the melting pot

Lincoln's department did really well this past year so to reward them, his boss took his coworkers and their significant others to dinner at the Melting Pot on the Plaza.

It was goooooooooood.  I think I'd be fine with just going back for the cheese course and the dessert course. 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it all, but the cheese and the dessert were my favorite!

Umm...so Lincoln's boss and I did pretty well on finishing off the dessert...

After dinner we walked off our food coma around the plaza to take in the lights.



mutha's day

I know I'm a tiny bit late, but I still had to tell y'all about mutha's day with my mutha (she likes it when I call her that).

Friday afternoon we did some shopping and my mom cleaned up!  She's still making a few purchases here and there for their new house, so since she needed some help spending money, I was right there to lend her a hand.

That evening we went to the Royals game.  They unfortunately lost...but it was buck night!  AND Fireworks Friday!  Which means that all pop, hot dogs, and peanuts are only $1!  Too bad I don't eat hot dogs (ever) or drink pop that often...

Saturday morning we went to one of my favorite breakfast places, Eggtc.  They have these delicious crepes (Crepe Dolce) with strawberries and mangoes that I sometimes dream about.

After a delightful breakfast, my mom, sister, and I headed downtown to the Farmer's Market. 

Once again, my mom went to town and bought a car load of plants and flowers.  My sister and I think my mom needs to work at a farmer's market (or somewhere like it), she knows her stuff!

Also, my sis and I got these beautiful flowers: 

(mind you we had to stand in line forever because this place is so popular, but it gave mom time to look around) 

We did a little more walking around after we had lunch at Blue Grotto so that my sister could find a baby book for her new little boy!

Yep, I'm going to be an aunt!!  I can't wait!

happy cinco de mayo!

Have I told ya'll how much I LOVE Mexican food? 

I do. 

I used to hate it. 

Can you even believe that?! 

I used to make my parents take me through McDonald's for a Happy Meal when they would go out for Mexican food.  That, or I would only eat tortilla's.

Today though, I'm happy to admit that I have overcome my dislike of Mexican food and now will proudly eat it every day of the week if possible.

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I decided that we should have a Mexican themed food day at work.

Margarita?  Yes please.  And it's only 10 AM.

Not to worry, I'm not drinking at work, but these taste like the real thing!  Check out the recipe from this book (that a coworker passed along):

Kosher salt

12 oz frozen limeade

6 oz orange juice

10 oz water

2 oz peach juice (or izze)

8 oz ginger ale

1 cup ice

6 lime wedges

Mix all of the above together (except for the lime wedges) and blend until smooth, or serve on the rocks. Garnish with salt and lime wedges.

I made a delicious batch of corn and black bean salsa.  Want to make your own? 

Ok!

Follow this recipe:

2 cans of black beans rinsed

1 can of corn rinsed

3 large tomatoes chopped

1/2 of a red onion chopped

1 lime (juice)

2 avocados chunked

1 jalapeno chopped

1 handful of cilantro (or around 1/2 cup)

Garlic salt

Throw all of this into a bowl and serve with corn chips.  Ole!

smoothie time

Since the weather is still undecided on if it's going to be spring or not, I decided that regardless of what it was like outside, it was still time to bust out my blender and frozen fruit to whip up some smoothies for after my workouts.  (I usually only have these when it's warm outside, you see)

These smoothies are seriously my favorite and they taste like candy AND, they're good for you.  Double bonus.

Sometimes it's hard for me to eat all of the fruit I buy before it starts going bad, so instead of tossing it out, I cut it up and stick it in the freezer so that I can make fruit smoothies with them later on.

Last night I whipped up a batch that had frozen strawberries, blackberries, pineapple, and banana's in it.  I also add a little OJ and a carton of non-fat yogurt.  They're soooooo gooooood. 

I would give you a more accurate recipe but I don't have one.  Just toss some stuff in the blender, hit pulse a few times and you're good to go. 

I store mine in the fridge for a few days or you can put them in the freezer so that they last a little longer.  I usually finish the pitcher in no time, so I don't have a problem with these things going bad!

