This Is Not Okay

This is the reinvention of Rainbow Bright. This is not okay.

Not okay at all.

Whoever did this is on notice.  I am going to cry into my Glowworms blankie now.

Two Notes

1. I am finally taking courses within one (of my two) majors: Political Science.  I am in heaven.  It is interesting to go back and re-read all of this history and such that I studied in high school and… actually care.

2. A couple of weeks ago, one of my lovely friends, Jessica, had a passion party for her bachelorette.  It was a lot of fun, but frankly I had forgotten the things I had ordered.

This morning I remembered, “Hey, I got a notice that I have a package… but the stuff I’m expecting wouldn’t be here yet! I’m curious!”

Well, I made the fatal error of deciding to pick up my package on the way to the bus stop.  At the top of the hill, with Patrick, I opened up my package to find… unmentionables.  Thank goodness the stop was not crowded as it normally was.  But still I had to discreetly (and quickly) dispose of the box, and get all of my new things into my purse.  I was still somewhat fumbling when the bus arrived.

Now I’m sitting here at the office, with a bag full of goodies, just waiting for me to do something stupid like accidentally dump my bag out, or grab a vibrator when I’m trying to reach for my brush.

Life Gets in the Way

The past two months, as well as the next few weeks, have me all over the place.  So far, since the middle of September, two fabulous friends of mine have gotten married.  This upcoming weekend, my cousin gets married.  The weekend after that… Patrick’s birthday is on Saturday (the 18th), and my mother’s birthday is on the 19th.  Exactly a week after the 19th, on Monday, is my birthday. (Groan.)  The weekend after that is  Halloween, which is also the weekend Patrick and I are traveling up to Boston.

Then it’s November.

On top of that, I have my little side project of a food blog (The Klutzy Kitchen) because when I am actually in town or not busy, I seem to be in the kitchen cooking.

In addition, I also have school full time. I have to mention that it was just announced that I made Dean’s List! Also, after this class, I’ll be a college sophomore, which is downright unbelievable.  I know, I know… at 26 years old, I shouldn’t be THIS excited about it, but I am.  This is my white whale, so to speak.  Not only that, the class I’m currently taking is my first class in my major (well, one of my two majors, as I’m doing a dual degree).  Let me just say how much nicer it is to be studying something I actually enjoy.  Even though I have a way to go in this whole process, it feels good to see some pay off already.

Anyway, so as I mentioned, two of my friends have gotten married recently.  I already talked about Heidi getting hitched in September.  This past weekend, another wonderful friend of mine, Jessica got hitched to a wonderful guy, Chris.

It wasn’t your typical wedding in a hotel ballroom, for sure.  It was a destination wedding.  On Lake George.  In New York.  Everyone flew or drove up, stayed in a resort on the lake called Blue Water Manor; it was neat! It was a collection of cabins.  The first night, even though everyone was exhausted from traveling (or from wedding festivities), was marked with a huge rehearsal dinner in town, followed by some fun at the tavern at the resort.

The next day was the wedding itself.  Patrick and I took advantage of some stolen time during the day to grab some brunch, and relax in our cabin.  It was our first vacation together ever, and it was lovely.  As bad as we felt about it, it felt amazing to just laze about our cabin, drinking beer and wine, enjoying our freedom.

The wedding itself was spectacular, beautiful, and unique.  I could describe it, but I can’t really quantify how much fun it was.  I mean, when all was said and done after the wedding and reception, we all gathered around a big bonfire on the grounds of the resort, drinking, listening to a guy playing the guitar (who was a guest), just enjoying the fact that we were all there together.

Anyway, below are some pictures from the weekend, but they don’t really do anything justice.  Enjoy…

Our makeshift fridge, between the glass and the window screen.

Amazing car parked at Blue Water Manor (with cabins behind it)...

Bridesmaids at the church.

The church. So gorgeous.

The ceremony.

The newly married couple!

