Due to an insane increase in business over the past few weeks, JUST something special is going on a mini hiatus. I absolutely refuse to compromise the quality and frequency of posts. So, I've decided to take a week off to (ahem) get my stuff together and develop a better process for incorporating blogging into my everchanging schedule.
I will continue to inspire and amuse everyone upon my return. I promise.
Please have a wonderfully relaxing week lovelies.
Dear Hurricane Irene,
I'm writing this letter because I'm a bit disappointed.
To be totally honest, I expected more. It's not often we get to experience a major hurricane here on the East Coast. We New Englanders are a bit spoiled when it comes to dangerous weather. We get our fair share of blizzards and heat waves, sure, but it's not often we get to see a full-fledged hurricane.
Being good hostesses, we were prepared. We braced ourselves for a crazy weekend here. We evacuated our homes. We bought thousand dollar generators. We made 5am runs to home depot. We taped and boarded our windows, expecting 100 mph winds. And we watched the news expectedly, waiting for your arrival.
But by the time you got to us, you just fizzled out...
This was not the exciting weekend I had planned for us. And to make matters worse, you were a bit annoying. You flooded our streets, houses, and parking lots. You blocked our roads with fallen trees. You even knocked down a few power lines. I admit, it made for a few cool photos. But that was about it.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is, next time you promise us a category 4 hurricane, please deliver.
Yours Truly,
Connecticut
You know when you're having one of those days where you're totally swamped, exhausted, and the last thing you want to do is whip up a gourmet meal from scratch? Well I'll let you in on a little secret... I have those days all the time. Which is why I've created a mental list of easy peasy go-to meals. Boyfriend will be the first to tell you I'm no chef. I am, however, very good at creating delicious dinners that seem far more complicated than they are.
My famous lobster ravioli is one such meal. I shouldn't even call it mine. It's from Trader Joes. No, really. It comes in a little plastic container for $2.99. Of course you're going to have to buy several because it's that good. And it's the easiest thing you'll ever prepare. In your life. You simply bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, drop the fresh raviolis in the pot (I usually turn down the heat), drain after two and a half minutes (do not overcook these, they will fall apart), and sprinkle with butter and salt (or pesto). You're done.
It's delicious. It's nutritious. And it's impressive. I recommend serving it with a salad. And if you discard the containers in the bottom of the trashcan, noone will ever know it's premade.
Two weeks ago I made the decision to quit my job and follow my dreams. Yesterday was my last day. I took this picture minutes after leaving my desk for the last time. This was the right decision for me. But goodbyes are always so final. And bittersweet. Even when I'm so excited to embark on a new journey, there's something to say about leaving behind people, places, things. A life. Even when there's no doubt in my mind this was the right thing to do, it's still hard.
It seems this past month I've been closing a lot of doors. But without this, I wouldn't be able to carve a path for myself. And I refuse to live with regrets. So I guess this post is really about what's to come. I read a quote recently about how life is like a garden. You have to prune it so that it can grow. I hope my garden is unpredictable, full of excitement, challenges, and laughs.
And more than anything, I hope if you have the opportunity to follow your dreams, you take it.
Every Sunday, we've been having family dinner. This basically consists of dad making an enormous amount of food, which boyfriend and I eat (mostly boyfriend). We then have leftovers for six days. This week, dad prepared a giant pot of homemade sauce, a box of pasta, and six pounds of meat. Yes, six pounds of meat. Meat included (but was not limited to) sausage, pork, and chicken. We then watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Dad cried when Matthew McConaughey delivered emotional wedding speech. The night ended with pie and cannolis (storebought).For delicious sauce, try the following:
4 cans crushed tomatoes
4 cans plum tomatoes
4 cans tomato paste (equal parts water)
1 clove garlic
1 onion, chopped
14 basil leaves
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
combine all tomato ingredients in one large pot, smush tomatoes until mixed, let sit on high heat until the sauce bubbles
add garlic, onions, basil, salt, and sugar, let simmer for one hour
*For extra tastey sauce, brown any meat of your choice in a pan with olive oil, when cooked fully, place in large pot of tomato sauce and let sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your preference (the longer you leave it, the more stringy the meat)
Every Sunday, I've been driving down to Queens to visit my grandparents. As I grow older, I've found that spending this quality time with them has become increasingly more important. Maybe it's because I know they won't be around forever. Maybe it's because they're full of wisdom and advice. Or maybe it's just because it makes them happy. But these are definitely visits I cherish.
