Author Archives: Emily

I Was Told There’d Be Book Club

by

Book club was a success!  And Adam got off of his shift early and got to spend the afternoon with me, so it was a great day all-around.

I got up early to do some final cleaning (when people come over I like to pretend that we’re not slobs) and snacked on a bag of popcorn and a slice of 2% provolone while I worked.

I also did some major 2-for-me-and-1-for-the-bowl-ing while I prepped the fruit salad.

At 10 my friends arrived and we feasted.

We may not have really talked about the book (I Was Told There’d Be Cake) but at least we had some good eats!

My plate had potatoes,

fruit salad,

cheesy baked eggs,

and a crepe (so cool!) with Biscoff spread on the inside.

We also made hibiscus mimosas.

It was all great fun.  No people pictures though because we suck at remembering to take them.  I always have my camera with me (duh) so I need to do a better job at snapping candids.

We book clubbed until after 3pm and then my cultural meal pattern group and I baked some Irish soda bread to bring to our presentation tomorrow.  By the time they left I was starving again and my study motivation was seriously waning.  But I have an important cumulative exam – spanning two semesters and material from 2 courses – tomorrow.  What to do, what to do?

Somehow the husband and I decided that the solution was to go out to dinner and study at the table while other people prepared our food!

We went to an all-you-can-eat sushi spot that has a longish wait between courses and it was actually perfect.  I’m not prepared for tomorrow by any means, but I got a lot more done than I would have at home.

I also ate a lot.  I just plain don’t have time to break the pictures down, but here’s a shot of what I ate.

Wow!  Highlights included edamame, tamago (sweet egg) sushi, and tempura zucchini.

And we stopped at Wegmans for a candy cane for dessert.

Sweet dreams!

Long Dog In A Little Coat

by

Sorry I keep disappearing.  No one actually cares besides my mom, but she really cares! (Sorry, mom!)  My personal school semester seems to have ended two weeks ago, and since real school runs until December 15th it’s been sort of a problem.

But today was busy.  So busy in fact, that I woke up at 7:30 but didn’t have my first bites sips until after 10am.

A mug of White Christmas tea with 1/4 cup of eggnog.

The tea contained peppermint and ginger so all of my favorite holiday flavors were present in this mug.

My morning included dog walking, house decorating and grocery shopping.  Then I took a quick break for lunch.

This open-faced sandwich was stupendous.  I topped a thick slice of bread with cranberry relish, some shredded rotisserie chicken, and a few slices of melty sharp cheddar.

The tang from the cranberries paired really nicely with the cheddar.

Adam had to go to the mall to replace his eyeglasses (Webster) so I tagged along.  We also finished up the last of our Christmas shopping and cashed in a coupon at DQ.

I got a mini candy cane chill blizzard. There were little pieces of crunchy peppermint throughout and I loved it.

The flavor and texture actually reminded me of that great peppermint stick chocolate bar Adam and I ate last week.

We made a quick stop at home to pick up the little destructor and then we headed to Pet Smart.  Someone has been getting chilly on walks.

Oh. My. Goodness.  I don’t even have the words to describe how cute Webster looks in his new sweater (thanks, mom!).  Sidenote – every single time we go out on a walk someone/many people comment on how cute Webster is, so I always tell him that he’s “the toast of the town.”  Then today I got to ask how The Toast liked feeling toasty!

My evening included coffee cake cooking, more cleaning, and dinner.

We split a bag of Bird’s Eye garlic cauliflower,

and made a batch of Rachael Ray’s Beer-Braised Meatballs.

I subbed in turkey meat and chicken stock for the beefy bits, but otherwise followed the recipe.  We think this one’s a keeper.

And for dessert I tried a small slice of the coffee cake.

Pretty good.  I’m actually not the hugest coffee cake fan but I’m hosting book club tomorrow and I needed a brunch-appropriate cake (we read I Was Told There’d Be Cake).

Are you a pet dressed?  I’m not really into it (my mom tried to buy Webster a bandana of the month club and we staunchly put our feet down) but the dog seems kind of wimpy and I don’t want him to be unhappy on walks.

Welcome, December

by

The official month of snowmen, gingerbread men, eggnog, candy canes, and good cheer is finally here!

I rung in the season with a festive oatmeal bowl.

