dinner with friends

Posted on April 28, 2016 by tandem in love

we were so excited to host a simple dinner for our friends matt and johann!

it had been awhile since we had seen them and we were so excited that they could come on over to our abode for a casual dinner. it was quite the lovely day and a perfect day to grill something and eat al fresco.

we hit the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and did a little prep work before they came over. we wanted it to be yummy but simple. we had a really busy spring cleaning kind of weekend and wanted the prep and clean up to be easy!

matt and johann arrived and the fun began! we love hanging out with these crazy twosome. they seriously crack me up all the time. little olive was asleep so she didn’t get to greet them right away but i forewarned them that she’s not the most social and not always in at the best mood when she wakes from a nap!

we had prepared a small appetizer plate to start with and took ourselves outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. after noshing a bit on apps and talking up a storm, hc fired up the grill and started the burgers. i went inside and prepped the rest of the meal so it was ready to serve.

we enjoyed our meal…burgers, kale salad, pasta salad, chips, and fruit. everything was delicious and perfectly light for the warm spring night. the only thing missing for me was the beer. hahaha!

olive was stirring, so i went inside to rouse her a bit more. hc and our guests relocated themselves inside and i brought olive out. she has become so difficult in saying hello! i can’t get her to just say hi…it’s like pulling teeth with this babe! she’s become so utterly shy lately!

anyhoo, i set olive up on the couch and went back into the kitchen to join in on the crazy conversations. we continued to nosh and imbibe tasty beverages {well at least the boys did!}. we had a plethora of beer and hard liquor libations to choose from. johann and i concocted old fashioned’s for him and hc. their signature drinks together!

after a bit, we served desserts and continued our conversations into the night. time seriously flew by. we had sooooo much fun with them! hours passed by and before we knew it, it was quite late for a sunday night! johann and matt gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes. olive did her best by hiding under the couch when i told her to say goodbye to her guests. oy vey!

we gave our hugs and said our goodbyes and waved our dear friends away. it was fabulous to see them and as they say, time flies when you’re having fun!

[love these two!]

[grilled burgers, kale salad, fruit, mac salad, and chips]

[i love him]

[i couldn’t choose what to serve, so i bought a variety! mmmmm]

[omg, it was like taking pics of kids…i couldn’t get them to look at the camera or stay still so i am posting this pic ’cause matt looks good. hahaha! cheering with their old fashioned’s]

xoxo

friday night

Posted on November 16, 2015 by tandem in love

so months ago, during dana and scott’s engagement party…we made plans to get together with irina, patrick, dana, and scott. fast forward a couple months, we finally make it happen!

our plan was to get to au cheval early and hopefully nab a table {we were crossing our fingers…}, they don’t take reservations! dana, hc, and i have eaten there before but the rest have not and we all wanted to eat there together, it’s soooooo yummy!

per usual, hc and i were running so late! ugh…like very late. traffic on a friday night is horrific, so we were a bit anxious to get going. we hit the road and of course it was baaaad. well, we finally saw why it was so bad, there was an accident on the ike. yuck! we surpassed it and started cruising. the good news was {well, not really good news}, dana and irina were running behind as well! phew! so, we weren’t far behind! yay!

irina’s husband, patrick, arrived at au cheval early, before six o’clock, to put our name down for a table. um, they told him it would be a four hour wait. wtf?! a four hour wait?????? are you kidding me?! no thank you! that was such a bummer. oh, we so wanted to eat there but there was no way we waiting for a midnight supper.

so, patrick moseyed across the street to the haymarket pub and nabbed us a table. i was super annoyed at it all. i, first, didn’t want to spend my friday night in the city at the haymarket pub but hey, whatcha gonna do? there was no way we were eating at au cheval. well, no matter, what was most important was spending my time with everyone. i was super excited to catch up and have some fun!

[my girls]

[cheers to being out!]

the conversation flowed non-stop. we have a bunch of talkers in this group! we shared, switched, and started multiple conversations between us all. it was so much fun. i love this group of peeps. patrick cracks me up, irina and her sarcasm, dana is a little bit of both, and hc and scott are just good sweet guys.

we ordered plenty of libations and delicious bites to fill our bellies. after a few hours {we did feel a bit old…or is it because we have kids?} we decided to call it quits. no, we weren’t going to party all night and yes it was still early but it was friday night, where everyone worked and of course, everyone is a bit tired from the week.

[love these two!]

[these two are the best!]

[having a blast]

we wrapped up our bill, nibbled on the last bits of food, and took the last swigs of our drinks before we hit the road. we had such a great time with everyone and we can’t wait to do this again! drinks, food, and friends are the best combo!

xoxo

huy + tashina

Posted on November 4, 2015 by tandem in love

so yay for my brother huy and his fiancé tashina visiting us here in the chi. they had come into town {from l.a.} the days prior and attended a friend’s wedding, so this night, we had them over for dinner and fun!

please don’t mind the kitchen under construction. that’s a whole ‘nother chapter. anyhoo, everyone came over and we hemmed and hawed over what food to order. in the mean time, i had my two little nephews running around, my brothers, tashina, and my mother in law hanging out in the kitchen, deciding on food, and then olive just waking up {crying} in her crib. all of a sudden i was in the middle of trying to place an order for food, consoling miss olive, and appeasing everyone else. it started to get a wee bit crazy for me! olive was grumpy but everyone wanted her attention {huy wanted to play, reagan wanted to play} and this only caused her to cry even more! i couldn’t place the food order because i was trying to console olive, then hc calls me on the phone trying to talk to me, and the boys kept asking me if they could eat ramen noodles with sriracha because they didn’t want to eat chinese food! hahahah!

ohmygawd. it was only until after the food arrived did the craziness seem to settle down! the boys didn’t mind eating hot dogs and chips {my speciality}, so it saved me from making an easy meal to making an easier meal! woo! we all actually sat down to eat, relax, and converse. it was great. we had such a wonderful time talking, eating, and enjoying each other’s company. it was so nice. in-between us ordering food and eating, tashina helped us out by sewing olive’s halloween costume. i was so ready to do it myself but with her coming into town, i thought, why not ask? she made olive’s baptism gown, so why not another white gown for miss olive?! yay!

