The official end of winter and comfort food season!

It's finally here- the last day of winter! It's a bit dreary here today. We got some pretty heavy rainfall last night which has left our lawn looking like one giant mud puddle. Of course, it didn't help that I started digging up grass for my vegetable garden plot. I spent a few hours playing in the mud yesterday afternoon trying to lay a nice foundation for my future garden. From all the research I have done, it's very important to make sure the soil is top-notch prior to planting. There are still several weeks before planting begins so I will be spending the next month or so playing with dirt. I have drawn out a diagram of where I want everything- I am going to place bamboo poles and trellis for the tomatoes, beans and peas to climb. But, the first thing I did was scoop up some of the soil and drive it down to my local garden shop. Here is a thrilling picture of my dirt- if you look close enough you can almost visualize the watercress and basil... 
The man at the garden store told me that my soil is in pretty good shape. I just need to get it all dug up and pull the remaining grass roots and weeds out. I will need to add some organic material and fertilizer but overall it's not too full of clay nor too full of sand. It's exciting to think that in a few short months there will be beautiful green plants growing in this space. I can almost taste my garden salad of freshly picked lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, and cucumbers.

Speaking of garden salads- it's official: comfort food season has come to a close. I brought in the new season of spring cuisine last night with Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Homemade Potato Chips. Simple yes, but tasty also.

Chicken Salad:

2 cups shredded chicken* 

3/4 cup mayo- maybe more? I really didn't pay that much attention- start with less and then add until you like the consistency

1 stalk celery diced

1/2 sweet onion diced

1/2 c toasted almond slivers

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix together and serve on bread or a roll with lettuce and tomato- how easy is that???

* Barefoot Contessa has an easy method for preparing shredded chicken- just take bone-in chicken breasts, drizzle with some olive oil and salt & pepper and bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. After they cool, pull off the skin and shred the chicken. I had made about four cups worth and used half for tortilla soup the night before. Nice way to prep a couple of meals during a busy week.

I will keep you posted on the progress of my gardening... if you happened to watch 60 Minutes last weekend- there was a nice piece on Alice Waters. She's leading a movement toward eating local and organic foods. While I think it's difficult to fully adapt to that lifestyle- a few simple changes are worth trying. If you aren't going to plant a vegetable garden- try hitting up your local farmers market and experience the beauty of freshly picked crops. For no other reason than the food simply tastes better when it hasn't been sitting in a box and shipped across the country. Yay for Spring! 

Follow up photos of my freshly painted and redecorated bathroom...

The bathroom has been freshly painted and I put up some new decor. I feel I achieved the tranquil vibe I was seeking. Here are the photos:

The color is "Santorini Blue" by Benjamin Moore. Benjamin Moore partners with The Pottery Barn for the colors in their catalogs so obviously I had to go that route in selecting a color. It turned out a little more baby blue than I had wanted but it definitely brought the room to life.
Here are my new plants. The plants on the outside are "angel plants" and the middle one is a "lemon button fern". I felt they had uplifting names and that was as good a reason as any in making my selection. The plants were just $2 each and I found these cute little containers at Home Depot which match perfectly with the paint color. I found the wall ledge at Target. All in all- a pretty inexpensive way to decorate.
Adam's dad took a beautiful photograph of an ice field in Washington State and emailed me a copy. I had it blown up and bought an inexpensive frame for it at JoAnn Fabrics. The ice looks like diamonds or crystals- very cool photograph.

A trip to the Berkshires!

Earlier this week we decided to take a drive over to Berkshire County in western Massachusetts. Around New England, this area is referred to as the Berkshires. It's a large countryside made up of rolling hills with little towns settled in between. It used to be where the wealthy "summered" and it still has a very cultural reputation. As a side note- Canyon Ranch is also located in Berkshire County- the luxurious health resort that offers fitness classes, walking trails, etc for thousands of dollars per stay- oh to dream :).

There are many museums, galleries, theaters and historical landmarks scattered throughout these small towns. However, I'm certain that the drive through the Berkshires would be far more beautiful in the summer or fall. There is still snow on the ground but just enough to remind you that it's not quite spring. The trees are bare and while we were driving I imagined them stretching their limbs toward the sun, awaiting their imminent foliage. Fortunately for us - it's only an hour drive from Albany so we'll be able to return when the landscape finds its color. Until then, we decided to stay warm and head over to the Norman Rockwell Museum.