We ate our last meal at Feng, a sushi bar located two blocks from our apartment. While living in Hartford, we spent many nights there satisfying our midnight cravings. Usually dining in sweatpants and hoodies. To this day, Feng still has the best sushi I've ever tasted... And I don't think anything will top their late night prices.Sometimes, the best things in life are as simple as a salmon and avocado roll.
It was a beautiful sunny day, the sky filled with fluffy white clouds.So we grabbed a blanket and setted in on the narrow sloped hill. Families surrounded us for the River Festival, filling the air with laughter and music. Hungry, we bought greasy cheese steaks and fried dough to devour in the late afternoon heat.
And we waited. For the sun to set, so the fireworks could illuminate the sky. One last time.
It's finally set in that boyfriend and I are moving. I've been avoiding this topic for the past two months. The idea of just picking up and leaving the home and memories that we've built is really unsettling to me. But when boyfriend pointed out that this coming weekend would be our last in our apartment, I realized I had to start accepting the reality of the situation and cherishing the next ten days. I'll be taking lots of photos of this amazing town we live in, along with our own little corner of it. Please be patient with blog posts. I promise I'll fit them in...
p.s. This past weekend was simply magical. Amazing posts soon to follow.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
This past sunday I made the most delicious homemade waffles for boyfriend, only to find out that boyfriend does not really like waffles. Still, they were ah-mazing, if I do say so myself. You can clearly tell from the picture above that I am a waffle genius. To recreate this work of art, please see recipe below.
p.s. Do not pour entire mixture into waffle iron at once. It will overflow. Trust me, I learned the hard way. If you pour like a normal person it should make around six waffles.
This week, I've been searching far and wide for the perfect present for boyfriend. You see, it's our two year anniversary this weekend. July 3rd to be exact. So I've been hunting the internet, running through stores, and planning over hushed phone calls. Finding the perfect present is an all-encompassing task. One must throw oneself into it wholly and fully. I have done just that. Fingers crossed.
Father's day weekend was spent lounging by the pool, prancing around town, and eating dinner on the beach. Sort of unbelievable. My favorite activities were as follows:Catching up on some much needed reading. Skipping a beatby sarah pekkanen is a wonderful novel if you're looking for insightful summer chic lit. I definitely recommend. I read and read and read while boyfriend listened to his ipod.
Splurging on a mani pedi with little sister. So luxurious. Every once in a while I think it's important to just treat yourself. Especially when little sister is having boy problems. Believe me, nothing fixes boy problems like a mani pedi.
And last but not least, celebrating one person in particular: dad.
p.s. The fun orange-red polish I'm wearing in the picture is called monsooner or later by OPI.
After a horrendous, awful, terrible day, I'm spending the night in bed watching trashy television and eating chocolate chip cookies. VH1 has a new series called single ladies, which is basically a racially mixed sex and the city set in atlanta. I watched this for three hours and loved every minute of it. Highly recommended if you're trying to pamper yourself while hibernating. There's something about stacey dash that just makes everything better. There's also something about stacey dash that makes me feel like I shouldn't be eating chocolate chip cookies (her body is bananas). If you have no idea who I'm talking about, she's most known for playing cher's bestfriend in clueless. Also a must see while hibernating. I'm going to go watch real housewives of new york now, followed by a bit of wallowing in self-pity and some much needed sleep.
This weekend, boyfriend surprised me with a daytrip to new york. After taking the subway to the heart of the meatpacking district, we wove in and out of city blocks until coming across what appeared to be a Biergarten. Boyfriend grabbed my hand, pulling me through ping pong tables and trinken signs, through couples munching on scones and sipping hot coffee, through white marble hallways that curved into sleek hotel lobbies.
Until finally, we came across a corridor of glossy, black elevator doors. Thoroughly confused, we stepped inside and began our ascent up to the top. Turns out, boyfriend had been suavely steering us to a very specific locale:
As we entered the beautiful penthouse lounge on the uppermost floor, plush tan carpeting, cream wrap-around couches, and panoramic views of the entire city awaited us.
And so, like something out of a movie, we began our afternoon by gazing into the glistening new york city skyline, sipping mimosas, and toasting to our future. A spectacular beginning to a spectacular day.
