Menu Plan Monday

After months of fast food, delivery, BBQ and meeting leftovers, and microwave meals, I finally found my way into my kitchen to actually prepare food again. This started with a giant trip to the grocery store, because my freezer and pantry were looking pretty bare. I'm not sharing everything I made but if you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen these taco puffs. It was meant to be a snack on Saturday, but was heavy enough to count as a meal (especially with the sour cream "dip"). It only uses 5 ingredients and takes about 20 min start to finish- my kind of meal. Since Steph asked about it, I thought I'd share here as well. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 (1-oz) package taco seasoning
1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
2/3 cup water
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (17.3-oz) package puff pastry, thawed

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain. Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and green chiles and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 9 squares.
4. Arrange taco meat down diagonal center of the pastry squares. Sprinkle with some of the shredded cheddar cheese. Fold two opposite corners of each square over the filling and press edges to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I used crescent rolls instead of "puff pastry," so I made 8 instead of 9. Also, if using crescent rolls, feel free to cut this recipe in half as that's about how much filling I had left over. Here's what's on deck for the rest of the week.

Monday: Beef and Cheese Pita Pizza- I'm actually using the leftover beef mixture with some cheddar cheese mixed in for this "pita pizza." (I love how just about anything on top of pita bread is suddenly referred to as a pizza now.) 

Tuesday: Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas and Parmesan*-  I'm trying to steer clear of overly heavy meals this week, and Blue hates tuna and cheese together (separate is fine), and is not a fan of hot tuna in general, so I'm making this when I know she won't be around. 

Wednesday: This week is Hudson Restaurant Week, so we're heading out for a Cuban pre fixe dinner at Coco Havana. I'm looking forward to my favorite, ropa vieja! 

Thursday: Bowtie Pasta with Broccoli,  Garlic, and Lemon- a light, fresh, simple yet tasty favorite. 

Friday: Date night with Blue- we're going to see John Mayer! 

What do you eat when it's super hot out? 

Sharing with Laura! 

Book Tag

I've seen this book tag making its way around the blogs, and was saving it for a random day, and here we are. These are the rules: Answer all the questions honestly, share 10 random facts, and tag four book people. Let's go! 

What book has been on your shelf the longest?
Second to Nun on my Kindle shelf (2015) and probably either Shantaram or Memoirs of a Geisha on my physical bookshelf.

What is your current read, your last read, and the book you’ll read next?

Last: 

Currently: 

On deck: 

What books did everyone like, but you hated?
The Martian, Life of Pi. And though I didn't hate them, I didn't love Perks of Being a Wallflower or Looking for Alaska.

What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?
Probably the three I listed in question 1! I didn't realize Second to Nun was number 2 in a series, and it was one of the first books I acquired through Netgalley when I didn't really know what I was doing and just mass-requested everything. Shantaram is just SO BIG! and Memoirs of a Geisha... another big one, and I already know what happens because I saw the movie, but I *think* I still want to read the book?!

What book are you saving for retirement?
Life is way too short to save books! (I second this with Brittany!)

Last page: read it first or wait ’til the end?
If it's a physical book I almost always read at least the last few sentences.

Acknowledgment: waste of paper and ink or interesting aside?
Interesting aside that I rarely read.

Which book character would you switch places with?
This is a tough one... I like my life. I don't think I'd want to switch with anyone!

Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (place, time, person)?
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. I remember my mom reading this to me as we sat on the couch when I was younger, maybe middle school? I feel like maybe I had to read it for a book report, but I was too tired. There's a passage on page 193 (from "Maniac yawned" to end of page, below) that I distinctly remember. I can hear every intonation of her voice.

Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way.

Surprise Me by Sophia Kinsella because it was the first and only one I won in a Goodreads giveaway!

Have you ever given a book away for a special reason/to a special person?
Yes. One of my friends was in a bad way, and was asking for food donations on FB. I promptly cleared my pantry for her, but also threw in a candle, some nail polish, and 2 books- Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter for her, and my autographed copy of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for her 12 year old daughter. In my mind, it's not just the body that needs nourishment, but also the soul.

Which book has been with you to the most places?
Uhh, none? Or maybe the first two I mentioned above in terms of moving.

Any ‘required reading’ you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad two years later?
I was a pretty good kid so I did most of the required reading to my recollection, and I don't re-read. But I remember hating Grapes of Wrath.

Used or brand new?
Used. I'm always afraid of cracking the spine or getting watermarks on new books! Plus, I sometimes dog-ear pages and won't do that in a new book.

