Baby Shower Wrap Up

From left to right:  me, Deepa, Jessica, Brandi & Shannon

Last month, I hosted a baby shower for my good friend Jessica.  Even though I've attended many baby showers, this was my first time to host one, so I thought I'd share how I pulled it off.  Jessica didn't want a traditional shower.  She wanted it to be co-ed & she wanted alcohol.  Oh, and no games.  She provided the guest list & the date & I took it from there.  The first thing I did is start an inspiration board on Pinterest.

This was an easy way to keep track of all my ideas.  I found lots of great examples of baby shower decor & food.  I also immediately started shopping for invitations.  I wanted an actual invitation that guests would receive in the mail, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money.  My friend Alexis, baby shower hostess extraordinaire, turned me on to design templates.  There are all of these templates online where you can email the designer your info, they plug it in, email you the jpeg & then you print the invitation yourself.  

I found a bunch of designers on Etsy.  I went with Designed by Jae Custom Creatives.  I can't say enough great things about Jae.  I'd use her again in a heartbeat.  She immediately responded to all of my emails & even tweaked the design a little bit for me.  It was so easy!  And cheap!  She emailed me the jpeg & I took it on a flash drive to Kinko's.  They were ready the next day!

Since this was going to be a co-ed shower, I needed heartier food than you would typically find at a baby shower.  Here is what I served:

Ham & cheese sliders

Pigs-in-a-blanket

Hot corn dip

Chips & salsa

Veggies with veggie dip

Sesame honey almonds

I highly recommend the ham & cheese sliders for your next party.  People kind of lost their minds over them.  For the drinks, I had non-alcoholic punch that could be "spiked" with champagne, champagne cocktails & a few different kinds of beer.

And then of course I had cake!  Alexis, again, came to the rescue here.  She has a good friend, Danielle, who designs cakes on the cheap.  I had no idea what kind of cake I wanted.  I emailed the invitation to Danielle for inspiration & she had the brilliant idea of matching the cake to the invitation.  Done!  She emailed me options, I picked one & then I had Jessica choose the flavor.  So easy!  I would definitely use Danielle again. It was kind of the cutest cake in the world.  Everyone was super impressed.  And the flavor!  It was the best cake I've ever tasted.  We went with a lemon cake with lemon curd filling & a mild buttercream frosting.  Delish!

I hosted this shower by myself, but I had A LOT of help.  Alexis helped me with planning & logistics.  She also came over before the shower & took over so that I could get ready. My mom also came over the day of the shower & spent all morning cleaning my house to a degree of clean that it hasn't seen in the 3 years we've lived here.  She also brought much needed extra seating.  Lynn, Jessica's mom, helped a lot, too.  We brainstormed over the phone & she brought a lot of necessities to the shower:  punch bowl, veggies & veggie dip, beer, etc.  Shannon, Jessica's sister-in-law to-be, helped tremendously.  We emailed back & forth about what kind of drinks to serve.  Shannon graciously took over that part.  She found a punch recipe, brought the ingredients, made the punch & then re-filled it as necessary throughout the shower.  It was a huge help.  John even helped!  The morning of the shower, he went & picked up the cake, got ice, got balloons to put on our mailbox, got Alexis & I lunch & cleaned up the yard.  And he did all the post-party cleaning.  Thank you all so much!!!

I love hosting & I loved hosting this shower for Jessica & Brian.  I met Jessica in 2008 when we were both taking our first graduate class at TSU.  We had to stand up & introduce ourselves & that's when I learned that we worked across the street from each other, which would come in handy when I quickly realized I bought the wrong book & would need to copy someone else's pronto.  I spent that first semester walking across the street to borrow Jessica's book on a weekly basis & we became fast friends.  We also both got engaged that first semester & then married between a week of each other.  We hilariously honeymooned in the same place, too.  From that point on, we were inseparable.  We took all of our subsequent classes together & took turns convincing each other not to drop out.  We also started running together.  Jessica is who introduced me to East Nasty.  She is also the originator of my favorite phrase, Go HAM.  Jessica is a great friend & I know she'll be an even greater mom.  Ben, you're one lucky little guy.

