i'm diggin'...

Just sharing some of my favorite things as of late...

i saw this amazing painted floor while perusing indy.com.  what a terrific way to get your own personalized rug.  i love the color combination also.  

i saw this outfit and it got me excited for fall.  it's sooo hot and humid here in the south.  i'm pretty sure it's pretty widespread right now. not complaining but i'm ready for some cool.  i'm a sucker for a great handbag, and that imo is pretty great.  i also love the scarf and jeans. 
Details: Banana Republic Ashbury handbag, J.CRew Boucle bomber jacket, J.Crew matchstick indigo wash jeans

I love this. i believe it's slices of different license plates put together to make a sweet statement.  

RED. VELVET. BROWNIES. courtesy of smells-like-home.com.   do these look yummy or what?  i plan on making these just as soon as it's not 110 degrees outside and i'm able to crank up my oven.  recipe upcoming...

happy sunday y'all.  make this week a wonderful one

John's Pizzeria

We were reminiscing about our NYC trip in May.   If only I had pics to show I'd post 'em but remember what happened to my SD card?  it's hiding.  sad.
 The best pizza I've ever eaten is at a place called John's Pizzeria in the theatre district not far from Times Square.  We saw The Lion King about three blocks from this restaurant.  We were told it is the largest pizzeria in the world.  I don't know about all that but I do know it was absolutely terrific pizza, and the calamari was delicious too!  If you ever make it to NYC...make sure you hit up John's for some real NY style pizza pie (and be willing to wait awhile) :)

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/index2.htm

Bffs

Poppy + Spurgeon= BFF 

tomato sand-miches

my tomato plants didn't do as well as i'd of liked this year.  the ones that started out with tons of blossoms fizzled out and haven't given but a couple pieces of fruit.  i have a couple other plants that (unexpectedly) have done really well, thankfully.
my family loves BLT's and I make them at least once a week.  I have a post on here from way back when with the addition of avocado.  oh yum.  tomatoes, bacon, and avocados are three of my very favorite things.  btw...what's with the price of bacon at the market?  it's crazy!!
anyway...i have an abundance of tomatoes (especially since my hubs has been gone a lot lately and he's the biggest tomato eater in the family).  apart from making gazpacho, BLT's, and giving a lot away i've been eating a lot of tomato sand-miches.  that's just the way we say it around here.  the simplicity of it is really wonderful.
i like to use a hearty type of bread and toast it.  this is Arnold's health full 10 grain bread.  it's got 4 g of fiber in each slice and a touch of sweetness that goes nice with the tomatoes.
-hearty bread, toasted+
-home grown tomatoes+
-mayo = yummy

  a simple breakfast, lunch, or dinner

...add an egg for some protein.

next post: tasty things to make with cucumbers!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Have you ever made pasta Carbonara?  If you never have you must remedy that by planning this as one of your near future dinners! It's SO easy and oh SO good!  I was watching t.v. this afternoon and saw a show where they were eating pasta carbonara.  I  knew I had everything on hand to make it.  TaDa! Din-Din!  With a green salad it's a really delicious and easy meal to make fast.  This is adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe (one of my favorite chef chics).

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 2 cups cubed pancetta rind removed or 1/3 lb. of bacon chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
• 4 eggs (i used 3 extra large)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly ground nutmeg (i skip it)
• Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.
  In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the pancetta or bacon in the oil until crispy but not crunchy. Pour over the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.
  In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before end of the recommended cooking time.
  When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the pan with the bacon cubes back on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the syrupy pancetta. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg to serve.
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marinated mozzarella

I am anxiously awaiting my garden tomatoes to ripen so that I can make caprese salad.  In the meantime the fresh mozzarella sitting in my fridge won't last forever. I also have an abundance of fresh basil.  Marinated Mozarella is one of my favorite things to have on hand.  It makes a terrific appetizer to serve to company, a delicious condiment, or a simple supper with some crusty french bread on those hot summer evenings when it's too hot to cook.  


Here's what you'll need:
Mason jar
**All ingredients are to your taste**
fresh ball of mozzarella 
fresh basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves (i cut the cloves in half)
fresh cracked pepper
red pepper flakes
lemon peel (long strips are best)


Cut mozzarella into chunks.  Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of your mason jar and start layering in the cheese, then a bit of the basil, garlic, black pepper, lemon peel, red pepper, and more olive oil. Repeat until you've got all your cheese and seasonings in. Top it off with more olive oil and seal.  Refrigerate at least a day for flavors to develop.