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?
No. (I've never read anything by Dan Brown, James Patterson, Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, or Jodi Piccoult.)

Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book?
You by Caroline Kepnes and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks included?
Eat, Pray, Love. That whole section in Italy made my mouth water! Oh, and Budget Bytes, which is literally the only cookbook I own, though I still use her website more.

Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?
Steph for thrillers, Lauren for YA, Kristen for chic-lit and romances, and Michael and Kay for just about everything.

Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g. outside of your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving?

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, because I don't typically like historical fiction (or Christian fiction for that matter), and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi because though I love YA, I don't really *love* fantasy or series. Oh, and I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara because I was never a fan of true crime until that one. 

10 Random Fun Facts:

• I don't like series in general

• I love short chapters

• I prefer e-books, then paperback, then hardback. I have more options at my fingertips, don't have to carry them,  and don't need to worry about damaging the books

• I don't really have any favorite authors. There are only two I can think of off the top of my head that I've read more than 2 of their books, Gillian Flynn and Rainbow Rowell

• I can't do audiobooks because I'm easily distracted

• I don't buy new books, but my favorite place to buy used books is the library because they are 5 cents

• Getting Blue into reading has been one of my proudest moments. I swear I swoon a little every time she suggests a "reading hour" or asks me to request a book for her

• I owned 2 copies of Me Before You but had zero interest in reading it so I wound up donating both copies

• I won't read "sad" books or sick lit. For example, if "tearjerker" is in the description or a review, I'm out. If the dog is gonna die, I'm not reading it. (Same goes for movies)

• I'm anti-readathons. I just don't like that kind of unnecessary pressure! 

I'm tagging Steph, Kay, Alexandra, Lauren and anyone else who wants to play along! 

10 on Tuesday: Things I Want To Do or Try

This month’s theme for 10 on the 10th now hosted by Whitney at The Perfectly Imperfect Mama is 10 Things I Want To Do or Try. Unfortunately for me I wasn't ready on the 10th, but I still wanted to participate! Better late than never, right?

Create a Free Little Library 
This might be the easiest one to accomplish on this list. Never heard of this? It's a little library that an individual or organization sets up where people can take a book or leave a book. I've been looking up how to get started, and am now investigating possible locations, especially since there don't seem to be any near me. You can create your library out of nearly anything (birdhouse, old entertainment center, even a mailbox or plastic container!) , and a charter is only about $40. Now I just have to find out about zoning laws in the location(s) I want to set up shop. 

Go White Water Rafting 
I feel like I did this early in college but that was a long time ago and I don't really remember it, so it couldn't have been that exciting, right?!  Anyway, I want to do it again, with BIG rapids, one where I have to wear a helmet and paddle around boulders down the river! 

Attend Oaks and/or the Kentucky Derby... and Finish The KY Bourbon Trail
I don't know much about the derby or Oaks, tbh. Kristen made Oaks look fun- that's the female horse race the day before the Kentucky Derby, everyone wears all pink everything, and it's more casual than the derby (says Google). And if I'm going to Oaks, I may as well stick around for The Kentucky Derby, right? My grandpa was into horse racing, and sometimes I'd bet (and win- woot!). Also, Blue and I got about halfway through the KY Bourbon Trail a few years ago when we went out there for my birthday, so it'd be really cool if we could finish it! 

Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
I've been to hot air balloon festivals, but now I want to go up in one! Which is kind of ridiculous since I've become somewhat afraid of heights as I've gotten older. (Speaking of which, has this happened to anyone else? Becoming afraid of something with age?)

Road Trip Down the West Coast
I want to take 2 weeks, fly into Seattle Washington, and then road trip down through Portland, stop by some national parks, sip my way though Napa Valley (and possibly that hot air balloon ride mentioned above), and finish up in San Francisco. Completely doable right?! Look, I even found a road trip itinerary already laid out! And into don't want to miss anything, which is why I've bookmarked this list of 101 things to see/do in the PNW!

Go Parasailing
Another adventurous one that just looks like fun that I haven't done before! Blue is probably laughing at me if she's reading this right now though, because once we went on a (not very high) ferris wheel and I was white knuckled for most of the ride! 

See the Northern lights in Iceland
Fingers crossed for this one! I already purchased my parka and boots, and we're looking at dates for next year. Whether we actually see the Northern Lights or not is up to Mother Nature, but we're certainly going to try! 

Swim in a geological hot spring
This was actually supposed to happen in March when I visited my friends in Colorado, but then she wasn't feeling well so we stayed in. I hear they have some in Iceland too though, so definitely going to try and incorporate visiting one on our trip! 

