Help! Apparently I'm a teenager again.

I've discovered I have a problem - a regression issue that I don't think can be cured :oP And, I'm not sure what kind of transformation has take place over the past month or so, but I feel like I'm 17 again - and not in the cool Zac Efron movie way.

One minute I was off on a business trip to Denver (very adult of me) and the next minute I was stealing every minute I could to read The Twilight Saga books! Seriously, those damn beautiful things became my life for 3 weeks. And, now I know why girls find Rob Pattinson so dreamy. My friends are sick of hearing me go on and on about it so I'll just leave you with the New Moon trailer and shut up on this subject.



On top of that, my music tastes have regressed as well. A hilarious blogger I subscribe to recently posted about his guilty pleasure songs. Let's just say that I was inspired to let the cat out of the bag and share mine with you as well. So, here it goes - my favorite 'lame' songs:

1. N'Sync - "This I Promise You"
I'm going to admit that I've transferred this one from iPod to iPod - at one point I thought it might be suitbale for my wedding someday, then I realized that sharing this with anyone would mean I'd never get married. But, I just can't help but think of the video of the guys in the forest crooning out this tune...awesome.

2. Hanson - "MmmmBop"
So about 12 years ago this song was THE 'jam' for most teenage girls. Even though you couldn't tell what the F these boys were saying, the tune was unbelieveably catchy. So catchy, in fact, that I just may or may not still rock out when my iTunes shuffles it out of the archives.

3. Lady GaGa - "Paparazzi"
I've avoided liking her for so long and she finally got to me - with a song about stalking someone. Go figure.

4. Miley Cyrus - "The Climb" and "Party in the U.S.A"
Yes, not one, but TWO Miley Cyrus songs - and I actually find one inspirational. Not that my cred was that high before, but it's definitely gone way down with the admition of my love for the music of a 16 year old. I dare you to put on "Party" for a bit and then try and tell me you don't at least like it a little...

OK, that's enough of shaming myself for now. Next post will definitely be more 'adult-y'. I like, totally promise.

Peanut Pumpkin Curry Noodles = AMAZING.

Sometime last week I was talking about my cooking adventures. I was asked what my favorite dish to make was - and so I had to share it with all of you! Given the 'autumn' theme of it, I usually only make it 2-3 times a year, but it's so delicious that I even dream of having it on even the warmest of summer days. It's my vegetarian adaptation of a Rachael Ray recipe, so feel free to add 'five-spiced' chicken if you're a meat eater or fancy it up with scallops or another kind of seafood. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Peanut - Pumpkin Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Asparagus
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 tablespoons oil (whatever you have is fine)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter ( I use low-fat Jif)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
• 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
• 2 rounded tablespoonfuls Curry Powder or paste
• 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
• 1 bunch Asparagus, cut in to 1-inch pieces
• 4 scallions, chopped

Directions
Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to hot skillet. Place the asparagus and five-spice powder (along with some salt) in the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Set aside.

Using the same deep skillet over medium heat, add in 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry powder or paste. The sauce will be very thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Add asparagus back to sauce. Adjust salt, to taste.

Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles topped with the chopped scallions.

Denver and a California Wedding.

I've been a bad blogger.

Unexpected work projects, vacation preparation and travel have taken me away for a couple of weeks. It was all a whirlwind, the stress of trying to tie up loose ends, figuring out what to pack (I'm not a good traveler) and then actually leaving town for a week - but I had forgotten how amazing it is to go on vacation!

To escape from most things - work email, facebook, twitter and everything in between - just to breath in the fresh air of the Colorado mountains and feel the warm California sun on my face, it was refreshing. And, it was quite the experience to see one of my dearest friends get married. It still seems surreal, but I am sending all of my love and best wishes to the new Mr. and Mrs. Shelton!

Ray of Sunshine.

I may not be a religious, or even spiritual person, but I find solace and inspiration in one of the most universal expressions of self, music. As you know by now, I am a huge fan of Jason Mraz, who chooses to "Be Love" every single day - and we're lucky enough to get to share that with him through the gift of his music.

