Hi friends! Sorry I didn't post yesterday, things have been extra CRAY around these here waters.

I hope y'all had lovely weekends and enjoyed your Cinco de Mayos. In honor of the holiday and my efforts to only eat at home and get beach ready, I made black beans. They are delightful. Recipe below:

I forgot to take a pic, since they were so delicious I was just anxious to eat them! Keep in mind, you need to soak the beans overnight, so plan accordingly.

MAD'S BLACK BEAN RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 bag of dry black beans

- 1 Onion, roughly chopped

-5-6 cloves of fresh garlic, roughly chopped

- 2-3 cubes of chicken or beef or veggie (lots of options!) bouillon, you can always use regular salt, but I think this adds more flava

THIS IS HOW WE DOOOO IT:

- Rinse your beans in a collander, then add them to a big bowl, add 2 TB baking soda, and cover them with water. Give them a little whiz so the baking soda mixes well

-The next day, re-rinse the beans, and add them to a pot with water (just enough water to cover) Bring it to just under a boil, and let it simmer for about 25 minnies.

-Once you can see that the beans are softening, add your garlic and onion, stir and re-cover.

-About 20 minutes later, add your seasonings of choice (chicken bouillon in my case) and stir.

-Let them simmer about 15 more minutes, or until they have reached your desired consistency.

-NOM ON THEM.

-I always top mine with a little cilantro and creme fraiche. You can sub Greek yogurt/sour cream and add queso fresco or any other cheese of preference. I went cheese-less in an effort to not cancel out the 45 minutes of Tracy Anderson turture I had endured pre-bean feast.

AND NOW:

This weekend was very relaxing. I spent the majority of it by the pool, and the rest was just breezy as can be. MainSqueeze is on a business trip, so I've been partner-in-crime-less (but there's an exciting twist coming up soon!)

Sunday morning I met up with Foodie Photo Blog for brunch at Dish Society.

Pardon the phone shadow. Standard breakfast and Nutella French toast lurking in the back

She ordered a tasty juice concoction, I went for my standard vanilla bean latte, and we sat outside in the glorious weather. I ordered a standard breakfast, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast with a delightfully light homemade strawberry compote. We decided we HAD to try the Nutella french toast, and it was #worthit. She ordered the breakfast tacos, and they got a thumbs up.

Overall, I give it a B+. Standard, good breakfast, but nothing to write long letters home about. But I'd go back. The B+ is also because I ordered my eggs scrambled with cheese and they were just plain, no seasoning or cheese! However, I'm willing to let it slide this once.

STORY TIME:

So for those who know me, you'll know that I'm a freak when it comes to spelling things correctly. Especially on printed items. So you can imagine the OCD craze that I went into when I saw this at a local sushi restaurant who shall remain nameless as the sushi and service were both highly unremarkable. But it made me laugh.

I spy......TWO GLARING SPELLING MISTAKES (and one extra for my Spanish speakers out there)

I mean..... PROOFREAD. Sigh. Rant over. I hope you found it funny though!

Happy 6 of May, happy almost hump day, happy day in general? I'll be back tomorrow with more fun thangs.

Ciao y'all. Happy almost almost almost Friday! I don't know about y'all but this has been w.i.l.d.

Also. Eating salads alone is no fun. Luckily I have many many recipe books to keep it interesting so I don't go off the deep end and end up face first in a bowl of buttery mashed potatoes.

It is officially one month on the nose from our 1/2 marathon. Yikes. Prepare to see me laid out on the pavements and running trails of H-town. Just feed me so agua (water) and tell me to get back to it.

Anywhooo. My #TBT today goes to an amazing amazing trip to Italy I took, and many amazing amazing meals. I spent the majority of my time in Firenze (Florence) but had jaunts in Roma (Rome), Cinque Terre, and Siena. All utterly breathtaking, and taste bud tantalizing.

This photo was taken before my life changed. We went to Il Paleo in Viena for the major bi-annual horse races, and it was so crowded that we decided to duck into this charming salumeria. Once inside, you are NOT allowed to take pics. However, the owner took a liking to us, and two hours later we were upstairs in his private kitchen learning to make risotto and seeing his homemade sauces and house cured prosciutto. We also drank lots and lots of vino rosso. I also learned that "Een Eetaly, a men will trade heez wife for bottle of Sassicaia". I don't know if you've had the pleasure of tasting this wine, but it's PHENOMENAL.

This phot of me stuffing my face was taken my last night. We found this charming little restaurant on the square in Santo Spirito called...Osteria Santo Spirito. I fell in love with this part of town, and you should as well. (Seasonal menu, so what I had is no longer available, but you can't really go wrong here!)

Here you have TheSizzle standard snack. Prosciutto e melone. I was there in the summer, so the cantaloupe was PHENOMENAL. And eating prosciutto in Italy? Not a bad thing.

Any given night, I was to be found in a café or outdoor patio sipping Amaro or Campari spritzers, taking in the scenery. Italy is just so alive, all the time. And you see someone wearing a super chic outfit, only to realize you're sitting in a piazza that has artwork by amazing artists that have been gone for hunnnndreds of years. Mind-blowing.

Fiocchetti: delicious pasta "purses" filled with taleggio cheese and pear served in a creamy sauce with asparagusNot fattening AT ALL. — Fiocchetti: delicious pasta "purses" filled with taleggio cheese and pear served in a creamy sauce with asparagusNot fattening AT ALL.

One of my all time faves in Firenze was 4Leoni. We went as often as possible, and it's in an adorable little piazza tucked away across the bridge. HIGHLY recommend. Plus they have sassy flowerbeds..See below. I died laughing.

4Leoni even has sassy flowerbeds, so what's not to love?

And now, beach times. We only had 2 days in Cinque Terre, and while the food was fine, the beach was my only concern. I'm a water fiend, and any chance to be near it, in it, on it, I'm there. SO there. I tried paddle boarding for the first time and loved it. It's a great place to visit and make sure you hike through the 5 villages, the views are unbelievable.

Another great spot is Acque al 2 in Firenze. Great food, incredibly helpful staff and delicious wine. I'll an in-depth Italian wine post another day. It's too close to Friday for me to get so detailed.

In the meatime, if you've gone to Italy, leave your comments below, and if not, buy that ticket!

Happy early Friday amigos.