The Blonde Mule

Spicy Stir-Fried Sesame Chicken with Green Beans & Shiitake Mushrooms

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

My husband is OBSESSED with stir-fries. I don't complain because a) I like them, too; b) they're usually fairly healthy; & c) he makes them, so I don't have to cook! We got a new cookbook for Christmas & John has been working his way through all the new stir-fry recipes. They've been okay, but this one, this one, wins the prize. It was so good! It's a little bit of work, but it's worth it. I highly recommend using this "velveted chicken" recipe for all future stir-fries. It'll blow your chicken mind!

Spicy Stir-Fried Sesame Chicken with Green Beans & Shiitake Mushrooms

Adapted from The New Best Recipe

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp Asian chili sauce
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
Peanut oil
*1 recipe Marinated Velveted Chicken for Stir-Fry with 1 tbsp sesame seeds added to the flour mixture
1 lb green beans, ends trimmed, & cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced 1/8 inch thick
Jasmine rice (optional)

*MARINATED VELVETED CHICKEN FOR STIR-FRY

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup water
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, & water in a medium bowl; add the chicken & stir to break up the clumps. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.

2. Mix the sesame oil, cornstarch, & flour together in a medium bowl until smooth. Drain the chicken in a mesh strainer. Toss the chicken in the cornstarch-flour mixture until evenly coated. Use immediately.

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, chili sauce, sugar, cornstarch, 2 tsp of the sesame seeds, 1 tsp of the sesame oil, & 1 tsp of the garlic together in a small bowl until combined. Combine the remaining 2 tsp garlic, the ginger, & 1 tsp peanut oil in a small bowl.

2. Heat 2 tsp peanut oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet (we used cast iron) over high heat until smoking; add half of the chicken in a flat even layer. Cook, without stirring but gently separating the pieces, until golden brown on the first side, about 1 minute; turn the chicken pieces & cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 30 seconds. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl. Repeat with an additional 2 tsp peanut oil & the remaining chicken.

3. Add 1 tbsp peanut oil to the now empty skillet; heat until just smoking. Add the green beans & cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute; add the mushrooms & stir-fry until the mushrooms are lightly browned & softened, about 3 minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides of the skillet to clear the center; add the garlic-ginger mixture to the clearing & cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant & golden brown, 30-45 seconds, then stir the mixture into the beans & mushrooms. Continue to stir-fry until the beans are tender-crisp, about 30 seconds longer. Return the chicken to the skillet. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add to the skillet; reduce the the heat to medium & cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened & the chicken is cooked through, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil, & sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp sesame seeds.

Serve over jasmine rice.

1Q84: The Heaviest Book IN THE WORLD (Not A Book Review)

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

John bought me 1Q84 for Christmas. In hardback. I don't know how many of you have seen this book in its hardback version, or tried to lift it. Ya'll, it weighs like 15 pounds & is IMPOSSIBLE to read in bed. I've had to find things to prop it up on so I can read it. And if you think that's a champagne problem, wait until I tell you what I did to resolve this problem that isn't really a problem.

Last night, in yet another futile attempt to prop this book up so that I can read 2 pages before falling asleep, a light bulb went off in my head & I remembered I got a Kindle for Christmas. Ding, ding, ding! And a $25 Kindle gift card (thanks, Tiff!), so I bought the kindle version of 1Q84 & commenced reading it on my 7-ounce electronic reading device. I sat up & read all night. Apparently the weight of the book was not only logistically cumbersome, but was also slowing down my normal super fast reading speed. Maybe I'll finish this book after all (probably not).

Weekend Wrap Up: All I Did Was Eat Out For 72 Hours Edition

2012-01-30T06:50:00.000-06:00

OPI Got The Blues For Red

Look at that paw!

Kimchi fried rice at Korea House.

Stats from 9 mile run.

Post-run carb load at Mitchell Deli. Benton's bacon!

Shepard's pie.

More pics & info available on Flickr! & Instagram

FRIDAY

We walked next door to Korea House for dinner, then we came back home & watched Larry Crowne. Meh...

SATURDAY

I got up Saturday morning & did a much needed 75 minutes class as Epic Yoga. I ran around, did some errands, & got a bang trim. That night, we met our friends Jeff & Ashlee for dinner at Tequila's. Jeff & John talked about who knows what, while Ashlee & I talked about our new jobs & long distance running. After dinner, John & I ran to Green Hills Mall because my friend Sarah works at Aveda & had hooked me up with a huge bottle of Shampure. Score! Thanks, Sarah!

SUNDAY

If you follow me on the Facebook, then you're probably over hearing about my 9-mile run yesterday, but SURPRISE, I'm still talking about it. So yeah, Jaime & I ran 9 miles yesterday (Cara was sick). It was the hardest run so far. Jaime & I both had trouble. I honestly don't think it was the distance because our bodies/legs felt fine; it was more mental. I completely ran out of steam at the last 2 miles & had to will myself to finish. My stomach clenched up & I thought I was going to be sick, but it passed. Who knows. I have two thoughts: 1) the course was flat & I think I need more elevation/variety in these long runs; & 2) I need to re-fuel while I'm running. Everyone has things that works for them, e.g. gu, roctane, hard candy, stinger waffles, etc. I just need to figure out what works for me.

After the run, Jaime & I grabbed breakfast at Mitchell Deli. That afternoon, John & I met my parents for a belated birthday lunch (both my mom & John have January birthdays). Apparently after these long runs, I'm supposed to keep moving & not do what feels natural: lay on the couch all day. So in an effort to 'keep moving', I hobbled around the house, cleaning & doing laundry, & then I hobbled around Publix. I do think it helps, it's just hard to do because my brain is SCREAMING, "Just sit down!"

I'm kind of obsessed with Anthony Bourdain's new show, The Layover & had watched the one where he's in London yesterday morning, so, naturally, I wanted shepard's pie for dinner. And I totally made it. It was so good! But it put me into a coma & I feel asleep at like 8:30pm...

A History of Running: My Story

2012-01-28T08:29:00.002-06:00

I'm a runner. I haven't always been though. Back in 2007, with no training, nor prior running experience, & easily 20 extra pounds on me, I started "training" for the Country Music Half Marathon. I had no idea how to train & instead of taking it slow & gradually increasing my mileage, I immediately got up to 60-90 minute runs & stayed there. Not surprisingly, I developed bursitis in my hip, spent months in physical therapy, missed the half marathon & quit running.

Two years later, in 2009, I did the Race For The Cure 5K with a friend & ended up running most of it. Humph, I thought, maybe I'll try running again. So I secretly started running on my own, just to see if I could. When some of my friends found out I was running, they convinced me to join their Friday morning, 3-mile, group run. I wasn't awesome, in fact, I was a 15-minute mile, but I was running.

In 2010, frustrated at my slow pace, I signed up for the Fleet Feet Summer Speed Session. I paid a pretty penny for this workshop & planned on spending my summer improving my speed. Unfortunately, because I'm me & because my body hates me, I sprained my ankle in the second session & per my doctor's orders, could not run for at least 6 weeks (it was a pretty severe sprain).

So I spent the summer of 2010 not running, but walking, & walking in an ankle brace. When I was finally cleared to run again, my Friday morning running group decided to try a Wednesday night *East Nasty run. It was love at first sight & I started spending every Wednesday night across the river running 3-6 miles. I wasn't sure if it was necessary, but I was still wearing my ankle brace (this will be important later).

In January of 2011, with two-ish years of running under my belt, I decided to try training for a half marathon again. East Nasty offered a training program, so I did that. I think at this point, I had quit wearing the ankle brace. I think... The training went well. I started slow & gradually built up my mileage, but again, I immediately got hurt. This time it was my knee. I went back into physical therapy & much to my chagrin, learned that running in that stupid ankle brace for so long weakened my muscles & ultimately caused my knee injury. Awesome.

Because I had an AWESOME **physical therapist this time, I was up & running again in no time. I did, however, decide to give up on the longer distance runs & to just focus on my weekly group runs. I was in fairly good shape. I was running 3 times a week & doing strength training & yoga in between. Nothing hurt; all of my joints appeared to be happy, so when my friend asked me to start training for a half marathon with her, I thought, 'Well, 3rd time's a charm.' And here we are.

We started MONTHS AGO (seriously, we started in like August/September) & have been slowly, very slowly, increasing our mileage. We stayed at 5 miles for awhile before we moved on to 6 & then we did 6 a couple of times before we did 7, & we just did 8 last week. Tomorrow we're doing 9. That fact that I'm running 9 miles tomorrow kind of blows my mind, mostly because that means next week is 10 & being able to run 10 miles has been a goal of mine for oh, about 5 years.

So far, fingers crossed, my body is shockingly working for me. Nothing hurts, no joints have gone on strike... I am still doing my physical therapy exercises for my knee though (go CLAM!), which assuredly helps. I've also been doing yoga pretty regularly this whole time.

I'm registered for the Tom King Half Marathon here in Nashville on Saturday, March 10th & so far, it looks like I will, in fact, be running it. Crazy!

Stay tuned for a follow-up post on the specifics of how I've been training for this half marathon. Also, see below for more information on the running group, East Nasty & my friend & physical therapist, Brittany, who saved my knee & got me running again. Side note: she's also an East Nasty. ENFL!

*East Nasty: http://eastnastyforlife.com/

**Brittany Endres, Results Physiotherapy: http://www.resultsphysiotherapy.com/locations/middle-tn/green-hills

Weekend Wrap Up: Hamburger Cake Edition

2012-01-24T06:53:00.000-06:00

Our friends Buckley & Shannon had us over for dinner on Tuesday & were so sweet to buy John a birthday cake!

This? Is a ridiculous amount of fur.

Hamburger cake! I was going to make hamburger cupcakes, but knew I wouldn't have time so my friend Lauren saved the day by telling me that Publix makes a hamburger cake and voila!

Birthday Baldwins.

Hilarious purple ape from John McCauley.

Amanda, me, & Jessica

More pics & info available on Flickr! & Instagram

FRIDAY

John & I got Indian take-out & watched two week's worth of recorded shows. I know, thrilling.

SATURDAY

I got up early & ran 8 miles with Jaime & Cara. It was cold, it was wet & it was FAR, but I ran the whole 8 miles. I did it without really any trouble. My knees were fine. My feet started to ache a little in the last mile, but overall, the run felt good. We rewarded ourselves with Star Bagel afterwards, then I spent the rest of the day getting ready for John's birthday party.

John's birthday was last Tuesday, so on Saturday, we invited a group of his friends over for meat snacks, music, & hourly wardrobe changes. Thanks to everyone for coming. John had a blast. In fact, as he was eating a little more hamburger cake before bed, he said that this year's party was the best. So, thank you!

SUNDAY

Since I ran on Saturday, I kind of had the day off on Sunday. Of course, we treated ourselves to Cracker Barrel for brunch (thanks, Bairs!) & then spent a good majority of the day re-cleaning the house. Why do I even bother cleaning before parties? It's such a waste of time!

Weekend Wrap Up: I Ran 7 Miles Edition

2012-01-16T07:24:00.001-06:00

Getting my hurrr did at Salon Nfuse on Saturday.

"Check out this hottie. Oh, and Mark."

7 miles!!!

And the subsequent breakfast bagel that assuredly contained more calories than the 853 I had just burned. C'est la vie...

More pics & info available on Flickr! and Instagram.

FRIDAY

I stayed in & finished watching Season One of Downton Abbey. This is officially my new favorite show. The first season only has 7 episodes & it's on Netflix Instant, so you should all watch it! It's so good!

SATURDAY

I ran around town & did some errands until my hair appointment. For a few years now, I've been getting my hair highlighted at Trim, but sadly, my colorist (Gio!) up & moved to Mexico (like you do). So my stylist, *Jordan, who's been cutting my hair for years, is now going to start coloring it, too. My first color appointment with her was on Saturday. I knew she'd do a good job because she does such a good job with my cuts, & she's blonde. She did a great job! My hair looks so good! Hooray!

*Jordan is at Salon Nfuse for anyone looking for a stylist/colorist. I highly recommend her.

That night, we met our friends Keith & Nicole (not Urban/Kidman) for dinner at Coco's Italian Market, where I continued my love affair with their meatball pizza. Ya'll, it's so good, seriously. Then we trekked over to Mercy Lounge for The Features show. The Features played an awesome show (of course they did) & we had a blast. My friend Jolie is married to one of the band members & she just moved to Chicago & couldn't make the show, so I took a picture of me & her husband & texted it to her with this message, "Check out this hottie. Oh, and Mark." I'm such a good friend.

SUNDAY

My entire Sunday can be summed up in two words: 7 miles. I totally ran 7 miles yesterday. It's my longest run to date & I'm pretty proud of myself. My training partners, Jaime, Cara & I ran with East Nasty yesterday, which is awesome for a multitude of reasons, primarily due to Shelby Bottoms' proximity to Mitchell Deli. Oh, hello Mitchell breakfast bagel, it's been a long time...

I did nothing else yesterday. I couldn't really use my legs. So I laid on the couch & watched the two-hour, first episode of Season Two of Downton Abbey online. Episode two aired last night, but I recorded it to watch later because I was watching the Golden Globes. And by watching, I mean sleeping through.

A Job! Finally, A Job!

2012-01-14T08:58:00.001-06:00

I got a job!!! It took 3 years of graduate school & 18 months of looking, but I got a job!!! And a good job at that. A big girl job. A job I actually wanted. I'm so happy & excited, I can't even process it. I secretly started on Thursday & am happy to report that my first 2 days were awesome! It's a big job & I've got a lot to learn in not a lot of time, but my god, it's so nice to be challenged & to be using my brain again.

I know 2011 was a shitty year for the majority of the human race & it was for me, as well. Last year was the hardest year of my life, & that's including the year I lived in a city ATTACKED BY TERRORISTS. So, thanks for nothing, 2011. 2012, we've only known each other a few weeks, but I already love you.

It's probably going to take me awhile (& possibly years of therapy) to figure out the lessons from this experience, but the one thing I've learned is that I am surrounded by truly amazing people, starting with my family, particularly the two people who brought me into this world. Moms of the world, I daresay, the only thing worse than parenting a rebellious teenager is parenting an unemployed adult. Coming in a close second is the poor, poor man married to an unemployed, depressed wife. Let's just say, I've got a lot of making up to do.

Now onto my friends, my all-star group of friends. You have listened, you have counseled, you have picked up the check, & you have loved me enough to give me a year off. But I'm back, bitches! Birthday presents for everyone!

It should go without saying that I have learned a lot about what does & does not work when you're looking for job. Honestly, I could write a book about the entire process (among other things *ahem...). Speaking of which, my working title is The Devil Wears Velour... I'm kidding (kind of), but seriously, if you have any questions about cover letters, thank you letters, what not to say in an interview, etc., I'm your girl.

Thanks again for sticking with me, especially if you're not tied to me by bloodline &/or marriage. I'm so excited about this new job!!! Here are some things you can look forward to in 2012: seeing me in new clothes; seeing me in restaurants that don't have a dollar menu; seeing me run a half marathon; seeing me in a new (!!!) car (maybe... realistically, it will probably be 2013, but whatever, a girl can dream).

I got a job!!!

Vampires, Tigers, & Weres -- Oh, My!

