When it comes to the destination wedding of a good friend, you simply go with the flow and hope for the best. Such was the case with a destination wedding in Atlantic Beach, Florida. That was, until I saw where the wedding was being hosted: One Ocean Resort & Spa. I’ll confess – I’m not a huge beach person, but in scrolling through the website and TripAdvisor reviews, I started to get pretty excited. With a great gym, spa and plenty of local shops and restaurants within walking distance, I hoped this could be a nice mini getaway.
FOOD
As the famous Ferris Bueller’s Day Off movie quote goes, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Despite always being on the go, I think I did a pretty good job carving out time for amazing food, time with friends, plus other adventures and experiences in 2012. From playing tourist in my hometown, to channeling my inner Martha Stewart, to personal and professional travels, here are 12 photos which celebrate 2012 and a little background behind them.
After whirlwind trips to Paris and London, I came home to properly celebrate my 30th birthday. A 30th birthday comes but once in a lifetime and I couldn’t have been happier to celebrate with friends and family. And, in the true spirit of such an occasion, the celebrating actually started over Thanksgiving and continued on until December 17, my actual birthday. From champagne, to cake, s’mores, thoughtful presents and cards, I’m grateful for all of the amazing people I have in my life. Here are a few snapshots from the occasion.
While I’ve been known to whip up delicious homemade soup from scratch, time doesn’t always permit such fabulousness. So, when I’m short on time and a craving strikes for warm, hearty soup, I turn to a favorite boxed or canned variety and add a few simple ingredients to tailor it more to my tastes. My favorite trick? Taking butternut squash soup or sweet potato soup and thickening it with a few spoonfuls of 100% canned pumpkin. Then, I toss in a little cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. The end result is a rich, hearty soup that tastes almost homemade! Try this with Annie’s Reduced Sodium Butternut Squash Soup, or Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Bisque and let me know what you think!
For more of my recipes, click here.


