In the weekend of a foodie!

Hi y'all!!!

This weekend was super exciting and I didn't even expect it to be. Friday night Mr. E and I went to check out The Hunger Games and we loved it. I've been reading the books and have now become obsessed with the trilogy. The producers did this movie justice~~~ No spoilers here...just get to the theater and go see it!!!!

Saturday was great. We were supposed to have gloomy rainy weather but surprisingly it turned out to be an awesome day. I got the chance to hang out with one of my nearest and dearest friends Kandice. We hadn't hung out in such a long time and it was so good to see her and just catch up. As so many young women have a multitude of "friends", Kandice and I relate to one another SO WELL. It's like sometimes I feel we were separated at birth. We have very similar tastes, we're both newlyweds and our husbands are so on the same page sometimes it's shocking, and what good is a friendship if you can't shop together and have an amazing meal together. Riding through the gorgeous town of Ridgewood, NJ we were starving!!!!! We decided to take a chance on a small Mediterranean restaurant and I swear it was the best meal I had consumed in months!!!!!

The restaurant is called Mediterraneo and it's a small, quaint yet flavorful burst of all things Middle Eastern.



We ordered 3 tapas {appetizers} b/c they were smaller portions and we wanted to share. We ordered

1. Mediterranean Cigar Rolls with a cheese and mint flavor
2. Warm Goat Cheese Salad
3. Pork with Whiskey Sauce

It was love at first bite!

For dinner we ordered

1. Moroccan Lamb Stew with couscous
2. Lamb Kebabs

Love at second bite

Every morsel was mouth watering. My palette is quite distinctive so when I get asked "what do you want to eat" pizza, subs, and fast food are the FURTHEST thing from my mind. What I really want to say is "Moroccan, Greek, Turkish, Indian" but in fear that I'll get judged I pretty much almost say "i don't care, i'm indecisive lets get whatever".

I'm so glad I have a friend like Kandice that I can scream I WANT TO SATIATE MY PALETTE and she totally gets it!!!!

If you're ever in the area check it out
23 N Broad St
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

(201) 447-0022

We'll definitely go back there, but out next adventure is a Turkish restaurant.

The 1st Step: Admitting your addicted

I intended to sit down and write this post yesterday but it was pretty busy and I don't like writing to to say "i posted a new entry today" because I want my content to be worthwhile, passionate, meaningful and full of ADHARI RENEE. When I'm ON i am solid but on my "off" days I don't want to expose that to you {just yet}

A few months back I became one of millions {perhaps billions} of members for Pinterest and it has been a daily addiction for me. So much that I covet recipes, outfits, new makeup looks and I have 2 boards for when Mr. E and I decide to expand upon our 2 person family. {YES I like to plan ahead}

I'm a visual person, a creative maven, someone who likes to see things on paper and in living color because it inspires me {which is the whole point in being a member of pinterest}. Even as a child, I was never one to open a book and just read something and "get it" I needed to SEE IT illustrated and then it would click. {don't judge me please}

So today I have 28 vision boards all within various title frame like Recipes, Entertaining, Wedding Crazed, Hubby's 30th, Health and Makeup.

When I see things like this






I cannot control the urge to click "Repin"

If you're interested in learning about the CRAZE of Pinterest I strongly suggest you sign yourself up for a membership. {after all it is FREE}

Here is the link to my page MrsE722

Feeling Beautiful

Good Morning Sunshines!!!!!

Today i'm feeling pretty good. I've got a mean cup of coffee sitting at my side and it's turned my morning from slow to "let's get this going".

I wanted to do a post about some of my favorite mascaras. As a MUA, a lot of my clients often keep their eyes peeled as to what products I am using on them. the clients who wear makeup usually always ask me about mascara. I have a few favorites and wanted to give you my take on each one and hopefully this will help some of you women who have questions but don't know how to ask.

I am currently using and OBSESSING over

L'oreal Voluminous False Lashes

I picked this up at a Pathmark because they were closing the store and this was super cheap compared to the retail price of $8.95. What I love about this mascara is the brush. The bottom of it is a bit thicker but as it rises to the top it gets thinner. For me this is GREAT because it allow the application to get into my inner corners much better. It DOES NOT CLUMP at all which is like a god-send. This mascara leaves me with thick looking long lashes.

After this my 2nd favorite would have to be



Lancome Oscillation Intensity Vibrating Mascara
I received this as a gift from the Beauty VP at work. It was for my bridal shower and she told me to bring it on my honeymoon. And that I did. First off if you don't use makeup, or you just like to "play" do not spend the $35 price tag on this. You will waste your money honey! This is great because the brush vibrates!!!! It's pretty consistent all around in size and it leaves my lashes clean and coated. It's not too messy or fussy but it's a nice formula for my eyes.

