Writers Block & Recipes

I've had serious writers block this week. It's cold, it's rainy, Sean's busy with school work, and I feel like nothing exciting has gone on. Oh the dolldrums of January. However, I have been doing a bunch of cooking lately, so I thought I'd share a recipe that is so easy, so yummy, so cozy on a cold rainy day, and not at all healthy for you (so obviously the best kind of recipe). It's Crockpot Enchiladas. And they're awesome.

I made this on Sunday when my cousin and her friend came to visit. They're driving cross country and Chicago was their first stop, so I wanted to give them a great meal. I made these enchiladas (cheese, because they're vegetarian) and it was a huge hit.

Crockpot Cheese* Enchiladas 

8-12 Flour Tortillas
2-3 cups Red Enchilada Sauce
2 cups Shredded Cheddar
Salsa (to taste)

• Lightly coat the crockpot with non-stick cooking spray.
• Pour 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the crockpot. 
• With fork, poke a few holes in each tortilla (this prevents it from fluffing up too much).
• Place flour tortilla over sauce. 
• Place cheese over tortillas.
• Pour sauce over cheese.
• Repeat layering sauce, cheese, and tortillas until you are out of tortillas.
• On top of last tortilla, pour salsa on top (to taste) and cover with cheese.
• Cook in crockpot 2.5 hours on high or 4 hours on low, until the sides begin to pull away from the crockpot and become brown.

This serves 8, so you can cut it in half for a smaller portion, or it reheats fabulously, so it's good for leftovers. I served it with rice, sauteed peppers and onions, fresh guac and chips. 

*You can add meat to this recipe, but the meat needs to be cooked prior to being added to the crockpot, or it will let out too many juices and be a soggy mess.

We scarfed it all down, so unfortunately I don't have a picture of the food, but I do have a great picture from after dinner of my cousin Margaret, my god son Frankie, me and Sean. After all, a meal is only as good as the company it is shared with. And I have to say, this one was extra good.

A Winter Wonderland

Last winter Sean and I pretty much hunkered down for winter. We feared the wrath of our first Chicago winter and hid from it as much as possible. In a way that's great - we watched all 9 seasons of NCIS. We didn't ever feel cold. We also didn't ever see people or have any social interaction with anyone but each other. 

This year is different and I love it. It's January 22 and I've been much more active and involved. Winter doesn't scare me any longer! Except today, when it was -9 degrees leaving for the bus... that's frightening. After my trip to Denver last week I took it easy this weekend (gotta do laundry sometime) and my cousin Margaret and her friend are coming to visit as a stop on their cross-country trip next week. But then... it's the abyss that is February.

What to do about February? It does hold Chicago restaurant week, which is always a fun affair, but realistically entails two or three dinners out. There is Valentine's Day, which I enjoy making a really nice meal for Sean and I. And then there is nothing... 

So now I'm putting it out to you. What are some of your favorite February activities? What should I do this month to not get sucked into the black hole that is Chicago winters. Nothing's off the table, so give me your best suggestion. I'm trying anything in 2013! 

My friend Alisha and I freezing, but having fun!

Play Me Some Mountain Music...

As an East Coaster, I've never really left sea level. Even here in Chicago, I think the highest point is about 500 feet above sea level. So this weekend I branched out (or up, rather) and headed to the Mile High City - Denver, CO!

Usually when I travel, it is either for holidays or a special occasion (weddings, etc.). And while it's always great to see our loved ones, it's SO hectic, trying to jam visits with everyone in to the few days we have. This trip, I went to visit my good friend Megan, who I hadn't seen in over a year, with no agenda. The weekend was our oyster! (Can you feel me relaxing already?)

We had an amazing time. It was so great to just hang out, see the beautiful sights, relax and rekindle such a great friendship. After a crazy holiday season, just hanging out was exactly what I needed. We had leisurely brunches, strolled around the neighborhood and drove up to Boulder to tour the Celestial Tea Factory. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend this. It's fun, relaxing, interesting and, most importantly, tasty. 

I have to say, as much as I love sea level, the mountains were BEAUTIFUL. Here's a few shots from the weekend: 

The view from downtown Boulder

Tea pots at the tea factory!

Snow capped mountains

I want to thank Megan for an absolutely incredible weekend, that left me feeling so relaxed and renewed. I'm so lucky to have you as such a great friend :)

(I also want to thank the Denver Broncos for losing while I was there. As a Raiders fan, if we can't win, we'd like the rest of the west to go down too. Hey, misery loves company.)

