OK, I know I'm light years behind and most of you dropped me off your blog list - but just in case anyone out there wants to participate in the next "Virtual Cooking Light " our menu for June is:
From the May issue:
Appetizer: Grilled pizza with asparagus and carmelized onions -- page 111
Beverage: Strawberry bellini -- page 90
Salad: Summer caesar -- page 148
Main Dish: Chicken enchilades -- page 156
Bread: Limelight blueberry muffins -- page 162
Dessert: Vanilla bean shortbread -- page 74
Yum. Can't wait to indulge!
I promise I'll update you in the near future on:
What 4000 Santa Clauses in one place look like
How to eat a week's allotment of whipped cream before breakfast is over
Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge
Embarrassing pictures of someone's kids at the bull statue on wall street (is that legal? do I have to blur their faces?)
What you see on the Hudson River in 1609
PS - anyone know an easier method of posting photos than the "attach picture" link? It's such a pain to do a few at a time... hence the reason I'm procrastinating. Isn't there a slicker method?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Virtual CL
One of the hardest things to leave behind in Rochester was a wonderful Cooking Light group that met monthly. It was a group of women who met soley through our love of cooking. We gathered once a month to share a meal from the current issue of Cooking Light. We each made and brought a dish, and selected the next month's menu at the end of our meal.
I was one of the original members of the group, having started before I even got married. It was (and still is!) quite a mix of women - all ages, career, interests and faiths. It was a place where I grew up in some respects, having learned to really cook through this group, launched a career, began a marriage and traversed my 20s from student to woman in my time with this group. The friendship, wisdom, and encouragement I gleaned from each of these ladies can never be replicated.
Since I loved the challenge of trying new meals and techniques each month, and the way meals tend to bring out the best in our woman-to-woman relationships, I asked my mom and my aunt to join me in a virtual Cooking Light. I certainly miss my group in Rochester, and it's not quite the same as being face to face, but it is still fun to know we've shared the same experience and to compare notes on how we enjoyed the menu. We'd love to have you join us if you want to participate in the next round. We just picked a menu and a target week. The plan is to share notes and photos on our results. Here are mine.
I present: Virtual CL, March, 2009:
(All recipes are available on www.cookinglight.com):
Guacamole and Chips
Cranberry Almond Corn Bread
Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad
Double Mango Pudding
Wine: Famenco Tempranillo (Spanish Red)
My view while I was preparing dinner. I don't think I'll ever tire of this part!
I cooked, Ben ironed. I love that man.
The steaks with a spicy dry rub.
I cooked, he cleaned. I really love that man.
The corn bread - made with almond meal and cranberries. I was a little unsure of this one - but the sweetness was very nice with the spicy meal.
Success! The salad was quite nice - the dressing was a Horseradish Ranch - yummy! The spanish wine went nicely with the spices.
The pudding was a bit more like gelatin. Nice, light and cool, but not something I'd crave.
Bravo!
Bon appetit!
Kelly
I was one of the original members of the group, having started before I even got married. It was (and still is!) quite a mix of women - all ages, career, interests and faiths. It was a place where I grew up in some respects, having learned to really cook through this group, launched a career, began a marriage and traversed my 20s from student to woman in my time with this group. The friendship, wisdom, and encouragement I gleaned from each of these ladies can never be replicated.
Since I loved the challenge of trying new meals and techniques each month, and the way meals tend to bring out the best in our woman-to-woman relationships, I asked my mom and my aunt to join me in a virtual Cooking Light. I certainly miss my group in Rochester, and it's not quite the same as being face to face, but it is still fun to know we've shared the same experience and to compare notes on how we enjoyed the menu. We'd love to have you join us if you want to participate in the next round. We just picked a menu and a target week. The plan is to share notes and photos on our results. Here are mine.
I present: Virtual CL, March, 2009:
(All recipes are available on www.cookinglight.com):
Guacamole and Chips
Cranberry Almond Corn Bread
Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad
Double Mango Pudding
Wine: Famenco Tempranillo (Spanish Red)
My view while I was preparing dinner. I don't think I'll ever tire of this part!
