Archive | July, 2011

smarty pants- smart apps for your smart phone

31 Jul

hi.  my name is amy and I’m an appaholic. 

if you have an iphone then here are some must-have apps for it.  who uses a phone for just talking nowadays?  they come in real handy if you are at, say, jury duty or somewhere there is a lot of waiting.  or for a sunday afternoon as you plan your week.  these can help.  and some are just plain fun.

food apps.

there are a ton of great recipe and food apps.  they make it real handy for you to put together a quick dinner and have your shopping list populate right there on your phone.  search for these 2 in particular:

1. cooking light app.  here you pick a main dish click on ‘suggested menu’ and it pulls together suggested sides, veggies and dessert.  you can change out any of those too.

2. you already know i’m a fan of martha – here everyday food app has FRESH & EASY recipes

Continue reading →

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saturday schmattery

30 Jul

this morning finds ROF and i out at robson ranch visiting mom.  or joan as we affectionately call her.  so far, ROF and mom are deep in a game of gin.  here are some fun images i found on mom’s computer from days long ago.  we’re off to the pool on this HOT texas afternoon.

i want to see my name up in lights

29 Jul

i love monograms, don’t you? 

who doesn’t like to see their name or heck, even just their initals printed on something?  ROF does something really cool.  listen up.  it’s something that i first teased him about relentlessly but after hearing his pov, like the idea.  ROF’s really big into monogrammed cups and napkins for special occasions.  i was first introduced to this while dating and caught a glimpse of his vast collection of past ROF event cups.  he used to have annual summer and winter parties at his house (they were epic, he says) and for every party, he had the theme printed on a big, white stryrofoam cup.  he has a collection of leftovers that span several years.  then we got married and little did i know that we needed about 250 (discount!) amy & robert cups and napkins.  lastly, we threw my mom a surprise 70th birthday party – something ROF really did a great job on and we got joan some cups and napkins too (only about 5 years worth).  ROF told me that he likes to do this because it is a great reminder of the party.  and he is exactly correct.  we make “to-go” espresso in our amy & robert cups and i do think about our wedding weekend.

i think you’re really going to dig these monogrammed things i’ve collected for you.  check these out:

starting from the upper left hand corner and moving down:  hands down, best monogrammed stationary out there from fabulous stationary, design sponge’s DIY lighted initial sign,  Paula Deen’s cookies,  glass cutting board by three of a kind, aren’t these glasses awesome, for real?  they are on etsy.  also on etsy are all kinds of terrific vintage letters.  even if you’re not into vintage – toss one of these letters in your space.  and for conversation choose one that represents a favorite word (mine is moxie!), these soaps from mulberry moon are the opposite from me: dainty but i love them, pottery barn has these outdoor pillows and lastly, trendy treasures has this adorable calabash bowl.  consider this my christmas wish list!

happy friday to you!

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eggs, morning music and the joule

28 Jul

hello thursday, right?   couldn’t get here any faster for me.  today is our day we talk food and drinks.  a favorite subject of mine.

if you read my profile (you can read it here) you know that i have a pretty strong point of view on things.  not saying that is good or bad or that mine is correct.  it is what it is.  one of those views is pretty dumb, admittedly, but it’s mine.  i believe in keeping things in their proper time slot.  to me, there are morning things to do, eat, listen to, watch and there are afternoon things and there are night- time things.  still not understanding this, let me explain.  don’t like listening to “getting ready to go out” music in the morning, don’t watch movies in the morning, eating things like steak for breakfast.  dumb, i know.  the only exception to that is breakfast for dinner.  love that.  I’ve put together a little morning music for you.  Click here and take a listen, but it only makes sense if it is before 10am.  it’s that climbing out of grogginess to happiness music.  listen while you make this egg dish.

this is fun to make.  i did not invent this recipe and i’ve seen it everywhere.  i’m sure you have your own version of it and i’d love to hear about it.  all i know is that mine turned out like this!

as you can tell, i’m not a professional photographer

so i didn’t wipe down the tray and stylize this shot.  but who cares – yummy.  these pop right out and it is like a piece of toast, cheese, an egg, crispy bacon and some chive goodness rolled up in one.  the funny thing about this morning is that i woke up super early on a saturday.  like 5am.  found this recipe and waited until 7am to make it, thinking that ROF and Bill would soon to rouse from their slumber.  This was done by about 7:30am (it’s easy) and i sat staring at it for a good 15 minutes, drank coffee, cleaned the kitchen.  they were not coming out.  they were getting cold! so i called my best sis katie and told her “hurry up and come over.  wait to you see these little buckets of love”  so she came over and she ate two and i ate two.  now whoever woke up first got the last two.  bill came out first saw these and ate them up.  unfortunately, ROF wasn’t too happy he missed out so i think bill shared.

