blah blah beans

The recipe I'm about to tell you about is something that I made last Tuesday.  And then I tried to write about it the following Tuesday, but I just couldn't seem to muster up enough enthusiasm.  It took 9 days after eating and 2 days after trying to write about it that I realized the reason I couldn't muster up any enthusiasm was because it was just a so-so dish.  Nothing special or spectacular, just one of those dishes that if you had the staples on hand you wouldn't mind eating it - but nothing that I'll plan again.

So rewind back to almost 2 weeks ago.  Before going to the grocery store, I looked through the "Meatless Mains" chapter of my Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals cookbook and picked out 3 simple but yummy sounding recipes that required me to buy only about half the ingredients since I had the rest on hand. It all started out so well.

Presenting Southwestern Red Beans and Rice
I thought this would be good for a few reasons: the total prep and cook time was 13 minutes, it looked hearty and filling, and it sounded yummy.  Here's the recipe:

Prep: 4 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup rice mixture and 1 tortilla)

Cooking spray
1 (8 ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 (8.8 ounce) package precooked whole-grain brown rice (such as Uncle Ben's Ready Rice)
1 (16 ounce) can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatos with zesty mild chiles, undrained (such as Del Monte)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 flour tortillas
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray.  Add mushrooms to pan; cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Stir in rice and next 4 ingredients.  Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

2.  While rice mixture cooks, warm tortillas according to package directions.  Sprinkle rice mixture with cheese and cilantro.  Serve immediately with tortillas. 

Nutrition info: calories 319g, fat 7g (sat 2.7g, mono 2.4g, poly 1.5g), protein 14.2g, carb 52.1g, fiber 8.4g, chol 11mg, iron 2.6 mg, sodium 794 mg, calc 144 mg

Doesn't that look appetizing?  No?  You're right.  It looks like regurgitated food.  Oh well.  All in all, it wasn't that bad... but as my mom always says, saying "it's not that bad" instead of "it's pretty good" says more than the words itself.

Note:

- it could have used more spice for sure.  The green chiles definitely help, but so did the cheese and sour cream.

 - the whole "pre-cooked rice in a pan" thing was weird to me and my cook time definitely took longer than stated because a) I'm still not used to these gas burners and b) I don't have a lid for the pan I was using, so I just put a plate on top instead.  It works, but it doesn't exactly create the seal you probably want and need.

- after making it I thought "hey this could be pretty tasty as burrito filling!"  Well, I think it was actually tastier on it's own.  How is that possible?  I have no idea.

- random nutrition info: did you know that rinsing and draining canned beans can reduce the sodium by 40 percent.  I never used to do this because I was lazy and didn't see the point, but I definitely will from now on.

So to sum it up: I probably won't be making this again, unless of course I happen to have rice, light red kidney beans, and diced tomatoes with zesty green chiles on hand.  Oh well.

PS: in an odd way, it feels good to write a not-so-glowing review of a CL recipe.  It's strangely exciting.  Plus now you can 100% certain that I don't secretly work for Cooking Light.  Glad that's out in the open.

hey hey hey beret

Do you remember when I took some pictures of some yarn and said one day it would be a beret?  Although I figured Heather would just hold on to said beret until I got home for Christmas, I got an early surprise when she put it in the mail (and really, with the temperatures I have to look forward to, I'm very glad she felt compelled to do this)!

Heather and Paul are doing a literary themed Christmas (Paul is an English professor!), and this wrapping and bow was just adorable.  I took this picture with my phone in my car in the parking garage at work which should explain the darkness and weirdness about it, but I was just too excited to wait for my camera.

And there she is!  Looking all cute.  PS: how in the world do you photograph a beret? I clearly had no idea.  Anyways, I love her way more than any other winter wear I own.

And there I am, in full morning-Allison-awkwardness, wearing my new beauty.  I love it I love it I love it. (Oh, and the color is more accurate in the first picture - you can thank lighting + flash for the odd change of color).

PS: I had a bit of adventure picking her up.  I forgot to tell Heather that I moved recently so she sent it Fed Ex to my old address.  I showed up the day it was suppose to arrive and didn't see a note on the door or a package on the porch, so instead of bursting into tears like I fully expected to do if this happened, I took a shot and knocked on the door.  Turns out, the sweetest little family has moved in already and in all my rambling and trying to explain why I was randomly knocking on her door and asking if she had a package for me, little momma of the house interrupted and said, "Allison?!  It arrived yesterday!"  What a sweetheart.  And Heather too.  So many sweethearts.

christmas time is here

A few weeks before Christmas Will and I were at Wal-Mart (unfortunately) and I told him I don't like decorating for Christmas.  By the look he gave me, I wouldn't have been 100% surprised if he broke up with me on the spot.  He looked heartbroken.  Then I told him that what I don't like is having to unpack things, pack up normal decor things, put Christmas stuff out, and then in 3 and a half weeks pack it all up again only to have to get your normal stuff out again.  I partially blame my mom for this feeling because she too feels this way and has left more and more holiday decorations in the attic each year.  In her defense, we have some very crafty family members so each year my mom was given more and more decorations and the amount she accumulated is pretty overwhelming.

