The Office

We have had a very important and busy day at the office today, discussing none other than last nights episode of The Office. I am happy to see Jim and Pam together, but I think that they gave it away too easily. A co-worker was disturbed by Andy's chaffed nipples and everyone enjoyed Michael's carb loading.

Sette

Last night, Nick and I went to The Edgar Allan Poe Museum for unhappy hour. It was the museum's attempt at attracting locals to the museum. They had a wine tasting and a band, as well as drinks for sale. The museum was interesting and I thought that visiting it at night with a glass of wine in hand added to the ambiance. Upstairs in one of the buildings is a hot, little, red room where you can watch a video of The Raven. Nick and I enjoyed that, but sadly had finished our wine by then and were getting very hungry. We jumped in Nick's car and drove a few blocks over to 23rd street to Sette for some fancy pizza. Someone in my office had been there for lunch and enjoyed it. The restaurant was cute, with brick walls and industrial inspired art work. We both started with a half size salad. I got the spinach salad with red peppers, mushrooms, sliced grilled chicken, Gorgonzola, candied pecans and honey-dijon dressing. The salad was huge, but the chicken was cold cuts and the dressing reminded me of the sandwiches my mom used to put in my lunch box. Nick ordered the Caesar salad and didn't realize that it was a grilled Caesar salad. Yes, they grilled the lettuce. He enjoyed it, but I thought it was gross. We split a Sicilian pizza for dinner, topped with Italian sausage, cappiciola, and salami and it was delicious. The toppings were generous and the crust was delicious, slightly sweet and crispy. We will have to check out the patio next time, it was really filling up by the time we left.

Patina Grill

Nick and I met Adam and Rusha out for dinner on Tuesday night at Patina Grill. We went there some time last year with Adam and we weren't sure that we wanted to back since we weren't impressed the first time. Our waiter was very odd and while our appetizer, a beef empanada was delicious, our entrees were both very bland. This visit changed our minds. We started with another emapanada, this time stuffed with chicken, basil and manchego cheese. It was served with a Russian dressing on the side and Sriracha sauce as a garnish and it was delicious. The outside was fried crispy and the inside was soft and full of melted cheese. I couldn't taste any basil, but that could have been all the Sriracha sauce I was smothering my empanada in. For dinner I had the grilled chicken with red beans, arepas, glazed plantain, and roasted jalapeno la crema on the side. It was a very good meal and I convinced myself it was somewhat healthy. The arepa wasn't the kind that I was used to, but I don't know which one is correct. Nick ordered the pepper seared duck breast, shrimp, and crab gumbo over stone ground cheddar grits and he loved it. He said that the duck was juicy and tender and manged to finish all of the meat on his plate. For dessert, Rusha ordered the chocolate-chambord pots de creme with cherry biscotti, which came out with a small cup of coffee to dip the biscotti into and creme fraiche on the chocolate. We told her we wouldn't eat any of it, but couldn't resist after we saw it and could resist even less once we tasted it. It was all I could do not to eat the whole thing. It went well with my chocolate martini. You can't have too much of a good thing. The atmoshpere was nice and quiet. We had a dark booth, that despite the straight back was rather comfortable thanks to some cushions to sit on. Service was good and attentive, although, there was a communication breakdown between Nick and the server. He kept ordering the beer he had gotten at the bar when we arrived and she insisted on calling it by a different name. He still got exactly what he ordered and he did have the name right. The food was as slow as is to be expected at these prices. Dinner and dessert took about 2 and a half hours, but that gave us time to talk and enjoy our company. This visit to Patina Grill has changed our minds about what to expect and we will now consider another visit.

It is Such a Small World!

I went to a GRE strategy seminar last night, even though by this point I should have probably taken the GRE or at least, have some sort of strategy in mind. Anyway, The instructor had us introduce ourselves and say why we were taking the GRE and where we went to college. When I said I had gone to The University of South Carolina, he said he had too and how neat that was cause he doesn't meet many Gamecocks in Richmond. He looked really familiar, but I couldn't place which class we had together. Finally, it hit me. We worked at Harper's together, at least 7 years ago.

Wilmington

I'm meeting my friends in Wilmington in November for a girls weekend. If anyone has been or has ideas of what we should do, let me know.

Did I mention I love Richmond?

Nick and I had a great weekend. We spent Saturday shopping for winter clothes. We are going tent camping at Shenandoah National Park at the end of October and it will be cold, so we bought warm gloves and hats and coats and thermal underclothes and wool socks. It was very hard to get in the winter frame of mind with it being 90 degrees outside. Then Nick made some steaks for dinner. Yummy! It's been a long time since he enjoyed a steak and I enjoyed A1. It's a small addiction of mine, I eat food to eat the sauce that goes with it. I really don't care about how a steak tastes. Then we met our friend out at Metro Grill for drinks and she introduced us to all of her friends, which was nice. It was an eventful evening that eventually ended at someone's house with a skate ramp in the backyard. That was interesting. Sunday was a slow day, we laid on the couch for the first half of the day, watched The Food Network and looked up stuff on the internet. This was one of our finds, although we haven't had the nerve to order any yet, then they would be in our freezer, calling our names, everyday, until they were gone. So we had a fun weekend, but if you ask either of us, Sunday was the best day we've had in a while.