Patrick & I on the way back to the reception.

This was amazing. The beginning of the reception was marked by a Korean wedding ceremony (Jess is half Korean). It was beautiful. It had blessings from their parents, a neat tradition of throwing dates where they find out how many kids they are going to have, etc. It also ended with strong man Chris giving Jess a piggyback ride around the reception room, per Korean tradition, to show that he is willing to support her.

Jess & Chris, following the Korean ceremony, came back dressed in their wedding attire, triumphant and ready to start the reception.

I don’t really have any pictures from the rest of the evening; it was too much fun to fool with cameras.  Dancing, great food, wonderful people.

Oh, I will share one other picture…

This was the view a few steps from our cabin door. It was breathtaking.

It was a great weekend, but now we’re back in the real world.  The holidays are just around the corner (!!!!), and other major life changes that I can’t talk about are going to swiftly become a reality as well.

The only sad part about the past couple of months, as fun as they have been… I haven’t seen a lot of my friends recently.  It’s as if we all became insanely busy all at once, with life pulling us all in different directions.  Hopefully that will right itself somewhat.

America’s Next Top Model

There are two things that always occur on America’s Next Top Model every cycle, without fail:

1. Someone says, “I’m not here to make friends!” This is, more often than not, the self-proclaimed bitch of the house, but they are the ones who want the most attention, want people to feel bad for them the most, etc, ad infinitum.  This usually occurs within the first couple of episodes, but sometimes you get lucky and it’s more than one girl.
2. A lot of times, when a girl gets booted out of the competition, their sobbing messy exit interview (usually with sad music, and a slow-mo montage of their awful photos to date) is punctuated with the following statement, without fail: “This will not be the last you see of me. This is just the beginning.”  The more of a train wreck the girl is, the more likely you are to hear this gem of a phrase.  You’re right! This won’t be the last of you I see; I’ll see you at the WalMart!

God, I love this show. I shouldn’t, but I can’t look away.

My Own Therapy

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve really delved into cooking at home. I cooked before, and a sure as heck baked before, but now I’m really getting into the whole process. It’s so satisfying.

In a way, it’s become a kind of therapy. It’s been a horrifically stressful week, and as the days wear on, I’m becoming increasingly dissatisfied with my “career” or lack thereof. The nights I’ve gone home and really cooked something, I’ve actually felt quite a bit of joy. It’s not necessarily that I want to eat everything I cook (I leave that for Patrick, the human vacuum, with the metabolism of a jack rabbit); it’s the act of creating something that people love. I love that.

I sound like a self-help book. “Find Yourself With a Hobby” or “Happiness is Just a Whisk Away!”

It’s just in this world that is filled to the brim with frustration and anxiety (this time of year in college publishing is off the chain), I can find control and peace in my kitchen. I love that. I love how it’s like my own little world. There is so much I need to learn, even though I have been told that I’m a great cook. I’m a terrible chopper. I’ve yet to make a successful meatloaf, and I’m not sure if it’s me, or the two recipes I’ve tried so far. I also need lots of kitchen tools. Thankfully my birthday is coming up next month (I’ll be 27 on October 26th!), so you can bet your sweet bippy I updated my wishlist to reflect my culinary needs, heh.

Tonight I’m planning on making a lemon, asparagus, and goat cheese pasta dish from Smitten Kitchen, and I’m really excited about that. It’s barely after 12pm, and it’s already been a blah day. This weekend I’m making my own pizza at home, with from scratch roasted garlic sauce.

And last night? I made this really easy polenta dish. Originally last night was going to be pizza night, but tragedy struck in the form of Comcast ineptitude. Thankfully that was squared away, but it took quite a bit out of me (well, both of us), and my cooking mojo withered. In any event, the polenta dish was fantastic.  Polenta, spinach, a tomato sauce brimming with herbs and onions, and topped with a layer of mozzarella cheese.  Such good comfort food, and it was so easy to make.

