I, too, have been negligent about our baby blog here. So, as I sit here listening to one of my munchkins getting reamed by her piano teacher, I have decided that it is definitely time for a cocktail...  Coincidentally, this recipe comes from a fabulous calendar given to me by our FABULOUS piano teacher; therefore, it is only appropriate that this evenings entry be dedicated to him and his amazing level of tolerance!!

In following with the time of the season, I proudly give to you The Pumpkin Pie Martini:

• 1/3 cup of milk
• 2 T pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 oz vanilla flavored vodka
• 1 1/2 oz creme de cacao
• 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup crushed ice
• Whipped cream
• Combine milk and  pumpkin puree in a cocktail shaker and shake to combine
• Pour in vodka and creme de cacao and add ice
• Shake well, and then strain into martini glass
• Garnish with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and a dollop of whipped cream

Chink! Chink!

~c~

Fun

Confession:

I've been a slacker about this little blog of ours. I've had so many things I wanted to write about, all these awesome ideas that were floating in my head: costumes for my first trip out to the infamous San Diego Comic Con, an amazing vintage costume retrospective at the El Paso Art Museum that tied in with the El Paso Film Festival, jewelry inspired by the fossils and dinosaurs at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History... heck, even a zombie-inspired cocktail to celebrate the premiere of The Walking Dead was in order. But when it came down to it, my ideas never quite made it to the page.

It's like my typing and writing skills went on summer vacation and never came back from enjoying days of extreme laziness.

So it's only fitting that the blog post that would me bring back to writing would ironically be about... fitness. Over a calorie-laden lunch, my partner in crime Christy introduced me to The Dirty Girl mud run, a 5K obstacle course for women that also benefits breast cancer research. I instantly wanted in... it reminded me of an obstacle course I had the privilege of running in a Marine boot camp experience for teachers... only this time, I could wear a pink tutu instead of camouflage. FUN!

I have a sneaking suspicion that November 17 will result in a lot of laughs, pics, and stories that will inspire me to write on our poor little neglected baby.

~m~

This will be us in a few weeks... woot!

Do you remember when you were a kid and that first day of school was quickly approaching?  Do you remember how vital that first day of school outfit was?  (For those of you who had to wear uniforms, I apologize...but your accessories had to rock the plaid skirts. I'm just sure of it!)  I distinctly remember planning every single detail of my back to school look, literally, tip to toe.

Fast forward a few years and I still get that same feeling as school approaches. Being a teacher, I realize the importance of my first day of school look. That is my single chance to make a lasting impression for the entire year!  It is a make or break day!!  One false move and I have lost the 9th graders for good...  I usually begin searching and plotting at the start of August. This year I was fortunate, I had three weeks to plan. (And I had purged shoes and clothing all summer long, so I needed to do a bit of restocking - yay!)

It is customary to start from the bottom up. Very large heels are in order for the first day. It does not matter to me how much those dogs are barking at the end of the day, I need those kids to know that I am no small woman to be pushed around...I'm here to teach you French and I mean business!

After much hemming and hawing, I found my back to school look:

I like to think that I made a lasting impression; only time will tell. 

~c~

Food

Throughout the year, my family and I often enjoy the delights of what we call a "Kitchen Sink Salad". It all started with Gigi, my husband's grandmother, who would often create one of these beauties for dinner. So easy to prepare and different every time, perhaps it should really be called "Everything But the Kitchen Sink Salad". It is an easy way to use the fruits and veggies from the fridge. I include a variety of beans, meats, potatoes and sometimes fruit. The kids love to choose what is going into the salad and love putting it together. It is a great way for them to take part in preparing dinner and usually guarantees that they will eat all that is put upon their plates. Whatever ingredients I have on hand are free game. The end product is always a gorgeous melange of colors and bursts of flavors. Since the salad itself is so easy to assemble, it is a favorite go to meal in our house.

Sunday night's Kitchen Sink Salad...including bell peppers, tomatoes, black beans, tuna and carrots 

I prefer to top it with a light coating of a traditional French vinaigrette:

• 1 clove of garlic, minced, 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 t French Dijon mustard
• 2 t red wine vinegar
• 4 t extra virgin olive oil
• In a small bowl, mix the garlic, vinegar and mustard together. Add the olive oil and whisk vigorously. Add a touch of salt and pepper, to taste and pour immediately on your salad. The light addition of this dressing is the perfect compliment to your salad. 

