Turning Thirty: Old Favorites (The More Obscure, the Better)

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.

 
Have you ever seen the movie The Thing Called Love? Don't feel bad, not many people have.  I completely fell in love with this film when I was in high school.  It starred Samantha Mathis, River Phoenix, Dermot Mulroney, Sandra Bullock and a few others before they were famous.  It was pretty unremarkable, except for the fact that it was River Phoenix's last film before his death, and was routinely playing on the WB network around midnight.  As soon as I saw it, I felt like it was made to be a cult classic. And I couldn't  believe that I liked it; it was all about country music and making it big in Nashville, and as a rule, I didn't even like country music.  I completely charmed by this movie that no one had ever heard of.

Of course, I wasn't surprised that Anthony wasn't familiar with The Thing Called Love.  After we started dated, I made him watch it with me.  Years earlier, I had taped it from basic cable so we fast-forwarded through the commercials and ignored the poor video quality (HD it was not!).  He wasn't a huge fan but sat through the entire thing like a trooper.  I don't think he saw all of the charm that I did, especially as I sang along with the characters for most of the movie.

I had a similar feeling earlier this week when I saw Country Strong.  When it was in theaters in 2010, I read a review with a spoiler and decided not to see it since I knew what happened at the end, but when I saw it listed as a 'free' movie on demand, I gave it a shot.  Remember in The Forty-Year Old Virgin when Paul Rudd's character Dave describes Matt Damon as a real Streisand? I kind of felt the same way about Gwyneth Paltrow AND Leighton Meester.  Note the word felt.  Both Paltrow and Meester were superb (in my opinion, obviously).  The love story seems authentic and the tunes are catchy and even though it's kind of a downer movie, I want to watch it again and again.  And sing along.  If The Thing Called Love was the obscure country movie of my late teens/early twenties, perhaps Country Strong will be the one of my thirties.

Turning Thirty: Daycations

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.


We're not going on vacation this summer (we're gearing up for our awesome wedding and a wonderful honeymoon next April--woot woot!), but that doesn't mean we can't take a day off from work here and there. 

Last Friday, we checked out the Mystic Aquarium, which is a place I haven't been to in over fifteen years, since a middle school field trip.  After a few hours filled with fish and large groups of excited children (there were already camps visiting the aquarium!), we headed over to the casino for a bit (we couldn't find a place that was more opposite than the kid-filled water attaction than a smoke-filled adult arcade).  Confession: I kind of fell in love with a Sex & the City slot machine, even though it didn't really love me back.

It was a good day.

The Perfect Wedding Accessory

Last week, I got something special in the mail:

It's my ila purse, which I ordered from 100 Layer Cake's Pop-Up shop in May.  It's navy blue,has just the right number of ruffles and is absolutely perfect.  I cannot WAIT to use it next April at our wedding.  xo

Father's Day in Style

 

In the past two months, my family has celebrated several birthdays, Mother's Day and my grandparents' 62nd wedding anniversary with a variety of boring, although delicious, cake.  I thought we should shake it up a bit for Father's Day. What you see in the photo above is a make-shift sundae bar that I put together yesterday, which included three different ice cream flavors, hot fudge, chocolate sprinkles, M&Ms, bananas, brownies, peanut butter sauce and whipped cream.  To my surprise, everyone loved it.  We were a room full of grown-ups all chowing down like we were at a party for kids.  My dad said it was the best Father's Day he's ever had and I truly believe him. xo

Turning Thirty: Let the Festivities Begin

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.

Thursday was Anthony's 30th birthday (he's a Flag Day baby!) and we celebrated in a low-key way.  I had tried to arrange a small surprise party at a hibachi restaurant but I wound up spilling the secret and he told me that he would rather have a night at home and perhaps dinner out on Friday night.  Since his request was so modest, I tried my hardest to make those two nights as perfect as possible. 

After we both got home from work on Thursday, I made a few favorite dishes for dinner and then unveiled the cake: a Gameboy-inspired confection with lego-shaped candles.  It came out pretty cute, considering I'm not a pastry chef.  We opened a few presents, watched a little television and talked about how excited we were for Friday night's dinner.

Anthony's birthday dinner was fondue at the Melting Pot.  Neither of us had ever been and we were really looking forward to it.  Our meal consisted of four courses over two hours, served by the perkiest, most adorable waitress.  Every booth is like a little private hideaway within the restaurant so our dinner was super intimate and cozy.  I loved that the cheese (a combo of swiss and gruyere) and chocolate (a s'mores combo with marshmallow and graham crackers mixed in) fondue was made right in front of us using the electric burner right in the middle of the table. 

For the main course, we got a tray full of meat and seafood that actually needed to be cooked in the boiling broth that was brought to our table.  It was surprisingly fun to spear the meat and wait for it to be done.  There were tons of sauces to try and dip into, and everything was delicious (it was the first time that I had lobster tail!). 

