Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach

So yesterday's post was the stay-at-home equivalent of your kindergartener who brings home the picture of the huge circle with the two sticks coming out the bottom and says "look, mom, I drew you!" According to the comments, all the other stay-at-home divas take their homemade cookbooks REALLY SERIOUSLY. And aren't I precious with my first attempt? Apparently I still have a lot of Martha Stewart to read when it comes to staying at home.

But regardless of my cute little baby steps, I've decided to use the cookbook all week and make some of the recipes that are so nicely organized now. Last night was Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach with Cider Vinaigrette.

AB-SO-LUTE-LY HEAVENLY!!



I can't say enough good things about this recipe. It was so delicious, "a party in my mouth," as B said, tasted like fall, was very hearty, and extremely filling. The salad was comprised of baby spinach, red onion, granny smith apples, and crumbled bacon. The dressing was reduced apple cider, apple cider vinaigrette, and some of the bacon grease and drippings. Lastly, the seared scallops were sprinkled with salt, crushed red pepper, and curry powder. The whole dish tasted so smoky from the bacon and curry, but yet so bright from the apples and the cider. A great balance.

As for portion size, I bought 5 scallops per person and we all felt very full afterwards. Of course, you could also eliminate the scallops if you're not a seafood person and serve it as a side dish. The only thing I changed was I added about a tablespoon of olive oil to the dressing before it was all done - partially to balance out the acid, and partially to make it go further.

Tonight's dinner is Mushroom Ravioli with Parmesan-Chive Sauce - look for the reviews tomorrow!

How to Build Your Own Cookbook

For the past few years B's mom has been getting me a subscription to Cooking Lite magazine. We really like it and get quite a few recipes from it. But with the wedding preparations of the past year, the magazines sat in a pile and didn't get much use. We'd look at them, but then wouldn't use the recipes.

She also made me a great binder last Christmas to organize all of the recipes I liked. And now that I have time on my hands, I finally got to tackle the big recipe project.




Step 1 - Sit on your couch, purple Sharpie in hand, and slowly go through the magazine marking all of the recipes you want and then tear them out. Since some pages have three or more recipes on them, I found that it was important to actually mark which recipe you wanted, otherwise it would cause confusion later when I went back to organize everything.

Step 2 - Put your torn out recipes into little piles you've made on your coffee table. Mine ended up being: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Soups, Breakfast, Main Dishes, Desserts, Drinks, Misc.

(Repeat Steps 1 & 2 for the 13 magazines that are in your pile!)

Step 3 - This is the anal step, you can skip it. Since I had SO MANY recipes, I was afraid that I would need about 8 more books if I didn't consolidate them (since you'll often have one full page with only 1 recipe that you want up in the corner). So I went through each pile and played a little game of cut and paste. I also trimmed off the frayed edges of some of the pages - but again, that's pretty anal and I currently have a lot of time on my hands.

Step 4 - Assemble into your binder!


I ran out of sleeves towards the end, but basically it's done and I LOVE IT! I was sitting on the couch last night just flipping through the book and reading the recipes. And when the next issue comes, it'll be so easy to just add to the book.

Apple Harvest Festival

B speaks to no one and refuses to visit any booth before he gets his hands on some pulled pork. (Please notice the t-shirt saying: Our Racks Are All Natural)

A cup of caramel with an apple swimming in it - this is officially what it looks like when I'm in my Happy Place.

"Please don't talk to me, there MIGHT BE MORE CARAMEL IN THERE!! Cover my back while I just put the cup up to my mouth and save some time"

Museum Gala

We had a great time at the museum gala tonight. It was wonderful to finally be a guest and not an employee!

Being entertained by the magician

Clearly he was extremely talented!

Our caricature - I look a little manly, but B looks good

In our Saturday night best.

Celebrating Fall

Did you watch last night?! Loved it - loved every minute of it. Especially loved the most low-key proposal I've ever seen on television. There should be more of those so that all the crazy engagement pressure on men can be eased up a little.

Anyway, on to people who are real and not inside the telly. Everyone is still pretty down around these parts as a result of the job situation. It wouldn't be so bad if B didn't have such a toxic current job, but he does, so that makes the setback a lot worse. Thankfully, it's Friday and we have some fun fall events here in our little town.

