one!

Your Invited:

{Each guest was asked to bring a bottle of wine and a block of cheese} 

I started setting up for the party the night before. I grabbed some flowers from my favorite flower store. 

And since we would be having a wine tasting, I picked up a few little gifts for the winners.

When each girl walked in the door, they were asked to write down their wine name on the tasting ballot, wrap their bottle to cover the label, write their cheese on the provided card, and enjoy!

Everyone sat their wine on the bar table and then found a place for their cheese.

I provided chocolate covered strawberries {this is a whole nother post in itself}, bread {Pioneer Woman's Olive Bread}, and crackers.

After a few hours, each girl was asked to rank their favorite wines on the tasting ballots. I tallied them up and found our winners. {Congrats Julia & Courtney!}

It was fun to catch up, try new wines and cheeses, and spend time with the girls. I was sooooo pleased with the turn out and don't think it could have been a better night!

last few ww.

The last few weeks and weekends have been pretty busy! Lets just say my DVR is almost full!

I've spent a lot of time with great friends, some who I hadn't seen in quite awhile!

Sparky & Sam announced they're getting married!

Finally saw these lovely newlyweds at a cookout for Jenny who was in town from England.

{Can't you tell they love each other?}

And lastly I got to see my favorite Irish-man Fergal! Sadly, his wonderful girlfriend didn't make it up, but we still had a blast!

This past weekend I hosted a "Wine & Cheese Girl's Night Out" and spent a day exploring OKC. Click back tomorrow for details!

it’s over.

My summer of celebration is over.

After numerous showers, 5 weddings, an anniversary party, and many other excuses to celebrate, I am done with the season. I must say it’s a little bittersweet. I absolutely love going to social events, especially when I get to see friends I don’t see or talk to every day.

As much as I’m glad it’s over and my weekends will calm down a bit, I know I’ll be itching with boredom pretty soon.

Thank God football season is around the corner!

My refrigerator has taken a beating over the summer. But after tonight, it won’t look like this anymore!

{that wasn’t even ALL of the invitations}

done,, done, done.

I finished the 3rd of Chelsea Handler’s books. I have to say this one was my least favorite. There just weren’t as many stories that had me laughing out loud as the other two. However, this book did provide a few pictures. It was awesome to turn the page and replace my mental image with a real image from the story. I laughed pretty hard a few of them. Who says you’re too old to have picture books?!

 

I’m having a book swap with my good friend Emily this weekend. I’m going to start reading My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster. I’m hearing is hilarious and a good read, so I’m super excited! ha. 

 

I know this is the newest of her books, but Em said I wouldn’t be lost. Hopefully I like it and will want to read the rest of them!

 

I also signed up for Goodreads last night. I’m not quite sure how it all works just yet, but I’m excited about it! Maybe it’ll make me want to read more!  I think you can check out my profile here.

wendesday.

Do you ever have those moments that just stop you in your tracks.

I walked out of my house the other day, looked up, and saw this

 

It literally stopped me and put a smile on my face. Of course the picture doesn’t do it justice because it was easier to whip out my cell phone than my camera.

Happy Wednesday!

lately loving.

My new Pioneer Woman cook book!!

I haven’t actually made anything out of it yet, but I’m REALLY excited too!

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My pineapple slicer!

The pineapples are perfectly ripe this time of year, and this thing saves me soooo much time and is sooo much less of a mess than cutting with a knife. It is a LIFESAVER!

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This is my laundry’s best friend. I’ve had it for awhile and can’t believe I forgot to give it a RAVE review!

I really couldn’t tell you how I lived life before this thing. It heats up in 60 seconds and get wrinkles out of almost anything! {jeans are the exception}

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This little app is a new toy of mine. I’ve put on a few more “summer lb’s” than I’d like to so I’m trying to be better about what I’m eating. If you have a 3GS or above, this program lets you scan the bar code of food and it inputs all of the information for you {sorry all 3g-er’s it doesn’t scan for us…}. It also rates what food you enter on a 1-5 scale of how good it is for you.

It really is awesome. Best application for this purpose I’ve used so far!

You can also do it online at My Net Diary

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My lovely grill.

 

It’s been without a gas tank for over a year, but I finally refilled it and have put it to GREAT use since! There’s nothing that screams summer ad football season more than grilling out!

If you have any yummy grilling recipes send them my way!