Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

Because Meligrosa (from Bikes and The City) told me to get my darn camera fixed, I felt a bigger push to do so! :)

OK, to be honest, it's not exactly fixed. But the good news is, my lovely mother has been gracious enough to let me use hers until mine is back up & running again. Good woman!

This weekend Katy, Molly (Katy's sister) and I went bridesmaid dress shopping for Katy's wedding. It's not 'till next year, but she wants to get a jump start on everything (and apparently thinks that none of us will be gaining any weight before August of next year). ;)

The pics are kind of blurry (eh, I didn't really know how to use my mom's camera entirely), so bear with me here...

This one I call the "Sex & the City" bridesmaid dress. I thought it was super cute, but someone mentioned that maybe we should all wear a huge hat with feathers & birds in it too...

This one I call the "Fish" dress (because of the scales). I think we kinda ruled this out after all of the other more exciting ones we tried on.

This one I though of as the "Roman" dress - very elegant - I felt like a princess. It was WAY too long (I'm wearing 5" heels in this pic, and it's still dragging), but that can always be fixed. Molly looked lovely in it too.

This one was by far the surprise of the day. On the hanger I called it the "Grandma" dress, but once Molly & I tried it on I fell in love! Shows you can't tell a dress by it's hanger. (Get it? Eh?) It looked really classy & modern - although doesn't really go with Katy's HOLLYWOOD GLAM theme for her wedding.

Now THIS one definitely goes with the theme. The fit wasn't perfect, but it was very cute. We liked the ruffles at the top near the bustline.


This one was very cute, but utterly crappy compared to the earlier dresses. Everything at Nordstrom was absolutely lovely (the first pics), but the ones we found at Macy's were icky. Bad fabrics, bad stitching, and the fitting rooms seemed downright prison-cell-like. We still took a snapshot of this dress though (nice face by me), since we liked the look of it.

The last ones here are from Jessica McClintock, and boy, Jessica - you sure don't like ladies with figures, do ya?? To be honest I was kind of sickened by the sizing all together. At Nordstrom I fit into a size 10 in most of the brands they carried, but at Jessica McClintock I could BARELY fit into a size 12 - which really meant I needed a size 14 - which most of the dresses weren't even carried in. BALONEY.

All in all we had a pretty successful shopping experience! Now we just have to get everyone on the same page with which dress Katy chooses, and all into the right sizes, etc.... yikes. ;)

Butternut Squash Pasta & Another Salad Invention!

My camera(s) are still broken, so I don't have any pretty photos of my lovely new recipe creations! :(

However, these are both super yummy (trust me), and would make for a lovely well-rounded vegetarian meal. And, they're very autumn-themed! Even though it's snowing in Denver right now.... wowza!

Beth's super delicious salad (I'm running out of names here...)

- Arugula & romaine lettuce (or whatever other greens you like)
- 1 fresh pear (diced)
- brie cheese (cubed), about 1 cup
- candied cashews (I just got these in bulk at Whole Foods), about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 medium red onion (sliced into strips)
- old red wine (or red wine vinegar)
- dijon mustard
- honey or agave nectar

Sautee the onion in some olive oil until they begin to caramelize (about 8 minutes), then add a splash of old red wine. Let it cook off for about a minute, and set aside to cool.

Assemble the salad with lettuce, pear, brie, and cashews - then top with red onion. Put equal parts of dijon mustard and honey into a container and shake to combine. I added some water to thin the consistency (and to make it easier to soak into my salad). Dump dressing on salad and enjoy!


Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
I made this one up the other day when I had cooked up a butternut squash I bought at the Farmer's Market, then had no idea what to do with it.

- 1 small butternut squash (peeled, seeds & strings removed, and diced)
- about 1 1/2 - 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- about 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 16oz package linguine (or any other kind of pasta you like)
- Butter / spray oil
- Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place diced butternut squash on a cookie sheet, spray liberally with oil, and lightly season with salt. Bake in the oven until tender, turning once or twice - this will take about 20-30 minutes. (This can be done ahead of time - mine was ready to go before I even started!)

Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat. Be sure to watch these babies - they will burn in an instant! Keep them moving constantly and DO NOT leave them to get distracted by something else. Trust me, if I had a dime for every time I've burned pine nuts....

Drain the linguine and transfer to a bowl. Add the roasted butternut squash, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and a few tablespoons of butter. Season with salt & pepper, and toss to combine.


Enjoy!!

Dating.....again?

So guess who's gettin' back on the ol' horse again?

Yep, that'd be me.

I actually met a nice fellow recently....how, do you ask? OnLINE!! Crazy, huh?? I'm quite surprised myself.

It's still really super early on, but I like him. He's funny and cute and smart and seems to think I'm funny and cute and smart too. I think that's a darn good start.... ;)

Pasta + Pizza = Pastapizza!

I saw Rachael Ray make this recipe on her show one day, and it sounded WAY to delicious to pass up. I know, she annoys me too (what's with the smoker-scratch-squeaky voice? And why does she abbreviate "E.V.O.O.", then SAY "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" right afterward?) - but hey, she makes some yummy stuff.

I made it for book club over the weekend, and everyone gobbled it right up! I did make some changes to her original recipe (which I think were very good choices).

Enjoy!

Carbonara Deep-Dish Pasta-Crusted Pan Pizza (Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2007) - adjusted by me (for vegetarians, and for awesomeness)

Prep Time: 20 min, Cook Time: 10 min, Level: Easy

Serves: 4 servings (yeah RIGHT! This served more like 6-8!)

Ingredients
* 2 packages linguini, 9 ounces each
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 package tempeh "fakin' bacon" chopped
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 large eggs
* 1/2 cup cream (I used unsweetened Soymilk)
* 2 cups ricotta cheese
* A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
* 1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese
* 1 can diced tomatoes (I added this ingredient, and used a small can, drained)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat water for pasta in large pot, salt it and add pasta. Cook according to package directions.

While water boils, heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add fakin' bacon and brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.

Drain pasta, add to pan and toss. (I actually didn't have a very huge pan, so I just added everything to the now-empty pasta pot). Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and season with salt and pepper. I also transferred everything to a 9x12" baking pan after this step (instead of cooking it in the pan), so that I had more space. Beat eggs with cream and pour over top of pasta. Let eggs begin to set up, about 1 minute, and pat pasta into even layer to make the pizza pie crust. Place in oven and cook 5 to 6 minutes.

Mix together the ricotta and parsley. Open can of diced tomatoes & drain. Remove pie from oven and dump the tomatoes over top, and season with some salt & pepper. Then smooth the ricotta over that. Scatter with the provolone or mozzarella and return to oven. Bake 8 minutes more until cheese is melted and golden at edges. Cut into wedges and serve. (We cut them into squares since it was a casserole dish!)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROLLERGIRLS WIN BY 1-POINT AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT!!!

I think the headline says it all!!! I'm so proud to be part of the BEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!! These shots are from our watch party this weekend, and I think they tell quite the story. It was the most amazing bout I've ever seen, and you can read all about it here!

The Oly Rollers (Olympia, WA) were a hell of a challenge, and what an amazing team. The two teams were so perfectly matched, and I truly believe that both teams played their absolute best.

The entire bout was a total nail-biter with RMRG eventually coming out on top by one point!!! That NEVER happens!! It was the most fantastic thing I've ever seen - for reals.




Congratulations to our amazing players on Fight Club!!! BRINGING HOME THE BIG WIN!! :D

Thanksgiving - who needs The Great Pumpkin, when you can stuff one and eat it!

Halloween is over and right behind me - shoot, I think I still have fuzz on the floor of my apartment from my costume (pics to come). But with the holiday just rounding to a close, I already find myself looking forward to the next one, and one of my favorites: THANKSGIVING!

I was trying to explain it to a friend the other day. I love to cook, so naturally I love a holiday that is centered around cooking and feasting. If you think about it, many gatherings always start and/or end around the kitchen table, and food is a way to celebrate. Part of why I love Thanksgiving so much is because it isn't accompanied with the crazy rushing around for gifts or going to a bunch of parties - it's just about enjoying food together, giving thanks for what you have, and enjoying the company of your friends and family. And I get to try out all of my new recipes on them. :)

Speaking of which....
I came across this little jewel on the epicurious.com website. I cannot WAIT to give it a try this Thanksgiving! Not only does it look beautiful, but I betcha it's delicious to boot. I'm sure it'll be quite a challenge (did you see all of the steps??), but I'm willing to take it on. What's an amazing Thanksgiving meal without a little bit of elbow grease? Wait, ew. You know what I mean....

