Chelsea Handler: Worth the Wait

As previously mentioned, Chelsea Handler canceled her show last month due to the "flu". This past Friday we FINALLY got to see her show and oh my goodness it did NOT disappoint. The only minor hiccup was the fluke rainstorm that lasted for about ten minutes. Luckily our seats were under a tree so we were fairly protected.  I can't really go into details on the jokes because they were fairly inappropriate, although very hilarious. I think I laughed through the entire show.  If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend seeing her, just don't forget your "earmuffs"!

pic of Chelsea on big screen, shoddy quality I know

I snagged this pic from my friend Katie

Lesson Learned: Always Read the Fine Print

It was my turn to pick out the Netflix movie. After much browsing and debating, I decided on Inside Job.

I vaguely remembered hearing about this movie when it was out in theaters. I knew that it starred Matt Damon and was about the financial crisis, but that was it. In my mind it was about the good looking Matt Damon getting involved in a Lehman Brothers type scandal. 

Turns out I was only partially right. Yes, Matt Damon was involved and yes, the Lehman Brothers scandal was mentioned, but that's where it ends. Turns out Inside Job is a DOCUMENTARY narrated by the lovely Matt Damon. Obviously Ben enjoyed the movie much more than I did (I fell asleep about halfway through). Not to say it was boring, but just a bit over my head. I was glad to have someone there to explain everything to me. 

I have chosen much more carefully this time and am quite excited to watch Somewhere this weekend, starring the fab Elle Fanning!

only 13 and more stylish than I will EVER be!

Daddy's Girl

Another reason why I love my Dad:

Dad gives me a check over breakfast this morning.
Me: What's this for?
Dad: Oh just for being a knucklehead.

Love you Dad!

This Just Made My Day!

 
  
Okay who is going to buy one for me??

Food Trucks Galore

I had my first "food truck" experience this past Winter at Hector Santiago's El Burro Pollo. It was hands down one of the best chicken burritos I have ever eaten. Plus I got to talk to Hector about his time on Top Chef! I was definitely star struck. 

Then came King of Pops and a number of other food trucks. I have been eager to try them out for quite some time but they always seemed to be in the Midtown area. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned that Tex's Tacos, King of Pops, Yumbi, etc. were going to be at the Buckhead Theatre Thursday night. I planned my night accordingly and hit the gym after work (6+ miles!) and then walked over to Ben's work to head to the Bhead Theatre. When we got there I was overwhelmed. Not only were the trucks that I previously mentioned there, but also Sweet Auburn BBQ and Yum Yum Cupcake, as well as other trucks that I didn't catch the names of (cajun food, hot dogs, and sliders). I FINALLY settled on Tex's Tacos and ordered one chicken fresca taco and one veggie taco and the chips/salsa/guac to share. Of course I HAD to check out the cupcake truck and purchased a vanilla cupcake with buttercream icing. Plus I had just run 6 miles, I deserved it! The only downside was that there was nowhere to really sit and eat so we took our food to go and had a lovely dinner on the balcony at Ben's work. Romantic I know. 

It was time to get down to business. Both of the tacos were outstanding IMO and had plenty of filling. The chicken was very flavorful and my veggie taco came with guac on it (bonus!). My only bone to pick was the salsa. I didn't really care for its taste and it was a tad soupy. But the chips were T-A-S-T-Y. They were super crispy and had a homemade lime seasoning (think Tostitos Hint of Lime but 100x better). I ate my cupcake once I was home and it did not disappoint. It had PLENTY of icing, just the way I like it, and the cupcake itself was fresh. All in all, a delicious end to the meal.

chicken on left, veggie on right

I am sad to report though that I just learned that a few of the trucks were set up during lunch today and were only a block away from my work. I could have used a sugar pickmeup from King of Pops.  I have now "liked" all of them on Fbook so I can be apprised of their locations at all times. I can't wait to try out the other trucks!

