I'm super excited for this weekend as it will mark the first official trip of 2014 to the fine establishment that is the Rum-de-Gun Resort. Saturday's high is 64, so, outdoor-day-drinking, yay.
 |
Thursday, April 17, 2014
It appears that all clocks have broken this afternoon. It has been the longest day EVER. Where are you, Friday? They announced an early dismissal, which I'm sure will make that day go incredibly slow also.
I'm super excited for this weekend as it will mark the first official trip of 2014 to the fine establishment that is the Rum-de-Gun Resort. Saturday's high is 64, so, outdoor-day-drinking, yay.
Tonight we're making our second trip to a newly-discovered place with a great wing night, The Pour House on Derry Street (the nicer end of Derry Street, close to Hummelstown). They do 45-cent wings, and you can choose boneless or regular. The sauces I've tried are pretty good, and they have a decent draft beer selection too. I'm going to pretend that I didn't just eat wings last night. When I say I could eat them every day, I am not even close to kidding. I. Love. Wings. I had a salad for lunch; I'm also going to pretend that it wasn't covered in cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing. hashtag healthy.
I'm super excited for this weekend as it will mark the first official trip of 2014 to the fine establishment that is the Rum-de-Gun Resort. Saturday's high is 64, so, outdoor-day-drinking, yay.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
I'm not sure why I always feel the need to start my posts with comments about the weather, but what a beautiful spring morning it is! Spring is definitely my favorite season, because it leads into my second favorite season, Summer, both of which are prime outdoor-drinking seasons, my favorite hobby.
We had our first outdoor volleyball scrimmage last night, against our "rival" team...we played on sand courts, which none of us are used to, and they beat us 2 games to 1. We played a 4th game to 15, and they beat us that game too. I hate them. However, we played for an hour and a half, so I got to chalk up 90 minutes to my #1800minutechallenge spreadsheet, WIN!
I just want it to be the weekend already. Even though we have a ton of stuff going on, all of it is better than having to be at work all day. I get into these funks where I just REALLY hate getting up and going to work every-freaking-day. I mean, I'm never a huge fan of it, but some weeks I despise it more than ever.
I'm making the Pioneer Woman's baked ziti tonight, I'm sure it'll be delish. If I feel like it, I'll report back with pictures.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Cast Iron Love
Well, this morning's drive was quite miserable. After seeing 60-degree temperatures and sunshine yesterday afternoon, it was definitely NOT what I was expecting to see when I looked outside today. Screw you, April showers.
I made better-than-El-Rodeo chicken fajitas last night. I know it seems like I'm always saying how everything I cook is amazing; and, that's the end of that statement. It is. Here's what I did:
Heat 2 tablespoons-ish of canola oil in a cast iron skillet. The cast iron skillet is vital to the preparation of this dish. If you don't have one, get your ass to Bass Pro and buy one. I recommend Lodge brand. You're welcome.
When you get back from shopping, slice some boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips, and place in a bowl or on a paper plate like I did because I don't have a dishwasher and attempt to use as little dishes as possible when making a meal. Sprinkle a few shakes of the following spices onto the chicken, and make sure it coats all of it: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Adobo seasoning, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
Throw the chicken into the heated oil in the skillet, and cook for about 10 minutes. Do NOT overcook the chicken. I know that you're all terrified of serving undercooked poultry, but as long as it's not pink in the middle, it's perfectly fine. Trust me.
Remove the chicken from the skillet, and into the same skillet (for God's sake do NOT clean it), put some sliced bell peppers and onions. I used half a bag of "stir-fry pepper mix" I had in the freezer, along with half of a fresh onion, sliced. I added a couple shakes of crushed red pepper, but you could also include fresh jalapeno. You could really add whatever you wanted here, I kind of wished I had some mushrooms too. Dump a couple splashes of beer in with the veggies (I hope you picked up one of those nice Bass Pro Shops coozies while you were out), turn the heat up to medium-high, until the beer is almost gone, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the chicken back in, toss around for a minute or two, and that's that.
Heat up a couple tortillas in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds, and add the chicken and peppers and whatever toppings you so desire. We didn't have any sour cream, but honestly it didn't really need anything, it was SO flavorful on its own.
Happy cast-iron cooking!
I made better-than-El-Rodeo chicken fajitas last night. I know it seems like I'm always saying how everything I cook is amazing; and, that's the end of that statement. It is. Here's what I did:
Heat 2 tablespoons-ish of canola oil in a cast iron skillet. The cast iron skillet is vital to the preparation of this dish. If you don't have one, get your ass to Bass Pro and buy one. I recommend Lodge brand. You're welcome.
