What I've Been Cookin

Lately, I've been attempting to work in some new recipes. If it were up to me, I'd get real lazy and just have a rotation of chicken/pork cooked on the Foreman grill along with a salad and an option of broccoli or some other green vegetable. Maybe some salmon to spice it up! Boring, I know, but I'm lazy so, simple foods and routine for the win! For instance, we have an almost daily routine of having cucumbers and hummus when Ed gets home from work. We really should invest in Sabra stock...

So I opened up my Pinterest board for cooking and opted to give something a try. First up:

Vegetable Tian

This actually looked freaking delicious to me. It was recommended as a side dish, but honestly? I think it was an alright main dish. If you wanted some protein, you could add in a meat or some quinoa.

Obviously, it's a little labor intensive, in that there is quite a bit of chopping. But once that's done, it's just arrange and bake. When it's done the juices collect at the bottom and it makes for a delicious broth to top everything with. I only had half an onion on hand to action as the base but that didn't make it any less flavorful. I think I'll be making this again, especially with squash and tomato prices being so friendly in the summer!

Next I poked around our cookbooks. I've been enjoying The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook lately and decided it was time to try something new from there. (Also, I highly recommend her blog The Smitten Kitchen)

Corn Risotto Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I've never tried my hand at risotto before. This initial experience was... alright. I didn't get the right kind of rice, so it didn't technically ever turn into risotto... but! I felt much more able to make risotto in the future thanks to just going through all the motions. So, prepare yourself for an improved risotto post to come!

I also did not bother to blister the skins of the peppers which can really help with the bitterness. I imagined little fireballs of poblano peppers if I attempted to blister them with the broiler (v.s. a gas stove top).

Despite not actually being a risotto, this recipe turned out pretty delicious and I look forward to doing it justice in the future.

Also, I bought some new spices, so I've been testing those out. For another Smitten Kitchen recipe, aleppo peppers were listed so I've been throwing them into a bunch of go to meals, like curried cauliflower. Curry makes everything more interesting. If I have no idea what I want to do with a vegetable you can bet it's going to be bombed with curry and peppers.

I'll be poking around to see what else catches my eye to try this summer. We're almost out of strawberry jam again so that needs to be put on the to do list. I've been stalling because you may or may not have heard on the news, it's hot as Hades here. And someone needs to come visit us. Preferably someone who likes cherries more than Ed does so I can make them mini cherry freakin' cobblers. And plums have been delicious lately too... so maybe I'll try my hand at this interesting recipe for Plum and Earl Grey tea ice cream! Fingers crossed I keep on keepin' on with the new things.

What I see when I cook:

This is probably Mom and Ken, although Carolyne and Uncle Tom are frequent visitors to my face time screen!

What I see after I cook:

My favorite sight :)

Bourdain, 12mi, 20lbs, Horsies, and pancakes!

Sorry everyone! I've been delaying writing a post for too long. I kept saying, 'Oh, I'll wait until something happens and I have something to write about.' Well, we went to see Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert talk, finished a 12 mile run, went horseback riding and ate pancakes and I didn't write after any of that!

The event with Bourdain and Ripert was alright. They are pretty funny together and it would have been a really interesting night if we hadn't read Bourdain's books and Ripert's Avec Eric. Ripert may be my favorite chef to date. One of the questions they were asked was if you were stuck on a desert island and couldn't lift a finger to cook, what three chefs would you bring along? I named Ripert right off the bat, but as Ed and I discovered, we could only name one or two other chefs whose food we had actually tasted and really loved. Tyler Florence was also on that list. We cook a good deal of special event meals from his cookbooks and we've loved every visit to Wayfare Tavern in the city (if you visit, you must try the burger, it is magical). They discussed the merits of west coast vs. east coast cooking, whether it's more important to have a good chef or good ingredients (they heartily disagreed on this point), and said California looked ridiculous for passing the ban on foie gras ('like a bunch of rubes' according to Bourdain). They also drank beer during the second half of the discussion and after all that talk of food and drink, watching someone drink a beer will make you thirstier than a marathoner in the Kalahari. One of my favorite moments was when it was revealed that Bourdain is not allowed to cook at home. His wife believes he's incapable of cooking Italian food correctly and is also on a protein kick for her martial arts training, so it's limited options for meals. He then compared his wife to a T-Rex Chuck Norris. Isn't that just a t-shirt waiting to be made?