Dinner for Two = Lunch for Me Twice

For the most part, I really do enjoy cooking, especially when I have another person to share my food with! Monday night I made an easy but delicious chicken pesto pizza. (I forgot to take a picture after it was done and then once again when I ate it for lunch the next day.) I did tweak the recipe slightly, adding chopped cherry tomatoes and using low fat mozz cheese instead of fontina and I only put artichokes on half since a certain someone thinks they are disgusting.

When it comes to using leftover ingredients from recipes, I am HORRIBLE. I wish I was better at it but I'm not. I really am trying to do better which leads me to today's post. Instead of my usual turkey sandwich for lunch I decided to pack a salad using some of the leftovers. Now the trick was how to pack it correctly so that the lettuce wouldn't be all soggy by the time I went to go eat it. At the very bottom I put the chopped tomatoes and artichokes since they have the most liquid, followed by my roasted garlic and white wine chicken strips, and a layer of shredded mozz cheese as a barrier and then the spinach on top. Then when it came time to eat I poured a little balsamic on top and then gave the tupperware a few good shakes to make sure everything was tossed together. 

The result, pretty darn good if I do say so myself! With a beach trip coming up and many weekends spent by the pool, I might try to start packing them more often!

My only issue was how to transport the salad dressing. My tupperware was rather large so next time I'm at Willy's or Moe's I will stock up on some of their salsa containers, the perfect size!

Spotted: Paparazzi at the Braves Game

Ben was lucky enough to snatch the company's Braves tickets for Tuesday night's game. The seats were awesome and a great time was had by all. We were especially entertained by the folks sitting in front of us. The girl snapped pics of the players and the game the ENTIRE time. You would have thought R.Pattz and K.Stew were on field, I didn't get it. We then realized that when she wasn't taking pics, she was filming the jumbotron, I guess she had high hopes that she was going to be shown (which she wasn't).

Also, it should be noted that she and her gal pal (pictured above with the purple phone) each consumed one of those ginormous turkey legs. I was thoroughly disgusted.

Christmas in July

My boss just returned from a two week vacay, a Baltic Sea cruise (lucky!), and was kind enough to bring me back a souvenir.

 He knows (well, everyone knows) how much I LOVE Christmas, so he decided on this adorable ornament from Norway.  I cannot wait to hang this on my tree!!

Guilty Pleasure

As I have mentioned before, I have a minor obsession with "young adult" books. Twilight was the first (and still my fave) and then more recently I completed the Hunger Games.  And can I say just how excited I am for the Hunger Games movie?! I am obviously ecstatic for part one of Breaking Dawn, but the Hunger Games was something entirely new and I LOVED it. I was so anxious to get through all three books though that I read them so fast and was left with a feeling of "now what?". Luckily, a friend of mine suggested Divergent. It is another trilogy but only the first book is out currently. I downloaded it on my fab Nook Color and have had a hard time putting it down since, I am completely hooked. I also read that Summit has bought the rights to the book, which puts a big smile on my face!  The thought of finishing the book is bittersweet- on one hand I'm anxious to find out how it ends and on the other I don't want to have to wait til next Spring for the release of the second book. Hurry up Veronica Roth!!!

American Girl Dolls

I recently stumbled across this article, "What Your American Girl Doll Says About the Rest of Your Life".

I remember it was a HUGE deal getting an American Girl doll for Christmas and that I had promised my parents that I would take great care of her. At this point there were only three choices- Samantha, Molly, or Kirsten.  My sister had already chosen Samantha so I was left with either Molly or Kirsten. It was a tough decision but I finally went with Molly, I thought her glasses and braids seemed like fun!

So let's see how accurate these descriptions are....

Molly McIntire:
If you had Molly, you probably wanted Samantha instead, but contented yourself with Molly because you too wore glasses, liked books, were bad at math, and would concoct various schemes to get attention. (Oh, Molly.) If you were a Molly, and had a Molly (as opposed to being a Molly and aspirationally owning a Felicity), you were imbued, then and now, with an immutable sense of self. At least Molly could tap dance, which is frankly more talent than any of the other girls exhibited.

