Viva Italiano! --From the Ville

In February, our dining group visited Italy, via the Gainesville route. Casa di Gough did a top notch job with setting the Tuscan mood with Chianti bottles, grape leaves and rich colors. I could kick myself, because somehow I lost all the pictures I planned on using, and now I am resorting to using back up pictures. But even with using the backup pictures, the table looks great. Upping the ante for the next hostess (me), Jeanette even made menus (dang it!)



Let's talk food!

Bruschetta
Nothing tops a fresh bruschetta!


Chicken Parmigiana
She may be Cuban, but I am pretty sure she has an Italian relative hiding somewhere because this chicken parmigiana was to die for. I've never had such an impressive sauce made from ingredients I would never had thought (anchovies paste,carrots and white wine!) Typically I am not a pasta person, but I could eat this all the time. And how does one top the best sauce? With homemade pasta. Homemade!!! Trust me when I say this picture does not do it justice. Ouch! (that's me kicking myself)


Salad
The salad was an Olive Garden recreation all the way down to the top secret home made dressing. Olive Gardens all you can eat soup,salad, and bread sticks is my idea of heaven, so I was one happy gal.


Triple Chocolate Tiramusi
I had the dessert this round and decided on a triple chocolate tiramisu simply because I saw it online and instantly wanted it in my mouth. The more and more I attempt this whole cooking thing, the more and more I realize how ill-equipped my kitchen is for cooking (note to self: buy beater). I am also learning that Google is a girls best friend as I realized "stiff peaks" isn't something naughty, but a term used when whipping heavy creme.

(Look at that presentation! So impressive! Okay, I stole it from the internet.)

Chianti
If you know Danielle, you know there isn't a Chianti out there without her name on it. And luckily for us, she knew just the ones to get to compliment our meal.


There's more?!
As if the menus were not enough, we were sent home with a little bottle of olive oil infused with rosemary from her garden. Her garden!!!

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What a great evening! The food was delish, the company was great, and I am actually learning all kinds of cooking things I never knew before. Heck, I can even type "stiff peaks" without giggling now! Okay, most of the time... Next month is my turn and we are doing an Irish theme. I am thinking I will just get a chalkboard and write "BEER" on it (menu) and get everyone really drunk and see if we all wake up in my garden. Also called "the weeds outside my house."

Bonjour!... from Alachua

In an attempt to be a more well rounded woman, I am trying to learn how to cook. So far, no good. Instead, I have learned that it is possible to burn your ear, cheek, chest and arm with one good stir. And I have learned that making smoothies in the morning is a very frustrating way to start a day.

Knowing how cooking challenged I am, my friends husband (who should have his own cooking show) suggested that us gals get together once a month to do some cooking to teach and learn from each other. Some of us (the non cookers) were more reluctant than others (the cookers), but we decided that we would give it a try. If anything, we could drink lots of wine!

Allie volunteered to host the evening and picked France for the theme. So, she would provide the main dish, I would bring the side, another friend would bring the dessert and the last friend would bring the beverage (then we rotate each month.) I was pretty excited because the only thing I really know about France is the Eiffel Tower. And the only French I know is hello, goodbye, and how to proposition someone. Allie set the bar high with her lovely table setting that was met with ooh's, ahh's and groans (from the decorating challenged.)

Now let's talk food!

Croque Monsieur
Don't call it a grilled cheese and ham, because this baby was so much more. Think cheese, and ham, and cheese, and then cheese melted on top of the cheese and ham. There are no words to fairly describe the goodness of this sandwich. Did I mention the cheese?

Garden Ratatouille
I had the side dish, so I searched high and low for something that would compliment croque monsieur and came up with garden ratatouille. If you asked me, it's just sauteed veggies, but since I am trying to be a better cook, and it makes me sound fancy, I will use its formal name.

Creme Brulee
Did you know that people own tiny blow torches??? These same people also know that you use them to brown sugar on top of creme brulee. I was intrigued, awed and bewildered. And not allowed to hold the blow torch.

Champagne/Sparkling Wine
What's the best way to top off a delicious meal? With champagne of course! Cheers!!

To say it was a wonderful evening would be an understatement. We laughed, we ate, and we learned that I can only really proposition someone in french if I sing the whole song... Next month we will be doing Italian. Not the Godfather... Glad that was made clear. (sheepishly puts away the horse head.)

Au Revoir for now!

The Year of Jamie

Only 12 days late but hey, at least I am blogging!!!

