Lost & Found

Just a quick update.  I don’t have much to report these days – but I have a bunch of events this weekend so hopefully they’ll be more to do/see.

My current schedule:

Fri – NY -  Haircut -  Jen’s birthday celebration begins at Otto. 

Sat – LI.  BBQ in the afternoon in honor of Jen’s birthday.  Dinner and Kelly & Chris’

Sun – Hang out on LI – go back home to NJ

Mon – go into NYC in the AM – head to Orlando for work/play for the week.

Wow I’m tired looking at it!

Sweet Mora found my nook this morning.  I’m going to load it up with some juicy summer reading for my trip.

And that, my friends is that.

Except for my catching up with 30 words:

Wednesday

First a drive to Long Island then a drive to the Bronx

A winning game with twelve runs scored

I’m annoyed.  Nathan’s fries shouldn’t taste that good.

But they do.

Thursday

I totally forgot to start watching So You Think You Can Dance until all the auditions were over.

I’m really mad.  Now I have no idea who to root for.

For the birds

There are creatures living in our stove vent. 

Baby birds have taken up residence so that every time I cook I feel like Snow White.   Our backyard is like a scene out of Bambi.  I knew there were deer ‘round these parts but we also have:

Bunnies

Chipmunks

Your requisite squirrels

A groundhog named Chester* who lives under the shed

Birds (in the oven vent and elsewhere)

A fox named Lefty*

* I had no part in naming these animals.

Dave’s kids used to have a hamster (no longer) and a guinea pig (no longer) and a Golden Retriever named Genevieve (who is alive and well and curled up sleeping near me – I like her a lot).   I’m iffy on rodents you see.

I mean…I am not someone who would like to give a mouse a cookie.  I don’t want to be nice to mice.

($10 if you got the Ally Sheedy reference)

SIDENOTE:  Speaking of Ally Sheedy – I am reading If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster right now.   If you ever liked or enjoyed a John Hughes movie it’s pretty much a must read. 

I simply don’t like critters.   These birds are freaking me out a little to say the very least.

So – let’s see what else is new.   I am trying to find shoes to match the bridesmaid’s dresses.  Did I show you the dresses?  They are kind of hard to see in this picture.  They have spaghetti straps and pockets (!!!)  I kind of want one myself.   They’re dark blue but not exactly navy or royal.

 My dress is BEHIND that dress but you can’t see that till much later.  :)

Plus ummm….Dave reads this blog.

This is the current shoe contender.   They have a heel but are not too high.  They come in a size Mora could wear.  I am not loving any silver shoes but these are the best of the bunch.  I think they could be cute but we’ll have to see.  PS: Any ideas or shoe suggestions would be welcome in the comments. :)

There’s Zumba tonight.  I weigh in again on Thursday.  I don’t think I’ve gained anything but I’ve not lost much either. :(   I might take a break from going to M because it’s less helping and more hindering me at this point.  This whole wedding planning thing comes with weird pressure.  It’s all good – it’s full of people wanting to do nice things for me – but I don’t know.  I’m a tad bit stressed. 

I’m also perpetually sad.  It’s been months since we lost my dad and I still can’t quite believe he’s really not here anymore.  It’s not consciously constant yet it’s always there.  Yesterday I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things.  They had rhubarb in the produce section.

My father was slightly quirky – as am I – I am fully aware.  He often would just be sitting around and ask us inane questions such as “So Kristen.  What do you think they’ll do with the rhubarb this year?”

When I was younger I had no idea what rhubarb even was.  Once I learned what it was I would reply with all sorts of preparations.  It’s a stupid little thing but when I saw those red celery-esque stalks yesterday I really missed him. :(

Last night I did not take pictures as I made turkey chili and it wasn’t too exciting.  Tonight I’m taking (kinda) the easy way out by making meat sauce (homemade) and cheese ravioli (not homemade).  I’ve also made some bread to go along with it.