I cooked, Ben ironed. I love that man.
The steaks with a spicy dry rub.
I cooked, he cleaned. I really love that man.
The corn bread - made with almond meal and cranberries. I was a little unsure of this one - but the sweetness was very nice with the spicy meal.
Success! The salad was quite nice - the dressing was a Horseradish Ranch - yummy! The spanish wine went nicely with the spices.
The pudding was a bit more like gelatin. Nice, light and cool, but not something I'd crave.
Bravo!
Bon appetit!
Kelly
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Why Moving is Good for You
I thought I'd capture a few thoughts for you on why our move has been such a good experience for us. While you might not have the opportunity (or desire!) to completely shake up your life, there are still some principles that can replicate what we've learned and discovered: moving is good for you!
New Spaces = New Ideas
Putting your things in a new closet forces you to rearrange the order and organization of your wardrobe. Surprisingly, I found many new combinations of items I hadn't previously considered wearing together. I tend to select different items because they are now located in a more visible spot and I wound up with new favorites! Turns out this is true not just of my wardrobe, but in the way I mix and match dishes, decorations, and other accessories. Think about rearranging your storage areas now that it's time for spring cleaning and see what new pairings you find!
Some Sacrifices, Some Gains
When we were considering this move, my friend Barbara shared her experiences of having moved multiple times throughout her marriage. She encouraged us to embrace this adventure and reflected on the fact that even though she and her husband hadn't built the type of relationships you have after living in the same place for 10+ years, they built many more unique relationships they would not have otherwise had. They now have friends all over the world and have learned a lot from the many interesting people they met. She also talked about the uniqueness of the relationship she has with her husband precisely because they embraced adventure together. They learned to depend on each other and built a very solid relationship because they continued to invest in each other and take on new challenges as a team. I have really been thankful for her advice and am appreciating that even in the absence of many friends, we have a refreshing focus on our relationship. It reminds me of when we were dating and it was exciting just to go to the grocery store together. We're back to doing the day to day activities together instead of running our separate ways just to take care of all the details of life. Try a new activity this year and learn something together, learn something new about each other. Accept a new challenge as a couple or a family. Try something out of the ordinary and learn to rely on each other to achieve new goals.
Scope Creep
Clearing out your entire schedule and starting with a clear calendar really helps you flush out your priorities and regain control of your time. There aren't very many times in life that you get to start from scratch, but it's a good reminder about how things that you "should" do creep on to our schedules and crowd out other important priorities. It is refreshing to have the choice as to where we will spend our time (or not spend our time) and bring things back in to our lives that were swept out by the busyness. We take more walks in the evenings and soak in more sunsets. Schedule an unplanned week in your life once in awhile and see what you miss. Those are the things that should remain.
Shake It Up
It has been said that it's easier to make many changes at one time than just one or two. The idea being that a total upheaval helps you set new mental patterns, instead of just trying to adjust your old ones. Moving is certainly an upheaval! At first there is a lot of mental stress because NOTHING happens by habit - it was many weeks before I could remember what drawer the toothpaste is in, which closet my coat is in, and where I keep the scissors. On the positive side, starting from scratch means I can weed out old habits and introduce new ones. As much as I hate the morning, I've been trying to work out before the day starts. Try shaking things up in your life by reordering patterns and changing the daily flow if you are trying to drop a bad habit or build new ones. Like ruts worn in the road, you tend to slide right back in if you just try to shift to the left or right. Sometimes, it's good to just forge a new path.
Just Try It
Living in a new location is a good opportunity to experience not just new places, but new experiences, new foods and new people. We are trying to embrace the changes and be open to things we might never know we liked. Sometimes it's as simple as the fact that Subway has a different selection of toppings than we normally want on our sandwich. Who knew I liked marinated peppers on my turkey sandwich? Sometimes it's trying new music or new entertainment. Sometimes it's shopping for groceries in smaller markets instead of the big box stores. I never knew what treasures they held! Try a grocery store on the other end of town that might have something different than your regular store. Let your friends with different preferences pick the restaurant next time you go out. Your new favorite meal might just be waiting for you to try it.
