30 days...

Yes, it really has been 30 days since I posted anything.  There are several reasons, including being busy, being insanely busy, and work being freaking busy.  But, the real reason that I haven't been blogging is because no one likes to read a whole bunch of words with no pictures (or at least I sure don't).  And this moron right here lost the cord to our camera.  Meaning, there are tons of photos on the camera, with no way to get them to the computer.  Lame, I know.  I finally admitted it wasn't in a duffel bag, at mom's house, or in the bin of "electronic whatnot" and purchased a new cord.  According to Fed-Ex, said cord was delivered to my front porch today at 8:17am.  (Note - does anyone else think the little puppy on the Fed-Ex Home Delivery truck is the cutest thing ever?)

With any luck, that means I can download photos of a bazillion things tonight, write blog posts while I am off work sitting around at Reading Hospital tomorrow, and be back to some sort of blogging regularity by Friday.  Ha, you know that isn't going to happen.  Really, I will start downloading photos tonight, be distracted by giving Kevin a haircut I've been promising him for 2 weeks, and drive home to Reading around 11pm.  Tomorrow I'll go with Mom to the hospital, the little baby song will play, and I'll spend the next hour showing her the photos of Autumn that I download tonight.

Anyway, the exciting things I hope to be blogging about in the upcoming weeks (aka catching up on the month of July) include hiking with a toddler, stay-cation, Brew at the Zoo, Kevin's birthday, my birthday, and learning to golf.  The last one might be the best story, although I won't know for sure until Saturday.  If nothing else, I'm going to keep track of the awkward things I say and do, and hopefully there will be some other awkwardness by my teachers (hubs, brother in law, sister in law) so I don't feel too lonely.

To tide you over, here is my new life motto:

Mix Tape Monday - Two

Yes, I am well aware that today's Mix Tape Monday post is two days late, so sue me.

Entertaining facts about this cd

1. I actually had to Google two of these songs to figure out what they were and who the artist was.  I think that means I'm either old or I need to listen to this cd more.

Songs on cd Numero Dos:

1. Kelly Clarkson - Behind Those Hazel Eyes
2. Foo Fighters - Best of You
3. Yellowcard - Lights and Sounds
4. Ryan Cabrera - Shine On
5. Relient K - Who I Am Hates Who I've Been
6. All American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret
7. The Veronicas - 4ever
8. Fallout Boy - Sophmore Slump or Comeback of the Year
9. The Click Five - Just the Girl
10. Zebrahead - Wasted
11. Black Eyed Peas - My Humps

And now you can laugh hysterically while thinking about me jamming out to this cd all the way to Pittsburg this past weekend!

Recipies to Try...

I have been looking for some new ideas for dinner recipies and things to ship for Chris and for Baking Gals.  So far, I've got a list of 6 must try recipies - anyone want to try them out with me?

1. Monster Magic Cookie Bars - Courtesy of Kate's Recipe Box
2. Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin - Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
3.  Mexican Rice - from Silver Pencils
4. Chocolate Granola Bars - from Cookies & Cups
5. Nutty Cocoa Cookies - via That Wife
6. Troegs Triple Mango IPA (beer recipies count, right!?:) - from Beer Buzz

And based on my cooking/baking skills, my kitchen will look like this afterwards:


picture via cookwiththekids

 Good thing I don't mind doing dishes, huh?!

Mix Tape Monday - One

HAPPY MONDAY

Thanks to cleaning out two Rubbermaid bins over the weekend, I now have a new collection of cd's in my car! The beauty of my 6-cd changer in the Acura is that I can easily swap new cds in and out depending on my mood, the weather, you know.  Not that the Jeep can't do the same thing, but the Jeep's 10-cd changer is in the way back - like, Jessica go climb over the center console, back row, and into the trunk to change the damn Pearl Jam cd.  No thank you.

So - thanks to the awesome cds I found, we're going to have Mix Tape Monday for about the next 11 weeks. Because I found 11 cds of all kinds of genres, from high school track through senior year of college! I know you're excited, because I was excited as all heck jamming out yesterday!

Entertaining facts about cd Numero Uno:

1. It was made by Kevin
2. Kevin, who only ever calls me Jess or Jessica, wrote Jessi's Mix on the cd
3. It is from sometime in 2006

Songs on cd Numero Uno:

1. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
2. John Mayer - You're Beautiful
3. The Starting Line - Best of Me
4. Fall Out Boy - Sugar We're Going Down 
5. P.O.D. - Boom
6. Ashlee Simpson - Boyfriend
7. Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance

No, go re-live whatever years of your life that those songs just rediscovered for you!

Inn Keeper's Kitchen at Dilworthtown Inn

Last night's dining experience at the Dilworthtown Inn in West Chester was amazing as always, but it was even more amazing thanks to the amazing staff at the Inn Keeper's Kitchen! Kevin and I were invited to attend "Burgundies", one of the many great themes offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!

via Dilworthtown on Facebook

 The philosophy behind the Kitchen:  "Our goal is to teach our students the fine points of food preparation and the discerning art of wine selection." The kitchen is set up so you face the chef, and there are even two television screens set to the left and right so you can view the top of the stove while the chef is working. 

Our chef for the Burgundies course was Rich DiStefano and the Wine Educator for the evening was Michael Walsh.  Rich did an amazing job of offering suggestions and cooking tips for each course, while serving perfectly prepared courses to his 12 guests.  The hand-out presented in class features the menu, recipies for each course served, as well as a wine listing with space for notes! My copy of the hand-out is covered with questions, answers, wine notes, and cooking tips and I can't wait to try out all of the above.

Our menu featured Polenta Crusted Scallops with roasted Fennel Puree and Linguine with Tomato Balsamic Syrup; Pan Seared Escolar with Wilted Rainbow Swiss Chard and Mango Foam (this was to die for); Grilled Quail (a first for Kevin), with Burgundy Poached Cranberry Onion Compote and Watercress Greens; and finished with a layered Chocolate Mousse Cake with Frangelica Sauce. I could not eat like that more than once a month, but with strategically placed meals throughout the day, it was a wonderful evening.

One thing that stood out for me, as a Pennsylvania resident, is that each wine the Michael chose is available via the PA State Stores.  I had incorrectly assumed before that the wines served would be specialy purchased/ordered/unavailable and was pleasantly surprised to learn that I can purchase the 2010 Pouilly Fuisse, Louise Jadot in the Ardmore State Store! The short handout via Total Wines & More also provided Michael an opportunity to teach each of us not only about the wines we were drinking, but about the quality tier system of Burgundies, the soil content, slopes for planting, and more!

I won't give away all of the secrets of the course, but I will say that 4 courses, 4 tasting wines, and 1 table wine served before dinner was worth well more than the $65 that is charged for each course! For a couple or a larger group, this is an excellent way to spend a Tuesday or Wednesday evening and I highly suggest it! The course listing is currently posted for May through July, and I will say that the 7/18 course on New Orleans Creole sounds very interesting!

*I know, I was too busy eating and forgot to take photos, but I assure you that we will be going back and I will be taking many many photos for Round 2*