gadgets.

Normally I’m not obsessed with new gadgets and electronics – and especially cell phones. I don’t really care if I have the best, it just doesn’t matter to me. However, last week Derek brought home a new cell phone…and I want it. He got the new Motorola – Droid phone (google operating system).  It’s so intuitive and it does EVERYTHING. I’m so jealous.

setback.

Well, it was bound to happen. All the wedding planning has been going so smoothly, we were bound to have some kind of setback. Friday night, our band cancelled on us. MAN!! I was really happy to have that decision checked off the list. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

what’s cookin’?

I really enjoy cooking. Not baking – cooking. There is nothing more satisfying than trying a new recipe and proclaiming it a success! Now don’t get me confused with a foodie – because I definitely do not qualify. I doubt my pallet is very refined and I certainly don’t make complex or complicated meals. I shy away from pretentious ingredients and have been accused of under-salting my food. Nonetheless, I do enjoy it and I think I’m getting better at it! I thought I’d share a few of my favorite cookbooks, food blogs and magazine subscriptions. Do you have any favorites you want to share?

 

Cookbooks

Everyday Cooking: Great Food Fast (Martha Stewart) – I love this cookbook because I’ve never been disappointed. The photos are great (a photo for every recipe), the directions are simple and the food is delicious. It’s also nice because the recipes require little time – perfect for weeknight dinners. My favorite thing about the book is that it’s organized by season – which is brilliant for those of us who like to use in-season produce.

 

Barefoot Contessa  (Ina Garten) – I have three of her cookbooks (The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Back to Basics and At Home)and I love perusing them and selecting my next triumph. The photos are gorgeous. The only issue with these cookbooks is that the Contessa’s recipes are really fatty and rich. Cooking too much out of these cookbooks will make you gain weight – fast.

 

The Food You Crave (Ellie Krieger) – This cookbook is the opposite of the Barefoot Contessa books. This book has very few photos and focuses on healthy eating. Living up to the name, Ellie showcases recipes that you love – but she focuses on maximum flavor with limited calories/fat. I’ve been impressed with these recipes, although I wish there were more pics!

 

Magazines

Fine Cooking – http://www.finecooking.com/

Cuisine at Home – http://www.cuisineathome.com/ (Thanks Kristina!)

 

Food Blogs

Smitten Kitchen – http://smittenkitchen.com/

101 Cookbooks  - http://www.101cookbooks.com/

 

Here are pics from dinner the other night – lamb shanks – nummers!

ring

I’ve had a few requests to post pics of my ring…so here it is! Didn’t it turn out beautiful?

Pumpkins, dresses and costumes…oh my!

It sure was a busy weekend – and overall a really great weekend! It started off on a good note, because I didn’t have to work on Friday – yay! Having Friday off allowed me to get a ton of errands done: returned a bunch of clothes, tried on a wedding dress and made my decision (hooray!), went grocery shopping, went to the butcher, and met Ams for dinner! I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have every other Friday off. It’s nice to get all your chores done so you can enjoy a full two days of pure weekend! Saturday we got up and cleaned the apartment and then went to the pumpkin patch with Stacy and Andre. I love the pumpkin patch. I love searching for the perfect pumpkin. I love all the colors. I love all the kids running around in the mud. SO much fun! After the patch, we carved the ‘kins and ate a yummy dinner. Sunday, I crossed the ferry and spent the day with my mom. And we even picked out my Halloween costume. I’m going to be the board game TWISTER! It’s actually a kid’s costume, and I’d like to give a special shout-out to my mom for sewing on additional fabric to the bottom of the dress (to make the length more appropriate).  Thanks big mama! All in all, a pretty good weekend (although I did have one minor altercation at the end that threatened to leave a bad taste in my mouth, but it all ended up ok).

Here are few pics from the patch.

crazy lazy.

All I want to do these days is sleep, watch Deadwood, admire my new ring, read and eat.  I’m not exaggerating; it’s embarrassing. I can’t take all this darkness – it messes with me too much. It makes me a worse, less productive version of myself.

mood vampire.