 

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THE STORY OF JIM AND JOAN – PART 3

27 Jul

good day!

if you’re joining in the “the story” for the first time today, then, please read part 1 and then part 2 and you’ll be all caught up and ready for part 3. which is right here.  won’t take long.

so where does this find you on this downright balmy wednesday morning …at the kitchen table with a cuppa joe, laying down with the laptop propped on your stomach (my favorite pose) or can’t sleep at night and nothing is on tv?  i hope it finds you well.  let’s get on with the story at hand, shall we?

we left off with a pretty dramatic flourish.  a crescendo if you will.  and those that know me know that is so unlike me – to be dramatic.

i remember the day vividly.  like it was yesterday.  have you ever had one of those times in your life where everything bad converged at once?  like one thing wasn’t bad enough, God goes ahead and just piles it on.  this was that year for me.

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)

25 Jul

could it possibly be any hotter?

raise your hand if you’ve had it.  this is insane, crazy heat down here in texas and from what i read – pretty much everywhere.  Here are some links to make it better.  at least maybe a little bit…

Cool Link #1: what cools you down more than ice?  well, forget those boring, ice machine ice cubes!  Real Simple magazine has some real creative cube trays, you must check out here.

Cool Link #2: Martha (Stewart, that is) has a ton of fantastic recipes for cucumbers.  after all, we want to be cool as a cuke.

Cool Link #3: Real Beauty has some ideas for some instant chill pills and beauty products.  these are real ingenious.  Visit them here.

Cool Link #4:  what do you care the most about in this heat?  B.O. of course!  daily candy ran these deos through the ringer and you’ve got to check some out.  let me know your thoughts.

and then lastly… check out refinery 29’s site that covers these sweet popsicle molds.  clever, clever, clever!

what keeps you cool?  tell me below.  thanks for reading

Amy

what a deal!

25 Jul

monday morning rush to work is under way, pining towards another weekend.  this weekend was full of friends and family.  as posted earlier, we said goodbye to bill on saturday morning.  very bittersweet – glad for his summer to start, sad for us saps who just loved having a “younger gent” around.  my quest for staying relevant is up against just plain… age.  Anyhoo… the rest of the weekend was fantastic.  paul & kelly came over for dinner saturday night.  i did a french theme dinner table (see below) and we had:

pounded down chicken breasts marinated in white wine and herbs

french potatoes – chives, olive oil, white wine vinegar and such

asparagus – the thin, skinny kind

sunday, we had the voet’s – joe, sarah & nola over for cards.  we have a monthly on-going spades game – girls against boys – and even with lil nola helping us, the girls lost.  ok, it might have been me losing nil in the very last trick played.  arguably, cards is the single most fun time you can have with other people.  i wish it was more prevalent in our day and age.   not only can you sit and catch up, but you are all focused on playing cards, smack talking and breakouts of giggles.  i don’t know about you, but sometimes i don’t want to make conversation and worry about making sure everyone is having fun.  yes, i worry about that.  kind of a self-imposed ringmaster of sorts.  cards takes that all away.  we ordered a pizza, screamed, yelled, hit each other, laughed and got caught up on activities done over the past month.  oh, what a good time.  here are the best card games for groups:

Continue reading →

friday night fun @ mi cocina

23 Jul

nothing like mi cocina in dallas on a balmy friday night.  highland park was chock full of awkward teenagers in their grown-up outfits, couples, girls night out groups.  appreciate their bacon wrapped shrimp and ice cold margaritas.

of course we couldn’t go out before a heated happy hour of gin rummy.  girls whipped the boys.

mend well, my friend

22 Jul

hello friday.  wow, thought you’d never come.  travels this week only took me to beautiful detroit and back but feel as if i’ve been through a lot.  so hello weekend!  this is going to be jam packed,  but one that we say good-bye to bill who is our nephew and has been staying here for 6+ weeks.  as i’ve mentioned here,  bill has been a blast to have around.  it’s not often that you meet a 20 year old that is so fun to talk to (not all about him) and respectful (jumps up to help all the time) and just plain cool.  i can’t tell you how much ROF and i have gotten out of having him around – or maybe i just did.