Have I mentioned how much I love having the ability to work from home?

I caught up on some On Demand stuff last night/this morning.  Oh man.  Friday Night Lights – such a fantastic show.  Real Housewives of NJ – what a train wreck.  I forgot it was the new season of The Bachelorette last night.  Tim – you give Long Island a bad name.  Bentley – you’re a scumbag.   Mask Guy – WTF?

Dave – I am forever thankful I will never have the want or need to go on a show like that.    :)

Things, the Friday Edition

I don’t have a real post for you today.  I am conflicted in general as to what I want to do with this little space of mine.  There are so many places I can go.  Most of them, however, seem quite finite.

I could blog more about the wedding – but that’ll be done with in about 3.5 months.

Seriously.  I’m getting married in 3.5 months. (!!!!!!)

I like writing about food but cooking and taking pictures as you go is really difficult to do alone.  Plus I am almost always ravenous by the time I am done.

I could write about losing this weight but I just slid back a little so I have now lost 6.5 lbs instead of 8.  I think my biggest culprits for weight loss sabotage are the following:

Wine

Cheese

Chocolate

Not that I eat massive amounts of any of them.  Okay.  I might have had a lot of wine last Thursday at Diane’s house.  And then more wine on Saturday at Cortney’s party.  And then champagne w/my Mom at brunch on Sunday.

But still.

I’m in a celebratory mood.  And to me – good friends and good wine go together.  Like – peanut butter and jelly.

Except I don’t like jelly with my peanut butter.  I don’t like jelly at all.

Dave asked me today how I felt about the new trend in restaurants – where you order off a touch screen.  I told him I’m too picky to trust a computer to get my order right.  Will they have a million options like “I’d like the cheeseburger but with mozzarella cheese instead of American,  no bacon, no mushrooms but sautéed onions instead of raw.  I’d like the salad with no olives and the dressing on the side and I’d like balsamic not Caesar.”

Just call me Sally Albright.

Anyway – I’m vowing to eat more salad in the coming weeks.  My goal is 20 lbs before the wedding.  More than that would be lovely but 20 would be perfectly fine with me.

Here’s a lovely salad I made the other day for lunch.  Spinach with 2 chicken tenders (whole grain baked Perdue) with sautéed pepper and onion, goat cheese and Light Honey Dijon dressing.

 

 

The other night Dave and I ate outside.  I made turkey chili.  I ate the leftovers last night in honor of Cinco de Mayo.

What else???   Someone took my box of tissues off my desk at work but also left me $3 under a post-it.  That’s pretty nice.  At least they didn’t steal them outright. 

For Mother’s Day Dave and I are heading out to Long Island to help my mother clean the basement.  That’s what she wants to do so that’s what we’re doing.  We’re also going to Fork & Vine for dinner where I am not going to get the goat cheese mashed potatoes again.

Things I have noticed lately:

My TV viewing is rapidly declining.  Turns out when you are living in a house with 3 kids and 1 TV you don’t watch as much as you used to.  Also – when your fiancé tells you his children are not allowed to watch The Millionaire Matchmaker (he has a point) you sort of have to respect his wishes.

If you want ice cream just eat ice cream – don’t get these bars from Breyer’s that promise they are less fat and calories and look like someone took a Dove bar and put it in that shrinky TV thing from Willy Wonka and handed it back to you.  Just eat a scoop of good ice cream and be done with it.

People in NYC can’t take the change of seasons.  When the weather starts to get warm you either have people still wearing hats and winter coats and other people wearing shorts and tank tops.

Here’s something else.  Today on the PATH train (because I commute from NJ now.  I mean…what is going on???) a woman got on.  A man 2 seats away from me offered her his seat and she replied.

“No thanks.  I’m not pregnant – I’m just overweight.”

Now – I will admit – the day over the winter when I decided it was a fabulous idea to wear one of Dave’s flannel shirts and my Dad’s old jacket and the check out woman at Shop Rite asked me when I was due was not one of my finer moments but I gotta say – as much as I might be mortified at the thought I would have probably taken that seat.

