meatless meals

i have learned to be more creative in the kitchen since i don't eat meat. i've even learned to like things i thought i hated. i was having lunch at the nordstrom cafe a couple months ago and was disappointed at the lack of meatless entrees and eventually decided on the mushroom raviolis. i hate mushrooms, by the way. their texture grosses me out. but i decided to order it anyways (with no extra mushrooms on top, of course).
best. decision. ever. turns out i love mushrooms! as long as they're chopped up finely, they have the most delicious meaty flavor. since i don't want to run to nordstroms every time i want raviolis, i made it at home.



3 ingredients. so easy.

package of mushroom cheese raviolis [trader joe's and costco have the best out there]
alfredo sauce
sun-dried tomatoes

i like to chop up the tomatoes and stir them into hot alfredo sauce. it's delicious. even if you think that you don't like mushrooms, you really should try these.

what are your favorite meatless meals?

original photo courtesy of bluepupae's flickr

happy thoughts

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: the clear sky last night on my drive home. whoa, there are stars up there!

two: the crossword that i finished in a half-hour in pen. no, not new york times.

three: discovering that i can, in fact, wear one kind of hat. inspired by this girl.



four: my new book about the secret service detail that protected president kennedy. fascinating stuff.

five: the galentine's party i went to with all of my favorite gals. what a love-fest!

six: this salad, that i've made twice now.

seven: being asked to be a bridesmaid for the first time. so exciting!

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: the ants are back. boo.

two: not realizing that the h&m at the mall opened. no one told me!

three: now i have to find a bridesmaid dress. surely the worst shopping experience next to swimsuits. tips?

my year of living dangerously

probably since it's february i should write down my goals for the year. they've been rolling around in my head for a month but i keep forgetting to write them down. i thought about things i wanted to get better at or do differently and i realized that i'm a pretty safe person. i'm open-minded and i like to try new things, but only if there's no chance i'll fail. i don't take a lot of risks or challenge myself. i'd like to change that. here's what i'm working on in 2011:

try yoga for more than one week

run. on a regular basis. big goal: run in the hood-to-coast this summer. yikes!

travel somewhere i've never been by myself. or with someone if anyone would like to volunteer.

interview for teaching jobs. terrifying.

swim. with all that fancy breathe to the side stuff.

bake something involving yeast, kneading and rising.

talk to and make something happen with that guy. shoot. i wrote it; now i have to do it.

read the books that are on my bookshelf that i've been avoiding. scarlet letter, wuthering heights? i'm looking at you.

sew those skirts that i bought the fabric for a year ago. i won't sew my thumb, i won't sew my thumb.

work on my creative cooking skills. once you don't eat meat, cooking great meals gets a little bit harder.

find a place i love and get used to the idea of moving there.


i think that's good for one year. i'll keep you posted on how all of this is going.

SAG Awards 2011

not too much to report here, just a few favorite dresses. i'm getting really excited for the academy awards, though. i've seen 7 out of 10 of the best picture nominees and i'm shooting for 9 out of 10. i don't think i can stomach 127 Hours.


mila kunis. love the belt, the color, and the hair/makeup. it all works for me.


lea michele. i love her hair and the dress is just beautiful.


julianna margulies. i thought she looked so beautiful when she won and i got a little nostalgic for the E.R. days. her speech was really sweet and i love how cute she and her husband are!


january jones. i love this because it's so daring. she looked stunning during the show and i'm glad she did something different than the golden globes.


claire danes. intriguing print and i thought the overall look was great. anyone else feel like she's been winning awards for this miniseries for a long time? the award show timeline is weird.


tina fey & amy poehler. my favorite ladies of funny. tina looks stunning and it's such a different look for her. amy looks great after baby #2 and i secretly love the white-blond hair. wish i could try that out for a day.