We have the Apple Harvest Festival downtown with food and craft vendors, music, events, and lots o' apples! Unfortunately it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow, so that might dampen things a little. We also have the museum gala which I'm really looking forward to since I am now a guest and not the person in charge! What a luxury it will be to eat the food, have some drinks, and leave whenever we want.

But before all that, we have the first presidential debate tonight! In the spirit of having a nice weekend, I'll refrain from commenting on the political shenanigans this week. Hope you all have an equally fall-inspired weekend.

Desperately Trying to be Interesting

I've been sitting here forever with an overheating laptop on my... lap, ironically enough... trying to think of something to post. And I actually have the desire and time to write you something worth reading, but I just have nothing. I've been thinking back over the last week trying to come up with a funny anecdote or a story or an overheard comment, something, anything, but I've got nothing. Sorry kids.

One of my favorite blogs, How About Orange, has a great section of her website entitled Time Wasters. It's wonderful in it's ability to leech away vast amounts of time you could have spent doing something productive. Or at the very least, doing something not horribly useless. So if you're looking for a little pick-me-up on this hump day, distract yourself with these.


Dots - Literally THE biggest waste of time ever and one day I got sucked in for an absolutely embarrassing amount of time.

Real or Fake? - Take a BBC quiz on whether or not you can spot a fake smile vs. a genuine one. I only scored 12 out of 20.

Corporate Domination - Take this quiz to see how good your knowledge of corporate logos is.

Simpsonize Yourself - I'm not a Simpsons fan myself, but I know a lot of people are, so enjoy.


Please pass my apologies on to your boss, if it becomes necessary.

Little Bits

Go Read This: This post by Maggie Mason is probably one of the funniest things I've ever read.


Go Try This: Cooking Lite Search Engine. Not sure what to make for dinner? Go to the Cooking Lite Search Engine and type in a few ingredients that you have laying around your kitchen and all the recipes using those ingredients will appear. So smart!


Go Enjoy This: Pictures from our quiet birthday celebration last night. B got me a few goodies and made me cupcakes with homemade frosting! So sweet.

I wish you could see the full range of flowers and colors in the stunning bouquet.

Cupcake with 3 + 1 candles!

Birthday Buddies

In case you were wondering, here are some celebrities who share my birthday. I knew there had to be some explanation as to why I can never get enough of "I Love Rock & Roll" and "Hey, Micky." Although, I have to say, there really aren't any heavy hitters on the list, maybe that theory I was talking about before isn't true after all.

Joan Jett (50)
Toni Basil (65)
Bonnie Hunt (47)
Scott Baio (47)
Mystikal (38)
Andrea Bocelli (50)
Nick Cave (50)


Info from DListed

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Today is the first day of fall and also my birthday. I’ve always been in love with fall, but it’s obviously even more special to me when it lands exactly on my birthday. I was told once that if your birthday falls on a solstice or a season change, it means that you are blessed with more energies, more responsibilities, and a greater purpose. With all due respect to the 95% of people whose birthdays do not fit that category, I’d still like to believe it’s true.

Six years ago today, on my 25^th birthday, I was in a private room of a local Plattsburgh restaurant surrounded by 15 of my closest friends and family members. I had told them that I had a big announcement that I wanted to them all to hear. It was then that I announced that I had thought of a business that I was going to carry out with my friend Natasha.

We were starting a writing retreat business and the first one had not only been planned, but it was two weeks away. After the initial retreat, the business branched out (as all creative ventures do) into other things – classes for cancer survivors, specialized classes that we were commissioned for, individual sessions, etc.

I had the idea while standing inside my cousin’s gift shop. It was something we had talked about before (“one day…”), but the idea had never gelled until that moment. I realized two things: it was the exact combination of everything I was talented at and passionate about, and there would never be a perfect time to do it, so we might as well just move forward.

