Month: January 2014

Best Moments of the Week… & the Worst

Lauren4 Comments

The Best:

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Beer Sampling

We have officially reached the best part of wedding planning: the taste-testing part!  I always figured planning the rehearsal dinner would be one of the last things we did but apparently you’re supposed to start during the 8-6 month period?  We’re hoping to host at a local brewery (I know!), so obviously we needed to approve of said brewery’s beer.  And we approve!

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Catering Tasting

Like I said, best part of wedding planning = taste-testing!  We actually just got back from our second caterer tasting.  We worked with them to create a custom menu (um yes please to mini crab cakes!) and got to taste the full-size portions of everything on the menu.  Plus a mint chocolate chip milkshake to wash it all down at the end.  I’m stuffed!

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Nuggets Game

Okay, of the 5 times we’ve been to the Pepsi Center this year, I think we’ve lost every single game we’ve attended.  I think Nuggets games are fun to go to regardless, but talk about bad luck.  In happier news, now that I have contacts, it’s really nice to actually be able to make out who the players are.  Who knew their jerseys had their names written on the back! 😛

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Amusing Text Messages

My uncle sent out a group text with this picture and a message saying “The Great Blizzard of 2014” had arrived in New Orleans.  Apparently, what would be considered a light dusting of snow in Colorado, is all it takes to shut a city down in the South.  If this warranted two days off of work, I’d like to have the same set of rules here in Colorado, please!

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Coffee

If you’re reading this thinking “Good lord, I cannot keep track of whether this person is on or off caffeine because it changes every damn day!” then, well, you’re pretty spot on.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I can neither give it up nor drink it daily so I’m planning on living the rest of my life in coffee limbo.  This place — Huckleberry Roasters — just opened up in our hood and they make the best almond milk latte I’ve ever tasted.

The Worst:

We hit a dog driving home on Monday night. 

I saw it on the sidewalk just moments before but didn’t think to say anything.  It looked like a little black puppy.  Joey saw it run out and slammed on the breaks but it had been snowing all day so instead of stopping we just kept sliding.  I heard a loud thud, then what felt like the tires of the car rolling over something and as far as I was concerned there was no way that dog was still alive.  My kneejerk reaction was to burst into hysterical tears.  Joey wouldn’t let me get out of the car to look.

Fortunately, the dog was not underneath our tires.  A neighbor happened to be outside and saw the whole thing.  He didn’t know who the dog belonged to but he saw it run off and there was no blood in the snow.  We drove around looking for it for a while but couldn’t even find any tracks.  Then, when we were driving home on Wednesday night, we saw a little black dog in the gated yard on the other side of the street.  It looked like it had slight limp so we’re 95% sure it’s the same dog.  I’m so thankful we didn’t crush the poor thing and it seems to be mostly okay.  I’m 100% certain I’d never like to experience anything like that again.

And on that happy note… Have a good weekend!

Lately: Favorite Recipes

Lauren6 Comments

Part of starting a new blog — with a new less specific name! — was being able to expand the variety of topics I write about.  I absolutely love the freedom to talk about more than just food, but the tradeoff is that a lot of weekday meals get skipped over.  I have an easier time highlighting fun restaurant meals and fancier home-cooked weekend meals, but it’s the Tuesday dinner at 8 PM that misses it’s time in the limelight.  Which is a real shame because we crank out some really delicious stuff during the week too!  I thought I’d take a moment to show you some of our winter favorites this year.

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Kale, Mushroom & Sun-Dried Tomato Lasagna Rolls

Am I the only one who’s intimidated by regular lasagna?  The idea of mini rolled versions is much more appealing and these are so tasty.  They’re a tad bit time consuming — I made them when I was home alone the other night and felt like it took me for.ev.er. to finish — but they made a whole casserole dish full so there’s plenty of leftovers, which re-heat beautifully.

Lighter Buffalo Mac and Cheese

I’m a sucker for anything mac and cheese, an obsession I no doubt inherited from my mom, and this recipe turned out SO GOOD!  We ended up subbing Laughing Cow Swiss for the blue cheese (couldn’t find it) but the flavor was out of this world, nevertheless.  I don’t know how I lived without buffalo sauce until this year.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Soup

I adore this recipe!  Not to get all cliché on you, but it’s like a hug in a bowl on a cold winter night.  Plus it’s super creamy (thin soups are my idea of torture) without being chock full of unhealthy stuff.  A word to the wise, triple the amount of veggies it calls for and keep extra broth on hand because the leftovers thicken up quite a bit.

Greek Quinoa Dinner Omelets

Is it omelets or omelettes?  The recipe uses the former, but I usually go with the latter.  Mostly because that’s the French spelling and it makes me feel très cultured.  We made these on a Tuesday night and even though it was just a boring Tuesday night (and I had to watch Joey use the most questionable omelette-making techniques), this dinner was so fun and delicious that it felt like a special occasion.  Bonus points for looking fancy but being super easy and fast.

The Best Shredded Kale Salad

Okay, so I already told you we made this one before Christmas but since then, I think I’ve made it five more times.  In fact, I put it on our menu every damn week.  Officially addicted.  Joey thinks I need an intervention, but he doesn’t seem to be complaining while he’s eating it alongside me.  If you have a True Food Kitchen in your area and love their Parmesan Kale Salad, this is exactly how it tastes.  I don’t know about you, but I’m a fan of making restaurant-quality food right at home.

What have been some of your favorite recipes this winter?