of all the new york slices...

well, a couple of days ago it was already sunday and today it's only tuesday.  which means...another wine and meal-making night!  tonight was a carmenere from the chilean wine valley (for those of you that know me...DUH) and a homemade pizza.

i'd like to sound really homemade but unfortunately, i just use some good 'ole store-bought ingredients--i'm an old fashioned pizza maker.  my favorites are either jiffy pizza crust mix or the refrigerated pillsbury pizza crust--they both get very doughy and puff up a lot! for the sauce, i go with the classic--ragu!  next, i like to add a few italian spices--go crazy!  now, this is where i may be different than a lot of others--i put all my ingredients on first and then top it all with mozzarella cheese. use any ingredients you like! for tonight's pizza, i used pepperoni, green, red & yellow peppers, and mushrooms.

take a look--maybe i've inspired you to get off seamless web (new yorkers) and make a pizza yourself! let me just say, though, you can never beat a good NY slice!

so colorful!

happy hump day tomorrow, everyone!

on jobs and life.

i know what you're all thinking: it's already sunday?!

unfortunately, it is.  i've been thinking a lot lately about life, happiness, and work and how, unfortunately, the latter directly effects the former two.  what a great combination they are for people who love their job--but unfortunately i haven't joined the ranks of those people--yet.

so, when my job gets me down and it affects my happiness and life in general, i cook.  there's just something about making a whole from all those parts (ingredients).  whether it's breakfast, a simple salad, dinner or a fantastic dessert (my favorite), it makes my stress just melt away.  add a glass of wine, and you've got yourself the makings for a pretty awesome time!

tonight, i made a classic: spaghetti.  there are so many different ways to make spaghetti amazing, but i like to use a "recipe" my mom gave me:


hamburger
hot italian sausage
green, red, & yellow peppers
onions
spaghetti sauce
"some spices" (have fun!)
mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste


and viola!

cooking all the goods.

let it simmer as long as possible!

ohh, it was delicious!

i like to think of myself as a pretty good cook; i enjoy making the classics and also creating better versions of those classics.  this spaghetti was one of those better versions--it was delish!


...and then i burned some break-and-bake toll house cookies...


happy end to the weekend!

happy august!

and happy 6 months, New York!  believe it or not, i've been in this city for 6 whole months.  it's okay--i can't believe it either.  when i think about the things people accomplish in 6 months, and then i think about the fact that i've spent that much time here, my mind boggles!

for our big anniversary, hannah and i decided to eat at a true New York staple--shake shack!  we decided to grab our burgers and shakes and eat them in Roosevelt Park by the Museum of Natural History.  why, you ask? well, not only was it a beautiful night, but it just so happened that Jay-Z & Kanye West were having a little listening party for their new album The Throne.  Sounds glamorous but unfortunately, we didn't get to see them in "real life" :(  However, we did get to see the best stiletto fashion show coming out of the history museum!

On another note, I went to a friend's going away party this past weekend and the view from his 36th floor rooftop was to die for!  We could hardly be social because we were so busy gazing out at the beautiful city below. How could he move?!

my family is so much cooler than yours.

oh that's right--they are.  we held the 28th annual Jarvis Harvest a couple of weeks ago back in North Carolina.  to TRY and sum up a great weekend let's just say this:


about 50 of my closest family members get together every year on the Currituck Sound in North Carolina to celebrate our rich heritage.  we spend 2 days drinking, eating way more than our weight in homemade southern food, and celebrate the fact that there are 50+ of us who still enjoy each other enough to hang out for 2-3 days! 


oh, and did i mention it's on the water so not only do we eat & drink all weekend, but we also get to play water volleyball, go skiing, sailing, and swim!


here are a few of my 300+ pictures i took.  enjoy--it'll make you feel like you're part of the great Jarvis clan!

quadruple solitaire--try it. you'll love it!

my little friend for the weekend!

the newest addition to our family--little Eli!

you'll never see a better sunset than at Currituck.

oh yeah--we had t-shirts made!

we like to have fun.

and we love to love each other.

and of course we love to drink--but
i think that goes without saying!

there we all are! Jarvis Harvest 2011.

she's the cutest!

 and we like to play/sing/listen to music.
download Aimee Hoyt on iTunes!!

and of course we love to ski on perfectly
smooth water on a lovely Sunday morning!

sometime's it's just more fun to swim
in your birthday suit :)

and of course we're such a loving family,
we love to hold hands in a circle and thank
God how freaking lucky we are!

surprises are the best!

a couple of weeks ago, i decided to surprise my parents and spend the 4th of July with them in wilmington, nc.  let's just say this--i've never seen someone quite as surprised as my mom.  my dad--well, i could tell he was super surprised even if no one else could! so, i spent 5 days soaking up the sun and enjoying the non-city life of my life.  it was grand to say the least.  cooking out, the beach, and seriously one of the best things of all--having a yard and grass to walk barefoot in.  it's funny the things you miss the most when you live in a concrete jungle!  it's hard to come back to that concrete jungle too when you spend 5 days not doing much other than soaking up precious family time (okay, and some sun).  but, i came back! and, i already got to go home again this past weekend--but that's for another post, another time :)

a fantastic first night's dinner!

love my girls :) 

happy 4th of July!!

gooood grillin' right there!

tweet tweet!

guess who is twittering now?! that's right, me!! i think i have exhausted all (present) forms of social media: facebook (duh), blogger, and now twitter.  i might be leaving some out so, if i am, tell me!! i probably won't join until it's uncool :)  

and, i'm still holding strong and maintaining my own respect with never having had a myspace account.

so, if my blog isn't enough or we aren't facebook friends, or you think i'm boring in the aforementioned social media outlets, follow me! i will twitter and tweet as much as i can and try to keep you entertained!

Follow me!

leaving my footprint on the city...literally.

as i began my Friday commute to 23rd street, i waited patiently at the 79th street stop for my train.  for a Friday morning, there weren't too many people waiting for the train so, when it arrived, i casually walked into the car.

then it happened.

a woman behind me decided that, even though there was no rush to get on the train, she would be pushy anyway (you know the type--we've all done it and we've all had it done to us!).  well, she stepped on the back of my flip-flop and took it right off my foot.  as i turned around to put it back on, it was no where in sight and she had a look of horror and embarrassment all over her face.  my shoe, my lovely, perfectly broken-in rainbow flip-flop had fallen between the train and the platform--right on the tracks.

i couldn't decide if i wanted to cry or hit her in the face! my flip-flop, the flip-flop i have had since high school was gone! yes, it was a tragedy.  and luckily, by some miracle, i had a pair of sandals in my bag!

so, may my flip-flop forever rest in peace on the tracks of the 79th street 1 train.  and may my footprint forever be in new york city!