Mexican Corn Salad

Posted on June 17, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

Summertime foods are my favorites – so much fresh produce abounds, and all you need in order to serve a really great summery meal is some grilled protein (steak, chicken, burgers, fish, you pick), a bright salad with tons of greens and loads of berries & veggies, a stand-out side dish, and a delicious chilled bottle of white, bubbly, or rosé. My go-to side dish is this Mexican Corn Salad, which goes with everything from fish tacos and chicken fajitas to peppercorn steak and turkey burgers. It is beyond easy to make but your guests will feel like you slaved away in the kitchen to prepare it – the flavors are so layered and complex that this recipe would shine on any menu in town.

Mexican Corn Salad

Recipe & photo via Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3 cups corn (about 4 ears), cut fresh from the cob
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, grated
1 lime, juice
2 tablespoons cotija cheese, crumbled
Chili powder to taste
Green onions & cilantro, if you like – I don’t love these ingredients so I omitted them

Directions:

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the corn, toss and let it sit cooking until charred. Mix it up and let it char again, about 6 – 10 minutes.
Add the jalapeño. Sauté for one minute and remove the corn and jalapeño from the heat.
Place the corn and jalapeño in a mixing bowl and add in the mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, cotija cheese, and chili powder. Mix together and serve immediately, or let it cool if you prefer and serve it at room temperature (preferably alongside a meal that tastes great with margaritas).

Cross Plains, Texas

Posted on June 16, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

James & I spent the weekend at his family’s ranch in Cross Plains, Texas. It is one of his favorite places to go as it’s truly a refuge & retreat for him. He loves wide open spaces and he is able to relax most when he’s tending to the ranch and the animals that live there. I, too, find such solace during our time at the ranch. I love the fresh air, the home-grown produce, the hours I spend reading & napping in the hammock, and the small town charm of Cross Plains, a place with a population of less than 1,000 people. We drive just a few hours west and it feels like we’re transported into a different time, and there’s something so therapeutic about that.

Here are some fun photos I snapped on my phone this weekend. We loved spending time with James’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law; playing with all of the ranch puppies (Callie included), especially the newest resident (and my running buddy), Spot; checking out the Barbarian Festival & antique car show in town (which was held at a park that was entirely covered in a magical canopy of majestic trees – so beautiful); eating delicious food; and simply enjoying a restful and relaxing time together.

Week & End

Posted on June 13, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

Three cheers for Friday! We are headed to the ranch this weekend and I’m looking forward to quiet time, lots of reading and plenty of naps in the hammock, delicious home cooking, and fresh air. Happy Father’s Day to all of the amazing dads out there, especially mine! Now for some links around the web…

The image above is one of the newest free computer desktop backgrounds via designlovefest’s monthly Dress Your Tech posts. I love the cute little succulents, don’t you? You can download the image here.

This week we found out that our wedding is going to be featured on Style Me Pretty! We are so excited & honored to have Heather’s glorious images of our special day showcased on such a well-known and respected site. I’ll let you know when the post goes live – so fun!

I love enjoying a glass of fizzy, refreshing (and healthy!) kombucha (this brand is my favorite), especially on a hot summer day. Mixing it with Texas-based Tito’s Vodka is something I wish I would have thought of myself, as I love the idea of adding a little kick to my kombucha for a special treat. I definitely need to make this cocktail asap.

Our book club totally copied Joanna Goddard – we are going to read this book over the summer and see the film adaptation of the novel (starring Tina Fey, Rose Byrne, Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman & Adam Driver) when it comes out in September. I always love the thrill of starting a new book, and I’m especially excited about this one. Do you have any other good summer book recommendations?

Last week my parents, James & I booked a family trip to Los Angeles to visit Andrew, who recently moved back to the Best Coast to start a new job. We’re thinking of staying at this neat hotel, which is located close to Andrew’s apartment, and I can’t wait to try new restaurants, breathe in the ocean air, and spend time with my sweet family.

