It is supposed to be fall.

Really. It is supposed to be fall. And in 3 days it is supposed to be winter.

However, my car read a balmy 80 degrees earlier when I went to lunch. 80 degrees. And it is HUMID. The crazy part - about 2 weeks ago it snowed. Yes, I still live in Houston. And yes, it did snow. We did not make that up. By Sunday it is supposed to be in the 40's here. I give up on being healthy.

Also, I finally figured out why I'm behind on my blog updates. I've actually be busy at work. And when I get home...I have a million other things to do, so the photos keep piling up and nothing gets updated. Until now. I predict a slew of updates next week, since it should be slow at work!

So, about a month ago when I was wishing for fall I pulled out my old "fall dessert standby." A Pumpkin Roll. I love these things. Mostly because they are easy to make and freeze well, but also because they are good! This recipe came from my mom...and I have no idea where she got it.

Pumpkin Roll

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 3/4 cup flour

Mix the ingredients above. Place wax paper onto a greased jelly roll pan, pour batter into the pan reserving 2 T for the filling. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. On a tea towel or pillow case (something that does not have a lot of lint), pour out about 1 cup of powdered sugar - enough to cover the area of the cake. Flip the cake onto the towel and roll up with the towel. Let the cake cool completely.

Unroll the cake and fill with the filling below. Roll the cake back up, slice and serve.

Filling

• 2 T cake batter
• 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
• 3/4 t vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

As mentioned above, this freezes well! I double wrap it in plastic wrap and it tastes the same! I also realize this recipe is hard to follow. Or it sounds that way. I promise it is super easy to make!

Soup and Salad

A few weeks ago I decided to tackle something new. Butternut squash. Yes, it was new to me. So new that I did not know how to cut up a butternut squash. Seriously. Jason bought me a set of Rachel Ray knives a few years ago and that sucker could not do much damage to the squash! My first thought was to call my mom, but the only squash she ever really cooked with were the standard yellow summer squash. So...I went to the second stand by. The Internet. Sure enough, I found a great little "how to" video that showed some great tips for cutting and peeling the squash. The best tip - microwave it for 2 minutes so that it is a little softer. Score!

Oh, the reason for my new found curiosity with butternut squash...this little post. That Foodie Bride has caused me quite a bit of strife. Well, not really. Her recipes look good but I never get around to duplicating them. Until now. Or maybe I should say that I tried but mine does NOT look the same. I'm blaming it on the camera (I think she has a fancy schmacy SLR camera) but I'm still not sure.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli and Sage Roasted Walnuts
from Better Homes & Garden by way of The Foodie Bride

• 2 1/2 lbs butternut squash
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup walnuts, rough chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 9-oz package refrigerated cheese ravioli, cooked and drained (I bought the whole wheat kind)

Peel the squash, halve lengthwise and scoop the seeds - discard. Dice squash into 3/4 inch pieces. In a large sauce pan, combine squash, broth, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt. Cook covered over medium heat until squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Here is where I think things changed a bit. I used my immersion blender vs the regular blender that Foodie Bride suggested. My soup was a little...thicker than I thought it looked. Either way, blend the soup until it has a smoother texture. Whisk in 1 T butter and taste. I added a little more cayenne pepper. I made this a few weeks ago and put it directly into the freezer, since I also make Chicken Tortilla Soup the same day. When I reheated it, I added a little chicken broth to thin it out a little.

To make the Sage-Roasted Walnuts - preheat the oven to 325. Chop the walnuts and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for about 5 minutes. Melt 2 T butter and add the sage. Remove from the head and toss with the walnuts.

Serve the soup with cooked ravioli and roasted walnuts.

And since I knew I could not get away with feeding Jason only soup, I added a salad. But I didn't want the same old "lettuce, tomato, light ranch dressing" salad. While flipping through my Southern Living cookbooks, I found a recipe for Winter Fruit & Cucumber Salad. Jason and I both really liked this salad, especially the dressing! However, being the brilliant person I am, I added an apple to the salad...not thinking that it would turn brown. As it did a day later.
















Winter Fruit & Cucumber Salad with Basil Vinaigrette adapted from Southern Living
Salad:

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 large orange, peeled and cubed
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1 red apple, diced
• 1 red onion, sliced (I left this out)

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 t salt

Whisk ingredients for the dressing together and toss with the salad.

Happy Holidays!

I'm way behind on posting. WAY. I promise to catch up this week. Here is what I've got coming:

• Pumpkin Roll
• Winter Fruit Salad
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Sugar Cookies
• Thanksgiving Turkey & sides (without photos...some people don't get the whole blog thing)
• Cheesecake

I think that's it...so hopefully by the end of the week I'm caught up and can focus on my favorite thing - Christmas Cookies!!!!! I love my old standards (Swedish Teacakes, Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, Biscotti) but I'm really going to try some new recipes this year. Plus, Jason's parents will be here in a few weeks for Christmas and I'm trying to convince him to deviate from the standard turkey and dressing. Wish me luck...I think I'll need it!!

I've been tagged!

Jess at Planted Gypsy Feet tagged me. Darn her. :-)

Here are the rules.

1. Link to the person that tagged you

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself

4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs

5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

6. Let your tagger know when your entry is UP

Well, this seems easy enough, right? Let's see...

1. I am generally a quiet person...until you get to know me. Or, until I get to know you. Upon first meeting me most people think I'm shy and reserved - and then the flood gates open and I probably become one of those people that you wish would really just shut up for five freaking seconds!

2. My right leg is shorter than my left. Sometimes you can see it when I walk, but only if I'm really tired. I fell off of a horse at age 11 and broke my femur bone which also caused damage to the growth plate and I wasn't quite finished growing.

3. I am scared to DEATH of snakes. I have to flip the light switch on to check the toilet before I use the bathroom because I have a fear of them being in there waiting for me. Crazy, I know.

4. I don't like eggs or shrimp. It's a combination of texture and smell. The smell of eggs can make me very sick to my stomach and the texture of shrimp...blech. My mom swears the egg aversion is from childhood. She would put eggs on my highchair tray and I would flip out when I touched them and squeal to get them off of my hands. I'm ruined for life. My friend Maegan swears that as a pregnant woman I'll eat shrimp and egg breakfast tacos!!

5. Whenever we meet new people or Jason introduces me to someone he knows, the first question that I want to know the answer to is always "What do you do?" I don't know why - it doesn't really matter. But we'll go on a whole 20 Questions spree with "what do they do?" and "what do their parents do?" if they're old friends. I think it's a way for me to learn something about them and what they'll want to talk about.

6. I love, love, love reading cookbooks. I'll peruse the bookstore or my MILs stacks of cookbooks. However...I tend to cook the same things over and over instead of finding something new. But I still love to ooh and aah over the pretty pictures knowing that mine would never look anything like that.

Well, that's it. Here are my tags. I don't have 6 because Jess took some of the blogs I read (Viula, Amber and Duchess) and because of work I have to limit my blog reading to ones that I really will look at.

1. Bridget at Bridget and Bear

2. Kati at Josh + Kati + Marion

3. Katie at Good Things Catered & The Hyper Homemaker

Thanks Jess for tagging me! It took me all day to come up with six random things...how boring is that???

