The amount of goodies awaiting you at the Bridge-o-Rama, one of the celebrations surrounding the opening of Dallas’ Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, just keeps growing and getting better!

Recently 500 West joined in to feature drawings, paintings, video, photography, sound, sculpture and site-specific installations by Master of Fine Arts candidates in art programs at SMU, TCU, UNT, UTA and UTD.  You’ll find these displays at one of the fabulous warehouses on the West side.

You’ll not only enjoy great tunes from the Wold Music Stage (find the line-up here), but you’ll also be able to taste the delicious food that the area has to offer including soon to be neighbors,  Cox Farms Market (coming soon to Sylvan/Thirty),  Four Corners Brewery and Matador Meat Company.

Those of you that have never ventured West of the Trinity will find some of the best restaurants in Dallas just blocks away from the bridge!  Plan to spend the day “on the other side” and check out some of my favorites!

SMOKE sits just below the hot, historic Belmont Hotel and has been written up in publications from Food and Wine to Bon Appetite!  They’re known for lip-smakin’ BBQ, unlike any you’ve had before!  Check out this video to see what you’ve been missing.

Just up the hill beside SMOKE is Bar Belmont, home of the best view of the Dallas skyline – and now the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge!  This is truly one of those places that you don’t want everyone to know about because you don’t want to wait for hours to get in when everyone discovers this amazing place!  They have a great drink menu, as well as hearty appetizers via SMOKE.

The Foundry Bar is a new venture by the owners of SMOKE and Bar Belmont, so it’s sure to be a hit!  Located in the cool 3 acre lot at Fort Worth Ave. and Pittman, this indoor/outdoor venue is the place we’ll all want to be in a few weeks when patio season hits!    I’m looking forward to kicking back here  and listening to some live music with friends..

Just a few more blocks south and you’re in the Bishop Arts District…which is another full post of shopping and restaurant favorites!  (Go to my archives and search Bishop Arts District for more info)

Please contact me if you have any questions about the area!  I love sharing my favorites!

Will I see you at Bridge-o-Rama?

If you’re planning to come in from out of town and need a hotel for the weekend, the Hilton Anatole is offering a special $89 a night Bridge-o-Rama rate!

image of bridge via TxFilmNerd

Mark your calendar for one of my favorite events in Oak Cliff…the annual Mardi Gras Parade!  It’s this coming weekend, Feb. 19th, from 4-6pm.

This even grows bigger and better every year because once you go, you won’t miss it again!  Find all of the info you need for next weekend’s Dash For the Beads (5K and more), Masquerade Ball, and the parade at Mardi Gras Oak Cliff!

Find photos from last year’s event here.

Will I see you there?

I know this is weird, but I love Brussels sprouts!  Isn’t this one of those veggies that most love to hate?  Well, I think they not only taste good, but they’re so pretty!  

It was my love of Brussels sprouts that made me notice this healthy recipe for a quick salmon and brussels sprouts extravaganza!  How can this not be delicious?

Salmon and Brussels Sprouts with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice a 1 1/4 pound salmon fillet into 4-ounce pieces as shown above. Trim and halve 2-3 cups of brussels sprouts and in a bowl, toss them with 1 tablespoon of oil (olive or vegetable), salt and pepper. Place sprouts on a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes, tossing half way through. Nestle salmon filets among the sprouts and roast another 10 minutes. Serve with ginger-scallion sauce.

Ginger-scallion sauce (adapted from Momofuku cookbook)

Combine the following in a small bowl: 1 large bunch scallions (green and white parts), chopped; 2 tablespoons finely minced peeled fresh ginger; 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar; salt and pepper to taste.

via dinneralovestory

Do you like brussels sprouts?  What’s your favorite way to make brussels sprouts?  Do you like something that the majority of people don’t like?

first image via

I’ve really been trying to make a big effort to steer clear of  chemical filled diet sodas and make better choices about the drinks I put in my body.  In doing so, I’ve discovered something that I love!

La Croix sparkling water is delicious!  I have to admit… I’ve only tried Berry and Grapefruit and I love Grapefruit so much, I can’t take a break from it to try something else!   These little cans are full of calorie, sugar and sodium free bubbly fun!

I just checked out their website and found some interesting recipes that I can’t wait to try this summer when I need something cold and refreshing!

My other go-to is Glaceau Vitamin Water Zero.  I haven’t found a flavor that I don’t love.  They’re all so good and you can find them most anywhere !

Thank you, St. Croix and Glaceau for creating delicious healthy alternatives for our drinking pleasure!  Chemicals, be gone!

If you’ve tried other flavors of St. Croix that you love, please let me know… I need to break out of my grapefruit rut!

Ever wonder which Girl Scout Cookies score the most sales?

via wired.com

My favs are Tagalongs… which has me wondering how wonderful homemade Tagalongs would be!

