I am so far behind on this blog. But I swear I'm going to catch up. Eventually.
Our annual Super Bowl party was far more epic this year than it has been in years past. We may have invited too many people, but we were at least able to find seating for everyone. Mostly. And there was so much food that I was eating leftovers for the rest of the week. Feeding everyone has never been a problem for us.
The weekend actually began Saturday night, though, when I decided to host an old-fashioned sleepover. Kevin went down to Zach's and some friends came over for dinner, movies, and games. We've been doing bimonthly* lady's nights, which have been a ton of fun. And this way I could host without worrying about everyone getting home after a night of drinking. We had a lot of fun watching Magic Mike XLL and almost every music video Beyonce has released.
In the morning we made breakfast, which is actually one of my favorite meals to prepare for a larger group. There are so many possibilities, and since Kevin only occasionally eats breakfast, I rarely get to make anything elaborate. I seize every opportunity I have. After breakfast we played games, watched Magic Mike XXL again, and slowly people started to trickle in for the Super Bowl.
We got a pony keg and brought another couch downstairs to accommodate everyone. People still ended up sitting on the floor, though. We just didn't quite have enough seating for the 12 or so people who came to the game. But it all worked out, and there was plenty of food and beer to keep everyone sated.
All in all it was a great party, a great game, and a great weekend.
*Apparently bimonthly means both "every other month" and "twice a month" because English is stupid. I'm using it to mean "every other month"
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2016
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Comfort Food
Kevin is away on a business trip that's going to last nearly six weeks. It sounds like a long time. It is a long time. But I'm honestly looking forward to having the house to myself for a while. I'm going to miss him, obviously, but it will also be nice to have my own space. I'm hoping to be able to establish some routines around exercise and writing that will be firmly in place by the time he returns. Not that I can't establish those routines when he's around, but it's harder.
It's hard to diet or cut out alcohol when you share meals. It's hard to treat the basement as a gym when he's using it to play video games. Not that there has been even the smallest bit of friction when I have asserted those desires. This is more about me, me being aware that the space is shared, me being unable to get past certain mind blocks and just do it. When it's just me, there's less pressure to perform (and it's all internal pressure, to be clear) so I can really prioritize some of these wants and desires.
Hopefully those routines will carry over once Kevin gets back. Like I said, he's going to have no problem with me taking over the basement for half an hour a day to work out, or eating smaller portions, or turning down the beer/wine. It's just a matter of asserting that. Which means it's a matter of me getting completely comfortable with it.
But I digress.
Knowing that Kevin would be leaving on an extended trip, we spent the last weekend getting in some quality time. I was a little surprised to realize how much of this centered on food. Not that I should have been. Food is so central to so many things, in ways you don't even entirely realize. So we ended up eating a bunch of delicious meals in anticipation of our separation.
Since Kevin will be missing Thanksgiving this year, we decided to do a smaller version with just the two of us. On Friday we roasted a mini-turkey (also known as a chicken) and ate it with some rice pilaf and glazed carrots and a very strange Western Kevin had been wanting to watch. On Saturday I made a casserole that I discovered last year that basically tastes like an entire Thanksgiving dinner in a single dish. It's one of my favorite meals, but it's way too much food for just one person, so I had to sneak it in before Kevin left. Sunday morning was bacon. We'd bought two pounds of bacon for Hallowiener that we forgot about, so Kevin cooked all of it and we've been eating it ever since. Then it was time for football, beer, and pizza.
It was something of a last hurrah for me, too, as I'm hoping to use this time to go on a diet. Sort of. I'm not really planning to change what I eat. I like food too much to ever successfully change my eating habits in the long term. No, my goal is to eat less. Portion control has been a struggle for me ever since I moved in with Kevin. He eats a lot, and it's hard not to match him. So that's a habit I'm hoping to establish while he's gone.
There are some other goals I've set for myself in the last two months of the year. Old-year resolutions, I guess? But more on those in the coming days. Expect some changes, though! And keep your fingers crossed that I'll be able to stick with all of them.
It's hard to diet or cut out alcohol when you share meals. It's hard to treat the basement as a gym when he's using it to play video games. Not that there has been even the smallest bit of friction when I have asserted those desires. This is more about me, me being aware that the space is shared, me being unable to get past certain mind blocks and just do it. When it's just me, there's less pressure to perform (and it's all internal pressure, to be clear) so I can really prioritize some of these wants and desires.