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good
Epicurious | October 2010

by Dorie Greenspan Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes From My Home to Yours

Since pumpkins come in unpredictable sizes, cheeses and breads differ, and baking times depend on how long it takes for the pumpkin to get soft enough to pierce with a knife, being precise is impossible. See Bonne Idée for some hints on variations.

And speaking of playing around, you might consider serving this alongside the Thanksgiving turkey or even instead of it—omit the bacon and you've got a great vegetarian main course.
Yield: Makes 2 very generous servings or 4 more genteel servings
ingredients
1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped (my addition)
About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions (my addition)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (my addition)
About 1/3 cup heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
preparation

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven with a diameter that's just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick to the casserole, so you'll have to serve it from the pot—which is an appealingly homey way to serve it. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell isn't so easy. However, since I love the way the unencumbered pumpkin looks in the center of the table, I've always taken my chances with the baked-on-a-sheet method, and so far, I've been lucky.

Using a very sturdy knife—and caution—cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween Jack-o-Lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot.

Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper—you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure—and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled—you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little—you don’t want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened. (It's hard to go wrong here.)

Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.

When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully—it's heavy, hot, and wobbly—bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.

Serving

You have a choice—you can either spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful, or you can dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pull the pumpkin meat into the filling, and then mix everything up. I'm a fan of the pull-and-mix option. Served in hearty portions followed by a salad, the pumpkin is a perfect cold-weather main course; served in generous spoonfuls, it's just right alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.

Bonne Idée

There are many ways to vary this arts-and-crafts project. Instead of bread, I've filled the pumpkin with cooked rice—when it's baked, it's almost risotto-like. And, with either bread or rice, on different occasions I've added cooked spinach, kale, chard, or peas (the peas came straight from the freezer). I’ve made it without bacon (a wonderful vegetarian dish), and I’ve also made it and loved, loved, loved it with cooked sausage meat; cubes of ham are also a good idea. Nuts are a great addition, as are chunks of apple or pear or pieces of chestnut.

The Thermals rocked my socks off last night!

I know I already posted about these guys before here, but last night I got to see The Thermals in concert for the first time ever!!! They were amazing, and I haven't had that much fun at a show in a ridiculously long time. We made our way right up to the front, and were jumping around, dancing, shoving, screaming - I felt like I was in high school again!

They put on a truly fantastic show, and I would be first in line the next time they come to Denver. I know a lot of people were worried that they would just play new stuff, but they did a great mix-up of their old stuff that we all know & love, as well as stuff from their new album. I couldn't have been more happy when they played "Pillar of Salt" at the end of their set either. Just check out the music video to see why I love these guys so much!

Friendship & shit...

I think I've reached a point in my life where I only want to keep the good people around.

I know I'm not the only one who has put up with a lot of bullshit in the past from people that considered themselves friends. After a while, it starts to wear on you. You begin wondering why you keep letting these people stick around - shit, you've dumped boyfriends for less!

On another note, I believe in forgiveness - wholeheartedly. I believe that everyone screws up every now & then, and nobody is perfect. However, when someone keeps screwing up in the same ways and begins to expect your forgiveness, the scales become tipped. It gets all thrown out of whack, and you end up being the schmuck that somebody is walking all over. That ain't friendship, folks.

Since my camera is still broken (I'm hoping to have a new one to borrow by tomorrow - thank goodness!) I've attached some inspiring friendship / love photos from www.wehartit.com, accompanied by a little list of things that I think true friendship should be all about. Not what it shouldn't...

It's about laughing with someone, even if you're not particularly happy, but you're appreciating that they're trying really hard to cheer you up.

It's about spending time with someone unselfishly. Being with each other because you love each other.

It's about someone being there for you in your happiest moments, and your saddest... even if it means them sacrificing something else to do so.

