Archive for April, 2012

I’m Back!

Monday, April 30th, 2012

I’M ALIVE! Did you miss me?? I totes missed you guys!  I forgot to tell you that I was going to be away in Utica, IL for a work event all weekend.  The good news is the event went pretty well and I got to see some of my favorite people.  The better news is the resort/hotel we had the event on was a really cool and interesting place which meant I got to take lots of pics to share with all of you.

First up is the ‘gym.’  I actually had some time Friday morning to head over to the gym to get a quick workout in.  This so called gym was in a small, dark windowless room.  It consisted of 3 machines: an elliptical, stationary bike and step machine.  Fine with me,  as these  are all machines I use on a daily basis.

I started with the elliptical.  After being on it for about 4 minutes I realized I couldn’t go very long because it might just give up and break on me.  The thing was rattling, shaking and making all sorts of scary noises I’ve never heard before.  After 30 minutes on the thing, I decided to finish up my workout on the step machine.  Except the step machine didn’t work, so I went to give the bike a try, except that was also broken.   The worst part however was the fact that the entire room was covered with mirrors which meant no matter where I looked, I had to look at my busted self in the mirror.

And this:

Annnnd this:

In other words, this was not one of my favorite gym sessions.

Let’s move on to the decor of the place.   It was a  cabin lodge type place so most of the decor was around the wilderness.  It was honestly decorated pretty cool but some of it was really interesting…

How creepy is that bear?  It was in one of the rooms a breakout session was taking place in.  Which meant he got to watch over all the people in the session.  Poor guy though was missing something:

He however was not the only one watching over this particular room.

No bigs, just a dear head peeking out over the screen where the presentation will be.

On the final night there however, I came across this guy:

Does that thing not look like it’s going to eat you?  It looks just like what I see in the mirror every morning when I wake up.

It was quite a weekend and I’m excited to have today off.  Why am I so excited you ask?  Because my entire day will be spent on the couch reading this:

I’ll let you know if it’s worth all the hype. That’s all the nonsense I have for now!

What IS That?

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

I am not a judgmental person, I usually don’t pay any mind to what people are wearing, hairstyles, etc. You know what I am judging though?  Celebs outfits for Coachella.  I mean, I get Coachella is a ‘hippish’ type music festival but it seems like celebs dress in the most bizarre clothing to see who can look the most ridiculous.  Normally it’s just Vanessa Hudgens looking like a fool in some weird outfit dancing all over the place high, but this year there are some real winners…

Emma Roberts, girl, did you forget to button your shorts?

Or put on your shirt and pants?

And it looks like the queen of Coachella fashion, Vanessa Hudgens, forget her pants too.

And, Vanessa what is that on your head?

Apparently Joe Jonas thinks wearing sleeveless shirts out in public is sexy?

And Katy Perry thinks showing me her lady clothes are appropriate for this occasion.

Jared Leto, as usual just looked weird and kinda creepy.

In his defense though, he does look mighty cute here:

But I was most disappointed to see Hermione Granger (ok Emma Watson) wearing some weird fur vest.

Weird right? Who do you think looks the worst? I vote Emma Roberts…

That’s all the nonsense I have for now!

A Number of Things

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

1. PartyDog planned our surprise April date for last night!  He planned on us going to this wine bar called Bin 36 and then here for dinner.  When we got to the wine bar however, it was so cool we decided to just eat there.  I’m so glad we did.  The only 3 things I need in life are wine, bread and cheese and I got that all last night. Perfect.date.

2.  We also got a a few appetizers to share.  One of them being mini grilled cheese sandwiches.  These sandwiches changed grilled cheese forever for me.  No longer will I be able to eat a simple grilled cheese sandwich, I will now demand caramelized onions and fancy cheese on fancy bread.  PartyDog wouldn’t let me take any more pictures because he said it was too classy of a place to constantly take pictures for my blog. Ugh, what does he know?

3.   Trader Joe’s recently brought this into my life:

It’s perfect in every way.  (Can you spot Jason Schwartzman in the background? This is only 1 of 2390 posters of movies we have with him in it hanging on our walls.)

4.  And Fox and Obel brought this $10.00 tea into my life:

It’s also perfect in every way.  And worth $10.00.

