Well if you click on the link there are photos! lol
I kind of asked Paul a little bit about what he considers his favorite place to eat just to see if our answers would be the same. I can't just pick one so I created categories! :D
My answers:
- New Mexican: El Pinto (kind of like the Disneyworld of New Mexican food lol)
- Italian: Saggio's (Paul got me hooked on it due to the amazing calzones!)
- Steak: The Keg! Still haven't found a place in ABQ that beats it
- Asian: Kobe's Steakhouse in Dallas
- Fast food: Schlotzsky's (there are only 2 that I know of here...we happen to be less than 5 miles away from one!) or Twister's (New Mexican fast food with amazingly addicting Green Chile cheese fries!)
- Guilty Pleasure: Chipolte!!! (Is it bad one of my motives for going to Colorado Springs is because they have one? lol)
His answer:
- New Mexican: Little Anita's
- Italian: Il Vincio's
- Steak: The Keg!
- Asian: Kobe's Steakhouse
- Fast Food: Taco Bell
- Guilty Pleasure: Cinnabon (he could eat this for lunch or dinner alone! lol)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Day 9 - A photo of the item you last purchased.
Paul and I have a guilty pleasure with McDonald's fudge sundaes. It typically occurs when we decide there is nothing sweet in the house so we will die if we can't find chocolate. We used to be really bad about getting them during the summer but now we've cut it back to once a week. They're just big enough that you get that sweet kick you want. So here's a picture of the item I last purchased tonight with Pepe:
This past week though I did experiment with another Martha Stewart: Food Everyday creation (not gonna lie kind of in love with that magazine). This test turned out much better I think we'll be making it again but throwing chicken into the spaghetti. It was classic spaghetti with puttanesca. Not knowing what Puttanesca meant I found on Wikipedia of all places it means "whore's style spaghetti" in Italian..weird right? But the sauce itself refers to any salty tomato-based sauce.
So here's the recipe! Paul and I found it really yummy and easy. A nice change from the normal sauce.
1/4 cup olive oil (or as much as you want..we only use enough for the bottom of the pan)
1 1/2 cups of grape (or cherry) tomatoes quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped (or as many as you want...I say the more the merrier!)
3 anchovy fillets, minced (left this out)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata or other brimed olives, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 cups tomato puree from 15 oz can (I accidentally picked up 8 oz reg. tomato sauce but it still worked great! I think it made for a more tomato sauce)
In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Combine grape tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies, and garlic and cook until fragrant and tomatoes soften (about 5 minutes). Add tomato puree and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook sauce for an additional 2 minutes. It says you can add pasta water if you need to thin the sauce out.
Great thing with this sauce is you can kind of tweak it to your likes. If you don't feel like making everything coarse you could probably skip that step. If you're crazy in love with anchovies for some weird reason...feel free to add all you want but I won't be eating it! lol I'm thinking about adding red pepper flakes to mine next time for some heat. I'm from Texas it isn't food without some kick! :-)
And in other news:
It rained! We haven't had rain in forever!
Aren't I bad catching the hubby while he eats? lol
This past week though I did experiment with another Martha Stewart: Food Everyday creation (not gonna lie kind of in love with that magazine). This test turned out much better I think we'll be making it again but throwing chicken into the spaghetti. It was classic spaghetti with puttanesca. Not knowing what Puttanesca meant I found on Wikipedia of all places it means "whore's style spaghetti" in Italian..weird right? But the sauce itself refers to any salty tomato-based sauce.
So here's the recipe! Paul and I found it really yummy and easy. A nice change from the normal sauce.
1/4 cup olive oil (or as much as you want..we only use enough for the bottom of the pan)
1 1/2 cups of grape (or cherry) tomatoes quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped (or as many as you want...I say the more the merrier!)
3 anchovy fillets, minced (left this out)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata or other brimed olives, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 cups tomato puree from 15 oz can (I accidentally picked up 8 oz reg. tomato sauce but it still worked great! I think it made for a more tomato sauce)
In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Combine grape tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies, and garlic and cook until fragrant and tomatoes soften (about 5 minutes). Add tomato puree and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook sauce for an additional 2 minutes. It says you can add pasta water if you need to thin the sauce out.
Great thing with this sauce is you can kind of tweak it to your likes. If you don't feel like making everything coarse you could probably skip that step. If you're crazy in love with anchovies for some weird reason...feel free to add all you want but I won't be eating it! lol I'm thinking about adding red pepper flakes to mine next time for some heat. I'm from Texas it isn't food without some kick! :-)
And in other news:
It rained! We haven't had rain in forever!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Day 8 - Visit to Trinity Site
So it skipped day 8 for some reason so I figure this will be my random day.
This past weekend we went to the Trinity Site south of us 2 hours. It is the site of the first atomic bomb test July 16, 1945. This particular test was a precursor to the Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki, Japan August 9, 1945. The site is only open to visitors the 1st Saturdays of April and October so, of course, it was crowded.
We arrive around 10 PM and it was amusing to see how some of the people reacted to the site. Some were very somber and nostalgic while others told their kids to go play in the radioactive rocks! lol
This past weekend we went to the Trinity Site south of us 2 hours. It is the site of the first atomic bomb test July 16, 1945. This particular test was a precursor to the Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki, Japan August 9, 1945. The site is only open to visitors the 1st Saturdays of April and October so, of course, it was crowded.
We arrive around 10 PM and it was amusing to see how some of the people reacted to the site. Some were very somber and nostalgic while others told their kids to go play in the radioactive rocks! lol
The rock in this picture is called trinitite left over after the explosion. Some people were collecting it and putting it on the ground for people to photograph. It is a federal offense to take any with you so, of course, we didn't take any. But who would want something radioactive in their home anyways...even if you do get more radiation from flying?
Paul with his big L-lens (I think!) photographing the crowd
The monument on the exact spot the 1st atomic bomb was detonated on
Afterwards we went to the Owl Cafe in San Antonio, NM for a good green chile cheeseburger. Yum! We got to eat on the historic Hilton Hotel bar from 1914. Supposively the first Hilton franchise hotel was built in San Antonio, NM and after the building burned down, Owl Cafe took over ownership of the historic bar for its restaurant. Whether this is true or not is still up for debate because as my Mom pointed out Cisco, TX (near Abilene, TX) also claims to have the first Hilton Hotel. Who know?
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 7 - Your dream wedding.
So I know it would be incredibly corny to say but I was actually really happy with our wedding. Everything went off with very few glitches. I had a few mini-bridezilla moments....one in particular I was trying to find sage vests for the men and couldn't find them. Poor Paul was with me on this particular one and said "honey no one will care if you got the exact perfect vests". The it hit me how easy it is to become obsessed with the wedding and forget the marriage. In the end we went with sky blue and yellow which worked nicely. We didn't have the dream photographer that charged us $5,000, the designer cake at $600, or the crazy expensive "I'm wearing this once" dress for $2,000. We had a much more meaningful time with what we did have. More importantly we got through it with no debt, everyone's sanity mostly in tact, and each other!
Only thing that I really ever wanted in a "dream wedding was a "dream location". I've always thought destination weddings would be fun! Maybe Florida on the coast renting a vacation home to hold a very small wedding guest list (talking 20 max) and have the reception there. But this "dream wedding" would have never worked out 1) I wanted to get married in the church and 2) Getting everyone to Florida would have been a challenge.
But back to getting married in the Church. Many of you may know I converted to Catholicism but the sacrament of marriage to me was important even before this conversion. I don't like the idea of getting married on a random beach or in the middle of a field. Yes I know God is omnipresent, but a church to me is sacred and a good way of ushering husband and wife into this sacred union aware of the need for a relationship with God to see us through the good times and the bad.
I could go on and on about this...but it's sleepy time!
Only thing that I really ever wanted in a "dream wedding was a "dream location". I've always thought destination weddings would be fun! Maybe Florida on the coast renting a vacation home to hold a very small wedding guest list (talking 20 max) and have the reception there. But this "dream wedding" would have never worked out 1) I wanted to get married in the church and 2) Getting everyone to Florida would have been a challenge.
But back to getting married in the Church. Many of you may know I converted to Catholicism but the sacrament of marriage to me was important even before this conversion. I don't like the idea of getting married on a random beach or in the middle of a field. Yes I know God is omnipresent, but a church to me is sacred and a good way of ushering husband and wife into this sacred union aware of the need for a relationship with God to see us through the good times and the bad.
I could go on and on about this...but it's sleepy time!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Day 6 - A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet.
Day 5 will be coming...once I'm able to find a picture of me from two years ago that will copy onto blogger!
Best part about this PamperedWhiskers creations is a portion of the proceeds go to animal charities.
PaperedWhiskers even does hats that suit dogs or cats. Yes realistically I know no animal is going to keep this on for any length of time...but at least for halloween maybe? lol One of my other favorites is this number:
The cat looks like he's going to kill someone any minute. Goes perfectly with the crown in my opinion!
If I could have any type of dog I would either go for a Shetland Sheep Dog or a Labrador retriever. But I lean more towards getting a cat at the moment. ;-)
Friday, April 1, 2011
Day 4 - Your favorite photograph of your best friend
I'd say the below photo kind of says it all:
When I think of Paul I think of his photography. He was just really getting into it when we met. If you were to look at our living room normally you'd see his mini-studio set up with the umbrella, flash stand, and tripod for camera ready for his latest project. I guess growing up with two sisters who are photographers I'm used to it. Luckily now I have my Nook so if he decides to take 20 minutes photographing flowers I can plop down and enjoy a good book! :D
This weekend we're going to the Trinity Site 2 hours south of here. They open it up to visitors on the 1st Saturday of April and the 1st Saturday of October. We keep saying we're going to go see it (because how often do you get to see the place where they exploded the first atomic bomb!) but last year Easter was that weekend, then in October we had balloon fiesta.