I’m going to spend today searching for recipes to try, and maybe a few cooking classes.  It’s nice to be really excited about something.  I’m excited about a lot of things, but it’s nice to have a little something that’s just for me, but at the same time is something that I get to share with others, if that makes any sense.

Recipe: Caprese Turkey Burgers

Soon I will have a beautiful DSLR in my hands, but until then, my recipes will have no accompanying pictures. So sad!

Anyway, today I’m posting a recipe at the request of the lovely and beautiful Danielle!  I had so much fun making this, and it was so good.  It definitely will be going into the rotation of dinner recipes during the week.  I would say the prep time is moderate.  It took about 20 minutes to get everything set out and prepped, but I am slow and distract easily, so take that time estimate with a grain of salt.

In any event, it was a big hit at the dinner table last night.  Also, it’s really good with a glass of Chardonnay; just make sure it’s not too strong in flavor… otherwise you’ll have a Battle Royale in your mouth.

Caprese Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
4 to 8 slices of tomato, depending on preference

1lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
6 oz of fresh mozzarella, sliced (approximately one and a half egg-sized balls of mozzarella)
4 burger buns split (optional, see note)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Get your hands dirty! Combine the ground turkey, parmesan cheese, chopped basil, and a bit of pepper thoroughly.  The best method in this case is just using your hands.  Also, for your basil, you can use kitchen scissors to cut up the fresh basil, instead of chopping it.

3. Make four equal patties out of your meat. Remember to flatten them, but not too flat!

4. Lightly grease (with cooking spray or olive oil) a casserole dish or baking pan, and place your patties in the dish.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once about halfway through. (Don’t forget to wash your hands! You don’t want to handle other foods after handling raw meat.)

While your burgers are cooking…

5. Whisk together in a bowl your olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Dredge your tomatoes through the mixture, and set aside.

6. Brush a little olive oil across the top part of the burger buns, and sprinkle a little pepper on there for good measure, if you are a purveyor of pepper.

7. When your patties are done cooking, assemble your burgers, allowing the mozzarella to melt ever so slightly onto the patties before serving.

8. Enjoy!

**NOTE: These burgers are really filling.  In fact, while it tasted great with the bun (according to Patrick), I ate mine without the bun and was very full. Really, it depends on how hungry you are, and how big the bun is.

Random Notes

**Last night I made an amazing dinner, and I have to say that I am quite proud of myself. From scratch parmesan cheese and fresh basil turkey burgers, topped with sliced fresh whole milk mozzarella and tomatoes dredged in a bit of oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. It was so good, but sadly the accompanying cous cous was way too dry.

**We also finally buckled under the pressure and watched the season premiere of House.  I’ve never been a huge fan of the show, but I really enjoyed it.  What still concerns me is that the premiere seemed to be this encapsulated plot line, almost like a movie, and I’m not sure if that will really translate to the rest of the season.  I’ll give it a shot though, and hope it’s not just another eye-rolling Greys-Anatomy-esque medical drama show.

**I’ll admit it; I’ve been a complete slacker with this current class I’m in.  I’ve let a lot of bad habits consume me, and frankly I’m looking forward to when this class is over, and I can start anew in my next class. I’m a bit disappointed in myself because I had been doing so well.

**One of the joys of working in any sort of customer service field is that there is never a shortage of people willing to tell you how best to (a) run your business, (b) do your job, or (c) both.  “You see, I know you’re doing what you think is best for you [yea, because I'm running this company], but it’s not what is best for the customer.” “Why don’t you accept it over the phone?” “Why can’t I do everything electronically?” “You know, if you did [fill in the blank], you might actually make people happy!”  “You’d think, in this day and age, you could do [fill in the blank].” “You know, you’re going to lose customers over this.” “All the other publishers are doing it!”

It’s usually something asinine, like they’re just shocked and appalled that they were charged tax. Or shipping. Or for the actual product itself. We really ask so much, I know.