Seats are a premium on the PATH train.

Really I just felt so bad for both of them – for the woman who clearly must be tired of people making that assumption and the guy – who was doing the chivalrous thing and got smacked back for it.

On that note I shall get going.  Have a lovely weekend one and all.  Be back with tales from the basement and other exciting stories.

Start your day the chocolate way

One of my dreams in life is to go to Paris and eat pain au chocolat for breakfast everyday.  Not like I can’t get that in NYC but I have this image of me sitting at a little sidewalk cafe eating chocolate for breakfast.

And after that I’d go to Christian Louboutain and buy some shoes.

But that’s another story.

Today – I had chocolate for breakfast because when my boyfriend went to Costco I slyly slipped a box of these in his cart.

I love these things.  Just sweet enough and full of chocolaty chips.

We had a lovely weekend. Friday night we went to Codmother’s for dinner.  I had a cup of clam chowder.

I ordered Shrimp Parmesan and split it in half.  I didn’t finish that half and ate the leftovers for lunch on Saturday AND still have some leftover for lunch today.   I don’t know if the portion sizes are just that enormous but it’s making me feel better about my vow to take home leftovers when I eat out.Dave had a salad and Black Sea Bass with Mushroom Risotto, Spinach and Broccoli.

Saturday I sleep super late (9 am – which is really late for me) and then sat like a lump on the couch watching many episodes of Top Chef while Dave ran around doing errands.  I got up – finally – and did something productive – which was to make dinner for Dave and the kids for Tuesday night – a chicken casserole-y type thing.  I should have taken pictures throughout but I get so caught up in cooking that I totally forget. 

Bad food blogger.  Bad.

I am not a big person for casseroles.  We really didn’t eat many growing up but I gotta say – I think this one came out pretty great.  Here’s what happened.

1) I put a pot on to boil and made about 3/4 a pack of Barilla Mostaccioli per package directions (actually slightly more al dente than usual) and set aside.   I drizzled some olive oil and sautéed some onion and garlic.  Then I browned some boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2.5 of them) seasoned with a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper till almost cooked through and then set aside.

2) I made a rue with a little flour and butter then deglazed the pan with some white wine.  I added one can of Cream of Asparagus soup and 2 cans of lowfat milk and another splash of wine and stirred until creamy.

3) I added  some cayenne (about 1/4 teaspoon) and about the same of poultry seasoning.  I also threw in about 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan.   I added some chopped baby spinach and green onions and about 3/4 of a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.  Then I added the chicken back in + the pasta and stirred till everything was coated.   I added some fresh ground pepper as well – no salt as the cheese and the soup have plenty of sodium already.

I put it all in a shallow pan and added about a handful of breadcrumbs and some more freshly grated parmesan on top (about 1 oz).

It tasted sort of like chicken pot pie with pasta.  I felt very Good Housekeeping after I made this. 

Saturday afternoon, Dave and I headed to Long Island to go to dinner with my mom and Jen.   We went to Fork & Vine which was awesome.  It was very difficult to try and pick what I wanted to eat off the menu.  It was dark and hard to take pictures but if you ever find yourself on the North Shore of Long Island you should give it a try.

They have small plates as well as entrees.  Dave and I split a roasted beet salad.  Mom got the baked St Andre’s Cheese which was very brie like.  We also split the Philly Cheesesteak Spring Rolls.

I had Short Ribs over plantain puree with black beans. Jen got Pork Tenderloin.  Dave got Skirt Steak. Mom had Grilled Sole. The only downside of this meal was the goat cheese mashed potatoes I ordered on the side.   I expected creamy goodness.  They were seasoned with chopped tomatoes.  Wrong color, wrong consistency.  To their credit once I inquired about the ingredients and mentioned I didn’t care for them the waitress whisked them away and off the bill.

