Chronic

D and I had a fun weekend, where we got to spend one whole day together!  Things at work have been crazy for both of us, but we both took advantage of Saturday to spend some time off together.  D went to hit some golf balls at the driving range, while I had my first training with TNT. Afterward we came back home cuddled on the couch to watch college football.  After a quick game of Wii sports, not sure if I'm sorer from the run or playing table tennis on the Wii, D and I drove over to Weeman's Chronic Tacos in Redondo Beach. We've been curious to try out the place and were pleasantly surprised by the results. The service was excellent and the guys behind the counter were surprisingly very friendly.  Weeman is the little person character on the slapstick show Jackass, which can be a little extreme, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. D had the carnitas burrito and I had a carne asada taco and an al pastor taco.  This place will definitely be a repeat for us, two thumbs up!  Might even have to go see Jackass in 3D now . . .

Colorado

Doesn't have much to do with SoCal, but I went to Colorado Springs for work last week and really enjoyed seeing all of the fall leaves and colors. As I made the drive down from Denver, I even put on some country tunes to really get into the vibe. I worked at a dude ranch for a summer while in college and loved the experience. Got to see a whole other side of the country and got to meet some amazing people along the way. I worked as a "cabin girl" (aka maid), but got to go horseback riding on our one day off a week. Here's my dear friend E, who I met at the ranch, and myself on our way to a rodeo:

When E and I would get fed up about work, we would daydream about the day that we would come back to the ranch as actual guests and would never have to clean a cabin again! Well, I brought up the idea with E again and we’ve decided to try and go in 2013! It’ll be the ten-year anniversary of us working at the ranch, and I’m already gettin’ rip-roarin’ wound up for it! Yeehaw!!

Our buddy "Cowgirl" along for a ride to the rodeo

Halloween Conclusion - Eh

Number of trick-or-treaters: 0

Amount of candy left for D & L: Lots!

Verdict on Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta recipe: 3 out 5 stars
I'm a big time lova of the macaroni and cheese, but D and I are doing the weight watchers thang, and well macaroni and cheese doesn't fit well into that mix.  Came across this recipe on the good ole weight watcher's website and was intrigued.  I liked the incorporation of butternut squash, but it had big dabs of ricotta which I wasn't a big fan of.  D liked it though!  Or perhaps it was the Duvel Belgian Ale talking . . . hey I said we were on weight watchers, but that doens't mean we're giving up everything! We even came up with a "light" version of our most recent favorite cocktail, the John Daily!


Hopefully next year's Halloween will be better.  As soon as D came home from work, I started to bombard him with costume ideas for next year.  I suppose I'd been cooped in the house too long.  Till next year Halloween . . . D & L will be back with a vengeance!

Happy Halloween!!

Not doing much today except working, waiting for D to come home after his overnight shift, hoping some trick-or-treaters will come by, and trying out a new fall recipe (Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta).  Yesterday, I went to the kick off meeting with Team in Training (TNT), which was a lot like a rally to get everyone excited about training for our endurance events, raising money for a good cause, and meeting our fellow teammates and honorees.  I had a lot of fun and am pumped to get started on training.  Afterward, I grabbed lunch at lovely little sandwich shop called the Manhattan Bread & Bagel. I have a soft spot for bakeries and like to poke my nose in one whenever I get a chance.  When I first met D, he thought this habit of mine was pretty odd, but he's now gotten used to it.  He even starts to slow down when we approach a bakery to give me a chance to oogle at all of the goodies.  I enjoyed a scrumptious Turkey and Smoked Gouda sandwich and would highly recommend going back.  Wish me luck on my new recipe!

New Family Member

Say hello to the newest member of our family!  Yes, a 1987 Acura Legend, which I will now refer to as the "Legend."  A friend of a friend helped us get connected with this beauty.  It's our second car, or realistically D's new commuter car.  Our other car, a blue Honda Civic (also known as Little Blue), will be used by me and when I need to drive around for work or the occasional grocery store or Starbucks run.  Despite how old it is, the Legend was in really good shape when we got it.  Our first experience buying a used car, so here it goes!  Wish us luck!

 

PS - Did I mention it has a sun roof too?!  Oh the little things in life . . .

Aloha Friday = Cocktail Firday

As I mentioned in my previous post, Aloha Friday is my equivalent to TGIF.  Although it's not quite the same outside the islands of Hawaii, I still like the overall happy vibe it ensues for me.  One of my favorite things about the weekend is enjoying a glass of wine, a cold beer, or maybe even a lovely little cocktail.  I did get my bartending certification from ABC Bartending School when I was 21 (and yes it is a real establishment, I have proof!) and have always enjoyed mixing up tasty concoctions.  One my recent favorites, is the John Daly cocktail.  It's a cocktail named after the infamous professional golfer/partier John Daly and is spin off of an Arnold Palmer.  Here's the version of the cocktail that I use below:

John Daly Cocktail

• 1 1/2  to 2 oz. of Sweet Tea Vodka
• 1 part lemonade
• 1 part iced tea
• 1 lemon wedge as a garnish

Take the previous ingredients and pour over ice and sit back and enjoy.  This was a big favorite of D and I this summer, but I believe that this may be enjoyed all year long! Note: lemonade and iced tea can be replaced with pre-mixed iced tea lemonade.  Can also substitute Sweet Tea vodka with Ginger vodka and also very tasty.

Surf City Half Marathon

This weekend I signed up to join Team in Training (TNT) to fund raise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and also train for the Surf City Half Marathon in February.  The course is along the beach and the completion medals are little surf boards!  How cute!  They also have a "Longboard Legacy Club" for those who run the event at least three times in a row and get a rad T-shirt, which I think is an achievable goal for me.  I did run with TNT in Febraury 2009 for the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in San Francisco and really enjoyed the experience.  I'm hoping to get more involved with TNT this time around and hopefully meet more folks from the local area too.  Bonus for social life AND getting in shape again!  Yay!  I got a little burnt out last time from running, so I'm hoping to stick with the habit a little bit better this time around.  Here's a picture of me from a race I did in Big Sur:

Wish me luck!!