Full baby shower photostream here.

Book Review: Skinny Bitch

This book is so bad.  Where to even start.  Well, let's start with what's missing:  credentials.  The authors aren't medical or dietary professionals, or any other kind of professional as far as I can tell.  I know, I know, neither is Michael Pollan or Jonathan Safran Foer, but at least Pollan & Foer are writers/journalists, who did RESEARCH.  Rory Freedman, who's only credit is being a former agent for Ford Models, & Kim Barnouin, who is a former model, but does at least hold a Masters of Science in Holistic Nutrition, apparently think that having "successfully counseled models, actors, athletes, & other professionals" gives them free reign to write a 224 page book extolling the medical benefits of veganism.  You know who I want to tell me about the medical benefits of ANYTHING?  A doctor, or at least someone who doesn't call me a pussy.

So yeah, that word (I'm not going to say it again) is in the book like 20 times.  It's distracting, unnecessary & so inappropriate coming from TWO WOMEN.  Ladies, women do not use that word in reference to, or when talking to other women.  Take note.  Also, the language in this book is horrendous.  No one loves a four letter word more than me, so if I think it's over the top, it's over the top.  Trust.

Now, here's the meat, pun intended, of what's wrong with this book.  Nowhere on the cover, or in the blurb summarizing what the book is about, is it mentioned that this book is about becoming a vegan.  Not a vegetarian, a vegan.  Big difference.  Also, how do you write a 200+ page book on being a vegan & not put that information on the book?  It's not even in the introduction.  You know when they finally get around to actually saying the word "vegan"?  Chapter Six.  The book only has 13 chapters.  So they waited until halfway through the book to tell you what the book is about.

I have no problem with veganism.  It's not for me, but I appreciate it's clear benefits & those who have the discipline to follow that lifestyle.  No, my problem is that these women wrote a book based on their personal experiences & marketed it as such.  To their credit, they do not proclaim to be medical professionals.  They're just two ladies who used to be in the modeling industry & have figured out a way to make a living off being skinny.  Mazel.  I have no problem with that.  What I do have a problem with is that they then proceed to write a book filled with citations & references to medical journals, articles & studies.  You can't have it both ways.  You're either an expert or you're not.  And P.S., you're not.

This book was not only a colossal waste of my time, it also has some really bad advice in it.  These women tell you not to eat breakfast & to definitely not eat as soon as you wake up.  They tell you to wait until you're hungry & then eat a piece of fruit, wait, if you're still hungry, eat another piece of fruit, wait, & if you're still hungry, you're allowed a final, third piece of fruit.  There's also an entire chapter on why the "dairy lobby" is trying to kill us all.  These women make the analogy that a cow's milk is intended to nurse a calf to a cow in a very short amount of time, i.e. to make it "fat", so why would we consume something that's only intended use is to fatten animals in a short amount of time.  Ugh...

I obviously don't recommend reading this book, unless, like me, you want to spend two weeks of your life mad about something that took 2 hours of your time & you can never get back.  If you're a woman unhappy with your size, this book is not the answer.  This book may in fact make you a bitch, but it will not make you skinny.  If you're a woman flirting with veganism, there are a plethora of legit books for you to read (see below).  This is not one of them.  The fact that this book is a #1 New York Times Bestseller is bewildering & upsetting.  If this book were mine, I'd set it on fire & use it in my grill as kindling.

If you are interested in learning more about the vegetarian &/or vegan lifestyle, I hear good things about these books:

The Kind Diet
Crazy, Sexy Diet
Appetite for Reduction
The Beauty Detox Solution

You should also check out Laura's blog:

Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish

Weekend Wrap Up: The Hunger Games Edition

Friday night wine.

Lilacs in our yard.

Irises in our yard.

Tim Gunn!  Make it work!

Saturday purchases.

Garlic knots from Five Points Pizza.

