Friday, March 23, 2012
Saving seats
I'm all for saving seats for friends if they are running late, but there are a few times when it's down right RUDE to do so, and the opening weekend of a movie is one of those. If you really want to see the movie, you'll get there on time. Not allowing people who stood in line to sit in the seats available because your friend couldn't manage their time is rude. Wait for them to show up or plan better. And yes, we got crappy seats for the 7pm showing of the Hunger Games. If I get motion sick from sitting too close after standing in line, I'm coming to puke on you seat savers!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Fabulous meal!
Just have to brag about a fabulous meal that I made for myself tonight...and don't worry I'll provide a recipe at the end...
Made myself some chicken, broccoli and couscous, only made better by a bottle of wine, pino grigio of course. Some lessons learned along the way...couscous is much better when made with chicken stock and butter rather than just water, so much more flavorful. Even better that they now sell chicken stock in one cup measurements, as I never could use up a whole can. Also, chicken is so much more flavorful when you salt and pepper it first, and then add a cup of wine and a pat of butter (I use earth balance of course, dairy free!). So here's what I did:
Cook a box of couscous, roasted pint nut variety, with chicken stock, my butter and some raisins. Super yummy, just follow directions on the box (as best you can).
Heat a pan on med-high heat, swirl some EVOO in, throw on your seasoned chicken breasts (according to Rachel Ray whose recipe I got the ideas from, you should cut up the chicken breasts into bite size pieces, she's right on that one.) Cooked broccoli in the microwave for 2 minutes to start it off, could have done 1 minute. Combine broccoli in pan with browned chicken (all sides have browned), pour about a cup of dry white wine over it, eyeball it for about 1/4 of a full size bottle. Pour yourself a glass too. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stir a pat of butter in, cook for another minute. Put fluffed couscous on a plate, put chicken and broccoli and some of the sauce overtop, voila! Meal ready to eat! Maybe then pour yourself a second glass if it's been a rough day/week/month. Enjoy!
Made myself some chicken, broccoli and couscous, only made better by a bottle of wine, pino grigio of course. Some lessons learned along the way...couscous is much better when made with chicken stock and butter rather than just water, so much more flavorful. Even better that they now sell chicken stock in one cup measurements, as I never could use up a whole can. Also, chicken is so much more flavorful when you salt and pepper it first, and then add a cup of wine and a pat of butter (I use earth balance of course, dairy free!). So here's what I did:
Cook a box of couscous, roasted pint nut variety, with chicken stock, my butter and some raisins. Super yummy, just follow directions on the box (as best you can).
Heat a pan on med-high heat, swirl some EVOO in, throw on your seasoned chicken breasts (according to Rachel Ray whose recipe I got the ideas from, you should cut up the chicken breasts into bite size pieces, she's right on that one.) Cooked broccoli in the microwave for 2 minutes to start it off, could have done 1 minute. Combine broccoli in pan with browned chicken (all sides have browned), pour about a cup of dry white wine over it, eyeball it for about 1/4 of a full size bottle. Pour yourself a glass too. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stir a pat of butter in, cook for another minute. Put fluffed couscous on a plate, put chicken and broccoli and some of the sauce overtop, voila! Meal ready to eat! Maybe then pour yourself a second glass if it's been a rough day/week/month. Enjoy!
Picnics?
With all this warm weather it's been impossible not to want to be outside! (Is it really March or are we just being tricked?) The only problem is that at our house we only have 3 plastic chairs and 2 folding chairs out back, no real table. So I've been looking on the web for a picnic table, only to learn that the ones from Home Depot are $300 at the cheapest (for plastic), gasp! No one wants a plastic picnic table. So short of stealing one from a local park (stealing is bad), I turned to craigslist! The site to find everything! (Except an irish dance competition dress...) And low and behold, the first post was one being given away for free! It's a sign! It doesn't have benches, but no matter, we have chairs, and can easily get more chairs from walmart or something, as I believe the chairs we had were a side of the road grab by yours truly. But, alas, it's in Gaithersburg, and is 8 feet long. I believe as long as the guy emails me back that I will be renting a truck next weekend (adventure time!) to pick up said table. Bring on the warm weather!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Alexandria St. Patrick's Day Parade
My dance school (O'Neill-James) participated in the Alexandria St. Patrick's Day Parade last weekend. My parents came down for the weekend before heading to Missouri so they got to see me in the parade! Here's a video clip on youtube that my friend's boyfriend took of us dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb-38byzx8M
and here are some pictures!
and here are some pictures!