The next weekend was peak training for me, culminating at a 12 mile run. It went about as well as can be expected. I feel as prepared as I can be for this race.

My super chic new running visor. You know, because it's essentially summertime out here now.

My runs have a pattern generally: a slowing at mile 3, but overall good first 5 miles, a small slowing again to mile 6, then pretty steady 7-10.5, and then the slog to the end. It was pretty ugly those last 1.5-2 miles. I haven't talked about it much because I don't want it to be a reality, but I'm having trouble with my knee. Some of you may remember the horrific move we made into this apartment on our own and how I injured my knee. It flares up every now and then (Yosemite and hikes generally), and these very long runs have been pretty brutal to it. I don't care if I have to walk that last mile or three to the end of this half marathon. I'm going to run as much as I can and finish what I started. Just... fingers crossed it's only moderately painful. I'm still really enjoying the training, more so now that my runs include some gentle 3-5 mile days.

Weight loss? I'm down 20lbs and counting!

Impromptu fashion show! Look at how I'm not completely busting out of my engagment party dress now. I could lift my arms and comfortably hug someone! So glad I didn't get rid of this number.

 I think I spooked Ed when I yelped in joy at the number on the scale. I think what is most exciting about all of this is that I might finally find out my 'happy weight.' It's been a couple years since I've been here at this weight (since 2007/2008). I've got a ways to go before I'll be in the 'healthy ranges' doctors recommend, but, I'm so proud of how far I've come. It's been VERY slow, but what I take away from that is that this is no yo-yo diet. I hate this phrase but, it has been a lifestyle change. I'm going to write a post on things I wish someone had told me before I started dieting and running soon.

My current secret weapon against sugar cravings: Coconut bread! I make it, eat one or two slices and then send the rest into work with Ed. Yay coworkers!

This past weekend we went horseback riding. I haven't been on a horse in ages but Ck and I used to go out with Mom in Gettysburg and ride a couple times. Ck even took some lessons if I remember correctly... seems like 100 years ago. The trail followed the coast line of Half Moon Bay, half up on the cliffs, half on the beach. It was pretty wonderful. Ed rode a horse named Texas and I rode Thumper. We decided at the end that we had very, very little input into the horse's decisions about how this ride was going to go. You guys know how much I love my romantic imaginings - re: me pretending I'm Jane on the Moors calling for Mr. Rochester on particularly foggy, quiet runs - so of course I was encouraging Ed to imagine himself as Mr. Darcy. I'm not sure he was 100% on board and may have been partial to the cowboy side of horseback riding, but he did say he felt very manly riding a horse. :)

Last but certainly not least, this past weekend I. ate. pancakes. 

I haven't had pancakes in a bazillion years (that's an exact number, I've been counting). Okay I should be clearer, I ate a pancake. Singular. One. And it was the greatest pancake. I know there's not much variation, especially when it comes to the kind of pancake I like (plain - absolutely nothing in it, especially not blueberries or chocolate chips - sacrilege!), but it is still such a treat to get a nice fluffy, delicious pancake.

And yes, pancakes DO rank right up there with Anthony Bourdain, weight loss, 12 mile runs and horseback riding.

And just in case you were wondering what my upcoming race looks like:

It took awhile to track down this elevation map, and my response when I saw it? I did NOT do enough hill training. This could be rough.

Six days until race day!

A little announcement!

It's been a quiet week, but I've got a little announcement (no. not pregnant!).

Plans are in the works for visits back to MD. We'll be in the area the week of May 20th bouncing around visiting family and friends. I'll also be making a quick visit to MD again early in June for Ck's baby stuffs. I'm pretty pumped to see everyone. Especially because it looks like we'll be extending our stay out here for a bit longer everyone.

They are thrilled!

I know, I know, the last time we all talked I said we would be back on the East Coast at the end of summer. and that was the plan. But some hard to turn down offers came up and now we're looking at another year or two out here. Everything is good and we're very excited. Clearly, Apple just doesn't want to let a good thing go - a sentiment I can fully understand. Just think, it gives you all another two years to come visit and enjoy the California life for a little while! And it gives me more time to try to convince Ed how convenient a visit to Hawaii would be from here... I kid, I kid... mostly. :)

Now, with that announcement out of the way, I can fill you in on the week. We've got ballroom dancing classes lined up again and just like before, I'm pretty excited. Fingers crossed it doesn't get canceled due to low enrollment again!

