Good Eats.

As the weather warms up and we start shedding our layers of bulky winter clothing, I find myself craving a totally different type of cuisine. Though I love me some rich, creamy goodness, come spring I gravitate towards more fresh and colorful foods. Though I may be eating Cadbury Eggs for breakfast, here are a few recipes which include "good eats" for your weekend enjoyment. Happy cooking! ("eat me" via Pinterest)

Holy YUM and other possible deliciousness
(butternut squash mac cheese!?) over at PinchofYum

Hailed by many as the superior tater, I recently decided to give cooking sweet potatoes a try and I'm lurve. For a super easy side dish, I like to slice the potato into thin "discs", rub on a little olive oil and kosher salt, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (depending on thickness and desired crispness). Stuffed potato skins coming soon!

The healthiest Paula Deen recipe EVER.

Dr. H is obsessed with avocado. OBSESSED. I am definitely a fan, but unlike hubs, I don't sit around eating it with a spoon - I need a little flava. I know how to guac or serve it up with Mexican, but this might be my next dinner party dish.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Mac & Cheese.
Kitchen to do list fo sho

I like quinoa, but I haven't figured out how to take the grain "to the next level". I usually eat it as a side dish, prepared in chicken stock instead of water with seasoning  to taste, but with the help of Iowa Girl Eats, I think I'm ready to get fancy!

Pizza. Fruit. Sugar. YUM.

Leave it to Betty Crocker to help us make fruit less healthy right?! To lighten up this recipe a bit, I'm thinking of substituting the cream cheese frosting for Light Cool Whip, or maybe Greek Yogurt with some Splenda mixed in? (suggestions welcome!)

Know your roll?

These two definitely "know their rolls" (hehe)

Earlier this week I asked Dr. H if he wanted to have a "date night" tomorrow. It's rare that we approach the weekend without plans (or the burning desire to lay on our couch and have NO plans) so I thought it might be fun to dress up cool and eat somewhere trendy (something we do far less of since moving uptown... we'll be back soon Soho!)  "I'll pick wine and cheese for while we get dressed, you make reservations." Dr. H loved the idea, but rejected my suggestion that HE make the dinner plans. "But you're better at finding good food and cool places" he whined... I paused. This is true. I insisted however, that he play the planner role so I gave him a road map (aka a trusted friend to consult) and sent him on his way.

The exchange got me thinking though, about the roles we play. In my house, I am the planner and Dr. H is the participant. It's not that he can't plan; it's that he doesn't like to. To his credit, he married the perfect gal for this attitude because I truly enjoy researching and planning... but not allllways! Is it bad to want to step outside your "role" every once in a while? How do you play your role without getting locked into it? If one person in a relationship is better at some things, maybe it doesn't make sense to ever put those tasks on the other persons' plate. I don't know... I mean, I'm just not as good at washing the dishes as Dr. H is:)

Hump Day Distractions

Hehe

You ask, I deliver... Enjoy your weekly dose of distraction:

* Quickly grab all the bread and cheese you can find and meet me in the kitchen.
* A cool "behind the scenes" for my fellow retro-lovers and fans of smokin' hot babes (via CupofJo).
* Corporate girl sports colorful weekend hairstyle?
* Glow in the dark dance routines. So hot right now.
* You're more awesome than a monkey wearing a tuxedo made of bacon riding a cyborg unicorn (this child is my hero).
* Andddd a little more humor at the expense of small children.

A tribute.

Get in my belly!

I would like to dedicate this blog post to one of my favorite things on planet earth: seasonal candy. Specifically, I’m giving a shout out to my true loves, Candy Corn and Cadbury Eggs  (how on earth am I the daughter of a dentist!?). There is no match for the sheer joy I feel when I’m in the checkout line at Duane Reade and there, perfectly situated for impulse-purchase suckers like myself, is the Easter season’s first bucket of goop-filled chocolate egg deliciousness (I lied, this feeling is matched by that aisle of orange and black which pops up sometime late-September).

Seasonal candy rocks for a ton of reasons, the most obvious being that it’s freaking delicious, but the less obvious being that its presence is fleeting. M&Ms may be my favorite candy, but I can get an M&M any time of day, any day of the year. The “egg and corn” seasons however, are short: that delicious creme center thickens over time and corn hardens beyond chew-ability by spring (not that I’ve ever attempted to stockpile and last the whole year or anything...) You have to enjoy your seasonal candy while it's fresh and then wait until its corresponding holiday rolls around again the following year. In my opinion, this makes every sugary bite that much more fantastic. So cheers to you seasonal candy; may you never lose your magic by having manufacturers realize that there's totally a market for selling you 365 days a year!