My one concern was that people would think we were too young to be of genuine help. But once that clearly wasn’t a problem at the first retreat, it became obvious that it would never be a problem. And to this day, it still amazes me that so many people twice as old as we were gave us a chance to lead and to help before rushing to any judgments. The second thing that still amazes me is the degree to which we really did help people. Rape victims, cancer survivors, and everyday people – all just going through the same struggles that so many of us do, and all reaching out for a little guidance. The feedback we received never ceased to amaze me.

For years I used to pine away, thinking to myself “What is it that I’m meant to do??? What is it that I’m truly passionate about?” I was so jealous of people who genuinely knew that because I thought “How easy – you’ve already figured out the hard part, and now all you have to do is implement it.” But in the six years since I did figure it all out, I realized that the second part of a plan can be just as hard as the first.

The only way I can describe it is that I felt like I was on drugs. Every time we had a class or a private session, or a retreat, I felt so high with happiness. I spent most of that year and a half of the business feeling so in touch with the world all the time – feeling so clear about what I thought and what I wanted and how I could really help people. There is no way to describe that feeling to anyone else, but it astounds me that you can feel that way about your job.

Similarly, I’ve felt just as cloudy and lost ever since I stopped. But Natasha went on to a PhD program and I met B and realized that if you’re going to build a life with someone, at least one of you needs a normal job to pay for food. Of course, I didn’t realize it was going to take so long for us to build a settled life together, but I just trust that it will all play out the way it’s supposed to.

Last week when we received the disappointing job news, I was talking to B about perspective. I told him that not a day goes by where I don’t think about the business and want to start it up again, but every hour of every day, I just remind myself what an unbelievable gift our life together is and to trust that it really will be the right time again. Reminding yourself of what you have is the only way I know to get over those hurdles.

And to tell you the truth, I have no idea what form the business would take now, but I miss being creative and I REALLY miss helping to make someone’s life better. Once I saw that and felt what that was like, I couldn’t imagine doing anything different.

As we move forward with our plan to relocate to Nashville, our life has once again become about change and transition. In fact, that’s all it’s ever been since we met each other in 2003 and I often wonder if it will ever be any different. I’ve never been a big believer in having a New Year’s Resolution, but I have always felt that your birthday can symbolize a new beginning.

So here’s my birthday resolution to you – as we move forward with these next twelve months, and we get through the hustle of the holidays, the births of a few new babies, the new life we’re trying to start in another state, my vow that I write with tear-filled eyes is that I will do one thing – just one thing – to begin the process of getting to back to what it is I’m meant to do in this world.

31st Birthday

We had a great time last night at the Going Away Party that turned into a Birthday Party - and we have the hangovers and foot blisters to prove it. Thankfully the Giants game starts in a few hours and we can distract ourselves with a little Manning goodness.

The beautiful birthday cake made by Dino Girl

Half of the VIP lounge

B telling a famous band story and entertaining the crowd

Wall Street Woes Hit Close to Home

I'm sorry to tell you that we received some bad job news on Thursday. Due to the economic tailspin of these last few weeks, the parent corporation of B's new company implemented a spending freeze and all new hires were not allowed to go through. As a result, they had to rescind the job offer. They still want B and there is a small chance that they will lift the freeze and be able to hire him in a few months, but we're not counting on it.

It was definitely a big blow to our household and of course it totally sucks. But at least he still has a job, which puts us in a much better position than a lot of other families in America. It will certainly have a ripple effect though, as several other companies are in spending freezes as well, making it so that fewer jobs are now available. As a result, we'll probably be in NY for quite a bit longer. However, we have two wonderful people in our life who are pregnant right now (B's sister and Bridesmaid Z, for those who hadn't heard), so it will let us see more of them and spend the holidays with our families, and those are not small blessings.

As I reiterated over and over and over to my sweet and disappointed husband on Friday, life is about perspective. If we have each other and we have our families, anything else that arises are just small bumps in the road.

So, we've been dealt an unexpected setback but we're moving forward. Tonight - believe it or not! - is our going away party in a VIP section of a local bar! Thankfully my birthday is Monday, so we called the host and retooled the party. B said that we should have changed it to a "We're Leaving... eventually!" party. Either way, we'll be dressed up and drunk - and really, what more can you ask for?!