Soak It In
A priority for us while we are here is to soak it in while we can. Of course we don't know what our next step will be, so to some degree it's nice to feel like the clock is ticking on our time here. After living in Minnesota for 11+ years, there are still things I said I would do "some day" and never got around to. Isn't that true of every stage of life? For now, it's nice to be conscious that the things at our fingertips won't always be such - the beautiful sunsets over the river, the train station a short walk away, an astounding assortment of the world's best restaurants within an hour.... We've been proactive about making a note of the things we'd like to do and making sure it happens! Next time you say, "some day...", make a plan and make it happen!
I'll try and remember these things when life starts to look like the same old, same old. I hope they help you refresh and renew this spring too.
Missing you!
Kelly and Ben
New Spaces = New Ideas
Putting your things in a new closet forces you to rearrange the order and organization of your wardrobe. Surprisingly, I found many new combinations of items I hadn't previously considered wearing together. I tend to select different items because they are now located in a more visible spot and I wound up with new favorites! Turns out this is true not just of my wardrobe, but in the way I mix and match dishes, decorations, and other accessories. Think about rearranging your storage areas now that it's time for spring cleaning and see what new pairings you find!
Some Sacrifices, Some Gains
When we were considering this move, my friend Barbara shared her experiences of having moved multiple times throughout her marriage. She encouraged us to embrace this adventure and reflected on the fact that even though she and her husband hadn't built the type of relationships you have after living in the same place for 10+ years, they built many more unique relationships they would not have otherwise had. They now have friends all over the world and have learned a lot from the many interesting people they met. She also talked about the uniqueness of the relationship she has with her husband precisely because they embraced adventure together. They learned to depend on each other and built a very solid relationship because they continued to invest in each other and take on new challenges as a team. I have really been thankful for her advice and am appreciating that even in the absence of many friends, we have a refreshing focus on our relationship. It reminds me of when we were dating and it was exciting just to go to the grocery store together. We're back to doing the day to day activities together instead of running our separate ways just to take care of all the details of life. Try a new activity this year and learn something together, learn something new about each other. Accept a new challenge as a couple or a family. Try something out of the ordinary and learn to rely on each other to achieve new goals.
Scope Creep
Clearing out your entire schedule and starting with a clear calendar really helps you flush out your priorities and regain control of your time. There aren't very many times in life that you get to start from scratch, but it's a good reminder about how things that you "should" do creep on to our schedules and crowd out other important priorities. It is refreshing to have the choice as to where we will spend our time (or not spend our time) and bring things back in to our lives that were swept out by the busyness. We take more walks in the evenings and soak in more sunsets. Schedule an unplanned week in your life once in awhile and see what you miss. Those are the things that should remain.
Shake It Up
It has been said that it's easier to make many changes at one time than just one or two. The idea being that a total upheaval helps you set new mental patterns, instead of just trying to adjust your old ones. Moving is certainly an upheaval! At first there is a lot of mental stress because NOTHING happens by habit - it was many weeks before I could remember what drawer the toothpaste is in, which closet my coat is in, and where I keep the scissors. On the positive side, starting from scratch means I can weed out old habits and introduce new ones. As much as I hate the morning, I've been trying to work out before the day starts. Try shaking things up in your life by reordering patterns and changing the daily flow if you are trying to drop a bad habit or build new ones. Like ruts worn in the road, you tend to slide right back in if you just try to shift to the left or right. Sometimes, it's good to just forge a new path.
Just Try It
Living in a new location is a good opportunity to experience not just new places, but new experiences, new foods and new people. We are trying to embrace the changes and be open to things we might never know we liked. Sometimes it's as simple as the fact that Subway has a different selection of toppings than we normally want on our sandwich. Who knew I liked marinated peppers on my turkey sandwich? Sometimes it's trying new music or new entertainment. Sometimes it's shopping for groceries in smaller markets instead of the big box stores. I never knew what treasures they held! Try a grocery store on the other end of town that might have something different than your regular store. Let your friends with different preferences pick the restaurant next time you go out. Your new favorite meal might just be waiting for you to try it.
