At least this time I was prepared

Yesterday we had yet another snow storm in the Midwest. Wahhhhh wahhhh.

Snow days seem to have lost some of their appeal now that I'm older and in the working world. Instead of sitting in front of a computer screen at work all day I get to sit in front of my laptop screen at home. I'll admit it is nice to work from home in my pajamas all day, foregoing a shower if I so choose (one of the many benefits of being single and living alone with a cat - she doesn't care if my hair is so dirty it no longer looks blonde or if I walk around with zit cream on my face all day. Unconditional love right there), but all of our systems run so slow from home so everything takes ten times longer.

I about went crazy last week after being stranded in my apartment alone for two ENTIRE days without much food (thank goodness I had wine), and ZERO hope of getting my car out from behind a massive snow pile. This time I was prepared. No. I didn't go grocery shopping. That would just be crazy. This time I packed a bag and drove my butt over to my parent's house after work Monday night so I could at least have some sort of human interaction and food...lots of food.

Since I was at home with my mom and sister yesterday I decided to cook dinner for them. I really do love to cook and try new recipes, but by the time I get home from work or the gym at night it's usually late and I'm lazy and I don't want to cook an entire meal for just myself. Hence the reason why I eat egg sandwiches, cereal, or Trader Joe's soup literally every night.

Last night's menu consisted of tomato basil soup and my version of a grown up grilled cheese. It was pretty tasty, but I was stuffed afterwards. I'm talking uncomfortably full. Snow day snacking plus a big dinner in combination with my inability to run after hurting my knee skiing on Saturday is making me feel real good about myself, but that is beside the point. At least the soup was healthy-ish...

Here are the recipes if you are interested in trying them out:

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

one large white onion, sliced

walnuts, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

Granny Smith apple, sliced thin

sourdough bread, sliced

butter

sharp cheddar cheese, sliced

Slice onions thinly and saute with chopped walnuts in olive oil until onions are caramelized. Onions should be a nice golden brown color. Don't look at my picture because mine were definitely a little crispy. I got a little distracted and cooked them way too long. Set onions aside. Thinly slice Granny Smith apple. Butter one side of bread, and place in pan. Add a slice of cheddar cheese then apple slices then caramelized onions and walnuts. If you want you can add another slice of cheese or just place the second piece of buttered bread on top. I tried it both ways, and it was definitely easier to flip with the extra slice of cheese...but that is also probably why I had a stomachache last night. Too much cheese. Cook until golden brown.

Tomato Basil Soup

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

two 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

one 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes

2 cups of vegetable stock

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp fresh basil, julienned

shaved Parmesan cheese

Saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up. Next add the juice from the whole tomatoes, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook the soup on medium heat at a simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil. I don't know if I just didn't do an adequate job of squeezing the whole tomatoes, but there were some pretty big chunks in the soup. I personally am not a huge fan of chunky soups so I think when I make this again I will blend in a food processor so it has a smoother consistency. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese.

Hopefully everyone survived the snow storm and that was the last of this winter weather! Lets all think warm thoughts!

I went skiing...and survived

Well I can check another thing off my 28 Things Before 28 list! On Saturday I went skiing with some friends at Snow Creek, and while I can't say that skiing is my most favorite thing to do now, I'll admit it was fun.

Thankfully my friend Scott was a real gem and volunteered to be my ski instructor for the day saving me some cash as well as the embarrassment of taking lessons with a bunch of kiddos (who were obviously wayyyyy better than me). Many thanks to him for being extremely patient as I know I wasn't the best student, and also an even bigger thanks for putting himself in the line of fire as I hurtled down the slopes out of control the first few times. He may or may not have fallen more than me! :)

In case you need proof that I actually did it, here is a video that Scott took. What's funny is I felt like I was FLYING, but in reality I'm going at snail pace compared to everyone else haha.

If given the choice between the beach and the mountains, I will still 100% always chose the beach, but at least now I can say I've skiied (and I was terrified enough skiing the "slopes" in Missouri so I can't imagine what it would be like on an actual mountain). Someday when I'm a grown-up (because 27 is not grown up) and married with a family if they want to go skiing you will find me cozied up by the fire with a book and hot chocolate. I'm just not meant for cold weather....and most definitely not winter sports.