Dessert was…I mean…I am having trouble forming words.

There was chocolate.

There was peanut butter.

It was all mixed together in something called a Tasty Cake.

I almost licked the plate.

Sunday we had a delicious breakfast made by my mom aka Annie V.  Later she watched Inception while Jen, Dave and I went for about a 35 min walk.  Dave brought his dog – the lovely Genevieve with him and she proved that the snow is melting here in NY based on her condition when we got back.   She wound up in the tub. 

In the meantime Jen heated up some White Chicken Chili and we had that for lunch.

It’s a totally different taste than regular chili but it was really, really good.

        

I’m going to ask Jen to guest post again soon since she has virtually kicked me out of the kitchen at my mom’s.

We helped to clear out some books from the basement and then headed back to NJ to have Thai & Vietnamese food for dinner.   We went to Lemongrass and started with Shrimp Rolls – which are so delicious.  The peanut sauce on the side is perfect.

I had Thai Style Lo Mein.  Half of this is sitting in Dave’s fridge I’m proud to report.

Dave had Pho with brisket.  He loves Pho.  I think he also likes to say Pho.

And that leaves us with today. 

Today when I signed into MSN Messenger there was an article from Glamour where they talked about what ‘his Valentine’s Day gift means’.  Supposedly if your significant other gets you a frying pan you should break up with them.

Being partial to frying pans I wholeheartedly disagree.

I’ve got some work to do today before Dave and I head out for an early dinner.  I’ve tortured him for nearly a year with every culinary reality show known to man and tonight he is taking me to craft.   I’ve been to craftbar and ‘wichcraft and Williams-Sonoma where I asked Tom Colicchio if his hand hurt from signing so many cookbooks but this is the first time I’ll be dining there.

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Tell those you love you love them today.  You should do it every day – but today you have even more of an excuse.

In a little bit I’m going to go pledge my love to this box of beauties.

What is it about….

reality shows?   I’ve got a problem.  I watch way too many.  This morning I made Dave watch Restaurant Impossible which basically showed a restaurant and an episode of Hoarders combined.

It’s getting bad out there.

I have learned a valuable lesson in the past week or so.

Chipotle peppers are hot.

This shouldn’t be a surprise I know but Bobby Flay always talks about them just being smoky.   I’ve used them twice – once in making enchiladas and last night making chili and they really pack quite a punch.

  Red wine cooled it down quite nicely. My chili recipe was pretty basic.  I browned some turkey with onion and garlic, added 1 red bell pepper, 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained) a can of diced tomatoes with chili peppers, 2 chipotle peppers (diced), a cup of frozen corn, some chili powder and cumin, S&P a few tablespoons of tomato paste and a whole lotta water.

And once again a meal I made caused my boyfriend to pass out cold at like 8:30.

This morning I made egg sandwiches.  And coffee for Dave.I am going to go to the gym today at lunchtime.  It’s time people. 

I’m also embarking on a little task I promised to do for Carrie’s wedding.  I’m addressing all her invitation envelopes – taking breaks so as not to get a cramp in my hand. :)

I’ll be back at some point tomorrow.  Tonight is trivia. I need to redeem myself.  We haven’t won in a while. :(  I also need to just get a chicken sandwich and stop trying to eat super healthy while I am there.   I always end up disappointed when I do that.

Over the weekend I’ll be making some Super Bowl food for Sunday and will post some pics and recipes.  Pretty standard but also pretty yummy.

I honestly don’t care who wins the game though.  I really like cheddar cheese so maybe I should root for Wisconsin.

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

A day after I discuss Taco Bell’s mystery meat I bring you my lunch from today.

Yes.  That’s right.  I had a bologna and cheese sandwich.

I’ve always loved bologna (and cheese).  When I was little we used to have Oscar Meyer’s and Kraft Singles.  I graduated to Boar’s Head and Land O’ Lakes sometime during my elementary/middle school days.   In the last five years I’ve been brave enough to add mustard.  