Wedding Photos

Posted on June 12, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

In honor of hitting the two month mark of wedded bliss tomorrow (eep!), here are some of my very favorite wedding photos. It was so hard to choose just a few (okay, more than a few) out of the hundreds of gorgeous images that Heather took, but these are certainly some pictures that are going to find their way into frames very soon…

Chow Asian

Posted on June 10, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

I’ve had Thailand on the brain for weeks now (I briefly mentioned that here), which has not only prompted me to scour travel blogs & research airfare prices (a girl can dream, right?) but it has also made me crave Thai food in a major way. James often craves Thai food, too, and he was thrilled when he found Chow Asian, a restaurant in our neck of the woods that, according to him, makes the very best (& very spiciest) curry in town. He took me there one night and I absolutely loved my Pad Thai (so much so that I didn’t have any leftovers for lunch the next day like I had anticipated…whoops). I’m a creature of habit, so Pad Thai was certainly a safe and easy choice but I’d like to branch out in terms of both entrée selections and restaurants – Chow Thai, located even closer to our house, has a great menu, too. A few adventurous items caught my eye, things like crab & avocado spring rolls with cashew dipping sauce, lobster & shrimp tempura, and sea bass in Thai chili sauce. I need to scoot in for happy hour, too – so many places end their cocktail deals at 6:00 p.m., which seems a tad early for the working crowd, so I love that both Chow Asian and Chow Thai have drink deals until 7:00 p.m.

UM. I also just stumbled upon the most amazing realization while perusing Chow Thai’s website – THEY DELIVER. There goes my social life.

Image via Rasa Malaysia

The Yellow Conference

Posted on June 9, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

I’ve felt extremely productive today, partly in thanks to my cozy early morning coffee date with Kyla & Kristen and the gloomy June weather we’re experiencing in Dallas (which always makes me better at hunkering down and tackling my to do list compared to when it’s sunny and beautiful outside). After knocking some things off my list, I sought out some new places for inspiration, contemplating ideas that I could turn into reality in order to generate something new and exciting not only within the realm of my job but also in the world of my extracurricular creative pursuits. While reading a few blogs during my lunch break, I stumbled upon The Yellow Conference and was totally inspired by the concept:

The Yellow Conference is a gathering for creative women who desire to ignite passion and bring goodness to the world through everyday living.

This conference was created for you. The women who know that they were built for a greater purpose. The earth shakers and ground movers. Come learn from like minded individuals who are out there making a difference, and learn how you too can do the same. Come to get inspired and leave with practical advice on how to make your dreams a reality as a woman living in today’s modern world.

Our desire is to help you live a life filled with passion, one you are proud of. To fight for goodness, fight for love, and spread it throughout the world. Come to discover more about yourself and how to use your uniqueness to live inspired and passionately throughout your days.

I mean, totally awesome, right? (Insert me slow clapping here.) I passed this on to some friends as well as to my boss/mentor, Pam – all of us are chomping at the bit to register for the conference. I know a few of the speakers (one is Darling Magazine’s Editor in Chief, Sarah Dubbeldam) and I would love the chance to get to meet new & inspiring people in one of my favorite places (Los Angeles, of course). Stay tuned – I’m hoping we can make something work…this is right up my alley!

Image via Design Loves Company

Week & End

Posted on June 6, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

Weekend, weekend, weekend! What are you up to? This week was full of lots of goodness, including several girly evenings – dinner with a dear college friend on Tuesday, our monthly Girls Night In at Korena’s on Wednesday (which included takeout Thai food, a late-night Pinkberry run & wine on the rooftop), and a going-away party for our sweet friend, Karen, at HG Suply Co. last night. This weekend holds so much promise because there’s literally nothing on our calendar. Lots of sunshine, food, friends, reading, puppy loving, and rest will be involved, that’s for sure.

Enjoy some great links from around the web!

My newest post on Darling Magazine’s blog is up! Need inspiration for a Father’s Day gift? Look no further than this fun guide that I put together. P.S. Word on the street is that Darling’s quarterly print publication is now being sold at Nordstrom – too cool!

I’m not a huge shopper but I have spurts where I can’t stop browsing the interwebs for cute pieces to add to my wardrobe. Though I am coveting these sandals in a major way, these Target shoes would be so much kinder for my wallet (and right now, they’re buy one, get one half off!). Speaking of deals, Korena wore this lion smock dress to Girls Night In and I want it so bad (it looked amazing and comfy on her, win-win). It’s even 25% off! Is that a sign?

