irene preparations.

as a northeastern north carolina native, i've seen my fair share of hurricanes--both bad and really bad.  i remember sleeping in my den and listening to the wind howling during hurricane bertha in 1996 (i was 9) which was a strong category 2. then, i remember very clearly hurricane isabel in 2003, only a strong category 1, where our roof came off, so many trees came down, and i missed school for 9 days.  

i figured when i moved up to nyc i wouldn't have to worry about them anymore--WRONG!  however, me being the seasoned hurricane girl that i am, i got pretty excited about the prospect of having a hurricane in the city, just like any other coastal person would.  of course we are a bit tense about the idea of a natural disaster, but those of us that grow up on the coast, especially the north carolina coast, always get hit with that adrenaline and energy that comes with preparing for an impending hurricane.  so, instead of boarding up my apartment, we did what any other coastal person would do the night before a hurricane--we had a hurricane party!

i suppose it was also a birthday celebration for my friend hunter, but i like to look at it as a celebration of irene, with a little hunter on the side :)  we only had until noon today to "celebrate" before the New York City MTA decided to shut down ALL public transportation--a first for this city.  i'm living in history!  so, now that i'm stranded and "prepared" for irene, it's time to relax, watch A LOT of movies, keep an eye out for a bit of wind, and have fun with friends!

happy birthday, hunter!

stay safe out there everyone!!

of all the new york slices...

well, a couple of days ago it was already sunday and today it's only tuesday.  which means...another wine and meal-making night!  tonight was a carmenere from the chilean wine valley (for those of you that know me...DUH) and a homemade pizza.

i'd like to sound really homemade but unfortunately, i just use some good 'ole store-bought ingredients--i'm an old fashioned pizza maker.  my favorites are either jiffy pizza crust mix or the refrigerated pillsbury pizza crust--they both get very doughy and puff up a lot! for the sauce, i go with the classic--ragu!  next, i like to add a few italian spices--go crazy!  now, this is where i may be different than a lot of others--i put all my ingredients on first and then top it all with mozzarella cheese. use any ingredients you like! for tonight's pizza, i used pepperoni, green, red & yellow peppers, and mushrooms.

take a look--maybe i've inspired you to get off seamless web (new yorkers) and make a pizza yourself! let me just say, though, you can never beat a good NY slice!

so colorful!

happy hump day tomorrow, everyone!

on jobs and life.

i know what you're all thinking: it's already sunday?!

unfortunately, it is.  i've been thinking a lot lately about life, happiness, and work and how, unfortunately, the latter directly effects the former two.  what a great combination they are for people who love their job--but unfortunately i haven't joined the ranks of those people--yet.

so, when my job gets me down and it affects my happiness and life in general, i cook.  there's just something about making a whole from all those parts (ingredients).  whether it's breakfast, a simple salad, dinner or a fantastic dessert (my favorite), it makes my stress just melt away.  add a glass of wine, and you've got yourself the makings for a pretty awesome time!

tonight, i made a classic: spaghetti.  there are so many different ways to make spaghetti amazing, but i like to use a "recipe" my mom gave me:


hamburger
hot italian sausage
green, red, & yellow peppers
onions
spaghetti sauce
"some spices" (have fun!)
mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste


and viola!

cooking all the goods.

let it simmer as long as possible!

ohh, it was delicious!

i like to think of myself as a pretty good cook; i enjoy making the classics and also creating better versions of those classics.  this spaghetti was one of those better versions--it was delish!


...and then i burned some break-and-bake toll house cookies...


happy end to the weekend!

happy august!

and happy 6 months, New York!  believe it or not, i've been in this city for 6 whole months.  it's okay--i can't believe it either.  when i think about the things people accomplish in 6 months, and then i think about the fact that i've spent that much time here, my mind boggles!

for our big anniversary, hannah and i decided to eat at a true New York staple--shake shack!  we decided to grab our burgers and shakes and eat them in Roosevelt Park by the Museum of Natural History.  why, you ask? well, not only was it a beautiful night, but it just so happened that Jay-Z & Kanye West were having a little listening party for their new album The Throne.  Sounds glamorous but unfortunately, we didn't get to see them in "real life" :(  However, we did get to see the best stiletto fashion show coming out of the history museum!

On another note, I went to a friend's going away party this past weekend and the view from his 36th floor rooftop was to die for!  We could hardly be social because we were so busy gazing out at the beautiful city below. How could he move?!