The Governor's Ball

As most people know, Kevin and I have a passionate love for concerts.  We go to everything we can from metal shows to rap and large venues to hole in the wall places.  There's just something about seeing an artist perform live and the energy they exude that passes on to the audience.  We might slow down, but I don't think we will ever stop going to concerts..........sorry future kiddos.    

Lady Liberty made an appearance and in the bottom right is a piece of artwork from the festival.

A shot of the massive amount of people.

A couple of our favorite bands ended up being Catfish and the Bottleman and Diarrhea Planet (both above).

The band above, Deafheaven, was Kevin's favorite.  The lead singer had this intense stare about him that was haunting, but it was a blast!

In the top left corner Fitz and the Tantrums are performing and the rest are The Naked and Famous and our shadows in the corner.

I found this picture when I looked up #thenakedandfamous by rabkaman on Instagram.  You can definitely see Kevin, me not so much haha.  

Last but not least, we have Skrillex.  It was so hard taking photos with all the lights, but these are the few I managed.  

It was quite the experience and we learned to pace ourselves next time instead of trying to see as many people as possible.  Nevertheless it was a blast and I would do it all over again!  Until next time Governors Ball!

Simple Orange Rolls

I had never had or even heard of these orange rolls from Pillsbury until I met Kevin.  He is obsessed with them.  The only problem, I don't care for the orange flavoring in them.  Therefore, we haven't really purchased many because it's hard for one person to polish off the whole pan.  Well I found this recipe from the super cute blog Oh My! Sugar High and decided to give it a go.  I went it to it pretty skeptical since I didn't like the canned version, but I really wanted to make them for him.  As they were baking, the whole kitchen had this subtle orange scent that smelled amazing.  I have to admit, my mouth started watering a bit.  The timer went off and there was no turning back, I had to taste these rolls that I may not like.  I ate one little piece, then another and another..........because they were AMAZING!  The were so easy to make and something we can both enjoy.  This recipe will definitely be made in our family again and again.


Simple Orange Rolls
Serves 12

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons orange peel, grated
2 (16 ounce) cans refrigerated flakey biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your bundt pan with cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, excluding biscuits, over medium-low heat.  Stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved and butter melted.  Pour the mixture into the bundt pan.

Cut the biscuits in half (I used kitchen shears), and place in the bundt pan starting from the outside and going toward the inside.  The biscuits will overlap, it's ok.

Bake 26-32 minutes.  The top will be golden brown.  Take your plate and place upside down on the bundt pan right away, then flip over, holding together.  Serve while still warm and enjoy!

A couple of shots of the finished product!

Wonton Ravioli

Pasta is generally an easy dish that the majority of people love.  You cook your noodles and sauce and in about 10 minutes you have a meal.  Fast, easy and simple.........the was I like it.  However, that can get a little boring.  I created this dish because it is easy and fast like the normal pasta and sauce dish, but it seems like you spent hours in the kitchen.  Plus, like most of my recipes, it's customizable.  You can get as fancy or as simple as you want  or mix it up to please everyone's tastes.  I apologize for my lack of recipe because I just do it by taste, but I will tell you approximately what I used.  Let me know if you try any other combinations and what you think!  Enjoy!  

Wonton Ravioli

Ingredients

Ravioli

Wonton wrappers (2 for each ravioli)

Goat cheese (probably 1/4 cup)

Ricotta cheese (about 1 cup)

Chorizo (half a package)

Sauce

Alfredo sauce 

White wine (optional, to taste)

Get your water boiling for your pasta.  In a separate sauce pan, pour in your Alfredo sauce and wine and turn on low to medium low, stirring occasionally

Mix your ingredients for your ravioli.  If you are using ingredients you aren't sure of, I would start with small quantities, tasting periodically until your come out with the desired flavor.

Place about 2 Tablespoons of the mixture onto one wonton wrapper.  Wet the edges and top with the second wrapper.  Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.  Continue until all are assembled.  

They are pretty thin, so delicately place in your boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes.  Remove from water (I use a pasta scoop and not a strainer for these) and top with your sauce.