When I brought a sandwich to school and realized my dad got a deal on another brand of bologna and tried to trick me I’d immediately come home and confront him.

God bless my poor father.   He made my lunch every day and I complained about it.

In my food writing class we had to talk about a first food memory.  Mine involved – oddly enough -  bologna.  I remember watching Sesame Street.  A little girl was eating something out of a tortilla.   We didn’t have tortillas in my house (more on that below) so I used a slice of bologna with a Kraft single shredded in the center and rolled it up to resemble something like a burrito. 

I still think this is the first meal I made by myself for myself.

Side story:  My mom has not stepped foot in a grocery store in years – and is still not allowed to go unaccompanied lest she purchase everything at full price.   One year she got Jen a quesadilla maker – one of those gadgets that you plug in – kind of like a Panini press.  Anyway she was concerned she needed to go to an “International Market” to buy tortillas so Jen could use it.

I do not know what an International Market is and let her know that they sell them at Waldbaums but rest assured with her as my guide I didn’t have anything resembling Mexican food until they opened a Cozymel’s on Long Island not so long ago.   When we go anywhere remotely Mexican my mom still will only eat fajitas –but doesn’t eat any salsa, guacamole or sour cream.

Me? I now love anything mole – guac or otherwise.

****

I went to the office today instead of working from home.  Today – when it snowed so much this morning my hair was sopping wet by the time I got to work.   I am going to NJ tonight when it’s supposed to start to snow again.   I make so very little sense.

I had DVR’d an episode of What Not To Wear and am very disturbed by the commercials for My Strange Addiction where one woman wears a furry mascot suit in public and another eats the foam out of her couch cushions.

Really?????  The furry thing I’ve heard about – it was on an episode of CSI once I think (and yeah it’s tres odd) but eating foam?  Why would you even start to do that?

This is my problem.  I admit it.  I love stupid reality TV.  Way too much.  I have Real Housewives as my Facebook friends.  I can watch those girls for hours.  Give me Snooki taking out her earrings to bash Angelina over the head.  I love it when Randy tells you “You did your thing” as Jenny from the block channels Paula. I will sit mesmerized as a trainer screams in your face causing you to eventually lose 100 pounds.  Please show me the many ways that women in evening gowns can fight over a guy for roses.  Let me watch how a bunch of chefs can make an appetizer using no utensils but please. Trust me when I say this.

I do not need to see you eating your couch.

This is what eating right looks like.

 

I’m really not sure why I ever stopped.

Two posts today!  What’s the world coming to?

Another good day.  I worked a full day – did 2 loads of laundry – took the stairs even though my thighs were screaming at me – ate a healthy lunch and dinner – popped a handful of vitamins to get rid of this stupid cold – and even though I feel icky went to the gym and inclined walked for 40 minutes.

I watched The Millionaire Matchmaker while I walked.  I have come to the conclusion that if you have that much money you should stay off reality TV.

I’m finding that motivation again I think.  Don’t quote me yet – it’s still early in the week but I feel different than I did a few weeks ago when I tried to get back on track.  I’m going to head to M’s soon.  I know how much I’ve gained – I don’t really want to have to pay to have someone confirm it.  I’d like to get a head start and then go back for the accountability factor.  It’s an important part of all of this I know but I sort of need to prove to myself I can do it on my own.

Tonight is a new season of The Biggest Loser but right now I’m busy watching Stacy and Clinton on What Not To Wear. 

Does anyone else remember that weird guy who was the co-host when it first came on the air?  He wore chambray shirts and had long stringy curly hair.  I think he was a stylist.

I don’t know about you but I’d like my stylist to look like (s)he actually had style.

Anyway I’m hopeful that this is a turning point for me and I can stop this train before it runs off the rails.  I’m being a tad melodramatic, I know what to do and how to do it.

And eating meals like the above is not actually a hardship.