Grilled Corn Salad

I don't know about you guys, but in the summer DFH and I LOVE to grill outside.  I honestly believe everything tastes better grilled.  One of our recent favorites which is a stolen favorite of my good friend Steel Magnolia is Grilled Corn Salad:

Ingredients

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ears corn, grilled
1 pound green beans, blanched and cooled
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup basil leaves, thinly shredded
4 ounces ricotta salata, shaved

Method

Prepare vinaigrette by whisking together mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cut kernels off corn cobs and put in a large bowl. Add beans, tomatoes, onion and basil. Drizzle vinaigrette over and toss to combine. Top with ricotta salata and serve.

( courtsey of Steel Magnoila and Whole Foods)

This recipe is so easy and fast to make and DFH and I have eaten it as a side dish or the main course.  It goes great with so many proteins and tastes delicious with some grilled chicken on top of it.

Enjoy!

Beach vaycay

  I love Pittsburgh I really do, but I also really wish it was closer to a beach, a REAL beach, not a lake, or a river, but the beach.  Although those other bodies of water are great, there is nothing that compares to the real beach, with the waves, and the smell, and the sand.  Growing up in NJ I was lucky enough to make day trips/ week trips to the beach in the summer often enough, now I have to make a special LONG trips to the beach, but it is definetly worth it. 
   A few weeks ago ALV, LES and I went to visit my parents on LBI ( Long Beach Island).  It was such a great vacation and so nice to be close to the ocean.

ALV's birthday fell over the weekend we were there so we made sure we celebrated with some cake....and a monsoon on our way out to celebrate.  Looking sexy :)

  Monsooned

We had my mom conduct a photo shoot

Tried to catch some crabs ( not so successful)

and made sure we lounged in the lagoon with a Marg

It was a great escape and so nice to hang out with my parents, hopefully my "ocean time" will last me til next time.

What are your favorite Summer Escapes?

What I am Loving Wednesday!

It is summer, whats not to love, but there are a few things I am ESPECIALLY loving right now



1. Dark N' Stormys:   I am not a huge rum person, but the rum mixed with the ginger beer is so refreshing, especially sitting outside on hot evenings. 

1. 2 ounces dark rum,
2. 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice (optional)
3. 3 ounces chilled ginger beer
4. 1 lime wheel

2. 2012 Agendas are out!!!

Even though I am no longer in school I still love to get a new planner in August/September.  It makes me feel like I have a clean slate in the middle of the year.  I live and breathe by my planner I don't know what I would do without my to-do lists and calendar date book, and there is nothing like writing your first list in your fresh crisp planner.  Plus I always feel like I have so much going on in the fall/winter that it is hard to transition to a new planner in December.  I like a fresh start before the busy fall.

I have always been a Filo Fax Girl, but now I am loving the Lilly Pulitzer Planners

3.  Fresh summer veggies:  I love how fresh and juicy veggies are in the summer.  Whether grilled or eaten raw they just taste extra delicious in the summer, especially when they come from your own garden ( *fingers crossed for our baby veggies*).

4.  Only two more days until DFH and I take our weekend lake get-a-way HERE:

5. Neon T-shirts: I don't know what it is, but something about throwing on a Neon colored  t-shirt makes an outfit so much better than just putting on a regular colored Tee. 

Lets Go Bucs!

  As I stated HERE Pittsburgh has turned me into a sports fan.  It is a huge sports city, and the fans are super loyal to their teams.  The Steelers were just in the last Superbowl and the Penguins won the Stanley cup in 2009, both teams are extremely popular and it is always a challange to find tickets to the games.  The Pirates however have not been so lucky.  Since I have lived in Pittsburgh the Pirates have NEVER had a winning season.  In fact the Pirates "won" the honor of becoming  the team with the most MLB losses ever.  The stadium is usually empty, and most fans have lost hope as they have had 18 losing seasons in a row,  YIKES!

But this year things are different.  Pirates are in first place in our division and the stadium is packed on a regular basis.  Pittsburgh is erupting wih Pirate Fever, Bucco Fever, Raise the Jolly Roger, or whatever you would like to call it. It is prety exciting and also a lot of fun.   

