Team Coco

Like a lot of people, I stopped watching late night talk shows quite some time ago.  But in high school and most of college, I watched Late Night with Conan O'Brien almost every night.  I've always found Conan to be hilarious and charmingly awkward, so there was no hesitation in siding with Team Coco during Conangate '10. After reading great reviews of his national comedy tour, Legally Prohibited From Being...

Restoring my Sanity

Last week in D.C., I attended Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on the National Mall.  The purpose of the rally, which was not affiliated with any particular ideology, was to gather the "Busy Majority" who do not usually have time to go to rallies and are sick and tired of media taking every issue to the political extreme. The rally was....crowded.  CBS News estimated...

Hump Day: Blast from the Past!

Like most young, college students, my love of wine started slowly.  I began with your traditional Arbor Mist flavors like Strawberry White Zinfandel and quickly moved onto Riesling.  Yes everyone, I was a wine wimp who really only liked the sweet varieties.  Due to its typically dry characteristics, I was very reluctant to try red wine.  It took me moving to California to really experience red wine to its...

Triple Threat Brownies

If you're like me and your Book Club is really more of a cooking competition, then you need to make these Triple Threat Brownies for your next meeting.  This is my second time making these brownies and, just like the first time, they were a crowd pleaser!  I came across this recipe last year through one of my favorite baking blogs, Buns in My Oven.  They are not hard to make, but they do take some time.  The...

Another Quick Meal

The Hub and I just got back from a 10 day European adventure and it was amazing!  I can't wait to blog all about it and share my favorite travel spots with you.   But for now, we're just working on getting back into the swing of things and recovering from jetlag before we hope on a plane again next week. We've been a little hectic this week so I wanted something very simple and fast for dinner.  Gourmet Garden...

Super Easy Snack From an Almost Empty Fridge

Yesterday I came home from a long day of running errands absolutely famished!  Unfortunately, like Old Mother Hubbard, my cupboard was bare.  I was able to scrounge up a tomato from the Farmer's Market and one last piece of pita bread....not too appetizing.  But in 5 minutes, and with the help of my basil plant, I was able to turn my scraps into a delicious snack! Here's what you'll need: 1 large...

The Perfect Winter Getaway – Part 2: The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon National Park is a 2 - 2.5 hour drive from Sedona and is something that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime!  Going to the Grand Canyon during January was an interesting experience.  It was a little bit like going to Disney World in the middle of the night when the rides are closed and no one is there:  quiet, a little bit eerie, but just as majestic.  Even though the north side...

The Perfect Winter Getaway – Part 1: Sedona

A few years ago, The Hub (or, the BF at the time) and I took a 5 day trip to Arizona for his 30th birthday.  We had a fantastic time hiking in Sedona and touring the Grand Canyon.  We went over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, which may seem like a strange time to take that type of trip, but for us it was perfect!  We had a long weekend which allowed us to take less time off of work, the weather was temperate (for...

Lazy Dinner Monday

Football is a BIG DEAL in our house.  The Hub is a born and bred insane Packers fan and we host game-watching every Sunday via our NFL Sunday ticket.  I am pleased to say that opening weekend was a success!  The sun was shining, the beer was flowing, the brats and tamale pie were hot, and the Packers defeated the Eagles!  The Hub was a happy, happy man.  After a Sunday of gluttony, we wanted something light for...