Friday Food Round-Up!

Posted on 05.24.2013 | Leave a comment

Since we are traveling this week, it goes without saying that there is No Cooking.  In fact, please just assume that the only things I can guarantee are Real BBQ and Drinks.

I know that I still owe y’all piles of stories and snaps from Paris.  In some ways, that trip is almost harder to unpack than Israel.

For now, just a fraction of the food.  There were so many crepes I didn’t capture.  Breakfast baguettes.  Sandwiches.  Cups of espresso.  Freshly-canned tall Leffes.  Basque Chicken.  Steak frites.  Moules et frites.  Chicken Tikka Masala, Peshwari Naan and Samosas.

The first bit of feasting.  Bleu Cheese.  Country Ham.

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More country ham in an omelet.

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The odd bit of wine.

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The pastries I picked up in-between train stops on our way back from packet pick-up.  There’s a Florentine we neglected to photo.  Mom, Sally and I were sure to make these disappear in less than 15 minutes.

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Laduree @ Versailles.

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I know we’re all hoping it was Steak Tartare.  But it could have been fresh Secretariat sashimi.  I downed it all.

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Adventures on Rue Cler.  It was vaguely nutritionally void, primarily composed of carbs and 11/10 wonderful.

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Yes, the McDonald’s on the Champs Elysees sells macarons.

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Some post-marathon crepe-feasting.  This would be a few hours after I consumed a packet of salt straight.

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A lunch date with myself at AMS.

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Because that’s what adulthood is about.

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Posted in Adventures, Cooking, vacation

Birchbox: May 2013

Posted on 05.22.2013 | 1 Comment

The theme for May’s Birchbox was beauty diaries.

Birchbox 1

To a certain extent, I understand why they have to action themes.  But at the same time, I have yet to crack open a box and think, Oh.  Everything you threw in here totally makes sense now.

It never makes sense.

But I’d go so far as to say that this month’s box was one of the better ones that I’ve received in a while.  I definitely threw a few of these things in my bag for our trip this week so that I could do a bit of pampering on the road.

Birchbox 2

This month’s box: Pilot Pure White Pen, COOLA Classic SPF 30, Marvis Toothpaste, Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner, amica Obliphica Nourishing Mask, Isaac Mizrahi FABULOUS.

I will be honest, at first glance, I thought that they had sent me a BIC for Her.  Thankfully it was not, because I probably would have died.  And if you haven’t read the BIC for Her reviews, click on that link and have a laugh, because they are priceless.

Until next month!

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Posted in Treats

Friday Food Round-Up!

Posted on 05.17.2013 | 2 Comments

Y’all, we did not cook a single time this week.  We managed dinner together twice, but no cooking.

Oh, May.  You do not play around.

So what did I do in the kitchen this week?

I actioned some croutons for my co-workers because we had a fondue potluck on Tuesday and there was just a TON of extra bread.

Try them once and you’ll be a believer.  I promise.

For lunch?

Salad

I’ve been working the same theme I’ve been working for the past two weeks: A handful of strawberries, 1/2 avocado, 1 mango all chopped up, mixed with some salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil, tossed over lettuce.  You should too.

Missing a mango?  Add some lime juice to your dressing or some mandarin oranges.  Missing an avocado?  Top your salad with peanuts.  Throw in a handful of chopped mint or cilantro if you’re feeling especially adventuresome.

Sincerely hoping y’all fared better than we did this week.

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Posted in Cooking

TC 1 Mile Race Recap

Posted on 05.15.2013 | 5 Comments

Last Thursday night was the Twin Cities 1 Mile.  Weekday race day, what?

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Yes, I wore shorts.  Because as it stands right now, the 1 Mile is the only time of year that I’m willing to sacrifice function for fashion and run in shorts.

Yes, I wore a fleece-lined top.  Because even though last year it was something like sunny and 90, this year it was 50, overcast and windy.

But back to the race itself.  What’s the deal?  We are adults and not a high school track team.

The best way I can describe it to you is that (1) it’s an excuse to run down Nicollet Mall, (2) about 1,000 finishers get guaranteed entry into the 10 Mile in the fall which is a competitive lottery-only race (3) post-race everyone sets-up camp at one of the bars on the mall (Nicollet Mall is not a road that is open to regular traffic) so that you can watch pros run.

In short, it is very…festive.

And I was running why?  For the hell of it, really.

When I say that I had ZERO GOALS for this race, I am Not Kidding.  ended up DNS-ing the Get in Gear 10k a couple of weekends ago so I honest to God just wanted to run a pain-free mile.  Surprise-surprise, I’ve been battling tendinitis again.

The obvious inscription.

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After running a bit of a warm-up with Dannon (we drove down together from Plymouth) we promptly ran into Carrisa, who was the mastermind behind this year’s Derby.

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It was The Business.

And then proceeded to run into all of the other big names.  Like Kingsbury and his ultramarathoning running partner, Megan.  We’ve tweeted back and forth enough that it was really just…time.

Since some members of our little running party actually had race goals, about five minutes before race-time we wove to the front of the corral where we found quite a few members of the Minnesota R.E.D. running club (AKA Ben and His People) as well as Hannah.

We took a moment for a pre-race photo-op.

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And then, as always, we were off.

The result?  7:41.3 for a PR! My old mile PR was from high school (!) and it was 7:43.  There was zero thinking and only doing.  I know that there are a lot of runners who eat that time for lunch on a daily basis, but all things considered, I am VERY proud.

Pretty much everyone we were running with shaved some serious time off, so it was fun to be able to celebrate afterward at Brit’s.  Like I said before, the post-race celebration is an essential part of this event.  I think we can all agree hoisin chicken wings and a pint are always the best recovery.

On our trek from the finish line we ran into Hannah again.

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And Angie, who worked some cheering and drinking into her marathon training plan.  That’s commitment to the cause.

Once we arrived, we got down to business and settled in to watch the pros run.

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And Ben engaged in some compulsive picture-ruining.  I like to think that the black and white filter made him look especially terrifying.  ;)

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Posted in Races, Running

HF 1054

Posted on 05.14.2013 | 7 Comments

Yesterday, our state legislature passed HF 1054, to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.

I listened to the live debate on the radio as I drove home from work.  Which meant that I finally learned what station MPR is.  It’s 91.1 FM if you must know. The sunroof was open.

As I made my way down 494, I thought about how very strange it is to live a day from dawn to dusk knowing that you will remember it for the rest of your life.

These are Intentional Days.

I pulled into the garage, the debate continued.  I learned how to live stream radio on my phone as I sat out on our deck, tanning with a Coconut La Croix in hand.  A pair of geese sat across the street from my encampment, nestled together.

It was a perfect day in Minnesota yesterday.  Sunny, warm, clear with just a light breeze.

There was something So Surreal about the fact that in the age of television and the internet, all I could do was listen.  And type.  And wait.  To listen some more.

They passed the bill and I sobbed.  I think for the most part we all sobbed.

In our kitchens.  In our cars.  At our desks.

Mom called.

We went to celebrate at the home of some friends who are family and will now legally have the right to marry in Minnesota .  We brought champagne.  I wore my favorite (best) dress.

Cocktails

We toasted.  We laughed.  We breathed a sigh of relief.  We breathed a sigh of exhaustion.

And after we were through there, Marcus and I headed out to a few other bars, on an impromptu-date night of sorts.  No need to end the celebration early.  You only get to do this once, after all.

Our itinerary: the Fulton Taproom, El Taco Riendo and Grumpy’s NE.  Hello, Dive Bar Date Night.

Cheers

As people complimented me on my dress, I told them I was wearing it to celebrate marriage equality.  Because it is days like these that you save these things for.

These.  These are the garments of rejoicing.

I did not frock-up with the intention of becoming a conversation piece.  This is the dress I wore for Our Engagement Party.  Our Rehearsal Dinner.  My Birthday.  Best days.

But as I high-fived and was hugged by total strangers who had been at the Capitol that day, all I could do was smile.

Today?  Governor Dayton signed this bill into law.  On the steps of our Capitol, in record-setting heat.

Today, Love Wins.

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Posted in Dive Bar Date, love life, Politics

#BRK2013

Posted on 05.11.2013 | 3 Comments

Like I said, last week was wild and as a result, I am beyond behind on blogging.

Last weekend, Mom, Dad and I decamped to the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha.  I’ve been meaning to go for a few years now because (1) what Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have to say is important to hear and (2) they are old as hell.

