Run, Run, Run

 
My final observation of the school year is tomorrow and then I'm hitting the pavement with my sister. Can't wait.

via

Last Night's Dinner

Since I'm currently not eating meat, I've been forced to try out new recipes that don't involve meat. Obviously. A few weeks back I saw a recipe on How Sweet It Is for Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Skillet and last night I decided to go for it. If you don't read Jessica's blog, you should (these things are fun and fun is good). Sorry. I couldn't resist. Must be the school teacher in me. ANYWHO, back to the point. Jessica's blog is awesome. It's on my iGoogle homepage and I read it everyday. Not only does she post ridiculously delicious recipes, she's also hilarious. I love reading her posts for the content and the witty banter.

So. I've never cooked shrimp before. I was terrified. But, for my first time, I think the shrimp turned out just fine. They may have been a little undercooked but the shrimp tasted really good! Such is life when you're learning to cook, I guess. Plus, I don't have a husband currently (damn you, tax season) so it was only me tasting the shrimp.

 
I really hate peeling shrimp. Unless I'm eating it while sitting on a dock bar drinking beer. And its July.
It's not fun standing in a kitchen in February with nary an alcoholic beverage in sight.

    

     

       

I skipped taking pictures of the actual cooking of the shrimp and pasta because, well, I was having a panic attack about overcooking the shrimp. So the next picture you get it is the finished product. If you want to see ridiculously good food photographs head on over to Jessica's blog and check out her post on this recipe.  I have a fancy pants camera but have not sat down to learn how to use it. You get clear pictures but they still aren't very good. Soon, perhaps over spring break,  I WILL sit down and learn how to use the damn thing.

      

All in all, this recipe is really, really tasty and I urge you to try it! The flavor is perfect. It's spicy but not too spicy. It is definitely being added to my rotation. I didn't alter anything in this recipe because that would be even more terrifying than cooking shrimp for the first time.  I've posted the recipe just as it was written.

Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Skillet
How Sweet Eats

{serves 2-4}

1 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne

In a bowl, whisk olive oil, parmesan, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes together. Add shrimp to a large ziplock bag, pour marinade over top, then seal bag and shake to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes… or 2-4 hours… or overnight if desired!

When ready to eat, bring water to boil in a large pot and cook penne according to directions. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and marinade (just dump the entire contents of the bag into the skillet), then cook shrimp until pink – about 2 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook! As soon as shrimp is finished, add penne into the skillet and toss to coat completely. Top with additional parmesan cheese and sliced green onions, then serve.

{Yeah, I just realized I forgot both the green onions and the additional parmesan}

First Schnauzer Cut!

The pup got her first Schnauzer cut this weekend and she looks....well, handsome. Yes, she's a girl but there's really no other way to describe it. She also looks completely and totally adorable, at least I think so. Schnauzer cuts just crack me up. She was really in need of a cut. She was scraggly and her hair was getting very matted. The before and after is really shocking.

Here is she is Saturday night before the cut:

Here she is after the cut on Sunday morning:

When I texted my sister the picture she said, "OMG you brought home the wrong dog." I don't think she likes the Schnauzer cut as much as I do.

Her new orange harness also makes her look handsome. That face just kills me.

The groomers raved about her and how well behaved she was for them. At that point, I was suspicious of whether or not this was actually my dog but decided to buy her a new toy anyway. A "yay! you didn't cause any bodily harm to the groomers!" toy. The toy is in fact, the late, great Lamb Chop. Did anyone else watch Lamb Chop? I have to admit I was a bit old for Lamb Chop when I discovered it but that didn't stop me from watching it and subsequently demanding at least 2 versions of the stuffed animal. I tried to take a picture of Lamb Chop but the monster was not having it:

I love the shit out of that dog.

Friday Ramblings

1. My 2 days as a vegetarian have been relatively easy. The first night I had a cucumber, tomato, and Vidalia onion salad. Last night, I went to a sushi place for happy hour (I'm not giving up fish so I guess I'm a pescatarian for Lent). The real test will be tonight when I really want to face an entire pepperoni pizza. With bacon.

2. It is unseasonably warm here on the East Coast. I walked to happy hour last night, about 2 miles away, and wasn't even cold. There is not a sign of snow on the horizon which is crazy for this time of year. Of course, last year I didn't want it to snow because I wanted the whole week off before my wedding and it snowed  a lot and we got off for like 10 days. This year, I really want it to snow because I could use a whole week  a day off from school. Also, I bought Hunter boots with the intention of wearing them in the rain and snow.  Yeah, definitely not going to happen now.

 

3.  I borrowed my parents' Wii and I can't wait to play it this weekend. We "borrowed"  it from them last year and kept it for probably 9 months. We felt guilty one day and returned but now we have it again. It's perfect for this time of year when G is super busy and too tired to go out on Friday nights. I just wish I had better skillz (yes, with a z). I am always losing.

4. We are nowhere near ready to buy a house but there is this adorable rowhouse for sale near our current apartment and I have every intention of going to the open house on Saturday. Tell me this is totally acceptable.  Actually, this is how I roll. I had a wedding date at the church 7 months before we got engaged (I promise I'm not a psycho, G knew and supported the idea. 3pm weddings at my church are hard to come by!).  I went to see our puppy before we were anywhere near our initial timeframe for getting a puppy.  So who knows? Maybe we'll have a house in 3 days.

Fat Tuesday

For Lent I've decided to give up meats and sweets. It will be easier because they rhyme, no? In lieu of making pancakes just for my lonesome, I decided to make this:

Delicious bacon and eggs. And, no, I do not like my bacon crispy. I realize I am in the minority on this. But it's my life and my bacon.   The thought of not eating meat for 40 days seems daunting but I am up to the challenge. Two years ago, I gave up Facebook and it was , I am ashamed to admit, pretty hard but I think giving up meats and sweets is going to be way more difficult.