Hopefully those routines will carry over once Kevin gets back. Like I said, he's going to have no problem with me taking over the basement for half an hour a day to work out, or eating smaller portions, or turning down the beer/wine. It's just a matter of asserting that. Which means it's a matter of me getting completely comfortable with it.
But I digress.
Knowing that Kevin would be leaving on an extended trip, we spent the last weekend getting in some quality time. I was a little surprised to realize how much of this centered on food. Not that I should have been. Food is so central to so many things, in ways you don't even entirely realize. So we ended up eating a bunch of delicious meals in anticipation of our separation.
Since Kevin will be missing Thanksgiving this year, we decided to do a smaller version with just the two of us. On Friday we roasted a mini-turkey (also known as a chicken) and ate it with some rice pilaf and glazed carrots and a very strange Western Kevin had been wanting to watch. On Saturday I made a casserole that I discovered last year that basically tastes like an entire Thanksgiving dinner in a single dish. It's one of my favorite meals, but it's way too much food for just one person, so I had to sneak it in before Kevin left. Sunday morning was bacon. We'd bought two pounds of bacon for Hallowiener that we forgot about, so Kevin cooked all of it and we've been eating it ever since. Then it was time for football, beer, and pizza.
It was something of a last hurrah for me, too, as I'm hoping to use this time to go on a diet. Sort of. I'm not really planning to change what I eat. I like food too much to ever successfully change my eating habits in the long term. No, my goal is to eat less. Portion control has been a struggle for me ever since I moved in with Kevin. He eats a lot, and it's hard not to match him. So that's a habit I'm hoping to establish while he's gone.
There are some other goals I've set for myself in the last two months of the year. Old-year resolutions, I guess? But more on those in the coming days. Expect some changes, though! And keep your fingers crossed that I'll be able to stick with all of them.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Fall
Things I did this past weekend:
It's going to heat back up this week. But it seems the days of 90+ degrees are behind us. Fall is on the way. I couldn't be happier about the changing of the seasons.
- Watched football
- Made and ate chicken stew
- Made and ate apple crisp
- Opened all the windows
- Drank chai in the afternoon
- Wore a sweatshirt to walk the dog
- Wore jeans
- Curled up on the couch with a blanket
It's going to heat back up this week. But it seems the days of 90+ degrees are behind us. Fall is on the way. I couldn't be happier about the changing of the seasons.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Impromptu BBQ
Our original plan was to keep things small for Memorial Day. We went to a pig roast hosted by one of Zach's coworkers on Saturday. So on Monday we were just going to have Kevin's mom over and grill some steaks.
But then we decided to invite some other people. We went to buy food for everyone. We bought too much food, and that led us to inviting even more people. Before we knew it we had a party on our hands. Actually, I'm a little impressed that we managed to have as many people as we did, given that the whole thing essentially came together the day before. No one else had made plans, either.
Ultimately, we had a nearly perfect amount of food. The chicken and steak all got eaten. There were only a few ribs and a single serving of pasta salad left over. Some roasted veggies are still in the fridge, but the cheese and chips and blueberry pie were decimated.
I'm glad we ended up pulling a party together at the last minute. It's nice to see people. Some of the people who came are people we really only see on holidays. And one of Kevin's high school friends was in town briefly, so it was nice to catch up with him, too.
Mostly I'm impressed with how easily everything came together. We nearly had the right amount of food. We had far too much alcohol, but that's not exactly a problem. Everything was delicious and everyone had fun. I'm really getting the hang of this hosting thing. (Yeah, Kevin actually did most of it, but still)
But then we decided to invite some other people. We went to buy food for everyone. We bought too much food, and that led us to inviting even more people. Before we knew it we had a party on our hands. Actually, I'm a little impressed that we managed to have as many people as we did, given that the whole thing essentially came together the day before. No one else had made plans, either.
Ultimately, we had a nearly perfect amount of food. The chicken and steak all got eaten. There were only a few ribs and a single serving of pasta salad left over. Some roasted veggies are still in the fridge, but the cheese and chips and blueberry pie were decimated.
I'm glad we ended up pulling a party together at the last minute. It's nice to see people. Some of the people who came are people we really only see on holidays. And one of Kevin's high school friends was in town briefly, so it was nice to catch up with him, too.
Mostly I'm impressed with how easily everything came together. We nearly had the right amount of food. We had far too much alcohol, but that's not exactly a problem. Everything was delicious and everyone had fun. I'm really getting the hang of this hosting thing. (Yeah, Kevin actually did most of it, but still)
Friday, December 5, 2014
Endless Celebration
Thanksgiving week was intense this year. Kevin and I hosted for the second year in a row, and we had a busier week than I've had in a long time.
