Regardless, this Creamed Corn Skillet Chicken inspired by the Half Baked Harvest recipe was life. I got to cooking (mocktail in hand) while my husband was out, and when he walked in all he said was “holy f*ck that smells good,” so if you’re trying to surprise someone with something delicious, this should be it!

I’m not sure why Beef Stew sounded so good - a toss up between wanting to take advantage of the random rainy day in the midst of an 80 degree streak or the fact that it involved cooking with red wine. Because cooking with wine is my jam! It just means your going to end up with something de-lish.

It was an (early) Cinco de Mayo party at our house this weekend. Queue the tequila cocktails + Mexican beer + Nacho Libre on the tube (we actually did watch Nacho Libre). But the real highlight of our at-home fiesta - Al Pastor Tacos. That juicy pork weaved with flavors of pineapple, orange, and a definitive hint of spice. Too die!

W'e’ve been cranking out the evening date-nights and incorporating some fun stuff into nightly hangs that aren’t binge watching tv (I was kinda over that after Tiger King). Puzzling, joint reading, longer & deeper convos. I’ve really quite enjoyed the newly explored activities.

I can’t believe that this will be our 10th Valentine’s Day spent together. From Valentine’s Day No.1 that coincided with that awkward dating period where I’m like “is he kind of my boyfriend,” and stress surrounding whether or not to get each other gifts (we did by the way - I remember I got Jordan gourmet hot cocoa + a new coffee mug). But this year being number 10 feels significant. We’re totally that couple that typically tells people “we don’t do Valentine’s Day,” & we don’t do Valentines Day in the sense that there are no dinner reservations

Sweet, meaty, potato-y, sauce-y, and just really fucking good. That’s pretty much the only way I can describe this post holiday Latke Hotdish. A meal that’s way out of left field in terms of what we usually eat at home (especially these Winter days where soup dinners are king), but it was a reminder that experimenting with new recipes + new flavors is so worth it. In this case, a little Monday experimenting has lead to such a yummy dinner to add to the repertoire.

This weekend was all about making our house a home. Keeping relaxation & couch time to a minimum to take on one of the bigger products at the Zehner Ranch - staining the fence. & the deck for that matter. The sad thing is we did the whole staining thing once already, and “we” really means I took the role of doing inside chores and watching Jordan bust his ass handling the stain situation. In the end of staining Round 1 - I hated the color.

We dusted, we painted, we yard-worked, & now we Eloté. I’m making the most of my weekend & disengaging from approaching workweek stresses by dedicating my Sunday Funday to a barbecue lesson from my in-house grill master. I’m tying that in with a Mexican-style barbecue for just us two in our happy place (aka - my backyard). Tequila Marinated Flank Steak, Elote, and Summer Greens are the menu, and my summer bbq loving soul is so happy.

My regular day planner was kind enough to include a reminder about National Hot Dog Day, so I committed to scheduling it in. Stuffed and loaded Kraut & Onion Dogs topped with some gourmet mustard & bacon (of course!) hit the stop for our crew.

Fancy dinners are better when shared, so often times when an extra fancy recipe catches my eye I use it as an excuse to bring over the peeps.  I mean good food is the BEST reason for people to come over and have fun at the house.  So that's exactly what we're doing this last weekend of March - dinner, board games, & drinks.  Plus this is a needed night for me & an appreciated distraction because I had the WORST fomo watching all my friends party poolside in Palm Springs all weekend long for one of my girls birthdays.  Oye - the almost tears

Stir fry is usually my go to for a quick, veggie heavy meal that will give my body a hefty dose of nutrients. It's literally the best for clean eating (if you do it right) & wonderful for so many reasons. No. 1 - one pan wonder.  Need I say more?  No. 2 - easily customizable.  Use your favorite veggies and leave out the ones that make you gag.  No rules or judgement in the stir fry realm!  No. 3, and lastly, it leads to veggies cooked to softened perfection, and dredged in a sauce that doesn't need to be loaded with fat and sugar to be delicious.  & sometimes big pile of veggies loaded on your plate is just what you need. 

I am home, rejuvenated, and refreshed after a girls weekend - a weekend I've been looking forward to for days.  Usually my girls weekends equate to 48 hours of total debauchery without my husband to witness the embarrassing shenanigans that result from drinking with friends.  Some questionable dancing, shots, some good fashion that only your girls will appreciate.  Occasionally, there's a little deep talk,  feelings get brought up, and you help your best girl though a hard time, or convince her to ditch the dweeb she's dating.  All in all, my experience with girls weekends is they're either one of two speeds - extreme, gutteral laughs all the live long day, or revealing of intimate feelings.  This girl's, however, weekend lacked

Our movers have finally arrived, our stuff is moved in, so it's time for our first home cooked meal in our new home.  I have been waiting WEEKS for this, and with my pots and pans now back in my possession, I am excited to get cookin'.  Even though we've had a lot of fun getting settled and eating takeout on the floor of our living room, while also sleeping on the floor, being able to cook our first meal in our new space is very exciting.  It honestly feels like our first at-home datenight here in Washington.