Ladies, babies and food

Occasionally the girls on the Nest will have a Foodie GTG. Basically...a reason to hang out, chat and eat. :-) Plus, since we have them on a Saturday the moms bring their babies and, well, that just makes everything fun.

This time I took a few appetizers that my mom found in a magazine. She said that the recipes came from a Good Housekeeping magazine, but I could not find the recipes on line. So...I can't credit the source either. They both turned out really well and were fairly easy to make, unless you consider pitting the two packages of cherry tomatoes. Thank goodness Jason is a nice husband and helped me out because I would have been making a tomato dip instead of stuffed tomatoes!

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

• 2 pkgs cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup lite mayo
• 1/2 pgk bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 T grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• chopped parsley

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and pit them. I used a small paring knife which worked really well. Stir remaining ingredients and stuff the tomatoes. Try not to eat all them them before you serve them.

Stuffed Cucumber Slices

• 2 cucumbers
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream (I actually had to use Miracle Whip because my new container of sour cream was not sealed!)
• 1 apple, chopped (any flavor but I used Red Delicious)
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Slice the cucumbers. Mix remaining ingredients and spoon onto the cucumbers. I loved these, but my mom wasn't as thrilled with them.

Both of these are great for appetizers and not that horrible for you.

Wine, Wine, Wine

A few weekends ago I left Jason at home to study and headed to the Hill Country with some girlfriends. We had a really good time - eating, tasting wine, eating, playing putt-putt, getting kicked out of the pool...maybe we tasted more wine than I thought!

We stayed at the Marriott Horseshoe Bay Resort - I really recommend this for a weekend away. I'm actually looking for a weekend that Jason and I could go together. We didn't really explore the resort, so I can't say much about what it has to offer but the food was good, service was nice and the Hill Country is always pretty.

Saturday morning we arranged for a limo to pick us up (minus one who stayed at the spa) and headed out to some of the local Texas wineries. The first stop was Grape Creek Vineyard. This place was really crowded. They have a few options - you can taste their "white labels" complimentary and their "black labels" for $5. They have a great patio area for lunch (bring your own) or you can shop in their little snack area. We managed to leave with a LOT of cheese and crackers. Which we also managed to eat.

The second stop was Becker Vineyards. Their tasting was either $5 or $10, but well worth it. They also had a lavender festival going on out on the patio which made everything smell wonderful! The setting here was so nice - perfect if you have a lot of time to just hang out and visit.

From there we took a short drive to Torre di Pietra. They have a great shop for knick knacks and tastings run $5. To squeeze in more wineries, we decided to make that stop quick, so we didn't get to enjoy the band on the patio...but it looked really nice.

The next stop was Woodrose. The wine here was just...ok. Tastings were $5 or $7 each. For the cost, I would probably go back. They have a great patio that backs up to a wooded area - it was so relaxing and great for visiting with friends.

The final stop was the Lost Creek Tasting Room. The actual winery would have been quite a trip from where we were, but they also have a small tasting room in Johnson City. We spent a little more there on our tastings because we bought Lost Creek wine glasses. They were very gracious at the Tasting Room because we arrived pretty close to 6pm (closing time) but we never really felt rushed.

Back at the hotel we decided to have dinner at River City Grille in Marble Falls. They have a huge deck overlooking the water and we wrapped up the day listening to more live music. Seems to be the norm in the Hill Country. If you have time for a weekend get away, I would suggest going for wine. :-)

Casseroles aren't pretty.

I refuse to take photos of food that looks like a lump. They aren't colorful or fancy or flashing "eat me!" in anyway. So...even though I made one last night (that is probably my favorite) I have no photos to pass on.

Rachel is still camping out with us, so I'm trying to make stuff that will go further with dinner for three. This recipe was in my 2002 Southern Living cookbook. I've made it a few times and always remember why I like it so much. It's very easy and make a lot of food...but I just don't seem to make it that often. Not sure why...

Easy Enchilada Casserole from Southern Living

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped (I added this)
• 2 T vegetable oil (I subbed Olive Oil)
• 1 19-oz can Enchilada Sauce
• 1 16-oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (Ro-Tel)
• 1 11-oz can Mexican style corn, drained
• 1 t chili powder
• 1 t cumin
• 10-12 corn tortillas
• 3 cups cooked cubed chicken breast (you can sub 2 pounds ground beef or turkey)
• 3 cups shredded Mexican Style Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until tender, add all of the canned ingredients, the chili powder and cumin. Stir and simmer until heated through. Spray a 9*13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and spoon 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of the pan. Layer with tortillas, 1/2 of the chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Spoon another 1/3 of the sauce on top, layer again with tortillas, chicken and cheese. Top this off with another layer of tortillas, sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes and I usually just serve it with chips and salsa.

The hotel is open again.

Well, Lin & Casi moved out. Jason's friend stayed that Sunday and we thought we had our house back. Well, 4 days later Casi came back. She brought Hurricane Ike with her. Lindsey evacuated to College Station, but Casi stayed for the weekend.

Boy was that a wild ride! The wind Friday night was crazy. I know the three of us got very little sleep. We trekked to my mom's house on Saturday after it cleared up to get her generator. See, we were prepared...for a few days. Then we heard that power outages could take 3-4 weeks to completely restore. Ack! Our food would surely go bad by then.

We managed to get really lucky when we checked on Casi & Lin's apartment Sunday and they had power! After sweating our buns off Saturday night this was music to our ears. We packed up and headed inside the loop. Only to come back Tuesday when our power was back on. I won't lie, Jason and I were happy people. I am very grateful that we lucked out in getting our power back so soon. Today is day 9 (I think) and the people across the street from me are still out. I'm not sure who to thank for our power coming on so soon, but I'll write them a letter. We've been hosting our own little refugee though - Rachel is still without power! We let her "rent" out the guest bedroom. I'm only charging her pizza Sunday night and Chicken Curry this weekend.

Well, since we had Friday off to prepare, I baked cookies. Hey, they're non-perishable, right?

Mini M&M Cookies from the M&Ms website

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 12oz pkg Mini M&Ms

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars, beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the M&Ms. Chill the dough for 15-20 minutes. Scoop by heaping tablespoons full on to a baking sheet (I'm in love with my Pampered Chef stone!) and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely...if you can!!

Freedom!!!

Lindsey & Casi moved out the second weekend in September. I vowed to start eating better and cooking better and working on my overall health. Things that I forgot to do over the summer, apparently. We were free!

I've been wanting to do something with Pita bread and Kroger had chicken tenders on sale, so I went to work.

I did't measure the seasoning, but I added salt, pepper, basil & parsley, garlic & onion powder, and a little oregano. Jason threw them on the grill while I a Sun Dried Tomato Mayo for the pita sandwiches.

I mixed about 2 Tablespoons of Mayo with 3 chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes and 1 teaspoon each of garlic sal and basil. I added a little pepper at the end and spread that in the pita pockets. I added some spinach leaves, chopped tomatoes and feta cheese.

We paired these with our favorite sweet potato fries, seasoned this time with garlic salt and basil.

Football season is here!

Labor Day weekend we geared up for start of Football Season by heading to College Station for the first Aggie Game of 2008. It was...horrible. Ok, well, let me start from the beginning.

