Personal Favorite of 2011

An album I couldn't live without this year was Radiohead's, King of Limbs. Honestly, I'm not sure they could do wrong for me....ever. I love them and I DO venture to say that they are my favorite band....ever. I say that with confidence that this is the way I feel right now, and that this is likely to change at some point, but despite that, they will always be the "bee's knees" in some capacity. One of my favorite songs on the album, Little by Little.

Pork, White Bean and Kale Soup

I made this delicious soup last week, and this is the end product.
I like to try new things when I cook. This time, the new ingredient was kale. I've never had it before, and I loved it! I have no idea what Bug thinks of this...all I know is that he is a good man and he pretty much eats whatever I put in front of him. I like to think I'm broadening both of our palates. So, I got the recipe from a grand website called "Eating Well." Having been diagnosed with somewhat high cholesterol, it's always nice to find a recipe that is healthy and yummilicious!


The picture above is about halfway through the cooking process. With the exception of breaking down the kale, this recipe was super easy ! Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pork_white_bean_kale_soup.html

End of the Year Fun !

I love the end of the year. It's a time to review the previous year's events...both good and bad. And we learn a little about ourselves in this review. As for myself, I didn't blog nearly as much as I hoped I would, but that's ok. I'll blog more about this later but I had A LOT going on this year! No, today I want to focus on other end of the year reviews....Music!

For the music enthusiast, this time of year is a treasure trove. You get to peruse over all of the great stuff you heard throughout the year, AND via all the great blogs and podcasts, you get to discover all the stuff you missed!

Over the next few weeks, I hope to highlight some of my favorite things I've heard this year, as well as some of the things I've only recently discovered. Over several posts, I'd love to divulge my own personal favorites of the year as well as some new discoveries. So, here it goes...

Personal Favorite #1
Artist: Bon Iver
Album: Bon Iver
Song: Perth

Recent Discovery #1
Artist: Marketa Irglova
Album: Anar
Song: Crossroads

Stumble Ole !

The other day I stumbled upon something amazing...stumbles, although sometimes embarassing, can also be quite serendipitous ! I will just get to the story:

The other day I was thinking about what I could make for dinner that would be cost efficient and tasty. I have somehow created this great recipe for quesadillas (that I have regretfully not posted here as of yet) and decided that this would be the perfect dinner for the night. As I was walking through the grocery store, I went through my mental checklist....tortillas: Check!....chicken: Check!...Cheese: Check!....Taco Seasoning: Wait.....I have recently been a little disappointed with the amount of salt in packaged seasonings. Not long ago I was diagnosed with high cholesterol so salt intake has been on my mind quite a lot. I have discovered that there are brands that have created a lower sodium version but it still seems like a lot. With a family history of strokes and heart attacks, even these heart friendly versions of spice packets were a little alarming. So it hit me ! I can make my own !

The funny thing is that I know for a fact that this is nothing new to the cooking world...but it makes all the difference in the world to me. I don't know if I will ever buy a spice packet again.
Here is the taco seasoning recipe I drew inspiration from but if I had to be honest, I did my own thing and tried to be light on the salt.

TACO SEASONING

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Use as needed or make in bulk and store in an airtight container.

Voila !

I'm a Blog Celebrity !

One of my best friends from high school has an awesome southern cooking blog called Louisiana Pickle and I am featured in her most current post ! Check it out !

I don't think anyone will ever forget where they were when the tragic attacks happened on 9/11/01. It is hard for me to believe that 10 years have passed since that awful day. For myself, I was just beginning my first day at an internship for speech-language pathology in the educational setting. I was still in Monroe. 10 years younger and only 4 months away from graduating with my master's degree...Even though it was my first day, and there was a lot to learn, everything stopped. All of us were glued to the television. What an unexpected way to start the day ! In the days and months that followed, I watched as people dug through the rubble, looking for friends and family, and heard the many heartbreaking stories from family members and loved ones of the heroes that were lost that day.

Our whole world changed that day. This event challenged our country in so many ways and we continue to grow and learn from that day in ways that we never knew were possible. 2 years later, I defied the fears of many of the people I love and decided to move to New York City. I think I was drawn to this city in part because of the typical wide-eyed wonder of a suburban girl who wanted something bigger in life (haha) but also because of the resilience and feistiness of the cities' residents who would not and continue to not let anything get them down. Here I am 8 years later, and so much has happened. I met the most fabulous friends a girl could ever have, had some amazing experiences and travels and best of all, I met the love of my life. When I look back on the events that occurred 10 years ago, my heart is extremely sad, but it is also incredibly full because now I know what strength and endurance of spirit this city has to offer....and I am so happy to be counted in that group of people who are New Yorkers.

