peanut noodles with chicken

i haven't been much of a cook this summer. some burgers here or there, but its mostly been about quick, easy and light meals that i can throw together in a few minutes and get back to my to-do list. lots of turkey sandwiches, salads and chicken on the grill. not that i'm complaining. it made my grocery list quite simple.

but today's chill in the air gave me the itch to whip up something a little more hearty. i've been eating a lot of peanut butter lately so it wasn't shocking that the first thing that came to mind was trying my hands at a peanut noodle sauce on ummmm something. chicken? pasta? how about both?

being that i never attempted anything like this before i hopped around online (remembering rebecca's post and always looking to cooking light) and realized that i was missing several of the standard ingredients people seemed to use in this recipe. sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, hot sauce etc, etc. so i surveyed what i did have and decided to give it a whirl.

for the sauce i combined:
1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter (jif, always jif)
3 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce
a few shakes of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp of sugar (i'm sure brown would have been better but i didn't have it)
2 cloves minced garlic

in a pot i boiled a whole package of wheat linguine. a few minutes before it was finished i added a cup of shoestring carrots and half of a diced onion - then drained the noodles when they were el dente. i put the noodle mixture in a larger pan and added the peanut sauce with about a 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. threw in some grilled chicken (2 breasts), cucumber sticks (1/2 a cuc pealed) and mixed till it had an even consistency.

it was hearty, filling and surprisingly tasty! success.
(good thing - i hate to let down guests - also, i promise it tastes better than it looks in that photo.)

i can't wait for leftovers. i have a feeling its going to be even better cold.
nom nom nom. happy noodle-eating.

GPOYW + Lulu

including her, yeahhhh shocking...i know.

she's darling. get over it - or i'll totally sick all 5 pounds of her on you.
don't let that cute little face trick you. she will chew your keyboard's USB cord right in half, gnaw a hole in your couch and wake you daily at 6am with incessant whimpers.

good thing grandma is coming this weekend to regulate.
mount up (pup).

the great whiskey debate

when it comes to the category of food & drink, there are few things i turn my nose up at. sauerkraut, cooked carrots, bologna, jager and whiskey. yes whiskey. i know, i know. "omg angie i thought you were totally cooler than that. its such a delicious brown liquor." yeah yeah i've heard it all before. but frankly, it tastes like an ex-boyfriend, stinks like an alcoholic grandpa and simply sends shivers down my spine.

but its in defense, i suppose i've never given it a fair chance. so last night i decided to see if i could learn to like whiskey.

the 'great whiskey debate' was brought to us by the ed hardy version of a bar - faith and whiskey (if you click that watch out for the blaring kings of leon). they poured us three samples and were giving away complimentary drinks mixed with the participating brands. if i'm gonna start, may as well start with free "good" stuff, right?

after samples poured in front of us, its my turn to go to the bar and pick my drink before the presentation starts. ummmm but what do you mix with something you ughhh strongly dislike? not diet coke, cause that ruins my hangover remedy for enternity - learned that one in the early days of college. not juice or sour mix cause that will no doubt upset my stomach. ummm not water or my usual soda cause well, i dont like the taste. sooooo i go with ginger ale?

it was strong and far too smoky, but by the middle of it, i had stopped cringing! HUGE improvement in my world. but right when i was ready for number two, bar stopped dishing out the free samples and i couldnt justify spending $8 for a drink i was forcing on myself.

then it was tasting time. there were reps from each brand giving lively speeches on why their brown liquor was the best. we would cheers and then sample. yikes. enter shivers, coughs and campfires. i'm certainly not even close to point where i can appreciate this sort of thing.

looks like i'm gonna need some more practice. good thing i have a good boatload of friends who will be more than willing to help me reach this milestone.

funny cause its true

found this beauty while browsing renegade
well, its true and its orange.
go browns!

renegade: better late than never

number of buses taken: 4
randoms who took Lu's photo: 7
hours there: 5.5
items purchased: 4
number of familiar faces: 15
number of times i gave Lu's stats: countless
number of times i used self control: 3

