Coming Soon: Hue Vietnamese Restaurant

Last night I went to a pre-opening tasting/test-run for Hue in Bayview. I had never tasted Pho, a Vietnamese noodle and broth bowl, until last night. Have you ever tried it? I really liked it, especially since I could add whatever flavors I liked (mint, hoisin, siracha, lime, bean sprouts, jalepenos). Hue should be open in mid-May-ish; it's looking really great inside. Mark and Carina did a really good job. Man, I'm so excited to have a good Vietnamese restaurant 3 blocks from my house!

In the kitchen: 5 Lemonade recipes

via apartmenttherapy.com
I had a serious craving for lemonade today and made a detour to the grocery store. I bought some frozen Lemonade concentrate for a quick fix, but I need some REAL lemonade. Next time I get a lemonade craving, I'm going to make one of these!

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ginger-tea lemonade
2 cups water
3 black tea bags, preferably English breakfast tea
1 1/3 cups Ginger Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, from about 3 lemons
1 cup sparkling water or club soda, chilled
2 cups ice
Lemon slices, for garnish, optional
Directions
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tea bags. Stir and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard. Add the Ginger Simple Syrup, lemon juice, and sparkling water.

Put the ice in a large pitcher. Pour the lemonade mixture over the ice. Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Ginger Simple Syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, water and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain before using.

Yield: 1 1/3cups
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lynchburg lemonade
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
2 cups Jack Daniel's (16 ounces)
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Ice
2 lemons, cut into thick slices for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar and water and boil over moderately high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool completely.
In a very large jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the syrup with the lemon juice, Jack Daniels and pineapple and orange juices. Shake vigorously. Add ice and shake again.
Fill tall glasses with ice. Strain the lemonade into the glasses, garnish with the lemon slices and serve.
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blood orange lemonade
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Ice
1 cup fresh blood orange juice, 4 to 6 oranges
1 cup fresh lemon juice, 6 to 8 lemons
3 cups club soda or water
1 lemon
1 blood orange
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
In a medium saucepan heat sugar and water for about 5 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved and it becomes a syrup consistency. Set aside to cool slightly.

Fill a pitcher with ice and pour in the juices, simple syrup and club soda. Slice the lemon and blood orange into rounds and place them in the pitcher. Stir and pour into glass with ice. Garnish with mint.
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minted lemonade
2 cups sugar
6 cups water
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mint leaves
Directions
To make simple syrup: Place 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved and let cool. Place lemon juice in a large pitcher, add remaining 4 cups water and 1 cup of the simple syrup or more to taste. Stir in mint leaves and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve over ice.
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pink lemonade
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (5 to 6 lemons)
1/2 to 3/4 cup superfine sugar, to taste
1 cup crushed ice
4 cups water
2 teaspoons grenadine
6 maraschino cherries
Directions
Place the lemon juice, sugar, ice, water, and grenadine in a blender and process until completely smooth. Place a cherry in the bottom of 6 glasses and pour the lemon juice mixture in the glass.
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I'm on a boat: I got my flippy-floppies

Summer is just about here. That means it's time for the annual flip-flop purchase. You know I love nautical things. I like these comfy-looking nautical flip flops from Jcrew. These Havianas Fit sandals also look comfy and practical. Score.

What kind of flip flops are you guys getting this summer? Tevas, Reefs, Rainbow, JCrew, Chacos?

On the Mind: The Kentucky Derby

We were out walking the dog tonight and I was talking about how badly I wanted to have a Kentucky Derby party.....mostly because of the hats. I love the Kentucky Derby. It's southern class all the way--the hats, the mint juleps, the thoroughbreds. Here is my inspiration board for the party in my mind. Regardless, odds are this classy party in my head will turn into a pizza party and we'll be wearing pajamas. I can dream.

Live Show: The Flaming Lips

Photos: CJ Foeckler
The Flaming Lips were at the Pabst last night and put on an amazing show like always. There was confetti, balloons, fog, lasers, and bubbles--just another typical show for these guys. "Do You Realize" at the end of the night was magical (I saw girls crying). If they ever come to your city, I would definitely go.

Beaded necklaces

martha stewart
I tape Martha Stewart sometimes and watch it after work. Yesterday, she was making these wooden beaded necklaces with Rit dye. These would be fun for a summer outfit. Learn how to dye wooden beads here. Learn how to make that sweet patterned one here.

Cute outfit

new brahmin
Last May, I was walking around the South End of Boston and found this little shop, Looc. Everything was way too expensive for me, but I loved the boho prep style of the store.

Weekend: A wedding, Lake Geneva, and KFC

We drove down to Lake Geneva today for my friend's wedding. I grew up nearby, but since I've moved away I seemed to have forgotten how pretty the town is in spring. I always remembered it for the Illinois weekend tourists and horrible downtown traffic, but there's a lot of charm to that town. Here are some flickr photos from Luiz Felipe Castro. He really captures what I'm talking about. Between the wedding ceremony and the reception we took a detour over to KFC. Mostly, we went because we were intrigued/fascinated by the Double Down, but wimped out and did not order it.

Wedding Update: The Wedding Wishlist

Everyone has asking if we're registered somewhere for the wedding. Honestly, we don't really need "extra stuff". We bought our house a couple years ago and have already purchased all the necessities. Our Italy honeymoon this summer will be a big trip so contributions or gifts toward the trip would be gratefully accepted, but if you feel the need to get us something tangible here are a few things we've picked out. I've always pictured wedding gifts as things that are kept and cherished for years, so I picked items that are practical and classic. I also threw in the items that we will probably purchase with monetary wedding gifts.


