DATE NIGHT: WILLA JEAN + DISTRICT

We stopped by District: Donuts. Sliders. Brew. for pre-dinner coffee and dessert (for me).  Everyday Adventures Lesson: It's okay to eat dessert first.

Since the king cake donut of the day was sold out,  my next choice was Boston Creme, although the cinnamon roll was pretty.

I read that the donuts at District are made from scratch (even the sprinkles).  That's straight dedication to the donut game.  They also serve made-to-order sliders and brew delicious coffee!

For dinner at Willa Jean (named after the grandmother of pastry chef Kelly Fields), the style was simple, rustic and modern.  I loved all the little details --- honeycomb tiles, Edison light bulbs, fresh flowers, and cute salt and pepper shakers!

The bakery/coffee bar was probably the best feature.  Maybe because, baked good, desserts and coffee are among my favorite things.

Brian had a great idea!  I got a to-go piece of king cake for the next day (since I ate a donut a few hours before and all).  I found the recipe here by baker Lisa White.  It was filled with fresh bananas, salted carmel sauce, mascarpone and topped with a praline glaze and pretty edible gold.  It also made a great breakfast treat for the next couple of days!

On our drive to NOLA, Brian caught up on the latest episode of Serial Season Two.  We navigated the Friday afternoon traffic with minimal sass (from me) and sweet patience (from Brian).  Date nights give us a chance for good conversation and fun.  On the drive home I pulled up Jennie Allen's Dream Guide on my phone (link here) to reflect on life in 2015 and think about our goals for 2016.

FORT WORTH DATE NIGHTS

 

I love date nights with my hubs. 

Pasta, pizza, steaks, desserts, fajitas, burgers and fries.

< Confession: I ate a hot dog on date night a few weeks ago >

With that said, clearly our date nights don't have to be fancy, 

even though sometimes fancy is fun!

One-on-one time with my favorite person and best friend sharing a meal

discussing life, ministry, pop culture, sports trivia and funny moments. 

Our perfect recipe for date night.

 

Fireside Pies

Fresh and delicious hand-crafted pizza 

And the. best. brownie. dessert. ever.
 

 

Dude, Sweet Chocolate

Samples of crazy dark chocolate concoctions 

Even though I'm not a dark chocolate fan, it was fun to try new flavors.

And I appreciate the simple packaging, branding, and store design.

(sometimes we watch Celebrity Apprentice)

 Cattlemen's Steak House

This is Cowtown, people. Cows are king.

We ate steak in a wooden corral booth from the 1940s.

Hello, Fort Worth stockyards.

 

Piola

Charming tiny, old house with Italian dinners and desserts.

I really like dessert.  Tiramisu and cannoli? Yes, please and thank you.

Shinjuku Station

Former train station to Japanese fusion tapas.
I love to try a little bit of everything,
so tapas you are my friend.

FORT WORTH | FERRIS BUELLER DAY

Back in December, Brian planned a fabulous day date in Fort Worth. We kicked off our Ferris Bueller day (in which we just did lots of fun things, no actual skipping of school or work) with a Dr. Pepper, Arnold Palmer (tea+lemonade) and lunch at Lili's Bistro on Magnolia  

We made our first visit to Brewed for coffee

And it was pretty much awesome.

We stopped to grab a few things at Central Market and I admired the lovely fresh green trees.

We also stopped by the Kimbell Art Museum, Urban Outfitters, and ate tried to eat sushi at Blue. 

Guess I didn't sing in a parade like Ferris, but I sure enjoyed a whole work/school free day with my hubs in one of our favorite cities!

GOOD MORNING DALLAS

 Here are a few snapshots from a morning visit to Dallas with my hubs after we dropped off our friend at the DFW airport.  I charged my camera battery but forgot the memory card so these pics are via iPhone + RadLab.  

 

 

 Breakfast date at Oddfellows in the Bishop Arts District. 

 

 Coffee in Uptown (that sounds like I know a little something about Dallas, but I'm just good at reading maps).  Oh and the unofficial DFW search for cupcakes to replace my favorite Curl's Cupcakes might have just have ended at Society Bakery.

LUNCH DATE: WOODSHED, FORT WORTH

Lunch date on the Trinity River at the Woodshed smokehouse with my hubs. The perfect fall weather to enjoy lunch in the sunshine!

PRE-BIRTHDAY DINNER CUPCAKES? WHY, CERTAINLY!

{Birthday Letters} Dear Jess+Joe and Brian, thanks for cupcakes and Chick-fil-a lemonade to kick off my birthday dinner in a most delicious and practical way!  Clearly a cupcake makes a fantastic app and zert (appetizer + dessert).  Dear hubs, thanks for the sweet birthday letter on my pillow that made me laugh and cry with thankfulness that I'm yours and there's no one else for me.  Also, thanks for inviting Katniss Everdeen to my birthday party.  Dear co-workers, I loved the cheesecake, presents, and Thai food.  You are cool, but probably don't read my blog---so I'll tell you when I'm back at work after my five day weekend.  Dear momma and daddy, thankful God allowed me to be your daughter.  I'm forever grateful because of adoption, grace and your love.
 

The adventurous foodie in me (that leads me to try honey roasted Brussel sprouts, seafood paella, and thinly sliced pears on pizza) decided Brownstone on West 7th should be the birthday dinner location.  It was a tough choice since other options included some of my favorite Fort Worth eateries: Fireside Pies, Joe T Garcia's and Pappadeaux's.  

Crawfish tails and crispy onions pulled at our Louisiana heart strings.Birthday dinner good times with some of the best people in the world. 

The Black Rooster Bakery, Fort Worth

We stopped by The Black Rooster Bakery for an afternoon treat! We were hoping for a delicious lemon blueberry muffin, but instead I got a fabulous fresh fruit tart and Brian got a yummy lemon sugar cookie. (I like that he shares!) 

Confession: I have a sweet tooth.  Clearly it's obvious.  Last week, the dessert lunch lady at Cross Camp called me a "cake connoisseur" and then proceeded to give me the best piece of coconut cake!  

The Black Rooster Bakery: Fresh baked artisan breads, pastries, cakes, and cookies...yes please! 

Date Night: The Flying Fish

We decided to give the Flying Fish in Fort Worth a try.

Crawfish, po-boys, fried shrimp...

I found the info about the Flying Fish on a hole-in-the wall blog. Can you tell?

There's an adoption wall for Billy Bass talking fish plaques,

pictures of fishing stories, and a fish with airplane wings.

For a low-key seafood diner in Fort Worth, 

it was pretty tasty. 

DATE NIGHT: FORT WORTH FOOD PARK

The Fort Worth Food Park recently opened for food trucks to gather and share their deliciousness!  I think we were a little intrigued by "food trucks" after watching a few episodes of the Food Truck Race.  Last Friday night seemed like the perfect spring night to spend some time with friends and check it out!  The park was packed with college kids, families, and a few puppy dogs.  Our lesson learned: Arrive early --- once the food trucks sell out...no more herbed french fries, hot dogs, specialty grilled cheeses, or philly cheesesteaks.

Our dinner varied from vegan/gluten free nachos, ham and cheese croissants, tacos (steak, chicken, avocado & egg), strawberry basil lemonade, creme brulee from Salsa Limon, Good Karma Kitchen, and The Munch Box + milkshakes from the nearby non-food truck In & Out.  If you like to plan ahead, check out the calendar here for a schedule.