LOVED the atmosphere, weather and all over friendliness - but i feel like nothing really won my heart of awed me like previous years. maybe i'm just oversaturated. i see most things via blogs, twitter or etsy. remember when ya didn't know what etsy was? that was almost more fun. hair clips and framed silk screened prints seemed hip, trendy and different. now crafty-hippiness is so mainstream its harder for people to distinguish themselves. jaded? perhaps.

at least everyone loves my dog. but really, with that face...how could you not?

of course, let's not be silly. i didn't walk away empty-handed. here are my fun finds:

• necklace love- *like* the one above, not THE one above...
• a fun little sterling ring
• earrings i've been swooning over for two+ years in mustard! (that i've been wearing just about every day. glad i went with those over the kelly green ones i *thought* i wanted).
• and a fun patchwork-y/vintage apron for all that cooking i *used* to do. i'm sure i'll get back to it before long... (not pictured)


i know i'm late to the blogging game, but did you find anything good? or have you found any sweet new etsy shops for me to check out? my walls are still blank...

beat, guilt-ridden & well, lazy

sometimes a night in front of the tv sipping wine and cuddling with your puppy feels much more mandatory than sweat time on the treadmill. not sure what is about this week, but i am completely pooped. maybe i'm just not used to sitting at a desk working? or maybe its the adjustment of my dog trying to make me a morning person? or maybe its the massive burger and fries i ate for lunch? or perhaps its because my lazy butt hasn't been to the gym in a few days and after finally getting in a routine again, its affecting me negatively? eh.

tomorrow is a new day. i will catch up on that sleep, get a good sweat session in and get back to those to-do lists i've been neglecting. oh and spend some quality time with miss lulu.

its time to recharge for the weekend. there's sunshine in chicago's future! not too many things on the agenda - some dinner plans, a tennis date, gym time and general relaxation.

what are you up to this weekend?

zoooooomba!

its not often you walk out of a workout class grinning from ear to ear. sure, you can leave spinning proud you made it through the interval training and feel pretty good about yourself. but its not typical you spend a class getting a great workout AND get to laugh your way through that hour.

zumba is definitely the exception. while i realize i may be late to the fun workout dance party - i'm glad i finally arrived.

have you heard of it? its a fusion of aerobic training and latin dance steps that incorporates 'combinations of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body.'

my first class was taught by a 65+ silver-haired incredibly fit woman with more energy than i'm used to seeing before noon, especially on a tuesday. "okay ladies. we're doing all latin songs and one kayne!" she proceeded to know every word and before i knew it, she was getting low-low-low-lower than any of us. and her thrusting and shoulder shakes put us all to shame. talk about inspiration. can't wait to go back!

do YOU zumba?!

A Recipe For A Charming Evening:

- 1 hour with the trusty treadmill
- 1 overflowing serving of neighborhood gelato with a long time friend
- 1 puppy - part hyper-active, part precious
- 3/4 box of mac&cheese (yes, the blue box variety - sometimes its just perfect)
- 5 hours of US Open footage
- 3 means of public transportation
- 1 very large diet coke
- 1 endearing movie that makes you laugh, smile, tear up a bit leaving you all warm inside
--

its the beginning of a long weekend and i couldn't think of a more delicious way to kick things off. granted weekends/weekdays...does it really matter lately? the short answer - no.

yet, it seems mother nature is going to be nice to us (finally!) and i plan on soaking up every ounce of it. while i don't have any real plans for these next three days, i can promise you there will be indulgence...

bon appetit!

my life

while i haven't indulged you in the details, i'm sure its no secret there has been an addition to my family. she's a mini doxie named is lulu and just so happens to be the most precious little thing i could have ever asked for. sure, she gets me up at 6am, she raptor-style attacks me with her little razor puppy teeth and pees and poos on my carpet - but look at that little face! not to mention she sleeps 80% of her day - and when she's all sleepy and cuddly its really the most endearing thing. she needs me and i love my little one.

eventually i'll stop constantly talking about only her, but for now...you'll just have to excuse me. i'm a new mommy after all!