As an adult, you’ve developed a carefully honed aptitude for sarcasm. You've gotten contacts, and a slightly edgy haircut. You still sort of want attention, but you deny it. You’ve thought back on your American Girl Doll, and tried not to be too resentful towards the person who gave her to you, who so obviously associated you with the descriptor “mousy.”

Let's face it, a lot of this is true, with the exception of wearing contacts and an "edgy" haircut. However I still have Molly as well as another one of the dolls that you could pick out to look like you (basically Kirsten but w/o the fancy braids). I would have a hard time parting with them and ALL of their accessories, especially considering how much money my parents and my Mimi put into those dolls. Not to mention the COUNTLESS rolls of film that my sister and I used for taking pictures of our dolls. No, I'm not kidding. If I stumble across my photo albums of them I'll post some of the pics.

Friday Afternoon Snack

Having a Highland Bakery in my building is dangerous

lemon bar

Happy Friday?

Just looking at this picture is enough to cause an anxiety attack

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

I have made these for Easter for the past two years and they are always hit so I decided to bring them to Girls Dinner as an appetizer. Once again, everyone loved them! I wish I could toot my own horn and say that I came up with the recipe, but I cannot. The credit goes to Fine Cooking. They really are so good though so I had to share!

Ingredients

6 large hard-cooked eggs

4 oz. cold-smoked salmon finely diced

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh chives

¼ cup mayo (I used low fat)

2 Tbs. minced red onion

2 Tbs. capers, rinsed and finely chopped

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. packed finely grated lemon zest

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Peel and halve the eggs lengthwise.

Remove the yolks and crumble them into a medium bowl.

Add the salmon, 3 Tbs. of the chives, mayo, onion, capers, lemon juice, zest, and pepper and mix.

I could eat this by itself!

  Mound the filling into the eggs whites and garnish with the remaining 1 Tbs. chives and several grinds of black pepper.

YUM!!

Chef's Note: Since this makes a lot of filling I cooked 8 eggs, but only used the yolks of 6 eggs. The filling was the perfect amount and was able to make 16 deviled eggs! All were devoured.

Weekend Update

Lowlight from this past weekend:
Chelsea Handler's show was canceled last minute due to "the flu". I don't buy it.

Highlight from the weekend:
We FINALLY used my groupon at Zuma Sushi.  We decided on the VaHi location as I thought it would be a more fun atmosphere than the Tocohill location (i.e. in a shopping center). The weather was perfect so we sat outside and had a nice and relaxing dinner! We ordered four different rolls and they did not disappoint. If only I had snapped a pic of how pretty the presentation was. I would definitely enjoy eating there again, although for us to fit in with the crowd it might require Ben to wear skinny jeans and glasses, and possibly a tattoo or two for me.

Pinterest

My newest website obsession:

Pinterest

I may never be productive again at work...

Blog Update FAIL

I have become so addicted to reading other blogs that I have neglected my own. Since it has been almost two months, I'll keep my topics brief and to the point.

Friday Night Lights Season 5
I received the dvd set for my bday and am proud to say that Coach Taylor and the East Dillon Lions did not disappoint. I have no shame that I cried my little eyes out. Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose.

Wisteria
I ate here for one of my bday dinners and it was amazing. I highly recommend. Also it's on Scoutmob, even better!

4th & Swift
We dined here last weekend thanks to a half off depot coupon. Although the menu was slightly tricky to understand with lots of words/ingredients I didn't know, I think we ordered perfectly and the dessert was out of this world. A fun and trendy atmosphere, definitely would love to go again! (hint hint to the bf)

Memorial Weekend
We were lucky enough to get invited to Sea Island for the weekend. Lots of fun in the sun and of course the staple trip to the Tibi outlet. Good times with good friends!

Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas
I made these recently courtesy of Southern Living and the bf said that it was his favorite dinner ever. Just thought I would share! I happened to think that they were quite tasty too.

Stationary
I've become obsessed with stationary lately and recently ordered some from Callie at calliespondence.  Take a look at just how stinking cute this is, especially the envelope liner. I know you're jealous.

