Well well well...

"Look what that cat dragged in."

That's what I imagined you would say when I finally made a post. It is true, I'm still here. My hair is a bit longer, my bank account is a bit lower, but I'm still here. It's been too long since I last posted about the MARVELOUS adventures I call my life. So, I figured I'd fill you in.

To start off, this winter was rough. It literally snowed every 4 days or so, and by snow I don't mean 1-3 inches. I mean 1-2 feet.

In December I packed my bags, put my cats in a cardboard box sealed with tape, and headed down about 10 blocks from home to start a life of my own.

This was an attempt at taking a picture of the NYC skyline out my bedroom window. Note to self: don't hang out the 3rd floor window.

My roommates, Baby and Connie.

About two months later, my mom packed her bags, took the remaining pets and headed down to Virginia to live close to my grandmother.

There's a lovely sense of humor in my family. This is the front yard greeting to my grandmother's house.

Life has come to a weird halt now that things have settled down. I'm glad that I can finally relax and stop worrying about what's to come. But there's still some void missing... maybe some Chinese food will fill it.

Butternut Squash Soup

I just finished eating this and I had to rush here to tell you about it. This soup was amazing. I got the recipe from our employee website at work, where there is an entire section of recipe swaps.

3 Butternut Squash
2 Carrots
2 Potatoes
3 Cubes Chicken stock
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Cup Cream
lemon juice
salt/pepper

First, chop and boil all the veggies until tender. Save 1 cup of the boiled water, then drain veggies. Add the saved water to a large pot, and melt the butter and chicken stock in it.



In batches, puree the veggies in a blender with the cream (I used half light cream, half heavy cream). Add the puree into the pot with your stock, add salt and pepper and continue to stir until mixed and heated through.

Once done cooking, add to bowls and top with a few drops of lemon juice and some fresh cracked pepper.

It was really easy to make and it tasted SO FRIGGIN GOOD. It's absolutely perfect for this season, too. If we were having Thanksgiving at my house, I would definitely serve this before dinner.

On another note, big things are happening. As you know, the past 6 months have been kind of crazy for me. My life was turned upside down, and I'm only beginning to piece things back together. Now its got another twist. Our lease is up in January, and there is really no reason for my Mom and I to stay in this house. So where do we go? With the looks of it, Mom will be moving into my aunt's house a few towns over. And me? That's the question. It's time for me to be a big girl and move on.

Let the apartment shopping begin....

Simple Soup

Every now and then when there's nothing better to do, Arty and I will take a trip to Barnes & Noble, get some Starbucks, sit on the floor and read magazines. He'll usually get his geeky boy magazine and I pick up about 3-5 different cooking series. My favorite, is Cooking Light. I saw this recipe for White Bean Soup with Kale and Chorizo last time we were there, and I couldn't get it out of my mind. So I looked it up and tried it out, and WOW. It was amazing and crazy easy to make.

The only ingredients this recipe calls for are kale, broth, onions, garlic, chorizo, and cannellini beans.

The onions, garlic, and chorizo get chopped up and sauted. Then the broth, beans and kale are added and simmered. A little salt and pepper to taste, and you're done! I tried it with a little grated cheese on top and it was even better.

November? What's November?

The past month has just flashed past my eyes. I've had so many things keeping me busy, that I didn't even feel November hit. But here I am, in bed with a cold, so I guess the season is officially here. The last couple weeks have been a lot of fun though. To fill you in:

Despite being sick, today my mom and I visited the Meadowland Environmental Center and took a nice walk around. They had a show going on inside the center, Sherlock Holmes performed old school radio style. I would have loved to stay and watch the show, but as I mentioned I'm not feeling very well so we chose not to contaminate the seniors that I'd be in close range to.

Last week my Aunt Joan came to visit, and I LOVED it! I don't have many memories of my Aunt Joan from when I was little because she moved to Washington state before I was old enough to remember, but her visit was awesome and I can't wait to see her again. My grandmother also came to visit while Joan was here. She took my aunts, cousins and I out to dinner for a "Girls Night" and I had a lot of fun with them all. I thought I had been taking pictures all night (which I was, just not on my own camera) and when I came home I found out that this is the ONLY photo I had taken for myself. It pretty much describes the atmosphere of the night. (Left to right: Aunt Sandy, Aunt Wendy, Aunt Joan, Mom Aileen).

Middle of October is my favorite time. It's all the hype of Halloween approaching that excites me. This here is a photo taken from a Zombie Crawl I attended with my friend Jen. We all met up at a secret location dressed as zombies, and crawled through Union Square in NYC. Then the zombies made canned food donations (to feed the humans so there would be more brains for the zombies... of course). It was really awesome to participate in this, and I'll definitely be doing it again next year.

Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, so Halloween day I spent in bed with my favorite boy, eating his Halloween candy meant for trick or treaters, and watching the best musical movie ever, Rocky Horror! It was the night before Halloween that we celebrated. We dressed as zombie pirates and headed to the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. We saw an awesome show by Neon Trees, along with Fountains of Wayne and The Drums (I only cared about Neon Trees, how can you not fall in love with their lead singer Tyler Glenn).

NJ Sharing Donor Family Event

Today was bittersweet. I attended the NJ Sharing Network's Donor Family Recognition, and it was absolutely beautiful. It was in a gorgeous hall in New Brunswick called The Palace. When you walk in you're greeted by employees and handed a book filled with photos of all the donors. A small walk inside and there was an area with about a dozen poster boards and quilts, all with photos and quotes submitted by the families.

After a brief period of meeting everyone and mingling with those at your table, speakers began to take the stage and tell their own stories. One speaker was a young woman who had a heart attack at only 16 years old. She said she was on some kind of experimental treatment for months, until she received a heart transplant from a 18 year old girl who had lost her life.

Everyone's story was moving, I caught myself and a few others shedding some tears. When the speakers were done, the volunteers presented each family with a rose and a medal honoring their loved one, along with a framed memorial quote. It was a truly touching event, and I am so grateful that this organization did this for all of us.

Amongst the presentation, The Palace staff served a delicious meal that was cooked to perfection. We were started with a salad of New York state field greens with red and yellow pear tomatoes topped with a champagne and shallot vinaigrette.

The entree was a duet of Mignon of aged beef and spinach stuffed breast of capon. On the side was rosemary roasted wild mushrooms and Cabernet whipped potatoes, topped with a natural reduction.

For dessert was a warm granny smith apple and almond tart. It had a dollop of cinnamon stick ice cream and a splash of baked apple and almond cream.

Apple Carrot Cake

This apple carrot cake is truly amazing. I found the recipe while searching for things I could use all these apples for, and although it's simple, it tasted like it had taken a whole days worth of effort .

With the leftover apples I made some homemade apple sauce. Just cube up some apples, add some cinnamon and about a half cup of water. Cook it on a medium-low heat until the apples are soft and mushy. You can smooch em up for a smoother texture or leave some chunky for a hearty feel to it. I serve it warm right off the stove but it holds well in the fridge, too.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Something you've got to do ever Autumn? Apple picking. Arty and I went apple picking a few weeks ago, and I made a few different dishes with the delicious fresh fruits. I'm just a little lazy and have put off updating! This one here is an apple dumpling that I tweaked a little to my own standards.

First thing first, core and cube some apples. Add some seasonings and let them rest and mix flavors while you prepare the dough.

Now, I'm no dough expert. So I didn't follow the recipe and kind of did it my own way, which made it even more complicated in the end. Oh well.
Not shown is the syrup. It's literally just brown sugar and water, heated and dissolved, then poured on top of the pastries.