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

Sookie Stackhouse 7-Copy Boxed Set by Charlaine Harris

Publisher: Ace

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance

My Reading Format: Mass Market Paperback

Available Formats: Kindle, Paperback

My Review

When Season Four of True Blood ended last September, my friend Claudia brought me her Sookie Stackhouse box set, so I could finally join the rest of the world in reading the books that inspired the HBO series. I started reading the first book on Halloween, appropriately, & just finished the 7th book, All Together Dead, yesterday. A few thoughts:

Ya'll. These books BLEW MY MIND. I plowed through these 7 books in roughly 2 months.
Because these are the books True Blood is based on, it should go without saying that if you can't stomach True Blood, you probably can't stomach these books.
On that note, these books are different from the show. There are characters that die in the books that don't die in the show, there are characters in the show that aren't in the books, & there are entire storylines in the show that aren't in the books. That being said, the books are SO MUCH BETTER than the show.
These books are short. Most are around 250 pages, divided into a lot of short chapters, which always helps me read faster.

My Final Thoughts

I loved these books & can't wait to continue reading the rest of the series. I'm also excited for Season Five of True Blood. Apparently Chris Meloni from Law & Order SVU has been cast & I'm dying to find out which character he is. Quinn? Andre?

If you haven't read these books yet, read them. Four stars!

Reading! Books! Setting A 2012 Reading Goal

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last year was my first year in a long time not spent reading grad school text books, so I took on a hefty reading challenge. Through Goodreads, I challenged myself to read 30 books last year, roughly 1.73 books a week, or 2.5 books a month. I didn't read 30 books last year, I read 32. 32! That's insane.

If you're curious as to what those 32 books are, or how I rated them, you can see them here (I think).

So now the Goodreads 2012 reading challenge is starting & I'm trying to decide what to set my goal at this year. Last year I was either sitting at home doing nothing, or sitting in an empty office, doing nothing, so I had a lot of reading time on my hands. That will not be the case this year. At least, I hope not.

I think 2 books a month is an obtainable goal. So... 24? For my fellow readers out there, I'd love to know both how you did last year, as well as your reading goals for 2012. Report back!

Weekend Wrap Up

2012-01-09T08:47:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning manicure & coffee out of my new favorite mug. Team Taurus!

Only Gold For Me top coat over Tickle My France. Possibly my new favorite combo.

The birthday girl inside her new Cinderella tent.

Mini Me.

I'm usually faster than this when I'm not running 6 miles ALL UPHILL.

More pics and info available on Flickr! and Instagram.

FRIDAY

Due to a very eventful week (that I will talk about later), we decided to stay in on Friday night & eat some of the groceries that had been rotting away in our fridge all week. We made thai pork burritos, which were really good! Thanks, Big Oven!

SATURDAY

I spent Saturday in Smyrna celebrating my niece's third birthday. I got her this little pack & play Cinderella tent that was on sale at Target for $7. It was a huge hit. Because it's bottomless, they kept standing up & walking to another room, all while in the tent. It was hilarious.

That night, John & I met our friends Mike & Chrissi for dinner at Cinco. Obvi, the first 30 minutes were spent relaying my ridiculous week, but then we lapsed into our usual dinner conversation territory: cops, ghosts, & UFO's.

SUNDAY

If you follow me on the Facebook, then you may have seen that I registered for the Tom King Half Marathon in March. My friend Jaime & I are doing it together & we're doing our long runs on Sundays. We've been doing it for awhile, but yesterday was our first 'official' long training run. Our friend Cara joined us & we ran a 6 mile route from Sylvan Park, to West End/Vandy, then back to Sylvan Park. Jaime & I ran 6 miles before Christmas, but we ran it at Shelby Bottoms, which is a flat, paved trail. Yesterday was 6 road miles, partly on broken/uneven sidewalks, partly on the road & ALL UPHILL. It was hard, ya'll. But we did it. And we're running 7 miles next week. Oy...

Christmas in Maryland -- The Deleted Scenes

2012-01-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

WHY DON'T THE JEWS HAVE CHRISTMAS SONGS?

We were at John's Dutch grandparents' house for Christmas when I overheard Nana ask John's grandpa, "Why don't the Jews have Christmas songs?" Nana went on for a minute about how she's never known anyone Jewish to sing at all. Poor Grandpa, so patient. After he looked at Nana with a very confused look on his face, I heard him ask her, "You've seen Fiddler on the Roof?" And... scene.

ARE YOU CATHOLIC? ARE YOU A REPUBLICAN? DO THEY PREACH END TIMES AT YOUR CHURCH?

Nana, who attended my wedding, IN A CATHOLIC CHURCH, asks me every time she's sees me if I'm Catholic. This year she asked me across the table, at a very nice dinner, in a very nice restaurant, followed by, "There's a Jehovah's Witness that comes over once a week. I don't let her in, but I open the door."

If there's anything I enjoy discussing more than religion, it's politics. Nana watches Fox and Friends with the glee usually reserved for *babies in a restaurant. Nana asked me about a hundred times if I'm a Republican or a Democrat and who do I want to win the Iowa Caucus.

*One night at dinner, again, at a very nice restaurant, Nana, who's as mobile as a concrete slab, makes this big, 5 minute production of getting up from the table, getting her walker, & going across the restaurant to see a baby. Did she know this baby? No. Did she know anyone else at the table with the baby? No. Did she finally make her way back to our table & spend the subsequent 10 minutes talking about this baby? Yes.

One morning, I came downstairs to get coffee & Nana's cousin was there visiting. As I was pouring my coffee & slinking back upstairs undetected, I heard Nana ask her cousin, "Do they preach End Times at your church?"

WHY DOESN'T THE NFL HAVE MORE NICE, WHITE PLAYERS INSTEAD OF ALL THOSE NEGROES?

God, I shuttered just having to type that.

GOOD MORNING. DAD WOKE ME UP BY DUMPING TWO GLASSES OF WATER ON MY HEAD AND NANA POOPED HER PANTS. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

As I think I mentioned in my previous post, we rolled into town around 2am on Christmas Day. We were awoken at 8am to 'get up & open your presents, man'. I left John upstairs & went down to get coffee. Sally was standing there with half wet, half dry hair. In defense of the water thrower, Sally & John are both absolutely & unequivocally nocturnal & impossible to wake up. So Sally informs me that Nana pooped her pants, stepped in it, tracked it all through the house, dad lost his mind, thus the water throwing, oh and "Merry Christmas."

"DIARRHEA!" $6.

Nana had an upset stomach the entire time she was there, but instead of saying 'upset stomach', she insisted on proclaiming everywhere we went that she had 'DIARRHEA!' I told Sally that I'd give her a quarter every time Nana said the word 'diarrhea'. We were up to $6 by the time we left.

Christmas Wrap Up: Belated Edition

2012-01-01T09:37:00.000-06:00

My parents' Christmas tree.

Awesome blanket my mom made us!

Jessica & Abigail with Linda, who is clearly dog-smiling.

Basically the cutest picture ever.

Good morning, Maryland!

Happy iPad Christmas!

My swanky new Kindle. Also, Chia Bart.

Crab cakes!

Pittsburgh, PA

United States Steel

More pics and info available on Flickr! and Instagram

We spent Christmas Eve with my family. This year, all four of my nieces are old enough to get into Christmas. The twins aren't quite old enough to understand what's going on, but they're really into pulling the tissue paper out of everything & running around with that. They're also no longer scared of Linda. In fact, they all kind of went crazy for Linda & followed her around petting & hugging her. It was probably the best day of Linda's life.

Leaving Linda with her new pint-sized fan club, we made our annual pilgrimage to Maryland to see John's family. We stayed in John's dad's house along with John's Nana & John's sister, Sally. We got there in the middle of the night, slept about 5 minutes, then woke up & did Christmas. We had a really nice Christmas. We saw a lot of John's family, including Uncle John & Aunt Nancy, who we hadn't seen since our wedding. We also got to see a lot of John's friends, which we usually don't have time to do. Granted, John had to go it alone most nights after we had all gone to bed, but still, it means a lot to him to get to see his friends while he's home.

After 3 days in Maryland, we headed back home. John asked if we could take a "detour" & go "through" Pittsburgh on the way home. He said it would only add about 45 minutes to the trip. Ha, 45 minutes! Yeah, our "detour" "through" Pittsburgh added FOUR HOURS to our trip. But hey, John got to see a steel factory, so there's that.

All in all, we had an awesome Christmas. And yes, there may or may not be some deleted scenes that I may or may not get around to posting sometime in the immediate future.... Here's hoping Nana still doesn't know how to use the internet!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:11:00.000-06:00

After an extended nap amongst the presents, Linda woke up to tell you something.....

Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Treat Yo Self!

2011-12-22T16:34:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty obsessed with the Parks & Recreation phrase, "Treat yo self!". I've been walking around saying it for weeks & shockingly convinced John to work it into our Christmas card this year. Special shout-out to Agnes for her photoshop skills. Thanks, Badness!

In case you're still out shopping, don't forget to pick up a couple of things for yourself. Maybe something sparkly. I've got a Pinterest board to help you out if you need inspiration. Treat yo self!

If you don't watch Parks & Rec, first of all, shame on you, secondly, here is the 30 second clip explaining this phenomenon I've thrust into your lives. You're welcome.

Weekend Wrap Up: Party Party Party Edition

2011-12-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

East Nasty Christmas party. ENFL!

OPI for Sephora Only Gold For Me top coat over OPI O'Hare & Nails Looks Great!

Baldwin stitches home removal kit.

Post-run bagel love.

Linda, working on her winter tan.

Tis the season.... for coordinating Christmas outfits.

Team Paulson!

Best burger IN THE WORLD.

Chocolate chip-bacon-pecan cookies

More photos & info on Flickr! & Instagram.

FRIDAY

I left work early & did some Christmas shopping. Back at home, I settled in to watch Christmas Vacation & paint my nails.

SATURDAY

Jaime & I ran 6 miles in Shelby Bottoms. This is my longest run in almost a year. It felt good! I ran all 6 miles & no knee pain afterwards. Score! That night, John & I donned our coordinated Christmas outfits & headed East to Dave & Alexis' annual Christmas party. We had fun, maybe too much fun... Someone drank too much Christmas punch & ended up pulling her dress down to show a recent nursing school grad her mole removal wound site & the one remaining internal stitch that's NEVER GOING TO COME OUT.

SUNDAY

Sunday got off to a rough start. I popped in Love Actually & watched that while I alternately chugged water & coffee. John finally woke up, so we went foraging for food & I stumbled across what may be my new favorite burger. It's the regular burger at Sportsman's Grille, but with a fried egg added to it. OMG, y'all. O-M-G!

Back at home, John & I made a million batches of chocolate chip-bacon-pecan cookies & watched The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I wanted him to see the original Swedish version before we go see the American version that comes out this week.

Preston Leatherman, aka My Christmas Hero

2011-12-13T09:55:00.000-06:00

This video makes my life. This kid went to two local malls on Saturday & had a friend record him lip syncing to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" throughout both malls, including store windows. It's amazing. I especially love how completely ambivalent the vast majority of shoppers are to his over-the-top dancing & singing, like they see it every day & could care less. This is why I love living in Nashville.

Follow Preston on the twitter here. Website & bio online here.

Weekend Wrap Up: I Might Have A Sugar Problem Edition

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000-06:00

Claudia & I getting our post-race drink on. What, like you don't drink at 8am?

Clue! Question: why is "Clue" in quotes...?

New lipstick (recommended by Mary Katherine): Loreal British Red. J'adore!

Salted chocolate and caramel cookies!

The Cookie Swap spread.

This is what I ate for lunch yesterday. Oh, & champagne. And 20 mini quiche.

Book Swap!

More pics and info on Flickr! and Instagram

FRIDAY

I finally watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. OMG, ya'll. O-M-G. Mary Katherine had warned me that I needed to be ready for Ryan Gosling's jelly, so per her instructions, I watched it alone while John worked downstairs. I was watching it, it was cute, Ryan Gosling's hot, blah blah blah, & then the 'dirty dancing' scene happened & I was like, "Oh! Oh, I get it. Holy sh*t!".

SATURDAY

At 6:45am on Saturday, I drove to Bells Bend with my friends Claudia & Anthony for the second Yazoo Barely a 4K Beer Run. It was fun, but it was cold & the entire run was uphill. My calves are still locked up. After my 9am Yazoo drunk (not really), I went Christmas shopping with my mom in Green Hills. That night, John & I drove to Smyrna to hang out with Katie & Rollum. We ate Jet's Pizza & played Clue. It was awesome!

SUNDAY

Yesterday was Cookie Swap / Book Swap. After a lot of going back & forth, I finally decided on the salted chocolate & caramel cookies. They were delicious right out of the oven, but became harder to eat/chew as they cooled & the caramel hardened. Still really good cookies; I definitely recommend them. The cookie swap was so much fun. I ate my weight in cookies & mini quiche, but I had a blast. Thanks for hosting, Hot Koh Koh!

Cookies!

2011-12-09T09:30:00.000-06:00

I'm going to a cookie swap on Sunday & I need to decide what cookies to make/bring. I've been scouring the internet & bookmarking recipes as I go. Below are a few of the cookies that are calling out to me.

Snowball Cookies

Picture & recipe from My Baking Addiction

Snowball cookies, aka Mexican wedding cookies. I love these cookies, which is surprising since I'm typically a big chocolate lover. I could eat an entire batch by myself & subsequently, probably will. I don't know, it's something about all that butter, sugar & flour. It speaks to me.

Salted Chocolate & Caramel Cookies

Picture & recipe from Crepes of Wrath

I'm a big fan of Crepes of Wrath & bookmarked these cookies awhile ago. I mean, how you could go wrong with salted chocolate & caramel? The answer: you can't. Might be above my pay-grade though.

The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie I Will Ever Need To Know How To Make For The Rest Of My Life

Picture & recipe from For Me, For You

Okay, these? These I've been dying to make since Kate first posted this recipe. These are a front runner because I can make the dough tonight & then bake them on Sunday morning. Hmmm....

The Kitchen Sink Cookie

Picture & recipe from Alexis

I'm probably not going to make these cookies because of all the ingredients I'd have to buy, but I've had them & they are DELICIOUS!

FYI -- there's a post on My Baking Addiction about how to host a holiday cookie exchange, which you can read here, if you're so inclined. Lots of cute ideas.

Book Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Publisher: Crown Archetype; 1 edition (November 1, 2011)

Pages: 240

Genre: Biography, Memoir, Humor

My Reading Format: Hardcover

Available Formats: Hardcover, Kindle Edition, Audiobook

My Review

John gave me this book as an anniversary gift last month. I know most people who have read this book have also read Bossypants by Tina Fey. Embarrassingly, I have not read Bossypants yet, so keep that in mind. A few thoughts:

This book isn't so much a memoir as it is a collection of essays, so while it does explain how Mindy came to be a writer for The Office, it is not a complete story of her life.
This book is super short. Some of the chapters are lists. I read it in like a day & a half.
Mindy goes to great pains to differentiate herself from her character on The Office, Kelly Kapoor. But I basically read the whole book with Kelly Kapoor's voice in my head. I couldn't help it.
This book is hilarious.

My Final Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this very funny little book. I was laughing on like Page 5 & continued laughing throughout the rest of the book. Again, I think if you're reading this to find out how to break into the TV writing business, you'll be sorely disappointed, but if you're looking for something light & funny to read while you're sleeping on a futon at your in-laws this Christmas, this book will definitely lighten your mood. Four stars!

Weekend Wrap Up: West Side Edition

2011-12-05T11:00:00.000-06:00

Friday night manicure: OPI for Sephora Only Gold For Me top coat over Essie Shifting Power.

Saturday morning ritual: coffee drinking, Martha Stewart watching, menu planning, shopping list making.

Hilarious children's plush slippers on sale at Old Navy that I really should have bought.

Watch out Panda, there's sharks in them there waters.

My new favorite pizza: meatball pizza from Coco's Italian Market. O-M-G!

Community theatre Saturday.

