Hey guys, I have decided to ditch the blogspot thing and my blog will now be hosted on it's own site!
http://www.amandasnotebook.com
Please go there to read new posts and catch up! Check it out here!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Canada, Eh?
Hi lovelies! Currently blogging from Toronto. Canada is a cold cold cold place but I'm excited that we are out of the country. This is our first time leaving the US since we got married and Adam became a permanent US resident. We were excited that we went through customs and border control... But the real fun will be seeing how easy it is to get back in the US. :)
Our flight connected us in Chicago O'Hare where we had one of these:
Caramel covered apple with chocolate chips... Yum! How can you resist?
Then we landed, checked into our hotel downtown and went straight to a meeting because we had a press piece for CityTV. Adam was filmed giving his top 5 tips for dating.
It's always nice to get some press when we go to a different city. I believe Adam will be on one of the big morning radio stations on Monday, so if you're in Toronto tune in to 99.9 FM this Monday, January 31 at 6 am to catch it!
We started our workshop Friday night beginning with seminar and then going to a bar for some infield practice. At that point we had to go to an ATM to pull out cash for cabs and whatnot. So I went to get money and was pleasantly surprised when it was colored!
I forgot that the Canadian dollar isn't the same as the American dollar. They have Monopoly money! The exchange rate is currently 1.02, which means that I am gaining money, not losing money. 2 cents richer with each dollar spent! I'll take it.
Right now we are done with our Saturday seminar and resting before we go back out with our students tonight. Adam is taking a brief nap and I am enjoying the view of the beautiful CN Tower which is where we're going to go for a date night tomorrow when we're all done with work.
I believe the restaurant at the top rotates. I've been to the Reunion Tower in Dallas that has a rotating restaurant and it was gorgeous so I hope this is similar. :)
Lastly, since I'm in a different country you KNOW we have to check out the local cuisines. Currently we have had poutine, which is just a Canadian dish of fries smothered in gravy, melted cheese curds and more gravy on the side. And since I judge cities based on their sweets that means I had to try out a basic chocolate bar.
Not bad! Doesn't beat out Lindt, which to me is the best basic milk chocolate bar ever, but it was good. And the nail polish is Deborah Lippmann's Walking in Vegas, which I think is the perfect greige, in case you're interested. I have been on a greige hunt for forever!
That's our weekend so far! Blame Canada!
p.s. I posted this whole thing using my iPad! I finally figured out how to insert pictures so you can expect more on-the-road posts.
Our flight connected us in Chicago O'Hare where we had one of these:
Caramel covered apple with chocolate chips... Yum! How can you resist?
Then we landed, checked into our hotel downtown and went straight to a meeting because we had a press piece for CityTV. Adam was filmed giving his top 5 tips for dating.
It's always nice to get some press when we go to a different city. I believe Adam will be on one of the big morning radio stations on Monday, so if you're in Toronto tune in to 99.9 FM this Monday, January 31 at 6 am to catch it!
We started our workshop Friday night beginning with seminar and then going to a bar for some infield practice. At that point we had to go to an ATM to pull out cash for cabs and whatnot. So I went to get money and was pleasantly surprised when it was colored!
I forgot that the Canadian dollar isn't the same as the American dollar. They have Monopoly money! The exchange rate is currently 1.02, which means that I am gaining money, not losing money. 2 cents richer with each dollar spent! I'll take it.
Right now we are done with our Saturday seminar and resting before we go back out with our students tonight. Adam is taking a brief nap and I am enjoying the view of the beautiful CN Tower which is where we're going to go for a date night tomorrow when we're all done with work.
I believe the restaurant at the top rotates. I've been to the Reunion Tower in Dallas that has a rotating restaurant and it was gorgeous so I hope this is similar. :)
Lastly, since I'm in a different country you KNOW we have to check out the local cuisines. Currently we have had poutine, which is just a Canadian dish of fries smothered in gravy, melted cheese curds and more gravy on the side. And since I judge cities based on their sweets that means I had to try out a basic chocolate bar.
Not bad! Doesn't beat out Lindt, which to me is the best basic milk chocolate bar ever, but it was good. And the nail polish is Deborah Lippmann's Walking in Vegas, which I think is the perfect greige, in case you're interested. I have been on a greige hunt for forever!
That's our weekend so far! Blame Canada!
p.s. I posted this whole thing using my iPad! I finally figured out how to insert pictures so you can expect more on-the-road posts.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What's for Lunch?
In our house Adam is the one that usually does the cooking. And he is GREAT at it. Me? Not so much. I have never liked cooking... It's too much effort for not enough return. Baking, on the other hand, I love.
How it's made:
Spread broccoli in a cookie sheet or baking pan
Bake on 425 degrees for 25 minutes -- It will be nice and roasted, kind of crispy.
When it's out of the oven:
Then it's done!
The cup is much smaller than it looks in the picture, it's only a 2 oz cup (so like a double shot glass). And this is another desert favorite in our house since it's made with tofu (!!!) instead of heavy cream/eggs/butter and you can change the flavor to be chocolate mint, chocolate peanut butter, orange, raspberry, liquer... Options are endless! However this one is just plain chocolate.