Anyhoo, surprise of all surprises, when Will and I got back from Thanksgiving I couldn't wait to break into my Christmas box.  I'm pretty sure I was excited because it meant that our plain we're-only-living-here-for-3-months-so-why-bother-decorating apartment was going to look a little more home-y.  So, here's what I managed to do with an Italian styled apartment, no mantle, and little money:

The book case

Some of these vases were out already, but I went to Michael's and picked up some fake flowers to add some holiday color and picked up the Christmas candle from Target.  Coolest thing about the candle: it has a wooden wick so when it burns you can hear it crackle.  The first time I lit the candle all I could think was "Chestnuts roasting over an open fire."

The coffee table

I didn't do much here partly because I never got around to doing this pop-up book art Christmas scene that Kara Paslay shared on her blog and partly because I just didn't want much on the coffee table.  So it's simple, but I do love that gold glitter candle.  Oh, and in my defense, at one time the other votive (that is now on the bookcase) was also on the table and there was another white candle exactly like the one above, but it found it's way to the trash can because it now looks like this:

The "mantle"

Cheap-o stockings from Target with glitter paint yessss.  Classy.  Oh and Tom's medals he's won in races he's done because those are always out and I wasn't going to be mean and take them down. This was about all I could do because our mantle actually consists of 5 spaced out, protruding stones:

Cool huh?

The fire place

Next year I definitely want a life-size real tree, but I do have a special fondness for baby tree.  It's sitting on a bar stool that I wrapped in a paper table cloth from Target.  Oh, and only 4 of these presents are for Will and I (the rest are for our parents!). My NC Christmas ornament found a new home with my UNC snow man that my mom sent me last year on the fire place gate.

The kitchen doorway

Another thing I took from my mom: taping up Christmas cards on the doors (or in my case, marble walls).  Most of these are for last year, but I'll be adding this year's as they come.  Cards are the best.

The dinner table

And finally, the table cloth, plate, santa mug, and napkins that my mom gave me last year.  Please ignore my almost bad bananas - those are going in a smoothie tomorrow morning - and my veggie and coozie bowls (and don't worry, that weird pumpkin bowl that's holding the coozies does not belong to me).  Oh, and that plate should have cookies on it, but I postponed baking until tomorrow.

So maybe it's pieced together and a bit cheap, but I'm okay with that this year.  Besides, nothing will ever top this:

This picture is actually missing 2 stockings because I took this on July 27 (yes, it stayed up that long because we loved it that much) and they had already moved out.  Sorry Beth and Kelsey!

PS: I just compared my current stocking with this stocking and realized that the next time I break out the glitter pens, I need to get a little more creative.

kate's take on christmas songs

My friend Kate wrote a hilarious take on the top 5 "most awesomely terrible" Christmas songs.  She brings up points that I had never considered before, such as does my favorite Christmas song condone date rape?  Hmm.  Very interesting.

Check it out (along with the rest of her blog)!

PS: she's not kidding about programming all of the stations in her car to ones playing Christmas music as soon as possible.  I've been there - and I've been amazed at her quickness.

let's start a fire

Up until recently, I have had a strong aversion to candles.  Sure I think they're pretty when they're lit and sometimes they're even pretty when they aren't lit, but the candle experience was ruined for me when I was younger. One year my mom decided to tell people that I really liked candles and people just couldn't stop themselves from giving me more and more candles.  I hand candles on my dresser, on my bed side table, on my desk, lined on the shelves in my closet - SO many candles.  I even turned a little pyro for a while and burned candles for 10 hours a day just to try and get rid of them (so what if I also melted pen lids and other plastic things in the baby flames?).  So since 10th grade or so, I have not wanted candles in my bedroom/dorm room/kitchen/living room/any room.  Well, there was the summer and winter I worked at Bath and Body Works and got sucked back into candles, but that was just one weak moment.

But ever since I did a little extra Christmas shopping at Target and walked away with not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, but 6 whole candles, I have been a candle-burning fiend.  I have already gone through 2 votives and just about one whole pillar candle.  I just can't stop myself.  So in the spirit of candles, here are some snazzy ones I wouldn't mind having around:

First up, pretty candles in pretty glass holders.  I want lots of these Sydney Hale Co. candles because there are so many scents that sound just delightful.  And the holder on the right is meant to be hung, so just picture how pretty that could be.

1) Terrain: Vintage Cordial Candle

2) Sydney Hale Company: Mint + Geranium

3) CB2: Whirly Hanging Chandelier

Next, we have pretty candles in tins/ceramic/mercury glass "jars."  I love all of these a whole lot.  In fact, I'll probably be driving to Anthropologie this weekend to check and see if the collared candle is there because it's backordered online - and it's on sale, which is always my favorite.  PS: that first candle is just a candle that someone melted into an old jello mold.  I wish I was cool enough to come up with things like that.

1) Etsy: Vintage Jello Mold Candle in Lemon Verbena

2) Anthropologie: Days Gone By Candles

3) Anthropologie: Haberdasher's Collar Candle, Two Sons

4) Anthropologie: Scintillating Basin Candle

If you thought you were getting out of this without a mention of an elephant, clearly you haven't been following along.  But also, a candle that has a beautiful vintage feeling print combined with a scent called "tea leaf" pretty much screams my name.  And this set of three Oceanic pillar candles are so darn sassy I can't help but smile when I look at them.