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| Lauren and I after the parade |
Holocaust Museum
A weekend ago my friend Jaynell came down to visit for the night. We headed to Liberty Tavern for dinner on Friday, which was fantastic! They have great food, and even had a special menu marked with what foods are dairy-free. Made me feel so happy! Their risotto was great, even without the cheese.
Saturday we headed downtown to the Holocaust Museum after breakfast. It was great cause we took our time going through the museum, which they've done a great job creating. If we could get funding, I would love to take my kids there.
The most special part was when we were on the third floor by the boxcar. There was a little old lady standing with a group of people our age and I didn't really think anything of it, so I walked past. After a while I realized that they had moved as a group into the boxcar and she was talking so I went over listen. Turns out she (and I don't know her name) was from Hungary and ended up in a boxcar with her family headed to Auschwitz. She told how she was crowded in the boxcar and when they stopped her parents were relieved because when the doors opened they saw a camp, which meant that they weren't going to be shot in the woods. They were told to leave everything so her mother made them put on all of their clothes, which possibly saved her life. Out in line her mother and little brothers were sent one way, her older sister was sent the other way and when she and her younger sister arrived at the officer, she was sent to follow her older sister because she looked older than her 13 years because of the clothes, but her little sister was sent to follow her mom and brothers. She paused to make sure that her sister caught up to her mother and then went to follow her sister into the camp. The survivor then walked through the boxcar and stood in front of a huge picture that had been blown up on the wall of a line going into Auschwitz and pointed to a girl in the picture. "That's me." Because she had paused, she ended up in the photo that she didn't know was being taken. She didn't see the picture for years until after the war. She said her father and older brother were in the line of men, but didn't know where. She never saw her father or brother again, nor her mother and younger brothers, who were sent straight to the gas chambers. It was really moving to hear her story, especially when we were in the museum and it's sad to think that the last survivors are getting older and they won't be around much longer.
Make sure you hear the story of a survivor sometime soon before they are all gone.
Saturday we headed downtown to the Holocaust Museum after breakfast. It was great cause we took our time going through the museum, which they've done a great job creating. If we could get funding, I would love to take my kids there.
The most special part was when we were on the third floor by the boxcar. There was a little old lady standing with a group of people our age and I didn't really think anything of it, so I walked past. After a while I realized that they had moved as a group into the boxcar and she was talking so I went over listen. Turns out she (and I don't know her name) was from Hungary and ended up in a boxcar with her family headed to Auschwitz. She told how she was crowded in the boxcar and when they stopped her parents were relieved because when the doors opened they saw a camp, which meant that they weren't going to be shot in the woods. They were told to leave everything so her mother made them put on all of their clothes, which possibly saved her life. Out in line her mother and little brothers were sent one way, her older sister was sent the other way and when she and her younger sister arrived at the officer, she was sent to follow her older sister because she looked older than her 13 years because of the clothes, but her little sister was sent to follow her mom and brothers. She paused to make sure that her sister caught up to her mother and then went to follow her sister into the camp. The survivor then walked through the boxcar and stood in front of a huge picture that had been blown up on the wall of a line going into Auschwitz and pointed to a girl in the picture. "That's me." Because she had paused, she ended up in the photo that she didn't know was being taken. She didn't see the picture for years until after the war. She said her father and older brother were in the line of men, but didn't know where. She never saw her father or brother again, nor her mother and younger brothers, who were sent straight to the gas chambers. It was really moving to hear her story, especially when we were in the museum and it's sad to think that the last survivors are getting older and they won't be around much longer.
Make sure you hear the story of a survivor sometime soon before they are all gone.
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