one love

we are back from jamaica! it was an absolutely wonderful time filled with relaxation, adventures and, of course, eating! we were very sad to return back to the real world, but it was nice to sleep in a bed that we had not accidentally filled with sand! we took a lot of videos with handsome's go pro that i plan on editing into a short summary of a trip as well as a bunch of photos that i need to sort through. until all of the editing is complete, here are a few of our favorite shots from our instax!

love.

it is finally here!

welcome to the new blog! doing this has been in my mind for many months now and i am very excited to finally get started!

this is our personal journal and a view into the small things in our lives that we love! i have moved all of my pursuit of favorites to this page as well as my monthly macaronis and will continue both of these.

let the adventures begin!

love yall!

pursuit of favorites: finding food, the fresh kind!

one of my goals while visiting handsome in may was to find a farmers market. handsome did some research and we headed to the farmers market at cherry creek mall one saturday morning. i must say, it is my favorite ever! now, i cannot say i have had experience at many farmers markets. honestly, i have only been to the one in norman. but this one was awesome! it was filled with so many different stands of produce, dairy, plants, breads and clothes. there were even food stands that filled the air with many wonderful aromas! we were not prepared for the many cravings we would find ourselves having while walking by the different booths, but there was only one craving that we gave into. and let me tell you, it was the best decision ever! it was called waffle cakes. and yes, it tasted exactly the way it sounds. a delicious waffle that is also sweet like a dessert! it was their first day in existence and i am so glad i was able to experience them! they have a facebook page and i believe they are working towards eventually opening a restaurant of some type. i cant wait!

the hardest part of tasting a delicious waffle cake is deciding which one to try. we went with the one that had two waffle cakes with frosting in the middle. talk about a delicious sugar overload! you can even buy waffle cakes in packages of six to take home with you. i may have to buy some the next time i happen to come across them!

we also purchased some delicious produce for dinner that night and the following night. green peppers, asparagus, grape tomatoes and a super delicious avocado vinaigrette to eat with bread. delicious! i plan on visiting this market once i move to denver to buy herbs for our future herb garden! this place is filled with so many opportunities!

love.

the pursuit of favorites: carmine's on penn

handsome and i went out on a "fancy date night" during my may visit to denver where we went to dinner, went to a bar that we wanted to explore and saw our second movie ever (water for elephants, love!). we decided to look up italian places since we had never gone out for italian food together. handsome came across carmine's on penn and it looked wonderful so we decided to give it a try. well, the reviews were not wrong. it was delicious! it was different than most restaurants for many reasons. the first reason being that there is not a menu you get to hold. there is a large chalk board menu on one side of the room that has the names of every dish, but without descriptions. this is where your waiter becomes very handy. ours was very helpful! your waiter is able to explain the dishes to you and is also able to pick out a few options you may like based on the type of food you are craving at the time, or the kinds of foods you typically like. we listened to our waiter's opinions and ended up loving what we ordered! another difference is that carmine's serves everything family style. this means that whatever you end up ordering comes to your table in massive amounts. and i mean massive! despite this, we still wanted to try multiple items on the menu and decided to try an appetizer as well as an entree. we probably did not need to eat the appetizer, but it was sure delicious! (you should also keep in mind that the food is served family style when looking at the prices. yes, the prices are expensive, but well worth the amount and quality of food you are getting)

we immediately knew we wanted to try the manicotti after discussing appetizer options with our waiter and it was definitely the right choice! my favorite part about it was how it was wrapped in a thin crepe instead of a noodle. this made it a much lighter dish and allowed the flavors of the cheese and the sauce to stand out.

our waiter warned us about how large our entree plate would be by letting us know that it consists of an entire pound of pasta without taking into consideration everything else that is added to the dish. and let us know that there would be no way we could finish the entire plate even though we were sharing. regardless, i was still surprised about just how huge the size of the entree was when it came out! we ordered the carbonara which is one of their pasta entrees. when it came out, the smell was amazing and i could not wait to eat it! i was not disappointed because it was very delicious! neither handsome nor i have any kind of excitement towards peas, but they mixed in the pasta nicely. however, i still did not eat them if they got separated. oh the child in me! but i must say, when we ate the leftovers for multiple meals over the following few days, the peas tasted better and better! i am not sure if it was because they absorbed some of the sauce or what it was. regardless, i enjoyed how they became more delicious with time. and yes, there was so much leftover that we were able to get two more meals out of it for each of us! crazy! it also tasted a bit different than the carbonara pasta that i frequently ate in italy. the pancetta was cooked in this dish and the sauce was not as heavy as how i remember it being in italy. 

