Weekend Report: Jess Gets Married!

This weekend key components of BU Cross Country and Track reconvened in Boston for the super-exciting long-awaited event of Jess and Zac's wedding!

Back story: They met in February 2006 at the Valentine Invitational Indoor Track Meet (let's take a moment: awwwwww), and have been dating pretty much ever since. We were all there when it started (Jess: What do you think of that UMass boy over there? Introduce me!), and I'm happy to report that many of us were there to celebrate with them this weekend.

The center pieces involved vegetables, well duh.

This is the 4th BU runner wedding, and as always, it was SO MUCH FUN! Teammates came from Colorado, New Hampshire, Texas, and Toronto -- people need to keep getting married so we can all see each other more often...

I happen to find myself in the position of sole Boston(ish) local (besides Jess and Zac of course), so my house is the guest house! Amy arrived from Colorado and John from DC on Friday night. We went to dinner at Redbones, a well-reviewed barbecue place in Davis Square that definitely lives up to the hype!

Oh hello Pulled Pork Sandwich!

Then Saturday morning Abbey came in from Colorado on a red-eye before we met up with Camille (from Texas, representing the non-distance runner side of the team) to all drive to Amherst. 

The weather was perfect and they had a beautiful ceremony outside...

...followed by an awesome dance party reception inside that may or many not have involved jumping up and down like crazy people for five hours straight, fueled by regular trips to the Candy Bar and Dessert Table.

Jess looked beyond beautiful of course. And considering that she and I email and text pretty much constantly, I feel like I have been IN her and Zac's relationship since the beginning. So excited for them!

And though the wedding may have ended Saturday night, the weekend of fun continued through Sunday! A group of us headed back to Boston to take advantage of the glorious weather downtown. 

We got pizza at Upper Crust, walked to the Harbor, walked all the way to the Bunker Hill Monument along the Freedom Trail (Why? Because why not?), and then hit up Border's in Harvard Square, just for old time's sake. It was a pretty epic and awesome day. 

Amy and Abbey, back in their natural habitat.

Weekends like this make me so happy to be back in Boston, and so sooo happy to have such silly friends! Also, again (how many times can I say this in this post?) SO HAPPY FOR JESS AND ZAC!

Weekend Report: Chix Gets Married!

Welp it’s official - I’m in that 20-something phase when everyone starts to get married. Luckily I love weddings! (How could you not? Friends + love + dancing + cake = fun!)

The bride was my college friend/teammate, C--- aka Chix. Chix was the first runner I met at BU, and by random chance we lived across the hall from each other freshman year. After I stopped being shy-freshman intimidated by her running awesomeness, we became great friends! Almost every night, Chix, Jess, and I met in the dining hall “late-night” to drink diet soda and split a snack as a study break. And giggle excessively, and make guacamole, and talk about sandwiches, and a certain now-Mr. Chix’s legs!

Her wedding was my second visit to Fitchburg (I spent Thanksgiving with her family one year), and as expected, the Chix family delivered and Fitchburg did not disappoint!

Chix looked absolutely beautiful, and we danced like fools all night (it’s amazing how when you reconvene old friends and teammates we suddenly lose any acquired maturity  and regress to our 2005/6ish selves…sheesh).

(Yes, that is the bride crowd-surfing. Who says runners aren't fun?)

The day after the wedding was the most gorgeous Boston day ever! Jess, Erin, and I meandered around Coolidge Corner, then walked down to Newbury and Boylston Streets to do some shopping. (I got amazing sandals. They were expensive, but I walk 2-6 miles per day, so good sandals are a must.)

Jess's boyfriend Zac met us for dinner at Mr. Sushi in Coolidge Corner. Cheesy name, but amazing food! Erin, Jess, and I all ordered the Hai Dup Bap, a gi-normous bowl of delicious veggies (daikon, carrots, sprouts, cucumber, etc) topped with big chunks of sushi grade tuna, salmon, and roe. 