Therefore, I had to post this snippet of his beautiful opening song on his Gratitude Cafe tour - which stopped here in Chicago last month and is sadly coming to and end in a few weeks. "Ray of Sunshine" captures a lot for me - encouraging me to stay positive no matter what my situation may be. Sometimes it takes songs like this to remind you jsut how lucky you are. Thank you Jason, for sharing this one with us - that is what I am grateful for today.




"Sometimes the sun shines on other people's houses and not mine
and the clouds paint the sky in a way
that takes away my summer time

somehow the sun shines upon you while i struggle to get mine
well there's a light in everybody so send out a ray of sunshine

i wanna walk the same roads as everybody else
through the trees and past the gates
i getting high on heavenly breezes
making new friends on the way

and i wont ask much of nobody
I'm just here to sing along
and make my mistakes look gracious
and learn some lessons from my wrongs

Sometimes the sun shines on other people's houses and not mine
and the sky can paint the sky in a way
that takes away my summer time

and somehow the sun shines upon you while i struggle to get by
there's a light in everybody so send your ray of sunshine

well you sure look as good as your outlook
would you mind if i took some time
to soak up your light, your beautiful light
you got some paradise inside

I get hungry for love and thirsty for life
but much to full on the pain
and if i turn to the sky to help me
it most often looks like rain

cause sometimes the sun shines on other people's houses and not mine
sometimes the clouds paint the sky in a way
that takes away my summer time

while the sun keeps shining upon you while i'm kindly standing by
a little light never hurt nobody send out a ray of sunshine

oh if this little light of mine combined with yours today
how many villages could we save
how many watts could illuminate

well my umbrella's tired of the weather wearing me down
well look at me now

you're undeniably warm, cerulean
you're perfect in design
i hope you hang around

so the sun can shine on me
and the clouds can all roll away
and the sky can become our possibility
cause there's a light in everybody, send out your ray of sunshine" - Jason Mraz

Breakfast to Go.

Earlier this week I learned that my beloved Archer Farms Breakfast Calzone had been discontinued by Target. (Apparently I was the only one buying them or something, ugh.) Let's just put it this way, the calzone was the perfect savory starter to my day. Under 300 calories and packed with protein, it contained roasted vegetables and egg with smoky Gouda cheese, all wrapped in yummy chewy pizza dough. Shamefully enough I was willing to pay $4 for a box of two, but I felt much better about eating these as an alternative to oatmeal/breakfast bar versus stopping at the corner Dunkin' Donuts.

So, as you might imagine, I was pretty upset when I found out that they had been pulled from the shelves (yes, I called and asked since I couldn't find them). But, then, it struck me - I wasn't without the calzone just because I couldn't buy it - I could flex my culinary muscle and make them instead!

Here's the step-by-step low-down on how to make them. I will probably tweak the recipe a little since this was my first attempt but feel free to fill them with anything you like!

Roasted Vegetable and Smoked Gouda Breakfast Calzones (Yields 9)

Make the Filling:

1 red pepper julienned

1 green pepper julienned

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 large green chili pepper, julienned ( I added this for heat but if you want you can just sub a regular green pepper)

1/2 round smoked Gouda cheese, cut into 1-inch square slices

half dozen eggs

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP butter

Directions:

When oil is hot, add onions and saute for 3-5 minutes until tender. Add in peppers and saute for another 5 minutes until tender as well. Add the basil and parsley and keep on heat for another 2 minutes to incorporate herbs. Add S&P to taste. Set Aside.

Using the same pan over medium-high heat, drop the butter in and move around to coat the bottom of the pan. Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble with a fork adding a little milk if you like, along with S&P. Then pour eggs into pan and scramble until done - about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Make the Dough:

3 Cups all-purpose flour

2 TBSP vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 packet dry, ready yeast

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients using a mixer on low speed. It will only take a minute for the ingredients to come together - then scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again on low speed until dough forms a ball. Turn out on floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. Form into ball again and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Assemble:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After dough has rested, turn out on floured surface again and knead for another 3-5 minutes to remove any air bubbles. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough until it's about a 1/4 inch thick. You should end up with a pretty big oblong piece, and at this point, use a knife to cut dough into rough 5x5 inch pieces. Roll each piece on it's own to make it more even.

