Happy 3 Years, Stephen

Yesterday, Stephen and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. For our first anniversary we did a mini-getaway in the Green Bay area, where we were married, and I reflected on one year of marriage here. Last year we celebrated by spending some time cooking at home (last year's blog post). This year we chose to dine at Sanford, a unique staple in the Milwaukee restaurant scene. The chef and owner just won a James Beard award this year. We opted for the 7 course Chef''s surprise and thoroughly enjoyed our 3 hour dining experience and each other's company.

I love you, Stephen. I am excited for another year!

This is what 3 years of marriage looks like

2nd Anniversary Celebration

Stephen and I just celebrated our second anniversary. Where does the time go? Our actual anniversary, August 6th, was your average, busy workday so we hit up the Mason Street Grill happy hour. I hate to advertise too much for fear more people will catch on, but it is a great deal ($2 draft beers, $5 small plates), great food, and a great atmosphere.

Our favorite wedding picture

The weekend prior to our anniversary, we celebrated in a unique way. By doing nothing. Alright, not really nothing, but by having a relaxing day at home. We slept in. We made a fresh coffee cake for brunch. Then we headed to the beach to people watch. And finally we made dinner at home. It took some planning, but I finally settled on the perfect menu.

Menu

Cheesy Jalapenos Pull Bread
Broiled Lobster Tail
Fresh sweet corn on the cob with romano cheese
Fresh strawberries
Chocolate ganache torte

Champagne

It seems just like yesterday, but a few years ago I was allowed into the realm of Pinterest, and one of my first pins was Cheesy Jalapeno Pull Bread. Well, I finally made it! I do recommend using fresh jalapenos instead of pickled. They compliment the green onions well, and we had plenty of jalapenos from a friend's garden.

We ate the bread while we had cocktails and we were able to save half of the loaf to be reheated for a later meal. I am looking forward to doing variations on this bread when I just want a warm, comforting meal--especially in the winter.

I also really enjoyed this meal because of the timing. In the afternoon I prepped everything; shucked the corn, cleaned the strawberries, cut the lobster shell, etc. I set the water for the corn to boil while we ate the bread. When we were stuffed with bread I melted butter over the lobster tails and added paprika and salt and pepper. When the lobster was nearly done I through in the corn on the cob and voila...dinner!

It was nice to celebrate with Stephen in our home, an environment I find myself yearning for when I get busy. We got dressed up and made sure it was a special occasion; we used our china for the first time. It was nice to be surrounded by our wedding pictures and the life we have built together as we reflected on two years of marriage.

Happy Anniversary, my love!