Hello. Is Anybody Out There?

Hi.

It's been almost a year since I last blogged. Or, rather, in June of last year my unique domain name expired and I forgot to renew it and also started second guessing myself about my abilities as a writer/thinking this thing was just dumb. 

But, it's a year later, and a hell of a lot can happen in a year. 

For starters, we're moving to Dallas. So, I should probably change the title of this blog to "Take Me to Dallas," but I feel without the alliteration, some of the charm is lost. 

Anyway I think I'm back to blogging my experiences with this new transition. This will officially be move #6 in 5 years. 

Hold on to your butts!

USA! USA! USA!

Yesterday's game was an incredible display of talent by the US men's team. Proud of them. Onward to Thursday!

Workday Blowout

Happy Monday, Muffins! 

During the week, I am NOT a morning person. I hit snooze on average 6 times. I literally wait until the very last possible minute to get up and get moving, often resulting in being super lazy and "just wearing it curly" and arriving to work with damp hair. So, in an effort to look a bit more put together while still allowing myself those precious extra few minutes of sleep, I found away to give myself "blowout" hair in < 25 minutes. 

The solution: extra-large velcro rollers. 

My routine: 

1. Spritz Aveda Pure Abundance Style-Prep to towel-dried hair, focusing on the roots. Let hair air dry as much as possible. 

Aveda.com

2. Blow dry straight in sections with a giant (and I mean GIANT) round brush (so that you can dry larger sections at a time hence saving you time!) 

Chi Thermal from Amazon.com

3. Use a 1 1/2 inch barrel curling iron to curl a large section of hair at the top of the head. Take one velcro roller and roll that freshly-curled-still-hot section, secure with a pin. Do the same thing with a section of hair directly below the first roller, in the back of the head, and again on the top left and right sides of the head. You can use as many as will fit, I usually do 4-5. 

4. "Curl" the rest of the hair that you didn't place in rollers. I use my curling iron sort've like a straightener, in that I'll place large sections of hair in it and run the curling iron down each section as I would with a straightener, sometimes curling the ends under slightly. 

5. Leave rollers in while you do your makeup/continue getting ready. Remove just before heading out the door. 

Result: 

#selfie #selfiez4dayz #feelinmyself #blessed #blessed2beblessed #hair #volume #brunette #blowout #hi #hashtag

and I want to ride 
like a Tulsa Queen.

Happy Friday.

I think it's safe to say that every girl I know can use a reminder about this song from time to time. 

Recipe: Korean Kalbi Beef Bibimbap

So, I'm not gonna lie. This recipe takes awhile to prepare. But I will tell you the truth: It. Is. Amazing. 

I was majorly craving Korean food, but the kind from a place I used to frequent for lunch while living in DC called Rice Bar. You can build your own Bibimbap there, which is kind've like the Korean version of a burrito bowl from Chipotle, so there are TON of different variations. I like mine with Kalbi beef, crunchy veggies and a spicy peanut sauce.

I marinated the beef shortribs for several hours to give them maximum flavor, and did the prep-work of chopping and cooking the veggies while I was waiting. 

This little rice cooker was the best thing we put on our wedding registry!

The beef smelled so amazing while cooking on the grill.

Kalbi Beef 

5 pounds Korean style beef short ribs (I used American-style)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup mirin ( rice wine)

1 small onion, peeled and finely grated

4 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Sprinkle brown sugar over beef and mix well to evenly coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing marinade. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Transfer beef into a large sealable freezer bag (you may need 2). Add marinade, press out excess air from bags, and seal. Turn bag over several times to ensure beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

* NOTE: Korean-style short ribs can be found at most Asian markets. The cut, also known as "flanken," refers to a strip of beef cut across the bone from the chuck end of the short ribs. Unlike American and European-style short ribs, which include a thick slice of bone-in beef, Korean-style short ribs are cut lengthwise across the rib bones. The result is a thin strip of meat, about 8 to10 inches in length, lined on 1 side with 1/2-inch thick rib bones. The thin slices make for fast cooking on the grill.

Bibimbap 

4 cups cooked white sushi rice

1-2 package of bean sprouts

carrots (julienned) 

egg (cooked sunny side up)

broccoli (chopped)

lettuce/spinach thinly sliced

*other optional ingredients include: Tofu, radish, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms ... really whatever you like!

dash of sesame oil 

dash of soy sauce

salt + pepper to taste 

Wash and drain the bean sprouts, trimming the ends if desired. Add 1 tbs canola oil to a heated wok or heavy skillet. When oil is ready, add the bean sprouts and stir-fry briefly. Add the soy sauce and salt. Stir-fry another few seconds and add the sesame oil. You can throw in the carrots/lettuce to the stir-fry if desired--I like mine crunchy and un-cooked so I left them cold. Meanwhile steam the broccoli in boiling water a separate saucepan for 3-4 minutes. Remove the broccoli and blanch in iced water to stop from cooking. This helps to keep the crunchiness. 

Peanut Sauce

1 c. chicken broth

6 Tbsp. (heaping) creamy peanut butter

2-4 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce - depending on how hot you like it

3 Tbsp. honey

6 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger

4-5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-hot. Drain excess marinade off beef. Grill short ribs, turning once, to desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Thinly slice the beef into bite-sized pieces, meanwhile cooking your egg in a small skillet. Create your bowl by scooping in rice as the base and adding additional ingredients in your desired amount. Add the beef and drizzle with peanut sauce. Top with egg. 

