Salad Recipe

The photo above is not of the salad I made for bookclub, but it's close enough. I used chopped pecans and used the organic mixed green mix from the grocery store (but the mix was similar to the photo actually). My onion was a little bigger than minced, too, but it looked similar. I kept the dressing separate and will serve the leftovers today to my family so we'll see if it keeps overnight in the fridge, too. Well, for a second night because I made it on Saturday and just kept the feta cheese and dressing in separate containers until right before serving. You can find it here if you would like a printable copy.

MIXED GREEN SALAD W/ APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE

APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE:
2 Tbs sesame seeds
½ cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp minced onion
¼ tsp paprika
1 Tbs poppy seeds (optional)

SALAD:
½ cup chopped pecans
Two 5-ounce bags mixed baby salad greens, thoroughly washed
4 ounce package crumbled feta cheese
¾ cup dried cranberries

1. Prepare vinaigrette: Heat sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or just until toasted. Microwave vinegar in a medium-size, microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute, or just until hot. Add sugar, and whisk until dissolved. Add next 3 ingredients, toasted sesame seeds, and, if desired, poppy seeds; whisk until blended. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

2. Toast pecans: Place pecans in even layer in a shallow pan. Bake pecans at 350°F. for 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.

3. Assemble salad: Place greens in a large bowl. Top with cheese, cranberries, and toasted pecans. Drizzle with Apple Cider Vinaigrette just before serving.

Servings: 8

Weekend Update - Where Did the Time Go?

Last weekend was a fast one! First, the photo is from this morning as I didn't take any photos last weekend. It shows how much Little Miss loves her juice and juice cup. She actually takes her cup (and it's really any cup not the purple one in particular) to bed and has it in a death grip until she falls asleep.

On Friday, we mostly caught up on some television. I went to bed early. On Saturday, I woke up early with Little Miss. Husband ran errands. Then, in the evening, I went to Movie Club. I brought my Baked Macaroni and Cheese. We watched White Christmas and had lots of yummy things to eat. On Sunday, I had bookclub where we discussed The Help by Kathryn Stockett. We had many yummy things to eat. I made Mixed Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette. It was better than I expected. Little Miss is teething. So, she was kind of miserable all weekend. She chewed and was generally miserable. She seemed in good spirits today at least. Later that night, we finished the Christmas tree and relaxed. OK, here is the photo album of our tree and special ornaments including Disney, a few of many pig ornaments (as Little Miss was born in the Year of the Pig so the poor thing has a big pig collection), ornaments to represent DC, among others. The photo caption will tell you why the ornaments are special. The link should work now.

Sexy Friday

So, it's getting closer to Christmas and, whenever I think of Christmas, I like to take a few moments to think of Jake Gyllenhaal. For those of you who saw Jarhead, you understand. For those of you who have not, at one point, Jake dances around in his Santa hat. Just his Santa hat. Currently, you can see him in Brothers which looks a little too depressing for me, but I'll watch it from the comfort of my own couch with my own box of tissues. His counterpart is a person who (as of this blog posting) is linked to him in all the magazines and whatnot - Reese Witherspoon. I've liked Reese Witherspoon since I sobbed through The Man in the Moon (which gives me another Sexy Friday recipient in the future). Both seem like likable people so I see them together, and I want to believe they're happy - and happiness is sexy.

Weekend Update - Baker's Joy

OK, maybe not so much joy, but there was a lot of cooking and baking. As we did last year, this year, Father-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law and our friends came over to cook and bake. We made pierogi (over 200 sauerkraut and around 300 potato and cheese), 4 loaves of nut bread, loaves of babka, and hundreds of chrusciki. Little Miss spent the weekend with Mother-in-Law because she's still a little too young to help, and we didn't have the room to have her underfoot. Unlike last year, I took photos of the actual final product. On Friday, we stayed up late working on the tree and then preparing for the weekend. On Saturday, we did the cooking of the pierogi. Sunday, we did the baking. Unfortunately, the only downpart is that we lost about 55 potato and cheese pierogi due to some freezing issues. We made more than our freezer could handle so, because of the humidity, they stuck together and couldn't be separated. Still, we have more than enough. Can't wait to start eating!

What's in a Name?

My name isn't uncommon, but it's not like there are Aprils running around all over the place. So, when they do show up, they stand out to me.

The first one I remember was from Days of Our Lives played by Lisa Howard in the late 80's. Then, in high school, April O'Neill from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gained popularity in her yellow jumpsuit came around. This year, I saw Rent in which Roger sings about his ex-girlfriend, April (you can hear him say that Mimi reminds him of her at the :58 point of the video clip below) and Kristin Chenoweth played April Rhodes on Glee this season. Another exciting tidbit is that Kristin Chenoweth is about my height. So, short.

Anyway, it amuses me that my name pops up. I've known a handful of Aprils throughout my life and Husband's friend from high school married a woman with the same first and last name as me. They're all awesome. Plus, not every April I've met was born in April which also amuses me because I was not.

Is your name popular and are you like me and enjoy seeing things or hearing characters with your name on it?

Sexy Friday

Today's Sexy Friday belongs to John Cho currently of FlashForward. I know him from many films and television shows, but I never really thought he was sexy until Star Trek. I think it was the fighting. However, and I'm sure he hates this, he'll always be part Harold from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. For some reason, those movies tickle me (and I'll see the third movie if it ever is made). Because he'll always be part Harold, I chose a co-star from the sequel, Daneel Harris. I have seen Daneel Harris in a few things, but she's not very familiar to me. To me, she's most known for being engaged to the second ever Sexy Friday recipient, Jensen Ackles. I'm definitely a little jealous.

Weekend Update - O Christmas Tree

Let's see. On Friday, we woke up and had our annual breakfast at IHOP. Little Miss had a great breakfast. Then, while waiting for Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law, we stopped in at Babies 'R' Us to pick up a few things. It was a little colder than we expected so we picked up Little Miss a new hat and mittens. Then, of course, we picked up a bunch of things we didn't really need. After, we headed to the tree farm. While we waited for Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law, we crossed the street to see the horses. They were very friendly and came right up to the fence to say hello to us. Little Miss wasn't too happy when one snuck in a kiss. We made quick work of choosing a tree and head back home. The tree was bigger than we expected when we got home so it takes up most of the corner and we had to shift things around, but it is a nice tree.

On Saturday, we went to the mall to Macy's for the big mattress sale. We ended up treating ourselves to a new mattress (that arrives on Thursday and I'm sure it will inspire a new blog post on Friday). We then had lunch at Bailey's Pub & Grill and took a walk to a couple of grocery stores to find what we needed for dinner. Slim pickings right after Thanksgiving!

On Sunday, I mostly slept all day. There was football on, but I only really remember sleeping, waking up to eat and then sleeping again.

Books Read in November 2009

1. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts (NOTE: This book is the second in her Bride Quartet. The full order can be found here.)
2. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (NOTE: This is Book 1 of The Dresden Files series. You can find the order in which to read here.)
3. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (NOTE: This is part of the Southern Vampire or Sookie Stackhouse series. You can find the order in which to read here.)
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
5. Hot on Her Heels by Susan Mallery (NOTE: This is the fourth and final book in the Lone Star Sisters series. The first three books are Under Her Skin, Lip Service, and Straight from the Hip.)

It was a more productive month than I expected. I thought The Help was going to take longer. It's for bookclub and 450 pages. However, it was a fast read. I also took a break from romance and read a bit of paranormal which helped change things up. I'm back in the reading mode now and have a ton of books piling up so it's nice to be back. I am really enjoying the Nora Roberts series. It's sweet. I tend to like a bit of dark and twisty in my books, but hers are just really sweet and cute. I almost wish there was more conflict but have decided to just take them as they are. Not a bad book in the bunch this month.

Sexy Monday

I was supposed to post this last week, but I got busy. Heidi Klum walked the runway 6 weeks after giving birth so I decided that made her eligible for Sexy Friday or at least for Courageous Monday (if there was such a thing). I don't care if she is in a corset and feet of foof, 6 weeks after we had Little Miss, I was not runway ready no matter how much material you draped around me. I actually find Seal and Heidi Klum sexy together. Together, they always look so happy and so cuddly. They're seen a lot with their children and always look so happy and attentive. All of those things make a person sexy. Heidi Klum posted photos of their new baby daughter on her website, and she looks absolutely adorable.

Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was nice. We made a lot of food early - Cranberry Sauce with Orange Liqueur, roasted potatoes, and crab dip. We were in pretty good shape going into Thanksgiving. I fell a little behind with my cleaning and didn't dust, but everything was presentable. My table setting is the first photo. My new tablecloth and napkins looked nice and autumnal. I always love an excuse to drag out the china (holidays, birthdays, a Tuesday). I used a lot of pieces and serving utensils from my grandma which made me feel really nice.