You could also add a little protein powder to yours too to help your muscles and stuff.  I have some but sometimes I think it tastes gross.  You be the judge.

lots of food and a 3 hour workout

Oh. Hai.

I'm here, just slacking lately.  Work is bussssy. My laptop at home decided it didn't like the wireless card that it came with, so the geek squad said I have to take it to Best Buy to have them send it in for it to be fixed.  Bummer.

Anywho, this weekend the weather in KC was to die for.

Not only did we go to the Royals game but they also won the series against the Angels!

Saturday morning Lincoln and I went to this event at my gym, which consisted of 30 minutes of each of the 5 classes that they offer, so around 3 hours of working out. 

Lincoln hated me Saturday.  Like there were daggers coming out of his eyes I think.

Luckily during the boxing class he could pretend that he was hitting me (ok, not really, but kind of...). 

I kind of told him that this event wouldn't be that hard (and I didn't really think that it would be, but I was wrong, it was a wee bit harder than I remembered from last year).

I'm used to the punishments that are my daily workouts though since I've been going to my gym and these types of classes for two years, he...not so much.

Our day started out with lots and lots of lunges and squats.  Then we had to go outside and run suicides uphill.  Then some more lunges and running.  And then a boxing class and kickboxing class. 

One of our classes were led by these two Chiefs players:
 

Casey Wiegmann


 

Ryan Lilja


Needless to say a long nap was in order after the longest workout ever.

Because we did the almost three-hour workout, we decided that we could apparently eat whatever we wanted all weekend.

Saturday night, we ate at Stroud's, home of pan-fried chicken.  It was sooo delicious.

Sunday we tried a new-ish burger place called brgr.  It was heavenly.

Does anyone else have a problem importing pictures from their iPhone?! Gaw. Mine never save how they're supposed to!

I got the classic brgr and added an egg.  I hadn't tried an egg on a burger before, so I decided to give it a shot.  It was very tasty.  I was convinced that I was going to be able to finish the entire thing but I could barely eat half.

After doing a little walking around and shopping, we decided that ice cream was in order since it was like 90* outside yesterday.

Then, after trying to cool off in my house a tiny bit we grilled outside before the storm rolled into town.

Overall it was a fab weekend, and it appears that spring is finally making it's way to Kansas!

plum district

I know, I know...you probably don't need another email to clutter up your inbox on a daily basis...but I thought this was a pretty good one today from Plum District (click here to sign up!).

My coworker, Ashley, informed me of today's deal and we both decided to give it a shot.  I mean for $15, why not?!

Today's deal is for the Fresh 20. 

Basically this plan helps you plan weekly meals for only $20 a week using fresh, local produce.  How cool is that?!  Especially with summer coming up and the farmer's markets getting into full swing, this deal couldn't have come at a better time!

go here!

food on friday

This week is Restaurant Week in KC.  Which pretty much means, pick the most expensive restaurant in the city and go to it because you can eat for cheap!


This year my girlfriends and I chose the American Restaurant for our girls night out. 


I was a little nervous when I saw the menu for the week, since a few of my friends don't branch out in their eating habits and that the dress code was semi-formal (so of course we all wore either a prom dress or an old bridesmaids dress), however we all fell in love with the American Restaurant.


Restaurant week has a three course prix fixe menu (here's what we could choose from):

STARTERS:

POACHED EGG YOLK
Almond tapioca, La Quercia prosciutto, chicharrone

CELERY ROOT SOUP
Pickled huckleberry, salt cod  

ROASTED BEET
Endive, Satsuma orange, goat cheese

DINNER:

SALMON

Rye gnocchi, horseradish

PORK CHOP
Hubbard squash agnollotti, smoked apple, jowl

CAMPO LINDO CHICKEN
Lemon, risotto, leek, chanterelle mushroom 

 



FROZEN "PB&J"
 Peanut butter parfait, gooey peanut butter cake, concord grape sorbet

CHOCOLATE PASSION

Chocolate cremaux, chocolate financier, passion fruit sherbert
  

CARROT CAKE

Spiced carrot sherbert, cream cheese ice cream, walnut gelato

I chose the roasted beet starter.  I wasn't even sure if I liked beets, but I LOVE goat cheese, so that's what sold me on this choice!