1) Skeem: 3-Wick, Migration, Tea Leaf

2) CSN: Blissliving Home Elephant Candle in Metallic Silver

3) Skeem: Pillars, Oceanic

Is there a part of me that hopes I get a candle or two for Christmas?  Maybe.  Is there a part of me that's terrified of getting seven candles for Christmas?  Definitely.  But I think I'm ready to face that fear head on.  Next fear on the list: the dark (which oddly enough, I just realized candles would really help that one out!  Funny how things work out).

pizza with a twist

I think for Christmas I should get a chef's hat because I'm starting to feel like a real pro in the kitchen.  I've been pretty lucky recently and haven't had any duds (knock on wood), but I'll be baking cookies this weekend so that streak might be in jeopardy.  For those of you that didn't have to eat my sugar cookies last year, be greatful, and for those of you that did, I'm very sorry.  No worries, that recipe is not making a comeback.

Tonight I made Mini White Pizzas with Vegetables.  Before my big grocery shopping trip yesterday, I picked out some simple but comfort food-ish recipes from my Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals cookbook.  Yeah yeah, Cooking Light again.  They have great recipes what can I say. 

I can't find this recipe on line, so here goes:

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes

4 (6-inch) whole weat pitas
Olive-oil flavored cooking spray
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese (such as Alouette Light)
6 tablespoons shredded Asiago cheese

1.  Preheat broiler.
2.  Place pitas on a baking sheet; broil 3 minutes.
3.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray.  Add zucchini, onion, pepper, and salt; saute 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
4.  Remove pitas from oven and spread 2 tablespoons garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese over each pita.  Top evenly with vegetables and Asiago cheese.  Broil 3 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cheese melts.  Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pizza).

Nutrition info: 272 calories, 8.7g fat (sat 4.6 g, mono 1g, poly 1g), 11.9g protein, 40.2g carbs, 5.5g fiber, 24mg cholesterol, 2.2mg iron, 505mg sodium, 137mg calcium

Even Will agreed that my pizza looked very similar to the picture in the cookbook, if only a little less crispy.

These were super yummy.  I made 2 because I planned on having one for lunch tomorrow, but then I remembered I agreed to go out to lunch tomorrow (something I rarely do) so I guess it will just be dinner again.  I had snacked on some turkey pepperoni and string cheese when I came home so one of these guys filled me up, but tomorrow I'll probably try to throw a spinach salad in there to make it a little fancier.

Notes:

- I would say prep time is more like 10 minutes instead of 5, but that could just be because anytime I put a kinfe near an onion I start crying uncontrollably

- I didn't follow the whole "1/4 cup red onion" - since I was making 2, I just eyeballed how much I would want/need

- I didn't find the Alouette Light spreadable cheese they mentioned, but I did find another brand that was also light and garlic and herbs so alls well that ends well (found in the special cheese section in the produce department)

- Every single time I see Asiago cheese in a recipe, I go straight for the Sargento 4-cheese reduced fat Italian shredded cheese (and bonus, asiago is one of the 4 cheeses)

-  You could totally sub any other veggies you wanted, but I was a big fan of this veggie combo and the fact that zucchini was involved because that's one of my favorite things

To sum it up: Easy peasy.  So yummy.  Cooking Light obsessed.  Happy and full.

tgif

One of my favorite things about living in the dorms was getting a note in my mail box that said "You have a package!"  It was the most exciting feeling. 

Now that I have a PO box for a few months, I get to experience that excitement all over again!  I mean getting a surprise package is great no matter what, but when you have to wait in line, there's a chance for anticipation to build and questions for what it can be fill your head and basically a general feeling of giddiness takes over.

Lucky me got to finish off my Friday with that wonderful feeling!

I got this card in the mail from bff Kelcey:

I immediately starting laughing because Kelcey was there when I hit my first squirrel (I mentioned that little incident here).  I'm not 100% sure if I've hit another squirrel since, but I do remember one running in front of my car when I was on an entrance ramp not to long ago.

Anyways, there was also a package!  Let me tell you, Kelcey wrapped this thing up good and tight.  It took me way longer than I would have liked to get into the thing and I more or less destroyed the brown paper, box, tissue paper, other wrapping paper, and other box the gift was in.

Finally, I got to this ornament, which Kelcey sent me because she knew how much I've been missing NC (19 days til I'm home!!!!!).

The first ornament on my baby tree!  So much happiness for a Friday evening.  Now Will and I are off to try out a new restaurant that we've been eyeing since June.  Happy weekend yall!!

there's an elephant in the room

Remember this guy?

