Counting the minutes

5 hours to leave work (ah ah ah)... 4 hours to leave work (ah ah ah).

I'm so excited for the festivities planned for ringing in the New Year. Lots of my favorite people, cocktail dresses, cocktails, and some seriously fun appetizer contributions by yours truly. I stayed up way past my bedtime preparing one and hopefully there will be time post work today to throw the others together, get ready, and and some point put away all of the laundry i am making my brother do for me while he's there today and generally get the place in condition to have as many overnight guests as it will have. THEN...... then it's off to the party. WHOOP WHOOP. Not to worry..... I've got my four inch dancing shoes all ready and have of course charged my camera in preparation for the event :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Caution: gratuitous and shameless materialism happening over here

Hmmmm apparently cooking was the theme of this christmas. This is probably the first year since I stopped collecting barbies where I did not receive any articles of clothing or footwear. Does this make me an adult? I sure hope not. Anyway I got all kinds of fabulous things I am SO excited to put to good use (did someone say puree? sauces? brand spanking new recipes?? internship at martha stewart and my own book deal? a made for tv movie about the rags to culinary riches former foot model.. lauren? .. based on a true story). Santa delivered a double broiler, full size food processor, several cook books (ellie krieger, a 'brain food' book and 2 copies of SB in the kitch... are they telling me something?) and some other miscellaneous goodies.

For our christmas eve dinner we started what will probably be a new tradition... TAPAS! Who doesn't like to eat finger food anyway?? We had a few courses which included crudites/dip tray, crab stuffed mushrooms, veggie pizzas, mozzarella/basil/tomato salad skewers, garlic bread with cream cheese and pesto, mini green bean casseroles (not so Spanish but requested by my sister), and a few other Delicious concoctions which appear to have escaped my memory. It was perfect: a little comfort, a little fancy, and without the food-induced-coma which usually accompanies a rich holiday meal. (plenty of that happened the rest of the weekend)

I told my dad he'd be in the picture........ what did he do? turn around. sheesh. After our family's christmas we headed to Iowa to meet my mother's enormous, hilarious, loud, chaotic, and fabulous family. The best part? hands down my aunt theresa's sugar cookie trays. She could start her own cookie company, these are to die for.

After a buffet of amazing mashed potatoes and assorted delicious salads and sides (not to mention the prime rib that was served!) we were on to the next best holiday tradition... the always funny white elephant exchange. Though nothing can top when my dad got the susan lucci autographed picture (circa late 80s) signed to the favorite 'sister' of the family (which enacted the 'stealing' rule at the white elephant exchange).. hilarity-wise, this year did not disappoint. Here is my mom holding up the shoe phone she received. Apparently sports illustrated mass produced these puppies in the 80s. Nice, eh?

The next day we headed to my cousins Matt and Alana's adorable house to play a little Wii. My dad is so hip.. and not broken-hip. Don't even get me started on how he beat ALL of us in the hula hoop Wii game.

They were better than I was... exhibit A.

And now I present........ something that will make my mother want to kill me. Years and years ago my dad decided to sneak something in to her beautiful nativity scene. Anybody catch the dracula head hidden in the straw? hahahahah..... a favorite holiday tradition.

I hope every one's holiday was amazing!

Are we there yet?

Who has to work on Christmas eve? me, that's who. Little does my employer know that I am completely worthless on days like today (something that begins in elementary school where the day before Christmas break all you do is have crazy sugar rushes from holiday treats and watch tim allen santa movies). My brother is in town and will arrive here at work within the hour so we can whisk away to our parents house (driving ever so carefully in the fresh snow that is everywhere from last night) ..were the festivities/joy/hilarity/wonderfulness can commence upon our arrival. I can't wait!!!! Last night I was trying to cram in baking and producing treats for my boss and a few extra for John's family. I was unhappy with the presentation (after all, isn't it ALL about the presentation??) but after running around to a million craft/grocery/misc. stores over the past week and having some gift bag induced stress, I just decided to go with this. It turned out okay but still wasn't quite what I had in mind. Note to self: stop trying to be a perfectionist. The food was good though, I made chocolate covered pretzels and peppermint bark. YUM.

The peppermint bark was from this recipe. Take note all martha wannabes (ahem, jaclyn) because the hungry housewife blog is ridiculously crafty. It makes me wish I had PTO meetings and other things where I could display said craftiness. Okay, not really but you know what I mean. I layered dark chocolate (whipped with cream and peppermint extract) with white chocolate and had some crushed candy canes on top. REALLY good if I do say so myself!

And now I present..... a foodshoesbooze special feature, a guest picture of food spot. John and I have cooked dinner together the past few nights (me = baking and doing other miscellaneous tasks, john = focusing on the meal at hand). He told me I could take a picture of the meal if I promise to give him credit. My compliments to the chef, the ever so talented John. The other night we had sauteed green beans, a salmon Florentine roll from the meat counter at the grocery store (spinach, red peeper, cream cheese? it was amazing), and a salad of mixed greens.

