Voting Day

Today was Voting Day in the U.S.

Banana and I hope you were all able to make it out to the polls (or send in your ballot).

Dr. Oz @ Google

I heard that Dr. Oz was coming to Google about a month ago and made sure I put a reminder on my calendar. Last week, we got an official announcement letting us know when he was coming and to my disappointment, I had a team meeting scheduled for the same time as Dr. Oz's speech. Over the weekend, the meeting was cancelled and I thought "Yes...I get to go." Unfortunately, less then 24 hours later I had been added to another meeting which conflicted with the Doc. Luckily, it only conflicted with the first half of his presentation, so I was able to make it to the last 30 mins.

For those of you that don't know Dr. Oz, he's a cardiologist, who co-authored You:The Owners Manual, and a number of other "You" themed books. He became a celebrity thanks to his regular appearances on Oprah, and now has his own show 5 days a week.

His presentation at Google was to share the 5 things you need to do to "be a better you." Like I said, I only got to see the last half, so didn't hear much of his presentation, but instead saw the question and answer session that followed.

Here are a couple of pics I took, including one of him with Eric (Google's CEO) and Laszlo (SVP of People Operations). Note: Guy in green shirt - unknown.

Before and After (painting)

I spent most of October dreading the idea of painting my office. Thanks to a lot of help from Alex, and a good edging brush, I'm happy to say the painting is done (before and after pics below). I'm only done with the painting...there is still a lot more to do in the decorating world so stay tuned for more pictures as that progresses.

Before

All the walls in my house were this beige color when I moved in. I started to buy furniture, lamps, and drapes that were dark, modern, and/or bold as I knew some day I'd get around to painting.

After

I selected teal and dark grey for the walls. To be honest, for how small the grey walls are, and the amount of extra work they caused, I think I could have just done the whole thing teal, but we live and learn. I love the way the white pops now with the bold colors on the wall. The wall above my desk (center pic) is the most in need of some help as it's just empty right now. Can't wait to get some things on the walls!

Where did September go?

Wow...a whole month has passed and I haven't posted once. I don't know whether it's because I've been so busy I haven't had time, or I haven't had anything that exciting going on in my own personal life. A little bit of both I guess. Here's a run down of life for the last month:

Social Life:

Babies and Brides - I'm at that age, 32, where everyone is either getting married or having babies. This year I've had 3 friends have babies, with another 3 announcing they're pregnant, and I have 2 weddings coming up. This last month alone I attended a baby shower, a bridal shower, a Bachelorette party, and visited a new mom in the hospital. I'm so excited for all my friends, and it's kept me pretty busy :)

Games - I love me a good game night. My co-worker decided to have a game night just days before having her baby which was a ton of fun, and last Friday I was invited to a Poker Party at my friend Rochelle's house. I've played poker before, but usually with a bunch of chattering girls who aren't really paying attention. This time there would be men, serious men, so I decided to do some pre-reading before heading to her house and providing my "donation" to the winner. I'm happy to say the pre-reading helped. Although the first hand I played was a mess, I quickly got into the swing of things and ended up winning the first game. Woo-hoo!

Movies - I think I've been averaging a movie every weekend. Since Eat, Pray, Love, I've seen The Town (which I loved), Easy A (which was cute), and Social Network (which was interesting although I wish I knew what was true and what wasn't). I love going to the movies and it seems like there are some good ones coming out during the rest of the year.

Other - I went to Santana Row for a girl's night with some of my old co-workers, and went to Palo Alto for a farewell dinner to one of my current co-workers who moved to New York. Both nights were a blast, although I was sad about my co-worker moving (Miss you Leena!)

Baking:

First time - My old team sits in a building that went "healthy" for a month, so there were no sugary snacks in the microkitchens for the whole month of Sept. That's where I came in with Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Yum!