I hardly left the West Side this weekend. Actually, yeah, I didn't leave it at all. I also didn't really leave my house that much. Hello, early onset seasonal affective disorder! On Saturday, I was supposed to spend the day Christmas shopping with my mom. My sister has four kids & is basically a hostage in her own house, so my dad thought it would be nice if he offered to babysit all four girls so my sister could go with us. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but a) I never get to see my mom alone & b) we were shopping for my Christmas presents. Since 90% of the purchases made on Saturday were for my nieces, my mom is coming back up this Saturday to shop with me. I don't mind, I could spend all day every day shopping. Plus, I really want to introduce my mom to Jeni's Ice Cream, which we'll hopefully have time to do.

On Saturday night, we celebrated our friend Amanda's birthday with dinner at Coco's Italian Market & then we saw a play at a community theatre down the street that none of us had ever been to. It wasn't not fun. This was my first community theatre experience. I did feel nice to be there & to be participating, but I didn't know this particular play & we had REALLY bad seats. I'm not opposed to trying it again...

John had to work yesterday, so I ran 4 miles with Jaime & then we went to Target, where we AGAIN got mistaken for life partners. There must be some way we interact with each other that reads 'lesbian'. On one hand, it's hilarious, obvi, & on the other other hand, it's kind of nice to experience kindness from people who think we're a same sex couple raising children together. Let's just say, I've had worse assumptions made about me.

Lastly, I watched the movie Barney's Version yesterday. I have no idea how I even heard about this movie or how it came to be in my Netflix queue, but I really liked it. Definitely recommend it.

Why Put Off For Tomorrow What You Can Do With A Boxcutter Today

2011-12-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

About a month or so ago, I had to have a mole cut out of my back. You know, like you do. I had two sets of stitches. One set on the outside that would allegedly fall out on their own & another set on the inside that would disintegrate. The outside stitches weren't 'falling out' & were really starting to itch. It had been 3 or 4 weeks, so I felt safe pulling them out. Problem was, I couldn't reach them, so I asked John to do it.

Here's where I went wrong: 1) no one likes to perform home surgeries more than John; & 2) John's an Eagle Scout. I don't know how many of you are aware of this special breed of man that is an Eagle Scout, so let me give you a brief, non-related but important nonetheless, example. When John & I got iPhones over the summer, I went to work & came back 8 hours later with about 300 apps. John had two: flashlight & police scanner. True story.

Okay, I've given John the greenlight to remove (carefully!) the stitches in my back. He disappears, presumably to sterilize tweezers & scissors. No. No, no, no. Unbeknownst to me, he had gone out in the garage, you know, where you keep your medical supplies, & came back in with... Wait for it. A BOXCUTTER! And a flashlight. But, more importantly, a BOXCUTTER! When I was later relaying this story to Alexis (a nurse) she said, "Well, what did you expect when you asked an Eagle Scout to remove your stitches?" Touche.

Quick sidenote: I had also seen my parents around this stitches-itching time & had my mom look at them. Before even seeing them, or knowing if they were ready to come out, my dad whips out his Swiss Army knife & tries to cut them out of me. Men! You do not remove stitches with tools!

It's been a few weeks since the boxcutter incident, the external stitches have been removed (thanks, Mom!), but now the internal stitches are starting to poke through my skin. I know, it's disgusting. Stay out of the sun, kids. I'm back upstairs, in the bathroom, trying to make my arm long enough to reach my back, so I can pull this stupid stitch out with tweezers. John comes in, sees what I'm doing & disappears back downstairs. Guess what he came back upstairs with? Just guess. A LEATHERMAN! Luckily, I had somehow managed to reach around & pull the stitch out myself (thanks, yoga!), so the leatherman wasn't needed.

There's still one last remaining internal stitch. It hasn't started itching or poking through my skin yet. Stay tuned to learn how John accidentally dismembered me by trying to remove a stitch with hedge trimmers.

This all happened!

Weekend Wrap Up: Thanksgiving Edition

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

I got this idea from Anna on Instagram & after having a really rough day on Tuesday, decided I deserved a $10 bottle of glitter. The colors are SEPHORA by OPI Only Gold For Me top coat over OPI You Don't Know Jacques.

This was the second year I started Thanksgiving day running the 5-mile Boulevard Bolt race. Here's me with my pal Claudia, who ran the race for the first time this year.

This is my friend Jaime, aka my Sunday running partner.

These are my Pancake Run girls, representing at the Boulevard Bolt. From left to right: Cara, me, Jaime, Mary Katherine, & Melissa.

My family has Thanksgiving lunch every year at my Aunt's house. I shockingly only ate one plate of food & one little plate of dessert. Not shockingly, I took home two half eaten pies & ended up having to throw them in the 'garage trash' on Friday night after finding myself with both pies & a tub a cool whip, eating all three simultaneously.

In an effort to burn pie calories, I decided to put up our Christmas tree, while watching Bridget Jones's Diary, obvi.

Christmas tree!

On Saturday night, we went to dinner with our West Side pals, Mike & Amanda & then came back to our house for some Ouija board action. What? It's festive!

Yesterday I went with Mary Katherine & Katie to see Breaking Dawn: Part 1. Katie, smartly, isn't a Twilight fan & hasn't read the books or seen any of the other movies, but her husband is in The Features & they had a song in the movie. For those of you who have seen the movie, The Features' song plays during the honeymoon sequence where Bella & Edward are swimming, playing chess & generally trying not to have marital relations. The picture above is the song credit for "From Now On", which is the song written & performed by The Features & mastered by John Baldwin. Team Features!

Thanksgiving Prep

2011-11-23T07:38:00.001-06:00

For Thanksgiving, my family meets at my Aunt's house for one, big Thanksgiving meal. Because I'm running the Boulevard Bolt in the morning & then driving straight to Brentwood, I'm making most of my food today. Here's what I'm making:

Grits Dressing

via bon appetit

Recipe here

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

via Everyday Food

Recipe here

Pumpkin Cream Pie

via The Pioneer Woman

Recipe here

Pumpkin Pie

via Granny

I can't find a recipe that's the same as mine. The main difference is that my recipe uses whole milk instead of evaporated milk.

Happy cooking!

Weekend Wrap Up: Thanksgiving Prep Edition

2011-11-21T06:31:00.001-06:00

Because we went to Korea House on Friday night, we stayed in & made John's favorite, grilled pork chops, on Saturday night. What can I say? The man makes a mean pork chop.

The majority of Sunday was dedicated to Thanksgiving: magazine reading; menu planning; phone consultation with Mom; John tactfully pointing out that some of my recipes (ahem, bon appetit) are maybe, possibly too ambitious; list making & grocery shopping. Oh, & writing a pie-themed blog post. You're welcome.

Brown-sugar buttermilk pie in Everyday Food. Picture needed for aforementioned pie-themed blog post.

This weekend was low key, as evidenced by my clear lack of pictures. Movies: I watched The Adjustment Bureau, which I really liked. I wish I could quit you, Matt Damon. Books: I'm already more than halfway through the third Sookie Stackhouse book, Club Dead. God, these books are so good!

I learned a couple important lessons this weekend in regards to exercise. First, maybe don't eat crazy spicy Korean food the night before hot yoga (I know, you'd think I'd have already learned this lesson). Mass apology to the entire class who kept trying to figure out what that smell was. It was me & I apology. Secondly, if you're going to go straight from a 75 minute hot yoga class to a 5-mile run, don't be a hero: eat something. In my defense, you're supposed to have an empty stomach for yoga & I simply didn't have time to digest anything in between yoga & meeting Claudia for a run. I was fine for the first 3 miles, but around mile 3.5 - 4, I got lightheaded & nauseous & had to walk the rest of the way. DUMB.

It's A Pie, Pie World

2011-11-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

As Rachel Zoe would say, if she baked (or ate for that matter), I'm having a major pie moment. I've been accumulating Thanksgiving magazines like they're September Issues. And as you may recall, I made (and ate, seriously, I ate the whole thing) a lemon chiffon pie last weekend, just to get warmed up & into the pie spirit. Unfortunately, the 'pie spirit' is making my jeans tight, but hey, that pie wasn't going to eat itself. Plus, that's why God invented yoga pants.

As of now, I'm only making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving (my Granny's recipe). Our family Thanksgivings tend to be a little pie-heavy as it is, so the following pies aren't pies I'm going to make, but rather pies I'm dreaming about making (and eating) (okay, mostly eating). Without further ado... pies!

Deep-Dish Pumpkin-Meringue Pie

via Martha Stewart Living

Recipe here

Brown-Sugar Buttermilk Pie

via Everyday Food

Everyday Food doesn't put their current recipes online, which is ridiculous (Martha!), so here's the closest recipe I could find. Thank you, epicurious. Recipe here.

Buttermilk-Lemon Chess Pie

via bon appetit

Recipe here

Browned Butter Butterscotch Pie

via the kitchn

Recipe here

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart

via Sweetapolita

Recipe here

Someone, anyone, please make these pies. And call me when they're ready. I'll throw on my yoga pants & drive right over.

White Chicken Chili

2011-11-17T16:55:00.001-06:00

I bookmarked this recipe awhile ago, but just got around to making it. This chili turned out really well! I kind of loved it. As I was making it, I had doubts. It looked too brothy, but by the time I added the sour cream & heavy cream, it was the consistency I wanted. It just needed time to come together. If, like me, you're over-doing it on the typical beef/bean chili, this is a nice, flavorful alternative.

P.S. McCormick makes a 'White Chicken Chili' spice packet if you'd rather use that than all the various, individual seasonings. Just an FYI.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Adapted from Susi's Kochen und Backen Adventures

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cubed
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cans great northern beans, drained & rinsed
3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
1 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 splashes hot sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a large pot. Saute chicken, onion & garlic until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies & seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in sour cream & cream. Serve with cheese.

Book Signings! Two In One Day! What?

2011-11-16T13:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday on Facebook I noticed that Jeni of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams was going to be in the Nashville store from 12:00-1:00pm. I had just gotten to work, but I hopped back in my car & drove home to get my copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home (which I wrote about here), then Claudia & I trekked over to East Nashville. We got there right as the doors opened & were the first ones there to meet Jeni. She was AWESOME! As she was talking to us about ice cream, her passion for what she does really shone through. I love that! On the way out she mentioned something about being in Nashville a lot, but not really knowing a lot of people here, to which I responded (WAY too eagerly), "I'll be your friend!" She was so nice. I already loved her just because her ice cream has changed my life (and waistline), but now that I've met her, I sincerely want to be her friend. So.... coming soon, in 2012: Kim & Jeni, palling around Nashville, eating ice cream, hanging out - you know, being awesome.

My second book signing yesterday wasn't as impromptu as the first. I registered awhile back for the Design*Sponge book signing event at West Elm. My friend Alexis got one of the coveted spots for the crafting event, so Katie & I met her there afterwards to meet Grace & get our books signed. Grace was great. She signed our books & then took a picture with us. We hung out in the store for awhile, eating snacks & taking advantage of the Smilebooth photo set-up. I saw a lot of friends there & just generally had a really nice time. Thanks, Design*Sponge!

Lemon Chiffon Pie With Pretzel Crust

2011-11-15T15:00:00.000-06:00

I had Friday off for Veteran's Day, so I decided to keep myself busy by making a pie. I perused my The Weekend Baker & decided on lemon chiffon pie with pretzel crust. Sounds good, right? Well, it totally was.

Let's get started.

Have ready a 9-inch pie plate & ingredients.

Combine the pretzels & sugar in a food processor & process until the pretzels are medium-fine crumbs.

Add the melted butter & process briefly until the crumbs are evenly moist.

Dump the crumbs into the pie plate & cover with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place your hands on the plastic wrap & spread the crumbs to coat the bottom evenly. Once the crumbs are in place, & with the plastic wrap in place, use your fingers to pinch & press some of the crumbs around the inside edge & on the rim of the plate to cover evenly & completely.

Sprinkle the gelatin in the bottom of a blender, making sure that it's all off the blades. Pour about 1/3 cup of the lemon juice over the gelatin & let stand until the gelatin is no longer dry looking & has softened, about 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan (or in the microwave), bring the remaining lemon juice just to a boil. Carefully pour it into the blender to cover the gelatin. Let stand for 2 minutes. Cover & blend until the gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. Dip a spoon or spatula into the liquid. It should look clear & feel smooth to the touch.

Add the ricotta, 3/4 cup sugar, & the salt. Cover & blend until the mixture is smooth, about 45 seconds.

Pour into a medium bowl & stir in the lemon zest. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until the mixture is cooled & beginning to thicken, about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks.

Continue beating while gradually sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

When all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high & beat until firm, glossy peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the whites into the chilled lemon mixture.

Add the remaining whites & fold together gently but thoroughly until blended.

Pour the filling into the crust & allow it to mound in the center.

Cover & refrigerate until well chilled & set, at least 4 hours.

To serve, use a sharp, pointed knife to cut the pie into 8 wedges. Garnish with (optional): lemon slices, mini-pretzels, mint sprigs, red berry sauce, or sweetened whipped cream.

This pie was really good, although, hilariously, up until the last step of the recipe (refrigerate for 4 hours), I thought I was making a lemon meringue pie. Ha! Oh well. One day I'll learn to read the entire recipe before I start cooking. But I loved this pie. It's super lemon-y, which I like. And the crust... OMG, the crust is so good! The citrusy filling & the salty, buttery crust go really well together. As far as pies go, this one was pretty easy to make. I definitely recommend it.

RECIPE

Lemon Chiffon Pie With Pretzel Crust

Adapted from The Weekend Baker

Makes one 9-inch pie, or 8 servings

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRUST

3 1/2 cups salted mini-pretzels
1/4 cup granulated sugar
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled slightly

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING

1 packet unflavored powdered gelatin
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese (part-skim or whole is fine)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
4 whites from large eggs

DIRECTIONS TO MAKE THE CRUST

1. Have ready a 9-inch pie plate. Combine the pretzels & sugar in a food processor & process until the pretzels are medium-fine crumbs (some small chunks are okay, as they add crunch). Add the melted butter & process briefly until the crumbs are evenly moist.

P.S. The buttered pretzel crumbs smell SO GOOD!

2. Dump the crumbs into the pie plate & cover with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place your hands on the plastic wrap & spread the crumbs to coat the bottom evenly. Once the crumbs are in place, & with the plastic wrap in place, use your fingers to pinch & press some of the crumbs around the inside edge & on the rim of the plate to cover evenly & completely. Redistribute the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pie plate & press down firmly to make a compact layer. Use a metal measuring cup with straight sides & a flat bottom for this. Set aside.

DIRECTIONS TO MAKE THE FILLING

3. Sprinkle the gelatin in the bottom of a blender, making sure that it's all off the blades. Pour about 1/3 cup of the lemon juice over the gelatin & let stand until the gelatin is no longer dry looking & has softened, about 5 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave), bring the remaining lemon juice just to a boil. Carefully pour it into the blender to cover the gelatin. Let stand for 2 minutes. Cover & blend until the gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. Dip a spoon or spatula into the liquid. It should look clear & feel smooth to the touch.

5. Add the ricotta, 3/4 cup sugar, & the salt. Cover & blend until the mixture is smooth, about 45 seconds. Pour into a medium bowl & stir in the lemon zest. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until the mixture is cooled & beginning to thicken, about 15 minutes.

6. Once the lemon mixture is thickened (it should be as thick as unbeaten egg whites), remove it from the fridge. The mixture should mound slightly. If it's too thick, heat it gently in a double boiler until it's more liquid & repeat the chilling process.

7. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Continue beating while gradually sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. When all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high & beat until firm, glossy peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the whites into the chilled lemon mixture. Add the remaining whites & fold together gently but thoroughly until blended.