The Perfect Meal for a Snow Day

Instead of going to the grocery store and stocking up on the essentials last night like most people did, I chose to go to the gym for a quick run, and then proceeded to sit on my bum all night watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the KU game. Kinnnnnnda regretting that decision now that I've been cooped up in my apartment all day with only frozen chicken breast, freezer burned edamame, half a jar of peanut butter, a stale bag of pretzels, and some Greek yogurt to tide me over until I get enough courage to brave the roads. Note to self - go grocery shopping more than once a month. Especially before a massive blizzard.

so so hungry. dyyyyyyyyyyyying right now.

In case any of you actually made it to the grocery store last night or have a well stocked pantry, you should try out this amazing vegetarian butternut squash chili I made a few months ago. It would be the perfect meal for a cold, snowy day. Seriously you MUST try it.....and it has avocados. Obviously it is amazing.

Chopping all these up is the hardest part.
I promise.

Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado

Serves 4

• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 small butternut squash
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ground sea salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 14 ounce canned diced tomatoes (including the liquid)
• 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 avocados, diced
• cilantro (optional)
• 3 corn tortillas for crispy tortilla strips

Start by chopping up the onion, bell peppers, squash, and garlic. Toss into a large stockpot or Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Be sure to stir every few minutes so the veggies cook evenly. Once the onions start becoming translucent, turn the heat down to medium-low.

Add the salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, bay leaf, cinnamon, tomatoes, black beans, vegetable broth, and stir. If you are like me, and have never heard of chipotle in adobo you can find it in the Mexican food section of the grocery store. It took me and the Hen House worker a good 10 minutes to find it, but eventually we struck gold! 

Cover for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally. Simple enough right? You can taste test occasionally and add additional chipotle if desired. I think I ended up adding another 1/2 tablespoon when I made it, but it is completely up to you. After an hour the butternut squash should be tender and the liquid should have reduced so you are left with a thick chili consistency. 

If you want to add a little crunch to your chili, you can cut a few corn tortillas into tiny little strips (approximately 2 in long), and heat them in a small pan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Be sure to sprinkle with salt and stir occasionally. Cook until the strips are crispy and turning golden. Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil while you are dicing up the avocados. Now that I think about I do still have some corn tortillas. Maybe I can at least make some tortilla "chips" to munch on today. Hmmmm....

If you want to get fancy (and take a great Instagram pic) chop up some cilantro as a garnish. I promise you won't be disappointed if you make this! Now if only I could get to the grocery store... Guess I will have to settle for salivating over my Recipes Board on Pinterest. Depressing.

Hope everyone in the Midwest is surviving Winter Storm Q (since when do we name winter storms?!?) and having a great snow day!

Right Now

I am totally copying Meaghan over at Savoring the Sweet Stuff, but imitation is the most sincere form of flattery right?? :) She periodically does At the Moment posts where she says what she is obsessing over, working on, thinking about, anticipating, listening to, munching on, and thankful for. I've decided that I'm going to try it out this evening only I'll change it up slightly so I'm not completely copying her. Otherwise you are just going to get a hodgepodge of random information that you may or may not care about because I feel like my mind is going in a million different directions right now! So without further ado....

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*obsessing over *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My new house! I just had my inspection yesterday which was thoroughly overwhelming, but hopefully there aren't any huge issues which will prevent me from closing at the end of March. Fair warning - prepare for an onslaught of DIY and decorating related blog posts. So excited! 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* working on *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

finding someone to sublease my apartment from April-June. Hopefully I will get some takers. I think I wrote a pretty enticing Craiglist ad. Fingers crossed I don't get any crazies.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* thinking about *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cake. Cupcakes. Cookies. Donuts. Muffins. Ice cream. Waffles. Pancakes. Need I go on?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* excited for *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

a Theta reunion in Lawrence to celebrate Emma's last days as a single gal with some of my favorites. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Is it March 8th yet?? Hopefully these next few weeks will fly by!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* can't live without *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

theBalm® cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush All-in-One that I got in my February Birchbox. It is the perfect peachy, shimmery color that you need in February when you feel pale and disgusting.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* on repeat *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When I find a song I love I listen to it on repeat over and over and over again....until I find a new song. I also have this weird obsession with really depressing songs. I'm promise I'm not suicidal, but there is something soothing about listening to a really sad song and having a good cry every once in awhile. I promise I'll try to mix in some fun happy songs if this post becomes a regular occurrence.

