{weekend notes}

Monday tricks – good mood music (sublime) + Starbucks coffee + fresh blooms on the coffee table + clean car + full tank of gas.  This is the way to start off a work week.  All of these things combined are a sure way to make me a happy bitch ♥

I haven’t shared our weekly menu in quite a while, so I thought I’d talk about FOOD, one of my #1 topics to talk about.

Here’s what’s cookin’ at our house this week…..

Zucchini Turkey Burgers + Brussels Sprout Salad + Tater Tots (for the kid)

BBQ Pork Tenderloin + Bacon Wrapped Veggies + Roasted Red Potatoes

Pork Tenderloin Recipe:

• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 cup olive oil, Seka Hills preferably
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3/4 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• salt + pepper

Mix ingredients in a large zip lock bag.  Add pork tenderloin to the bag and allow to marinate overnight.

Taco Lettuce Wraps + Spanish Brown Rice + Pineapple Salsa

Creamy Penne Pasta + Costco Sweet Kale Salad

What’s on your menu for the week?

Friday night Cory + I went out for a little date night.  We ended up in Davis.

We stopped at Vini Wine Bar while we waited for our table.  Their rotating selection on 72 wines are sure to impress.  We decided to have the wine by the glass vs. tasting.  Go big or go home, right?

Chardonnay all day 🙂

Dinner at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen is always one of my favorites.

We started with the panko breaded tiger prawns.  So so good!!

Since we both ALWAYS get the same old thing, Calamari salad + Cashew chicken.  We decided to be spontaneous and both order something we’ve never tried.  Such a great idea, because we both absolutely LOVED our meals.

Cory ordered the N-2 Bamee: wheat noodles stir fried with fresh garlic, cauliflower, celery, bean sprouts, mushrooms, bell peppers, cabbage, and broccoli.

I ordered the S-1 Three Flavor Fish: red snapper, mushrooms, and bell peppers cooked with the 3 essential Thai elements: Sweet, Sour, & Spicy! Topped with cilantro.

If you make it to Davis for a night out soon, be sure to hit up Sophia’s!!

Saturday we headed to Salinas to visit one of my fav families, the Hostert’s.  They moved to Salinas a few years ago and I miss Nicole, big time.  Nicole’s contagouse smile + genuine heart are just a couple of the qualities I love about her.  Brian and the kids aren’t bad either:)

It’s always to nice to catch up.  Over a glass of wine and tall cans, of course!!

We enjoyed dinner at Patria in downtown Salinas.  It was delish.  I was in love with the rustic atmosphere of the restaurant.  Their menu was impossible, so many options I had such a hard time deciding what to order.  We had pizza, pasta, schnitzel, martinis, wine, cheesecake.  Everything was to die for.  Rich + delicious.  All the plates were cleaned.

Thank you Hostert’s for having us.  I’m currently day dreaming of those breakfast burritos.

Sunday was a day of rest.  And a little food prep too.

I missed this sweet face.

Bailey’s swim suit // Beach towel  // similar beach towel

Bailey said she could use a little sun too.  She lasted about 10 minutes then went inside.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed a couple of hours in the backyard and it was pure bliss.

Doesn’t everyone bake in their bathing suit?

She had an itch to bake.  So we got to be the happy taste testers of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Clearly I ate wayyy too much this weekend.  This post is basically all food related 🙂

With all this food talk – it got me thinking.  I never shared Bailey’s baking creation from last week.

S’mores Cookie Cups

It’s a graham cracker cookie stuffed with a melty kiss topped with a roasted marshmallow.  Heaven.  I can’t even lie how good these things are.  I even had one for breakfast last week.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve crushed)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 20 Hershey Kisses
• 20 large marshmallows
• 20 Hershey’s chocolate bar pieces (2 Hershey’s bars)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a mini muffin tin with pam.

In a large bowl cream together sugar + brown sugar + butter for about 2 minutes.  Add egg + vanilla, mix 30 seconds.  Then add flour + graham cracker crumbs + baking soda + salt.

The dough will be very dry, so use your hands to form dough into 20 balls.

Place dough into prepared pan and bake 5 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven + add Hershey Kiss (pointy side down) into the center of each cookie.

Top with Marshmallows.

Broil 1 minute.  Marshmallow will be perfectly golden.

Remove from oven and gently press each marshmallow to flatten them out.  Top with Hershey square.

Enjoy!!!  And try not to eat all 20 at once 🙂

 

 

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Have a rad workweek and come back tomorrow

xoxo stacyb