Fun in June

June was tons of fun. We started softball.  We were on two teams, one for work was on Monday and one with our friends was on Fridays.  Let's just say we won't be playing with the work team again... This month we had 2 bachelorettes, a trip to Boston, a baby shower, a day at Coca Cola Field to watch Steven Strausburg's last game in the minors, Race for the Cure, Ride For Roswell (I rode 8 miles!), and our good friends Travis & Meganne's wedding.  Here are some pictures of our adventures...

Strausburg.  Notice how full the stands are?  This would be about 4 times what they normally are...

A close up of my man.  He would be angry if he knew I took this.

Stevie's shower in Boston.  Stevie the bride and Kristin the maid of honor.

Opening gifts.

The awesome cake!  They are going to Hawaii on their honeymoon so it was a tropical themed shower.

Bachelorette in downtown Boston

We bought her flowers on the street to embarrass her!

Wine tasting for the bachelorette

This was a game we played where we decorated some panties and she had to put them on all at once. 

 

The Ride for Roswell Cancer Institute.  The managing partner at my firm, his daughter actually has lukemia and so we did this ride to support her and the family.  They bought the whole team these awesome UnderArmor shirts with "Team AnnaLynn" on them.   Supposedly next year we are doing the 30 mile route....

Where have I been?

Since the beginning of summer, I have been absent from the blogging world.  Why is this?  Because in Buffalo, summer is only three short months and you have to cram every little bit of outside activity into these days.  And while I'm out enjoying the summer, I have lacked to post anything new. 


We have had an awesome summer so far, minus the 100% humidity and the temps in the mid 90's.  For those of you who have not ventured out to the east coast, 100% on a day where it is above 85 degrees, feels like you are in a sauna and for me, I feel like lying down and dying right there in the street.  You sweat profusely, you feel like your lungs can't get enough oxygen and you want to run and jump into the nearest body of water, even if that is a dirty puddle on the side of the road. 


But enough about the weather....  Some of the activities we have been up to so far this summer have included: playing softball on Monday and Friday nights, trying to eat at every restaurant that has outdoor seating, a weekend trip to Boston for a shower and bachelorette, a jersey shore party, Race for the Cure, the Ride for Roswell Cancer Institute, multiple weddings, a trip to Ann Arbor, a Tigers game, several Bison's games, a trip to Pittsburgh which included a visit to the zoo and aquarium, and the Taste of Buffalo.  I have pictures of all these events and I will try to load them up as soon as I can.  Until then, enjoy your summer, cause I know we will be out doing the same!

Wedding Website

Check out our wedding website.  You can find all the details and information you need for our wedding!

Happy Birthday Shortstack!

It was Jaime's birthday this last Sunday.  I'm a slacker and didn't even mail her present yet, or buy it for that matter.  But I will post some slightly embarrassing, funny, oldie but goodie pictures of her.  Happy 24th Short Stack! (Better late than never!)

Help Save Second Base

I am running walking in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure again this year.  My goal is $100, it is a small goal and I would love to exceed that.  So help save save second base by donating to my Race for the Cure team.  There is a link to my donation page to the right.  Thank you!!

Giveaway

Enter here!

Seven years later....

James and I are finally engaged!!
I know, it's hard to believe. So here's the story:


We were in Las Vegas for a vacation with our 4 other friends.  We all went down to the pool at the MGM for a little sun time.  While down there, Kristin and I found some abandoned tubes to use in the lazy river.  Since there were only two, we said we would share them with James and Jimmy when we were done.  After once around the river, we went back and gave the tubes to the boys.  James kept saying how he didn't want to go in and Jimmy kept trying to convince him to go in.  Then I started in with the "Party pooper, party pooper" and poked him in the chest a few times.  After about three minutes of this, he pulls a box from his pocket and opens it.  In it is a huge, shiny ring.  He says "This is why I can't go into the pool! Do you want to get married?".  I responded with "Is that thing real?".  It was all very confusing and fast.  Once he "popped the question", Kristin started screaming behind me, Corinne was asking if someone got stung by a bee and Danielle was stuttering saying I don't think so.  James kept asking "Do you want this or not?" and I kept asking "Is it real?".  So finally he said "I'm going to give this to someone else if you don't say yes".  I finally agreed to say yes, he put the ring on my finger, which of course didn't fit my man hands.  He then went and swam in the lazy river with Jimmy.
I had to wear the ring on my pinky for the rest of the trip because it didn't fit on my massive, beast like fingers.  On the Tuesday when we returned from Vegas I went to get it sized at the jewelers.  While at the jewelers, the woman helping me commented on how large my fingers actually were.  We had a debate for a good ten minutes on what size my ring should be and if my hands were going to grow to mammoth sizes. Not an awkward conversation at all....
So that's the story.  It's one to remember for ages. As of right now our plans are to get married in Las Vegas in the Fall of 2011.  So watch the mail for your save the date cards!

March Madness

Last summer we purchased our March Madness NCAA tickets for the first two opening rounds and since then I've been way excited for the games to start.  Well last week they were finally here!  We found out in February that we were in the lower bowl on the 7th row.  They were awesome tickets, except for the fact that they were directly behind the basket stand.  But we were able to manage through the games :)

Cooking

I love cooking and trying out new recipes.  I'm not one to just make up new recipes, but I do make my own changes to ones I try out.  Each time I'm trying out a new recipe, I wish that someone had told me little secrets or tips about the recipe.  Soooo I'm going to post new recipes I try out along with my variations and hopefully someone out there will appreciate that I endured the torture that accompanies trying a new recipe and that I posted my new found secrets. 

Enjoy!

Caldo Verde

Today I made Caldo Verde, which is surprisingly similar to the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden, but not as creamy.  It's a weight watchers recipe, but I think if I add some light whipping cream it could still be low-fat and deliciousness at the same time.

Here is the recipe:

1 spray nonstick cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 thick rounds
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium baking potato, about 8 oz, peeled

4 cups stemmed and shredded kale

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 dashes hot red pepper sauce

Instructions:
1. Spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray; set over medium heat.  Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
2. Add the sausage; cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour in broth; bring to a simmer, stirring often.

4. Using the small holes of a box grater, grate the potato into the stew.  Stir well while returning to a simmer.  Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a couple times.

5. Stir in the kale; cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 12 minutes.  Stir in the salt, pepper, and hot red pepper sauce before serving.

Nutrition:
Serving Size:  1 1/2 cups
4 Points per serving.

Variations:
*Onions: I used frozen chopped onions.  I always have some on hand.  Much more convenient than fresh onions, and they aren't that bad.
*Sausage:  I bought the Jennie-O turkey sausage.  You couldn't really cut it into 1/2" thick rounds.  So I cut what I could and then cut that in half.  It was more "chunk like" than anything else.
*Broth:  A carton of broth is 4 1/2 cups, so I used all of it.
*Potato: I definitely used 2 medium/large potatoes.  And I didn't grate them, I cut the potato length wise, twice.  Then sliced it thin enough to cook quickly, which was about 1/8" thick.
*Kale:  A "bale" of kale was more than enough for the recipe.

*Hot red pepper sauce:  I don't like my food to be spicy, since I have acid reflux.  But James added Cajun seasoning to his bowl and it tasted ok. 

*I did not use a saucepan for the whole recipe.  It definitely would not have fit everything.  I put the broth into a pot and cooked it for a little while before adding the sausage/onions/garlic mixture.    That worked out a lot better. 
*Obviously I topped it off with some parm cheese.