Easy Does It

Nothing fancy.

Just a simple black tee, white chinos, gold hoops and orange lips.

Sometimes summer is just that easy.

chinos: jcrew

tee: ny&co

hoops: express

lipstick: revlon coral

The Good Life

The only thing that can rival my love for clothing would be my love of good food and drink.

I get just as much pleasure going to the farmer's market as I do from going to the mall.

Each week I make a pilgrimage to my local farm market to stock the pantry.

Jersey corn, Jersey tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, plums and pluots....I have to control myself to not buy more than we can eat.

And the liquor store?

Last week alone I pushed a shopping cart around that was filled to the brim with Ketel and The Captain, not to mention numerous bottles of wine and beer.

So far this summer we have had Mai Tai's, Margheritas, Pina Colada's, Gin & Tonics and more Vinho Verde than I should admit to.

But since we only live once....why not?

My favorite recipe this summer has got to be Ina Garten's Panzanella Salad.
It is pretty much guaranteed that it is on the menu in this house once a week.
Fresh, fast and unbelievably delicious, this salad and a crisp glass of Vinho Verde is all this girl could want for dinner on a hot summer night.

I start by chopping up some Jersey tomatoes.

Never had a Jersey tomato?

You have no clue what you are missing.

All I can say is tomato sandwiches.

Cannot live without them all.summer.long.

Cut a cucumber lengthwise.

Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.

Then chop into bite size pieces.

Thinly slice 1/2 of a red onion and chop up some peppers.

I prefer the baby ones.

Chop off the ends and voila!

A virtually seedless little pepper!

 Since we are total carboholics. (and after reading the intro to this post I bet you were thinking alcoholics too, huh?) I always have leftover bread lurking around.
I store it in the fridge so it keeps longer.

 Cut into crouton~esque cubes

Toast in a skillet with olive oil and salt for about 10 minutes.

While it is toasting I make the simple dressing.

I let the bread cool for a few before I add it to all the veggies.

Once the bread has been added to the veggies, I chop some basil, add the dressing, and season it with some additional salt and pepper.

It is best to make this in advance so the flavors have time to meld together.

I also prefer the leftovers at room temperature, so I always take it out of the fridge well ahead of when I will eat it.

That is, if there ARE any leftovers.

Bon Appetit!



Cold Shoulder

After a year or two of giving The Limited the "cold shoulder", because I couldn't find anything that made me willing to open my wallet, my recent visits have me leaving with a full shopping bag in hand each time I pop in.

Must have blazers, endless cute tops, and who could resist such a great summer dress like this?

Certainly not me!

We already know what a sucker I am for a good stripe, and lately I am obsessed with them in red and navy.

dress & bracelet: limited

earrings & sunglasses: express

sandals: bandolino

Vacation Crasher

My brother is spending this week at a beach rental in Cape May, NJ.

He heard I was off on Monday and he invited me to come spend a day. got a call from me telling him I was off on Monday, and would he mind me coming down to spend the day on the beach with him?

He lives in the upper north west corner of NJ, right on the cusp of New York.

That means it took him almost 4 hours on Saturday to get all the way to Cape May which is the southern most tip of the state and runs a ferry that you can actually take over to Delaware.

I, on the other hand, living where I do seem to be so centrally located that it takes me only an hour to get anywhere.

New York?

1 hour.

Philadelphia?

1 hour.

Cape May?

Yup, you guessed it, 1 hour.

See up in the top left where it says Sussex?

That's where he lives.

See over on the right about mid way down...right on the shore where it says Toms River?

That's where I live.

Then look all the way down to the bottom and you will see Cape May.

(My computer skills are so rudimentary that I do not know how to draw fancy lines and circle things on pictures. I apologize)

Cape May is a relic of the Victorian age, full of history and charm.

It also has beaches rated in the nation's Top 10 by the Travel Channel.

What I lack in computer skills I make up for with useless knowledge.

We layed on the beach for hours....and if you follow me on Twitter you saw the results of all that sun exposure.
#iamanidiot

Took a break around lunch time to grab some grub.
Cape May has some very good eats down there.
We opted for Hot Dog Tommy's upon some recommendations.

When you see lines like this, you know it's a good sign!

There are very specific ordering instructions.

I feared a Seinfeld moment if I screwed up.

Hot Dog Tommy of course.

I am ashamed to admit I ate this Texas Tommy. A hot dog smothered in cheddar cheese and topped with a slice of bacon the same size as the hot dog.

A heart attack in a bun.

But you know what?

It.was.so.worth.it!!!

Spotted this on the wall of another building that was featured on Diners,Drive Ins and Dives.

If this doesn't prove there are some good eats around here, I don't know what does!

Congress Hall.

We headed back to the house after some more sunbathing to shower, change and walk down to the mall.

An open air shopping center for foot traffic only.

Gorgeous historic homes along the way.

As American as apple pie.

The street lamps are still operated by gas.

So pretty at night!

Horse drawn carriages are not an uncommon sight down any side street.

Fralinger's has been around since the 1880's.

Besides salt water taffy they make delicious fudge and I may or may not have stocked up on some candy cigarettes there too.

The shops have such a great historic vibe to them.

The view from the roof top deck of the rental house.

That's Cape May Lighthouse off in the distance. 

I headed home around dinner time to feed the dogs and the hungry husband even though I was asked to stay.

I politely declined as I didn't want to overstay my welcome.

I have 2 more days off this week and I might just want to come back.....

The End.

Or is it????

Born on the 4th of July

On Saturday evening my husband, daughter and I jetted off to Virginia to join in the (already started) holiday weekend festivities.

We had all gathered together mainly to celebrate my Grandfather's 90th birthday, but as an added bonus we got to welcome home my cousin, who just finished her deployment to Afghanistan and was home for the first time.

Truly a time of celebration!

Albeit an emotional one!

My cousin and her fiancee are still both stationed overseas and it has been way too long since we have seen each other.

Back to the birthday boy and patriarch of our family!

Who received many birthday wishes...

Danced with his daughters...

And even I (as eldest grandchild!) got a dance in too!

3 of his Great~Grandaughters were there...

And my talented sister made the gorgeous cake!

I got to spend more time with my delicious nieces...

And my best girl too!

Hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend...