Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ Review

There was always one problem I had with the “where do babies come from” speech I received. It seemed like it would be AWFULLY painful to push something the size of a watermelon out of a much smaller opening. And Hollywood certainly didn’t make it seem like a piece of cake as sweet and kind women turned into horrible beast monsters during labor in every media portrayal. My parents didn’t help much either.

“When your mother was in labor with you,” my dad would relate, “she cursed me, told me I did this to her, she hated me, and decided half way through they should push you back up, she didn’t want to do this anymore.”

“I understand doing it once,” I told my parents. “When you don’t know any better, but why would you have a second child, knowing how much pain is involved?”

My father, the expert on women, confided, “the thing about women is, once the labor is over, and they have that little baby on their chest, they completely forget about ALL the pain. I think it only took 30 minutes of holding you before your mother told me she wanted another.”

I was skeptical. I remember pain. I can show you the exact location of every currently invisible bee sting and oil burn I have ever had. And then I started running these half marathons. On mile 11 of the AFC half I had pretty much determined I was never running this long again. That was the point at which I was walking up the world’s second tallest mountain. About an hour after we got home from the race, I was already looking up when my next half would be. It’s true. Women have selective memories and oftentimes the accomplishment far outweighs the memory of the pain.

For my next half marathon I had chosen the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona for several reasons. 1) The course was almost completely flat. No extreme craziness at mile 11. 2) Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons are supposed to be fun, with music all along the course. 3) Toxicesq and China live in Arizona and I thought it would be great to do a half marathon where I could also get a visit in with them. So I signed up, and started training just as soon as I got the all clear from my physical therapist. Friday after work Thatboy and I headed to the airport.

Saturday we headed to the Expo a block from our hotel to pick up my bib and swag.

This was a giant expo, and I wish we would have had more time to explore. Thatboy thought it was the most fun expo ever because there were carnival games to play. I usually discourage him from playing carnival games because no one ever wins and he would easily spend a downpayment on a house attempting to prove me wrong. But here they were free and I let him have at it. The expo was also extremely well organized. One of the best I’ve attended. I thought it was going to be madness with the sheer number of people present, but I was able to pick up my bib, shirt, and bag faster than almost anywhere else.

Saturday night, I laid out everything. It’s difficult to travel for a race because there’s always that fear you’ll forget something you need. I did okay on this one, the only thing I wish I’d packed was some throw-away gloves and sunscreen. My little fingers were cold Sunday morning, and I definitely got a little bit of color. Not as bad as I was expecting, but I’ve got a nice rosy glow to my face. I probably wouldn’t have minded a hat either, and my next expo-purchase will certainly be a pair of sunglasses.

Sunday morning I got up, and because my race didn’t start till 8:30 and I was 20 minutes from the start, I actually got to sleep later than I usually do on raceday. All the way till 6:00! It didn’t hurt that I didn’t have to walk the dog. Because the race start was 1.5 miles from the hotel, I opted to take the shuttle from the hotel while Thatboy and Thatmom walked. When I arrived, it was dark and crowded. But the crowd was buzzing with energy. Perhaps they drew it from the band.

These guys definitely had a sweet gig. As we were all hanging about, waiting for portapotties, warming up, drinking water, we listened. They got much more constant attention than then bands scattered throughout the course.

Before too long, it was line up time. I found Thatboy and Thatmom and hung out with them until it was just about race time. Then I headed over to find the pace group I was going to run with.

(This is me demonstrating how everyone was leaving the portapotties before the race. I hate portapotties. This will play a big p

Ready...

Set...

Go!!!!!

I was still shooting for the 2:10 I hadn’t been able to make on my first half, but thought I stood a chance here since it was flatter terrain. I decided to run with the 2:15 pace group, figuring I could always push it the last couple miles if I started out slower. The pacer for the group had a little card on her sign which broke down our expected pace for the miles. Mile 1 – 10:18, Mile 2: 20:36, Mile 3: 30:54, etc. etc. etc. It was PERFECT because it was pretty much the exact pace I run! When we started running I felt like we were going a little fast, but thought nothing of it until we hit the first mile at, ready? 9:08. 9:08?!!! That’s over a full minute faster than we were supposed to be and definitely the fastest mile I’ve ever ran. No wonder I was getting tired. “It’s okay,” I thought. They’ll probably slow down a bit now. Nope. Pacer went for a bathroom break, passing the pace sign to someone else to carry on with. That person TOOK OFF. MAD SPRINT. By the time I hit the 2 mile mark at 18:20 that girl was no where to be seen. Does anyone else think this is odd? At mile 2 I was over 2 minutes under our expected time and the pacer was nowhere to be seen.

At that point I was now tired and cranky and decided that this pace group thing was not what it was cracked up to be. I figured I could probably keep a 2:15 mile pace on my own, and so that’s what I strove to do. During the next 4 miles I slowed down my pace to be a little more comfortable to me, but I have to tell you the truth, I was definitely burned out and tired. I was hitting all the right times, but just felt bleh about it. It didn’t help that this was probably the LEAST scenic course I had ever run on. Flat? Yeppers. But only because you were running down the middle of a street with nothing to see. Music? Eehhhhhhhh. I was glad I brought my i-pod because the bands were really spread out and you only heard them for a tiny blip as your ran by.

And then came mile 5-point-something-or-other. When it became quite clear that I had to use the restroom. RIGHT NOW. Now, I drink a lot of water to stay hydrated, but I have never had to use the restroom during the race, mostly because I’m using it while I run. I resigned myself to the fact I was going to have to stop and use the next porta-potty I saw and that 2:10 was never going to happen. I crossed the 10k mark and veered over to the line at the 2 porta potties stationed there. Later, Thatboy, who was getting texts about my times at different landmarks, mentioned to me that he was really impressed with my times up till 6.2 miles, and then it seemed like I really slowed down. I didn’t really slow down – it was that porta potty stop which took 7 minutes! I think this was mostly due to the fact that the porta potties were out of toilet paper, so people were in there an extra second or two “drying off.” (I know I was.)

I honestly didn’t enjoy the rest of the course as much as I enjoyed the AFC half. And I again reached the point where I wondered why I was doing this. My usually docile stomach had been acting up during the whole race and I was gulping down water at every water stop. And then I crossed the finish line.

And within minutes, I felt completely fine. Not tired, not sore, and while I wasn’t ready to do another 13.1 at that moment, I was certainly ready to tackle it again in a couple weeks. That selective memory thing is a pretty good trick!

The Headliner for the Finish Line Festival was Vertical Horizon, and I’ve already told y’all about my love for Vertical Horizon. As usual, they put on a great live show. But because this wasn’t the typical venue, I was able to get right up close and personal. LOVE that. And maybe that’s one of the reasons I was so quick to forget about the unfunness that was the course.

The beer didn't hurt either.

Of course, I remember it enough to know that this probably won’t be a permanent addition onto my race schedule.

And on a completely unrelated note, if you, like me, had some extra patty shells left over from your creamed lobster, you can easily fill them with loads of other treats. Like Shrimp Newburg! Doesn't crustacean just BEG to be served in patty shells?

Shrimp Newburg (from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp flour
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 1/2 Tbsp sherry
• 1/2 Tbsp brandy

1. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes over low heat. Stir in the lemon juice and set the pan aside.

2. Melt the remaining Tbsp of butter, add the flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring.

3. Slowly add the cream and cook, stirring until the sauce is slightly thickened.

4. Beat a spoonful of the sauce into the egg yolk. Return the egg-sauce mixture to the sauce and add sherry and brandy.

5. Add the shrimp and cook over low heat until shrimp are warmed through.

Layering Up

This week's theme for Eat.Live.Be. For a Better 2011 is "Baby It's Cold Outside." You know the song right? I mean, I have officially stopped listening to Christmas music until November 25, 2011, but I did have several versions on my playlist. But I knew the song LONG before it became oh so popular to play at Christmas time. In fact, when I was first introduced to the song, it didn't seem to be much about Christmas at all.

You see, for many many many many years (basically until sometime in college) my all time favorite movie was "Neptune's Daughter" starring Ricardo Montalbain and Esther Williams. It's one of those fabulous movies where the boy loves the girl, and the girl only goes out with him to promote her bathing suit company. And then, when she tries to leave, he sings her a very sweet song about wanting her to stay because "Baby It's Cold Outside." Except, this is beautiful sunny California, so it's less about the actual coldness outside, and more about him just wanting her to stay. I tried to find a clip, but I couldn't find it. Instead, I offer you the scene that comes directly after. In it, Betty Garrett is trying equally hard to get her beau, Red Skelton, who she believes to be a South American Polo Player (one of the rare red headed South American Polo Players) to stay.

The point of this is - sometimes "when it's cold outside" doesn't actually refer to it being cold outside. Sometimes, "cold outside" is a state of mind. It's anything out there that keeps you from doing what you should be doing. So how do I stay motivated when it's "cold outside"?

Not directly related to the Eat.Live.Be. challenge, but I need motivation every morning when I get up. First of all, because it actually is cold outside. Second of all, it's dark outside. And third of all, no one wants to get up in the morning and head out for a run. So what gets me out of bed?

Well there's Thatdog. I'm in charge of morning walk duty. Which means, whether I want to or not, I have to get up and take him outside. So I might as well get a run in, right?

Then of course there's the help I got from my family this holiday season. Because honestly, it HAS been cold outside! For weeks I was running in 30 degree weather. Sure it was 35/37 degrees, but it was still under 40. And I didn't have the right running apparel. Which really does make you not want to get outside. Because it's uncomfortable to be cold. But the answer is - layers! Thatmom got me an underarm zip up hoodie to wear over my running clothes and a beanie since we lose most of our heat through our head. UDubb got me a Nike Therma-fit shirt with thumb holes and I swear the thing adds about 20 degrees to the outside temperature. She also got me running tights. And Thatboy added some gloves to the mix. My layers of loved ones, warming me with layers.

Next week's topic is What's Your Biggest Challenge - the obstacle between you and your goal and how you're tackling it.

And here are a list of the other bloggers participating:

• Sarah - www.sarahscucinabella.com
• Cate - www.sweetnicks.com
  
• Maris - www.ingoodtasteblog.net
• Chris - www.melecotte.com
• Faith - www.clickblogappetit.com/
• Kristen - www.dineanddish.net
• Emily - http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/
• Jenna - http://stopdropandblog.com/
• Joanne - http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/,
• Casey - http://www.thestarnesfam.com
• Patsy - http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/
• Tri-Fit Mom - http://trifitmom.blogspot.com/
• Claire - http://cookiedoc.blogspot.com/
• Allison - http://sweetflours.blogspot.com/
• Jen - http://njepicurean.blogspot.com/
• Leslie - www.thehungryhousewife.com
• Rivki - http://www.healthyeatingforordinarypeople.com/
  
• Claudia from Journey of an Italian Cook
• Jennifer - http://lick-a-plate.blogspot.com/

The third motivating factor definitely has to be the age old saying "I run more, so I can eat more." Because I feel so much less guilty about eating layers of pastry over layers of cream when I've put in a good long run. I'm not advocating trying to eat all the calories you spent a good time burning, but it makes me not want to beat myself up about indulging every now and again. Because layers aren't JUST for clothing.

Remember when I told you I'd give you a recipe for puff pastry? Well here it is. See, after I finished making those patty shells, I had puff pastry left over. So I did what any good entrepreneur does. I made those lemons into lemonade! In this case, that means turning that puff pastry into Napoleons. Decadent, delightful, Napoleons. And now you can too!

Napoleons
For the pastry: 2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 lb butter
1/2 tsp salt

For the filling: 1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

For the topping:
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 square of semi-sweet chocolate

1. Make the pastry: Mix 1 3/4 cups of flour, 4 Tbsp butter, salt, and 1/2 cup water at medium speed for 4 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in saran wrap, and refrigerate 15 minutes.
2. Beat the remaining butter and flour until they are smooth. Refrigerate until the 15 minutes is up for the dough and remove them both from the fridge.
3. Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle. Pat the butter into a 4 inch square in the center of the dough and fold the dough over the butter to make a square package.
4. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 6-8 inches wide and 14-18 inches long. Fold the dough into thirds like an envelope.
5. With the narrow end of the envelope facing you, repeat step 4. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator 45 minutes.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
7. Repeat step 4 and 5, but this time refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. (So at this point you have rolled the dough out 6 times and refrigerated it for 2 1/2 hours)
8. Divide the puff pastry dough in half, returning one half to the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the first half of the dough to 1/8 thick in a rectangle. Place the dough on a cookie sheet and prick with a fork. Bake 20-25 minutes and cool on a rack.
9. Roll and bake the other half of the dough in the same fashion.

10. Make the filling: Heat the milk until very hot but not boiling.
11. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl and stir in the hot milk. Beat until well blended.
12. Pour this entire mixture back into the pan and continue to stir vigorously over low heat for 4-5 minutes.
13. Add the egg yolks and cook for a few more minutes. Let cool and then add the vanilla.

14. Make the topping: Put 3 Tbsp of hot water in a small bowl and beat in the confectioner's sugar until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Continue to beat for several minutes until very creamy.
15. Melt the chocolate square.

16. Combine: Carefully cut each pastry rectangle into three long strips. Slice each strip in half lengthwise.
17. Spread three of the strips with the cream filling.
18. Make two stacks of strips, two strips high, with cream filling between each layer and an unfrosted strip on top.
19. Frost the top strip with the topping and drizzle the melted chocolate portion over the top.

AVM: An End In Sight

When I told Thatboy I was picking up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle again, Thatboy was less than pleased. He hasn't been impressed with most of the recipes, and although he's a good sport, it doesn't mean he's quiet about it.

"Just a couple more recipes" I promised. And with that, I bring you the end of Animal Vegetable Miracle recipes. Unfortunately Thatboy was right and more of these were bad then were good. Maybe that's what happens when you get into winter recipes. Because although Kingsolver raves about how easy it is to eat in the winter, it could be because they were so desperate they would have eaten ANYTHING. And so I leave you with the good, the okay, and the bad.

First, the good:

Vegetarian Chili (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)

"It's chili!" I said. "You can't mess up chili!" But Thatboy disagreed. I was happy to prove him wrong. I did tweak the recipe a bit, using fresh peppers instead of frozen, and canned tomatoes with chili peppers to give it some kick. But overall? Someone and I'm not going to mention names, but someone went back for seconds.

The okay:

Braised Winter Squash (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
I really liked this at first. The vinegar, the apple cider, and it couldn't be easier to make. Unfortunately that sweetness from the cider gets a little overpowering after the first few bites.

And the bad:

Sweet Potato Quesadilla (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
- I had SUCH high hopes for this. Even the clerk at Trader Joes thought it sounded delicious. (Seriously, why can't we get fresh tortillas at the Farmer's Market? We're less than an hour from Mexico!) Brie, sweet potato, flour tortillas. Unfortunately they were a total miss.

Butternut Bean Soup (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
This one killed me. KILLED ME. I was planning on using it to enter Branny's Souper Bowl. Because I love butternut soup! But then I read the recipe and thought. Okay, it's bean soup in a butternut bowl. I could do that. Still soup. DO YOU SEE THAT PICTURE? That is not soup! That is beans. Beans in a squash. Not soup. Under no definition of soup would you find the above dish. And so I am BEGGING you readers. Pick up where I left off and make a soup and submit it to Branny's souper bowl. Do it for me. Do it for Branny. Do it to show Ms. Kingsolver and her family what soup should look like.

AVM: The Terrible Tomato Story

Oh HEY! Do any of you remember when I was reading Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and making all the recipes in the book? And then all of a sudden. I just....stopped. Well it was because of the tomato. That pesky pesky tomato. A food I normally adore that has become my nemesis in the past year.

See, the next recipes called for sun dried tomatoes. And when I got to the chapter, it was January. And January is not really a very good time for sun drying tomatoes. So I decided to wait till the summer. And during the summer, put my little tomatoes out on our deck and I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Months went by. Nothing. Thatboy decided that even if they DID dry, there was no way he was touching those things.

I spoke to my boss at the time and told her about my tomatoes. "You cut them in half, and put them on your deck and they didn't dry?" She asked.

*Silence* "Cut them in half?" I asked.

She laughed for a VERY long time and informed me that in order for my little plan to work, I needed to cut the tomatoes in half. And I didn't. But by now, summer was over and cold weather was setting in. So I kind of shelved that idea.

And then January rolled around again. And I made it my New Years Resolution to finish what I had started. Sun or no sun, those tomatoes were getting dried! So I decided to oven dry my tomatoes instead of sun drying. It took much less time, maybe because I cut them in half this time. They came out PERFECTLY!

And those recipes that required their use? Definitely some of the best in the book.

Sundried Tomato Pesto (recipe available at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
- I'm not a huge sun dried tomato fan. In fact, you could go as far as to say I don't really like them. But this pesto is amazing fantastic. I crave it. I think I might very well dream about it. I love it spread on a piece of toast. I toss it with our pasta. And the other night I even tossed some roasted potatoes in it which was delicious (and so was the tossing bowl which I may or may not have licked)

Antipasta Tomatoes (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
- I didn't love these as much as the pesto, but I already expressed my dis-love of sun dried tomato. I've been using these to dress up chicken salad, tossed with pasta, or as a lovely addition to bruschetta.

Ready to Race

This is a very important post for a number of reasons.

Import for you because it's the last in my series of Valentine's lobster meals.

Important for me, because as you read this, I am on my way to my half marathon. Probably still in the sky in fact. And I am VERY excited about it. My first half I was beyond nervous by this point. Doubting myself, doubting my training.

But now, I know I can do it. And I know my training will pay off. Part of me thinks I'm not as fast as I was last time. My runs have been a bit sluggish lately. On the other hand, I think I might be A LOT faster. Mainly because of this:

This is the training route I run almost every day:

There's a mountain behind me (well a wilderness area) which leave me one direction to go. And it's all downhill from there. har har har (See what I did THERE?) Which means it is ALL UPHILL going home. For about the last mile. But if you think that's bad, that's got nothing on my runs when I stay with Thatmom:

Thatmom lives at the top of a hill. It seems like there should be a moat with crocodiles surrounding it, but nope. Just a hill. Although to call this a hill would be like calling the Sahara a "dry patch." The thing is monsterously steep. And no matter which direction I go, I always have to run back up that thing when I am most tiredest.

Which is why I am REALLY looking forward to this race. With a course that looks like this:
Do you SEE the flatness? It's going to be a fantastic run.

And for my last "lobsters for Valentine's Day" I've stepped THAT up a notch too. I had to. Because I couldn't very well post about my pumped up half and then give you some boring old lobster dish. This one is perfect for a romantic candle-light dinner. It even comes in its very own bowl. A bowl that you will lovingly and painstakingly create in a kitchen of your very own. And when your loved one turns to you and says "Oh darling, this is simply too too much!" You can just dust your hands off and murmur- oh this old thing? I just threw it together.

Creamed Lobster (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
2.5 Tbsp butter
2.5 Tbsp flour
1 cup light cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup cooked lobster meat
patty shells
1/2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour and cook over low heat until smooth and blended.
3. Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly, and the nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.
4. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add the lobster meat and heat through. Spoon into patty shells and sprinkle with parsley.

Patty Shells
1. Roll puff pastry into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. You can use frozen, but next week I'll give you instructions on how to make your own.
2. Cut into circles 3 inches in diameter.
3. Remove the centers from half of the circles with a 2 inch round cutter.
4. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with water and shake off the excess. Place a cut out ring on top of each round and press gently to seal evenly. Prick the bottom of each unbaked shell with a fork.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Remove the uncooked pastry from the center.

Wine and Song

I don't think I've ever shown you guys these. THESE are our favorite wine glasses. TSIL got them for us a couple years back. I actually tend to use our stemmed glasses more, but any time Thatboy opens a bottle of wine, somehow we end up with these on our table. I think he loves them most because he gets to write fun things on them. Things like "Cat" and "Dog" or "Cake" and "Ice Cream." It's one of his quirks.

I'm also going to continue on with our lobster trend. This time with timbales. Now, when I hear timbales I think of tambourines and gypsies. Maybe something a little like this:



But really, timbales are cuban drums. More like this:

Which is why you'll probably all be surprised when I show you that the lobster timbales have NOTHING to do with music. They look more like this:

Weird, right? Who came up with this name? Somehow, someone along the way must have decided that timbales = "anything baked in a ramekin." Either that, or thought of timbales is music to your ears. (See what I did there?) In fact, Shakespeare did say that "if music be the food of love, play on." So there is obviously a connection between music and food. Maybe because they are both a way to win someone's heart. And if music is the food of love, what better way to celebrate the day of love than with a musical feast!

This is very much like a lobster custard with the addition of cream and egg. Because the egg whites are whipped, this is much lighter and fluffier than you would expect. Light enough where I though I would add to it by serving it with something fried. This is actually a great leftover meal. Because it calls for cooked lobster, you can throw an extra one in to boil. Then take your leftover grits and fry them up. It's a completely new meal, but will take hardly anytime to throw together. And that my friends, is music to MY ears.

Lobster Timbales (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup cooked lobster meat
5 Tbsp heavy cream, beaten stiff
1 egg white, beaten stiff

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter 2 1 cup custard cups. Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place in oven. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour, blend until smooth, and slowly stir in the milk and salt.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Beat a spoonful of sauce into the yolk and return the yolk/sauce mixture to the saucepan.
4. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lobster.
5. Pour the lobster mixture into a bowl and fold in whipped cream and egg white. Spoon mixture into the custard cups and place in the pan of hot water in the oven. Bake 35 minutes.

Fried Grits
1 cup cooked grits
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1. Spread grits in loaf pan, refrigerate overnight.
2. Cut grits into 1/2 inch slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet.
3. Dip slices into the egg and then into the crumbs, coating both sides completely.
4. Place in the skillet for 3 minutes on each side or until hot and golden brown.

The boons of the Holidays

As I've mentioned before, I'm not fantastic at spending money on myself. The one exception is when I get gift cards, because they can't go in to my bank account and be used to pay for gas, groceries, or my car. So Thatboy has caught on and has spread the word to his family to give me gift cards for the holidays.

I've spent the past few weeks using my lunch breaks to go shopping and I've accumulated quite the stash.

First I hit up BCBG.

You may recognize this skirt from my pictures from Harvard's party. In fact, I got it specifically to wear to Harvard's party since most non-work days I look in my closet with that "what am I going to wear" dread. And especially what am I going to wear to a cocktail party? I love the zipper in the front, and Thatboy pointed out it can also be worn in the back for a more conservative look.

