solo salad sunday

  

some weekends require big ass salads with an egg on top. they are just too boozey and fried and it needs to be remedied asap by something that is the polar opposite of all that, but not too crazy healthy because it's still the weekend.  this salad consists of couscous, asparagus, greens, and feta tossed in a giant wooden bowl with homemade caesar dressing and an over easy egg on top. good gravy - it hits the spot.

nutella cinnamon rolls

 

i don't know what your lifestyle is like, but i feel like a lot of homies complain about baking or act like it's some kind of wizardry out of their humble reach. this homie disagrees. baking is terrific, because it's just following directions! measure this! mix this! wait for this! does it look like this? now bake this! you did it! i made this nutella cinnamon roll recipe a few weekends ago and gadzooks it was simple yet so delicious. also: if you ever want people to like you stuff on instagram i recommend putting nutella on it. smear some nutella on that sunset! put nutella on your selfie! nutella wins instagram. dogs also win instagram. babies total trump all of those and are instagram gold. imma rent a baby and make it sit on a puppy holding a jar of nutella. walden filter. you're going to love it. they'll throw a parade for me.

mad for mad men

 

are you nerds watching mad men? because if you're not riding that train, you better hop on. three solid reasons: 

1. i'm watching it and it will strengthen our bond if we're consuming the same programming & discussing it regularly. 

2. stunning costumes. 

3. gripping, character-driven stories. 

it took me a couple tries to get into the show, i'll admit. but day-um. worth it. i blew through the first five seasons in two and a half weeks. these people are nuts! my jaw was dropping so frequently i started to just let it hang open! the first four seasons are on netflix so you're in luck - the fifth season is on demand or you can watch it online or you might be so hooked at that point, you'll just commit to the dvds. (though i'm not sure if they're out yet. i have no time to fact check this post! my passion for mad men is taking over!) and we're currently only 3 episodes in to this season, so you haven't missed much! 

i watched the two hour season premiere with some homies and this was the spread - pb&j ritz crackers, unpictured mac'n'cheese, full size pigs in a blanket with an american single squashed in there, and of course, some whiskey sours with homemade sours mix and tiny umbrellas to wash it all down. because this show seriously makes you want to drink. all the time. if you watch this show, i promise i will buy you a glass of bourbon at our next meeting. 

foods i'll always love

1. avocado
2. caramel
3. sweet potato fries
4. crab & cheese on an english muffin
5. august tomatoes from my parent's backyard

don't let me near an elevator

once upon a time, in a large corporate building, i was starving. like, i could feel my stomach acids eating away at the lining of my stomach kind of starving. so i went up to the cafeteria on the 43rd floor, piled my plate high at the salad bar in a way that only a person blinded by hunger can (my vision starts to blur and i think 'MUST. EAT. EVERYTHING. SURVIVAL.') and i pay and i start shoveling the food into my mouth as i get on the elevator with a bunch of women. i'm working on the problem but it's still not enough - maybe it hasn't reached my stomach yet, it's still being processed through my other tubes or whatever - i'm not a body expert. so my stomach is still pretty ornery. as we stop at the 38th floor and the doors open, my stomach emits a sound that i have never heard before. it's incredibly loud and almost metallic, like something the tin man might be capable of. the women in the elevator stop and look at one another.
"what was that?"
"maybe we should get out of this elevator.'"
"it doesn't sound safe - that sounded like something breaking."
"who has the number for maintenance?"
panic was breaking out in the elevator and the three corporate ladies were all prepared to be heroes, risking their lives to save the broken elevator shaft but i had to step forward.
"that was just my stomach."
this news was met with a small, relieved laugh, then looks of apprehension like 'who-let-this-hungry-robot-in-our-shiny-building-and-maybe-it's-not-her-stomach-but-another-robot-alien-under-her-shirt-transmitting-information-back-to-the-mothership', then slight pouting that they weren't going to be heroes. i kept quiet in my corner of the elevator and continued to shovel food into my mouth.  

