Are you inspir-ed yet?

Let's start where it begins: inspiration.

Nothing was ever created without that first spark of ingenuity.  For creation to take place, not only do we have to have the idea of what to create in mind, but we have to have the inspiration and energy to make it happen.

For me, inspiration hides in many things:

• An afternoon in the kitchen
• A bright day in the great outdoors
• Conversation over that second glass of wine
• Others passionate response to a cause
• Personal reflection; re-reading that half-filled journal from 3 years ago
• Positive reinforcement; the pep talk from a best friend
• Broadening horizons; visiting somewhere new; travel
• Breaking routine; pushing through boredom; finding something new in a familiar place

Help me create an even better list.  What inspires you?

All Plann-ed Out.

One of my favorite posts to read on other blogs is about meal planning.  I'm always interested to hear how other people plan out their menus for the week ahead.  (I told you I was a planner).

Lately, the boyfriend and I have been taking a few moments on Friday or Saturday to come up with a rough meal plan for the upcoming week.  It usually starts by laying out the days of the week, picking one night to go out or order in and then filling in the others backwards.  I usually cook to have leftovers for lunches, so we tend to cook something new every night or every other night.

We keep a little whiteboard on the fridge so we both know what our options are.  The meals aren't set in stone--we can be flexible--but it's helpful to know what ingredients we have on hand.

We also do our best to plan based on our schedules.  For instance, on the nights I have a late class at the gym, we plan something quick and easy--pasta, quiche, soup and salad.  Fridays usually mean a crockpot dinner or something I can stick in the oven and then collapse on the couch.

Sometimes it's as simple as 'something from the freezer' (we usually keep at least two different types of meats, plenty of microwaveable veggies, and a homemade soup in there at all times). 

As is usually the case, we have a few staples that appear again and again on the menu, but I try to incorporate one new recipe a week into the mix. It keeps in interesting and helps keep me out of a food rut without becoming overwhelming (or expensive).

I'd say the three lifesavers I have when it comes to meal planning are:

1.  My crockpot - I can throw any mix of veggies in there with a little tomato paste, veggie broth and some spices and voila, we have a hearty vegetable soup.

2.  The grill - I bought the boyfriend a mini gas grill for our tiny balcony this summer and it has cut cook time in half!  I whip up a marinade for steak, shrimp, fish, chicken, veggies, etc. and a quick fire on the grill has dinner on the table in seconds.

3.  The boyfriend - having an extra set of hands in the kitchen really is a lifesaver.  Though I love to cook and find food prep extremely relaxing, having that extra help makes a world of a difference!

What are your meal planning secrets?  I'd love to know!

Start-ed to Fall.

Welcome to the very beginning of my favorite season.  The season of burnt orange, rusty red and chocolately brown.  The season of cable knit sweaters, soft leather boots and light weight jackets.  The season of crisp air, fallen leaves and cozy nights.  The season of juicy apples, velvety pumpkin and spicy cinnamon.  The season of family dinners, crackling fires and football games.  The season of perfect weather for no-frizz hair, balanced skin and walking outside without sweating.

There's something about fall that screams 'new' to me.  Perhaps it's the association fall always has with going back to school, buying new supplies and a new wardrobe.  Perhaps it's the obvious sense of change that permeates the air.  Fall allows us all to start over, forget about the somewhat exhausting long summer days and start fresh in the crisp air. 

In fact, I find I make most of my best resolutions in the fall.  Here is this year's resolution:

This year I will make more of an effort to play to my passions: take a cooking course, read about my favorite idols (currently reading Julia Child's memoir and LOVING it), learn more about wine, write in my journal, speak more french, bake a perfect pie crust, keep up with distant friends. 

It sounds easy enough: do what you love.  But sometimes, this can be the hardest thing to achieve.  First, we have to identify what it is that makes us happy, and then find the time to do it.  It wasn't until this weekend, while spending the afternoon nose-deep in Julia's descriptions of how to make an omlette that I realized what I need to be doing.  And so, I put down the book and made oatmeal raisin cookies, zucchini bread, chicken schnitzel and zucchini fritters.

I fell into bed with a full stomach and heart.  Ah, fall.  You're always so good to me.

What is your fall resolution?

Pockets Empti-ed.

We went out for Hudson Restaurant Week on Friday and this happened...

Two martinis,
Two stuffed bellies,
Two hours spent philosophizing in French,
Two fuzzy heads,
And what felt like two hundred dollars later,
The two of us drove home.

The rest of the weekend was spent baking cookies, watching cute French romantic comedies, lunching with old friends, playing Wii tennis, and cuddling.  My version of bliss.

This week will be a busy one, filled with book club (though I haven't read the book), a dinner with the boyfriend and out-of-country guests, and wedding dress shopping with a special friend.  I'm looking forward to it all!  However, after such a lavish weekend, the wallet is a little light.

This week's challenge is to keep as many pennies in my pocket as possible.  We'll see how it goes. 

What are your best tricks for staying on a budget?

Staycation-ed

This weekend felt like a vacation.  We ventured no further than a few miles from home, but I felt like I couldn't have been farther away from real life.  Here are a few tips I used this weekend that may help to reproduce that staycation feel.

1. Find a really awesome staycation partner who is available all weekend (hint: boyfriends work perfectly for this).
2. Make a pact that you will only plan when it feels natural.  No need to map out every detail of Sunday when it's only Friday afternoon.  Minimal preparation may be required, but the minute planning feels exhausting, give it up.  This especially pertains to the small, minute details.  It doesn't really matter if you shower then have lunch, or have lunch then shower.  You'll figure it out in the moment.
3. Incorporate family (or friends who feel like family) for part of a day.  In our case we brunched and explored with mom and dad.  It was the perfect way to introduce new conversation.
4. Do something active.  Shoot some hoops, play a game of tennis, go for a walk.  Doesn't matter what the activity is, you feel better when you get the blood moving.
5. Pick one day to forgo primping.  Ladies, this means no makeup, no blow drying, just au naturale.  Gentlemen, put down the razor.
6. Buy yourself something small, but special.  I chose a new bag, he picked up a few pairs of work pants after I told him his butt looked even better than usual in khaki.
7. Cook.  It doesn't have to be anything complex, but make sure to prepare at least one meal from scratch. Not only is it healthier for your body, it gives a great feeling of accomplishment and togetherness.
8. Snuggle, cuddle, bury yourself under covers.  
9. Find at least one hour to be awake and a alone.  Do whatever you like with that hour (read, go for a run, play that new game on your iPhone), but do not allow any interruptions.
10. Drink wine at lunch.  No, I'm not promoting alcoholism or other unhealthy habits, but instead I'm endorsing any activity that feels special in it's own right.  

Let me know how it goes next weekend.

pic: weheartit 

Fir-ed Up.

So yesterday's post got me thinking.  How does one go about making a career change, especially in the beginning?  Is it trial by fire?  Throw a bunch of resume darts into the air and see which ones stick?  A tactic I imagine to be beyond frustrating, inefficient, and yet, logical.  Or, do you plot and plan with painstaking caution until you've pinpointed the exact career fit, then track down the VP of the department, and stalk them until they  give you a job in the mailroom and encourage you to work your way up?  Again, frustrating, inefficient, and yet, logical. 

No, none of these seem quite right. 

What I do think the best tactic would be is to use your web of contacts to get a foot in the door.  This is, by no means, a new idea.  Networking is as old as the invention of fire.  'Yo, that dude is cooking his food? I need to meet him and learn his skills.'  (Yes, cave people are thugs in my head.)  I do believe what a lot of today's career specialists leave out of the networking equation is the idea of selective networking.  Sure, I believe you should always be kind to those around you.  Strike up a conversation in the elevator.  Have good manners.  But, when it comes to getting ahead, the people that can get you where you want to go are the people that had the resources to get there themselves.  (Think of the cave man and his fire.) 

So, once you have an idea of where you'd like to go--or at least a vague idea of where you don't want to be--come up with your selective networking strategy.  Who has the resources (and perhaps the professional expertise) to get you in the right conversations, in the right social circles, in the right frame of mind?

I've tapped a few of my resources lately, but I'd love to hear what you all are doing to make your way into your dream job.  If only life were as easy as being the dude with the firewood.  Now, you have to be a five-star chef with a restaurant metropolis, your own cooking show, and a publicist to be 'the dude with skills.'

Did this (cough) light a fire under you to get networking, ahem, selectively?

Chicken-ed Out.

I want to be sitting at this counter with a giant platter of fresh cheese and crackers in front of me, a balloon glass of delicious red wine, and some soothing French music on in the background while I chat with Diane Keaton about her love affair with Jack Nicholson.  (Yes, another Diane Keaton reference.  Ever see Something's Gotta Give?  Classy, turtleneck-loving, writer/mother Diane Keaton flits around this kitchen in the movie.)

Sadly, my New York kitchen is about the size of the double-wide doorway on the left (if that), but one day I'll have a kitchen this grand.  Another tidbit you should know about me is that I absolutely LOVE to cook...and eat.  One of my favorite recipes to make is called 'Cranberry Chicken' because it only involves 4 ingredients, tastes delicious, and is the perfect dish for a dinner party.  You stick it in the oven an hour before you wish to serve dinner, and then you're free to mingle with your guests (aka eat cheese and crackers while gossiping about your love affairs...see above).  No slaving over a hot stove all evening.

Cranberry Chicken:

1 bottle French dressing

1 packet Knorr's French Onion Soup dry mix

1 can whole cranberry sauce

4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the chicken breasts.  Mix first three ingredients together in a shallow glass baking dish.  Add chicken and coat with mixture.  Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes.  Serve with rice and vegetable in season.

Cranberry Chicken is truly delicious, but it seems I make chicken over and over, just in different ways.  I could use a few easy, non-chicken recipes.  Any suggestions?  Leave me a comment with your favorite and I'll make an experiment out of it. 

And Diane Keaton, if you're reading this...I'll have you (and Jack) over for dinner anytime.