Stovetop:  1/2 cup each water and skim milk, 1 large banana, 1/3 cup oats

Stirred in:  1/3 cup 1% cottage cheese

Topping:  1 Tbsp Biscoff Spread, 1 Tbsp light cream, a sprinkling of sprinkles

Delicious times delicious times delicious!

Gingerbread, peppermint, or eggnog; what’s your poison?

Hello, Bob

by

So, this morning I looked like this –

and now I look like this –

I like it, I think!

I always sort of hate my hair whenever I get it chopped, but I’ve gone short several times now so apparently that’s not holding me back!  I ended up having 14 inches to give to Locks of Love, which is great.

A friend and I went during a long break between classes and it was fun to see people’s reactions when we got back.  “Wait, didn’t you have a pony-tail this morning?!?”  I surprised Adam too.  He picked me up from school and his mouth fell open when I walked out to the car!

BC (before the cut) I ate half of this Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

And AC (after the cut) I bought a great green juice.

This was blend of spinach, kale, carrot, and cucumber; from a new spot just blocks from my apartment.

This was so good, and “only” $4.  I predict I’ll be there more often than I can afford!

Adam picked me up after school so we could make a quick grocery trip.  We each picked something from the cookie bar for funsies before we did boring stuff like toilet paper.

I chose cinnamon nut rugala and I’m now on the hunt for a rugala recipe to make at home.

While I was fixing Adam’s dinner I snacked on some canned pineapple over 1% cottage cheese.

My dinner was supposed to be some of Monday’s “leftovers,” leftover.

A heaping bowl of pasta, shredded chicken, and tons of peas, topped with parmesan, cranberry relish, and a drizzle of evoo.

I love this bowl so much more than I do anything I eat on Thanksgiving.  But I got up to do something halfway through and when I came back there was a dog face in my bowl!  Webster’s sort of an asshole.

Instead I ate this Smart Ones Brocoli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes.

Not as good as the dinner I shared with the dog, but not as bad as it looks either.

Have you ever given to Locks of Love?  If you have long hair – how many times have you gone short?

Window Shopping Wednesday

by

I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school all day Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I’m coveting this week –

1. This camera pouch from Unique Vintage.

I couldn’t find the stats on the site, but if my camera would fit in here it would just be too adorably meta.

2.  The Hey Sugar Bowl from Urban Outfitters.

I swear I would eat oatmeal out of this and not just ice cream!  I’m actually in love with pretty much all of the kitchen stuff at UO right now.

3.  Water Lilly and Herbs Moist Wipes from Motif.

I can’t even imagine how good these smell, but I know for sure that they’re adorable.

4.  The Ultimate Underwear Sports Bra from Panache.

This claims to support up to an H, so I have to figure that I’d be covered.  Plus it is so cute that I’d probably find a way to wear it peeking out from under a tank top, exercise or not.

5.  A Sticky Pad from Siconi.

Supposedly, this sticks to anything.  Which means you can stick the pad to any surface and then stick any item to the pad.  Like your cell phone to the dashboard when you’re using GPS.  Or use it to put a recipe on the wooden kitchen cabinet near the stove.

What’s on your shopping list?

Dates

by

Note to self –

If a yogurt’s dated November 10th, don’t eat it on November 29th.  It’s not worth it.

I’ll be back tomorrow evening after what I hope is a full, productive day not spent whimpering in the fetal position.

“Leftovers”

by

Did everyone have a fantastmic Turkey Day weekend?  (I did!)  We had a great last 1/2 day in Miami, including brunch with one of my best college friends, but got back into town late enough and with enough to do that I knew I was better off not blogging.

I didn’t have it together to pack food this morning but, though I got a little cranky around 1:00, I managed to make it through the school day without food.  Fueled or not, I am so proud of myself for making it to the gym during the break before my last class.  35 minutes, level 6 random, on the elliptical.

I had an after-school errand that made me have to wait longer to eat, but I was ok with it.  I was off to see a boy.

Love him.  And I was so proud, when I went to the vet to pick him up they told me that he was perfectly behaved and everyone was going to miss him.  I took him on a quick walk when we got home and he hadn’t forgotten any of his training during our five-day absence.

He’s a genius.

He’s also shedding like a mad man.  When Adam got home we went out for a lint brush to remedy the winter coat/dog fur situation and also dealt with the food issue.