8. Pour the filling into the crust & allow it to mound in the center. Cover & refrigerate until well chilled & set, at least 4 hours. To serve, use a sharp, pointed knife to cut the pie into 8 wedges. Garnish with (optional): lemon slices, mini-pretzels, mint sprigs, red berry sauce, or sweetened whipped cream.

See Flickr! photostream here.

Weekend Wrap Up: 11-11-11 Edition

2011-11-14T07:49:00.000-06:00

Lemon chiffon pie (recipe forthcoming).

Celebrating Claudia's 11-11-11 birthday.

Post Mayor's 5K Challenge.

We are so civic.

Hannah & Hailey at Abigail's 6th birthday party yesterday.

Linda staring at me while I watched Horrible Bosses last night.

More photos and info on Flickr! and Instagram.

This weekend involved lots of birthdays, lots of running, finally breaking down & buying a package at Epic Yoga, and lots of pie eating. John was out of the house all weekend working a big session for B.A., so I mostly sat around eating pie & plowing through the second Sookie Stackhouse book. Oh, and Alexis & I got our picture taken with the Mayor. You know, like you do.

Happy Monday!

Halloween Party Pics!

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Kat, my awesome party photographer, got the Halloween party pics to me earlier this week, but I haven't had time to do anything with them until today. So without further ado....

The Walrus & Joan Shivers (Rivers)

The Royal Couple

Tom Hanks Is A Lot Of Animals (Google it)

Up All Night

Eric & Sookie

Zombie Lincolns

Unibomber

Pancake Girls!

More party pics here.

Thanks again to Kat & to everyone that came to the party. See you all next year!

Kisses,

Joan Shivers

'Fancy' Anniversary Wrap Up -- Because I Can!

2011-11-09T09:41:00.001-06:00

To celebrate three years of marital bliss, last night we had dinner at Eastland Cafe, chosen primarily for its proximity to Jeni's Ice Creams. So we're there, about one drink in, & all of a sudden John gets this weird look on his face as someone enters the restaurant (my back is to the door). I'm assuming someone I know, & clearly would not be happy to see, has walked in. I ask who it is & John says, "Fancy." But he says it very emphatically. I have no idea what this means. At this point, 'Fancy' has passed us & taken her seat. I blatantly lean in to stare & figure out who it is, when I realize it's Reba McEntire. Of course it is, because why wouldn't REBA MCENTIRE be at a random restaurant in East Nashville on a Tuesday night? Even better, my friend Katie & her husband are also there, also celebrating their three-year anniversary (Team November -what what!) & they are sitting directly beside Reba.

Here is Katie's version of how last night went down:

"As for last night, y'all were hilarious. Once you realized Reba had walked in, y'all got all quiet... like she could hear you. And then whispered. And then out came the phone. Loved it!"

Yes, as soon as Reba sat down & I (sans glasses) realized who she was, I looked over at Katie, who again is sitting directly beside Reba, made some assuredly ridiculous face, then whipped out my iPhone & very obviously started alerting the masses to my celeb sighting. I'd like to say we would have handled it better had we not been drinking, but you know what? No, we wouldn't have.

Back at home, whatever romantic inclinations we'd had earlier flew out the window as we immediately sat down at the computer & proceeded to watch every Reba McEntire video we could find on YouTube. I've attached the best one. Note the hair & the cameo appearance by David Keith. I've also attached the video to "Fancy" because, well, you know why. Enjoy!

Anniversary! Three Years!

2011-11-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

Today is our 3-year wedding anniversary. And let me just say, this has not been an easy year to be married to me. But John has not only stood by me, he has pulled me through. I am aware every day of how lucky I am to be married to him. I hope everyone has the opportunity to spend time with someone who so completely balances you out and makes life worth living. Happy anniversary, John!

More wedding & reception photos here.

Weekend Wrap Up: Treat Yo Self Edition

2011-11-07T06:24:00.001-06:00

More photos & info on Flickr! and Instagram

FRIDAY

I didn't sleep at all on Thursday night & I got up at 5:00am on Friday to run, so I was pretty exhausted by Friday night. We grabbed Chinese take-out & then I watched Love & Other Drugs. Bad, bad movie. Don't recommend it.

SATURDAY

I started the day at Trim with Gio, colorist extraordinaire, getting my blonde on. I think at this point, most of my friends go to Gio, but if you don't, you should. He doesn't cut, he does color & make-up; and he's REALLY good at it. More info on his website, blog, or find him on Facebook and Twitter. If you color/highlight your hair, you need to try Gio. I've never had him do my make-up, but Mary Katherine has & he's AH-MAZING. Treat yo self.

For dinner we met our friends Mike & Chrissi at The Wild Hare. Still loving The Wild Hare. The service is still sketchy, but the food is still soooo good. I veered from the menu & ordered the pan-seared salmon served over garlic cheese grits. So good! I love you, Wild Hare.

SUNDAY

I got up & ran about 4 miles in Richland Creek Greenway with my friend Jaime, followed by Star Bagel, of course. I didn't do much the rest of the day. John had a studio emergency & had to work all day, so I basically just lounged around, catching up on Dexter & reading more of the Sookie Stackhouse series (I'm on book two).

Book Review: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home

2011-11-02T07:45:00.000-05:00

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Jeni Britton Bauer

Publisher: Artisan (June 15, 2011)

Pages: 217

Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine / Baking / Desserts

My Reading Format: Hardcover

Available Formats: Hardcover

My Review

My friend Susan sent me this book. She works at Artisan & worked on the book. In fact, she's listed in the Acknowledgments (yay, Susan!). Nashville got a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams full-size shop back in June & since then, I've gained easily 5 pounds of ice cream weight. But it was totally worth it. This is THE BEST ice cream I've ever had. A few thoughts:

This book is more than just ice cream recipes, but if you want recipes, don't worry, they're all in there.
I really enjoyed reading Jeni's story, which started in 1996 with an ice cream shop called Scream in downtown Columbus. Her passion for ice cream & her success as a female entrepreneur is inspiring.
After closing Scream & spending years working on a business model & learning the science behind making ice cream, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams opened in Columbus in 2002.
Everything at Jeni's is made by hand, by sight, & in-house, from their ice creams to their seasonal store decor & graphic design. They hand-write the name of the ice cream on every pint (even on days when they pack 4,000 pints). Jeni's has shops in Ohio & Tennessee, & retail partners in over 35 states.
This book will not only make you want to drive to your nearest Jeni's supplier & buy a pint of ice cream, it will encourage you to figure out what your passion is & how to make it happen.

My Final Thoughts

I love Jeni's ice cream, obvi, but I also really love this book. I think it's the first 'cookbook' I've sat down & read cover to cover. The lay-out, the graphics, & the pictures are great. And she opens each chapter with a page & photo of one of her local suppliers, which is such an awesome way for her to show her appreciation. It warms ye old heart. I have no idea if I'm ever going to attempt to make ice cream at home, especially since I don't currently own an ice cream maker, but by God, if I ever do decide to try it, this is the first book I'll pick up! Five stars!

P.S. My friend, & fellow Jeni's enthusiast, Alexis has made one of the recipes out of this book. She made the salty caramel flavor & swears it's easier than you think it is. Read more about her ice-cream-at-home experience here.

Trick or Treating in Smyrna

2011-11-01T07:45:00.000-05:00

More photos & info on Flickr! and Instagram

Last night, I drove to Smyrna to go trick or treating with my nieces. Turns out, only one of the four was up to the task. The twins are too little, so they stayed in & then at the last minute, Jessica, aka Pirate Toddler, decided to stay in, too. So Abigail, I'm sorry, Spider Countess, braved the streets sans siblings.

We had a blast. I forgot how much fun it is to trick or treat, especially in a small town, where the majority of people decorate their yards. I was in faux graveyard heaven! It took us about an hour & a half to get through the neighborhood, but when we got back home, Jessica was raring to go, so my brother-in-law took her up & down the street for a few minutes. She was so excited & proud of herself. She kept telling us, "I trick or treated!" - haha. Bless them.

Weekend Wrap Up: Halloweekend Edition

2011-10-31T07:45:00.000-05:00

Front porch decor

Walrus mask transformation

Hilarious mask at Halloween store

John in same mask

Joan Shivers make-up

Linda McCartney, having a hard time recovering from the party

More photos & info on Flickr! & Instagram. My friend Kat took pictures at our Halloween Party, so I'll post those as soon as they're uploaded (thanks, Kat!).

FRIDAY

I left work early to do party prep, which turned into spending the entire afternoon trying to help John brainstorm a walrus mask, like you do. It was my friend Kathy's birthday, so she hosted a birthday party / chili cook-off / pumpkin carving contest at her place. Super fun & super good chili, at least '# 3' was....

SATURDAY

Halloween party! My awesome friend Kat was kind enough to set up her photo gear & take everyone's picture. Thanks, Kat! As soon as she gets the photos uploaded, I'll post them. I was Joan Shivers (Rivers). John, in his continued quest to have the most obscure costume ever, was 'the walrus' from The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. Pics coming soon!

SUNDAY

As you can imagine, yesterday was a day of rest & recovery, mostly for Linda. We did leave our house once to eat recovery lunch burritos at Tequila's. The entire waitstaff was in costume, including a 'sexy nun'. I promise, I'm not making that up. I'm also 80% sure she was pregnant, which, of course she was.

We spent the rest of the day/night watching Twin Peaks on Netflix (John's never seen it!) & eating leftover party food. In keeping with the Halloween spirit, I came to work today dressed as a bloated woman in her mid-thirties who ate so much Halloween candy yesterday that the only thing she can get into today is a poncho & jeggings.

Happy Halloween!

EDITED TO ADD

Halloween party pics online here.

Where I Profess My Love For Nuvo Burrito

2011-10-26T07:55:00.000-05:00

{Source}

I recently had a discussion with a friend, a discussion I've had a with a few other people, about Nuvo Burrito & how apparently not everyone loves it as much as I do (?!). I love it! In fact, I've eaten there so many times that on my last visit, my burrito was free because I actually filled up their punch card. I think that's the first time I've ever filled up (or kept up with) a punch card. Yay, me! Yay, free burritos!

So here's what you need to know. Nuvo Burrito isn't like the other burrito joints you've probably frequented, e.g. Chipotle, Qdoba, Blue Coast Burrito, etc. Nuvo's burritos (& quesadillas) aren't necessarily "Mexican". I'm not a food critic, so I don't know the right descriptors, but Nuvo Burrito uses more unique/non-traditional burrito components. Sure, you can get a "normal" burrito, but why would you when you can get one with goat cheese, sweet potato, or pepperoni!

I think the menu intimidates some people. If I'm not mistaken, you can get anything on their menu served as either a burrito, a quesadilla, or a salad. I've had all three (of course I have, again, I filled up a punch card). I had the good fortune of being introduced to Nuvo Burrito by my friend Claudia, who is a regular & knew which direction to steer me, menu-wise. Speaking of Claudia, her favorite is the 90210, which is also the favorite of every other Nashvillian except me. Me? I prefer the Gulf Coaster. I'm kind of in love with it. The flavor is so good! I'm totally addicted. I do like the 90210 & if you 're a goat cheese fanatic (Alexis), that's totally the way to go. One other menu item that I've had & really liked is the Plymouth, served as a salad. It's very autumnal & reminded me of Thanksgiving.

One last thing to know. You're going to get a lot of food. I always eat half & take the other half home to John. I also get a small queso to go with the chips. The staff is hilarious & friendly, the prices are great, & the atmosphere is fun. They have this weird Nuvo Network that plays super obscure music videos. It's never that loud & I actually kind of like it, but, as a child of the Eighties, I'm also kind of into super obscure music videos...

For more info on Nuvo Burrito, you can visit their website here, or check out their Yelp reviews here.

Now, get thyself to Nuvo Burrito!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2011-10-25T06:52:00.000-05:00

I ran a 5.8 mile, uphill trail run on Sunday, so I decided I deserved a dessert, but it needed to be something that I already had the ingredients for. Voila! Snickerdoodle blondies. I love a snickerdoodle, so I was excited to try this hybrid recipe.

Let's get started.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat together the butter & brown sugar on medium speed until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Beat, scraping the bowl, until thoroughly combined.

On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Give the dough a final stir to make sure the flour is incorporated.

Spread the dough evenly into the pan (it's a really thick batter).

Combine the granulated sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl & sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

These were really good! Highly recommend them, although you may want to cut the recipe in half if you're a two-person household. This recipe makes a serious amount of blondies.

RECIPE

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Yields 24 blondies

INGREDIENTS

2 2/3 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, divided
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Beat together the butter & brown sugar on medium speed until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Beat, scraping the bowl, until thoroughly combined. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Give the dough a final stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure the flour is incorporated.

4. Spread the dough evenly into the pan (it's a really thick batter). Combine the granulated sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl & sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

See Flickr photostream here.

Weekend Wrap Up: Toothy Pumpkin Edition

2011-10-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

Halloween craft night

Vampire pumpkin!

The finished line-up.

Snickerdoodle blondies

Bread bowl!

More weekend photos on Flickr & Instagram

FRIDAY

Halloween craft night! We ate, we drank, we made vampire pumpkins. Success!

SATURDAY

Mary Katherine & I decided to try free hot yoga at this new hot yoga studio in Brentwood, Fahrenheit Yoga. The only other time I've done hot yoga was at Epic Yoga & they do vinyasa flow yoga, which is what I prefer. Fahrenheit Yoga does the more traditional bikram yoga, which, I found out on Saturday, I hate. If bikram yoga is your jam & you don't mind driving to Brentwood, Fahrenheit Yoga is a really nice studio. That style yoga just isn't for me.

Afterwards, we met Heidi & Jolie at this awesome coffee spot in MK's hood called Roast. Loved it! I had the best pumpkin spice latte I've ever had - not too sweet (I'm talking to you, Starbucks) & super flavorful. Go! Now! (I-65 S to Harding, right on Trousdale.) MK also swears by their pumpkin hot chocolate, which I'm totally going back for. You're welcome.

Mary Katherine & I took a brief break from each other, then met back up for a wine tasting at The Wine Chap. We were the only people there, but it was fun & the wine was good. Later, John & I had Indian & then I watched The Switch, which was a lot better than I expected.

SUNDAY

My Sunday running partner was feeling under the weather, so I asked Mary Katherine if I could tag along on whatever run she was doing. She was running the 5.8 mile trail run in Percy Warner, which I've never done. OMG, that's the hardest thing I've ever done! I actually think I started hallucinating on 3 Mile Hill. If Mary Katherine hadn't been with me, pushing me me to keep going, I would have curled into a ball & rolled back down to my car. But I did it, all 5.8 miles, most of which are at a serious incline. Take that, knees! And speaking of my knees, they're totally fine! They didn't hurt during the run & they didn't hurt afterwards. Granted, I iced them, but still. Major improvement! Thanks, Mary Katherine! Team Taurus!

Afterwards, I decided I could eat whatever I wanted, so I, of course, treated myself to a breakfast bagel. Shocker. Then I went home & made snickerdoodle blondies (recipe to follow) & potato cheese soup, which I served, ahem, IN A BREAD BOWL. OMG, ya'll. Publix bread bowls, where have you been all my life? Because I not only ate two servings of soup, but also the entire bread bowl (oh yeah, I ate it), I lapsed into a coma on the coach & watched some weird movie on Netflix called Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. Meh....