[setting up the sewing machine]

[watching the action going down]

[being curious]

[bestie cousins eating together]

[chillin’ and having a really good time]

[someone is wiped out and someone isn’t. haha]

we had a wonderful time together as a family. slowly, everyone trickled out. dan left, jane went to bed, and then huy and tashina said their good nights. i had the boys until my sister came home from her event that evening. it was too cute. R + B fell asleep while olive stayed w i d e awake! she is such a nigh owl!

it was a great evening with family, those are always the best moments in life.

xoxo

a really good night

Posted on July 30, 2015 by tandem in love

we were excited to have matt and johann over for dinner!

lately, it’s just been me, olive, and matt {brunching}. no husbands included. so, we finally agreed on a time where we all could get together and have some fun.

matt and johann traveled through the thick of traffic one evening and our little party began once they arrived. johann came in with two large jugs of beer and matt was double fisting wine bottles. hahaha! we were practicing for vegas {in a few weeks}. woot woot!

we had prepped apps and the meal for the evening, so we popped open the beer and toasted to our evening. we nibbled on snacks and yapped non-stop. we are quite the talkers when we are together, yes, even hc! mr. shy guy!

[holy jug o beer]

[hawaiian flower print was the print du jour for dinner]

[remnants of appetizers]

[love these two]

we love matt and johann. they are just the best. such great friends and travel buddies. we love hanging out with these two. they are perfect for each other…just like me and hc. seriously. matt is crazy, temperamental, loud {just like me} and johann is calm, sensible, and patient {like hc}, so together, we totally balance each other out! when we hang out, it’s a riot and we love it.

after we imbibed a few libations, hc fired up the grill to start cooking the food and we went outside to hang out for a bit {the evening had cooled off…it was quite warm outside!}. olive, obvs, wanted to swing on the play set and johann joined in on the activities and hit up the slide! hilarious!

once the food was ready, we headed back indoors to eat. it was yummy, fun, and comical. seriously love these two {did i mention that?}. we laughed, gasped, chuckled, discussed, argued, and had the best time. we ate, drank, and reveled in the wonderful evening together. ya know that feeling. when hanging out is just comfy and cool, as it should be.

[olive swinging and johann sliding]

[i love her…and her funny faces]

[chicken kabobs and seasoned rice]

once dinner was consumed and dishes were cleaned up, i served coconut cake and more wine! several hours {and laugh wrinkles} later, it was time to say goodnight {the husbands were tired}. we said our goodbyes and wished them both safe travels home. we were a bit excited with our goodbyes because we knew the next time we would see them would be in vegas! woo hoooooo!

xoxo

first warm evening

Posted on May 6, 2015 by tandem in love

it was an awesome day. the weather was amazing and the temperature was just perfect.

my bother and his roommate, carl, had been over all day fixing his car in our garage. since it was getting close to dinner time, we invited them to stay and have dinner with us. so, hc fired up the grill and i prepared all the fixings. i had purchased pre-made burger patties from whole foods {gorgonzola, swiss & portobello, and chipotle flavors} and a bunch of sides {kale salad, broccoli salad, and pasta} to accent our meal. it was an almost no cook night. we wanted it to be an easy, relaxing, and quick dinner prep & clean up.

we were super stoked because it was the first warm evening {on a weekend} and we were excited to have our first meal alfresco! well, it was the first warm evening that we had patio furniture where we could eat outside! ha!

we love our new set, although, like the rest of the house…i can’t wait until we have a new patio to go with it! big dreams, big dreams…

anyhoo, we prepared all the food, dan and carl cleaned up from fixing the car all day and we all sat down for a lovely, delicious dinner under the stars. it was fantastic. i loved eating outside {especially with miss olive who loves to throw her food everywhere!}, i enjoyed our conversations and i just loved the fabulous weather that surrounded us. {before the crazy bugs populate!}

[we love our new patio furniture! we just now need a new patio…]

[burger trimmings]

[chillaxin outside]

[i’m slightly obsessed with funny olive eating pics]

after devouring our savory burgers, sides, and imbibing our beverages, i cleaned up while the boys and a girl sat outside. i brewed some coffee and served sweet treats i had picked up from whole foods {which they graciously left two tasty morsels behind for moi!}. as the boys hung out, i cleaned up the kitchen and the dishes, grabbed olive for a quick bath and continued to clean up the house.

[the remnants of desserts {and coffee}]

it had been a long day for them so while i was dressing miss olive in her p.j.’s, dan and carl swung inside to say their goodbyes. it was such a perfect, wonderful evening together. i had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather with my family and friends! seriously, my life revolves around my friends, family, eating, love, shopping, imbibing, and fun. not necessarily in that order and not everyday…but almost.

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Tag Archives: dinner

dinner with friends

friday night

huy + tashina

a really good night

first warm evening