now, i didn’t have this blog when his older brother, mike was here in the big d.  we loved having him here too & miss him a lot.  so it has been a pure joy having both the prendeville boys around this year – big time.

this is bill's older bro, mike

this post is dedicated (in true appreciator style) to susan prendeville.  my wonderful friend and SIL (sister in law) who had a bad biking accident a while ago,  just had surgery on her shoulder and has started her summer out…slowly… recouping.  she is the wonderful mom of two great guys and one great girl.  thanks for sharing mike and bill with us.  today’s friday mix tape is for you.  SO, this is what i want you to do. download the 8track app on your iphone (free), sign up via facebook and listen to this mix.  take it outside, get some sun, take it easy, mend well and have fun this weekend.  this weeks mix tape can be found here.  love amy  oh! check out some photos here…

bill, damien, rof

Open top bus in San Antonio.

cruising around san antonio

playing with his food before eating it

hitting the streets with uncle b in san antonio

victor tangos night.

epic steaks, dirty martinis & boobs

21 Jul

there are so many great cooking blogs out there.  this isn’t one of them.  i’m not going to take step by step pictures. but there is a strategy here.  it’s written so that you can read it through and then just do it.  you don’t need hand holding.  after all, we’re talking about a manly man meal here.   just read it through and you should get it.

i married someone who would have really gotten along with my dad.  they both love good steaks, good drinks, good music and of course,  great girls (ME!).  i interviewed ROF who, without a doubt, makes an excellent steak & martini dinner.

ROF’s famous steak technique: Continue reading →

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THE STORY OF JIM AND JOAN – PART 2

20 Jul

last week, i started a weekly series in telling “the story”.  You can find that story here if you missed it or feel so inclined to read it again.

as a reminder, we spoke about my dad, our relationship and hopefully i gave you a pretty good idea of what he was like.  now, the background on my family.  a few years ago, i gave my mom a plaque that hangs in her bathroom that has the phrase “Home is where Mom is”.  that little sentence says it all.  moving around as much as we did, mom made wherever we were home.  she instilled consistency where there was none.  think about moving your family to a whole new city at least 8 times during very formidable years for a child.  think about what that entails.  think 3 kids!

new house, new bills, new mailing address, new schools, new neighbors, new carpet coming this week, class project due next week, new girl scouts, new indian guides, dinner on the table, katie wants a hamster, husband is traveling, son is upset, daughter #1 needs new shoes, welcome wagon is here, don’t know where the store is, there’s a hurricane, new ballet, swim, karate, tennis and baseball classes, tutoring, shopping, get the doorbell, no you can’t do that, yes please pass the pancakes

our house outside chicago

mom always had it going on.  she made new friends easily, she was always home for us no matter what.   we typically moved at the start of summer, so the only people we knew was US.   this is the main point i want to you understand.  summer didn’t come and we all split in different directions, most of the time – we didn’t know anyone. Continue reading →

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)

19 Jul

today’s issue of 5 lovely links will be divided by 5 lovely subjects:

food: reading her book now, has a restaurant in seattle, met her husband via writing her blog, writes for several magazines and she’s a little over 30 years old.  great book by the way.  say hello to orangette

interior design:  check out ‘the berry.com’ and dream bedrooms here

education:  i learn better with pictures and good.is does infographics the best.  Check these out.

music: pick your artist, it plays what you like.  Kind of like pandora but not.  jam on it. 

random: ah, this is so cool.  click here and scroll down to see some old photographs in today’s places.    

i hope you enjoy these as much as i do.

until tomorrow…

love amy

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new york in black & white

18 Jul

i could be woody allen’s #1 fan.

wait wait.  i know what you’re thinking.  and before you judge me and say “how could you, he is sic, he married his wife’s adopted daughter etc…” i understand.  but hear my story first. long before all that drama…

it was my senior year in college and i took an urban life in media and film class.  it was supposed to be a blow off class but wasn’t and i got a lot out of it. it was there that i saw my first woody allen movie called Manhattan.

the scene opens with him reading lines from the start of a play, showing black & white, romantic shots of new york city dramatically shown to the tunes of George Gershwin.  he had me at hello…

“Chapter one. “ “He adored New York City. He idolised it all out of proportion. “
Uh, no. Make that “He romanticised it all out of proportion. “
“To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin. “
Uh… no. Let me start this over.
“Chapter one. “ “He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else.”

