Who's Who?

I just got an email from our Marketing Dept. that my school is being closed tomorrow because of the Phillies win. While, for me that rocks because I don't do much it really messes with classes and schedules. This is coming from our President who won't close school (I work for a small two year school) if there is snow and ice short of a state of emergency, but he's closing for this? Quite hilarious if I do say so myself!

So do I go to the parade tomorrow or not?

Phillies

Just a quick post about tonights game of the Philadelphia Phillies. It's starting at 8:30 at the bottom of the sixth inning due to a rain delay on Monday. The powers that be decided tomorrow was still going to be too cold and rainy so the game is being continued today!


So excited to see the Phils win the World Series! My grandma is going to be going crazy!

I thought I posted this last night but apparently not! At any rate:

We won the World Series, in case anyone missed it! Jamie and I went to the bar to see the game because we figured if they win we would want to celebrate with people. It was so awesome to see them win! Apparently, the revelers in the city pretty much destroyed everything. There was looting and fires - insane!

mmmmm....food.....

So, the following are the recipes we did for our Halloween Party. I would so suggest trying these out for Holiday parties, particularly the Broiled Ricotta. For those of you reading that were at the party, we actually made it last night and it was lick the bowl good! For anyone else, we didn't make the ricotta because there were so many people and the pork and mac and cheese took up the oven.

At any rate, here you go!

This one is from Food and Wine and it was about making your own Ricotta. I got mine from Whole Foods and it was to die for yummy!This dish is really a must try for the holidays, it was so incredibly good!

Broiled Ricotta with Olives and Sun-Dried-Tomato Relish
Recipe by Maria Helm Sinskey Broiling ricotta intensifies its creaminess: It’s ideal with both sweet and savory toppings. Here, Maria Helm Sinskey serves it on garlic toasts garnished with olives and a tangy sun-dried-tomato relish.Cheese Recipes, Tips and More
ACTIVE: 45 MIN TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 10 MIN SERVINGS: 4 FastVegetarian © Tina Rupp Ingredients
1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes,
thinly sliced2 teaspoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Salt
12 slices peasant or ciabatta bread, about 1/2 inch thick
1 garlic clove
2 cups Creamy Ricotta
1/4 cup pitted oil-cured Italian black olives, coarsely chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small bowl, combine the sun-dried tomatoes with the shallot, parsley, oregano, vinegar, lemon zest, crushed red pepper and the 2 tablespoons of oil.
Season with salt.
Brush the bread on both sides with oil and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Rub lightly with the garlic clove.
Preheat the broiler and position a rack 6 inches from the heat. Spread the ricotta in a shallow medium gratin dish in a 3/4-inch-thick layer. Drizzle with oil and broil for about 10 minutes, turning the dish occasionally, until the ricotta is bubbling and golden. Spoon the relish and olives on top. Serve with the garlic toasts.

I made this one after an appetizer at Cuba Libra in Philadelphia. They served it with a pineapple, avocado salsa which we recreated and it was phenomenal with this recipe!

monster shrimp with orange chili glaze
Epicurious 2006 by Mario BataliSporting News Books
These are big shrimp, the ones that ate the other shrimp. When they opened the cage door after the death match, these are the shrimp that walked out of the ring.Don't turn your back on the grill while you're cooking these — someone's liable to abscond with them.
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon Asian red chili paste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3 scallions, green parts only, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds extra-large shrimp (16 to 20-count size), shelled and deveined
1. Put the orange juice, cilantro, chili paste, olive oil, garlic, scallion, chipotle, and salt in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and blend until smooth.
2. Place the shrimp in a resealable freezer bag and pour the orange juice mixture over the shrimp. Chill in a refrigerator or ice-filled cooler for 2 to 3 hours but no longer.

I wish I had thought to take pictures but trust me, they both make great presentation!

Halloween Party

This is our friend Pam and a sampling of the food!

Jamie ready to grill the shrimp and looking confused!

Our friend Bobby Jo and our dog, Hera.

Towards the end of the night, you can see the tent broke in the upper left corner. We had high winds and drenching rains and the tent couldn't handle it. You can also get an idea of how freakin cold it was!

All in all the night was a fantastic success. Great friends, great food and lots of booze. Good lord! I made some great recipes that I'll post in another post and we'll definitly be repeating all of them, particularly the pork! We actually just finished it off last night, it was that good!

My only problem with the party was the 25 people that didn't bother replying to the evite and the six people that said they were coming and never bothered. That just really irks me - all it takes is a phone call! We were worried all night that we wouldn't have enough food and of course we had a ton left over. Boo-urns.

Anyway, we're looking forward to actual Halloween to see the trick or treaters! Although, once again, do we have enough candy????

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

This is a Cooking Light recipe from the October 2008 issue. We doubled the recipe so we had lunch leftovers and it's perfect for this time of year! We will definitly repeat it, it's homey and tasty! As we were making it the smell just permeated through the house making us even hungrier!



Herbed Chicken and Dumplings



Fluffy herb-flecked dumplings, tender vegetables, and rich dark-meat chicken combine in this soul-satisfying classic. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Cooking spray8 ounces

skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut celery

1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

3 parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk


1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute. Add broth to pan; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist. Spoon by heaping teaspoonfuls into broth mixture; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until dumplings are done. Discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf.Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 cups)CALORIES 285 (16% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 133mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.2g; SODIUM 596mg; PROTEIN 25g; FIBER 3.1g Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2008

Pumpkins

This is the finished product. Jamie's scary one looks much better than mine!