What a week!

I am so glad it is only hours from being over. I am still overwhelmed and stressed and to top it all off I have been extra busy at work. It is nice to be busy at work, I am not complaining about that. What I am really worried about is grad school. I keep thinking I should put it off for another semester, but the sooner I start, the sooner I finish.

I Need a Break

I am having an awful week. I feel completely overwhelmed by life in general. It's way too much trouble to have to refill the dixie cup holder in the medecine cabinet or clean the kitty litter boxes. Then again, that's always way too much trouble. I would really love to get rid of my cats. This week, the burden of thinking about how much their cat food costs is really getting to me. The burden of thinking about how much everything costs is really getting to me. I've thought about getting a second job, but then I worry that I will never find the time to apply to grad school. And then I worry about applying to grad school. And that's pretty much what its been like inside of my head this week. AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I could use a break, from life.

NOOOO!!!!

It's only Wednesday. I'm never going to make it.

Tex-Mex Salisbury Steak

So, it appears that Nick and I don't always eat very healthy. I assure you that we eat very well during the day. Sometimes, we just need a delicious, filling dinner. And I don't tell you when we eat salad or chicken. Anyway, I found this recipe, for Tex-Mex Salisbury Steak while we were living in Texas and thought that it was fitting. I didn't have a job at the time or know anyone in Texas, so I spent most of time unpacking and planning and cooking meals for Nick. Anyway, Nick loved it. I have only made it two times since then, to his dismay. We made it tonight and Nick still loves it. And it's quick and easy.

What's Going On?

Just A few things that are going on my life:

• Nick and I had a delicious and easy dinner last night. I marinated a flank steak for 24 hours in Stubb's Beef Marinade. Then Nick broiled it for about 8 minutes on each side. When it was finished he sliced it against the grain, we threw it on some tortillas with sauteed peppers and onions and a little Seriously Sharp White Cheddar Cheese. I made a little Mexican Rice to go on the side. It made a very satisfying meal.
• My sister has gone back to college and is living in her first, ever apartment. My mom says she is quite the homemaker. I am very proud of her, even if she doesn't seem to know her own address.
• This weekend Nick and drove around Richmond to check out the locations of houses we had seen for sale online. We didn't see anything that blew us away. Bottom line, I don't think we can afford a house in the location we want, with the space we need, and the charm and character I want. Most of which the townhouse we are renting right now gives us. So we are back to debating whether or not we should buy a house again or continue renting until I finish grad school. It would be nice to not have to worry about yard work on the weekends when I have to study.
• I have been organizing my desk and files today. This should make working a lot easier. I am very pleased with my work.

Meatza Pizza

Tonight for dinner I made one of Nick's favorite old time dinners. Its quick and easy and can be made in one dish. I am copying this recipe directly out of my mother's-in-law cookbook, so I should give her credit.

• 1 pound ground beef, very lean
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 3/4 cup grated cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese

Mix beef, garlic salt, and bread crumbs, then spread in a 9x9 pan. Add evaporated milk and mix with a fork. Spread mixture over bottom of pan raising a rim 1/2-inch high around the edge. Spread ketchup over meat to the rim. Arrange mushrooms on ketchup. Place cheese over top and sprinkle with oregano. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for twenty-five minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Labor Day Weekend

Nick and I got to get out and enjoy the long weekend by spending a night camping at Shenandoah National Park in the Lewis Mountain Campground. We were lucky enough to get the last available sight in the park. Lewis Mountain is one of the smallest campgrounds in the park. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and parking spot. The campground has a restroom, pay showers, and a small store where wood, ice, and other supplies can be purchased. The weather this weekend was perfect. It was only about 70 degrees during the day, but got cold at night, about 50 degrees. Nick and I had a delicious dinner of Beer Brats and a salad. Breakfast was even better. We had hashbrowns, sausage and scrambled egg beaters. We only did one very short hike, about a mile, and it didn't have much of a view, but it's still nice to walk through the woods.


As is usual for Shenandoah we saw lots of deer.


Here is a picture of our campsite. The screen tent behind Nick's car is necessary if you want to spend time outside of your tent while the bugs are out, but we are hoping to find one that's easier to put up before we go camping again.


This is a picture of my tent with another completely necessary camping item, an air mattress. We couldn't make it without it. Sleeping on the ground didn't hurt so bad back in the days of Girl Scout Camp, but the first time Nick and I went camping together, we realized that it really hurts now.



This is Daisy trying to pretend that she knows how to act like a dog, just as long as she doesn't have to lay on the ground.



And last but not least, the beautiful view from Skyline Drive.