My love/hate relationship with Rachael Ray

I like the concept of Rachael Ray's show, 30 Minute Meals (I know she has a talk show too but I've never seen it).  She wants to make healthy meals that are easy on time and budget.  I might not have a family but I can definitely relate to those concerns.  And I do love her cheesy terms "Yum-o" and "Delish", which my readers know that I use a lot.  And her "GB" is probably one of the more useful cooking tips I've used even though it is really a simple one.

But...I find the show to dumb down cooking to a point that drives me crazy.  I once saw her make a pizza that consisted of her scooping out the inside of a French bread and throwing some toppings on it and putting it in the oven.  That's not a pizza - that's an open faced sandwich.  And her scratchy voice and over-use of the term EVOO drives me bonkers.  

But because the show is on ALL the time, I can't help but watch it when nothing else is on (and by nothing, I mean my bad reality shows or ABC Family movie).  A few weeks ago, I saw her make a turkey bean burger that she called the Turkey and Bean Burrito Burger and it actually sounded decent.  B and I decided to make it last night for dinner.  Well, I ended up staying at work late and then headed to the gym, so I actually didn't contribute much to the meal (unless you count on eatting carrots and celery with dip while talking to B) but it ended up being really great.  Since we didn't have any leftover rice, B picked up some rice from the hot bar at Whole Foods.  We also opted out of the buns (I'm a huge fan of bunless burgers) and also had some leftover sweet potato fries from the night before.  I washed it down with a nice bottle of Michelob Ultra (don't judge) and was pretty satisfied.

Here's the recipe as follows:

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold leftover white or brown rice
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• Palmful chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons, half a palmful, cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander, half a palmful
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning, (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 red leaf lettuce leaves
• 1 ripe tomato, sliced
• 4 crusty rolls, split

Directions

Combine rice, meat and beans with spices and grill seasoning. Form 4 big patties from the meat and bean mixture then heat 1 tablespoon oil, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 7 to 8 minutes on each side.

While burgers cook, combine avocado with garlic, lime zest and juice, jalapeno and red onion. Mash to roughly combine, then stir in the sour cream.

Place burgers on buns with lettuce and tomato and top with sour cream guacamole.

Being economical..

...or something like that.

I like a good bargain.  I'm never going to deny that.  I've gotten lots of emails in the past advertising about restaurant.com, but I've actually never tried it.  I'm one of those people who really finds coupons at restaurants to be embarrassing.  But I remembered a blog post from my financial advisor, pahkcah02, where she mentioned going to a restaurant with her sister using a gift certificate she purchased from the website and I was intrigued.

I decided to check the website out to see if there are any certificates for my upcoming vacation (one week and counting!).  Since my boyfriend is paying for our vacation, the least I could do is try to be a little economical.  Plus, we've received a ton of restaurant recommendations so it was worth a shot.  I only found one of my restaurants on there but it was still worthwhile.  I got a $25 gift certificate (on a tab of $50.00+ not including alcohol and gratuity) for the price of.....$3.00.  Pretty awesome.  It would have been $10.00 but there is a promo code "SAVE" which gets you 70% off.  They don't have any shipping fees since you print the certificate out from your computer.  Plus, being away from home, I can use this gift certificate without any embarrassment!  

xoxo

Another great weekend coming to an end...

After work on Friday, B and I went on a long walk along the Charles River. It is one of my favorite things to do once the weather is warm and I've totally got B hooked on going. Plus, you can track how many miles you are putting in with sites like WalkJogRun. Along our walk, we ran into Rebecca from Crush Boutique who probably scared the daylights out of me.



We decided to stay in and picked up some burritos from Villa Mexico. I rave about this place all the time, which is pretty hypocritcal since it took me a really long time to try the food there. But it is hands down the best authentic Mexican food in the city (which probably isn't saying much since the Mexican food in Boston is pretty weak). I've tried a bunch of their items on the menu (since the menu is pretty simple and straightforward) but I always go back to their carnitas burrito with hot salsa and guacamole). B gets the same but with chicken. And we always get a small side of guacamole and chips. I'm not a huge fan of their tortilla chips but the guacamole is to die for. Villa Mexico's guacamole is probably the best that I've had around here (second place goes to G's yummy guacamole but to be fair, she is Mexican).

Afterwards we snuggled on the couch and watched In Bruges. I totally thought this was going to be an action film with Colin Farrell in it, but its actually a pretty hysterical dry comedy. I loved it and really recommend it if you are into sarcastic humor.

Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day. I ran some errands and went in to get my white pants altered. A few winters ago i bought a pair of white pants from Banana Republic on sale. If you know me, then you know that white pants and sandals are my staple during the warm weather months. The problem with white pants are that they need to be replaced frequently if you're a sloppy drinker/eater like I am. Anyway, I bit the bullet and got them altered since I'll be in warm weather in a week!

My hair is growing really long, which I love, but it was time for a trim. I headed to my hair appointment with Kris at Jean Pierre. I've been going to Kris for years and I've recommended so many of my friends to her who adore her. The prices are great (especially considering its on Newbury Street) and she gives you exactly what you want. Plus, she totally hooked me up for my birthday and made my hair look awesome free of charge. It was absolutely gorgeous out and people were out and about. I stopped in at Tealuxe for an iced soy chai latte and I settled in to rant, rave and gossip with Kris. Its honestly better than therapy.

Afterwards, I hit up Kate Spade across the street to look for a wallet to match my Valentine's Day purse, but I didn't see anything I liked. I stopped by Deluca's Market on the way home and picked up a few ingredients for dinner. I decided to make a turkey white bean chili with the leftover turkey from our crockpot dinner earlier in the week. I couldn't find Mexican diced tomatoes but I did find diced tomatoes with green chilies. I also skipped the cumin and chili powder and instead added paprika, crushed red pepper, fresh black pepper, mustard powder, wasabi powder, and cinammon. I also added jalapenos and a splash of siracha and Tabasco. I let it simmer for awhile to get thick. It was pretty delish.

I did some laundry and KK stopped by with some beach bags for my upcoming vacation. After dinner, I started to get ready for girls' night out. I also made a new cocktail that I'm absolutely loving - blueberry vodka, light cranberry cocktail and frozen berries (in lieu of ice). Delish. Mama T came over, we had a few drinks and then headed to the Grand Canal for my friend B's marathon fundraiser. Like some other friends I know, B is running for the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club and I think its a great cause. He definitely has a few connections there (I've actually helped plan a law school event there with him) and he basically had the whole bar rented out. It was awesome and there was an Irish band there which got everyone dancing. It was a great time and I forgot how much fun girls night out can be. I sadly only took one picture that night. I think I'm so used to B manning photo duties that I've gotten lazy but I'll put it up later tonight.

This morning I went to brunch with some of my favorite ladies in Allston. M was generous enough to pick me up, although S did call to see if I was all set. Honestly, its times like that which remind me how great my friends are for being so considerate. I've never been to Deep Ellum before but S picked the place based on great reviews. Its a tiny place - more of a bar than a restaurant and it was packed with tons of hipsters. We sat at the bar and ordered some drinks (mimosas for the group but I chose the Bloody Mary) and chatted. It was a bad set up for catching up, but the place was packed and it was a half hour for a table. Our bartender was awesome and totally enthralled us with her beer and cocktail knowledge and flare. When a group of a dozen or so hipsters finally left, we got seated. The food was pretty good and a great price. I had the breakfast club sandwich - fried eggs, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on Texas toast. To be honest, it seemed like they just served it on regular white bread, but it was still great and the homefries were delish. The service was a little slow but the staff was friendly. As always, it was great to see the girls (especially my girl S who I haven't seen in ages) and catch up on life - work, love and everything in between.

I spent the rest of the day napping and just relaxing. B and I are making panko-crusted chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries and fresh cut veggies with an onion dip for dinner. Yum-o.

Its terrible outside but one more week until sunny weather!

xoxo

Eating on a budget...

As I have previously posted, I've been working on helping the economy one online purchase at a time.  However, a girl's got to eat and I've been introduced to a few websites that can help you check out local restaurants but still maintain your budget:

Boston Recession Dining Deals

This is really just one blog post but its got a good overview of great dining deals.

Hub Eats

This is a comprehensive list and gives you daily/weekly/monthly options.  I can't take the credit for finding this website.  My triathelete friend KK actually discovered this website.

I'm also a huge fan of L'Espalier's food and service, but not necessarily their bill at the end of the night.  I've heard that their Wine Mondays and Cheese Tuesdays are a more affordable way to try out their menu.  

And ofcourse, Boston has its Restaurant Week, which is coming to a close this weekend.  Although I'll mention that some restaurants have extended the prix fixe meals in light of the bad economy.  I'll have to admit that I actually have opted out of Restaurant Week this winter due to scheduling conflicts, but perhaps I'll make another round in the spring.  

And another favorite of mine is to check out the Boston Chefs News and Events page for anniversary events and special deals at various restaurants.  For instance, did you know that Todd English is celebrating Olives' 20th anniversary (in Charlestown ofcourse) tonight with a Throwback Friday Menu filled with original dishes from 1989...and at 1989 prices?

And if you know of any other great deals or websites...please share!  I'd love to hear some more budget-friendly dining options!

xoxo

I'm helping our economy...

...one online purchase at a time.

Yesterday I posted that I got my fun new Kenneth Jay Lane ring from Gilt Groupe, and today two more purchases arrived!  

I got a great 20% coupon from Piperlime in the mail this weekend.  While I've ordered things from Piperlime's other affiliates (Banana Republic, Gap and even Old Navy), I've been hesitant to order from Piperlime despite their free shipping and returns.  I'm picky about my shoes and I am hesitant to order anything without seeing and trying them on.  Well, I picked something safe that I knew I needed, a pair of Reef flip-flops.  I used to have a pair just like them but lost them at DC's Cape house a few summers ago.  I thought it was time to finally replace them.  And with 20% off and free shipping, I'm glad I got them just in time for my upcoming vacation!

I also got some of my Sox tickets today in the mail.  Its not quite the same as a fun ring or a pair of flip flops, but I'm thrilled that baseball season is starting soon.  I'll be missing Opening Day but its quite the trade off since I'll be vacationing in warm and sunny weather!

On a different note, can I tell you how much I love sitemeter?  Its absolutely interesting to find out where people are reading my blog from and how they get there (i.e. referring websites and google searches).  That being said, its also interesting to see how many times a certain someone keeps reading my blog.  I know its public, but maybe its time the blog stalker needs to get a life of her own.  

I'm off to lunch with my favorite city employee!

xoxo

Hump Day thoughts...

This morning I went to the Boston Municipal Court for work.  When I was there, I ran into an older attorney that I had previously met while I was at the BMC.  This guy is probably in his late 60s and when I first met him, I talked to him just to kill time and to be nice.  We exchanged cards and he mentioned playing chess some time (even though I confessed that I haven't played chess since I was a lot younger).  Well, after that, he called me several times to play chess during the day.  It was strange but after I politely told him a few times that I couldn't break up my work day to play chess and after ducking a few phone calls, he seemed to get the message.  When I saw this gentleman today, he remembered me and again asked if we could play chess.  He asked if we could play before my hearing but I politely (and firmly) told him that I had to prepare for my hearing and look over my case file.  He then asked me if we could play after my hearing, but I told him I was due back in the office.  After I was done my appearance before the court, I threw on my coat and headed out of the courtroom.  This same gentleman was in the adjacent conference room and had set up his portable chess set and tried to persuade me to play.  At this point I was being less polite and more firm and repeated that I was due back to the office.  He tried to get an actual date and time as to when I could play, but I told him that I was busy and took the stairs out of the courthouse when he started to head towards the elevator.  I feel a little guilty because I wanted to be nice to this guy who obviously seems lonely but to some degree, I think he is being way too pushy.   Any thoughts on how to stop him if/when he starts calling again?

Afterwards, I came back to the office and found a nice package waiting for me.  I finally made my first purchase off of Gilt Groupe.  For those of you who don't know, Gilt Groupe is like many of the websites where you can purchase designer brands at discounted costs (i.e. Rue La La).  There are daily sales that offer new merchandise an

d the trick is to getting logged in for the popular ones.  You don't know what items are going to be offered until the sale begins.  The number of items are limited so you often have to work fast but if you plan ahead, you can get some great deals.  They also encourage you to refer others to sign up for the website and if they make a purchase, you g

et a credit to your purchase.  Now, they had a Kenneth Jay Lane sale going on Monday, which I was excited for because I have been coveting a specific ring since Christmas but it was sold out in the colors that I liked.  Since it was a last season item, I was hoping that the ring would be one of the items....and sure enough it was!  The only color they offered was peridot (which was not what I initially wanted) but an $80 ring was now on sale for $35.  I wanted the ring and put it in my online shopping cart.  When I checked out, it gave me $35 credit ($25 credit for referring B, who made a purchase awhile back and $10 credit for doing one of their surveys awhile back that I forgot about).  So I only paid for the shipping price o

f $10.  On top of which, it was ordered Monday afternoon and delivered this morning.  I'm thrilled.

It is completely oversized and over the top and fun....and totally me.  What do you guys think?

I broke up my busy day by meeting my friend M at Beantown Pub for lunch.  M is a first year law student and we get to have lunches together every once in awhile since her school is fairly close to my office.  Beantown Pub was one of my favorite places in law school, mostly due to its proximity to my school.  But its nice going back now every once and again.  M and I recapped this weekend and chatted about law school.  It was a nice break to the day.

I'm heading to a City Councilor fundraiser tonight at the Union Oyster House.  A lot of times, my work involves working with these City Councilors and their diligent staff, so its important to attend these fundraisers.  Its also a great time to meet the movers and shakers of the city.

Afterwards, I'm heading home to have some leftover turkey.  B and I threw some turkey breast, carrots, potatoes and onions in the crock pot yesterday morning and had a delicious dinner last night.  We accompanied our meal with stuffing and some lingonberry jam (in lieu of cranberry sauce).  Tonight is round two and then we'll think of some yummy ways to eat the leftover turkey!

xoxo

Shopping with StyleFixx...

Once a year, my friend E and I head to the StyleFixx event.  Its a shopping event with various vendors and you walk out tasting free drinks (more often than not in excess) and a swag back.  This is one of my favorite events and in my honest opinion, better than the Shecky's shopping events.  If anyone is interested, the tickets are half-priced right now and I found a discount code online "myra-style", which gets you 25% off.  In all, I got my ticket for the bargain price of $11.25!  The event is on May 13-14, 2009 at the Boston Center for the Arts.

xoxo

Another healthy meal...

After work, I headed to the gym for a long workout. Although I ate a healthy meal last night, I wanted to work off those booze calories. Being Korean, tofu is something that I ate regularly. Yet a lot of people are hesitant to eat and/or cook tofu. This group includes my boyfriend. So tonight I decided to cook a tofu stir fry. I drained a package of tofu while B chopped up some onion, carrots, garlic and broccoli. He also chopped up some of the leftover asparagus from last night's dinner and added some water chestnuts. I lightly pan fried the tofu in some vegetable and sesame seed oil. To be honest, the tofu wasn't fulled drained and a few pieces broke, but it was still nicely cooked. I took the tofu out of the wok and then added the veggies, some more vegetable oil and then threw the cover on. B worked on a sauce, which included soy sauce, siracha, wasabi powder, hot peach mango sauce, and sesame seed oil. I know the sauce sounds a little scary but it was really great. He thickened it up with some corn starch and I threw the tofu back into the wok and then we added the sauce. The end result?

Afterwards, we had a little dessert of Kinder Eggs. I saw them by the checkout at DeLuca's Market. I actually initially thought they were Nutella eggs but instead they are these eggs that have a little toy inside.

In searching for a photo of Kinder Egg, we found this creepy commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOFRIWx5F9c). Scary, huh?

Watching Gossip Girl and getting ready for 24...

xoxo

For your favorite four-legged friend...

Don't forget to give your favorite dog a big hug and kiss in honor of National Puppy Day!

Below are pics of my favorite puppy...Griffin!

Monday's musings...

Does anyone else thinks this looks really delicious?  (http://noblepig.com/2009/03/18/when-the-moon-hits-the-sky.aspx)  I just think the overall presentation looks really cool (but the slices, less much so)...

I forgot to mention that I went to Black Ink  on Saturday to pick up a birthday and engagement card.  This is one of my favorite quirky little stores to browse around in.  After over a year and a half of living at my apartment, I finally got a door mat.  Because my front door swings outward, it has actually been quite difficult to get a cute door mat that actually fits under the door.  What do you think?  

A quiet way to end the weekend...

B's parents came into town today to hang out. We haven't seen them since January and they haven't seen the apartment since December, before all of my furniture was moved out and before B completely moved in. So they came in this afternoon, and it was really nice to see them. Thankfully the place was sparkling from the cleaning yesterday, and there was a lot of sunlight beaming in. We hung out at the apartment for awhile, and then we headed for a late lunch at Figs. If you've been to Figs on Charles Street, you know that the place is tiny and it is always busy. Luckily, we only had to wait about five minutes for a table and we lucked out with the window table. While his parents opted for entrees (chicken oregnato and spaghettini). B and I split a pizza. It was half fig & proscuitto (one of my favorites), which has fig and balsamic jam, whole pieces of fig, lots of proscuitto and a light serving of gorgonzola cheese. The other half was the portobello with portobello mushrooms, mushroom puree, onions, and lots of cheese. It was absolutely delish. My only complaint was that the service was unbelievably slow, which was surprising considering how it really cleared out by the end of the meal. Perhaps the staff was tired by the end of the weekend...

Afterwards, with many promises to visit soon, we parted ways. B and I intermintenally napped and did laundry. We had gotten a Peapod delivery this morning, so we had lots of yummy ingredients. First I steamed some asparagus and winter squash. My mother gave me an awesome steamer and I never get to use it enough. Steaming is such a healthy way to eat vegetables and it brings out the color of the veggies. I sauteed some onions and garlic in olive oil and then added the asparagus, with some fresh pepper and salt, after it was done steaming. B helped out and pan-seared some haddock. I also got some frozen bay scallops and I dethawed it on the stove while I cooked everything else. I rinsed it and then seared it in the pan where I had sauteed the asparagus. I added some butter to the pan with the onions and garlic and the scallops ended up pretty delicious. I took a quick photo (don't judge on the sloppy presentation) and this healthy meal made me excited for summer.

On a sidenote, my boss told me this weekend about RuPaul's Drag Race. Its on LOGO, but there are episodes On Demand. The whole season isn't on demand so I started mid-season. It is a combination of ANTM and Project Runway. It is AWESOME. I seriously can't believe I haven't seen this show before. The two drag queens in the "bottom" that week have to lip synch their way to save themselves. It is freaking hysterical. Seriously, watch an episode.

On that note, time to sign off...

xoxo

The night of a million parties...

...okay, maybe it was just three.

B and I started Saturday morning with an appointment with our cleaning lady. We started using Sharon a few months ago and it has always been worthwhile. While she cleaned, we went for an hour and a half walk along the Charles down to BU. We ran a few errands but had some more time to kill, so we went to Panificio for some lunch (http://www.panificioboston.com/). We absolutely love their Milano (tomato, basil and mozarella) and Sicilian (same but with proscuitto) sandwiches. We got both and then split each sandwich in half. We were lucky enough to grab a window seat so we got to people watch while eating our sandwiches.

