A Little Taste of Philly

So the weekend before last Jon and I went to Philly to celebrate being together for 4 years- i know, right. Neither of us had ever been there and we really like going to cities.

We started our trip there with a ghost tour. We had been on a ghost tour in St. Augustine that was pretty cool. No ghosts of course but some cool stories and history.

This tour ended up being a total drag. The stories were lame. But we did get to see some parts of the city we might have missed otherwise. We stopped here at a graveyard and the tour guide urged us to take pictures and catch a ghost....no ghost.




Going to the city always means shopping. Surprise it's me in the dressing room!



Cities also mean mannequins :) I don't know that this one makes the cut though. Not as impressive as the rest of the group


Philly has some lovely parks and squares, all the more alluring because of the fall foliage



Here is a charming picture of Jon eating some super greasy fries at Monks. This place was known for their selection of beer. We met a guy there that was in Philly working for the Obama campaign for college credit. He recommended we try Flying Dog. Silly boy, that beer is made in Frederick! That's our beer. Pretty cool though. About a third of the way through these fries I started to get some gut giggles and I knew I was done for. We speculate that those fries were just pulled out of the bottom of the fryer and had been there all day.



And what trip to Philly would be complete without a cheesesteak? I was being snobby and got provolone on mine but Jon was smart and got the cheese wiz topping, and I must say, his did have more flavor, and once you started eating it you kinda forgot that the "cheese" came out of a sloppy can of goo.

All in all Philly was great. Expensive drinks though!

This is...something I'm surprised I like

Isn't this cute little jersey dress from Urban Outfitters cute?! But I am surprised I like it because its only been more recently that I have been embracing the potato sack dress look. When the pregnant style clothing first came into fashion I hated it. I felt like I was swimming in fabric whenever I would try on a little babydoll tee and would always end up not buying it and being disappointed that it looked so much cuter on the hanger than on my body. At some point I just got over it I suppose and now I really like them - they are super comfy and versatile.

Cheesy Beany Casserole

So I am a little short on money these days...like I haven't gone to the grocery store in weeks because I just can't face that ever growing total at the checkout, so I have been getting a little crafty with my dinners. Here is a little something I concocted with what I had in my pantry and fridge at the time.




1/3 box wheat pasta
1 can sweet peas
1 can vegetarian baked beans ( I think the veggie ones taste way better than the "bacon" ones but I would eat either)
cheese ( I used gouda and cheddar mixed up in the casserole and then sprinkled parm on top)

Basically just cook the pasta according to the box then stick the drained noodles into a oven proof casserole. Top with baked bean and peas (or hey, use corn) and mix well, crumble the cheese over it and mix it in a little. Set the oven at 375 and let it bake for 30-40 min or until the cheese looks melted and everything is hot. Sprinkle with parm and eat.

Now, had I been grocery shopping I would have put a whole lot more cheese in this than I did. I only had little nubs left, so go crazy with the cheese if you have it.

New Fings

So here are a few things I picked up at Crafty Bastards a few weeks back



I got these earrings from the Broken Plate lady, and as I said before, all her stuff is made out of shards of broken plates



I got this cute little hat :) the cheesy grin I made all by myself

And Plus! I got a haircut again



I was hoping for something a little more edgy but whatev, next time I will be more specific, but it's nice to have it off my shoulders and out of the way

I got some other stuff too, which I will post here eventually...im really slacking on the photo taking so sorry

This Is...My current reading material

So I just joined the This is... group started by Three Buttons. Each week she asks someone to pick a This is...topic and then we all post our responses on our blog. Im supper late this week but what the who!



So this is what I am currently reading. The Egypt book I am reading for reference material for the novel I am writing, its well written though so its a good read. Also trying to keep my french up so Im reading the Prisoner of in French Azkaban. Lastly I am reading my bookclub book - The Big Over Easy - which I am almost done with, its getting exciting so I should finish it soon

Curry Chicken Salad in an Avocado

I guess I just never get tired of curry because as much as I have it at work, I still use it at home. This little dish is something I picked up this summer in France, but I brightened it up a bit with the curry. This makes a great lunch, but the first time I had it my host "mom" made it for dinner and we each had a half avocado with tuna salad.



