So this recipe is a quick version of a shrimp stew. There are other roux based versions, but if you want something that tastes good and is made quickly try this recipe.
Ingredients:
4 cans of beef gravy
1 bunch of green onions
1 pound of shrimp
12 eggs (more or less depending on how much you like eggs)
Directions:
In a 2 quart pot, empty the cans of beef gravy into the pot over medium heat. Add in the green onions and shrimp. Once the gravy is starting to get hot, crack the eggs directly into the pot. Cook for about 20 minutes, until eggs and shrimp are both fully cooked. Serve over rice.
I avoid the eggs, but I normally don't eat eggs. If you like gravy & shrimp, you'll like this stew. Let me know if you try it!
xo,
Sara
Happy Hour
Thank God it's Friday! I hope everyone is doing lots of fun things tonight, because I unfortunately will be stuck at my apartment surrounded by a bunch of moving boxes that need filling. Now if you don't already have plans for tonight, here's a couple ideas.
The Olympic's Opening Ceremony is tonight. I don't know about y'all, but I don't want to miss an opportunity to see the Spice Girls perform. It's a really long four and half hour event, but you can make a party out of it! Get some friends together and host a Beer Olympics!
The Olympic's Opening Ceremony is tonight. I don't know about y'all, but I don't want to miss an opportunity to see the Spice Girls perform. It's a really long four and half hour event, but you can make a party out of it! Get some friends together and host a Beer Olympics!
Pick some of your favorite drinking games - beer pong, flip cup, and quarters are always good choices - and have a tournament. Give the winners of each event a gold medal or a shot of gold tequila!
If you'd rather go out and watch the ceremony, Bruno's Tavern has a bunch of TV's which I'm sure a few will be tuned in on the ceremony. Plus once you're done watching and probably realize you missed dinner, they have half priced appetizers from midnight until 2am. Bruno's is a great place to sit and have a drink and conversation with your friends after a hectic Friday. Plus they have darts, which even if you suck, are always still fun!
If you've never been to Bruno's, here is the address: 7538 Maple Street New Orleans, LA 70118.
So what are everyone's plans tonight?
xo,
Sara
New Orleans Essentials: Colorful Shorts
Shorts, in general, are an essential piece of clothing for anyone in New Orleans. For the summer, I'm really loving the colorful shorts trend that's going on right now. I love all of the prints and patterns, but as an essential, I like to stick to solids.
When picking a colorful solid short, go for colors that look best with your skin tone. Warm skin tones look best in reds, oranges, corals, and pretty much the whole ROY spectrum. Cool skin tones look best in blues, purples, fuschias, and the BIV spectrum.
Most people can tell if they are warm or cool just by looking in their closet. I've been buying blue and purple pieces for years without inherently knowing I was a cool. If you don't know if you're cool or warm, take this quiz. (Don't judge me for the website - I did some googling & it was the most straight forward quiz to find out.)
Now for some pieces...
When picking a colorful solid short, go for colors that look best with your skin tone. Warm skin tones look best in reds, oranges, corals, and pretty much the whole ROY spectrum. Cool skin tones look best in blues, purples, fuschias, and the BIV spectrum.
Most people can tell if they are warm or cool just by looking in their closet. I've been buying blue and purple pieces for years without inherently knowing I was a cool. If you don't know if you're cool or warm, take this quiz. (Don't judge me for the website - I did some googling & it was the most straight forward quiz to find out.)
Now for some pieces...
These green shorts ($34) from Francesca's are perfect for any skin tone. Since green is right in the middle of the color spectrum, it works for both warms and cools. Green is also a great year-round color!
These coral shorts are the same style from Francesca's as the green shorts. I love the cuff and simplicity of these shorts, and they're such a fun, summer color.
These royal blue shorts are perfect for cool tones, and they're bright enough to be a summer piece. They're from Old Navy and are on sale for $10 right now!
What skin tone are you? And what are y'all's picks for summer shorts? Let me know in the comments!
xo,
Sara
Necessary Accessory: The Crossbody Bag
For this weekly column, I'll be presenting two options of a stylish accessory. The first will be a relatively expensive "splurge" item, and the second will be a more moderately priced "save" item.
This week I've chosen to present the crossbody bag. They come in about a million different shapes, sizes, and colors, and every single one of them is noteworthy. I found three black bags that I really love from Michael Kors, Forever 21, and Francesca's (all stores that are found both locally and online!). Black is always a great neutral colored bag to have. It goes well with all seasons and takes a while to get dirty if you choose to use it every day.
The "Splurge" I found is this Michael Kors quilted clutch ($218). The gold hardware dress it up a bit so that it's useful for nicer occasions, but can still pass as an everyday bag.
The first "Save" I found is this Forever 21 Heart Lock shoulder bag ($24.80). It has the same quilted pattern and gold hardware as the Michael Kors bag for quite the fraction of the cost. It can also be dressed up and down in the same fashion.
Another "Save" I found is this Secret Compartments bag from Francesca's ($34). With subtle gold accents and no quilted pattern, this bag may be a little more difficult to dress up than the others. However, the amount of pockets in the bag make up for this. This would be a great everyday bag that will hold all the essentials.
A neutral bag is great for day to day and nicer occasions, but don't be afraid of colored bags! Colors can also work with tons of outfit choices. What color bag do y'all love? I have a black and a white, so I think I'm going green next!
xo,
Sara
NOLA Home Cooking
Every Monday, I'm going to post a typical New Orleans style recipe.