My Husband

I'm going to venture from my usual posts and talk about something near and dear to me, my husband.  Without him my silly little blog and all our adventures wouldn't exist so it's time he got some recognition.  Now I hope I don't embarrass him by writing this, but it's a price I am willing to pay.  Now I now I'm going to be extremely biased, but it's your choice to read this, I just write it.

My husband is absolutely remarkable, real original huh.  He makes me excited everyday to be alive, especially by his side of course.  I used to get crap from a bunch of mean girls about all the time we would spend together when we were dating, but when you have the best time with each other, why would you want to hang out with the means girls?  We genuinely LOVE being together.  We've never felt like we have to be together all the time, we just really enjoy sharing things together.  I was really nervous/scared for our move to this crazy place we now call home, but it has made us so much stronger as a couple and I couldn't imagine life without him.

If you don't know my husband, he looks really young and a lot of people write him off as some"punk kid", but that "punk kid" is brilliant.  I'll ask him anything before looking it up because he probably knows the answer.  He's such a hard worker and I'm so proud of hi for all he has accomplished.

Now you can see from other posts that we try to get out and explore or do things, a passion of both of ours.  I'm glad that I have someone so selfless that they will make sure we do whatI want or we get good tickets so I can see (go ahead and chuckle).  Stuff that may seem small and little, but trust me from past experiences, it's huge.  He actually offered me the shirt off his back because it looked like rain and I was worried about my white shirt.  The rain didn't happen, but how any guys would even think to offer that?  He is also so supportive of me and whatever dreams I may have.  Whether it's cow herding or being a super model, (you get the point), he is there with his bells and whistles asking what he can do to help me make it come true.

Besides being remarkable, brilliant and selfless, Kevin also has a goofy side that not many people see.  He sings to me, sometimes even to my girlie pop songs, and we have dance parties with the dogs when we cook. It may sound silly or stupid, but it's my wonderful world and I wouldn't change a thing!  He has shown me what true love is and I have to pinch myself everyday to be reminded that I lucked out.  I often forget we are married because everyone kept telling us it was hard, especially the first year, but if that was our hard time then bring on the next 80 because it has been way too fun so far.  I can't wait to see what else is in store for our future, but until then, I'll enjoy the ride with my best friend, my love, my everything by my side! I love you Kev!

                 

                             

Sautéed Flounder and Spicy Remoulade

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had amazing weekends!  We didn't really do much since we have plans tonight, but more on that later.  Since it is the beginning of the week and usually kind of blah for most, I decided to start with a recipe that was blah to us.  More than likely it was our own faults, so don't write it off on our account.  Everything was pretty decent, not too great, not too bad, except the fish.  It just tasted of the olive oil it was cooked in.  We must have put too much in and it absorbed it all.  I thought we followed the recipe, so if we venture to make it again, I'll start off with a little less oil just in case.  It was nice to switch things up and try a lighter fish dish though.  Enjoy your day and have a great week.......summer is officially here!  

Sautéed Flounder and Spicy Remoulade

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon parsley

1/4 cup Canola Mayonaise

1 Tablespoon relish

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Sriracha 

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 (6 ounce) flounder fillets  

Salt and Pepper

3 Tablespoons flour

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil.  Place flour in small dish.  Sprinkle the flounder with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.  Add the fillets to the skillet.  Cooking about 2 minutes each side.  Serve with remoulade.   

The makings of the remoulade above and the finished product below with asparagus.

Saucy Parmesan Chicken and Hasselback Cheese Bread

After our cheese stick fail the night before, I was taking a big risk by making a dinner with not one, but two new recipes.  With the simple ingredients and directions, I figured they were a safe bet.  The first recipe, for the chicken, wasn't one that I will make again.  It was not awful by any means, it just lacked flavor.  The name is also a little deceiving because it was not "saucy" at all.  If you give it a shot let me know if you changed anything and how it turned out!

Saucy Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Mix the dressing and cheese.  Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour dressing mixture over the top.  Turn the chicken over to evenly coat.  Place in the refrigerator 30 minutes to marinate.    

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare a cookie sheet with foil on top.  Place the chicken on the foil, discarding extra marinade.  Bake 20 minutes, or until 165 degree internal temperature.    

