New York Recap

I was in NYC last weekend for one of my best friend's Bachelorette weekend! Alison is getting married in May and she was one of my bridesmaids. We were roommates in college our freshman year and our senior year, so we have been friends for quite a while now!

Alison, me, and Kaci on our way to a Broadway show:

We saw Promises, Promises, with Kristin Chenowith. It was like Mad Men on Broadway...amazing!
Alison's finance's sister, Allie, myself, and Alison at brunch at Jane in Soho on Saturday:

Dinner at Public in Soho! Yummy dinner and great atmosphere.

It was a great weekend and I think Alison's ready to walk down the aisle in 3 short weeks!

New York, New York!

I'm headed to NYC for the weekend! Have a great weekend!

Birthday Flowers

My birthday was last Thursday and I received two BEAUTIFUL flower arrangements. Fresh flowers are definitely one of my favorite indulgences; I always have to have one bouquet of fresh flowers somewhere in my house.

My best friend Alyssa sent me this beautiful hydrangea arrangement all the way from California!

My parents gave me this adorable arrangement:
My birthday was wonderful - very low key, since I had to work almost all weekend. My parents were able to visit on Saturday night, so we went to a nice dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant. My cute hubby gave me an amazing gift - he had our deck pressure washed and is almost finished staining it! I can't wait to share pictures with you. Have a great day!

Cutest baby ever.

I can't stop looking at this adorable picture! My nephew is the cutest little guy!

Baked Lemon Pasta

Last night I cooked Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta and it was delicious! I wanted to share this fresh, tasty dish with you, especially since it was so easy to cook. It was a perfect spring dish!

Baked Lemon Pasta

• 1 pound thin spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 whole lemon, juiced and zested
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• Plenty of grated Parmesan Cheese
• Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Extra lemon juice

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over low heat. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Turn off heat. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and mix together, then pour into an oven safe dish.

Baked, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes.

When you remove from over, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

*Image and recipe from the Pioneer Woman

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter and Happy Spring! Spring is my absolute favorite season and I could not be more ready for the warm weather. We have been busy planting new flowers and plants around our yard, which has made the arrival of Spring even more exciting - I love coming home to see what has bloomed each day!

We spent Easter morning and lunch with my family, then we drove back home and cooked an Easter dinner for Michael's family. It was great! Here are a few pictures:

Michael cooking the Easter lamb on the grill!

Our little dinner set-up :)
One of our flower beds:

This was a surprise...the previous owners of the house had planted some pretty tulip buds:

Finally, we recently got a new plantation shutter for our powder room. I love it!

Unfortunately, I now want plantation shutters everywhere in the house.

Do you like? Have a great week and enjoy the beautiful weather!