the atmosphere was wonderful. we sat on the covered patio area since it was a nice day, but they also have a section inside. it had a laid back feel, but was also very nice for a fancy date. i could see myself being more relaxed another time we go or even dressed up a bit more than i was for our "fancy date". 

we decided that we are going to try a dessert next time instead of an appetizer. we would also like to give ourselves more time to eat our meal. a time frame more like two hours would be ideal. carmine's is not a restaurant that tries to rush as many customers as possible in and out the door. they are not pushy and want you to enjoy your meal to its fullest. in fact, i think our waiter was surprised we left so quickly (we were there for almost an hour and a half). i am just going to say it, i loved this place!

love.

the pursuit of favorites: crepes 'n crepes

may 12, 2011

after handsome picked me up from the airport, we headed the crepes 'n crepes for lunch (where we planned to eat dinner the night before). handsome had eaten here before with his parents and thought that it would be a yummy place for us to eat together. it was downtown in a cute area that has a lot of shops and restaurants and the road is closed to most vehicles. no needing to worry about crazy drivers while walking in the street!

the inside was super cute and felt slightly cottage like. i dont know what france looks like, but i feel like it would look like this!

we decided to share two different crepes, a savory one for lunch and a sweet one for dessert. the savory one we got was tomates avec oignons, basilic, et ail provencal (sauteed tomatoes, onions, basil and garlic). it was very delicious and came with two different sauces to put on it. the green one is a pecan pesto and the red one is roasted red pepper and eggplant. i preferred the green sauce and handsome liked both sauces mixed together. the crepe was very delicious and would be super yummy if chicken was added. handsome wished the red pepper was spicier and thought the tomatoes were a bit runny. i wished that it was stuffed with more deliciousness, but my stomach probably does not need it to be overflowing with food ha! overall, it was very delicious, but we would like to try another kind the next time we go there.

the dessert crepe we got was banane and fraises avec creme fouettee, nutella (banana and strawberries with cream cheese and nutella). this was definitely my favorite one! it was stuffed with so much deliciousness that it nearly exploded when you would try and cut a small bite. the cream cheese part was definitely the best. i tried to save those bites for last! handsome said that you definitely have to go for the cream cheese and chocolate mix. he got a plain chocolate one the first time he went and feels that the cream cheese adds necessary deliciousness.

i also decided to try a nutella hot chocolate because it was calling my name from the menu and i was worn out from my traveling adventure. it was super delicious! the only thing i did not like about it was that the nutella taste left by the time i got to the bottom of the cup. and then it tasted a bit more liquory that i would have liked, but it was very much worth the try!

everything was so delicious that we gobbled up every last bite! the next time i visit i would like it to be a beautiful day (it was raining when we went) and i would like to sit out on the patio. the patio was super cute and inviting. they also have happy hour from 3-6 on wednesday through saturday where they have half off most of their crepes. one day i will enjoy it!

love.

the pursuit of favorites: mezcal

march 18, 2011

during the day we went on an extreme hike on green mountain to get some exercise, enjoy the scenery and just enjoy the outdoors. after hiking for a few hours, handsome and i were both craving mexican food. i guess we had to fill the void we created while hiking. after looking up many places, we decided on mezcal. it was ranked #1 for best margarita one year and #1 for tacos last year so how could we go wrong. since it won best taco i decided to try them out. this is unusual for me because i never order tacos at a mexican restaurant. i feel that it is easy to make delicious tacos at home, but not near as easy to make delicious enchiladas. i always end up getting enchiladas. and ones that involve chicken, cheese and sour cream. you know, picking the most healthy option the menu. i feel if you go to a mexican restaurant, you might as well go all out. back to the point, the tacos were delicious! i really loved them a lot and plan on only ordering tacos every time i go there. i got the chicken ones, what a surprise. and handsome got one chicken, one beef and one pork. he ranked the pork taco the lowest, but i dont think he could decide between the beef and chicken. his “winner” varied based on what sauce was on it. and speaking of sauces, the different sauce choices they have to put on your tacos are all very delicious. my most favorite one was buffalo chipotle. so delicious! you cant go wrong with buffalo and chipotle in one. it was so good you could nearly drink it straight from the bottle. i did not go that far, but maybe next time. we will have to wait and see how i feel during my dining experience the next time i go.

the award winning margaritas? i was not impressed. they were not the worst i have had, but they were also not near the best. it tasted like there was far too much margarita mix. i suggest getting a beer, as long as you like beer of course, that way you will not be disappointed. we also noticed that there is a happy hour from 10pm to 1am where they may have dollar tacos (since our lime experience i am not as confident in these taco happy hours that can be found around town). i'm just saying, seems like reason enough to try it out. you know you want to!

