Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween! I am still planning to be an old fart, only now I've decided I am going to go to the mall before I go home. I hope Banana still has lots of fun stuff on sale, and I am also going to pick up some remaining items from our registry from Crate & Barrel. I cannot wait to get my Kitchenaid Mixer! Woohoo!

Here are a few pictures of the pumpkin Matt and I carved last night. We were going to do a Gator head, but I didn't get home until after 7, and that would have taken a long time. So, he decided it should have a funny face instead. I think he looks drunk. Matt loves it. He was impressed with my artistic ability, which tells you a lot about his (or lack of it)!

Old and Boring?

I think I've decided that I am old and boring. I still have my moments of fun, but really. Friday is Halloween, and guess what I am doing. Go ahead, guess.

NOTHING!

The sad part is, I don't think I want to do anything. What is wrong with me? Is this a side effect of marriage!? Matt is going fishing in Florida, and I was thinking about heading down to FL/GA in Jacksonville (mostly to see the family, since I don't have tickets), but I decided I should stay in Atlanta and be productive. And, by "be productive", I mean hit up the Banana Republic sale and finish writing our thank you notes. I will preface this with (or I guess it isn't really prefacing, since I'm stating this after the fact) a big reason I am not going to Jacksonville is that I am going to Nashville next weekend for the Florida/Vandy game and Gainesville the following weekend for Florida/South Carolina. Two weeks after that we're back to Florida for Thanksgiving. That's a lot of travel. However, that does not explain my sheer lack of desire to don a completely inappropriate costume to go out and party with my friends. I do actually have friends that are enjoying the Halloween spirit, getting dressed up, and going to various parties. I have been invited. But, again, just no desire. I am old. So, instead I think I'll sit at home with a bottle of wine, some Halloween candy I should not eat, a scary movie, and at least 40 thank you cards left to write. But, you can bet I'll be ready to throw back a few cold ones and celebrate a Gator victory (don't disappoint me!) with the handful of my Gator friends that are sticking around this weekend.

PSA

My best friend is pregnant and has all of a sudden gone totally granola on me! Okay, she's definitely not granola, but this whole pregnancy thing has just accelerated her need to "green" her life. See her blog for some helpful tips to living a more environmentally friendly life (and for some super cute ultrasound pictures of my niece/nephew). :)

PS - I give Mrs. Meyer's products my seal of approval. They work and smell amazing (try the Lemon Verbena scent).

Funnies

I think I have made it abundantly clear that I am a Republican and will be voting for McCain, so don't be offended. I thought this was hilarious.

And this - http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/999596/. Seriously, go listen to this. It's so funny. In a nutshell, someone went out and asked Obama supporters if they agreed with certain policies, which are all McCain views and not Obama's, and they all agreed. They also thought Sarah Palin would be a good VP for Obama. LOL! Actually, not "LOL"... so uninformed. But, that's the beauty of America... everyone has the right to vote whether they know a thing about the candidates or not.

But, in all seriousness, I realize Obama is more than likely to be our next president, and I just hope he and Joe from Scranton, PA, do the right thing for the American people. It's not that I think either of them are bad people, I just think McCain would do a better job. And, yes, even Palin.

Early.

I got to work early today. 7:30 qualifies as early for me. I planned to be here by 7:00, but some things just don't go as planned. No worries though, because no one else on my team is here yet. I really hate getting up in the morning, no matter what time it is, but once I am up, I am good to go. And, since it's Friday and it's early, I treated myself to a Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte courtesy of my good friends at Starbuck's. It's a good thing Matt doesn't read my blog, because he thinks it's ridiculous that I buy coffee (and by coffee, I mean lattes) there. I actually don't like their coffee... if I want coffee, I hit up Caribou. If he only knew how much I've cut down for him. :) Anyway, it hit me this morning that it takes me TWO HOURS to get up, get ready, and get to work. Now, I did stop at the SB this morning, so that set me back probably 10 minutes, but still. Almost two whole hours. Matt works 20 miles further away than I do, and I bet it takes him less than an hour to get up and get to work. Seriously. I mean, if I could roll out of bed, shower, and go, I would. It wouldn't be pretty though. I really need to try to trim down my time to an hour and a half. I should be up and out the door in an hour and to work in 30 minutes or less. This is a new goal. Maybe I should just stop showering. hehe

The reason I got here early is so I can leave early, because we're going CAMPING! Woohoo! I love to camp. Unfortunately, due to dry weather, a lot of leaves are dropping shortly after they change color or before they even change color. :( Hopefully, we'll still get to see some good fall foliage though. I'll bring my camera and hopefully capture a few pictures. We're going to a campground in Cleveland, GA, which is just south of a little mountain village called Helen. Helen is known for its Octoberfest celebrations, or as one of my friends so aptly put it, Drunktobeerfest. We plan to go check those out tomorrow. So, it will be a nice weekend of enjoying nature while putting lots of unhealthy carbohydrates (read: beer, whiskey, roasted marshmallows, etc.) and red meats into our bodies. We always do camping up right!

P.S.

The aliens didn't come. Shocking, I know.

What a husband...

I went to the gym to workout with my trainer after work (otherwise, I can assure you I wouldn't have gone), so I didn't get home until 7:45. I had dinner all planned out - Greek feta burgers, sweet potato fries, and steamed broccoli. Well, I come home and everything, and I mean everything, was ready to go. Burgers made, cucumber-dill sauce made, sweet potato fries in the oven, and broccoli in the steamer. Man, how did I luck out!? I do confess that Matt is not a happy camper when he is hungry, and it was completely selfish on his part, but I am still impressed that he took out my cookbook and went to work. He's good in the kitchen, and he cleans and does laundry when needed, so it really shouldn't be a surprise. It was very nice to come home and not have to whip up dinner though!