Last night we used a couple of the steaks that I received for the Holidays from work. (bonuses? we don't need no stinking bonuses!) He found a wine sauce with which to marinate both the steak (broiled) and some sliced portabellas. REALLY good. Also we had some spaghetti squash and more mixed greens.

It was WAY too much food, but a worthy indulgence.

MERRY CHRISTMAS. I hope your time with your family is as amazingly fun as I know mine will be.... a perk of having the greatest family ever. Drive safe, if applicable. Here's wishing you get all the shoes, and cooking related gifts that you wanted........... and remember to take it easy on the nog. :)

getting back on.. (the wagon)

Pro of weekends: extra time to get together with loved ones, have fun activities, share a cool beverage and unwind from the week's stresses. Con of weekends: somehow no matter how tame the plans I end up consuming meaningless calories via alcohol which ultimately results in delivery from pizza hut (which we could walk to, since there is one just 3 blocks away, but that makes way too much sense), and worse.... taco bell drive thru. I will say that this was my first trip to the bell since becoming decidedly grossed out by mystery meat and other certain-to-be-horrible-for-you ingredients. The verdict? I was grossed out. I think it was good for me to have this experience post-enlightenment... right? It kind of took away some of the sentiment tied to the old days where we'd wake up and get crappy food. what were we thinking anyway??

The weekend did turn out to be pretty fun though. This pesky old college roomie who keeps flying in from San Francisco and making me have tons of fun and reminiscing, and bringing me Delicious chocolate mousse pies (i'm not even kidding, what a horrible friend) showed up again this weekend. Between her impromptu visit, two catch-up lunches with friends, an almost house party at my apartment, and more formal birthday party it was quite the weekend. There were a few limo rides (a surprise for the birthday girl and spur of the moment fun for the rest of us that just happened to be around); long overdue peace making, and more use out of my fabulous bootie/shooties. yesssssssssssssss.

after all this i was beyond ready to have something semi-healthy semi-fresh and homemade by the end of the weekend. The contents of my refrigerator seemed lacking and what with the SHORT week I need to make do with what i've got before i head home on Wednesday. Quiche it is.

Quiche cupcakes that is. 3 eggs, 1 cup cheddar cheese (the only kind i had), chopped fresh spinach leaves, sauteed onions, and dice tomatoes. Question, why do all cupcakes I've ever made deflate so unflatteringly? Am I not cooking them long enough? No worries, I zapped it in the microwave to reheat again this morning. deeeeeeeeeeeeee lish :) disclaimer: i realize the picture make these kind of look like feet. You may have to use a little imagination on this blog in place of actual zoomed in and appetizing photography.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Lauren meets.... the 'fun' squash

Fun squash, that is exactly what the sticker on the outside of the spaghetti squash claimed. And look how happy the cartoon looks... she's having all kinds of fun. Did I have fun? you betcha. Partly because I was elated to have narrowly escaped yet another car tragedy by getting home from work in once piece before the ice storm really hit. AND listen to how wonderful my bestie is, she SAVED a highly coveted garage parking place for me for when i got home. Isn't she wonderful? Emily, you complete me. I split the squash in 2 and cut out the seeds.

1. 1) WAY easier than cutting into butternut squash or acorn squash which completely put up a fight. It could be because this squash was kind of old? eh? what do i know.
2. 2) I felt like i was seeding a pumpkin.. which i haven't done since i was little (or so it seems) but the seeds looked exactly the same and the stringy gooey innards looked similar just more yellowish. ew. innards.

Then I put the two sides down in a baking dish with a bit of water for 45 minutes at 350. Getting the strings out really is as easy and delightfully messy as it looks/seems/sounds. Because I had semi already eaten (baked sweet potato and carrots with laughing cow to watch during the news), this was a perfect 2nd course hour later follow up. I put some fresh grated parm, a little earth balance margarine and a few snips of rosemary. holy rosemary. a little goes a long way.

the verdict? delicious! It was all i could do to resist eating the entire thing... so I would have some to eat for lunch today at the office with my leftover chili (to up my veggie intake for the day). While I was eating I shopped around for new pre-primetime shows to watch with the additional to channels i receive since i upgraded my bunny ears to basic cable. I get the style network and Topanga (yes from boy meets world) was trying to host a show just like the Soup. Joel Mchale she is not, it was not hilarious. Seriously, mildly funny at best (i was ready to gear myself up for some hilarious 30rock and office later in the evening) Maybe I'm just not used to seeing her without hair down to the floor and wearing all kinds of crazy 90s outfits that made me want to wear 10 headbands and stir up pants every day.

..... anyway, this morning I woke up extra early to make a big breakfast. Oats are everything to everyone in the food blog world it seems, so I decided to throw something together a la kath and try a warm and seasonal concoction that would surely blow my mind.. right?

I used a cup of oats made with water and silk, 1 mashed banana, 2 heaping spoonfuls of canned pumpkin, 2 spoonfuls of yogurt and some almond butter. the verdict? not my everything. It was good, and filling and different (and obviously easy.. a requirement for this girl). But I thought it needed more pizzaz.