Book Review: Dragonfly In Amber

2011-10-20T07:45:00.000-05:00

Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Publisher: Delacorte Press (July 1992)

Pages: 752

Genre: Historical Fiction / Time Travel / Romance

My Reading Format: Paperback

Available Formats: Kindle Edition, Hardcover, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, Audio CD

My Review

According to Goodreads, I started reading this book on Sept. 6th, which was almost two months ago. I'm a fast reader, so two months is a long time for me. For the past few weeks, I've been trying to plow through it just to be done, but I've had a hard time reading this book for large chunks of time because IT'S SO SLOW. A few thoughts:

Dragonfly picks up where Outlander left off, kind of...
The majority of the book is set in France & deals with 200-year old European politics that I have little to no prior knowledge of & honestly don't care much about.
A lot of the things I loved about Outlander are missing from Dragonfly, e.g. explicit Highland sex scenes (I'm sorry, but you all KNOW it's true).
My thoughts on Jamie Fraser being the best thing to happen to leading literary men since Mr. Darcy still holds true. Almost every page finds Jamie farming, fighting, riding, or rescuing. It's hot.

My Final Thoughts

Overall, I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either, especially in comparison to how much I enjoyed reading Outlander. I'm on the fence as to whether or not I'll continue reading the series. If I'm going to spend two months reading a book, I want to love it when I'm done. For those of you who have read the rest of the series, does it get better? Is this the worst/slowest one? Maybe I just need to take a break & pick up Voyager in a few months. Anyway, three stars. Meh.

Halloween Crafts

2011-10-18T07:02:00.001-05:00

It's no secret, I'm REALLY into Halloween. It's also no secret, if you know me, that I suck at crafts. I've been going pin-crazy over on Pinterest, so my friends suggested we get together this Friday night to make some of these Halloween craft projects. In fact, Alexis & I are going to Michael's today to shop for supplies. I still don't know what I'm making, assuredly something easy (and inexpensive). Here are some of the projects I'm contemplating:

Fanged Pumpkins via Martha Stewart

Pumpkin Drink Cooker via The Kitchn

Halloween Lantern via ModFruGal

Again, I have no idea what I'm making, or what anyone else is making, for that matter. I'm leaning towards the fanged pumpkins, but we'll see. If you know me & you're interested in getting in on this Friday night craft action, shoot me an email. I don't have a very big table for crafting, but we'll make it work.

I've got a lot of these Halloween craft projects pinned on my Fall/Halloween board. Follow me on Pinterest here.

Joyeux Halloween!

Weekend Wrap Up: Everything Is "Awesome" When You're 5 Years Old Edition

2011-10-17T07:55:00.000-05:00

More pics & info on Flickr & Instagram

FRIDAY

Abigail, my 5 year old niece, spent the night with us for the first time on Friday. My sister dropped her off around 7:00pm, which is usually her bedtime, but she ran around our house (literally, ran around our house) for about an hour yelling "Awesome!" & then fell asleep watching High School Musical 2, like you do.

SATURDAY

Guess what I learned? Five year olds wake up REALLY early & not only that, they wake up raring to go like today is going to be the BEST DAY OF THEIR LIVES. We had a good 3-4 hours at home before we had to leave for the puppet show. I didn't really account for this, so I was unprepared to provide that much early morning entertainment. Luckily, it didn't matter because you know what else I learned? Five year olds can totally entertain themselves for hours on end with these 2 things: nail polish & Post-Its.

Abigail had never been downtown, so she was pretty blown away by the tall buildings & people out & about. When we walked into the Downtown Library, she came to a complete stop & said, "Awesome!". After the puppet show, I asked her what she wanted to eat for lunch & she asked me to take her to a "pizza parlor." No idea where that came from, but we went to Pie In The Sky. I dropped her off soon after that, much to her chagrin as she was assuredly planning on spending the rest of the day rearranging my purses & jewelry. Bless her.

Back at home, I laid down on the couch & slipped into a coma for the rest of the afternoon. Turns out, being in charge of a small human being for 24 hours is kind of hard. We loved having her though & can't wait to have her over again. My jewelry has never been so organized!

SUNDAY

Jaime & I ran Belle Meade Boulevard. This is the longest I've run since last winter when I was attempting to train for a half. I think we ran 5 miles yesterday, give or take. We ran slow, but we ran the whole thing. I had to ice my knee when I got home, but I'm fine today. We'll see how it goes. I was up to 6-7 miles when I got hurt earlier this year. I'd like to surpass that, but we'll just see how my old lady joints hold up.

I spent the rest of the day lounging around & trying to finish THE LONGEST BOOK IN THE WORLD! I'm never going to finish this book. I've got 121 pages left, which will probably take me until Christmas. Oy...

Friends With Skillz

2011-10-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot to write about these days, so I thought I'd point you in the direction of three sisters who are doing it for themselves...

My friend ALEXIS recently started contributing to the Nashville Scene's food blog, Bites. Alexis is one of the funniest people I know, so I wasn't surprised to find myself laughing out loud reading her posts. Her posts are witty & informative, but, I swear, the best part is the comment section. I can't tell if these people don't know she's being sarcastic, or if they're just awful human beings who thrive on leaving anonymous, nasty comments. Clearly, as evidenced by the recent Saturday Night Live skit, this is not unique to the Nashville Scene.

Another funny lady I know is TRACY MOORE. Tracy had a baby last year & is now sharing her new, albeit hilarious, motherhood experiences on Jezebel. I've always admired Tracy's writing, as she used to write locally here in Nashville, but now that she's moved to LA & started writing for Jezebel, I'm dying. She is so funny! Read one of my favorite posts by Tracy here.

Last, but not least is my dear friend NICOLE. Nicole is a triple threat. She's not only an amazing writer, she's an entrepreneur & a drummer (a drummer!). Nicole is awesome. This year, life handed her lemons & she turned it into lemonade, via my new favorite website, East Nashville With Love. If you live in East Nashville & you're not reading this blog, you're an idiot. Nicole is also spending her 'free' time doing what she does best, writing music reviews. I particularly like her recent post on Glossary's new album because A) I like Glossary, & B) it was, ahem, mastered by my husband.

Cheers to you, ladies! And just in case I failed to drive home the point that you're awesome, hilarious & inspiring, I leave you with this tribute by Annie Lennox & Aretha Franklin.

Weekend Wrap Up: Oktober Edition

2011-10-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Fancy Friday night dinner

Claudia, me & Seanna post 5K

Oktoberfest

Dogtoberfest

Piano recital program

Adam, reciting

More pic info on Instagram & Flickr

FRIDAY

I got a hair cut after work on Friday, so my bangs are no longer covering my eyes. John & I decided to spend the weekend working on the laundry room, so we spent Friday night shopping for shelving. The obvious highlight of our night was dinner at Bojangles.

SATURDAY

John stayed home & worked on the laundry room, while I drove to Germantown for Oktoberfest. I ran the 12th Annual Germantown Spaten Bier 5K Run/Walk with Claudia & Seanna. Loved the course & loved the free post-race beer at 9am. I came back later with Linda & met up with Claudia & her dog, Eddie. We ate & drank some more, while Linda enjoyed constant petting & a lot of scraps.

That night, we hit two parties in East Nashville. Our friends Cory & Sarah got married & bought a house, so we stopped by there first to congratulate them & see their new house. Then we went around the corner (literally) to Adam & Sarah's to celebrate Adam's 30th birthday with a piano recital & dinner at La Hacienda.

SUNDAY

My grandparents were in town from Oklahoma, so we spent yesterday in Smyrna spending time with them. Last night, John worked on the laundry room all night, while I tried to sleep so I could get up early & run today.

Beef & Pineapple Red Curry

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Beef & Pineapple Red Curry

Adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup red curry paste
1 lb sirloin steak, trimmed & cut against the grain into very thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 cups large diced pineapple
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
cooked jasmine rice, for serving
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions:

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high. Add curry paste & cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add steak & cook, stirring, until browned, 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper & pineapple & cook, stirring, until pineapple starts to release juices, 1 minute. Add broth & coconut milk & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & cook at a rapid simmer until red bell pepper is crisp-tender, 8 minutes. Serve over rice, topped with basil.

Kim's Notes:

The original recipe calls for green beans, but we used a red bell pepper instead. We also added 1-2 thai chili peppers, but we like our food spicy. At the end of the 8-minute simmering time, ours was still really liquid-y, so we simmered it a little longer. In hindsight, I think it's supposed to be that liquid-y, but we didn't know. It's very similar to when you order red curry in a Thai restaurant & the red curry comes in a bowl, almost like a soup, then you pour it over your plate of rice.

I LOVE red curry & thought this was really close to what I normally order at Thai restaurants. John didn't love it as much as I did, but he typically goes in a completely different direction when we eat Thai. If you like red curry, I recommend this recipe. It was surprisingly easy & fast to make.

Team Martha!

Weekend Wrap Up: Weekend On Fire Edition

2011-10-03T07:55:00.000-05:00

Hot chicken

Husband on fire

Ashley, Nicole & me

Fire ladies

Baldwins on fire

Post-run breakfast bagel

More photo info on Instagram & Flickr

FRIDAY

We met our friends Brian & Jessica for sushi dinner at Sonobana - so good!

SATURDAY

There's a new yoga studio in Brentwood that three of my good friends have joined & are obsessed with, Epic Yoga. It's in the Target shopping center on Old Hickory Blvd, so not terribly far. I met my friend Heidi there Saturday morning for a 90 minute power vinyasa class. I've never done hot yoga, but I loved it. Well, once I got used to it, I loved it. I had a hard time adjusting to the heat at first & figuring out my breathing, but I adjusted quickly. This class had three instructors, so while one taught, the other two walked around & made adjustments to your poses. I loved this! I'm always surprised at how flexible I am when an instructor pushes me to reach further & then I can usually do it on my own in the next class. Anyway, I'm rambling. If you're interested, I highly recommend trying Epic Yoga. I loved it & will probably join.

Our friends Keith & Nicole (not Urban) had us over on Saturday night to celebrate Nicole's birthday. We ate hot chicken, made caramel apples & sat outside around their fire pit. It was awesome! The hot chicken was from some place in East Nashville called Pepperfire. Meh. It wasn't bad, but I don't need to eat it again. Prince's, it wasn't. But the caramel apples were AMAZING, especially because we ate them sitting around a fire. Perfect fall evening.

SUNDAY

Yesterday I ran the Richland Creek Greenway with Jaime. I don't know how far we ran. Three-ish miles? It was a good run. Man, I love running in cold weather! Post-run, I delivered some food to my friend Katie who had a baby last week & then I met my mom in Green Hills so we could scope out the new Nordstrom. It's so nice! They have so many counter brands that I haven't been able to get in Nashville. Hooray! Also, ladies, take note, they have the Butter nail polish line. You're welcome.

The Good, The Bad, & The Pretty

2011-09-30T14:40:00.000-05:00

This week has been a tad tumultuous. Every day has been a different end of the emotional spectrum. Wednesday: GOOD NEWS! Thursday: bad news. Friday: GOOD NEWS! Hopefully I'll balance out over the weekend, or at least drown myself in complex carbohydrates & re-runs of Drop Dead Diva.

THE GOOD

Ran 4 times this week. Knee discomfort is tolerable.
Received very exciting job news that I can't share, but am hopeful about. (!!!)

THE BAD

Possible food poisoning from bad Mexican, but kind of don't mind as assuredly lost 5 lbs.
Didn't get two of the jobs I was in the running for, but that's okay, the one I really want is the one still pending.

THE PRETTY

Am now the proud owner of not 1, not 2, but 3 new pairs of ballet flats: black, tan & grey metallic. I found the $148 Cole Haan flats at Marti & Liz for $29. $29!!! They're black, but whatever. It's a shoe miracle!

An Open Letter To Dolvett Quince

2011-09-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

{Source}

Dear Dolvett,

I'm so glad you've joined the cast of The Biggest Loser this season. I was worried when I heard Jillian wasn't coming back, especially after last season's introduction of two new trainers, who I personally hated. I knew Anna Kournikova was replacing Jillian, but I had no idea there was a third trainer. Now, I love Bob Harper & I loved Jillian, but you, you may be my new favorite. Your confidence, your smile, and sweet Jesus, your abs. Please come live in my house & train me. No? Fine, I'll move to Atlanta & join your gym. Or maybe I'll just buy your DVD.

Thank you for reminding me that I should be working out more often & with more intensity, if only for two hours every Tuesday night.

Sincerely,

The Blonde Mule
President
The Dolvett Quince Fan Club

"If you're not moving, you're not losing"

Good interview with Dolvett here.

Weekend Wrap Up: Feed Me Seymour Edition

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

Franklin Farmers Market

Pumpkin donut!

Believe it.

Sweet & Spicy Veggie Pot -- FAIL

Substitute Sunday dinner

FRIDAY

John & I stayed in & made a Mark Bittman recipe, stir-fried spicy beef with basil, that was really good.

SATURDAY

I met Jolie at lululemon for yoga. Post namaste, we grabbed lattes at Whole Foods, then headed to Franklin for the Franklin Farmer's Market. Jolie needed to pick up her CSA & I just needed something to do. Ya'll. The Franklin Farmer's Market is where it's at. It's open year-round every Saturday from 8am - 1pm in the parking lot behind The Factory. It's the best farmer's market I've ever been to, which, of course it is, it's in Williamson County. There are over 70 Middle TN family farms that are part of the market. There's seasonal produce & fruit (mostly organic), plus meat, dairy, goat cheese, pasta, artisan breads, etc. Oh, & right now they have mums & pumpkins. There are also food vendors & live music. It may seem like a long drive, but it's a pretty drive, especially this time of year. Get thyself there next Saturday & get a HOMEMADE PUMPKIN DONUT! You're welcome.

I had Book Swap that afternoon. I didn't take any books to read this time. I'm plowing my way through the 2nd Outlander book right now & Claudia just gave me the complete Sookie Stackhouse series. So yeah, I'm good. For dinner, John & I grabbed Indian then came home & watched Little Shop of Horrors via Netflix Instant Streaming. This was one of my favorite movies growing up, as evidenced by me remembering the words to every single song & 90% of the dialogue (you're welcome, John). If you haven't seen this movie in, oh 10+ years, I highly recommend re-watching it.

SUNDAY

I met Jessica for a run through Shelby Bottoms, followed, of course, by breakfast bagels at Mitchell Deli. Back at home, I spent the better part of the day peeling & cutting my farmer's market bounty for a crockpot veggie dish that ended up being HORRIBLE. Seriously, so bad. We actually quit eating it & made bacon & eggs instead. That's the first time we've ever stopped eating something mid-meal, got up & made another meal. Vegans, we are not.

I Like... Ballet Flats & I Cannot Lie!

2011-09-22T06:24:00.000-05:00

{Lucky Emmie Ballet Flat $59}

{Cole Haan Air Bacara Ballet $148}

{Frye Carson Ballet $148}

I have a shoe dilemma. I need a new pair of ballet flats. I'm trying to decide between these three pairs. I saw someone wearing the Cole Haans & fell in love with them because they're equal parts black & gunmetal grey (they're not as shiny in person as they are in the picture). She said that yes, the Cole Haans are pricey, but they last for years. I found them at Macy's, for $148, & didn't buy them. Instead I bought the pair of Luckys for $59. But I don't love the Luckys. I've had them for 2-ish weeks & haven't even taken them out of the box. I think I need the Cole Haans. But I'm not a person who buys $148 shoes. Ever.

If I am a person who spends $148 on shoes, maybe I should buy the Fryes. I have a pair of Frye boots that will probably outlive me. But Frye doesn't offer a metallic & I've really got my eye on metallic.

If I get a job, I'm buying the Cole Haans.

P.S. Here's a pic of my teeny tiny, baby foot in the Lucky ballet flats. See? Underwhelming.

Wednesday Ramblings

2011-09-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

I have so little going on. Actually, that's a lie, I have a lot going on. I'm frantically trying to land one of the jobs I'm in the running for, which takes up an astonishing amount of time, especially when they all want either writing or marketing samples, & all the while working a full-time job. Oy.

