Peace Love Wanderlust: April 2013

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Margaret's Bridal Shower!

Margaret and Jon's Beautiful Bridal Shower took place at Giovanni's Ristorante in Detroit last Sunday! "A sunny future begins with a shower.." It was beautiful and everything turned out so nice!

The floral arrangements my mom and I put together! Tulips, green hydrangeas, thistle, and purple limonium with raffia bow!

Beautiful purple linens!

The place cards! Put together around the napkin with a bundle of lavender, burlap, ribbon, and my mom's Calligraphy! :)

The amazing personalized gift bags for all the guest! Including a monogrammed towel, homemade vanilla extract, and homemade lavender and tea soaps!

The beautiful bride to be, my cuzzie Margo! I'm so excited for her! The wedding is only 1 month away from today!

Mother-daughter moment! :)

Us and the beautiful women that always stand beside us! Our moms!

Gift table!

Polish tradition! It's good luck for the bride to sit on white!

The happy couple! They look so cute in pink!

The food! I got the Orlindo's Special with was scallops, shrimp, and artichokes, in a red pesto over linguine It was delicious! Other options available where the Angel Hair Alfredo (Margo's favorite) and the Spinach Gnocchi in a palomino sauce (Jon's favorite), Veal Marsala, and Chicken in a white wine lemon butter sauce!

The deserts! Yes! Every person got all 3! Strawberry Cheesecake, Tiramisu, and Dark Chocolate and raspberry torte! All amazing!

The girls!

Gentlemen's club! we kept the guys in another room if they wanted to come and eat! :)

PEACE & LOVE,
Amanda

Monday, April 8, 2013

Opening Day in The D!

So it has been kind of a tradition for like the last 4 years now to celebrate opening day down in the D! Opening Day was last Friday the 5th! We never go to the game just dress up in our Orange and Blue and enjoy the atmosphere in Detroit and bar scene! The city and bars are packed more than any other holiday in Detroit and its tons of fun!

Beautiful picture Heather took from her apartment in the Broderick Tower the morning of opening day!

Met up with Heather at her work before we went to the bars. She works at Blue Cross Blue Shield in one of the towers of the Ren Cen! View of the Detroit River and Windsor from her desk!

Heather and I! So glad to be home to play with my best friend! :)

Ran into Erin at The Old Shillelagh in Detroit! So nice to see her! It's her Birthday today!! Happy Birthday Erin!

Heather, Katie, Kat, Courtney, and I in our Blue and Orange!

Kat took this picture! Chuck LOVES!

Heather and I at Exodus! Dance party!

Last year Kevin and I on Opening Day.. Miss him so much :(
He's coming home this week!!

PEACE & LOVE,
Amanda

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Detroit Almond Boneless Chicken!

I wouldn't say this is the most healthy option! But it is soo good! and must be healthier when you make it yourself! ;) Kevin's favorite thing to get at a Chinese restaurant back in the Metro Detroit area is Almond Boneless Chicken! It's funny that I found this is a Detroit recipe when researching it on the internet! In other parts of the world they will have Almond Chicken on the recipe not Almond Boneless Chicken. Almond Chicken is just a stir fry of veggies, chicken breast,and actual almonds! We ordered it at the Chinese restaurant in Slovenia and it was actually really good! But I'm here to give you the recipe for Detroit's own deep fried Almond Boneless Chicken! Kevin didn't think we could do it but we did!

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breast
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Dry Sherry

Sauce
4 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Water
3 Cups Chicken Broth
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Mushroom
2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
1/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Batter
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Water

Vegetable Oil for frying
Almonds on top

Directions:
1. Butterfly chicken, cover each side with salt and place in Dry Sherry for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare sauce in a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in cornstarch to make a roux.
2. Gradually stir in water and chicken broth.
3. Then stir in mushrooms, soy sauce, almond extract, and bouillon cube.
4. Prepare batter: beat together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, egg, and water.
5. Coat each piece of chicken with batter.
6. Pour vegetable oil into a large skillet or wok to the depth of 1/2 inch; heat to 375 degrees.
7. Cook coated chicken pieces on each side, flipping once until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
8. Cut chicken into strips.
9. Place chicken on a bed of lettuce, with the sauce, and chopped almonds on top.

PEACE & LOVE,
Kevin & Amanda

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Tivoli Park, Ljubljana!

Not done just yet with my Slovenian posts! Before I left Ljubljana I had a few nice days to run in the park. Tivoli Park is the largest park in Ljubljana. It is located on the northern outskirts of the Center district, stretching to the Šiška district to the north, the Vič district to the south, and the Rožnik district to the west. Several notable buildings and art works stand in the park. Including the Tivoli Castle, The Cekin Mansion, and The Tivoli Hall- where Kevin's hockey games are. So we spent a lot of time in this park. My gym was also located in the park as well. Since 1984, the park is protected as part of the Tivoli–Rožnik Hill–Šiška Hill Landscape Park. It is home to a variety of bird species. There are also lots of sculptures and hiking trails! Pretty pics of the park..

Slovenian Word of the Day:
Konj meaning Horse

PEACE & LOVE,
Kevin & Amanda

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Home Sweet Home!

Ciao All! I have been home 1 1/2 weeks now! It has been a very busy time catching up with family and friend, so haven't had much time to write! Missing my other half soo much! He should be home next week! Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter with their loved ones! Things I have been up to since I have been home....

My last view of the mountains in Italy! Oh I miss the mountains!

Yay! Good to be home! Landed in Detroit at 12 AM Friday the 22nd of March!

My mom took me to this cute little bakery she found! She though it would remind me of the cute bakeries I have visited in Europe! :) Love & Buttercream! Adorable and Delicious!

We enjoyed some Vanilla Bean, Coconut, and Vernors Macarons! I <3 Macarons!

Love the Chalkboard!

One of my favorite Markets, Papa Joes, located in Birmingham! I cooked my parents salmon and vegetables for dinner!

I'm a Fruit and Veggie Lover! Try to eat as many fresh ingredients possible in every meal I make! Living in Europe and cooking almost all of our meals on our own has made me and Kevin a bit more health conscious!

Driving in America again for the first time in 7 months was a little crazy! The steering wheel just seems so huge! It's crazy how much smaller and compact everything is over in Europe and you don't even think twice about it! America is over-sized! It was nice to be able to turn right on red again!

My Cousin turned 30 and we went out to celebrate at Cliff Bells in downtown Detroit! I love this Art Deco styled Jazz club! Great ambiance, although was a little dark inside for dinner, and the food is amazing! Tried frog legs for the first time and surprisingly they were really good!

The next building to be torn down in Detroit and redone!

My adorable nephew! So happy to see this little guy!

"Hi Alexander I am the girl from the computer!"

Happy Boy!

He loves when daddy tosses him around! Holding a bottle in his left hand! I think he's going to be a lefty!

Desert tasting at Giovanni's in Detroit! Delicious! The shower will be there this Sunday and it's going to be beautiful! Pictures soon! Been doing a lot of Shower and Bachelor/Bachelorette party planning for my cousin, Margo, since I have been home! It's so much fun!

Good Morning Detroit! Stay the night at Heather's new apartment in the newly renovated Broderick Tower located right new to Comerica Park and Ford Field! Beautiful space and view!