Soak It In
A priority for us while we are here is to soak it in while we can. Of course we don't know what our next step will be, so to some degree it's nice to feel like the clock is ticking on our time here. After living in Minnesota for 11+ years, there are still things I said I would do "some day" and never got around to. Isn't that true of every stage of life? For now, it's nice to be conscious that the things at our fingertips won't always be such - the beautiful sunsets over the river, the train station a short walk away, an astounding assortment of the world's best restaurants within an hour.... We've been proactive about making a note of the things we'd like to do and making sure it happens! Next time you say, "some day...", make a plan and make it happen!
I'll try and remember these things when life starts to look like the same old, same old. I hope they help you refresh and renew this spring too.
Missing you!
Kelly and Ben
Friday, March 6, 2009
Advice We All Need
I know this has nothing at all to do with New York, but it has to be shared. The scientific method combined with fashion? I'm all over it. This gal's blog entry needs to be read by every woman on the planet. Hilarious - and practical.
How to Avoid "Mom Jeans":
http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/03/mom-jeans-and-dreaded-long-butt.html
How to Avoid "Mom Jeans":
http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/03/mom-jeans-and-dreaded-long-butt.html
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Observations
I know, I'm more than a month behind! So here's a scoop on things I've noticed about NY in my first couple months to tide you over until I upload some new photos.
1) The grocery stores all keep their carts outside. Not in Minnesota - your hands would freeze right to them! I am finally remembering to get a cart BEFORE I go in the store. I can't tell you how many times I had to circle through the exit to go back outside and get a cart.
2) In the Midwest they say things like, "would you like to come with?" In NY they end their sentences with, "right?" As in:
Kelly: "It's beautiful here!"
NYer: "I know, right?"
Kelly: "Yes, uh, very pretty..."
NYer: "Let's go have some pizza, right?"
3) Never in my life have I seen a place where you can buy calling cards for your children to hand out. They have them in NY. They say things like, "I love meeting new playground friends! Call my mom so we can have a play date!" Phone number included. Weird.
4) The Tappan Zee bridge has a sign as you enter (do you enter a bridge?) declaring that there is a suicide hotline phone in the middle of the bridge should you need to use it.
5) One of the first times we went in to the city, I came up out of the Subway and some girl said, "Great coat! JCrew, Fall 2006, right?" Who tells you the brand and season of your clothes? She went on to say that she had a similar one, so it was familiar to her, but still! What she doesn't know is that while it was in the Fall catalogue, I bought it in the Spring of 2007 after it went on clearance :)
6) There are very few obese people.
7) There are very few twenty-somethings with children.
8) There are no blondes.
9) People here take their lapdogs to the mall in tricked out doggy carriages. Some of them are nicer than baby carriages or strollers. The funniest one was a hot pink double-stroller version for multiple dogs.
10) It rains in January. And yes, I'm happy about that. It means it's not -30 degrees like it has been in MN.
11) People think it's freezing here. Last night we overheard some girl say, "It's bitterly cold, right?" Wrong; it was 25 degrees!
12) I'm very disappointed in the lack of honking. I'm definitely going to have to start driving in the city.
Stay warm!
Kelly
1) The grocery stores all keep their carts outside. Not in Minnesota - your hands would freeze right to them! I am finally remembering to get a cart BEFORE I go in the store. I can't tell you how many times I had to circle through the exit to go back outside and get a cart.
2) In the Midwest they say things like, "would you like to come with?" In NY they end their sentences with, "right?" As in:
Kelly: "It's beautiful here!"
NYer: "I know, right?"
Kelly: "Yes, uh, very pretty..."
NYer: "Let's go have some pizza, right?"
3) Never in my life have I seen a place where you can buy calling cards for your children to hand out. They have them in NY. They say things like, "I love meeting new playground friends! Call my mom so we can have a play date!" Phone number included. Weird.