Then, place pepper and onion mixture on half of 5x5 piece. Top with scrambled egg and two 1-inch slices of Gouda cheese. Fold dough over and crimp at edges to make sure the mini-calzone is closed. Place on (oiled or PAM'ed) baking sheet. Assemble the rest of the calzones and place on baking sheet as well. Then, break one egg and lightly scramble it in a small bowl. Use this as an egg-wash to brush on the tops of the calzones (it will help to give the crust that golden brown color). Lastly, poke the tops of each calzone with a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are a medium golden brown color.

Freeze:

Once the calzones come out of the oven, let them cool to room temp on the baking sheet for 1-2 hours. Then put each in it's own freezer bag and throw in the freezer. They should last 2-3 months - like they'll be around that long!

Then....Eat!*

Throw one in your bag for work, or take one out for breakfast at home. Put on plate in microwave and set the timer for 2 minutes on high. When you hear the beep, you have a yummy, savory and nutritious breakfast treat!

*I actually started writing this on Sunday when I made the calzones. I hadn't tried them yet, but I took one to work on Monday, and let me tell you, they were better than the ones I had been buying for so long. As my best friend Emily said, necessity breeds creativity - and boy was she right! It's not the fastest process, but they are so worth it - I hope you try them out too!

Impromptu Peanut Sesame Noodles.

Tonight, after returning after a long days work and a few errands, I was faced with the fact that I needed to use or lose the green beans sitting in my fridge. I had been craving peanut noodles this week as well, so with a glance in the cupboard, I found that I had all I needed to create a tasty twist on the traditional peanut noodle.

The noodles took place in two steps:

Dressing:

1/4 C peanut butter (I used low fat creamy, so as long as it's smooth use what you like), softened for 15 seconds in microwave

3 TBSP Soy Sauce

3 TBSP Sesame Oil

2 TBSP EVOO

3 squirts of the Sriracha bottle (this is a chili paste/sauce I keep on hand at all times - you can find it in the Asian aisle at all grocery stores)

1 TBSP minced garlic

1/4 C lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 TBSP sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Green beans and Noodles:

Then, cut the ends off of the green beans and cut into 1 inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water for 1-2 minutes until crisp tender, rinsing in cold water t stop cooking process.

Keep water and return to boil, adding 12 oz of whole wheat pasta (spaghetti or linguine is fine) and cooking until al dente. While pasta is cooking, chop 1 cup parsley.

Drain and rinse pasta with cold water until cool. Combine pasta, parsley and green beans in bowl and add dressing. Stir to coat and place in fridge until chilled, a minimum of a half hour.

Sunday Night Dinner.

My most recent creation came to me after I remembered that I had vegetable stock, lemons and bowtie pasta on hand that needed to be used. I also love asparagus and when it's in season, it's cheap and delicious! Add in some other quick ingredients (some a from the fridge, others fresh from the store) and wa-lah!, you have Bowtie Pasta with Asparagus in a Lemon Cream Sauce. It's light, yet decadent and really highlights one of summer's best produce items.

Ingredients:

I bunch asparagus, chopped in to 1-inch long pieces

1/2 white onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream

1 lemon

1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese

EVOO, butter

S&P to taste

1 cup veggie stock (it's ok to use chicken if you eat meat)

1 package (160z) bowtie pasta

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Directions:
Combine 1-2 TBSP of EVOO and 1 TBSP of butter in a saute pan. Once butter is melted and pan is hot, add in onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent. Add in asparagus and continue to saute, while adding S&P.

Meanwhile, boil water for pasta and cook according to directions.

After asparagus has cooked for 3-4 minutes, add in the stock and bring to a simmer. At this point, add in the cream and stir to combine. Then zest in one lemon and squeeze in juice. Sauce will be a little thin at this point.

Drain pasta after cooking and return to pasta pot.

Lastly, add parmesean cheese into sauce and stir until slightly thickened. Pour sauce over pasta and top with the chopped parsley. Serves 4 - YUM!

*I've had some requests to make my post font larger - hopefully this works! ;oP

Random Thoughts.

I received an email from my oh-so-dear friend Devon (happy early birthday!) today. She's not one to send forwards, but she said this one was way too good for words - turned out she was right! It was an email containing a person's random thoughts. They are hilarious and I just had to pull out the ones that have entered my mind and share them with you. Enjoy, and hopefully LOL!