Hunger Games!

More pics & info on Flickr & Instagram.

FRIDAY

I stayed in, had a glass of really good wine, some Sicilian pasta & watched a couple episodes of Homeland.

SATURDAY

I went shopping with my friend Jaime who has two adorable daughters & hasn't shopped in easily 5 years.  We started at Nordstom & literally bumped into a personal shopper as soon as we entered the store.  Her name is Betsy & she was awesome.  She put us in a big, fancy dressing room & brought us stuff to try on.  We were primarily shopping for Jaime, but I ended up buying the same blazer Betsy had on & a new Marc Jacobs iPhone skin.  I'm super excited about my blazer.  It's on back order, so they're shipping it to me.  Hopefully I'll get it this week.  Anyway, we shopped for about 5 hours & did really well.  Jaime got all kinds of good, much needed stuff.  Success!

I went straight from the mall to Germantown to meet Claudia for dinner & a movie.  We grabbed a slice & some garlic knots at Five Points Pizza then headed to Opry Mills for The Hunger Games.  Claudia, smartly, bought our tickets weeks ago.  I didn't know this, but when you see an IMAX movie, you can buy your tickets way in advance & reserve your seat, so we had the best seats in the house.  Granted, the tickets were $18, but you get to pick out your seat & you don't have to arrive 100 hours early to get a seat & then sit through 30-45 minutes of commercials & previews.  IMAX, you just may complete me.

Okay, so The Hunger Games.  OMG y'all, it was so good!  I read the books back when they first came out, so I didn't 100% remember everything about the story.  From what I recall about the books, the movie is pretty dead-on.  Nothing major jumped out at me as being different.  Jennifer Lawrence is amazing.  She does such a good job as Katniss.  I loved it.  I'd recommend seeing it regardless of whether or not you've read the books.  And I'd totally see it in IMAX if you can swing it.

SUNDAY

Normal Sunday stuff, plus more episodes of Homeland.  This show is blowing my mind!

I Want Pizza! P-I-Z-Z-A!

Over on Erin's Food Files last week, I flagged a recipe for prosciutto, jalapeno, goat cheese pizza.  John & I like making homemade pizza & I'm always on the lookout for new & interesting toppings.  When I saw this, I knew we had to try it.

I found most of the ingredients at Trader Joe's:  crust, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella & goat cheese crumbles (I got the jalapenos & marinara at Publix).  I wasn't sure if I wanted to use goat cheese because I don't love it.  I took my quandary to the interweb & asked my Facebook friends if I should use goat cheese, or substitute it with ricotta or mascarpone.  I ultimately decided to make the recipe in its original form & if the goat cheese didn't work, I'd change it next time.

Turns out, I like goat cheese!  Who knew?  The goat cheese really made the pizza.  You need the weird, tangy cheese to balance out the jalapeno.  It totally works.  This pizza was soooo good!  I highly recommend it.

PROSCIUTTO, JALAPENO, GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

Adapted from Erin's Food Files

Serves 4-ish

INGREDIENTS

1 lb thawed pizza dough (we used Trader Joe's)
olive oil
cornmeal
flour
1/4 cup marinara
fresh mozzarella (we used a few slices spread over the pizza)
2 jalapenos, seeded & chopped
2 oz goat cheese crumbles
3 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
red pepper flakes
fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS

Shape the dough into a ball.  Place it in an olive oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, & let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, pressing down with floured fingertips, shape the dough into a small, flat disk.

Working from the center, push the dough outward while spreading your fingers, making the disk larger.

Pick up the dough.  Move your hands along the edges, allowing gravity to pull the dough into a 14-inch circle.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Preheat your pizza stone with the oven.  Sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal & place the dough on the stone.  Brush the dough with 1 tbsp olive oil & bake until puffed & golden, 15-20 minutes.

Top the partially cooked dough with the marinara, mozzarella & jalapenos.  Slice the prosciutto slices into 1-inch wide pieces & layer them onto the dough.  Top with crumbled goat cheese & sprinkle with red pepper flakes & fresh cracked pepper.

