A little bit of luck & a lot of talent

 
Congrats to Jonathan Duhamel, this year's WSOP Main Event Champion.  He won a whopping $8,94 million Monday night after beating John Racener.  Of course Racener can't complain with his second place prize of $5.55 million either.  Heck, if it were me, I would mind finishing in 747th place and nearly doubling my buy-in., but I'm no professional.  In fact, right now my main goal is to not finish dead last in the poker nights with my friends. 
You can be sure that I'll be watching the action from the final table when ESPN televises it in the next few minutes -- maybe I can pick up a few pointers for our next poker night.

Oh and if you're following hockey this week, did you catch that the St. Louis Blues are on top of the Power Rankings for the 2nd week in a row?  

That's right, the Blue Note continues to dominate and have won 7 in a row following a big win on Sunday in New York.  Goaltending has definitely been key for the success so far this season and both Halak & Conklin have pulled their weight.  It's great to see the team succeeding.  Let's make it 8 in a row tomorrow night in Columbus boys!!

Bieber Fever hits the 'Lou

St. Louis is all a buzz tonight as this guy has come to town --

My teen cousins Nicole and Emily are there with my aunt, decked out in home-made Bieber Fever t-shirts and screaming their heads off like I did when the Backstreet Boys came to town 13-14 years ago.  Incidentally tonight there is a live Q&A online with New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys which has been dubbed a Once In A Lifetime event.  Somehow I'm ok with missing it.....sorry NKOTB and BSB.

A wish for a very special lady

Happy Birthday Grandma!!  

May your day be an enjoyable one!!

I've committed to making dinner for the family for this special occasion and in honor of my Grandma and the inspiration she has given me with cooking, I'm going to try to recreate her amazing roast beef recipe.  I know it won't be exactly like hers, but a decent duplication would suit me.  But, even if my dinner fails, just getting to spend the time together is well worth it and in my book, that's success.

Just doing my civic duty

No matter what your political views are,

Today is a big day across the country and in order to make sure your voice is heard, you have to make an effort.  There are many important issues and races on the ballot here and I intend voting for what I think is best for the greater good of my community and hopefully the country.

Plus, one of the best things about today --
It's the last day for seeing and hearing all of the mud-slinging ads!  That's definitely a breath of fresh air!!

From my neck of the woods...

to yours...
 

Beautifully Stated

I was going through my work email today and trying to clean out some of the older items I've saved over the years and I came across this poem.  It's author is Timothy Harrington II and it describes some of the experiences and emotions I've faced in the last few days.

Beautifully Stated...
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.  You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.  
You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.  
You'll fight with your best friend.  
You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.  
You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. 
So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. 
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

I feel like I've had to take a step back and re-evaluate decisions I've made and situations I've put myself in.  Through this reflective phase, I've been working to be able to let some things go and start over.  But most of all, through the happenings of this week, I've learned that I'm stronger than I ever thought I could be.  Sure, life is a roller coaster filled with many obstacles, but I control my happiness.

M-I-Z & more

It's been a great sports weekend in this part of the Midwest.

Some of the headlines include --
Missouri Upends BCS-leading Oklahoma
The Tigers Upset No. 3 Sooners 36-27 and even Coach Pinkel agreed, “It’s huge, it’s gigantic, it’s a long time coming. I’m just real proud of our team.”

M - I - Z!!

Actual pic from a friend & Mizzou alumni of the field storm

Blues Celebrate Sweep Success
The Blues swept the last two Stanley Cup champions at Scottrade Center this weekend,
winning 4-2 against the Blackhawks on Friday night and completing the exacta Saturday night with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Penguins.

I've been critical of our goal tending in the past, but this guy (Halak) is definitely earning my respect!

Danica Patrick Ready For Gateway Debut
Unfortunately she finished 22nd in the race, but good news for Brad Keselowski, he finished what he couldn't get done three months ago, winning Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series 5-Hour Energy 250 at Gateway International Raceway.

