I BAKED COOKIES!!!

It's okay to be excited about this event because it's done and over with and I didn't burn down the house.  Or myself.  I even took pictures because I knew that no one would believe me!

The cookies were for student worker appreciation lunch at our office.  Tony and I (yes, he helped - no one would leave me in a kitchen unsupervised) baked dozen chocolate chip and pecan cookies and they were divine.  I've also learned that my husband uses an insane amount of chocolate chips in his cookie recipe.  As in two entire bags for 4 dozen cookies!  I should also mention that the cookies were the first thing to run out and were all gone within 25 minutes.

The Fountain on Locust

The Fountain on Locust has been voted the Best Ice Cream Parlor and Best Neighborhood Restaurant.  It is also thought to be the most photographed restaurant in St. Louis.   We knew that it was close, but never realized that it was only two or three blocks from my office.  I absolutely loved everything about it!  The menu was a little different, but the food was divine.  They claim to not serve anything that comes in a tub or a can. 

I had the dill pickle soup!  It's a potato based soup with crushed dill pickles and it was delicious!

Since they are best known for their desserts, we would be remiss if we had left without trying one... or two.  I had the chocolate brown cake in a cup.  The brownie was just okay, but the ice cream was yummy.  The ice cream actually comes from a dairy in Wisconsin that is the only dairy that actually ages their ice cream.  And the dried orange slice on top?  Possibly my favorite part.  I'm going to buy a whole bag of them the next time that we go!

Watch the Food Network? Travel Channel?

If so, you may have seen this restaurant featured on either show.  The BBQ was delicious, but Tony could've done without the actual barley side dish!

George and Reba

For Valentine's Day, Tony "surprised" me with tickets to see Reba McEntire and George Strait at the Scottrade Center.  LeeAnn Womack was the opening act, but I'm not a big fan of hers.  My absolute favorite performance of the night was Reba doing Fancy.  It was incredible!!!  George was the headlining act, but Reba definitely stole the show. 

We did also learn that I'm allergic to the Scottrade Center.  Within a half hour of arriving, I was sneezing like crazy with tears and the whole bit.  It was lovely.  All in all, it was definitely worth it!

Fancy was Reba's last performance of the night.  She left the stage and returned in a yellow cab and wearing a red dress.  Fitting, isn't it?

Celebrating Mardi Gras in St. Louis

Tony and I had a great Mardi Gas here in St. Louis.  Our neighborhood is only a few blocks off of the official parade route, so traffic and parking were a bit of a nightmare!  However, our neighborhood has a great tradition.  They all get together to eat breakfast together and then walk down to watch the parade and then head back to have lunch together.  We knew that it was going to be a good Mardi Gras party when we realized that they were serving hurricanes and 8 a.m. 

Sugar is showing off his Mardi Gras collar.  It even jingles when he walks!

Christmas at the Cupples House

This is just a tad late, but I wanted to post these.  In early December, we visited the Cupples House which is on SLU's campus for their annual Rooms in Bloom weekend.  Cupples House is one of the only castles in America and it sits in the heart of the Saint Louis University campus.  SLU bought it a few years after Samuel Cupples passed away.  The Victorian Mansion was completed in 1890 for $500,000 which would be roughly $15 million in today's currency.  There are a total of 42 rooms and 22 fireplaces in the home.

Sugar and his Valentine's Day Harem

Sugar had several dates for Valentine's Day this year.  He's such a player.  The frog and duck were from Grandma and Grandpa.  The octopus was from us!