Tasty Thursdays :: Modern Steak

I know it's Thanksgiving and I should be writing an article about turkey, pumpkin pie or stuffing, but I have to rant and rave about Sam Fox's new restaurant, Modern Steak. This amazingly decorated steak house is located in the new Barney's wing of Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall and it is in line with all of Sam Fox's successes.


The moment you walk in, you are greeted by several hostesses all wearing the same adorable dress (I may ask for a job, just to get one). To your right is a small, but efficient bar with one bartender in particular who makes a killer appletini. I am once again in love with the attire the staff is wearing as the cocktail waitresses are adorn in navy short jumpers with a pink or purple satin waist belt. So cute! I would really appreciate it if someone could please send me one. Thanks!

On to the food, we sat down and were greeted by a very professional waiter who again was dressed to the nines, but kept it real with chuck taylors. We started dinner off with the Crispy Shrimp served with a Sweet Chili Aoili. Delicious... The special that night was a wild mushroom miso soup that almost everyone at the table ordered. I myself went for the Caeser salad which was perfect. My friend Mary had the lobster chowder which also looked amazing.

Now for the main course! I had a very hard time deciding what to eat as the entire menu sounded delicious. I ended up with the Maple Bacon Glazed Salmon and Amy & I split a side of their macaroni and cheese. This was the perfect combination because as I scooped mac & cheese onto my plate chunks of bacon from my salmon just happened to mingle with it, creating a magical flavor. My dish came with two filets of salmon on it, of which one was a tad bit under cooked, but I was so full by that time it didn't make a bit of difference. I notified the bus boy just for their own information and he promptly sent our waiter over who took my meal off the bill, no questions asked. I was definitely not looking for a free meal, but it was amazing customer service which I adore. The other people I was enjoying dinner with ordered everything from steak to lobster and crab. Everyone seemed very happy with their selections.

I am very grateful to the Black family for allowing me to join in their celebration that night. I will definitely visit Modern Steak again soon. Did I mention Mary Black got to meet Sam Fox? All-in-all the restaurant was beautiful, the service was fantastic and the food was amazing. Can't wait to go back! Thank you Sam Fox for feeding me well.

Things I love :: Ike Ndolo's New Album

If you know me, you know that I love Christian music. On a daily basis, I listen to K-love and KTAR, I know I'm a dork. Lucky for me, I have a number of friends who are in Christian bands. I am so excited to share my friend Ike Ndolo's new album with you all. It is truly amazing and I can't say enough good things about it.

The album titled, "We are the Beggars", debuted at #5 on the Christian album list. I am so proud of the band and can't wait until they are on the radio, which I'm sure will happen soon. Click here to sample 12 of 14 songs from "We are the Beggars" and feel free to download it off itunes. And if you want a live sampling, join us tonight, from 7-10pm at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church in Tempe, for the CD release party. I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.

Tasty Thursdays :: Liberty Market

From the creators of Joe's Real BBQ comes Liberty Market! This amazingly quaint little market is full of delicious treats, from brick oven pizzas to hearty sandwiches and paninis to caprese pasta salad and a fantastic coffee bar. I've only been here twice, but each time I find a new reason to love it.

On both occasions I indulged in the Italia panini with a side of the Caprese Pasta Salad. They are delicious and a perfect compliment to each other. Every time I go, I stare and begin to drool at the three-layer red velvet cake that sits behind the glass and every time I thankfully convince myself that if I ate that much red velvet, I may very well pass out.

Needless to say, you need to venture out to downtown Gilbert to give Liberty Market a try. It's pretty much my new favorite spot. Hats off to you Chef David!

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Opitz

Photo Courtesy of Man in the Moon Studios

Congratulations to my dear friend Megan for marrying the man of her dreams. Bradley is such a wonderful guy and I couldn't be happier for the both of them. Their wedding was beautiful, so I though I would share some pictures of their big day.