So, here is a run down of my goals for 2013

1. Be less round.
We all saw that one coming right? It's true. I want to lose weight. I wish I could say something deep like "I want to be able to one day run and play with my children" but in truth, I want to look good in clothes. There are so many great fashion choices out there right now that I would love to get my hands on but I just don't like how I feel in clothes right now. If you looked in my closet you would be shocked at the great selection of fashionable clothes, all in my normal size, but I can't wear any of them! Not because I feel self conscious but because I literally can not button them or they cut in and give me a very aggressive shit talking muffin top.

2. Get finances in order.
I am finally to the point in my life where I do not have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Don't get me wrong, every once in a while I still do a little banking magic but for the most part, I'm doing okay. I have a three year plan to buy a house (beyond excited!!!), so I put myself on a financial plan where at the end of the three years, I will be a great prospect to buying the house I want and have the money to do so. I am sure I will blog about the whole saving money, house buying process, because I am super excited, but also there is ton of hoops you have to jump through, and some of the requirements make me want to scream. My current credit building aggravation: I think it is nonsense that you have to have some sort of revolving credit (credit card) to make your credit look better. Shouldn't I get points for NOT having a credit card and somehow surviving?

3. Have more fun.
Last year it dawned on me that I was totally happy. Amazingly, for no certain reason, I am happy. I also realized I was slightly bored. I had a routine: I worked, went home after work, read or watched TV, played with the pups, ate, showered and then bed. Start the same routine the next day. I mentioned this to one of my closest friends and she said she felt the same way. Totally happy with our lives, but lacking some excitement. So this year my goal is to try something different at least once a month. It doesn't have to be a big adventure (but it can) and it doesn't have to scare the pants off of me (but it can). I just want to have more fun. Have more adventures that add to my already happy life. (Plus, it pretty much gives me something to blog about each month. Score!!!)

4. Take Better Care of Myself
Years ago, my two best friends had a ritual where they would go to CVS and comb the discount end aisles for what seemed like hours. They loved it to the point where it made me envious and I asked to go once. Notice I said once. I hated it. While they enthusiastically dug deep into the baskets, and pulled out the most obscure beauty product and debated trying it, I did a quick once over and wondered how much longer until we went and got a beer. I've never been that girl. I am not slamming those girls, in fact, I need to be more like that. I am just not big on grooming. Not in a dirty way, just in a minimalist (some would say lazy) way. I have minimal beauty products, I get pedicures maybe 3 times a year, I haven't had a message in forever, and I recently had a friend delete a perfectly good picture of us because you could tell I needed to have my hair recolored. So another goal of mine is do better in this arena. I am not going crazy or anything but I would hate for another innocent picture be deleted.

5. Read 100 Books This Year
This one I put in there because if I fail all the other ones, I should be able to pull this one off. I love to read. It's one of the many traits I got from my mother. Both of us would be perfectly content to spend the whole day reading while the world zoomed around us. I love to talk about books (shout out to my bookclub!), I love to suggest books to people (friend me on goodreads.com)and I love to spend hours in the library picking what I will read next. I typically allow myself 12-15 books at a time, and depending on how busy life is for me at that moment those books will last about 2 to 3 weeks. So, yah, I picked this one so I can say I accomplished at least one of my resolutions at the end of the year. (BTW, I am already 5 books ahead of schedule...but still round.)

So that's it. While most people pick one thing to focus on, I picked five. Go big or go home right? So, feel free to check on how I am doing on these. If you see me out and I'm sporting dinosaur feet, ask me to go get a pedicure with you. I will pretend like I don't know what you are doing. If you see me out in workout clothes, ask me about my workout, and I will pretend like I had actually been at the gym and not still wearing the clothes I slept in. While it may not seem like it, your gentle calling me out will remind me that I need to get my butt in gear. And I will love you for it, after I stop hating you for it.

Summer Reading

Summer time means summer reading! And something you guys may not know about me is a I am a big reader. I love to read! One of my favorite things to do is waste the day away at the library picking out what I will be reading for the next two weeks. I typically get about 10-15 books at a time and depending on how social I am being, I can typically finish them in about 2 weeks. Now, while I love to read, I am not big on reading to cry. So, if you tell me "oh you will cry your eyes out" chances are, I am not ever reading that book. I like more light hearted, contemporary fiction novels, and if by chance I end up crying that is fine, but I will never set out to read a book I know will make me cry. Again. I am looking at you The Notebook (which I had to actually close the book and cry into my hands I was crying so hard.) This time instead of mindlessly wandering around the library, I took the time to research books I wanted to get from the library using other peoples summer reading lists as well as Amazon.com's suggestions for me. A couple of the books I wanted were not available at the library, so I ended up getting another book by the same writer to see if I liked their writing. Hopefully I will be able to add those books I missed out on to my Fall reading list. I also added a few books that normally wouldn't jump off the bookshelf at me, so if by chance you see me reading bawling my eyes out by the pool, you know I got more than I expected!


