Spontaneity

I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't get red squiggly lines as I typed spontaneity. My instincts on spelling were correct: what?! Awesome.

Yet another reason I love Google Reader: blog deals. As I was perusing my feeds last night, I saw an ad for a hotel in downtown Philly advertising a Snow Package Deal: 50% off rooms for tonight and tomorrow night. I immediately called them and got a room.

It's perfect because #1 I love hotels: you have to have fun with a whirlpool and someone else making your bed, #2 We have a Friday night show with our Philly comedy improv group (late night partying), #3 My genius husband is presenting two of his papers on Friday and Saturday in the city, and he'll get some extra sleep (and less stress) without the (snow) traffic into Philly.

MORAL(S) OF THE STORY: Follow blogs from your local area. And then spontaneously do something.

Tomato Soup in a Breadbowl

Tuesday nights are busy for us since Bryan gets home from work at 5, and we have to leave by 6 for improv rehearsal. It's not that much time to change into casual clothes, have our after-work relax and get out the door - with food. Sometimes we swing by ChickFilA, but that can get old.

This is a great recipe that's cheap, yummy, healthy and FAST!

Tomato Soup in A Breadbowl
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of milk (same can as soup)
2 large rolls from your local bakery
grated mozzarella cheese



Empty the soup into a large microwavable bowl. Add the milk, stir and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir and microwave for another 2 minutes. (Feel free to use the stovetop instructions if you prefer). When your soup is microwaving, take a bread knife and slice the top off. Don't go too deep, and be sure to cut an angle. Think carving pumpkins, how you remove the top.

When the soup is done, stir and ladle it into your bread bowl (inside a regular bowl, in case it spills through the bottom). Sprinkle with cheese. Refill your bowl until your soup is gone. Easy peasy, guys.

Lady Fitness

With summer months and bikini sales approaching fast, I've been really serious about working out.

I've found a beautiful hour and a half of my day at the gym. I drop in, sign up for my treadmill, hit the mat for some strength exercises, then hit the treadmill for interval training and then stretch for a good fifteen minutes. It's wonderful. I get a chance to read all my magazines that sit dusty on my coffee table, think about all the crazy things happening in my life right now, listen to my awesome 90s hip hop mix and enjoy the solitude in the presence of lots of women getting theirs.

The whir of the treadmill belt, the beat of women's sneaks on the machines, the light murmur from the weight area, the Destiny's Child bumping in my ear: it's perfect. It's my escape, and it's also my means to a bangin' bikini body. Summer of 2010 is the summer of hot.

Baking Cookies with Photoshop

This is so cool.

Adobe Photoshop Cook from Lait Noir on Vimeo.

Calzones for Dinner

These are Bryan's favorite. He loves them because he loves calzones but also because he can control what goes in them. They're a great way to please a lot of different kinds of eaters.

Pizza Sauce (you can buy a jar in the Italian aisle, too)

2 tomatoes

some garlic (we use minced garlic)

a pinch of oregano

a pinch of sugar

a pinch of basil

salt and pepper shakes

Using a food processor, grind up your tomatoes. Put in a bowl, add spices and stir. Done.

Calzones

pizza crust (I buy mine, but if you have an extra day, try making your own)

veggies: green pepper, onion

meat: sausage, deli pepperoni

cheese: mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 425. Get out a cookie sheet, cover with tin foil. Spray with Pam to prevent sticking. Roll out pizza dough onto sheet. Cut in half: perfect for two calzones. Spoon on some pizza sauce (less is more), then add your veggies and top with a sprinkle of grated mozzarella cheese.

Pull the nonfilled side over top the fillings. Pinch the edges. This is the important part: really pinch them until the dough seals. If you have extra dough on the corners, rip it off and help seal the parts that need it. Put it in the oven and wait. I don't want to put a time because all ovens are different. Keep an eye on it. You know what a finished calzone will look like. Let it sit for five minutes to let the sauce thicken. We like to microwave the rest of the pizza sauce for dipping! Also, I brush butter and garlic salt on top. Roll up your tin foil and you're done.

This is Bryan's calzone.


This is mine. I had trouble evenly cutting the dough, but it worked out nicely. It was like a stuffed breadstick.

Easiness: 4.5 out of 5
Taste: 4 out of 5
Cleanup: 5 out of 5

Lady Tip: Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping

Everyone has to eat. Eating out is expensive. Buying packaged or frozen food is not tasty. The solution I've found for affordable, healthy, yummy eating is cooking at home. This means having a well-stocked kitchen and planning ahead. It's not that hard, and this week I'm walking my lady friends (and my male lurkers) through how to effectively and deliciously plan a week's worth of food.