Tips for Thursday

Still pretty slow around these parts. Workin' and preppin' - that's what we do lately. Yesterday I forced myself to shake off the lazy haze that had descended and get a little productive. Of course, I was then rewarded with horrible pain that has lasted until today, but that's life these days. Blech.

So this fine Thursday I have two tips for you. Admittedly, one is far more useful than the other, but even a bad tip is still a tip!

TIP #1

The caption of this photo is "My Mother-in-Law is a Genius" Last time we were home, we were standing in the kitchen and she said "Hey! Did you know about this?? You push in the little circles at the end and it prevents the roll from popping out when you use it!" GENIUS!! You should have seen the two of us freaking out about something kitchen related that was so simple. You should try it - it will change your life. Unless.. you know... we were, like, the only two people who didn't know about it and then this post really won't have the impact I was going for.

This photo is just the prep for Tip #2. As I've told you before, I'm using this move to really go through everything we own to not only weed it out, but to organize it as well. I didn't take a "Before" photo of the linen closet, but it would have just been humiliating, so instead I'm choosing to bask in the glory of the "After" photo. Can you spot the hidden tip in this photo?? No?? Well here it is...


Tip #2

PLEASE DON'T BUY ME ANYMORE LOTION!
You can't even imagine how many lotion bottles - big, small, scented - are contained in that mesh basket. And you know what the kicker is? I didn't buy ONE of them with my own money. So either lotion is the hot new Christmas item or my skin is vastly under-hydrated. Either way, let's just do everyone a favor and not buy me anymore lotion.

Green Halloween

I was aimlessly wandering through Blogland last night and ran across a reusable Halloween bag on a blog called Tree Hugging Family. The bag wasn't fashionable enough for me, so I took a trip to Etsy and found some that are more my style. And really - for me - it's far less about being green in this instance, and far more about having a cute bag! Of course, there's that whole caveat that we don't have kids and therefore have no need for cute candy bags, but if anyone DOES have a need, or wants some inspiration to make your own bag, here are some good ones! (click on the photos to be taken to their Etsy sites)

These are cute, personalized, and only $13 - how could you go wrong?!

So sleek and modern - I love this one!! Plus, it's black and white, which I'm always a sucker for.

The zombie artwork on this bag is so whimsical and sweet. Plus, it cracks me up that they look really confused.

The preppiness of this bagging is KILLING ME! I can't even get over how great it is. It's what I would imagine you'd need to Trick-or-Treat on Cape Cod. Something about growing up in catholic school, you just never shake your secret love affair with all things preppy.

B's new company is a tease... and not the good kind

"Final word will come on Thursday"

Grrrr.....

Nothin' Doin'

Hi readers. I don't have anything good to write about today, but I felt bad for not posting yesterday. I didn't do anything since I was recovering from a cold. A shower and a pedicure were my huge accomplishments, and even those didn't happen until about 4:30pm.

We're hoping today is the day for news with B's job because they said we'd hear "Friday or Monday." Truthfully, things have been at kind of a stand still lately, so I'm attempting to get them kick started again today. I took a hard look around and realized how much more there still is to pack, despite what we have done already. And do you know that for the moving company quote they want an exact count of how many boxes, and what size, we'll end up having?!?? How would that ever be possible to estimate properly?! So, we'll see how that goes.

I'll make every attempt to be interesting today so I can write about it tomorrow.

Politikin'

We're headed up to Plattsburgh this weekend for one of the last trips of our Goodbye New England Tour. We'll be out at camp the entire time, which I swear to god is what heaven must look like. I'm like a little kid at the beach every time we're there - kicking and screaming and throwing tantrums when we have to leave. It's amazing. If you ever visited camp, you would realize why we chose to have our wedding where we did.

But all of that Adirondack beauty doesn't come with cell service, so I'll attempt to mobile blog some pictures, but I'm not sure if it'll work.


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 I don't have an inherent problem with Republicans. History has proven that countries are run better when there are various positions that are considered and acted upon. I'm not so arrogant as to presume that my party always has the right answers. I'm against Bush Republicans. And as Paul Begala was saying on The Today Show yesterday - McCain is now a Bush Republican. He wasn't always. As recently as 2003 he really was a maverick and he really was a centrist, and had he won the primary in 2000, I think he could have won with cross-party support. But that is not the McCain that has been involved in politics for the last five years. THAT McCain has voted with Bush 91% of the time, has overturned bills that HE put forth, and has pandered to the extreme right in ways that are frightening. In light of that, here's the video...