Last but not least I would be remissed if I didn't mention


Christian Dior Show
Dior Dior Dior; if I can never wear your clothes at least I have a piece of you on my face!!! I've loved DiorShow since I started doing makeup. I LOVE A FAT BRISTLED APPLICATOR and this brush does the trick. For me it spreads my lashes out making them look fantabulous in all senses of the made up word. Price tag is about $23 but it's soooooo WORTH IT

All of my mascaras are the darkest black I can find. I don't do brown, I don't do grey I DO BLACK!!!! It makes the color of the eye and if you're working a BEAT eye it makes it POP. Do yourself a favor and always go blacker in mascara!!!

Well that's it on my mascara post. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment down below and I'll get back to you!!!

When too much is Exposed!

I read daily gossip columns. It's like my girlie version of The New York Times. I read them so much that I get emotionally attached to the lives of these celebs and the things they do.

When I heard that Adrienne Bailon wore a garment to the Escape to Total Rewards event but had exposed full frontal I had to read about it to see it for myself to see if they were lying or not. THEY WERE NOT LYING

I like Adrienne {see i'm even on a first name basis with her}, I've liked her since 3LW and then I even loved The Cheetah Girls.



Not for nothing, the dress is HOT!!! And you cannot walk out of your house wearing it not knowing that one gush of wind will expose you a little too much. Why oh why is the question many columnists are asking. But i'm not asking "WHY" I am asking "HOW"...How did you not realize that the weather in NYC yesterday was breezy?

In an interview she says that if she could be naked she would. Well, papparazzi doesn't seem to mind because her "who-ha" is all out in the open for everyone to see.

Adrienne, you're a beautiful woman. You have a really nice persona about you but this is like the Versace dress that J.LO wore to the grammy's and got incredible media attention for it.

Prediction: Ms. Bailon will be in someone's movie very soon and not because of her divine acting skills!!!!

I'm just sayin

The past 9 days...

Sorry for not posting sooner, but the past 9 days have been incredibly busy at work and at home. You see, i've been planning a surprise 30th party for my husband for about 2 months now and last weekend it was finally here. So you can only imagine how fast & furious my weekend was. His celebration was a blast!!! It was intimate, private and had exactly the people I knew he would want to share this milestone birthday with...his family & only his closest friends.

I spent all day Saturday running around like a chicken with my head cut off. It was such a gorgeous day and I was so thankful for that because inclimate weather definitely makes party guests want to stay indoors. He had no idea where we were going {I lied and told him I was taking him to Philly} but once we arrived he saw a lot of cars and it clicked "So is this where everyone jumps out and yells SURPRISE"...I WAS PISSED & I even shed a tear. But got over it really fast and enjoyed the evening.

It was so nice for this secret to have finally been revealed and for me to just sit back and enjoy!!! He was so happy and claimed this to be the best birthday ever!!!

Sunday we took in a double feature and saw "Acts of Valor" & "Good Deeds" {can you tell it was a his and her pick going on here} both were amazing films and worth going to see. The icing on the cake was that we gained a free movie ticket so we saved $$ {whooohooo}

Monday I was so EXHAUSTED and I had scheduled myself on a day off from work. There really is nothing like sleeping in and doing nothing but catching up on your DVR sometimes.

In case you're wondering, I didn't cook a thing over the past 9 days except for a simple birthday breakfast for my husband which was a pretty simple egg and onion omelette with bacon. So it has been an exciting 9 days to say the least. I really love moments like this where we can actually celebrate LIFE!!! There is nothing like it.

Sunday Dinner

Happy Monday All!!

I didn't anticipate my entry being about food today because this blog is going to house all sorts of my favorite things. Feels like i've been posting all about food even though i don't have many posts just yet. I posted my dinner on my personal Facebook page last night and received quite a few inquiries on how to make the White Cheese Chicken Lasagna and the Tres Leche cake.



Let me first start off by saying that growing up in a household where my parents background & culture is predominately southern {Mom born and raised in Georgia and my Dad's family is from South Carolina} Sunday dinner was ALWAYS the most amazing meal on the planet. From September to May it was my mothers hands that prepared mac and cheese, collard greens, fried cabbage, corn bread so moist and thick that my nephew calls it "cake", and of course fried chicken, meat loaf {you get the picture don't you}. But from June to August it was my father's turn to lite his Weber grill {the smoker} and throw all types of chicken, ribs, fish, corn etc on it. Sunday's for my family were all about gathering around the table and enjoying a meal together that was more than what we'd get on a weekday. It was about family, there was no such thing as watching TV while you ate, we sat at the table TOGETHER as a family of 2 parents, 2 boys and 2 girls and even though our table only sat 4 it was nothing for chairs to be pulled up to the table so we could all fit.