We did the whole trip in about 30-ish hours, leaving Plymouth at 3:00 PM on Friday, spending the evening in Des Moines.  We left for Omaha at 4:00 AM on Saturday morning (it’s about a two-hour drive) and then left at about 2:30 PM for an 8:00 PM arrival in Plymouth on Saturday night.

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So it was sort of a whirlwind adventure.

I packed a dress-cardigan-heels, because I knew the only way that I would possibly run into Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger/Bill Gates was if I was dressed impeccably or looked like an urchin.

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If you couldn’t tell, it was cold and rainy and windy and generally miserable outside.  To our surprise (as well as the rest of The Masses) they ended up opening the Century Link Center early.

That was pretty much wonderful because we were able to stake out some seats fairly quickly and get to the business of visiting the expo.

What’s at the expo?  Well, during the meeting you’re able to purchase merchandise from Berkshire-owned companies like Brooks, Dairy Queen, See’s and Justin Boots onsite in the convention hall.

Mom and I left Dad to look over our seats while we headed out of the arena and down to the convention hall.  We didn’t have a massive agenda while we were down there, but we did grab Berky Boxers from Fruit of the Loom, an eclectic assortment of candies from See’s and some Warren and Charlie M&Ms from the Mars booth.

We had only just wrapped up our first shopping stop when I saw the cameras and the bodyguards not 20 feet away and realized that was where Warren was.  So, I am not too proud to admit that I hustled over there as fast as I could and attached myself to the press pool.

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And for my best efforts over the course of five minutes to avoid a fit of hyperventilating and shaking, I was rewarded.

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With a shot of moi on ABC’s This Week the next morning.

So that was pretty much the peak of the day for me.  I’m sure that sounds heinously superficial when you think about where I was and what I all got to hear that day, but seriously kittens it was so WILD.

After Mom and I wrapped up our shopping, we hustled back up to the arena and I headed back down to the convention hall with Dad.

More shenanigans (and a bit of Dilly Bar eating) ensued.

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And all of this before 8:30 AM.

Weirdly enough, we ran into a few people we knew while we were down on the floor.  One couple was from church and then there was a gang composed of one of my father’s former co-workers, his 11-year-old daughter and another friend of theirs.

Go figure.

This was obviously wonderful and incredibly awkward at the same time.  Even though pretty much everyone in attendance walks around looking as if they have won the lottery, We Do Not Talk About Money.  So really, the only available conversation topics are: How long have you been coming?  Where did you stay?  Did you buy anything today?

At which point, I would sort of do a present face.  So great to see you, more Dilly Bars please.

As for my thoughts on the actual meeting, and the Q&A, it was plainly: overwhelming.  One part church, one part rally cry.  The Woodstock of Capitalism.  Full of Really Important Stuff.  If you want a good picture of what all was said and how people seemed to feel about that, I’d direct you to the NYT’s DealBook Live Blog of the event.  Or this set of notes for something a bit more comprehensive.

What I do feel qualified to say is that it was nothing short of astonishing to watch 30,000 adults sit quietly for seven hours and listen to Warren and Charlie speak.  30,000 people.  Seven hours.  Completely silent.  I do not know that I have ever witnessed anything like that in my life.

And just like that, in (truly) a blink of an eye, our day was over and we were headed back to real life at full-speed.

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Posted in Adventures, AMERICA, Family, Insanity, It Only Happens Once a Year, love life

Friday Food Round-Up!

Posted on 05.10.2013 | 1 Comment

I know I know I know.

I have not blogged for a week.  Between going to Omaha, coming home from Omaha (there will be a post on that someday, btw) and Having Plans every night this week, it was all just Too Much.

I promise I am not going off of the grid forever or anything ridiculous like that.

However, on Sunday evening we got to recover for just a spell, which meant that dinner made it onto the table.

Sunday – Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas, Black Beans and Cilantro-Lime Rice

Sunday

Y’all know I love a good theme and that there was no way I would survive Cinco de Mayo without thematically feasting.  Enchiladas were always on the menu but as I was prepping the chicken to go into the oven (lately I’ve been roasting rather than boiling and shredding the chicken in the pan juice) it all just seemed kind of lonely.

So out came the beans and rice, which, on any other night would be a meal all their own if we needed for them to be that for us.

My secret agenda: More leftovers in the fridge.

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Posted in Cooking