I Swallowed (A Wine Tasting Recap)

by Emily

What a fun day! It included booze, friends, and cookies, so you know it was a winner. I didn’t do the best job photographing but today was one of those days when it is more important to live it than blog it. I guess that’s true for all days really!

I have no excuse for the past two days because I think blogging a recap would have been my most exciting event, sadly. I was lazy not busy. But I do have two new recipes to share this week. Two recipes for two days seems fair.

We had to do a major cleaning job on the apartment this morning but we did find time for a dog walk. Breakfast on the go.

Adam and I split this Mango Noosa Yoghurt (there are two servings per package) and we were both big fans. So thick and creamy!

I read up on the company and I really like their policies. I just wish the ‘gurt was available in low-fat.

Today my friends and I cashed in a big group Living Social deal and hopped in two town-cars for a winery tour. We got picked up at my place so every one came up for some sweet treats first.

We had (unphotographed) “virgin mimosas” of oj and vanilla club soda and I baked two treats. How Sweet Eats’ Chocolate Drenched Coconut Oatmeal Squares.

And cookie dough truffles (recipes is one of the two promised for this week).

Both were big hits! HSE is basically a genius; I subbed in unsweetened coconut but otherwise I left her recipe alone. Adam complained about helping me bake on Saturday night but after he tasted the goods he shot me death-eyes when I tried to send friends home with leftovers! I ate two of each all total for the day.

Then we were off for three hours of wine tasting.

We hit up three wineries, all of which had a great selection. Between the seven of us there was a large range of preferences. Rachel likes super dry and I like super sweet so the two of us ended up swapping glasses a couple of times. I don’t really drink wine so it was nice to have little tastes to see what I like; I even tried a couple of reds! The craziest ones were Schulze Wines’ crackling sweets.

I especially liked Niagara Landing’s Rosebud line and even came home with a bottle.

And I paid $2.50 extra at one spot for this mini glass of ice wine.

All total I had 13 tastes and I didn’t spit once! I probably should have though, it wasn’t an insane amount of alcohol but all 13 were sweet and I felt pretty sick by the time I got home.

I ate a mac and cheese muffin (the 2nd recipe),

and then crashed hard on the couch.

When I forced myself up two hours later I knew there was no way I would be cooking the soup on my meal plan. Instead we went to Moe’s.

My vegetarian burrito had rice, black beans, sautéed mushrooms/peppers/onions, cheese, corn salsa, and guacamole. It was just what I needed.

I’m feeling loads better now. But I am hoping to turn in early because I’ve got a busy to-do list for tomorrow.

Have you ever been to a wine tasting? Did you spit?

5Jul2012

Stone Soup

by Emily

Long time no blog. I’m glad to be back, but my days away were glor-i-ous! I spent 70% of Monday – Wednesday curled up in bed. I ate pizza and lots of chocolate. I watched the first season of “Flashpoint.” And I read five (250+ page) murder-mystery novels. Like I said, glorious.

Back-in-the-world-Thursday started with a trip to the gym. 40 minutes on the stationary bike at level 7 random. Followed by stretching that was not enough because my right hip has been killing me all afternoon.

I ate half of this NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt bar on the walk home.

Summer is the only time when I could drive to the gym and park, but why get in a car when I can walk? If I’m not in a time-crunch I’d rather move my legs. And Buffalo State’s recent landscaping makes it a lovely walk indeed.

The 2nd half of breakfast used my new favorite smoothie ingredient.

This Vanilla Chai Vega was stupid good. I haven’t had a chai latte in forever and I feel an iced one in my immediate future. For my smoothie I blended the Vega packet with 1 cup of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk and a large frozen banana.

It didn’t taste green and the 15 grams of protein kept me full all morning.

I hurried through errands – Lexington Co-op, Goodwill, Wegmans – so I could meet a friend for a walking date this afternoon. I picked her up on Elmwood and we set off for the (new) Buffalo Cakery.

I brought Adam a cupcake but went with ice cream myself. A small cup of candied apple and salted caramel.

Sadly the flavors weren’t great together and I had to throw out my cup halfway through when things got melty. The 4 miles of walking were hot-hot-hot but also just what I needed.

I cooled down with a Tusker when I got home.

And I was glad for ac this evening because my meal was hot and spicy. I borrowed components from the rest of the week’s dinners for a stone soup of sorts.