The last couple years I have realized something about myself – I am a mood vampire. I feed off other people’s energy. This is especially true for me in a work environment.  If people are excited, energized and collaborative – I am too.  I soak up their positive vibes and thrive on it. This is when I’m most productive and creative; this is when I ROCK.  If I’m hanging out with Debby-Downer , Connie-the-Complainer or The-Grass-is-Always-Greener-Gail, it’s very easy for me to be pulled down. Sucked in. I, too, start complaining and my outlook becomes a little gloomy. Now don’t go confusing this with venting. Everyone needs to be able to vent and to release some steam. I don’t mind venting; in fact I usually welcome it. I’m talking about doom and gloom. Bad attitudes. And laziness.  For better or for worse, I’m a sponge. I absorb all of it – good and bad.

I think this is part of the reason why I thrive in a collaborative, team-environment. A place where teamwork is valued and where “we are all in this together”. I love celebrating together – and rising to the occasion when it’s needed. Solving problems. Reliving our victories and commiserating over our defeats.  The energy is practically addicting. I think I would be unhappy in a job where I was flying solo all the time.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with all of this, except that I guess I need to be careful when the mood turns gloomy – so I don’t soak up too much!

wedding

This is becoming a nasty habit – only posting on Sundays. Oh well; I’m over it. I thought I’d give a quick wedding update of where we are at with the planning.

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

We have reserved a venue.

We have a date set.

We have secured a band for the reception.

We know the basic flow/style of our celebration.

Wedding party is pretty much decided.

We have an officiant – although I think he still needs to get the appropriate paperwork.

We have someone to play our ceremony music .

I have my new ring setting – we picked it up on Friday. I LOVE how it turned out.

I have tried on many wedding dresses and I *think* I’ve found the one. I’m hoping I can find it used, although I’m less hopeful than I once was about that possibility.

Up next on my To Do List:

Start getting quotes from caterers.

Look for hotels in the area for guests who wish to stay.

Purchase a dress.

Tighten up the guest list.

Find a photographer.

recognition.

Last week was a particularly hectic week at work. I won’t get into the nitty-gritys, but it was busy and included me giving a presentation. I’m not deathly afraid of public speaking, but I’m not comfortable with it either. By the end of the week, I was feeling a little tired and worn out. After the presentation, flowers were delivered to my office. They were from my VP with a note telling me I did a great job and telling me she’s happy I’m a part of the team. Now, I’m not a particularly needy person – I don’t require a lot of coddling or reassurance. However after last week, I must have needed a little pick-me-up. I was so touched by her gesture; it was just what I needed to get rejuvenated and excited again.

Everybody wants to feel appreciated and she reminded me how important it is to recognize people and thank them. So, write someone a thank you card. Or send them flowers. Or bring them a cookie. Trust me, a little recognition and appreciation goes a long way.

weekend update.

Friday morning: We went to the jeweler and picked out/designed my ring setting – YAY! The wax mold should be ready for our review sometime next week. It’s really hard to choose something that you are going to wear everyday for the rest of your life.

Friday afternoon: Dress shopping! I went wedding dress shopping with my mom. It was really fun, but now I’m more confused than ever. I thought I had a really good idea of what I wanted, but I basically ended up liking all the dresses. I’m going again next weekend…I’m hoping it will provide a little clarity.

Saturday afternoon: I had a hair appointment. Yes, I still drive a million miles away to get my hair done. And yes, it’s still worth it! All over color, partial highlight, cut and eyebrow wax. Guess how much. GUESS. I double-dog dare you. $97. Before tip.

Saturday evening: Derek’s brother and gf bought a new house. We stopped by to check it out. It’s SO nice; they scored big time. I couldn’t be happier for them.

Saturday night: Sushi in Wallingford

Sunday morning: Went for a hike up Rattlesnake ledge (just past north bend).

Sunday afternoon: Nap, cleaning, grocery store and Seahawks game.