I didn't know very much about Norman Rockwell other than his illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post. The museum has a collection of 323 magazine covers- spanning from 1916 and 1963. In addition, there are exhibits of his original paintings, which are incredible. I am always in awe of how life-like paintings can be- right down to the wrinkles of a man's skin.
The above picture is of Rockwell's last studio. He spent the last 25 years of his life in Stockbridge, painting in this studio which is located on the museum's grounds. It wasn't open for public viewing when we were there. It is open from May until November. Oh- and an added bonus- museum entry is free on Tuesdays- we just happened to show up on Tuesday and that translated into a $30 savings.
Front/side of studio

This is the view from his studio. You can see what I mean about the landscape. Sure, it has its own New England winter charm but it also reminds me of Bee Movie, when the bees stop making honey and all the plants die from lack of pollination.
I am not totally sure if the house above was Rockwell's but it's located near the studio and I thought it was pretty enough to take a picture.
We made a stop in Williamstown, home of Williams College. Williamstown was settled in 1749 and the highly ranked liberal arts college was established in 1793. It's a very tiny town, quaint and cute- very New England. It was a nice place to grab lunch.
Ok, so we really only stopped to take this picture because we're dorks- but whatever. We knew we were dorks because when Adam slowed down so I could take this picture- a lady pulled up beside us to make sure we were ok. Yeah, we were fine- ya know, just people who live in New York, welcoming themselves back to the state! Oh well- sometimes you have to create your own fun when you take road trips. We are going to be here for a while so we might as well roll with it and take in as many sights and memories as we can. And don't you worry, my dear blog readers- we'll keep you informed along the way!

Don't Forget about the Little Things...

Ok, so maybe I was a bit over-reflective in my last post... (is over-reflective a word??) I am still every bit as confused about my future career endeavors but I have a somewhat level head. Luckily for me, I have this hilarious little sidekick around to remind me that my greatest achievement is him! So this post is about some small things that may have gone uncelebrated had I not decided to write about them on the world wide web. 

Gavin is beginning to soak up knowledge like a sponge. He is very close to saying "thank you" and likes to mimic animal sounds. He pets the dogs and says "hi doggy." He walks around, pretending to be talking on a cell phone. He dances to American Idol and is starting to do a little singing himself.

I am staying very committed to my workout schedule and for the past two months- I have worked out five days every week. I bought a treadmill in February and can now run a 5k without any trouble. I have set my next goal to run a 10k and have a half-marathon in the back of my mind. Gavin likes to climb up on the treadmill and pretend to run. I feel good that I am setting a good example for my son by getting regular exercise. Maybe someday he and I will run 5ks and 10ks together.

I had two fabulous achievements in the kitchen today. My mom makes a wonderful poppyseed cake and I have tried making it twice before- each time was just a wreck. I almost cried earlier this week when my cake was flat and it crumbled out of the bundt pan. This morning I decided to give it another try and it turned out beautifully. That success inspired me to take on pot roast. I have been struggling with pot roast all winter long. They always turn out dry but after a little research, I realized that I have been buying the wrong cut of meat. I was buying bottom round and trying to braise it. Bottom round is better when oven roasted for a shorter time period. Chuck roast is the appropriate cut for braising. I used Tyler Florence's recipe which I have a link to on the side of the blog. I changed it a bit by using 1 cup of red wine in place of water and used stewed tomatoes in place of crushed. It was fantastic and I encourage you to try it out as your farewell to winter meal. My next challenge to myself is to take on gnocchi- my last batch turned into mashed potatoes as soon as they hit the boiling water.

Now, I have saved the best for last. I have no idea how I did not know about the greatest cleaning supply on the planet: The Magic Eraser. I discovered this beautiful invention today and am so giddy about it. I vaguely remember someone mentioning it to me years ago when their child had drawn all over the walls with a marker or crayon. Oh my gosh-these things are genius! The previous owners of this house used flat paint on all of the walls- including the kitchen (hello, moronic!) Well, naturally kitchens get dirty and there were finger prints and stains all over the place. I figured I was going to have to repaint the kitchen this summer. The magic eraser actually cleaned up all the stains. I then started running around trying to find stains to see if I could "erase" them. There were scuff marks on the bathtub- gone! Black paint from picture frames had rubbed off onto the walls- poof! gone! If you have not tried these out- you are seriously missing out. If you have kids or pets and you did not already know about magic erasers- this post could dramatically improve your life. 

Adam is on vacation this week- we will likely take some kind of day trip. Stay tuned for a new East Coast adventure. In the meantime, I hope you celebrate the small things going on in your lives. 

March Madness- a post of random thoughts

Well, it's March 2nd. March has always been my toughest month and I think many people feel the same way. We have roughly 20 days until the first day of spring but if you looked outside my window, you wouldn't know it. We actually weren't hit bad by the latest east coast snow storm. We only have about 2 inches but the wind chill is fierce and makes the outdoors very uninviting. 

I am just ready to be warm and go for walks outside in a t-shirt. I'm ready to plant my garden and set up the patio furniture. I'm ready to watch Gavin chase the dogs around outside and teach him to kick a soccer ball. I'm ready to put away the dutch ovens and break out the barbeque. I'm ready for winter to be OVER!!!