Bon appétit!! 

~c~

Food

I'm all about easily prepared and delicious food, but those two qualities rarely go together. However, with a few common ingredients that are pretty much around every kitchen, I know I can always make oven roasted garlic in a hurry. Straight out of the oven, spread on a piece of artisan bread, and sprinkled with a little sea salt, it doesn't get any better.*

All you need is:
1-2 whole bulbs of garlic
Cooking spray
Aluminum foil
Sea Salt

First, you spray the bulb with the cooking oil, covering it completely in a thin coat. Next, wrap the bulb in tin foil and place in the oven at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, more or less. When you unwrap the tinfoil, you should see a golden brown color to the bulb. Start to peel away the layers, and you'll notice the individual cloves are soft and golden. Spread on a piece of bread, and sprinkle some sea salt on top to taste. Yum.

*The yum factor clearly depends on the fact that you are a garlic fan and/or do not have a date later.








~m~

Food

I am Liz Lemon. Ok, not in the way that she lives in New York City, has Jack Donaghey as a mentor, or has a handsome geeky boyfriend with killer cheekbones (hello, James Marsden??). But the girl is an incessant eye roller, loves Star Wars in a very unhealthy way, and adores food. I'm sure that there are more glamorous and less socially awkward characters on tv to feel a connection to, but to me, the woman who rocks glasses and sings a song about cheese is the one I (over)identify with.

Recently, I went to a cheese party, an idea that I'm sure would receive the Lemon seal of approval. A friend and I have been talking about this for a while, and when it came together, it was everything we wanted it to be. A small group of friends were asked to bring cheeses and the only stipulation was that it be something a bit different. We were not disappointed in the spread. Even the brave, lactose intolerant partygoers were pretty excited.

Blessed are the cheesemakers....

Among the offerings were a smoked Gouda, a delicious Bleu Cheese, several goat cheeses, including a goat brie, some queso fresco, panela, and a delicious truffle pecorino. Along with the cheeses, there were various compotes, nuts, prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks, olives, mushrooms, charcuterie, and a delicious goat-cheese cheesecake.

Non-dairy goodies

I brought two types of cheese that I love. The first type was Spanish Manchego. I served it along with the traditional membrillo, which complements the cheese so well. This is how I was first introduced to Manchego while traveling through Spain. It's absolutely delicious.

I also took a nice wedge of brie. Usually, I love to serve brie with warm apricot preserves and roasted walnuts on top. But I picked up this great compote that has fig, pear, and orange. I've always served goat cheese with fig preserves, but I really loved the way the fig tasted with the brie.

Found this goodness at Spec's

Everything was so perfect. I understand more than ever why Liz keeps eating hard cheeses after all her root canals and sings a song about working on her night cheese.

She has a great dental plan.

I have those glasses. And that poptart.

~m~

Fun

When you're a diehard fan of something, you usually wear your heart on your sleeve when it comes to your devotion. In the case of the awesome shirts at TeeFury, fans of all sorts of pop culture icons can wear their hearts directly on their chests for the whole world to see.

I first learned about TeeFury a few weeks ago because of one of those ads that you see on your Facebook page. I saw a t-shirt that looked like an art nouveau poster, but when I looked at it closer, it was a picture of Gob Bluth, a character from the brilliant but now defunct Arrested Development.

"GOB Nouveau" from May 5, 2012

My heart stopped, the purchase was made, and from that day, I've kind of been hooked.

The deal with these shirts is beyond cool. They are only $10, but that's not even the best part. The t-shirts are truly limited editions in the fact that each shirt is only sold for one day, and the designs are submitted by various artists. While I find that really unique, it's also quite painful when you start scrolling through the gallery to see the previous designs you missed out on. The pain only continues when you realize that if you are lucky to find one of the designs on eBay, they are almost always XXL and the price is always more than the original ten bucks. But, again, if you're a diehard fan, you might just end up paying an incredible amount of money for that cheap ten dollar t-shirt that celebrates all you love.

~m~

"Theatre de la Rebellion" from July 24, 2011

The inspiration- Alphonse Mucha

"The Kiss" from February 14, 2012

The inspiration- Gustav Klimt

"Sherlock's Mind" from March 14, 2012

The inspiration- The amazing BBC series Sherlock

Inspiration Part Two- Benedict Cumberbatch....
Sigh.