It comes with miso soup, brown rice and mix-in toppings. So. Good. (I wish the pictures could do it justice…but you’ll have to use your imagination.)

(Jess and Zac. This couple can eat.)

I arrived back in DC early Sunday, enough time to get my productive-face on and do some work/studying/pool running.


It was a great weekend - Congrats to the MAX to Chix and Mr. Chix!!!!

Best of the Week #27

It’s not Friday yet, but in my mind it is! Because I’m fleeing DC and flying to Boston for my super-awesome friend Christine’s wedding! She and her soon-to-be husband are a track couple (i.e. they met when we were all running in college), so the guests list includes all my favorite usual suspects: Jess, Erin, and Amy to name a few.

I watched Say Yes to the Dress last night to get me in the wedding mood…it’s going to be awesome!

In light of my impending absence, I’ll give you Best of the Week a day early.

My most popular post this week was Lemon Filled Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (again!).

For no particular reason, this week is all about animals....

Guess what animal this is? "It can live over 30 years, which is very impressive for an animal that's smaller than a rat. Rats live for just four years." (source)

Jezebel posted about What Your Pet's Name Says About You. My pets have human names (dogs: Sarah and Amy). Here's the assessment. (source)

Human first name:
What it says about you: A crony of mine posed an interesting theory about people who give animals people first names. She thinks that people who name animals after humans give the animals names that the owners would secretly like to name their offspring if they only had the balls and the agreement from their partners. I'm inclined to agree with her. However, all bets are off when it comes to naming a dog "Molly." Another associate pointed out that there are way too many dogs named Molly, for no good reason.

Also from Jezebel, the most patient cat in the world! (source)

This one isn't animal related, but it is awesome. In 8th grade I built a bridge out of toothpicks...but nothing can compare with this! (source)

In real-world news, it's South Sudan's Independence this Saturday!!! Happy Birthday to a new nation! (More info here, and here.)

Ok, gotta run catch a plane. But I'll add more tomorrow morning if I have time! 

Happy Weekend!!!

Weekend Report: Bridal Shower, Jalapeno Cheddar Hummus and Buffalo Chicken Dip

First things first - HAPPY MARATHON MONDAY!!! My good friend Chris is running the Boston Marathon as I type. Everybody think him some good luck thoughts! 

Alas I am here in DC, not cheering like a maniac on Heart Break Hill...thus is life. 



Anyway, you may remember from Best of the Week #15 that my roommate is getting married. Well, this weekend I scored major adult points by hosting her shower! (Adult points can also be gained by doing taxes, vaccuuming, remembering to pay bills ontime...and can be lost by activities like eating chips and salsa for dinner, losing a credit card and not replacing it for months, forgetting major holidays, etc...)

If you haven't been to a bridal shower (before yesterday I hadn't either), they are awesome. It's like a kid's birthday - games, presents, food - minus the kids! Two of my friends helped with the hosting, and it went really well.


I started the weekend with (among other things) 3 blocks of cream cheese and 5 sticks of butter, and ended it with a whole lot of dishes. But it was totally worth it. On Saturday I prepped throughout the rainy day. I grocery shopped and baked between running and yoga. Then on Sunday, after an 11-mile run early morning run, I food prepped and decorated and got everything ready to go (I put those 3 years of catering experience to good work!). 

Thanks to this country's bridal industrial complex, there are ample materials online to help you plan a shower. Martha Stewart gave me a few pointers, and of course I asked the Google "what do people do at bridal showers?" a few times...



The party started at 3 pm on Sunday, a good time for snacky foods. 


Bridal Shower Menu:

• Jalapeno Cheddar Hummus (recipe below)
• Buffalo Chicken Dip (recipe below)
• Chips, salsa, pita bread, pita chips, carrot, celery, and red bell peppers for dipping.
• Lemon Lime Punch
• Red Velvet Brownies
• Lemon Filled Cupcakes (recipe to come!)

