my christmas wish list

the holidays are here

and you know what that means

(aside from mistletoe, good food, and holiday cheer)?

presents!!!

for those of you who are curious,

here's my wish list:

a flip video recorder!

(how cute is that? who wouldn't want to take up filmmaking as a hobby with this camera!)

this precious lilliberg loveseat from ikea

as our little apartment is in desperate need of a couch!

we can't borrow my mom's sofabed forever!

this adorable tory burch tote

(yes, i'm obsessed)

this precious lilly pulitzer murfee scarf just adds a POP of pretty pastels!

perfect for cheering up those winter blues!

 this original Lilly Pulitzer small tote is too cute for words!

the description sums it up perfectly:

Are you the kind of person that carries your ENTIRE life around with you in her purse? or are you the kind of person who actually knows how to edit. I mean, do you really need your flatiron while grocery shopping? IF you have the divine talent of being able to edit then this is the tote for you, Just the right size for your TRUE daily essentials.

 

Glee, Season 1. Enough said.

and an amazon.com gift card so i can buy Gone With The Wind, Sunshine Clearing, 500 Days of Summer, and Julie and Julia!

(whew!)

so tell me, what's on YOUR wish list this holiday season?

xo

dear cosi,

you have had my heart for the past 5 years.

tonight, you didn't disappoint.

xoxo

jessie

cosi = greatness. and as of tonight i can officially say that i've gone to the only two cosi's on long island! woo hoo! this time around i had the signature salad and chai latte...12.25 well spent. :) cosi is the ONLY SSF approved chain cafe restaurant, and it's worth the trek!

there are two cosi's on long island:

one in great neck

and one in plainview (right near red mango!)

for more info, go to www.getcosi.com.

thanksgiving (give thanks).

appetizer: toasts with roasted red pepper and eggplant spread from trader joe's.

(with a drizzle of olive oil)

my special vegetarian whole wheat pasta mix!

whole wheat penne + shrimp + asparagus + mushrooms =

deliciousness!

a table set for three ladies

 dinner!

mashed potatoes

and stuffing.

(my fave!)

and my favorite part of dinner,

a colorful salad with pomegranate seeds

tomato

peppers

spinach

and lettuce!

i take pride in my salads.

thanksgiving was fantastic and relaxing!

i hope you all enjoyed yours,

and remembered to give thanks for all you have

and remember the people who don't have a lot.

<3

-jb

the shell shocked needing of early dreaming

is worth all the fuss.

i've been one busy lady lately

trying to make my way.

sadly, i haven't had much time to cook

and take photos

which makes me sad

because i've gone to some great restaurants with great friends

lately

and it's a shame i don't have any photos.

like last friday night

heather and i went to dressler in williamsburg

and we had a FANTASTIC tuna appetizer

a delicious bottle of wine

and a great entree,

scottish salmon.

dressler is now my all time favorite restaurant.

especially for a poignant, post-breakup dinner with a great friend

getting some much-needed girl time

and drinking

and eating great food.

anyway, when i go back

(and i say when because i mean it)

more photos! promise!

anyway, i'm cooking dinner for another close friend tomorrow night

and i'm trying to wrap my head around the potential foods i can serve

and my head's so foggy right now.

i have a great new job

and great new friends

but there's so much that i miss from two weeks ago

like a certain gerry and my coworkers

that it still hurts a bit

anyway, enough with the rambling,

more food soon!

promise!

i'm still alive!

xo

jb

happy november!

halloween fun!

emily and rob came down from albany and we spent the past couple of nights

catching up, drinking wine, and playing Life.

oh, and test driving the massage chair!

tonight was a lazy sunday

we relaxed

and i cooked a pretty fierce eggplant parm

made with eggplant, tomato sauce, and fresh mozzerella.

mmm.

delish!

later on, i rolled up my sleeves and got down and dirty!

in fourteen minutes (per batch)...

i got perfect snickerdoodles!

i used this recipe and i was very happy with the results!

long island restaurant week starts today!

don't forget to visit your favorite restaurant for $24.95 3-course prix fixe dinner

or try a new one!

xoxo

jb

team bonding.

last night, i disproved my own theory that the more you drink, the better you bowl.

actually, the more you drink, the worse you bowl, and the more you don't give a damn!

 we had our company outing at cove lanes

and bowled with the field sales team

and i finally met the west coast team

(hi guys!)

many beers were consumed

and there was a jessie vs. jesse showdown!

afterwards, we went to the barefoot peddler in greenvale

and hung out over drinks, fried pita chips, wings, and salads.

all in all, it was a great night!

i definitely enjoyed hanging out with everyone one last time before i start my new gig.

tomorrow is dennis rodman's party in the city,

and gerry and i still need to get our costumes, omg!

i'm so pumped for the weekend!

xo

jessie

long island restaurant week!

Long Island Restaurant Week is one of my favorite events on LI. This year's restaurant week is slated for next week, November 1-7, 2009. Sponsored by WordHampton Public Relations, a diverse roster of over 50 restaurants will be serving $24.95 prix fixe dinners for one week. So many of my favorite restaurants will be participating, like Pera Bell in Patchogue, Avino's Italian Table in Bellport, Bliss Squared in Blue Point, and, of course, Besito! So check out the website for more details and who knows? You may just find your new favorite hot spot!

a weekend wrap up.

saturday night: cooking for gerry!