The recipe for the accompaniment to our chicken can be found here.  I figured it would be scrumptious since you can't really go wrong with cheese and bread!  I did simplify part of the process by buying an already made French loaf of bread.  I would love to try it with the homemade bread, but for a quick fix, the already baked bread was perfect.  Change out the cheese it sharp white cheddar isn't for you, but defiantly make it with you next meal!  You'll regret it if you don't!

Hasselback Garlic Cheesy Bread

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread

Sharp White Cheddar, sliced 

Garlic Butter (We made ours with melted butter and minced garlic)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Cut bread almost all the way through, about an inch apart.  Brush with the melted garlic butter, getting between the slices.  Place a slice of cheddar in each cut.

Bake about 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Baked Cheese Stick Fail

I should have seen the signs pointing to the epic recipe failure that occurred in my kitchen the other night.  Kev brought home leftover, which he never does, and we weren't very hungry, so the towel should have been thrown in then, but I proceeded.  I was so pumped about this recipe.  It was so easy,   yeah real easy for me, and a healthier option, so I was pleased.  The cheese sticks were assembled in no time and all that was left was to bake them.  Needless to say, I ended up with an empty wonton wrapper with the ghost of the cheese that was once nestled inside.  Now I will say, I did combine two recipes and decided to simplify things by baking them all.  I will try these again, but will fry them this time, before I write them off.  The two recipes can be found here and here.  Like I said, I will try them again and I suggest you do to.  If you find a trick that works, please share!  Enjoy!  

Wonton Wrapper Baked Cheese Sticks

Ingredients

Wonton wrapper

Cheese sticks (we used mozzarella and pepper jack)

water

Dipping sauces

Cut your cheese sticks in half.  Place cheese half on wonton wrapper, wet the edges and wrap the wrapper around.  

Place seam side down on the baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.    

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

If you are looking for a new way to serve chicken, look no further.  This recipe, found here, is absolutely amazing!  I'm sure you have seen many people post this recipe, so I decided to see what all the hype was about.  It was hands down probably in my top 5 ways to eat chicken now.  This chicken is so simple and easy to please for those picky ones that you have to try it.  It made so much that it is great for a crowd or for guaranteeing leftovers.  We served ours with some asparagus with a little butter and lemon, but any side will do.  Make this one tonight, you won't be disappointed!    

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces lengthwise

2 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup milk, we used 1%

3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce

1 (10 ounce) can Cream of Chicken Soup

2 Tablespoons sour cream

2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9x13 pan.  

Place the milk, cheese and crushed crackers (mixed with the salt and pepper) into 3 separate dishes.  Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then press into the cheese and do the same with the crackers. Place in your prepared pan.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Cover the pan with foil and bake 35 minutes.  Then, remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until brown and crispy.

While the chicken is baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir often and serve over the chicken.

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Crescents

I have seen so many people pin this recipe lately, so I had to try it since it is so simple.  They are relatively mess free, the scrambled eggs were a little tricky to deal with at first, making it a great quick and go meal.  You have everything all rolled into one and you could even customize them to fit your needs.  The scrambled egg was a little difficult at first, but I just help the edges up as I rolled the crescent around my filling.  Another option would be to bake or make an omelet style egg.  Add other meats, cheese or even veggies to make this breakfast your own!

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Roll-Ups

Ingredients

5 eggs, divided

1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls

8 cooked sausage links

4 slices Cheddar cheese, cut in half

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

Beat the 5 eggs, reserving 2 Tablespoons for brushing the tops of the crescents.  Scramble the remaining eggs and cook your sausage links if you haven't already.

Now we're ready to assemble them.  Take one of the crescent triangles and place a cheese half, a spoonful of eggs, and a sausage link on top.  Roll them according to the package instructions.  It was a little difficult with the scrambled egg, but I just tried to roll the crescent around the filling while holding in the side, instead of rolling the whole thing over.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Brush the tops with the reserved egg.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 15-18 minutes.    

Dog & Cask/White Manna

We kept passing this place called The Dog & Cask every time we go shopping in Paramus, so one day after a little bit longer trip, we decided to go ahead and stop in for a drink.  The hubby was such a trooper, I thought he deserved it.  It was around 2 so it wasn't crowded at all, which was a plus considering the mall was packed!  We weren't very hungry so we got an order or Parmesan frites with ketchup and garlic aioli and, our scotch flight.  