Try a Sensory Deprivation Tank or Acupuncture
No real reason for this one, but it's suppose to increase happiness, release muscle tension, and as Healthline states, some "reported spiritual experiences, deep inner peace, sudden spiritual insight, and feeling as if they were born anew." Sounds good to me! 

Finish paying off all of my student loans- meaning I'd have 0 debt! 
Do I really need an explanation for this one? It's definitely in my grasp too... if I put my mind money to it, I could probably do this by the end of the year. 

What are some things you want to do or try?

Let's Look: A Day In The Life

Today I'm linking up with Shay to share my typical day! I haven't done one of these since 2016, and (gratefully) my life/schedule hasn't changed much since. Last time I did this though, I posted only about my nigh time routine since I work a 9-5 office job and that's not all that interesting. I'll try to skip over the more boring parts of the day, I promise! Also in case you're new to these parts, I live alone, don't have any kids,  and "Blue" (mentioned further below) is my gf. 

7:40- alarm #1 ::snooze::

7:50- alarm #2 ::snooze::

8:00- alarm #3 aka GET THE EFF UP, WOMAN!

8:02-8:20: pour pre-set coffee into reusable mug, brush teeth, get dressed in clothes I set out the night before, make coffee (milk/sugar), grab pre-made lunch from fridge, race out the door and walk to the train station.

Disregard the time, I took this on a day I had off!

8:30- 8:50: My train is usually on time (thank heavens). I text Blue and read my latest book on my way in to work. 

8:55- 9:10: Walk over to my work shuttle stop and wait since I've missed the 8:50 shuttle. If my "shuttle buddies" are there we usually about the weekend or pop culture things (yesterday it was about the latest Stranger Things season).  There are 3 of us and we sit in the back of the shuttle and everyone else on the shuttle (it's usually the same 7-ish people) think we need to start a podcast because of our antics lol. If they aren't around, I sign in to my work apps on my phone to make sure I'm not missing anything important, and then scroll social media and/or read my book. 

9:20: Walk into work. My "official" start time is 9 but my boss doesn't work in the same building as me since our work space is currently under renovations and thus our department has been scattered across campus. Anyway, he's lenient about start/end times and gives us a grace periods. 

9:25-10:00: Everyone knows I don't really start doing work until 10. Somehow, this is widely accepted and my coworkers leave me be other than the casual "Hi, how are you?" until 10, after I've had my coffee. I have no idea when this even started being an understood thing, but it is and it's lovely. (It may have something to do with the fact that I'm the most senior person in my office, having been there for 9 1/2 years.) 

10:00 - 1:00: Work. I'm an IT Technician and Help Desk Manager at a college. So basically I fix IT things (my main area is telecommunications) and I'm in charge of all the student workers- recruiting, hiring, firing, training, etc. It's like IT Customer Service for the school.

1:30-2: Lunch break. We get an hour but I usually only take 30 min. I make a point to step out of the office to get a "real" break. I don't really socialize (except on Thursdays when we order in as a group) - I eat, take a walk, and read and/or scroll social media. Usually I pack a sandwich and chips or leftovers and an iced tea. 

2-4:45: More work things. 

4:50: Shuttle back to train station. 

5:13: Train ride home. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays Blue meets me in our usual train seats and we ride together since we're on the same train line, but different stops. Sometimes after rough days we split a roadie, but usually we just catch up about our days until my stop.

5:45 - 6:30: Walk home, immediately change into comfy clothes, empty work bag, and do nothing aka decompress for at least 30 min. If it's nice out, I'll hang out on my deck, otherwise it's couch o'clock. 

6:30-ish - 7:30-ish: Dinner. I decided to make this green chili and chicken dish, and it was really tasty!

7:30-ish -10:30-ish: Quick clean up (read: put dishes in dishwasher and wipe down counters) and then... Free time! Usually each weeknight is designated for something: Mondays are for planning the week and decompressing, Tuesdays is groceries, Wednesdays laundry night, Thursdays Blue comes over and I cook and we watch "our" shows, and Fridays I head to Blue's apt. for the weekend. So tonight I'm doing laundry and packing for a camping trip we're going on this weekend. 

10:30-ish-11:30-ish: Get ready for next day and bed. Wash reusable mug and set coffee, make lunch (unless I've already packed leftovers from dinner), shower, check weather and set aside two outfit options for next day, set multiple alarms, and go to sleep! 

And that's a wrap! 

What does your typical (week) day look like? 