And for dessert, Anthony even got to make a wish before we chocolate-dipped the fruit, pound cake, brownie squares and rice krispie treat bits.  (By the way, there is a ton of steam from the fondue pots on the table so it was like Anthony and I were staring at each other through a cloud all night!)

Happy birthday to the best fiance in the entire world.  I know that our next decade together will be just as wonderful as the past ten years together have been. xo

Turning Thirty: Tostadas Kind of Taste Like Healthy Nachos

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.


I've made a creative dinner every night this week; it's really unbelievable that I haven't resorted to my normal meals like giant salads with grilled chicken or steak stir-fry yet.  Tonight's menu: Chicken Fajita Tostadas.

It never occurred to me to bake peppers and onions instead of sauteing them (thank you, Martha Stewart!).  On a cookie sheet, I mixed up peppers, onions, salsa and sweet corn (and later, shredded chicken) and watched as everything quickly toasted and roasted.  Then, I put shredded cheddar on top of corn tortillas and put them in the oven until the cheese was melted and the tortillas brown around the edges. 

The tostadas were delicious, and they seriously tasted like a healthy, and not greasy, version of nachos.  I wonder if it's possible to make mini versions of these, like bite-size open-face tacos.  These are definitely going into the regular dinner rotation.

Turning Thirty: A Dinner Everyone Will Like




I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.

Yes, this is a huge bowl of pasta. 

Tonight, I made a new pasta dish, adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe.  I don't eat sausage but thought I'd give chicken sausage a chance so that I can make a meal that I knew Anthony would love.  Add in a colorful orange pepper, a ton of halved grape tomatoes, some mini ziti and a handful of Parmesan cheese, and we had a delicious, healthy, albeit hefty, dinner.  Between yesterday's buffalo chicken meatballs and tonight's dinner, the odds are against me to make another innovative meal tomorrow night. 

P.S. I just love how fresh these vegetables look.  Welcome, summer!

Turning Thirty: Buffalo Chicken, Meatball Shop-style

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.


I'm never home for daytime television, but last week, I randomly caught ten minutes of the Rachael Ray Show and since then, I've been obsessing over the recipe that the dudes from New York's Meatball Shop were making with her.  I've been dying to go there, and apparently, these buffalo chicken meatballs are one of their best-sellers.  After dreaming about them for three days and then finally making a batch, I can see why.  Anthony and I gobbled them up so fast, and I can't wait until lunchtime tomorrow when I get to eat the leftovers in a sandwich.

And they were easy to make, too.  My least favorite part was heating up the Frank's Red Hot with some butter in a pan before you add it to the other ingredients.  When hot, the mixture has an intense odor and will definitely make your eyes tear.  It actually reminded me of when I clean our coffeemaker with hot vinegar and the stench invades my nose and the apartment for days. 

Sidenote: Anthony seems to think that the reason the meatballs tasted so great was because I used hot sauce that expired in September 2010.  This was not deliberate but it wound up being the secret weapon because it really fortified the flavor. We may be on to something.

Also, it's worth mentioning that I made an out-of-this-world lemon poundcake for my grandparents' 62nd(!) wedding anniversary.  In fact, it was so good that tonight, I made another one to bring to work.  I'm happy to not only use up the rest of the buttermilk (I hate wasting ingredients) but also, to find a lemon pound cake that so closely resembles the slices that are sold at Starbucks (you know which ones I mean, right?  They have thick white icing on top and are delicious).  This recipe from Fine Cooking really exceeded my expectations, considering I came across it by googling "lemon" AND "buttermilk."

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  One of the highlights for me was when I was at a Starbucks this weekend with a couple of friends and did my absolute best to ignore the middle-aged man meowing like a cat from a table in the corner.  Yes, he was meowing like a cat.  I love people.  Happy Monday! xo

Turning Thirty: Casual Friday

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.

Sometimes, it's okay to eat dino nuggets for dinner.

And it's always okay to make a batch of blondies the night before a lunchdate with a few of your favorite people.

If I had to use a hashtag to describe tonight, it'd be #casualfriday.

Turning Thirty: Re-Watching Felicity

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.




There have only been a few television shows over the years that have really struck a chord with me.  No show has more closely reflected my life than Felicity, the Keri Russell-led drama about a girl from California starting college in New York City that ran from 1999 through 2003.  Felicity coincided with my own college years almost perfectly, and I was hooked after the first episode.  I saw so much of myself in this leading fictional character, this young woman who was scared but brave, smart but not always the best decision-maker.  Her hair was curly and frizzy like mine; she had been shy and kind of lonely throughout high school like me.  But most importantly, she was living the life that I wanted for myself in New York City.

I didn't wind up going to New York University like I had dreamed, but I still had a poignant college experience.  Coincidentally, I was pre-med like Felicity but by sophomore year, I had dropped that and really fell in love with fiction and English literature.  I felt myself growing and changing almost daily during those years, but every week without fail, my roommate and I sat down to watch Felicity together.  When the finale aired,  I was sad but hopeful. I had so many expectations for my college years, and so many for my future, and I was excited for what was to come.

