New Orleans Recap... Just A Few Days Late!

Well I am back from my long weekend adventure in New Orleans! I know I am really behind in getting this post up!  I feel like my week has been getting away from me, work has been super busy!

But lets get to the fun stuff and talk about the wonderful weekend in New Orleans!
New Orleans was a good time, the city is very interesting!  I had a fabulous time catching up with good friends, and celebrating the marriage of two wonderful people!  !

Congrats Matt and Mandie!

The weekend was spent wandering the streets of New Orleans, experiencing all that the city has to offer!

From food, to the night life I felt like we saw it all!  I think there is nothing better then walking the streets of a city.  You get to really experience the city if you walk everywhere!

Most of Saturday was spent just wandering around, seeing the sites! 

We visited the Historic Cafe Du Monde for Coffee and Beingnets, right next to the lovely Jackson Square. 

And the beautiful St Louis Cathedral. 

Saturday we also enjoyed some authentic New Orleans cuisine at Mother's!

The food was wonderful, I love me some red beans and rice!
Saturday evening was spent dining at Mr. B's Bistro

 where we stuffed ourselves with fabulous desserts and laughed the night away.  Later on we experienced all the Bourbon Street has to offer!

I cannot even imagine how crazy Bourbon Street is during Mardi Gras!
Sunday was low key, a wonderful authentic brunch and Brennan's complete with Banana's Foster (which was originally created and Brennan's in the 1950's) and mimosas!

Right after brunch we headed back to get pretty for the wedding!

The wedding was beautiful, and elegant!
It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the marriage of my sorority sister!
She was one of the most beautiful brides!

We all ended up dancing the night away!
And check out their awesome grooms cake!

A Butler Bulldog!
There had to have been at least 50 Butler Alums there!
All of us Butler Alums gathered for a picture with the grooms cake, and guess what it is going to be in the Butler Magazine!

Our night ended with a New Orleans Tradition called a Second Line!
A second line is where the Bride and Groom lead everyone at the wedding through the streets of New Orleans!

There is a band playing, and everyone at the wedding waves white hankies!

It was the neatest experience!  The cops blocked off Bourbon street for everyone to walk down, and people stopped to take pictures!

I have to say this was my favorite part of the weekend!

I have to say I was sad to see the weekend come to an end, because it is always hard to leave good friends! But all in all we had a blast, and made more wonderful memories!

New Orleans Bound!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Ready for a long holiday weekend?  I know I am!  I had a short work day today, feels weird starting my weekend at 1:30 in the afternoon!  But I secretly love it!  

My bags are all packed and I ready to head down to New Orleans this evening! 

I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time, and at last the trip is here!  I plan on seeing as much of New Orleans as I possibly can in the next 2 1/2 days!   

There will be lots of site seeing, eating, catching up and celebrating at the wedding!!  

I am excited to see places like Jackson Square

the Garden District, 

and I can't wait to grab coffee and a Beignet at the the original French coffee stand; Cafe Du Monde!

We are all staying down in the French Quarter at the lovely Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette!

To say I am excited for all this weekend has to offer is an understatement!  I am ecstatic to be going!  Some of my sorority sisters/friends I have not seen since I moved away from Indianapolis almost a year ago!  Don't worry I promise to take lots of pictures!

And with that I am off! 

Have a fabulous long Holiday weekend everyone!  I will see you back here Monday with a full recap, and some lovely pin recipes (oh yea and a review of this weeks)!

Enjoy lovlies! 

A List of To Do's

Usually when I think of a To Do list my head starts to spin with the millions of things I need to accomplish in a day! Don't get me wrong I am a huge lover of to do list!  I love crossing a task off my daily list, it just makes me feel accomplished for the day (yes I am a huge nerd/control freak?)

Well the to do list I am about to share with you today is a completely different type of To Do list.   This is a fun list full of fun places to experience in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas!  A list full of new experiences, and places I must see/experience!  

Think of this almost as a bucket list for Minneapolis, although I think new things keep getting added daily!   So lets take a look, shall we?

Many of these are bars, restaurants, theaters, museums and summer events! 

Minnesota Music Cafe

Psycho Suzies-Bar

Minnesota Science museum

Minnesota Children's theatre

Minnesota and Como Zoo-I don't know about you but I am still a little kid at heart and love going to the zoo! 

Love those otters! 

Pier500 

Pier500 is a great restaurant in Hudson Wisconsin, fabulous Happy Hour with a great Patio!  This was our location for lats Friday's Happy hour!  Guess I can Cross this off! 

St croix river

Taylors falls

Treasure Island Casino-Could be interesting, gambling is not my thing!  But I am all about the experiences! 

Cooper-Local Bar

Bike to Minnetonka-Beautiful Trail, Perfect since the weather is getting nice!

Cannon Valley Bike Trail-Great thing about this bike trail, you can bike to one of my favorite wineries!  The Cannon River Winery! 

Ordway: Beautiful Theatre in St Paul (Capital of Minnesota, and Minneapolis's Twin City!) 

I saw my first ballet at the Ordway, that is where I fell in love with Ballet at the age of 3! 

