Onion Tomato Focaccia

A couple of weeks ago I went to a Memorial Day barbecue where a friend made the most delicious focaccia ever. So naturally I asked her to send the recipe my way so I could give it a whirl. I've been on a sort of cooking streak this week so I decided yesterday to give it a try. It didn't seem too hard until I started making the dough. I can officially say that I hate making dough. It was an extremely frustrating experience but in hte end my dad helped me fix it. It turned out great. The Onion Tomato Focaccia tasted perfect, an overall success, but I'm not sure how soon I'll be making it again. The recipe she gave me is from the cookbook Lidia's Italy: 150 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most.

Photos: 1

Getaway with Girlfriends

This past weekend I took a trip out to the Hamptons with my two girlfriends for a relaxing getaway. I have to say, I love girls weekends. We had the absolute best time. On Friday we spent the day in the exhaustingly hot weather at the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium in Riverhead, New York. (Checking this off my Summer Checklist!) Despite the heat, we had so much fun. We saw the sea lion show, watched the sharks, played with starfish and stingrays. I love going to the Aquarium. It's definitely one of my favorite pastimes. And after that we stopped in Ralphs for much needed water and creme ices to cool us off. For the rest of the weekend we lounged around by the pool for hours, reading magazines, swimming and listening to an awesome 90's playlist. We barbecued, baked, and indulged in way more delicious food than we probably should have. And at night we roasted smore's (I would check this off the Summer Checklist also except we did it over the stove, so I don't think this counts), watched movies and played games. It was a perfect mini vacation. I can't wait to do it again! 

Photos: 1

Insta-Sam

{Cool photograph of me & Pat lounging by the pool.}

This past weekend was mine & Pat's two year anniversary, so we headed out to the Hamptons after our original plans got cancelled. We decided to stay for two days to relax and have fun. We had such a great time doing such simple things like playing board games and eating outside in town. It was very us and ended up being the most amazing anniversary ever. Here's a few Instagram photos from our weekend...

{Pat having a glass of Chardonnay during dinner at Barristers in Southampton.}

{My incredibly delicious burger from Barristers. Seriously, it might have been the best cheeseburger I've ever had, and that says a lot coming from me.}

{It was so hard to pick which two flavors of gelato we wanted from Sant Ambroeus.} 

{Our cups of gelato! I ended up getting vanilla and chocolate chip, and Pat got strawberry and banana.} 

Chicken Parmesan Grilled Cheese

I have to say that I make a mean Chicken Parmesan. So when I came across this recipe I was super excited to give it a whirl. Instead of using her recipe for tomato sauce, I used my own, which I'll include below, but you can use whichever you prefer. I think making this a melt turns it into the perfect meal for lunch.

My Tomato Sauce:

2 (28 oz) cans peeled plum shaped tomatos in tomato juice (I use Tuttorosso)

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste (I use Cento)

1/2 onion finely chopped

5 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 handfuls of salt

1 handful parmesan cheese

1 handful fresh basil

5-6 cups of water

Directions:

Brown onions and garlic in a pan with olive oil. Pour into a pot over low-medium heat.  Liquify the peeled plum shaped tomatoes in a blender then pour in pot with onions and garlic. Add cans of tomato paste to sauce and stir until well mixed. Add water. Mix well. Add dry ingredients (salt, parmesan cheese, basil) and stir. Leave on the stove for about a half hour at medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to low heat and cook for 2-3 hours. I like to leave it on for as long as possible because the longer it cooks the better it tastes! (This recipe makes more than enough for chicken parmesan so you can save this and use it for pasta and other dishes!) 

*The rest of this recipe is found on E is for Eat and makes 1 Chicken Parmesan Grilled Cheese

Friday Favorites

Favorite Jeans
{The High Water from Joe's Jeans}

Favorite Tea Towel
{Proud to Lick Cake Bowls from Howkapow}

Favorite Crossbody Bag
{The Tillary Purse in Neon Coral from J.Crew}

Favorite Recipe
{Pizza Quesadillas from Snixy Kitchen}

Favorite Flowers
{Pink Peonies}