Droid Eris

On Friday I finally upgraded to my first official grown-up phone. At least that is what I am calling it. Dylan and I headed to the Verizon store after work and spent two hours switching our plans and phones. We both decided to go with the Droid Eris.
So far I really like it. I was a little nervous about switching to a touch screen. My sister got the Droid a few months ago so she reassured me that it was a good phone. I think Dylan is having more fun with it than me. As if he needs another piece of technology to distract himself. ;) There are about a million apps to choose from, which is pretty cool. So far I think I like The Hangover Fanboy Soundbite app the best. Haha
All in all I am liking it. I am hoping to get my work email setup soon. It will come in handy when I am out and about. So far and probably always I am sticking with Verizon! Next up...Iphone.

Quick update on the weekend.
Had amazing night with cincy friends on Friday. After our two hour adventure at the Verizon store we made our way to Mt. Adams for dinner and drinks at the Tavern. Then we came to our place to finally break out The Game of Things. My friend Peyton told me about it and since my mom works for Hasbro I asked for one immediately. It will be great game for one of the rainy nights at the lake this summer. Let's just say we laughed, a lot!

Saturday and Sunday we were pretty lazy. I finished the book Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. I really liked the book, but I was totally disappointed with the ending. I am heading back to the library tomorrow to pick up my next read. Any suggestion?

So now as I watch the closing ceremonies for the winter Olympics, I secretly wish I could wake up tomorrow to beautiful spring weather. Doubtful.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
XOXO
T
ps. Sorry for any mistakes in this post. I decided to do it on the Droid. :)

Idol Faves

Watching American Idol this year is a little boring. I'm not sure if it is because I think this year's selection is sub-par or the fact that I'm watching it by myself. (Dylan's not a fan. Surprising, I know.) Last year I watched each show with my rents. My Dad can tell you that I'm pretty critical of the contestants. I think I would be an amazing judge, but I kinda doubt they would agree. Most of the time I like the people they think are boring and "forgettable." Well this year is no different. I've already picked out the ones I definitely do NOT like and the few whose cds I will totally buy one day. So here are a few of my favorites so far. Lets start with the ladies. Last night was brutal. None of them were stellar.

I think Crystal is awesome. I like her voice and she's totally different than all the other girls. I liked her song choice last night. It was safe, but it was good. Can't say that for some of the other girls.

Didi has a great voice. Her performance last night was decent. I love that song. Again, safe but good enough to get her to the next round I hope. I absolutely loved when she sang "Terrified." I didn't know the song but I want to download Didi singing it ASAP. Plus she has a great story and you know American is going to love that shit! (pardon my French)

Because I love "Terrified" so much, here it is!

Ok, I wasn't a huge fan of this chic last night. I had no idea who she was until I watched the intro clip before her performance. This girl can sing! She didn't do much last night, but I hope you all keep her around so she can surprise us again. She weirds me out a bit in her interviews, but I'm still a fan.

That's about it for the ladies. I do kinda like Katelyn Epperly, Lacey Brown, Michelle Delamor and Paige Miles but not enough to copy and save their pics to put in the blog. :) Maybe next time. Keep working ladies!

I'm currently watching the boys. So far, not so good! geez

Ahhh, Andrew Garcia! I think he is performing last tonight, but I'm going to go ahead and say he is great! His version of "Straight Up" was ridiculous. I'm counting on another great performance from him tonight.

Let this load and tell me you don't agree!

BTW, just watched Andrew just performed and that boy's got skills. Still a fan.

I really like this guy. His performance tonight was better than many of the other guys. Again, another great story for America to love. I just hope he doesn't end up like Ruben Studdard. Remember him??? My point exactly. ha

I don't know who this kid is, but I loved his version of Jason Mraz's, "You and I" tonight. Like always, the judges were not as impressed. I'm a sucker for anything Mraz and he totally got a clap from me at the end of his performance. :)

So that's about it. I don't vote but if you need some help picking out your votes, let this guide you! :)

PS. Does anyone else think Ellen has thrown off the show a bit. I love her, but I'm starting like Kara's comments more than hers and that bothers me. What do you think?

GO IDOL!

