happy things

It's only Tuesday and I'm already having one of those week's where I feel like the water is rising and threatening to pull me under. But I think that's just me allowing myself to be overwhelmed, and I don't want to do that anymore. So how 'bout a little fun up in herr?

these goodies oughta do the trick:

weekending v.2

facing east

Gorgeous weekend, right? What a nice break from all the rain. I had been looking forward to my mini vacation to northern VA all week long, and it was such a blessing to have nice weather to drive in. It took a lot of restraint to not snap pictures while making my way up I-81.

<3 my momma

I left Andy and the pup behind (my agenda of seeing friends and going shopping didn't really interest them) and enjoyed having my parents (and a bed) all to myself. My friend Becca was in town, so naturally we had to share a meal together. We headed to Los Tios in Del Ray, a sprawling Mexican/Salvadorean restaurant on Mount Vernon Ave. We split a mixed pupusa, the fried plantains and the chicken and steak fajitas. The restaurant was insanely loud, but the food was so good that we didn't care. My friend Zebib (both B&Z are friends from high school) came over later Friday evening to watch "The Ides of March," a political thriller that we both found fascinating. There was a lot of couch slapping going on. DON'T watch the trailer - it gives too much away. 

My parents and I spent literally all day Saturday at Tysons. We lunched at Coastal Flats and marveled at how packed the mall was (blerg). I came home with three dresses, three sweaters, two pairs of earrings and a white ceramic turtle.

dress up anyone?

Today was church, lunch at Moby Dick's, a lil shopping at Home Goods and driving home to a waggy tail and a snuggly husband.

Feels good to be home.

I couldn't walk away from this wire rack that I found
at Home Goods. I can't get over how ME it is!
I was planning on putting it in the bathroom but it may
end up here, just up on the wall. and no, my walls
aren't really that bright.

spicy honey-brushed chicken

Andy and I have been on a spicy foods kick lately, so last night I made spicy honey-brushed chicken with green bean casserole (recipe on the back of fried onions) and spicy diced potatoes. This meal would serve four comfortably, and was super easy to prep but involved a lot of attention while cooking.

I used breasts instead of thighs and diced potatoes instead of homestyle slices, but other than that I followed both recipes to a T.

okay, maybe that's not true. I used a pretty heavy hand with the chili powder and ground red pepper. 

Since green bean casserole is easy peasy, I had that cooking in the oven while I prepped the chicken and potatoes. I turned the broiler on once the casserole was almost done (it still needed the fried onion topping). I pulled the casserole out, covered it, then focused all my attention on cooking the chicken and potatoes. I was really nervous about broiling the chicken, but I cut each breast into smaller pieces and used a thermometer to check the internal temperatures of each piece (some were thicker than others). Once the chicken was done I turned the oven back to 350 and added the onions to the top of the casserole. 

The chicken was deliciously spicy with a hint of sweetness from the honey glaze. The potatoes were so spicy that I coughed every time I lifted the lid to stir them, but they were still incredible. I put a dollop of sour cream on my plate and it was the perfect "dip" for both the potatoes and the chicken. The creaminess of the casserole also helped tone down the spice. 

If you're not into spicy foods but your spouse is, try my sour cream trick. OR don't double the amount of chili powder and ground red pepper. :)

one last thing - if you aren't a fan of microwaved leftovers, try lowering the power setting. It'll take longer to cook, but it will cook more evenly and thoroughly. (thanks to my big sister, I can now stomach - and enjoy - leftover chicken!)

side reads

got a few minutes? I promise you'll enjoy these:

This short story about a husband and wife and a creative writing class gave me chills. Even though Maya is a fictional character, I can't stop thinking about the second story she wrote.

Do you salivate or cringe when you see commercials for the KFC bowl? I salivate. Comedian Patton Oswald shares his thoughts on the bowl here (so well-written!) for example:
"It [the bowl] sat on the passenger seat next to me like a sullen runaway I'd picked up on the interstate..." "The Famous Bowl hit my mouth like warm soda, slouched down my throat, and splayed itself across my stomach like a sun-stroked wino."

Have you ever had a really bad day and you wished there was a self-help book that would address your specific problems? This girl had the same dilemma. Prepare to LOL. (the third from the bottom is the one I relate to the most)

I was crushed when Laskas discontinued writing a column for the Washington Post Magazine. I've been slowly picking my way through her column archives, and this one stood out to me. If you've ever had a dear friend move away (I've had too many to list here), or if YOU'VE been the one to move, you'll relate to this bittersweet story.


for more snippets from around the web, click here

weekending v.1

Ahhh the weekend.

After work on Friday I met a friend for coffee at Target and bought the perfect oversized sweater. Then Andy and I cleaned up the office and upstairs guest room and I made some progress on my veryscarycloset while mentally smacking myself and vowing to never let it get this messy again. Andy spent the evening with friends and I contentedly curled up with a book I've read at least five times now.

before - 9:30 p.m. Friday

after - 9:30 a.m. Saturday (clearly a huge difference)

Saturday afternoon Andy and I made pretzels from my birthday Auntie Anne's pretzel-making kit. I love it when my man works in the kitchen. He scored even more points when he took me to Kyoto for dinner.

Thanks babe! :)

We don't do "home church" very often anymore, but it was nice to sleep in this morning and spend the morning cozied up on the couch with cups of coffee. We listened to a sermon on marriage by Mark Driscoll and had a sweet time in prayer. Carolyn came by with her precious baby girl, who cooed and smiled and stared at Andy. And then there was football and blogging and snuggles and puppy yawns. Perfect weekend.

half time snack - including my new favorite cracker

"We brought a possum into your house and it got out and it may have laid eggs in your bed. And it went it your kitchen and your bathroom and it touched all your bras." - Leslie Knope, Parks and Rec.