Sexy Friday

Today, I'm being lazy because I've been busy and didn't put my thought into Sexy Friday. My apologies. This week, is Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams who both starred in Enchanted. Patrick Dempsey can join his fellow Grey's Anatomy co-stars Eric Dane and Katherine Heigl. I'm not a huge Patrick Dempsey fan, but I find him likeable enough. I loved Enchanted. It was my first movie out after Little Miss was born, and it was so much fun. I also loved Patrick Dempsey in Sweet Home Alabama though I also like Josh Lucas in that so tough choice that Reese Witherspoon had. Plus, come on, Patrick Dempsey was in Can't Buy Me Love! That's enough for me.

I like Amy Adams, too. I don't see how a person couldn't like her. I love that she can do tv and be in The Office. She can star and be nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Junebug and then later do Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Julie & Julia looks really cute, too. I haven't read the book, but the movie definitely looks like it has potential.

Mad about Mad Men

Husband and I recently became big fans of the show Mad Men on AMC. It's a great show which I've mentioned before. There is a site where you can make yourself into a cartoon version of a Mad Men character. The above photo is a scene featuring the Sterling Cooper gang and me!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

I mentioned that I made Baked Macaroni and Cheese last weekend. It's baked and super easy. It does use a lot of utensils and pans so dishes are a pain, but I like it. It is not a ooey-gooey recipe, but it is tasty. I'd love to try it with a little tuna or chicken eventually. Oh, and it's also not healthy. However, I don't add salt and pepper because there is so much salty cheese. That said, it does make a difference. I think a little salt and pepper would make a difference, but I'm so used to not adding them to anything.

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Weekend Update - Friends and Family Plan

Last Friday was a quiet night. Our place was clean from recent company. We had leftovers for dinner. Then, I went to bed super early because it was a late-night week. Little Miss was a little difficult to put to bed, but Husband was a good sport and stayed with her for a couple of hours.

On Saturday, we went grocery shopping. Then, I made Mozzarella-Stuffed Tomatoes, and my friends came over to see Little Miss. We then went to see The Ugly Truth. I didn't really love it, but it seemed like everyone else in the theater did. I did laugh a couple of times, but I thought the movie was just missing something. After, we went to dinner at Lost Dog Cafe which was yummy (despite the fact that I left my leftovers in my friend's car). Then, we hung out at a Starbucks to sit and catch up. It was a nice day.

On Sunday, I got up with Little Miss. The photo to the left is from Sunday morning when she was playing with the Louisiana beads that I won. Then, I made macaroni and cheese for lunches this week. Then, we went to the In-Laws' pool. Little Miss was, once again, horrible at bed time. We'll see if the weekday routine will help, but I'm done with the tired but won't go to bed routine. This week should be quiet which will be nice. Maybe I can stay up past 10PM or continue to keep the apartment clean. Oh! Before I'm done, Little Miss has started to dance. Below is a (short) video of her dancing ability (note that, in the video, as soon as I acknowledge her dancing, she stops):

One of My Favorite Appetizers

I don't cook a lot of main dishes or desserts, but I rock the salads and appetizers. One of my go to recipes is Mozzarella-Stuffed Tomatoes. It's super easy and tasty. It may not be my favorite appetizer, but it's pretty yummy. Just a note: I don't use vine-riped tomatoes. I use 6-8 roma tomatoes cut in half. I also just broil them for 3-5 minutes until they're brown. I think the original recipe is more of a side dish. The way I do it is more of a finger food appetizer. This is one of Husband's favorite thing that I make, and we discovered Little Miss enjoys them, too!

Mozzarella-Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients
6 vine-ripened tomatoes
1 cup finely grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and, using a spoon, hollow out the middle. In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the stuffing in the tomatoes, taking care not to pack them too tight. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

Sexy Friday

For Sexy Friday inspiration, I went to IMDB to see who had a birthday today. No one really stood out for me, but I did see that Gus Van Sant's birthday is today. He turns 56. Then, I got to thinking that he directed Good Will Hunting so, instead of going the obvious route, I went with Ben Affleck. I'm not a huge Ben Affleck fan, but I loved his storyline in He's Just Not That Into You. I thought it was sweet. Plus, Ken Kwapis directed the movie, and I think he's cool - he directed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as well as some of my favorite episodes of The Office.