5.  PartyDog has been buying all sorts of toys.  He wants to direct movies so it seems like everyday he gets a new package in the mail with something for his camera.  Did I mention he refuses to get rid of the boxes until he’s absolutely sure everything works properly?  These boxes have been sitting here for weeks and there’s no end in sight for them being there as far as I can tell.  It’s driving me insane.

Except the box in the front may or may not be a DSW box from a pair of boots I just ordered.

6.  Sometimes I stop and get coffee from 7-11 in the mornings.  If you think Starbucks in crazy at 7:30 in the morning, try 7-11.  This place is a mad house.  Not just because there are 23902 people trying to fit in a tiny store but because the people themselves are in fact crazy.  There are some interesting folk at 7-11 early in the morning, go see for yourself one day.

7.  Remember cutie-pie Kim who did a guest post on the couch to 5k program??  Well Kim has signed up to do her very first half-marathon on July 22, 2012 and is running it on behalf of PAWS Chicago!  Be a nice person and go donate to her cause so you can help some puppies and kitties get a loving home!  Donate here. If you don’t I’ll come after you.  Anyone else running a race for charity this season?

She’s bossy, no? And yes I stole that picture from her blog without asking.  That’s what happens when you’re my friend. (PS. lady-crush Linds is giving away a bib to a Rock N Roll marathon enter here!)

8.  I just realized I forgot to post the CLICK giveaway winner! Whoops, sorry! I suck even more now.

 # 82: Losing Lindy :oooh Mocha…and I love the blender!

Lindy e-mail at readysetfeast@gmail.com so we can get you CLICK’n!

That’s all the nonsense I have for now!

Recipe Challenge: Chicken Enchiladas Salsa Verde

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Nom nom nom.  That’s all I’ve been saying since I made my last recipe for the recipe challenge.   Due to my big failure of a recipe last time, I really wanted to make something that would so tasty I would dream about it.  Good news is, I did.

As you know, I hoard cookbooks but my favorite cookbook that I own by far is this one:

Everything I’ve made thus far from Mad Hungry has been off the charts good.  So, in searching for this weeks recipe, I went right to this book and picked something I had been eyeing for months now: Chicken Enchiladas Salsa Verde. People, THESE WERE DELICIOUS. PartyDog and I ate it UP and I’m already planning on making it again ASAP. (Sorry for the craptastic pictures, it was late and it’s hard to make enchiladas not look so messy…)

On Kelsey’s Scale of Tastiness I give this a 9.3.  It’s really good, fairly simple and is great served over salad! Here’s the recipe that you need to go home and make for dinner now (and don’t forget to invite me over!).

Mad Hungry’s Chicken Enchiladas Salsa Verde 

Green Sauce:

• 1/2 white onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, stems removed
• 14 whole tomatillos, peeled and simmered in water for 5 minutes
• 1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat the broiler. Place the onion, garlic, and chiles on a baking sheet. Broil for 4 minutes, or until charred and blistered. Discard the garlic skin. Place the onion, garlic, and chiles in a blender jar with the tomatillos, peanuts, salt, and broth. Blend until smooth.

Chicken Enchiladas w/ Salsa Verde

•  3cups Green Sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons more for dressing the salad
• 12 corn tortillas, toasted, stacked, and wrapped in a clean kitchen towel to steam
• 4 cups shredded chicken (from a 3-pound poached chicken)
• 7 ounces queso fresco, crumbled, or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 to 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce, washed and dried
• 6 radishes, trimmed and sliced
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a saucepan to medium high and add a tablespoon of oil. Carefully pour in the green sauce and cook, stirring constantly to thicken up, about 3 minutes. One by one dip the tortillas in the sauce, place in an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, fill with some chicken, and roll up. Fit each enchilada snugly next to the other in the baking dish. Pour the remaining green sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the enchiladas are heated through.

Meanwhile, toss the lettuce and radishes with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, the vinegar, and salt and pepper. Layer the salad on top of the hot enchiladas and serve immediately.

** I made a few changes to the recipe as follows:

• I used almonds instead of peanuts in the green sauce (it’s what I already had on hand).
• I also added a roasted poblano pepper to the green sauce (adds another depth of flavor that’s hard to beat).
• I added a handful of cilantro to the green sauce (I highly recommend doing this!).
• I poached my chicken in chicken broth with a ton of cumin, chili powder and a bay leaf.
• I used feta cheese instead of queso fresco simply because they didn’t have it in my g-store.