While we had nothing to complain about, it would've been hard given the time and food we ordered, I don't know that we will go back.  We looked at the menu and there wasn't anything that appealed to either of us, a real rarity.  To me, it would be the perfect spot to take a client or coworker for an after work cocktail.  It is really close to us, so maybe others will want to go and check it out and our opinions will change!    

Upon leaving the restaurant, Kevin decided that he had to go peruse scotches now.  The liquor store to me is like the mall to Kev, they should have seats because it's going to be awhile.  I have no idea how or why it takes so long.  I would think he would have all the ingredient labels from every scotch memorized, but yet still he just goes and stares.  He decided on a 15 year Balvenie, so off to home we went.  We finally kicked our heels up and turned on the TV, relaxing a bit before we tackled dinner, when Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives came on.  It's not a show we usually watch, but it had a place in New Jersey, so we were intrigued.  

The restaurant that was being featured was White Manna in Hackensack, NJ.  The more Guy, the more we had to have these hamburgers.  Much to our delight, White Manna was only 16 minutes away!  The restaurant it simple and tiny, maybe seating 10 people.  No matter the time of day, yes we have been back multiple times, it is busy.  It is hands-down our new go-to place when we want something quick and bad and being open 24 hours doesn't hurt either.

Firecracker Shrimp

I had been looking forward to this recipe, found here, for what seemed like forever.  So when my hubby told me to take the night off cooking on my birthday, my normal cooking night, this was the dish that was prepared.  I sat in the kitchen with my glass of Cab, anxiously waiting for the food I was about to taste.  How could you go wrong with shrimp, jalapeños, pepper jack cheese and bacon?  I was starting to get pretty antsy with the roles reversed when Kevin whispered the words every hungry wife wants to hear on her birthday........"Dinner is served."  The first one tasted so good, I immediately shoveled in another one then, the heat hit.  I eat jalapeños and pepper jack on many many things, but with this I was in agony and I wasn't the only one!  My first thought was that we bought the wrong peppers, but I double checked the market later and they were right, so I guess we just couldn't take the heat.  Other than scorching our mous off the shrimp did have great flavor and maybe by switching a thing or two up we can find a spice level more our speed.  The recipe is so easy to put together that you should try it, but make sure it suits your taste!


Firecracker Shrimp 

Ingredients
8-10 jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail-on, deveined, and butterflied
8-10 thin slices of bacon
3-4 fresh jalapeños
Pepper
1/4 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a sheet pan with foil and place jalapeños on and in the oven.  Roast 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until soft. After removing from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.  Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stems and cut lengthwise into 3 pieces.

Take a jalapeños and place in the butterflied groove of the shrimp, then wrap with a slice of bacon.  Place on baking sheet (I used my Silpat).  Bake 6-8 minutes or until shrimp and bacon are done.  Once done, remove and turn on the broiler.  Sprinkle with cheese and broil about a minute or until cheese melts.  

Mi Tierra Chile Con Queso

A few years ago, Kev and I were traveling to South Padre Island, Tx, but at the last minute, had a layover in San Antonio for a couple days.  Not ones for sitting still, we quickly started to find out what was around us.  We visited The Alamo and walked up and down The Riverwalk, both entertaining in their individual ways.  Our next stop, was Mi Tierra Cafe, a place recommended by Kevin's brother.  It was such a vibrant and energetic place that you didn't know where or what to look at.  We ended up getting a table outside and just as I'm getting situated, Mr. Romance himself summons a mariachi band to come over and play me a love song!  Swoon!  Besides the wealth of entertainment, the food was phenomenal as well!  We probably looked like we were having our last meal, well not really, but I have to pound in how good it was!  I found this recipe and of course had to see if it did the restaurant any justice.  Even though I have high doubts that this is in fact their recipe, it was seriously delicious.  So while you are planning your next trip to San Antonio, make this dip in the meantime.  You won't be disappointed!  

Mi Tierra Chile Con Queso Dip

Ingredients 

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Velveeta, cubed

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1/4 cup tomato, seeded and minced

1/4 cup onion, minced

Combine the cheese in a slow cooker until it starts to melt.  Add the cream and stir until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.  