To act as Ben Affleck's Sexy Friday counterpart, I chose Jennifer Garner even if they chose my grandmother's name for their child. I actually was never a huge Jennifer Garner fan because of her role in Felicity, but I did like her in 13 Going on 30 and Juno among a couple of others so I've let her fictional role from 11 years ago go. Oh! Totally forgot she was in the horrible adaptation of For the Roses by Julie Garwood called Rose Hill. (Sidenote: Justin Chambers played Cole and that character is part of the reason why I hated the adaptation, but I've gotten over that and now love him on Grey's Anatomy so I can let things go... eventually).

You Want What?

I have a confession to make.

I judge other people's wedding registries. I do. I can't help it. I know mine wasn't perfect and, if I did it over, I'd do things slightly different. Still, it's fun to see what people think they need. Sometimes, when I'm bored, I'll look up my name and see what people who have my name want. It's amazing how many people who share my name have horrible taste.

For instance, a fellow princess asked for Knitting Lingerie Style. I laugh because 1. I can't knit but also because 2. I am jealous because I bet a knit corset is SO comfortable yet I can't imagine it having the same support as a traditional one. How sexy is a fuzzy teddy - and not the bear variety?

Another princess registered for the following items from Crate and Barrel. I'm sure the products are of great quality. It just makes me wonder what decade this is - Cheese and Chocolate Fondue set, Acacia Chip and Dip set, and the matching Acacia Salad Bowls and Servers set. Between the wood and fondue, I'm thinking early '70's perhaps.

Another princess actually had a pretty good registry. It was a little plain, but there was nothing to criticize.

Do any of you have any guilty pleasures? Oh, and you should see me when it comes to baby registries...

Follow up on baby registries: I commend a fellow princess of registering for this, but she also registered for almost all clothing. People give clothing whether you register for it or not. People love buying little clothes. Don't register for it. Register for stuff you actually need like diapers, furniture, diapers, diaper bag, diapers...

Sexy Friday Recap

I thought I'd be nice and summarize all the Sexy Friday posts in one. Also, come on, what is sexier than the photo above?

January
1/9/09 Taylor Kitsch
1/16/09 Jensen Ackles
1/23/09 Eric Dane
1/30/09 George Eads

February
2/6/09 David Boreanaz
2/13/09 Johnny Depp
2/20/09 Hugh Jackman
2/27/09 Simon Baker

March – Irish Men
3/6/09 Stuart Townsend
3/13/09 Colin Farrell
3/20/09 Liam Neeson (Solemn Friday)
3/27/09 Jonathan Rhys Meyers

April
4/3/09 ER cast - Goran Visnjic, John Stamos, Mekhi Pfeifer, George Clooney, Linda Cardallini, Parminder Nagra
4/10/09 Paul Walker
4/17/09 Matthew McConaughey & Sandra Bullock
4/24/09 Ryan McPartlin & Yvonne Strahovski

May
5/1/09 Ryan Reynolds & Isla Fisher
5/8/09 Eric Bana & Winona Ryder
5/15/09 Chris Hemsworth & Jennifer Morrison
5/15/09 Chris Pine (Bonus Sexy Friday)
5/22/09 Josh Duhamel & Kristen Bell
5/29/09 Jason Statham & Qi Shu

June
6/5/09 Daniel Craig & Eva Green
6/12/09 Ryan Kwanten & Anna Paquin
6/19/09 Hugh Dancy & Claire Danes
6/26/09 Bradley Cooper & Heather Graham

July
7/3/09 Paul Rudd & Alicia Silverstone
7/5/09 Andy Roddick & Roger Federer (Sexy Sunday Supplement)
7/10/09 Gerard Butler & Katherine Heigl
7/17/09 Jon Hamm & January Jones

Inside All of Us...

is a Wild Thing!

I mentioned before that Where the Wild Things Are is being adapted into a movie. Well, last weekend, I got to see the trailer on the big screen and can I just say that I CANNOT WAIT. I placed the trailer below for you to see if you haven't seen it yet.

Weekend Update - The Half-Blood Prince

Last week was a little nutty. I was on vacation from Wednesday to Friday. I didn't do full entries, but I had a busy week. On Friday, Little Miss and I went to Dad and Mom's house to steal food for lunch. Then, Mom, Little Miss and I went to the the mall to get portraits taken of Little Miss in her hanbok at The Picture People. It was still a little big on her, but I had an awesome coupon that was too good to pass up. The portraits came out beautifully. As soon as I get the email, I'll post some photos. After, I dropped Mom off so I could beat rush hour traffic, but rush hour traffic won that race. We had a super happy little girl that night. She ran around thrilled until bedtime.