Afterwards, M and P picked us up and we headed to Framingham for M&J's engagement party. It was a place called Garden in the Woods (http://www.newfs.org/visit/Garden-in-the-Woods/rentals). It was filled with their family and friends, and it was great to see some old acquaintances that I haven't seen in awhile. Plus, it was great to meet some of M' other bridal party members. Ofcourse, since its a Masciarelli family event, we had yummy Italian food - spinach, bacon and egg salad, lasagna, meatballs, chicken parm, and yummy cake. Since its a typical Italian feast, it didn't even include half of the other things I couldn't try since there wasn't enough room on my plate! But more important than the food (yes, some things are more important than food), it was great to celebrate M&J's engagement. It was a room filled with a lot of love and laughter.

Afterwards, we headed back to the city, which ended up being quite an adventure as we got lost in the farmlands of Southboro. We dropped off M's car at her apartment and then we headed to McFadden's (http://www.mcfaddensboston.com/) for party #2. My friends R and M are running the marathon for the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club and they were hosting a fundraiser to help them raise funds. It took us forever to get there via the cab ride from hell. We met the lovely A there. While I was glad to be there for the guys and support a great cause, I also had an ulterior motive. I thought that A would totally hit it off with R. We only stayed there for an hour but as A said on the cab ride to our next party, "a seed was planted".

We headed to Lucky's (http://www.luckyslounge.com/) for my dear friend KK's 30th birthday bash. It was a ridiculous time. There was old school hip hop, lots of drinks and shots, and about fifty or so of KK's nearest and dearest. The birthday girl looked smoking hot and we had a blast. Its funny how much has changed in a year. Last year, KK and I were just getting to know each other and now she is one of my closest friends. She's made a lot of personal changes in her life and she is making me realize that 30 is fabulous. I surprisingly didn't take too many photos last night but here is one of the adorable couple. I am so freaking excited that E will be here all summer and I think we are finally starting to break the "couple fighting" bad streak!

And this picture I had to add because I just think it is hysterical! I love my Vegas buddy and I will be sad if the DC move happens!

Afterwards, we headed back to McFaddens to close out the night. I won't go into details since I'm not one to kiss and tell...but I was happy that my matchmaking intuition seems to be dead on! B, A, and I split a cab home. B and I made drunken mac and cheese and we finally called it a night.

I woke up this morning swearing off all forms of vodka for good. We had a peapod delivery at 9 AM (not our brightest move) but it was good to get us motivated to wake up. I made a yummy egg scramble with spinach, onions, pesto, and cheese and then promptly laid on the couch watching the Phantom Gourmet (my favorite weekend hangover show).

Today is a day with family time and we're hanging out with B's parents today.

Hope everyone had a great Saturday!

xoxo

Ten Tables, where to begin?

I love checking out new restaurants in Boston. I have a small list of restaurants that I love, love, love and one of them is Ten Tables in JP (http://www.tentables.net/html_ver/index.php). Last summer, with reservations made a month in advance, we hiked out there and had a really great meal. My only gripe is that it is kind of a pain in the ass to get to. So when I found out that Krista Kranyak was opening at the old Craigie Street Bistrot location, I was thrilled.

B made reservations and we were excited to check it out. We took a cab there because we were running late but it is totally T accessible. We walked in and the owner, Krista Kranyak, was up front and took us to our table. The vibe is similar to the JP location in that it is relaxed and food-focused (less on gimick or the scenery) but they definitely had more than ten tables but they were all "cozily" next to each other. We sat in the back of the restaurant. It was dimly lit, which was fine with us, but other patrons asked for a light to read their menus. Our server (I didn't catch her name) was really great the whole night and she sold us on the chef's tasting menu. Here is where we were a little dishonest. B is not a shellfish fan so we lied and said he was allergic. We asked if that would be a problem, and they said it would be absolutely fine.

We started out with a bottle of rose (actually the only bottle on their menu). I love rose, especially in the summer, and in honor of the first day of spring, I though we'd have our first bottle of 2009. Our server brought out really crusty rolls with olive oil. The rolls weren't warm, which is not something I usually enjoy, but this was actually really enjoyable.

Our first course was a serving of fluke, served with segments of blood orange, meyers lemon. It was a perfect small portion and start to our tasting because it was so refreshing and acidic. It could have used a little more salt.

The second course was definitely my favorite - steamed mussels served with warm spinach in a saffron cream with a large garlic crouton. This had all of my favorite ingredients - mussels, spinach and garlic and it was delicious. We even asked for more bread so I could soak up the rest of my saffron cream! B had the fennel soup with apples, ham and black truffle oil. I stole a bite and I was in love. The soup just had a lot of texture and flavor upon flavor.

The third course was a medium hangar steak served atop a hash of lentils, mustard and cream. I like my steaks medium well but a well-cooked steak at medium is fine by me. The hash was amazing. I've never had lentils with mustard, but the combination was surprisingly delicious.

We cleansed our palate with a serving of sour orange sorbet. B got his favorite rooibos tea, while I diligently finished up the bottle of rose. Our desert was chocolate terrine with sea salt and thai basil ice cream. In general, I don't like eating dense chocolate desserts. However, this was a perfectly sized portion and I'm a huge fan of the combination of chocolate and salt.

