Sharing is Caring!

I have an envelope FULL of coupons waiting for YOU!!!! You have to follow, my blog and share one recipe, or comment to qualify!! Coupons go to my "Seventh" follower!! I love feedback and sharing so this should be fun!!! :) Bring friends!!!
XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Tyson Lately!

Tyson with his siblings and mommy!

Baby Tyson and his favorite toy!

Tyson looking adorable!

Tyson is 1 year old!

Tyson after surgery!

Tyson on the bridge leading to the dog park!

Tyson loves his toys!

Digging his toy!

One of my favorites from earlier this month!

Bathtime doggie!

XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Meridian Restaurant

  My very thoughtful husband made dinner reservations at Meridian located in beautiful downtown Winston Salem  Sunday and it was scrumptious to say the least! The view of the city was amazing and the atmosphere was warm and inviting! We started off the evening with drinks, Nate got a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and I got a Stinky Filthy Martini.My first Martini and it was AWESOME! Stinky, because it was served with blue cheese stuffed olives, which were hand stuffed with a very creamy,very pungent Roquefort blue cheese (YES, I asked for extra olives once I tasted them)! I love Roquefort blue cheese and I love olives, I know you they are sold in stores, but when you buy them from a store, the cheese in the middle soaks up the olive juice and it loses its flavor! Filthy, because they put olive juice in it since the salt from the juice knocks the edge off of the strong vodka taste; I asked for extra filth and it was perfect!


  We started our dining experience with a couple of appetizers that immediately caught our eye! The first was Pan Seared Foie Gras with grilled candy onion, brandied pear, balsamic reduction & Verjus gastrique. For those who don't know, Foie Gras is  goose or duck liver. The name actually means “fatty liver” in French.  This is something we've wanted to try for awhile but have not had the opportunity because we've never seen it on the menu, so opportunity knocked and we answered!

Pan Seared Foie Gras with grilled candy onion, brandied pear, balsamic reduction & Verjus gastrique   

  I was impressed with the deliciousness of the candied onion and the brandied pear was cooked perfectly retaining it's moisture and flavor, the foie gras on the other hand, was not impressive at all. The foie gras had very little flavor and wasn't at all what I expected, especially after hearing all the hype about it on the food channels; we were a little let down, but at least we can say we tried it!
  The second appetizer was absolutely amazing! We chose the Fried NC Oysters with creamed spinach, applewood bacon & lemon hollandaise!

Fried NC Oysters with creamed spinach, applewood bacon & lemon hollandaise

  We are both huge oyster fans so of course we had to try this unique preparation of them! The oysters were fresh out of the shell, lightly breaded and fried to perfection.The bacon had a nice smokey flavor and the spinach tasted as though it was freshly picked that afternoon, the lemon hollandaise tied it all together adding a creaminess and acidity that you need when eating oysters.With all those ingredients packed into one bite..how could it be any less than perfect? 

  We never get the same thing when we dine out because we love to try a bit of this and a bit of that, so we picked our two favorite entrees and it was a delightful choice! Nate got the Seared Sea Scallop Risotto with Chanterelle mushrooms, spinach, local cherry tomatoes & Parmigiano and I got the Grilled 14 oz. Ribeye with sweet potato hash, Prosciutto wrapped asparagus & Gorgonzola butter. 

Seared Sea Scallop Risotto with Chanterelle mushrooms, spinach, local cherry tomatoes & Parmigiano

  This dish was much tastier than I expected!! The rissoto was nice and creamy, the Chanterelle mushrooms were crisp on the outside but hearty and earthy on the inside adding a bit of crisp to each bite of the creamy rissoto. Just before serving this yummy dish, they threw raw cherry tomatoes into the mix adding a bit more freshness and texture. The scallops that topped this rissoto were the absolute BEST I've ever experienced! They were so large you had to cut them in two, sometimes three and tasted like they were plucked right out of the ocean, seared to perfection and placed  right on our plate! 

Grilled 14 oz. Ribeye with sweet potato hash, Prosciutto wrapped asparagus & Gorgonzola butter 

  My dish was amazing too. My first bite was of the spinach and boy, not to sound redundant, but it was the best cooked spinach I've ever had! It tasted like it was fresh out of the garden and infused with garlic. The sweet potato hash and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus were cooked to just the right consistency and since the steak, with its creamy Gorgonzola butter topping, was strategically placed atop the sides, the juices flowed into them adding even more wonderful flavors! My steak was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, I loved the Gorgonzola butter, I suggest asking for a bit extra just to get the taste in every bite!

We will be heading back to this corner of the city again soon since its a mere ten minutes away!

                                       


XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Ruths Chris

I must say, when it comes to steak, Ruth's Chris served up the absolute BEST steak I've ever eaten! All of their steaks are served on a 500 degree plate in  sizzling butter and they serve only the the top 2 percent of all beef in America! They were a bit pricey, but a must try FOR SURE!  Take a look at the deliciousness! 


                   

                       Nate got the Cowboy Ribeye with Au Poivre (a pepper corn and brandy sauce)

                     

                             I got the Petite Filet topped with a Gorgonzola crust and shrimp!

      We chose to share sides, and I'm glad we did because they were pretty large sides and well, we barely touched them due to the awesomeness of our steaks! We got the Sweet potato Casserole, and the creamed corn, they were delicious sides, but the steak is all I can think of! 

                         The sweet potato casserole was very sweet and scrumptious with its pecan topping!