Golden Globes 2011

did you watch? i actually took notes this year so i could remember whose dress i loved and what jokes made me laugh. turns out that the dresses were amazing--but the jokes? not so much. i like my funny people a little kinder than ricky gervais. but oh well.

here's some of my notes:
--christian bale has an english accent? since when?
--"please welcome ashton kutcher's dad, bruce willis." probably the only joke i laughed at and enjoyed.
--andrew garfield. sigh.
--robert downey is awesome. funnier than the host.
--you know who else is funnier than the host? robert deniro. get him in some more comedies, and i don't mean little fockers
--gosh, natalie portman is just so radiant and her parents are the cutest ever.
--social network? yeah, sounds about right.

all right, here are the goods:
[clearly the stylists schemed to have everyone dress in one of four themes]

navy blue--


amy adams. love the cut-out detailing


tina fey. great jewelry.

romantic neutrals--


julie bowen. grey and gorgeous.


scarlett johansson. sparkly but subtle and refined.


sandra bullock. my favorite. effortlessly beautiful. love the bangs, too.


dianna agron. love the pleating, very simple.


natalie portman. comfortable but super elegant.


leighton meester. beautiful fabric, killer accessories.

emerald green--


mila kunis. the texture is amazing, and could she be any more beautiful?


angelina jolie. kinda out of character, but i really love it.


catherine zeta-jones. good to see her again, and looking amazing, too!

sparkles/sequins--


olivia wilde. shutting it down. seriously.


anne hathaway. the most covered up i've ever seen her. . . until she turns around.

and the odd dress out--

claire danes. didn't get the memo, but she looks amazing. halter is a good cut for her.

weird that there were a lot of similarities, but everyone looked so amazing that i don't care. who was your favorite?

wrapping it up part 3

and for the grand finale, the last part of my wrap-up is probably the longest, mostly because i watch a lot of tv. here's what i loved in 2010.



Parks and Recreation: affectionately referred to a p.rex around here, this underdog of a show is quirky and definitely an acquired taste. it got off to a rocky start in the first season, and i'll admit, i pretty much hated it. but i gave it a second chance and it was so great in 2010. amy poehler is a comedic genius in my opinion, and makes this show shine. the cast is all so great and so weird but it worked. favorite scene? the office hunting trip and leslie's excuses for accidentally shooting ron. they're back january 20th and you should watch for sure.



The Glades: probably nobody else watched this show, especially since it premiered during the summer of cop shows [rizzoli & isles, memphis beat, rookie blue, and southland, to name a few], but this was definitely my favorite. i loved the main character and his unusual approach to police work, the interesting storylines, and a great supporting cast. i watch a lot of crime/police procedurals and it was great to have a fun, different take on the genre.



LOST: whatever you thought of the ending, this was such a great show and one of the best things on last year. i loved the ride and am still thinking about those stories. i loved seeing everyone's paths meet towards the end and seeing old friends like boone (now on one of my new favorites, scroll down to see!), charlie, charlotte, and faraday, wondering if i could cry any harder watching charlie and claire reunited. i am so sad that it's done, but also really glad i can watch it over and over. also: daniel dae kim on hawaii 5-0 is a nice consolation.



Greek: last year was the first time i got to watch greek live on tv because i'd watched the first couple on dvd. what a great season. i love that the characters are getting older and dealing with things that come with growing up--relationships, careers, expectations, self-discovery--in a funny, heartwarming way. the final season just started and i can't wait to see how everyone's story ends.



Project Runway: i'm still fairly new to this show, but these guys made this season great tv. this is a reality show that i feel good about watching. proud of fellow portlander gretchen, she really needed that win, but mondo, in my book, you're a true winner.



Psych: i love everything that USA does but psych will always be my favorite. after 5 years, the writing is still funny, i love the characters more than ever, and shawn's finally growing up.



Modern Family: i don't know how they do it, but this might be the funniest show on tv. i have spent many episodes crying on the floor from laughing so hard and can't wait to see what they come up with next.



Hawaii 5-0: maybe my favorite new show of 2010. dynamic characters, interesting story lines, and beautiful scenery? winner.



law and order: svu: my first and favorite cop drama was excellent last year. how they are still coming up with new and interesting storylines, i do not know. they've started off this newest season with a bunch of great guest stars, including an amazing performance from jennifer love hewitt [which has redeemed her in my eyes from that horrible audrey hepburn biopic].

honorable mentions: the mentalist, criminal minds, csi:ny, and lie to me



Friday Night Lights: they just don't make tv shows like this very often. i always feel like i'm intruding on real people's lives when i watch FNL, but in a good way. the last season is airing on direct tv now and will be on nbc in the spring. i'm not sure what i'll do when this show is gone. i'll miss these guys.