Dad and his girlfriend arrived on Tuesday, and Connor came over for dinner and pinochle. We didn't quite finish the game before it was time for bed, but we played some.
On Wednesday my cousins arrived, as did Danielle and Eric. We ended up having more people over for dinner on Wednesday evening than we did for Thanksgiving. The meal was a lot simpler though, since it just involved chopping things up and setting them out on the buffet so everyone could make their own tacos.
Thursday was the Thanksgiving whirlwind. We cooked. We ate. We drank. I fell asleep before the football game ended, but other people were up until almost 2.
Since no one had to be anywhere, we spent Friday drinking mimosas and beer and playing games. Once again I fell asleep before the rest of the party. I just can't get by on as little sleep as I used to.
Everyone left fairly early on Saturday morning (well Connor stuck around for a while because we couldn't find his keys and then we watched The Lego Movie instead of looking for them because sitting was better than standing). We did some picking up, but mostly Kevin and I lounged around building up strength for his high school reunion that night.
The reunion was fun, even if I was starting to feel a bit burnt out. It was interesting to meet a bunch of the TJ crowd, and it was nice that there was no pressure on me to know anyone or make small talk. For example, after I met a bronie, I was able to exit the conversation and avoid him for the rest of the evening with very little effort.
Sunday was a day of rest and laundry and leftovers. I tried to go to bed early, but ended up reading until my normal bedtime. Oops.
Monday was my company party, which meant that our branch of the office was full and noisy and then we all had to troop downtown for the fancy dinner. I cannot for the life of me understand why this party is on a Monday instead of a Friday, but there it is. The servers kept our wine glasses full throughout dinner (so much for everyone gets one glass of wine, though I suppose that if you never finish it it all counts as the same glass). We left early, and I still barely made it home awake.
On top of the Monday night party, my company scheduled a mandatory meeting for Tuesday morning. I made it, but it was rough. When I got home, I basically just went to sleep. I spent the entire night dreaming that I was wandering around a library inside of a castle, which helped to refresh me. I woke up Wednesday morning feeling almost human.
The house still isn't quite back in order following the festivities of the past week, but it's getting closer. Two more loads of laundry ought to get us there. We're finally almost down with the leftovers. I'm even starting to get excited to cook again. But this week took a lot more out of me than I was expecting it to. We may need to scale back the Thanksgiving celebration in future years (or at least not follow it immediately with back to back parties).
Dad and his girlfriend arrived on Tuesday, and Connor came over for dinner and pinochle. We didn't quite finish the game before it was time for bed, but we played some.
On Wednesday my cousins arrived, as did Danielle and Eric. We ended up having more people over for dinner on Wednesday evening than we did for Thanksgiving. The meal was a lot simpler though, since it just involved chopping things up and setting them out on the buffet so everyone could make their own tacos.
Thursday was the Thanksgiving whirlwind. We cooked. We ate. We drank. I fell asleep before the football game ended, but other people were up until almost 2.
Since no one had to be anywhere, we spent Friday drinking mimosas and beer and playing games. Once again I fell asleep before the rest of the party. I just can't get by on as little sleep as I used to.
Everyone left fairly early on Saturday morning (well Connor stuck around for a while because we couldn't find his keys and then we watched The Lego Movie instead of looking for them because sitting was better than standing). We did some picking up, but mostly Kevin and I lounged around building up strength for his high school reunion that night.
The reunion was fun, even if I was starting to feel a bit burnt out. It was interesting to meet a bunch of the TJ crowd, and it was nice that there was no pressure on me to know anyone or make small talk. For example, after I met a bronie, I was able to exit the conversation and avoid him for the rest of the evening with very little effort.
Sunday was a day of rest and laundry and leftovers. I tried to go to bed early, but ended up reading until my normal bedtime. Oops.
Monday was my company party, which meant that our branch of the office was full and noisy and then we all had to troop downtown for the fancy dinner. I cannot for the life of me understand why this party is on a Monday instead of a Friday, but there it is. The servers kept our wine glasses full throughout dinner (so much for everyone gets one glass of wine, though I suppose that if you never finish it it all counts as the same glass). We left early, and I still barely made it home awake.
On top of the Monday night party, my company scheduled a mandatory meeting for Tuesday morning. I made it, but it was rough. When I got home, I basically just went to sleep. I spent the entire night dreaming that I was wandering around a library inside of a castle, which helped to refresh me. I woke up Wednesday morning feeling almost human.
