February Photo A Day

I think the blog needs some revamping or energy back in it.  Originally I created this thing to share with you my travels of Europe, exercise, photography, baking & cooking with a sprinkle of my daily life.  It has come to my attention that the sprinkle of daily life is now more like a DASH or 1/4 cup. So, to switch things up a bit I am going to present a challenge.  You may join me if you like:

I was perusing Pinterest yesterday when I came across this little image created by Fat Mum Slim and thought it'd be a great way to become more involved in photography and expression.    What that means for you is less checking my blog for what I'm wearing or who I'm hanging out with or what I was able to throw together for dinner.  Instead you can stop by and see what type of image I was able to take to complete this challenge.  29 days with my camera attached to me like some crazed tourist scouring Rochester for the best image I can find and possibly work my magic with photoshop!

Happy Thursday!

Plated.

I cannot wait to head back to school and get back to the grind with working out and doing work with friends.  Not to mention I miss everyone at Rochester and even more so, BPG.  I also plan on visiting Emily over this semester at HWS or having her come back to Rochester again.

In honor of returning to the great city of Rochester, or should I say returning to live in Rochester, I spent the weekend with friends and Brendan. Friday night was spent with Cara, Mandy and Brad...We watched Say Yes to the Dress and drank Hot Chocolate and saturday was spent with Brendan at an Amerk's game, bowling and having garbage plates!

Garbage plate art. How delicious.

I am going to the Fleet Feet Half Marathon info session tonight and will hopefully be signing up for that and then you will have more to follow than my day to day life!

Through a New Lens.

Remember back to my birthday? Well it sure seems like forever ago to me.  I've been 21 years old for almost a full two months. It really is hard to believe.  Well, let me remind you that I received a new telephoto camera lens from Brendan.  This baby is huge.  Not your typical kit lens though it is made from the same material and has a similar resemblance.  However, this baby can see up close from far away, I guess that is explained in its description as a telephoto lens though.

Last week or so we took it out for its debut shoot and went up and down the lake.  Sadly the whole sunny day business was lacking but we were able to find a few glimpses of sun to capture some great shots of a a vineyard.  Here is a sample of some of the images I took:

Call Me Crazy

 One.

Two.

Three.

Call me crazy or join me. Those are your two options this morning, soon to be afternoon.  I went to bed last night with the high hopes of going on a long run today since it has been over a week and I am technically, well lets be real, I am in training.  However, when the door was thrust open at 9am I was kindly greeted with a "you should head to the Y instead" by my mother.  Did I head to the Y? No. I might be crazy, in fact I know I am but I get this sort of exhilarating feeling when I am the only one on the road bracing the cold.  I did happen to see one brave woman running her way up my road but even I was too chicken for that.  While living in the countryside does have its perks, snow & wind do not mix well and when you a huge 1/2 mile long hill onto it you are simply doomed for failure. Luckily I was able to do the most logical thing instead...at least in my mind...

I hopped in the car and made it to town, a ride that typically takes 3-5 minutes but took me 15 today.  I was greeted at the top my hill by a Cheshire Fireman who kindly told me to take it easy on the roads and asked that I not go to the end of the lake when returning (later to find out that a car had flung itself into the lake!)  My run, however very short, was great.  The only downside to my run this morning was (a) the short length and (b) lack of shoveling and plowing on behalf of the lovely Canandaigua residents.  But who are we kidding? It is a blizzard and I am the crazy one.  So there I was. Gloves, headband, gator and insulator pants making my way through the streets of the city. It was great.  Hope everyone else is enjoying this blizzard day as much as I am.

Adventures in Boston

Where oh where have I been? I've actually been busy exploring Boston for the past few days as I was visiting my friend Rachel from UR.  I remember mentioning to her once that I had only been in Boston for 6 hours on a trip to Salem that my mom took me on before entering freshman year at HWS. She gladly invited me to stay with her over break and get a better feel for the city and her hometown of Newton, MA.

Here are some facts about the last time I went to Boston:

1. I was 18 years old, which seems like a lifetime ago

2. OhsoMiscellanea did not exit nor did I ever think I would have a blog

3. I rarely exercised let alone ran daily

4. I was hopeful, nervous and excited for orientation at HWS

5. It was the hottest day on record in Boston that year (2009)

6. We rode the Old Trolly around as if it were a cab

This time, however, was a bit different:

1. I am now 21 years old, which makes ME seem old

2. OhsoMiscellanea is definitely in my life yet still not as much as I'd like

3. I had so much more energy to walk the city instead of taking the T or cabs

4. My body went "haywire" from lack of running for 3 days

5. It is the middle of winter and we saw no snow...anywhere

6. We saw so much more of Boston that I had never seen! (North End)

One this has still remained the same though. I love Boston and apparently I also love touristy pictures (the Boiling Pot & the Ducks).  Give me a break though, it was something that definitely had to be done. 

