brekkie
I've often heard cooking described as an art, but a recent endeavor of mine proves otherwise. Due to a lifelong quest to find the perfect on the go breakfast, I made egg and spinach quiche cups.
I thought they'd look like this:
But they actually turned out like this:
Although they were less than beautiful, they were pretty tasty. They're only 75 calories, and super easy to make (recipe!). I added extra cheese because, well, obviously, and also added jalapenos because I'm having a love affair with them, as well as lots of Cayenne. I think the trouble was that I didn't drain the spinach well enough and too much water overflowed. Also, the suggested 10 ounces of spinach was too much. I'd half it.
And to redeem myself from this disaster, Hannah and I made pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes, and although the pumpkins on top would certainly be abstract art, they made us proud:
I thought they'd look like this:
And to redeem myself from this disaster, Hannah and I made pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes, and although the pumpkins on top would certainly be abstract art, they made us proud:
the festivities begin
I can't safely say that Halloween is my favorite holiday because (1) almost every holiday is my favorite while I'm living it and (2) my birthday is my real favorite one. However, it's near the top of the list.
Two years ago I got the swine flu (for real) the morning of Halloween, and last year I was at a wedding, which means I have not celebrated Halloween in two (two!) years. It's been really hard on me.
Fortunately this year I am lucky enough to get to celebrate it a couple of times, starting this weekend. I went to my friend Phi's birthday party and was pretty much in a state of bliss all night. The costumes were seriously legit.
Almost as blatant as my obsession with Halloween is my recent obsession with Pan Am. Man oh man. I am in love with it beyond belief, so this year I decided I'd be a stewardess for Halloween. I'd say it was a success, especially because my friend Casey decided to be an airplane at the last minute. My only regret from the party is we didn't have the good sense for me to try to get into her costume. It could have been really special.
After the party, the weekend continued with lots of happiness, including Party Atlanta, the fall event for the charity I'm part of, a batch of chili in my brand new stockpot (yaay!) and a trip to the Counter.
I hope you all had wonderful weekends, too! Happy Tuesday!
Two years ago I got the swine flu (for real) the morning of Halloween, and last year I was at a wedding, which means I have not celebrated Halloween in two (two!) years. It's been really hard on me.
Fortunately this year I am lucky enough to get to celebrate it a couple of times, starting this weekend. I went to my friend Phi's birthday party and was pretty much in a state of bliss all night. The costumes were seriously legit.
Almost as blatant as my obsession with Halloween is my recent obsession with Pan Am. Man oh man. I am in love with it beyond belief, so this year I decided I'd be a stewardess for Halloween. I'd say it was a success, especially because my friend Casey decided to be an airplane at the last minute. My only regret from the party is we didn't have the good sense for me to try to get into her costume. It could have been really special.
float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
When Courtney, Katie and I ran the Chicago marathon in 2007, it was unseasonably hot, inching above 90 degrees, with the race black flagged. One runner died, 30 were hospitalized, more than 400 sought medical attention, and Katie threw up.
Courtney and I both recently admitted we nearly stopped multiple times at the medic stations, terrified because we were no longer sweating, had goosebumps, and were pretty sure our hearts were about to fail. I'm fairly certain the only reason we didn't stop is because we have unrelenting wills that are made possible only because of two parents who think it's normal to do things like paint 100 Willow on their own in the middle of the summer. It's a wild combination. And kind of scary.
That being said, yesterday Duke, Courtney and Ryan did the Tough Mudder in Virginia and Court said it was almost as hard as the '07 thon. Describing it as both awful and awesome, they used those wills of steel (Duke's being stronger than ours. No offense Court. The kid didn't tell anyone he had mono.) to dominate the race.
Afterward they were talking casually about submerging in a steel pool of ice water and climbing through obstacles with electric shocks, and I felt incredibly proud of them and also a teensy tiny bit envious that my foot kept me sidelined.
Unless an intense case of rosy retrospection kicks in, it seems unlikely they'll do the race again. However, if they do, you better believe I'll be right there with them. Let's just hope I can keep up with these champs.
Courtney and I both recently admitted we nearly stopped multiple times at the medic stations, terrified because we were no longer sweating, had goosebumps, and were pretty sure our hearts were about to fail. I'm fairly certain the only reason we didn't stop is because we have unrelenting wills that are made possible only because of two parents who think it's normal to do things like paint 100 Willow on their own in the middle of the summer. It's a wild combination. And kind of scary.
That being said, yesterday Duke, Courtney and Ryan did the Tough Mudder in Virginia and Court said it was almost as hard as the '07 thon. Describing it as both awful and awesome, they used those wills of steel (Duke's being stronger than ours. No offense Court. The kid didn't tell anyone he had mono.) to dominate the race.
Afterward they were talking casually about submerging in a steel pool of ice water and climbing through obstacles with electric shocks, and I felt incredibly proud of them and also a teensy tiny bit envious that my foot kept me sidelined.
Unless an intense case of rosy retrospection kicks in, it seems unlikely they'll do the race again. However, if they do, you better believe I'll be right there with them. Let's just hope I can keep up with these champs.
Good job you guys!! I am so proud and impressed! And they even look so cute after a two and a half hour race.