Holiday Spirit

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. My future husband was super excited to put up our Christmas lights. It took several trips to the hardware store, Home Depot and Target before we had all of the equipment but they are up and shining in all of their multicolored glory. As I worked today I watched "The Holiday." I love Jack Black in that movie. Cameron Diaz also has the most amazing wardrobe of cozy sweaters which I love.

 It was a cold, grey, rainy day in DC and I was lucky to spend a good chunk of it inside snuggled up. I even made some good ole' comfort food for dinner. I am a recent convert to liking Mac and Cheese. I used to hate it but then I actually had good mac and cheese made with real cheese not from a box and now my opinion has completely changed. Tonight I made this batch with mixed cheddars, some provolone, mozzarella etc. And let me just tell you my lighting engineer is going to be so happy when he gets home in the middle of the night from work because mac and cheese is his favorite.

YUM

Here is the recipe:
1- 8 cup package of noodles (elbow or whatever you have)
2-12 oz packages of shredded cheese (I used cheddar and a 4 cheese Italian mix)
2 eggs
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup skim milk
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Boil the noodles for the minimum amount of time listed on the package. While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, milk, butter cut into little chunks and salt and pepper. Once the noodles are done strain them and then mix in all of the cheese while the noodles are still hot. Then pour the milk mixture into the noodles and cheese mixture. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the noodle mixture to the baking dish. Cover with breadcrumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy maybe while watching your favorite Christmas movie.

Wedding Dreams

I am pretty sure that for the next while this blog will take a new direction as I give in to my girly side and spend too many hours looking through wedding books, magazines and blogs. Here are some favorite ideas and blogs for day dreaming.

I love the idea of different green dresses. It is too hard to have all wear the same dress since bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes. I love the idea of taking a color and giving the maids some freedom to chose their own style. 

Thanks Green Wedding Shoes for so many great ideas!

Chili

I just made a big hot pot of chili. It was delicious. Thought I would share the recipe. Enjoy!

1 large onion diced
2 tbs olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic minced
1 green pepper diced
2 cups frozen corn
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 chipotle pepper (from a jar) minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 can each of red kidney beans, black beans, black eyed peas drained
1 lb grass feed ground beef (sometimes I use buffalo, turkey would work well too)
1 tbs cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste


In a large stock pot saute onions, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno in olive oil over medium heat. After about 2 minutes add the ground meat and cumin, saute until browned about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, and drained beans and tomatoes with their juice, bring to a simmer. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock. Bring to simmer. Add corn and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado slices or whatever else you love on top of your chili.

Sneak Peak

Kevin and I have a rough idea when we will get married. Fall 2012. Here is a little sneak peak at my ideal wedding location. Who knows if this will be possible both logistically and financially but it sure is beautiful. Hope everyone has full bellies and lots of leftovers after a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving!

We are headed up to New York tomorrow to celebrate with my future in-laws. My favorite parts of the holiday are good food, good wine, sweat pants and Christmas movies. I packed for us while Kevin is at work and I absolutely, without shame, packed a few favorite holiday DVDs including, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Love Actually," and "The Holiday." Usually we watch the original "Home Alone" but that movie is in Michigan with my family. Here's wishing everyone a fantastic holiday filled with all of your favorite holiday fixin's. I will miss my mom's apple crisp and squash. Hope you find time to watch your favorite holiday films with good friends, family and good wine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Flowers

Today is a grey, gloomy day in DC and the section for my Martha Stewart exploration of the day today is flowers! Ever since I was a little girl I have loved lilacs. My mom often pulled over on the side of the road and cut lilacs from whomever's bushes were in reach. I loved coming home to overflowing bunches of lilacs. There is nothing else that smells so divine to me than fresh lilacs. I am not sure how the timing would work out but if I could swing it, I would love to have lilacs at my wedding. Here are some awesome pics again for daydreaming purposes only. I wish I had a big bunch of lilacs to chase away the grey clouds.

A New Baby

Kevin will be the God father for Will and Marantha's new little one. He was born this morning by c-section around 5:30 am. He is so cute and big weighing in at a rocking 8lbs 13 oz! It was so fun to snuggle a 6-hour old little guy. Will and Marantha will be great parents and little Richard Stanley or Ricky Bobby as I plan on calling him will be very loved. His auntie Katie already thinks he is the greatest thing ever! Congrats Will and Marantha! Welcome to the world little Richard.

Cake!

