Happy Friday to you, Bloggies!!
It is the advent of Food Friday! I can't wait to talk food with you all. I have some really good stuff (I hope) this week, and so let's just jump right into it, shall we?
Restaurant:
Blue Fish Oyster Bar
Jacksonville, Fl (Avondale)
What to get: Happy Hour
O.M.G Bloggies. This is a game changer. Though Blue Fish has been on the food scene in Jax for over a year, I think locals are just now starting to realize the potential in this hotspot, and in turn the owners are responding. The Happy Hour is THE BEST in town. Their drinks specials are awesome, don't get me wrong ($4 champagne? Yes, please!), but it is the FOOD that makes it stand out. From 3pm - 7pm every day, Blue Fish offers a drink and food menu at the bar that includes baked brie with truffle oil and herbs for $10, truffle fries with Parmesan for $3, ahi tuna/kimchi/spicy pork tacos for $3, mini filet served over homemade mash $4, oysters on the halfshell for $6/dozen, and on and on and on. Oh, did I mention mini pizzas?? PIZZA! For under $5!! And the kicker? The food is amazing! It is local, it is fresh, it is delish. And the place itself is beautiful. It is like stepping into an artfully designed under-sea dream. Blue jewel tones and aqua touches are the theme, with local art, blue glass installations, and crystal chandeliers round it out. I went there with the BFF for ladies' night out last week, and had two (ok, four) glasses of champagne, a tuna taco, and one (ok, two) orders of truffle fries, and my bill was under $29. CAN'T. BEAT. IT. So, go. Go now. Oh, and did I mention the complimentary valet parking?? In Avondale, no less.
You are welcome.
Recipe:
Sweet & Spicy Chili
This is no ordinary chili, though it eats like any man-pleasing bowl of meaty yummyness. The allspice and white pepper are the secret to this comfort food.
You will need:
1.5 lbs ground beef (I like sirloin, but then I'm fancy like that)
2 cans red kidney beans
1 15ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 large Spanish or sweet onion, diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp white pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch cinnamon
s&p to taste
In a large, high-sided skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef and onions and all spices, and cook until browned and tender. Add beans and tomatoes, and turn heat to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour. Enjoy!
Isn't that the easiest recipe EVER? And it is soooooooooooo good. I like to serve mine with tortilla chips, diced red onion, diced jalapenos, chopped cilantro, and sour cream. And by serve, I mean make myself a huge bowl of it, and then go to town like no one is watching. Which I pray to God they are not because no one should have to see that display.
Also, this is a great recipe to make (probably a double batch) for a party, and set up a chili bar. Guests can help themselves, and I think it lends a fun and casual tone to any gathering. Just be sure to provide lots of napkins.
Now, since I happen to have some made, I am going to excuse myself so I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Shana
Showing posts with label pizza...because everyone wants to read about pizza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pizza...because everyone wants to read about pizza. Show all posts
Friday, April 26, 2013
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Get Your Sweater On
Good Afternoon Bloggies!
SO, Christmas sweaters. I am planning on making some. As you may know, this weekend is the Inaugural London Holiday Party, and the theme this year is ugly holiday sweaters. So, naturally, I couldn't just go out and BUY one. That would be too simple. I am making my own. But the great thing is, now it has turned into a contest. Everyone coming is making their own!
I am currently in a text convo with my BFF Mal regarding said holiday sweaters since we are going to have a craft day tomorrow to bust these suckers out and dominate this contest. Mal, by the way, always sends the funniest texts EVER. A sampling of various texts over the past few weeks:
Mal: (picture of sweater leggings) You must get some!
Me: What are they???? They look glorious. Are they leggings?
Mal: They are sweater leggings. So, sweattings?? They have improved my life by 100%.
______
Me: Let's go dancing this weekend. Girls' night!
Mal: That is exactly what I need to erase the memory of my horrible date last night. Shana, he had a Fergie tattoo. Wtf? What do you even say to that?
Me: Well, what did you say?
Mal: I didn't, I just got up and left.
_______
Mal: I'm thinking my sweater for the party will have a Baby Jesus theme.