The positive vibes started on Friday night and the weekend has continued to be an exciting one.  The week ahead already appears to be jam-packed.  That fact alone is enough of a reason for me to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

(By the way, I'm ignoring the loss that my beloved Rams just suffered to the Bucs in the last few seconds of the game.)

Perfect Start to the Weekend

On Wednesday, I got an email that peaked my interest. 
It was for one of our local radio station's annual holiday concert events.  In the past, I've gone to The Point's Ho Ho Show and seen Alien Ant Farm, Puddle of Mudd and even Bush -- all great bands.  This year, the radio station decided to put on 4 shows. 

The first being....

That's right, the boys from Shinedown are coming back to St. Louis!!!

Tickets for the show went on sale today at 5 pm. 
I was aiming to be home in time to order tickets as soon as possible since the venue is a fairly small one, holding only 1,000-2,000 people, and I knew tickets wouldn't last that long.  Well, I got outside, started talking to a few co-workers and ended up not pulling out of the parking lot until 4:59 and that definitely didn't leave enough time to get home so I promptly pulled back in, parked and ran upstairs to log back onto my computer.


I BOUGHT MY TICKETS!!!  I'm so excited!! 
Not only do I get to see my favorite band, but they are performing an acoustic show.  Awesome!!!

After a seriously busy and nearly catastrophic (ok, maybe not in the sense of the entire world, but for my purposes it could have been) week at work, I didn't mind sticking around a few minutes longer. 
Now, let the weekend begin!!!!

Checkin' In

Finally, a day to just say, "Ah, I think I'm gonna take it easy."

It's been go-go-go here for quite some time and today, I decided to just spend the day at home enjoying the peace and quiet and awesome fall weather.
Even though there isn't much on the agenda for Sunday, here are some high points from the weekend --
* 2 date nights with Broccoli after I dealt with a highly stressful week.  Cooking dinner together Friday night was not only a lot of fun as we compared cooking notes from Alton Brown but it also provided some much needed comic relief.
* Working at my side Accounting gig yesterday and finally getting all pending items cleaned up.  DH and I have been trying to accomplish this since I went back to work for him in April.  It's a huge relief for me that his books are up to date and that we'll actually be ready for the end of the year when it rolls around in 10 weeks time.
* Rams winning their 3rd game of the season by beating the San Diego Chargers 20-17 today!!  Woo hoo!!!
This actually might help me in my football picks for the week considering I was the only one to have faith in my guys.  Also, I love Steven Jackson's comment after the blood bath they took last Sunday in Detroit -- 
"Sometimes you need a butt-whippin' to let you know where you really are."
Yes, Steven, I totally know what you mean, happens for me in the corporate world on a regular basis too.
* Jamie McMurray scoring another victory at Charlotte last night.  (Ironically, I missed the race and ultimately his win.)  But, it made me smile to see this when I checked the results earlier today --

Yet, I'm still wondering why the heck the guy who won the two biggest races of the year and has continued to prove himself with decent finishes all season isn't in the Chase???
(NASCAR officials, if you are reading this post and some of my previous comments on the topic, please fix the points system for next season.)
* Finding out that one of my favorite Food Network personalities has a new book coming out in less than a month.  YES!!!  Claire Robinson is releasing 5 Ingredient Fix based on her show and I'm thinking this cookbook presents the perfect opportunity for a personal challenge.  Haven't totally come up with a plan of action yet, but there are a few things milling around in my head.  :)
* Topping off my weekend is the fact that both The Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America have new episodes premiering tonight.  And since I've made this a day of rest (well, besides the two hours at the gym this morning), you will find me on the couch absorbing all I can about great chefs and interesting cooking techniques.

10 cubed

Happy 10/10/10!! 
Besides it being a cool date, it's also a special day here.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!  

Thank you for all of your wisdom and for always looking out for both mine and Ryan's best interests when we had other ideas in mind.  And sorry for the few gray hairs we've left you with, but I know I can speak for both of us and tell you that we are grateful for all of your support and encouragement as we've grown up. 
Enjoy your day!!!

Another Rams Victory

From stlouisrams.com --

Total Team Effort Yields Rams' Second Straight Win

It’s called a winning streak and don’t look now but the St. Louis Rams are officially in the midst of one.
With an emphatic 20-3 win on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome, the Rams claimed a victory for the second week in a row. And they did it in total team fashion much like they did last week against Washington.

The win was even bigger for me as me and my long-time friend from Seattle have been ribbing each other for the past two weeks.  He's been to town for previous showdowns between the Rams and Seahawks and couldn't make it in for this one, but I was sure to provide text updates of the score throughout the game.  His response at half-time, "we're a 2nd half team."  Yeah, don't think so bud.  It was with great pleasure that I sent him the final score Rams 20 - SuckyHawks 3. 

Don't worry, I'm sure he'll get me back with future sporting events.

The Time Has Come!

Season 3 of The Next Iron Chef starts tonight and we're pumped!! 

Broccoli and I can't wait to see what's in store for these 10 contestants and we're excited to find out who joins the likes of Season 1 winner Chef Michael Symon and Season 2 winner Chef Jose Garces along with Iron Chefs Morimoto, Flay and Cat Cora.
I've read the chef bios and seen some of the previews and haven't determined a favorite as of yet.  I'm sure that will come shortly.  Usually within an episode or two I've picked my winner and root for them throughout the competition...we'll just have to see who reigns supreme (in my eyes).

In the words of the Chairman of Iron Chef America,
"So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle, Allez cuisine!'"

Let the battle begin!!

Less than 100%

I still don't feel all that great but thank goodness I have a weekend to recover a bit.  I ended up feeling so yucky the last few days that I came home early from work on both Thursday and Friday, which is something I NEVER do, no matter how awful I feel.  But, I finally decided to give up my fight and just take care of myself before it got any worse.  Plus I can't let this linger either, especially with all of the stuff coming up in the next two weeks.
I think the combination of the weather going from highs in the 80-90s to highs in the 50-60s in a matter of days had something to do with it along with the fact that everyone else has been passing stuff around at work for the last month.
It's times like this that I wish I worked in my own little bubble or at least had the option of working from home when I felt it necessary.

Because my head is not fully with it at the moment, I've decided to just throw out other random facts from this week --
- Dairy Queen emailed me their Blizzard of the Month Flavor -

Looked delicious, so I went to check out the nutrition facts for this yummy treat -- umm, yeah, not ordering one of these ever again!  The mini (which I could eat like 5 of those) has 14 grams of fat (10 grams saturated) and 370 calories.  The calories alone would equal a meal for me and I'm sure I'd still want dinner after this treat.

- Speaking of pumpkin, my dad picked up two cans of pure pumpkin for me to cook and bake with this fall and I'm very excited at the possibility of using it.  Who knows, I might try to make my own healthier Pumpkin Pie Blizzard with some of it!  Pumpkin was hard to come by last year due to a bad harvest, so he made sure as soon as it was shelved at his store he grabbed a few.  Thanks Dad!

- On the Dad front, I called him Thursday night just to check in and see how his week was coming along.  We chatted about our normal weekly events and then started talking about football and how well the Rams played against the Redskins.  My dad tells me that on my lunch hours, I should go visit Rams Park, which is conveniently located across the street from our office.  I asked him why and his response was -- "Sam Bradford is worth about $50 million right now and your cute, you could nab him in a second." 
I just laughed.  Don't want to break it to my dad that I don't think Sam Bradford would go for it nor would Broccoli be to thrilled that I'm trying to nab a quarterback at lunch time.  LOL

- I went to dinner with some of my girlfriends the other night and we reminisced about our dear friend Sherri and our lake trips.  Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of losing her to breast cancer.  It's still hard to believe that she's not here enjoying life.  With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I urge you or for my male readers, urge all of the important women in your life to be aware of the importance of early breast cancer detection.

I believe that's all the randomness for now.  Hope you're having a great weekend!

Dinner of Champions

And the verdict is in....
My Sunday dinner featuring potato soup, while not perfect (we decided it needed chives or chili powder), was absolutely delicious!  I paired it with an Italian panini and was thoroughly pleased with my first attempt at this hearty soup.

Broccoli and I were also able to watch this guy put up his first win as a St. Louis Ram while enjoying our yummy meal!

Congrats Sam Bradford and the rest of the St. Louis Rams!
You pulled off an exciting win against one of the best in Donovan McNabb and the Washington Redskins.  And for me, there is not much that beats a Sunday afternoon at home watching pro football and when your home team puts up a big win, it's that much sweeter.  Overall, the weekend was pretty great.

I headed back into work with a fairly clear mind and felt I had a decent grip on what my week had to offer even with month-end falling on Thursday.  Yesterday was a good day.  It was busy but I was able to get all of Monday tasks accomplished, help out with some AP data entry and leave 5 minutes early because I had to run home and grab my tennis shoes so that I could go to the gym.

Today, I woke up not feeling 100%.  Not totally sick, but my head was pounding and my stomach was in knots for some unknown reason.  I made it through my day even when I convinced myself I was going to take a half day because there still was quite a bit I needed to take care of today and leaving early would just push me that much farther behind for month-end.
I've decided to take it easy tonight and watch the marathon before the BIG FINALE for one of my favorite shows on Food Network --

That's right -- tonight, four Chopped Champions compete for $50,000!!  I can't wait for Ted Allen to say, "Chef Madison, you are the Chopped Champion." 

It's almost as nice as hearing Chef Lindsay.  (Yeah, I'm dreaming a bit.)

Happy Fall Ya'll!

It's gone from 90 degrees on the first full day of fall (Thursday) to a whopping 54 degrees today.  That's St. Louis for ya.  I'm definitely not ready for fall or winter!  The one good thing though is that the cool down has got me in the mood to start cooking soups and stews and other hearty dishes.  I made a pot of chili in mid-August and it just wasn't the same.
So tonight I promised Broccoli one of his favorites for dinner -- potato soup.  I hope I can live up to his expectations because this is one of his signature dishes.  I've never made it before and I can't even say that I've tried it, but you know me, I'm always up for a challenge.  I'm trying to put a healthy spin on it as well so we'll just have to see if my little experiment works. *fingers crossed*

Speaking of dinner, I was on my own last night and usually when that happens, I stick with leftovers or a bowl of cereal.  However, last night, I decided why not try out something I've been meaning to test anyway -- a homemade low-fat tuna cake.  I would have to say it turned out fairly good.  I probably could have added a bit more spice to it (the hot sauce and jalapenos just didn't cut it), but other than that, I wouldn't mind making it again.  I paired it with steamed broccoli and cherry tomatoes.  Overall, a fulfilling dinner and it was extremely colorful on the plate.

The weekend has been an enjoyable one.  It's always easier for me to justify staying in and getting some things done at home when the weather is cool and crisp and I've done my fair share of that the past two days.  Now I'm ready to watch the Rams take on the Redskins and catch the end of the race at Dover.

Stuck in my head

Actually listened to a song from Paramore on the radio yesterday evening while I was driving home from the gym.  Now, I've heard this song numerous times before and I've even caught the video on VH1, but I never really paid attention to the words until I listened closely to them yesterday and now I can't get it out of my head.  It's seems so true and relate-able.  If you haven't heard it before or if you're curious about the band, I encourage you to check it out.
I'm posting the lyrics just because they seem so powerful to me, especially after the last few days I've experienced.

The Only Exception by Paramore

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist

But darling,
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

Well, You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Ohh---

You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

Busy day

I definitely didn't take it easy today, which might cost me when I head back to work tomorrow, but I'll take my chances and hope to goodness that I can at least manage to tread water for another 5 days.

Cooking has definitely been a therapy for me today.