and last, but definitely not least, the queso. i have nothing negative to say about the queso (except that i wish it was with white cheese)! this is very surprising since we have not had very good experiences at any restaurant we have tried. it was similar to my most favorite queso that is lit on fire and scooped onto tortillas. this queso wonder can be found at benitos in fort worth. benitos is definitely superior, but this one has a similar taste. it has chorizo in it (like benitos, at least i think the meat in it is chorizo..ha!) and you dip pieces of tortilla into it. it is delicious.

as a side note, for those of you who like a more attentive dining experience. like actually being acknowledged when you walk in and getting good service during your meal, this is not the place for you. i am not sure how long we were standing there, possibly 10 or 15 minutes, before anyone helped us. employees would walk by and just stare at us standing at the hostess stand. the restaurant was not even packed. we finally got a table and they placed us in the worst location ever, right in front of the entrance, and there were multiple other tables as options. i think the hostess was too lazy or tired to walk any further. dont worry though, we asked our waiter if he would mind us moving and we went to an infinitely better table. i am not sure if we just happened to go on a weird night or what the deal was. it did seem like there were only two servers for the entire restaurant though. maybe that had something to do with it. but regardless of the service, the tacos and queso are delicious and definitely worth trying. yumm!!!

another exciting feature about mezcal....they have taco eating contests! i want to enter one sooo badly! handsome has agreed to do one with me. i actually think he is just as excited as i am too haha. the most recent contest consisted of two rounds. the first round was eating 20 tacos in 15 minutes, and the second round was eating as many as physically possible in 5 minutes. i dont think i would move onto the second round, but i think i could get close. i am very interested to see how well i will do.

love.

monthly macaroni 11

my last trip out to denver was crazy. my plane was scheduled to leave about 6pm wednesday night, but that did not happen. it was delayed a few hours due to rain in dallas (where our plane was coming from) and then continued being delayed until the plane finally arrived at about 10pm. a bit after it landed, they announced that there was snow in denver so our plane was delayed again. i know, snow in may?! and the denver airport is unable to handle it?! how is this possible when they can handle snow during the winter?! i was baffled and irritated from being at the airport nearly all day. they assured us that the plane would be going to denver, we just had to wait for denver to give us the okay. i honestly did not care what time i arrived as long as i made it there. it hits 1:30am and we get a call saying they canceled our flight. definitely not what i wanted to hear. i had to rebook my flight that night and got home at about 2:30. i then had to wake up at 4:45am to head straight back up to the airport. what i did appreciate what that southwest ended up making a new direct flight that morning for those of us who were on the canceled flight. i did not think i was ever going make it to denver and i was so excited once i finally made it. it felt amazing! what does this have to do with monthly macaroni? well, when my flight got delayed until about 10pm handsome offered to make dinner and bring it in the car for us to eat and enjoy together. 

we decided to try a new macaroni recipe with fontina, spinach and bacon. it sounds delicious doesnt it?! he had finished making it about the time my flight was canceled so we were unable to eat it fresh. we decided to eat it for dinner on thursday and made a bit more sauce and more bacon to make it taste a bit more fresh. well, drama and all, it was very delicious! handsome did an amazing job and this years monthly macaroni recipes were immediately redeemed! since we had made more sauce, it was soooo rich and creamy. and i absolutely loved it that way. handsome put a bit more spices in the sauce than the recipe called for and it tasted great. a very delicious move on handsomes part because it gave the macaroni the perfect amount of spiciness. another plus about this recipe, besides the spinach and bacon, was that it reheated wonderfully! we got to eat the deliciousness for multiple meals and it was perfect. i will definitely make it again!

love.

monthly macaroni 10

i was very excited to try a new macaroni recipe called south of the border mac and cheese with handsome, and one that he would probably like because it would be spicy. however, i was very disappointed. this macaroni did not have much spice at all and really was not all that good. i did not even eat any of it as left overs because i was so disappointed. it may have not tasted good to me because my comparison to the spicy macaroni dish, the first one i ever tried, that was absolutely delicious. dare i say nearly the best ever (behind caprese, of course). however, i do not believe that its sub-par taste is entirely attributed to having an outstanding comparison. it should still taste good, right? you would think. 

it also may have been caused by the large amount of difficulty i had while cooking it in the high altitude. it is clear that i need some more practice, but i also doubt that my lack of skills caused the macaroni to lack spiciness and flavor. maybe you will be more successful than i was!