Remember when I talked about wanting to do my own painting just like this?  Well guess what:

Yes yes yes!  While I did make a few changes and while my elephant isn't perfect (I freehanded it), I am very happy with the first painting I've completed since my freshman year of college.  Although I must admit it was pretty darn simple:

1) I dry brushed white acryllic paint on the canvas, just enough to cover the whole canvas.  Once it dried (which happened quickly since there wasn't much paint), I dry brushed/streaked some black over the white - not a lot and trust me, it didn't look pretty at this step.  When that dried, I used my painting knife to build up the white to add texture and make the canvas look a little worn or antiqued instead of it just having weird streaks of black.  (The lighting in a basement apartment isn't great, so just believe me when I say you can see said texture and worn-ness).

2) Next step was doing the yellow bits.  Again, I just took the painting knife, got just a bit of yellow, and scraped away.  I added the red because I wanted them to stand out a bit more.  But then I got a little knife paint happy, so I ended up painting over 3 bits with white and redoing the yellow lines again.  No biggie.

3) Then I just looked at the original as a guide and free-handed the elephant lightly in pencil.

4) Then came the watercolors!  FYI, painting knives and watercolors are some of my favorite things to work with.  I ended up doing 2 coats of watercolor on the elephant (and I'm still debating doing a third to make the elephant darker and changing it a bit around the mouth).

5) Lastly, I very lightly free-handed the words, mixed up the blue, and carefully painted away.

And there you have it!  Now I just need to figure out what's getting painted next.  Muahaha.

PS: Over Thanksgiving I read Water for Elephants.  Obsession overload.

hello world

Okay, so this whole trip through the Atlanta airport on Sunday was the most interesting and adventurous (in a good way) one yet.  Not only did we spot two celebrities, but I became a local celebrity as well.  That is if you consider being interviewed by CBS Atlanta about holiday travel and being on the news celebrity status. 

Even though we were getting in the security line at 1 and our flight didn't board til 2:20, when the news lady stopped us and asked if we wouldn't mind answering a few questions Will said, "Oh sorry, we have to catch our flight." I not-so-accidentally called him a liar in front of her so she jumped in and said oh, you wouldn't mind?! and I said of course not.  Because that's what a fellow journalism student does.

Check it out!  I'm around the 1:05ish mark. 

And now that you've watched it, let's take a second to admire just how good I was looking for my television debut:

CBS Atlanta

Hmm.  Maybe I should have showered after all.

Update: My dad informed me that my link wasn't working, so I fixed it (I think).  Oopsies.

spotted

Celebrity sightings in NYC: 0

Celebrity sightings in Atlanta airport in one day: 2

Here’s what happened: Will and I got off the train (if you’ve never been to the Atlanta airport, picture an above ground subway in the ATL airport – you move so fast through terminals!) and are headed up the long escalator when I hear this guy talking on the phone.  I turn around to look and even though he was wearing big sunglasses, I immediately recognize him as Syrus from The Real World.  I stare for probably longer than I should have, but I swear he smirked a little.  So I turn around and without being too obvious I tell Will hey hey hey Syrus from The Real World is back there!  He looks at me like I’m clueless.  I say you know, Season 5 (later found out it was season 6 – so close!), Boston?!  Nothing.  So I get him to turn around and he immediately recognizes him from all of our years of watching Real World/Road Rules Challenges (seriously good television).  Although he now knows who I’m talking about, he laughs and says he definitely doesn’t think it’s him.  So I turn around again being all nonchalant of course and decide once and for all it’s totally him.

Syrus Yarbrough

But just to make sure, after getting off the escalator I wait off to the side to get one more good look.  As he walks by and I feel myself starting to waver just a bit, I hear a girl behind me say, “Hey who’s that guy?!  He’s that music guy!” and her friend responds, “No, he’s the guy from the reality show!”  I immediately turn around and say “Yeah isn’t it Syrus from The Real World?!” and they both agree that’s who it is.  Celebrity spotting: Allison 1, Will 0.

Fast forward to us getting on the plane.  I get stopped by the flight attendant who has to pass out drinks to the first class people (this has happened to me on two flights in a row now – anyone else?) while Will makes it all the way to our seats.  Once I get there and get my bags situated, he tells me to look at the bald guy in the window seat about 10 rows up.  At first I can’t tell who it is because well, it’s the back of a bald man’s head, but once he turns and I get a profile what do you know – it’s the guy from 30 Rock!

Scott Adsit 

Okay okay, neither of us actually knew his name, but recognizing him definitely counts more I think.  Celebrity spotting:  Allison 1, Will 1.

NYC, I think it’s time you step up your game.

PS: senior year of college Will and I went with our friends Ryan and JP to Time Out – sober (for anyone from Chapel Hill wondering why we would go such a place sober, I have 2 words for you: fried okra).  Will, JP and I were in there with only 2 other people – a man and a woman.  I look at the man for a second and think to myself Whoa that guy looks like Nomar Garciaparra.  Whoa.  So I whisper it to Will and looks over and agrees it looks like him, but it’s definitely not him.  When we get outside, Ryan, who was sitting in the car, says “Hey, did you guys see Nomar and Mia Hamm?”  Does anyone else see a pattern here?

southern holiday

I missed out on the annual “What I’m thankful for” post because of a) non-working internet at the apartment last week and b) spending Wed – Sun in South Carolina/Georgia and not taking my computer along for the ride (which I did on purpose).  But to sum it up real quick, I’m incredibly thankful for my parents and family, Will, and my friends.  There are of course other things, but they aren’t nearly as important as the people previously mentioned.

