it was a green kind of weekend

I’m not Irish. Nor do I really “dress up” for holidays. (Well, I’d love nothing more than uber-festive Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, but not everyone is up for that in my families. Sigh.)

But there is something about St. Patrick’s Day that makes me want to pull out all the stops and (tastefully) adorn myself in green. Maybe it’s the spring weather. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m already a huge ‘green’ fan. Maybe it’s the few ‘strategic’ green articles of clothing I own.

Anyway.

We’re having phenomenally good weather here this week (which is a boon for the parades and things), and so to take full advantage of it, I decided to run outside. In green. You see, for the last few (maybe four or five?), I’ve been running a 10K on, or in honor of, St. Patrick’s Day in head-to-toe green. Wright-Patt ABF always had their St. Patrick’s Day run (and I was a sucker for those lunchtime base runs), and even after separating from the military, Susy and I still participated in them until I moved last year.

Well, it’s just more than a 10K (6.3 miles, to be exact) from our driveway in Orchard Park to Andrew’s parents’ driveway in East Aurora. So, I ran there. I packed up a gym bag, my phone and purse and sent them all with Andrew so I could shower after at his parents’ house. It actually worked out perfectly; Andrew often goes into work for a few hours Saturday morning and then we like to meet up in EA for lunch/coffee/walking around/errands/hanging at his parents’ house, so this eliminated the second car I would have driven to get there. SCORE!

Which brings me to the POINT of this entire post: the green.

Sadly, despite thinking about snapping a photo during my run, I failed to actually take a photo of me in my running get-up and didn’t remember until I was half-naked and jumping in the shower. Sad.

Just imagine neon-green Nike running shorts, a light-green 3/4 length shirt with a light-pink “Speed Demon” printed on the front, paired with my hot pink “Suck it up, Cupcake” sweatband and sunglasses (thanks mom!). That shirt was perhaps the best Goodwill find yet. You get the picture.

With the nice weather, I busted out my favorite shoes on the planet:

We went to Arriba for lunch for outdoor seating and enjoyed Margaritas and tacos. I had wanted something light, (I would have been fine with a banana and yogurt) but Andrew doesn’t often request Mexican, so I wasn’t about to turn him down. And, in fact, we both ordered the single tacos, which I feared might not be enough, but it was plenty! I took half my grilled chicken taco home (essentially a taco salad on a burrito shell, minus the cheese), along with half the sides I ordered (corn pudding, because it’s AMAZING, and black beans). Score one for healthy options at what could have been a calorie-bomb AND portion control! I even went easy on the chips and salsa 🙂

Not to mention, Andrew ordered the carnitas taco, which is a seasoned pork taco filled with a pineapple salsa and cilantro cabbage slaw… Holy Smokes! He inhaled it. Let’s just say he’s counting the days until he can go back.

Afterward we walked about the village, popping into stores here and there. I needed more honey, so I got a bottle of the local stuff at the co-op’s mini-Market. We picked up a bottle of Rose at Salut, the new wine store, and I indulged in an ice cream cone from Fowler’s. (Hey, at least we walked a TON.)

We came home and promptly became bumps on logs and continued watching season 1 of Big Bang Theory, borrowed from Carolyn.

We did, however, manage to take a walk to Vincenzo’s, the local Italian Ice place in the Orchard Park village, for a post-dinner treat. They even welcome dogs INSIDE and have treats for them, too!

Please note my GREEN PSU sweatshirt 🙂

Check out my running outfit for Sunday morning: same shorts, different shirt. I mean, if one actually HAS neon green running shorts, you gotta take full advantage of them this time of year! (That, and the amazing weather!)

After church and lunch with friends, we headed all headed to the parade downtown.

We definitely saw some interesting things… Mohawks, various combinations of green and festive hats, sunglasses, tights…. You name, we saw it.

The parade was mostly marching bands and Irish dancing groups. Irish dancing is, apparently, very big around here.

There really weren’t all that many “floats.”

At least we got a nice shot of us 🙂

I’ve had a great spring break and weekend and am SO NOT READY to go back to ‘real’ life…

how we spent our saturday

There was baking. There was snow. And gym-going. And car-repairing. And cake-tasting. And, finally, a little ice skating.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Andrew’s truck had been on the fritz since Monday morning, and in the course of the week, Andrew and his friend Bart (featured here at Waldfest and here at the ‘beach’), diagnosed the problem as being the fuel pump. (Bart used to work on race cars in college–like, REAL race cars–and is an engineer at Moog and one of those super-brainy-but-cool types, so I felt like we were in good hands.)

So, after lots of research and You Tube “how to replace a fuel pump” video-watching, Andrew and Bart made plans to replace the part Saturday morning.

Company on Saturday morning = BIG BREAKFAST!

I decided to make pancakes AND waffles (waffles keep better in the freezer) and maple-roasted bacon.

Bart and I like chocolate-chip pancakes, so I added mini-chocolate chips to ours. I even had whipped cream on hand, too–SCORE!