first meal of the new year

sunny side up egg with an extra runny yolk (classic dippy eggs), topped with crispy, greasy bacon & an american single served alongside mushy sweet potatoes with onions (fried in bacon fat) & a glass of oj. boo ya.

moms weekend

 

mom's weekend is the best kind of weekend. it's when my moms, both biological (shout out to helley!) and not-so-biological-but-still-awesome-ladies, come to philadelphia and play with me. we had quite an itinerary but we managed to squeeze it all in. frankford hall for german beer and jenga and burgers, magpie for a slice of butterscotch bourbon, south street for a festival, federal donut to sample all the flavors, hot diggity for exotic dogs, my b-movie improv show, farmers cabinet for a speakeasy cocktail and swing band, hitting up the bar with my roommates, splitting late night cheesesteaks, and in the morning, grabbing sunday brunch at hawthornes. combine all this + excessive food and drink + way to much walking and you have a recipe for a good night's sleep.

i loved showing these ladies around town though. it always helps to see philly through the eyes of a stranger. things i normally take for granted or think are meh suddenly become wonderful and original and fun and the feeling lingers even after my loved ones have left the city. thanks for a terrific weekend ladies.

magpie

 

the best part of biking to work (aside from saving time and money and losing calories, which then allows me to eat more pie) is discovering new places in philadelphia. I have plenty of time to notice new bars and eateries and i try to make mental notes of the ones that look interesting. then, when mikeyaz comes to town, we get to try them out. it's a pretty sweet system.

one such place, was magpie. they're located on the west side of south street around 17th or so and they serve up savory and sweet pies made from seasonal ingredients. the pies are a little pricey at $5 a slice, $7 if you want it a la mode, but DEAR LAWD. they are amazing. yaz got the chocolate espresso pecan pie and i got a butterscotch bourbon slice. both were incredibly swoony. on top of that, the decor was adorable - clean and bright with light blue walls. the woman who owns it apparently decorating it as well and is the mastermind behind all the pie recipes. i aspire to be that multi-talented some day. maybe when i'm 23.

if you're in town you should definitely hit it up! check out the details here: www.iluvmagpie.com.

best friends

 

i ate some stromboli a few weeks ago. and goddamn. it was good.

stromboli is a food i would never really seek out on my own. i'm never going request it as a birthday meal or order it if there are other options present. but damn. the stromboli featured above? that was some life-changing stuff. weirdly buttery and gooey and soft and not like a pizza that's been sushi rolled. which is typically what i imagine when asked to conjure a mental picture of stromboli in my mind. i should also note, no one has ever asked me to conjure a mental picture of stromboli.

in conclusion, i ate five pieces of stromboli on that fateful night. 

brunch warriors

mikeyaz and i classify ourselves as brunch warriors. we have this brunch thing down to a science. we win at doing brunch on the reg. here's how we work things:

1. scope out our options ahead of time. first, we decide if we want to revisit an old favorite or try somewhere new. 80% of the time we go with a new place. we yelp that sucker, scope it out, read reviews (and try to get a sense of what the reviewer is like/where their bias lies), look at pictures. then we go.
2. we scope the specials first - they're the friggin specials! they might not be there next time! if there's no specials, we look for entrees with the place's name in them. that probably means it's a house specialty.
3. we consult each other on what we're getting. this comes into play later.
4. we do a solid handshake after placing our order.
5. once the food arrives, we eat half of our own meal, then switch plates. typically it's a literal 50/50 swap, but sometimes we'll negotiate portions depending on how much we like what we're eating/what the other person has. but since most of the time we've consulted each other before ordering, it goes 50/50.
6. afterwards, we reminisce. we pick a favorite of the two dishes. we rate it out of five stars. we rank it among current favorites. then we watch fraggle rock or some joss whedon show or a cartoon and i fall asleep 95% of the time.

follow this steps and win.

pie in the sky

 

do you ever notice threads that appear in your life? like all of a sudden, some theme seems to be emerging in the events in your life? recently, there's been a lot of pie in my mine.