When you get back from shopping, slice some boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips, and place in a bowl or on a paper plate like I did because I don't have a dishwasher and attempt to use as little dishes as possible when making a meal. Sprinkle a few shakes of the following spices onto the chicken, and make sure it coats all of it: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Adobo seasoning, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
Throw the chicken into the heated oil in the skillet, and cook for about 10 minutes. Do NOT overcook the chicken. I know that you're all terrified of serving undercooked poultry, but as long as it's not pink in the middle, it's perfectly fine. Trust me.
Remove the chicken from the skillet, and into the same skillet (for God's sake do NOT clean it), put some sliced bell peppers and onions. I used half a bag of "stir-fry pepper mix" I had in the freezer, along with half of a fresh onion, sliced. I added a couple shakes of crushed red pepper, but you could also include fresh jalapeno. You could really add whatever you wanted here, I kind of wished I had some mushrooms too. Dump a couple splashes of beer in with the veggies (I hope you picked up one of those nice Bass Pro Shops coozies while you were out), turn the heat up to medium-high, until the beer is almost gone, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the chicken back in, toss around for a minute or two, and that's that.
Heat up a couple tortillas in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds, and add the chicken and peppers and whatever toppings you so desire. We didn't have any sour cream, but honestly it didn't really need anything, it was SO flavorful on its own.
Happy cast-iron cooking!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday Morning
After last week's craziness, coupled with being on my deathbed all weekend, I'm quite thrilled to have a fairly quiet week ahead of me. But for the love of GOD, can it please warm up to at least 50 degrees for longer than one day at a time? I'm so sick of wearing a winter coat. It's March 25th, for crying out loud.
When I was coming up with my weekly meal plan on Sunday, I decided to check my Pinterest boards for inspiration. I found this little gem on my Food From the Homeland board. I'm allowed to call it that because I have an Asian husband. The recipe has since been relocated to my NAILED IT. board, because, well, I totally did.
It was seriously SO good. Marinating, then coating, then frying the chicken was kind of a pain in the ass, but definitely worth it. You could also complete those steps, and then add whatever sauce you wanted to it - or possibly paint thinner, because the chicken was that good.
Tonight I'm making pork chops in the cast iron skillet, and some kind of sauce/seasoning...it's probably going to be one of those nights where I use all 8761345 bottles of condiments in our fridge. That number is only slightly off; I would estimate that 2/3 of the refrigerator space is occupied by some kind of salad dressing, sauce, or pickled item.
I'm also going to join the cauliflower craze that appears to be sweeping the Pinterest world, since I scored two heads of it for about $3 at Weis. I have a few recipes in mind, but I'm a little skeptical on any recipe that uses a vegetable for its main ingredient, and claims, "Tastes EXACTLY like buffalo wings!!!" Um, kay. I'll be the judge of that.
When I was coming up with my weekly meal plan on Sunday, I decided to check my Pinterest boards for inspiration. I found this little gem on my Food From the Homeland board. I'm allowed to call it that because I have an Asian husband. The recipe has since been relocated to my NAILED IT. board, because, well, I totally did.
 |
| General Tso's Chicken - better than takeout. |
Tonight I'm making pork chops in the cast iron skillet, and some kind of sauce/seasoning...it's probably going to be one of those nights where I use all 8761345 bottles of condiments in our fridge. That number is only slightly off; I would estimate that 2/3 of the refrigerator space is occupied by some kind of salad dressing, sauce, or pickled item.
I'm also going to join the cauliflower craze that appears to be sweeping the Pinterest world, since I scored two heads of it for about $3 at Weis. I have a few recipes in mind, but I'm a little skeptical on any recipe that uses a vegetable for its main ingredient, and claims, "Tastes EXACTLY like buffalo wings!!!" Um, kay. I'll be the judge of that.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Oldhead
I am officially old. I was home by 8:30 last night, on St. Patrick's Day, and in bed by 10:00. I had five-ish drinks or so, and I was at work, on time, and functioning this morning. And I'm totally okay with that. It seems like it's been a decade, when in reality it was only three years ago, that I started my day at 7 AM drinking green beer and eating an Irish breakfast before work. Once the workday was over, on that same day, going out for "happy hour" turned into something more like a Happy Evening, and quite an Unhappy Morning. Good times, but I'm glad that stage of my life has ceased.
Moving on...this past weekend included all of my favorite things: food, family and friends, drinks, and sunshine. Friday night, we tried out a new-to-us restaurant, Smoked BBQ, and it was great. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for authentic barbecue, without an overly smoky taste. That's one of my biggest pet peeves; I prefer my meat to taste like meat, not woodchips. I got the Bleu Rachel sandwich, which had thick-sliced turkey breast that was smoked perfectly, topped with bleu cheese and a creamy apple slaw, on the biggest pieces of toasted rye bread I've ever seen. Amazeballs.