Waffles staying warm in the oven… Side note: I’ve been doing this for awhile now (using the oven to keep waiting waffles crisp and warm) and in just this past issue of Cuisine At Home, someone wrote in and offered this EXACT TECHNIQUE in the reader advice section, and got $100 for it!! Note to self: wrack brain for something to suggest.

I set the table with three kinds of nut butters, Kefir, plain yogurt, orange segments, pineapple, butter, maple syrup, ginger maple syrup, orange juice and bananas. And that’s not including the main courses…

We all enjoyed breakfast before the boys headed outside–did I mention it finally snowed–to start the car project while I tackled clean-up.

Look! They’re twins! Bart brought over some extra work clothes and gloves (he does this kind of thing a lot), which was nice since the cold weather necessitated multiple layers.

…and multiple trips inside to warm-up and read directions. (Not sure why Andrew looks pregnant here, but since it’s him and not me, I’m happy!)

Bart, complete with knee-pads…

…Andrew, who was probably wishing it were just a bit warmer. After our mild week, they certainly did not luck-out on weather for the project.

After I took a snow-filled walk with the dog and went to the gym for a run, I rushed home to shower and get lunch ready for everyone. Thankfully, I had a great assortment of leftovers (I felt a little guilty serving guests leftovers, but by now, I feel like Bart is almost family, and Andrew’s dad–who had come over to watch the snowy repair job–IS family, and the leftovers WERE pretty special) like homemade coleslaw and roasted potatoes, along with homemade rye bread and sandwich stuff.

I dashed out the door after my last bit to meet Abigail, Carolyn and Andrew’s mom at Butterwood’s, a local bakery for some wedding cake-tasting! This, of course, would have been a perfect opportunity to take some photos for the blog with all the beautiful cakes and desserts, but, alas, I did not. I really waver between wanting to be a hard-core food blogger and photo-ing EVERYTHING, and on the other hand, trying to not let it take over my life. So, no pretty cupcake photos here.

We stayed afterward and got desserts and drinks–I chose a red velvet cupcake that was just gorgeous and tasted completely divine–thankfully, I still have half to enjoy another time 🙂

With the sourdough starter that I left out from making the pancakes and wafflers earlier, I made this focaccia.

We didn’t end up eating any that night, because Bart talked us into going out with him to ice skate! I so tried to stay behind to do the myriad things on my to-do list (you know, like take a chem quiz, finish two labs, write an article, write two blogs, not to mention a million other things), but at the last minute I couldn’t say no. I threw on some long underwear and ran out the door with Andrew!

We headed downtown for some ice skating (there is a free rink on the main thoroughfare in the city) and to check out some of the snowboarding at WinterFest.

Don’t you just love my scarf? Andrew got it for me to go with my coat for Christmas–beautiful! I’m LOVING the J.Crew Stadium Jacket we scored on Black Friday… It cinches at the waist and is SO FLATTERING. And it has a hood. I have never wanted a hood more than I have since moving here.

After skating, we headed to Pearl Street for dinner, and to warm up! My fingers were just about frozen, despite the awesome glove liners I got recently. I enjoyed their Cherry Wheat beer, some onion rings (really hit the spot), a roasted veggie sandwich and their completely splurge-worthy fries. Seriously, I could really just have their fries for dinner and be happy.

Bart recently discovered a new bar downtown that has a trivia night, so he brought us to check it out. It’s called Founding Fathers and IT IS AWESOME. I mean, the proprietor was wearing a tie–is that my kind of place, or what?!

There are flags and U.S. presidential history everywhere–it’s a smart-people bar (I may be a little rusty on my history, but Andrew and Bart aren’t!). Andrew and I have never really felt “at home” (well, who does, really?) at a bar since we choose not to drink all that much, but we (well, really just me, probably) have always wanted to be a “regular” somewhere, and this is the kind of place I could see us going to often. I’m not saying we’re going to go every Friday, but we’d like to give their trivia a try (it’s the first Tuesday of the month), and it just felt like somewhere we’d fit in.

It’s pushing 10 p.m. and I still haven’t taken that Chem quiz…

holiday recap

Finally! A sigh of relief can escape my lips after my whirlwind of a week…

1. I finished my last exam Tuesday morning and after a celebratory lunch and manicure, I immediately went into Christmas-prep hyperdrive. By that evening, presents had been mailed ($50 for three SMALL boxes–good grief!), Christmas photo taken and annual letter finalized and printed. Andrew and I tag-teamed at the table addressing and stuffing envelopes until our eyes gave out.