So basically what you need is

one ripe avocado
cooked chicken or tuna ( i had some roti chicken to use)
1 to 2 tbsp mayo
1-2 tsp curry powder
little dash of lemon juice

and hey if you have a carrot or a cucumber laying around, chop that son up and put it in there too!

Corn Chowder in a Pretty New Bowl

So here I have a chance to show off one of my new purchases from Crafty Bastards the other week. This is some of Tasha Mckelvy's functional pottery. I got it for soups and ice cream and stuff like that, and I love the little dip where I can rest the spoon.



Anywho, Jon and I made this a little while back, but I forgot to post it, but it is a definite keeper, and we will be making this again in the cold winter to come. I got this from Real Simple ages ago. The recipe says is feeds 4 to 6, but if you are like me and have only two to feed, just know that the rest will be leftover, and dont make all the bacon at one time, make it fresh whenever you want to reheat the leftover.

Corn Chowder
8 ounces sliced bacon
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 10 ounce packages frozen corn (I used 2 12 ounces...i likey the corn)
3 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper
a nice fat bunch of fresh cilantro

1. Cook your bacon however you like it then cut it into half inch chunks, set aside
2. Reserve 2 tbsp of the bacon drippings and add to a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat to medium.
3. Cook onion, stir occasionally until soft. Add garlic, paprika, and red pepper, cook stirring for 2 min
4. Stir in broth, corn, and half and half and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 15 min.
5. Transfer half the broth to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to pot and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stir all.
6. Divide soup into bowls, top with bacon and cilantro

My Prize! I Wiin!

A while back Pang posted her 100th post and she had a little giveaway and I was one of the winners. Well last week at Crafty Bastards Pang surprised me with a little Fing, all for me.



Isn't he/she cute :) Pang knows Im a weenie dog lover, so she knew I would be happy with anything that included a ween...oh how silly us daschund enthusiasts are. And the little handmade card is a nice touch too

Book Club Update: The Big Over Easy, October

Pang has chosen the book for our October read. I dare say she has picked a better book than I did. Here is the back cover:

Welcome to the seedy underbelly of nursery crime... Meet Inspector Jack Spratt, family man and head of the Reading's Nursery Crime Division. He's investigating the murder of ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, ex convict and lover of women, found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down, and all those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play. Spratt and his new partner, Sergeant Mary Mary, search though Humpty's sordid past in hopes of finding the key to his death. Before long, Jack and Mary find themselves immersed in a bizarre case that reaches into the highest echelons of Reading society and business.

Happy Reading!

Skinny Scarf and Wee Glasses Case

Pang and I had a little sewing circle on Monday, for the first time in a while. I really wanted to wow her so I decided to make two different little projects (look at how fast your pupil has grown!). The first thing I made was a skinny scarf. I bought this cool, light slippery fabric with Pang a while back for this purpose, but had just never gotten around to doing it. The lady that cut it did a bad job (Pang says this is not her fault...i don't see how that is possible) so the scarf ended up being even skinnier than I had planned but I kinda like that now.

Here is the fabric up close, a blue tiny houndstooth


Here it is, frayed edges and all. I decided I liked the frayed edges so rather than fold them in I just stitched it shut and let those little guys be free.



And here is me being too lazy to set up a tripod and give you a nice picture, but you get the idea of it anyhow



Next I made another glasses case. The first glasses case I made a few months ago is too big and every time I pull it out the glasses are hardly ever in it, so it was time to make a new one. Using the napkins I bought a while back I made a double patterned one this time, which I think turned out rather cute..if a bit on the wee side.



From the front



From the back



And the napkin fabric inside

Also I took Pang to Ab Attack, which she did not thank me kindly for. Sorry :( Its good for you though, really, how will you get your washboard abs without the pain? It was a particularly hard class this time, but there was no way for me to have known. I made it up to her with some fresh bread.