Last night we had our third monthly Nest Chat on twitter.  It was a great deal of fun and loads of links and tips were shared.  I put out a call to Giada DeLaurentiis to join us, but she couldn't make it... I guess.  Maybe we'll catch her the next time.  Speaking of that, our next scheduled chat is on Wednesday, June 20 at 8pE 7pC.  I hope you will join us!

After the jump you will find a summary of the entire chat.  I have pulled out as much of it as possible while still keeping the integrity of the conversation.  Read as much as you wish, but do take some time to check out some of the links that were shared.  For example, I cannot wait to learn more about  Grilled Pears & Drunk Cookie Crumble.  

Learn more about all of the folks who joined us on Twitter.  You can see a full list of all NestChat attendees to here.  If you came, thanks a million. If you didn't, we hope you will next time.  Until then...

Sometimes we pour ourselves into these posts... struggling with the placement of every spoon and dusting away crumbs (unless we want them there)... and then, NOTHING.  No comments, no buzz.  On the other hand, sometimes we toss together a post with little concern for how it will be received.  Instead, we just put out something that we think is important to share and that somebody might find useful.  Often times, these are posts about something we do in our own home that has been successful.  And then, it EXPLODES.  

That is the case with this revisited post.  This is a method we started years ago to keep ourselves on track.  It's so simple that you can't believe it works!  When we put this post out we had only been blogging for a few months, but something changed.  A few sites got ahold of it and it spread like wildfire.  I think it has something to do with people wanting to control their finances, plus the free printable didn't hurt matters.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy the original post Today's Money: Budgeting with Cash Envelopes.

by Andrew Yenne, photos by Sam Henderson

Oh Me!  Oh Mai! It’s May, which means it’s almost summertime. Time to kick back, relax and enjoy the warm days and cool nights.  This month we’re featuring one of 'Mai' favorite summer drinks (and fall and winter and spring, really anytime I want to pretend I’m somewhere tropical).  It’s the drink that launched a national craze, and a decade of kitsch. Of course, we’re talking about the Mai Tai.

Unfortunately, much like the Margarita, this drink has been tampered with so much over the years in chain restaurants and hotel bars that it is almost unrecognizable.  We’re getting back to basics, and the heart of this delicious drink the Trader himself concocted back in the 40’s.  Exotic dark rum from Jamaica, the citrus punch of fresh lime and the exotic flavors of orgeat (a sweet almond syrup) make the Mai Tai exotic, dangerous, and delicious.

savour… a mental vacation

As you know, our site recently got a facelift.  In an effort to bring everything up to speed we are dusting off some old posts and cleaning them up a bit.  Many of them were written before we really knew what we were doing around here.  We've come a LONG way.

This flashback is from one of our very early posts.  I just love this project and still use it in my home everyday.  These hooks are perfect for keeping it all together and still having a place to hang your hat and/or jacket.  Check out the original post at Hooked on Storage: Toilet Flange Hook

Jennifer Henderson

Jake, my son, has always been a bit of a natural martial artist and by that I mean, stealing moves from Naruto smashing them together with a bit of Power Rangers and adding a dash of Ninja Turtles which resulted in something that looked more like a string of high kicks, punches, and dance spins.  It looked pretty good for someone who had been trained by cartoon characters. 

It wasn’t until we saw Kung Fu Panda that real martial arts training became a reality.  We received a free trial and after one class we were hooked.  After visiting a few schools and programs, we found our martial arts home at United States Taekwondo Academy in Richardson.  I dare say that “shopping” for a martial arts school is not unlike searching for the right church/place of worship, neighborhood, school, hairdresser, sorority/fraternity, gym, etc.  It’s very personal and the environment plays a huge part in your level of comfort and your ability to train. 

Jake and I happened upon the Academy one afternoon last July when we were out for a bike ride and ice cream.  We popped in and met Instructor Rico.  We were immediately greeted with a warm welcome and information that would have Jake in class later that afternoon.  I joined Jake shortly thereafter and we became members of the Black Belt Club setting our sights on becoming black belts within three years.  We are approaching our first year anniversary and what a quick year it has been.  We’ve learned so much and still have so much more to learn.  It is such an incredible journey and here’s why…

Today we are taking another look back at an old post that needs a little 'dusting off'.  Our site is newly designed, but some of our older posts aren't up to par.  We are re-shooting some of the pics, updating some of the articles and re-releasing them.

The original post was done within our first month blogging.  The original photos were bad... really bad.  At the time, I thought they were good, but they weren't.  What is good, on the other hand, is the recipe.  This recipe is tried and true and one of the most requested cookies I bake.  They are impossibly easy, but the taste is very unique.  The cardamom adds a twist that will surprise your usual cookie snackers. Click the link for Cardamom Wedding Cookies.

savour... unexpected flavor

Nothing says summer like a campfire or bonfire.  Gathering around with food, drink, and friends stretches the fun well into the night.  If you are lucky enough to have someone in your group who plays guitar the evening is made even more fun with music in the air.  

Today we have compiled a quick list of fun songs for your bonfire.  If you don't have a guitar, gather this playlist together for your MP3 player and take along a way to share it with the crowd.  

Tip: If your gathering is more planned, consider making a printed playlist for your friends to take with them so they can remember the mood of the night long after it is over.  To help you, the playlist you see after the page jump is printable on 8.5" x 11" paper.  Enjoy!

Of course, these aren't the only good bonfire songs, just a few modern choices and some of our all time favorites.  Do you have some you'd like to share? Leave us a comment at the end of the post with your song suggestions.

savour... the music of the night