I'm a Jersey Girl

I know it's been a while since the last time I posted. The truth is...I've been traveling like crazy ! Bug and I have had one wedding after the other and then of course, there is vacationing and our wedding planning trips. All of this has taken up a lot of time ! In the midst of all the travel, I've also moved to New Jersey. It was such a bittersweet move but I couldn't be happier to be closer to my betrothed :)

We are still in the process of "settling in" but in the meantime, I've been taking every chance to get to know the ins and outs of living in a new place. I have to admit that it has been hard. I loved living in Brooklyn. I knew my neighbors and I felt a real sense of community---like people were watching out for me. I had my neighborhood deli and a favorite restaurant, and best of all, my closest friends were within a few blocks or subway stops away from me. It's true that in a way the move has been isolating but at the end of the day, I know that nothing will keep me from maintaining my friendships....and the other day, I ran into at least 5 friends/aquaintances on the streets of Hoboken! And even though it's been hard, I've come to realize that this is what life is all about....new experiences and new beginnings. Kind of symbolic of the new life I'm about to begin with Bug...All good things :)

WE'RE GETTING MARRIED !!!!

At around midnight on April 29, 2011, my life changed forever. I have to admit I had been quite crabby the few days leading up to our vacation in Key West. I had no idea what surprise was in store for me ! Good thing I love surprises...and a certain special someone knows that quite well :)

When we arrived in Key West, we went through the motions of getting settled in our hotel room. When Tony went to return the luggage cart, he was gone for a longer time than expected but that wasn't enough to phase me. Nor was I suspicious about the amount of texting he was doing...ok, maybe I was a little suspicious about that....but at the end of the day, things never happen when you expect them too, right ? After a nice afternoon by the pool, we showered and changed for a night out in downtown Key West. When we finally got on the last shuttle back to the hotel, I was exhausted but not too tired to decline a nice walk on the beach. Little did I know what that "walk" had in store....it was there that Tony got on one knee and asked me to marry him...to spend the rest of my life loving him....I said yes !

It was the happiest moment of my life.

After many kisses were exchanged, we slowly walked back to the hotel room while Tony told me of how he had been planning all of this since January. He told me that my entire family had known during my brother's wedding in March....and he told me that he knew how important being close to my family was, especially since I live so far away. So, he had another surprise for me...he opened the door to our room and there were both of our families to celebrate with us! I'll never forget being able to share that moment with the people we love the most.

Yep, I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest girl in the world :)

The Week of Awesome

At the beginning of the week, I had a list of things I set out to do...and I am proud to say that I accomplished them all ! The week began with a wonderful day spent with Tony. We began the day by perusing the many interesting exhibits at the Museum of Sex, lounged and browsed throughout Eataly, then ended the day with a fine meal from Shake Shack (Tony's first time !).

Tuesday was spent cooking my heart out. Among other things, I made strawberry pie, and stuffed italian artichokes. These are a family favorite at this time of year. I had to bring a little bit of home to my Easter break this year since I won't be there.

Wednesday, I spent time with friends and their beautiful babies, and Thursday, I finally got to ride my bike.....

....and I completed a couple of sewing projects (there will be another post on this

later!)

In addition, I got to attend a movie for the opening night of Tribeca Film Fest ! The film was a rock documentary on the Kings of Leon called Talihina Sky.

All in all, I can't complain about my staycation ! The weather could have been better but it didn't keep me from getting the relaxation I needed before going back to the stresses of work again next week. Well, that and the fact that I am actually going on a real vacation a week from today ! That helps too :)

STAYCATION PART 1

Well, I've been on my staycation now for almost 3 days, and who knew I could manage to get so much done ! Before the week began, I knew that I wanted to cook, sew and ride my bike....so far, I've managed to do 1 out of the 3....but no worries ! The other 2 will be taken care of before the week is done ! Yesterday, I was in culinary heaven. In a matter of hours, I manage to make a salsa chicken crock pot recipe, granola, strawberry pie and italian stuffed artichokes. I can't believe I managed to get all of that done !

The salsa chicken was delicious. I got the recipe from a parent of one of the children I work with and I have to pass it on ! This is what you will need:

3 large chicken breasts
garlic salt
olive oil
a bag of frozen corn
can of black beans
1 large salsa bottle or 2 smaller jars (I used Goya mild salsa/pico de gallo)

And of course, you need a crock pot. Place the chicken breasts inside the crock pot (cut them into pieces if you like). Season them with garlic salt and drizzle them with olive oil. Set the crock pot on high and cook for 3 hours. After 3 hours, add the black beans, and corn and stir them in well. Cook on high for another hour then set the temp to low. Voila !


I'm not the best at taking pictures and in addition to that, I actually forgot to take a picture. So, here is a pic of the final product....as leftovers !