Going Home…

After one whole year away from all the beautiful people I love dearly and have MISSED EVERY SINGLE DAY(like you wouldn’t even understand) I simply had to go home.

My life would of course be much easier if all of my friends and family were located in the same city, but like most families, they are strewn out around the United States.

It’s always going to be challenging to see all of the folks that I would like to when I visit. It’s simply not possible. I will also miss weddings, births, and killer dinner parties whilst I’m abroad.

This is just a sad reality of my spectacularly fun new life. ;(

We flew into Cleveland first because that’s where a big chunk of my family live.

My beautiful Aunts did their best to make our stay the most relaxing and fun few days imaginable…

I even got to spend some quality time with the family pets!

And no trip to CLE is complete without stopping by Cedar Point.

We rodes some epic and terrifying coasters…

Ate some massive BBQ turkey legs…

Then we passed out from jet lag exhaustion!

Followed by a quick flight to Nashville!!

I immediately had a bar party and invited everyone to come out and give me a year’s worth of hugs.

They complied!

Toasts were made…

I was so excited to spend time with some of my besties…

And baby!

OOooohhh baby!

This one made me want one of my own…

Even with fussy scrunched up sad baby face…

There were lots of babies being made whilst I was away…

Big fat squooshy pretty babies!!!

And some of the babies I knew a year ago weren’t babies anymore, but little tiny people…

Simon made some new friends as well…Of the furry variety…

And the wacky-conspiracy-theory-Jesus-loving-rocker-chick variety…

Crazy girls are the hottest. Always. That is a fact.

LOVE YOU LALA. Forevs. PS. Her Dad MIGHT be Ziggy Stardust. FYI.

Moving on…

My mom was as pretty as I remember her being…

My brother was still a massive fantasy football dweeb…

Gorgeous sunny Murphmurph was just as gorgeous and sunny as ever…

Becca was still awesome and smart and sharing her love of great food…

She and her fantastic fiance took us out to Dinner at Silo http://www.silotn.com

Exceptional and elevated Southern cuisine welcoming me home proved to be JUST what I needed…

Especially deviled eggs three ways…

Deep fried greenbeans…

And pork belly…

We even visited my beloved Bombay Palace http://www.bombaypalacetn.com/

They were all super excited to see me too! Awwwwww!

Actually, we did a lot of eating.

And of course, we had to work some of it off…

No better place than Edwin Warner Park…

So that was our trip back to Nashville via Cleveland. A ton of photos I know, but some super wonderful days with friends and family! Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later and can see more of my loved ones this time! See ya soon Nashville xx

One last Spain post for my foodies…

I just wanted to share some of the food I DEVOURED in Spain for those of you who live to eat…

I promise I’ll be quick!

A simple lunch…

Followed by a decadent dinner…

Tomato and goat cheese salad

Beef carpaccio with sheep’s-milk cheese

Tuna carpaccio with pink peppercorn and dill

Filet mignon with foie

Vanilla bean panna cotta with black currants…

Me pre-FACESTUFF

Me in action!

Grilled calamari for another yummy lunch…

A little scampi party…

Tasty tapas…

That is all! I hope you salivated at least a little!

Next up: LONG overdue Nashville Trip posts!!!

Christmas in Spain…

Hi Friends. Sorry it takes me forever and ever to post lately.
I’m a busy little worker bee in hustle-y bustle-y ole Londontown. You must forgive me!

Needless to say, spending Christmas in Spain was exceptionally cool (as you have probably surmised from my last few posts).

I don’t celebrate Christmas for religious reasons (because I’m not a religious lady) but to be honest, I LOVE the aesthetic of Christmas.

Big fat glittery Christmas trees and shiny foil wrapping paper get me all swoony inside.

Eggnog, chocolate truffles, and roasted meat? Yes please.

To get to do, see, and experience all of these things in fancy pants Spain with my beautiful and FUN Spanish family was simply the best.