The Pirates stadium is so pretty it looks over the rivers and the city of Pittsburgh, It is nice to see the stadium packed

Fingers crossed they keep playing this well for the remainder of the season

Lets Go Bucs

Designs by Kara Kihm

  A few weeks ago  Nautical By Nature hosted a Designs by Kara Kihm Fair Dress giveaway that I was lucky enough to win.  I never win giveaways, and this one was a fabulous one, I fell in love with the dress as soon as I saw it! 

How perfect is it!

The Fair Dress

As soon as I found out I had won the giveaway Kara immediately contacted me to get my measurements to ensure the dress would be a perfect fit...which it was!!!!  Kara was so great and I really appreciate the efforts she took to make sure I was happy and that the dress fit.

I love the color combo, and the dress is so flattering and comfortable I know I will get a lot of use out of it, it is perfect for so many occasions. 



I LOVE the Fair dress and Designs by Kara Kihm has so many other great pieces

The Annapolis

Elizabeth Anne

The Erin

How amazing is the seersucker!!

Kara is amazing to work with and the Fair dress is gorgeous!  Please check out her Etsy Store and her Blog to see more of her great designs!!

A special thanks to Nautical by Nature for hosting this great giveaway and to Designs by Kara Kihm for being so great and designing a fabulous dress

xoxo







Extreme Couponing ?!?

As I stated in my post HERE, I am attempting to try out couponing, not just using my advantage card, but actually cutting coupons.  As for the the cutting of the coupons I have been successful, every Sunday I get my Sunday newspaper and sit down and cut coupons, and have actually found there have been a lot of coupons I could actually use for things like, salsa, cleaners, other snack food, deodorant, etc.  Last week I even went to the grocery store and bought dishwasher soap, and it was already on sale for $1.00 off  $4.29, and then I used my manufacturer's coupon to get an additional $1.00 off.  Woo I saved 2.00 on one item!! haha (Hey, it is a start right!?)    I thought, I can do this I will get more and more coupons and will save A TON!

  But then I went to the grocery store again and I was sooo excited to go through my coupons and save BIG BIG money!!! I get to the store, AND I forgot my coupon box at home...FAIL #1.

  Then this weekend I get in my car to go Target and Michaels to get some craft items for a few DIY projects this summer.  I get to the shopping center....AND I forgot my coupons at home AGAIN...FAIL # 2


Soo thats how couponing is going so far.  I'll keep you posted for next weeks coupon adventure.

Collegiate Jack Rogers...yes please!

  I love all Jack Rogers, I don't discriminate. 

From the Metallic Navajo Sandal

To the Jelly Sandal

To the Monogram Sandal

And Now Jack Rogers have come out with a Collegiate Line

And they just happen to have Maroon and Gold ( GO ELON!)  Honestly, I should tell myself I am not in college and don't NEED them, but I love the two colors together, and Maroon and Gold can go with so much in real life.  AND you never know when you will need appropriate tailgating sandals...right??

To Bermuda or Not to Bermuda

   Sorry I have been MIA, after moving I was without Internet for a bit and I have been busy working and beaching and trying to enjoy the summer, I will try not to take such a long blogging hiatus again!! I have so much posting to catch up on xoxo

  So the other day  ALV and I were discussing Bermuda shorts.  I told her that I thought I was done with wearing Bermuda shorts,  because I couldn't recall the last time I saw anyone else wear them.  ALV and I both agreed that we still loved our "fancy" J.Crew Bermudas ( You know the ones with the pleat down the middle, that look super cute with heels).  And we both love the comfort and ease of throwing on a pair of Bermudas and a polo with rainbows to go out and about to do errands. 

Bermudas are great for tall people like ALV and myself because you don't have to worry about the length, and I have so many amazing pairs in Madras print, Hot pink, palm tress etc., But are they in fashion anymore???  Like I said, I really couldn't remember the last time I saw anyone else wear Bermudas, beside myself and ALV ( not a good sign).  

   I would consider myself a fairly fashionable person, not so much trendy, but fashionable I mean I am probably not as cool as I used to be and def. don't read nor have time to read many fashion mags, but I wouldn't say I'm out of touch with fashion ...or am I???

When was the last time you wore Bermudas or when was the last time you saw anyone wear Bermudas?  

Are they still in fashion?  Or can they get away with being a "preppy" staple??


I just "google image" searched Bermuda Shorts and it came up with mostly men's shorts....( again, not a good sign??!)