Photo Courtesy of Man in the Moon Studios

We had so much fun, the ceremony at Brophy Chapel was just gorgeous. From there, we had some time in between the ceremony and the reception so we headed down light rail to Seamus McCaffrey's Pub just off Central Ave. I have decided that all weddings need to incorporate this little extra play time. After we had a few Irish Car Bombs and a Guiness we headed to the beautiful Heard Museum. The cocktail hour was delicious, the dinner was phenomenal, the cake and mini-milk cartons were awesome and we had so much fun dancing the night away to the live band.

Photo Courtesy of Man in the Moon Studios

Thank you Megan and Bradley for allowing us to share in your special day! You are going to have such a wonderful life together. Now all I have to do is figure out when I'm coming to Georgia! :0)

Tasty Thursdays :: BBQ Chicken

I saw this recipe on Home Made Simple and it looked delicious so I took a stab at it and it WAS delicious! This sauce is great with other meats too and makes a great dipping sauce. So here it goes.

Tip: I put the chicken in the oven first and then started to make the sauce for timing sake. Also, you can make this with boneless skinless chicken breasts or bone-in chicken pieces. Directions are the same for both. For two of us, I halfed the sauce recipe and did three chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.) Enjoy!

P.S. This one's for you Dani!


BROWN SUGAR BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
1 32-oz. bottle of ketchup
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke (mesquite or hickory)
1 bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Spoon generously over Perfectly Baked Chicken and serve.

PERFECTLY BAKED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
6 lbs. chicken, cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Rub each piece of chicken generously with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken pieces in a 9”x 9” (or larger) baking dish and place in oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until skin is golden brown and meat is cooked through.
3. Remove baking dish from the oven and coat generously with Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then serve.

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Wicked

So my wonderful husband took me to San Francisco for our one year anniversary. Part of the plan was a night out to see, my favorite musical, Wicked. It was my second time seeing the show, but Chris' first. We had front row seats. It was amazing. To top it off, one of my old choreographers was in the show. It was so great to see him up on that big stage. After the show I begged Chris to hang out by the Stage Door with me to see if we could catch Alex (my choreographer). Unfortunately after about a half an hour we figured out that he had snuck out fast! Fortunately, as we decided to leave, Vicki Noon came walking out and I got a quick picture with her. She played the role of Elphaba and was absolutely amazing! Her voice was phenomenal! So here is my Wicked picture. :0)

Chicken Garcia

One of my favorite types of foods is casseroles...all of them. If it has some sort of creamy soup as an ingredient and involves layers and baking, count me in. That being said, this recipe is one of my favorites. Just a warning, like most casseroles, it makes a TON of food and makes great leftovers.

Chicken Garcia
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4lbs chicken tenders, boil the chicken and then shred it (if chicken is frozen, be sure to thaw first) 1 lg bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 family size can cream of chicken soup

1 family size can cream of mushroom soup

1 lg jar Pace picante sauce (mild, medium or hot)

2 dozen corn tortillas

Cut the tortillas in triangles
Combine soups, picante sauce and cooked/shredded chicken
In a casserole dish cover bottom with a layer of the cream and chicken mixture, then a layer of cheese, then a layer of tortillas, repeat all layers until everything is gone, then cover entire mixture with cheese
Cover with tinfoil and bake 30 to 40 minutes @ 375 degrees

So You Think You Can Dance

Summer is here and so is my favorite TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. I am loving every minute of it, especially when one of my long time fellow dancers, Ade, made the top 20 last night. If you don't watch the show, you should and if you watch it this season you should vote for Ade.

So here's my shout out to Ade. You are amazing and I can't wait to watch you rock that stage!

Things I love :: A Great Party & My Mom

This was a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was an unforgettable one. First, we had a fabulous block party for my Stepdad Gary. He is finally retired from serving 30 years as a Phoenix Firefighter and man did he go out with a bang! We had two live bands, some amazing food, and plenty of liquor for everyone. Without exaggerating there at any one time were 300-400 people there to celebrate. It was a fabulous party and we plan on finding an excuse to throw one every year. Here are some pictures from the party.