Saturday is my day to sleep in. So, Husband woke up with Little Miss while I stayed in bed. In the early afternoon, I went to the mall to meet friends for lunch and to see Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. We had a good time. I also shopped a little. I should also mentioned that a friend and I made plans to see Rob Thomas in concert this fall. I've seen matchbox twenty in concert 3 times, I believe, but I've never seen Rob Thomas perform solo (though I did buy his DVD so I can prepare. I love Cradlesong so I'm super excited for this concert.

Sunday is my day to wake up with Little Miss. Luckily, she was still tired so we both dozed on the couch for a bit. Then, she ate breakfast and we all lounged about the house lazily. In the early afternoon, she went to spend time with the In-Laws while we went to a wake of a former co-worker of Husband's. We came home to go grocery shopping and to a tired Little Miss. We ate dinner, and then I put Little Miss to bed.

And, of course, it's Monday again, the beginning of another crazy week.

I'm No Superman

We're huge fans of Scrubs. We've watched every episode. Little Miss has seen many episodes (though she doesn't pay attention). Plus, our little couple thing is that we sing the theme song. I even have the theme song by Lazlo Bane on my iPod. Lately, when the show comes on television (and it's on almost all the time on various channels), Little Miss starts smiling or even shrieking when the song comes on. It makes her so happy.

Sexy Friday

Husband and I have been breezing through every episode of Mad Men available on DVD. I bought Season 1 for him last year, and we just got around to watching. We sailed through the set. Season 2 arrived this week, and we've just begun watching. Season 3 starts on AMC next month. The first couple of the show is Don and Betty Draper played by Jon Hamm and January Jones. Good show and nominated for like a zillion Emmy Awards.

Author! Author!

On Wednesday, I went to the RWA Literacy Autographing. It was loads of fun. First, I saw my friend, Farrah Rochon. Then, I got to meet Susan Elizabeth Phillips again. I met a few other authors while there as well. I picked up a bunch of books though less than the last time I went to a big signing so I was pretty proud of myself.Last, on Thursday, my friends and I got to see Jennifer Weiner. Jennifer Weiner is hilarious. I've seen her before, but it has been a couple of years so it was nice to see her again.

So, it was a great couple of days for meeting authors. Now, I have a ton of books to read and no excuse to continue going through this month not reading any books at all. This actually isn't true. I've read one good book this month. Hopefully, I can read at least one or two more by the end of the month. We shall see (and, of course, my total list of books read will show up at the end of the month).

I Won (and Now Can't Ever Say I Never Win Anything)!

On Wednesday, I went to a party held by the SuperRomance authors, which is one of the lines under Harlequin. When I went to Susan Gable's table to introduce myself, she handed out invitations. I was also told there would be snacks. Plus, the theme was tiaras and a princess always goes where there are tiaras. There was a contest and raffles for tote bags full of goodies. To my great surprise, I won the first prize of the evening, a tote bag full of Louisiana goodies - hot sauces, various snacks and Cajun goodies, a pot holder, beads, and 7 signed SuperRomance books. It was very exciting. I have even read one of the titles already (and it was a good one). I'm sure you'll see them soon in my Books Read entries. Below is a photo of all of the goodies excluding the beads. Little Miss was playing with them. It was how I got her away from the loot while I took the photo. Yay, me!

Is This an Award-Winning Blog Now?

My friend, Shannon passed on a blog award to me. I feel all special. According to her blog, I have to post 10 things about myself that no one knows or 10 things that I feel everyone should know. I'll also pass this award to Brandi who has endured a lot by being my friend for like 20 years. I can't do math so I'm rounding. Maybe closer to 25. EEK, we're old or, rather, we met while we were very young. I'll also pass along the award to Jackie who isn't my newest friend, but she is the newest blog.

OK, onto 10 Things About Me:

1. I recently reconnected with friends from kindergarten, and it's kind of cool.
2. I've only weighed more than 100 pounds while pregnant and topped out at 117.
3. While pregnant, I had gestational diabetes and living with limited carbs was so hard!
4. I love the show, Dirty Jobs. It makes me really appreciate my job.
5. I have a size 4 foot.
6. I have a handbag addiction. I need many - of all shapes and sizes. I can't stop.
7. I could never be a stay-at-home mom. I think it's great. I just don't have the ambition or motivation. I could work part-time and would enjoy that if I had the opportunity. (Husband has already said he would be a stay-at-home dad in a heartbeat if we could swing it. We can't. He proved this while on paternity leave. Dinner would be waiting for me. He'd take Little Miss on walks. They had a grand time together.)
8. I will watch a movie a thousand times on cable and then decide to buy the DVD. As soon as I buy the DVD, I will never watch the movie again.
9. I never really wanted to be taller even though I'm the shortest human on the planet (or in my world anyway).
10. I'm stronger than I look. I just like people to carry things for me.