Photo credit and Cadbury awesomeness HERE.

You look tired.

We've all been there little buddy!

"You look tired" = the worst social chit chat line ever invented. Seriously! Is there anything more rotten than having someone say this to you!? When someone says "you look tired", there are two possibilities, either a) you are exhausted and now must face the rest of the day knowing you look as crap-tastic as you feel, or b) you're actually feeling quite bright-eyed and bushy tailed, but for some reason you apparently look like you're about to pass out. Awesome.

What are we hoping to accomplish by saying "you look tired" to one another?! Are we  really so strapped for conversation that we have to remark about one another's bleary eyes and dark circles!? Maybe if someone saying you look tired meant you got to go take a nap, it would make more sense, but last I checked, no one was pulling out the futon for me! Truth is, most of us are tired and we're doing everything we can (caffeine, concealer, hitting snooze just one more time!) to hide it. So here and now I vow to eliminate "you look tired" from my vocabulary and I hope you'll join me in my jargon crusade. Next week maybe we'll move on to "so how about this weather we're having!?"

Arrivederci! Adios! Caio! Ta-ta!

Hit the road jack!

Friday! Woop woooop! To wrap up "travel week" I thought I'd share some tips which have served me and my fam well during vacations. My merry jet setters, consider the following:

Before you leave: 

- Splurge on pre-arranged transfers. It can be stressful getting from an airport to a hotel in a foreign city. Often transfers don't cost more than hailing a cab and the advantage is you're greeted by a nice person holding a sign with your name, ready to take you where you want to go (and those signs make you feel way cool).

- Scan your passport. Carry a copy in your luggage and email it to a "home base" person. In the event your stuff ends up lost or stolen, copies will help get you back on track. 

- Rent a car (if maps and signs are in a language you understand!) Some of my greatest sites and eats were found on the way from A to B. 

While you're there: 

- Ask hotel staff their favorite places to eat, drink and hangout. Concierges are great, but sometimes they steer you to places that have a deal with the hotel. Mix in advice from locals with recommendations from hospitality professionals. 

- Don't be afraid to not plan! This is tough for Type As like me, but if you know your "must do" activities you can a. spread them out so you're never too busy or b. pack them in so you have whole days for relaxing and exploring. 

- UNPLUG! Unless you absolutely need to stay connected, put away email, facebook, twitter and texting. Be mentally, physically and technologically on vacation; it's more awesome that way.

- Carry your hotel's business card. Very helpful in taxis. 

- Send postcards. People love knowing you thought of them, even on vacation. (Extra fun =  "embellish" the scenes they depict with your own doodles!) 

- Be cool. Maybe you and mom get lost without money or a phone in Spain or you come down with terrible mono and need to rest on every bench you see in the museum (maybe!) It's ok. Be smart and safe, but have a sense of humor when your fam is out of dry clothes because for some reason you didn't think it would be "that rainy" in the rainforest. 

When you get home: 

- Do something with all those pictures! I highly recommend Snapfish photobooks; the quality is great, you can add captions and pictures just look better in person. 

May the odds ever be in your favor :) 

Dream big, travel often.

Sky Lantern Festival, Thailand

fan•ta•sy [fan-tuh-see, -zee] noun. 1. imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained. 2. the forming of mental images, especially wondrous or strange fancies; imaginative conceptualizing. Isn't that definition amazing!? "extravagant and unrestrained"!? "wonderous"?! The word fantasy was MEANT to be applied to travel because the world is just filled with so much to fantasize about. Whether its wishing to explore a new neighborhood in your own city, or to go to the farthest corners of the earth, there's more beauty out there than most of us will ever be lucky enough to see, but that doesn't mean you can't have a wish list!

I fantasize about sleeping in an igloo and watching vibrant colors light up the sky:

Northern lights, Canada

I fantasize about hotel rooms on stilts surrounded by only the bluest ocean: 

Maldives

... and staring at stars from my bed:

"star bed" in Kenya

And of course castles; lots and lots of beautiful castles:

Mont Saint Michel, France

And though some prefer not to dream beyond their definitive reach, I am simply not one of those people. I say make a list of all your "wondrous or strange fancies" and fight your face off to get there; whether it's a motel or the Ritz, a Louis Vuitton trunk or a backpack. Dream big and travel often.