Jamie freezing while I take the photos!

The final product! Mine is just sad!

This is the photo of set-up with the big white dog in the way.

Our Halloween Party is on Saturday so we had to start with the carving of pumpkins. The night before we cut out lots and lots of black rats and bats to hang all over the house. I'm so excited, Halloween in by far one of my favorite holidays! Lots of pictures to come on Sunday!

Exercise is hurty@!

So, although I exercise fairly regularly (cough, cough) I've decided to up the ante a big to kick up the weight loss. Monday night I ran for one mile and then speed walked for a mile. Tuesday morning I took it easier and just walked for a mile. This morning, since I ended up snuggling in the warm bed a bit longer than I meant too...dear lord winter is going to be hard!

If you've missed the boat on Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred you must go buy/rent/borrow this now! For 25 minutes she kicks your butt, but then you are done! 25 minutes! It's perfect in that you want to kill her but then it's done and you forget!

It kind of feels like you are cheating but when at lunch, eating my salad, I could still feel my legs shaking. Well, let's say I think it's working!

A Dress for a wedding?

Any opinions on this dress for a wedding? I'm not sure if it's too casual, although the wedding is in the daytime. Thoughts?

Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans

I read about this recipe on http://www.suburbanbliss.net/

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/images/recipe/grp_edr_pourage_sz2.jpg

(Please bear with me, I'm still learning this and can't quite figure how to put a picture!

I actually took a picture but my capabilities at work are limited so I'll see if I can post it later.

Jamie and I both really liked this though it is a bit heavy and could also be because I added the rest of the cheese... oops. But I think I would make it again, it's an easy weeknight dinner and we used spicy chicken chorizo so it was slightly better for you. At least until I added too much cheese!


Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans
Rachael RayFrom Every Day with Rachael RayNovember-December 2005FOUR SERVINGS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3/4 pound chorizo
1 medium onion
One 14-ounce can black beans
2 pimiento peppers or roasted red peppers
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
One 14-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup quick-cooking or instant polenta
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded Manchego cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)
1. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO (1 turn of the pan) and the chorizo. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, then add the onion and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the black beans and the pimientos and heat through, another 1 to 2 minutes. 2. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil and stir in the pumpkin. Return to a boil, whisk in the polenta and stir until it masses together, 2 minutes. (Watch out for splatters.) Remove the polenta from the heat and add the thyme, salt, pepper and cheese. Adjust the seasonings. Pile the polenta on plates and top with the chorizo and beans. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

Science

So, Jamie and two of our friends visited Harrisburg this weekend to see the Body World's exhibit at the Whitaker Center.

http://www.whitakercenter.org/Bodies/index.asp

I just have to say I found it quite disturbing! Particularly since they were real humans at one time. My friend Jess and I were wondering if we would recommend it to anyone and I'm not sure we would. I think it's great if you were taking a life drawing class or studying medicine but other than that....

Take a look at the link to learn more about it!

For my first post - I'm linking to Stephanie from http://www.hotfromthefurnace.blogspot.com/. Check her out when you get a chance!


A. Attached or Single? Married to Jamie for eight years, together for more than I can count!

B. Best Friend? My very best and first friend is Meredith. We’ve weathered a lot together. But, Jamie will always be my best friend, we do everything together.

C. Cake or pie? The only pie I like is pumpkin, so cake I guess though I don’t have a big sweet tooth.

D. Describe your favourite outfit/ensemble? I prefer to be comfortable so khakis and cute shirts. I like wearing heels, but more so on the weekends since my job isn’t all that professional.

E. Essential item? Chapstick, diamond earrings, wedding rings and engagement rings.

F. Favorite color? Yellow and green. I love yellow in terms of paint for rooms and green for clothes.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears. I like biting their heads off.

H. Hometown? Middle of nowhere, PennsylvaniaI. Favorite indulgence? Shopping, whether for clothes or kitchen goodies. Also cookbooks, I have a serious problem.

J. January or July? July, by far. I hate winter with every fiber of my being.

K. Kids? If we are able we will have kids. Preferably two because I believe in siblings.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Happiness

M. Marriage date? December 8, 2000

N. Number of brothers and sisters? Two older brothers.

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples. .

P. Phobias? I don’t really have phobias, more afraid of death and getting sick than anything else.

Q. Quotes? "...having dogs forces us to keep living in places that are right for us. And I think of all the things I might have given up had my dogs not shown me what was important in my life: fresh air, a garden, an eleven-thousand foot mountain in my backyard." - Pam Houston "The Bad Dogs of Park City"

R. Reasons to smile? Pumpkin recipes, my husband, my dogs and good friends we got to visit with this weekend.

S. Season of choice? Summer by far but I do love fall when you first put on jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt.

T. Time of day? I like the morning when I exercise or out hiking but I do appreciate the night sitting on the couch, watching tv/movies with Jamie.

U. Unknown fact about me? Bathrooms skeeve me out and I cannot clean them, including my own. Jamie has that responsibility.

V. Vegetable? I love all vegetables but oddly enough I love lima beans.W. Worst habit? Hopefully I just kicked the worst of my bad habits.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? I just don’t even know what this is about?

Y. Your favorite food? Chinese.

J. Z. Zodiac sign? Sagittarius