Getting a job these days is like running for office. Gone are the days when you let your resume do the work for you. Also gone, are the days when knowing key people count. No, now you've got to harass those key people to call the potential employer on your behalf, which the majority of people simply do not have time to do. It also gets tricky when you're up for three different jobs & need these people to make three different calls to three different places. Whatever, I've been told that people want to help & that they don't mind, but it's uncomfortable, especially since I've been hitting up these same people for over a year now.

So yeah, that's it. On the plus side, my heart has completely calmed down. I haven't talked to my boss in over a week, so I don't know if that's it, or if it's just finally run its course. Regardless, I hope it's over. I'm so ready to close the chapter on this crappy m-effing year. Fingers crossed I get one of these jobs, and soon.

Weekend Wrap Up: East Tennessee Edition

2011-09-19T18:08:00.001-05:00

More info on pics on Instagram & Flickr

FRIDAY

Our friends Aaron & Ashley got married in Cleveland, TN this weekend. John was a groomsman, so we had to be there Friday night for the rehearsal dinner. John & I hilariously (& embarrassingly) forgot we have a dog until the day before we had to leave, so my friend Jessica did me a solid & offered to dog-sit Linda while we were gone. Thank you, Jessica!

SATURDAY

John had to be at the wedding locale at noon to help set things up, take pics, etc, so I spent the day in Chattanooga with my friend Rebecca. Rebecca's preggers & due in 10 days, so I ran around with her doing important pre-baby errands, like getting a pedicure.

P.S. My pedicure color is OPI No Spain No Gain, which I LOVE.

Rebecca brought me back that night for the wedding. The wedding was great. I'm really glad we were there. We ate, drank, danced & drove home in the middle of the night.

SUNDAY

After being gone Friday-Saturday, I needed a day of rest & rest I did. I made my first chili of the season (yes!) & watched the Emmy's. Well, most of the Emmy's. I lapsed into a chili-induced coma around 9:00pm & missed the end.

Ticker Update: We Got The (Premature) Beat

2011-09-16T07:36:00.000-05:00

{Source}

You may remember, a few weeks ago, I had to wear a heart monitor for a day to find out what's causing my heart palpitations, which I wrote about here. I got the results this week & found out I have a premature beat, aka premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). The holter I wore registered 24 of these premature beats in the 24 hours I was wearing it.

According to the Mayo Clinic, PVCs are extra, abnormal heartbeats that begin in one of your heart's two lower pumping chambers, or ventricles. These extra beats disrupt your regular heart rhythm, sometimes causing you to feel a flip-flop or skipped beat in your chest. PVCs are very common & occur in most people at some point.

My doctor is not alarmed because my ECG was normal & heart disease doesn't run in my family. She said a premature beat is super common & thinks mine is due to stress/anxiety. She again suggested I let her write me a prescription for a low-dose anti-anxiety medication, which I'm considering, & told me to quit my job.

Even though this is clearly something that's common & happens to people all the time without incident, I'm still fairly freaked out. Mostly because it just ties in to how amazingly crappy this year has been. Thank you, 2011.

My doctor & I are in agreement that the number one thing that will remedy this situation is me getting a new job. If you would keep your fingers crossed for me &/or send some positive job energy my way, I would really appreciate it.

Martha's Meatballs

2011-09-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

In the September 2011 issue of Everyday Food, there is a section on big batch recipes, "a delicious dinner tonight & leftovers you can transform into a new meal." The first example is meatballs, which would obviously appeal to my carnivorous husband. Also, I like making a big meal on Sundays that can feed us again, even better if it magically transforms into a different meal on the second night.

I've made spaghetti & meatballs before, but with ground beef, instead of pork, & never using a zucchini or *bulgur. These were THE BEST meatballs I've ever had, which, of course they are, it's Martha Stewart. Trust.

*The original recipe calls for 3/4 cup medium-grind bulgur. I couldn't find this, so we used what we had in the house: cornflakes.

Both of these recipes were so good! And fairly quick & easy. And my god, the left-overs. This made so much food. Serves 4, my ass, Martha. It serves like 400. Highly, highly recommend both of these dishes. Delicious!

PORK MEATBALLS

Adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 4 (false, see above)

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium zucchini
1 large yellow onion, diced finely
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
2 lbs ground pork
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
5 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt & ground pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp olive oil
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 lb spaghetti
grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

Shred zucchini, squeeze out liquid &, in a large bowl, mix with cornflakes, pork, eggs, 1/4 cup oregano, half the garlic & half the onion. Season with salt & pepper & form into 2-inch meatballs (22-24 total).

In a dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high. In batches, cook meatballs until browned, 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels. Discard oil; wipe out pot.

Add olive oil to pot. Add remaining onion along with remaining garlic; cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 cup oregano & meatballs; cook until meatballs are cooked through, 15-20 minutes; season with salt & pepper. Transfer 10-12 meatballs & 1 cup sauce to an airtight container & refrigerate, up to 3 days.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Serve with remaining meatballs, sauce, & Parmesan.

MEATBALL PIZZA

Adapted from Everyday Food

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pizza dough on parchment-lined baking sheet or pizza stone; season with coarse salt & ground pepper. Spread reserved 1 cup tomato sauce among pizza dough & top with 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced, & 10-12 reserved meatballs, crumbled. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Toss 2 cups baby arugula with 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; season with salt & pepper. To serve, top pizza with arugula, grated Parmesan, & red-pepper flakes.

Weekend Wrap Up: I Have Bangs! Edition

2011-09-12T07:35:00.000-05:00

At salutation nation with yoga pal, Sarah Allen.

At Trim, attempting to contact outer space.

Studio dog, all tuckered out from a long day of DOING NOTHING.

John spent all day yesterday cleaning out the garage. Apparently we're hoarders.

FRIDAY

I got my hair cut after work. Hello, full bangs! For dinner, John & I met Katie at Woodlands, then I went home & watched Rabbit Hole. Good enough movie, although incredibly heavy & sad. I've said it before & I'll say it again, I really will watch anything starring Aaron Eckhart.

SATURDAY

I met Sarah at Centennial Park for salutation nation, hosted by lululemon. It was AWESOME, although I have a pretty serious sunburn to show for it. Post namaste, I had to book it over to Trim for my noon appointment with Gio, hair colorist extraordinaire.

John mastered the soundtrack to Project Nim, which is playing at the Belcourt. We went to dinner at The Dog with Mike & Amanda & then walked over to the Belcourt & spent the next 90 minutes crying our eyes out over a monkey. Seriously, it was intense, ya'll.

SUNDAY

I've been super annoyed lately about the ridiculous barrage of 9/11 porn all over tv. It's something that's very personal to me & I get easily offended when I feel like the event is being exploited, especially for ratings. Regardless, I listened to about 2 hours of 9/11 stories on StoryCorps yesterday morning, cried, texted Tiffany & then went about my day. More here.

Jalapeno Popper Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

2011-09-07T06:50:00.000-05:00

Jalapeno Popper Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Adapted from Lauren's Latest

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon
2 tbsp bacon grease
1/2 large onion, diced
2 jalapenos, sliced
1 pound elbow macaroni

For The Sauce:

4 tbsp butter
5 tbsp AP flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 ounces cream cheese
1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Wing's Buffalo sauce
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated provolone
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 chicken breast, cooked & shredded (optional)

For The Topping:

1 cup corn flakes, crushed
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
cooked bacon, crumbled

Directions:

In a large cast iron skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towel-lined plate. Once cooled, crumble & set aside. Pour off excess bacon drippings, keeping 2 tbsp in skillet. Saute onion & jalapeno in skillet until soft, about 6 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.

Place chicken breast in pot of boiling water & cook for 10-ish minutes. Remove from pan, drain on paper towel-lined plate. Once cooled, shred & set aside.

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Salt water generously & cook pasta 2 minutes short of package directions. Drain & set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour & cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, cream, salt, pepper & nutmeg. Increase heat to medium high & continue mixing until sauce thickens.

Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese & hot sauce until melted smoothly into the sauce. Pour cooked pasta & sauteed onions & jalapenos into the sauce. Stir to coat. Stir in cheeses & chicken.

Pour into a baking dish & spread out evenly. Top with blue cheese, corn flakes & crumbled bacon. Bake 20-30 minutes until top of macaroni has browned. Remove from oven & serve hot.

Kim's Notes:

Let's talk about the cheese. I felt like I bought all the cheese in Publix. When I got home & unloaded everything, John said, very seriously, "Kim, I don't think you should use all that cheese." It's like he doesn't even know me! I used all the cheese, although I did realize while typing this out that I forgot to add half of the blue cheese crumbles. Oops!

This recipe was really good. I know, how could it not be? I'd probably never make this for dinner or anything, but for a cook-out with a lot of guys, it was perfect! I'm assuming it was a hit based on the fact that there was nothing left in the pan. Surprisingly, it wasn't overwhelmingly cheesy or creamy. It had an almost casserole-ish feel to it.

If I do make this again, I'll probably use less chicken, or no chicken at all. It just isn't necessary. I'll also spice it up more. Maybe add more Frank's hot sauce & use a little cayenne. And I'll change the topping. I'll probably skip the corn flakes & use a combo of panko & breadcrumbs instead. All of that being said, this is REALLY GOOD. Highly recommend it for a cook-out, tailgate, Super Bowl party, etc.

Weekend Wrap Up: Labor Day Edition

2011-09-06T07:15:00.003-05:00

FRIDAY

I took Friday off to enjoy a much-needed long weekend. Got up early for the Pancake Run, had a job interview at noon, then spent the afternoon shopping. John & I had Indian for dinner, then I watched The Producers, which was HILARIOUS!

SATURDAY

Now that my pass at Sanctuary is over, I'm off to find more yoga. This month lululemon is hosting free yoga in their store ever Saturday morning, so I did that with my friends Kathy, Carrie & Jolie, then we went to Bread & Co. for breakfast.

My friend Claudia got married Saturday night. John had an exhibit at the Nashville Folk Festival on vintage recording equipment, so I had to go the wedding by myself, but it was fine. I met Lauren & Kelly there. The wedding was GORGEOUS. So happy for Claudia & Bill!

SUNDAY

John was back at the Folk Festival, so I made plans to hang out with Jessica & celebrate her birthday a day early. We did a run through Shelby Bottoms with Ashlee, then rewarded ourselves with the WORLD'S BEST BREAKFAST BAGELS at Mitchell Deli.

I spent the rest of the day making poor food choices & not getting off the couch. I watched Friday Night Lights, the movie, which I had never seen. It was good, but I definitely prefer Kyle Chandler to Billy Bob Thornton. Obviously.

MONDAY

We spent Labor Day over at Delaney & Austin's house cooking out & celebrating Ali's birthday. I made jalapeno popper buffalo chicken mac & cheese. It was the most ridiculous & delicious thing I've ever made. Recipe coming later this week.

Hello, September!

2011-09-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

I love fall. I know it's not fall yet, in fact, it's going to be 98 degrees in Nashville today, but fall is just around the corner & I swear, I can feel it. It's already cooler in the mornings & evenings. My two runs this week were not only bearable, but almost pleasant. Almost. I am not a summer runner. I run my best in the fall & winter, so I'm really looking forward to running more often & longer distances as the weather continues to cool off.

Fall also holds two of my favorite holidays, Halloween & Thanksgiving, which should surprise no one who follows me on Pinterest. John & I have a Halloween party every year. I'm already brainstorming costume ideas & pinning pics of party food & decor. I also get super excited about Thanksgiving, assuredly because it's an entire day dedicated to eating. I've already started bookmarking potential Thanksgiving foods & recipes.

John & I were married in the fall. This November will be our third wedding anniversary. Maybe we'll be able to sneak away for a long weekend somewhere between now & then. We're so overdue for a vacation, it's ridiculous. Thanks for nothing, WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE.

Last, but not least, I love fall clothes. I love boots, scarves & cardigans & I cannot wait to break them all out again. I also love fall food. I'm talking to you, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte... I have a pretty serious love affair with my crock pot & it hurts me to go so long without using it. Soon, girl. Soon. I LOVE soups, stews & chilis. I love chili so hard that I'm actually planning (in my mind) a chili party. I kind of want to do it now, but with the Halloween party in October, it may be too much, but a chili party in February seems so far away & I've got chili on the brain NOW! Sigh...

Happy fall, ya'll!

"You're Not Having A Heart Attack"

2011-08-31T06:12:00.021-05:00

"You're not having a heart attack." Those aren't words I thought I'd hear, especially at the ripe 'ole age of 35. If you follow me on either Instagram or the twitter, then you saw this yesterday:

Yep, I'm wearing a heart monitor, or a holter, as my doctor calls it & it's not fun. Back story: in July, I started having heart palpitations. They actually started the day I got my first full paycheck in 8 months & had waaaay too much caffeine. I cut back on the caffeine, but the heart palpitations didn't go away. They actually got worse. I was having them pretty much all day, every day. And I didn't feel stressed. In fact, I felt relaxed because I finally had a job, albeit a temporary one. I felt like I could finally take a breath & relax for awhile. My body, clearly, was not as relaxed.

One afternoon, I was at work, totally relaxed, reading a book & they (they being the heart palps) got really bad. I panicked & called my mom, then called my doctor. I spoke to the nurse, who assured me I was not having a heart attack. Then she asked me something that changed the whole landscape of this, she asked if I've ever been treated for anxiety. Ugh. Yes.... But not in a long time. I was still a month away from having health insurance, so I made an appt for a full physical & tried to chill the eff out. In the almost 2 months since this first started, I've gone off the caffeine (sucks!) & started doing yoga twice a week. It's definitely gotten better, but it's still there.

My physical was yesterday. They did an EKG & it came back normal, but she still wanted me to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours just to be safe. So I'm wearing it until 2pm today. I can't work-out or take a shower & I look like a robot. I have 5 electrodes taped to me & then their long grey cords are everywhere, eventually reaching this box that looks like an early nineties beeper, that clips to my pants. It's super uncomfortable & awkward & I'm really not looking forward to going to work today wearing it.

My doctor doesn't think it's my heart, she thinks it's anxiety. She thinks I'm having a delayed reaction to losing my job last November. This actually isn't the first time this has happened to me, so she's probably right. For whatever reason, my body has a delayed physiological response to stress. Regardless, it's frustrating.

She gave me a prescription for Xanax with directions to take as needed, but if I feel like I need it every day, to call her. I don't know how long it will take to get the results of this weird thing I'm wearing today, probably next week, but I'm curious as to what those results will be. Regardless, I'm just going to continue looking for job & trying to stay moderately relaxed. I really do think I'm at the tail-end of this. If I could just find a stupid job....

To be continued.

Chicken with Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce

2011-08-30T06:26:00.015-05:00

Chicken with Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Serves 4

Ingredients:

FOR THE SAUCE:

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 tbsp thai red curry paste

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp honey

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

FOR THE CHICKEN

1 tsp canola oil

1/2 cup diced onion

3 cloves garlic, chopped

*2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup broccoli florets

jasmine rice

Directions:

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic, cook until softened. Add chicken, cook until golden brown & cooked through, about 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Stir sauce into the chicken. Partially cover & simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. Add broccoli during the last few minutes of cook time.

Serve over jasmine rice. Garnish with cilantro, peanuts or green onion (optional).

Kim's Notes:

*The original recipe calls for 2 lbs chicken breast, but I didn't buy that much. I bought a package of 3 chicken breasts, which I think only weighed 1.5 lbs & it was plenty.

This dish wasn't spicy enough for us, so we ended up squirting a lot of sriracha onto our plates. Next time, I'll add it to the sauce. But the flavor of the sauce was amazing! This dish was really good & not hard to make. It was a good team effort. John cut & cooked the chicken, while I made the sauce. If you like thai food, try this recipe. So good!