My 2nd husband is Wicked Smaht

When it comes to speaking about politics, I'm shockingly ineloquent. Every time we're in the car, B and I are listening to political radio, and every night from 8-10 we watch Keith Olberman and then Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. So I have a lot of political intellect in my head, but it farts and stumbles when I try to make it come out of my mouth. I'm usually pretty good with words, so it's a rare phenomenon for me.

Tonight Sarah Palin is giving her first interview to the press... kind of. According to the journalists, she has not only been sequestered from all media personnel, but when given access (like tonight), they have been given all kinds of criteria as to what they can or can not ask her in order for the interview to actually happen. It's yet another example of what the Republican candidates this election have turned this into - the campaign of distraction and PR. It makes me sick. And it makes me furious that the supporters of their own party are not calling for a more ethical and issues driven election. If I were a Republican, I would be furious right now.

And maybe if you aren't as up on the political ads and lies as we are, you don't realize what trash they're putting out there, but here's an example: Several years ago in Illinois there was a bill put forth NOT by Obama, that did NOT pass, that was aimed to teach kindergartners how to recognize child predators and what to do if they were approached. The ad running right now says that "Obama put forth a bill to teach comprehensive sex education to kindergartners. They don't know how to read yet, but he wants to teach them about the details of sexual education. Wrong for them, wrong for America." What?!

Anyway, I ran across this interview that Matt Damon gave to CBS News regarding his feelings for Sarah Palin and I thought it was spot on. I especially like the part at the end about the dinosaurs and the books because she is guilty of both, according to various sources.

Stubborn Feline

Miles is impervious to my attempt to fold clothes - refusing to move even after an entire load of laundry is dumped on his head.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Welcome, Travelers!

We've taken another one down! I'm happy to tell you that Marissa has joined the blogosphere - horray! This Thursday, she and her husband Mike leave for France to celebrate a friend's birthday and they will be living the high life in a French chateau for a while. But in true Mike & Marissa style, they will be wired the entire time.

They'll use the blog to update daily while they're in France and then as a general travel blog to document their many trips once they return. Go visit them here: The House of M.

Will You Survive?

I'm pre-occupied today with various errands and house projects - not to mention the still-on-the-fritz back - so I'll leave you with something else to read. I ran across a very interesting article yesterday on CNN about why some people survive tragic situations and why some people don't. The author of a new book studied the personality traits of survivors to see what the common denominators are - go see if you fit the bill or not.

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On the job front, we're stuck waiting another week before we find out any details about B's job. On the upside, it gives me more time to tackle the moving to-do list and pack some more boxes.

Success!

Well, it's all over with. We still have a lot of stuff to donate to The Salvation Army, but not nearly as much as we had on Friday. Like I said yesterday, all of the big stuff went, which is great. It was a long weekend and there's not a chance in hell we could have done this without Dino Girl. Whereas B and I don't like to talk to strangers, she's great at it and totally rocked the house. We owe the success of the whole weekend to her and her wonderful boyfriend Film Guy.

Our total take was $762, which includes the $340 we got for the Geo. $20 is going to my sister-in-law's Breast Cancer Walk, $20 is going to the Obama campaign (just like I promised to Ouiser on Friday) and the rest is going towards the moving fund.

Sitting around on our very slow Sunday. I have no explanation for B's West Coast gang sign that he's flashing.

To combat the Sunday boredom, we find a spell candle in the pile that is supposed to bring good fortune and decided to give it a go.

Further boredom reducer - Dino Girl sports the garter belt and dances on the coffee table.

Pluggin Along

Miles isn't feeling the love on the garage sale - he prefers to relax instead.

All big items gone! Car, chair, futon, etc.

