2011 Resolution....

To see more of The South!! I was inspired by this book I saw for sale on Ideeli. It's currently on order ... and am excited about taking more weekend getaways with my sweet husband!!

A Mini Happy Lately List* for Sunday...

-Wrapping presents
-It's currently snowing
-My new toy from Nan (Doug's grandma!)
-Getting stuff together for our trip next week to DISNEY WORLD!
-Baking
-Shipping a few surprises to TX!
-Getting excited for Doug's mom and brother to visit this weekend
-The ROCKETTES on Saturday
-I got my first donation to Team Rio - I am running in a half marathon and raising money for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. For more info or to donate click here
-Doug's techno Christmas CD
*Thanks Allison!

A current look at the Nashville radar...

...all I see out of my window at work is white!!

The weather outside is frightful...

Saturday morning I went for a jog in 45-ish degree weather, and it felt awesome. As the afternoon wore on, the temperature dropped drastically. Yesterday morning, Doug and I were heading out to church when we noticed snow falling softly to the ground!! Major change of plans -the pajama pants went back on and we stayed indoors nearly all day until a Christmas party last night. image by Natalie Dee via Simple Lovely

This morning, it's a chilly 27 degrees. For the record, I'm wearing a pink zebra cardigan!

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

This weekend is Vandy's homecoming. They are playing South Carolina, and they are going to get killed. That's okay though, I don't know many who really attribute much football prowess to the ol Vanderbilt Commodores. Doug and I went to a game against Eastern Michigan (and Vandy happened to win!) but it was more like a high school football game than anything else. I am from West TX okay, I would know!


Anyway, Vanderbilt schedules the class reunions the same weekend as homecoming, probably to sort of hide the fact that they are going to lose the big game. What they lack in athleticism they make up for in school pride, really! Tons of events are happening all weekend. Tonight, I am working the Class of 2005 Reunion party under a tent on the lawn on campus. I will just sort of take their tickets or money and point them to the food and margarita machines. Not a bad deal.


Every year at homecoming the student organizations on campus host a big concert called Commodore Quake. They bring in all kinds of big name pop or r&b stars. This year? None other than Snoop Dogg - lol. Is that not hilarious?



Tomorrow Doug and I are going to the Owen Business School tailgate (it's always a great party - let's be honest we are probably skipping the game.) I am looking forward to this weekend - it will make for some good people watching and hopefully a good story or two! Happy weekend, everyone!

Weekend Happenings: Outdoor-style!!

This weekend we turned off the a/c and opened windows...it was just so gorgeous outside. Autumn in Tennessee continues to amaze me! It's wonderful. :) A friend told me people here celebrate autumn like a holiday, and I think she's pretty much right.

Friday night, Doug and I got together with some Texan friends to watch the Rangers lose Friday night (boo), but they are doing so well now! Yay!

Saturday, we headed out to Cheekwood, the Nashville botanical garden. My sweet husband suggested we get a year-long family membership. We scored a reduced student rate, and if we go at least twice we have pretty much paid for the family pass. PLUS, we can bring guests with us all year long! Not a bad deal if you ask me. The special exhibit right now is called Chihuly at Cheekwood. It ends next week so we were hurrying to catch it before its gone. Chihuly is a famous glass blower - if you've ever been to the Bellagio in Vegas he did the crazy stuff that hangs from the ceiling. Now...if you'll allow me, here's an explosion of pictures from that trip. I could not help myself, it was awesome.

Ok, this first one isn't actually at Cheekwood, Doug and I had lunch at the Farmer's Market and this the view of the state capitol from where we had lunch.

This was the start of our day at Cheekwood. There was random crazy colored glass just placed around the gardens.

Isn't he cute?!

Japanese gardens!






This was my favorite one.

Might sound weird but this one totally inspired me and gave me ideas for our Christmas tree this year!

Super Lame!

So the perfect Christmas gift was delivered to my inbox this morning, sort of. I got an e-mail about Williams-Sonoma’s wine of the month club, which my parents have signed Doug and I up for before. We loved it! It was a good way to try new wine without the pressure of choosing one at the store, it just arrives at your doorstep.

I was definitely considering asking for this for my birthday. Keeping bottles of wine in our home right now is one of those luxuries that has gone by the wayside since we’ve been on an one-income budget in grad school. Not to mention, if you sign up right now they’re running a special where you get two extra bottles of pinot noir FREE! I was definitely jazzed until I learned that they don’t deliver wine in Tennessee. Something about the laws makes it impossible. Seriously, lame Tennessee, lame!! Someone sign up and let me know how it is!!