On Saturday, my mom, sister, and sister's BFF/basically my other sister, came down for lunch and outlet-shopping, so we hit up our favorite wing joint, the Boro. It was outstanding as usual. Later in the day, an impromptu cookout turned into an all-night gathering at my brother-in-law's house, which was super fun. It was so nice to be outside, even if it was a tad chilly.
Emma's first outdoor soccer tournament of the season is this weekend, here's hoping it's above 50 degrees and the sun is shining!
Moving on...this past weekend included all of my favorite things: food, family and friends, drinks, and sunshine. Friday night, we tried out a new-to-us restaurant, Smoked BBQ, and it was great. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for authentic barbecue, without an overly smoky taste. That's one of my biggest pet peeves; I prefer my meat to taste like meat, not woodchips. I got the Bleu Rachel sandwich, which had thick-sliced turkey breast that was smoked perfectly, topped with bleu cheese and a creamy apple slaw, on the biggest pieces of toasted rye bread I've ever seen. Amazeballs.
On Saturday, my mom, sister, and sister's BFF/basically my other sister, came down for lunch and outlet-shopping, so we hit up our favorite wing joint, the Boro. It was outstanding as usual. Later in the day, an impromptu cookout turned into an all-night gathering at my brother-in-law's house, which was super fun. It was so nice to be outside, even if it was a tad chilly.
Emma's first outdoor soccer tournament of the season is this weekend, here's hoping it's above 50 degrees and the sun is shining!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Spring is in the Air
FINALLY. I'm beginning to feel more like a happy person again. It was still daylight at 7:00 PM last night, and it was fabulous. It's amazing what a little extra sunshine and above-freezing temperatures will do for a girl.
This weekend was quite productive, and the sun was out! After spending an hour and a half deciding where we going to eat on Friday after work, we ended up at the Parkside, which is always delightful. Saturday morning, I woke up early and headed to TC for the day, making stops at my grandparents' house, my BFF's parents' house to pick up a few bottles of the best water ever, and the elementary school to see my mom, before heading to another BFF's house to play arts and crafts and drink wine. Sunday was spent cleaning and organizing, and I also made one of my favorite meals in the world, Ham and Green Beans.
We went to the gym this morning for the first time in probably two months, and it was great. I started a "running for beginners" plan, since I'm in terrible shape. It's a 12-week program, so we'll see how long this lasts. Also, my co-workers and I started a 30-day "arm challenge" at the beginning of the month, which includes various amounts of push-ups and chair dips, plus planks, for anywhere from 15 to 90 seconds. I like it, and even if I don't do a whole workout, it's a quick thing that takes less than 5 minutes to do every day.
In addition to all of that, I've been going to physical therapy for 4 weeks now, and I feel like my back is going to be #beast this summer from all of the exercises. Also, my back/neck pain is actually going away, or at least feeling better, for the first time in almost six years. Win!
This weekend was quite productive, and the sun was out! After spending an hour and a half deciding where we going to eat on Friday after work, we ended up at the Parkside, which is always delightful. Saturday morning, I woke up early and headed to TC for the day, making stops at my grandparents' house, my BFF's parents' house to pick up a few bottles of the best water ever, and the elementary school to see my mom, before heading to another BFF's house to play arts and crafts and drink wine. Sunday was spent cleaning and organizing, and I also made one of my favorite meals in the world, Ham and Green Beans.
We went to the gym this morning for the first time in probably two months, and it was great. I started a "running for beginners" plan, since I'm in terrible shape. It's a 12-week program, so we'll see how long this lasts. Also, my co-workers and I started a 30-day "arm challenge" at the beginning of the month, which includes various amounts of push-ups and chair dips, plus planks, for anywhere from 15 to 90 seconds. I like it, and even if I don't do a whole workout, it's a quick thing that takes less than 5 minutes to do every day.
In addition to all of that, I've been going to physical therapy for 4 weeks now, and I feel like my back is going to be #beast this summer from all of the exercises. Also, my back/neck pain is actually going away, or at least feeling better, for the first time in almost six years. Win!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
#Wah.
I just can't, with this winter any longer. It's affecting my mood on a daily basis, I'm sick of looking at this disgusting, dirty snow. I'm tired of my winter clothes, coats, scarves, and gloves. I don't want to do anything but watch 13 hours of Netflix every day of every weekend. I promise I won't complain too much this summer when it's 104 degrees. I just want to be sitting by the pool, in a bathing suit and sunglasses. That's all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)