All in all, I loved Ten Tables. The tables to either side of us also did the Chef's Tasting and I loved that the chef really did what was at his whim because we had very different courses (minus the dessert and the cleanser). Often times, restaurants who do a chef's tasting a really doing a prix fixe meal of the night. The tasting was only $40 a person, so it was definitely more than reasonable for a four course meal. The service was top notch and I even saw Krista come over to the table next to us to apologize for some sort of error in their service. The only complaint is that their bathroom area is a little scary - dark, with tubes and wires everywhere and I could even see the building insulation open behind the curtain.

Afterwards, B and I headed to Casablanca to have some after dinner drinks (http://www.casablanca-restaurant.com/). The place was packed and my guess that it was a combination of it being a Friday night and the craziness that comes with restaurant week. We sat in one of their wicker cabanas by the front door, which was surprisingly comfortable. B had the apple cider drink (served on the rocks) with lots of bourbon, apple cider, and cinnamon. I had the All Nighter - vodka, Bailey's, and expresso. Our second round he had the Syrian spiced rum (rum, spices and grapefruit) and I went with a raspberry cocktail (raspberry vodka, muddled raspberry, lime and a champagne float). It was delish. We also glanced at their menu and we definitely want to go back for some food next time.

We headed home and waited for A to come over. It was her last night in Boston and I was glad to see her before she headed back to D.C. She absolutely loved the apartment and got us a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. We sat around and drank a bottle of prosecco and just caught up.

It was one of those perfect Friday nights and I can't wait for a hectic Saturday to begin.

xoxo

Thirsty Thursday?

Its been awhile since I've gone out for happy hour and I was excited to get out of work yesterday to meet up with KK, her coworkers and some of our mutual friends.  We headed to the Times in Financial District (http://www.timesbar.com/theTimes/index-4.html).  I haven't been there since the "incident", which we laughingly referred to last night (think drinks poured over head and glasses thrown at people).  It was a great time, especially getting to catch up with some of my friends that I haven't seen in awhile due to work and sickness.  I drank a few Magners and ate a yummy grilled chicken sandwich for dinner and just had a blast.  

Sidenote:  KK, my apologies...I brought my camera out but was having too much fun to actually remember to take pictures!  

I'm excited for the weekend.  There are lots of fun plans and it all starts tonight with date night with B.  We might meet up with KK and E after their romantic birthday dinner....or maybe meet up with A, who I still haven't seen since she's been in town for a conference.

Happy First Day of Spring!

xoxo

Birthdays at Bond

So yesterday was another beautiful day.  The weather reports said that it hit sixty degrees and it felt gorgeous outside.  Since the day was relatively quiet, I met B over at Boloco at their Pearl Street location.  I'm a HUGE fan of Boloco and the place was packed because of their $3 anniversary deal (http://www.harvardsquare.com/Events/2008/March/Celebrate-our-12th-Birthday-with-12-days-of-deals-.aspx).  This is one of my favorite locations because of its warehouse appearance and I know from the inside that the Boloco honchos put a lot of thought into the aesthetics of each of their locations.  We luckily ran into our friend G by chance, and it was great to catch up with him...

After work, I managed to catch up with my friend A and my other friend M, who is in the midst of a lot of wedding plan.  I then headed to my UMASS Amherst Greater Boston Alumni Group Steering Committee meeting.  I've been involved with this group for about two years, and I really enjoy the people on the committee.  We meet about once a month and plan social and networking events for UMASS Amherst alum that live in the area.  Most of my friends get annoying reminders from me to go to these events but generally, they are a blast.  We met at the UMASS Club (http://www.clubcorp.com/club/scripts/section/section.asp?NS=PCH&SUBGRP=15&MFCODE=UCMAS).  The building has been undergoing a lot of construction the past year and the new lobby looks pretty modern and sleek.  Over a delicious Kobe burger and fries, we hashed out a lot of ideas for upcoming events.

I ducked out of the meeting early because I needed to meet my girl KK for her very special 30th birthday drinks.  She had already gone out with co-workers earlier to Radius, and we decided to meet up at Bond, the new-ish bar at the Langham Hotel (http://boston.langhamhotels.com/en/restaurants/bond_restaurant.htm).  I've heard a lot of different reviews about the place but work had kept me away from visiting this joint.  I met B there and the middle lounge section was well-occupied.  We ordered our drinks at the bar and we luckily grabbed a little lounge section by the time our drinks were poured and paid for.  KK came soon thereafter with her co-workers D and G.  The service was slow and the drinks were in the lounge price range, but I really liked the place a lot.  Its grand and got great character (minus the cheap looking bond notes on the side).  I definitely think this will be a new favorite happy hour joint.  Their cocktail menu looked great but I only stuck to their wine list, so I'll definitely go back for a few cocktails.

Happy last day of winter.  Its dreary outside but hopefully spring weather will soon follow. 

xoxo

Happiest of Birthdays!

To my dear friend KK.....

...wishing her another year of love, laughter and happiness!

Girl bonding time..