Potato Chip Cookies

Wow, it has been a few days since I posted something.  Well we have had a real busy week (with my birthday.....eeek), but more on that later.    

I saw this recipe for Potato Chip Cookies and was immediately intrigued.  I had never heard of potato chips in cookies before, so of course I had to give it a try, especially since there wasn't much to the recipe.  I must say, the outcome was phenomenal!  The cookies had a nice butter cookie flavor with the subtle salty crunch from the potato chips.  It might be fun to experiment with different chip flavors and come up with some wacky combinations, but for now, I will stick with these!  Enjoy this sweet and salty treat!   

Potato Chip Cookies  

Ingredients

 4 sticks (2 cups) Butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

3 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 cups Potato Chips, crushed coarsely

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla and flour until blended.  Stir in the potato chips.  

Drop the cookies by rounded teaspoon (I used a cookie scoop) on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Press down slightly with a fork.      

Bake 20-22 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

White Castle Casserole

Over the years, I have repeatedly heard Kevin talk about a White Castle Casserole that his family makes, which somehow I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying.  I was so excited with I found this recipe, here, that I could barely contain myself.  Showing Kev the recipe to get a game plan, he breaks the news to me that it's not the same one.  Immediately I start worrying that he won't like it, but we were already committed so we proceeded to baked on.  I mean you can't beat a dinner that is 4 ingredients and that you can have done in about 30 minutes and let's face it, everyone secretly loves White Castle.  

After enduring the wonderful smells coming from the oven, it was time to see how this recipe compared to the one my hubs has always had.  The verdict is.............HE LOVED IT!!  WOOOHOOOOO!  Sorry McClarnon family, I wasn't trying to step on anyone's toes.  The  only thing we would change is the amount of onion mix.  It was a little to much for our tastes so we will use less next time.  And yes, there will be a next time!          

White Castle Casserole

Ingredients

1 1/4 pound ground beef

2 packages (1 box) dry onion soup mix (Personally I'll change this to 1 1/5 packages next time)

2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

2 cups Cheddar cheese

Optional:  Pickles, Mustard, Ketchup, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a casserole dish.  

Brown the beef with the onion soup mix then drain and remove as much excess grease as possible.  

Unroll the crescents as a sheet and place in the bottom of the casserole dish.  Top with the beef, spreading around and then cover with cheese and any optional ingredients you wish to.  Unroll the other sheet of crescents and place on top.  

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden.  

We served the casserole with a beer from Cricket Hill Brewery called the Hopnotic IPA.  

*Review will be updated later 

Showing a little love with a ketchup heart.  

Nutella and Chocolate Dipped Fruit

I had really been on an Nutella on everything kick, my toast with strawberries, with apples, etc.  The great thing about chocolate dipped fruit is that it is fairly easy to make but usually seems very elegant.  There aren't very many people that don't like a chocolate dipped strawberry.  Well I decided to experiment with some different fruits and added Peanut Butter and Nutella to some.  The outcome was amazingly colorful and delish!  I loved seeing all the colors, especially since it has been rainy here.  If you want a wow factor at your next dinner party, make this.  You can mix and match fruits and spread and/or chocolates for dipping!  Try out some of our combinations or let me know what you come up with!  Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith apple

Strawberries (we used 4)

1 Banana

1 Orange

Blueberries (we did a small handful)

1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

1 Tablespoon shortening (can use coconut oil instead)

Optional:  lemon juice, dry fruit, crushed graham crackers, sea salt 

I started by getting my fruits ready.  I soaked them in water and vinegar for about 10 minutes and then rinse.  While those are soaking, I get my cookie sheet with my Silpat ready.    

The strawberries and blueberries I set aside on a towel to dry.  Next I peeled and segmented my orange and sliced my banana and then also put them on the paper towel.  The apple I save for last since it tends to brown, but I also put a little lemon juice on just in case.  I first cut my apple in half to one side of the core.  The half without the core I sliced and the half with, I used my apple cutter/corer.  Like the rest of the fruit I placed these on the paper towel.  You may wonder why I keep bring up the stupid paper towel.  Well, if your fruit isn't dry, your spread and chocolates won't stay on and will run right off.

Next I heated up the chocolate chips with the shortening in 30 second increments in the microwave until smooth.  