**Getting in shape has been going well. I’m starting to notice some slight differences. My arms are a bit leaner. I don’t get winded as easily.  The hill of doom right by our apartment that I must trudge up every morning didn’t feel as bad today.  I’m looking forward to more positive changes.

**This morning it was HUMID. It felt oppressive before 9am. I hate DC weather. I hate it….

…BUT AT LEAST IT IS THE FIRST DAY OF FALL!!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cookies

Yesterday marked the inauguration of my holiday baking season. While there was glorious sunshine coming through our windows, I decided to pretend that it was brisk and chilly outside because, frankly, I’m completely over summer. (See new blog header.)

To mark the second Sunday of football season, I cooked a lovely lunch of homemade white bean dip (with vegetable and flaxseed chips), buffalo chicken sandwiches with crumbled blue cheese, and my absolute favorite fall beverage:

To top off our little feast I made Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cookies! I tweeted about it, and received several requests for the recipe.  I’m not surprised because just hearing the type of cookie it is makes me drool.  The recipe is based off of a generic recipe that I modified and tweaked until it was brimming with yummy autumn goodness.

Aside from the tastiness of the cookies, what makes this recipe great is how easy it is.  Few ingredients and even fewer steps!  Granted I have a stand mixer, which makes baking infinitely easier, you’ll find yourself pleased without one.

Now, without further ado…

PEANUT BUTTER PUMPKIN COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 jar of creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
1.5 cups of sugar (or sugar substitute, like Splenda)
1 tablespoons of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon of pumpkin spice

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine and blend all ingredients thoroughly. Might look a bit crumbly, but that’s okay!
3. Make 1 inch balls out of cookie dough, and flatten them somewhat.  Place them on a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. Enjoy!

The only note I would make about the recipe is NOT using generic store brand peanut butter.  I used an all natural creamy peanut butter from Trader Joe’s (the kind where you can see the oil pooled at the top of the jar), and it was fantastic. You could really taste the difference, in terms of quality.  Not only that, it was much easier to blend with the other ingredients.

I’m sure regular peanut butter would work as well, but given the choice, I’ll go with the natural peanut butter instead of processed.

Redskins Drinking Game

It’s a Redskins drinking game for all of us fans who stick around for the beatings.  Let’s face it; we’re the abused wife to the Redskins’ angry drunk factory worker of a husband.  Here’s how to make Sunday a little more fun.

****

Redskins Drinking Game

Drink once when we’re unable to convert on the third down.

Drink twice when we turnover the ball.

Drink three times when we are forced into kicking a field goal because we’re too inept to close the deal in the red zone with a touchdown, no matter how epic our offensive drive down the field was.

****

The drinking game’s perfection lies in its simplicity.  Three line items guaranteed to show you a good time if the Redskins won’t.

Let’s face it, even though we won today, we still feel like we’re playing pee-wee league football.  THREE field goals and no touchdowns? Seriously?

An Open Letter

Dearest Aaron Eckhart,

Oh, darling keeper of the butt chin that I hold dear, I have a request. One small tiny eensy weensy request. STOP WITH THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES. Please. I’m begging you. While I will never give up an opportunity to swoon over you, Romantic Comedies are like the Siberia of movies; there is no return, and there is no salvation. (Paging Matt McConaughey?) I know, I know… When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle made it look like a sure thing, but do not let those exceptions fool you!

I know you have good choices inside that gorgeous head of yours! Thank You for Smoking, Conversations with Other Women, and In the Company of Men are a testament to this fact. Look, I’ve seen you through The Core and Paycheck, but this is becoming unforgivable.

Wasn’t No Reservations bad enough?

Fine. You can “find yourself” and “find true love” with Jennifer Aniston this ONE time, but after that, you had better start making wise decisions about your future.

Otherwise we’re breaking up.

I’ll leave you for Eddie Cahill. I mean it this time.

With Love,
Liz