Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Looking for a New Years Resolution?

If you haven't chosen a resolution for 2014 you still have a few hours left to decide.

Around Thanksgiving I started working on a long list of resolutions that will last me the whole year (and then some) but after reading this article in HBJ, "living life a little more like Dr. C Jackson Grayson" sounds like a pretty good resolution to me. What an inspired life!

Choose to live larger (or smaller) in the new year - whatever you choose I hope you have safe and happy new year!

Full article, published by Houston Business Journal: http://goo.gl/p6YhBU 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Cupcakes, cocktails, feathers and furs!

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! 


When we weren't indulging (responsibly!) in Sprinkles Cupcakes, Silmritas, and lite bites from Eddie V's Alex and I were having a great time playing dressing up (thanks Tootsies!) at the Houston Tidbits Holiday Party.

Here are a few of my favorite shots of the night:

Alex and I - is it terrible that we couldn't stop making 'winter is coming' references even though we really loved these shawls?
Alex (right) and I at Tootsies

- is it terrible that we couldn't stop making 'winter is coming' jokes even though we really loved these shawls? (*ahem* big time Game of Thrones nerds *cough*)

Alex having way too much fun
Alex having way too much fun

So fab! Found this feathered beaut on the sale rack, and she'd be all mine if she weren't $4,000 :(
So fab! Found this feathered beaut on the sale rack, and she'd be all mine if she weren't $4,000 :(

So Festive! Houston Tidbits Holiday Party

Unfortunately even though we arrived 15 minutes after the doors opened we were too late for swag bags, but the resulting sugar high of not one, but two trips (each) to the Sprinkles table helped to dull our curiosity regarding their contents. 

Thanks to Tootsie's and Houston Tidbits for hosting a wonderful event!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Pin #1 : Chinese Chicken Stir Fry

On Pinterest my 'Yum! Things to eat' pinboard boasts more than 200 yummy recipe pins.

How many of those recipes have I actually tried?

A handful, but if I'm being honest, the number is probably still in the single digits.

So Tuesday night, with the guilt of ordering pizza for dinner last night still fresh, and in an effort to avoid several rounds of the seemingly inevitable dinner-time battle of: 'well, what do you want?' I went to my pin board for pinspiration. And pinspiration I got!



Inspired, but still not feeling entirely ambitious, I opted for this easy one-pot meal: Chinese Chicken Stir Fry recipe (copied below directly from The Cookin' Chicks blog).

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 skinned carrots
1/2 white onion, diced
Handful of Sugar Snap Peas
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp lemon juice
Dash of salt and pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:
Chop up all veggies, except for the peas. Cut up chicken breasts and lightly season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat a skillet on medium high and add about 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in veggies and saute for about 3 minutes. Add chicken, soy sauce, lemon juice, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked through. Enjoy! 


First off, this recipe scored extra points for taking less than 30 minutes start to finish.  Even better, I had almost all of these ingredients on hand.  The Cookin' Chicks original post doesn't mention how many servings this will make, but from what I yielded I'd say it serves 4-6, depending on what sides you're serving (and how hungry your guests are).

Despite my boyfriends protests ("Those are grits!") I served this with couscous which provided a nice balance.  I used my go-to (Near East brand couscous in a box) because it tastes delicious and takes less than 10 minutes to prep, cook and plate.

I love that this recipe is loaded with fresh, whole foods, uses no oil and has a great light-but-hearty balance that's perfect for summer meals. I will definitely be making this one again, with little-to-no modifications.


30 minutes - start...
...to finish!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

All Press Is Good Press, Right?

For fast food mogul Burger King, the answer is a resounding 'YES!'

Monday, February 18, 2013

Show Us Some Love // Vote with Your Pint (A 2nd Cup Event)

I had so much fun at Okra Charity Bar last Friday for A 2nd Cup's 'Show Us Some Love // Vote with Your Pint' event.

A 2nd Cup's Marketing Director, Michelle Coffey is also a fellow Originite and dear friend. Along with friends and coworkers, I spent the evening sipping wine, sampling the electic menu (milk and cookies, home-cured jerky, a strange but wonderful panini...) and dropping tickets in the 2nd Cup bucket.

With each menu item purchased Okra bartenders disperse single tickets, allowing patrons to 'vote' for one of four carefully selected charities.  At the end of the month the tickets are tallied and the winning charity will receive Okra's proceeds (over cost) the following month.

Sarah voting for A 2nd Cup at Okra
Casting my vote!
Okra Charity Bar
Okra Charity Bar
Finger's are crossed that we made enough of an impact to push A 2nd Cup into February's winners circle!