Weekend Wrap Up: Feature Creature Edition

2011-08-29T06:47:00.025-05:00

FRIDAY

Girls night! Alexis just got back from a week in Japan, so she had us over (per our request) to eat, drink & see all of the AMAZING pictures from her trip.

SATURDAY

I have two young cousins who enjoy the plethora of clothes I'm constantly discarding, so I spent the morning cleaning out my closets & getting rid of everything I'm too fat, too skinny & too old to wear. It was a ridiculous amount of stuff. With a trunk full of clothes, I headed to Smyrna to meet my mom, sister, aunt & grandmother to watch The Help. I read the book back when it came out & loved it, but I wasn't sure how the movie would be. I was pleasantly surprised! I loved the movie & got a lot more emotional than I thought I would, probably because I was sandwiched between my aunt & grandmother, who were both crying. Speaking of my grandmother, she's my new movie date from now on. When we got settled into our seats, she reached into her purse & pulled out a huge ziploc bag full of candy bars for all of us. It was awesome!

The Features were playing a record release show for their new *incredibly awesome* album, Wilderness. We went to dinner beforehand with Michael. We brought him into The Wild Hare fold. Oh, Wild Hare, you drive me crazy. The food is always good, but the service continues to kind of suck. Get it together! So, The Features. First of all, that was the most people I've ever seen inside Mercy Lounge. Secondly, one of the original members of The Features started a brewery called Calfkiller Brewing Company & they were at the show selling their new beer, Feature Creature. It was so good! But most importantly, the show was freaking awesome! This band has been one of my favorites since college & it's so nice to see them reach this level of success. Well deserved, guys!

SUNDAY

Yesterday was my last yoga class at Sanctuary, well at least as far as my month pass is concerned. There is a rumor that they're going to offer a follow-up pass, but we'll see. In the meantime, I bought a Groupon for 5 yoga classes at Yoga Source, so I may do that for the next 5 weeks & then reassess.

Book Review: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

2011-08-24T09:33:00.022-05:00

After I read To Kill A Mockingbird, my friend Heidi let me borrow her copy of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It took me awhile to get to it, but I finally read it & loved it! I think it's my new favorite book.

Betty Smith wrote A Tree Grows In Brooklyn in 1943, but it was re-printed in 2001. I remember when I lived in NYC, I saw this book everywhere, so I was surprised when I started reading it & learned it was originally published in 1943. I thought it was a 10 year old book.

From Amazon:

Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive.

I fell in love with the main character, Francie Nolan. Her story broke my heart, but I couldn't quit reading it. It took me about 3 weeks to finish this book. It's long, but I also read it slowly because I didn't want it to end. In the few days since I finished reading it, I haven't quit thinking about Francie & wondering what she's doing now. I always find the mark of a good book is how much I continue to think about the characters after I finish reading it.

I think one of the things that fascinated me about this book is the fact that it's semi-autobiographical. Betty Smith was born Elizabeth Wehner on December 15, 1896, the same date as, although five years earlier than, her fictional heroine Francie Nolan. The daughter of German immigrants, she grew up poor in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

I loved this book & I really think it's my favorite book now. Better than To Kill A Mockingbird. Better than The Poisonwood Bible. I know a lot of you read this book in school when you were younger, but I recommend re-reading it now. It's long, but it's so worth it.

Five stars!

S'mores Bars

2011-08-23T15:16:00.022-05:00

Ingredients

In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar until light.

Beat in egg & vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder & salt.

Add to butter mixture.

Mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half & press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough.

Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff.

Place remaining dough in between 2 sheets of parchment paper & roll into single layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff.

Spread it around gently.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Serve!

S'mores Bars

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup AP flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 king-size Hershey's milk chocolate bars

1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar until light. Beat in egg & vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder & salt. Add to butter mixture & mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half & press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. Spread it around gently.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Kim's Notes:

This recipe is a test of patience. My dough was so hard to work with. It took me forever to get the bottom layer spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. In hindsight, it may have been easier if I had sprinkled flour into the bottom of the pan. The marshmallow creme was also a little tricky to spread, but easier than the dough. I kind of lost my mind at this point & John stepped in. He took the remaining half of the dough & rolled it out between two sheets of parchment paper, then strategically placed it on top of the marshmallow creme. If I make this again, I'll probably use the same parchment paper trick for both halves of the dough. Much easier.

Also, I'm still not 100% sure I bought the right sized chocolate bars. The recipe says to buy king-size, but my store had both giant-size & king-size. I ended up buying king-size, but next time I may try the giant-size so that the chocolate covers the entire pan.

All of this being said, this recipe is really good. It's just not the easiest to make.

Katie: I know you've made these a few times, so if you have tips, please feel free to share.

Weekend Wrap Up: Beer-Butt Wabbitt Tickler Edition

2011-08-22T13:40:00.000-05:00

Pineapple red curry @ Ginger Thai

Sticky rice with mango @ Ginger Thai

Sugar & Spice & everything not so nice...

New mailbox

Mr. & Mrs. Beer-butt chicken

Cook-out!

S'mores bars

Friday:

We spent Friday night shopping for a new mailbox as ours has been dying a slow death for the past 3 years & finally tipped completely over on Friday, never to stand upright again. My friend Delaney has mentioned this mango sticky rice at Ginger Thai a few times. We had never eaten there, but we were right by it, so we went in. Via text, Delaney told me what to order & as usual, she was 110% right. That mango sticky rice was one of the best desserts I've ever eaten. My blurry picture doesn't do it justice.

Saturday:

On Saturday morning, my friend Jaime & I walked the Richland Creek Greenway, then had brunch in Hillsboro Village. That night, I made the trek to Smyrna for a "Sugar & Spice" party my sister was hosting... Not my thing, but I took one for the team & managed to make it through the 3 hour sales pitch with only a modicum of giggling.

Sunday:

Yesterday, I went to yoga & the grocery store while John installed our new mailbox. Our neighborhood friends made 2 beer-butt chickens, so they invited us over to help them eat them. Who are we to turn down free food? So we went & had a blast. Those chickens were so good! Thanks, Bairs!

Dr. Dre's Guide To A Happy & Healthy Life

2011-08-19T12:00:00.002-05:00

{Source}

I spent my formative years in the bowels of lower Antioch, attending Metro's finest, Glencliff Elementary.

**Disclaimer: I only attended Glencliff one year before my parents realized the error of their ways (e.g. the potential Fly Girl track I was on) & lied about our address to get me into a different school district.**

I digress. So the other day I was stuck in horrendous traffic & for whatever reason decided I wanted to listen to The Chronic in its entirety. For those of you who may not share my affinity for early nineties gangsta rap, The Chronic, was Dr Dre's 1992 debut album. As I was listening (& pantomiming gang signs) (in traffic), I realized there are many a lesson to be learned from this fine piece of artistry. I thought I'd put together a little list to help you through your weekend. Without further ado....

Dr. Dre's Guide To A Happy & Healthy Life

Rule # 1: Re: Water Safety -- Always Wear A Life Jacket
"G's up hoes down, if dat bitch can't swim, she bound da drizzound."

Rule #2: Do Onto Others...
"You tryin' to check my homie, you best check yo self, cause when you diss Dre, you diss yourself."

Rule #3: Contraception, aka Protect Yo Junk
"You never know, she could earnin' her man, & learnin' her man, & at the same, burnin' her man"

Rule #4: Gleefully Announce Your Presence, Preferably Via Your Spirit Animal
"Bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay. Doggy Dog's in the m-effin' house..."

Rule #5: A Creative Spelling Of Your Name Will Take You Far
"It's the capital S, oh yes, the fresh N, double O P, D O double G Y D O double G ya see."

Fat, Fatter, Fattest

2011-08-16T07:15:00.036-05:00

{Source}

Disclaimer: this is from a different race, but I included it to show the vast difference striking a pose makes.

{Source}

Yesterday I saw a picture of myself on Facebook from the race I ran on Saturday. Actually, two pictures, equally horrendous, both of which I had been tagged in & both of which you can see above. I quickly did the math on how long these pictures had been up, how many people had potentially seen them & then untagged myself. Feeling pretty low (& by 'low', I mean fat), I posted this status:

"Whoa. Nothing like seeing a picture of yourself running to realize you need to lose some serious lbs. Like yesterday. Thanks, random (albeit mean) photographer. Sigh..."

As you can probably guess from the whopping 49 entries over there under my label "Weight", this is an on-going issue for me. I wrote a shockingly concise blog post titled Happy or Complacent? in November of 2009 after a recent trip to NYC about whether or not I need to just accept myself at this size & get on with it. Clearly, almost two years later, I still haven't made up my mind. Le sigh...

I've actually felt pretty okay with my weight/size for about a year now. I lost enough weight last Fall to go down a size & have maintained it. I lost a little more when I was unemployed & couldn't afford to eat out. I did that boot camp in May, was feeling totally fine & then I went back to work. I've pretty much gone out to lunch 1,000 times in the past two months & never work-out anymore. It's been too hot to run, so my usual three runs a week have gone down to one, if that. I got bored with my lunchtime work-outs, so I quit going to those. I randomly do a Sculpt class after work, but it's RARE. I have been doing yoga pretty frequently, but it's too soon to see any results from that, if there will even be any. (Do you get results from yoga? I don't know.)

This happens to me once about every two-ish years, I see a picture of myself, freak the eff out, do something drastic, & then about a week later, decide I'd rather stay this size than do the work it takes to get smaller. At my biggest, I was a size 16. I'm a size 12 now. I actually weighed myself (for research purposes) & was surprised to learn that I'm at the exact same weight I was at the end of boot camp. But my body is clearly bigger. It's mind-boggling.

If I still care about this in a week, when the picture of me running is no longer seared into my memory, or yours (you're welcome), here are some things that will assuredly help:

1) Quit eating so damn much

2) Bring your lunch

3) Cease & desist the binge snacking before dinner

4) Get back to running three times a week

5) Do more strength training

6) Don't let anyone else take your picture while in motion.

I'll report back.

Weekend Wrap Up: Tomato Edition

2011-08-15T07:55:00.007-05:00

Friday:

Real exciting night in the Baldwin house. We walked next door to Korea House for dinner (at 6:00pm), I painted my nails & watched the Season Finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Shocking, I know.

Saturday:

I got up early to run the East Nashville Tomato 5K. I ran the course on Wed night with East Nasty & didn't do so hot, but I did a lot better on Saturday. My friend Claudia ran it with me. I always run better when I have someone with me. I finished in 35-ish minutes. Not bad, not awesome. I've run faster. The hilarious part is the overall results: I came in 691st place, HA! Yeah, 691!

Saturday night John & I tried The Wild Hare for a third time & it was much better than last time. They seem to be working out the kinks. I tried the wild hare pizza & John got the burger. We both loved our food. John even threw down the gauntlet & declared it THE BEST BURGER. Whoa.

Sunday:

Yesterday I went back to my Sunday yoga class at Sanctuary & loved it. There were only 3 of us, so we worked on headstands. Yeah!

Last night John & I watched True Grit. Meh. I kind of hated it. I don't know that John liked it either, but he did say that he's glad he saw it.

Archie Bunker Goes To Yoga

2011-08-11T21:08:00.021-05:00

{source}

So I bought this $59 unlimited month pass to Sanctuary Yoga in the Gulch. I went for the first time last Sunday & the instructor, Dawn Cunningham, recommended I try her Thursday Candlelight Flow class from 7:15-8:30pm. I told her the time didn't really work for me, when would I eat dinner, etc. She said as long as I eat around 5:00-5:15, I'd be good.

I get home from work today around 5:00 & basically immediately eat dinner. I didn't really plan well for this, so the only thing I had in the house to eat was a Trader Joe's palak paneer frozen Indian dinner & garlic naan. I figured, it's a small amount of food, it's meat-free, it's light - whatever. Wrong. So, so wrong.

Tonight was like Archie Bunker goes to yoga. I was burping & farting to beat the band. And don't even get me started on the smell coming out of my pores. I was literally excreting curry & garlic out of every orifice. There was this nice lady on the mat beside me decked out in the latest lululemon finery & I couldn't even look her in the eye. At the end of the class, I felt like I owed her an apology. But alas, I just rolled up my sweaty, smells-like-curry yoga mat & shirked back to my car.

Note to self: next time, just eat a Clif bar.

Book Review: An Object of Beauty

2011-08-10T13:45:00.009-05:00

I recently read An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin. Mary Katherine first read this book & LOVED IT, so when she brought it to Book Swap, I grabbed it. It's a pretty short book, so I read it really fast. It's generously spaced & has lots of short chapters, so you'll fly through it, or at least I did.

The main character is Lacy Yeager, a young Manhattanite climbing her way up through the art world. She starts her career at Sotheby's & goes on to become an art dealer. Even though I lived in NYC, I have little to no experience in this world, so the inside look into NY's art scene was fascinating to me. Lacy is one of those bad-girl protagonists that you find yourself enamored with & living vicariously through. Oddly, Lacy's story isn't told by Lacy, but by her male friend, Daniel. If you forced me to voice a complaint about this book, this would be it: Daniel as the narrator of Lacy's story tripped me up a lot, especially at the end.

Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Martin compresses the wild and crazy end of the millennium and finds in this piercing novel a sardonic morality tale. Lacey Yeager is an ambitious young art dealer who uses everything at her disposal to advance in the world of the high-end art trade in New York City. After cutting her teeth at Sotheby's, she manipulates her way up through Barton Talley's gallery of "Very Expensive Paintings," sleeping with patrons, and dodging and indulging in questionable deals, possible felonies, and general skeeviness until she opens her own gallery in Chelsea. Narrated by Lacey's journalist friend, Daniel Franks, whose droll voice is a remarkable stand-in for Martin's own, the world is ordered and knowable, blindly barreling onward until 9/11. And while Lacey and the art she peddles survive, the wealth and prestige garnered by greed do not. Martin (an art collector himself) is an astute miniaturist as he exposes the sound and fury of the rarified Manhattan art world. If Shopgirl was about the absence of purpose, this book is about the absence of a moral compass, not just in the life of an adventuress but for an entire era.

I really liked this book & highly recommend it. Four stars!

Weekend Wrap Up: I Ate 100 Cupcakes This Weekend Edition

2011-08-08T07:00:00.017-05:00

{More photos & info on Flickr & Instagram}

Friday:

We had a girls dinner in Murfreesboro to celebrate Katie's birthday. Katie took us to this hidden authentic Mexican restaurant called Carmen's Taqueria that was so good! And cheap! My entree was $5.00!!!

Saturday:

My friend Claudia is getting married in September & her bachelorette party was Saturday night at Goten. Lauren drove up for it & we had a blast. After dinner, I watched The Dive from Clausen's Pier. Lame. Loved the book, hated the movie. Note to self: never again Netflix a Lifetime movie.

Sunday:

I've been contemplating how to work more yoga into my schedule, which I wrote about here. After attending the free lululemon Thursday night classes at Sanctuary all through July, Sanctuary offered a $59/month unlimited package, which I promptly bought. Yesterday was my first class. I took Dawn Cunningham's 11:00am-12:30pm vinyasa flow -- so good! Dawn taught one of the lululemon classes & I loved her. I'm definitely going to go to as many of her classes as I can this month. Yay, yoga!

Vanilla Pistachio Cupcakes

2011-08-07T08:55:00.001-05:00

Vanilla Pistachio Cupcakes

Adapted from sprinkle bakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix

3 eggs

1 1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick of butter, softened

1/4 cup clover honey

3 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup pistachios, ground fine in food processor

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 & line cupcake pan with liners.

Blend cake mix, water, oil & eggs in a large bowl at low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter in pans & bake immediately.

Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting:

Place cream cheese, butter & honey in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat until combined. Gradually add in confectioners sugar, mixing until it is spreading consistency. If frosting is loose, place in refrigerator until firm enough to spread.

