Sometimes you just have a great night

Sometimes on a Thursday, while sitting in traffic on I-76, Chrissy will say, "If we take the next exit we can go to Trader Joe's." And then sometime when we're in Trader Joe's we'll see a perfect french loaf that's begging to be topped with cheese. So then we'll sometimes stop at Whole Food's and raid their basket of cheese nubs til we have the perfect assortment. And on the way home, we'll sometimes stop at the Wine and Spirits for a jug of wine. When we get home, we'll sometimes arrange cheese and bread, slice some apples and strawberries, open up different chutnies, pour glasses of wine, and put on Moulin Rogue. Yes, sometimes we just have a perfect Thursday.

Currently Craving: A new pair of sunnies

Now that the sun is finally peeking its head out from behind the clouds, my sunglasses have been seeing a lot more action lately. This has led me to realize, however, that my sunglasses are actually not that great, ha! I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering they cost me $8 back in high school, but now that I'm able, I think it's time for me to upgrade my eyewear. I've been persuing the usual outlets (RayBan, Oakleys..), as well as some others that I've shared below! Now just comes the hard part of actually choosing a pair, hm.....

Thrifty: Round Sunglasses and Colorful Aztec Wayfarers from Forever 21

Spend: Oakley Frogskin Sunglasses and Quay Retro Sunglasses

Splurge: MARC by Marc Jacobs Retro and Prada Baroque Round Sunglasses

P.S. How cool are thos Prada sunglasses?? Swoon

Apple Pie Crumble

I have a confession, I am a dessert fiend. As in, I have a sweet tooth that discriminates against no dessert that has ever been concocted (I've eaten a chocolate covered grasshopper, true story). Normally I can get away with satisfying my cravings with whatever sort of chocolate I have in the pantry at the time (chocolate covered pomegranate seeds are my current addiction). Sometimes though, I'm jonesing for something very specific. The other night one such craving hit and I suddenly needed apple pie. Of course getting the real thing wasn't exactly an option at 9pm, so I had to get creative with what I had. I turned to the internet but couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I decided to take a crack at an apple crumble myself. 

Oh. My. Goodness. It was so good, like, licking the bowl for every last morsel good. So good, in fact that I had to make it again tonight and take pictures, so I could share it with you :)

I made mine in a small cast iron skillet, but it would also do well in a ramekin or doubled in a pie pan.

You'll need...
2 apples (I choose Granny Smith)

1/4 cup maple syrup (agave would also work)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup brown sugar
Dash of salt

2 tbsp butter (room temperature)

To start off, preheat the oven to 350f then wash, core and cube the apples. Toss to coat them in the maple syrup and cinnamon, then dump into your greased skillet (I used butter to do this but any oil/spray would be fine!). Next, combine the salt, flour, oatmeal, and brown sugar. Once the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, cut in the butter until crumbly. Cover the apples with the crumble, bake for 30 min (or until the apples are soft and the top browned), and voila! Enjoy your delicious treat with caramel sauce, a scoop of ice cream, or all by it's lonesome, there's no wrong way to do it. 

P.S sharing is totally optional, I would never rat you out :)

Photos from my Weekend 4.12-4.14

 Everything green popping up, even the things we don't want!

I think I'm starting to notice a pattern with my weekend photos, ha!

Just a reminder to always keep light and hope...

Stumbled Upon: New York Times Haiku

There's nothing like StumbleUpon to find you the weirdest and most brilliant sites on the web. Enter Times Haiku. Using an algorithm to find poetry in  NY Times articles based on syllables, this site then publishes the resulting haiku for your reading pleasure. It is both whimsical and highly enjoyable! Take a look for yourself and let me know your favorite!

What a Wednesday...

photo linked to source

A day late on the post? Maybe, but what's a girl to do when she's got to catch up on lost sleep! Wednesday night we had tickets to see Aziz Ansari at the Merriam Theatre in Ceter City and we took the opporutnity to turn it into a full night out on the town! Since the show wasn't until 10pm, we started with a late dinner at Tokyo Hibachi Steakhouse on 16th & Walnut. We didn't know anything about the restaurant going in, but Chrissy had never had Hibachi before and they had a Groupon, so we went for it! The place turned out to be pretty nice; good food, giant portions, reasonable prices, and the chef was skilled and funny. The weird part was that there was a group of three others at our table, and that was it. The place was empty! I shouldn't complain though, I guess it's better than the alternative.

all those people in the background worked there, we had the place to ourselves!