Having been to Will’s mom’s-side-of-the-family Thanksgiving before, I had an idea of how good the food would be.  But this year they outdid themselves - not just on Thanksgiving, but all week long.  Plus being in the south (yay!!) I got some good ol’ fast food that the silly north doesn’t have available.  They have no idea what they’re missing. 

Here’s a rundown of the incredible edible food that made up the past five days:

-  McDonald’s breakfast: okay, this is in CT too, but those bacon egg and cheese biscuits are just so good.

- Zaxby’s: chicken fingers, texas toast, crinkle fries, and yummy dip.  There’s a good chance that if Will ever had tp pick a last meal, this would be it.

- Fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, fried cod, grilled cod, French fries, and broccoli: Wednesday night dinner.  All so darn good.  The best food of the night though: grilled chicken wings.  By far, the best wings I’ve ever tasted, and seeing as how one of Will’s major food groups is wings, I’ve tasted quite a few.  All food cooked by Uncle Rich. However, following the McDonald’s and Zaxby’s, I’ll admit the fried food overload almost did me in.

- Thanksgiving dinner: deep fried turkey, oven roasted turkey, broccoli, cheese, and slivered almonds, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, squash casserole, and bread: and that’s only what was on my plate – I left out the other stuffing, corn, sweet potato casserole, ham, and collards.  Smorgasbord is the only word that seems to describe it all.

- Chocolate cake with Kahlua and crème de cacao, pumpkin pie, and chocolate pie: enough said.

- Fresh-from-the-sea boiled oysters: I sat outside with the uncles to eat them and even shucked them myself.  I’m pretty sure I gained some cool points for doing this.

- Bojangles: mainly because I dream about that cajun chicken filet biscuit with cheese all day long.  Unfortunately it wasn’t the best Bojangles I’ve ever been to, but it will tide me over until December 23.

If only I could have had a doggie bag on the plane.  And if only I had realized before Saturday that although I was positive I had forgotten my camera, it was sitting there in my carry-on bag.

Of course there was more than food that made up the week: there were lots of rambunctious kiddies, a 2.2 pound toy Chihuahua puppy, 78 degree weather, a thrilling Auburn – Alabama game that resulted in Will’s mom doing the best victory dance ever, lots of corn hole and football – both on TV and in the backyard, and an all around great time. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving as well!

PS: think the 4.5 miles Will and I ran/walked on Thursday morning did any good considering all this?  Me neither.

obsessed

Okay you might not know this yet but it's probably time I share it: I have a slight obsession with elephants.  Let me tell you, Will is super excited about it.  First it started with the salt and pepper shakers I wanted.  Then came the 2 elephant "statues" I got at Ross while I was there with my parents a few months ago - they totally thought they were cool.  Even stuffed animals are getting my attention and that has happened since I was like 12 years old.  Everytime I see an elephant these days I point, smile giddily, maybe jump up and down, and squeal "Look Will!!! An elephant!"  Like I said, he loves this new development.

But last night I hit the mother load.  While perusing the print shop I discovered on Urban Outfitters, I found this guy:

Even Will likes this one!!  Those colors, those flowers, those lines, those bubbles, those swirls - it is exactly what I would do if I had only thought of it first.

So yes I'm in love.  I'm also in love with this print shop I discovered.  There are so many good pieces and they are so reasonably priced.  I would love to put this collection on my wall, in this way:

Clockwise from left: buffalo, rhino, elephant, and black sheep.  Picture frames.  Picture maybe switching the elephant with the rhino.  Picture my smiling face everytime I would see this. 

Before I go crazy and order all of them go, I'm going to challenge myself to try and draw something similar to the elephant print.  Sure I might have to trace an elephant since real life was never really my thing - I'm an abstract and random design kinda girl - but I actually think I could do something pretty close.  So while I'm sitting around watching football and desperately cheering on my fantasy team, picture me drawing an elephant.

All images from Urban Outfitters Print Shop

Update: I just found this image on Sugarboo Designs:

I want to sit on the ground on a table cloth and paint this immediately.  Come on weekend!

autumn blues

Not to be a drag and all, but I’ve been feeling a little down recently.  This usually happens when the weather turns colder and it gets dark so early outside, but this year it’s been especially frustrating.  I think I’m maybe a little too excited for Thanksgiving break and spending time with family, so it’s making each day even that much harder to get through.  Add to that the move and the fact that a) our previous landlord is a sucky person (LC always was my favorite) and b) our apartment still isn’t totally put together, and I’m just a wee bit burnt out.  Okay just had to get that out there.

I’ve started working on a couple crafting/diy projects but have hit a few snags along the way ie I need glue, a ½ inch drill bit, and a place to spray paint.  But if I did have all proper equipment and all the space in the world to work, this is what I would do:

1)  Paint a rug.  Yeah, when I first saw this tutorial by Sarah on how to do it I thought “Eeeks, I don't want to walk on paint.”  But she convinced me that if you do it right, your rug will stay nice and pleasant.  Besides, we aren’t talking about painting a shag rug here so really how much coziness is there to lose?

