Florida Vacay

Please excuse my inexperience with Shutterfly as these are borrowed pictures.  My BFF and neighbor Emily had a SURPRISE bachelorette party in Florida. 

She is marrying into a pretty sweet lake house in Boca Raton.  Her sisters-in-law to be were whisking her there for the weekend, that much she knew.  What she did not know is that the rest of her bridesmaids would be waiting for her at the baggage claim bar, ready to scare the beJesus out of her as she is officially welcomed to her bachelorette weekend.  She was screaming her head off, we were laughing hysterically, it was wonderful.

The rest of the weekend consisted of beach time, pool time, boat time, gratuitous boozing time (hey, it's a party), applying aloe to my sunburned leg time and most of all good times.  Our last night in town we went to a low key bar and managed to have a hilarious dance party when we returned to the house.  The dance party devolved into a 'do your old cheer/dance routine' party.  This was where I showed them the glory that is the MHS fight song.  Except that I was wearing a maxi dress, the limited circumference of which turned my high kick into an epic fall. 

The best part was that Emily was beyond happy! The other 'maids are a total blast and I can't wait to relive some of the fun next month at the wedding!  This past weekend was just perfect!

Click here to view these pictures larger

*There is this ridiculous fad on the internet called planking that made the news because kids were getting hurt, ironically, by laying face down on random objects (they were doing it on dangerous things like bridges and tops of buildings.. not chairs and bars).  Obviously we wouldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in such a pointless game just for the jokes. 

What's Shakin?

Happy Late St. Patrick's Day.... I know what you're saying... Lauren, why even bother saying late... it is full on celebration 30 days before and 30 days after your birthday. Well, you're right.

While in Denver for work, I got to spend MUCHO time with my friend Kelly who spoiled me rotton the weekend before St. Pat's and took me to have fun downtown at the parade (well.... we walked by it anyway)

Then we had green beer... and some appetizer samplers (caution not healthy or impressive in any way)

The dancing was pretty good though.

She got me a FABULOUS Birthday cake with fondant!!!! There aren't enough exclamation points to describe how much I loved it.

Also while in Denver, I tested the eats at Appaloosa Grill on the 16th street mall. AMAZING. Probably my favorite kind of Eggs Benedict Ever. How have I never thought of putting avocado on it?

For my actual Bday, after working Kelly, Tiffany, Michael and co. went to Watercourse Foods around the corner from Kelly's condo. All Veg, mostly vegan, UBER healthy and insanely delicious. Just what the doctor ordered after days of heavy steak house style company meals and a little too much St. Pat's indulging over the previous weekend. Not sure what we're looking at here... some sort of mushroom taco methinks.

These veggie eggs rolls (and corresponding sauce) were SO GOOD. They were for the table. I ate 3/4 of them. Selfishness is allowed on birthdays... write that down.

Later in the week I went back to Appaloosa for some Pad Thai. YUM. I was checking sports scores on my phone religiously (for the first time in my life i might add), back when my bracket had some exciting things happening. That lasted about 1/2 a day. Thanks for nothing Villanova.

Upon arriving back in MO, I immediately hit up the grocery store and then began the trek to my parents house for a fun birthday dinner for my momma and me. Oh, my sister was there too... ignore her.

We decided to make it a picnic, because eating on the floor is vastly superior to tables. We brought the table cloth with us though, because what are we.. animals? We had every dipper's dream appetizer turned meal, FONDUE! I used a recipe loosely based on Giada's Fondue recipe... mostly because my cheese options were limited. Essentially it was Gruyere and Fontina Cheeses, White wine and dippers. The cheese was completely smelly before it was all melty and amazing. Dippers included veggies and crusty bread - YUM! Totally doing this again. Plus the floor enabled us to watch soapnet while we ate and have lengthy conversations about all of our daytime friends like they were real people.

My wonderful papa got me green flowers for St. Paddies (he used to send me green carnations every year at school :) and my wonderful boyfriend got me some roses. The camera ate the green flower picture, and below are my bday cards/flowers goodies plus a few days.