It’s worth not eating all day to get Wegman’s hot bar for late lunch.  I got a heathy mix of fruits,

and veggies.

Delicious.  I haven’t made brussels sprouts at home in ages but they are always my favorite thing on the buffet line.

Dinner was a winner as well.

Who says you need Thanksgiving leftovers to have a day-after-Thanksgiving inspired dinner?  Into our bowls went a serving of pasta, some shredded rotisserie chicken, peas, a bit of parmesan, and a big dollop of cranberry relish.

I made an extra serving too and I’m excited about having this again as leftovers.

I tried to do some drinking with dinner.

But this Angry Orchard Hard Cider was too sour (it tasted almost rotten!) for me and I only managed a few swigs.

What did you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

Best Ever

by

It’s a good thing I decided not to blog after dinner yesterday because we ended up staying out for drinks!  It was a late, fun night.

We started our evening with dinner at Las Culebrinas, Adam’s favorite Cuban place on the planet.  They have rolls with the best garlic butter.

We also ordered some appetizers to share.

Fried plantain with shrimp in red sauce and mozzarella sticks.

For dinner I got Mahi Mahi crusted in corn flakes and topped with a honey mustard sauce.

It was a little too fried for me but the sauce was so good.

And it came with a side salad with great dressing.

We did lots of sharing (though no one went near Adam’s beef because he was moaning so loudly – and whispering sweet nothings to his chocolate flan – and we were all a little afraid).  I ended up eating the equivalent of 3/4 of my plate.

Afterwards we walked around Coconut Grove for some more people watching.  And somehow ended up at Uncle Moe’s for drinks.  Like the Cow Tipper.

Here’s a shot with my hand for size comparison.

My mom and I split this one, obviously.  It was tasty, but not as strong as it sounds.

Which is good, because I was feeling good this morning.  I decided to skip the hotel breakfast, which was lackluster yesterday, and get in a quick gym trip instead.  15 minutes on the treadmill for a bit over a mile.

I ate my stolen pear for breakfast.

Along with a NuGo Dark bar packed from home.

And we stopped by our old favorite Thai place for a bubble tea smoothie.

Strawberry coconut smoothie with bobba.

So freaking good!

Plus a few peppermints for freshness.

Amid the day’s exploration we also spent some time at the mall. I know shopping seems like a strange vacation activity, but my parents live on an island so it’s more exploratory for them than the beach. My dad shared a pretzel with me while we were there.

I ate about x2 what’s pictured. We were practically frozen so I also bought an earl grey with steamed skim milk.

A few stops later, and we were at my favorite place on the planet.

Where I made the biggest cup of froyo I’ve ever eaten.

Everything chocolate and caramel, smothered in marshmallow.

Heaven. Pure heaven.

And the evening only got better. The plan was to go to Joe’s Stone Crab, but a 2-hour wait scared us away. The disappointment was very serendipitous, because we ended up having a best ever dinner at Joe’s less formal take-away spot next door. You ordered your food at a counter and brought it to the booth yourself and it ended up being just perfect.

To start, Adam and I split a seafood bisque.

It was creamy and tangy with big chunks of fish.

Then the four of us split an order of stone crab.

Stone crab is like the best crab you’ve ever had, on steroids. It is meaty, yet tender and buttery.

I got most of two claws, dipped in butter and mustard.

I drank a spicy bloody Mary with my food but I was too excited about the crab to remember to photograph before a few sips in.

For the rest of the meal, my mom and I split two sandwiches.

The shrimp po boy and the lobster Reuben.

The po boy was good, though I mostly ate the shrimp out of the bun, dipped in remoulade.

The Reuben was out of this world. Everything that’s good about a Reuben but with the added amazingness of lobster.

Everyone kept laughing at me for chewing with my eyes closed but I just couldn’t help it. The big pieces of meat were absolutely perfect.

I thought I couldn’t be happier, but then Adam bought me this t-Rex juice container.

Best trip souvenir ever.

My favorite activity in any city is bike riding, and for the hour after dinner that’s just what we did.

It was so much fun, though our times in the sand basically left my thighs burning! Then we spent another hour walking down the club strip on South Beach for the ultimate people watching. It was the best vacation day ever.  The best.