Sick & Bored

I came down with the stomach flu in LA on Thursday and made quite the impression on my fellow employees in that office....yikes. I actually ended up not being able to fly out on my scheduled flight on Thursday night, and stayed an extra night in LA to "recover". Once I was able to move, I hopped on a flight back home and have been bed-ridden this whole weekend. I HATE being sick. I can't be productive, it is a waste of a weekend, I can't work out, AND I haven't been able to eat more than chicken broth and crackers for 3 days. I guess the lack of calories makes up for the lack of exercise?

Anywho - I've been browsing through some old photos while sitting on my bum resting and thought I would re-post a couple for memories sake.

Cheers!

The Oscars

Let's face it, I don't watch the Oscars for the speaches, comedy, or musical renditions - I strictly watch it for the fashion. It was really fun to have a young woman as a host, especially when she changed outfits umpteen times!

Here are some on my "Best Dressed List"

Cheers!

Fettuccine With Peas Asparagus and Pancetta

I typcially cook "comfort food" on Sundays, and last night was no exception - I came across this recipe and decided it was a must (I even ventured to the store in my pj's to pick up the ingredients).

Fettuccine With Peas Asparagus and Pancetta adapted from Bon Appetit


Ingredients

•12 ounces fettuccine or penne
•3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
•1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
•2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw)
•1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
•2 garlic cloves, pressed
•1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
•1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
•3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
•1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
•1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Preparation

•Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

•Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

•Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.

Cheers!

Shelving

I have ALWAYS wanted bookshelves, and since my Dad offered to build me some for Christmas, now all I have to do is decide on the room I want them in.....I'm thinking the formal living room? I have SO many books that I am anxiously awaiting to display. Below is some inspiration:

LOVE how these are color sorted



A ladder would be SO cool!

 Cheers!

They Say Happiness is Contagious

Cheers!

This One or That One?

Can't decide, even though they are totally different.

This would be a deep brown.

Or...

I like the 2nd one better, but am worried that it is going to overcrowd the room...it is 80' long...the wall from fireplace to window wall is a little over 100'.

If anyone is out there...thoughts/suggestions/help. Please?

Cheers!

I Heart My Co-Workers

I decided to make my co-workers some Valentine's Day cookies - and so I took another shot at flooding....at Christmas time it didn't go so well. Mostly because by the time I got around to frosting, I had been in the kitchen for the majority of the day.

And so, I took another shot. This time using my Grandma Jo's sugar cookie recipe, and just a standard royal icing recipe.

I was going to attempt re-creating "Conversation Hearts" using frosting to write cute phrases. Well, that was a little over-ambitious - writing with frosting will take much more practice.

Overall, I thought that turned out pretty cute, but more importantly tasted delicious!

Cheers!