Sunday evening: Made dinner (Lentil soup and a salad), blogging, reading and the season premiere of Brothers & Sisters.   Nighty Night.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

it was SO worth it.

The other day I was in the dentist office waiting to get my teeth cleaned. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I picked up a magazine (called Real Food) and started browsing the recipes.  It had at least 6 soup recipes I wanted to make – but one in particular: the smoky chicken, tomato, brown rice and corn soup. The photo was amazing; it was the perfect fall soup. Hearty, warm, cozy. I wanted the magazine. I NEEDED the magazine. And more importantly I needed the soup. I quickly assessed my options. I could either take the whole magazine or rip the page out, but I had to decide quickly. The rip approach would draw too much attention, so I opted for the entire mag. I very stealthily turned my shoulder and slipped the magazine into my purse. And then I looked up. The receptionist was staring right at me. CAUGHT! She saw the entire thing. And then she turned away and we both pretended like it didn’t happen. Talk about awkward.

During the fall season, Derek and I try to make a soup every week. I made this for our fall soup kick-off and I’m happy to announce that it was worth it. The soup was really good. I thought I’d share the recipe w/ my notes. It’s easy, it’s warm, it’s fall in a bowl.

Smoky chicken, tomato, brown rice and corn soup

Use cooked chicken leftover from a rotisserie chicken for this quick, easy and substantial soup.

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can (28oz) peeled plum tomatoes with juices

3-4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup leftover brown rice, bulgur, quinoa or other grain

2 cup fresh, frozen or canned corn kernels

1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided

¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño, or to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

·         Heat the oil in a large, broad soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the paprika and cumin.

·         Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Add the chicken and pulse once or twice or until chopped into small pieces. Add to the pot with the sautéed onion and spices. Add 3 cups of the broth and heat to simmering. Stir in the rice, corn, half of the cilantro leaves, olives, and jalapeño. Heat stirring over low heat. Add the remaining cup of broth to the soup if desired.

·         When the soup is hot remove from heat and add lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and place a spoonful of yogurt in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over the top, dividing evenly.

Kindra’s Notes: I used barley instead of brown rice – it was great! I added a teaspoon cayenne pepper. I didn’t have canned plum tomatoes, so I just used canned diced tomatoes – it was great and I didn’t puree anything. Next time, I won’t use kalamata olives and I’ll double the recipe so we have more leftovers.

mt. adams

Last weekend, we wrapped-up the 2009 camping season with a bang! We went to Takhlakh Lake. The views of Mt. Adam are so beautiful. I highly recommend checking it out!

good or bad?

Admittedly I am vocal and opinionated. I think it’s one of my best qualities and one of my worst qualities. I would guess that 85% of time it’s an asset; and the rest of the time it’s a disadvantage. On the one hand, I think I’m paid to have an opinion. They don’t pay me to sit around and not say anything. On the other hand, there is something to be said for subtlety. Making people guess. Not showing all your cards. Today, I got a little carried away. Sigh…someday I’ll be perfect.

adversity.

Don’t get me wrong, I like football as much as the next gal. In fact, I’m very excited for the upcoming season. However, I do have one complaint; the overuse of the word “adversity”. I would like the football community to learn a new word.  Yesterday I was watching football and in a 3 hour period I heard the word at least 15 times. “This team has faced a lot of adversity in the past.” “Player X has overcome adversity in this game.”  It’s borderline embarrassing because it seems to be the only “grown-up” word this community knows and they’ve ALL latched onto it. Players, commentators, coaches and analysts alike. Pay attention and it will start to drive you crazy.

Hardship. Difficulty. Misfortune. Pick one.

mark your calendar.

It’s official; we set a date for the big day! Derek and I will be tying the knot exactly 334 days from today. In 11 months, I will be a wife (kinda freaky weird).  Yes, for those of you who are marking your calendar, I realize it’s Friday the 13^th. Good thing we’re not superstitious!

I couldn’t be happier; yippee!

stressed.

No wonder I’m so stressed out! It turns out, it’s because I live in Seattle. In a recent Forbes study, Seattle ranked #11 on the most stressed out cities.

things that bug me.