 

white clam sauce with italian bread and whole wheat pasta from trader joes

(our entree)

a fun salad!

i threw together mesclun lettuce, spinach, chickpeas, lowfat feta, and POMEGRANATE SEEDS!

an unusual mix, but it worked!

did gerry enjoy it?

he gave it two thumbs up 

(and an endearing smile!)

sunday: 

after lazing around in bed all day, 

we went to gerry's nephew's birthday party.

tres cute!!

we had fun!

now, i'm just relaxing and looking on fredflare.com,

and i really, really want THIS sleep mask:

recognize it?

it's the one audrey hepburn used in breakfast at tiffany's

when she played the flighty holly golightly!

i really, REALLY want it,

preferably before we go to boston in a couple weeks.

hope you all are enjoying your sunday nights!

xx

jb

The Weekly Wrap Up!

wednesday's lunch

what's inside: a british muffin (whole wheat and cinnamon rasin)

pumpkin butter <3

apple

banana

laughing cow cheese

and a gorgeous

salad

breakfast was DELISH!

thursday night:

dinner at pera bell in patchogue with the boyfriend:

 

one of my guilty pleasures: calamari!

it was absolutely delish.

and since i am a glutton for pumpkin,

of course i got some delicious

pumpkin ravioli!

topped with cut pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, and tomatoes.

it was soooo rich.

that coupled with my sparkling pomegranate drink made for a great

thursday night dinner.

this morning's walk through sea cliff was refreshing and gorgeous.

fall is in full swing and i love it!

as you move through your day and through your weekend, remember to have fun and:

xo

-jessie

Besito Mucho!

last night jess and i went to besito in huntington for a celebratory dinner

and it was huntington restaurant week - major bonus there!

jessica ordered a mango margarita

and we noshed on chips and homemade salsa while waiting for our appetizers.

our appetizers arrived-

i had the ensalada casa which was very good and refreshing!

jessica and i shared the empanadas stuffed with wild mushroom, goat cheese, and salsa manzada -

absolutely d i v i n e.

jessica had the tacos de pollo and they looked fantastic!

i had the pescado con pipian y atole,

pan seared grouper covered with blue corn and crab

and pumpkin seed pipian and sweet corn atole

(super fancy)

a pumpkin junkie's dream!

and the fish - O.M.G.

so good.

SO good.

dessert was vanilla cake con tres leches

topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries -

a sweet delight.

jessica had the chocolate pudding with cinnamon flat churro-like things (only smaller)

and of course, the real deal -

churros and worry dolls to top off the meal.

besito is my FAVORITE place to dine in huntington -

it's a great place to nurse your margarita or wine while eating divine tableside guac

and dine with your friends or with your sweetheart.

it gets 5 out of 5 "nom nom noms"

a note: 2 days left in huntington restaurant week - go down and try a new restaurant!

$24.95 prix fixe - well worth it.

xoxo

jb

Huntington Restaurant Week!

tonight jess, erika and i are going to Besito

and it's Huntington Restaurant Week

BUT

it ends on the 23rd so hurry up

and come on down

and try a new restaurant!

$24.95 3 course prix fixe dinners are amazing,

in my opinion.

for more info, clicky!

xo

weekend wrap-up!

how does jessie spend a cold, rainy weekend?

shopping here

(and making a couple of return trips!)

drinking plenty of this

catching up on sleep...ahhh...

and a weekend wouldn't be complete without a good girl's night out!

we went to painters'

checked out the dessert menu

enjoyed some drinks

aren't we such lushes?

jess and erika constructed their own ice cream sandwiches

complete with warm, homemade cookies

and homemade whipped cream!

on the other hand, since i am a glutton for anything pumpkin,

i had the pumpkin walnut cake- utterly divine!

complete with rich coffee ice cream and homemade whipped cream.

i was in LOVE.

back to the daily grind:

this week: more foodie-ness to come!

xoxo

<3

It's Freestyle Friday!

(aka your guide of fun, amazing things to do on the South Shore!)

• Gateway Playhouse turns into Gateway HAUNTED Playhouse of Horrors this weekend! Not for the faint of heart, creatures beautiful and frightening will beckon you on as you make your way through the scariest haunted house in Bellport! For tickets and info, click the above link. 
• This weekend, Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck in Moriches will be holding its 21st annual Spooky Walk! All proceeds from admission fees benefit the camp. Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck is sponsored by Rotary Clubs International and provides children with disabilities with a fun experience at summer camp. It is Long Island's #1 Spooky Walk giving you and your family thrills and chills like never before!
• Wanna bring your doggie out for a walk? Well, why not do it for a good cause? The "Paws for a Cause" walk will be held tomorrow at 9:30 am in Blue Point. The walk benefits VetDogs for Veterans. Admission is $10 and includes a continental breakfast. For more info call 631-363-2058, or visit bluepointfd.org.
• I know it's not the South Shore, but the Oyster Festival will be held in Oyster Bay this weekend! Oysters galore, live entertainment, ships, food, and pirates prove to be fun for the whole family! Take the train to Oyster Bay to avoid serious traffic- the LIRR is offering great packages from Port Jeff.

a weekend in alexandria

now, how much do i love alexandria, va?

THIS MUCH:

as much as ollie loves shoes

as much as coffee loves cream and sugar

as much as mandi loves locally grown apples at harris teeter

as much as we'd all love economic recovery

as much as the sky loves a pending sunset.

alexandria was so much fun

but all play and no work makes jessie a dull girl!

my mom and i moved phil and mandi into their apartment at potomac yards

and we drank beer while moving

and we went to harris teeter the following morning for food

(my mom and i got healthy food for the ride home!)

we got a delicious salad from the salad bar and apple slices and strawberries

and i finally tried Rachel's cottage cheese, berry verbena.

it was absolutely scrumptious.

back to long island yesterday,

i moved my mom and sister upstairs

and i finally have my own room - pics to follow when it's done!