Chelsea Handler

We're off to see Chelsea Handler tonight at Chastain. Shout out to my BFF Laura for giving us the tickets! I'm so pumped to not only see her (since we don't have cable I can no longer watch Chelsea Lately before bed) but also to go to Chastain. What other concert venue let's you bring in your own booze and food?

And I'm out for the weekend! TGIF!

Mediterranean Pasta

Here is the recipe for the pasta that I mentioned in my previous post. (I omitted the shrimp)

12 oz linguine (or bunny shaped pasta!)

3 tbsp olivie oil

1 med red onion, thinkly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cups loosely packed baby spinach

8 oz feta (2 cups)

olives, optional

grape tomatoes, halved

 

1. Boil salted water and add pasta. Boil 8 to 10 minutes and then drain. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water.

 

2. Meanwhile heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender. About 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and olives and cook another 5 minutes. Then add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 

3. Return the pasta to the large pot with 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add the tomatoes and shrimp mixture and toss the spinach and feta. Toss until the spinach wilts and drizzle with olive oil.

 

4. Enjoy! This pasta also tastes good cold, if you have any leftovers. 

 

yum!

Celebrating My Birthmonth

In my family, it's tradition to extend the birthday celebrations as much as possible. After all, who does not like to celebrate and have fun?? So in keeping tradition, I have begun the birthday festivities (my actual bday is the 16th). Here is my list of what I've accomplished so far:

1. Friday at the Masters

Okay so technically, it was not for my bday, but I did get to miss a day of work, watch some hotties play golf, eat the infamous pimento cheese sandwiches, and drink some cold beer. Not a bad day in my book! (Well, minus the horrible tanlines/sunburn.)

2. Wine Tasting/Bday Party at Pour Wine Market

Ever since we did the wine tasting at Perrine's, I have been dying to go back. I recently found out about Pour so I instead wanted to give it a try. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, although we did not get the explanations to go along with the wines like at Perrine's. Still, we tasted three reds, three whites, and nibbled on some meat and cheese plates. My sister and brother-in-law also bought a bottle of sparkling wine for all of the ladies to have. What can I say, I have some wonderful friends! They are so wonderful in fact that they didn't even mind when I had to leave my own bday early. (I'm still not quite sure what happened, maybe they overserved the bday girl.)

3. Girls Supper Club

I had the pleasure of hosting the girls dinner. This was a big deal since no one had seen the condo yet! I cooked some pasta, which I'll later post the recipe for as it was quite tasty, easy, and healthy. My sister was in charge of dessert and gosh was I surprised when I saw what she had baked. Strawberry cake!!!! It was absolutely amazing, I wish I could share a piece with you. But I can't, so I'll just have to enjoy my leftovers. 

bunny shaped pasta!

strawberry cake!

Still to come:

1.  Friday Night Lights Season Five Premiere 

Like the Masters, this is not technically bday related, but the thought of the show starting the day before my bday just seems significant. I actually watched the entire season four in one day just to brush up on what happened. And also because my body didn't want to move after #2 above. 

I love me some Tim Riggins. And one of my favorite scenes too

2. Bday Dinner on My Actual Bday
Since we celebrated quite a bit last weekend, I hope to take it fairly easy. We are trying out Wisteria and I could not be more excited.  I have heard such great things about Jason Hill's restaurant and I knew that we had made the right decision after I looked at the menu- pimento cheese deviled eggs, the traditional shrimp and grits, southern fried catfish, sweet potato souffle with candied pecans, and carrot cake with bourbon sauce, just to name a few! My mouth is watering as I type.

3. Easter
Since my Uncle's bday and my bday are only four days apart, the family usually combines the celebration with Easter. (True story, my 21st bday was on Easter Sunday.) Last year was the big 2-5 and my mom and sis actually gave me 25 gifts! Seriously, do I have the best family or what?? This year I expect it to be a bit more tame but just as fun! I tried talking my mom into making popovers for Easter but she said that she was not ready to tackle them this year (insert sad face). 

my 25 presents!

