Monday, August 9, 2010

nyc bound.

*photo by tim schultz*

it is 2:31 am and i'm still getting things organized and set for my trip to nyc. i am supposed to be "up" by 3:30 am to get ready to leave, but technically i never made it to bed so i will most probably stay up now. do any of you get excited and anxious before you go on a big trip? i am very excited to meet one of my nearest and dearest (and adventurous) friends, claudine, out east. i can't wait to see her and can't wait to explore new york city!!!

p.s i will miss the kids even though it will be nice to have some quiet time to myself!

p.s.s. and just a little update on saturday's concert: i did end up going sans friends because of the short notice. it felt a little weird at first, but then i settled in and the concert ended up being a lot of fun and i'm glad i went! i guess i am a little braver than i thought i was...


Friday, August 6, 2010

hello, new love.

*chuao firecracker dark chocolate*

i bought this on a whim yesterday, and oh my...very yummy and kind of fun to eat! i see eating lots of this over the weekend, packing for my nyc trip and having a relatively quiet night (the kids + their daddy are visiting family). i'll either be watching "an education" + eating some thai food or possibly going to an outdoor concert if i can drag someone to go with me. maybe i'll just wing it and go solo and see who i run into or meet. i'm still on the fence whether i'm brave enough to fly solo...

what are your plans for the weekend?

whatever they are, may it be fun and relaxing!


Wednesday, August 4, 2010

d.c.
















p.s. if you visit any of the fine art museums with small children, don't let them get even a teensy bit close to the art. if the guards (standing from 1000 feet across the room) even think you are touching anything (which i feel compelled to say, we weren't) they will blow their whistles like you are a prisoner escaping from alcatraz...as we found out.

YUM.

*grilled brie + apple sandwich with roasted tomato soup
and little floating basil leaves*

fordy is playing his first season of tackle football *gulp*, and for us this means that 4 weeknights are devoted to practice, and starting in a week another night (or morning) will mean game day. i think it's insane how intense the program is, but fordy loves it...no LOVES it. i mean, he loves it like i love the beatles. it's his thing, and i can't knock it for that reason.

so tonight, time being tight and smack dab in a middle of the summer dinner rut, i asked what could i make? and i fell back on a family favorite that is both fast and easy, but a more *ahem* doctored up version. my criteria was that it had to be healthy and for me vegetarian, and using ingredients i had in-house.

the solution: grilled brie + apple sandwiches and michael chiarello's roasted tomato soup. because of this recipe, i will never ever (never ever ever) eat campbell's tomato soup again. i used canned tomatoes, but if you have an overabundance of tomatoes, please make this soup! the extra step of roasting them really enhances the flavor and it's so fresh, lana and fordy prefer it over any soup that i've made.

here is the recipe if you'd like to give it a go:

michael chiarello's homeade tomato soup (via food network):

Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional


Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

*i substituted vegetable stock for the chicken stock and also used milk instead of cream, just to make it a little lighter.


(and thought i'd show and tell a photo of the little man in uniform...the photo doesn't emphasize it, but the shoulder pads are HUGE. makes me giggle everytime i see him).

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

living in amelie.


*living in amelia via design sponge*


awesome.
love the movie and love the re-creation...

p.s. thinking i need one of those zorro masks and black hat!

clogs.


*miz mooz hazel clogs*

clogs seem to be all the rage right now... and would i love me some swedish hasbeen super high peeptoes? boy oh boy would i ever. i've tried to convince myself that they are worth every penny spent because they are quality-made, comfortable and i'm pretty sure they would compliment almost any dress, leggings, shorts, and skinny jeans that i own or would ever wear. but at over $200 they're a wee bit out of my budget right now...(boo hoo).


after searching quite awhile online on etsy for vintage clogs and i think every possible online shoe website for a suitable substitution, i came across some miz mooz clogs on sale for $79.99 at piperlime. plus i had a $20 reward coupon to go towards it so for the money i'm dishing out, i really can't shake a stick at them. i'm still awaiting their arrival, so fingers crossed they'll be perfect.

Monday, August 2, 2010

happy monday (and august) !

*photo by susan abo photography*

yes, i was m.i.a. last month...july was truly a whirlwind! just got back from d.c. and have one week to decompress + get things back to normal before i whisk off to nyc. i will post some about our trip and adventure to the capital this week. promise.
so just this super cute photo today:
because mondays should be powered by cuteness.