These are rugs that I think would be fun to imitate:

Rug images from Anthropologie and Surya - and although some have a metallic sheen don't worry, that was just my computer's idea of a funny joke

2) Paint paintings.  I’ve always been crazy over paintings and prints that incorporate letters and words.  Maybe it’s because I used to consider that one of the things I did best in art class – tell me to take my initials or favorite letter and make it interesting and I was one happy happy girl.  I also like flowers though too, but not in the still life flowers-in-a-vase-on-a-table way but more in the add-flowers-but-don’t-make-it-a-painting-of-flowers way.

These are "word" prints that have caught my eye:

All images from Sugarboo Designs

And these guys have flowers:

From left to right: Urban Outfitter's Print Shop, Anthropologie, Anthropologie, Sugarboo (I'm pretty sure I could do something simliar to those Anthro ones, and therefore not pay the combined $1,198 for them)

3) Build furniture.  This is probably years down the line but seriously, how cool would it be to see a piece of a furniture in a store, look at the price tag and think “I could make that.”  It would be so cool!  I just love the idea of building from scratch.  It’s kind of like when I cook: even if it doesn’t turn out perfect, I’m pretty pleased with myself.  And I think since furniture stays around way longer than food does that satisfied feeling would be even better.

Here are some pieces I like:

From left to right: Unknown and unknown (I got both images from RueLaLa), Urban Outfitters

So that’s how I’ve been spending my time recently: dreaming of non-cold, non-Connecticut days when I can paint and sand and drill to my heart’s delight.  While that sounds fine and dandy, I think I need to try and live a little more in the present.

3 for 3: eggplant parmesan

Ohhh yeah.  I am on fire in the kitchen lately.  Okay not lately, but it is definitely helps me get back into wanting to cook real dinners more often when new things keep turning out well.  Hooray hooray hooray.

So on to the actual recipe: Eggplant Parmesan from Cooking Light.  I mean really at this point I feel like Cooking Light should move in.  Or something.  Once the weather gets cold and I start wanting all things creamy and comforting and cheesy (you have no idea how hard it is to not make my feta mashed potatoes and eat bowls of them - and only them - for lunch...) I think Cooking Light becomes an even bigger factor in my life because they help take those typical meals and plain ol make them better.

Cooking Light

Mine

There they are!  Mine aren't as saucy for some reason (I used the amounts it said to use) but I think I'm okay with that because sometimes too much sauce can just ruin it.  Plus I didn't put basil sprigs on top because I'm really not that big of a basil fan.  One drawback: the amount of time cooking takes.  The eggplant has to cook 30 minutes before it becomes eggplant parmesan which then has to cook 45 minutes so yeah, maybe not a week night meal?

Notes:

- I cut the recipe in half because I pretty much always have to cut recipes in half

- Good luck finding whole wheat panko crumbs - I've looked just about every time I go to the store and there are plain panko crumbs and whole wheat bread crumbs, but never are the too combined (so I used plain panko crumbs since they're crispier)

- I did get the fancy freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but as for that fontina cheese, I got plain on Sargento 6-cheese Italian mix - believe it or not, fontina was actually in that mix

- I still need to get those cute baking dishes

- Make sure you have aluminum foil or else you'll end up like me: ready to put that baby in the oven only to realize you have no aluminum foil, freak out, and then make a mad dash to the store (inconvenient, but not the end of the world)

To sum it up: it's super yummy, super comforting, and pretty easy all in all.  It would just be better on a weekend day when time isn't so much an issue.

Click here for the recipe!

Oh and PS: Tom didn't eat any.  I felt guilty about the whole aluminum foil thing so I made him eat some chicken he made last night without me, but I'll try to get him to eat some tomorrow night to get his opinion too.  He might be a tough critic because supposedly he's eaten the best eggplant parm in all of New York.  Yikes. That's a lot of pressure.

2 for 2: open-faced turkey patty melt

On Wednesday I was busy in the kitchen again preparing dinner for Tom and me.  It’s unfortunate that Tom sometimes doesn’t get home from work/working out until after 9, but I like having the excuse of cooking for someone else and he likes having a home-cooked meal (I think) so this situation is actually quite ideal!

So yes, KK sent me this recipe from Cooking Light last month.  I had to wait until I had a working fridge to try her out though.  Results: successful dinner in no time at all!*

Picture from Cooking Light

*Full disclaimer time: it took me way longer than 5 minutes to cook those pretty little onions on top because apparently some of the burners on the new stove aren’t as powerful as others.  I didn’t realize this until the end of cooking though when I switched to a different burner to make the last turkey patty (5 in one pan was overkill) and that burner just roared to life.  Plus I’m still not all that accustomed to cooking with gas so getting “medium heat” can sometimes be a little tricky.  But that’s not the recipe’s fault, that’s the silly burners fault. 