4. Bday Dinner with My Dad
It worked out that my dad will be here Easter weekend (going to see Yanni at the Fox) so we will celebrate with an early dinner at Livingston. I hope he will enjoy it as much as we did! If you haven't figured this out yet, my family and I love to eat out and try new places. Don't get me wrong, I like to cook, but I also enjoy eating a delicious meal out.

5. The "Sisters" Bday Dinner
 I met my long lost "sis" a few years ago. We quickly discovered that we shared many many many common interests (even same first name and are both lefties) and I have her to thank for introducing me to Twilight. We share a strong obsession for the series and have attended two of the midnight showings together! So with all  of these similarities it was only natural for our bdays to be just nine days apart and I look forward to celebrating our bdays together in a few weeks!

All I can say is that I will be sad when April is over!!

The Windy City

First off, it's not an exaggeration at all to say that Chicago is "The Windy City". I was a bit skeptical but once we arrived I quickly learned that this wind was legit and ever present. I won't bore you with every detail from our long/exhausting/fun trip, but instead focus on the highlights.

1. Our room at the James Hotel

our sitting nook

2. Sightseeing

Millennium Park

The Bean

ferris wheel at Navy Pier

Navy Pier

3. Dinner at Primehouse

my popover!!!!

Our dinner here on Sunday was absolutely fabulous. I had my long awaited popover, which surpassed my expectations and the BF was gracious enough to give me part of his too.  Since the entire wedding "weekend" (Fri-Mon) was vegetarian/vegan (see below) we were ready to eat some real food. We started off with a scallop appetizer with pear, root vegetable, duck confit, and hazelnut. I think the BF liked them more than me so I gave him more scallops in exchange for his popover. For entrees, I decided on the king salmon with asparagus, mushrooms, black truffle, and potato gnocchi while the BF chose the filet with black peppercorn crust and sauce. We also decided to split the classic "bake potato" that was actually potato gnocchi with cheddar, chives, and bbq bacon.... it was to die for!!! Seriously one of the most delicious things that I have ever tasted and such a creative spin on a classic side. Funny story, I have not eaten red meat in 7 years, but after a vegetarian weekend the thought of a steak sounded amazing and I actually had a bite of the BF's steak! Apparently this is what happens when I am deprived of food.

4. Experiencing my first Jewish wedding
I'm not going to go into too many details as the BF has tried to make a pact with me but here a few words that come to mind: lots of singing (in Hebrew), goats, speeches, juggling, more singing, and being "green" to the extreme.

the chuppah!

the goats aka the "kids"

Lowlights of the Weekend:

1. The windy/chilly weather
I just don't think that I am cut out for Chicago. Walking around Navy Pier with the wind was miserable after awhile and I'll admit, I was a poor sport about it. Plus,the wind made it difficult to look put together for all of the wedding events. I was not going for the "windblown" look.

2. The vegetarian/vegan food
Not much to say except that I'm an extremely picky eater and don't like a lot of vegetables. It was torture being surrounded by so many restaurants and knowing that we had to go eat veggies. No thanks.

3. Waiting at the train station for over an hour
I knew I jinxed myself when on our train ride out to Deerfield I commented about how cute and fun the train ride was. They had a guy come by checking for tickets, just like in the movies! That enthusiasm was short lived as our train back to the city was delayed... and delayed... and delayed. It finally arrived after what seemed like an eternity and we then made our 50 minute train ride back to the city. At this point, my excitement for the train ride was long gone.

4. No barely any time for shopping
It was torture to be surrounded by an abundance of fabulous stores (Bloomies, Burberry, H&M, etc.) and not be able to shop.  There was not enough time and really the last thing that the BF wanted to do. As he put it, "we have all of these shops in Atlanta, there is no need to shop here". I tried to argue that although we do have the same stores, their inventory is different. Plus the stores in Chicago were multiple stories! Luckily I hauled it over to Forever 21 Monday morning and picked up a few things. It gave me a sense of accomplishment and happiness. I was no longer going home empty handed!

two story Forever 21

All in all, our trip to Chicago was one full of new experiences, some better than others.  Would I go back? Yes, but under certain circumstances- only when the weather is warm, we don't have a jam packed itinerary, and we are able to eat any food that we want! Windy City, I'll be back to visit you... eventually.