1. Silver Bowls: We entertain a lot and could use bowls or serving pieces for flowers, gifts, or Doritos when the dudes are over. I usally find these in antique stores or at flea markets. High Street Market may have them in stock for $30-$50.

2. Throws or blankets: This linen Brahms Mount throw is on sale at Anthropologie. I really like it! It's $100, but it will last a lifetime. Haptic Lab makes handmade quilts with embroidered city maps. Guest blankets or quilts would be nice, too.

3. Glasses or plates: These colorful tumblers or glasses are from Anthropologie at $8-$10 each. Pretty dessert plates would come in useful, too. Probably service for 10 or 12.

4. Coffe or Tea Time: We love our coffee and tea. We already have a french press and plenty of cups. This carafe is from Crate & Barrel for $35.

5. Anything Monogrammed: Stationery always comes in usefull. My new initials will be SJB or you could do mBs for Matt and Sara Beringer. Broadway paper or Cambria Cove have great stuff.

6. Napkins and Linens: For all that entertaining, I go through a lot of napkins. Our dining room is black and beige with golden yellow accents. Service for 10-12. Our table is 36x74 (extends to 98).

7. A New Dishwasher: Our dishwasher is very old, so if you give us cash, we will be putting it towards a new GE Cafe Series dishwasher to match the stove.

8. Beer glasses: We always have plenty of microbrews and belgian beers on hand. A set of nice beer glasses would be nice for entertaining or hanging out on the patio. Set of 6-8.

9. Home Improvement: These will come in handy for our house projects. Our house is very old and there are always projects to do. We need a new ceiling in my workout room and a new patio for the backyard.

10. Green Ford Fiesta: Matt is obsessed with this car. I find the color repulsive, but at least it gets good gas mileage.

11. Plants: I really, really want a Meyer lemon tree. I don't take care of the plants at our house, but I promise Matt will water and tend to whatever tree or plant you give us.

12. Home Depot gift cards: When in doubt, gift card it. We can use these for all of our home and garden projects this summer. Those Visa gift cards are a good gift, too. They're great for travel because you can register them so they're protected if stolen. They would be really nice while traveling through Italy!

13. Italy Honeymoon: We will be traveling through Italy on a Vespa in July for our honeymoon. We've picked a route and a few must-see places like the Vatican, a cooking class, and Palermo, but the rest of the 2 weeks will be figured out as we go. That's why I didn't register on honeymoon.com or anything, because we don't know where we'll end up. We travel best when we pick a road and take what comes.

Backyard Discovery: Tiara Tomato Stationery

I was at Broadway Paper today on a mission to find dark navy envelopes for the wedding invites (mission accomplished) and discovered these awfully cute handmade and eco-friendly greeting cards from tiara tomato. I went home and googled the shop and saw that the designer, Kira Romashko-Thiel, is from Milwaukee! Read more about Kira here. The tiara tomato etsy shop is closed, but there were plenty of cards for sale at Broadway Paper, and from what I read, many Anthropologie stores stock the cards as well.

Milwaukee Faves: Downtown Trains

I've always loved driving or biking through downtown and riding alongside or under the bridges with the Amtrak or freight trains. I guess it makes me feel like I'm in a big city, things are coming, things are going, there are places to go, things to do. I found these amazing photos from cp4510 (Ryan Schoenfeldt) on flickr. I like trying to pick out the familiar downtown buildings. The top one is my favorite--it's the same Amtrak train and bridge I pass everyday. Speaking of Amtrak, isn't the Hiawatha train to Chicago great?! I love taking a day trip and going to Union Station.

Counting down the days 'til SATC 2

I don't know what it is about "girly TV shows": The Golden Girls, Sex and the City, Sisters, Desperate Housewives, but I can't get enough of them. So when they come in 3 hour forms, I get really, Really, REALLY excited! May 27th is coming up; let the premiere party planning begin........


found via efrantz

Dream Wedding Shoes

jamie grenough photography

These blue strappy cute wedding shoes are EXACTLY what I've been looking for. Unfortunately, I can't find them anywhere. BLERG! I believe these are Prada, but not entirely sure. Do you know?!?! That's OK, I'm open to other suggestions for good wedding shoes, too.

Good Advice: Get your sh*t together

orangebeautiful

Somedays I want to send this to myself. If anything, it will make me laugh about how disorganized I am sometimes. TGIF!

In the kitchen: Riviera Maya's Tortilla Soup

jsonline

This soup is so good! Can I get an 'Amen'? I have had it many times since it's served with almost everything on the menu at Riviera Maya, and every time I eat it up with lightning speed. Their margaritas there are also incredibly good. In fact, Riviera Maya is one of the reasons we moved to Bay View. We told our realtor that we needed a house with good restaurants within walking distance.

I found the recipe in the Journal Sentinel's "You Asked For It" section. Now I can make it at home!

Brewers Opening Day

The school bus should and like 40 people should be here in a few minutes. I've got practically everything ready to go and I'm making the coleslaw now. Matt went to the Metro Market yesterday to get brats and food for today. I'm excited to try the Chicken and apple bratwurst. Of course, he also got plenty Cheddar brats. Should be a good opening day: it's 65 degrees and the roof is open!

Daily Fix: Hippity Hoppity Spring Things

Top to bottom: Rabbit Bookends from Modcloth, Rabbit picnic blanket from Pedlars, Rabbit Whisk from Modcloth, rabbit clock from decoylab, Bunny ears bag by the Doghouse