Saturday Jason and I drove to CS to meet my sister and her crew, along with Maegan and my godson, Jett. This was going to be Jett's first Aggie Tailgate! Whoop! We trucked over to the Quad where my mom and step-dad were helping cook for the Corp. To clarify, they were only cooking for one group or division or whatever, not the whole Corp. They had a ton of brisket, sausage and chicken off of the BBQ pit. Perfect with a cold Bud Light.

We moved over to another tailgate closer to the stadium, since Jason and I had tickets to the game. This is where things went downhill. Let's see...we watched half of the game and then headed out. I had a killer headache, it was H.O.T. and I was hungry. Surprise. So, we stopped for snow cones on the way out (see the blue tongue below) and headed over to Northgate for a stop at the Dixie Chicken.

We met up with Bear, Maegan and Jett, made a run for Freebirds and then headed to Bear's house to play the Wii. Let me tell you, I'm sold. I want one so freaking bad I can taste it! And, I'm not being modest, Jett is pretty good at the Wii! Ok, ok, he's funny. But who can complain? He's 19 months old.

Oh, yeah, the horrible part - the Aggies were up 14-6 at the half. They lost 18-14.

Lunch Sunday was at Wings-n-More with my sister and Adam and Jason and I headed back. In case you missed it, Gustav managed to NOT hit Houston, so we were in the clear.

On Labor Day I decided to make use of my crock pot. I try to keep it from becoming for "cheese dip only." I found this recipe from Bridget's blog...but then I forgot to save it. I'd read it and remembered some of the ingredients...and managed pretty well. However, since that was 3 weeks ago I've forgotten my "made up" recipe!! Just follow Bridget's and you'll be fine. Oh, I will say that I did not have the liquid smoke...so I'm not sure how that would taste.

I really loved this as an option to a pork roast. I'm a roast fan, but I just think beef is much better than pork. I think this is my new favorite cooking method for pork roast.

That's it. They have to leave.

My ever expanding butt has served the eviction notice to my sister and her bff. Oh, and the little dog, too. Since those two have moved in my somewhat healthy diet has gone down the tubes.

Let's see...I told them to fix dinner one night and they came home with a California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken pizza. Nice.

Now my kitchen is full of the following:

• one box of Fruity Pebbles
• Kool-aid
• regular Tostito Chips
• a jar of queso
• a jar of this Spinach dip (that is really stinking good!)
• full fat Wheat Thin crackers
• a box of Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• a box of Cocoa Puffs
• 2% milk

The only thing those girls don't buy is booze!!! I think because they are too poor.

What happened to my low-fat lifestyle? Oh...it left and sent five pounds in it's place.

The culprits leave next week. I'm hoping they take their five pounds with them.

Something I forgot to mention...

While I was in LA - I experience my first earthquake. Hello, how could I forget that??? I actually managed not to panic and not to get up and run outside. I was at the LA Convention Center and if you've never been there...the front of the building is glass. Running outside of my meeting room just didn't seem like a great idea. It was, in the end, somewhat uneventful.

This past weekend Jason and I went to Corpus Christi for a wedding. We decided to fly down (saving 8 hours on the road) and stayed at the Omni Bayfront, where the reception was to be held. I have a rather funny story that involves the hotel and a $70 room rate, but I don't think sharing it online is the best idea. You'll have to ask me in person.

For Corpus to be a city on the ocean, their seafood selection downtown was rather lacking. Since we decided not to rent a car, we tried to keep most food choices within walking distance. This was pretty easy except on Friday, when we were in need of a place to watch the Cowboys beat the Texans. The option, take a cab to Buffalo Wild Wing. I felt quite guilty flying all the way to Corpus to take a cab to BW3's...but I like the food and wanted to watch the game!

Saturday we walked to the Water Street Restaurant for lunch. Jason had some raw oysters and a Mesquite Grilled Shrimp Po Boy and I had...a hamburger. For the record, I've been craving a good burger since my trip to LA, so I felt finally justified. Even if I didn't eat seafood. BUT we all know I'm not a big fan of much seafood.

The wedding Saturday night was really nice. Jason attended his first full mass Catholic wedding. I had to make a potty break once. We saw the guy we sat next to on the airplane at the wedding (small world) and were entertained by a mariachi band during the reception! It was really nice to spend the weekend with some college friends that we don't see often. Of course, we all talked about how we need to get together more often. Seriously, we live 2-3 hours away and it's been over a year since we've seen these people? Well, longer for me because I didn't make their wedding! I think I need to make visiting with friends a bigger priority in my life...

Today we slept in (thank goodness) and went to lunch at the Executive Surf Club, part of the Water Street Restaurants. Jason had a Hollister Wrap and I had the quesadillas. Sounds boring, but they were made with a creamy Pepper Jack cheese...yum. For the record, if you're in Corpus this is a good live music venue.

Tonight I cooked! I threw potatoes in the microwave and browned some ground beef with a mushroom gravy. Clearly, a delicacy. Ha! I'm going to finish it off with a cup of triple chocolate ice cream. I promise, one day I'll cook real food again. Maybe when I'm cooking for two and not four...

Travel, travel, travel

I typically don't travel for work. Ok, well not that often and it usually consists of drives to Austin. But for the last three weeks I've been a "jet setter!" I don't think I like it. I gain too much weight, don't sleep well, and by day 3 my feet want to fall off and run away.

My first trip was to Los Angeles for the NBTA convention. I was dreading this like nothing else. Mostly because I found out 5 days before I needed to leave that I was going. Overall, I did have a good time. I ate some good food and met some great people within my company that I think can teach me quite a bit. I did stay at a hotel that looked like a flashback from a 1984 beach condo, complete with the sea foam green and peach bedspread and seashell lamp...but considering I booked 5 days out for a 4,000 person conference...I did good!

Now for the details. When I arrived Saturday night I walked across the street from the hotel for dinner at Adoro Mexican Grille. I tried the Chicken & Beef Quesadillas and a glass of Clos du Bois Chardonnay. I will say that their salsa is great, the food was ok (needed a little more spice, in my opinion) and I loved the wine. Clos du Bois is one of my favorite chardonnays. Our opening reception was held at LA Live - a venue downtown that is home of the Nokia theater, where the finale of American Idol was held. All of the food was catered by Wolfgang Puck, but I was just not blown over by it.

Lunches were mostly held at the Convention Center and those usually include dry chicken in a cream sauce, rice and veggies. Nothing exciting here folks, keep reading. The closing reception was on the pool deck at the Westin Bonaventure, and again I was not blown away by the food. They served hot dogs. I'm serious. They did have other food, but hot dogs? Ok...a few of my friends bailed and went to dinner at a restaurant.

I managed my third trip to LA without seeing anything touristy...how do I keep doing that? The only "LA" thing I managed to see was the Beverly Hilton. Our company held a party there one night in the ballroom where the Golden Globes are held! As I went to the bathroom I kept thinking about two things. First, years ago an actress who played on Chicago Hope won best actress...and was in the bathroom when they announced it! Second, I kept wondering what celeb used the toiled I was using. Weird, I know, but you have to wonder - did Angelia potty here or is she too good for that? Our entertainment was a few couples from Dancing with the Stars (I'm not a fan, so I can't tell you who) and the food was selected off of previous Golden Globe menus. Lots of tofu and organic stuff. Though, the carved Organic Turkey was the best thing of the night!