Oh, she keeps me in stitches. So, tomorrow, Mallory and I will be hitting the stores to find some sweaters, and some crafty items to hot glue onto them. I'm thinking a tree theme for mine, with bells and ornaments? Too predictable? I'm really interested to see how she pulls off the Baby Jesus theme. Perhaps with a baby doll and some tissue paper?
My Mom always laughs at me and Brian and our friends. She says we are all like big children that somehow manage to be responsible and have our own homes and jobs and pay our bills and do all the things adults need to do, but outside of that we are all pretty much 12 at heart. And I agree! I have never understood people who reach adulthood and suddenly think the fun is over and they are never allowed to indulge in child-like wonder and hilarity ever again.
I think the best part of being an adult is that you can really be a kid when you want because there is no one there to tell you not to, like when you were a child. I can spoil my dinner all I want with cookies! I can wear reindeer pajamas all day if I want, and even to the grocery store if the mood should strike. I can take myself to see the Lion King 3D every day for an entire month if I choose. My friends and I can have sleepovers and stay up as late as we want and eat an entire gallon of ice cream and be loud and watch movies with R ratings...not that we would ever do that, *cough, cough*, because, you know, it's not healthy to eat that much ice cream and we obviously need our sleep to go to work the next day. And we would never watch the official documentary on the Back Street Boys or anything if we DID have such a sleepover. No, that would never happen. We are dignified and watch serious, foreign films with subtitles *cough, cough*.
I promise to post pictures of all the holiday sweaters and the party and possibly some reindeer pajama pics. :) I also promise to post my wedding pictures which I have been talking about for almost a month now, but I am still waiting on them and I am starting to itch and bite my nails to nothing because I want them NOWNOWNOWNOWNOW...but again, I am a LADY and an ADULT and will practice patience.
What? No, that doesn't sound like me at all. I will instead leave hinting, nagging comments on my photographer's facebook page until he gets sick of me and sends me the photos.
In his defense, he did have to photo shop two HUGE pizza slices off of me, since that is what I chose to eat two days before my wedding at Vinny Van Go-Go's in Savannah, GA. I wasn't exactly "watching" what I ate in the weeks leading up to my wedding. Well, that's not true. I watched my food intake. I watched it go from my plate, to my fork, to my mouth. And then I watched myself repeat the process like 40 billion times.
Until then, is it just me? Do you have any child-like habits or activities that you like to do now that you are an adult? I want to know!
Love,
Shana
SO, Christmas sweaters. I am planning on making some. As you may know, this weekend is the Inaugural London Holiday Party, and the theme this year is ugly holiday sweaters. So, naturally, I couldn't just go out and BUY one. That would be too simple. I am making my own. But the great thing is, now it has turned into a contest. Everyone coming is making their own!
I am currently in a text convo with my BFF Mal regarding said holiday sweaters since we are going to have a craft day tomorrow to bust these suckers out and dominate this contest. Mal, by the way, always sends the funniest texts EVER. A sampling of various texts over the past few weeks:
Mal: (picture of sweater leggings) You must get some!
Me: What are they???? They look glorious. Are they leggings?
Mal: They are sweater leggings. So, sweattings?? They have improved my life by 100%.
______
Me: Let's go dancing this weekend. Girls' night!
Mal: That is exactly what I need to erase the memory of my horrible date last night. Shana, he had a Fergie tattoo. Wtf? What do you even say to that?
Me: Well, what did you say?
Mal: I didn't, I just got up and left.
_______
Mal: I'm thinking my sweater for the party will have a Baby Jesus theme.
Oh, she keeps me in stitches. So, tomorrow, Mallory and I will be hitting the stores to find some sweaters, and some crafty items to hot glue onto them. I'm thinking a tree theme for mine, with bells and ornaments? Too predictable? I'm really interested to see how she pulls off the Baby Jesus theme. Perhaps with a baby doll and some tissue paper?
My Mom always laughs at me and Brian and our friends. She says we are all like big children that somehow manage to be responsible and have our own homes and jobs and pay our bills and do all the things adults need to do, but outside of that we are all pretty much 12 at heart. And I agree! I have never understood people who reach adulthood and suddenly think the fun is over and they are never allowed to indulge in child-like wonder and hilarity ever again.