With that being said, I have a personal connection to what Sundays mean especially in the winter...COMFORT FOOD.

So I pulled up my AllRecipes app on my iPhone and found the recipe for this White Cheese Chicken Lasagna and it was a HIT. I was a little worried about making the beschamel also known as white sauce but it was so creamy and yummy. So here is the recipe which I borrowed. This is not an original creation so I cannot take credit for it. I might not have followed it precisely to a "T" with my layering method. I also used fresh chopped spinach {uncooked} as it's own layer. With the pasta and the white sauce I needed to inject a heavy dose of greens into this meal to balance it all out.

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

DESSERT

We're trying not to have so many sweets in the house. No ice cream, no cookies, no sugary snacks or salty for that matter. It's SO easy to watch TV and just indulge and we're trying to steer clear of high blood pressure and diabetes which really doesn't make what I am about to show you seem fitting but anywho....I wanted cake...BAD. And a very good friend of mine made this cake one night and we both fell in love with it so I gave it a try.



The recipe is pretty insanely simple, a child could make it {minus the alcohol}

1 box of golden vanilla cake mix {prepare and bake as per package directions}
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 can of evaporated milk
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of coconut creme tequila {hecho in mexico} {{if you don't have this you can use coconut rum i think parrot bay and malibu sells it}

Bake the cake in a pan and let it cool COMPLETELY {do not rush this process}
Mix all of the liquid milk and alcohol together
With a fork poke holes all over the cake and do not forget to do the corners
Pour the liquid all over {you will see the liquid seep into the holes and you can Gently poke more holes to make more room for the cake to be soaked}

I waited about 1/2 hour to let the cake really absorb all of the liquid. Then I took the whipped topping {otherwise known as cool whip} and spread it on top to create a semi thick layer. I refrigerated it for 20 minutes because I like the coolness of the cake paired with the moisture in texture.

Voila ~ Tres Leche cake!

I hope you enjoy this meal, if you make it please post your comments below about your thoughts and if you altered it a bit.

Thank God It's Friday!!!!!

Whew what a week this has been. If you're reading this I hope your Friday is smooth sailing and fun!

Last night I stopped at The Shops at Columbus Circle after a meeting and hadn't been there in a while...like years. So I completely forgot that they had some of my most favorite stores there. {Williams Sonoma and Whole Foods} so it was a special treat for me to walk around and browse and of course I picked up a couple of things for dinner last night.



I had already planned on making salmon but once I entered those stores the inspiration started brewing. Here's what I knew for sure

1} by the time i got home it would be relatively late and i didn't want to put SO much effort into my meal
2} It had to be cooked under 30 minutes b/c Grey's Anatomy was coming on
3} it had to be DELICIOUS

So here's what I purchased from both stores



Williams Sonoma
Lemon Caper Basil Sauce - It was $16 but it was calling my name to pair with the salmon and the pasta I bought from WF

Whole Foods
Pappardelle Pasta at a steal for $4.99 and it's from a pasta company in NJ so I felt like I was contributing back to my home state

So I left NYC feeling great, inspired, tired but ready to get home to my kitchen and cook my tail off.


DINNER IS SERVED AND BOY WAS IT DELICOUS


The recipes was really simple. I seasoned the salmon with a lemon herb spice blend from some spice company my mother found. Grilled it on my stovetop grill, cooked the pasta {slightly past al dente} and threw in about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Sauteed some squash and zucchini and that was it! 1 glass of wine and my favorite tv show and that was what I call a great night in!

Disclaimer: I know most people probably think that both stores are overly priced and just not budget friendly in this economy. This is very true and I agree; however I don't see anything wrong with stopping in every once in a while and seeing something you LOVE and will use. In my opinion, the produce quality at Whole Foods is just simply amazing to me. The variety of brands they sell are different and special and it's nice to see something you'd love to try and actually like it. I wouldn't recommend you shopping there if you don't enjoy preparing meals. It can be overwhelming and quite frankly the prices can give you sticker shock. Williams Sonoma on the other hand has a piece of my heart and always will. My husband and I registered there and quite a few items in our home are WS products and guess what NOT EVERYTHING IS TOP OF THE LINE {i.e. the $20 garlic press that broke 4 months in} I say this to say, don't knock it til you try it!

Take a peek at these tomatoes from Whole Foods.....you can't tell me they're not gorgeous. All I want to do is slice them and add some salt and pepper and BAM greatness on a plate!