Now it's time to get back to work. Hope your lunch was as yummy as mine!
Adam has been working up a storm lately (Valentine's Day is coming up which is our high time) so cooking has fallen to the back burner. We have been eating out a lot and doing take-out which isn't the healthiest option so I have been trying to pitch in and take over in the kitchen.
Last night I made a deeeelicious broccoli recipe. My house liked it so much that I made it again for lunch today!
Roasted broccoli with some grilled chicken!
How it's made:
- Take a big bunch of broccoli, cut it up into little trees, put in a big bowl
- Get some garlic heads, peel them, and throw them in whole (roughly 4 per big broccoli bunch used) -- I also added a spoonful of chopped garlic because I loooove garlic
- Drizzle olive oil on it (I used macadamia nut and safflower oil)
- Dash salt and pepper to taste
Spread broccoli in a cookie sheet or baking pan
Bake on 425 degrees for 25 minutes -- It will be nice and roasted, kind of crispy.
When it's out of the oven:
- Throw on a handful of sunflower seeds (pine nuts or roasted soy beans would also work)
- Zest a lemon over the broccoli
- Squeeze lemon juice over the whole thing.
Then it's done!
Dessert after lunch was a mini Chocolate Mousse cup that I made last night!
The cup is much smaller than it looks in the picture, it's only a 2 oz cup (so like a double shot glass). And this is another desert favorite in our house since it's made with tofu (!!!) instead of heavy cream/eggs/butter and you can change the flavor to be chocolate mint, chocolate peanut butter, orange, raspberry, liquer... Options are endless! However this one is just plain chocolate.
Now it's time to get back to work. Hope your lunch was as yummy as mine!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Loving Leopard!
INSPIRATION: Nala, my little kitty 
WANTS:
WANTS:
Louis Vuitton Alaia Bag -- Azzedine Alaia collaborated with Louis Vuitton forever ago and I STILL love this bag
Dolce & Gabanna iPad Case. Not yet released, it will come out this year in four different leopard shades (traditional, red, yellow and green) for their 2011 Cruise line
Louis Vuitton Leopard Scarf. Zara makes a gorgeous one also.
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli again... As you can see, Roberto Cavalli does a lot of leopard and I always think it is gorgeous. Leopard print is usually best as accessories but he makes it work on whole pieces. This dress above is my favorite.
There's my love of leopard. :) I plan on making the iPad case mine when it is released but I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Weekend in a Nutshell!
Rode public transportation for the first time in Austin! Adam and I have always wanted to try it and the bus goes right from outside our housing complex straight into downtown on 4th and Congress which is 1 block away from our apartment. It was only $1! Now we know if my car ever breaks down we won't be stranded.
Had yummy chips and queso and a cold Corona Light downtown at Tacos N Tequila Friday night. We met our friend Maranda and some of our instructors came. I'll definitely be back for more of that queso!
Adam had a press piece on Austin's KVUE morning news this morning. This is of their control room which is always awesome to see... I love watching how they work live TV with all of the different angles and cutting between cameras, not to mention much lead time. Check out this link to see his piece on not staying single for 2011!
Had many trips to Home Depot and Lowes to buy supplies... And in the meantime checked out their bathroom section. Adam would LOVE this tub. He has a thing for free-standing, curvy tubs. One day we'll have one of these. :)
Started paining our condo in downtown Austin! It is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath with a loft and over 1,500 sq. ft. so it's a bigger space for a condo and is two-story... Needless it say it is not a one-man job so we had two of our assistants and three interns helping and with over 10 hours of painting each day it's still not done. But we're getting progress and it's getting there! I'll post condo pics soon.
Made my very own homemade granola bars! I've never made them and it always seemed fun. They were so easy to make so this will be a repeat recipe for sure. I even individually wrapped them so we can grab them easily when we're running out! And check out Nala in the background of the picture. Her kitty treats are held behind that door and she was trying to get them by squeezing under the door. :) Silly girl.
There's my weekend in a nutshell! Hope yours was as fun and eventful. :)
Friday, January 21, 2011
New KitchenAid Mixer
For my 24th birthday I asked my mom for a KitchenAid mixer! It finally arrived last week (my birthday is in October... my family doesn't really worry about speed with presents) and I have been practicing with it. Last night I made 'Healthified' Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. You can see the mixer in the picture below on the right hand side. It's the black and stainless steel one. I secretly wanted the pink or red one but it doesn't work with my kitchen color scheme!
They were very yummy, probably because I quadrupled the amount of chocolate the recipe calls for. Whoops? 1/3 cup is just not enough for a whole batch of muffins if you ask me! So I put in the whooooole bag. :) Even Adam liked the muffins and he doesn't like banana flavored things.
My challenge to you is to eat a baked good over the next few days. If it's homemade, even better. Bakery-made works also. Happy weekend everyone!
They were very yummy, probably because I quadrupled the amount of chocolate the recipe calls for. Whoops? 1/3 cup is just not enough for a whole batch of muffins if you ask me! So I put in the whooooole bag. :) Even Adam liked the muffins and he doesn't like banana flavored things.
My challenge to you is to eat a baked good over the next few days. If it's homemade, even better. Bakery-made works also. Happy weekend everyone!
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