                 This corn was fresh and crisp with a creamy buttery flavor that was to die for!


If you like a good steak, I suggest you give this a try! I like the "a la carte" style; I get to choose my favorite sides with my favorite steak instead of bland rice or a baked potato that someone else paired up! 








XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Good True Crime Read!

 I'm typically an Ann Rule fan when it comes to true crimes, but I've been venturing out lately and I must say, I'm pleased with my pickings!! It's always great to find a new author who writes amazing pieces only to discover they have written several other books just waiting to be read! Kathryn Casey is one of my newest discoveries; she's an amazing author. I've read three of her books thus far and have been VERY pleased with her work!

A Warrant To Kill by Kathryn Casey is a MUST read, it gave me nightmares, which doesn't happen often, and true crime is all I read! In this book, Kathryn tells a story of a bully cop who uses his badge for evil and in the end, he takes the life of Susan White. It's eerie to think of the control an officer of the law has over civilians, its even more eerie when it's used in a manipulative, harmful manner making one feel almost helpless.This victim cried out to several and no one listened. It's very intriguing the loopholes in the system that kept allowing a screw up like McGowen chance after chance at getting job after job as an officer with a badge. I don't want to give the ending away but it's shocking to say the least.








                                                                     










XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Silhouettes on America's Got Talent!

I just thought I'd share this breath taking performance from last nights America's Got Talent in case anyone missed it!! The Silhouettes are a group of 42 performers from 3 to 19 years old who have been trained in every style of dance along with acting and more! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G  is all I have to say!


                           Take a look at last night's performance:

                         Their Audition dance:  

                                                                                    
Amazing is an understatement! What training, what coordination,  what a performance! Thanks Rocky Mountain Silhouettes for the enjoyable performance that left my husband and I with goose bumps and extremely proud to be American!!! 


Check out their homepage: The Rocky Mountain Silhouettes!

XoXo ~Lisa Marie

Casey Anthony Case CLOSED!

 Yesterday Casey Anthony was acquitted of the charges of  killing her daughter Caylee Anthony, back in 2008.

Juror # 1 is a white woman in her 60’s, values life and is for the death penalty.

Juror # 2 an African American male in his mid 30’s opposed to the death penalty with very little prior knowledge of the case.

Juror #3 is a white female who lives with her mother, and aspiring to be an RN.

Juror# 4 African American female approximately 40 years old doesn’t watch the news and has no opinion on the death penalty.

Juror# 5 is a white female mid 60’s, 11^th grade education and history of drug and alcohol abuse in her family.

Juror # 6 is a 32-year-old college graduate who’s traveled a lot in his career.

Juror # 7 is a white female age 41 with 3 years of college with a major in sociology and a mother who is a lawyer.

 Juror # 8 is a white female in her 50’s, a former manager for Verizon with a moderate opinion of the death penalty.

Juror #9 is a white man, age 53 single, and leans more towards pro death penalty.

Juror #10 is a white man age 57, also works for Verizon with very little prior knowledge of the case.

Juror # 11 is a white male, mid 30’s, a teacher and said it would be hard for him to vote for death, he considers himself to be a fair man.

Juror # 12 is a white female in her 30’s who is strongly in favor of the death penalty; she worked at a daycare and thinks that first-degree murder of a child should end in the death penalty.

As you can see, the jurors came from all walks of life, different ages, different backgrounds, and different careers; in fact, 6 of the 12 jurors have children of their own!! I thought I would put forth a little background of each juror to pacify those criticizing the jury for their decision.

The fact is, jurors had Casey’s fate in the palm of their hands, they were not exposed to anything except the facts presented to them in the court of law. There was no Nancy Grace, no outside media interference at all, just cold hard facts and evidence all circumstantial. How can anyone doubt these people, when you are on the outside looking in? Sure the trial was televised, but we also had Nancy Grace screaming kill her in the background, read books and gossiped about it for months not to mention buried our emotions in this case.  The jurors are to look at evidence presented to them in the court of law, not their emotions for a verdict. Perhaps they should have chosen a lesser sentence at first, maybe extreme child abuse since she did wait over a month to report her daughter missing, or went on evidence they did have before jumping in and running for the death penalty without physical proof, but the jurors can’t choose her charges, just give a verdict. ANYTHING could have happened with all the lies being told, I’ve heard several different scenarios that make complete sense. What if someone else was involved or she just knew about it? Some of the circumstantial evidence simply doesn’t add up, and fact is guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to charge someone in order for JUSTICE to be served. 

                                           

             For the record, I am angered that she got off so easily. I think this young lady did it or had something to do with her child’s murder, that even if she didn’t do it she should be in prison for a VERY long time, and counseling for her actions. She went out and PARTIED after her child was found. :/  I personally think Casey’s father George Anthony was involved.  First off, he tried committing suicide, then, Caylee’s body was found beneath a heavy white board, which, as the defense pointed out, would have taken a full-grown man to lift, almost impossible for a 110 lb. Woman. On top of that, original pictures of the crime scene did not reveal the white board. It turned up after Casey Anthony was already in jail. Who knows with all of the lies?  I’m sorry for speculating, but that’s all anyone on the outside can do!!!

It kills me to see children tossed out like a piece of trash, instead of treated like the precious treasures they are; especially when other women and I cannot conceive. Caylee could have found the cure for cancer, could have become president; the possibilities are absolutely endless!!

Rest in Peace miss Caylee Anthony, may you fly with the angels and know that in the end, justice WILL be served.