For the main dish, I chose the Campo Lindo Chicken.  It was to die for.  Seriously.  It was so good.  The outside was crispy and delicious and the inside was so juicy.  I wish I could have finished this one, but it was too big!

For dessert, I chose the frozen PB&J.  It seriously tasted like a PBJ sandwich, but in ice cream form.  I also wish that I would've been able to finish the dessert, but it just wasn't in the cards!

There was one point in the night where we each had approximately 5 glasses sitting in front of us.  A glass of wine with each course, water, and then the remnants of my gin and tonic from the bar before we were seated.

For our dessert course, we were served different kinds of homemade soda that was supposed to pair well with our dish.  I would've preferred another glass of wine...but it was a cute idea!

The gangs (almost) all here! 

After dinner we went to a bar downtown, called the Cashew where Trish ordered this disgusting drink.  It took our waitress about 30 minutes to get it to her so luckily she got it for free.  I can't remember the name of it but it was hot apple cider and peach schnopps topped with whipped cream.  For some reason this drink had a slight coffee taste and was gritty.  It was probably the worst thing ever.  I decided to play in the whipped cream until my friends took it away from me...jerks.

proving my dad wrong, yet once again

You all know that I have a tiny baby dog (ok, she's not that tiny and not really a baby anymore), and in the winter it gets frigidly cold outside.

Laila doesn't have the longest legs, so her belly gets very close to the frozen ground and snow.

So of course, I have a snuggie, and a few sweaters and coats for her; not for vanity, more for her health.  For real. 

Laila in her pink snuggie, duh.

 Read this article, it even calls out the dachshund breed!

My dad thinks that I baby her and that she doesn't really need the sweaters or coats, but this article just proves once again, that my dad is wrong and I am right.

Also, Laila might be famous. 

We went to a gourmet dinner the other night for dogs and owners at a castle in town.  I had no idea that the people filming were from a local news crew until they were leaving and said to watch Fox news that night.  I was just letting Laila run all over them and was like "oh, sorry, she's crazy!" 

In the video she's the first dog up with her butt in the camera and then makes an appearance later in the clip. 

Don't worry, I'll tell you more about our dining experience later.  Let's just say that Laila couldn't get enough to eat...

food on friday

Oopsie.  I didn't get this posted on Friday!

OMG. Let me introduce you to the best thing ever: Black Bean Dip from So Long Saloon, Manhattan, KS.

Yes, it looks like there's a lot of cheesey goodness and that it's probably full of fat, but it is sooo worth the calories.

I make my own version that's almost as good:
2 cans of black beans drained
1/2 of a package of low fat or fat free cream cheese
3/4 c of raspberry chipotle sauce
1/2 cup of pepperjack cheese

In a greased 8x8 pan pour in black beans then layer in raspberry chipolte sauce and cream cheese (I also add in a little garlic powder and red pepper flakes). Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350* for 25 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips.



Let me also introduce you to "The Nancy" or cheap ass beer with some pineapple juice in it.  So delicious.



One of my besties Jess (who lives in TX) came to Manhattan for the weekend to cheer on the cats and go to a fun concert.  Whenever any of us are back in Manhattan, So Long is a must.  Not only do they have the tasty dip above, but their hamburgers are to die for.

Jess and I in Manhattan!

food on friday

I wish you could've smelled this cooking!  If you didn't know this already, I LOVE garlic.  Almost as much as I love cilantro. 


Anyway, here's what I did:


I Sauted 3 cloves of garlic in 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Added a splash of red wine and threw in around 20 frozen uncooked shrimp and cooked until they were pink.


I served this with some wild mushroom risotto (from a bag, I'm not that good, yet...) and steamed broccoli.

My cousins gave me this delicious bottle of wine for Christmas and I opened it for the dinner I cooked above.

Aren't these adorable?!  My friend Trish, over at My Path to Travel got me these cute little weiner dog salt and pepper shakers for Christmas!  She's a big dog lover and knew that I'd absolutely love these!

food on friday

OMG. I went to the best restauant recently.  I even told our waitress that the food I was eating was like a party in my mouth.  It was that good.