Simple Gourmet

A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner.
-Samuel Johnson

Friday night we called it a night in and made a major trip to the grocery store. I have strayed from my commitment to cooking mostly organic and was feeling the aftermath of that decision. Food just tastes better when it's whole and pesticide-free, not out of the freezer. This is what I made from dinner, the recipe is from smitten kitchen. I can't emphasize how simple this recipe was and Doug and I both loved it. It presents well on the plate and looks very gourmet-ish. All in all it was a win. We had to get rid of our grill when we moved here (sad face) so we cooked the steak in a cast-iron skillet, the trick is not to overdo it. I served the whole thing with crusty bread and a Spanish tempranillo wine. The best part is the homemade dressing so don't skip that part!

Skirt Steak Salad with Blue Cheese
Serves 4

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat if necessary, halved crosswise, at room temperature
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
1/2 pound baby arugula
Vinaigrette (below)
3 tablespoons minced chives, 2 thinly sliced scallions or 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, for garnish

Pat steak dry and season on both sides 1/2 teaspoon salt and many grinds of black pepper.

In a cast-iron skillet: Heat skillet on medium-high to high and add olive oil. When oil begins to shimmer, place steak in skillet and do not move it for 5 minutes. Turn it once, and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare. You may need to cook your steak halves separately, depending on the size of your pan.

On a grill: Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal or high heat for gas. Oil grill rack, then grill steak, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, 4 to 6 minutes total for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest, loosely covered with foil, for five minutes. Arrange arugula on a large platter. Thinly slice steak on the diagonal, across the grain. Arrange over arugula, then toss halved cherry tomatoes and blue cheese over platter. Add vinaigrette to taste, then sprinkle with chives, scallions or red onion. Serve with additional vinaigrette on the side.

Steakhouse Mustard Vinaigrette (whisk all ingredients together)
1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup olive oil

Happy Weekend Everyone!

T-shirts that benefit flood relief---I must invest in one!! And a vintage postcard. This weekend, more unpacking and cleaning out is ahead for us. And a pool party with some other MBAs. Maybe a little exploration of Broadway Street downtown by the river. Also watching a few more episodes of Mad Men Season 1 before we get super busy with work and school.

What does your weekend hold?

An Open Letter to the Lone Star State

Dear Texas,

You've been a good friend to me, always been there for me my whole life. After all, your Indian name Tejas means "friend."

Now, you are fickle and antagonistic at times: I can recall numerous times it's snowed on Easter and I've worn shorts in December. Why so difficult? It's okay though...

Your people are proud - perhaps to a fault?! Texas was once it's own country, brews its own beer , and has everything from superhighways to farm-to-market roads. We have our own type of music and dancing, food, culture and customs. No doubt I will miss my favorite Tex-Mex when I'm gone. We Texans have our own style, borrowed a little from the south and a little from the west and call it cowboy chic. I will miss the hairspray and teased hair.

We have beaches, mountains, canyons and plains. We have windy days and rainy days - but if I don't like the weather - I'll wait it out 15 minutes then it's gone. There's nothing like a Lubbock thunderstorm - watching the lightning from my college apartment balcony was fabulous.

Texas - I'm moving on now. It's not you ... we've certainly had some great times. There's a mysterious allure of "The South" that I must follow ... but I'll be back soon.

Lots of love,

Stephanie M.

Rite of Passage

Last weekend as I was standing in the check out line at Kroger, my eye caught this title: Southern Living Desserts. The word 'dessert' almost always catches my eye, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I thumbed through nonchalantly until I found 2 recipes that every southern woman should have: Texas Sheet Cake, and Coca-Cola Cake. It's like an invisible rite of passage or something. Once I saw those recipes, I had to buy it. I am not admittedly much of a cake-baker because after one piece I'm good, I really don't need to eat an entire cake. And in general Doug doesn't really like dessert, and in particular he won't eat chocolate. (Who doesen't like chocolate?!)

It seems like any picnic, pot-luck or even at work, Texas Sheet Cake is like the golden egg of desserts. Whoever makes this cake and brings it is like a saint among sinners. So...I am hoping to join the ranks of saints as I make it this weekend for our youth group. And if there's any left over, I hope that my co-workers Monday morning will also bestow sainthood onto my head.

{we heart it}