Training is going according to plan. I did 9 miles this past Sunday. Never in my life would I have imagined being able to run 9 miles. Of course I don't think it's running, I would say it's more like jogging. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Tirade time!

I have to remind myself of the above sentiment so often. There's nothing wrong with how fast I'm running. I go as fast as I can but that doesn't stop me or others from judging my pace as being 'embarrassingly slow.' No, no one has ever said that to my face, but friends and family have said that about themselves and when I read that on Facebook or Fitocracy it completely gets under my skin. They aren't just saying 'this was a bad run.' They say running an 11 or 12 min mile is bad and embarrassing. Those are verbatim the words they use.

Here's the thing. My average pace, on my really long runs, is an 11 to 11:30 mile. Other runs my miles are 10:30, some are 9:30, and I even eeked out a 9 min mile the other day. You may think that's really slow, you may laugh, but I'm working damn hard. My heart rate hovers around 180 the whole run, I can't talk during the run, and hey, you know, I've lost just about 15 pounds so far since I really got serious about running and dieting in February. I feel very proud of my progress. But I still get these bouts of intense shame about my pace. When I see someone say how embarrassing that time is, it makes me despair. I know it's not about me and it's each person's own battle. I just think it's one thing to say, hey, this was a really bad run for me, and another thing to say a certain pace is embarrassing or shameful. It's a really small thing, but you never know who is reading your words and taking inspiration or taking discouragement.

End of tirade!

On a lighter note (get it? get it?) check out my tan line from my running capris! Sexy right?

Easter was quiet and wonderful. Ed made the most delicious leg of lamb and we celebrated the end of Walking Dead and the start of Game of Thrones with two donuts from Psycho Donuts. We have a TON of leftovers and the one person in Ed's office who is always giving us leftovers (I was eager to reciprocate) is out of the office. Of course. Looks like all lamb dinners this week!

I finished two books, Requiem and May I Be Happy? which I both recommend if you enjoyed the Hunger Games series and Eat Pray Love respectively. 

 

I'm trying to rekindle my reading passion but I haven't found a book that really speaks to me since reading Where'd You Go Bernadette? I know I'll find something out there! I'm keeping my eyes open and dragging my feet through some other books in the meantime.

Reverb12 Day 7 - Feast

For the month of December I'm following a prompt-a-day format that I found on a blog I thoroughly enjoy, Tenaciously Yours. Explanation of #Reverb12 can be found here.

7. Dec 7th: Feast: Hopefully you've had more than one spectacular meal in 2012, but what is the first that comes to mind?  Were you surrounded by family at the dining room table?  Sitting on a bench by the lake?  Bring us there

This year was full of so many good meals. 

Every single meal we had on our honeymoon was delicious. I still dream of that soft, flaky fish in that clean buttery sauce. The breakfasts with  rich rum-butter french toast.
The brunch we had at Omi's house the morning after our wedding... Aunt Dolly bringing all her irresistible homemade pickles and frying up okra in the cast iron skillet. Best fried okra I've ever had. Our dinner out at Animal in L.A. with CK, trying all of those dishes... those BBQ pork sliders that I could eat a million of, the spongy, creamy tres leches cake. My 26th birthday dinner at Wayfare Tavern in downtown San Francisco, and that incredible burger. The Ledo's pizza (that we desperately miss out here) that we had with Mom and Ken right before the hurricane trapped us all inside for a few days. Later we got to watch Omi enjoy the leftovers of that pizza on facetime. :)

I really can't pick one for my favorite meal. I can't even pick out my favorite cooking experience... I really enjoyed making chicken fricassee not that long ago. Made me feel like a real chef using a bundle of herbs! Maybe I could pin it on making that breakfast pizza for Ed's 30th birthday. That was a great day and it was exactly the kind of ridiculous, fun, over-the-top man-food that you can't help but laugh at and then devour.