I feel ridiculous even mentioning this because if you are a person living in America you already know, but I am so excited that The Fault in Our Stars comes out today. My book club gals and I read John Green’s incredibly riveting novel and we’re waiting for the dust to settle before heading out to see the movie in a couple of weeks (we’ll be having cocktails here first). My best gal, Becca, got a chance to see a screening in Nashville this week and she said that she was glad to have read this review ahead of time – it set her expectations in just the right place because, after all, it can be a bit nerve-wracking to a see a movie about a book you truly love. Will it live up to the hype? Stay tuned.

This recipe is a really creative (and healthy) twist on one of my favorite weeknight meals, the burrito bowl.

I got to meet with my friend Lauren this week to dream up some ways to partner together with Touch A Life, and we got sidetracked and started talking about a ridiculously amazing photo shoot she got to do in Paris this spring. These images are jaw-dropping (you can see them here & here) and I am going to follow Lauren’s lead and book a shoot as a treat/souvenir for myself the next time I’m in Paris (whenever that may be…le sigh). Of course, I am also going to be copying the tulle look whenever this mythical trip to Paris occurs (I also love LBK’s honesty – like, “no, I don’t own this outfit & actually it was basically stapled together.” So good.)

Image via designlovefest

Wedding Weekend Reflections

Posted on June 4, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

I know, I know, you’re probably wondering why I’m still rambling on and on about our wedding festivities. Frankly, I think I’m still living on cloud nine. Being married is such a blessing and as the photos and videos continue to roll in, I get to relive our special day over and over again. I just can’t help myself, really – everything was so perfect that it needs to be documented and shared.

One thing I especially loved about our wedding weekend was that everyone got to spend so much quality time together. Though our wedding wasn’t until Sunday, I headed down to Austin on Wednesday to be with my parents and brother for a few days before everyone else arrived. We had so much fun eating delicious meals (at places like Hopdoddy, Bufalina, and La Condesa), exploring the city, and resting and relaxing together. If you’re getting married soon and you have the luxury of taking a few extra days off, I would highly encourage you to spend some down time with your family – it created such an irreplaceable memory for me.

Since Austin is only three hours from Dallas, it didn’t strike me as a typical destination wedding, but at its core, it was – not one person on our guest list was from Austin, making it a destination for literally everyone. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many of our wedding guests had never been to Austin and wanted to carve out time during our wedding weekend to have fun in the city – I loved that it could serve as an opportunity for a new experience for them. Because of that, people arrived early and stayed late, making plenty of time for my whole family to catch up with loved ones who had traveled to join us for our special day. Nothing felt rushed or condensed – we got to laugh and talk and enjoy one another for as long as we liked.

My two favorite memories, aside from the wedding, of course, took place on Saturday afternoon after our rehearsal lunch and on Sunday morning on the big day itself. On Saturday, everyone was free to rest and relax after we rehearsed and had a great home-cooked lunch together. Organically, everyone (including friends who we love but weren’t members of the wedding party) congregated at the courtyard bar at my beloved Hotel San José. We sipped on delicious cocktails, munched on cheese & hummus platters, and had the absolute best time being all together. At one point, I looked around and felt myself getting emotional (for the zillionth time that weekend) – everyone I loved, from all different walks of life, was in the same place at the same time. It was so surreal. I wanted time to stand still so I could soak it all in. Erin Pommer snuck away to our courtyard suite so she could capture a group photo from the balcony, and she probably doesn’t realize what a gift that picture would be to me – it is truly one of my most favorite images from the whole weekend. As the evening progressed, my bridesmaids, Mom, and I made our way upstairs to order pizza, drink wine, and have a slumber party. Throw an impromptu ice cream run (adorned in our gorgeous hotel robes, of course) into the mix and you’ve got yourself the most fantastic conclusion to a perfect day.

The next morning, my brother and I went for our daily run, which is really the best way to start any day. When we got back to the hotel, we found nearly the entire wedding party (minus James, of course – we didn’t want to see each other until I walked down the aisle!), several of our relatives, and tons of friends from our hometown of Wheaton having breakfast and enjoying the beautiful morning weather at Jo’s Coffee. Once again, organically, people had congregated at a fun spot in town, ending up all together to mingle and eat and relax. While I had listed Jo’s on our wedding website as a place to go, it still amazed me that so many people were there all at the same time. I love the fact that Austin is big enough to offer so many things to do while still being small enough to allow you to run into people you know wherever you go. I had the best time snacking on breakfast burritos, drinking green juice & coffee, and chatting with so many of my favorite people before I got ready to become Mrs. Brown. In fact, I was having so much fun that I was a little late for my hair appointment – oops. Patrick was at Jo’s that morning, too, shooting so much great footage of everyone having a blast together. I love that that footage was showcased in our wedding video – it is so special for me to have that morning captured on film.