After all of the Denver, and back home excitement, you're probably wondering how I POSSIBLY could go out on the road again. However, a girls trip to Kentucky was calling. Plus, who could say no with snuggies involved.

We drove by this a couple of times.

Spent a random and fun day out in nature. Not posing. At all.

We also hit up a WKU baseball game in quite possibly the most perfect weather ever. If you get a chance to go I highly encourage it, cheap college priced beer with a fabulous bar/deck off of first base. That combined with telling fun college stories with your besties? Yes please.

We hit up a gift shop or too... I want that hat. I might drive another 9 hours to get it.

Obviously there was dancing involved (P.S. our star and weekend hostess isn't in any of these photos, sorry Amy!)............ DJs love when you request songs from when you were in college (not, they do not, they look at you like you're old... apparently Nelly dropped off the face of the earth)

That's all folks. I hope everyone had a happy Easter and is enjoying the sunshine. Spring time cooking coming soon now that I'm no longer living out of a suitcase. Ciao!

The Rhythm is Gonna Get Cha..

One of my besties came in town last weekend (and brace yourself, another one's coming this weekend) ... and in honor we decided to catch up over a couple bottles of wine. Snacks.... obviously... were in order. Have I discussed Paula Deen's secret VEGAN recipe? The queen of butter and fried things accidentally made something healthy. It had to have been an accident, and what a delicous and healthy one that it was. She has an amazing black bean salsa recipe that includes the following:

• tomatoes
• black beans
• corn
• avocado
• onion
• cilantro
• red wine vinegar
• lime juice

ridiculously easy and heaven on a stick. I make big batches of this and eat it all week long (with fish, with cream cheese as a queso, in quesadillas, tex mex breakfast scramble...the options are endless).

I made a BIG 'ole batch to take to a Hog Roast the next day too. It was hit.. mostly because i was spreading rumors of how good it was. Also I made Zesty Cook's (food blogger extraordinaire) super easy greek dip. It basically included the following:

• cream cheese (like you could go wrong after that)
• feta
• NF plain yogurt
• dill
• tomatoes
• olives
• green onions

it was also supposed to have cucumbers but i forgot to add them to my grocery list..... so..... you know how that goes. Anyway with warm pita bread it was heaven.

Amy grabbed triscuits, some sort of summer sausagy thing and a delicous new kind of herbed cheese that for the life of me i can't remember it's name. This was the kind of gourmet lunchable that pseudo adults like us just LOVE.

Emily made fried green beans. She used some seasoned flour and fried them. With ranch they were SO good.

After mucho catching up and killing a few bottles of wine we got ready (this all went down just after work on friday, necessitating quick snacks and brief wardrobe changes). While we listened to some serious MJ hits and decided to be 'man in the mirror'

Which lead to this....

Which lead to a suggestion (I think emily gets the credit for this).. for pulling out a pair of white knit gloves from an OLD winter stash of warm things. It made it out with us for dance party madness. In recapping the evening the next morning on the phone with my mother she asked what others thought of us. Truthfully...... not sure. We actually just walked to bar area, proceeded to dance out in the open (where there's a DJ but no cover, etc.) and then go home. We actually had little interaction with others (minus friends of ours that were nearby and met up/hung out/dance partied too)

HIL.AR.I.OUS.

Lots of moonwalking happened too... I'm just saying.

Awesome.

Salad and lots of dorky dancing

Because I have champagne taste on a beer budget (as mom would say), I had to slash the grocery list from lofty goals and ingredients like goat cheese, salmon, and nori.............. to PB&J... which is what I have actually been eating all week (although delicous, not necessarily blog-innovation worthy, even on my remedial level). My shifting of priorities was for a good cause, I promise. Multiple Chriopractor visits this month so I can turn my head to the left (and dance the robot out of choice and not necessity in the future), a SUPER fabulous bday party weekend out of town with some old sorority peeps, and some new summer threads (don't judge... the banana boat has gone to my head and caused poor fiscal summer-related decisions). So behold, yesterday's lunch combo that impressed myself and my low standards.