I bought a groupon (if you don't know what this is, you're missing out big time, sign up here for your city) awhile back for a restaurant on the plaza called Cafe Trio.  Upon looking at the menu, I knew that I had to buy it.  My mouth was watering looking at all of the yummy stuff listed.

I took one of my BFF's Scott with me since he likes trying new places almost as much as I do and both of us raved all night about how good the food was. 

BEST DISH EVER: Prince Edward Island Mussels.  I didn't think that I even liked mussels, but these were amazing.  Seriously amazing.  They were cooked in a white wine garlic cream sauce (100% healthy), pancetta, tomatoes, and fennel.  There was also some crusty bread that we sopped up the amazing sauce with.  When I go back, I will be ordering these again.

Our meal came with a salad and at first I ordered a vinaigrette.  Then opted for some blue cheese.  I mean my diet was already screwed for the night so why not add to the damage?  I'm glad I went with the blue cheese though, it was a-mazing.



And then, the main course: Cowboy Bone-N-Ribeye Steak (KC's Best according to the menu) (cooked medium), aspargus and mashed potatoes.  We split the steak a) because it would be cheaper; b) because I only ate half of my portion and c) because we had a crapton of food. The steak had a yummy sweet onion glaze on it.  It was delightful.

And to top off the night a lovely text from Scott (which completely sums up our friendship):

Thanks for the asparagus pee.  I had fun.



show and tell

I'm going to share a verrrrrry top secret recipe with you. 

It's one that my old roomie and I made up with things that were in our refrigerator one night. 

If you like good food, you'll love this.  Also, if you want your house to smell like heaven, you should probably make this right now. 

Also, since we made up this recipe up on our own, the measurements are really just me guessing...so use your own discretion...

Is your mouth watering yet?  I thought so...

BBQ Shrimp Pizza

1 can of refrigerated pizza dough

20 frozen shrimp (thawed and cut into smaller pieces)

1/2 of a red onion

2 cloves of garlic

3 Tablespoons of chopped jalapeno (fresh or jarred)

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 C bbq sauce

1/3 of a block of cream cheese

1 Roma Tomato

Shredded Colby Cheese

Cilantro (chopped)

Spread the pizza dough out onto jelly roll pan and cook as directed (or until it looks kind of brown...)

Saute olive oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeno until soft.  Add cut up shrimp.

Spread BBQ sauce over baked pizza crust.  Add sauted mixture over the BBQ sauce.

Cut up cream cheese into little bites (I LOVE cream cheese so you may need more or less depending on your love) and add to pizza.  Add some shredded cheese on top for good measure (just enough to cover the top).  Bake for another 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Add chopped tomato and cilantro (I also LOVE cilantro and could probably put close to the entire bunch onto the pizza...) to the pizza and bake for another 2-3 minutes.

Then enjoy and thank me for sharing this top secret recipe. 

We wanted to open a restaurant that served this and cookies.  And maybe a few other things.  We're still working on it. :)

weekend recap

My cousin Kole graduated from Kansas State this weekend. He was so excited!

He and one of his cousins had a joint party at a bar in Manhattan together.  Most of my family was there, so it was fun to catch up with everyone and to drink and dance the night away!

This is my second plate of food....for some reason, my first plate decided to do a backflip on the floor, my dress, and on my new Uggs.  Oy.



 

This is part of my first plate of food.  Nothing like ranch and greasy meat on my boots....



I was so worried about wearing my new boots in a bar for fear that some drunk person would spill a drink on me....then I go and spill a plate on my boots myself.  Sober. 

The bar that the party was held at specializes in fish bowls, which is basically a BUNCH of different kinds of alcohol, and like sprite and grenadine...or something.  I didn't participate as these things made me sick a few times in college so I stuck to my old standby: beer.

My mom and sister apparently really enjoyed them though!



The bar also had a shot wheel.  I tried really really hard to get my uncle to participate.  But he wouldn't.  I even said I'd pay for it!  But no luck...