In a small pot, I heated up 1 tsp chipotle oil. I sautéed ~1.5 cups chopped bok choy and 2 sliced green onions with the juice from half a lime and 1 Tbsp fish sauce. I added ~1 cup frozen corn and 1.5 cups chicken broth then covered and boiled for 5 minutes. Then I took of the lid and stirred in 1 large egg, juice from another lime, and a big squeeze of Sriracha.

The end result was an odd mash-up of Thai and Mexican flavors but it worked.

I should have made dinner bigger though because it ended up being a 2 dessert evening. The last Tbsp of so of Biscoff, straight from the jar.

And 5 marshmallows and 1 Tbsp chocolate chips, microwaved until gooey.

Tasty, but I would have been better off with an extra egg in my soup.

I’m off to watch more “Flashpoint,” but hopefully not for too long; we’ve been up past 2 am every day this week and I’m hoping to break that pattern. Night!

5Jul2012

Our Outer Banks Vacation

by Emily

My first trip to the Outer Banks was a raging success! We saw, tasted, and experienced so much. Adam’s family has traveled to OBX in the summers for ages and it was great to finally see the setting of so many family stories in person.

We got home from our trip on Sunday night but I haven’t been blogging because I took the last few days to decompress. I’m excited to post again today but I needed some time sans camera. Trying to recap my whole vacation seems silly at this point, so I’ll just share some of the highlights.

A few of my favorite OBX experiences –

We…

Laid in the sun.

Stuffed ourselves at an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet with both lobster tail and stone crab.

Discovered self-serve froyo (of course!).

Walked many miles on the beach.

Found my favorite beer at a random bar.

Climbed a lighthouse.

Ate authentic (i.e. with tons of tangy, red sauce) North Carolina BBQ.

Came home full, tan, and happy to pick up our favorite dog.

I’ll be back next year, OBX!

4Jul2012

Window Shopping Wednesday

by Emily

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 on Wednesdays~~, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I’m liking this week –

1. S’mores Marshmallows from Koppers Chocolate

Mini marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate and then again in graham crackers? Count me in! These seem like they have a good balance of the crucial s’more ingredients.

2. The 3 Ft Inflatable T-Rex from Fred Flare

I had this as a kid!! Or at least I had something very similar; but it does trigger some memories. I’d definitely display this guy in our apartment but I’m not sure the husband would be a fan.

3. The Ciate Cavier Manicure Set at Sephora

How flipping cool is this textured manicure?! The rainbow set is so funky and fun. The reviews all say that the beads fall off quickly but this would be fun for a night on the town.

4. The byCORPUS Cap Sleeve Baby Doll Tunic from Urban Outfitters

I love tunics so much but they are usually tanks so this cap sleeved option feels extra exciting. This is so cute and it seems like a top that I wouldn’t overheat in as the temperatures rise this summer. I actually like the polka dot pattern best but the photo of it had an unfortunate amount of boob.

5. Quinn Popcorn in Vermont Maple and Sea Salt

The company describes their product as “microwave popcorn revisited.” Y’all know I’m a big popcorn fan but I think even popcorn could be elevated by maple. My mom would love this!

Would you rock a textured manicure?

30Jun2012

Fifty Shades of Loves Of Late

by Emily

Yesterday I complained about money, today let’s talk about some of the things I’m loving lately.

Here are some of my past loves.

#1 – The dog

I’m sure at this point in the vacation I’ve said “I miss the dog” no less than 536,354,993,005 times! Not gonna lie, it’s possible that I cried when we dropped him off for boarding.

#2 – “The New Adventures of Old Christine”

I realize that this show has already been aired and canceled, but I just discovered it. Lifetime has four episodes online at a time and they are worth checking out. Elaine (she’ll always be Elaine!) has such great comedic timing.

#3 – This video of grandmas discussing Fifty Shades of Grey. Warning – dirty. Dirty, dirty, dirty.

I’ve never actually read the book, but I skimmed it and that was enough. More than enough. A friend and I read through it in a book store a few weeks ago and after five minutes we both felt like we needed a shower (it’s worth noting here that I’m a super fast reader and can actually cover a lot of literary ground in five minutes).