Also I promised pictures of our couch. It's darker and a little bigger than I remembered it but I think it goes well as we have a lot of black furniture with Paul's sound system and our TV.
I like the pillows with it...but I think a solid sunflower yellow might also look really cute. Only problem we've had is the couch is a static magnet! I already have a ton of hair all over it and whenever you sit on it you can hear the static. I'm hoping it will go away in a few days cause sitting on your couch should not be a shocking experience! lol
I also like these pillows I found on Etsy (Becca got me addicted to the site!) but Paul thinks they're silly:
Aren't they adorable? :D
Paul with his big white lens at Biopark Light display. It was 9 degrees that day...really cold!
This weekend we're going to the Trinity Site 2 hours south of here. They open it up to visitors on the 1st Saturday of April and the 1st Saturday of October. We keep saying we're going to go see it (because how often do you get to see the place where they exploded the first atomic bomb!) but last year Easter was that weekend, then in October we had balloon fiesta.
Also I promised pictures of our couch. It's darker and a little bigger than I remembered it but I think it goes well as we have a lot of black furniture with Paul's sound system and our TV.
I like the pillows with it...but I think a solid sunflower yellow might also look really cute. Only problem we've had is the couch is a static magnet! I already have a ton of hair all over it and whenever you sit on it you can hear the static. I'm hoping it will go away in a few days cause sitting on your couch should not be a shocking experience! lol
I also like these pillows I found on Etsy (Becca got me addicted to the site!) but Paul thinks they're silly:
Aren't they adorable? :D
Day 3: Your idea of a perfect date
My idea of the perfect date...that's a tough one. Sadly our internet connection has been horrible these past 6 months and right now it's not letting me upload pictures...so I might post them later! :-D
I know one of my favorite dates Paul and I have been on actually happened when I was sick. Around Christmas I got the flu really bad and was at home for a good week. On day four of the week I was feeling somewhat better with major cabin fever so we decided to go to Outback Steakhouse and looking at Christmas lights at the Albuquerque biopark gardens. Very pretty at night and the temperature wasn't too bad out. I regretted the outing the next day, however, because I felt horrible again.
Another recent date we went on happened in February. We were bored and decided to drive through the Jemez Mountains. They hadn't had a lot of snow at all this winter so it was easy sailing. Bummer part was the snow they did have had turned to ice on the side of the road so I couldn't pelt Paul with snowballs...mwhahaha! We then stopped at Tomasita's in Santa Fe as we continue our loop back down I-25 to Albuquerque. Tomasita's has a limited menu but they do an amazing job at what they offer. I'm normally not a fan too much of red Chile but theirs was really good.
But if I could pick the perfect date I'd say seeing a musical and going out for a good steak/Italian food would be at the top of my list. Musicals on my list to see are:
- Fiddler on the Roof (coming to town April 15th - 17th)
- Grease (May 13th - 15th)
- Westside Story
- Wicked (it came in January but we didn't get to see it)
- The Lion King
- American Idiot (only out of curiosity I must admit I've never listened to Green Day much but the idea sounds fun)
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Spamalot
I know one of my favorite dates Paul and I have been on actually happened when I was sick. Around Christmas I got the flu really bad and was at home for a good week. On day four of the week I was feeling somewhat better with major cabin fever so we decided to go to Outback Steakhouse and looking at Christmas lights at the Albuquerque biopark gardens. Very pretty at night and the temperature wasn't too bad out. I regretted the outing the next day, however, because I felt horrible again.
Another recent date we went on happened in February. We were bored and decided to drive through the Jemez Mountains. They hadn't had a lot of snow at all this winter so it was easy sailing. Bummer part was the snow they did have had turned to ice on the side of the road so I couldn't pelt Paul with snowballs...mwhahaha! We then stopped at Tomasita's in Santa Fe as we continue our loop back down I-25 to Albuquerque. Tomasita's has a limited menu but they do an amazing job at what they offer. I'm normally not a fan too much of red Chile but theirs was really good.
But if I could pick the perfect date I'd say seeing a musical and going out for a good steak/Italian food would be at the top of my list. Musicals on my list to see are:
- Fiddler on the Roof (coming to town April 15th - 17th)
- Grease (May 13th - 15th)
- Westside Story
- Wicked (it came in January but we didn't get to see it)
- The Lion King
- American Idiot (only out of curiosity I must admit I've never listened to Green Day much but the idea sounds fun)
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Spamalot
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)