My brother in law then started doing some really awesome dancing on the pool table.  It was really good and really showcased his dancing skills.

The dancing continued with my sister. I think they practice at home... 

The three of us really were showing everyone up on the "dance floor".  My sister, cousin Danyelle and I did some fancy feet, running man, and a lot of really awesome hand movements.  People were jealous. 

Because of all of our dancing we were starving after leaving the bars.  All that Danyelle wanted was a dang quesidilla from Taco Bell.  Since cabs to Taco Bell were few and far between, we walked to Buffalo Wild Wings instead.  As luck would have it, they had quesadillas! 

Between the five of us I think we ordered around 30 wings, 2 orders of fries, a buffalo chicken wrap, and obviously the quesadilla.  We were hungry! Geesh!

To top it off, Josh thought that he wanted 24 wings on his own.  Luckily I convinced our waitress that he only needed 12.

Since Josh was so hungry, he ate a whole 1 wing.  Good call on the 24, buddy :)  So needless to say we had quite a few leftovers...

Did I tell you that it decided to get super cold in KS this weekend?  Oh, no?  IT DID.  It was below freezing and snowing.  Since the cabs in Manhattan are difficult to come by, we decided to walk back to our hotel.  In the freezing, blowing cold.  With our leftovers.  It was so cold!

My sister forgot that she put the wings in her purse until the next morning when she was getting her phone out.  Much to her surprise, she pulled out 11 wings!  And some ranch!

Mmm...I love ranch.  But ranch and buffalo sauce in the morning are not a good combination.  I was gagging.

After she cleaned that out, we made our way to Lawrence to meet up with my mom's side of the family to do an early Christmas.  It was fun getting to see that side of the family that we don't get to see that often!

Upon arriving back to my house I walked inside to my own personal sauna.  It was a good 110* inside of my house and everything, I mean EVERYTHING was hot to the touch.  The staircase railing, kitchen cabinet handles, the toilet seat, everything was so hot.

I started freaking out a little because I had no idea what was going on and my thermostat wouldn't turn off even though I switched it to off, the hot air just kept coming out of the vents!  Luckily Kim and Josh were still around so they were able to help me problem solve...

Apparently my thermostat has batteries...who knew?! 

After changing those puppies I cracked a window to get some of the heat out (I know that it was like 6* out yesterday but you have no idea how hot my house was!  We couldn't breathe it was so hot) and picked up my dog from my friend Becky's house.  Luckily I was only gone for one night...who knows how hot my house could've been...I'm really looking forward to that heating bill...

Apparently Laila was quite the watch dog at Becky's house!

holiday baking at its finest

A few days ago, my sister and I did some holiday baking.  We made sooo many treats and it took us almost the entire afternoon!  We had a good time baking while the dogs tried to help by running right under our feet in the kitchen and my brother in law cheered the Chiefs to a win over the Broncos in the basement.

The finished product!  I took the boxes to my neighbors, my gym, and a huge box to my coworkers and my sis took the cute little plates to her friends and coworkers! Check out each kind and the recipes below:

These are magic cookie bars, and they are truly magical. :)  Ok, but for real, if you love coconut as much as me, you'll love these: Magic Cookie Bars



These are sooo good!  This was our first attempt at making gingerbread cookies, but these were delightful:
Soft Gingerbread Cookies

These little gems have become a staple in my holiday baking list.  They are sooo good!  Ok, I know that I've said about all of the cookies so far, but I think these are my fave:
White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

These puppies are a family tradition!  My mom called them marmallow puffs, so I'm going to go with that.  They are SOOOO good, for real.  You should probably make them them. 
Here's the recipe:

1 large package of Marshmallows
1 package of caramels
1 stick of margarine
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
Crushed rice krispies

Freeze marshmallows; melt caramels, butter, and sweetened condensed milk in double boiler.  When melted, dip frozen marshmallows into mixture, roll in rice krispies, and place on wax paper or cookie sheet to cool.  Enjoy!

And then there were these...cherry mash.  They didn't turn out as hot as planned but they were still good.  Since the above recipe didn't work out, here's another:  Cherry Mash Bars