Second time - One of my favorite snacks used to be a Hostess Cupcakes. The cake is so dense, the cream filling, and that thick chocolate topping on the top. Strange thing is, lately I haven't craved the Hostess version, but instead the version made at work for lunch a few months ago. It was so delicious so I thought...I can make this. I have to say this was my first VERY BIG FAILURE. I don't know what went wrong, but whole thing tasted horrible. Bleh! One good thing that did come out of this was I got to buy a cake decorating set which included a tool for filing cupcakes.

Third time - This doesn't really count as baking, but I really wanted a double layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing, so I went to store and bought boxed cake mix and canned frosting. I can officially say that I finally realize the importance of making things from scratch as this cake didn't live up to my expectations :(

I won't be baking for at least a month as today is the first day of The Detox. The Detox was introduced to me by my co-worker Cole, who in general keeps a pretty clean diet, but every 6 months she likes to detox her body of toxins, chemicals, etc. She found this program in The Complete Guide to Nutritional Healthy by Pierre Jean Cousin and Kirsten Hartvig. Basically, you eliminate all dairy (yes....cheese included) and wheat based products, reduce your salt intake, avoid meat and animal fat, tea, coffee, white sugar, candies, alcohol, and tobacco. You load up on grains, veggies, fruits, herbal teas, etc. So I'm basically on a vegan, gluten-free diet...or as I like to call it HELL. I was only able to survive 3 out of the 4 weeks the last time I tried this (a year ago) but I must admit I never felt lighter or more energetic. I also slept like a BABY, so I'm going to try to stick it out for the full 4 weeks. My last day of the detox will be Halloween! Last time I didn't have a plan for after the detox, but this time I do, so I'm hoping the effects last a little longer than last time :)

I guess I have been busy, but don't worry, I'll be back in the swing of things soon. My next big project is painting the office in my house. I'm pretty sure I've selected the colors, now all I have to do is paint it (not something I enjoy doing but never seems worth the money to hire someone). I'll be sure to post before/after pics as soon as it's complete.

That's all from here!

Plans for the Holiday Weekend

My plans for Labor Day Weekend can be best shared through a picture.


No plans except snuggling with my B boy :)

Eat (Lasagna), Pray, and Love

Today my team at work decided to take another field trip to the movie theaters to see Eat, Pray, Love. I had read the book, back when Oprah first introduced it to me, and loved it, so was very excited to see the movie. Overall, I loved the movie and felt it was a good adaptation of the book. In the beginning they seemed to rush through her marriage and love affair with a younger man, but that's probably because the book wasn't called Get Divorced, Be a Cougar, Eat, Pray, and Love. Once Julia got to Italy, the movie definitely picked up and stayed on point for the remainder of her trip. For those of you that have read the book, you'll remember the FOOD described in Italy. Well, the movie did the FOOD justice with Julia eating plates of fresh pasta, pizza from Naples, and many more Italian treats. After the movie, the team agreed that all we wanted to do was eat, and preferably eat something Italian.

Luck was on my side today because when I arrived home, Alex had made dinner (a welcome surprise), and wouldn't you know...lasagna was on the menu. We call it the 5-year Lasagna, because he only makes it once every 5 years. This is largely due to the fact that he doesn't skimp on any of the good stuff, so it's always a treat. I can honestly say that tonight's lasagna was one of the best I've ever had and I think part of the reason was due to his Persian secret ingredient, saffron. My lasagna came with garlic toast and a simple garden salad on the side. Delizioso! Grazie Alex!