Place 1 cup pistachios in food processor & grind until fine.

Frost cupcakes & sprinkle generously with ground pistachios. Serve!

Pork Stuffed Peppers

2011-08-04T07:00:00.011-05:00

Pork Stuffed Peppers

Adapted from Dishing the Divine and Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients:

3-4 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise

1 lb ground pork

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup salsa

4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained

1 cup quick-cooking brown rice

1/4 cup water

1 tsp ground cumin

Tabasco, splash or two, to taste

Sliced cheese, either cheddar or Monterey Jack

Directions:

Microwave the peppers for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Cut in half lengthwise & place side by side, cut side up, in an oven-safe casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook pork until no pink remains; drain. Stir in beans, soup, salsa, chile peppers, rice, water, & cumin. Heat & stir just until bubbly. Divide & pour among the peppers. Pour any extra around the peppers.

Add the cheese slices to the top of each pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve!

Kim's Notes:

This recipe is a combination of the vegetarian stuffed peppers I made recently & a pork & green chiles casserol e that John & I are big fans of. Those of you paying attention may have noticed that in the pictures, I forgot to cut the peppers in half. Oops! I do recommend cutting them in half. They're a lot easier to cook & eat that way.

This dish was really good & hearty. The addition of ground pork definitely made it more appealing to my carnivore husband. We'll make this again.

Book Review: Loving Frank

2011-08-03T07:32:00.028-05:00

I just finished reading Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. I received this book as a gift almost a year ago, but wasn't sure what it was about, so I set it aside. Recently, Tiffany was talking about The Women, which she had just read & the conversation turned to Loving Frank. She couldn't believe I hadn't read it yet.

From the back of the book:

"I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current." So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did because: a) I'm not a huge Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast & b) Most of my friends "liked" the book, not loved it. Well, I daresay, I loved it. It was a little slow-going in the middle, but by the end, I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed getting to know the main character, Mamah (May-muh). I've never given a whole lot of thought about what it was like to be a woman in the early 1900's & Horan writes Mamah's story in a way that makes you think, but doesn't push any views on you one way or another. She does a good job of writing objectively about the decisions Mamah makes, a lot of which I had a hard time wrapping my head around.

I don't know how to put this delicately, but Frank Lloyd Wright is a dick. I somehow did not know this about him. This love affair that he & Mamah have is bizarre & disconcerting, but by the end, you're somehow glad that it appears to be working out. Speaking of the end, the end of this book will rip your heart out. I literally gasped & read the entire last chapter with my hand over my heart. I did not see that coming.

This book is historical fiction, but it's pretty factual. At the end of the paperback version I have, Horan explains how she wrote it. The book is based on a factual timeline that was apparently easy to trace. She also had lots of letters, diaries, etc, so she was able to piece a lot of things together. She says the fiction part is where she embellished dialogue, etc., but not events or people. Everything that happened in the book, actually happened, which kind of blows my mind.

Anyway, now I'm completely obsessed & want to travel to Wisconsin to see Taliesin. Apparently there are Loving Frank tours. My friend Haylee just moved to Chicago & she offered to host a group of us if we want to go take the Frank Lloyd Wright tour in Oak Park, which I really want to do.

I really enjoyed this book & definitely recommend it. 4 stars!

Weekend Wrap Up: Beer-Thirty Edition

2011-08-01T06:45:00.005-05:00

{More photos & info on Flickr & Instagram @theblondemule}

Friday:

I saw a cool manicure recently on The Coveted that I wanted to try, so I got some reinforcement stickers & set to work while watching 3 consecutive hours of So You Think You Can Dance. I don't love the way my nails turned out. I had sticker residue issues, but almost everyone I've seen this weekend has commented on them, so... Maybe?

Saturday:

My friend Jolie & I signed up to run this hilarious Yazoo Barely a 4K Beer Run at 7am on Saturday. Yazoo is a brewing company here in Nashville & this was their inaugural run to kick off this all-day beer fest that happens in Nashville every year. This was the most fun, most ridiculous race I've ever run. No official start/finish line, no roads blocked off, no time - you just go, run, come back & drink free beer. It was awesome & I'm totally doing it again next year. After running the race (in the rain), coming back to Yazoo & chugging my 2 complimentary beers, I realized I was kind of buzzed. At 8:23am. Ha!

John & I decided to try The Wild Hare again. It wasn't as awesome of an experience as it was the first time we ate lunch there, but it was still good. To start, we ordered the beer battered fried mushrooms with roasted jalapeno gouda sauce. Unfortunately, it came out with our food, which kind of defeated the purpose, but we powered through. The roasted jalapeno gouda sauce was really good (how could it not be?), but the mushrooms were too heavy, which should be shocking to no one because they're BEER BATTERED FRIED MUSHROOMS. For an entree, I ordered the lobster pizza, which I've been warned is rich & heavy. I liked the pizza, but it was a little too rich, especially combined with the fried mushrooms. I ended up taking almost the entire pizza home. Also, the restaurant itself was uncomfortably hot & they were playing bad music. It was this horrible Sublime/311/Red Hot Chili Peppers mix that NO ONE wanted to hear. Work it out, Wild Hare, I really want you to succeed.

In a food coma, I somehow managed to watch an entire movie. I watched The Company Men with Ben Affleck. It hit a little close to home, but I liked it. Apparently I love Ben Affleck now & will happily watch any movie he's in. Seriously, good movie though.

Sunday:

It was too hot to do anything but eat ice cream & continue working my through True Blood Season 3, which is exactly what I did. FYI - I consumed neither beer nor fried food yesterday. You're welcome, body.

Mediterranean-Style Braised Codfish

2011-07-29T07:35:00.005-05:00

Mediterranean-Style Braised Codfish

Adapted from NY1

Ingredients:

2 6-7 ounce boneless, skinless codfish fillets

Small white onion, thinly-sliced

Fennel, thinly-sliced

Garlic clove, finely-minced

14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup (maybe more) chicken or vegetable stock

Kalamata olives to taste, sliced & pitted

Capers to taste, well-drained

Olive oil

1 anchovy fillet, finely-minced

Toasted bread

Garlic mashed potatoes

Directions:

Heat a large saute pan or cast-iron skillet with a splash of olive oil. Saute onion & equal amount fennel. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until soft.

Add garlic & anchovy & cook for additional minute.

Add diced tomatoes & 1/2 cup stock & bring to a simmer.

Adjust the heat so that it stays at a gentle simmer, tuck the codfish fillets down into the mixture & put a tightly-fitting lid on top. Keep your eye on it as it simmers & add a little more stock if it seems to be drying out (ours didn't).

Depending on the thickness of the fish, it shouldn't take much more than 8-10 minutes to gently cook through. Add the olives & capers & serve.

Serve each codfish fillet on top of a slice of toasted country bread & then ladle on some of the braising liquid.

Kim's Notes:

Tiffany emailed this recipe to me, saying she had made it & really enjoyed it. When I sat down to write out the shopping list, I texted her & asked if she served it over bread. She texted back that they served it over garlic mashed potatoes & that I HAVE to do that, as well. Done! And she was right. This was so good!

Every now & then John & I make a recipe that calls for an ingredient we've never used before. This time it was fennel. First of all, I had no idea what fennel looked like or how to cut/cook it, so we watched a YouTube video of how to cut fennel, haha. Then! The fennel bulb (bulb ?) I bought looked like a hand, so before cutting it, John chased me around the kitchen trying to get me shake his fennel hand.

Aside from the time it takes to slice the onion & fennel (& watch a how-to YouTube video), this was a pretty quick dish to make, & it's super healthy. We loved it & will definitely make it again. If you make it, highly recommend taking the garlic mash route - so good!

Thanks, Tiff!

Book Review: The Dive From Clausen's Pier

2011-07-27T06:44:00.001-05:00

I recently finished reading The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer. This is another book that's been making it's way through Book Swap for awhile now. Everyone who's read it has really liked it, so I grabbed it when it came around last time.

The book is about Mike & Carrie, high school sweethearts, fresh out of undergrad & engaged to be married. In the first few pages of the book, Mike breaks his neck. Carrie, who was already having second thoughts about marrying Mike, has a complete breakdown & flees to New York. I obviously won't give away how it ends, but it's pretty heart-wrenching.

I kind of loved this book. The beginning, when Mike breaks his neck, reminded me so much of the first season of Friday Night Lights. And then later, when Carrie ends up in NYC, I sooo identified with that. I guess it's possible that everyone who picks up & moves to NYC one day has a similar story of wandering around the city, not knowing anybody, not spending any money because you don't know how long it's going to take to find a job, & living basically as a squatter in someone else's apartment. Reading this book brought back such of flood of memories of my time in NYC, mostly my first few months there when I was aimlessly wandering around the city starving for someone to talk to me, or just look at me.

Again, I really enjoyed this book. It's not a long book & I read it in a few days. I couldn't put it down. Also, kind of hilariously, there's a 2005 Lifetime movie of this book, which I may or may not have just added to the # 1 slot in my Netflix queue...

From Amazon:

Packer's engrossing debut novel begins without ostentation. On Memorial Day, Carrie Bell and her fiance, Mike Mayer, drive out to Clausen's Pier for their annual ritual, a picnic with their friends, a trip they make the way a middle-aged couple might, in grudging silence. Before their resentments can be aired, Mike dives into too shallow water, suffering injuries that change their lives. If Mike survives, he will survive as a quadriplegic, and Carrie faces unexpected responsibilities. Ultimately, Carrie does what is both understandable and unthinkable. She leaves her hometown of Madison, Wis., and shows up on the doorstep of a friend in New York City. There she discovers a different world, different friends and a different self. The hovering question--what will Carrie do? Abandon Mike or return to him?--generates genuine suspense. Packer portrays her characters--both New Yorkers and Madisonites--deftly, and her scenes unfold with uncommon clarity. But if Packer has a keen eye, she has an even keener ear. The dialogue is usually witty; more important, it is always surprising, as if the characters were actually thinking--one of the reasons they become as familiar to the reader as childhood friends. In quiet but beautiful prose, Packer tells a complex and subtly constructed story of friendship, love and the hold the past has on the present. This is the sort of book one reads dying to know what happens to the characters, but loves for its wisdom: it sees the world with more clarity than you do.

Loved this book! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Weekend Wrap Up: Party, Party, Party Edition

2011-07-25T08:04:00.001-05:00

{More photo info on Flickr & Instagram}

Friday:

John & I went to dinner at Korea House, then I came home & started watching Biutiful.

Saturday:

I got up early & went to Sculpt, then went to Whole Foods & bought an iced chai & muffin, assuredly undoing whatever good I did by working out. Then I quite literally squeezed my muffin top into a tankini & went to Book Swap, which was pool-side this month. I slathered on the 50 SPF & then never left the cover of the pool cabana. Oh well, better safe than sorry. Plus, I'm pretty sure I sweated off that muffin.

Saturday night everyone we know was having a party. Apparently July is party month. Who knew? First, we went to my friend Claudia's Aruba/honeymoon party at her parents' house in Old Hickory, then we went to Alexis' house for her birthday party that had started at 1pm, so we were around 7 hours late. But the party was still going strong, so we hung out there for the rest of the night.

Sunday:

I didn't feel so hot when I woke up yesterday. I felt like I had a cold, but in hindsight, I think it was just allergies. Regardless, I was pretty useless yesterday. The only thing I did worth mentioning is finishing Biutiful, which was really good.

Linda Calling

2011-07-22T07:00:00.008-05:00

It's too hot to blog. Happy Friday, folks!

John & Linda spending some quality howling time together. Linda is usually a better howler than this. I think the camera threw her off her game.

Linda Calling from Kim Baldwin on Vimeo.

P.S. Linda totally started howling in her bed this morning when I watched this.

YMCA vs. Yoga

2011-07-21T07:00:00.018-05:00

{Source: fitsugar}

I started this post about two weeks ago when I was REALLY sick of the YMCA & contemplating giving up my $68/month membership & joining a yoga studio instead. I've since changed my mind, of course. I realized I was bored with my work-outs & simply changing things up a bit & adding in some outside yoga made all the difference.

A brief back story. Before I lost my job in Nov, I went to the Downtown Y most days during lunch & worked-out. When I lost my job, I kept up most of my lunch work-outs, but started swimming because of my knee injury. Then I did that month long boot camp in May. Immediately after, I re-started my old/new job downtown & went back to my lunch time work-outs. And here we are.

For someone who doesn't like change, it's funny that my main complaint with these lunch time classes is that they haven't changed. But they haven't! And I've been going to them for years & I'm bored as shit! Plus, now that I've been through physical therapy, I'm hyper aware of how many muscle groups are getting repeatedly ignored in these classes. Hello, glutes!

I REALLY like yoga, so I talked to my friend Paige, who teaches at 12South Yoga, about quitting the Y & buying a yoga package. I was mostly trying to decide if doing yoga 1-2 times a week would be the same as attending 1-2 (sometimes 3) strength training class a week (my running is my cardio, so I mostly use the Y for strength training).

Here's what I've done. For the past 2 weeks, I've switched to the Green Hills Y & started trying some of their classes. So far, I really like them, although they're mostly after work, which is a challenge for me, but I've been powering through. I've also been doing the free lululemon yoga classes at sanctuary in the gulch every Thurs night. I'm so glad lululemon does this. It's a great way to try out various yoga studios & instructors.

So what am I ultimately going to do? Give up my Y membership & buy a yoga package? Meh, I don't know, probably not. For now, the new Green Hills classes are pulling me back in. Also, yoga packages aren't as expensive as I always assumed they were, so I may still buy a package somewhere. Now I just have to decide where.

To be continued...

Namaste!

Book Review: Garlic and Sapphires

2011-07-20T07:07:00.001-05:00

{Source: goodreads}

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl is a book that's been making its way through Book Swap & I finally grabbed it for myself. This is the third book like this that I've read & the second book written by a NY Times food critic. I'm talking about Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain & Born Round by Frank Bruni, two books that I LOVED.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Garlic and Sapphires, it's just my least favorite out of these three books. I wanted Reichl to get more personal, to delve more deeply into her relationship with her mother. I did enjoy reading about her visits to all the various NYC restaurants, especially her foray into the more ethnic restaurants in Queens. She talked about the inner-workings of the NY Times more than Bruni did, which was interesting. I also really liked how her actual restaurant reviews are in the book - smart!

Here's the blurb from Amazon:

As the New York Times's restaurant critic for most of the 1990s, Reichl had what some might consider the best job in town; among her missions were evaluating New York City's steakhouses, deciding whether Le Cirque deserved four stars and tracking down the best place for authentic Chinese cuisine in Queens. Thankfully, the rest of us can live that life vicariously through this vivacious, fascinating memoir. The book—Reichl's third—lifts the lid on the city's storied restaurant culture from the democratic perspective of the everyday diner. Reichl creates wildly innovative getups, becoming Brenda, a red-haired aging hippie, to test the food at Daniel; Chloe, a blonde divorcée, to evaluate Lespinasse; and even her deceased mother, Miriam, to dine at 21. Such elaborate disguises—which include wigs, makeup, thrift store finds and even credit cards in other names—help Reichl maintain anonymity in her work, but they also do more than that. "Every restaurant is a theater," she explains. Each one "offer[s] the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while. Restaurants free us from mundane reality." Reichl's ability to experience meals in such a dramatic way brings an infectious passion to her memoir. Reading this work—which also includes the finished reviews that appeared in the newspaper, as well as a few recipes—ensures that the next time readers sit down in a restaurant, they'll notice things they've never noticed before.

Everyone I know LOVES this book, & I do recommend it; it's a good book. I just enjoyed Born Round more. Three stars.