So even though an actual wedding date is far from being set, I had to give in to my girly side and do a little browsing of my favorite Maratha Stewart Weddings. There are so many sections to browse but the one I was drawn to today was cakes! I didn't realize I had such strong feelings about cake and expectations other than it taste great and is moist but as I was browsing I noticed a trend to those that I liked. They were usually fairly simple and always had fresh flowers as the main decoration. Here are a few samples for day dreaming purposes only. Kevin might get a bit upset if I start getting to agressive in the wedding planning. Our first goal is a house and we both agree that as fun as a wedding will be it is one day, where as our house will hopefully be a home for our family for many many years. But for now, back to the wedding cakes. Thanks Martha!

An Engagement!

I am pretty sure that every person that looks at this blog was called promptly last night after the actual event but I could not be happier that I will be marrying my BEST friend. I was shocked when last night after wanting to be engaged for so long it finally happened. Here is my version of the proposal. We were in our apartment. I was making dinner. We were both wearing hot outfits, he in scrubs and I in my Nike dri-fit yoga pants when a casual conversation began about getting married. I was thinking at some far off point in the future but to my shock he very calmly said "no, now, we should get engaged." I of course could not believe it was actually happening. After a few tears of joy on my part, we called up Kevin's best friend Will and made a quick trip to the Lincoln Memorial for a re-enactment. As Kevin put it we needed to have a picture to show our kids that was not us in scrubs in our kitchen. There were tons of people at the Lincoln and Kevin got down on one knee and "made an honest woman out of me." It was beautiful and I was so giddy. I am still in shock that this is really happening. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have such an incredible man as my partner in life. He really is the best, so loving, thoughtful, smart, funny and of course handsome. What can I say, I'm in love!

Pork

I have been schleping myself all around to interviews for residency which means too many days and nights away from home eating meals provided by the programs. Although there have been some gems like a sushi bar, mashed potato bar and many an open bar, (although I tend to stick to water), there are also a few shockers. Some programs seem to think that all food should be fried. Last night the main dish was fried ravioli and while the few bites I had was delicious we are the next generation of doctors and someone should remember to think of the health of our coronaries. Seriously what good is it to our patients if we are overweight and at risk for a massive MI in the middle of the OR. Lay off the fried foods, pile high the salad and sushi.

I am so excited to be at home with my love and making a nice dinner. On the menu a favorite fall dish. Paula Dean's Apple Stuffed Pork. Now usually, Paula Dean loads things with butter, oil and other dense sources of calories and fat and while this recipe is hearty it is not full of butter but rather full of flavor. The apples make the pork so moist and the stuffing is delicious! I cannot wait to start chopping fresh herbs for our dinner date night.

Here is the recipe. Happy Fall.

NAU

I did some serious shopping with my mom this past weekend. We went to a great new store in Birmingham, MI called Backcountry North. They have some fantastic winter gear. We were introduced to a new brand NAU. I love the updated look, crisp lines and sophisticated style of the line. I am hoping to find some NAU wrapped under the tree for me this holiday season. Here are some favorite looks.  Plus the brand follows sustainable practices. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this vest!

Glee

I am going to admit it, I am in love with Glee. I am sorry but if you have not been watching you've been living under a rock. It is so good. I do love musicals but the show is also so well done. As I am working today I am listening to Glee Vol 2. The cast also just put out a Christmas album and I am 100% sure that I will be listening to it come December 1st. There have been several episodes where I am introduced to new top 40 songs. Currently I am into the Cee Lo cover. I had to have the original too. The cast can sing and I love the updated versions or interesting twists they put on songs. Of course it is all a little over the top but sure makes my Tuesday nights more interesting. Right now in my earbuds Rachel is belting, "Don't Rain on My Parade." LOVE IT! Get your GLEEK on!

Michigan Fall Weekend!

I was in Michigan for a few days. I flew in and surprised my mom in her classroom. She had no idea I was coming home and I just showed up at her classroom and she freaked out. She was so shocked to see me. It was perfectly played with help from my step-dad Buzz. It was a prefect fall weekend in the mitten. I was able to catch up with old friends, visit familiar favorite places and spend some quality time with the family. Dana and I took a lovely walk around the grounds of Cranbrook. Over the years we had many pictures taken first during sophomore year of high school before our dear friend Grace moved to the east coast, then during our senior year as we prepared to graduate. The grounds are beautiful and we had a prefect crisp fall day to enjoy them.

I shopped and cooked with my mom, two favorite activities especially around the holidays. We visited a favorite restaurant with my Grandpa, Kruse and Muer with the best bread on earth. We also spent some time at the cider mill. I ate way too many fresh, hot donuts with tart apple cider. It was heaven. Fall is my favorite and I could not have asked for a better weekend in my favorite state.