Chi-Town Bound

Although this is the weather forecast for Chicago, I'm still excited to be leaving Friday morning. 

Yes it is much colder than I imagined it would be, but to put a positive spin on it, I get one more wear out of my fabulous winter coat the BF gave me for Christmas as well as a reason to sport the UGGs. However trying to "pack light" can be challenging when sweaters and pants take up much more room, but I'll save that daunting task for late Thursday night.

The other important issue at hand was where to eat dinner. After spending hours perusing restaurant after restaurant, we came to the conclusion that Chicago is much more upscale than Atlanta. Many of the restaurants were pre-fix menus only, and entirely out of price range (must have money left over for shopping!!). So after many debates of which restaurant we liked best, we finally agreed on the restaurant in our hotel, David Burke Primehouse. As the BF was reading the reviews for it and mentioned that they serve popovers instead of bread, I stopped him right then and said "you had me at popovers". It was a done deal. I'm going to backup and explain that my love for popovers began when I was just a little tyke. Whenever we would go shopping with my Mimi we would eat lunch at The Darling Tea Room (aka The Zodiac at Neiman Marcus), where they would bring out warm popovers, along with broth to sip on. Those lunches with my Mimi are probably some of my favorite memories and so now whenever I eat them, it takes me back to those wonderful days. Long story short, if I don't get my popovers in Chicago, things could get ugly.

Also, I forgot to mention that for once I am not dreading getting on a plane. Usually, I hate flying- I am just not a fan of it. Period. (Side note: I also don't like car trips that last longer than six hours.) I'm not going to go as far as saying that I am excited about boarding the plane, but I'm going to tolerate it. Why is that? This is why.  The Hunger Games. My bestie lent me the first two books so I will have something to keep me entertained for the flight. I am SO excited to read them as Linds compares them to Twilight. But I'll save my obsession with Twilight and vampires for another day. 

Friday Fun

As I previously posted, we were planning on trying out Zuma Sushi for dinner on Friday night. The plan was to meet the BF and co-workers at BBB for a drink after work and then go to dinner. Well my one raspberry vodka soda turned into two, and the next thing we knew it was after 8:00pm (way past my dinner time)! At that point we thought it was best that we not drive over there so we instead walked to La Fonda. Who can resist endless chips and salsa when you are tipsy? Not this girl! So although I am bummed that I still have not tried out the sushi place, it was still a wonderful Friday night and great start to the weekend!

On another note, we leave Friday morning for Chicago and I'm SO pumped for the sightseeing, shopping, and food! Oh and I am looking forward to the wedding and festivities too. It should be a great getaway, not to mention we are staying at the posh James Hotel (thank you HauteLook). If you have any suggestions/recommendations please let me know!!

Back to the Grind

Now that everyone is well again it is back to the grind. In particular, it means no more counting soup as a full meal for dinner or avoiding the mounting pile of dirty clothes.

So to ease my way back into the kitchen, we fixed salads for dinner on Sunday night, which required minimal effort, and Monday night I cooked this fabulous and easy recipe for honey mustard glazed salmon. Hands down it is one of my favorite salmon recipes and it calls for very few ingredients- lemon, honey, and mustard!

That has really been the extent of my cooking this week (I promise I am working on my domestic skills) and I'm looking forward to dinner at Zuma Sushi tomorrow night. I bought the groupon for it months and months ago so it is about time that try it out!

On another note, I have also begun my half marathon training once again. After taking a week off when I was sick, my legs certainly did not appreciate the physical activity two days in a row (Monday- run and Tuesday- long walk with the BF) so I gave them a night off yesterday. I instead got in a little cardio at the mall, where I purchased my first pair of TOMS. It's a good feeling knowing that because of my purchase, a pair of shoes  is given to a child in need. Money well spent in my opinion. So tonight it was back to the training schedule, although it was the last thing that I wanted to do. Luckily my B. Spears Pandora playlist got me through my workout, she really motivates me!

