Author: Lara

This author has written 820 articles

Weekend Wins

Friday night I plopped myself on the sofa with a large, delicious takeout box of beef with broccoli, crab rangoons, and passion fruit bubble tea from my favorite family-owned Chinese takeout joint, talked with my parents and Ted on the phone for a while, and then turned on the tube and vegged for the remainder of the evening. It was marvelous.

Saturday I hit up the farmer’s market for some farm fresh humongous carrots, broccoli, a bundle of basil, and a hot prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato and basil pastry pocket from Martha Jane’s Bakery (they are seriously the most incredible thing I’ve eaten in Rochester so far), took advantage of the beautiful weather for a run in Highland Park, drove by the beach and past what will be Ted and my new townhome together come May – our first permanent home in Rochester even though I’ve lived here for eight months already(!!!), knocked out some laundry, threw together a flavorful fresh tomato salad, and headed to the theatre for opening night festivities for The Whipping Man: a champagne toast, the incredible show (it’s a must see!), and a post-show southern comfort food reception followed by a full night’s sleep.

Sunday brought a 2+ mile run around Cobb’s Hill Reservoir in more gorgeous spring weather, mass at noon, an amazing, filling pancake (with butter and real-deal maple syrup), bacon, sausage, and orange juice brunch and good conversation with some other young adults from my parish, led a talk-back and panelist discussion for No Child at the theatre, and came home to cook some tasty homemade taquitos and salsa with the windows open, the sun shining, the birds chirping, and some mellow music playing.

It was a fantastic weekend. Here’s to more ahead! (Maybe I’ll even remember to snap a few shots next time!)

What were you up to?

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Eighteen Minutes, Worth Your Time

You NEED to watch this.

I’m serious.

Grab a bowl of popcorn because this is a totally awe-inspiring 18 minutes of neatness live from the amazing artisans behind the horse “puppets” used in the Broadway play War Horse.

Ted scored a free ticket to see War Horse on tour at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati last Sunday and said it was fantastic – the story, the acting, and the horses.

Then he forwarded me this video about how they made the horses for the show.

Incredible.

Do yourself a favor, relax for 18 minutes, and watch the magic unfold.

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Craybie Cakes & Cats

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{Little arms Ace – the extreme home makeover gravel digger, climber, mover, and shaker}

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{Gentle Giant Gigi – the intimidating wanderer, friend to neons, and resident rock lover}

Both due for a molt and needing to eat a bit more…but otherwise, fun and wonderful as only blue crays can be!

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{And of course, the sweet guy – the snuggle thief}

It’s surprisingly difficult to be so far away from these three. Wish they could come live in NY too…

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Could’a Would’a Should’a

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My usual adventurous and nutritious cooking this week has been about as exciting and healthy as mac n’ cheese (with buffalo sauce! that counts for something), fruit, turkey provolone and broccoli sprout sandwiches, and store-bought veggies with hummus. Sometimes you just gotta let it go when life gets busy. But here’s what I wish I was making…

Avocado Chicken Parmesan w/ Field Greens

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Homemade Fig Vanilla Popsicle

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Rosemary Gin Rickey

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Also, I could totally go for the homemade creamy chicken taquitos Ted and I adore (recipe here). They are a DREAM.

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A Subtle Hint

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If this outfit found me, I would not be upset.

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{Modcloth Maximum Opacity Dress}

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{Modcloth Dainty Dramatist Heel in Cream}

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{Piperlime Tinley Road Jeweled Cuff}

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{Modcloth Dainty Dazzle Earrings}

Summer events are calling.

That is all.

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The Sunny Side

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Last week was a long, busy, overwhelming, frustrating, full of uncertainty kind of week in so many ways that I’d rather not go into. But instead of dwelling on that, I’d like to focus on some of the good things last week brought:

– a fun midweek jazz dance class to make up for a tap class I missed while in Wisconsin

– a productive work-from-home writing day to make some headway on the Midsummer Night’s Dream Discovery Guide that I am truly excited to be writing

– the Whipping Man meet n’ greet…another show in, folks

– summer conservatory auditions analyzed and decisions made

– the discovery of a sweet frozen yogurt place a short drive from home in an adorable nearby town that has delicious froyo and the best froyo toppings…just in time for spring and summer (and especially because they closed down my beloved Ben & Jerry’s ice cream! this is a sufficient, and probably far healthier, substitute if I must part with the B&J’s)

– catching up on some much-needed sleep at nights and finishing a novel, Laura Moriarty’s The Chaperone, that I have really enjoyed reading all week

– young adult Stations of the Cross Friday night with a few good gals was pretty much just what my soul needed

– sunshine, a nice breeze, and practically tropical temperatures that reached the 50s(!!!!!), allowing me to go for a two-mile run along the Erie Canal for the first time in five months!

– spring weather finally sneaking in after a very long winter

– a girls’ night at my friend Shawnda’s on Saturday night, complete with a bottle of wine, chips and salsa, lots of good conversation, and some Duck Dynasty goodness to de-stress

– Easter mass and a delectable little brunch for one

– a relaxing Sunday nap after feeding some ducks by the canal

– a massive spontaneous spring cleaning, clutter clearing, re-organization of my desk and all its documents and contents at home

– the relief of taxes being done, for better or for worse

– a girls’ night booked for next week, a clear work-week plan made, and the awesome knowledge that I can hard boil eggs in the oven and it totally works

…life, right? A little sun, a little rain.

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Have a good week!