I did manage to go out to eat a few times. I went with some colleagues to Morton's Steakhouse - fantastic!! I ordered the Fillet Oscar and we also ordered a sample of sides, so I had a little bit of everything. Lunch one day was California Pizza Kitchen. We have one here in Houston, but it's a little far from my house and I've managed to go one time. I must not have been overly excited. I think the best part of my lunch that day was the two cold beers I enjoyed. After standing on your feet for 3 days, sitting on the patio in the cool LA weather (in July!!) with a cold beer is excellent!

After the closing reception, I went to dinner with a few colleagues at Roy's, a Hawaiian Fusion restaurant. There is a Roy's in Austin, but I've never been. And I go to Austin quite often. A friend of mine, Selina, has suggested dinner there several times and I know why! This was fantastic. I had the Napa Cellars Chardonnay, the Boston Bibb Salad with Buttermilk Blue Cheese (oh, was this good!), and a Hibachi style Grilled Atlantic Salmon - to die for! This was by far my favorite meal.

I flew back on a Thursday and Jason left the following Tuesday for Philadelphia. He came home Friday and I left Saturday for the MPI convention in Las Vegas.

The entire MPI convention was held at the Mandalay Bay. As a meeting planner, you would have to threaten my life for me to have a conference in Vegas. Why? Well, I'd want a successful conference...not one where my attendees were either gambling or at the beach. I'm not saying much, but I will say that the Mandalay Bay has a fantastic beach. ((wink, wink))

Our opening reception was a Caesar's in their ballroom. It was crowded, but the food was good. What little bit I ate! They opened PURE nightclub for MPI guests early, so a group of colleagues decided to check it out. This is where things get fuzzy...not from drinking, but from the fact that it was 11:30pm (1:30 my time) and I'd been up since 7am...I was dead on my feet. Somehow we ended up in a VIP lounge area...with bottle service. I heard a rumor that the tab was $5000. No, I do not have type-o. That is the correct number. When you are served a large bottle of Moet Chandon, a gallon bottle of Belvedere, two bottles of wine and the setup for that...in Vegas...it gets expensive.

The next few days were filled with meals served on plates the size of my hand. I think this is how they make money - the food you are served during the convention consists of salads in a cup, panini's that are about 1" wide, greasy mini burgers on a pretzel roll and bite size desserts. When you leave you are starving, so the only option is to get a real meal in the hotel that you pay $20-30 for. Cha-ching.

Honestly, I ate two meals that were not part of the "convention meal service." One was an appetizer from House of Blues - I'm glad I did that because the line to get food at the closing reception was unreal, so I never ate. Oh, I ordered room service (Nachos) one night when I got back from an event...I was starving.

The second meal was Aureole. Those of you who watch the Next Food Network Star might be familiar with their wine bar. I think that's the only good thing there. The service was ok, but not great and the food...well, I paid twice as much for it as I did at Morton's the week before and it could not hold a candle to my Fillet Oscar. The option was a three course prix fixe menu. I started with a tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad, a duo entree of Fillet and Flatiron Steak served with potatoes and asparagus and finished with a Peanut Butter Cake and Coconut Ice Cream. It just wasn't stellar, and to be honest the crappy service was a turn off.

I can say that the best meal I had was served at our closing luncheon. The food was all fresh products local to the Salt Lake City area (the hosts) and included a Summer Greens Salad with Goat Cheese, a Lavender and Pepper Encrusted Fillet of Beef with Beehive Cheese Potato Gratin and a trio of desserts (Chocolate Mousse, Berry Macaroon and Cheesecake). I left there happy to have used my fork and my knife and not having to carry my plate while eating at the same time!

By the time I arrived back in Texas I was ready for dinner with my mom Thursday night at one of my favorite places, Chuy's. I may have travelled quite a bit, eaten at places I probably would not normally go, but nothing beats a bowl of creamy jalapeno sauce and a Chika Chika Boom Boom for dinner.

Vacation...there we were...

Finally. Seriously, finally, we went on a vacation. Ok, don't pity me...it's not that bad. But after a few semesters of grad school (Jason) and a crazy job (me) I wanted a vacation. Bad.

Off we went. I think the few days before we left were useless at work. Well, I accomplished a few things - where do I want to eat in New Orleans? Hmm...let me see, will everywhere work? I think so.

Bear (his name is really Nicholas) and Bridget came in to Houston Tuesday night and Fun Bear arrived! However, Fun Delia was worn out. And clean. Let me clarify - Bear has two sides. Old Man Bear and Fun Bear. Fun Bear has to be coerced out. He has to be bribed. He doesn't come out often. It's usually just Bridget and Old Man Bear. He likes to go to bed at 9pm. Well, since Fun Bear was officially finished with college he wanted to party it up on the first night. Hello - we're still in Houston! Boring old Delia (who had just taken a shower and put on her pjs) let the boys and Bridget go hit up the smoky pool hall for a few beers. I was perfectly happy.

Wednesday we set off for NOLA. What a drive. I knew it, but man. I forget sometimes. We did make a pit stop in Baton Rouge for lunch at The Chimes. It's a good think we don't have one of these anywhere close. I mean, the idea of The Ginger man being about 20 minutes from my house is enough for me. This place is like a beer heaven. If you like beer, I mean. And we all do! So, after a pit stop for lunch and a few beers we got back on the road. Let me clarify - we tried to get back on the road, but got a little lost. Not because of the beer - Bridget did not have any and she was the driver! It's just confusing down there.

We finally arrived in NOLA, we got checked into the hotel and headed to the bars. I'm sure that I'll either (a) forget some places we went or (b) forget the order of events for each day...so I'll just be a little sporadic.

We perused Bourbon Street and did a little bar hopping. Dinner that night was at Cafe Maspero. Really good, really cheap NOLA food. Jason and I split the seafood platter (it was all fried, but what the heck) and enjoyed some $1 daiquiris before heading to Bourbon Street for another walk around. Since it had been a long day of driving, we ended up heading back a little early. Probably a good thing, since we had two full days ahead of us...

Thursday we stayed in the French Quarter most of the morning. We started with breakfast at Cafe Du Monde. Well, it was more like lunch since we got there about 11:30, but is there ever a bad time for beignets and cafe au lait? I think not. Bridget and I wanted to cool down with Ice Cream Daiquiri's from The Gazebo Cafe and the guys decided that a bar tour of New Orleans was needed, so we started with the oldest bar in the USA. At least that's the rumor - Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. If you look at the link, it mentions that the women's restroom seems pretty authentic...they're right! The door did look like it was going to fall off the hinges. Though, I can say, that I did not test that theory.

From there we headed to Chartres House Cafe. They are supposed to have some of the best Bloody Mary's. I would have to agree...but I would also go back for their Crawfish Cakes - a Cajun spin on a Crab Cake. Fantastic!

Jason and Bear humored the ladies with a walking tour of the Garden District. We hopped on the trolley car for the ride over there and took off. I'd printed a walking tour off of the Internet and it was actually pretty informative. AND free! However, I feel like we paid for it in the heat. Good grief!

After working up quite a sweat, we headed back to the Quarter to shower and change for dinner. That actually proved to be a little difficult, since the hotel shut the water down after 2 showers...poor Jason had to take a "Wal-Mart bath" and Bear lucked out when the water came back on.

Dinner that night was at Crescent City Brewhouse. It's a well known fact that I am not a huge fan of three things (probably more, but I'll talk about those another time).