The house still isn't quite back in order following the festivities of the past week, but it's getting closer. Two more loads of laundry ought to get us there. We're finally almost down with the leftovers. I'm even starting to get excited to cook again. But this week took a lot more out of me than I was expecting it to. We may need to scale back the Thanksgiving celebration in future years (or at least not follow it immediately with back to back parties).
Friday, September 12, 2014
Work Hard, Play Harder
Like the rest of summer, the last couple of weekends have been filled to the brim. Over Labor Day weekend, we had Zach and Sarah over for games. We finally got to play Settlers of America, a mash up between Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, sort of. I bought it for Kevin years ago. But it really only works with four people, and it takes hours to play. It was a good game, if a little long.
On Sunday we went up to Baltimore for a baseball game. Except we went early to eat burgers, drink beer, and watch a soccer game. The baseball game was long. And hot. It's been four years since the last baseball game I went to, and it will probably be another four before Kevin manages to drag me to another one. I just don't understand anything about that sport or why it appeals to people. Though I've been told that the games have gotten significantly longer in recent years. Given that, I wonder if they'll eventually start playing fewer innings, to get the length back down.
Labor Day itself was spent on the couch watching TV while I tried to finally kick a cold I've had for way too long. The cough is still lingering, something like three weeks after I first got sick. It wouldn't be so bad, except that Kevin managed to get over this damn thing in about three days.
Last weekend was filled with the Renaissance Festival and football. We all trooped out to Maryland to enjoy mead and cider and turkey legs. I bought a game I've been coveting since the last Renaissance Festival called Octiles. It's a variation on Chinese Checkers in which the path across the board is constantly changing. We also saw a short adaptation of Henry the V but Shakespeare's Skrum, which was a lot of fun.
Football was something of a mixed bag. Zach, Connor, and Kevin's mom all came over for the Redskins game, which was disappointing. They never quite seem to get their act together, and if they do it all, ultimately, falls apart. It didn't help that all of the scoring happened in roughly 3 minutes of gameplay, which resulted in a game that was both frustrating and a little boring.
But then I made nachos, which I've been looking forward to for weeks, and we watched the Niners game. The nachos were delicious, and the Niners are a much better and more exciting team than Washington. They scored in the first minute of the game and proceeded to walk all over the Cowboys.
This weekend promises yet more football (I love Fall), and some downtime. Which is good. I really need to clean out my office. It looks clean, but there's so much filing to be done. Not to mention that my bookcases are, once again, overflowing and could stand to be reorganized. I'll spare you the pictures this time.
On Sunday we went up to Baltimore for a baseball game. Except we went early to eat burgers, drink beer, and watch a soccer game. The baseball game was long. And hot. It's been four years since the last baseball game I went to, and it will probably be another four before Kevin manages to drag me to another one. I just don't understand anything about that sport or why it appeals to people. Though I've been told that the games have gotten significantly longer in recent years. Given that, I wonder if they'll eventually start playing fewer innings, to get the length back down.
Labor Day itself was spent on the couch watching TV while I tried to finally kick a cold I've had for way too long. The cough is still lingering, something like three weeks after I first got sick. It wouldn't be so bad, except that Kevin managed to get over this damn thing in about three days.
Last weekend was filled with the Renaissance Festival and football. We all trooped out to Maryland to enjoy mead and cider and turkey legs. I bought a game I've been coveting since the last Renaissance Festival called Octiles. It's a variation on Chinese Checkers in which the path across the board is constantly changing. We also saw a short adaptation of Henry the V but Shakespeare's Skrum, which was a lot of fun.
Football was something of a mixed bag. Zach, Connor, and Kevin's mom all came over for the Redskins game, which was disappointing. They never quite seem to get their act together, and if they do it all, ultimately, falls apart. It didn't help that all of the scoring happened in roughly 3 minutes of gameplay, which resulted in a game that was both frustrating and a little boring.
But then I made nachos, which I've been looking forward to for weeks, and we watched the Niners game. The nachos were delicious, and the Niners are a much better and more exciting team than Washington. They scored in the first minute of the game and proceeded to walk all over the Cowboys.