Happy Valentine's Day

Normally we don't do much for Valentine's Day. Last year my sister and I surprised the boys with a day of skiing at Perfect North Slopes. I wanted to do something fun for Dylan this year. If you didn't already know, Dylan loves bourbon! So when a friend at work told me about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, I could not wait to start planning.

Here's a little bit about the trail.

For more than 200 years, Kentucky’s legendary distilleries have crafted the world’s finest Bourbons, using secret recipes and a time-honored process passed down from generation to generation.

Now you can explore the rich tradition and proud history of “America’s Official Native Spirit” on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, featuring six signature distilleries nestled among the most beautiful scenery the Bluegrass has to offer.

Discover the art and science of the Master Distiller…savor the distinct, mellow flavor…and see how Kentucky’s perfect natural mix of weather and pure limestone water produces the classic taste and deep amber color.

There are six different distilleries on the trail; Four Roses Bourbon, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Jim Beam, Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey. The website suggests allowing at least two days to complete the trail. I decided to pick two to visit on Saturday afternoon and then stay in Louisville for the night. We hit the road at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and made our way to the Marker's Mark distillery first.

Maker's Mark was great tour. It takes you through the entire process. At the end we headed to the bar to try the "White Dog" (bourbon before it is barreled) and bottled Maker's Mark bourbon. I watched as almost every woman tried the "White Dog" and cringed. I did the same. I was taking pretty small sips, so I let Dylan have the rest. As always, they have a wide variety of fun items to purchase in the gift shop. You can even dip your own bottle of Maker's Mark. Dylan is a bigger fan of Jim Beam so we decided to wait and buy at our next stop.

The Jim Beam distillery is much bigger than Maker's Mark. Unfortunately they don't provide a tour of the facility. (Kind of a disappointment.) Instead they take you into the Beam Home to watch a short video. Then they take you back to the gift shop to try two of their famous bourbons. Saturday we got to try Booker's and Red Stag. Again, I struggled with both of these bourbons. I struggled with Booker's! Listed on the Jim Beam website as "a man's bourbon," this bourbon is 120-127 proof! My chest was hot for a good 5-10 minutes after taking a small sip of this stuff. Of course the ladies working in the store said it was their favorite. I am sure they have been drinking it since birth. Crazy Kentuckians. The Red Stag has a black cherry taste to it. Turns out I am just not a big fan of bourbon, but Dylan still loves it. I got him a bottle of Knob Creek as a souvenir.

After finishing the second tour we made our way north to Louisville. We stayed at the Galt House Hotel and Suites. Our room had a great view over the river which was pretty sweet. A close friend of mine's sister is chef at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel. She invited us to dine at the Old Seelbach Bar for dinner, which is a stop on the Urban Bourbon Trail. We had an amazing meal thanks to Molly.

So that was our Valentine's Day weekend. Maybe we will get around the finishing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, but I would rather hit up a local winery instead. We will see. :) I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too.

xoxo,
T

Super Bowl Weekend: Friday and Saturday

Even though we had the worst snow storm (we ended up only getting like 3 inches of actual snow, the rest was slush) on Friday, we batted the weather anyway. Our friends Colin and Jessica invited us to a secret sensation in Cincinnati, Terry's Turf Club. This place is awesome. The minute we walked in I felt like I was on an episode of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." The restaurant is filled with vintage neon signs, inside and out. The place is tiny (seating 49) and always crowded. We waited about 20 minutes for our table.

You pick from a variety of meats, but for our first time we stuck with the classic burger. To spice up your burger, Terry's has a variety of special sauces to pick from. I chose the burgundy wine with mushrooms and truffle. Dylan chose the roasted red pepper and blue cheese sauce. They had about 3 or 4 others to choose from. Chips come with each burger, but we opted for a side of fries. No need for appetizers at this place. A bowl of peanuts sits at each table and the shells go on the floor.

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of my meal. It was a delicious mess! We can't wait to go back again soon and take some friends along. This place is a hidden wonder in Cincinnati. It has been featured in Food Network Magazine's list of "ultimate burgers." So next time you come to visit, we are always down for Terry's Turf Club.