Making the Most of Winter

Although I love the holidays, I really don't like winter. It just drags, it's such a stark, cold contrast the the warm, lovely holidays - especially the weeks between the Superbowl and March Madness. So I'm trying to make the most of this winter and keep myself occupied. 

This past weekend we went to Rockford, IL to see my aunts and godson, Franks. We lived like kids - and it was awesome. First we went sledding (still not my favorite). Then we went to a good old fashioned ice skating rink. Turns out, Sean is an AWESOME ice skater. He was whizzing around the ice, then skating backwards (super slowly) for laps as 5-year-old Frankie skated toward him. It's quite clear that he'll be doing all the sports things with our child. Thank god - Lord knows it wouldn't have been me. 

However, with our next winter activity, it became quite clear that I'll be handling the arts and crafts. 

Sean's gingie - sans culottes & spilling stuff all over.

We made ginger bread people (everybody loves a gingie!) and Sean's is well... let's just say Sean's ginger bread man looks like he spent a wild night out with Ryan Kerley. He's a little worse for the wear...

It was, however, a really great reminder about why I love Sean. He's so patient, and game for anything, and so good spirited - even if he's got a 5 year old laughing at his ginger bread man. 

I'm lucky to have someone so positive and caring as the main man in my life. Someone to happily build ginger bread people with - whether they turn out for better or for worse. 

Two ginger bread people in love <3

Resolutions

As I write this, I'm starving. Okay, not really. But I'd love a cookie. Or chocolate. Or french fries. And every time I look at the nice shiny apple on my desk, I kind of snarl at it for not being covered in caramel. Oh new year's resolutions...

The past few years I have not made any resolutions. I kind of applied to the school of thought that if someone wants to change something, they'll do it, whether is January 1 or July 12. But people need to feel like they have a definitive start point. The problem with a start point is, people (myself included) think they need to start all at once. So by January 3rd, you're starving from eating only lettuce, tired because you've ran more in the past 3 days than you did in the past 3 months, you're stuffs all over the living room floor because you we're going to organize your closets IMMEDIATELY... sound familiar?

In 2012 I read a great book called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. It was a really great concept. She made 12 resolutions, prioritized their importance, then tackled the biggest one in January, adding a new resolution each month. She gave herself 30 days to get into a habit, tackled one thing. Then she kept the habit as she went along adding new ones.

So my goal for 2013 is to tackle my resolutions throughout the year. Right now I only have six resolutions. Maybe I'll add more as I go, or maybe I won't. But here's the list as it stands:

• January: Eating Healthier - less processed foods; aiming for a more plant-based diet. 
• February: Working Out More - groan.
• March: Calm My Inner Voice - it's usually a nervous, neurotic mess, when in reality, almost everything turns out totally fine.
• April: Be More Patient & Kind - it will probably be easier when my inner voice isn't screaming about how slow you're moving, how loud the person on the bus is, how something is 30 seconds late, etc.

Numbers five & six are the only ones I'm hoping to start working on immediately and continue the whole year through. Five is to make new friends in Chicago and six is to become more active in life - not only physically, but more actively engaged. They latter will definitely help the former. I've already put things on the calendar for the year and I'm excited. I'm really excited for a fresh, exciting 2013.

Tell me (while I go eat my non-caramel apple), what are your goals? How are you achieving them?

New Year, New... Blog.

I really don’t like the expression “New Year, New You”. You already are you! No need to reinvent it. Unless you’re some totally horrible person, then maybe. But I like to think that each new year provides us the opportunity to be the best us we can be. A chance to do away with the dead weight that’s been holding us back and realize that we can achieve all our dreams! It’s like a brand new notebook on the first day of school (all my nerds out there know what I’m talking about!). 

Me, being the silliest me!

When we moved to Chicago I started a blog, but I really let it fall by the wayside (as in, I hadn't posted since January 2012). So I'm starting fresh. I’m going to make a serious effort to get over my fears in 2013 and just write. I really enjoy it, but never feel I have anything important to say, or because I don’t have a niche no one will care. But I’m just going to go for it. 

I have so many great things lined up for 2013 - trips, friends and families weddings, planning our own weddings - and I’m excited to share it with everyone. Living is an action verb & I’m excited to try new things, push myself to the limit, make this a year of being the best me I can be.

I hope all of your dreams come true in 2013. Face your fears. Love deeply. Laugh loudly. Hug loved ones tightly. And most importantly, be you.