This weekend flew by, didn’t it? I thought so. In between work and writing, I had one of my awesome friends, and fellow English Major, in town from Tennessee for a few days. Her name is Karla, and it was so fun to see her and share some adventures together again. We hit up our usual, the Starlite Lounge, a martini bar that rests above a cajun restaurant. Nothing like raspberry cosmos and jerk chicken nachos to remind you it’s summer.
Karla and I with our college diplomas 🙂
La Crosse also hosted Rockin’ the Docks on Saturday, an outdoor music fest on the edge of the Mississippi River. My boyfriend’s band, T.U.G.G. performed and we went down to support (and dance and hang out).
There was a trip to the local Rivoli Theater, an old opera house turned movie theater that plays films that just left the main theater for a discounted price. I love the Riv! We all went to see Bridesmaids, which I recommend as a must to go see with your girlfriends. It’s hilarious! It’s like The Hangover for women.
Our weekend ended with a potluck/wine tasting at my place where we watched Red Riding Hood. My only advice is proceed with caution when watching that film. It was entertaining, because we were drinking, but the movie seems to grasp at several previous films and blend them all together so you don’t quite know what film you’re watching. It’s a little bit Twilight meets A Knight’s Tale meets Van Helsing meets The Village meets an eclectic cast of Sci-fi TV stars. It’s got a lot going on.
What I wanted to share with you is the dish of honor. At Karla’s request, I made her favorite Pina Colada Fruit Salad. Oh, it’s divine!
Pina Colada Fruit Salad from Carol Farnsworth, Greenwood, IN, Simple and Delicious Magazine
Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes Yield: 9 servings
1-1/2 cups green grapes
1-1/2 cups red grapes
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1-1/2 cups halved strawberries
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 can (10 oz.) frozen non-alcoholic pina colada mix, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pineapple-orange juice
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp coconut extract
In a serving bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the pina colada mix, sugar, juice, and extracts until sugar is dissolved. Pour over fruit; toss to coat. Chill until serving. (Note: I’ve made this a couple times and always have extra syrup. Stock up on your favorite fruits so you can replenish the dish as the night goes on.)
Enjoy! See you all on Friday for another edition of The Life List Club! See what else we’re up to by visiting us on Twitter at #LifeListClub.
Yum – that salad looks delish! I have not yet seen the Bridesmaids, but I’ll have to snag a girl friend to watch it with me. The hubby is not one for chick flicks – LOL.
I took my honey with us to see Bridesmaids and he was laughing, whether he admits it or not. 😉
I love fruit salad and this sounds even better with the pina colada sauce! Thanks for the recipe, Jess. Well you had a busy but fun weekend. It’s always nice to get together with good friends. They say it makes your creative juices flow, too. Hope you reaped those benefits as well!
They helped me with my 5 guilty pleasure men. And have also requested a post on Sh*t We Put Up With For Love. LOL. What do you think? Worthy blog post?
I have a confession to make: I’ve added Bridesmaids to my Netflix queue. Even though it’s a – gasp! – chick flick. What can I say? It looks funny!
There’s a guilty pleasure for you. 🙂
You’re going to laugh! Some of it’s pretty raunchy. But you’ll definitely be laughing…or cringing. Either way, you’ll be entertained.
P.S. I hope Kristen Wiig makes it into your top 5 guilty pleasure women after watching.
I already love her on SNL!
Thanks, Jess, for letting us in on the fun fest with your pal! Sounds like you had a blast!
Patti
Definitely nice to visit after so long. Just sad it’ll be another couple months before she comes again. 😦
Such a beautiful salad! Sounds like a fun time- haven’t seen bridesmaids yet- I’ll add it to my list.
It tastes even better, you must try it!
Yum! I’m going to have to try that recipe out and soon. 😀
It’s positively divine! You’ll love it!
I love Kristen Wiig; she’s probably in the running for top SNL woman performer of all time. I’d love to check out Bridesmaids but it hasn’t come to a local theater yet.
I KNOW you’ll love it. I can see you blogging about it. Kristen would want to see your smoking jacket, after all…
Looking for alcohol in the pina colada fruit salad. 🙂 Catherine Hardwicke directed Red Riding Hood so I’m not surprised that it sort-of resembles Twilight .