This recipe for Homemade Tagalong Cookies looks delish!

What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

I don’t own a bread-maker and I’ve never even considered making homemade bread because I’m petrified of trying anything with yeast.  I usually buy Spelt bread from Whole Foods, so this recipe from Anja’s Food 4 Thought caught my eye.  I immediately looked for the yeast in the ingredients and there was none!  That means I would actually try this recipe!  It’s quick and easy…just like the name of the bread!

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Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line loaf tin with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine spelt flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Stir in mixed seeds (keeping 1 tablespoon aside). Form a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk and gently stir until well combined. Transfer batter to prepared loaf tin. Level the top and sprinkle with remaining seeds. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then cool completely on wire rack.

image and recipe via Anja’s Food 4 Thought

I have some exciting news to share!  I will be participating in the latest temporary venue at Dallas Market Center this weekend with three of my most creative friends…Dana Pugh (Tattered Style), Gloria Burson (A Modern Glo) and Lisa Johnson (Cut and Paste).  This creative temp show is called Vintage Home FINDS and you don’t want to miss what we have in store for you!

We will be showing under the name of my vintage line’s name, Stash {vintage finds} and you’ll find us in the North Hall, along with other vintage dealers and Trailer Cakes in their vintage airstream!  We hope to provide interesting industrial pieces perfect for you to use as display in your store, as well as art to resale.  We’ll be available to help you come up with one-of-a-kind display and styling to give your space a facelift for the new year!   If a personal consultation is what you need, just ask, and we can arrange a visit to your retail space.

To make FINDS even more fun, all buyers are invited to participate in the “On The Road To FINDS Giveaway”!  Participants can pick up FINDS “Road Maps” at information booths, Red Rooms and registrations areas to start on their journey though the Temp Show. To qualify, buyers must visit three different FINDS locations (one must be FINDS in Market Hall) and drop their completed forms at a FINDS information booth for a chance to win great prizes. Highlights of prizes include: a Stella Scooter; Kindle Fire Full Color 7” Multi-touch Display with Wi-Fi; Bose QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones; Garmin 4.3” Portable GPS Navigator with lifetime map & traffic updates; Flip Video Camera; Sofia Cashmere Travel Set; Gift Certificate towards a luxury luggage set; Agloves, mobile device friendly gloves; and a “Build Your Own Road trip” including rental car, gas, restaurant gift certificates, and hotel expenses.

We can’t wait to share our finds with you!  Please share this exciting information with your friends that have a retail store and may be coming to market this weekend!  (Talk them into bringing you with them!)

We have your shopping bags ready to be packed with ‘Stash’!

Some of our favorite friends will be part of FINDS too!  Bud Royer is bringing his pies, candles and latest hit, Royers recipe card box!  Would this collection of over 100 of the cafe’s recipes make a nice addition to your inventory?

Our friends from Dwell With Dignity will camp out right next door to us!  They’ll have a space full of donated goods that will be professionally styled much like we saw at last year’s Thrift Studio!

Will we see you there?

I must have these!

Fred and Friends LetterPressed Type-Style Cookie Cutters/Stamps, $18

You’ve got stuff you wanna get rid of and so do our friends at The Gypsy Wagon.  Why not bring your retired goodies to The Gypsy Wagon’s first ever Outdoor Swap and Flea!?

Sunday, January 29th is the day for peddlin’! Come hang out with their Airstream, Gertie A-Go-Go, her food truck friends, and customers-turned-flea market vendors, as they take to streets for an old-fashioned flea sale and swap meet. Between 11am-5pm, folks can peruse the booths of 20 hand-selected vendors who are looking to get rid of treasures, junk and whatever else they want to swap/sell. It’s a 6-hour long, take-it-or-leave it, bargain-hunter’s paradise!

The Gypsy Wagon’s booth will be set up inside and out of Gertie A-Go-Go. Prepare for crazy massive deals on winter clothing, retired store displays, clearance items, a mess of sussies, and whatever other randomness they can find!

Be on the lookout for the exceptional Ruthie’s Rolling Café and Trailercakes food trucks who’ve been invited to come out and sling the best honest-to-goodness, melt in your mouth grilled cheese sandwiches and cupcakes to the crowd, from 11:30-1:30pm. Show up hankerin’ for Ruthie’s artisan breads and spreads, and Trailercakes’ frosted cake bites!

Interested in becoming a vendor in the Swap-N-Flea? Download an application from the Gypsy Happenings page here. $30 gets you a spot at the Swap-n-Flea (and you get a cute tee)!

One of my new favorite blogs is Yummy Mummy!  She recently posted a detox salad that I can’t wait to try and couldn’t wait to share it with you!  Cleanse away, my friends!