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Stuff My Husband Won’t Eat #4

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So, before I left for Wisconsin I decided to try a new style of eating for a week: completely non-processed with all fresh produce and grains, and no alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy, red meat, wheat, and minimal salt…just to see how I’d feel. And I did it! I usually eat healthy, just not this extreme, but I’m proud I stuck it out.

It all tasted good, and I felt good afterward. But I spent hours preparing meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and dessert every single night. It was crazy time consuming, I never once made it to bed before 1 a.m., my back hurt from all the time in the kitchen, and overall – it just didn’t feel good enough to justify the effort. The flavored waters were fun – it helped me drink as much water as I should every day, and they tasted great, so I’ll keep those in steady rotation…and I’ll likely make some of the recipes again too in the future, because they were all good (my favorites are marked “winner”). But this is not a lifestyle that one easily can, or in my humble opinion, really should, keep up with full-time. A fun trial, but in the future I’ve determined I can still eat fresh and healthy without skipping out on all the delicious stuff I listed above and still save myself a ton of time, energy, and sleep. Also, Ted would eat none of this. So he would basically starve if I ever attempted this tomfoolery again when he is living here.

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{lemon, cucumber, mint, and rosemary water – winner}

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{breakfast smoothie: mango, banana, strawberry, chia seeds, almond coconut milk, fresh tangerine juice, spinach – winner}

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{warm grapefruit tea: freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, agave, cinnamon, all spice – winner}

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{trail mix – winner}

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{roasted chickpeas with vegetable oil, cumin, ginger, coriander, paprika, and salt – winner}

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{chia seed pudding with almond coconut milk, chia seeds, pure vanilla extract, blueberries, and mango}

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{roasted acorn squash glazed with maple syrup and stuffed with quinoa, shallots, pecans, spinach, rosemary, and pear}

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{baked white fish tilapia in spiced broth with quinoa, garlic, shallots, ginger, coriander, cayenne pepper, yellow squash, tomatoes, and cilantro leaves – winner}

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{black beans with sauteed tilapia, lime, and cilantro}

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{quinoa with carrots, zucchini, artichoke, lemon, and shallots}

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{sauteed kale and pinto beans with garlic and shallots – winner}

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{and this one came after the trial experiment, hence the corn tortilla and cheese…but Ted still won’t eat it, so in this post it goes! cumin roasted butternut squash with black beans, NY state sharp white cheddar, cilantro leaves, lime, and a sriracha, agave and apple cider vinegar sauce in a corn tortilla – winner}

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{views from the epic Mexican fun lunch of tacos, salads, rice, beans, quesadillas, dessert nachos, and all the fixings that we all contributed to at work a few weeks ago…and that’s not even all of it. It was amazing. Now this Ted would eat!}

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{a good thought with some merit, but not of total truth. perhaps what inspired my experiment?}

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Roc City Treats

Cheshire Old Fashioned Cocktail Lounge

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{Ramos Gin Fizz: No. 3 London Dry Gin, Orange Flower Water, Organic Egg White, Cream, Fresh Lemon Juice, Fresh Lime Juice, Sugar, Club Soda}

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{Aviation: No. 3 London Dry Gin, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette, Lemon Juice, Fresh Cherry}

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Le Petit Poutine Food Truck

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{Traditional Poutine: Fries, gravy, fresh local cheese curds, fresh thyme, sea salt}

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Martha Jane’s Bakery

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{Raspberry lemon pastry pie}

Moonlight Creamery

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{Norweigan Krokan: Rich brown butter ice cream with cream and salty almond brittle}

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{Lollipops: salty caramel, lemon ginger, pomegranate orange, and maple bacon}

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{Irish Cream ice cream!}

All of the above…amazing. I recommend all of it.

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Long Lost Friends and Very Wisconsin Playdates

In Milwaukee Ted and I met up with my wonderful college best-buddy Tiffany and her boyfriend Nate, who were also in town for USITT (annual technical theatre conference). I haven’t seen Tiffy in almost four years, so this was a real treat! We met for pretzels, beer cheese, local craft brews, and some good conversation at the Milwaukee Ale House downtown on Tuesday night, and then again on Wednesday during the day for a factory tour and tasting of award-winning small-batch hand-crafted whiskey, gin, brandy, vodka, and absinthe at the Great Lakes Distillery and a cheese plate at the Wisconsin Cheese Mart.

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Love you Tiffany! Let’s not wait another four years. Oh, and get yourself some of that Great Lakes Distillery gin if you want a cocktail of crazy flavorful proportions!

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Proof of Fun

Proof that I had fun, must have relaxed some, or at the very least eaten really terribly, on this most recent WisCo trip:

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{running/playing with Ted and the nephew}

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{ice cream date one of four}

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{mid-morning mocha}

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{pretzels, beer cheese, and a brew with old friends}

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{glorious Kopp’s. cheeseburger three of three – not all Kopp’s and not all on the same day, just to clarify…but close enough}

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{new age jump rope}

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{arcading}

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{quartet air hockey insanity}

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{ski ball}

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{siblings}

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{Lambeau Field, even busy during the off season}

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{hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and free-flowing champagne at a schmoozy theatre party with a slew of Ted’s old industry buddies}

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{spring break. warm and exotic as always, Wisconsin}

And in between the aforementioned there were Mermaid dance concert performances, Sunday post-show lighting strike (which I did indeed participate in), a long snowy drive from Green Bay to Milwaukee, cheerful catching up with a ton of family and friends, fancy kitchen ogling, some Duck Dynasty and Storage Wars immersion, a distillery tour and tasting, and just a bit of USITT.

Whew.

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