Feta/Watermelon Salad:

• Watermelon
• Feta
• Spinach
• Balsalmic Vinagar

And finally, because all I do recap weekends on here anyway, a photo summary of my very favorite weekend of June '09 (too early to say that?) Starting with a trip to see my H.S. BFF -- seriously the funniest person I've ever known. It was good times. She acts/speaks/thinks just like Liz Lemon. Further reinforcing my thoughts that Tina Fey and I would be BFF in real life.

Saturday was a Birthday party and night out with old friends in a random college town that was not our own. A few girls live in KC and a few live in the STL, so we decided to meet in the middle for a birthday bonanza. It did not dissapoint.With some besties.... Heart them big time! (Nin I know you're reading this ;) They even indulged in my LOVE of headband that evening and request to be called Blair Waldorf.After making a spectacle at a number of establishments, and making the cab/van driver take us through the drive thru (i was good, minus the handful of onion rings I stole) obviously we came home and put on our favorite sorority songs. Good thing I have a playlist entitled: 'delta zeta' which has every girl's favorite madonna, whitney, cindy lauper, pat benettar, britney, etc. tunes.

.... DANCE PARTAY!

Hilarious.

In very exciting, non-weekend-related news.... word on the street is that my favorite food aunt is further guiding me along the light and way of the cooking world by supplying me with the following:

How great would THAT be? Hope everyone's Thursday is BANANAS (you know, in a good way).

Flo Rida... Holla!

Goood morrow my peoples! Flo Rida.... the location (as opposed to the rapper, and yes i totally spelled it that way on purpose) is where i have been hiding out all week/weekend. Despite the fact that I am mostly all work and little play... behold the BEAUTEOUS view from out the window:


Which obviously leads to this... (high SPF? check and check)


Though I obviously couldn't cook, I sure was eating... HEY OH. The most healthful and food blog related eats were when I tracked down this beauty of a restaurant I had heard so much about (okay actually it was only 2 miles from my hotel, but still, i was determined). This place is AMAZING!

• All seasonal and fresh foods (hence, the name)
• Everything is under 500 calories
• There are no fryers in the entire restaurant and they don't use butter (i'm not sure how that works with their completely delicious shot glass size desserts, but kudos restaurant)
• hands down the best place i went all week (including local buttery seafood places where the taste of the food was crazy delicious.... a la red vines and mr. pibb)

My companion for dinner was a friend from college, then we went to a dive bar on the beach... LOVED it! Early flight though, so it was fun... with time and drink limitations.

Before I left KC, in addition to a super fun rehearsal dinner that john was in (well he was in the wedding too, but i had to miss that to travel :( Anyway one of my besties flew in from Denver, and we.... OBVIOUSLY... had a dance party. The caption to this beauty below might read something like.... oh no... walk out the door... don't come around here.. you're not welcome anymore..

A more composed pic:

AHHH love. Can't wait to GET BACK! I have the best girls weekend in history happening, school starts tomorrow (okay okay, can totally put that off longer)..

by the way: did anyone hear Al Roker's HILARIOUS joke just now about coffee and all the single lattes? (beyonce style). Total highlight of my morning. Well, that and having an A boarding pass.

Tood-le-loo

Dance Party!

So remember how last weekend it was so nice to stay in and do nothing? Apparently my cabin fever sent me over the edge this weekend where shenanigans included everything from losing a jeopardy game, losing a wii tournament, consequently losing the prize liquor (pretty sure i found that too) losing my glasses (found), losing my lunch, a dance party (with apparently trick photography coming from the kitchen counter top?) losing basketball games (as a spectator... obviously) crawling across bar tables, playing dice games with crowds of cheering townies, trespassing, broken chairs, broken camera (fixed) and in general putting me in some serious detox today. My body is pretty mad at me and has me swearing off alcohol and the copious amounts of bar food i ate over the course of 2 days. Unfortunately places with $4 pitchers don't have food that isn't fried. Fortunately my attempts to BEG our waitress to turn on the fryer at 2 am didn't happen. As I now dream of vegetables, citrus fruit, and a simpler time where I had reports to this pseudo health food blog about which I could be proud... The one home-made recipe bright spot was the food Jaclyn made for the Wii party.