This weekend promises yet more football (I love Fall), and some downtime. Which is good. I really need to clean out my office. It looks clean, but there's so much filing to be done. Not to mention that my bookcases are, once again, overflowing and could stand to be reorganized. I'll spare you the pictures this time.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Bachelorette Party
This past weekend we had the Bachelor/ette parties, which were an absolute blast. People started arriving as early as Thursday evening for the weekend shenanigans. On Friday morning the guys left for a ski weekend in some hills that Virginia claims are mountains. That evening the girls gathered at my house after work for an old-fashioned slumber party. Except that now we're old enough to drink, which makes slumber parties a lot more fun.
We started the weekend with pizza, board games, and Disney movies. And a lot of wine. On Saturday morning, Sarah put together a fabulous brunch with Jen's help and we sat around drinking mimosas until we ran out of alcohol. Then, because we needed more beer and it was absolutely gorgeous out, we walked over to Safeway with the dogs. It was a long walk, but it was so nice to be out in the sun on one of the few nice days we've had in a long time. Then it was back to the house for margaritas before we went out to dinner.
The restaurant we picked was delicious, but the bill was an absolute mess. Our waiter didn't really understand math or computers and managed to make 402/6 = 78, which is not even close to correct. It took a while, and a bunch of people, to sort everything out, but we got there eventually. Only to later discover that the waiter had attempted to charge the entire bill to one card, in addition to overcharging everyone else. At least it all worked out in the end.
After dinner we bought as much champagne as we could carry and trouped back home, where there was a beer pong tournament, silly Bachelorette games, and an attempt to watch Magic Mike, which has entirely too much plot. Also Jen made delicious brownie pops with butterscotch frosting to share, and she even left me with the recipe.
On Sunday we woke up with the goal to get as drunk as we could before the boys got home at noon. Noon turned into 1:30, and we were all pretty happy by the time they arrived. The afternoon devolved into beer pong and visiting, as it usually does when our group gets together. Though we did make time to check out our neighbor's open house. I don't think the real estate agent was entirely prepared for us.
People trickled out all day until it was just Kevin and me around 9:00. We promptly fell asleep and were still exhausted for work the next day. (It really didn't help that I'd forgotten about the massive presentation I had to give, but I powered through.) All in all it was an absolutely perfect weekend filled with good food and friends. I can't to see everyone again at the wedding.
We started the weekend with pizza, board games, and Disney movies. And a lot of wine. On Saturday morning, Sarah put together a fabulous brunch with Jen's help and we sat around drinking mimosas until we ran out of alcohol. Then, because we needed more beer and it was absolutely gorgeous out, we walked over to Safeway with the dogs. It was a long walk, but it was so nice to be out in the sun on one of the few nice days we've had in a long time. Then it was back to the house for margaritas before we went out to dinner.
The restaurant we picked was delicious, but the bill was an absolute mess. Our waiter didn't really understand math or computers and managed to make 402/6 = 78, which is not even close to correct. It took a while, and a bunch of people, to sort everything out, but we got there eventually. Only to later discover that the waiter had attempted to charge the entire bill to one card, in addition to overcharging everyone else. At least it all worked out in the end.
 |
| A most excellent group of ladies |
On Sunday we woke up with the goal to get as drunk as we could before the boys got home at noon. Noon turned into 1:30, and we were all pretty happy by the time they arrived. The afternoon devolved into beer pong and visiting, as it usually does when our group gets together. Though we did make time to check out our neighbor's open house. I don't think the real estate agent was entirely prepared for us.
People trickled out all day until it was just Kevin and me around 9:00. We promptly fell asleep and were still exhausted for work the next day. (It really didn't help that I'd forgotten about the massive presentation I had to give, but I powered through.) All in all it was an absolutely perfect weekend filled with good food and friends. I can't to see everyone again at the wedding.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Finalizing Food
On Saturday, Kevin and I drove out to our wedding venue for our catering tasting. We had already mostly selected our menu, but this gave us an opportunity to try all the food and fine-tune things. We were able to tweak the salad and the sides to our liking. We narrowed down the appetizers. And we even got to taste the wine.
I'm really happy with all of the food we picked. It's great that we can offer our guests so many options for the reception dinner. And all of it tasted delicious. Though it wasn't hard for me to decide on the chicken for myself. Between the crab and the sauce, that dish was a clear winner for me. Kevin preferred the Rockfish, a nice local treat.
While we were eating everything, we also went over a bunch of details with the coordinator. She has the information for all of our vendors, and it really feels like everything is coming together. We have one more meeting, closer to the wedding, to go over all the final details. For now, I think we're on top of everything. Though it's a good thing that she reminded us about the need for a guestbook. We probably would have forgotten that completely.