The first and least favorite being snakes. I'll add here that some IDIOT had a HUGE one on Jackson Square - Jason was very quick to drag me across the street before I spotted it. Good thing because I would have screamed like the Devil himself was after me. The other two things...some seafood and some beers. I really do like some seafood and most light beers, but I'm picky. Shrimp is one of those things that I don't like. I knew I was in a seafood place, but I managed to get the Shrimp Pappardelle (wide noodles with sauteed bacon, peas and mushrooms in a cream sauce) with chicken instead. Well worth asking for! The salt of the bacon went perfect with the cream sauce. I also passed on the beer (I know, it's a Brewhouse!) to go for a glass of red wine.

When we left there, we stumbled upon the funniest place! The Chart Room Bar. This place was a hole in the wall that I could have gone back to. Hilarious music, a crazy clientele and...Miller High Life on draft for a whopping $1.50!! Bear actually asked if the taps worked. Apparently the locals like some High Life. Go figure.

We moved on to The Old Absinthe House to mark off on our drinking tour. Kind of a waste if you ask me, considering the beer was $5 and the place was empty.

Next stop was the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. That's neat! I enjoyed another glass of wine and we snuck up to the pool on the roof to see the city from a birds eye view. Worth it, if you ask me. We headed back down and to Bourbon Street for Bridget's request - having a drink on a balcony on Bourbon Street. All I can say is that we should have headed away from the men's clubs. Boy...that could get interesting. We wrapped things up with a 1am breakfast at...Daisy Dukes. Seriously. I won't lie, it was pretty good...of course, that could have been the fact that it was 1am and we were a little (ha!) drunk. It's a funny story, ok?!?

Friday we planned to spent the day in the Quarter. We hit up Jason's request for an early lunch - Court of Two Sisters. Not the restaurant, but the hole in the wall place on Bourbon Street. It's less expensive and quick. We shopped on Royal Street for a while. Ok, not shopping...more like looking. Not surprisingly, Bear was still hungry so we moved toward the Market Place.

After a little shopping we stopped at The Gazebo for some gumbo and a muffaletta. I passed and hit up the Blue Bell Ice Cream - I managed to eat two scoops of Rocky Road in a white polo without getting any on me!

This is where things get hazy. We hit up some place across from Margaritaville for cheap oysters. They were not too friendly to "tourists" and the wait service was rude, so we skipped out of there pretty quick and headed to the hotel to freshen up. Bear's request for the trip was to eat oysters. And eat them he did! I think he and Jason were sweating out horseradish and cocktail sauce by Saturday.

After stopping at Harrah's for a (free) drink in the Masquerade Bar, we hit up my request - House of Blues for some sweet potato fries. I love sweet potatoes, but dip them in grease...hello my love. They had Happy Hour specials which made everyone happy! (oh, and ours here in Houston open mid October...yay!)

Next stop was Red Fish Grille for some more oysters on the half shell and wine. If you do go there, sit at the bar. We sat right in front of the oyster shucker and that made for some good entertainment.

My mom suggested going to Cafe Pontalba for dinner, but they had just closed when we go there. We stumbled upon Pierre Maspero's for dinner and decided to stay put.

It was really good! I think... Bridget and I ordered margaritas and we had a poor little waitress who must have been new. The 'ritas were mostly mix...big mistake, and she asked how they were. I was honest - and I got what I asked for!! Wow...were they stronger when she brought them back. So we tipped well. I had crab cakes, my favorite thing, and we headed down to Cafe Du Monde for more cafe au lait and beignets.

Saturday was a quick run over to Harrah's to gamble. Jason and I discovered last summer that if you gamble for 30 minutes they'll validate your parking. It's amazing how un-fun a casino is at 9am. And boy does the clientele change. I think we were the only ones there without an oxygen tank! We grabbed breakfast at Mother's and headed back to Houston.

Saturday night my sister and her boyfriend came into town. They intended to go to a couples bachelor/bachelorette party...but instead joined us for dinner at London Sizzler. It was Rachel's cousin Sid's birthday and her dad's birthday, so we met the family for dinner. As usual, Jason and I were going to just do dinner and head home...but for some reason when we're around Rachel and Sid things never go as planned. We moved the party to Champp's for drinks and made it home sometime close to 1am. After 6-7 hours on the road back, what were we thinking??

Getting back to normal...I think.

Well, things are finally getting back to normal. HA! Right. Let's see...I guess I'll go back to June and update things.

First, my mom got married! YAY! We had a blast! I spent quite a bit of time making mini cheesecakes for the wedding. As posted before, they turned out great! I still haven't seen photos (uh...I'd like to know how I looked in that dress!!), but I do have a few to add. Here are my mom and Jason at the rehearsal. She asked him to walk her down the aisle - I think he was a little nervous! I've also gained a step-father and 7 year old step-brother. This should be interesting.

Ok, ok. Jett wasn't a part of the wedding...but he's cute! Sorry, I had to add him.

So, the week of the wedding my sister's best friend, Casi, moved in with us. She took a job here in Houston but Lin wasn't ready to move. So...it's been the three amigos for a while. Casi's been fun to hang out with and we have done some cooking...I've just been too lazy to take pics! Here are Casi and Lin last year on our Cruise Trip.

The week after the 4th of July, Jason and I went with Bear and Bridget to New Orleans for a vacation! Thank goodness. I'll keep that for another post.

Last week I went for another trip to Los Angeles. Man, I've been there quite a few times! Again, another post to come. While I was gone, Jess moved to Ft. Worth.

So, this week my sister also moved in with us. Yes, we have 4 people in a small house. It's only for 5 weeks, so that's not too bad...right? Talk about a full house! Hey, at least Piper (her dog) stayed at "summer camp." I think I'd owe Jason quite a few baked goods if I asked him to live with 4 females for 5 weeks. Now I just have to cross my fingers that Piper doesn't get kicked out of camp.

I'm still alive...

though my kitchen probably thinks I've moved! Well, it did until about a week ago. It's been a crazy few weeks!! Here's an update:

First - my mom got married!! It was SO nice...everything was perfect. I still haven't seen photos, so I don't have any to post...but when I do I'll update this with some pics of my mini cheesecakes. All 300 of them. They were a hit - my cousin, who loves to eat, actually asked me if they were professionally done! Score! [:)]

We also now have a boarder. My sisters best friend moved in with us for the next month or two. My sister is also moving here, but not until mid August. So...for the time being, we have a recent college grad living in our house. It's been nice! We have cooked more this past week, but nothing exciting. I guess that's to come.

Next week we're going to New Orleans! I'll update with a BIG post for that. Jason and I are going with my cousin and his wife, so I plan on lots of drinking and eating to be on the agenda. And when Bridget and I get together there is also an excessive amount of laughing that takes place. Consider this a warning!

I actually cooked!

Well...I helped cook. Last night I went to my friend's house to have dinner and help her pack. I'm horribly sad that Joey is moving...oh, I'm sad Jess is leaving too! ;-) I'll really miss his smiles.

That said, we cooked. I didn't take any photos because we were hungry and had a one year old attempting to walk around us...but it turned out really good! AND to top it all off...I ate fish. This is a BIG deal considering it's my least favorite thing, but I will eat salmon and I really liked it. Plus, it was a Weight Watchers recipe!

Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon from Weight Watchers

• (4) 6oz pieces of pink salmon fillet
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 T honey
• 1 T water
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1/4 t dry mustard
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 2 t fresh dill, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper, place in the baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except the dill. Brush 2 T of the mustard sauce onto the salmon, set the rest aside. Roast until salmon is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Mix the dill into the remaining sauce and serve over the salmon.

WW Points - 5 per serving, 4 servings total

We also made corn on the cob, fresh green beans and zucchini sticks. I found the zucchini stick recipe on another blog...but I didn't right down who! So...if it is you, let me know and I'll link it.

Zucchini Sticks

• 3-4 zucchini, cut into 1/4" sticks
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg white

Toss the zucchini in the egg white, and then into the dry ingredients. Place a cooling rack on top of a cooking sheet, spray with cooking spray. Lay the zucchini out onto the cooling rack and spray again with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

WW Points: 4 per serving, 4 servings

My adventure has begun...

I'm mostly on a cooking break for the next two weeks. Which also means I'll be on a blogging break. We've got quite a bit going on...and I'm already tired! I've got to bake 300 mini cheesecakes, my birthday is Wednesday, I'm finally getting my hair cut and highlighted, I have a work related awards banquet, a wedding, two birthday's and father's day...then the next weekend my mom gets married. So...hopefully after her wedding my life will slow down a bit, I can start cooking again and work on my diet.

For now...I'll update on the cheesecakes. I'm using a recipe from Williams-Sonoma that I tried a few months ago. We went back and forth on if I should bake them without the paper liners. After trying one pan without...I realized that they flatten out too much and they tend to stick to the pan no matter what kind of non-stick stuff you use. So, Jason is enjoying a whole batch of mini cheesecakes! We also tried them with a little crust that the recipe does not call for. It stretches the recipe and I think they taste better!

I have made 100 of the regular ones that I'm going to top with a strawberry sauce. Tonight I'm going to tackle the chocolate one. I plan to melt some milk chocolate chips with about 1/3 of the batter and layer them. The last set will be white chocolate chips and I'm swapping the vanilla extract for almond extract. I have a feeling those will be my favorite ones.

Wilton Course 3 - Class 4

I'm finally finished! With this course, at least. I've both dreaded this one and enjoyed it. Each class has been sort of painful though...I guess I wasn't always in the mood. Especially with this last one. I, as usual, waited until the last minute to actually start making the flowers. I had intentions of making them on Monday (Memorial Day) but ended up with what I think was a 24-hour bug. I felt horrible all day long. So I had Tuesday after work to bake all of the cakes AND make 20-25 fondant roses. Yeah...right. Fortunately, I have a very helpful husband who did help as much as possible. In the end, I've enjoyed the classes. Getting ready for them seemed to be the hard part.

For class I always just use boxed cake mix - it's easier and a lot less expensive when you get them on sale. I still have plenty of the boxed fondant, so I haven't attempted that either. The bottom layer was a plain yellow (Jason's favorite) and the top is chocolate (my favorite!).

I had a really hard time with the roses. I figured out what several of my problems were, but the result was that the petals kept cracking. First, the fondant had dried out and I forgot that you could microwave it. We were also rolling the fondant too thick to begin with. I made a few more yesterday before class with a fresh bag of fondant and they were a lot easier to work with!

I'm really caked out right now. I used three cake mixes so I had an 8" round and a dozen cupcakes left over. Those have made it to the freezer...I'm going to attempt cake truffles. But not for a while! My next adventure will be the 250 mini cheesecakes I have to make for my mom's wedding. What really scares me is that I'm not nervous about this. I should be, right?

Recipe Exchange

Ok, I'm pretty late on this. The deadline was last Sunday. Only a week late, right? I do have a good excuse - I fell on my rib cage and was really sore most of last week! I'm finally feeling a little better. I want to apologize to my recipe giver...I had great intentions. Until I came in contact with a two foot wide wooden bench.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I just realized I forgot the salt...hmm...)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup lightly salted butter (or margarine) melted & cooled
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 package (11.5 oz) jumbo or regular-sized
  milk-chocolate chips (about 2 cups) (I actually did 1 cup milk chocolate chips, and 1 cup chopped Hershey's Dark Chocolate Bar)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 12 muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and optional nuts.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups; bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove muffin tin or tins to wire rack. Cool 5 minutes
before removing muffins from cups; finish cooling on rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

They tasted fantastic! I was worried about the dark chocolate, but it was a hit. I think. Jason managed to share one with me and then have another on his own, so I guess they were good!

Wilton Course 3 - Cake 1

I was really excited to take course 3 - FONDANT!! Now, the first and only time I worked with fondant turned out to be a disaster. I was still in High School and we bought the Wilton Yearbook with this cute pink cake on the front in fondant. So my mom and I decided to try it out, even though we had no idea what it actually was! After kneading the fondant to color it we ended up with a streaky pink and white lump. Then we tried to roll it out and it kept tearing and falling apart, so it ended up in the garbage and we went with the trusty old butter-cream frosting.

Finally, after about 12 years, I decided to tackle the fondant again. I will say that I was really lazy this week and did box cake mixes. I do have a good excuse - I fell down. HARD. I was helping my mom move plants and managed to trip and land right on a wooden bench. I have a large palm-size bruise on my right side, directly under my ribcage. Nice. So with the pain, I dug out some boxed mixes and went to town. Oh, and to top it off I had two different one - so the bottom layer is a nice fluffy white cake and the top is a cute yellow and chocolate marble cake. Eh, people will eat it anyway!

I have also decided that I will probably never frost a cake in butter-cream again! I've been having issues with my last few batches (apparently you have to use the paddle attachment!) and they seem to have lumps in them. So now I'm all about the fondant. For smaller cakes, of course. I'm a little timid with the bigger ones for now. I'm also pretty thrilled about no more freaking stars to fill things in! Woohoo!

Advice from people you don't know.

Well, this is my second time to Los Angeles and I still have not seen the Hollywood sign. To be honest, I don't even know where the Hollywood sign is in retrospect to my hotel. Which could also be because I did not know what hotel I was staying in when I got here.

For another training class, the hotel sent four of us to LA. The email from corporate says that we're staying at the Embassy Suites LAX. Great. Myself and a coworker took the same flight out and got here about 8:30pm...which is 10:30 our time! We grab a cab because we're too tired to wait on the shuttle and the driver asks me "Which Embassy Suites?"

Wait...there are two? Nope, he tells me, there are three. Great. The South one, the one on Century Boulevard and...I cut him off because I'm SURE it's the South hotel. My coworker doesn't know, so she agrees with me. We drive by the South hotel and both tell the driver to keep going. It's not the South hotel.

We finally arrive at the correct one...and find out this morning that several other people had the same issues. So at least I'm not totally crazy.

Before we came, I asked the girls on the What's Cooking board for suggestions on where to eat. The first suggestion was C&O's!!! After a few back up replies with the same information, I decided to try C & O Trattoria. It was great! Of course, I did not know we'd be sitting outside and also did not check the weather before we left and wore a t-shirt. It's 60 degrees! They did have these great heaters that kept me warm, along with a glass of Pinot Noir. I ordered the Fettuccine al Limone. It was over double what I could ever eat, but fantastic! My coworker had the Shrimp Ravioli. Even though I don't eat shrimp, I did try it and it was great as well.

