Gourmet pizza

So this gourmet pizza recipe is from over Spring Break and I forgot to post it, but it's absolutely delicious and definitely worth sharing!

My Mama and I sauteed zucchini, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, and asparagus with red wine.

We had found some purple asparagus that neither of us was familiar with so we decided to give it a try. As you can see in the photo above, it eventually just turned the color of regular green asparagus (though the flavor was slightly sweeter and lighter).

We used a pre-made pizza dough (we cheated!) but it was really good and we were too hungry to wait.

We rolled it out and added our sauteed toppings.

Close-up of all of the yummy toppings!

The best part of the flavor came from the cheese we put on top, fontina and fresh parmesan!

Then we cooked it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes.

Ohmygosh so yummy! Ah can't wait to make it again!

Beading

Spring Break is almost over, nooooo! I was a home for the first part of the week and enjoyed plenty of girl time with my Mama. We shopped, cooked, did face masks, went beading, and did other girlie things like that. Beading was our one last hurrah, since we squeezed it in right before I left, and I'm glad we did. Going beading and making jewelry will be one of those great things I remember for the rest of my life as mother-daughter time.  

Here's what I made today, my attempt at a slightly more wearable version of this fantastic piece from J. Crew.

My Mama made a few great basic pieces. 

Also: leaving for Glenwood Springs tomorrow, so I'll be MIA for a couple days!

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Tea time!

 Went to tea with my mother today, at the beautiful Briarwood Inn. It was perfectly decorated for Christmas and made this tea a great start to Winter Break.

My mother and I have been going to mother-daughter teas annually since I was starting elementary school and it is one of my favorite traditions. We used to go at the beginning of each school year but have since switched to during the holidays and it makes tea so much more festive!

Our meal began with our tea, we both chose the cinnamon spice that smelled like Christmas and warmth and everything happy! Then we proceeded to blueberry and cranberry scones, followed by a tomato bisque.

Finally, the best part of any tea. The tiny quiches and sandwiches and desserts on a three-tiered tray! We enjoyed tiny bites of asparagus and tomato quiche, and cucumber and salmon finger sandwiches. The desserts were red velvet cupcakes, apple crumb bites, shortbread cookies, raspberry tartlets, and peppermint fudge. It was all so delicious and festive!

We stayed for hours sipping our tea and left happy and full. 

Until next year!

Night at the ballet

Tonight my mother and I celebrated the holiday season with an evening at the ballet. We saw The Nutcracker performed by the Colorado Ballet.

 We started the evening with dinner at the cutest French restaurant called Bistro Vendôme. The food was absolutely delicious. My apologies for the quality of the photos, they looked better when I took them.

The meal began with bread and butter and a great roasted pepper bisque amuse-bouche. My mother and I both ordered the Saumon aux Cèpes which was the best meal I have had in a long time (she agreed), with salmon over a potato mushroom gratin that just melted in my mouth. The Crème Brûleé we had for dessert was probably the best I have ever had. It was the perfect consistency, light instead of heavy and too sweet, plus the blueberries on top added to the freshness.

We arrived at the theater just in time for the ballet to start. It was spectacular! The dancing was beautiful and the sets were gorgeous. All in all it was an inspiring night, perfect for the holiday season.

Cranberry chutney

Getting all prepped for Thanksgiving tomorrow! 

Made cranberry chutney with my mother from a secret recipe passed down through our family.

  

PS: How cute is my little sous chef? Love him!

Italian bracelets

When I was younger, I would wear my Mama's Italian leather bracelets (similar to these ones). I loved how glamorous and grown up I felt wearing them. She would get mad, as they were special and I was not supposed to steal them.

This past June we were visiting a few European countries and Italy was one of them. The thought never even crossed my mind that we would be able to find these bracelets, yet we did at the Scuola del Cuoio (Institute of Leather) in Florence. I was overjoyed at the thought that I would be able to have my very own fancy bracelets!

These are the ones I got.

My Mama got a few of these ones, more for me to covet!

(click on any of the images to visit the website)