 I'll leave you with her music video for "Hold it Against Me". I pretty much listen to it every day on my 4 minute drive to work.

Spring Forward

Spring is just around the corner. 

On one hand, I could not be more excited for the warmer days and the chance to bust out my Spring wardrobe (the bright colors) and sandals. 

 And on the other hand, the Debbie Downer in me, is focused on the two dreaded words: allergy season. I fear that my allergies even started early this year. Don't they know that I have a few more days until Spring is officially here?? 

Perhaps it's not fair that I blame my allergies for my sneezing, sniffling, and coughing for the past week. I'll instead place the blame on a certain person that shall remain nameless. Okay fine, it's not entirely his fault and  I should accept that it comes with territory when we are both living in 800 square feet. It seems like every other person I pass at work is sniffling or coughing. The key point here is that they are AT WORK when they should instead be at home and not contaminating the building. With that being said, the Roomie caught the cold first since he works with more people and thus exposed to more germs, and was sick all last week. I tried my best to not only care for the sickly, but to also not get sick myself. I thought I had done a fine job of both as the Roomie was finely feeling better and I still felt 100%. That is until Saturday night when my throat started to feel scratchy. It had finally happened, I caught the dreaded cold. It was now my turn to feel miserable and keep the other one up with my sniffling, nose blowing, and tossing and turning.  Needless to say the past two weeks have been tiresome and challenging for the both of us but I am proud to say that I am on the road to recovery, and just in time for the weekend! The very feint silver lining out of all of this? I received some beautiful "I'm sorry I got you sick" tulips and caught up on a lot of reading. Cannot wait for  the Something Borrowed movie!

just the thing to brighten my day!

Now it's time to disinfect the condo, move out my bulky winter clothes, and prepare for Spring and everything that it brings, even the pollen! It's also time for me to get back on my running schedule so that I will be ready for my half marathon in November!

Emerging From Winter Hibernation

To be completely honest, I have zero motivation when it comes to working out during the winter. The thought of putting on summer-ish clothes to work out and then walk in the frigid cold to my car at night just does not sound appealing. I would much rather go home after work, get cozy, and cook dinner for the Roomie and me. Now that the winter weather is coming to an end, I realize that it is time to once again start hitting the gym. So to boost my motivation a friend and I have decided to train for the Rock 'n' Roll Savannah 1/2 Marathon in early November. Training began last night and although it was tough getting back into the routine, I am looking forward to the months ahead. 

I welcome any suggestions and encouragement along the way. Happy Running!

Furry Bundle of Joy

The BF made a big mistake this past weekend and discovered the most adorable dog breed, a Cavachon (Cavalier King Charles and a Bichon). For those of  you that don't know me, I'm very picky when it comes to dogs. I prefer small dogs because they cannot jump up and attack you, or knock you over with the wag of a tail. There are exceptions of course, but sadly that does not include the BF's dog. Jackson is way too big and terrifies me. Perhaps if he had a much calmer temperament I would like him, but he is way too "playful" for me. With that being said, I also have horrible allergies, which sadly includes dogs. So not only is the Cavachon a perfect size, but it is also hypoallergenic! It's a win win, or should I say "WINNING" in the words of Charlie Sheen. 

With that being said, who wants to buy this adorable puppy for me? Oh and also maybe help me take care of it, train it, etc. I'm not sure I'm responsible enough to raise one on my own! 

You can't say no to this face!

Perrine's Wine Shop- Educational Drinking

This past weekend we went to Perrine's Wine Shop to celebrate a friend's birthday. If you have never been, I highly encourage you to go check it out. The shop is perfectly located two stores down from Yeah! Burger on the West Side (i.e. you can go drink then eat!). The setting is quaint with a large table in the middle for tastings, with wine on either side- old world and new world selections. 