Community: i didn't love this show at the beginning, but they really stepped it up in 2010. troy and abed can say anything and make it absurdly funny, and allison brie (of mad men!) is genius as uptight annie. favorite scene of the year? the quadruple-double-cross with the prop guns. watched that scene over and over until i couldn't breathe. love that.



Vampire Diaries: i know, i know. but seriously? this show is so good. drama, suspense, love triangles, flashbacks, vampires, and werewolves. not convinced yet? watch a bit of nina dobrev playing sweet, quiet elena and in the same scene, switch to the manipulative, lying, cruel, not-to-mention undead vampire katherine and then tell me you're not hooked. p.s. boone from lost!

what did you watch in 2010? what are you excited for in 2011?

wrapping it up part 2

didn't mean for part 2 to take so long, but it turns out you can't blog very well with no internet. here's my favorite books of 2010*, by month.



january: the salem witch trials are a fascinating subject for me, so naturally i gravitated towards this book. i loved the contrast of 1690s salem and modern times and getting a glimpse of what salem might have been like during the trials.



february: i'm not much for jumping on bandwagons, but i wanted to see why such a great book was being redone--and i'm glad i did. while nothing can take the place of austen's masterpiece, this is definitely a great companion piece. it managed to keep the heart of the original while infusing some silly fun. elizabeth bennet as a zombie hunter? yes please.



march: read this for book club and i was so moved by the stories of the people living in the leper colony on moloka'i in the 20th century. you'll fall in love with the characters and wish the book came with a airline ticket to see the beautiful scenery.



april: beautiful creatures was my attempt to find an alternative to twilight. this one is about a teenage boy who meets and falls in love with a girl with magical powers. i loved the southern setting, the civil war history and the fresh voice of ethan wate. the sequel, beautiful darkness, is next on my list.

i also read a thousand splendid suns for my book club and i'm glad i did, because it was not one i would have ordinarily chosen for myself. it was so interesting to read about another culture, especially one that is so different from my own. it was also a great way to learn about afghanistan history but also understand the human aspect of those events.



may: the nanny diaries is a favorite of mine so i was over-the-moon when i heard there was a sequel. nanny returns was just as great and earned itself a spot on my bookshelf for many rereads.



june: my second try at the millenium trilogy was better than the first. i just couldn't get into it last year and i don't know what was different this time around, but i was hooked. yes, the beginning was slow and i stumbled over the swedish names, but gosh i enjoyed this book. someone described it to me like an episode of law and order: special victims unit and since i love that show, i knew what to expect. it's definitely graphic in parts but the story and characters make it great. i'm now on the last book and taking my time so it lasts a while. also, is anyone else dying to go to sweden now?



july: another great book club choice, although i didn't understand the secrecy surrounding the book. what was so spectacularly shocking that we couldn't talk to other people about? not sure. i did love this book, even if it made me so sad and wish that everyone could just live where they wanted and not be afraid. this was also one of a few books this year that i actually wrote in and highlighted parts that were just so beautifully written.



august: i listened to the first half of this on a road trip and read the rest. i highly recommend the audiobook because there are a lot of characters and hearing their voices really brings the story to life. i of course loved the WWII setting and the endearing characters. i was truly sad when the book was done and kind of wanted to start over again. that says a lot, yeah?



september: i continued on with the WWII theme with this book club pick and sobbed my way through it. i have read several holocaust-set books and even been to the holocaust memorial museum in washington, d.c. but the reality of the atrocities really hit me when reading this book. i think because it was told through the eyes of a child, the ignorance and hatred seemed even more shocking and horrible. i rented the movie and renewed it three times but i just could not watch it. i know i'm making this sound like a horrible experience, but it really is a beautiful little book that will make you think about life and how we treat each other.

october: busy in grad school and reading teacher education books and not much else.



november: my pick for book club since it had been sitting on my shelf for a year or two and i had never opened it. it was the perfect book for fall and i loved getting into this gothic literary mystery. it has great twists and turns and was so fun to try and figure out. the writing is also so poetic and i underlined the heck out of it.

december: making my way through five different books from the library, including another young adult supernatural romance, the last stieg larsson book, the hunger games [am i the last person on earth to read this? yes.] and my first read on my kindle (!), one day by david nicholls. come see what i thought of them and everything else i read this year and tell me what you read on goodreads.com

* read in 2010, not necessarily published in 2010