We hosted my parents this year and had a nice relaxing day. We started with early appetizers of shrimp cocktail, crab dip and scallops wrapped with bacon. Then, we put the turkey in and hung out and chatted. After a little while, I made the creamed corn while Husband made the stuffing. Husband miscalculated the amount of stuffing and made enough for like 12 people. We have enough stuffing for weeks. Right before the turkey was supposed to be done, I stuck the potatoes in the oven to heat and rolls. Then, the turkey was... still cooking. The turkey took about an hour longer to cook than expected. Around 7PM, dinner was ready! It wasn't late, just later than expected. Little Miss, at that point, had crawled onto the couch, put her head down with her piggy and fell asleep. This only concerned us because she hadn't eaten much all day, but she also hadn't napped all day so she was beat. After all the playing at the table, it was sad she couldn't sit with us. On the other hand, we had a nice dinner with no food on the floor.

After dinner, we were stuffed. So, we split up the pie to eat later (later meaning I may have a piece for breakfast). We chatted for a little while longer and cleaned up. Little Miss finally woke up and wouldn't eat any of the Thanksgiving dinner. So, she just had her weight in dry cereal. It wasn't a battle I wanted to have and, if she had a full belly with something somewhat healthy, I was fine with that. A little after her makeshift dinner, Little Miss led Husband to her room and asked to be put to bed. We said goodnight to my parents and just relaxed. I moved things to make room for our Christmas tree and read a bit of my book while Husband watched the football game. Then, I went to bed so I would be ready to get our tree.

Our post-Thanksgiving tradition is to have brunch and get our Christmas tree so we have a long weekend to decorate.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and gave thanks!

Moroccan Recipe

As I mentioned during the Weekend Update, I made a Moroccan recipe for Movie Night (Casablanca). I made a Moroccan-style Rice Salad. The recipe was created by Cecily Layzell. You can find it here, and I also received permission to post it below. The photo and recipe are lifted from the website. It was a very simple recipe, and I really liked it (I'm a picky eater so I was nervous). I didn't add salt and pepper so people could add their own. My avocado also started to turn so I would probably buy mine the same day I made the recipe again, but I didn't have that luxury last week. Little Miss also ate it (though she didn't like the cilantro).

Moroccan-style Rice Salad Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
10 oz / 300 g brown rice
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 ripe avocado
14 oz / 400 g tinned, cooked kidney beans
½ red chili
4 sticks celery
1 yellow bell pepper (paprika)
2 oz / 50 g pine nuts
1 medium bunch fresh coriander
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:
1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and leave to cool.
2. Grate the zest of the lemon before slicing it in half and squeezing out the juice. Put both the zest and juice in a large bowl.
3. Cut open the avocado, take out the stone and cut the flesh into small cubes. Scoop these carefully out of the skin and mix with the lemon to prevent discoloration.
4. Wash and drain the kidney beans; deseed and finely chop the chili; and wash and cut the celery and pepper into small cubes.
5. In a dry saucepan over a medium flame, toast the pine nuts until just golden brown, turning frequently. Roughly chop the coriander.
6. Stir the kidney beans, chili, celery, pine nuts and coriander in with the avocado and lemon mix, then stir in the rice.
7. Finally, mix in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve immediately at room temperature or chill in the fridge until needed. Also tastes good the next day.

Tip: The recipe uses brown rice, but can easily be made with couscous instead. This typical Moroccan ‘grain’, which is made from the starchy inner part of Durum wheat and is the country’s national dish, usually comes semi-cooked. This means it only needs to be covered with boiling water and left to soften for a few minutes. This will cut down the cooking time considerably. Follow the instructions on the packet for exact amounts and preparation instructions.

The copyright of the article Moroccan-style Rice Salad Recipe in Moroccan Food is owned by Cecily Layzell. Permission to republish Moroccan-style Rice Salad Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Read more: here

Christmas Photos

Both Sister and I and my mother tried to have a Christmas photo with Nephew and Little Miss. Both of us succeeded in having a professional photographer snap a photo with both kids in the frame. However, I swear the kids are allergic to the photography studio. There was crying, begging, pleading - and that was all done by the adults. Bribery didn't work. So, here are the finished products (above is the photo when Sister and I went and below is my mother's attempt). Both are photos of the photos so the color is a little off or dull, but you can get the gist of them. The one above is growing on me. At least the kids don't look miserable.