sitting in that class, i realized that someone had captured in words and music the passion i felt for life and big city.  this was about a city i loved – nyc – but it was also how i felt about my city of chicago.  i used to take the metro train from naperville to the city and walk about 9 blocks to college.  i loved the crisp, morning air and even the monotony of the 9 to 5’ers as they took for granted their big city routine.  not me!  i didn’t take it for granted,  i loved it.  i was 21 years old and had my whole life ahead of me.  the best part about that last sentence was that i knew i had a lot of good things in which to look forward.   to me, the mornings on the train  – watching the suburbs pass slowly then whiz past the beige industrial areas then the anticipation as the train slowed again to enter the big city  – all had the background music of George Gershwin.  the day pulsated with hope, zest and young optimism.  Continue reading →

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smell the peonies

16 Jul

some could say that I’m a flower snob.

is there any other way to be?  fresh flowers bring color and life and it’s reasonable to have flowers every week around your house.  right now I’ve got huge sunflowers but my favorite is the peony.  this isn’t a shocker because they’re pretty popular.  it’s hard to get peonies because they are only available 2x a year.  I think – at least in Texas.  in doing in-depth research for this blog post, I’ve discovered that peonies are often used in tattoos.

i love walking into wf  (best place to get flowers in Dallas believe it or not – everyday flowers, I’m referring to here) and seeing those little bundles of joy.  they are only around for a week or two and only twice a year.  there, i just justified the expense.  it ranks up there in excitement for me with seeing a new magazine sitting in the mail pile or buying new coffee mugs from Anthropologie.

it’s the simple things in life i appreciate.  these peonies are the real thing, right from my kitchen table.  kinda makes you want to listen to this french mix i made here, sip a nice big cup of latte’ and smell the peonies.


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meat loaf, gin & ina

14 Jul

i want to be like ina garten.  aka the barefoot contessa. do i really need to explain why?  she is perfect and that is what i strive to be.  well, not really, but you know what i mean.  her effortless way of putting recipes together, arranging flowers, helping gweneth in the kitchen, celebrating jeffery.  you all know jeffery, i assume.   i love that she can talk her way around her kitchen, nyc and paris.  but i think what inspires me the most about her is that she had a career in the white house but turned around and bought a specialty food store without having any experience.  she pushed herself and had tons of support.  i love that.  just the thought of breaking out of routine inspires me.  For example,  i actually like turbulence on airplanes because they shake me out of my day-to-day trance. i appreciate them.  Continue reading →

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THE STORY OF JIM AND JOAN – PART 1

14 Jul

there’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a while now.  my family once considered writing a book but that’s just damn daunting.  this blog –while it’s new and just getting started – is the perfect place to tell “the story”.  I’m going to tell it on thursdays  wednesdays  because I like wednesdays thursdays.  and that is a good enough reason for me.

this story is a hard one.   when I think back on what happened, it seems so very long ago but it’s only been 5 years.  i used to hold it close in my heart.  it’s still there but I liked it better when it was closer.  Sometimes time is good for the soul and sometimes not so much.  Continue reading →

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making billy lunch

13 Jul

he doesn’t really go by billy, i thought it looked good up there in the subject line.

my husband and i are in what is called a DINK category.  dual-income-no-kids.  really?  can’t it be something a little hipper, like … the RELATE category?  really-enjoying-life-and-the-energy.  that was lame.  anyhoo…

our nephew has been staying with us for several weeks and we’ve had so much fun.  he’s 20, in college and doing an internship here in big d.  what a hard working, fun and outgoing guy.  but other than having him around, i love making him lunch!  is that something that moms get to do every day?  it’s a responsibility i have found i like.  he leaves for work at 7am and returns around 7pm and always comments on my sammie.  honestly,  it’s better than “nice hair” or “cool dinner”.  he’s like “i loved that bread you used today” or “did you mix salad dressing up with the lettuce – cool!”   for the first time yesterday, ROF sheepishly asked “will you make me some lunch today?”  ha!  sure, I’ll make anyone a sammie.  i guess i’m pretty good at it. 

check out this SWANK cutting board I got for a wedding gift.
More tomorrow-

Anyone have any other acronyms for married-happy-no-kids that works?

Amy

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)

12 Jul

i’ve replaced a weak TV viewing habit with an on-line, purely digital habit.  in case you’re wondering, i still watch taped Barefoot Contessa shows a lot.  that obsession is another blog post.   i think you’ll be interested in some of the things i’ve found on-line.