Bake until the crust is crisp & the cheese has melted, 12-15 minutes.  Let cool for 1-2 minutes, then slice & serve!

Delish!

Italian Pork Sandwiches

My picture doesn't do this meal justice.  And that's couscous, not popcorn/cauliflower.  I spied these sandwiches in the pages of my new Everyday Food magazine & flagged it because it involved two of John's favorite things:  1) meat & 2) frying things in a skillet.

These sandwiches were really good & really easy to make (says the person who didn't actually make them).  The only thing I changed from the original recipe is the bread.  I couldn't find ciabatta rolls, so I bought ciabatta bread & just sliced it.  Delish!


ITALIAN PORK SANDWICHES

Adapted from Everyday Food (April 2012 issue)

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup AP flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
coarse salt & ground pepper
4 pork cutlets (3/4 pound total)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 ciabatta or Portuguese rolls
1 cup marinara, warmed
2 cups arugula

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place flour, egg, & breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes.  Season flour & breadcrumbs with salt & pepper.  Coat pork in flour, shaking off excess, dip in egg, then coat with breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere.  Place pork on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

2.  Heat broiler.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  In 2 batches, cook pork until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Line rack with paper towels.  Transfer pork to towels & let drain 1 minute.  Top pork with cheese, place on sheet, & broil until cheese is melted, 1 minute.  Divide among rolls & top with marinara & arugula.

Weekend Wrap Up: When The Cat's Away Edition

More photos on Flickr & Instagram.

FRIDAY

John was at SXSW this weekend, so I loaded up on girl time.  I met Mary Katherine for dinner at PM.  We had awesome mango mojitos & awesome sushi.  Love PM!

P.S. While I was at PM, John was backstage at SXSW mingling with, oh, I don't know, ROONEY MARA!  He also became the default tympani player for the Diamond Rugs show that night on this huge festival stage opening for Counting Crows.  So that basically made his life.

SATURDAY

I had a hair appointment on Saturday & then met Claudia to carpool to M'boro for Lauren & Kelly's annual St. Patrick's Day party.  Aside from driving through yet ANOTHER hail storm, we had a great time.  It's always a fun party.  Good food, too!

SUNDAY

All of us ladies with men at SXSW got together for brunch.  Katie hosted at her house & made, from scratch, cinnamon rolls, English muffins, poppy seed muffins, & kale egg cups.  And then Alexis made homemade juice.  It was kind of the best brunch ever.  Thanks, Katie!

Last night, I started watching Homeland.  I watched the first two episodes of season one.  Holy moly!  I think this is going to be my new favorite show.

Happy Birthday, Linder!

This is day we brought her home.  She was skeptical.  And knocked up.

First grooming!  She loved it.

Action dog.  Linda's really into snow.

John likes to puff out Linda's face fur & call her Cornelius Vanderdog.

Dog smiling.

 Christmas Linda.

Instagram Linda. 

If Linda were on MySpace, this would be her profile pic.

This is her 'pet me' position.  She's in it about 99% of the time.  Also, note her crazy paw fur.

All cuddled up in her raggedy old dog bed that she won't let us replace.

Today is the 3-year anniversary of us rescuing Linda McCartney.  Allegedly, that makes her 8 years old.  She's a senior citizen, ya'll!

Happy birthday, Linda!

Weekend Wrap Up: I'm A Half Marathoner Edition!

ENFL!

Pre-race face.  Cara, me & Jaime.

Not my official time, as I forgot to hit "Stop" after I finished, but probably close.

My AWESOME signs!

Post-race face.  Cara, me & Jaime.

The best friends in the world:  Melissa, Heidi & Mary Katherine.

Post-race milkshake, or three, at Pharmacy.  Also, this is the only picture John is almost in & I wanted photographic proof that he was there.

More pics & info available on Flickr & Instagram.