After being missing in action for awhile, it was time to catch up with my girl KK with an improptu shopping trip after work. It was one of those rare days where she didn't (or more like couldn't) have a training session and I didn't have to work late. We met up and hit up the Downtown Crossing stores in search of the perfect birthday outfit. I won't ruin the surprise since it is the birthday girl's special outfit but needless to say KK is looking pretty smoking in this outfit and I'd like to take some credit for being her shopping companion.

It was just great to catch up with her on everything that has been going on in our lives. KK is an awesome friend - a true blue - and I'm excited for her 30th birthday blowout. After we finished shopping, we headed to Vinalia (http://www.vinaliaboston.com/) for a couple of glasses wine and more girly talk.

Afterwards, I headed home and B started dinner after the gym. We had yummy pork chops and a medley of steamed veggies. We're catching up on our TV (Gossip Girl and 24) and then....B booked our vacation! I'm really excited and am thrilled that B is planning this trip for us. I am constantly reminded how amazing he is...

xoxo

Back from the dead...

On Monday, the case that I've been working on for several years finally settled.  I was thrilled and my boss and I went out to celebrate at the Oceannaire (http://www.theoceanaire.com/location/seafood-restaurant-boston).  I started out with a Ketel Dirty Martini and G started out with a Perfect Manhattan.  We indulged in a small raw platter, along with their complimentary bread and pickled vegetables and herring.  A Champagne Cocktail and another Perfect Manhattan later, I feasted on the Portugese fisherman's stew and G had their scallop special of the day.  It was a great celebratory feast to end a four-year old case.

On Tuesday I had a hearing before lunch and when I headed back to the office, I felt really hot and dizzy.  A staff member felt my forehead and she said I was burning hot.  I grabbed some imotrin and then decided to take a half day and rest up.  I came home and basically passed out.  B knew that I was leaving work early and texted me a few times but I didn't even hear the phone that I was right next to me in bed.  He found me after work really out of it and felt that I was burning hot.  We took my temperature and I had a wonderful 103 degree temperature.  I never made it back to work the rest of the week and was sick with fever and chills, upset stomach and a horrible head cold.  I had the flu.  

I stayed home and slept/read/watched TV and movies a lot.  The flu diet is amazing because with no appetite and just drinking gatorade and tea to rehydrate myself, I found that I lost over five pounds in one week.  But I was starting to get really stir crazy.  I missed my office event at McGreevy's on Tuesday night and I had tickets to the Celtic's game on Friday night with B, S & S but I just didn't feel up to going so C took my place.  

On Saturday I finally started to feel a little better so I headed to the office to catch up on work.  I'm glad I did because my office was a mess with missed mail, faxes, packages and tons of files all over the place.  I got a decent amount of work done and I organized what I need to do this week.  Its going to be a busy week but I have to remind myself that at least I'm not living in Hartford and beginning jury selection!  Afterwards, I went out to dinner with E, S, and B to check out a potential venue for B's 30th birthday party.  We really liked the place a lot and I'm going to try to confirm this week to get reserved space.  We headed to Watertown for M&B's housewarming party.  It was a really lowkey night and I was grateful to be around people albeit while chugging gatorade.

On Sunday I slept in and finally got around to watching Rachel Getting Married.  The movie was absolutely fantastic and well-deserving of all of its rave reviews.  B and I then headed home for my mom's 64th birthday dinner at LSF at the Burlington Mall (ah suburbia).  My mom, adorable as she is, ordered a strawberry daquiri and I chose to partake in one as well (you know because frozen drinks help my throat - haha).  We feasted on calamari, fried clams, and I had the cioppino (another hearty seafood stew).  Everything was really great and I was happy to be surrounded with my family.

The only upside to this terrible week was that I got a special package in the mail and am going to be a bridesmaid in my fourth wedding!  The cookies were great and I'm honored to be a part of M&J's special day.  

I'm starting the day with a runny nose, a smoker's cough and a raspy voice that could put Tara Reid to shame....but I'm out of the house and feeling better than I have all last week.

xoxo

Depressing.

This blog has to start with the obligatory complaining about the weather.  We have gorgeous weather all weekend and then I wake up (after losing an hour's sleep to Daylight Savings Time) to the sounds of freezing rain.  Blech.

Yesterday was one of those perfect Sundays.  After I got some work done, B and I had a yummy lunch of leftover homemade pizza and my yummy tomato, sausage, white bean and lentil soup (flavored with roasted and fresh garlic, onions, jalapenos, and lots of herbs and spices).  Since it was gorgeous out, we decided to enjoy the weather and spent the afternoon shopping on Newbury Street.  Everyone was out and about and like the day before, people were in good spirits.  We both found some great deals - B got a really cute Red Sox zip-up and I finally got boots after many many years of never buying a pair (besides Uggs and my Burberry slickers).  B also got me an adorable headband from Urban Outfitters, which I adore.  We weren't hungry from lunch, which was disappointing because we contemplated some outdoor seating.  