There was so much food. So many presents. It was quite simply the loveliest and merriest of Christmases I could imagine ever having.

I present it to you with limited comment!

The boys worked hard to prepare Christmas dinner…

They even served everyone!

My paleo plate!

The wine began to flow and so did the laughter!

And then the machetes?

And of course…dishes were tackled…

Snuggles were had…

Feliz Navidad!!!!! xx

The things we ate in Italy…

After much purposeful procrastination I shall begin sharing my plentiful Italy photographs, starting with FOOD!

(FYI, some of these are cheeky iPhone shots and obviously not as great as my Olympus ones)

The Italy party started in the Airport lounge. As it should!
Red wine and mimosas!

ITALIA!

Let’s talk about the food! It was all about the food.
Eating the food. And then eating more of said food.
Rinse, Repeat. You dig?

Our first meal in Rome…

Tomato Bruschetta…

Caco e Pepe…

Great little spot near our flat…mostly cold items, salads and such.

Rocket with white bean, cherry tomato, mozzarella, and tuna.

One of my MANY glasses of white wine…

Caprese salad…

Gelato and I became best friends! OBVIOUSLY.

Wine and cicchetti…

Mountains of sweets…

And a chocolate festival for Valentine’s Day!

Homemade Caprese…

Spoils from the market…

Let there be PASTA!

And grilled vegetables…

At all times you must have your eating face on!

Ristorante La Spada in Florence…

Chicken Liver Pate…

Mushroom Ravioli…

Happiest little carb loading face you ever did see!

VALENTINE’S DAY FEAST!
Antica Trattoria “da Tito” dal 1913…AKA BEST STEAK EVER CONSUMED. EVER.

Swordfish, pomegranate, and grapefruit Carpaccio…

Raw Artichoke and Parmesan Salad…

The biggest Florentine Steak ever. Served Rare.

Chocolate cake of happiness…

WE DIED that night. We were reborn. I found god. God is a steak in Florence.

Did I mention that I used to be mostly vegetarian?

Look at this gorgeous charcuterie platter!

I even ate TRIPE Gnocchi…that is COW STOMACH.

More Wine!

Stuffed Squid, potatoes, and pesto.

Grilled vegetables and fried seafood yummies…FRITO MISTO!

Fluffy Ravioli with magic thyme butter.

Another outstanding charcuterie!

On our last night in Florence we ordered another breath taking Florentine steak.

We died again. Seriously. DIED. DEAD.

In Venice, the seafood is outstanding and plentiful.
You pick it, they cook it…

Birthday Dinner…

Frito Misto…

And Bellinis!

We found ourselves thoroughly exhausted in Murano, so we ate more Frito Misto!!

I think I ate squid, octopus, or cuttlefish at least twice per day in Venice…mmmmmmm.

I managed to crow bar in as many veggies as I could…

I leave you with our most strenuous feast.
(MY most epic act of sheer Miss. Piggy style gluttony really…)

The night of 5 desserts.

We dined at Piccalo Arancio (The Little Orange)

We ate everything in sight.

I grabbed Gelato ON THE WAY TO THE RESTAURANT like a fat girl.

This counts as Dessert #1.

Then ordered a charcuterie platter, fried artichokes and stuffed zucchini blossoms.

Followed by Orange Ravioli…

Swordfish in a Neapolitan sauce…

Dessert #2 Creme Caramel…

Dessert #3 Tiramisu…

I am a fat happy piggy.

OH NO ALL MY SWEETS ARE GONE!

MOOAARR!!!!!!!!

Dessert #4 Panna Cotta with berries…

I’m starting to feel light headed at this point…

So I ordered Dessert #5 Espresso and cookies thus completing my sinful evening of mostly sugar.

No one can ever say that I’m not a dessert person.

Stay tuned for MANY more Italy postings! xxoo

Grouse House Bed and Breakfast Edinburgh

How have I lived this long and not ONLY stayed in bed & breakfasts when I travel?

