Helena Handbasket: December 2010

Bruschetta Heaven

Sissy and I are in a food coma right now. We each made our favorite bruschetta to share. Both recipes turned out phenomenal!

Sissy's spaghetti squash with brown butter and sage bruschetta:

My caramelized onion and fennel bruschetta:

Foodie love,

Susan

As I look back on the year 2010, I feel...

blessed to have another year of family, friends, and fun.
anguish because I have hurt people that were close to me.

thankful for vulnerability and allowing myself to tear down The Wall.
proud of Deanna for her accomplishments and future endeavor as a college student.
joy for my cousin who married her best friend in August.
sadness for the people who are no longer with us.
encouraged to reach out more to my loved ones and communicate with a purpose.

heartbroken; oftentimes, we don't always get what we want.
accomplished - I have finally gained control of my financial health.
brave for confronting a lot of demons I have been battling since childhood.

But most of all, hopeful.

Many chapters have come to an end; many new adventures await.

What are some of your milestones?

Wishing all of you a beautiful and Happy 2011,
Susan

Deanna is Going to VCU!

:-)

Susan

Black Swan

I highly recommend this movie.

Susan

My Man of the Hour

A friend shared this song with me the other day. At first, I hesitated listening to it because I'm not a fan of Norah Jones; however, I'm glad I finally gave it a chance. It's a cute song and it makes me smile.

Man of the Hour ~ Norah Jones

It's him or me that's what he said

But I can't choose between a vegan and a pot head

So I chose you because you're sweet

And you give me lots of lovin' and you eat meat

And that's how you became my only man of the hour

You never lie and you don't cheat

And you don't have any baggage tied to your four feet

Do I deserve to be the one who will feed you breakfast, lunch and dinner

And take you to the park at dawn

Will you really be my only man of the hour?

I know you'll never bring me flowers

Flowers they will only die

And though we'll never take a shower together

I know you'll never make me cry

You never argue, you don't even talk

And I like the way you let me lead you

When we go outside and walk

Will you really be my only man of the hour?

My only man of the hour

Dedicated to Roach.

Susan

My Facebook Status Collage

Sometimes, Facebook has some cool apps/features. Sometimes.

Happy Friday,

Susan

Foxy Cleopatra

As I was walking toward my building last night, I spotted Foxy (she reminded me of a fox, hence the Foxy Cleopatra title). She was sauntering around the parking lot, looking confused and disoriented. I immediately recognized her from my neighborhood but had no idea where her owner lived.

I knelt down and she immediately scampered over and jumped into my arms. Her body was trembling from the cold and I could tell she was a bit frightened. I didn't see anyone nearby so I took her inside for a few minutes.

Roach (my Boxer) would have gone all Ike Turner on her so into the bedroom he went as I let Foxy warm up and get a drink of water. Fortunately, she was licensed, rabies vaccinated, and had a name tag with a phone number on it. I called the number several times but was sent straight to voice mail.

I knew Rambunctious Roach would have stressed out little Foxy if I kept her too long. The rental office was still open so I bundled her up in my arms again (she was so tiny, ya'll) and walked over to see if anyone had called about her. The property manager was sympathetic and said she would keep Foxy until she was claimed. As I went to leave, Foxy started running after me. It was cute. I'm 100% sure she will be reuinted with her owner; she was obviously loved and taken care of. Who knows how she got separated/lost - accidents happen. I'm just glad teeny tiny micro-Foxy wasn't run over by a car!

See you around the 'hood, Foxy.

Susan

Mondays That Don't Suck

Another oh-so-easy recipe from Jenna @ Eat, Live, Run.

I was itching to cook this dish. It turned out just ok. I think it might taste better after the sauce has a chance to really work its way through the beef. I'm thinking it will taste much better tomorrow.

Beef Tenderloin with Apricot and Olives

serves 4

1 1/4 lbs beef tenderloin, chopped into large cubes

1 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 T red wine vinegar

1 cup apricot preserves

1 6-oz bag baby spinach

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

jasmine rice to serve

Brown the beef in the olive oil over medium high heat. When it’s medium rare, remove from pan, set on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add the minced garlic to the same pan you cooked the beef in. Cook for about three minutes and then add the vinegar to deglaze the pan, stirring well to scrape up any brown bits. Add the apricot preserves and cook for four minutes, until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Add the olives, beef and spinach and heat through, cooking for a few minutes so that the spinach wilts and the beef finishes cooking.

Serve over jasmine rice.

So much for Meatless Mondays (shrugs),

Susan

Good Friends & Good Food

I didn't take any pictures at brunch today. I just wanted to savor the company of my friends as we enjoyed some really divine food. Volt is simply a cut above the rest. Every dish is celebrated and has a story behind it (although at times, it probably would have been ok not to hear every minuscule detail our server insisted on reciting: "You are eating cheese made from the milk of a goat that was raised and hand-fed by a Buddhist monk on sacred land until the age of 7 and 3/4"). I'm still a Chick-fil-A kind of girl but Volt just knocks my socks off and I can't wait to go back.

Today was a great day. I am blessed.

Susan

Waiting for the End

I've been digging this song for a while, especially the lyrics - it had me sprinting through the last 1.2 miles of the marathon. Amazing how one song can lift your spirits.

Check out the official vid here.

Is it Friday yet?
Susan