There was also plenty of cat naping and sound sleeping. Here is KB, one of my parents cats snoozing on my lap in the morning sun.

The Rising!

I made my second attempt at making the Tartine Bakery bread. Although it is not perfect - the bread came out fairly dense and the crust was bordering on too crunchy, there were some improvements. First, I followed the directions to the letter. This time I had all of the equipment called for in the book, a scale and a double cooker dutch oven. There will be more attempts soon but I am calling this one a baby step toward improvement. The dough rose appropriately this time. Here is the final product. It tasted pretty good with some farm pumpkin butter.

On to the library to pick out a book for fun! Any suggestions? Happy baking! Here is the goal. Perfect loaves from the Tartine Bakery ovens.

Etsy

Etsy. If you've never been oh are you in for a treat or a time suck depending on how you look at it. I could spend hours looking through the many beautiful and creative items.  Plus, I love the idea of supporting individual artists. I love these heart bowls and this bench. Anything that allows me to bring a bit of nature indoors is my style. I especially love birch trees and things made leaving the bark on. Modern design, no thank you, warm cozy and classic, yes please! Love this too. My sister is a very talented artist. And I am lucky to own a few of her beautiful ceramic pieces. There is something that makes using a handmade bowl or plate so much more satisfying than one that was mass produced in China. I am sure that over time I will continue to add rustic pieces to our home. We recently visited Falling Water. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the home to be continuous with nature. There are steps down to the water from inside the house and it is hanging over a stream, surrounded by woods. Although the decor is a bit dated for me, I loved the idea of making one's home a reflection of nature and incorporating the best parts of the outdoors indoors.

Perfect Fall Weekend Away

I grew up spending weekends, summers, holidays away at our home in northern Michigan. It was during the time spent up north where relationships developed. I remember having so much fun as a child playing with my parents friends' children we were the best of friends and could entertain each other for endless hours. Now as an adult, this past weekend was a similar adult version of a weekend away at the cabin. There was always a fire in the fireplace, lots of amazing food, games and friends. We are so lucky to have friends to share a weekend away with and so lucky to find great places to go! 

L'auberge Provencale

Today we are headed out to Virginia to spend the evening dining at L'auberge Provencale. The menu looks amazing and we are going with three other couples for a fun night and wine tasting. Pictures and details of dinner to come once we return. Enjoy your weekend. Cheers and good food.

Thighs

The ad reads: "I have thunder thighs. And that is a complement because they are strong and toned and muscular. And though they are unwelcome in the petite section they are cheered on in marathons. Fifty years from now I will bounce grandchildren on my thunder thighs and then go out for a run."

I was upside down in shoulder stand during yoga this morning looking up I had a view of my thighs. Normally, I fall into the same traps as many women, thinking they were too big, to flabby and certainly not toned enough to wear shorts or skirts above the knee. As I stayed upside down, my thoughts wandered further and my thighs began to not look so bad from that angle. I thought of this Nike ad and all of the things that my thighs have been through. These thighs have run countless 5K races, played hundreds of soccer games, run two half marathons and a full marathon in the pouring rain. They have kept me upright when things got a little hairy in the operating room, held me tall as I delivered my first babies or broke bad news to a family about their loved one. These thighs have climbed tall mountains in South America, swam across lakes, skied down countless black diamonds, and danced at friends weddings. They often take me on evening walks hand in hand with my best friend. They balance loads of laundry, carry heavy boxes and push beds, wheelchairs and strollers. These thighs have been with me since the very beginning and they will be with me until the very end. I am sure that my thighs have many more adventures to take, people to meet and places to explore. I have to try to remember this -- where my thighs have taken me and where they will take me in the future, the next time I try on a pair of jeans that is a bit too tight or a skirt that is too short. These are my thunder thighs and they are strong. Thanks Nike.

Cupcakes!

Each day on my walk to yoga I pass Georgetown Cupcake. At first I was annoyed, always a long line of tourists trying to get their sugar fix on the famous DC Cupcakes. And I must say, Katherine and Sophie the shops owners and reality TV stars are not as bad as some DC reality TV stars. It is annoying when the parking is occupied with the film crew and the spectacle of tourists is lined around the block. However, today on a random Wednesday there was no line, no camera crew and I was able to walk right in and order some cupcakes for a friend's birthday. The cupcakes were good. This is the second time I'd tried them. When my cousin, Grace visited this summer she waited in the DC heat for over an hour to try the cupcakes. Not sure I would wait in line but on those rare occasions when it is quite at the shop it is worth a trip for a sweet sugar fix.

Don't they look pretty!