In the meantime, I've been practicing my makeup and hair. I think I know how I'm going to wear my hair for the wedding. Now I just need to keep practicing the style until I have it perfect so that it looks good on the day of.
We're going to start looking at wedding bands soon, probably next week. I have a good idea of what I want, but I think Kevin will need to shop around a bit. And it's time to start pulling together the playlist for the reception. There are about a million songs that I keep hearing and mentally adding to it. We'll have to sit down and sort through everything to get a list the right length.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Cake Tasting
On Sunday, Kevin and I drove out to Middleburg to pick our wedding cake. We had set up the appointment back in November, at which point we had selected three cake flavors to try. The chef told us that there would probably be 3-5 flavors available in addition to what we chose, and I assumed that would include some chocolate. So for our three we picked one chocolate and two non-chocolate flavors.
It turns out that every group coming in gets to pick 3 flavors, and then everyone is able to taste all of the flavors that everyone else picked. And of the nine cakes we were able to sample, the only chocolate was the one I'd chosen. Since I basically knew what I wanted, it was good that Kevin had so many options to choose from.
As he was serving us the cakes, the chef warned me that I'd picked the richest chocolate cake on the menu and there were plenty of ways to lighten it up. As if I hadn't picked it on purpose.
We settled on a second flavor and then went through all the options of designing the cake. It turns out there's a whole lot that goes into this: frosting flavors, tier shapes, decorations, real or sugar flowers, colors. We figured it all out, though, so that's one more thing to check off the list. Plus, we now have a bunch of leftover cake samples to enjoy.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Thanksgiving
Kevin and I hosted Thanksgiving for the second time this year. It was a rousing success, possibly even more than last time. I didn't even get stressed at all!
My dad, brother, and cousin all came in to town for Thanksgiving and stayed with us. Zach, Sarah and Jen also stayed at our house on Thursday so they wouldn't have to drive home after all the wine we drank. And Kevin's mom and her friend came over for dinner, filling out our table nicely.
We had so much food that I was stuffed even without seconds. Kevin grilled the turkey and I made my mom's stuffing recipe. We made two batches of it, one vegetarian-friendly for my cousin. We also did butternut squash and cranberry sauce and olives. Zach and Sarah brought potatoes, cheesy onion bread, gravy, and probably something else. Jen made two different green bean casseroles (with and without bacon) and whole-berry cranberry sauce. Kevin's mom brought pies and my dad took care of the appetizers. There was so much food that we were able to feed everyone staying with us on leftovers for the rest of the weekend. It was pretty impressive.
We also discovered a wealth of things that we can put on our wedding registry. The feast was served on a mix of three different plates. We definitely need a new tablecloth and some actual napkins. There are also a few kitchen tools we've been borrowing from Kevin's mom that we should actually acquire, like a meat thermometer.
After dinner I fell asleep for about an hour, but managed to wake up in time to play Cards Against Humanity and watch the Steelers game. I didn't pay too much attention to the game until the end, which was painful. It seemed like there was an injury every play.
On Friday everyone hung out and played board games and drank beer all day. It was a good way to spend the day after Thanksgiving, when no one really wanted to move yet. I think we've got this whole hosting thing down. I can't wait for the next one - when we'll actually have some matching plates!
My dad, brother, and cousin all came in to town for Thanksgiving and stayed with us. Zach, Sarah and Jen also stayed at our house on Thursday so they wouldn't have to drive home after all the wine we drank. And Kevin's mom and her friend came over for dinner, filling out our table nicely.
We had so much food that I was stuffed even without seconds. Kevin grilled the turkey and I made my mom's stuffing recipe. We made two batches of it, one vegetarian-friendly for my cousin. We also did butternut squash and cranberry sauce and olives. Zach and Sarah brought potatoes, cheesy onion bread, gravy, and probably something else. Jen made two different green bean casseroles (with and without bacon) and whole-berry cranberry sauce. Kevin's mom brought pies and my dad took care of the appetizers. There was so much food that we were able to feed everyone staying with us on leftovers for the rest of the weekend. It was pretty impressive.
We also discovered a wealth of things that we can put on our wedding registry. The feast was served on a mix of three different plates. We definitely need a new tablecloth and some actual napkins. There are also a few kitchen tools we've been borrowing from Kevin's mom that we should actually acquire, like a meat thermometer.
After dinner I fell asleep for about an hour, but managed to wake up in time to play Cards Against Humanity and watch the Steelers game. I didn't pay too much attention to the game until the end, which was painful. It seemed like there was an injury every play.