Nevermind the concerning relationship dynamic between the main characters and the fact modern women’s obsession with it is basically setting feminism back to before we got the vote. Nevermind the stilted writing, grammatical errors, overall lack of editing, and weird repetition of the word “blushed.” Nevermind the fact that the main character said “my behind” repeatedly during what would have been a wild sex scene (then the term “fur glove” was used a few pages later and interestingly it was not a euphemism for vagina). My main issue with the book is that the poor wording leads to a sexy time scene that described acts that were physically impossible.

But the video is hilarious.

Did you read Fifty Shades of Grey? What’d you think??

29Jun2012

I Hate Being A Grown Up

by Emily

Hello there! I didn’t bring a computer to the Outer Banks so I tried to set up a few posts before I left. Today I’m going to complain…

Do you know about Jenna Marbles yet? This part isn’t the complaint, I adore Jenna Marbles; her “How To Trick People Into Thinking You’re Good Looking” video is still one of the funniest things I’ve seen on YouTube. Recently she posted a funny video about all of the things she hates about being a grown up. Warning – grown up language ahead.

I agree! I think everyone hates those things. The video got me thinking about what else I hate about “being a grown up.” <– I’m not quite sure I’m there yet!

The # 1 thing I dislike about being an adult is having to worry about money. Adam and I are ridiculously fortunate that a combination of savings and several loans allows us to live very comfortably, but I still worry about money all of the time. I know that I’m incredibly lucky and can more than afford everything I need, but sometimes I do think about the things that I want. Making adult decisions about money can suck.

Here are some ways I’m grown up about $ –

I held a part-time job throughout all of high school and college and I put most of my tips/pay checks into savings.
We’ve never skimped on health/car/apartment insurance.
I set up dermatologist and gynecologist appointments for this summer instead of a pedicure or manicure.
I haven’t bought makeup in years (my mom keeps me in lip gloss and mascara via my Christmas stocking) but I do wear good quality, high spf face lotion.

Here are some ways I’m not at all grown up about $ –

We have basically emptied our savings. That includes the money in the savings account I’ve had since I was 10 that I always imagined myself doing something very exciting with.
I haven’t had a job (not including my short stints of tele-fundraising) in 3 years.
We don’t have retirement funds.
Even though we clearly can’t afford it, all I can think about some days is getting Webster a Miriam (aka a tan, girl Frenchie).

I am very thankful for the lifestyle I currently have, but I do think about the things I’ll buy when I have more money (foundation! makeup brushes! clothing from J.Crew!). A lot of what I say to Adam starts with “when you’re a doctor…”

Please note – this post is very tongue in check; I do know how lucky I am!

What are some of the ways that you are grown up (or not so grown up) about money?

28Jun2012

Out Of Office Message

by Emily

All of the important stuff is packed, I’m good to go!

Right now we are on a plane to the Outer Banks. I didn’t pack a computer so I won’t be blogging until we get back. If you’re curious about what we are up to in the meantime, follow me on Twitter or on Instagram (I’m “emilywax” on both).

Have a great weekend!

27Jun2012

Soup and Sandwiches

by Emily

It’s almost 11, I haven’t showered, and our house-sitter gets here at 4am tomorrow. Whoops?

My retainers are killing my mouth so today was pretty boring. I hope I feel better enough in the next 24 hours that I can enjoy some salt water taffy this weekend.

I overslept and missed my cool-weather window this morning and had to workout at the gym. Instead of being annoyed about the trip I made it into an experience. Leisurely walk to get coffee, sip on my walk to school, then gym it. The coffee came from 7-11.

Half French vanilla coffee (unsweetened) and half vanilla bean cappuccino (sweet). Delicious!

My workout was good too. I did 10 sets of 2 minutes running/3 minutes walking on the treadmill. 50 minutes and 3.9 miles. Plus a quick session of stretching and strength moves.

Lunch was a cold slice of cheese pizza.

I got some really good news while I was at school and almost had ice cream to celebrate but something about being in a bathing suit in 24 hours made it less appealing 😉

Wonder of wonders, I got my packing done in the afternoon.

Usually I wait until the middle of the night so this felt like a huge accomplishment.

Dinner made use of this Rothschild Roasted Red Pepper & Onion Dip.

For two, I mixed the 3.75 oz jar with 4 oz of shredded sharp cheddar and a big dollop of Miracle Whip. I spread my mock pimento cheese on 4 slices of whole grain bread and then pan-fried our sandwiches in a bit of butter.