Somehow I had it in my head that they were these weird old musty houses with green shag carpeting stocked with uber creepy victorian doll collections.
I don’t need some demon doll glaring at me in its crocheted doily dress as I chow down on my cornflakes the next morning.

Not my idea of R&R.

Are they not strictly for couples going away to have a zen weekend to fix some personal issues and sleep in all day?

Apparently you can just stay in them like regular hotels, except for the fact that they are adorable and cozy and don’t charge you for every little thing.

WHO KNEW? AND WHY DID YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?

Grouse House is sort of the champion of the B&B. No really. It is.

The ideal that all other B&B’s should model themselves after.

Pretty much every little detail you could dream up, the owner Dean has already got sorted out for you.

And he’s actually a NICE person.
He’ll talk to you and give you sound advice on where to go and what to avoid while you are visiting and really mean it!

And the rooms are decorated with charm and modern style.
No crappy wallpaper, no pink carpeting from 1983.

Warm and inviting with tons of character and whimsy. Without being cutesy.
Just clean and calm and CHILL.

Dean was nice enough to let me poke around and take photos the morning that we checked out.

(After the biggest most spectacular breakfast accompanied by awesome tunes and candles glowing on the hearth!)

EVERY Bathroom should have room spray. Period. End of discussion. Dean knows!

The dining room is incredibly beautiful and peaceful.
Grab a seat, have a cup of coffee.
R-E-L-A-X.

If you ever find yourself in need of the best sleep of your life, the friendliest B&B host, the heartiest breakfast, and the hottest shower you have ever taken…look no further my friends…mystery solved!

http://www.edinburghsgrousehouse.co.uk/index.html

Til we meet again Grouse House! Keep making people happy! xx

Scotland O Scotland

I have always wanted to go to Scotland.
More than most people…and I’m not exactly sure why.
I probably watched too much Braveheart growing up.

Oh wait, maybe it’s the accent. I LOVE that accent.

Or the sheep.

Or these MASSIVELY ADORABLE HIGHLAND COWS.

(BTW, Rob Manningham took this great shot, not moi)

UGH. WANT ONE. Soooooo bad.

No matter!

The point is, I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Scotland and I finally got my wish!

HOORAY!

First Stop, St. Andrews!

Lunch was at Mitchell Deli…http://www.mitchellsdeli.co.uk/#

The Decor reminded me very much of Marche and Margot from Nashville…

And the food was AMAZING.

NEXT UP, EDINBURGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bachelorette Babes

I was just about to FINALLY post some of the photos from our actual wedding this past September when I realized that I have yet to even post the shots from my Bachelorette Brunch.

Jeez.

My blog is starting to turn into Memento.

In my defense, I have been all sorts of busy and sometimes I just get so excited about a set of photographs that I just can’t wait to post them.

So pretty much the last 6 months of posts are totally out of whack.

Honestly it’s probably a pretty accurate representation of how hectic my life has been these last few months. So whatever.

Anyhoooo…I’m from Nashville. Home of Southern hospitality, crazy natural disasters, and smoking hot women. I’m lucky to be well acquainted with a handful of these gorgeous creatures, and they happen to make excellent friends.

This one, in particular, was magnificent enough to throw me a fabulous Bachelorette Brunch…which turned into a full-on day of Mimosa’s, sunshine, and ended in a drag club.

Pretty much the best.

My girls are so sweet.

And so pretty.

And so missed!

They gave us a table big enough to hold a press conference on…

And then we ate!

Group photo time!

My day would not have been complete without some outdoor Nashville day drinking!

What a perfect sunny day!!!!

I even got serenaded!

Boy crasher!

Boys who do the Sturgeon face with me can crash my Bachelorette party.

Seriously my friends are just gorgeous…le sigh…

The night ended with dancing and dragqueens…which is so epic and perfect.