On Friday everyone hung out and played board games and drank beer all day. It was a good way to spend the day after Thanksgiving, when no one really wanted to move yet. I think we've got this whole hosting thing down. I can't wait for the next one - when we'll actually have some matching plates!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Fancy Dinner Party
Kevin and I had been wanting to cook a leg of lamb for a while. This isn't the sort of thing you can really just pick up and cook for two people. It's a lot of food. So we decided to have a dinner party. And when Sarah got her doctorate on her husband's birthday shortly before a college friend came to visit, well it was the perfect confluence of events to warrant a fancy dinner party. Not that we really needed a reason beyond wanting to eat lamb, but it's always nice to have something to celebrate.
I remained impressively calm throughout the experience. Kevin may disagree with this statement, but anything he calls stressing, I call planning. I mean, you need to figure out the menu and buy all the food and make sure everything's cooked on time. Figuring out the details is a necessary step.
We settled on a menu that was pretty easy to time. Soup and dessert were made early in the day. The potatoes were cooked in the toaster over. Roasted asparagus can be completed in the time it takes to carve the lamb. And if my scalloped potatoes were a little undercooked, Kevin's roasted potatoes were perfect.
We even remembered to put all the food on the table. Everything was delicious, although we drank entirely too much wine. I'm struggling right now between wanting to just buy kitchen things (particularly a larger variety of bakeware) and holding off until after the wedding.
At any rate, dinner was a wild success. We're getting better at hosting large dinners, which means I'm feeling almost no stress about Thanksgiving. Except for the part where I actually don't think we have enough plates for everyone we've invited. But we'll make do. In the meantime it turns out that good friends and food and wine is all you really need for an awesome evening. Even if it does result in a somewhat less than awesome morning/early afternoon.
I remained impressively calm throughout the experience. Kevin may disagree with this statement, but anything he calls stressing, I call planning. I mean, you need to figure out the menu and buy all the food and make sure everything's cooked on time. Figuring out the details is a necessary step.
We settled on a menu that was pretty easy to time. Soup and dessert were made early in the day. The potatoes were cooked in the toaster over. Roasted asparagus can be completed in the time it takes to carve the lamb. And if my scalloped potatoes were a little undercooked, Kevin's roasted potatoes were perfect.
We even remembered to put all the food on the table. Everything was delicious, although we drank entirely too much wine. I'm struggling right now between wanting to just buy kitchen things (particularly a larger variety of bakeware) and holding off until after the wedding.
At any rate, dinner was a wild success. We're getting better at hosting large dinners, which means I'm feeling almost no stress about Thanksgiving. Except for the part where I actually don't think we have enough plates for everyone we've invited. But we'll make do. In the meantime it turns out that good friends and food and wine is all you really need for an awesome evening. Even if it does result in a somewhat less than awesome morning/early afternoon.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Habit Forming
I think I've managed to finally settle into an exercise routine that works for me. I've been going to the gym pretty regularly for the past four months. I still have yet to lose any weight, but the bigger victory here is that I haven't gained any weight. And that I can knock out twenty push-ups like it's nothing.
My whole schedule is anchored by my weekly session with a trainer, who is worth every penny. He routinely kicks my ass, and knowing that I'm accountable to him helps me get to the gym even on days when I don't feel like it. Aside from that I usually go and lift weights at least once a week. Twice if I'm feeling especially motivated. And I do cardio 2-3 times a week.
Intervals have been a complete revelation for my cardio workouts. They keep my heart rate at a more reasonable level so that I can get a full workout in without feeling like I'm going to die. Now that the weather's cooling down, I've been looking forward to running outside rather than on the treadmill. I've gone back to the very first week of the C25K program and have no real intention of moving beyond that until it starts to feel easy.
Strangely, the thing that has made it easiest for me to stay on track has very little to do with working out. On the days when I go to the gym after work, I completely miss rush hour. I get to ride a mostly empty train home, and I actually end up saving quite a bit of money on my commute by not traveling at peak hours.
I've also noticed some slow, subtle shifts in my diet. Regular exercise has given me more energy, which has made me more willing to cook. Especially during the week. So I'm starting to eat more veggies and less processed food, which is at least a step in the right direction. I can't handle huge changes in diet, because I know I'll eventually revert right back to my old ways. I think this will be more sustainable and will ultimately lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. Even if it ends up taking a while.