Reflecting on these memories just reminds me of how grateful I am for community, and also of how consciously I need to continue pursuing it for the rest of my days. Community is life-giving to me – making memories with people I love is sustaining and soul-filling in a way I can’t really describe. I’m so thankful for the incredible people that walk with me through life’s ups and downs. I could go on and on about them and our memories and experiences but I think I’ll stop here, pausing for one more moment to give a slow clap for the most perfect wedding weekend of all time…

Greens in a Glass

Posted on June 3, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

We’re on day three of the cleanse, woo! One of my favorite things to enjoy during the cleanse (and any other time, really) is a fresh, tasty green smoothie. In fact, the only one I ever make is Greens in a Glass. It is healthy and surprisingly filling, chock full of vitamins and nutrients that really give me a boost. It’s so, so easy to make, and I cut up the vegetables and store them in my fridge so I can make smoothies all week long at just a moment’s notice. I added a little extra banana to the original recipe and I swapped the Greek yogurt for almond milk so my treat can be dairy-free, but you can really make all of the changes that you’d like – this smoothie is so customizable!

Greens in a Glass

Adapted recipe via Joy Bauer

Ingredients:

1 cup spinach (1 big handful)
1/2 cup cucumber chunks, skins on
1 stalk celery cut into chunks
1 medium banana, fresh or frozen, cut into chunks
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup almond milk
3 whole ice cubes (optional)

Directions:

Add the spinach, cucumber, celery, and 1/2 cup of water to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth and liquid.
Add the banana, pineapple, almond milk, and ice cubes (if using) to the blender. Blend until smooth and frothy.

Hotel San José

Posted on June 2, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

Posts are popping up all over the interwebs about summer vacations that people are embarking on – it’s June already, say what?! – and it made me think about the Hotel San José, one of my most favorite places in the world to rest and relax. Located in the heart of Austin’s South Congress district, it is situated in the midst of the city’s hustle and bustle while simultaneously maintaining a super chill and comforting vibe. For those reasons (in conjunction with the rave reviews I gave after staying there with my brother in 2012 and my mom in 2013), it was the hotel of choice for my family and many guests during the wedding weekend festivities. The rooms are gorgeously outfitted in hipster-chic decor with lots of neutral pieces and pops of color, like these fabulous hippie blankets (Mom gifted me with the teal & yellow combo after our first visit to the hotel together). Beautiful kimono-style robes are provided for each guest – I love them so much that Mom & Dad sent two to James & me as post-wedding gifts and, suffice it to say, we are obsessed with them. The rooms are stocked with Malin + Goetz products, which are my absolute favorite (who can resist peppermint shampoo, cilantro conditioner, and bergamot body wash?). The hotel’s breakfast is the stuff of legends and their courtyard bar is undoubtedly one of the best in Austin. The Hotel San José owns Jo’s Coffee, the delightful coffee shop adjacent to the parking lot, and they serve unbeatable coffee, Daily Greens juice, and the tastiest breakfast tacos from Tacodeli, all of which you can charge to your room. Even the keychains that go along with the room keys are darling (and the answer is yes, I have one of them on my key ring – so, basically, I bought everything in the gift shop). The decor, service, food, and ambiance are all truly perfect. It is, without a doubt, one of my very favorite places to be – and, lucky me, it’s just a three-hour drive away!

The Hotel San José is owned by the Bunkhouse Group, who also built, designed, and outfitted the El Cosmico in Marfa (where Kyla, Laura & I stayed in September), the Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin (where James & I stayed on our wedding night), and the Hotel Havana in San Antonio. The El Cosmico and the Saint Cecilia are just as gorgeous as the San José, and I’m sure the Havana measures up – but I’ll have to make a trip there to find out!

I love these photos that Heather took of the Hotel San José during the wedding weekend – they really capture the boutique-y & beautiful essence of the hotel. If you find yourself in Austin in the near future, do yourself a favor & book a room at the Hotel San José!