Successful Bachelorette day if I don’t say so myself!
Now I miss my friends something fierce. I love you ladies!
Thank you for making my day so special!

xxoo

Exploring Chicago Post-wedding Part I

Shame on me. Always disappearing from this here blog world without even a warning or a friendly goodbye.
On top of that, I never even got around to posting all the Chicago food/art photographs that I promised I would! And now it’s January!
Seriously, shame shame shame!

Well, the only way to make up for it is by making up for it!

Chicago is just windy and busy enough to have provided me with the perfect training wheels for my big move to London.

Post wedding, we drove from Cleveland to Chicago to spend a lovely week with my brother-in-law & his wife and a couple of Simon’s friends from London (and I spent an additional week alone waiting for my belated marriage visa to arrive safely).

Here is my brother-in-law gleefully peering up the skirt of the infamous Marilyn Monroe statue in Chi-town.

The newlyweds atop the famous John Hancock tower.

The view from said tower:

It was REALLY high up and I was getting a little dizzy/clammy/panic-stricken…

I’m talking about REALLY HIGH.
When you go to the bathroom at the bar on the top floor the wall is simply a giant window so you step out of the stall feeling like you are about to topple over and directly out of it.
Which makes you feel queasy and generally uncertain about your safety.

So then we got some cocktails and everything seemed okay again…

Mandarin and Strawberry you-aren’t-going-to-die Martini

Long Island death-is-not-imminent Iced Tea

See? Feeling much better now!

And then we were starving.

We happened upon this little vegan gem a couple of blocks from our hotel in Boystown and gave it a whirl.

I’ve been trying to help my husband improve his eating habits (per his request) and I thought, what better way to show him how easy it is to eat healthy and not have meat or dairy in the equation?

The food we ordered was out of this world. Simply shockingly good.

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

The Rockin-Morroccan Veggie Bowl with fried tofu tower of freedom…okay I added that last bit…

UN-chicken sandwich

Wickedly decadent peanut butter parfait

And the guiltiest pleasure of all, the exquisite French Lavender steeped Lemonade

(Be careful with this lemonade as it is danger-zone level sweet and will give you a sugar crash like you have never before experienced)

My darling enjoying his coffee after our first Vegan feast as a married couple!

The thing is, I’m not vegan. I’m not even vegetarian. I prefer to eat vegan or vegetarian, and much of the time I do.
Basically, it’s not a priority for me at this point so I try to eat as plant based as humanly possible, but if I want a piece of salmon or a mango lhassi, by Jesus I’m gonna have it!

I was really and truly impressed with the level of service, knowledge, and care the staff at Native Foods displayed while we were there. Not to mention that the food was sensational and incredibly filling. It was also fairly pricey, but I felt that it was definitely worth the splurge (so much so that I went back two more times during my two week adventure in Chicago).

My husband was really impressed as well and it made me really happy to see a self proclaimed “Meat & Potatoes Brit” branch out and try something new and probably somewhat scary.

http://nativefoods.com/menu/

So, that being said, after we feasted it was time for some art!

My friend Nikki was nice enough to get us a couple of free passes to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Sometimes I love Modern Art…

(This was my favorite piece hands down! By Nick Cave no less!)

Sometimes I find it irrelevant and irritating…

But that’s one of the great things about going to art museums, you get a chance to explore how you prefer to see the world.

I apparently like mine filled with porcelain woodland creatures.

I also had the pleasure of visiting The Chicago Art Institute while I was stuck on my own the next week. I wish we had gone together! It was jaw-dropping.
Simply epic.
And I took a healthy amount of photos so get comfortable!

WASN’T THAT THE COOLEST? Le Sigh. I <3 Art.

Also, I was truly impressed with how well my camera did in all of the different parts of the museum, some rooms very very blue and bright, some were very dim and red…everything just came out splendidly!

Well, until the next post (sooner than later I PROMISE! SCOUTS HONOR) see you later! xx

TEA. A Love Affair.

I have always loved tea.

Growing up in the South, iced tea is generally part of daily existence.

Iced Sweet tea, Iced Green Tea, Iced Peach Tea, Iced Passionfruit Tea…the varieties are endless.