Currently I can't get enough of Change Your Mind featuring Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio from Nashville. Which brings me to my next point, if you aren't currently watching Nashville you should be. So good. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* devouring *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chobani pineapple Greek yogurt and Trader Joe's Lite Kettle Corn. Seriously I can't get enough of these two things....probably because those are the sweetest things I can have right now. I can't believe it has only been FIVE days. How am I ever going to make it FORTY-SIX? Impossible.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* thankful for *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

an amazing group of friends who have been great listeners this week and provided me with some excellent advice! I'm talking to you Meredith, Laci, and Sara! Us single ladies gotta stick together!

Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Goodbye Cake. Goodbye Cookies. Goodbye Fun.

Lets get one thing straight. I'm not Catholic, but every year I attempt to give up something for Lent. Three years ago I tried to give up soda, and I think I made it a grand total of 15 days. A night out with some new friends in Cincinnati required me to drink Diet Coke because it was the only readily available mixer, and obviously I'm not hardcore enough to drink straight up liquor. Two years ago I gave up fast food, and actually made it the whole time which is pretty impressive considering I eat an ice cream cone from McDonald's at least once a week. Last year I attempted to take it up a notch and give up all sweets. I only made it three days before I cheated. Dang those Otis Spunkmeyer cookies in the cafeteria at work. 

This year I'm trying it again. Only this year I've got some moral reinforcement. I've convinced my friend Alex to do it with me so hopefully we can keep each other on the straight and narrow.

Bye bye all things delicious.

What Isn't Allowed

• cake
• cupcakes
• cookies
• ice cream
• frozen yogurt
• candy
• chocolate
• donuts
• scones
• muffins
• pie
• pastries
• granola/protein/fiber bars covered in chocolate
• super sweet cereals
• any latte that isn't sugar free and/or has whipped cream

So what is allowed? Basically nothing. At least that is how it seems! We decided that we were going to allow ourselves to have cereal as long as it wasn't overloaded with sugar so Special K and Cheerios are okay. We are also allowing ourselves to have diet soda, diet hot chocolate, hot tea with honey, and gum. I cannot live without gum.

Some people say that Sundays are excluded from Lent meaning that I could have one "cheat" day a week on Sunday since this is a day of celebration in the Christian church. However, I know myself. If I allow myself to have sweets even one day a week this will open up a flood gate quickly leading to a downward spiral and complete and utter failure. Listen to me. I sound like an alcoholic. 

So for me I am going to attempt to go the full 46 days without any sort of sweets. Wish me luck. I'm definitely going to need it!

Also, I feel like I need to confess to you all that I just ate a piece of Valentine's Day Funfetti cake for dinner as my last meal. Lets hope it satisfies my sweet tooth for the next 46 days...

House Hunting!

No I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth or died. I am in fact still very much alive. I recently switched departments at work (bye bye women's accessories and beauty. hello handbags and kids socks) right in the midst of planning for the Fall season so I have been a busy busy bee. After working 12+ hour days the last thing I've wanted to do is come home and be on the computer.

I have managed to squeeze in some house hunting the last few weeks, and I think I might have found the one today. Who needs a boyfriend when I can have a house? Not this girl. 

I was contemplating putting in an offer on this top house a few weeks ago, but the kitchen was teeny tiny so I decided it probably wasn't the house for me with as much baking as I do. I think part of the appeal of the first house was the street name. How cute would it sound to say yes, I live on Catalina Street. Loved it, but alas it just didn't work out. The second house was almost identical in layout to Catalina, but with a little bigger kitchen. The downside to the second house was it is on a busy street and would require me to back out of the driveway onto said busy street. With my horrid driving skills I feel like a disastrous wreck would have been unavoidable.

Today I went and looked at two houses. One was horrid, but the other definitely has potential! I'm going back to look at it again on Tuesday night and will hopefully make a decision about putting in an offer then. 

There are a few things that I will want to change, but for the most part I love it! It does only have 1.5 baths, and there is a wood paneled bedroom upstairs that is all sorts of awful, but that can be fixed relatively easy (not by me, but by my dad obviously). Fingers crossed things work out and I can actually start trying out all these things I've been pinning for the last 2 years!