Other notes about this recipe:

- I used light style wheat bread instead of rye because I just don’t like rye

- Don’t pile on the mustard – Tom did this and then slightly regretted it when he realized it has a nice little kick in it

- I bought a package of Jenny O ground turkey breast that was 1.3 pounds, so I made 5 patties instead of 4 (and just added a little extra of the other ingredients to hopefully account for the extra meat)

- Next time I might try buying a better quality Swiss, just to fancy it up

To sum it up: pretty healthy but doesn’t skimp on the flavor, easy to cook, and nice for a re-heated lunch.  It’s a keeper!  Thanks KK.

Click here for the yumminess!

Next up: Eggplant Parmesan

stupid connecticut

Yesterday I had a Stupid Connecticut day.  This is the term I give days when things happen that I just can't fathom.  Or it's just an overall annoying type of day.  I know I've complained about the driving before, but yall, it's serious.  Who turns right from the middle lane at a red light?  Who tails you in a 30 mph zone that's both residential and filled with shops and businesses and has cars parked on both sides of the street and then passes you even though it's a double yellow line?  But enough about the driving.  I had to share those little details, but I won't bore you with the others from the day.  Just know that when I find myself exclaiming "Stupid Connecticut!," I know it's a Stupid Connecticut day. 
When I'm having a day much like that, I dream about putting this on my wall:

Ebay map - I'm only putting the link because there are 7 available

DREAM about this I tell ya.  This beautiful thing belongs on my wall and in my life so that I can feel just a little bit closer to the mother land.  Consider this guy officially on my Christmas list.

A friend of mine at work came over to my desk and asked if I would move back to North Carolina because he wants to move to Charlotte but hopes to have more friends there.  I laughed.  Would I?  You know it.

But just to show that there actually are a few things I like about Connecticut:  I have no idea what I'll do without this radio station when I'm no longer in range, this place makes working out enjoyable and has a super pilates instructor, and being able to jump on a train and be in NYC in 50 minutes is pretty nice to have as an option.  After all, it's not all the time that I get to hang out in Central Park, is it?



You guessed it - photo taken in Central Park.

1 for 1: swiss enchiladas

So Will has been out of town since Sunday and will be coming home on Friday.  I'm taking advantage of this time to cook some pretty snazzy dinners for our roommate Tom and I since it's so much easier to cook for 2 people instead of 1 (leftovers get eaten so much faster!) and Tom claims to eat anything and everything.  Yayyyy Tom!

Dinner #1: Swiss Enchiladas!

I found this recipe on surprise surprise Cooking Light.  It was from the reader-recipe-makeover bit.  A lady wrote in about her yummy yummy enchiladas that had lots of whole milk and heavy cream.  GAG.  But luckily Cooking Light took over and with some whole wheat tortillas and 2% milk with a little flour to replace that heavy cream sauce they trimmed those babies down into a more than acceptable meal.  And because of those things they were able to leave all the glorious Swiss cheese in there, which was a big selling point for me since I consider cheese to be my favorite food.  Yes, I really do.

Here's a picture of the Cooking Light version:

And here's a picture of my version:

In my opinion, they don't look half bad!  Next time I'll just make sure to buy a prettier baking dish of course and invest in a broiler (or learn what a broiler is...).

And now for what I really cared about: what Tom thought.  When he walked in the door I excitedly told him they were ready and he told me how good it smelled in the kitchen.  Yessss.  He scooped one of these babies out and devoured it so he quickly followed it with another.  Actions speak louder than words, but his words were pretty powerful too: "These are so good!"  After we discussed that it wasn't actually that bad for you (aka I wouldn't recommend eating one of these every night, but one of these and a spinach side salad was perfect for me), he cleaned up all the dishes and praised my cooking skills.  Aww shucks.

I highly recommend you check out the recipe!  It is most definitely going in my recipe box.

Notes:
- I added cumin and paprika when cooking the onions and then added more cumin and garlic powder when everything was simmering. Next time I'll probably add yet another tbsp of cumin just because I like me some spiciness and that's the only thing these guys are lacking

- I ended up making 7 instead of 6 because there was enough filling to do so

- I used a rotisserie chicken I bought at the store since I definitely didn't want to roast a chicken on my own (ha) and it would be a tastier than just plain baked chicken

- The sauce (the milk and flour) was only supposed to take 5 minutes to thicken, but when mine hit the 12 minute mark and looked like milk with flour floating in it, I turned the heat up and stirred every 20 - 30 seconds or so instead of continuously.  In 3 short minutes I had a sauce!

Up next on the menu: Open-faced Turkey Patty Melt.  Ten points to anyone who can guess who gave me the recipe and where she found it.

before & after

So I told you that at some point I hoped to put a before and after photo of me on here once I get a little more in shape and all.  Well, let's just say the recent 5-day adventure of moving that included Outback, Wendy's, Domino's, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, McDonalds again, and Wendy's again have pushed that little after photo just a bit farther away.  That and my recent obsessively-eating-bagels phase.  But anyways, I do have a rather exciting and incredible before and after that is going to blow anything I could do out of the water!

Meet Harold.  Aka Dad.

Surprise!  This photo wasn't taken on graduation day.  It was actually taken a few weeks after graduation because we didn't want to deal with the grounds on the actual blue-gown day.  Anyways, let's say this was taken in late May 2009.  There's Daddio.