 We started the night off with what else but champagne and a sparkling wine (cava to be exact) to celebrate Stef's birthday! Jodi, our teacher for the evening, drank with us as she taught us about each one. I( actually preferred the cava over the champagne.)

We  then moved to the table where snacks were aplenty (cheeses to compliment the wines, crackers, olives, pâté, and assorted meats) and began the next round of tastings- white wines.  The first was a white bordeaux, similar to a sauvignon blanc, and the second was a white burgundy, similar to a chardonnay. I enjoyed them both but I have to say that the white burgundy was by far my favorite of the night. It might be one of the best wines that I have ever tasted. (Note: I do not consider myself a wine connoisseur by any means, I just enjoy a good glass of wine.)

We finished off the night with two different reds. I wish I could tell you more about them, but I can't. I simply  do not remember because I enjoyed my other wines and champagne too much. One was a lighter red, like a pinot noir, and one was heavier, like a cabernet or merlot. I do remember liking them, but I more distinctly remember getting seconds on the white burgundy. 

My only regrets are that I did not take any pictures from the night and my lack of note taking. Nerdy I know, but Jodi really taught us a lot and unfortunately, I cannot recall most of that information. Luckily the BF remembered most of it and assisted me in writing this entry. 

So, would  I go back to Perinne's?  In a heartbeat.  The experience was unlike anything that I had ever done and combines two of my favorite things- wine and socializing! Jodi makes learning about wine fun and it was interesting to hear all about Jodi's worldly travels as well. I certainly know what I will be doing to celebrate my birthday in a few months and will do my best to remember all of the wines and what we learn!*

*On second thought, it's my birthday, I will probably have a little too much fun.

It's That Time of Year Again...

Three little words that bring such delight to my mouth and stomach- Girl. Scout. Cookies. 

Thanks to my wonderful Mom, I received my first boxes yesterday. 

Samoas

Do-Si-Dos

Thin Mints

As I sit here and type my stomach is growling and yearning for a cookie or two. For now, the pictures will have to satisfy my cravings until I can rush home to them. And fingers crossed that the Roomie has not eaten too many without me!

Comfort Food: Poppyseed Chicken

I have felt a little under the weather the past few days, so for dinner last night I decided to cook us  some comfort food, poppyseed chicken. I was first introduced to this wonderful dish when I lived in the sorority house and then discovered that my friend had a recipe for it! We made this dish countless times in college and eating it for lunch the next day after going out was even better! Poppyseed chicken really is one of those dishes that you can't mess up. 

The ingredients for poppyseed chicken are: 

• 1 package of chicken breasts (I usually pick one around 1.5 lbs)
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (I prefer the "healthy request")
• 1 small container of sour cream
• 1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
• 1 stick of butter 
• 1-2 tablespoons of poppyseeds 

Directions

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook over medium heat in nonstick pan until chicken is completely done.

chicken partially cooked

2. While the chicken is cooking crush the Ritz crackers in a large ziploc bag and melt the stick of butter.

 3. Once butter is melted, add in the Ritz crackers and poppyseeds and mix. The amount of poppyseeds is really just a personal preference but I always add at least 1 tablespoon.

delicious all on its own

4. Once the chicken is fully cooked combine the chicken, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream in a bowl. Depending on the amount of chicken I don't always use the full amount of soup and sour cream, it is really up to you!

it might not look that appetizing now but it will be!

5. Next, in a 8 x 11 baking dish (or similar size) spoon some of the cracker/butter/poppyseed goodness into the bottom of the baking dish (enough to cover the bottom). Then spoon the chicken mixture on top, followed by the remaining cracker mixture. 

almost there! just not cooked yet

6.  Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown and enjoy!!

mmmmmmm

 

 

 

 

 

Hands down, poppyseed chicken is one of my favorite meals and luckily the roomie enjoys it just as much as me! I usually just serve it with a salad and some bread and am done, very easy.

I hope that you find this dish to be both easy and tasty.... just be careful with all of the poppyseeds and floss after your meal!

I found this particularly cute because I had many hamsters as a kid