I swear these people would buy your soul if you let them - they're nuts!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Garage Sale Mania

I was thinking last night about what to write today. At first I thought I would write about my back and the pity party I was throwing for myself yesterday because of how terribly frustrated I've been with the fact that I've been doing everything right and yet still I've been a pain-filled mess for two days. But that's not really fun for anyone to read. And then I thought - for all of 2 seconds - about writing about the political circus that's transpired this week, but I can't control my outrage at the lies long enough to write a coherent post. Luckily Heather Armstrong of Dooce did it for me - read what she has to say here. It perfectly illustrates how I feel.

Instead I'll just dazzle you with the heaping load of crap that we're selling this weekend! I spent all day yesterday pricing things, all the while having severe pricing anxiety since I've never thrown or attended a garage sale. "Two dollars or three dollars??!!! I don't think three dollars is too much, but what if everyone comes and thinks I'm some dumb shit yuppie who's kidding herself into thinking she can get three dollars for that thing!! What do I do!?" That's pretty much how the day went.


May I also say that this isn't everything. There is a desk, bike, and coat rack that are out of the shot and some extra boxes that are under the table. Additionally, some of those boxes are FULL. Like the Dollar Box, which alone could fill three tables. But again with the anxiety... after I was half a day into the Dollar Box idea, I started to panic that half of the stuff in there should maybe be priced at .50. I have memories of Feather Nester telling me years ago about what crazy people these Garage Salers are - about how if they think something should be .50 and you are dumb enough to price it at $1, they will automatically indict you as a money-hungry novice and walk away.

But we're selling water and soda, and we have a free candy jar, so maybe all the bonus items will butter them up. Also, I'm pretty sure we have one of the more organized garage sales since my super crazy organizational side kicked it and most things are neatly labeled within an inch of their lives. "Brand New! Women's Size 7 1/2" "Worn Once!" "Napkin Holder" It's all very professional.

Before we can get there though, there's a lot to be done today - pick up tables, buy food, get cash, buy signs, price all the clothes, etc. Thank god B has the day off! I'll mobile post some pictures tomorrow from the festivities. Also coming tomorrow - the full update on the move. We find out today if the position got approved with the budget committee, what the offer is, if they'll pay for relocation, and when we have to be there.

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The new banner and layout isn't totally done, B's sister and I are still tweaking some things. Depending on her schedule, it should be done soon.

90210?

Latest garage sale find while I spend the day pricing: Early 90s rope necklaces. Sweet. Kelly Taylor, eat your heart out!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Back in the Finger Lakes

We're back from a wonderful trip to Albany this weekend. In addition to being part of our Goodbye New England Tour, we got to see B's sister and her cute little baby belly!!! Not to mention their new house, which is lovely. That's how it goes, right? Have a baby... buy it a house! It absolutely breaks my heart that we won't be living close to them, but that's how long distance families work... you're always too far away from someone you love.

Right now we're far away from everyone we love, so at least in Nashville we'll be near some people, while still dealing with the separation of others. Thank god for technology. Between blogs, web cams, video cameras, and everything else, it makes it possible to live far away and still feel involved in people's lives. It's still hard though... life is easier when you live near your family.

But there's no time to feel sad right now... too much to do. Today B is suffering through work while dealing with a horrible cold that sprung out of a three day allergy attack. And I'm pricing the garage sale items while dealing with my own allergies. Having never run a garage sale before - let along a huge one - it's all feeling a little overwhelming. Thankfully my ex-coworker Dino Girl is helping out. I told her to take over as much as possible and just tell me what to do!

Since we find out on Friday the specifics of B's job offer, I'm trying to get as much done as possible. They said that ideally want him there in two weeks if everything gets approved during the Thursday meeting with corporate. If he pushed it to three weeks, we'd be moving the last weekend of September which is so soon!!!

Searching for a job and preparing to move across the country is far different from the reality that hits when you actually GET the job. When you're searching you know that it could happen at any time, but you're also preparing yourself to wait it out for another 4 months. Now I'm making mental lists of what has to happen when you move: get medical records, get pet records, shut off electricity, forward mail... what else am I forgetting??!

Hope your Labor Day weekend was a nice break and that you're getting ready for fall. The leaves are already starting to change around here, which is crazy. Can't wait to start making everything with apples and pumpkins!!