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St. Louis Southside

October 3, 2014

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I recently picked up a bottle of Domaine de Canton and have been trying to figure out some fun ways to use it… here is one of my first attempts!

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St. Louis Southside 

  • 6 mint leaves
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • simple syrup or honey
  • 1.5 oz gin
  • 3/4 oz Domaine de Canton (ginger liqueur)
  • tonic
  1. Muddle mint, lemon juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add gin, ginger liqueur and ice to cocktail shaker and shake until well combined.
  3. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice and top with tonic water.

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Tasty

Cheesecake Factory Copycat Recipe: Boston House Salad

October 1, 2014

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I have a handful of entrees that I have ordered more times than I can count, yet still never get sick of… this salad is one of them.  Cheesecake Factory’s Boston House Salad (sub Balsamic Vinaigrette for Ranch dressing), is one of my favorites – and while I order it all of the time, I’ve never made it at home.  Luckily that changed this past weekend… here is my copycat recipe for (my version) of Cheesecake Factory’s Boston House Salad

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Boston House Salad 

  • 1 head butter leaf lettuce
  • 3 pieces applewood bacon
  • 2 hardboiled eggs
  • 1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles
  • 2 tomatoes
  • croutons (optional)
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette
    • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
    • 1 cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons sugar (I used a little less)
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
      • Pulse garlic cloves in a blender until minced, then add in remaining ingredients and blend until emulsified.
  1. Wash , dry and hand tear lettuce leaves.  Add to a bowl.
  2. Cook bacon and chop into large bite-sized pieces. Add to salad.
  3. Hard boil eggs (see tips below). Let cool and coarsely chop. Add to salad.
  4. Sprinkle with gorgonzola crumbles, croutons (if using) and drizzle with dressing. Toss to incorporate.
  5. Garnish with tomato slices.

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Tips on how to hard boil eggs:

  • Put 4-6 eggs in a pan of cold water.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Once water comes to a full, rolling boil, turn off the heat, remove from the burner and cover with a lid.
  • Let sit for 10 minutes (4-6 minutes for soft boiled).
  • Drain and cover with ice water.
  • Let sit for about a minute then crack, peel and eat.

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Looks

Transition

September 30, 2014

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By this time of year plaid button ups, pumpkin spice lattes and leather boots are in full force, but with temperatures estimated in the high 90’s this week, that is hardly the case… Despite my effort to stock a fully loaded fall wardrobe, the weather just doesn’t want to give and allow me to utilize it  (which I can’t really complain about – I’m a summer girl through and through).

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That being said, pieces like this Banana Republic dress are perfect this transition weather. You can wear it by itself (for the warmer days), layer it (for the cooler days) and it is soft enough to just be lounge wear (for the lazy days)!

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Banana Republic is having a 30% off all full priced items (this dress included!)… so be sure to check it out! Use BRTAKE30 at check out.

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Banana Republic Dress, Vince Camuto Sandals, Banana Republic Clutch, Sunglasses

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Party

Mexican Fiesta

September 29, 2014

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We celebrated my sister’s birthday a few weeks ago with a relaxed weekend pool party.  Nothing gets the party started like a little tequila… so we thought a Mexican Fiesta would be the perfect way to kick off T’s quarter century!

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We opted for a taco bar, which only required a little bit of prep work and self serve stations made it easy for everyone to eat when they wanted… here was our menu:

  • Watermelon Coconut Cooler
  • Taco Bar
    • Carne Asada, Grilled Corn Tortillas, Assorted Toppings – Shredded Cheese, Avocado, Tomatoes, Radish Slices, Cilantro, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, Pickled Jalapeños
  • Chips, Queso and Bean Dip
    • So easy – just mix a can of refried beans, some salsa, cilantro, diced onions and hot sauce to taste

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The great part of this set up is you can leave the store by 10am and be prepped and pool side by 11am.   Simple chop off the toppings, mix the cocktails, and make the bean dip and you’re good to go!  Simply cook the meat and grill the tortillas once you are ready to eat and get your fiesta on!

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To add a little fiesta flair, I picked up this piñata (which we used as table decor and an after party activity – filled with the birthday girl’s favorite candy of course!), these hilarious napkins, & this festive banner.

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Uncategorized

Slogging

September 29, 2014

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Last week was the first week where I just didn’t blog. Yes, I’ve take a few breaks over the past couple of years, but I’ve never just gone dark for no reason, and this past week I did just that – and it felt kind of amazing!

This blog started as a way to document my life as a newlywed – our adventures, new recipes I was learning, sharing advice that was so generously shared with me… and as we’ve gotten into our life routines (a few years later…) of work, fitness and LIFE the blog sometimes seems a bit more like a chore rather than something I look forward to (not always – but sometimes).

Having some slight OCD tendencies I really like routine and finishing what I’ve started. When I started blogging I thought it would be a great idea to blog 5 days a week/52 weeks a year, thus spending a lot of my weekends devoted to creating content.   I remember the first night I realized I didn’t have content for the next day and I had a bit of a freak out at the thought of ending my consistent blogging streak.  Guilt and some sleepless rest drove me to throw together an unimpressive post at 2am and alas my streak continued!  But the slippery slope of posting quantity over quantity is not my goal for this blog and something I’m trying to avoid.

Having a standard 9-5pm (or 8-7pm) job, makes running a blog (that could easily be a full time job of its own) a bit of a challenge.  I want to provide quality content (not sloppy blogging = slogging), while being a great employee, wife, sister and daughter; and sometimes something has to give… That being said, I want to publicly announce that Laundry in Louboutins won’t consistently be a M-F blog.  When the mood strikes – of course! But if I have a recipe and not an outfit, or some cleaning tips and no cocktails (ok, there will probably always be cocktails)… I am going to share what I can.

LIL is so special to me because it is my online journal.  I’m able to look back at my favorite things – trips, recipes, tips and see how I’ve grown (food choices, photography skills, the works!).  But in all honestly, it’s been so cool to be able to send a link to my coworker heading to San Diego with all of my favorite SD restaurants, or to search my site for my favorite tomato recipes.  That being said, I need to make sure that I am living my life and not making decisions because I “need to blog” (no joke that actually has come out of my mouth).

We have some big months coming up – fun weekend trips, big work schedules, holiday seasons – and I want to make sure I’m fully living my life and enjoying it, not just living my life “for the blog.”  Going dark, let me feel the love (thanks for those of you that noticed) but also let me realize, that the world isn’t going to end if I don’t follow my hobby for a few days.  That being said, thank you so much for your support, for reading and for letting me into your day time rituals… I am looking forward to creating quality posts and sharing so much about what makes me happy and inspired.  If you have anything you are interested in reading about, PLEASE let me know… I’m always looking for some help in alleviating my writers block. Until then… happy reading!

xo, Whitney