Stuffed from a Stuffed Meal

About a year ago, I cut out a recipe for stuffed zucchini but never got around to making it.  Tonight seemed like as good a time as any, so after work I picked up the ingredients needed for this Mediterranean meal.  I filled roasted zucchini halves with a mixture of rice, lamb, onions, and spices, but it didn't all come together until I added the topping.  A little lemon juice, greek yogurt, and pine nuts and suddenly the dish was whole.  The best part is that I got my protein, veggie, and starch all in one little boat.

Observation

Have you noticed that being "up for something" and being "down for something" means the same thing?  Considering up and down are polar opposites, I find this odd.  Never thought about it?  Allow me to demonstrate with two different hypothetical conversations:

1)    J Woww: Do you want to go shopping for animal print dresses that are 2 sizes too small?
       Snookie: I'm totally up for that.  And then we can smush.

2)    Timmy: Hey, do you want some chronic?
       Snoop Dogg: Yea man, I'm down with that.

Just something I was thinking about...

Rumble in the Bumble

Hair is a big deal to a girl.  Don't believe me?  Just ask Rapunzel.  Most girls have had a scarring haircut experience that altered them for life.  Mine happened in 7th grade.  With hair at mid-chest length, I went into the salon and asked for a trim - just an inch to an inch and a half off, I said.  I walked out in tears.  She had given me a boy cut with a rat tail.  I vowed to keep my hair shoulder-length or longer forevermore.

That all changed last night when I walked into Bumble and Bumble.  I said I wanted something a little different, but nothing too crazy.  Somehow that turned into a much much shorter 'do.  This time, I didn't walk out crying.  I'm a little scared because I'm not sure how to style it myself, but I'm up to the challenge.  Not to toot my own horn (ok, maybe I'm tooting a little bit), but I'm pretty proud of myself.  I'm not sure what it is about hair, but it is very closely linked to a girl's identity; ergo, I'm a whole new woman now?  I still can't believe I went through with such a big change because I very rarely throw caution to the wind like this.  I celebrated this milestone by grabbing a burger and a drink at PJ Clarkes post-cut.  Check out my transformation below:

With Rennie Curran (former UGA linebacker, current Tennessee Titan), pre-haircut

  

Spicy Soupy

In case you didn't all get the memo, it's FREEZING.  I think today has a high of 18.  It wasn't much warmer over the weekend, which meant it was soup time.  I needed something hot hot hot - in temperature and spice.  Although I am not well versed in Thai cooking, I found a super easy recipe for spicy thai chicken soup, so I decided to try it out.  So easy and so tasty!  I threw chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce, sriracha, ginger, chicken (I just used a rotisserie chicken to make it reeeeally easy), and shitake mushrooms into a pot and simmered until it was warmed through.  At the last minute I tossed in some of those glassy rice noodles.  Since everything was already cooked, it took no time to make, but it still tasted like a composed dish.  It did the job - it warmed me up and for a split second, I forgot how cold it was outside.

Automatic for the People

Once again, Saturday night was girls night.  We went in with a plan: a little champy with Em and Shelby at their apartment and then out to explore the west side.  Typically, Raychel and I are east side gals, but since the West Village is just a hop skip ad jump away from their Chelsea apartment, it just made sense.  Of course, we went to Diablo Royale straight from the apartment.  Emily, Shelby, and their other roomie Diana pretty much live there and are besties with the bartender.  After a michelada and jalapeno tequila shot, we decided to head to the featured bar of the night.

The goal was to try a new bar and although Automatic Slims isn't a new bar, none of us had ever been.  Rachel (different than the first one mentioned) met up with us while at Diablo and convinced us that Automatic Slims was worthy of an appearance, locking up the decision to go.  This tiny bar has red and black checkerboard floors and whitewashed walls, which seems pretty perfect for this Bulldawg.  Also perfect: the music.  They play a good mix of 80s and 90s, with a few top 40 mixed in - just right for a dance party, which is exactly what ensued.  The crowd is also good.  It's a mix of hipsters and preppy types, with the preps probably taking the majority, which suits me just fine.  This place is sort of where you go when you graduate from Dorians, aka: fun.

At Least I Did Something Today...

When my iMentor event was cancelled today, I decided to take advantage of the extra free time to...stay in bed all day.  By the time the clock struck 5:00 PM and I had caught up on all the tv I had missed this week, I decided it was time to get dressed.  What was the rush, right?!  I looked online and found a couple recipes I wanted to try and headed to Whole Foods to pick up the ingredients.

I thought Sunday evening was supposed to be the big grocery shopping time, but apparently 5:30 PM on Saturday is pretty popular, too.  When I was ready to check out at the Union Square location, the line stretched all the way to the front door.  It was daunting but too late to turn back - I had a great meal to start cooking!

I made a shrimp and artichoke casserole that wasn't specifically Southern, but reminded me of something my Mommy would make.  In the lowcountry, we love our casseroles, and shrimp are part of just about every meal.  This particular casserole didn't take much time to put together, but the ingredients - though few - are all so flavorful.  I matched the creamy casserole with a crunchy side dish: roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts with orange.  The citrus gave the veggies the necessary pop to compete with the casserole.

I wish the pics came out better, but I was in a rush.  No time to be Ansel Adams when there's a girls night about to go down.  West Village, I am well fed and ready to party.

We're Not Curing Cancer

I love working in Advertising.  I think it's pretty cool that in some small way, we may be affecting consumers.  When you spend 10 hours a day at your desk, you want to know that your work matters.  Did that campaign I just worked so hard on really reach my target in a meaningful way?  That may seem like the most important thing ever; however, at some point, we have to take what we do with a grain of salt, which is why I am a pretty big fan of the blog Things Real People Don't Say About Advertising.