Saturday was a very lazy day, which I loved! We needed to make a grocery run to our local Kroger and I had the urge to make something new for dinner! I looked through the cook books I own, but everything was so complex. Most of the time I dismiss a new recipe because I don't know two or three of the ingredients. Our Kroger is no Fresh Market so it's impossible to find special ingredients. (The sell a variety of 40 oz. beers...) So as always I went to FoodNetwork.com and started searching through the "30 Minute Meals." You can't go wrong with chicken, it's cheap and the leftovers are always great. Finally I decided on Spinach and Mushroom Stuff Chicken Breast.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
• Large plastic food storage bags or waxed paper
• 1 package, 10 ounces, frozen chopped spinach
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 small mushroom caps, crimini or button
• 2 cloves garlic, cracked
• 1 small shallot, quartered (DID NOT USE THIS)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese (DID NOT USE THIS)
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated or ground nutmeg
• Toothpicks
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth

Place breasts in the center of a plastic food storage bag or 2 large sheets of waxed paper. Pound out the chicken from the center of the bag outward using a heavy-bottomed skillet or mallet. Be firm but controlled with your strokes.

Defrost spinach in the microwave. Transfer spinach to a kitchen towel. Twist towel around spinach and wring it out until very dry. Transfer to a medium-mixing bowl.

Place a nonstick skillet over moderate heat. When skillet is hot, add butter, mushrooms, garlic and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and saute 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms, garlic and shallot to the food processor. Pulse to grind the mushrooms and transfer to the mixing bowl, adding the processed mushrooms to the spinach. Add ricotta and grated cheese to the bowl and the nutmeg. Stir to combine the stuffing. Return your skillet to the stove over medium high heat.

Place a mound of stuffing on each breast and wrap and roll breast over the stuffing. Secure breasts with toothpicks.Add 3 tablespoons oil to the pan, 3 turns of the pan. Add breasts to the pan and brown on all sides, cooking chicken 10 to 12 minutes. The meat will cook quickly because it is thin. Remove breasts; add butter to the pan and flour. Cook butter and flour for a minute, whisk in wine and reduce another minute. Whisk in broth and return breasts to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Remove toothpicks. Serve breasts whole or, remove from pan, slice on an angle and fan out on dinner plates. Top stuffed chicken breasts or sliced stuffed breasts with generous spoonfuls of the sauce.

I did change a few things about this recipe.
1. I did not add shallots or ricotta cheese.
2. I cooked the chicken in the over for about 15 minutes before cooking it in the pan. The reviews I read suggested doing this and I think it worked well.
3. We cooked three chicken breast instead of four, but saved the leftover stuffing for a small pasta dish later. (Also recommended in the reviews.)

This recipe was very easy and very good. We paired it with broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. It takes a lot longer than 30 minutes, but it was not hard to make.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. We are heading to Colin and Jessica's again tonight to watch the big game. I'm so nervous, but excited! I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to share tomorrow!

GO COLTS!

XOXO,
T

Cookies From Home

If you didn't already know, I work for the Girl Scouts. ha And if you have not done so already, pretty soon you will be seeing young girls and their mothers selling cookies outside every Walmart and Kroger. Well guess what, it is my turn to hassle you for money. Only this time you don't get any cookies in return. For those of you still working on that New Year's resolution to lose weight (not a good option if you work for the Girl Scouts btw), this is the perfect option for you... "Cookies From Home."

Here is the deal.
The Cookies From Home program allows people/businesses to buy Girl Scout cookies to send to active military personnel. Girl Scouts of Western Ohio’s Cookies From Home sponsorship program is a great way for customers to send a taste of home to troops serving overseas. This is a terrific alternative for those who want to support Girl Scouts without actually purchasing the cookies for themselves, and is ideal for companies and corporations. By purchasing a box or case of Girl Scout cookies, customers are not only supporting military troops, but after the cost of the cookies, 100% of the proceeds stay in the community to support Girl Scouting. Please remember! Cookies From Home sponsorship is not a personal cookie purchase. The cookies customers purchase are sent directly to the United States Military for distribution.

The office goal is to sell 200 cases. (2,400 boxes) I am required to solicit a minimum of 3 donations. That's where you come in. :) If you are interested in support the "Cookies From Home" program you can donate on the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio website or I can send you a flyer to send to the office. Just email me if you have any questions.

Thank you for your support. I work with a lot of little girls that benefit from your donations.

XOXO,
T