So, when you take the advice of women you don't really know...it usually turns out pretty good. Especially when the women are avid cookers and the advice is about food!

I really did feel bad.

When I joined a Bunko group, I warned Jason that this would mean that I would need to host Bunko one month. No problem. Since he's in grad school, this gives him one more night of uninterrupted studying time.


So, my time came around this week to host and after the women left, my husband finally emerged from his cave.

Him: If I had known it would be that loud, I would have planned to leave.
Me: Sorry. I feel bad. I don't remember us being that loud before...


Honestly, I don't. I can't figure out why...maybe it's because I'm usually just as loud and this time I was focused on food and drinks? I'm not sure, but whatever the reason there were 11 loud women and one very excited 4 year old. Who, by the way, managed to do a really good job playing Bunko!


Chicken Salad with Grapes & Pecans from Southern Living

• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup light mayo
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded
• 3 cups purple and green grapes, halved
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the chicken and grapes. I served this with assorted dinner rolls.

Texas Salad

• 2 head lettuce, shredded
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 2 avocados, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 eggs, boiled, peeled and diced
• 8 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup wine vinegar (red or white)
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T sugar
• pepper & garlic powder

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the salad. This recipe came from a very old church cookbook my mom had lying around. She's made it for a few family gatherings and everyone always loves it.

It can't always be gourmet.

Well, in my house it rarely is. Gourmet would be more of the exception, not the norm! The following meal is about as far from gourmet as you can get, but it still tasted pretty good. I actually found this recipe years ago and use to make it quite often. Last week, I wanted something different but really easy. Tada! Plus, now that asparagus is one of the less expensive vegetables, I wanted to use some in a pasta dish.

Chicken & Asparagus Alfredo adapted from Campbell's Kitchen

• 8 oz whole wheat fettucine pasta
• olive oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed)
• garlic, minced
• onion, chopped
• salt & pepper
• fresh asparagus, cut in 1/3's
• 1 10 3/4 oz can of cream of mushroom soup (I used the 98% fat free kind)
• 1/2 cup milk (I used fat free)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package, drain. In a large skillet, saute the garlic and onion in olive oil. Add the chicken, season to taste, and cook until it is almost done. Add the asparagus toward the end, cook until tender. Pour in the soup and milk, stir until the sauce thickens. Add the Parmesan cheese, stir, and add the pasta.

Weight Watchers Points: 7 pts per serving, 4 servings

Overindulgence.

We all have had too much of something. Food, dessert, candy, wine...don't even try to deny it! I know you...you've been right there with me! Either wishing you could be very unladylike and unbutton your pants for the drive home...or wishing you could veg on the sofa all day with a wine hangover.

Last week, I wanted to veg. BAD. Jason did his annual "I think you are crazy" bike ride from Houston to Austin this past weekend. Don't get me wrong, I respect the fact that he wants to ride 150 miles on a seat smaller than my right butt cheek, and he's raising money for the MS society, but...I still think he's crazy!

Since I had the house to myself Saturday night, I invited some girlfriends over for wine, food and movies. I really didn't think we'd actually watch the movies...and I was right. We had a great time - eating too much food and drinking way too much wine. By 2am, I was almost dead in my chair! We'd managed to say some crazy words that don't exist, type text messages that were unreadable and spill wine! But we did have fun.

I wanted to try the crab cake recipe that was featured in the new Cooking Light magazine. I did not make the sauce that the recipe called for, but I thought they turned out pretty well...for my first attempt at crab cakes! We also made bruschetta, baked brie and bacon wrapped dates.

Crab Cakes from Cooking Light

• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound lump crab meat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided (I needed a lot more than this!)
• Cooking spray

Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crab meat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

Double Tomato Bruschetta from allrecipes.com

• 6 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven on broiler setting. In a large bowl, combine the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. (This was really good! The recipe probably could top 2 baguettes, though.)

Tangy Pepper-Pecan Brie from Pampered Chef

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 4" round brie cheese, at room temp
• crackers or a French baguette

Preheat the oven to 425. Coarsely chop the pecans using a knife. Fine chop the jalapeno either using a knife or an electric chopper, combine with the preserves. Slice the brie round in half horizontally, place 1 half (cut side up) on a baking stone. Spread half of the apricot mixture on the brie, top with the other brie round, the remaining apricot mixture and chopped pecans. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ok...these are pretty self-explanatory, but...take the dried dates, cut them in half. Take maple bacon (you can use any, but this is best) and cut each slice in thirds. Wrap the bacon around the date, skewer and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

Again, because of my overindulgence...I have no pics. I'm really getting bad about that!

Pasta...baked!

I've been really bad about taking photos. Mostly because I just have too much going on. Last week we invited the guy over that Jason does his bike rides with, and his wife and two kids. Their kids are so cute! The oldest is just a mess...and my kind of girl. That skinny three year old can put away the bread. Their second baby is only 7 months old, but cute as a bug and SO chubby.

Since the boys needed to consume quite a few carbs and calories, I went with Baked Ziti. The recipe came from Katie, a friend of mine, who has recommended it before. I really like the way it turned out and it's actually pretty easy. Unless you double the batch like I did. I think I used almost every bowl, pot and dish in my house! What a mess.

Baked Ziti

• olive oil
• 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/2 pound lean Italian sausage
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 14.5 oz cans crushed tomatoes (the Italian seasoned type)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano...basically whatever you want!
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese with 2% milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 box ziti pasta (I actually used Whole Wheat Penne)

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Brown the meats with those, drain if needed. Add in the canned tomatoes and any seasonings you wish. Simmer until you have a pasta sauce consistency. Boil the pasta in another pot, according to the package. I recommend cooking it to al dente, since it will cook longer in the oven. Toss the pasta with the sauce and pour half into a lightly greased 9*13 baking dish. Combine 1 cup mozzarella, the egg, Parmesan cheese and spinach in another bowl. Spread this onto the pasta in the baking dish. Top with the remaining pasta and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 375 until the cheese begins to brown.

Since I doubled my batch, we're still eating this tonight. Maybe I'll take a picture then...

By the way - this is very NOT healthy. 11 WW points...if you use the light Italian sausage and whole wheat pasta.

Carbs, carbs, carbs!

Like I need those, right? I've been eating the Penne a la Vodka from last week for days now. We managed to get 6 meals out of it, which is good, but still...I'm a little done with pasta. And it does not help that my monthly Aggie Women's Networking luncheon is held at Maggiano's.

If you haven't been to Maggiano's, please go. You are missing out. My cousin, Bear, thinks it's something close to God's greatest Italian. Probably because you can order family style and they keep bringing more and more food...and come on, his name is Bear. What do you expect? Jason worries that I won't ever want to go back to Maggiano's, but I can safely say that he is wrong! I mean, I do get to go once a month, but I don't get my favorite Chicken Parmesan. This month we started with the Maggiano's Salad and a Caesar Salad. For the entree, they served Meat Lasagna and Chicken & Spinach Manicotti. This was the first time we've had the Manicotti (I'm partial to the Rigatoni D) but it was fantastic! I'll be ordering that on my next dinner trip with Jason! Of course we get dessert...Cheesecake, with some of the best strawberries I've had this year, and Tiramisu. Who can beat that?