I think I'm going to paint my bathroom this week. It's a dark coffee color right now and I feel like it just drags me down further into my March gloom. I think I'd like a pretty shade of blue and some green plants. I need to wake up to a more cheerful atmosphere. 

I have also come to the realization that I'm going to need to buck up and get a job pretty soon. I am having such a difficult time figuring out what I want to do. I have a new idea daily, yet, I have never felt less ambitious. I am not sure how to feel about a loss of ambition. I think it is sort of dangerous territory but yet freeing at the same time. I have really enjoyed my time home with Gavin and have no regrets about quitting my job. At the same time, I like working and connecting with people. I try to evaluate my skill-set and then search for jobs that compliment. I have been debating becoming a pilates teacher but don't know if I just like doing pilates for my own well-being; would I enjoy teaching it? Should I go back into banking? I must have enjoyed the field considering I spent so much time in it. My latest thought was to go get my teaching certificate and become a high school teacher- my original plan when I chose Western Washington University eleven years ago. I am seriously all over the place. I know I'm not alone in this struggle. There are many people out there, and I suspect some of my blog readers, that feel the same way. What do we want to be when we grow up? Or is it simply that careers are overrated?

Anyhow, this is why the month of March drives me nuts- I always end up spending too much time in my head. It's quite ridiculous.  I think for now, I will go for a run and clear my head. I will paint my bathroom and buy some kind of live plant. I will open all the blinds and try to let more light in. Spring is coming.

Jenny Goes to Washington!

Over the past weekend I finally made it down to Washington D.C. to visit an old college friend. She actually lives in Alexandria, VA which is about 30 minutes outside of the city. I should I say 30 minutes without traffic and in the DC area- there is ALWAYS traffic so it actually takes about an hour! We tried to cram as much sight seeing in as possible, while still making an effort to have a relaxing weekend.

I arrived late Thursday evening and Melissa had the perfect place in mind to kick off my trip: a speakeasy! I am fascinated with American history and part of that history includes prohibition, where it was illegal to serve alcoholic beverages in the 1920s-1930s. This is when speakeasy establishments came into fruition. Think F. Scott Fitzgerald, jazz music, candlelight and of course, the unmarked door. In Alexandria, VA, there is a restauranteur who recently opened a modern speakeasy known as PX. Of course, there is not a sign so it's really a word-of-mouth type advertisement. It is so awesome! You look for the blue light and if it is on, ring the doorbell and a hostess will decide if they will let you in. It only has space for 30 guests so it's not a guarantee. Once inside, you will be led into a small apartment-like setting, with cozy couches and a beautiful wooden bar where they're serving up the best cocktails in DC- and in my experience, the best cocktails of my life! Of course, it's gotten a lot of attention, making "best of" lists and receiving many rave reviews throughout the blogosphere and in local magazines. The cocktails are magnificent and even if you do not drink- you'd be impressed with the artistry. They make many of their own bitters, sodas, and herb infused liquors. The PX in Alexandria is definitely an experience!

Friday morning we took the metro into DC and had brunch with Barack and Michelle... oh right, that didn't actually happen. How freaking cool would that have been?!? We did see the White House though- and I caught a glimpse of Alan Greenspan leaving the West Wing in a town car. He was probably still scratching his head, wondering where he went wrong in his free market regulatory strategy. The picture above is the front of the White House- pretty nice digs.
This picture was taken from behind the White House- you can see the Washington Monument in the background. There was a major protest going on asking Obama to help end the genocide in Sri Lanka. It made me feel a little ridiculous for saying things like, "why am I feeling like I'm being pulled in so many different directions!?!" Can you imagine being the President of the United States? Still, it is really awesome that we are allowed the freedom to protest and assemble- right outside the White House especially when you think about genocides and other horrific things going on in other countries. It amazed me at how much I take these freedoms for granted.
This picture is of the US Capital taken from the top of the Newseum. The Newseum is the only museum that I visited this trip. It is actually fairly new and it's where This Week with George Stephanopoulos is filmed every Sunday morning. Incredible museum- it has a news history gallery which includes historic newspaper front pages that span from 1545 to today. I found it really fascinating to see the headlines from the day after the events took place. For example, seeing the newspaper from the day after Lincoln was assassinated, made it seem more real than when I read about it in a history book. Looking at all of those news stories, one after the other, was interesting because I sometimes forget about all the news I have witnessed in just 30 years! I have to admit, I teared up a few times. It's just a lot to take in all at once.

The Newseum also has a "Today's Front Pages" gallery- where they post a local paper from each state. And- wouldn't you know, on Friday they had posted The Kitsap Sun for Washington! I thought some of you from Kitsap County would get a kick out of that!