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

- Was learning cursive really necessary?

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

-Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart."

-How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies."

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories.

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my document that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new guy, I'm terrified of mentioning something he hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my a$s everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Music and Mom.

It might have been a couple of weeks ago now, but I just had to post some pictures from the ultimate in mother-daughter bonding, Jason Mraz at Northerly Island. I've been a huge fan of his for quite some time now, and though I have always loved music, he truly formed my taste and love for deep lyrics with his acoustic show at Schubas in 2006. I've been listening to "I'm Yours" ever since it was released as a demo in 2004, and have turned my Mom on to him over the past year. We share many an interest, she and I, and now we share music too! I'm so glad I got to experience this with her and she had an amazing time. We also got to be a part of the filming for Jason's upcoming concert DVD, which was an experience in and of it's own! Needless to say, the warm summer air, Lake Michigan breeze and Jason's melodies of peace, love and acceptance made for one memorable night. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

The beautiful Chicago skyline sunset from our seats.

Mom and I at the show.

Jason on stage playing "Ray of Sunshine."

A Perfect Sunday.

After waking up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, I decided to snuggle in on this cool summer morning and take in my usual Food Network shows to cheer me up. For those of you who know me well, they are like my cartoons, and even if I won't eat most of what the chefs cook, I still love to be taken into the world of food on my weekend mornings.

While laying in bed, clutching my coffee cup and watching Giada prepare sushi, I became enamored with the fact that her herbs are always so pretty, creating a small green bouquet on her countertop. For some reason, whenever I buy herbs, I leave them in their supermarket bag, only to have them fade into the back of my fridge, forgotten and often spoiled. It was in this moment that I realized that I should enjoy the beautiful day that had risen on me and go in hunt of something pretty to serve the same purpose as Giada's container. So began my adventure with myself.

I'm not one for public transportation when it's not necessary, so I knew that I didn't want to go anywhere that would warrant a bus ride back and forth. Thinking back to the neighborhoods I have visited in this vast city, I decided upon the Brown Elephant on Halsted and Waveland as my destination. Hopping the 36 bus, I was there in 15 minutes, amongst all of the other thrift-shoppers who decided it was time to hunt for a bargain. I headed straight for the back corner where the glass and dishes were strewn about on several different shelves. It only took me about 5 minutes to find the most adorable green glass vase. In the process I also found a little milk-glass teacup. What I would use it for, I wasn't sure, but I knew that both would serve their purpose in my home. About 10 minutes later I was out the door after only spending $2.50 on both items!

The rest of my afternoon was marked by a long walk home consisting food shopping and the happy surprise of shoes! I wandered across the street after the Brown Elephant to Whole Foods. While I don't shop here often for obvious reasons, I just had to stop in. Let me tell you I came out with several goodies! I've had this crazy idea to attempt eating Vegan for a week, thinking, "it won't be an issue at all." I discovered while wandering around the store that it's quite the opposite! And as I thought about what I eat on a daily basis, it's probably not attainable or logical given my already restricted diet. But, there's no reason I can't try to make something healthy and vegan from time to time. That's when my idea for a quinoa salad came into play. I've never had quinoa, but have seen it on many a food show. Given it's nutritional qualities I thought that it was time to try it. Green beans we also gleaming at me (and on sale) so I picked up those as well. I also bought quinoa pasta that I'm going to experiment with later this week - I'll be sure to let you know how that goes! Anyways, my creation took formation as I perused the shelves of Whole Foods and stopped for produce at my local market on my way home. Check out my Sunday dinner - Quinoa salad with green beans, tomatoes, white beans, parsley and a lemon dijon dressing. Light, delicious and vegan to boot.

Also, I just had to share my beautiful bouquet of parsley that now sits in my fridge. It definitely won't be ignored! Lastly, the teacup is just too cute not to post.

Hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed your Sunday as much as I did. :o)

Starting Over

I feel like this is the third or fourth (maybe fifth time) since I've proclaimed I'm going to blog. Obviously I've hit roadblocks and creative lulls in doing so, but what I've realized is that I thought that a blog always had to exude deep thinking. So, I'm going to take a different approach and have it reflect my likes, dislikes and everything in between. Here goes nothing...