We don't have much of a dining room, so we plopped on the couch to eat like normal (this will definitely change when we have kids - I firmly believe in a family dinner time). I turned on Jon & Kate Plus 8, because I love that show. I love their interactions... it just cracks me up, but I digress. So, we watch a little bit of it together and then I got up to clean the dishes and got in the shower. I get out of the shower, and Matt is still watching it! Haha. I am training him well. ;)

The aliens are coming!!!

Or, so says Blossom Goodchild. Maybe they'll make a pit-stop in Georgia on their way to Alabama.

Cheating stinks.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/13/cleveland-election-officials-launch-probe-acorn/

So does socialism... in a major way.

Vote for McCain!

I'd be glad to eat my words, but in my humble opinion, the best thing that will come from an Obama presidency is a Mitt Romney presidency in 2013. And, if McCain gets elected, we should get Romney in a prominent cabinet position to help clean up this economy! Say what you will, but that man is smart and he knows business.

It's great to be a Florida Gator!

I said it's great... to be... a Florida Gator! Man, what a game. Now, that's the kind of Gator football action I know and love. I felt good about our (yes, our... I take ownership) game against LSU going into it, but I never imagined we'd kick butt like that. UF 51-LSU 21. I so wish we could have been in Gainesville, but here's looking to South Carolina in a month!

I love food.

I also love to cook food. Especially when it is good. A definite plus of being married is having someone to eat your food... and like to eat your food. After the first time I cooked for Matt as a married couple, he looked at me and asked, "So, you like to cook, right? I mean, you enjoy being in the kitchen and making things." Like a good Susie Homemaker/Full-Time Career Woman, I replied, "Well, of course honey. It is my job to make you happy." Ha, yeah, okay, but I did tell him I really do like to cook. And, to that, he said, "Good." I find this all very funny, because I have cooked for him since we've known each other. Without doubt, I have gotten much better over the years. Below are a few of my latest accomplishments.

Tomato and Wild Rice Soup
I actually got this recipe from my cousin, Amy. It is delicious and so easy! And, I got to use my new Le Creuset pot, which made me very, very happy.

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the only kind, of course)
1 medium onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2-3 celery stalks with some leafy greens, sliced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2.5 c low sodium chicken broth
1 c wild rice combo
2 tbsp fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
pinch of salt & pepper
1/2 can of corn (or use fresh corn if you're feeling feisty)
1/2 chicken breast, cooked and shredded (in a pinch, buy 1/2 rotisserie from Publix or local grocer)
2 c 1% milk

Saute butter, oil, onion, carrots and celery in a soup pot until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add tomatoes, chicken broth, rice, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for one hour. Add corn, chicken, and milk. Bring back to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

I accompanied this meal with cornbread. Matt's mom gave me this recipe, but Publix was out of jalapenos when I made this, so I did without. I was also excited to use my cast iron skillet for the first time.

Aunt Mary Jane's Jalapeno Cornbread

1-1/2 c yellow cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c grated Longhorn or cheddar cheese
1 c finely minced onion
5 large jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c corn oil (vegetable oil is fine, as well)
1/2 c sour cream
8.5 oz can creamed corn

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cheese, onions, and jalapenos. Add eggs, oil, sour cream, and corn. Mix well. Grease a 9x13 baking pan or a heated cast iron skillet. Pour in batter. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Yum. (PS- Reduce time to 10-15 minutes for muffins.)



Miso Salad with Chicken

I have to give credit on this one to my sorority sister, Katie, and California Pizza Kitchen. I am absolutely in love with their Miso Salad, and it had never crossed my mind that I could recreate that deliciousness until I saw a post of Katie's where she said she was making that for dinner. I asked for the recipe, and the one she provided was awesome, but it left out a lot of what I loved from the salad. So, I tried my hand at it, and it was great! I was especially proud, because I am just getting to the point where I can "wing" recipes on my own. I am starting to understand how flavors work together, so while I definitely had some guidelines, I tried to make it my own.


These are rough estimates of the ingredients.

2 chicken breasts, grilled
1 head napa cabbage
1 cucumber, seeded and julienne
3/4 c shelled edamame
1 c matchstick carrots
5 green onions, sliced
small handful cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 avocado, sliced into half dollar sized pieces
(Optional: daikon, red cabbage, crispy wonton strips - these are in the real deal)

Miso Dressing
1/4 c white miso paste
1/4 c water
1/4 c vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
(I might add some fresh ginger and a small clove of garlic next time.)

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken and grill over medium heat until done. Let sit a few minutes and slice into thin pieces. Refrigerate to cool completely. Chop cabbage into thin strips, for lack of better terminology. Add remaining salad ingredients. In a blender or using a stick blender (awesome kitchen gadget), mix dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust as needed. That's it! Easy and healthy and scrumptious! This makes enough for four entree salads (or for us, dinner and lunch the next day).

Bon appetit!

Whoa, Pictures!

998 of them, to be exact. If you're that bored, dive in. :)
http://www.pictage.com/552776
Ciao!
P.S. I have to somehow narrow these to 90 pictures for our album. 1) I think I am going to do an album upgrade. 2) I started a Favorites folder, and it has somewhere around, ohhhhh...... 267 photos in it. HA!