My cousin Katie & I pretending to be firefighters

Cousins


Gary & Friends


Mom's work friends


Chris, Kent, Jaci & I

My cousins Pat & Staci with my Aunt Jodi & second cousins Elle & Patrick

Mother's day was a blast too! We had lunch with the in-laws at McCormick & Schmick's, one word, delicious! Then Chris & I went to see Star Trek. Now I'm not much for movies like that, but I have to say it was pretty good. A girl can only take so many fight scenes and laser guns before it gets old. Then I wrapped the night up with a spaghetti dinner with my mom and family. It was a pretty nice little weekend.


I hope you all had a great weekend, especially all you mothers!

Love,

Nicki

Tasty Thursdays :: Creamy Pear, Mint & Lemon Tortellini

My amazing husband decided to make this dish for dinner last night and it was delicious. We both agree that it needed some chicken, but other than that it tasted amazing!

Creamy Pear, Mint and Lemon Tortellini
1 pound cheese-filled tortellini
2 unripe pears, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound grated Gruyere cheese, plus two tablespoons to garnish
1/4 pound Taleggio cheese
Salt and pepper
10 large mint leaves, chiffonaded (cut into thin strips)
1 lemon's worth of grated zest

Set a large pot of salted water to boil and follow directions on the tortellini package to cook. Meanwhile, In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté pears until they begin to soften about two to three minutes. Add cream and cheeses to pears and cook, stirring often until sauce begins to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain pasta, toss with olive oil to keep from sticking and add to pan. Toss to coat. Turn off heat and add mint and zest, tossing to distribute evenly.

Distribute evenly on plates and garnish with remaining cheese.

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Prom

Wow was this weekend full of adventure! With an event for work, Easter, and Kaitlyn's senior prom, our weekend was busy, busy, busy! I have so many pictures from this weekend's series of events, but I thought I would share with you how beautiful my sister-in-law looked as she headed off to her last high school dance. Kaitlyn...you looked amazing!

Tasty Thursdays :: Panko Chicken

So per usual I was struggling to figure out what to make for dinner so I browsed around one of my favorite websites, www.foodnetwork.com, when I came across this recipe for Panko Chicken with a tomato wasabi sauce. I was skeptical at first, but I gave it a try anyway. Just to let you in on some changes I made. 1. I used chicken tenders instead of breasts 2. I paird this with mashed potatoes and it was delightful. In short, it was amazing! So I thought I would share it with you and hopefully you like it as much as we did.

For chicken:

• Cooking spray
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko crumbs or unseasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

For spicy tomato sauce:

• 2 cups canned or jarred tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons wasabi paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

For the chicken:

Season both sides of chicken with salt and black pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place eggs in a separate shallow dish. Combine panko crumbs and Parmesan in a third shallow dish. Dip chicken first in flour, then in the egg and then panko crumb mixture. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking sheet and spray the surface with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven.

For the sauce:

While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce, wasabi paste, sugar, chili powder, and cumin. Set pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat

Picture Perfect :: The Body of Christ

As the season of Easter quickly approaches, I thought I would share one of my most favorite religious photographs. This picture of the Holy Eucharist is so powerful and creates an undeniable focus on the most important part of this picture, the body of Christ. Simply looking at this picture humbles my heart. I hope everyone has had an amazing Lenten season and is ready for Easter!


P.S. If you are looking for an online mini bible study, check out www.adoreworship.com and click on the Lenten Journey.

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Baby Steps

I am absolutely in love with this picture! It happens to be taken by a friend and colleague of mine, Carlos. This is his new baby Gabriel's tiny little foot and it is adorable. It looks like he's giving us a big thumbs up. Thanks, Carlos, for sharing this amazing picture of Gabriel with us.