This week's lunch includes:

Salad with Mexican fixin's

Tuna Salad Wraps

Peppered Turkey Breast Sandwich

This week's dinner menu includes:

Texas Chicken Taco Salad

Spicy Sausage Jumbalaya

Chicken Parmesan

Make it Yourself Calzones

Spicy Vegetable Lo Mein

Tomato Soup in a Bread Bowl with Side Salad

Breakfast for Dinner

I went to the store to buy all the ingredients. This week's protein is chicken which means you can save money and buy a club pack. Pick out however many chicken breasts you're using and store the rest in the freezer for next week. Here's a picture of all the groceries I bought, and the total cost was only $65.


If you break it down, each meal costs $5.40 and per person that's about $2.75. You can't beat that with frozen food OR by eating out (even if you go to Wendy's). And you aren't just getting cheaper food, you're getting healthier food. Each meal has at least one serving of vegetables and one serving of protein.

Here's your grocery list:

bread (whole grain if you can), two large rolls for bread bowl & wraps (whole grain if you can)

cheese: cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan (the nicest you can afford)
tortilla chips (multi grain if you can find it)

medium grain rice

pizza crust (near cookie dough; you can make your own if you like, I just never have the time)

cans: crushed tomatoes and tomato soup (I like Campbells)

spaghetti noodles (whole grain if you can)

Belgian Waffle mix

meats: bacon, andoullie sausage and chicken breasts

deli: provolone cheese (.25 lb), peppered turkey breast (.5 lb for two days)

produce: broccoli crown, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes on the vine, green pepper, zucchini

snacks: bananas, grapes, raisins, dried pineapple slices, almonds

Look for pictures and the Calzone recipe tomorrow morning. I dropped the pizza crust and it exploded open, so I'll be making that tonight.

List of Today's Goals

In leu of a creative list, I'm attempting to get my butt in gear and start attacking my to do list. In an effort to blog and productively procrastinate, here is my real list.

• unpack suitcases from NCCAF week
• begin the laundry (all four loads of it)
• grocery shop for the week
• plan meals for the week pre-shopping
• pick up some lunch and take it to Bryan
• work out (one hour of cardio this morning: CHECK)
• deal with the mail
• beat Bryan's score in Rock Band: Garbage's I think I'm Paranoid
• finish one of the three pieces in my digital art project

Why My Mom is Awesome

1. She always answers no matter if she's at work, home or on the road. That is love.
2. She bought a webcam as soon as she heard about Skype, and we talk often over Skype.
3. She hates that I live far away, but she will never ask me to move or discourage Bryan and my careers in order for us to be closer.
4. She bought me the most perfect pink cardigan for Christmas from a store she never shops in but one that I love.
5. She bakes the most incredible chocolate chip cookies.
6. She never once told me or any of my sisters that we were fat. We all three grew up with incredible self confidence in our bodies.
7. She stood firm on issues of morality despite what the "cool" parents were doing. She intervened when she learned I was smoking pot and when I was getting too physical with my high school boyfriend.
8. She always takes off work anytime that I visit home, and she fully devotes her time (and her facebook status) to me.
9. She sends cards on every birthday, holiday, anniversary and they show up on exactly the right day.
10. She doesn't understand much about the arts, but she fully supports my exploration in comedy, writing and filming. She is my biggest fan.
11. She will always love me. No matter what.

Things I Need to Do More Of

1. Sleep. Oh, I love to sleep, but there's never any time.
2. Call my friends. It's always been forever before I call one of them. I should be better about it.
3. Dance. There can always be more dancing.
4. Travelling. If only there were the funds, I would be travelling every week.
5. Exploring. Just setting out and looking around and spontaneously deciding where to go next.

Things I Never Thought I'd Do (But Did!)

1. Live in the North. (I should have believed Dr. Suess: Oh, the places you'll go.)
2. Be a good cook. I surprise myself with each delicious meal and each time someone wants cooking advice from me.
3. Marry young. I thought I'd live the life my girl Becky has, the wonderful crazy life in NYC with girlfriends, but when I met Bryan, I couldn't help myself. Best decision ever.
4. Become addicted to video games. Wii has changed that: Rock Band, Sports Resort, My Sims, Mario. I love that system.
5. Get paid to teach comedy. Best gig ever.
6. Become best friends with my sisters. After growing up and fighting, I never thought my sisters would be the ones I'd call in a crisis. They are the best.
7. Sing in public.
8. Blog again. I thought livejournal would be the end.
9. Cow tipping. Oh, my days in Missouri.
10. Have a long distance relationship. Never again.