As we speak I'm in the midst of making my cookies boxes and I never want to eat another cookie again... but I'm in love with the process. Not just the process of making the cookies, where the kitchen very quickly progresses into total chaos, (I was wearing more flour yesterday than what ended up in the cookies. In fact, I'm sure there's a fine layer of it over here on the dining room table now that I look around me...) but the process of cleaning. I hate the very beginning of cleaning- where you are staring down that sky-high pile of dishes and food debris everywhere. My feelings start to change at that point when you can finally see just a glimmer of clean space being cleared.... a corner of the sink, a portion of the counter top cleared and freshly wiped down. It is only then, after the goods are made, the people are full, the leftovers put away and the sink cleared, that is when I feel like a real homemaker. 

I kinda strayed from the point of this prompt, oops! Oh well, back to making cookies!

"I'm gonna smile when I take your life"

Like I said in the last post, I have been cooking up a storm my friends! I figured I'd show you a bit of what I've been up to...

The one thing I was super excited about was the chicken fricassee. It just sounded so very.... Julia-Childs-y! It almost sounds as good as saying I've made a souffle (I have not). I love having lots of little pieces to prep and sort out like I'm on my own personal cooking show, and then throw it all together. I recognize this will never ever happen after children come and I'll have to learn how to make things in a hurry with 2 ingredients, but for now, I'll enjoy all this ridiculous prep time.

Yeah, I loved making that little herb bundle.

The cajun supplies in the background, the seasoning and green pepper and beans, are all for the red beans and rice soup I made alongside the fricassee. I was feeling ambitious.

Mirepoix ALWAYS makes me feel like I'm at Omi's house. It would smell like mirepoix even when she wasn't cooking! Maybe she has some perfume I should know about....

It really is a bit ridiculous how much enjoyment I got from this little herb bundle. It just looked so.... professional! I don't mean in that it's neat or perfect, but that, here I am, the girl who used to eat peanuts and cheese sandwiches because no one was home to feed me in high school (high school!!), making a dish that has a bazillion steps and calls for tempering, an herb bundle and mirepoix. 

Amazingly, despite being so proud, I do not have any pictures of the finished product. But to be honest, my plating skills? Suck. Suck a LOT. Food looks terrible when I put it together. I wonder if there are classes on how to make food look good. It seems to be a running joke in the blogosphere and pinterest that people post tons of food pictures and they all look kinda terrible to everyone except the poster. Even my own mother has commented that some of the people we know that she follows on Instagram are guilty of yucky looking food. (Aside - why is there not a webpage dedicated to terrible looking food and pins??? I found this earlier this week: http://www.pinterestyouaredrunk.com/ but there should really be one where you can call people out for posting hot mess dishes! Someone get on this. And immediately post all the pictures I take of my own dishes for examples) And that my friends, is why I will always post food in the process of being cooked, and rarely post finished products.

Excellent example. Zucchini ricotta shells in tomato sauce. Looked ridiculous when done, but it's state of messiness in this picture can be chalked up to 'hey I hadn't baked it yet!'

A rare finished product sight! This was a bit ridiculous - a 'lighter' chicken cordon bleu. The lighter part being chalked up to baking it instead of frying. I thought it was delicious, but it was also a bit large... 

Oh the things you learn when you get married. One thing you learn is that you may not have an accurate grasp on particular words. The word in question here is: Salad. I believe salad is anything from a kitchen sink salad with eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, tuna, carrots... to lettuce with some salad dressing on it. Ed believes this is blasphemous. Plain lettuce? That is not a salad. That is lettuce. With dressing. A salad, according to Ed, has other stuff on it. So... my 'salads' which I suppose are akin to my cheese sandwiches of high school, have mutated into the riot of toppings you see below:

Is no one else here in my camp? Do you all call lettuce plain lettuce? Do you say I would like a side of lettuce if it has nothing other than dressing? I mean, I think Ed is right about this not actually being a true 'salad,' but.... who says I would like a side of lettuce. I mean really. :-P

Fun fact? Peeling and de-veining fresh shrimp is GROSS. It is a pain in the butt and gross and the apartment still smells like shrimp. I made this dish, cornbread stuffed shrimp, on Friday and it is the smelly gift that keeps on giving. At least it was delicious!