Things I love :: My Wedding Film

As most of you know, because you were there, I recently got married. We were so lucky to have been able to work with the wonderful crew over at My Wedding Film and Darby Elizabeth Photography. We just received our film and thanks to the amazing people at MWF and DEP, I am able share it with you. I hope you love it just as much as I do. To view it in full screen, just click on the little black box on the bottom right hand side of the movie screen.

Picture Perfect :: Mimmo + Naz

I came across this AMAZING video on one of my favorite wedding blogs, Style Me Pretty. As I patiently await my own video, I have fallen into the habit of watching everyone elses. I absolutely love this video below. It was shot by Mimmo + Naz and is done in Super 8 film. It is truly a classic.

Bring out the tissues ladies!



mimmo+naz | Super 8mm Film from mimmo+naz on Vimeo.

Things I love :: Naughty Monkey Shoes

So I have been on the fence about this brand of shoes, until I really started doing some research. Now that that is done, I love them! Take a look at some of my favorite shoes from Naughty Monkey. They are available at a number of different retailers, but I find that Buckle seems to have a great selection.

Meet my Faves :: Kristine

Full Name: Kristine Lucht

Location: Good old Gilbert, AZ

Occupation: Student at ASU and Patient Intake at Banner Hospital

Alma Mater: Soon to be ASU

Starbucks order: Grande non-fat White Mocha!

How we met: Long, long time ago in dance. We rocked Elite Dance Force together!

Describe your perfect Sunday: A cloudy day in bed watching a movie! OR…. A sunny day at the lake. It can go either way!

Picture Perfect:: Best Friend

I love how this picture captures the personality of this cute little guy. He is clearly "part" of the family. Hollye Schumacher is the mastermind behind this amazing photo. I love her work. Check it out here.

Things I love :: Valentine's Day Weekend

From the All-Star game to Valentine's Day this weekend was chock full o' fun. Let's start with Friday when my wonderful husband sent me 1 1/2 dozen red roses to work. They were beautiful! That night we took an adventure down to 20th St. & Indian School where we (Chris, Eric, Andrew, Mark & I) waited for the Nogales Hot Dog van to arrive. We then proceeded to indulge in a bacon wrapped hot dog topped with pinto beans tomato and onion and your favorite salsas. It was very good, but my arteries were very mad at me.


Saturday morning I woke my husband up while it was still dark out so that we could sneak up to the roof of our building and watch the sunrise together. God is amazing. Chris was very happy when he found out that I had purchased his favorite pancake mix (Wildflower Bread Co.) and was going to make him heart shaped pancakes with bacon and coffee. It was a fun morning. Later that night my husband took me to dinner at City Hall. It was so delicious. I felt loved. To end the night we swung by Boris Diaw's house for a get together. Pretty much the most amazing house I have ever seen in my life.

The icing on the cake this weekend was my new friend Allison and her wonderful boyfriend Craig got engaged! So here's my shout out to Allison and Craig! Congratulations guys, you are going to be very happy! All-in-all it was a pretty nice little weekend. Did I mention I don't have to work on Monday either? Yup. Great weekend. Hope yours was just as fun.

Meet my Faves :: Amy

Please welcome, my dear friend and Maid of Honor, Amy Black as this week's Meet My Faves. Amy and I have been friends for about 7 years now and I don't know what I would do without her. I think our greatest memories come from opening Jimmy and Joe's Pizzeria together, the original dream team! Thanks for all the memories, love ya!

Full Name: Amy Marie Black

Location: Scottsdale, AZ

Occupation: Pizza eater

Alma Mater: Trinity Western University

Starbucks order: Easy. Summer-venti iced hazelnut americano; Winter-venti hot peppermint americano

How we met: Well I think when we worked at OB (Outback Steakhouse) and Red Fish by Kelly Taylor

If you could go to dinner with any three people dead or alive, who would it be and why?: Again, easy. Justin Timberlake, Mother Theresa, and probs Bspears

Describe your perfect Sunday: Lounging on the couch, reading magazines, taking a nap, maybe some Sex and the City. Yeah, that's pretty much my life.