This week, I'm starting with (as I'm sure y'all guessed since it is Monday) red beans and rice. This recipe is incredibly simple, but also time consuming if you don't have a crock pot.
Red Beans & Rice
Ingredients:
1 pound kidney beans
1 bunch green onions
3-4 links smoked sausage
1 box brown rice
Directions:
If cooking on a stove top, fill your pot with water and add in green onions. Bring to a boil and add in kidney beans. Stir about every 15-20 minutes for the duration (about 2 hours) to prevent beans from sticking to the pot. When the beans are somewhat thick but still a little watery, cut up your sausage and add it into the pot. Keep stirring until beans have thickened to desired consistency. Cook your rice as directed on the box. Then it's ready to serve!
If cooking in a crock pot, add water, green onions, and beans. Set to high and leave for about 8 hours. Periodically add about half a cup of water if you notice the water is getting too low. Closer to serving time add in the sausage.
This is how my mom makes her red beans, and everyone knows that your mom's red beans are the best of all!
xo,
Sara
This week, I'm starting with (as I'm sure y'all guessed since it is Monday) red beans and rice. This recipe is incredibly simple, but also time consuming if you don't have a crock pot.
A girl that went to my high school designed this for Storyville Apparel. You can get the shirt here!
Red Beans & Rice
Ingredients:
1 pound kidney beans
1 bunch green onions
3-4 links smoked sausage
1 box brown rice
Directions:
If cooking on a stove top, fill your pot with water and add in green onions. Bring to a boil and add in kidney beans. Stir about every 15-20 minutes for the duration (about 2 hours) to prevent beans from sticking to the pot. When the beans are somewhat thick but still a little watery, cut up your sausage and add it into the pot. Keep stirring until beans have thickened to desired consistency. Cook your rice as directed on the box. Then it's ready to serve!
If cooking in a crock pot, add water, green onions, and beans. Set to high and leave for about 8 hours. Periodically add about half a cup of water if you notice the water is getting too low. Closer to serving time add in the sausage.
This is how my mom makes her red beans, and everyone knows that your mom's red beans are the best of all!
xo,
Sara
Things to love this week...
For the first edition of things to love this week, there are some fun events going on around the city.
Tales of the Cocktail starts on Wednesday and goes until Sunday. There's more information about this event here.
The New Orleans Museum of Art also has its summer Where Y'Art? program. Friday, the Red Hot Brass Band will be playing from 5:30 to 8:30.
Also, on Saturday at NOMA, they will be hosting Pilates in the Sculpture Garden. The class starts at 8 AM and is only $5.
There is live music at the French Market on Sunday from 3-4:30 as part of their Dutch Alley Summer Series.
Hope everyone has a good week & a great weekend to look forward too!
xo,
Sara
New Orleans Essentials
Once a week, I'm going to do a post about an essential item that every New Orleans girl should have in her closet. Most of them will be staples that every girl should have, but nonetheless ...
After last night's torrential downpour (and many other night's), I thought it best to pick out rain boots as my first essential.
After last night's torrential downpour (and many other night's), I thought it best to pick out rain boots as my first essential.
My go to style is a neutral like these from Target which are available in black or navy. Plus they're on clearance!
While you can find many patterned rain boots and cowboy style rain boots throughout the city, those can sometimes get a bit too tacky for my taste. Classic solid color rain boots will always be functional, and about as stylish as rain boots can get.
If you are a bit more bold in your fashion tastes, I highly recommend these classic yellow rain boots. They brighten up a rainy day, & they always remind me of Paddington Bear from when I was little!
I always buy my rain boots from Target online. They're affordable, and the selection is much wider than in store. DSW has a wide selection too, and Walmart has some pretty decent picks when you sort through them!
No matter where you buy your rain boots from, buy them quickly! It's not too long before there's another down pour and you're going to need them!
xo,
Sara
a little bit about me
Hey y'all!
Since this is my first post, I figured I should say a little about myself that isn't covered. My name is Sara. I've lived in New Orleans all my life, & I wouldn't have it any other way. I moved to Baton Rouge for a little while to go to LSU (Geaux Tigers!), but now I'm back home going to a university in New Orleans. I just wanted to start a blog for the stereotypical New Orleans girl... we aren't crazy rich or overly fashion foward... we shop at Target and Lakeside mall and Magazine St... we know of some of the best places to drink in the city and which to avoid... and there are enough of us to fill up 7+ Catholic high schools and who knows how many dorm rooms and apartments. While this blog mainly applies to New Orleans girls, I hope it will also apply to others too! I can't wait to get started!
xo,
Sara
Since this is my first post, I figured I should say a little about myself that isn't covered. My name is Sara. I've lived in New Orleans all my life, & I wouldn't have it any other way. I moved to Baton Rouge for a little while to go to LSU (Geaux Tigers!), but now I'm back home going to a university in New Orleans. I just wanted to start a blog for the stereotypical New Orleans girl... we aren't crazy rich or overly fashion foward... we shop at Target and Lakeside mall and Magazine St... we know of some of the best places to drink in the city and which to avoid... and there are enough of us to fill up 7+ Catholic high schools and who knows how many dorm rooms and apartments. While this blog mainly applies to New Orleans girls, I hope it will also apply to others too! I can't wait to get started!
xo,
Sara
