Romantic Dinner In

Happy Friday!  The Tahoe area has been hit with a boat load of SNOW and so tonight will be about flipping on the fireplace (yep-no firewood here!), cozying under the blankets and eating in!

 View of our backyard!

This meal is one of our favorite go-to dinners.  The menu is pretty basic: chicken, potatoes, and asparagus-but it's all in how you prepare it that makes it special!

The chicken is a Tuscan Lemon Chicken by none other than the fabulous Ina Garten.  The key to this recipe is to marinate it overnight to really lock in the lemon flavor.  The end result is a super moist chicken full of flavors of lemon, rosemary and garlic.

For the starch in the dish, I love these Mustard Roasted Potatoes (also by Ina, but more directly from her cookbook, than online).  The combination of the stone ground mustard and charred onions makes this a huge hit!  There will be little-to-no leftovers!

The Parmesan Asparagus was done off the cuff, but it's quite simple!  Lay out freshly cut asparagus on a foiled cookie sheet.  Drizzle with good olive oil and toss with salt and pepper.  Cook in 450 degree oven for 8 minutes.  Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan on top and cook for 2 more minutes. 

 

The asparagus, if cooked right, should still have a bite and the salty parm on top makes a lovely touch!

Serve with a glass of red wine (I prefer a Cabernet or old vine Zin!) and voila!  It's a great meal for just two or to have your friends over and dazzle with.  

So..do you have any tasty meals planned this weekend? 

Have a great weekend!  Bon Appetit!  

xo natasha

Added to: Tasty Tuesdays

Ruffles

I love ruffles.  I love how girlie they are and I love the texture they bring to an outfit or room.  Heck, I love them so much, I even had them incorporated in my wedding.  Here are some ruffled inspirations:

pillows

cake 

duvet

bedspread

decadence  
{ok I know this also cake, but I couldn't resist!}

pillows & duvet
{both are achievable with the right balance}

tutu

shower curtain

skirt
{or grown up tutu}

wedding party

carnations

 All above images via here.

And below are some images from our wedding...

Photos by Albert of Mulberry

Don't you just love them?  I clearly have a little obsession!  And I think they transcend age...ruffles are youthful yet ethereal.  Have you incorporated ruffles into your style lately?  I'd love to see!

xo natasha

A Limbo Story

While in Austin, we perused the shops at South Congress.  There were a ton of cute and funky boutiques, musicians, food trailers, and artists.  I was particularly drawn to one of the jewelery booths we stopped by--there was a beautiful array of modern, yet simple, jewelry.  The jewelers are a married team, Edson and Anne, and they were so lovely!  Their label is called Limbo.  All of their jewelery is handmade and and has an "organic" feel to it.  I wanted to take home one of everything...but settled on these beauties:

I bought the gold filled "lotus" earrings and love how little and dainty they are.  Unfortunately I had to wear them out that night and lost one (insert BIG frown face here!)!!!  I was such a dummy for not wearing the little rubber stoppers in the back...shame on me!  So I forced had poor hubby by me a second pair...online!  They're on their way and I vow to NEVER wear them again without the stoppers!  I'll take a picture once I get them in!

Some other pieces that I am loving right now:

I love this ring with the hammered look...it looks really neat on too!

This lotus necklace looks similar to my earrings, but I love that it has the silver and gold mixed.

The chain is a cool concept!

And for something more retro...the stacked square bracelets!

I love when I find new types of handmade jewelery.  It's fun to know that you're buying something that is special and not many others will have.  What do you love that is handmade?  There are a lot of great items out there right now!

Be sure to stop by their online Limbo Jewlery store and check out their selection!

xo natasha

Keeping Austin Weird!

The Mr. and I just returned from a glorious trip to Austin, TX this past weekend and it was everything I thought it would be and more!  We planned to eat our way through town and experience the night life at its finest...oh and scope out Brad Womack's bars in the process.  Here are some photos to highlight our trip:

Our dear friends that we were visiting live about 2 blocks from downtown Austin-which was amazing!  We were instantly craving Tex Mex and went to the Iron Cactus to eat!  This margarita is made "martini" style and was delicious!

The Ahi Tuna Ceviche was so fresh and flavorful!

For dinner, we went to Salt Lick and the BBQ was very yummy and authentic!  When you walk in, there is a huge fire pit and it smells like you would expect Texas to...delicious!  And funny enough, it's BYOB...they can't sell liquor there, but you can bring it!