Tasty Thursdays :: Carolina's

If you haven't been to Carolina's Mexican food you don't know what you are missing. If you like Mexican food this is a must try. Carolina's has been around for a LONG time and rightfully so since they make the best green chile north of that university down in Tucson. Be aware that Carolina's (the original store) is not quite safe looking, however, rest assured it is probably one of the safest places to eat because at any given time you can always find one or more officers dining there. So make a trip down to the hood (15th St. & Mohave) for some dang good burritos or if you're chicken you can head to Cave Creek & Cactus for the new and improved Carolina's Mexican Food.

Oh and a word to the wise, always ask for your burro double wrapped. It will cost you an extra dollar, but trust me by the end of your burro you will have lost all structural integrity. Happy eating!

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Beat Down

If you know me, you know that I am a die hard ASU fan. You may also know that my bff Amy is a die hard UofA fan. I love Amy and today's picture captures our personalities on any given game day.


This photo was taken by Largo Photography. They are awesome people and I wish I got to hang out with them more often. Definitely take some time and look through their portfolio, you will be in love!

Meet my Faves :: Kelly

Kelly & I have been friends for over 10 years! We have been through a lot and I love her! I am so happy for her and Sage to begin their new life together. Here's a little more about Kelly.

Full Name: Kelly Danielle Taylor (soon to be Shirley)
Location: Chandler, AZ since 1988

Occupation: Hairstylist

Alma Mater: Arizona State University

Starbucks order: not a big fan, they don't have diet coke. haha.

How we met: We went to high school together. First couple weeks of freshman year, one of my friends was dating someone you knew from elementary school, so I was looking for you to tell you he said "hi." The rest is history! Wow, I can't believe we've known each other for 10 years!

If you could go to dinner with any three people dead or alive, who would it be and why?:

My grandparents (all 3 of them): They are missed dearly. It would be fun to share stories of my parents, when I was little, and what things were like when they were young. Unfortunatly, they all passed away before I was interested in hearing about what their lives were like and the things they overcame.

Christ: Wow, do I need to explain why? I'd like to thank him.
Justin Timberlake: He's been my hearth throb since 96, need I say more?

Describe your perfect Sunday: Going to church, heading back to where ever the family is, eating something yummy, and just spending time with people I love all day. Nothing spectacular, but completely perfect.

Tasty Thursdays :: Sol y Sombra

If you love tapas or have never had tapas, you need to visit Sol y Sombra up at DC Ranch. This restaurant has everything just right. From the posh decor to the fabulous food and the great service we just love Sol y Sombra.

Our favorites are the Pollo Colonial ($10) and the Patatas Bravas ($7). I really think that I could live off of these two items alone. The wonderful thing about Sol y Sombra is that they continually change their menu to match the seasons, so there is always something new to try.

The music is always refreshing here especially on the weekends when they bring in a dj that spins unusual mixes of ambient and hip hop. I absolutely love it.

So the next time you're searching for something a little different head down to Sol y Sombra, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: The Natural

While surfing through some of my favorite blogs I came across one that every Sunday features one of her favorite wedding photos taken by various photographers. I love the idea of sharing photos on my blog, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. So every Tuesday you will find a new photo to find pleasure in. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Oh and if you have a favorite photo you would like me to blog about, just share!

So to get things started, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite photographers, Melissa Jill. I came across this picture on her blog and thought it so perfectly captured the theme of this past week, the Super Bowl.

I love how this little guy has perfect QB form. He's clearly a natural. I definitely recommend checking out more of Melissa Jill's work here.

Where in the World :: Rocchetta Sant'Antonio, Italy

I have always known that my family roots stem back to Italy, but I never really knew where. By doing some light reading on our family's website (yes, our family has it's own website. www.ritzclan.com) I found out that my great grandmother was from a town called Rocchetta Sant'Antonio. It looks like a beautiful place and hopefully, if I ever make it to Italy, I will be able to visit the town of Rocchetta Sant'Antonio and experience some of my family history.

Where are your family members from? I would be interested to know.