this experience is why i do not recommend trying out any of the 2011 recipes. it just left a bad taste in my mouth, literally and figuratively. i am going to try out a few more before i completely throw all of this years recipes out the window. plus, i do not want to miss out on potentially amazing macaronis. and the other food bloggers should not be associated with one mediocre recipe. maybe i have jaded macaroni eyes at this point and maybe i need to get out of this funk. lets just hope a few of the recipes have some deliciousness to offer and get me out of this pessimistic macaroni view that i am currently in! lets eat some delicious cheese!

love.

the pursuit of favorites: snooze, an a.m. eatery

march 19, 2011

i am super excited about this post. like very excited. i think snooze may be one of my favorite places ever and i am very excited to share it with you! there is nothing else to say, but that it is very delicious. everything is very delicious! i seriously feel that it is impossible to order something that you dont like or even only kind of like. that is just how delicious it is. snooze is only open for breakfast/brunch time, so you have to get there before 2 to enjoy its amazingness. there was a long wait when we went, but they have complimentary coffee as well as a bar where you can order delicious mimosas or bloody marys to keep you occupied. they even have someone who goes around asking if there is anything you would like to order while waiting. the hour long wait did not seem as long as it sounded and it was definitely worth it!

i am going to start off with the bloody marys. omg they are absolutely amazing! (the mimosas are good too, but not to the level of the bloody marys) i am not a bloody mary person, but one sip of handsomes and i became a convert! at least at snooze. we tried the spicy mix (lets be honest, who wouldnt want it spicy?!) and you can not go wrong with the spicy one. unless, of course, you do not like spicy things. just be careful, these things can sneak up on you because they are so delicious.

the food on everyones plates looked absolutely amazing and it made you second guess what you wanted to order, but i seriously dont think you could go wrong with anything you choose (based on my limited experience). i ended up ordering the benedicto tuscano, it is a version of eggs benedict on french bread with squash, cream cheese and a few other things that i cannot remember. it seriously melts in your mouth. i thought i liked eggs benedict before, but this brings it to a completely different level. i completely more delicious level. i savored every single bite of those eggs. pure deliciousness!

handsome got the graceland pancakes. they had peanut butter and bananas in them and omg they were super delicious too! best pancakes ever. seriously. they also have a pancake of the day that kind of switches the menu up a bit. i think the one on the day we went was coca cola. i kind of wish i ordered pancakes too. but then i would not have been able to move due to eating way too much food.

if you are ever in the area, you must try this place for breakfast one day! we went to the one by the ballpark, but they have four locations, including one in fort collins, so look up which one is closest!

love.

st. pattys + the pursuit of favorites: lime and the tilted kilt

march 17, 2011

before heading to an irish bar to celebrate st patricks day, handsome, his roommate and i went to a mexican restuarant downtown called lime. they have multiple locations and we chose this one because it was close to where we were going to be going out later that night. we were anticipating dollar tacos due to their website advertisement, however we missed the time frame you could order them (times were not online). we decided to split a pitcher of margaritas, queso and an appetizer that was large and allowed you to sample multiple items.

lets start with my favorite thing about this place. the margs are amazing! they were super delicious and the three of us drank the pitcher with no problem. lets just say that i seriously feel that i can be found at this place enjoying margs and queso in the future. another delicious note was the chips. they were flaky tortilla chips that were absolutely amazing! a bit thicker than most, but soft and crispy and flaky all at the same time. i love those chips so much! (in fact, we tried to buy some a whole foods. they were homemade and a bit different, but still delicious!) i would go to lime just to eat the chips because they were so good. the tostadas were a bit generic. handsome compared them to taco bell, but i thought they were delicious anyway. however, he is right about them not being anything special.

since i do not eat shrimp, the boys got to split the gem of the meal, scorpions. they are shrimp layered on a jalapeno and filled with a spicy chipotle cheese filling and then fried. handsome said they were very delicious. they even sounded very appetizing to me, but i knew things would not turn out well since shrimp was involved.

the atmosphere is not my most favorite. it felt kind of cold and a bit fancier than expected. we plan on trying one of the other locations on 6th to see if we like it more.

after eating we made our way to the tilted kilt. since it was crazy, it was difficult to fully decide how i felt about the place. what i could determine was that it is an irish form of hooters. except at the tilted kilt, there is more boob, more stomach and no tights worn under their tiny skirt. if i was a guy, i would probably enjoy it more. it makes me a bit uncomfortable and i do not understand how it does not bother some girls to be dressed that way. but we are all different and i guess it is good that it works for some. it just isnt my thing. overall, i enjoyed my time there, but i would like to try a different place next year.

love.