I Left My Heart in Glover Park

Sometimes, the past has a way of creeping back into your head. You remember good things, you remember bad things. Those thoughts might make you feel weird/nostalgic/dumb/guilty/sad/envious/etc, etc.

A good friend of mine reminded me that it's OK to think of the past sometimes, just so long as it doesn't consume more than a few minutes of your time. 

One thing I know for sure, is that my life is good right now. Even on days when I'm feeling low. There is always much to be thankful for. 

... Like the fact that my past is in my past. 

this look is absolute perfection and I would appreciate it if someone gave me this right now.

Thanksgiving Edition

For Thanksgiving this year, Dan and I decided to blow off our families spend the holiday with our friends in D.C. We had a free flight with all the miles we earned from the honeymoon travels, so we figured, why not, we may never get the opportunity again. 

Besides, spending time laughing with our favorite boys and girls in our favorite city is just the best thing ever.

We arrived around noon on Thanksgiving day and took a cab straight to the old house in Glover Park. Our pals greeted us with fresh Keystones and big hugs. 

We immediately stuffed that 21-pounder and stuck him on the grill.

Meanwhile, Cole marinated the duck that he had harvested for our feast. He didn't know what a bay leaf was. He's such a boy. So adorable.

TOO MANY BOYS IN THE KITCHEN OMG GTFO IM COOKING 

The place setting was perfect and so was the company. 

And of course, no Thanksgiving would be complete with out a wrestling match. 

On Friday night we headed across town for a delicious chili dinner party hosted by DC's finest.

We arrived at 5, and stuffed our faces/played a million completely politically incorrect rounds of catchphrase until the wee hours.

I got to pretend like I still lived there and ride the metro. The Dupont Circle stop is my favorite :)

We ventured out to H st. and spent the day playing MORE games.

Girls dinner with my #1 B

Bumped into Jess and spent the night at one of our old stomping grounds, Marvin, re-living the shenanigans of our 23-year-old-selves.

lately.

Married life is exactly the same as not-married-but-living-together life. Except there's a lot of time and money for doing things other than planning a wedding. 

While we both had the absolute most magical time on our big day and two week long honeymoon, Dan and I were excited to get back to a bit of "normalcy." 

I use that term lightly.

I had a little Martha moment and planted 40 multicolored tulips in the front of the house. Can it be Spring already? 

Daniel Potter. 

Dan and I celebrated adult Halloween. Ordered Pizza, passed out candy, drank pumpkin beers. As cool as it would have been to sit around, just the two of us, in our costumes, we did venture out to a small get-together at one point.

 Confundus!

I just put on heavy eye makeup and wore a hat.

I promise to post wedding photos and the whole story soon! I gotta ease back into this blogging thing. ;) Though I will share this awesome gif that my lady love Mel of Betty The Bull made! 

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Crème Fraîche–Sage Sauce

I made this last night and it turned out pretty delightful. 

I LOVE a good gnocchi and I really love pumpkin. While this recipe seems a bit daunting, it's really not too bad to throw together-- though it does help to have an extra set of hands with you in the kitchen. 

via Chow.com

NGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup roasted, salted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust it with flour; set aside. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. (Do not heat the water if you plan to freeze the gnocchi.)
2. Place the ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smash and push the ricotta through the strainer (this will take a little effort), making sure to scrape the underside of the strainer. Add the pumpkin, egg yolks, measured salt, brown sugar, and nutmeg, season with a few pinches of white pepper, and stir to combine. Add the measured flour and mix until the dough just comes together. (It will be very soft and slightly sticky, but don’t overwork it or the dough will become tough and heavy.)
3. Generously flour a work surface and turn out the dough. Pat it into a rough rectangle and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Gently roll 1 piece into an even rope about 3/4 inch in diameter, flouring the surface as needed. (Remember to be gentle or the gnocchi will turn out tough.) Cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces. (As an optional step, you can form ridges on each gnocchi: Lightly flour your forefinger, your thumb, and the tines of a salad fork. Using your thumb, lightly press the cut side of the gnocchi into the back of the fork tines, then sort of roll/flick it off with your forefinger; your thumb will leave a concave impression in the gnocchi that’s handy for holding sauce. Check out thisCHOW video to see what we’re talking about.) Place the gnocchi on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat rolling and cutting the remaining 3 dough pieces.
4. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Add a third of the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they float, about 2 to 3 minutes, then let them cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute more so they’re just cooked through (test by cutting 1 in half). Remove with a slotted spoon, blotting excess water from the bottom of the spoon with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, and transfer to the second prepared baking sheet. Repeat cooking the remaining gnocchi in 2 more batches. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set it aside. Set aside a large bowl.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add 1 teaspoon of the sage and half of the gnocchi and cook, shaking the pan often, until the gnocchi are browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer with the slotted spoon to the reserved large bowl. Repeat with the remaining butter, sage, and gnocchi.
6. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the reserved gnocchi cooking water and the crème fraîche and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, add the browned gnocchi and Parmesan, and toss to coat. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish or divide among individual plates and top with the hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

decided to start documenting the bizzaro wedding dreams I've been having EVERY SINGLE NIGHT

Dream #1:
Me, sitting at the head table during the reception, with my laptop open, refreshing my work email. (9/28)

Dream #2: 
Last night instead of a wedding dress, I came out in tie-dyed sweatpants and and oversized tie-dyed sweatshirt.

Dream #3:
A cat was running around loose at the reception, hiding under peoples tables and scratching them. Me, mortified. (10/1)

under the table snooze butt.

Hi, I suck at posting. 

I have hit the wedding planning wall.

Ready for it to be here :) 

My sister made this connection. #nailedit