Thanks so much to Rachel and her family for having it, it was a wonderful trip!

Recipe: Chicken Marsala & Whipped Carrots

Yesterday was full of exercise.  I started the morning off with a 2 mile run at the gym followed by some stretching and brief ab workout.  I came home, showered and headed to an appointment which was conveniently located next to the local ice skating rink.  So, I popped in for a quick 45 minute skating session and came home to a 10 minute yoga video.

Needless to say I had my fair share of energy and heart rate boosting activity for one day which of course had to be followed by a ton of healthy foods (minus the two peanut butter balls I devoured).  Brendan and I stopped at Starbucks where I ordered my trusty Soy Misto (half coffee & half steamed soy) and reviewed my abroad essay.  We perused websites and cookbooks for a delicious dinner but were unsatisfied with any that we came across.  Instead we decided to hit the grocery store without a plan and hope that something came to us while racing the aisles. 

The result? Chicken Marsala.

This recipe is rather simple and requires few ingredients, so few that it only cost us $9 to make but tasted like a $20 meal from one of the finest italian restaurants in town.

Ingredients:

(Half if you're making a smaller portion)

Emeril's Chicken Marsala

1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp creole essence seasoning

2 (6-8 oz) chicken breasts, sliced length wise

1 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp unsalted butter

3 cups sliced shittake mushrooms

3/4 cup Marsala

1 cup chicken stock

Salt, Pepper and Chive to taste & garish

Directions:

(1) In a shallow bowl combine flour and essence, stir to combine.  "Dredge" the chicken breasts in mixture and shake to remove excess flour.

(2) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, do not allow to smoke.

(3) add 1 tbsp butter and cook chicken until browned on both sides (should take around 3 minutes)

(4) Remove chicken and set aside for later

(5) add 1 tbsp butter and add chopped mushrooms.  Cook and stir until golden brow.  Add Marsala Wine and bring to a boil and allow to reduce by half.

(6) Add chicken stop and cook until sauce has thickened.

(7) lower heat and add chicken breasts until they have fully cooked and sauce is thickened. Add remaining butter and dash salt and pepper to taste

For the Carrots simply wash, deskin (I didn't know that this was a requirement!), boil or steam add milk or water and butter and whip away.

Delicious!

Review: Dinosaur What? Dino BBQ.

Dinosaur BBQ.  Originally founded as a BBQ Pit "joint" of sorts in Syracuse, NY but also has a loving relationship with Rochestarians. Up until last spring I couldn't recall the last time since I had actually eaten at Dino BBQ but frequently heard of friends going up for the experience.  Now I can proudly say that I have enjoyed their fall off the bone pulled pork sandwiches twice in two years (not a huge accomplishment but it is in my book!)

Amanda, Mandy, Carolyn and I (along with a few boyfriends) savored every bite as we celebrated Mandy's 20th birthday.  She is the baby of the bunch but still deserved a big celebration none the less. Now the plate above is mine.  The original pulled pork sandwich "platter" with TWO sides, BBQ beans and corn bread.

Mandy's platter looked something like this:

The Tres Hombres Combo Platter with Salad, Mac & Cheese, Corn Bread, Ribs, Brisket and Pork.   All of which I tried and enjoyed every bite of.

We also celebrated the big 20 with a rather large peanut butter ball platter.  I had no idea that these were so easy to make! Literally takes 5 minutes to whip together the inside goop and then a while in the freezer and a dip of chocolate!

Happy Birthday to my best friend Mandy.

As for the Dinosaur BBQ itself, I would have to give a few suggestions for perusing the menu.

(1) The BBQ Baked Beans are not that great. I would definitely pick a different side dish

(2) Creole Deviled Eggs = AMAZING

(3) The sandwiches are equally as tasty sans bun.

(4) Get the corn bread as a side if it doesn't come with your meal (though it should!)

(5) the Mac & Cheese is spicy and to die for.

(6) If your stomach upsets easily take caution.

Overall I would say that Dino BBQ is pretty tasty but I definitely like to save it for occasions that happen once or twice a year.  Mandy's birthday was perfect for this since it is her favorite restaurant and I gladly cleaned my plate.