Summer is a time to enjoy the great outdoors - whether that means spending the day doing sporty activities or enjoying the sights and sounds of the city at night.

One of my favorite things to do on a summer night is go to a nice patio in the city and watch people go by.  D.C. has a few neighborhoods that lend themselves beautifully to the art of people-watching. What makes a good people-watching spot?  A place you can sit comfortably, enjoy your favorite food and drink, and watch a bustle of stylish people go by without being noticed :)

We spent one recent balmy summer night enjoying the grub @ Matchbox in 8th St. Corridor, SW - I love their sliders and my hubby loves their Fire & Smoke pizza.  Definitely check it out sometime if you haven't already!

Relaxing @ Cafe Benelux

I don't know about you, but deciding what to cook can quickly become the bane of my existence that day. (Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic) But thinking about what to cook can be exhausting! I think style includes eating healthy and being good to your body. And God knows we're not fitting into those skinny jeans if we don't!! Gone are the days when I could be sustained by chocolate cake for a week.



1. Pick off the spinach leaves, chop them up, and put them in a blender. 2. Chop up the onions and tomatoes, set aside. 3.

Cooking with things you already have in the fridge - with no real 'recipe' to go by AND making it taste good - has always been the mark of a good cook to me. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I'm much of a natural at it, but I'm working on it! I thought I'd start slow and simple, and although this recipe is much more carby and cheesy than I usually opt for, it's still OK once in a while.

New resolution: go with what's already in the fridge!

In olive oil, sautee the chopped garlic. Add the spinach and arugula, then tomatoes, then the green beans. Finally, add in the cooked tortellini. I topped off the dish with a little basil, salt and pepper and parmesan and feta cheese. And voila! You're done and dinner is served :)

On a recent visit to Milwaukee, it dawned on me that I’ve never done any posts on the city I called home for so many years. I was there to spend some quality time with family and friends, and realized there’s no better time than now to share with you what a unique city it is.

Summer is a great time to visit Milwaukee - not only are there myriad festivals celebrating music and food, there are also some beautiful spots downtown and by the lake to hang out. Over the next few posts, I’ll share with you some of my favorite places to go when I'm there - so next time you’re in town, you'll have some ideas of what to check out!

One day we spent visiting the Art Museum and strolling the boardwalk. The awesome structure you see here is the Quadracci Pavilion addition commissioned by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in 2001. It's easily one of Milwaukee's most visually prominent and recognizable sites.

We wrapped up the day with some iced coffee at Milwaukee's most famous fair-trade coffee house, Alterra at the lake.