• Grown adults who wear cartoon characters on their clothes (tweety bird, tigger, mickey mouse, etc.) It’s just weird.
• Seattleites who drive convertibles – get a life. That car doesn’t make you cool; in fact it reeks of insecure-douchebag.
• Grocery store clerks who are rude. Yes QFC lady who checked me out tonight…I’m talking about you. I’m sorry I inconvenienced you tonight by shopping.
• Email senders who write full paragraphs in the subject line. That’s not what the subject line is for. New to email?
• Seattle buses that take up every single lane on 4^th ave and clog up traffic. Apparently devoting all of 3^rd avenue to them, giving them a bus lane on every other street and building an underground bus tunnel just isn’t enough.
• The Twilight series. I know I’m going to get  a lot of resistance  and objection to this one. But if I hear one more grown woman say they wish they were a vampire or that it’s the best love story ever, I think I’m going to end it. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I kind of miss it when they were all obsessed with Harry Potter. At least it didn’t seem so cheesy.
• My face. I’m practically 30 and I’m still breaking out like a hormone-drenched teenager. Just call me “zit-face brownlee”.
• Fake people. It must take a lot of energy to try so hard. Please don’t waste your energy on me.
• The phrase: “Holy Schnikes!” Ewww.

sassy in scottsdale.

This weekend I attended a bachelorette party in Scottsdale, Arizona. We had so much fun! Friday night we dressed up in 80s gear and went roller-skating. Saturday we went to a fun dinner and then dancing. Congrats Erin P. We are SO happy for you; can’t wait for your big day in Fres-yes!

updates.

1)    It’s been several weeks since Derek and I have cooked together. Tonight we joined forces to make dinner – and it sure was fun. The most notable part of the meal was Derek’s cauliflower mashers (instead of mashed potatoes). They were really good!  Different – but good. We both decided we’d be making these again so we can perfect them.

2)    We went to Trader Joe’s today to grocery shop – and MAN I forgot what a great place it is to buy wine. HELLO?! We stocked up. 6 bottles.

3)    The other day, Derek brought home the book Columbine by Dave Cullen. He’s been on the library waiting list for 4 months to get the book. This morning I started reading it and I couldn’t put it down. I read 100 pages earlier and as soon as I’m done with this post I’m going to hit it again. It’s a different angle of the story, different from what I’ve heard before. And I’m really enjoying Cullen’s writing.  READ IT.

4)    Even though I think it’s completely superfluous I really love our subscription to Sirius radio.

5)    Saturday we went to the jeweler to look at ring settings (my diamond is currently in a temporary setting). At first I was really overwhelmed with all the options, but then I settled down and it was really fun! I found a few settings that I liked, but I think we’re going to design our own setting because I want to make a few modifications.

FWD: random thoughts of the day.

I got a forward today at work – it was someone’s “random thoughts of the day”. Usually I ignore forwards, but I trust this particular forwarder.  I laughed out loud at least three times. And in my book, that’s worth reading. It’s a little long, but there are some jewels buried in there. (I have no idea who wrote these random thoughts– it wasn’t me). Enjoy!

• I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
• Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
• I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
• That’s enough, Nickelback.
• I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
• The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards” again.
• Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
• There is a great need for sarcasm font.
• Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.
• The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, Both go left, Both go right game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that’s is when I realized, yup, that’s a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.
• How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
• I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
• The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
• A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
• More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
• Was learning cursive really necessary?
• Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
• I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
• Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
• My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads.  Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.
• Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
• How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
• I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a d*ck from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
• Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm….Goonies”
• What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
• While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
• MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
• Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died…
• I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
• I would like to officially coin the phrase ‘catching the swine flu’ to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: “Dave caught the swine flu last night.”
• I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
• Bad decisions make good stories.
• Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
• Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
• If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
• Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
• You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
• Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
• There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
• I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
• I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
• I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
• When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
• I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
• Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
• Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
• It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
• I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
• I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.
• Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
• I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
• I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.