I’ve never really gotten into hot tea as much (aside from wintry days where my throat is highly unhappy).

A few years ago I stumbled upon Teavana in the Green Hills Mall and developed a very serious crush with the place.

http://www.teavana.com

But they are SO EXPENSIVE. And they try to up-sell you to death.
It got to the point where I didn’t even want to make eye contact with the sales associates when I went into the store.
They also don’t tell you that the canisters they put the tea in cost extra (or at least failed to mention that to me any of the 50 times I bought tea).
And some of the “teas” don’t even contain tea at all. Just sweetened dried fruit & flowers…but they still call it “TEA”.
(Is there not a rule against this)?

Anyway, I still love tea.

To be more accurate, I’m pretty much obsessed with hot tea since I moved to the UK.
Specifically Earl Grey.

At first, it’s a little weird that everyone is always going on and on about having a “cuppa” tea all the damn time.
But I quickly realized that I had never had Earl Grey tea with milk & sugar before.

MY BRAIN——-> WAIT A MINUTE! THIS IS EFFING STELLAR!

A hot cup of tea can fix your soul.

Part of the joy of tea is the ceremony…

And adorable china…

And having a hot tea date…

I can’t stop drinking it. I crave it!
I have even been using agave syrup and soy milk to be healthier.
It has fully replaced coffee in my life.
I know…THAT’S CRAZY TALK!

I order it everywhere we go.

I just can’t help myself.

And people here even drink it alongside their meals. Even with cheeseburgers!
(By the way, I ate a cheeseburger the other day and it was phenomenally delicious).

See? DELICIOUS!

So, long story short, tea is important. Drink it and feel better.

Now, how about I leave you with some spectacular street art from my travels around Brick Lane in London?

And of course, lest you forget…The Beginning is Nigh!

London Wedding Reception

The great thing about having two wedding receptions is that after experiencing the stress of the first one, you are totally ready for the second one to be MUCH more low-key and chill.

Thankfully, this is exactly what we got at our London Do.

For starters, I refused to dress up. No more wedding dress. No more fancy hair appointments…no more!

Pants…boots…done.

We sort of adopted the attitude of “Hell, it’s our party…so by god we are going to wear jeans!”

(And it was much more fantastic because of it)

My Husband planned pretty much all of it on his own, and honestly the venue could not have been a more perfect representation of both of our personal design aesthetics.

Funky wallpaper, vintage furniture, artsy chandeliers, and old movie posters gave the space serious character and set the tone for super fun party time.

My Brother-In-Law was nice enough to make us a cake!

Which I was more than excited to hack up with my giant knife!

Even though there were people trying to distract me with highly inappropriate “that’s what she said” jokes.

New Family!<3

QT was our happy toastmaster and said some really sweet (and hilarious) things…

“It’s amazing what you can find on the internet these days”

Har. Har.

There was lots of love going around…

And many a happy guest!

And Champagne!

Happy People with Champagne are the happiest…

And Food!

Wild mushroom, garden pea, and creme fraiche tartlets…

Kashmiri Lamb skewers with minted yogurt…

Salmon & avocado nori Rolls with chive & red pepper…

Hoi Sin duck pancake rolls with cucumber and spring onion…

Tiger prawn lettuce wraps…

Parmesan and herb muffins with salsa verde and sun-blushed grapes..

Chocolate covered strawberries & fresh raspberries…

The catering company truly did an amazing job!
http://www.kaicatering.co.uk/
Everyone remarked on how lovely the food was…And soon it had vanished!

So…

Smitten…

And tons of laughs…

By the end of the reception everyone was chummy!

Reception #2 was a complete success!

Just look at that delightfully intoxicated smile on QT’s face!

I fully intend on having a Wedding reception #1 post as well, I just haven’t gotten the photos back from the wedding photographer just yet.
But, I hear they are enroute!
Soon I will have more wedding loveliness for you! I promise.

xxoo