And when it all gets too much and you need a break from the world or a place to find something that may make your home more perfect than it has been seeming, where do you go? IKEA! I love Ikea. I love Ikea so much I even have a bag that matches their color yellow exactly. I also love pickled herring apparently. Ed was brave enough to try the pickled herring in sour cream and it was mind-blowing good. So we grabbed the marinated herring with onion and the plain pickled herring to see how they taste. Verdict? Sour cream is still the best. Onion takes second place and is delicious. The 'matjes' herring will never be purchased again. It's like... herring in a fall-spice cider-y seasoned sauce. No bueno. 

(Side note: Omi - "Mmm I love pickled herring. So, what's the deal with all this pickled stuff hmmmmmmmmm?????" Me- "Ah, no. Not pregnant, Omi.") 

:)

And since it's fall, I must of course inundate our apartment with fall related products. Gazillions of apples, teas, pumpkin butter, ciders, and my favorite - apple crisp! I wish we had more friends to share it with out here... wait what am I saying! No way, I ain't sharing this deliciousness with any of ya! :-P

Truly though, what would fall be if not for Oktoberfest time? We are anxiously awaiting our time at Mountain Lake, but until then, we'll settle for our local events. The one below is at a restaurant called Naglee Park Garage which was on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. Next week is downtown Campbell's Oktoberfest (and a 5k on top of that!).

Ed and I's personal tradition is to attend as many Halloween activities as possible. We've already done Goat Man's Hollow and the Haunted forest in MD, the Forest of Fear in Tuxedo Park, NY, and now we can add Great America's Halloween Haunt and Fright Night at Winchester House.

Unlike many, I've never done an amusement park fright night before. I think... there were parts that were really awesome. Like riding roller coasters and flume rides at night. There were some elaborate cool mazes built up over closed rides like one that circled around the rapids ride... But all in all it really takes away from from the terror when it's flooded with teenagers and teeny tiny kids. I wish there were more people who wanted to be scared instead of judging the actors and trying to 'be cool.' Although, a group of pre-teen boys trying to be cool led to my favorite overheard (shouted) quotation of the night: "Abraham why you holding me like that man?!?!" Poor teenage boy. He may not live that down.

Winchester House... was. INCREDIBLE. So, incredible. I mean, I jumped feet off the ground, screamed til I was hoarse.... It was so scary and so good. I've been to Winchester house with friends 3 times now during the day. The night activities includes a flashlight tour of the house, but it goes in reverse, so for those of us who feel like we 'know' the house, it makes everything fresh. Especially with all the lights off... creepy. There are kinda longish lines, but they have food trucks out - that had tater tots, so automatic win right there - and if you do the preview nights through Groupon and LivingSocial it's not too crowded. And the maze? The maze! It was amazing. So frightening and disturbing and shocking and just... everything you want it to be. I had nightmares for sure. So basically I loved it. Anyone wanna come visit us so we can make an excuse to go again????

The famous doors that never let anyone in... or out! Muahahaha!

"Life seems so much slower with your toothbrush by the mirror"

Boy, talk about a lull! Settling in after all the wedding and honeymoon craziness has been interesting. Thankfully I've not felt any of that post-wedding blues. It's more like... aimlessness? Weird not thinking of wedding things at every moment and preparing for travel. Our next trip won't be until later in October: one to Yosemite for Ed's birthday with Dad and Debbie and then a trip back to the east coast for Oktoberfest at Mountain Lake Hotel (the Dirty Dancing hotel).

We're still waiting on wedding pictures so I don't wanna post anything about the wedding yet. I consider it an exercise in delayed gratification.

To fill the time I've been doing three things.

1. Cooking

I've been feeling so very uninspired with my cooking lately but all of our lovely wedding gifts have really lit a fire under my butt. It's a conflicted passion because I really don't want to gain weight and I struggle so with just maintaining... but I've also always asserted that I value eating well and eating real foods. Not fast food, junk food, soft drinks, and candy. That means I have to cook and I have to take time to make tea instead of just going out and buying drinks. I just have to. And in line with that I just have to learn to deal with food. Maybe by embracing my enjoyment of cooking and food, I'll learn to have a more controlled relationship with it? Here's hoping. Some of the things I've been enjoying most from our kitchen goods:

• My fancy mesh nesting colanders. I adore these. They are beautiful and if you knew how much produce we go through you would think these were the cat's pajamas as well.
• Hyper absorbent dish rags. I feel like we use much fewer paper towels and I could not be happier about that. Having a seeming endless supply of rags to wipe up with is a dream. Yes, it's more laundry, but let's get real. When I have kids it's gonna be laundry non-stop anyways so hey, it's just practice. For now I'm feeling pretty good with some of my green-guilt alleviated!
• My Bamboo Utensils! I'm a sucker for wooden tools and a little on the paranoid side these days when it comes to plastic anything... half for my health, half for future baby health... so getting a ton of wooden tools is like heaven for me. You can see it in action in the fricassee picture below.
• Cast Iron Dutch Oven. I used this to make chicken fricassee on Friday and it was fan-freakin-tastic. I love cast iron for a variety of reasons. One, they remind me of Omi and Mom who use cast-iron for pretty much everything. Two, did anyone ever read Thomas Harris' books? Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal? This passage from Hannibal.... I think I read it over and over and over and it just sticks to my soul:

“Do you have a black iron skillet? You are a southern mountain girl, I can’t imagine you would not. Put it on the kitchen table. Turn on the overhead lights.

Look into the skillet, Clarice. Lean over it and look down. If this were your mother’s skillet, and it well may be, it would hold among its molecules the vibrations of all the conversations ever held in its presence. All the exchanges, the petty irritations, the deadly revelations, the flat announcements of disaster, the grunts and poetry of love.

Sit down at the table, Clarice. Look into the skillet. If it is well cured, it’s a black pool, isn’t it? It’s like looking down a well. Your detailed reflection is not at the bottom, but you loom there, don’t you? The light behind you, there you are in a blackface, with a corona like your hair on fire.

We are elaborations of carbon, Clarice. You and the skillet and Daddy, dead in the ground, cold as the skillet. It’s all still there. Listen.”

-Hannibal Lector in a letter to Clarice Starling, “Hannibal” by Thomas Harris

For those of you who actually have or have seen a truly well seasoned, well-loved skillet, it is exactly like a "black pool... a well," and it is mesmerizing. 

Mmmm mirepoix for fricassee!

The other tools we received as gifts are in line to be used and we can't wait to get to it all. Think happy thoughts for our waistlines and willpower....

2. Running

Yes, I'm finally running again. About time right? We've got a 5k in two weeks that should be humbling. I've not managed to break the 2.5 mark in my runs since I started up this past week or so, but I know it'll get back to where it was. 3 miles was my 'comfortable' run distance before at the height of my real training. I'm not distance training anymore despite the 10k in Dec. It's a 'mountain run' so being able the run the whole time isn't a goal for me, or for the race organizers who encourage us to walk up the hills and run down. It feels good to be moving more and running again, even if it's sluggish and hard. I miss feeling strong. I miss being active instead of wrapped around a pole of worry over my weight. Which just leads me to eating another cookie. Hopefully I can really push myself to stick with this again. 

3. Reading

Ok so in reality, three should actually say, "Applying for Jobs." But since I've had little to no luck with hearing from people or reaching people or sealing the deal, I'm going to write about reading! I have been on a ROLL. I even signed up for The New York Times again like in college so I can read it daily. Turns out, when you are waiting for people to call you back, or waiting for laundry to finish, or waiting to fall asleep as you worry about your purpose in life, you can sure get a lot of reading done! Over the honeymoon and up til today I have read:

