the Weekender

Are you guys up to anything fun this weekend?  Any Valentine’s Day plans or Galentine’s Day plans?  We’ve got a pretty low key weekend planned, just a mix of good food and some family time.

My hubby’s parents (and cute doggie) are in town visiting, so we’ve planned a few fun things to do with them.  Tonight we’re heading over to give the highly popular Juniper & Ivy a try.  I met a friend there for drinks last week and was really impressed by the atmosphere, so I’m excited to try the food.  The hubs and I were also big Top Chef fans, so we’re geeking out a little to eat at Richard Blais’ restaurant.

Most of our plans on Saturday (aside from my Italian class) will just be doing a bunch of food prep for Valentine’s Day.  The hubs and I have made a tradition out of staying in on Valentine’s Day and cooking together – for us it is so much more fun to open a nice bottle of wine and avoid the crowds.  And this year the in-laws will be joining us, which will be a lot of fun.

I’m super excited to be whipping up something new and special this year – Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.  We’ve been eyeing this recipe up for soooo long, I am literally counting down the hours until the first bite.

Aside from all of our food plans (can you tell I married into an Italian family and came from a big food-loving family?!?), we’re hoping to sneak in some pool time and outside time while the weather is still so nice.  Oh, and hey, I almost forgot, it’s a long weekend!  Any shopping plans to try and snag some big deals?  We’ll probably stop by the mall for a quick browse on Monday before celebrating a friend’s birthday that night.  Make sure to follow me on Instagram and keep up with all of the fun!

Hope that you all have a great weekend and a Happy Valentine’s Day!