Linking up with Shay!

Show Us Your Books: June Reads

I had an "okay" reading month in June, nothing spectacular. As Steph would say, they "passed the time just fine." Let's jump right in, shall we?

Husband Material- Emily Belden: 3 Stars
Own

Charlotte, a young widow, spends her life hiding behind a computer screen crunching numbers for a social media influencer firm by day and trying to create a fool-proof, algorithm based, "perfect" app for finding a new husband by night. Her life downward spirals after the ashes of her late husband, who was laid to rest 5 years earlier, show up on her doorstep and she realizes she never fully coped with his death and now she has to. While I knew I was supposed to be "rooting" for Charlotte, I didn't really like her half as much as I liked her roommate (side character) Casey. And I found the "big secret" to be too heavy to lead to the HEA ending in any sort of real way. 

Our Stop- Laura Jane Williams: 3.5 Stars*
Netgalley

This was a super-quick rom-com that I gobbled up in 2 sittings. Nadia and Daniel were confident but also sometimes full of self-doubt, which is human and realistic. I really enjoyed the alternating viewpoints, the side-story with Nadia's best friends, and the references to pop culture, like the hashtag trending on Twitter. It was predictable, but I still agonized over all the misses and if they would ever actually meet! Deducting a star because it dragged a bit in the middle and the epilogue were superfluous and uninteresting; I liked the ending better without it. Daniel seemed a bit smug in his self-awareness, and the scene with his housemate was completely unnecessary and really didn't add anything to the overall story except to color it a bit. 

Sugar- Deidre Riordan Hall: 3 Stars
Kindle Unlimited

First of all, let me just say that I've had this since 2015 and I put off reading it because of the cover. I just saw an alternate cover for the paperback version and I know I would have read it sooner if I had seen that one instead. This one gives no insight into even what genre this book is. 

Then there's the description of the main character being a "fat Puerto Rican-Polish girl," and I thought 'cool, another halfsie like me, and Puerto Rican too! This should be interesting.' Except it was not interesting, because there were 0 references to either ethnicity, and for some reason the entire time I thought she and her family were African American until I saw that description again, so why even mention it? The other thing that made this a bit clumsy to read was that one of the characters was named "Even." So whenever that word (or name) was used in a sentence, I had to re-read it. 

Those aspects aside, overall, I enjoyed the story. Sugar is a overweight teen living with her morbidly obese (like, can't get out of bed obese) mom and a*hole brother. She mostly keeps to herself because she's constantly bullied. Then Even shows up and shows her another way to live- really live- and she starts changing her life for the better. 

Trigger warnings: abuse and eating disorders
Dumped, Actually- Nick Spalding: 3 Stars*
Netgalley

This was my first Nick Spalding novel and I have to say, this MUST be read with an English accent! Oliver Sweet is a journalist who gets very publicly dumped while proposing to his girlfriend. He writes about it in the paper and asks the subscribers for advice. What ensues is the laugh-out-loud adventures of him following their advice. However his whole "woe is me" attitude, while entertaining at first, became old fast, especially in comparison to his friend Wimsy. Also, though I understood the ending I didn't like it and was left wanting more. 

Twenty-One Truths About Love- Matthew Dicks: 2 Stars*
Netgalley

This was such a struggle to get through. Dan was a pessimistic, judgmental jerk with absolutely no redeeming qualities. I didn't enjoy his lists and didn't find him funny in the least.  I liked the side characters in general and Bill in particular; he had personality.

I also liked the idea of a story being told entirely in lists, and maybe it was the author's execution, but it felt disjointed. Also, I don't understand why the only action came 80% into the story. It’s mentioned throughout the entire story but then all of a sudden it’s rushed and tied up too quickly without any consequence, which is ridiculous.

* ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

What are you reading lately? 

Linking up with Steph and Jana! 

What's New With Me: New Orleans 2019

Usually I take this opportunity to share everything I've been up to the past month, but there wasn't much other than my trip with Blue to visit her niece in New Orleans, so this my vacation recap!

This was actually our second trip to New Orleans so besides the food, we were more interested in relaxing than anything else. Lucky for us, K (Blue's niece) has been working her little tuchus off so she hasn't gotten a chance to really experience the town. We were more than happy to introduce her to some of our past faves and just hang out with her!

Our first stop was The Gumbo Shop. This was a favorite of ours last time, and the second time around was just as good as I remember! We all had the 4 course combo special with all the specialties- gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, shrimp creole, and (of course) bread pudding. The pictures above don't do it justice! 