FRIDAY

I went to LP Field to pick up my race packet & then went to my friend Heidi's house to borrow a short-sleeved shirt for the race.  Two former co-workers of mine have landed awesome new jobs & Friday night was the celebration for one of them.  Then I went home & pre-race carb loaded with some spaghetti carbonara.  Yum!

SATURDAY

Race day!  I woke up at 5:30, drank a gallon of coffee, drove over to Jaime's & then headed to the stadium.  Jaime, Cara & I trained together & we ran the race together.  We went into it like it was another training run.  The weather was GORGEOUS.  East Nasty had a big water stop at mile 1 / 12 & that helped so much.  It really does help to run past a group of people you know, who are shouting (on a bullhorn) your name as you run by.  I don't know what mile it was, but before we got on the greenway in Shelby Bottoms, Mary Katherine, Melissa & Heidi were out there with huge, hilarious, awesome signs.  It was amazing.  Thank you so much!

I started running out of gas around mile 10, which I also did on all our training runs.  That's just when I hit my wall.  I had just seen Mary Katherine, Melissa & Heidi, so I was pumped from that & I knew East Nasty was in 2 more miles, so I powered through ("every day I'm shuffling").  From East Nasty at mile 12 to the finish was the hardest part.  That last mile takes FOREVER.  But it's so awesome to finish in the stadium, running on the field with your picture on the jumbotron & your name being announced as you cross the finish line.  I saw John first, then Mary Katherine, Melissa & Heidi.  It was awesome.

Post-race, Mary Katherine & Melissa had arranged a surprise celebratory lunch for me with all of our friends.  We went to Pharmacy & sat outside.  It was kind of the best thing ever.  Thank you, AWESOME friends!  J'dore!

Saturday night we grabbed dinner with our pals, Adam & Sarah.  I have to include this email from Sarah because it's the best email in the world.

Sarah
to John, Adam, me

PS: if Kim needs to rest tonight after running a million miles, we can order 7 pizzas and eat them in y'all's bed.  OBVIOUSLY.

Sarah, thank you for the nail polish & chocolate!  You're awesome!  OBVIOUSLY.

SUNDAY

I had pain in places I didn't expect to have pain.  My knees & various other joints were fine, but I had some minor lower back & shoulder soreness.  Oh, & my feet.  My feet are pretty wiped, which is so weird.  Also, at some point in the 2 & 1/2 hours I was running, my sports bra & my epidermis became one.  Well, until I tried to take it off.  I'll spare you the gory details, but I'm missing a lot of skin.  Dear inventor of neosporin, thank you.

John & I checked out the new McKay.  It's moved from it's Charlotte Pike location two exits west, off of Old Hickory Blvd, which I guess is technically Bellevue...?  I don't know.  The new store is super nice.  I know it's a haul for most of you, but I daresay it's worth it.

LOTS more half marathon pics.  Full photostream here.

Lynchburg, Tennessee

More pics & info on Flickr & Instagram.

I drive a lot in my new job & I keep discovering places in Tennessee that I've never seen before & that I kind of want to live in...   A couple of weeks ago, I was really into Lewisburg.  I'll have to do another post on Lewisburg later as it was raining the day I was there & I couldn't snap any pics.  But trust, it's awesome.

Well, snooze you lose, Lewisburg.  I'm into Lynchburg now.  Ya'll.  Have you been to Lynchburg?  Sober?  It's sooo nice!  I had no idea!  Also?  Little Richard lives there.  Seriously!

I started in Winchester & drove south on Hwy 50 to Lynchburg.  Highway 50 is where it's at.  Literally, it's where Little Richard's house is.  You can't see it from the road, but I obtained top secret intel on where it is, so I'm totally going to find it next time.

The homes & farms on Hwy 50 are GORGEOUS.  It's one of the prettiest drives I've taken.  I want to live in one of those houses.  Then you get into Lynchburg proper & it's so nice.  The square is clean & current & uber populated with tourists.  It's kind of nuts for a small town 75 miles south of Nashville.  If I know two things, it's that women be shopping & people love Jack Daniels.