See plays at both the State Theater

and the Orphium! 

Both beautiful theaters right down the street from my apartment!  I used to perform Nutcracker at the State Theater when I danced in Minneapolis!  One of the best experiences of my life!  And seeing Mamma Mia and the Orphium was a treat! 

Grand ol day

Aquatennial fireworks

Williams Peanut Bar-Fun bar in a part of the city called Uptown!

Stella's Fish Cafe-Great rooftop, and a great place to meet friends! 

I went to an impromptu happy hour here!  What better way to take in the view of Minneapolis?

Nyes Bar 

Gashaufs Octoberfest-No need for an explanation

Golfing- I have been told it is a great sport, I guess I am missing out!  Better learn how to play! 

Run a 5k in Minneapolis

Twins Game-Been there! 

Gopher Game: Gotta see the new Stadium!

Wild Hockey-best sport ever!

Looks like I have my work cut out for me this summer! 

What do you think?

Do you have a list of things to do/experience in the city you live in?

Itching for the Weekend!

Happy Monday! 

This past weekend was just what I needed... A lot of relaxing! 

I enjoyed the beautiful weather during Happy Hour, enjoyed a great run, got my haircut, soaked up the sun on a fabulous boat, and enjoyed the company of some great people!  Couldn't have been better! 

I enjoyed going with the flow and just enjoying ever moment of the weekend!  I even had time to start a new book!  

The countdown to the long holiday weekend has begun!  I am itching with anticipation for Friday to get here!  I leave Friday night to fly down to good old New Orleans for my lovely sorority sisters wedding! 

It is going to be one heck of a weekend!  I cannot wait to see some of my closest friends, and tear up the town with them!  This weekend will be just like the good old days! 

With that being said this week is going to have a short list of new pinterst recipes, mainly because I am trying to clean out  my fridge!  Lets just say it is very hard to cook when your fresh produce supply is dwindling!  But here is what I got for you this week! 

I feel like this first recipe has been on the list for weeks now!  

Pea's and Thank You's Lentil Enchiladas. 

(Source)

Don't worry I am actually making them this week, in fact the filling for these babies is being prepared right now! 

And the final recipe for the week... 

Cranberry Chicken Salad! 

Source: plumpiecooks.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

I love that this recipe uses greek yogurt!  This recipe is very similar to the one I make, only this one calls for apple cider vinegar!  I think its going to be delicious!

How are you sending memorial day weekend?

Relax

Happy Friday All! 

After a long week, I am heading out of the hustle and bustle of the city to do a bit of relaxing! 

Source: tumblr.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

I am looking forward to a little R&R, maybe I can finish my book I started ages ago! 

Have a fabulous weekend everyone, see you Monday! 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Take me out with the crowd!
Monday Evening I enjoyed my first ever Twins game at the Beautiful Target Field!

I mean this field is amazing, I feel like it is just something you have to see!

 Hello Target Field!

The game Monday brought out a huge crowd and I can see why!  We had the most perfect weather, just a light breeze and clear sunny skies!  Perfect!

Minnesota is beautiful in the Spring time! 

The Twins played the Cleveland Indians.  And while the Twins didn't come out with a win I still had fun seeing the Stadium for the first time!  Being outside in the fresh air just made me all excited for summer!   I could get used to walking to Twins games over the summer!  I mean Target field is right in my back yard!! 

Do you enjoy going to baseball games in the summer?

Who is your favorite team?

For The First Time

Why Hello Monday, your here already?

The weekend went a little to quickly for my liking! 

I had a blast this past weekend.  

Friday nights outing to WineFest No. 17 was a blast! 

The event was huge! There were over 400 wine varieties to taste, and several signature dishes to try from top restaurants around The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St Paul)!  Cafe Latte was there with amazing cake! 

I am pretty sure I have mentioned Cafe Latte's Turtle cake before on the blog! 

It was great to get out and do something on the town, not to mention fun to hang out with old and new friends! 

Saturday morning  I was up and ready for the day!  A good workout, breakfast and some errands left me ready to see my parents!  As soon as my parents got here we were out on the town, shopping that is! 

I scored this Red Dress from Banana Republic to wear to my upcoming wedding in New Orleans!  I thought the color and cut were perfect! 

I am thinking of pairing the dress with nude heels, and gold jewelry!  I think the black is a bit to much for summer! 

I also invested in some great white pants for summer!  This is going out on a limb for me, I am always scared I will sit in something or spill something all over white pants! 

After a little shopping my parents and I headed over to Broders Pasta Bar for an amazing pasta dinner!  I mentioned Broders in this post. We ended up sitting outside while we waited for our table!  The weather was beautiful, a perfect Minnesota evening!  My parents really enjoyed Broders, everything was delicious!  I decided to try a new pasta this time around and went on the recommendation of our waiter, he highly recommended the Pasta with Lemon, Spring Peas and Trout.  His recommendation did not disappoint!  

Sunday I got up early and made my mom's favorite bread, and waited for everyone else to get up!  We went to a wonderful church service, and then headed to a wonderful brunch to celebrate Mothers Day! 