This has basically just been an update to say that I'm still on track. That track may be moving more slowly than I initially hoped, but at least I'm moving in the right direction. The results aren't really visible yet, but they're there. I'm trying hard to keep that in mind.
My whole schedule is anchored by my weekly session with a trainer, who is worth every penny. He routinely kicks my ass, and knowing that I'm accountable to him helps me get to the gym even on days when I don't feel like it. Aside from that I usually go and lift weights at least once a week. Twice if I'm feeling especially motivated. And I do cardio 2-3 times a week.
Intervals have been a complete revelation for my cardio workouts. They keep my heart rate at a more reasonable level so that I can get a full workout in without feeling like I'm going to die. Now that the weather's cooling down, I've been looking forward to running outside rather than on the treadmill. I've gone back to the very first week of the C25K program and have no real intention of moving beyond that until it starts to feel easy.
Strangely, the thing that has made it easiest for me to stay on track has very little to do with working out. On the days when I go to the gym after work, I completely miss rush hour. I get to ride a mostly empty train home, and I actually end up saving quite a bit of money on my commute by not traveling at peak hours.
I've also noticed some slow, subtle shifts in my diet. Regular exercise has given me more energy, which has made me more willing to cook. Especially during the week. So I'm starting to eat more veggies and less processed food, which is at least a step in the right direction. I can't handle huge changes in diet, because I know I'll eventually revert right back to my old ways. I think this will be more sustainable and will ultimately lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. Even if it ends up taking a while.
This has basically just been an update to say that I'm still on track. That track may be moving more slowly than I initially hoped, but at least I'm moving in the right direction. The results aren't really visible yet, but they're there. I'm trying hard to keep that in mind.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Alumni Weekend: Food
The thing I was most looking forward to about Alumni Weekend was all the food that I ate constantly in college and have been missing for the past five years.
The first order of business was a Patty's burrito. This was so important that we actually went to Patty's first, before we even went to the hotel to check in. And it was just as good as I remembered, which was a relief. I'd been worried that I was somehow building the burritos up in my mind or that things would have changed in the last five years. I shouldn't have worried. The burritos were so good that we went there again the next day for lunch.
On Friday night, per Kevin's request, we went to Hero's for enormous burgers and beers. This was a necessary trip to celebrate the end of Zach's vegetarian ways. We took him there for his first burger during senior year of college, and it only took him one bite to declare his past self an idiot for avoiding red meat for so many years. We also celebrated our friend Autumn's recovery from vegetarianism, though she got a chicken salad rather than a burger. The food was delicious, but it was way too much for me to actually finish.
Just before heading to the airport on Sunday, Sarah, Zach, and I walked over to 21 Choices for frozen yogurt. Although froyo has become more of a national thing since I was in college and there are a bunch of good places in Virginia, it was nice to head back to the place were I first discovered the frozen treat that my lactose intolerance doesn't interfere with.
We did end up missing a few places because the weekend was simply too short. I didn't get animal fries from In'n'Out or pad thai from Mix Bowl, the place that delivered until two in the morning. It would have been nice to get to Bombay Bistro, but it also would have been a logistical nightmare. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the food I did get. Although now I think I'll be full for the rest of the week.
The first order of business was a Patty's burrito. This was so important that we actually went to Patty's first, before we even went to the hotel to check in. And it was just as good as I remembered, which was a relief. I'd been worried that I was somehow building the burritos up in my mind or that things would have changed in the last five years. I shouldn't have worried. The burritos were so good that we went there again the next day for lunch.
On Friday night, per Kevin's request, we went to Hero's for enormous burgers and beers. This was a necessary trip to celebrate the end of Zach's vegetarian ways. We took him there for his first burger during senior year of college, and it only took him one bite to declare his past self an idiot for avoiding red meat for so many years. We also celebrated our friend Autumn's recovery from vegetarianism, though she got a chicken salad rather than a burger. The food was delicious, but it was way too much for me to actually finish.
Just before heading to the airport on Sunday, Sarah, Zach, and I walked over to 21 Choices for frozen yogurt. Although froyo has become more of a national thing since I was in college and there are a bunch of good places in Virginia, it was nice to head back to the place were I first discovered the frozen treat that my lactose intolerance doesn't interfere with.
We did end up missing a few places because the weekend was simply too short. I didn't get animal fries from In'n'Out or pad thai from Mix Bowl, the place that delivered until two in the morning. It would have been nice to get to Bombay Bistro, but it also would have been a logistical nightmare. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the food I did get. Although now I think I'll be full for the rest of the week.
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