As it happens, she received this recipe from a teacher of ours (from a class we were supposed to be in together no less)

So without any further ado I will now present a foodshoesbooze special guest appearance by Jaclyn....

Career Person Rolls (Crescent)

• 1 package dry yeast
• l/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup milk
• l/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs (always use extra large for baking - not jumbo or large)
• 1 stick real melted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour (must be bread flour)

Dissolve yeast in water (add 1 tsp sugar; let set 10 minutes). Warm milk slightly; do not let boil. Add sugar and dissolved yeast. Mix and let stand l/2 hour. Add 2 well beaten eggs, salt, butter, and flour. Mix well with big spoon. No need to knead! Cover and let stand overnight. Do not refrigerate. Divide dough into three parts. Pat each on to greased 12-inch pizza pan. Cut into 12 wedges. Roll up starting with wide side. Place rolls on greased heavy (not coated) cookie sheets or sheet cake pans. Grease a sheet of waxed paper and gently place over top of rolls. May let set all day. Bake 350 about 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Brush with melted real butter and serve immediately. May warm up two rolls at a time in microwave for about 12 seconds. I have adjusted the time period to coincide with my career. The roll dough should rise at least 5 hours, and the rolls at least 4 hours. When I have let the dough set overnight and the rolls all day, the house has been cool.

Marinated Rolled Pork Loin

Purchase rolled pork loin in vacuum pack. There are two in each pack. The brand escapes me. Wrap apple favored bacon around each roll. May take about two or three slices each. Marinate overnight in the following mixture:

• l/2 cup soy sauce (regular)
• l Tablespoon minced onion (the kind with the spices)
• l/8 minced garlic (in a jar)
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• l/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• l/2 teaspoon salt
• l/2 cup sugar

The marinating recipe triples easily, and I usually do triple it when I?m serving several. Bake uncovered in flat heavy pan 325 degrees until meat thermometer reaches 170. Doesn't take very long. My recipe says 45 minutes but may be shorter. Drain marinade and place loin on cutting board and slice thinly. I have fixed it ahead and warmed the slices. I can?t tell any difference.

Recipe via professor C Southers January 2009

Jaclyn's notes: Don't you dare substitute for any of the ingredients--you know my philosophy!The best of success with the above. You may want to practice, especially on the rolls; they freeze well.

lauren's notes: Good... looking forward to trying them on my own at some point for carnivorous friends. School will have me eating out of the freezer until I can report something homemade-ish later this week. See you then! ;)

oh no you di'int

yes. we. did.

i have drank the kool-aid, i am filled with euphoria and hope and all of that other wishy washy nonsense that has plagued the country for the past 20 months. I feel like for the first time in my adult voting life i have had a serious emotional connection with a candidate/movement/vote ---not to mention my candidate won, that never happens.

tonight is the first night in ages that i'll be able to add food-isms to the internet world, but probably every moment until then I will sit here at my desk and daydream for all of the things that we can be: restored image in the world; helping the poor/needy/helpless; again becoming the wonderful nation i know that we are; dare I say... simmering the crazy partisan atmosphere that makes me want to slap my conservative friends; has them threatening to disown me; and makes me fantasize about sucker punching Bill-O and Karl. Okay minus those regrettable semi-violent sentiments, I am filled with patriotism and am feeling only slightly guilty that I skipped class to go to the Obama watch party downtown (which was pure pandemonium when the results were announced). But an election of this magnitude--HISTORY--only happens once in a lifetime.... and this class happens every tuesday.