Weekend Update - The Rocket Man & The Piano Man

Let's see. On Friday, Little Miss got into my make up. She would put on the blush. I'd put lip gloss on her, and she remained perfectly still during the application. Then, I took away the make up when she kept digging the powder out with her fingers. So, we had another royal tantrum. I ate quickly while Husband manned the tantrum-y baby and then he ate while I deposited tantrum-y baby in bed. No cleaning got done that night.

That said, Saturday, we woke up and cleaned like mad people (well, bathrooms and dusted the main room, but the bedroom is still cluttered and messy). Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law came over in the afternoon to go over the routine before watching Little Miss all night. She put on an act and cried when we left, but I didn't hear her after we shut the door so I think she was acting to make us feel bad for leaving us. The In-Laws, Husband and I went to see Elton John and Billy Joel in concert. It was super. I've never seen Elton John or the two of them together so it was a great treat. We also had a fantastic dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill beforehand.

On Sunday, Husband woke up and fed Little Miss breakfast and then went to play golf. In the mid-afternoon, Little Miss and I went to meet Sister for lunch. We ate at Baja Fresh where Little Miss ate almost all the chicken out of my tacos. Then, we went grocery shopping and to Parents' house. There, we met Parents, Nephew and my parents' former exchange student and her brother. I also went to pick up Husband at the Metro. I also put Little Miss and Nephew's handprints on Dad's cast. We took a brief dip in the pool and then went to the house for dinner. Little Miss ate really well and then, because it was late, curled up on the sofa and tried to go to sleep. We took that as our cue to leave. She fell asleep before we turned off my parents' road.

So, good and busy weekend. We'll be going into the city later this week so I'll try to do an update during the week as well as after next weekend. Busy week of visiting friends in the city while they work, booksignings, and a movie.

Sexy Friday

Today's Sexy Friday stumped me. I'm running low on ideas so start up the suggestions again. No, still not desperate enough for John Cena (you know who you are). Next week, The Ugly Truth comes out with Gerard Butler. He first caught my eye in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life so that's why I chose that photo. When he did those push ups, I was done. So, by default, I chose Katherine Heigl. She always kind of rubbed me the wrong way, and, despite Grey's Anatomy's best efforts, I still watch the show. I also realized I have seen the majority of her work so maybe I secretly like her.

Which FNL character are you?

Which Friday Night Lights Character Are You?

More on Friday Night Lights. Created by BuddyTV

Many of you know, I'm a huge Friday Night Lights fan. I may have mentioned this a couple of times. So, of course, I took the quiz to find out which character I resembled on the show. I can't believe I got Landry. Does that mean I'm a murderer? If so, hope my dad helps me cover it up. Oh, Spoiler 2 spoilers, but if you haven't watched the show, you need to ignore that storyline anyway.

Guess I'm not a super Supernatural Fan

Just took this quiz to find how out much I know the show, Supernatural and got 3 out of 8 correct. I guess I need to spend more time with the Winchester boys.

Angel

After last weekend, I wanted to update you all and say that Little Miss has been a perfect little angel. She's been eating like a big girl. Starting this week, she'll only happily eat out of regular plates and bowls with the regular flatware. We don't mind, but she still gets her sippy cups. She's gone to bed with no fuss. She's been so huggy and chatting up a storm. She's said a bunch of new words like "shoes", "cheese", and I think she said "I love you, too" today when I said, "I love you". If not, I like to believe she said it so don't ruin my good thoughts. Husband just reminded me that she tried to say "pj's" last night so I thought I'd update to acknowledge her genius.

Just an FYI: the photo above is a Korean angel. This site, Mary & Me, sells rubber stamps of different Asian designs (not just Korean). I'd have a photo of Little Miss, but I left my thumb drive at home so this will have to do.

We Tried a New Thing!

We tried a lemon spaghetti recipe. It was super yummy, even Husband declared it a winner. It was so yummy that I took leftovers for lunch today. I bought a new zester so I was eager to try it out. I also cooked shrimp to add because (like I did with the Shrimp, Tomato, Basil Pasta recipe). Basically, I coat with garlic salt and pepper and cook in a skillet with a teeny bit of olive oil until cooked. I flip the shrimp halfway through. I actually make more work for myself, too, and cook a few shrimp at a time. It helps get the shrimp all crusty and yummy. We didn't add the basil, but I had some just in case. I think it would taste better with parsley, but do what you will. Either way, the recipe is super easy. It is very lemony without the extra zest on the top so if you don't like lemon, stay away!

