29 November 2011

It's My Birthday

Well folks today marks my 32nd year in this world (at least in this lifetime) and while I'm not that big into birthdays I have already had a great celebration. When Jimmy asked what I wanted for my birthday my response was "romance and seduction." With Jimmy's busy work schedule and an almost 18 month old "romance and seduction" are not in our everyday repertoire. Jimmy tried to play dumb and acted like he didn't know what I meant but in the end he came through with flying colors.

We drove to my parents' house in MI for Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving morning while Jimmy and I were sitting on the couch relaxing, he turns to me and says "I was thinking about surprising you with a trip to New York for your birthday but I thought it would be too much." At first I didn't believe him but then I was slightly annoyed because he should have kept that to himself. Then he asks "would you have liked that?" to which I respond "uh...yeah." "We can still go," he says as he starts looking for flights on his iPad. Long story short, we flew to New York City early the next morning leaving Carter behind in the loving care of his grandparents.


We stayed at the Double Tree in Times Square which was the perfect location for sites and shopping. We spent most of the day Friday shopping and walking up and down 5th Avenue. The streets and stores were packed as was to be expected. I couldn't imagine having a child(ren) in all of that. I would be afraid of losing them. I almost lost Jimmy. I had to hold on tight to his hand just to make sure we didn't get separated. After I found a cute outfit to wear for dinner that night we headed back to the hotel to change and meet up with my little bro Clinton and friend Freddie. We ate dinner at an Asian Fusion restaurant called the Ember Room. So delicious. We had Chocolate Ribs, Deep Fried Oysters, Korean BBQ Beef Fried Rice, and more. Then, stuffed, we walked over to 48 Lounge, which was a cool lounge with super-expensive ($15-17) drinks (welcome to NYC). From there we headed to Taj II where a friend was hosting a party. Mind you, I had been up since 5:15 am and was exhausted. Jimmy teased that I'd be ready to crash by 10:30 pm but I said I wanted to hang at least until midnight. So as soon as midnight hit I politely whispered to Jimmy that I was ready to go. We left Clinton and Freddie to party the night away and called it a night.



Saturday, we slept in a bit, grabbed a quick Starbucks breakfast, did some last minute shopping in Soho ( such a cute area) and then headed to Busker's bar to watch the U of M v. Ohio State football game. A fellow Michigan alum hosted the viewing party so there were plenty of Wolverines to cheer on the team. Jimmy was talking a lot of mess but in the end his negativity wasn't enough to derail the team and we beat Ohio State for the first time in 7 years. Go Blue!



The victory was a fitting end to the trip and after the game we headed to the airport. We got back to my parents' house just before 10 pm and Jimmy being the machine he is decided to drive back to Indy that night. We packed up Carter and hit the road. We got home just before 2 am. The last thing I heard Jimmy say was "I'm not even tired" followed by his snores. We had the perfect Sunday at home watching football all day.

I had a great weekend with family and friends and can truly say that ROMANCE IS NOT DEAD!

20 November 2011

2 New Recipes

Here are two new recipes to try. One is a simple baked tilapia and the other is for white sangria. The tilapia recipe is my own and the sangria recipe is from Gina Neely (I found it on foodnetwork.com).

Baked Tilapia with Basil and Peppers


This recipe is super easy and healthy too. All you need is tilapia filets (how every many you want), fresh basil, red/yellow peppers, lemon slices, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Start off by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Then rinse off the tilapia and pat dry with paper towel. Place the fish in a glass baking dish. Put on your desired amount of salt and pepper (you only need to season one side of the fish), place the cut up peppers and basil on top of the fish, drizzle with olive oil (you want just enough to coat the fish), and place one lemon slice on each piece of fish. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon slices on the fish before serving. This dish is quick, easy, and oh so delicious. I usually serve it with steamed rice. You can always substitute the basil and peppers for your preferred herb and topping. For instance, I've also made this with rosemary, capers, and tomatoes.

White Sangria



I made this for the first time last weekend for my mommy group. The ladies loved it and Jimmy loved it too. Be careful because even though it tastes sweet, the alcoholic content is significant and you will feel a buzz. Here are the ingredients:

2 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup of Peach Schnapps
1/3 cup of honey
1 Granny Smith Apple
10 or so Strawberries
1 Orange
Handful of Seedless Green Grapes
7-Up

Combine the wine, Peach Schnapps, and honey in a glass pitcher (or whatever you're using to hold the sangria) and stir to combine. Cut up the apple, strawberries, orange (leaving on the peel), and grapes and add to the mixture. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so the fruit can soak up the sangria. Serve over ice with a splash of 7-up on top.