Time of My Life-- Allison Winn Scotch

Good In Bed-- Jennifer Weiner

Good Girls Gone Bad-- Jillian Medoff

Blue Asylum-- Kathy Hepinstall

We Only Knew So Much-- Elizabeth Crane

There's Cake in My Future-- Kim Gruenenfelder

The First Husband-- Laura Dave

Summer of Two Wishes-- Julia London

Surprise Me--Nancy Goodman

White Girl Problems--Babe Walker

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?--Mindy Kaling

You Don't Sweat Much For a Fat Girl-- Celia Rivenbark

Perfect on Paper--Maria Murnane

Just Like Me, Only Better-- Carol Snow

The Bachelorette Party-- Karen McCullah Lutz

Outlander-- Diana Gabaldon (suggested by my friend Michele)

Please let me know if you have already read something off my list or end up reading something from it. I love to discuss books. Feel free to suggest books for the Fall for me too.

Happy Reading!!!

This Week In My Head

How can I go back for thirds without anyone noticing?

Did I really just use Twitter to back up my statement?

If all else fails, I will just go all Real Housewives of St. Augustine on it.

I wonder if any of my dogs would ever bite me in the face?

If this is what I look like after a workout, I can scratch gym off the list of possible places to meet a guy.

It's a must to go see Magic Mike in the theater because a single girl renting it on a Friday night just seems dirty.

What exactly would one have to do to be kicked out of a cat colony?

Imagine how powerful we would be if women spent more time building each other up instead of tearing each other down.

My wedding dress is on sale!

How in the world did they convince Mark Walberg to star in Ted?

I should probably stop comparing my dogs to her kids.

This dress is obviously sized wrong. I am no where near a size 10... It fits! Really doesn't do anything for me. I think I will get it. Hellllo size 10!

--Don't mind if I do.

Stopping to smell the...Stadium?

I've never been one who embraces the whole "be one with nature" concept. I don't camp. I never walk barefoot. I don't take time to smell the roses. Laying in a hammock seems like taking your life into your own hands. I will never suggest going for a hike. I don't picnic. And the thought of getting married on the beach is my version of hell. In fact, it would be fair to say, the closest I come to being one with nature is laying by a pool with a cocktail. All this in consideration, you can imagine my surprise when I did in fact find myself enjoying some one on one time with nature. Did I go camping? Um, hell to the no. And the chance that I actually laid in the grass are pretty much zero to none, so before our minds start to wander to all the things I didn't do, I will explain: Once a week, my friend and I attempt to run stadiums. I say attempt because when it comes down to it, I don't know what we are doing is actually considered running stadiums in the truest sense of the term. Are we in the stadium? Yes. Do we run around the stadium? Sometimes. Do we actually run all the way up the bleachers? No. Simply put, I am afraid of heights and all it took was one exhausting trip to the top to remind me of my fear. Throw in the whole shaking from running, breathless panic and spinning stadium and you have one extremely uncomfortable gal who refuses to do nothing but lay on the bleacher and silently pray for a way to get down that doesn't involve actually moving. As I was sitting at my desk this week considering all the things I could do to waste time while I waited for my friend to meet me at the stadium, none of the things that would normally appeal to me seemed to be the answer. I didn't want to spend the money for shopping, I didn't want to drive all the way home, and since I am dieting, getting a snack was out. Finally, the most random though dawned on me. Why not go to the stadium and lay on the bleachers and listen to my ipod? Since I typically only go to the stadium for workouts and Gator games, I didn't know if I actually had the nerve to do it. Would I look crazy just laying there? What if a bug crawled on me? Would people think "no wonder she is fat, if THAT'S what she comes to the stadium for?!" Throwing caution to the wind, I decided I was going to give it a try. One of my favorite sites in Gainesville, is walking into the stadium and seeing the field. Whether it's football season or not, or the field is in great shape or not, I always seem to catch my breath when I walk in and see the field. This day was no exception. I decided the best place to have my rest would be in the north end zone. I had 45 minutes until my friend was due to show up. Would I actually be able to just lay there the whole time? The answer is YES! As I laid there and put my ipod on my "mood music" (see definition below) play list, a gust of wind hit my face, and I smiled. It was quiet possibly the best way I've spent 45 minutes in a long time. Adding to my amusement was the occasional glares I would receive from people who when I happened to open my eyes, I'd catch looking at me. Most people would look away quickly, but there were a few girls who openly glared at me. I just smiled back at them. Wasn't my fault they didn't think to do it! I think what really must have bewildered people was the fact that typically when you see people laying on the bleachers they have just finished killing themselves and were taking a break to catch their breath. Not this girl. I walked in, laid down, put my hands behind my head and just laid there for 45 blissful minutes. I know most people would not consider this "being one with nature" but for someone who would rather be poked constantly in the eye than go camping, it really was. I don't remember the last time I made time to literally do nothing but listen to music and look up at the clouds. I am normally so wrapped up in my day to day habits that lately revolve around work, working out and dieting, that I have not taken the time to actually work on or heal my mind as well. It is amazing to me that I can sleep for a 8 solid hours and still wake up exhausted, but I take a one 45 minute break from the world and I feel like a new woman. So, I guess my whole point in all of this is to remind everyone (including myself) that no matter how random it may seem or weird it may look, don't forget to take time to stop and smell the stadium. Or roses.