Now comes the fun part, the spreads and the chocolate!  I added Nutella and peanut butter to a few of the strawberries, bananas, and apples.  Then dip your fruits and place on your cookie sheet.  

I had some crushed graham crackers and dry fruit on hand so I sprinkled that on.  I also added a Hawaiian Citrus Lemon sea salt to the oranges. 

Then put your cookie sheet in the fridge until the chocolate sets.  

  

Apple slices, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apple wedges, and blueberries.......oh my!!

Grimaldi's/Brooklyn Bridge

I had heard on numerous occasions how Grimaldi's was THE BEST place to get pizza in New York.  After weeks of begging, I finally talked the hubs into grabbing a slice at their Brooklyn location.  We decided to leisurely make a day of it.  I just love walking around because you never know what you will see!  Our first adventure was walking through a little street fair in West Village.  There were so many people and a ton of booths to look at, but it was the food smells that got us.  We had to get out of there, otherwise we won't want the pizza.  About 20 minutes more of walking and we both caved.  So, the first stop on our stroll was at the Caliente Cab Co. for, fingers crossed, queso and margaritas.  Well, we accomplished one of the two.     

Though our quest for queso still continues, this restaurant did not disappoint.  The location was fantastic.  We were right on the curb in the busy West Village area.  It reminded us of place we went to in Amsterdam and led to great people watching.  Food wise, we got the Traditional Nachos with Cheese and they were  quite tasty.  Though, I don't really know a time when I haven't liked nachos with cheese.  Our nachos were paired with a couple of margaritas.  Initially we thought they were pretty small, but man were they potent.  It was just what we needed to continue our adventure on this gorgeous New York day.    

Our stroll to Brooklyn led us through the Columbus Park area, pictured above.  There were so many people at the park that we could hardly get around so we didn't stay.  But it was nice to see so many people out enjoying the day.  We also partly passed through Little Italy, below.  There were so many people at the markets and restaurants, I don't know how we will ever decide on a place to eat there.  Now more hungry then ever, we trekked on. 

                                             

We arrived at our final attraction before Grimaldi's, the Brooklyn Bridge.  Neither one of us had been, so we wanted to cross it off our bucket list.  It was a really neat experience, but it's one of those things that once you have done it, you're good forever.  There were so many people that it was hard to move at times.  We did do a lock on the bridge for fun, shown above.  We took a lock with us when we went to Europe, but never found the proper bridge, so we decided to do it here instead!  With spectacular views of Manhattan and Brooklyn it just seemed fitting.    

Now we finally made it to our final destination, Grimaldi's.  Trying to be prepared, I had looked up information regarding the restaurant before we got there and knew that we were in for a wait.  We spotted the restaurant and then slowly spotted the line wrapping around the side of the building (you can kind of see it on the left side of the picture below.  Like I said, we already knew it was probably going to happen, so we weren't fazed.  After waiting about 45 minutes, we made it to the front of the line!  Woohoo we were next!  We are finally going to have some of this amazing pizza!  We see the guy taking names coming our way, he asks, for the tenth time, how many people in our party then passes of over because he needs a party of 4.  It would have been one thing if they were doing that the whole time, but it didn't start until we already had paid our dues in line.  After finally finding the precious party of four that is walking past us now, the man realizes that their whole party isn't there.  A big no-no because you won't get sat until your whole party has arrived.......a little different from Indiana, my family would be in trouble.  So with reluctance the man seats us in their place and I start to put my purse on the seat next to me, only to find out, we were eating with another couple now.  We all shared a polite hello and chatted a bit about how this wasn't what we bargained for and about how many people said this place was amazing, in the top 5 of place to eat pizza in New York our seat mate stated.  We get our pizza pretty quickly, with no beer, though the website says otherwise.  I unwrap my silver wear and notice that they are filthy and it wasn't just mine, but Kevin's too.  That was enough to gross me out, so we vowed to hurry up and get out of there.  As we were getting ready to leave, the couple asks what we thought.  We told them it was alight, but not the best, even top 5 best, and that we wouldn't go back.  To which they stated the same.  We went in with such high expectations and came out defeated!  Hopefully our next adventure will be more enjoyable!