Then I hit up my go-to, Banana Republic:

A new party dress! Because I always need nice dresses for weddings and parties. Although I'm getting to the age where I don't have a wedding every week. In fact, 2010 was the first year we didn't attend a wedding since 2003.



I also got a new pair of wool black pants. Because I can always use work pants. I wear a suit to work every day, so black pants are a given staple in my wardrobe. And wool, because on most days my office barely gets above a balmy 50 degrees. The airvent above my desk is especially helpful at keeping my ice from melting.

And along that same vein, I also hit up Macys for another pair of non-black work pants.

I know they're black in this picture, but the ones I picked up were grey. And I LOVE them. I love the way they fit, I love the way they feel, and I love the way they look.


Maybe it is important to treat yourself every now and again. Like with a creamy, lobster dish loaded with cream, butter, and Parmesan. It's another Valentine's Day treat!




And this one calls for cooked lobster, so you can cook it anyway you like - including my favorite boiling method.



Lobster Thermidor (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 cup cooked lobster
salt
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450. Butter a shallow baking dish. Melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Then remove mushrooms from heat and set aside.
2. Melt the remaining Tbsp of butter, stir in the flour, and cook until smooth and blended.
3. Slowly stir in the cream and cook over low heat, stirring until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
4. Add the sherry and cook another minute. Remove from the heat and add the lobster and salt. Spoon into the baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake 10 minutes.

Things White People Like: The Thatgirl Edition

1. Cupcakes.

But not just any cupcakes. They have to be cute. Either in fun shapes or covered in glitter. Thatboy especially likes those covered in glitter.

2. Farmer's Markets. I love that we have Farmer's Markets year round. And I definitely take advantage of it.

This weekend I dragged Thatboy with me. And got him some coffee from Joes on the Nose as an incentive. Which completely worked. I didn't hear any complaints. Buying him further treats didn't hurt either.


3. Fancy dress up parties. This weekend was my friend Harvard's birthday party.

His birthday was actually in November. But Harvard has been bicoastal for work lately, so he had to postpone his birthday till this weekend. He wanted it to be very grown up, so he hosted a cocktail party. Complete with a couple of bartenders! It was fun to put on our fancy clothes.

It was even more fun to play catchup with some old friends. Because man are we all getting old.

Harvard is the first in our group to turn the big 3-0, and it's all downhill for the rest of us.


4. Fancy Schmancy Lobster Dishes.
I've been blogging about lobster dishes in preparation for Valentine's Day since we all know that lobsters are the true symbol of love. This one is super fancy schmancy because it has a French name. And the French pretty much invented love. Or so I hear.

This is another recipe that calls for killing a live lobster. And I'm not an idiot. I wasn't going to play that game twice. Instead I stuck the lobster in the freezer for a couple of days and it was D-E-A-D when I cut it into 8 pieces. The sweetness of the lobster is balanced by the cayenne - and by the way, did you know the chemical that makes cayenne spicy is also an aphrodisiac? It's true. I wouldn't lie to you. I paired this silky smooth lobster with something equally silky smooth. And I'm not talking about my just waxed legs. Just some nice easy grits. I told you I was a southern girl at heart.

Lobster a l'Americaine (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1 large lobster
2 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp chopped shallots
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white
1. Kill and split a live lobster. Or if you're me, don't. Freeze the lobster for several days until you're sure he won't be moving ever. Then cut him in to 8 pieces and remove the liver and coral (but save them).
2. Heat oil and butter in large skillet. Add the lobster, bay leaf, thyme, and shallots. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the cayenne pepper, tomato paste, and wine in a small bowl. Add to the lobster and stir with the juices in the skillet.
4. Cover and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Take out the lobster and remove the meat.
5. Strain the liquid and return it to the pan with the liver and coral. Blend.
6. Add the lobster meat and heat through.

Hominy Grits
1/2 cup grits
1/2 tsp salt
1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and slowly stir in grits and salt. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.