Instead, we headed home and proceeded to watch Tropic Thunder while snacking on cheddar, pepperoni and pieces of crusty bread.  Delish.  So I never saw Tropic Thunder in the theater and everyone kept raving about it.  It is HYSTERICAL.  I have never laughed so loud at Tom Cruise's character. 

Afterwards, B and I had some soup and salad for dinner.  We ended up having one of those long relationship talks last night, which is a good check-in point for both of us and I'm relieved that he is so open and supportive about talking about everything.  We finally crashed watching United States of Tara and Secret Life of a Call Girl.

This morning is dreary.  I'm the only one in the office since I have a non-existent commute.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and their week goes quickly and smoothly despite this weather...

xoxo

I wish spring weather was here to stay...

...it makes a total difference in how you feel. I had a ton of errands to run yesterday and I was looking forward to the gorgeous weather. I wasn't the only one. You can totally tell how happy the warm weather and sunshine makes everyone walking down Charles Street. Plus, it was nice out, so the crackheads who live above the BHP were out and about with their crackhead yardsale in front of the BHP. You know its warm when the weirdos are out...

After I worked out in the morning and refueled with a tuna fish sandwich, I dropped my drycleaning off and then headed to Pinckney Nails to get a pedicure. I was a little tired from the night before and a little out of it. Inspired by the spring weather, I ignored my usual choice of black polish and picked a pretty purple-ish pink color. As I started to get in the massage chair, I totally dropped the polish and the bottle of that oh-so-pretty color shattered and went all over the floor. Needless to say, I was really embarrassed and apologized profusely, but the ladies were really nice about it since I'm a regular there and even got a new bottle of the same color for me to use. After I got over my clumsiness, I finally finished the second Chelsea Handler book ("Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea"). T got it for me as part of my birthday gift and its an easy read but I just haven't had time to finish it.

Afterwards, I headed to Crush to see Rebecca and Laura. As usual, I browsed through the racks and they simultaneously picked through for my favorite labels and styles. Do you ever have one of those days when NOTHING looks good? Yesterday was the exact opposite. There were so many cute tops and dresses that I loved but I could not buy it all (well I could, but my bank account would not have been pleased). In the end, I settled for a casual Converse by John Varvatos shirt dress that I loved and a gorgeous Dolce Vita green silk dress that I am rocking on the night of a million parties - a surprise party for a friend, R's charity fundraiser and KK's 30th birthday. Its totally versatile and I can dress it conservative with pearls, cardigan and peep toe heels for the daytime surprise party and then dress it up with hot sex shoes and fun jewelry for R and KK's parties.

I came home and napped to get energy for the night's festivities and B went to Whole Foods to get ingredients for dinner. On Friday, he picked up some pizza dough from Flour and we were excited to make pizzas for dinner. I've actually never made homemade pizza before but KK is always telling me how easy it is with the premade dough (she picks it up in the North End on her way home from work).

The end result was a delicious tomato, roasted garlic, mozzarella and basil pizza...
...and a pepperoni, jalapeno and mixed cheese pizza....

Yum-o. I got ready in record time and headed to City Bar for S' party. Her husband had to fly to germany that morning, but her coworkers were there and a lot of friends that I met at S' 4th of July and 30th birthday parties. C and B came by too and I was thrilled that my matchmaking had worked! I worked my way through City Bar's champagne cocktails until it was time to head home.

I'm going to try to bust through some work this morning, and then get started on my slow cooker soup for lunch. Hopefully I'll be able to get out and about and enjoy this gorgeous weather.

xoxo

A spring in my step

Work has been exhausting. A case that I've been working on at the firm since I summered there before my last year of law school. While this case is gearing up for trial, its also simultaneously under mediation. In other words, I am ridiculously busy. I've been working non-stop and the entire time I've been trying to shake off a nasty cold.

Luckily, Friday was a quiet day in the office. A lot of people were out - either with the day off, or at court, or at a conference...in other words, there were only a few people at the office and I got a ridiculous amount of work done. I managed to get out around 5:45 and was ready to start the weekend.

My friend P is a teacher at a JP middle school. He was hosting a fundraiser to raise money for his students to go to St. Croix during spring break. They take a group of students who then go work with orphans in St. Croix. I personally think that it is a great program and I was really happy to go to the fundraiser. I also managed to score a Marc Harris gift certificate to contribute for the raffle.

B and I headed to the Baseball Tavern and we had a great time hanging out with everyone. I've never hung out there in the "off-season" but it was a blast. We had the upstairs reserved with appetizers, a sandwich bar, and plenty of Magners to remind that the weekend is off to a great start...

The weather is gorgeous but I'm opting out of Harpoonfest to relax, run all of the errands that I've put off, and indulge in my weekend habits of pedicures and shopping.

B and I have some yummy dinner plans and then we're heading to S' party.

xoxo

My apologies...

...for being missing in action lately.  I've been battling a nasty cold (the cold is winning thus far) and am in the midst of simultaneously getting ready for trial while trying to settle this case.  Needless to say, I'm not really around and when things slow down, I'll start returning the phone calls and emails...promise.

xoxo