first, fake pies for work. this was an undertaking. many lessons were learned. most notably, i'm not very good at using clay, plastic grapes don't take to hot glue, and ultimately, the best fake pie is just a real pie covered in a butt-ton of shellac.

then, news of a possible stage adaptation of one of my all-time favorite shows, pushing daisies. 

and THEN, discovering a pie shop in south philly called magpie that has beautiful decor and INSANELY GOOD pie. butterscotch bourbon? chocolate espresso pecan? uh, yes please.

i can think of way worse patterns to emerge in ones life. i'm down with all signs pointing to pie.

city life

 

i'm pretty future minded. i'm always thinking about what i want to do, where i want to live. i make a lot of lists. i plan trips and parties.

and every now and then i stop and look at my life, and i think to myself - i don't totally remember what i planned on doing at this point, but i'm pretty sure this isn't it. did i plan on living in philadelphia and working a 9-5 job? did i plan on dating a boy who lives two hours away? did i think i would look and dress this way? did i think i would think this way? did i imagine myself doing improv two to four nights a week? where did i see myself?

i don't even remember.

and i'm sure that two years from now, i won't even remember the plans i made for future me in the present. which begs the question, what's the point in planning anything? things aren't going to go as planned and that's not even a bad thing. it's just a thing. 

when i was in kindergarten, i imagined that sixteen year old caitlin would only wear stick-out-belly shirts and date a guy with a ponytail and a red convertible. when i was fourteen, i thought i would live in new york and be on broadway, despite my lack of vocal ability. i've wanted to be a journalist, the president, a teacher, and a doctor. and i'm not those things. and i don't want those things anymore. isn't it strange that we can change so much and still be the same person?

the point of the matter is, if you asked me five years ago where i thought i would be post-graduation, i would have never in a thousand years told you that i would be cramming a weeks worth of groceries into a bike basket and teetering home in the rain. never planned on that one.

the journey to the underdog fist: it continues

 

underdogs nine and ten. the party train keeps on rolling. we finished off our company menu and it's back to being just fornwald and i. two lonely soldiers on the road to hot dog fame. some weeks, thursday rolls around and i find myself in the mood for something light and refreshing. maybe a salad with a citrus dressing. some arugula. whatever. but alas, i have a responsibility to the people. and by people, i mean myself. GOALS. gotta have them.

sometimes

 

 you open up your crisper and find a stack of cds. get out of there cds. you don't belong there. you belong in cars. or 2007.

last days of summer

 

the last days of summer look a lot like this. fresh veggies. specifically from my aunt's garden. riding bikes. specifically with my giant baby brother on my old roommate's tiny bike. drinking wine in the park. specifically spodee, an 18% red wine mixed with moonshine that leaves a tootsie roll after taste and comes in an old milk bottle. 

i'm ready to usher the first days of summer in though. pumpkin flavored things. specifically pumpkin and spinach mac'n'cheese. riding bikes. specifically in pants, while not sweating profusely. drinking wine in the park. specifically in boots and jackets and under wool blankets. maybe we'll even upgrade to mulled cider. 

oh seasons. you never cease to amaze me. i need all four of you in my life, forever.

caillou and wings

 

i work for this man. sometimes. in a way. i spend a good deal of time with him in the least. he's kind of a whiney baby most of the time and his lack of hair is troubling but his animated dad is kind of cute. is that strange? 

i recently remembered that i didn't eat pizza as a kid. i was just not a fan. i rejected the personal pizza's given as prizes for book-it in favor of the oily salad bar. i was not jazzed up about pizza fridays. and at birthday parties, i had my own special meal. i was not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination - it was only in dealing with pizza. and i almost treated it like a food allergy - i could have technically eaten the pizza but everyone made special arrangements for me to have something else. 