I took a public tour of the US Capital building- so beautiful. The tour starts off with a video, which I have to admit I was thinking it was going to be really lame, that it'd be cliche tourist stuff- instead, I was really impressed with it. The video explains how our government was formed and it is astounding to realize how much foresight the founding fathers really had in establishing the method for how many representatives and senators each state would have. It then goes over all the legislation that had been passed. Again, I felt somewhat ashamed for spending so much time complaining about how our government works when I should be writing to my congress person. If we are unhappy with our representation - we need to step up and get involved. That was the "take-away" of my whole trip.

Other than that- here are a few other photos from my trip! Enjoy!

Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool
Oh Abe!- Lincoln Memorial
Front of Lincoln Memorial

Alexandria, VA

Recent New York Observations

Driving in NY:
Adam and I often have the same conversation about driving in this town: Albany drivers are insane! Not only are the drivers insane but the overall set up for moving traffic is unbelievably frustrating. We live on a main street which is Western Avenue. The street has more traffic lights than any other street I have traveled. The lights are not timed so driving 2 miles could seriously take 20 minutes. Because of this, most drivers run red lights. I have to admit that I have ran a few myself. This absolutely defeats the purpose of lights because you learn very quickly that just because the light is green doesn't mean you have clearance. It's very important to look both ways before crossing the intersection.

It's not Yuge, it's Huge:
I have an absolute pet peeve with how New Yorkers say the word HUGE- it has an H and not a Y- come on!

Is there anything more disgusting than combined fast food restaurants?
This one is not specifically a NY observation but I feel it should be addressed. The other day I passed a Taco Bell/Long John Silvers- something about a soft taco supreme and a side of fish sticks will make anyone want to vomit. I think I might have to start a campaign to shut these "restaurants" down immediately.

I wear sunglasses in the winter!!
I absolutely love how sunny it is here. The sun reflects off the snow and it's just cheerfully bright. Even though we've only had a handful of days above freezing- it makes me feel just a bit better when I pair my Dior sunglasses with my puffy coat!

Why I Love Being a Mom!

Ok, so this is my first attempt to put a video on the blog. I just happened to film Gavin when we were all playing in the kitchen last night and he was being pretty silly. I cannot figure out how to get the video right side up- I think I need to take a class at the Apple Store. Gavin finds the simplest things to be the most fun to play with. Last night, an empty soda box was the object of his affection. He had fun chasing it around the kitchen. So- just tilt your heads and you'll get the idea! I will work on getting better at the video portion - maybe if use an actual video camera instead of my little camera that will help. Anyhow- enjoy!

Comfort Food- Pseudo Shepherd's Pie

I have had a few requests for easy meals to make after a busy day. This one is just the trick to fill a hungry belly and give you that warm and fuzzy feeling we seek when craving comfort food. Growing up we just called it Hamburger Green Bean Casserole- I have no idea where this recipe originated. My mom said that my grandma used to make it all the time when she was growing up. There are many variations on Shepherd's Pie but this one is great for its simplicity.

Grandma Heather's Hamburger Green Bean Casserole:

1lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can cut green beans

2 cans tomato soup

3 russet potatoes

1/4 c milk

1 tbs butter

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) Peel and quarter potatoes and boil until tender

2) Brown hamburger with diced onion, drain fat, season with salt & pepper

3) Add tomato soup, green beans, and mix

4) Mash potatoes with milk and butter, add 1 cup shredded cheese

5) In a casserole dish, pour in hamburger mixture, top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle remaining cheese

6) Bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned

* I recommend placing a cookie sheet underneath the casserole in the oven as it has a tendency to boil over

This may sound like kind of a strange recipe but I encourage you to try it out!

Heat Wave??

I am sort of addicted to my Blackberry. I use it to text, email, check Facebook, read the NY Times, and also to check the weather forecast. I went to weather.com today to see what to expect this upcoming week and was excited to see warmer weather on the horizon. I read the forecast off to Adam: Monday 41, Tuesday, 49, Wednesday 52 and raining! I was delighted! We were talking about how the snow would finally melt and we could walk the dogs a bunch. Even the thought of rain made me smile... 52 and raining! Wow! It's going to be like living in Seattle!

An hour or so later I went upstairs to get ready for the day and turned the news on. The meteorologist was all baffled because he couldn't predict how a particular storm pattern was going to move. He started to explain that depending on how the pattern moved it could potentially hook up with some cold air from Canada and cause large accumulations of snow. WHAT?!? I thought we were going to see temps in the 50s... only then did I realize that late last week I had pulled up weather.com to see what type of weather Seattle was getting. No, that forecast was not for zip code 12203 but it was for 98115. That sucks! It's like I played an April Fool's joke on myself. Damn.