• Falling for Me by Anna David - An autobiography on her search to become more... dateable? Loveable? I do not recommend this book. Unless you like Julie from Julie & Julia (I'm referencing the character in the movie and the woman Julie Powell behind the book and blog. Also behind the book Cleaving which was eh). I find both Anna and Julie similarly a little on the insufferable side. Full of complaints, very few lessons learned, unpleasant to people around them and generally just irritating. They both have some interesting tips on bettering oneself and improving your lot in life in general, but somehow that results in them still not being very nice to the people closest to them. Sorry ladies!
• The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini - I'm sure a bunch of you have already read this. I struggle with books where the narrator has a huge flaw so I had to push myself into this. I started to enjoy it more about 100 pages in, but... I don't know, I'm still digesting this book and what I think about it. My initial response is still: I'm not sure if I liked reading this (not that every book is supposed to be 'enjoyable')
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - This was nothing like what I thought it would be... just another sappy genre piece about a couple who no longer got along trying to muscle through an anniversary, but then the wife disappears! But I was so surprised by the writing and the weird dark thoughts that would pass by almost unnoticed until I reread a page. I actually had nightmares after reading it, but I can't exactly say why. Not particularly gory, but sure spooked me.
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - This on the other hand was very gory. And also gave me nightmares. It concerns a girl who survived her family's very violent mass murder as a child and the question of her older brother's innocence, despite being convicted of the murders years ago. Mrs. Flynn is one creepy lady and I love it. I have Sharp Objects on my hold list at the library and I cannot wait to get my hands on another of her spooky stories.
• When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman - Good grief did this book make me weep. It follows a young girl through her awkward, unique youth and then jumps to her young adult years. It focuses on her childhood friend and her sudden removal from her life and her experiences with her brother and parents. A lot of the most fun passages come after her parents purchase a bed and breakfast and have the chance to meet characters of all kinds. It's beautifully and interestingly written. Her childhood years have that perspective of abstraction that children have, seeing so much more in the mundane. It was just so different. It moves quickly, and feels like you're reading straight out of life - everything passing by before you can get a grip on it all. There's a section of the book that like I said, really kills you to read, but I promise there's a great ending. Just a really refreshing touchingly human read.
• Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin - Look I could talk about this series all day but I'm not gonna bore the people that haven't devoted days of their life to make it through these tomes. I love the series... this book was 50% awesome, 50% 'is it over yet?' and it was, unfortunately, not split down the middle of the book. It does not 'pick up' after a couple pages, or even a couple hundred. More like, every 150 pages something amazing happens. But you gotta make it through those dividing 145 pages in between... Onto the next book - A Dance With Dragons
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - I laughed out loud over this book and it's about cancer. It is fresh and light and at the same time it has so much heart and soul. It's about a handful of terminally or temporarily seriously ill teenagers, namely two that develop a relationship named Augustus and Hazel Grace. I loved the characters. I want to be friends with them and hear their voices. I loved the thoughtful contemplation of life and the meaning of suffering, but written in the context of teenagers trying to cope and not get bogged down in the dour, 'adult' discussions of dying. I pretty much plowed through this book - even reading some of it aloud to Ed.
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - This book was like dessert for my brain. Much like When God Was A Rabbit, reading this was so touching. It's hard to explain, but it follows three story lines  an old man, a book, and a young girl. There are other people drawn in, but it all revolves around a book titled The History of Love and how it has this web of influence. A really great contemporary piece, using the layout of pages, blank pages, and repetition...exciting to read. Some really beautiful passages that to me, made the descriptions of the inanimate and feelings actually tangible. As if she gave these objects breath.
• Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin - I read The Happiness Project and really enjoyed that. Then I won this book to read and turns out, I think I like this book better. It's a bit more focused and it just has a better feel for me. More family oriented. She continues her struggles from the first book, trying to follow her resolutions, and I appreciate her openness with her struggles.

Hopefully I'll continue this big push for reading... I'm quite a few books behind on my plan to read... what was it, 50? 60? books by the end of the year? I'm sure it'll be a struggle now that all my tv shows are coming back on... It's a little sad how much tv I watch. Just in case you watch any of the shows I do and want to talk about them here they are (including ones not currently on):

Game of Thrones, True Blood, How I Met Your Mother, X-Factor, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, Top Chef, Raising Hope, Guys With Kids, Modern Family, Go On, Smash, Whitney, Rules of Engagement, Ben and Kate, The Mindy Project, 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Grimm, SNL, Glee, Revenge, True Blood, Dexter, Amazing Race and most importantly Homeland!!! 

Clearly I'm most excited for Homeland. The writing and acting on that show is nothing short of (despite the over use these days) epic. And also it is clear that I watch way too much tv. I should probably hook up with a place that does reviews or something.... Or get someone to freakin' hire me. That would probably be the best solution. Take note universe! :)

"Girlfriend in a coma..."

Yes I'm still alive. I have been majorly slacking in pretty much every department possible except apartment hunting. I've been in an apartment hunting coma. When we realized we had to move out in less than a month because we weren't going to be in the country when our lease ends, I grabbed the opportunity to not think about wedding things or running or weight loss and held onto it like Kate Winslet held onto that damn floating door. (On that note, have you seen this? Cracked me up)

We did find an apartment and are in the process of applying for it. It'll be my first experience with long-term living in a place with.... wait for it.... no. air. conditioning. Pray for me. And Ed.

