Vera Bradley Sunscreen Organizer

No, Vera Bradley doesn't make something called a "Sunscreen Organizer", but they easily could market it as such. I've been using one of my Vera Bradley Cosmetic Bags to hold all of my sunscreen (lotion, sprays, face sticks, etc.) and it has worked like a charm. Not only is it cute, of course, but it is totally practical with the plastic interior to prevent any accidental spills.

* Image courtesy of Vera Bradley *

Tory Burch Flip Flops

Come summertime, I love my Jack Rogers, but I need something more casual for the pool and the beach. For that, I turn to my trusty Tory Burch flip flops:

* Images courtesy of Tory Burch *

Steak Frites with Peppercorn Sauce

After reading about the sauce feud in the Wall Street journal a few weeks ago, I looked at my husband and said, "We are either going out for steak frites, or making them at home, you're choice." As experimentally fun as it always is, we decided to go with the latter. Challenge accepted.

We've cooked steaks before and homemade fries, but trying to muster a swoon-worthy sauce had my knees quivering. The sauce was going to be the secret to making it a success. But, after much research in French culinary books and Frenchie chef recipes available online, we came up with a sauce that probably wouldn't become a third contender in the sauce battle between l’Entrecôte and Bistro Régent, but it would do the trick for a few Texans looking for their fix. And boy oh boy, was it goooooood.

What you'll need...

4 strip steaks*

2 russert potatoes

3 cups Canola Oil

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup white wine

1 Tablespoon sherry wine

2 Tablespoons black peppercorns

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 medium-sized shallots

1 garlic clove

Salt

Pepper

History of the Calzone

Since it's summer (a.k.a. grilling season), we've been experimenting a lot lately with the grill, and seeing as how I am the ultimate pizza lover, my husband has obliged in experimenting with pizza on the grill.

But like with many things in life, one must first encounter much trial and error. So, we've had a few successes, but mostly mishaps, some of which have led to searches for new additions in our cookware, like our recently acquired pizza peel. 

As we've learned over the years, creative kitchen tools can be fabulously life changing, but that is if you know how to use them correctly. And well, we're still mastering the removal of the pizza from the peel without a natural disaster that results in the inevitable reach for the phone for delivery of back-up dinner.

Which gets me to one of our most recently conducted experiments, with our pizza not "peeling" exactly as it should have, thus resulting in a new plan for pizza night - a calzone!

Thankfully my well-mannered and well-spirited husband just gave me a smile and said, "I wonder if that's how the calzone was invented." I laughed, a common sensation around this house, and immediately took to my iPad seeking the history of the calzone.

Turns out the calzone was made in days of old for pizza lovers seeking a fork and knife-less dining option, similar to the sandwich. But jump forward many years and more often than not you're likely to find pizza put to mouth by hand (or fist if you're like my 2-year-old toddler). So what happened to the poor old calzone?!

Well, it obviously lost popularity for its originally intended purpose, but skip ye not my friends! Calzones can be just as delicious, and if stuffed right, sometimes even more so than my first true love, pizza.

Nowadays when I look around I see a total role reversal. I don't know about you, but I eat my pizza with my hands and my calzone with a fork and knife (my more sophisticated counterpart uses utensils for both). How do you 'za and 'zone?!