Not just giving advice, but listening.


Doing a favor for that person, not because you expect anything back, but because you love them and you know they'd do the same thing for you without you needing to ask.

Understanding the right time to speak up, and the right time to shut up.

Giving really good hugs.


Guess that's all I needed to say for today!

Pumpkin Carving, Zombie Crawl & Dracula Ballet - Oh my!

So, of course, every camera I own decided to break prior to this weekend! UGH!!! All of these photos are courtesy of my lovely friends, who thank goodness did not have the same bad luck that I have had with my cameras lately!

Anyway - this weekend was ridiculously fun. It all started off with some pumpkin carving in our back yard, on a chilly Friday evening...

I love my derby girls, and I'm so happy that they came to join in the fun! They made some amazing pumpkins too!

I will kill you, my little pumpkin!! MUUUHAAAHAHAHAHAHA!

I decided to get an autumn-themed drink to go with the evening, and purchased Woodchuck hard cider. They came out with 2 limited edition kinds - Pumpkin, and Fall. I went with Fall, and it tasted like pumpkin pie with spices and sweet apples. I dunno what that means really, but it was delicious.

Next day, it was all about ZOMBIES!!! The Zombie Crawl came to Denver, and we were there & ready to have fun. These little ones are my friend Amy's nieces, and boy did they do a good job at looking creeeeeepy!

Amy, as a gypsy zombie. I LOVED her costume, and a lot of people wanted their picture with her!

Awwww, a whole family of the undead!

Shaun of the Dead, anyone!? :D

I made the t-shirt myself. It says "I LIKE YOU FOR YOUR BRAINS". :) When people could read it (my boobs kinda got in the way), they thought it was hilarious.

I had to run to the derby bout afterward, but luckily there was still time to perform the Thriller Dance! It was a blast!

Yesterday a few friends & I went to see the Colorado Ballet's production of DRACULA. I haven't been to the ballet in a very long time, and it was amazing. I loved how modern everything was, and how they took dance to a whole new level. The sets and costumes were fantastic, and the scene changes and effects were super creepy, and made for a very exciting show!

I told my friend today, it seems so wrong to see a bunch of beautiful ballerinas with fake blood smeared all over their faces, but somehow they made it work. It was creepy, and beautiful, and really amazing. We all loved it!

I already feel like this Halloween has been one of the most Halloweenie I've ever had. Here are some of the festivities that have been filling my time & calendar this month!

- Learned the "Thriller" dance choreography
- Watched like 20 episodes of "Ghost Hunters"
- We're reading Bram Stoker's "Dracula" for book club
- I went to the Zombies VS Vampires derby bout
- Pumpkin Carving
- Dracula Ballet
- Zombie Crawl
- 3 Halloween costume parties coming up this weekend....

I'm so excited! And Thanksgiving is coming up in a month, which is one of my most favorite holidays too. I just love this time of year!

Wedding Dress Shopping

Boy, have I been slacking on posts lately, or what? Man, I gotta get back on my game!
I was sick yesterday, so there. That's the only excuse I have right now, so it'll have to do. :)

My wonderfully awesome friend Katy is gettin' married next year (I posted about her engagement story HERE), and I was thrilled to be asked to be one of her bridesmaids! We've been shopping around a lot the last few weeks looking for her wedding dress, and it's amazing the variety we've found.

She's doing an "Old-Hollywood" theme / style, so we're trying to find something very classic & timeless. She loves the shorter lengths too - mostly because they'll be a lot easier to dance in, and boy, does Katy love to dance. :)

Her plan for bridesmaids is black with turquoise accents (of course - it's her favorite color)!

These shots were just from our first session at Anna Be in the Highlands. They made it a lovely experience for us, and we had champagne! The dresses were a bit pricier (shoot, they had the same dress from Sex & the City the Movie that Carrie wore!), but they were absolutely gorgeous...





Katy giving her dress the "twirl test". A very important one to pass if you ask me.

I LOVED this one with the bow - just adorable! It was probably more my taste than Katy's, but I love that she tried it on anyway. She thought it'd be super cute with a turquoise bow instead of pink (of course)!