Weekend Update - The Big Screen

Last Friday, Little Miss and I hung out at home while Husband worked. She had a bath and tried to stay up to see Husband but did not make it. She had her Minnie ears and Minnie Mouse and watched Choo Choo Express.

On Saturday, we had a good day. Husband woke up early to work again. Little Miss and I ate breakfast. Then, we took a walk to the mall to pick up some Christmas items and grab lunch. She took a good nap. Then, she went with the In-Laws to church and to spend the night. Husband came home from work, and I went to Movie Night. We watched Casablanca and ate Moroccan food (more on that in a later post).

On Sunday, we had a lazy morning. Then, I picked up Little Miss and went out to my Parents' house. We met with Sister and Nephew. Then, Mom and Sister and I saw The Blind Side while Dad babysat the kids. We fed the kids, and then I went back home. Little Miss slept very well last night as she always does after spending the day with her cousin.

Sexy Friday

I watched Glee last night. So, today's Sexy Friday is inspired by the new show. I happened to watch Dan in Real Life last night and noticed Matthew Morrison was the police officer. It was about time he was on Sexy Friday. Evidently, he was also in Taking Chance, but I don't recognize the character. I prefer him better with his longer hair on Glee (though not too long) over the military cut anyway. After last night, I thought Lea Michele would be a great pairing. Lea Michele's character, Rachel, had a schoolgirl crush on her teacher, Matthew Morrison's character, Will Schuster. It was kind of cute how it all played out.

Don't Say You Didn't Get the Memo

Unless you are, Jennifer Beals ...

or wear these ...

you are not allowed to buy or wear legwarmers. Period. You should immediately be turned over into the custody of the Fashion Police if you ever buy these ... See, babies do not fall into either of the top two categories so they do not need legwarmers. Seriously, it is a population of humans who can wear footie pajamas. Why do they need legwarmers? Spend your $14.50 on something better or put your knitting needles to better use and knit warm things for charity.

Maybe this is what happens when children born in the 80's start having children. We children from the 70's wore some pretty horrendous things and you dont' see our children decked out in plaid patchwork.

Weekend Update - Warm Front

On Friday, it was just a quiet night at home. Husband had a night out with his work friends. So, Little Miss and I hung out. I gave her a bath. Then, I ate a pot pie and watched a movie. I went to bed early because I knew I had to get up with Little Miss on Saturday.

On Saturday, Little Miss slept in a little. When she woke up, we hung out. Then, we had breakfast. She got dressed and ate lunch. We all went grocery shopping and then Little Miss took a nice, long nap (as did I). In the evening, she went to church with the In-Laws while Husband and I went to Alexandria to celebrate Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's 30th birthdays. We had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant and then went to their apartment to hang out. Sadly, we went straight to bed as soon as we got home (before midnight).

On Sunday, Husband woke up to start his football routine. I slept but still not sleeping as late as I wanted. I went to pick up Little Miss at the In-Laws and headed out to the mall to attempt holiday photos with Nephew and Little Miss. It was an adventure, but we got one shot each of them and one mediocre shot of them together. Both kids were great as soon as we left the photo studio. They ran, rode bikes and ran some more. Little Miss went all day without a nap but was in relatively good spirits. My grandmother and grandfather were at my parents' house and spent some time with us all. Then, my parents came home. Sister and I picked up Husband at the Metro, and we all had dinner for Nephew's Gotcha Day. Nephew was adopted 4 years ago even though it seems like yesterday! So, he had cupcakes and received presents. After dessert, we headed for home. Little Miss fell asleep on the way home.

That concluded a busy weekend. The last photo is from Monday. Obviously, Mondays do not have the same effect on Little Miss as they do on the rest of us.