After dinner we still had about 45 minutes to kill before we headed over to the theatre so we did a quick Google search and found a bar that was right on our walk called Good Dog. I hadn't heard of it before, but I guess other people have considering it was pretty crowded for 9pm on Wednesday. As soon as we walked in, I fell in love; the walls are COVERED with portraits of dogs! (I think Chrissy fell in love when we found out 16oz PBRs were only $1.50) The place was pretty skinny, but covered all three floors of the building, and it felt like a relaxed place to have happy hour drinks or dinner. Definitely a place that we will have to check out again!

so many puppies!

After a few rounds of pool at the bar, it was on to the main event! Aziz actually did two shows that night, one at 7pm and then the one at 10pm that they were taping for a special, so when we got to the theatre the earlier show was just letting out and EVERY person was buzzing about how great the show was! By the time we got to our seats we were beyond excited. Even though we got our tickets so late, the Merriam Theatre is so compact that we still had a great view of the stage, definitely a bonus. This was my first time at a comedy show, so I wasn't expecting it when there was an opening comedian. I had actually watched Moshe Kasher stand-up on Netfliz the week before, so it was great to get to see him live as well! His set was short, however, and then it was onto the main-event: Aziz. He. Was. Great. His style is definitely goofy and he does a lot of physical comedy, but if you've ever enjoyed him on Parks & Rec or seen some of his stand-up, you'd love him live. I can't wait for the special to some out so I can watch it again!

Apologies for the long post, but this kind of excitement doesn't usually happen on a Wednesday night! Anytime I'm up past 10pm on weekday, I just have to chronicle it for posterity :)

Percy Street BBQ - Philadelphia

As I said in my March resolution post, one of my goals for this year is to discover more of my city. One way I plan on accomplishing this is by eating my way through Philly Mag's 2013 list of the 50 Best Restaurants in Philly (or at least trying to). Our first stop on the list was #45 Percy Street BBQ on South St. 

Percy Street is the Texan child of restaurateurs Steve Cook and Michael Solomonov (the same guys who brought us Xochitl and Zahav).  The feel of the restaurant is polished rustic; the lights over the bar are hung on meat hooks, the long tables seat like picnic benches, wood paneling and details peek out everywhere, yet you get the sense that everything, down to the placement of a pickle jar on a worn cabinet, was carefully thought out. That same attention detail certainly carries over to the menu, filled with authentic Texas barbeque options. For an appetizer we had the pork belly and deviled eggs. While it's hard to mess up a deviled egg, I must say theirs were fantastic! And I had never heard of pork belly before, let alone tried it, but our waiter sung its praises and it did not disappoint. I think you can tell a lot about a piece of meat based on how easy it cuts, and this appetizer melted in your mouth.  For our entrees Chrissy had the pulled pork sandwich and I went with the smoked brisket platter. Her sandwich was incredible, with their homemade sauerkraut piled right on top, but I definitely would go for the brisket again. It was incredibly moist and flavorful, I had to restrain myself from licking the plate when I finished! 

While the food is amazing, the menu is a little pricey for a barbeque joint. However, given their extensive beer and whiskey selection, it would be a perfect place to grab drinks and a few appetizers. Plus, they have Yard Root Beer on tap, which is pretty darn cool :) Overall, I'd say I will definitely make a return trip to Percy Street. The ambience, the food, the drinks, everything added up to an excellent evening.

Now that we've tried a new restaurant, the next step in our exploration is going to a show! At least that's the justification I used when I pounced on the chance to see Aziz Ansari tonight at the Merriam Theatre tonight :) Can't wait to report back!

Pictures from my Weekend 4.5-4.7

Today's an especially hard Monday going back to work after such a fabulous birthday weekend. I got to spend my time with my friends and family, eat awesome food, and, of course, enjoyed many birthday drinks :) Chrissy even planned a sweet suprise for me on Saturday night complete with my favorite birthday cake from the bakery where I used to work, Bredenbeck's. Sunday morning we went to Le Bus in Manayunk for brunch to celebrate Chrissy's birthday and enjoyed bacon infused Bloody Mary's with our breakfast (so delicious). The rest of the day was spent lazing around and enjoying the beautiful weather! I hope you all enjoyed your weekends as well and made the most of the sun! 

Pinterest Sunday: Dream Kitchen

Sundays are made for Bloody Mary brunches, walking on the sunny-side of the street, afternoon naps, and day-dreaming about my perfect house. This particular Sunday is also made for celebrating Chrissy's birthday! So, while we're enjoying the day, I'll leave you with the spaces that are currently inspiring my dream kitchen!

-all photos linked to source-