I'm not into whiskey & I've never been to the Jack Daniels Distillery, but I drove past it while I was there & now I kind of want to take the tour.  The distillery is honestly a little terrifying.  It's HUGE.  And there are all these haunted looking buildings back in the hills where the barrels live.  It's the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. & averages over 250,000 visitors a year.  All Jack Daniels Whiskey is produced here.

Not that fascinated with whiskey?  Lynchburg hosts all kinds of events year-round.  The Oak Barrel Half Marathon is there in April.  They host the Tennessee Walking Horse Show in July.  And there's a Jack Daniels World Championship Barbecue in October that I've already been told not to miss.  Noted.

Lynchburg has a big motorcycle population.  Apparently it's a convenient stopping place for a lot of long rides in Tennessee.  There's a Harley Davidson on the square, so I think there's a big Harley presence, but I hear it's just a popular place for riders to stop & hang-out in general.  Take note, riders.

Lynchburg is beautiful.  I can't believe I had never been there.  If in 20-30 years, I go off the grid & you can't find me, don't worry, I'll be in my country home in Lynchburg, assuredly running a Little Richard ghost tour.  Believe it.

Weekend Wrap Up: How Soon Is Now Edition

My new fav color:  Essie Clambake.  The perfect orange-red.

Storm day.

Hail car.

Hail hair.

Oh, hail to the no.

The Fake Smiths.

John as Fake Johnny Marr.

Jeff as Fake Morrissey.

Post-run birthday brunch with Jaime.

More photos, videos, & info available on Flickr, YouTube, & Instagram.

FRIDAY

Friday was nuts from sun up to sun down.  I got up at 5am, drove to the gym to swim, got IN THE POOL, then the lifeguard blew the whistle & closed the pool because of lightning.  So I drove back home, marking the first of two times that day that I would drive into the mouth of madness.  The second time was around 4pm, when the storms that devastated surrounding states blew through Nashville.  I was on Music Row getting lady-scaped, when the tornado sirens went off.  We turned on the radio & learned that the worst of the storm was about to hit the part of town I live in.  So instead of staying where I was & riding it out, I decided to drive home.  I didn't make it.  I drove right into the worst of it. I made it off the interstate, but couldn't get anywhere to pull over.  It was hailing & my car was rocking back & forth from the wind.  I think it's the most scared I've been in my adult life.

I finally got to a Walgreens.  The door was already locked, so I had to pound on the door, meanwhile I'm barely able to stand, the wind is so strong, not to mention the hail, the INSANE hail.  A Metro Cop lets me in & runs me to the back of the store where everyone is crouched in the storeroom.  It was nuts! People were crying, babies were screaming.  A part of the roof blew up or off & some hail got in.  It was pandemonium.  I felt so stupid, but I just stood in that Walgreens storeroom, surrounded by strangers, crying.  And then it was over & I drove home.  And took pictures of my hail hair.  DUMB!

Rejuvenated from having having survived the day, I went to Mercy Lounge to watch The Fake Smiths, a Smiths tribute band that my husband played with.  The show was awesome!  I took a million videos & posted them on YouTube.  Good times.

SATURDAY

John has been really busy lately with work & Fake Smiths practice, so we spent Saturday catching up on a bunch of house-related errands.

Saturday night, we met Katie & Rollum for dinner in Cool Springs, then trekked over to the mall, for what reason, I don't know.  I guess we thought we were teenagers again?

SUNDAY

Yesterday was Jaime's birthday, so we ran a "short" 5 miles, then treated ourselves to brunch at Le Peep, where we feasted on stuffed french toast, Belgian waffles, & bacon.  Yum!

I finally got to meet Baby Ben yesterday.  My friend Jessica had her baby two weeks ago & he is so cute!  Congrats, Wilsons!

And now without further ado, "How Soon Is Now" performed by The Fake Smiths.  It's 7 minutes of shirtless awesomeness.  Enjoy!