In other news it seems I did NOT lose the contents of my refrigerator to the power outage! However I did use the opportunity to go through the fridge and throw out any questionable looking items. It is now clean and ready for new and fabulous homemade dishes to be filling its empty shelves.... juuuuust in time for the weekend :)

This weekend is going to be a bit more tame than last, which is good for my liver, wallet and sanity. I have some functions that will serve as a bit of a re-entry into the now boyfriend formerly ex boyfriends life. Also I might get to see my parents saturday for lunch (two weekends in a row! AND..... in just days I will get to pick my brother up from the airport and officially kick this holiday off (whoop whoop)!

Have a fabulous weekend peeps :)

Is it just me or it is it getting dark in here?

... I thought to myself when the power went out last night at 11pm. The bathroom still had light, which means my eyeshadow this morning is even (priorities, friends)... however the other half of my apartment which includes the lights everywhere, the tv, the FRIDGE... and the HEATER were done (the weather outside was frightful... 7 degrees). When I woke up this morning the electricity had returned, however the heater and tv both weren't so much working (needing to be reset??)... it was cold and I was anxious about getting on the roads without the winter weather report from the local news (not that i could change the outcome or my route by watching these events, but you know, who doesn't want to have all the info??).. According to my mom because I only opened the fridge in one panicky moment to check to see if the fridge was off (it totally was, and lots of profanity ensued). That and in the wee hours of the night it shouldn't have spoiled anything as the cold air wasn't escaping, etc. etc. She said I would have to go through item by item to make determinations. I hope I don't have to toss my chili. It was really too good to toss. Do you toss chili? Does that sound dirty? John would probably think so. He's like the Todd.... dirty sounding food five.

Mom's healthified soupy chilli amazingness

• 1/2 lb ground lean turkey (browned separately and added to soupy mix)
• 12 ounces tomato juice
• can black beans
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 garlic clove (minced and sauteed with onion)
• corn, sweet peppers (okay they weren't in the first one but i would totally throw them in had i had them in the pantry for texture and extra veggie count)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• a few slices of cheddar for garnish and/or melty cheesy delicousness

honestly i was kind of eyeballing all of this. my mom's actual recipe included her just listing these ingredients (ish) and just telling me to do whatever (no order or quantities). Apparently the rule for chili is no rules. What a rebellious soup. I love it.

You know what else I love? A holiday gift I received from one of our vendors today: a thermos!!! Soup city: here I come! AND it kind of looks like a missile/rocketship WOMD... no? It's the most dangerous looking food transporting container I own. Rebellious soup in a badass thermos? I think so.

Snow Snow, Go Away

Yeah, Yeah, It's beautiful. Last weekend was the one year anniversary of totalling my car in an ice storm, so I begrudgingly and cautiously admire how picturesque it makes the parking lot. Snow is beautiful, but deadly.... which sounds like a cheesy action movie starring jackie chan. However this is real life not a TBS weekend marathon we're talking about here and the weather bug is claiming to be 10 degrees right now.. YIKES! Before it became so arctic in the Midwest, it was mild and fabulous in time for the hilarious and wonderful weekend that is now living in infamy in the hearts and cameras of myself and my counterparts. I purchased new shoes (merry Christmas to ME!), I got to see my parents, went to five parties on Friday (saw TONS of old friends, met new neighbors), then another party plus running home for a wardrobe change and out again the next night. All Shoes and Booze, no food... hey... 2 out of 3 ain't bad.. right???? This was our late night excursion Saturday. Let's break this down: here i am with my two lady friends, and the random in the background is my soon-to-be or current ex-boyfriend-on-again-boyfriend. photogenic, no?

This was the tacky sweater I borrowed from Jaclyn and it was out of this world. A barnyard theme. I had a Christmas bow and a bedazzled Christmas bag. Definitely a winner at the party (although there were some seriously impressive 90s attire)

And finally... when all of the pizza, take out china, and other grease-tastic food from the weekend was gone... the healthy detox began. I made John and I my new FAVORITE sandwich ever which i have been eating non-stop the past week.. I thought I'd share.

The grilled cheese to end all grilled cheese:

• WW bread (local bakery.. heaven)
• cherry tomatoes, sliced
• avocado
• laughing cow light Swiss cheese wedge
• all natural turkey slices
• spinach leaves

When grilled its all warm and gooey. Amazing. I had it with some tomato soup. I love tomato soup and it has been a wintery staple for me since the dawn of time. I hadn't had it since I made the conversion to healthier foods last spring. (i.e. i always had it with milk, creme, etc.) I tried the V8 carton that everyone seems to love, and truthfully, it wasn't my everything. I thought the seasoning was extremely strong and the soup itself was really thin. The sandwich on the other hand..... that i could day dream about until lunch.

I hope everyone had a FABULOUS weekend and is out playing in the snow if applicable (appropriately bundled up of course). And someone who is home today tell me what happened on All My Children... since that's what snow days are for, right? soaps? :)