I think the best part of being an adult is that you can really be a kid when you want because there is no one there to tell you not to, like when you were a child. I can spoil my dinner all I want with cookies! I can wear reindeer pajamas all day if I want, and even to the grocery store if the mood should strike. I can take myself to see the Lion King 3D every day for an entire month if I choose. My friends and I can have sleepovers and stay up as late as we want and eat an entire gallon of ice cream and be loud and watch movies with R ratings...not that we would ever do that, *cough, cough*, because, you know, it's not healthy to eat that much ice cream and we obviously need our sleep to go to work the next day. And we would never watch the official documentary on the Back Street Boys or anything if we DID have such a sleepover. No, that would never happen. We are dignified and watch serious, foreign films with subtitles *cough, cough*.
I promise to post pictures of all the holiday sweaters and the party and possibly some reindeer pajama pics. :) I also promise to post my wedding pictures which I have been talking about for almost a month now, but I am still waiting on them and I am starting to itch and bite my nails to nothing because I want them NOWNOWNOWNOWNOW...but again, I am a LADY and an ADULT and will practice patience.
What? No, that doesn't sound like me at all. I will instead leave hinting, nagging comments on my photographer's facebook page until he gets sick of me and sends me the photos.
In his defense, he did have to photo shop two HUGE pizza slices off of me, since that is what I chose to eat two days before my wedding at Vinny Van Go-Go's in Savannah, GA. I wasn't exactly "watching" what I ate in the weeks leading up to my wedding. Well, that's not true. I watched my food intake. I watched it go from my plate, to my fork, to my mouth. And then I watched myself repeat the process like 40 billion times.
Until then, is it just me? Do you have any child-like habits or activities that you like to do now that you are an adult? I want to know!
Love,
Shana
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Are There Crow's Feet in my Baby Fat?
Good Morning Bloggies!!
So, no wedding pics yet. At least not professional ones. I am still waiting!! Biting my nails(the consequences of which we will discuss later in this post)!
In the meantime, let me regale you with the tale of how Shana thought she was getting old.
When I was just a little girl, I watched a LOT of TV with my Nan. We loved TV, and pizza. Lots of TV and pizza. And on the TV, there were always commercials for anti-aging creams. Looking back, I now see that the reason for this abundance of anti-aging cream commercials is the fact that we watched daytime TV. It was just the two of us during the day for Spring Break, or Summer Break, or I-don't-feel-well-cough-cough day.
But anyways, in these commercials, the women are always all close-up to the screen shot, you can see all of their pores, etc. Nan would always say, "Those girls are in their twenties! They don't need the creams to start with!" Well, I was thinking, in my little mind, "Twenty??? That is OLD!"
I'm currently 26.
And I have started to think, "Should I start an anti-aging regimen?" I have convinced myself that I am prone to wrinkles. Every laugh, every scowl, every lift of the brow is a chance for my rapidly aging skin to permanently crease itself like a cotton shirt. I am that woman in the commercial!
So, I was in Ulta the other day with Kristin, and I just "happened" to be perusing the anti-aging cream aisle, when I turned and asked my trusty shopping companion, "Is it too soon to start using this stuff?"
We had this conversation:
Kristin: Just because you're married doesn't mean you're old.
Me: This has nothing to do with marriage. I want to get rid of my crow's feet.
Kristin: Why do you think you have crow's feet? Come here. (leans in close to my eyes). There's nothing there.
Me: Yet. I'm 26, so if I start using them now, I can avoid the wrinkles for a few more years.
Kristin: I'm 26. I'm older than you by 3 months. Does that mean I have 3 months worth of more wrinkles??
Me: No. I'm talking about my own skin paranoia.
Kristin: So you admit it's paranoia and not a real problem?
Me: Don't try and invalidate my feelings.