1. check out lonny magazine’s latest issue.  287 on-line pages (free!) of great, hip design and fun commentary.

2. 1 kind design has this incredible rustic barn i can not get out of my mind and other houses.  Great site!

3. there are some  local websites that give you cool places to go, drinks to drink, scenes to be seen.  here are a few of them (they all count as one – bonus!)

UrbanDaddy

Daily Candy

Living Social

4. Extra Virgin:  tv cooking show and website with actress debi mazar and husband

5. last but not least, check out this site for some very unusual but interesting artwork!

hope you enjoy these!  until tomorrow, my friends

amy

the right mix

11 Jul

music should transport you to a different, higher level than where you are.  it’s a vibe that shouldn’t just be pleasant to your ears, but elevate your mood, enhance your surroundings, lift your spirits.  like when you walk into a funky restaurant and although the place is cool, it’s the back-beats that make you feel a part of the place, not just a diner.  you can have the same effect at home.  there is nothing i like more than spending an hour or two on a saturday morning pulling together a good ole fashioned mix tape or playlist as they’re now called.  and no, i’m not a music snob where every song must be one you’ve never heard of before.  pull this one on while you’re buzzing around the house and see where it will transport you.   Click here:

http://8tracks.com/amy_fulford/the-appreciator-july-playlist

mom, otherwise know as, joan

9 Jul

appreciating mom for her ability to listen so well, care so deeply and laugh much.  nothing better than an evening of joan, cards, steaks on the grill, chardonnay in the glass and moby on the sound system.

san antonio – july 2011

9 Jul

having fun in san antonio. a much needed trip.

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you are truly magnificent

9 Jul

how do i love thee, ROF?  too numerous to count thy ways.  you love me, take care of me and that (first and foremost) is cool.  after that it’s a mash of a million things –  some of which i will try to capture here.   the great friend you are to your great friends, filling my car up with gas and backing it into the driveway, fixing weekend cocktails with such flourish, your excellent grilling and cooking staples of flank steak, buttery noodles with onion, tin-foil wrapped talapia, your packing abilities, sense of humor, love of your family and of mine, strive to know God and love what he loves, mentoring your nephews, white-man overbite dancing habits, how you are cocky when you’re winning at gin and sulky when you are losing (probably due to the fact that you’re the youngest…), the countless lists that I tease you about but secretly envy, the goals you have laminated and posted in our bathroom as a daily reminder and your jokes… too numerous to count-

our house

9 Jul

typically i get pretty bored pretty fast with my immediate surroundings.  constantly updating and changing furniture, artwork and “things” is my thing.  not so much with our current house.  i really like it a lot and miss it when i’m gone.  here are some pics:

Road Trips

8 Jul

the smell of the open road, feet on the dash, vintage rock on the speakers.  i love road trips.  never much considered myself someone who loved to drive but with all the travel I do for work, hitting the road has become a new passion.  i can snap pics while lovely ROF drives.  we laugh, listen to whacky podcasts, do a mental walk-through of houses we like, share inside jokes, drink mega sippy cups of diet coke.  we’ve driven from the big D out to Houston, to Scottsdale, to Colorado and now to San Antonio for a weekend retreat.  lovely ROF should write a blog on preparing for road trips.  some say he is kind of an expert. (“it ain’t braggin’ if you’re doin’ it” ) expert cooler/snack & drink (the adult kind) packer and trip organizer.  even with the advance of GPS technologies, he still writes AAA and gets the trip map packs that detail out our journey.  i snicker but when I ask WHERE THE HELL ARE WE? in the car, he just whips that map out and points.  he also adds a little “see…I know what I’m doing” smile.  i deserve that.  can’t wait for the weekend get away.

seriously good movie…

7 Jul

damn.  excellent.  movie.  ROF and I are working our way through the AFI top 100 movies of all time.  We’re only on like #67 (it takes us a while to watch the boring charlie chaplin movies)  have found lots of movies i can’t believe i’ve never seen.  like this one.  run, don’t walk to go rent it.

More Views…

4 Jul

Ah, I feel so close to God when I fly - like I'm given a glimpse of heaven or just a piece of earth we just don't have anything to do with - it's all God! Amen.

Freedom. We so take it for granted. This view is so wonderful.

Views

4 Jul

This was the view from my office in Chicago. Need I say more? I never took this view for granted!

 

I appreciate my husband so much.

 

Love this view.