Wanna see what I've been up to?
I wrote and posted a few of my recipes to contests online --

Seafood Creole

Sauteed Chicken with Creamy Garlic Sauce

Peaches and Cream Smoothie

Made a healthy and yummy meal for my Monday lunch date from my sauteed chicken recipe --

Sauteed chicken with creamy garlic sauce, smashed potatoes and green beans

Planned and prepared my lunches for the week -- 

Monday: Parmesan zucchini and a fruit medley

Tuesday: Sauteed chicken and roasted veggies

Wednesday: Veggie pizza and a tomato salad

Thursday: Sauteed chicken and steamed broccoli

Friday: Fruit and yogurt parfait and veggies with southwest dip

This is all in between catching the NASCAR Sprint Cup race (still bothered that McMurray didn't make it into the Chase), watching the Rams fall short and lose to the Raiders and tuning in to numerous cooking shows for further inspiration, surfing the web for further recipe research and dinner ideas and trying to absorb a few chapters out of the book I started reading yesterday.

Hope you had a relaxing weekend!

Raining on Sunday

Around 9 pm last night, it started raining and it stormed through the night.  It's not too often that we get an all night storm with thunder and lightning but when we do, most people in St. Louis freak out about it.  So when I headed for the gym around 6:30 this morning, I figured I'd be the only insane chick in there.  Would you believe there were 20 or so people in there that early?!?  Usually on weekend mornings, you're lucky enough to see maybe 5 of the "regulars" working out that early, myself included.
 I guess I'm not the only one who had enough of the storms and tried to put their early morning to good use...

*By the way, did you catch the title of this post?  It's a classic Keith Urban song.  And no, I'm not planning on hiding under the covers all afternoon.  :)

Dinner: Possible!

While at lunch yesterday, Broccoli mentioned dinner possibilities for our date night tonight.  He was thinking we could stay in, watch movies and make homemade pizzas.  As soon as I heard that, the wheels in my head started spinning, nearly out of control, but I contained myself before it got too crazy!
I have been wanting to try to make flat breads for a while now, but never found the courage to buy and use yeast.  This was the perfect opportunity!  I even went so far to tell him that I would try to make my own pizza sauce.  He was a bit hesitant for me to do all that work, especially since I had told him I was always nervous when trying out completely homemade dishes that I've previously thrown together using store-bought semi-homemade ingredients, but he humored me.

This was a great learning experience for me because usually I try to find quick ways to make a healthy and yummy meal but with this I had to take my time and not take as many shortcuts as I normally do.  I followed the instructions for the packet of Fleischmann's yeast and was extremely patient with my dough.  I threw together my tomato paste, stewed tomatoes and numerous herbs and spices for my sauce and let it simmer for a good length of time.  I also shredded my own mozzarella cheese, cut up numerous veggies and cooked up pork sausage, which incidentally I was able to turn into Italian pork sausage with little effort.

And the result -- SUCCESS!  We had the best pizzas either of us could have asked for!  The crust was perfect, the sauce was hearty and our toppings completed the masterpieces.
Broccoli made a traditional pepperoni and sausage pizza with provolone and mozzarella cheese and I went for the healthy veggie alternative with peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini and crushed red pepper.

Because apparently I was thinking more about eating and less about my camera, I didn't get pictures before we cut into them, I do however have pics of the leftovers --

The "Broccoli"

The "Lindsay"

Delish!!!

Like my Dad told me a few weeks ago when I made homemade blueberry muffins, you never realize what you're missing using store-bought ready made ingredients until you go back to homemade items and then there is no comparison.   Now I'm wondering how many other dishes have I cooked over time that I can go back and make my own.  It will have to be an ongoing weekend project, but I just may take on this mission.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Sam's the Man: Spagnuolo Names Bradford Rams' Starter

“We’re confident, the staff’s confident, the team’s confident,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s well-deserved. He deserves this opportunity.”

I'm confident too -- so confident that I picked the Rams to beat Arizona in today's game!  Don't let me down Sam!!  You better bet I will be watching today's game. 
Perhaps its the start of a new Greatest Show on Turf era.  We'll just have to wait and see...

I'm definitely pumped and ready for football season!!