You can find a pic and the recipe for his 5-year lasagna below:

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

1 white onion (diced)

1 clove of garlic (diced)

1 pepper (diced) - he used orange, but you can use green, red, or yellow

1 pound of 80/20 ground beef

Salt and black pepper to taste

6 white mushrooms (diced)

2 jars of marinara sauce

1 tbsp ground saffron

1 box of lasagna pasta sheets

6 oz of 4 Italian cheese blend (shredded) - he bought a pre-shredded bag that included mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, and white cheddar

6 oz of mozzarella (shredded)

15 oz of ricotta cheese

Instructions

1. Melt butter over medium heat

2. Add onion and cook until golden brown

3. Add garlic and pepper

4. Once the above is tender, add meat, and salt and black pepper to taste

5. Once meat is cooked, add mushrooms, marinara sauce, and saffron. Turn heat down to a simmer.

6. While sauce is simmering, cook lasagna as instructed on the box

7. Butter your cooking dish (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) and begin assembling

8. Start with a layer of pasta, then add a layer of meat sauce, and finally add a mixture of the different cheeses.

9. Rinse and repeat until all of your ingredients are used.

10. Cover with tin foil and cook at 350 for 35 mins.

11. Remove foil and cook for another 10 mins.

12. Remove and let stand for 15 mins before serving

Note: Even after 15 mins, the lasagna is hot so can sometimes be tough to cut and serve...but it's worth it :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to the best Mom a girl could have!!

I've been in San Diego for the last week, and it's been a BUSY week. My agenda has included a work reunion party, visiting my friend's new baby boy, betting on the ponies at the Del Mar Race Track, going to see Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Jazz/Blues), seeing "The Other Guys", and having many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (drinks included) with a lot of great friends and family. I'll be sure to post pictures soon.

Mom loves the races, so we headed to the Del Mar Race Track on Wednesday. My sister-in-law and nephew and told me to bet on the grey horses, so when we got there with only 3 minutes left to bet before the 1st race started, Mom and I quickly looked at the horses, and bet on the only grey one out there. As luck would have it, it wasn't the favorite (so the odds were good), and it WON! Here's a pic of Mom and me with our winnings (minimal but still exciting).

To end my vacation, my family had a birthday dinner for my Mom. The menu included Jack's Famous Flank Steak, Baja Chipotle Chicken Breasts, Cold Pesto Rigatoni Salad, Smashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and a green salad. Desserts included Boston Cream Cake and Butterscotch Cupcakes. My favorites from dinner were:

Smashed Potatoes: Small golden yukon potatoes (with skins) mashed with butter, bacon pieces, cheddar cheese, and sour cream

Corn on the Cob: I LOVE corn on the cob, but I usually just boil the corn and add butter. I noticed at work, and in a lot of food magazines, there have been a variety of toppings for corn so I decided to spice it up a bit. I husked the cobs, brushed them with melted butter, and sprinkled some chili powder on them. I then threw them directly on the grill and kept them on for about 12 minutes on medium heat, making sure to turn them regularly and adding additional melted butter as needed. They were great!

Butterscotch Cupcakes: My mom's favorite dessert is anything butterscotch flavored so I decided to try butterscotch cupcakes. After doing a lot of searching, I realized most Butterscotch cupcakes are plain cupcakes with a butterscotch frosting. Here are mine.

Butterscotch Cupcake Recipe

Cupcake ingredients:

1 egg

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 tbsp corn syrup

1 tbsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 salt

Cupcake instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter nonstick muffin pan or line with paper baking cups.

2. In large bowl, whisk egg. Whisk in brown sugar, milk, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. Sprinkle flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until blended and smooth.

3. Spoon into prepared muffin pan. Bake fro 15 to 20 min or until cake tester inserted into center cupcake comes out clean.

4. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely

Note: I think this might be an English recipe as the cupcakes were dense and I find English cupcakes are often a dense cake. They aren't overwhelmingly sweet which is good since the frosting is super sweet.

Frosting ingredients:

2 tbsp butterscotch-flavored morsels

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Frosting instructions:

1. While cupcakes are cooling, melt butterscotch morsels in microwave on high for 45 secons, or use double boiler over hot water.

2. Mix butter with butterscotch, then add powdered sugar.

3. Blend frosting with mixer until consistency is smooth.

4. Spread frosting atop cooled cupcakes.