Say it ain't so... Jon cheating on Kate!!!

Ox Tail Soup

I think I'm in love... with my crock pot

I bought a crock pot on Saturday since Macy's was having a sale. Only $24 bucks! I found a recipe on one of my favorite blog sites and tried her recipe for pot roast. I put everything in right before work and I came home to this... Everything simmering in the pot:

I even made a gravy:

Thanks Chris for the suggestion on the mushrooms!  This was one of the softest pieces of meat I've ever eaten and one of the easiest things I ever cooked.

Dinner is done and I'm on the computer while Buddy is annoying Ron as he tries to watch the Bulls game. On the menu for dinner tomorrow... Ox tail soup! Going to cook it in my crock pot of course. It was supposed to be sinigang with ribs, but Ron didn't bring me home tamarind packets from the store... boo Ron!

Cupcakes

I first heard of More cupcakes from our tenants who were nice enough to give us a box for Christmas. We had dinner at Big Bowl on Friday night (one of our fave places) and decided to walk over to More for dessert. We made a quick stop to by Trader Joe's to buy freeze dried Rambutan and mangosteen. Do not buy this stuff! It tasted like poison. It was so bad that I returned it. Anyway, we got to More and the door was locked. The employees were nice enough to let us in after they were closed and threw in some free cupcakes since they had to get rid of them.

I love their packaging...

We chose Red Velvet, Lemon Merengue, Strawberry, and their most popular salted caramel.

This was the salted caramel. It sounds weird, but it was actually really good. We don't have Sprinkles in Chicago, so I guess More is the next best thing.

This was me at Trader Joe's before I actually tasted the stuff. Look how excited I was! Very disappointing Trader Joe's =( Thank goodness for your 100% satisfaction guarantee!

My fave wine...

and it's only less than 5 bucks at Dominick's! Talk about a cheap buzz =)

Optimism...

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
- Brian Tracy

   

BUSTED!!!

HAHA... I caught Buddy watching Samantha get her freak on in Sex and the City....

Now that's a guilty (or should I say perverted) looking face...

Rainy days

It rained today. It was gloomy and depressing. It was one of those days where everyone and everything got on my nerves. Maybe it's PMS. Anyway, Ron met me up for lunch today and we ate at this place called Roti. It's Mediterranean food and I heard this place was good. We both got steak sandwiches on flat bread. My first couple bites were just chunks of meat fat! Sick! I was so disgusted that I only ate half and I normally finish all of my lunch because being hungry at work can decrease my productivity significantly. Thankfully there is a Yogen Fruz across my work and we stopped by there after (no, I'm not sick of eating yogurt). Even after lunch, I kept thinking of squishy meat fat chunks, so I sent Ron a text that we should go Vegetarian and he agreed... only for this week though. So for dinner, I made a refreshing shrimp salad. Everything in the bowl: shrimp, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, lime juice, and mango:

My knife still sucks, so everything was chunky monkey style:

And for dessert, a nice hunk of King's Hawaiian Bread with some peanut butter and honey. Yes, that was a big chunk... but I'm vegetarian today, I have to make up my nutrients elsewhere...

The rain is finally going away and the clouds are parting. I'll never get sick of my view. If I ever leave Chicago, it's the one thing that I'll really miss....

Buddy can't believe it's going to be 70 degrees in Chicago today!

Buddy in jail, where he belongs...

Spaghetti

I made spaghetti for dinner last night, it was so yum that I ate it today for lunch.

Angels.

I learned how to post big pics =)

Check out these models (and my photography skills)...

Can't you just feel the passion!

Spring Time @ The City of Hope

It's Monday folks

The work week officially started and I'm feeling so much better today than I did this weekend. So a couple weeks ago was Ron's mom's birthday and we went to a Mediterranean restaurant called Reza's.  I heard that this restaurant was good, but Ron never wanted to go because he was convinced that it would smell like armpit.  Now who would want to go there after hearing that.  Not sure who's idea it was to go to Reza's, but I'm so glad that we did.  The food seemed healthy and nothing was fried (something I wasn't used to).  I had the lamb, hummus, beef, and best of all the chicken.  I was determined to make that chicken at home, so I found this recipe: marinade chicken thighs in 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 6 tablespoons of lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, salt, and pepper.  I marinated for half an hour then right before I put it on the grill, I dipped it in butter... okay, I know that's not healthy, but who cares... my chicken was the BOMB!!! Doesn't it just look delish?!?!  Like Ron would say, "it's so good, you could sell it!"  

While I was in Dominick's today, I stood in front of the frozen dessert section contemplating what I should get for like five minutes... strawberry cheesecake? No.  Pound cake? No.  Apple pie?  No thank you.  Key lime pie?  That sounded interesting, something out of the ordinary, why the hell not.  I gave it a try and I'm so glad I did.  This thing was delish!  It came with two pieces and I'm thinking of eating the second before Ron gets home.  Sharing is not caring.  

This is Bud annoyed that he hasn't been out in two days because Chicago sucks.  It frickin snowed today!  

Woohoo!  Season Premier of The Hills tonight!!!

"You were my BEST Friend!"

"Spencer has you BRAINWASHED"

"I didn't do ANYTHING"

I love being a teeny bopper, it makes me feel young again =)

Lazy Sunday

It's Sunday.  It's been a long week.  I'm still sick.  

Thank goodness I have absolutely nothing to do today... except:

eat one of my favorite breakfast meals... cinnamon rolls (what would the world be like without Pillsbury!) and Starbucks:

and watch Giada at Home...  I want my next kitchen to look exactly like hers.  All white with dark wood.  Too bad I can't cook like her. 

Happy Sunday Folks. 

 Thank goodness it's a short week and I get to go home =)

Too bad Ron and Bud have to stay here in cold ass Chicago.... suckas!!!  

My cuddle bear

I'm sleepy, but I'm trying not to fall asleep.  It's the final episode of ER tonight!  How sad.  

I just found this picture.  It was a month before we got married last year.  Look at how cute my sleepy cuddle bear is!

Chicken Tortilla Soup for the Soul

So I'm feeling pretty crappy today.  I feel a cold coming over me.  It can't be the flu because I got the flu shot... duh!  This is what I get after bragging that I haven't gotten sick all winter.  I was even nicknamed the "rock" at work because I haven't called in sick.  So what does one do when they are feeling under the weather.... eat soup!  It sucks that I have to cook it myself, but who the hell else will?!?!

• The ingredients (my knife sucks)...
  

• Everything coming to a boil...
  

• Whenever I come home from work and start cooking, Buddy goes into the room.  He's such a weirdo.  He goes into the room and acts sad hoping that I'll invite him out to come eat.  This time, he smelled the soup cooking and couldn't resist....  he came out on his own....
  

• The finished product... Chicken Tortilla Soup!  I put in lots of red pepper flakes and lime which cleared up my congestion and most importantly my soul feels better.   Off to bed I go.  It's only 6:30, but I'm sick.  I sleep.  Good night folks.