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Weekend Update - Terrible (Almost) Twos

1/4 of The Enemy (above) and its Stubborn Opponent (below)
To continue from the previous entry, Little Miss fell asleep on the way home from my parents' house. We picked up Husband and went grocery shopping. Husband actually went grocery shopping while I stayed in the car with Little Miss. While I put away the groceries, Little Miss was eating some Chex. At one point, she just threw some on the floor. So, Husband asked her to pick up the 4 pieces on the floor. She just lost it. She started to cry and scream and kick. After about 10 minutes, Husband just put her in her crib and shut the door... where she proceeded to scream and cry for 10 minutes straight. After 10 minutes, Husband took her out, calmed her down and asked her once again to pick up the cereal. She started freaking out all over again. All she had to do was pick up 4 pieces of cereal and hand them to me. After about 45 minutes, she actually did. After she picked them up and gave them to me, she smiled at us. So, we praised her. And, so we can torture her in the future just like she tortured us, I took a video excerpt. Enjoy!

Weekend Update - Independence Day

This past weekend was a nice one. We had something to do everyday, but it wasn't overly busy. Last Thursday, we both got out of work a little early. We came home and hung out. On Friday, Husband went to the AT&T National golf thingy in Maryland. Little Miss and I were home. We took a walk to grab a few things at the mall. Then, in the afternoon, we went to hang out with Sister-in-Law. When the boys were done with golf, we met them and hung out. Little Miss was restless so we head home a little after her bedtime, but we had fun.

On Saturday, we woke up and went to In-Laws' pool for the afternoon. We hung out and ate a lot. Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law showed up. We stayed late to eat dessert (my favorite - Cherry Roll) and watched the D.C. and NYC fireworks on tv. Little Miss tried to sleep, but she was restless and we were loud so we went home to put her to bed.

On Sunday, Little Miss slept late which was glorious. Then, she ate breakfast and took a nap. After an attempt at lunch, we went to my parents' house. She took a little time to warm up to them before realizing that she got to entertain them. She ate some crackers, blueberries, cheese, ice cream - pretty much everything until they ran out of food. She chased the cat around and had fun with her new-to-her baby stroller. I think I'll have to get her one for our place now. Sister showed up for a little bit, and she goofed around with her. Then, we went home. What happened at home deserves its own entry.

Sexy Sunday Supplement

Well, if I have to watch the tennis thing (game? match? whatever), I may as well be glad the players are pretty. I know they're not playing shirtless, but a girl can dream.

Sexy Friday

I don't know if you know this, but Alicia Silverstone came out of video retirement to be in Rob Thomas's Her Diamonds video. I didn't recognize her the first few times I saw it, but now I don't know how I didn't see it before. So, of course, if Alicia Silverstone was going to be on Sexy Friday, I had to pair her with Paul Rudd. I'm a big fan of Paul Rudd and, lately, he's one of the few people who will get me to a movie theater just on a name alone. Of course, Clueless is one of the best movies of all time.

My apologies for the tardiness of Sexy Friday today. It's a holiday and I was by myself with Little Miss so I was otherwise occupied this morning.

What TLC Star Am I?

I know you've been wondering. So, I took the quiz to find out. I guess my result could be worse, but I'm not thrilled with this one either. Do tell me who you are to make me feel better.

Which TLC Star Are You?

Created by BuddyTV

Books Read in June 2009

1. Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher
2. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
4. A Kid to the Rescue by Susan Gable
5. Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis

This month, I couldn't read enough. It's not noticed in my total of books, but Shannon K. Butcher's book took me awhile to get into, and the J.R. Ward was a pretty long book. Plus, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a slower read. Still, all in all, I was very happy with my month of reading. I've been doing my best to read the books I already own and, so far, it's proven worth it. Who knew I had such hidden treasures? At the end of the month, I quickly read Susan Gable's books. I can't remember how I found her, but I really like her Harlequin titles. They're always a little deeper than I expect with the satisfying happy ending. Plus, I just found out that Susan Gable has a contract for two of the hero's brothers so we'll see more of the Hawkins Family. The hero is one of 12, and you really got to know the family in this book so it'll be great to see them again.