As if I had not consumed enough carbs this week, I decided to make french fries for dinner last night. Jason was in class, so I didn't want to cook much and I really needed to finish a bag of potatoes.

Garlic & Cumin Seasoned Fries with Chipotle Ketchup adapted from Cooking Light

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t lemon juice (calls for lime)
• 1/4 t chili powder (calls for chipotle chili powder...I only had regular)
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" strips
• 1 T olive oil
• Tony Chachere's seasoning, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with your baking sheet in the oven. I used my Pampered Chef stone and this was perfect! Mix the first 4 ingredients and set aside. Toss the potatoes in the oil, cumin, salt and garlic powder. Spread them on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10-15 minutes, toss and bake another 5-10 minutes. Serve with the ketchup.

And, as if we didn't have enough carbs I'm making Baked Ziti tonight. Though, this was a request. Jason is riding in the MS 150 this weekend (a bike ride from Houston to Austin, 150 miles) so he needs the carbs! I'll just have to eat more salad...

I like a good buffet.

I'm a sampler. I like a good variety of choices - especially when it comes to food! The Houston Nesties decided to have a Foodie Get Together last weekend. When you toss 20 or so women, 6 kids, and a ton of food together you get one very interesting afternoon!

I did try to sample everything, but my plate and stomach did not allow that. And of course I can't remember what everyone brought...but some things stick out. Of course we had Bacon Wrapped Dates (otherwise known as crack), a Chicken Enchilada Dip, Mexican Cornbread, Tiramisu Cake, Pizza Dip...another pizza type thing topped with caramelized onions, prosciutto ham, and cheese (yum!!), and this Sweet Potato Casserole that I forgot to eat but hear that I really missed out. Darn. Hopefully that Nestie will bring it again...or maybe share the recipe.

Since I needed to practice making mini cheesecakes for my mom's wedding (this will be another story) I figured a GTG was the best time...I do not need 48 mini cheesecakes laying around the house!! Katie with Good Things Catered shared this recipe that came from Williams-Sonoma.

Mini Cheesecakes from Williams-Sonoma

Topping:

• 1/2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Filling

• 1 1/4 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

To make the topping, in a nonreactive saucepan, combine the strawberries with the sugar. Using a fork, gently mash the strawberries. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the strawberries are softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool completely. (The topping can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24-cup miniature muffin pan with miniature paper or foil liners. To make the filling, in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and beat until combined. Divide the filling evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until the cheesecakes are just set in the center, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cheesecakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Using a small offset spatula, transfer the cheesecakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes. Refrigerate the cheesecakes in an airtight container for at least overnight or up to 3 days. Spoon about 1 Tbsp of the strawberry topping onto each chilled cheesecake and serve immediately.

I agree with Katie on that it says that it will make 24, but I actually got 48! Which is great because I'm going to need over 150 for my mom's wedding!!

You can never have enough Vodka.

Ok, you probably can. And I can say that I probably have had too much Vodka, which is why I tend to avoid drinking it. But sometimes...you don't have a choice, right? Friday my hotel sponsored a hole at a golf tournament. The theme of the tournament was Mardi Gras so we had this great idea to serve purple (Purple Passion), green (Sour Apple) and gold (Lemon Drop) martinis. Then it rained. A lot. And the temperature dropped to about 63 degrees. If you don't golf, I can tell you that it is not ideal weather for golfing. After seeing about 5 out of 25 teams, they called the tournament and left me with about 4 gallons of martinis made with Ketel One that could not be returned. Fantastic...if you drink Vodka!

So, Friday night Jason and I once again tried drinking martinis...and decided that we still don't really like them. I ended up passing them on to a friend to take to her boat for the weekend...I'll stick with my red wine and beer! I've really been craving Penne a la Vodka and had everything at home...so what the heck, since I also had 3 gallons of martinis we decided to add Vodka to our dinner.

I can say this is probably the most unhealthy meal I've cooked in a LONG time! I used regular pasta (not whole wheat) and whole cream (not half-and-half) and boy was it good!!

Penne a la Vodka

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14-oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 10-oz can tomato paste
• Salt & pepper
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t dried parsley
• 1/2 cup whole cream
• 1/4 cup Vodka (you can add more, but this was all we had)
• 12-oz penne pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta. Brown the turkey with the onion and garlic. Drain an excess liquid. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and seasoning. Cook through. Add in the cream and Vodka, stir. Drain the pasta and toss to serve.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

My very good friend, Rachel, is turning 30 on Tuesday...April Fools! Saturday we joined her, some friends and family for dinner, drinks and a great time. I'll admit that I ate entirely too much and Jason probably drank too much, but it was completely worth it! When we hang out with Rachel and her family, things can get a little crazy. Especially when Jason and and Sid (her cousin) are in rare form. Sid is a shot guy. He loves to start the night with a shot of tequila and manages to somehow talk Jason into joining him. Though now that I think about it, I actually think Saturday was the first night in a long time where they didn't take tequila shots. Instead they stuck with drinking Dewar's & Water.

For dinner we went to Taste of Texas. In my opinion, this is one of the best places in Houston for a steak. If you live in Houston and haven't been, make a point to try it for a special occasion. If you don't live in Houston, just file this away in case you ever visit. It's a little strange to go to a really nice steakhouse and venture to a salad bar, a la Steak Kountry Buffet, but who can complain about a full array of salad choices and huge blocks of cheese?!? We started with Texas Quail Bites and Jalapeno Stuffed Shrimp. This was my first taste of quail, but I really liked it. I can't personally comment on the shrimp, though, because I don't eat it but the rest of the table seemed to love it.

I ordered the 6 ounce Center Cut Fillet wrapped in Bacon and Jason ordered the New York Strip Sirloin. We shared Asparagus in Hollandaise sauce and Texas Au Gratin Potatoes. My steak was perfect - part of the reason I love Taste of Texas, but Jason said next time he'll order the Rib Eye. I can't blame him - my two favorite steak options are Rib Eye and Fillet...New York Strip just isn't the best cut of meat. It was cooked well and had a good flavor, but you can't beat the marbling on a Rib Eye. Paired with the Cambria Bench Break Vinyard Pinot Noir...it was a great meal. Especially when we finished with Key Lime Pie and Snickers Pie...which is more like a rich cheesecake and not so much a pie.

After dinner, the we had drinks a The Capital Grille. Before we knew Sid, he was a server at Capital Grille, so he knew a few people working there. This can be a good thing and a bad thing! The good thing...your drinks will be mixed with a heavy hand. The bad thing...your drinks will be mixed with a heavy hand! Though I tend to stay away from vodka, we ordered a round of Stoli Doli (a 21 day pineapple infused vodka) and also ended up with some fruity shots...I have no idea what those were! The waitress (a friend of Sid's) gave us an order of Creme Brulee topped with fresh berries that was fantastic!

To finish the night, we went to the Tasting Room in Uptown Park Plaza. I have been to another Tasting Room location, but I think I like this one best. They have a huge outdoor seating area and we lucked into a table on the end of the patio. Three bottles of wine later...and it was time to go home! Actually, we realized that before we finished the wine. Probably a good thing. We ordered a white wine (I have no clue what), the Trinchero Family Pinot Noir (a Napa Valley Pinot) and the EVIL Cabernet Sauvignon bottled by R Winery (the "EVIL" is upside down and backwards, bottled in Australia).