So yeah, apparently according to the big-brand skin cream companies, women my age need anti-aging creams like NOWNOWNOW. According to my friends I am hormonal. Who am I to believe???? Let's just say I have been slathering my body from head to toe in a mixture of anti-aging and skin firming lotions for the past few days. Because seriously, I do not want to be that woman that wakes up one day and realizes she never took care of her skin and now looks like a worn out leather handbag...or something. My Mother has not wrinkle one and she is 48 years old. I'm not sure if I can hope to pull that off, but I'm sure as hell gonna try. However, my Mother also slathers creams and gels onto her face every night until she looks like that scene from Mrs. Doubtfire where Robin Williams sticks his face in a cake, so perhaps that helps? I don't know, I think it's just good genes. You can't fake that kind of youthful glow.
In a somewhat related topic, I have also always heard that the first thing to show age on a woman is her hands. So, in an attempt to prolong the youthful complexion of my fingers, I have started getting regular manicures. Well, when I say regular, I mean whenever I remember. And when I say remember, I mean when I pick my polish off myself from the last one and then get so disgusted with the result which looks like I let a two year old hack away at my nails with a butter knife that I finally break down and haul my ass to salon and beg them to fix my hideous nails right this instant!
And what I have noticed on these somewhat-regular trips to my nail place is that, similar to a hairdresser, the nail lady is a woman's closest substitute to a therapist there is. She's actually a combination of a therapist and a best friend. She's kind of a captive audience, and you pay her, so she's going to listen to you, and she knows she's getting paid anyways whether she responds or just nods her head in agreement. So maybe a combination of a therapist and a call girl? Anyways, whatever analogy you want to use, they are there to listen. But I'm always surprised at the kinds of things women tell the nail lady.
Women will tell the nail lady all about their marriages, their finances, their children, their parents, their pets, their jobs, their affairs, their friends' affairs, their yeast infections(I know...eeewwwww), their doctor appointments, their hair lady, their cleaning lady, their best friends, their worst enemies. Anything and everything you can think of, the nail lady hears it.
Maybe this is why there is a certain obligation one feels towards the nail lady? If you get your nails done on any sort of regular basis, you know what I mean. If you get a polish change, or fill-in, or any kind of work done whatsoever to your nails...sit down for this...SOMEWHERE ELSE....(omgomgomgomg, take a deep breath), you know she will notice! You have cheated on the nail lady! Or if you, GASP, miss an appointment?? And don't call?? WHAT will she think? Or if you go in on a day other than your regular day and have to take an appointment with someone else who works in the same salon? Oh Holy Cannoli, that is like sleeping with your boyfriend's best friend right there. And depending on how long you and the nail lady have been together, it may even be as bad as sleeping with your husband's best friend...or worse, brother. Because, do you know how hard it is to find a good nail place where you click with your nail lady, and the prices are right, and they do an amazing job? It's harder than finding an apartment for less than your first born in Manhattan. In fact, I believe that is that exact price some women are willing to pay in order to get a good nail lady. Or is that just me?
The moral of the story here, kids, is to moisturize early, never call women in their twenties old, and be faithful to the most important person in your life. The one who does your nails.
So, what about you bloggies? Is there anything you tell your nail lady that you would not tell anyone else? Or do you worry about premature wrinkles??
With smooth skin for now,
Shana
So, no wedding pics yet. At least not professional ones. I am still waiting!! Biting my nails(the consequences of which we will discuss later in this post)!
In the meantime, let me regale you with the tale of how Shana thought she was getting old.
When I was just a little girl, I watched a LOT of TV with my Nan. We loved TV, and pizza. Lots of TV and pizza. And on the TV, there were always commercials for anti-aging creams. Looking back, I now see that the reason for this abundance of anti-aging cream commercials is the fact that we watched daytime TV. It was just the two of us during the day for Spring Break, or Summer Break, or I-don't-feel-well-cough-cough day.
But anyways, in these commercials, the women are always all close-up to the screen shot, you can see all of their pores, etc. Nan would always say, "Those girls are in their twenties! They don't need the creams to start with!" Well, I was thinking, in my little mind, "Twenty??? That is OLD!"
I'm currently 26.
And I have started to think, "Should I start an anti-aging regimen?" I have convinced myself that I am prone to wrinkles. Every laugh, every scowl, every lift of the brow is a chance for my rapidly aging skin to permanently crease itself like a cotton shirt. I am that woman in the commercial!