Sexy Friday

Sorry today's Sexy Friday is late! I was working all day. I had the photos ready and everything. So, without further ado, Gaius Charles is up! He played Brian "Smash" Williams in my favorite tv show, Friday Night Lights and had a great send-off last season. I miss his character and his family on the show a lot. I did notice he is in a new movie that, according to IMDB opens this week. Gaius Charles has a sexy body that he shows off in Friday Night Lights, but his smile lights up the screen (well, when his abs aren't stealing the scene). His counterpart is the actress who plays Julie Taylor on Friday Night Lights, Aimee Teegarden. I think she's great. She played sweet in Season 1, bratty in Season 2 and a nice mix of a lot of emotions in Season 3 and, so far, in Season 4. As I was telling Husband the other night, the fight that she has with her on-screen mother, Connie Britton, was so real that you wanted to give them privacy. It was painful to sit and watch. The heartbreaking mother/daughter talk after the parents find out Julie is having sex is also so well done between the two. Plus, I haven't mentioned the show in a couple of weeks so it was time.

Concert Update - Ever the Same

Last night, I left work at 2PM to hang out with a friend. We went to Fair Oaks Mall to get our nails done and have dinner at Chesecake Factory. I got my nails painted Smitten with Mittens, an OPI color. It's a really neat red with a little sparkle to it. After that, we went to Patriot Center to see Rob Thomas with opening acts Carolina Liar and OneRepublic. The opening acts were pretty solid. I'm not a huge fan of either band, but I like them well enough. I thought it was to their benefit that they sounded just like they do, if not better, on the radio and television. Both bands were very musical (in that they played their instruments very well and had some interesting arrangements) which was nice to experience. It's not everyday that you hear an electric cello rock out! The concert was fantastic overall. Both opening acts played the song(s) I knew of theirs. Rob Thomas was fantastic. He played most of my favorites (and I'll let him off the hook for not playing the ballads I love because too many ballads bring the show down). My one complaint is that it was FREEZING in the auditorium. I can't stress how cold it was. A couple of years ago, my friend and I saw James Blunt at an outside venue where it was unseasonably cold. We sat outside in literally freezing weather. It was warmer than the inside concert last night. Still, I was going to see Rob Thomas no matter what the weather. Below is a video clip of his version of Bent, the matchbox twenty song he performed last night. I actually love a lot of his songs simpler or acoustic, and this one is no exception.

Setlist:

Fire on the Mountain
Give Me the Meltdown
Real World '09
Lonely No More
Mockingbird
Sunday Morning, New York City Blue
Streetcorner Symphony
Natural
Getting Late into That's Alright with Carolina Liar
Still Ain't Over You
Ever the Same
Cradlesong
Someday
Something to Be
Little Wonders
Fallin' to Pieces
Her Diamonds
I Am an Illusion

Encore:
Bent
Feel so Bad
Smooth with Zach Filkins (OneRepublic)
This Is How a Heart Breaks

Weekend Update - Where did the weekend go?

This past weekend was fairly quiet. Little Miss spent Friday night with the In-Laws. So, on Friday, Husband and I caught up on all of our recorded television. It was quite a bit. Then, we went to bed early. We're a wild and crazy bunch.

On Saturday, Husband left to golf, and I went to bookclub. We met at Cafe Deluxe and had a yummy lunch. Then, as it is attached, I had to visit Crate and Barrel and bought a tablecloth for Thanksgiving dinner. I hit Target on the way home to begin my Christmas shopping and pick up a bunch of other items. Then, I met Little Miss and Husband came home. We had a friend as well as Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law over for dinner during which time Little Miss wanted some potty time. She didn't actually go, but she likes to just sit and hang out.

On Sunday, Husband woke up very early to golf. Little Miss and I hung out at home and then went to the mall. We mostly went to Macy's where she really wanted the promotional Mickey Mouse, but I said no (which is not to say she won't get it eventually). I broke down and bought a Crockpot, my first. Then, we picked up some treats (lunch and ice cream) and headed home. I would have walked the mall more, but someone needed a nap (ok, two someones). Little Miss took a very long nap and then woke up, had dinner, a bath and went back to bed. We had dinner and then watched the season finale of Mad Men. All in all a good weekend.

Sexy Friday

This Friday is dedicated to Ewan McGregor who co-stars in The Men Who Stare at Goats which opens today as well as Amelia which is currently in theaters. I've seen a handful of his movies, but he never really appears on my radar screen. That said, I think most men look more attractive in black and white for some reason. For his counterpart, I chose his co-star in Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman. Up until right now, I had no idea she was the voice of Norma Jean in Happy Feet. I haven't seen the movie, but I watched some of it with Little Miss last night because she loves penguins and music. My favorite Nicole Kidman movie is Dead Calm even though it scared the crap out of me. Good stuff though. Billy Zane was so mean and crazy!