Mood Music as defined by Me: - Music that doesn't really inspire you to do anything but listen to it. This music will not pep up your mood, nor will it energize you. If you are sad, you will remain sad. There will be no "you go girl" moments while listening to mood music. Examples of mood music (actually on my ipod): "The Story" - Brandi Carlile "Gravity" - Sara Bareilles "I Won't Give Up" - Jason Mraz "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" Ingrid Michaelson "Sparks"- Coldplay

Call Me Old Fashioned...

I have a dear friend, who I love very much, who is convinced the key to my dating life is through the eharmony dating website. Most times when I mention improving my love life, I know she will mention me joining eharmony. Today, I gave in and checked out what eharmony had to offer in terms of online dating. While I am still not interested in spending $40 a month on a monthly membership (we all know I would rather spend that money on shoes, bags or drinks at the bar), I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of available articles for people to read to improve their chances at finding love. A little unknown scoop about me, I love self help articles! From laying sod to getting laid, I will read about it! So I settled in with a glass of wine and decided to indulge myself in some light reading. I ran across an article called "Six Things We Miss About Old Fashioned Dating", grabbed my soapbox and started typing.

Slow Down

The article reminds us that our Grandparents did not jump into relationships, they took their time and courted each other and chances are, your Grandparents are still together. Sure they also walked miles barefoot in the snow just to get to school, but really it’s their dating skills that should be admired.

I Want to Hold Your Hand

As the article pointed out, the Beatles said it best "I wanna hold your hand" and I can actually remember a time when holding hands was a big deal. Remember this? Sitting in the movie and making sure your hand closest to your date was available on your lap just close enough to be held. And the electricity as your hands got closer and closer. I even remember the first time my first love grabbed my hand to hold it and that spark I felt. Nowadays, chances are if you met in the club and danced, your body has made so much contact, bumping and grinding, getting low, holding hands is nothing.

Let's Go Steady

A nice way to avoid the whole awkward "what are we/where are we going?" conversation that is almost always started by women. Why is it that guys don't really need to know what/where you are as a couple? Is the promise ring our generations version of the going steady pin? If so, this is important: Unless you are in high school or early college, the promise ring is unacceptable. I see it this way, if you present me with a promise ring, the only thing you need to promise me is it is not actually a promise ring. As I am sure most females will agree, we are fine going slowly and going along for the ride (some rides taking longer than others) as long the ride has been mapped out at some point and we know where our final destination is.

When "Making Love" Meant Something Else

The article focuses on how "making love" meant more than the sexual act. Basically how men would woo women with their words and actions. I would like to focus on the last time someone actually said "we made love" Even couples who are crazy in love and connected at the hip do not say "made love". While I am on the subject, I hate when people call their significant others "Lover." When you say "lover" I am automatically transported to a place I do not need to be. Your bedroom. So, please stop.

One on One

I can actually get on board 100% with the article on this one. Basically, leave all of your technology devices out of the picture. If you are on a date, you should be focused on that date, not checking your facebook, tweeting, or checking the game score. You should be able to disconnect from the world long enough to enjoy someones company. I mean c’mon, a nice McDonalds dinner is roughly thirty minutes… Note to self: up standards.

Clear Intentions

The article states that there was a time when a guy asked you out because he liked you. And since he asked you knew he was interested. There was no wishy washy business. No “He’s Just Not into You” books or wait three days to call rules. I am sure there was still the great girl talk of “do you think he is thinking about me” but surely the “Well, we went out, hooked up, he cried about his mom, and then I did the walk of shame to my car… Do you think he will call?” conversations were limited. If you liked each other you made it clear, without removing your clothes. Need ways to show your interested? Put your shirt back on and see all above.

Cliff-Notes version of the blog:
1. Granny and Gramps still got it!
2. Promise ring = no good
3. Don’t say “lover”
4. Don’t answer that text.
5. Don’t play games.