So, I was in Ulta the other day with Kristin, and I just "happened" to be perusing the anti-aging cream aisle, when I turned and asked my trusty shopping companion, "Is it too soon to start using this stuff?"
We had this conversation:
Kristin: Just because you're married doesn't mean you're old.
Me: This has nothing to do with marriage. I want to get rid of my crow's feet.
Kristin: Why do you think you have crow's feet? Come here. (leans in close to my eyes). There's nothing there.
Me: Yet. I'm 26, so if I start using them now, I can avoid the wrinkles for a few more years.
Kristin: I'm 26. I'm older than you by 3 months. Does that mean I have 3 months worth of more wrinkles??
Me: No. I'm talking about my own skin paranoia.
Kristin: So you admit it's paranoia and not a real problem?
Me: Don't try and invalidate my feelings.
So yeah, apparently according to the big-brand skin cream companies, women my age need anti-aging creams like NOWNOWNOW. According to my friends I am hormonal. Who am I to believe???? Let's just say I have been slathering my body from head to toe in a mixture of anti-aging and skin firming lotions for the past few days. Because seriously, I do not want to be that woman that wakes up one day and realizes she never took care of her skin and now looks like a worn out leather handbag...or something. My Mother has not wrinkle one and she is 48 years old. I'm not sure if I can hope to pull that off, but I'm sure as hell gonna try. However, my Mother also slathers creams and gels onto her face every night until she looks like that scene from Mrs. Doubtfire where Robin Williams sticks his face in a cake, so perhaps that helps? I don't know, I think it's just good genes. You can't fake that kind of youthful glow.
In a somewhat related topic, I have also always heard that the first thing to show age on a woman is her hands. So, in an attempt to prolong the youthful complexion of my fingers, I have started getting regular manicures. Well, when I say regular, I mean whenever I remember. And when I say remember, I mean when I pick my polish off myself from the last one and then get so disgusted with the result which looks like I let a two year old hack away at my nails with a butter knife that I finally break down and haul my ass to salon and beg them to fix my hideous nails right this instant!
And what I have noticed on these somewhat-regular trips to my nail place is that, similar to a hairdresser, the nail lady is a woman's closest substitute to a therapist there is. She's actually a combination of a therapist and a best friend. She's kind of a captive audience, and you pay her, so she's going to listen to you, and she knows she's getting paid anyways whether she responds or just nods her head in agreement. So maybe a combination of a therapist and a call girl? Anyways, whatever analogy you want to use, they are there to listen. But I'm always surprised at the kinds of things women tell the nail lady.
Women will tell the nail lady all about their marriages, their finances, their children, their parents, their pets, their jobs, their affairs, their friends' affairs, their yeast infections(I know...eeewwwww), their doctor appointments, their hair lady, their cleaning lady, their best friends, their worst enemies. Anything and everything you can think of, the nail lady hears it.
Maybe this is why there is a certain obligation one feels towards the nail lady? If you get your nails done on any sort of regular basis, you know what I mean. If you get a polish change, or fill-in, or any kind of work done whatsoever to your nails...sit down for this...SOMEWHERE ELSE....(omgomgomgomg, take a deep breath), you know she will notice! You have cheated on the nail lady! Or if you, GASP, miss an appointment?? And don't call?? WHAT will she think? Or if you go in on a day other than your regular day and have to take an appointment with someone else who works in the same salon? Oh Holy Cannoli, that is like sleeping with your boyfriend's best friend right there. And depending on how long you and the nail lady have been together, it may even be as bad as sleeping with your husband's best friend...or worse, brother. Because, do you know how hard it is to find a good nail place where you click with your nail lady, and the prices are right, and they do an amazing job? It's harder than finding an apartment for less than your first born in Manhattan. In fact, I believe that is that exact price some women are willing to pay in order to get a good nail lady. Or is that just me?
The moral of the story here, kids, is to moisturize early, never call women in their twenties old, and be faithful to the most important person in your life. The one who does your nails.
So, what about you bloggies? Is there anything you tell your nail lady that you would not tell anyone else? Or do you worry about premature wrinkles??
With smooth skin for now,
Shana
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