2. Christmas, in my house growing up, means Christmas cookies, but I knew my mom would be flying (she’s a flight attendant) until late Wednesday night, and probably wouldn’t have the time to make the spread of sweets she typically does (the woman is a chocolate-dipping machine at Christmas), so I brought some with me. I made two bags of white-chocolate dipped pretzel rods, two batches of those peanut-butter kiss cookies, some of those pre-decorated sugar cookies. The relief in her voice on the phone when I told her my plan was audible. I even did a special “Christmas Sweets” blog for the co-op; many of those yummy goodies appeared on our table this year, however, we never got around the the holly cookies! I’m still bummed…

3. This Christmas was very different from years past; almost all of my dad’s giant family came to visit, which brought the total number of people for me to see into the 50s. It was fantastic! We had a Christmas Eve bash at an aunt and uncle’s house who live in the DC-area as well, spent Christmas morning at home with another aunt, uncle and cousin who stayed with my parents, then moved to a banquet facility (owned by my mom’s brother) where BOTH sides of the family (my dad’s out-of-town relatives and mom’s in-town family) gathered for a potluck and to exchange some presents. Definitely not enough time socializing, but at least it was something.

4. I made a ginger pumpkin pie with toasted coconut and balsamic-glazed green beans, both from November’s Cooking Light. Both were well-received and I LOVED the pumpkin pie. Even my mom, who doesn’t really like pumpkin pie, liked the ginger version. I will definitely be making it again.

5. I’ve been calling this year ‘the year of the gloves.’ I ended up getting FOUR pairs of gloves, and it would have been five if the Dick’s in Virginia carried the running gloves I asked for. Get this–my mom went to get them and the salesman said it didn’t get cold enough there for them! Ha! However, as I’ve learned already, one can never have too many pairs of gloves here.

6. Which brings me to my next tid-bit: my cold-weather haul. Check out my new running gear and other winter apparel:

Andrew’s mom got me the beautiful white hat and gloves that I’ve been wearing EVERYWHERE, praying I don’t get dirty. Andrew found the black heavy-duty gloves for me to use to take the dog on walks since they have grippy stuff on the palm-side, and I totally scored the matching pink-and-black running gloves, hat and earband just yesterday at Dick’s on sale. Sweet! And the best part? The fleece hat even has a hole for your ponytail!

7. It was also the year of running stuff for me… My mom gifted me with LLBean sport sunglasses, a pink and blue earband and an awesome pink running top:

8. We kept the Christmas tradition of opening jammies on Christmas Eve alive (just barely–mom was going to skip it until the boys and I put up a stink, so we headed off that afternoon to find suitable outfits), except that the shirt I ordered for myself didn’t come on time…so sad! We found a stand-in at Old Navy, but nothing will beat this:

We found it at a local store weeks ago but it took FOREVER to come, so I’ll have to enjoy it post-Christmas.

9. Because of visiting family and our Christmas Eve party at my aunt and uncle’s house, we skipped another tradition: reading Luke and having a birthday cake for Jesus. I’m still a bit bummed about that one, too.

10. We left Monday evening and drove to Philly to visit with my sister. Along the way, we stopped for Geno’s cheesesteaks. (Andrew insisted–surprise, surprise)

Grossest cheesesteak EVER! We should have walked across the street to Pat’s, which is mildly better, but still not as good as Silvio’s, which is our hometown cheesesteak joint near my parents’ house there. They make their own bread, are take-out only and are THE BEST cheesesteaks in the world. I kid you not. I’m almost salivating writing this.

11. We stayed the night with my sister and FINALLY got to meet her daughter, Danika. Sweet girl!

We brought all their presents and goodies from Virginia, so we did our own Christmas morning with them. Danika is walking all over the place and starting to jibber-jabber as well. It was crazy to see a little “mini-Allison” toddling around!

12. We scooted out around lunchtime to meet two of my best girlfriends from college, Betsy and Leslie, at an upscale American place in Doylestown. Leslie’s husband, Christian (also a friend from college) came along as well, which was nice for Andrew.

We all, apparently, got the memo to wear shades of brown (and so did the wall behind us). It was such a great time exchanging gifts and catching up, but not nearly long enough (pretty much the theme of the whole trip). We try to get together at least once a year, which is surprisingly difficult given Betsy’s deployment schedule (she’s in the Air Force), Leslie’s work schedule, and now my school schedule. I’m just thankful Betsy’s parents only live a street away from my parents’ house (which is where my sister is currently living), so I can always combine a visit.

13. After lunch we made the drive home and I’m STILL recovering from being out of town… I’m in the midst of thank-you note writing, cleaning, gift returning/exchanging and holiday-sale shopping, as well as trying to get back into the gym routine and working on two articles for the Advertiser. Whew!

14. Stella has a new home… At Thanksgiving, my green-thumbed friend Emily gifted me with a clipping of her purple houseplant, Stella, and she’s been freezing to death in a jar of water on a windowsill in our kitchen ever since. (It’s not exactly the time to buy pots and things around here, or anywhere, for that matter…) When she really started to look poorly the other day I decided I had to do something. I bought the cheapest pot I could find at Lowe’s and threw in some potting soil. She joined Gerard (center) and Victor (or Vincent, I can’t remember), that was a gift from an aunt for Christmas. Cross your fingers for their survival!

Whew! Busy is the name of the game right now… I have lots more to share, so stay tuned!