I started rewatching Felicity during my lunch hours last fall.  It took me much longer than I thought it would to finish the series but I wound up savoring each episode. This time around, I cried when Felicity graduated from college. I knew the emptiness she felt when she said goodbye to all of her friends and headed back to California. And I finally understood why she wound up with Ben in the end (I was a staunch Noel supporter for years). 

I'm grateful for the extra time with Felicity though.  It reminded me of how far I've come in the past decade, even if it doesn't always feel like that.  And if it was up to me, I still would have picked Noel. xo

Turning Thirty: Wedding Details

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.


For our wedding, Anthony and I are hoping to have lots of small personal details to really make the day feel like ours.  We took a ride (a looong ride) to New Milford to the Elephant's Trunk Flea Market to see if we could find some antique bottles for the centerpieces.  Once there, and surrounded by hundreds of old milk jugs and glass jars, I got a bit overwhelmed.  Did we want tall bottles or squat bottles?  Do they all need to look the same? After a couple of hours of walking around under the warm sun, we got back in the car and headed home empty-handed.   I thought I'd be upset that we didn't find anything but we still have time to figure it all out. It was just nice to spend a Sunday morning together.
 
In keeping with the wedding theme, here's a confession: I'm a sucker for wedding/proposal YouTube videos.  After a suggestion from Anthony, I watched and then fell in love with this sweet, unbelievably well-orchestrated proposal set to Bruno Mars.  Happy Sunday!
 
 

Turning Thirty: Sundaes

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day.  Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.


When I think of Friendly's, I'm instantly reminded of high school.  Let's start from the beginning: Throughout junior high and high school, I was in the school band.  I was one of the dorky kids carrying a flute case around all day, one of the kids who dressed up in a polyester blue and white uniform every Friday night from August to mid-November to perform a field show on the astroturf during halftime at football games.  It was kind of embarrassing but I generally enjoyed it.  I felt like I was part of something important, like if we weren't there to represent the school, the spirit police would find and punish us all.

After every football game, the band would disperse from the basement choir room after changing back into regular clothes and reconvene at the local Friendly's to gossip and gorge on sundaes until the disgruntled employees kicked everyone out.  It was a tradition that began way before any of us had even started kindergarten, and it was a treat that everyone looked forward to all week after making it through long days of boring classes and lots of marching practices.

Except not everyone was invited to Friendly's for ice cream.  Even though the band members were super geeks, there was a social hierarchy within the band and I never made it above the 'invisible' level.  I was the girl who showed up every day and knew every note of every song, but I never had any band friends to sit next to on the bleachers. I was painfully shy with unstylish clothes and frizzy hair, and I didn't fit in with the 'cool' kids in band.  Back at home on Friday nights after the football games, I used to watch television with my parents and wish I was at Friendly's with everyone else.  I would have given anything for just one invitation.

Now that I'm older and wiser (ha!), I know that I wasn't missing anything by not joining everyone for dessert.  I know now what it feels like to have close friends, friends who you would do anything for no matter what.  Real friends who don't care what you are wearing and who would invite you everywhere. People who are so great and special that you can do absolutely nothing together and have the best time ever.

Tonight, Anthony and I grabbed dinner at Friendly's for the first time in years.  We joined the young families with screaming children and sat at a sticky booth and ordered ice cream sundaes after our meal.  It made me realize how happy I am to finally be an adult, and how lucky I am to have someone as wonderful as Anthony to spend my Saturday night with at Friendly's.  (In case you were wondering, I always order a Reese's Pieces sundae with black raspberry ice cream.  The perfect combination of flavors!) xo

Turning Thirty

I'm turning 30 in about five weeks, not that I'm counting.  To be thirty years old seems daunting, not because I feel old but because it makes me realize that I've wasted a lot of time.  I got a job as soon as I could at age fifteen, I worked through high school and college, and I've been at my current job since I graduated.  Other than getting my Master's degree two years ago (I took night classes part-time), I feel as though I've accomplished very little.  I know that this isn't spectacular in any way but all of those years of working in an office have made my days monotonous. I don't like when people say that they feel like one day rolls into the next, but lately, it's hard to distinguish one day from another.  However, I've decided that it's never too late to make a change and it's important not to forget that.

So here's my plan of action: make every day from now until July 6th different and/or special in some way.  Maybe one day I'll try a new restaurant.  Maybe another night I'll start watching Downton Abbey.  There are hundreds of recipes I want to try (Anthony can attest to this since there are piles of pages ripped out from magazines all over the condo), and dozens of museums to visit.  I'm making a conscious effort to do at least one enjoyable thing per day, and honestly, I'm excited about it.  Nights when I come home from work and zone out in front of the television to Big Bang Theory reruns are a thing of the past, at least for the next month.

To start, today I watched Morning Glory, the movie with Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton.  It was cute and enjoyable, but not great.  The second half was way better than the first half, and I loved the cameo by Morley Safer.  Then tonight, Anthony and I went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for dinner.  It was a good night.  And I think it's going to be a great month, too.