 'something else' was frequently chicken wings. at my best friend's birthday party in fifth grade (a pool party at the holiday inn) i got a massive plate of wings all to myself, complete with bleu cheese. i was eleven and in sweet-ass tankini, chilling by an indoor pool, taking in the intoxicating scent of chlorine and scarfing down an entire plate of wings. i was beyond caring about the sauce on my face, so i probably looked crazy, but i was in the zone. that was total bliss.

i can't believe i almost forgot about such a perfect moment.

birthday thyme

 

three things that make my aunt karen's birthday special:

1. it's my aunt karen. the wonderful aunt with the beautiful cats who always bought us books for christmas and took us to volunteer at the cat shelter. she had the cats soundtrack and a huge, high bed with brass detailing. she took me to london when i was 15 and we had a jolly good time. she's been all over the world and has exposed brick in her house - i think we all aspire to a life like that.
2. it's also my half birthday. i like this connection.
3. IT'S THE BEST DINNER IN THE WORLD. there is a set dinner for aunt karen's birthday and it is only created once a year, like thanksgiving. it consists of stuffed flank steak, twice baked potatoes, butterhorn rolls, some vegetable, and devil's delight for dessert. it is worth driving four hours in one day to enjoy this dinner. it blows my mind with it's amazingness. and it is absolutely fitting that it only be served on the birthday of an amazing lady.

question for the audience: what's your birthday meal? death row meal? most eaten meal? 

sensitive diner

 

 i have recently discovered that nothing makes me more heartbroken and upset than discovering that a menu item i wanted is no longer available. something about selecting an item and building it up in my mind to a point where my mouth is already watering and i'm rereading the description over and over again, confirming that i have indeed made the best possible choice.

and then the waitress shows up. and i proudly tell her what i would like to order, hoping she will be impressed with my selection, a selection she knows is the best the menu has to offer. and i wait for her to applaud me and then -

her face falls. it twists into an expression of pity, similar to what you might offer an over enthusiastic child when you have to tell him the camping trip is cancelled.

she is sorry to report, but they are out of the (donut nutella muffins) (eggs florentine) (red jello). would you like to make another selection?

this news is so devestating that i'm never quite sure how to handle it. in a shocked voice, i quickly reply, "no. no thank you."

"nothing at all? we have a great cheesey skillet."

"no. nothing at all."

because i have formed such a mental bond with that menu item - that unavailable menu item - that to order anything else would seem treason. the widow going home with her deceased lover's brother. i won't dishonor what we had like that. your memory will live on (donut nutella muffins) (eggs florentine) (red jello).

after the initial shock, i feel slightly embarrassed. of course they're out of (donut nutella muffins) (eggs florentine) (red jello). that was the best thing! the waitress is not impressed with my selection; she pities me for even picking it - the most obvious, most popular menu option.

and that is how my breakfasts/brunch/dinners are ruined.

maybe i will learn to cope better when i'm 23.

underdog update

 

feast your eyes on hot dogs five, six, seven, and eight. we are moving right along in the underdog challenge. 8 down, 15 to go. still on track to finish at christmas. fame and fortune will surely be ours. in the form of a painted fist on a wall in philadelphia.

the journey to nu hempstar: part c

 

then we went out! on the town! specifically, a beach town. chrissy took us to a trashy beach bar but made the mistake of walking me past the arcade on our way in. as soon as i saw those neon lights i was itching to get my skeeball on. we stuck around for one drink and got hit on by some creepy dudes before we decided to bounce and hit up the arcade. score one for caitlin.

we all got our skee ball on and set our sights on a prize - the harmonica. i went back to inform the posse that we were still short fifty tickets and some young man in a suit (what?) came up and gave me all his tickets. it was just like an episode of touched by an angel. i almost wept on the spot. we got our harmonica and beth said it sucked because it only played three notes and you couldn't breathe in the make a sound but she is a hater and i recognized the magic of the harmonica that was made possible by the kindness of strangers.

then we got photobooth pictures!

then we went to a bar that looked like somewhere freddy prinze jr. frequented in 1999 - low ceilings, all white, with blue ocean-y lights everywhere. their clinetele was all over 40 divorcees but they had a swinging band and we got smoking patron shots. bliss bliss bliss.

the next morning was full of brunch and good byes, followed by another crazy long car ride. but it was a beautiful beautiful weekend in the most summery fantasyland of all time, the ever lovely, new hampshire.