Only in Texas would they have a store dedicated exclusively to hot sauce and all things spicy!  Tears of Joy was a hot sauce haven for people like my husband, who lives by the idea: "the hotter, the better!"

Excuse my friend, BUT this Drunk Bread was OUTTA this world!  We had dinner at Max's Wine Dive and the food was soo beyond good!  The "Drunk Bread" consisted of Torn sourdough baguette, prosciutto, and fresh thyme soaked in a savory white wine custard 
and baked with Gruyere, mozzarella, provolone and Grana Padano cheeses.  UM, can we say "YUM"???

Hubby got the Fried Egg Sandwich (pictured above) and I got the Fried Chicken & Champagne Chopped Salad.  I've honestly never had such amazing fried chicken in my life--it was super moist and just melted in my mouth!  It was so so yummy!

On of the bars we went out to had this amazing light wall!  I love how rustic and artsy it is!

We had brunch at the Galaxy Cafe and they served their coffee in individual French Press Carafes, complete with chocolate covered espresso beans.  I loved this attention to detail!

On thing I thought was super unique and funky to Austin, were the food trailers all around town!  How cute is this crepe station?   They had one for every kind of food you can imagine...we had some salt & caramel doughnuts from one...out of control.  And of course they have one for...cupcakes!  :)

The cowboy boots were abundant everywhere!  'Nough said.

Jo's had wonderful coffee and on the side of the table was the "I love you so much." wall that I posted here.

View of Downtown Austin!

Though Austin is a big city, it's amazing to see all the wide open spaces!  Ziker Park was a great place to bring the dogs and hang out with people young and old.  This park hosted the Eagles performance during Austin City Limits!

The Boom Boom Rom inside the Union Park was super chic and swanky!  I loved the velvet wallpaper and black crystal chandeliers!

Hubby and I lounging in the Boom Boom Room!  :)

This is just a taste of all the wonderful places we got to see and eat at.  I loved how eclectic Austin was...every corner we turned had some unexpected treasure to uncover.  The people marched to their own beat, the buildings were modern, yet rustic (my fave!) and the food was always exceptional!

We have to give a special thanks to our best friend Cameron (Hubby's Best Man) and his girlfriend fiancé Meredith!  He just proposed tonight and we could not be MORE excited for them!!!

So there you have it ya'll!  Austin Schue Love style!

xo natasha

My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had the BEST time in Austin...pictures to come soon (I promise!).  But tonight is for my husband...not only is it Valentine's Day, but one year and half ago, we got married!  :)  So I am sitting here, sipping on champagne and listening to the Rat Pack (I am such an old lady at heart), while my sweet hubby cooks us dinner!  :)

Hope all of you lovely readers are having a wonderful Valentine's Day!  

xo natasha

L-O-V-E

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so I thought I would kick off the weekend with some fun love inspiration!

And I officially can say: With love from Austin, TX this weekend!  :)

Pictures of our trip to come next week!

xo natasha

images from 

here and here and here

Jewelry on Display

Wearing jewelry is really only half the fun of owning it...displaying it should be fun too!  Jewelery is so beautiful and it should be seen...not stuffed away in a drawer or box.  Here's how I display mine:

Just outside our bathroom, I have this little dresser that has become my place for some of my jewelry and perfume.  It's my last "stop" in the morning before heading out to work!

 

My dear and beautiful friend made me this jewelry tree!  What a great idea huh?  She took a pot and filled it with fine sand and added tons of branches for all my necklaces, bracelets, and earrings to hang from.  Hers jewelry tree is even more magnificent!  I'll have to have her post a tutorial sometime soon...

And below the tree, I keep my two watches in a little clay bowl that was also a great gift...from a craft fair.  It keeps them together and adds a nice touch.

I love this jewelry box and believe it or not, I got it at Pottery Barn!  It even has a little key to lock the top portion.  I didn't really "display" the jewelery here (trying to keep it real!) but you can see my wedding jewelery on the left (last seen here) and some keepsakes in the other compartments.

I like to display my perfume in some sort of fashion...this plate is actually a glass candle holder.  And if you look hard enough, there is a glass elephant figurine up front.  The raised trunk means "good luck!"

Last, I like to keep my little earring studs and rings in this silver bowl.  It makes it much easier to keep track of both pairs of earrings and I always know where my wedding rings are.

So how do you store your jewelry?  I love hearing new ideas!

xo natasha

linked to: Flaunt it Friday