Being that it is Fat Tuesday and I am not eating pancakes and instead feeling like I should make up for that, I am also drinking a couple glasses of this:

Later, I will also be partaking in  a slice of this scrumptiousness:

 

Crumb cake. So good.

I think that about covers my indulgences before a long time of fasting. Hopefully after this gluttony, I'll be totally okay not eating meats and sweets for 40 days. A girl can dream, right?

 

And just because she's pretty much the cutest thing ever and I won't be giving her up for 40 days, here's a picture of my dog:

 

The Vow

My mom, my sister, and I saw The Vow yesterday afternoon. I love R. McAdams but have always considered C. Tatum to be a bit cheesy. She was great and he was not at all cheesy. I thought he did a great job of showing the emotions this character was meant to portray: hope, sadness, frustration, anger, love, etc. I thought the movie was really good but could've afforded a little tweaking (can't all movies though?). Suffice it to say I would've liked a little more at the end of the movie.  If you've seen it, you know what I mean.

I also thought the movie had a clear message: life and love as a choice. Choosing your own path and choosing who travels that path with you. I think sometimes we get caught up in a romanticized ideal that we have absolutely no choice who we fall in love with and that when we do fall in love, no matter the circumstances, it will work out. While I agree with the notion that to a certain extent we can't help who we love, I don't agree with the notion that love is enough. Love, in any form, takes hard work and dedication. I believe when you love someone, you make a choice everyday to love them. You choose and you work. I once read a quote from Home Improvement (who knew Tim "The Toolman" Taylor had sage love advice?) that said, "Everyday we wake up, I choose you, you choose me." I love that quote and it is how I choose to live my marriage.  The Vow embraces that idea, that in life and love, we do have a choice.

Overall, I thought it was a good movie and I am glad I saw it in the theater. It also has a great soundtrack which I promptly downloaded upon exit.

Have you seen The Vow? What did you think?

It's Here!

.... Friday, that is! I couldn't be more pumped about it. Although the hubs and I both have to work tomorrow, I'm looking forward to a great Friday night. We're staying in tonight, making pizza, and catching up on our DVR. Truth be told we got into a biiiiiig fight last night (I'm talking up till 1AM, someone-is-sleeping-on-the-couch, why-did-I-get-married type fight) over something-wait for it..... stupid. We came to a resolution last night (or this morning I guess) but I'm thinking a night in will be good for our souls (and relationship).

I hope your Friday and long weekend is filled with love!

Things I Heart

• My husband. He's the best. Even though it's "busy season" and I'm spending Valentine's Day alone, he's still the best. My favorite quality? No one can smooth my ruffled feathers like him. When I've had a bad day at school, he always knows how to make everything okay. He makes me feel safe and I love that.
• My puppy. I dedicated a whole post to her recently so I'll spare you, but puppies are pretty much the greatest thing on Earth.
• Cooking. Last night, for the first time, I couldn't find something the recipe called for so I bought something else and made it work. Okay, it wasn't a huge difference-- I couldn't find Italian sausage so I used regular and seasoned it with flavors we like, but still, this time last year? I would've gone to 2 more grocery stores if I had to to find Italian sausage. This is progress, people!
• Smash. OMG. Loved the pilot. I haven't watched last night's episode yet but I'm sure I'll heart it as much as I did the pilot.
• Adele. In a world filled with auto-tuners, it is so refreshing to watch a beautiful singer stand at a microphone and just sing. No props, no crazy outfits, just straight vocals.
• Running. Endorphins. Enough said.
• My sister. This past weekend it was her 30th birthday celebration and it was a blast. Bowling, cupcakes, and beer. Pretty much the best birthday ever.
• The fact that there are only 77  school days left in the school year! Woo hoo! It's been a rough year.
• My co-worker. I don't know what I would do without her. I was off yesterday and the first thing she said to me this morning? "There are only 77 school days left! I counted". GREATEST. NEWS. EVER!

What do you heart?

It's Love

Date night with my lovely husband at our favorite little sushi place in the city...

Run Run Run

Tonight, I'm running to release the stress and anxiety I feel over my job on a daily basis. I knew teaching would be hard, I just didn't think it would be this hard every single day.

Style Crushes

Ladies whose closets (and bank accounts) I'd love to raid...

via

 

via

 via

via

via

via

Now, if only the salary of a teacher was equivalent...

Scenes from the Weekend, Instagram Style

We had a lovely little weekend and as with all weekends, it went by entirely too quickly. I also didn't take enough pictures to really make this an interesting post, seeing as I forgot my phone at home Saturday night. So really this post should be titled, "Scenes from Friday and Sunday" but that's not quite as catchy.  Anywho, scenes from the weekend...

This is what my desk looked like Friday afternoon

But then this showed up in my mailbox and I decided to forget about my messy desk

The view from our Friday afternoon walk

Wise words spotted on our walk to the vet

Pup ready to get up, Mommy and Daddy not so much

My chicken frying outfit.. I don't play when incredibly hot oil is involved

What was left of the fried chicken after the Super Bowl was over

Staring down the face of another week. Sigh. Why do weekends always go so fast?

How was your weekend?

Run Run Run

           

Tonight I will be running from the fact that I was wearing my underwear backward all day and didn't notice until 6th period (out of 7).  It has been a long week.

Hilarity Ensues

This is hysterical. Makes me feel better about the times I almost die over things like baby kangaroos in pajamas.