Check him out now:

Yes that's right.  He's fitting into shirts that were made in 1992 and 1993!  How crazy exciting is that?  Also, let's take special note of the beautiful shirt I whipped up back when I was 5 years old.  In case "My Special Daddy" didn't let you know that he was in fact said Daddy, the word "Dad" and 3 arrows pointing to his face should do it for you.

Dad, you're doing awesome.  Go Dad go!

those girls

Not to brag, but I think I have some pretty awesome friends.  Sometimes when I look around Connecticut and realize I haven't made any great (okay okay, any at all) girl friends, I feel a little sad, but then I remember all those awesome girls in my life that are lucky enough to be in NC (who knew I could be so jealous of that?!).  And of course there's KK, hanging out in (don't mess with) Texas.  Oh - and there's one girl who's halfway across the world* in Turkey.  Can't forget about her!

To the ones that have blogs, let me introduce you:

Kate - last night I was watching America's Next Top Model in the living room with Will (we don't have cable hooked up in our room yet or a DVR box yet so he didn't protest to much) when Tom (aka other roommate) came home.  Tom went in to the kitchen to make himself from dinner when he eventually came out of there and said "Geez Will, what are you watching?"  Funny boys.  The thing is if Kate was around she would have been right beside me.  And then we would have watched 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom, RH of DC/NJ/NYC/OC/BH, and Wheel of Fortune.  Kate also adores Bojangles, sends super great text messages, is incredibly smart, and is just a delight to be around. 

Courtney - you've already met Courtsport here, but there's a few extra things you might not know about her: she's my go to girl for opinion on clothes (especially Anthro and Gap) which is of course a vital aspect of any friendship, she grew up on a farm, and we keep each other up to date on all the engagements/weddings/having babies that involve people we knew/were friends with in high school.

Natalie - 1) one of the best accents you'll ever hear, 2) fellow J School, Public Relations sequence grad who wonders "what the heck was I thinking when I picked that?!," 3) avid diy blog-reader and crafter and 4) another lover of all things reality TV.  She also made a visit up to CT back in June which made Will and me feel very loved.  Thanks Natty!

Ashley – we met in fourth grade and were instant friends.  Then we became friends who wouldn’t speak to each other for one full day because we were SO mad, but then would be totally over it and besties the next.  Ashley still likes to bring up the fact that I one time didn’t talk to her for a solid week because I had a dream where she made me really really mad.  Thanks for sticking with me!

And of course, there are the girls who haven't succumbed to having a blog quite yet.

Kristen - she reads the insanely long emails I write her while at work - sometimes 4 of them a day - and never complains.  She also helps keep me accountable for eating well by sharing yummy recipes and for going to the gym by a) asking if I went, and b) sharing new workouts to keep things interesting.  Maybe she's my life coach in disguise?  Either way, she's great.  Plus she's from Texas which adds to her mystique.

Amy B – seriously, I don’t think there’s a person in the world that without even trying can make me smile and feel better about life than this girl.  She used to tell incredibly hilarious stories about kiddos in her classes named U-R-Chi-F and the boy from Kenya and Armando.  And she’s the best at leaving fun little random pick-me-up notes around for you to find.  One of my favorites is still from freshman year to Lauren B that said “Why are you in Carrboro?!”  Oh, and we met in like first grade when we were in girl scouts together.

Lauren B – she always let me borrow her clothes.  Even when I could tell she didn’t really want to let me borrow them.  She also kept me sane when we spent one incredibly crazy summer together.  We had our ups and downs, but by senior year, we were perfect for each other.  We also went to Panama City for spring break together which I think seals our friendship for life.

Kelcey – we’ve been BFFs since we were 3 years old.  I love that.  Somewhere there is a too-funny picture of her eyeing my cupcake at my 3 year old birthday party.  I skipped school with her once and after hitting a squirrel got pulled over for speeding, got out of it, and went to the reservoir and took ridiculous pictures with a random camera in my car.  Because you know, that’s what normal kids do. (Side note: Dad, I’ve always wondered the best time to tell you that little tidbit.  I guess it’s right now?  It was 7 years ago, you can’t be mad.)  She too made a visit up to CT and let me tell you, it was by far the craziest and most sleep-deprived weekend of the year.  Plus she gave her official approval of Will since after dating for 3 years, they finally met for the first time!

Marley – she’s not only a friend, she’s also a cousin.  And she’s so freaking cool.  Sometimes I look up to her and her sister Madison, even though they’re 21 and 15 respectively.  One of my favorite memories: we were playing Loopin Louie at her house and we had so much fun that one of us peed our pants right then and there.  I won’t say which one because let’s face it, if it was her she’ll kill me and if it was me I wouldn’t want to admit it. 

So yes.  I am totally blessed.  And I’m not sure whether it was me trying to be positive recently, not only in life and general, but particularly about focusing on the things I like about CT (the best radio station of all time can be found up here for example) or the fact that changing leaves make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside which then makes me think of Thanksgiving which makes me think of giving thanks, but whatever it is I just wanted to share my love for all these girls.  They are pretty dang awesome.

*I actually have no idea where in the world Turkey is located, but I figured "halfway around the world" was a valid guess.