Saturday was our main "chill day." Blue wanted just one day to lay out by the pool. After a few hours swimming (them) and reading (me), we cleaned up and headed out to Erin Rose. This tiny dive bar is famous for their 'killer poboys" and frozen Irish coffee, and both were absolutely amazing! 

We still had time to kill before our Ghost and Vampire Tour, so we stopped into another bar on the way to our meeting spot for the tour. And then we had B1G1 hurricane special at the Voodoo Lounge, to bring with us on the tour. And then... well, things get a little foggy because I had a bit too much to drink and not nearly enough food. We ended the night eating fried chicken in bed though, which really ain't so terrible if you ask me! 

Sunday kicked off with a jazzy brunch buffet at the Court of Two Sisters. Surprisingly I didn't take any pics of the food there (mostly because I was shoving it in my pie-hole too fast). They had everything you can imagine, and then some. The omelet bar and carving station were impressive, and I heard the sweet potatoes tasted like "warm pecan pie," but I didn't get a chance to try them. The two new things I tried were the shrimp étouffée and turtle soup. (I liked the shrimp better.) The only thing I would've changed was sitting outdoors. The courtyard was beautiful, mostly covered by trees and fans throughout, but it was a bit too warm out. Or maybe it was the soup? Anyway, they offer the brunch daily so I would definitely recommend adding it to your list if you have the opportunity! 

We decided to walk off our meal meandering around Jackson Square, listening to live music, watching the side street acts, and checking out the French Market (but mostly just trying to find places with strong AC, tbh) before heading back to the hotel where we were getting picked up for our swamp tour! 

Don't know what an airboat is? Yeah, we didn't either. Basically it's a boat with little to no cover on top and lots of picnic-style rows of seats with a giant fan propeller in the back that makes so much noise when at "full throttle" that patrons are strongly suggested to wear these very attractive ear protectors. Can you tell that we were a bit nervous/uncomfortable?!

If you couldn't tell by the amount of pictures of this compared to anything else, this was my favorite part of our trip. And I think a big part of it is directly attributed to our tour guide, Earl. (Yes, that's his real name. Can't make this shit up.) Earl was AWESOME. He was very charismatic and funny, but not in the cheesy "I'm-a-tour-guide-so-I-have-to-be" way. He told us about an earlier tour where the people totally sucked and were scarily silent the whole time. He told us that he was taking us through a swamp path that he wasn't approved to go through with the size of our airboat because another guide dared him to, but "No worries, if we really don't fit, I'll get us out!"

And best of all? He kept us behind all the other airboats that left at the same time, which kinda freaked me out at first. But when we were out of view, he explained that he purposely held us back because the day before he found a mother gator guarding her nest that no one else had seen! He guided us up to her, and got so close that she started toward our boat and started hissing at us! By that time I was well on the other side of the boat, slightly freaking out (can they jump? She looked ready to jump us!). This pic is of her when we first saw her (before she started approaching, and ya know, hissing at us). She is about 8 1/2 ft long, and that pile of straw on the left is her nest. Also, I kind of thought a gator hiss would be very guttural, like a roar, but it's much more like a very pissed-off cat. Just an interesting tidbit. 

Near the end of the tour Earl reached into the ice chest in front of him and pulls out his little buddy, Fluffy. (Again, can't make this shit up!) Apparently he helps salvage gator eggs, and then raises them when they hatch so they have a better chance of survival. Fluffy is one that hatched in his care, and is about 3 1/2 years old. He didn't even have to trap his mouth shut- he was so docile the whole time! He was feeding various other gators in the swamp (all of which he had names for) marshmallows, because apparently they like those? And telling us about some of his "souvenirs" or scars from when he wasn't so smart about gators. He was just the best, so if you can do this tour, I'd definitely request him! He's the real deal! 

After the swamp tour, Blue and I grabbed some (very average imho, though it was recommended by several locals) hot dogs at Dat Dog before checking out the live bands at various bars on Frenchman St., something we missed out on our last trip! The last morning, we caught a late breakfast at a ridiculously good and underrated restaurant across the street from our hotel called Cafe Fleur De Lis. Of course I had to get the Seriously Southern Special, but definitely could not handle that giant  1/3" slab of bacon that came with it! Everything else was fabulous though! 

TL;DR

To Stay: The W Downtown New Orleans

To Eat: The Gumbo Shop, The Court of Two Sisters, Erin Rose, Cafe Fleur De Lis

To Do: French Quarter Phantom Tour, Airboat Adventures (ask for Earl!)