Back to other things going on (pictures to be added soon!)... Ck stopped by with the boys and we had an amazing visit. Finally made our way to the Academy of Sciences and I would like to say, um, why did no one tell me how amazing it was?! Even swamped as it was with families and mad children running about, I could not get over all the beautiful creatures and displays. We spent a little time in downtown Mountain View and Ck convinced me to get this bag I've been looking at for awhile. It's higher quality than I usually invest in so I needed some encouragement. Saying I love this bag is an understatement. It's perfectly relaxed and cheery and I'm glad I have my sister there to push me down the right purchasing path. :)

Wedding wise, we're scrambling to get rsvp's from people and solid numbers. Money is flying out the window it seems. Well, it is but it just feels all of a sudden because now all the large costs are upon us. Most recently I decided on my undergarments, jewelry, and cover-up bolero (I get hot and will be in a strapless dress.... if you want to hug me, I'll need some protective cover first!). We've also laid out our plans for the tables and when Mom sends me pictures of all the pieces coming together... I just want to cry in delight. It's still all a bit chaotic and in pieces, but it's really going to be everything I wanted it to be from the very start. And I've said it before (I hope) and I'll say it a million times more, my family has been indispensable and has contributed so much time and effort and money to this wedding.... I don't know how I can ever thank you all enough for every thought or action you have ever added to the cause. Some of you may think it's tacky to mention money, but for those in the family that cannot help out physically, their financial support has been just as important and essential. I am eternally grateful and I can only imagine the gratitude I will feel on Sept 1st. Forgive me if I seem a bit overwhelmed. :)

Wedding nail color

RSVP's

Wedding Jewelry!

In terms of running... Oh my have I been slacking. It's a bit ridiculous. I did sign up for a new race in November. A 10K trail run of all things! So that'll be good and difficult. For whatever reason I've just had a hard time motivating myself to do anything physical. On the bright side I'm miraculously losing weight. I am thiiiiiiiis close to breaking through 190. That would be amazing. I think the stress of everything leads me to not eat.... and when I do eat, I'm snacking on all the healthy goodies I've brought home from Sprout that week. Summer is a glorious time. It is just too easy to eat healthfully.

These past few months out here as a housewife on my own have really taught me the importance of planning for the home. Knowing who likes to snack on what and when and how much. I doubt my cooking is much better but I am still experimenting. This past week I set out determined to make something new and to also try again with Vanilla ice-cream. I settled on mint ice cream using the peppermint leaves from our plant upstairs. It turned out so delicious! And the vanilla recipe I actually pulled from Joy of Cooking. And lord it is the best one I've made so far. I doctored it up a bit with 2 Tahitian vanilla beans along with the tbsp of vanilla flavoring, and it only called for 2-3 eggs. Let me tell you... ya'll don't know how many eggs go into your ice cream. It would have been unfathomable to me before if you came up and said, "You know, there are 12 eggs in that cute little pint of ice cream you just ate in one sitting." I would have laughed in your face. Well. I started looking at ice cream recipes and now I know the truth! Damn you ice cream.... sneaking in ingredients in your adorable deliciousness.

Let's see... last little bit of news, we bought a new computer! Yay! I love new computers. Usually when I get my hands on one it's because I've destroyed the last one somehow. Hopefully Ed will keep me on the straight and narrow with this computer. Technology and I.... that's a hate-hate relationship right there. Don't even get me started on my iphone again. I managed to get music on it for about 3 weeks. And then I can't do it again. Godforsaken phone....

And along with the new computer, I've been very kindly asked to participate in a True Blood roundtable on Racialicious! I'm beyond excited and also terrified out of my mind. I love in depth discussions in person but on the internet it can get a bit scary. People don't just debate, they can stomp all over you, and having a backbone doesn't exactly come naturally to me. But I want to step up and take this opportunity to participate in something I've truly enjoyed reading and commenting on with Joe after each posting. It's new and insightful and I hope you guys enjoy looking into it. I'll post links to everything when it gets all set up.

I BADLY need to write reviews of the books I've been reading so maybe I'll get to that this week, on this brand-spankin'-new machine here. Currently I'm working on Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness and it is just as good as I was hoping it would be. :)

I think that's a good belated wrap up of things. Now to make dinner for the man and watch some Justified!
Thanks for sticking with me :)