We went to French Meadow Bakery, which serves all organic food.  Very healthy, and delicious!  Right up my brunch alley!  We ordered two pancakes for the table, and I swear they were the size of my head!  One was a wild rice with cinnamon apples, and the other was a blueberry corn pancake!  Both were delicious, I also sampled the granola!  I will be going back to this place!  The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around, and prepping for the week!!

In other big and exciting news, tonight I am heading to my first ever Twins game! 

I am super excited, I need to go get a Twins shirt!  Time to cheer on the Twins as they take on the Cleveland Indians!  Lets hope they win!  The stadium can be seen from my apartment windows, I can't wait to finally see inside of it! 

So tell me, what did you do this weekend?

How did you celebrate mothers day?

A Week of Yum!

Hello Friday! Man am I glad to see you again! 

Did anyone else feel like this week was a little slow?

Maybe the week went slow because I have a lot to look forward to this weekend! 

Tonight I am heading to WineFest No. 17 with my friend Katie!  It is a huge event here in Minneapolis that raises money for Children's Health Research!  I am very excited to attend! 

(Source, this painting is done by this years Wine Fest feature Artist Jimmy Ragaen)

Saturday I plan on going for a nice run around the lakes followed by some brunch!  My parents might also be coming up for the night!  It feels weird that I have not seen them in almost a month!  I see our Saturday consisting of good food, maybe some shopping and exploring!  And Sunday will be filled with relaxing, and celebrating Mother's Day! 

Sounds like a great weekend to me! 

The title of this post pretty much sums up this weeks recipes!  

I enjoyed every single one of them! 

Starting of this delicious line up of recipes was the Quinoa Meatballs! 

I was a bit skeptical at first.  

I had no idea if these "meatballs" would hold together as they baked.  Smothered in marinara sauce, and served up with a leafy green salad equals a perfect meatless meal! 

Moving right along to vegetable stuffed peppers! 

I have made a lot of stuffed peppers on this blog.  I thought this recipe was good, next time I would add some sort of protein though!  Maybe black beans! 

And finally onto Spiced Chicken and Barely. 

This meal was delicious.  Instead of barely I used a mixture of quinoa and rice!  The dish did not take as long as I thought it would to cook!  The leftovers were great for lunch, and I loved the combination of spices!  This recipe will for sure be made again! 

Still on the list to make this week is the Polenta Vegetable Bake, and the Blacked Eyed Pea Salad with Corn and Peppers!  I see lots of cooking happening these next few days!  

Well my dears thats all I have for you today!  Have a fabulous weekend and I will see you all Monday! Remember to tell your Mommies Happy Mother's Day!  Remember to spoil them a little bit, and give them extra love! 

Happy Hump Day!

I was thinking to myself last night about how quick these weeks seem to be going!  I mean we are already in our second week of May, and I am half way through my 4th week of training at work!  That is crazy to me, where is the time going?  

Since its Wednesday you know what that means! 

A list of things I am loving right at this moment! 

I am loving that in a few weeks I will be boarding a plane to New Orleans for my lovely sorority sisters wedding! 

It is going to be a huge reunion, and I am so excited I can hardly contain it! 

I am loving that I am able to run again! 

I have been running around Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet and trials all around downtown Minneapolis!  I love it!  

I am loving that in July I will be running my first ever 5k race! 

The Color Run! 

This was one of my New Years Resolutions! 

And finally I am loving my early morning workouts! 

I love getting up and working out first thing in the morning!  My workouts leave me energized and ready to take on the day! 

What are you loving this fine Wednesday morning? 

Sucked In

Hello there Tuesday! 

Last night I successfully killed about an hour and a half on Pinterest!  Pinterest once again sucked me in!  What started out as gathering my weekly recipes, turned into about 2 hours of random searches on Pinterest!   I found way to many mouth watering recipes, one to many DIY for my apartment, and about a million outfit ideas that I just need to recreate!  

But for you all, I have 5 new delectable recipes that I am going to test out this week! 

I went for easy this week, along with recipes I know I will love to take for lunch! 

Lets get started!

1) Quinoa "Meatballs"

Source: onceuponasmallbostonkitchen.blogspot.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

To me these look perfect!   Serve them up with a side salad and you have a complete meal!

2) Vegetable Stuffed Peppers, from Better Homes and Gardens!

Source: bhg.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

I think this may or may not be the 3rd or 4th stuffed pepper recipe I have tried out on the blog! 

3) Blacked Eyed Pea Salad with Corn and Peppers from Peas and Thank You!

Source: peasandthankyou.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

Love her cookbook and her recipes, this is going to be delicious! 

4) Polenta and Veggie Bake from Eating Well. 

Source: fitnessmagazine.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

All the fresh veggies had me sold!

5) Spiced Chicken and Barely

Source: kitchenmouse.rozentali.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

I have pulled this recipe up week after week, I figured I should finally make it! 

And finally if there is time this week! 

Red and Green Lentil Enchilada's from Peas and Thank You!

I think this week is going to be successful, hopefully no duds!
I am hoping in the next few weeks to do some grilling, the warm weather has me craving grilled food!  What about you?  What is something warm weather has you craving food wise?