The Plan:

1. Guess the Celebrity Couple Game
Prepare by writing or printing out names of famous couples on paper or notecards (i.e. Maid Marian and Robin Hood, Victoria and Beckham, Adam and Eve).
To start: When your guests arrive, stick the paper or tag (without them seeing the name) on their back.
Rules: The objective is to work out who you are. They have to guess the couple on the tag by asking other guests YES and NO only questions about their character. When they guess it they can put the name tag on the front of their shirt.

2. Make a Recipe Scrap Book for the Bride
For the two I’ve lived with her, Jeni has survived on a steady diet of tacos. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we thought it would be nice to make her a recipe book as she starts a new (potentially taco-less) phase of her life.

We asked guests to bring a couple of their favorite recipes. Then we gave everyone a scrapbook page, laid out tons of craft supplies, and let them at it! The bride’s friends are artsy interior-design types, so give them glue sticks and markers and fancy Paper Source paper and they’ll be amused forever. I was very impressed by the results!

3. Open Presents
Umm duh. Shower = shower of gifts! Everyone ate cupcakes and brownies and watched Jeni open many a box from Pottery Barn.

We had another game planned (the Make a TP Wedding Dress game) but the crafting took a while, so we didn't get to it. As all the guests left, I breathed a sign of relief - Bridal Shower SUCCESS! 

Jalapeno Cheddar Hummus (adapted from Eat Live Run)

Ingredients:

2 14.5 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeds removed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup warm water (add more water as needed to make a creamy smooth hummus)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ lemon lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons)

1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Combine the chickpeas, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, water and salt in a vita-mix or food processor. Process until smooth (adding more water if you desire to thin the hummus out a bit).

Add the cheddar cheese and cumin and lemon and cayenne pepper and process again until everything is well combined.

Serve with pita and/or veggies. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip (adapted from Eat Live Run)

*This is not dainty bridal shower food. But it is good, so who cares?

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts

8-oz Frank's Hot Sauce

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces (half a bottle) Ranch dressing

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bake the chicken breasts at 350* for 25 minutes. Cool completely and then pull meat apart with a fork.

In a nine inch casserole dish, spread out the chicken and pour the wing sauce over. Mix well and spread out, covering the entire bottom of the dish.

In a medium sized saucepot, combine the cream cheese and ranch dressing.  Whisk while heating until smooth. You don't want any cream cheese clumps!

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the chicken and spread out. Sprinkle the celery on top. Bake for fifteen minutes at 375*.

After fifteen minutes, sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and continue baking for another ten to fifteen minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for ten minutes. 

Serve with chips, celery sticks and buffalo chicken wings.

Cake of the Week: Wedding Food

First things first, Happy National Human Trafficking Awareness Day! (Bet you didn’t know it was a holiday, did you?) Get more info here.

 

I haven’t baked in 2011! A year without baking? Pish-posh, as if I would ever do something as silly as that! I’ve just been busy with getting back to DC, and skiing, and making pizza, and all that other ridiculousness that I do.

So instead of a new cake, let’s flash back to Sister1’s wedding. The food was absolutely amazing. Sister1 and Geoff did all the desserts themselves, and had the rest catered. Yummm!

There was a make-your-own taco bar, and these fantastic chicken meatballs – in Curry, Pomegranate, and some other flavor I can’t remember…

There was pita and hummus and tapenade, and an amazingly gi-freaking-normous baked brie with caramelized onions and garlic.

And then, of course, the desserts!

A tower of cupcakes (click the names to get the recipes):

Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes

Double Chocolate

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Mocha and Vanilla (Mocha is on the bottom, Vanilla isn't pictured!)

Macaroons, Snicker Doodles, Lemon Burst, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies. (All recipes here.)

And of course – the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

The guests took cupcake boxes home with them (or 2 or 3 or 4) as a wedding favor. 

Oh man, extreme deliciousness!