In the Kitchen

Having a bigger kitchen has inspired me to cook more. It's funny how much of a difference a little more counter space and cabinet room makes.

One of my favorite new recipes I've tried this summer is this Shrimp, Leek and Spinach Pasta recipe from Real Simple. I had never cooked with leeks before so I was little intimated. But they were easy to work with and added a nice buttery flavor to the dish. Instead of heavy cream I used a light cream in attempt to make it a little healthier. I think this would also be good topped with a little parmesan cheese. This was a nice pasta dish for the summer and I will definitely be making it again.

My other new favorite dish I haven't actually made, but I've eaten it thanks to my sister, Meredith. While visiting her recently we decided to create a few Pinterest recipes. One was a mozzarella, tomato, and pesto panini. These were SO GOOD and easy for her (haha) to make. You simply put all the ingredients between two pieces of bread and either cook it on a George Foreman (like she did) or on stovetop. We had ours with a side salad which made this a perfectly light summertime dinner. I can't wait to pick up the ingredient and make it for P this week!

This would also be yummy with grilled chicken

Summer Reading

While on my bloggy break, I've been getting a lot of reading done this summer. I always enjoy a good chick-lit book, but I am drawn to them even more in the summer.

Two of my favorite reads so far this summer have been The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner and Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews.

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors. I think I have read every book she has written. While some of her story lines tend to be the same (imperfect woman + family struggle + heartache), they are always entertaining and quick reads. When I first discovered she was releasing a new book this summer I pre-ordered it right away. The Next Best Thing lived up to my expectations. It's actually a continuation of the short story "Swim" from Jennifer Weiner's collection of short stories, The Guy Not Taken. If you are looking for a good summer read, I highly recommend this one.

Summer Rental is a book I picked up for $8 from Costco. I carried it around with me for a few weeks before I actually started reading it. Once I sat down, I really got into it. It's a fun read about a group of childhood friends who are now in their 30s and rent a house in the Outer Banks for a month. They each are in different places in their lives and each dealing with their own struggles. It's not a book that's going to make you ponder the purpose of life or have an epiphany, but it will entertain you while trying to beat the summer heat.

Next up on my summer chick-lit reading list is Emily Giffin's new novel, Where We Belong. I read Emily's earlier books but passed on reading Love the One You're With; I could couldn't get into a story line about a newly married woman questioning her life after a chance encounter with an ex. I'm hopeful her new book will be just as good as her first. 

I've also been contemplating reading Andy Cohen's autobiography, Talkative. As I've confessed before I'm obsessed with his Bravo housewives series and think this would be a fun, summer read too.

Picking Up the Ball

I really dropped the ball on this whole blogging thing. To my loyal readers (all five of you)....I am sorry. I really am going to make a valiant effort to keep this thing going.

Here's a brief update on some of the things that have been keeping me away from the blogosphere the past two months:

Wedding: there have been quite a few exciting updates on the wedding front. First we booked our honeymoon and will be spending one glorious, relaxing week in Jamaica! Special thanks to my dad and Sheila for making this trip possible.

Those chairs have our names on them!

My dress arrived this past week! I cannot wait to see it in person (the one I ordered was slightly different than what I tried on) and try it on again. I'm headed to Pennsylvania in September to see the dress and finalize bridesmaids dresses. My mom also found her dress and it is GORGEOUS! We just happened to pop into Nordstrom Rack and it was the exact color and style my mom was hoping for and the only one in her size - it was meant to be! Finally, we scheduled our engagement pictures for next month. I've been having fun brainstorming the perfect outfits to wear.

Speaking of weddings...P's sister, Elizabeth, got married a few weeks ago in Richmond, Virginia. The wedding was absolutely wonderful and the new Mr. & Mrs. Haladay were glowing all day.

The beautiful bride on her way to the church

P & I having fun at the reception

Bar Exam: P took the Virginia Bar Exam this past week. He was so focused and committed to studying the past two months; I just know it paid off. Next up for him? A new job! He'll be starting at an intellectual property law firm in DC after Labor Day. I'm so excited for him!

Florida: I went to Florida for a week in June for a conference. While I spent lots of time attending riveting presentations on cost estimating (I even gave one myself!), I squeezed in some time for fun at Universal Studios and Disney with Jenny!

Getting my conference on

Jenny and I survived Universal Studios during Tropical Storm Debbie which required ponchos and using a hand dryer on sneakers. We also danced with Minions!

Vacation: P and I are going on a road trip in August. We'll be driving to Canada to spend a few days in Montreal and Quebec and on the way home we'll spend two nights in Boston. We're both looking forward to getting away and exploring new cities together.

Taylor: In June I got to spend an afternoon with my bestie Aubrey and my cute goddaughter Taylor at the Baltimore Aquarium. It was a fun day catching up and showing Taylor all of the fishies!

Checking out the fish with mom

The aquarium is exhausting

This summer has really flown by. Looking forward to what August has in store!