4) The Tappan Zee bridge has a sign as you enter (do you enter a bridge?) declaring that there is a suicide hotline phone in the middle of the bridge should you need to use it.
5) One of the first times we went in to the city, I came up out of the Subway and some girl said, "Great coat! JCrew, Fall 2006, right?" Who tells you the brand and season of your clothes? She went on to say that she had a similar one, so it was familiar to her, but still! What she doesn't know is that while it was in the Fall catalogue, I bought it in the Spring of 2007 after it went on clearance :)
6) There are very few obese people.
7) There are very few twenty-somethings with children.
8) There are no blondes.
9) People here take their lapdogs to the mall in tricked out doggy carriages. Some of them are nicer than baby carriages or strollers. The funniest one was a hot pink double-stroller version for multiple dogs.
10) It rains in January. And yes, I'm happy about that. It means it's not -30 degrees like it has been in MN.
11) People think it's freezing here. Last night we overheard some girl say, "It's bitterly cold, right?" Wrong; it was 25 degrees!
12) I'm very disappointed in the lack of honking. I'm definitely going to have to start driving in the city.
Stay warm!
Kelly
Friday, December 12, 2008
I Know Who My Real Friends Are...
For those of you who laughed your heads off but did not correct my 11/10 entry, you are dead meat. If you did not find the error before - you can have a good laugh over it now:
We made it safe and sound! All of our belongings are in the house plus one vehicle in the garage. Most things are still all over the floor, but I have most of the kitchen put away, and am missing my deep, numerous cupboards and my pull out panty shelves!
I intended to tell you I miss my pantRy shelves, and I hope you didn't think I was getting a little too personal (or that I keep my underwear in the kitchen)! I don't actually have pull out 'panty' shelves in any home that I've lived, but now that I think about it, that might be a nice addition to the next one.
Thank you Chris and Kris for the heads up, and no, Ben does not have "Boxer shelves".
Blushing,
Kelly
We made it safe and sound! All of our belongings are in the house plus one vehicle in the garage. Most things are still all over the floor, but I have most of the kitchen put away, and am missing my deep, numerous cupboards and my pull out panty shelves!
I intended to tell you I miss my pantRy shelves, and I hope you didn't think I was getting a little too personal (or that I keep my underwear in the kitchen)! I don't actually have pull out 'panty' shelves in any home that I've lived, but now that I think about it, that might be a nice addition to the next one.
Thank you Chris and Kris for the heads up, and no, Ben does not have "Boxer shelves".
Blushing,
Kelly
Monday, December 8, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Kevin and Eric! We miss you! We celebrated in your honor tonight.
On the menu:
Chili Spiced Tenderloin Steaks
Green Beans a la Angie (although not nearly as good)
Leftover Mashed Potatoes - about 1.5 bites per person since that was all that was left (no, not from Thanksgiving... don't worry! From Memphis Mae's BBQ)
Pumpkin Pound Cake with Buttermilk Glaze
Late Harvest Riesling
I tried to set out the A1 for you Kev, but alas, I haven't apparently purchased any yet! Wish you would have been here to enjoy it with us. We hope your day was fabulous.
Love, Kelly and Ben
Grillin' it up:
Servin' it up:
Eatin' it up:
(Sorry we didn't dress up for you!)
On the menu:
Chili Spiced Tenderloin Steaks
Green Beans a la Angie (although not nearly as good)
Leftover Mashed Potatoes - about 1.5 bites per person since that was all that was left (no, not from Thanksgiving... don't worry! From Memphis Mae's BBQ)
Pumpkin Pound Cake with Buttermilk Glaze
Late Harvest Riesling
I tried to set out the A1 for you Kev, but alas, I haven't apparently purchased any yet! Wish you would have been here to enjoy it with us. We hope your day was fabulous.
Love, Kelly and Ben
Grillin' it up:
Servin' it up:
Eatin' it up:
(Sorry we didn't dress up for you!)
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