June 18, 2011

To My Dad

Dad –

I was listening to Pandora the other day while working and guess what song came on (I’ll pretend to wait for a response like we’re on the phone now).

It was one of our faves, “Won’t Back Down.” That song always makes me think of you and Rachie — and the car rides at 5 a.m. to Federal Way for swim meets.

Thinking back on it, I don’t think you could have forced a better song into our lives when we were little. At the time, it was likely to get us all jazzed to swim fast, but now, I’m pretty sure it’s my motto in life.

In writing this post, I started thinking through the many things, like that song, that you’ve instilled in my daily life (like it or not).  All of which have shaped me to be the person I am today.

Somewhere along the way you taught me:

  • How fish should look and TASTE when it’s cooked “right”
  • That “the only stupid question, is the one not asked”
  • That good fish is really only found on one of the coasts (and should be caught same day)
  • That I can do pretty much anything, if I put my mind to it (pretty sure Tom latched on to this one, too…thinking of the triathlons without training…)
  • That not following recipes while cooking and making stuff up is the best way to make create something awesome
  • That it’s okay to say what’s on my mind–in most scenarios
  • That I should sing “Silent Night” to my baby someday to get it to fall asleep
  • To be competitive
  • To ask for help when I need it and that there’s nothing wrong with it
  • That the angel can’t go on top of the Christmas tree until the ENTIRE family is in the room

See? Somewhere along the way, I did listen and learn a thing or two…

And with that, I thank you. For everything.

Wish we could be there to spend the day with you! Soon enough, though (only a few more weeks)!

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

Love you –
Erica

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June 15, 2011

Every Town Needs A Good Grocery Store

Is it really too much to ask for one nice grocery store near our house (under an hour)?

My answer? No. I don’t think so. I’m not even asking for a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s. A Publix, Top Foods or Safeway would work just fine for me.

For the last 49 weeks, we have been shopping for groceries at Wal-Mart, our local Kroger, the local Butcher Shop (which is awesome) and every once and a while, the Commissary on base.

Yes, it seems rediculous to visit three or four stores on a weekly basis just for food, but that’s the only way to get everything we need to feed our cooking habits. Perhaps I could pare down the weekly meals, but that’s no fun — especially when I look forward to cooking and trying out new recipes daily (it’s worth noting the main reason for this is that the restaurants SUCK here — there’s a limited selection and they seem to only offer fried unhealthiness — especially as it relates to appetizers).

Yes, I know I may sound like a snot in writing this post, but it’s something that just kind of blows my mind about this area of the country.

Every store here has poor quality produce, few organic selections, a limited selection, at best, of items like Greek Yogurt. If I had serious dietary restrictions, I’m not sure what I would do!

I’m sure it takes a nice neighborhood and some higher income areas for a Whole Foods to come to town, but I’d think something like a Trader Joe’s might go over well here. It would be the only healthy option and with a military base nearby, I would think that people would flock to spend money there. I must be missing some info. There’s got to be a reason for not building something awesome in Columbus…

What I’d love to find all in one store?

  • Produce doesn’t go bad within two days of purchase
  • Meat or chicken not nearing expiration date, also organic chicken at a ‘reasonable’ price
  • Milk that doesn’t leak when you buy it (and that lasts to its expiration date)
  • Basil that doesn’t wilt or have holes in the leaves
  • Garlic (preferably the ones that aren’t purple — not sure what’s going on there…)
  • Fennel
  • FRESH HERBS!!!
  • Canada Dry Sparkling Water, preferably Raspberry flavor (funny that this is the link that came to the top in my search)
  • A Starbucks (I know, this is probably pushing it)
  • Fully-stocked Chobani Greek Yogurt (they are out almost every time I go to Kroger)
  • Wine (real wine, not that Arbor Mist stuff)
I think that’s it for my ‘priorities,’ though I’m sure I could continue to add to it if I spent some more time on this.  Only a few more months of this (two!) and we’ll hopefully be moving on to a place with some bigger, better, healthier stores…

Until then, I’ll end my rant here and will spend some time thinking of all the goodness that Columbus has to offer. Fried pickles (and every other type of vegetable), Smackers frozen yogurt and the BEST BBQ ever.

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June 13, 2011

Feeling a Bit More Normal

I’ve been meaning to put a new post up for a few weeks now. I just haven’t had the time and to be totally honest, I needed a break from blogging. Not that I write frequently at all, I just tend to experience “computer screen overload” a lot lately.

I’m happy to say though, that I’m finally feeling a bit more normal (or as normal as I was before).

To get us back into the swing of things, here’s a quick recap of what’s been going on in our lives…

May was a CRAZY month for the Cenci household.  It was awesome in that the month itself FLEW by for us and we are now about 9 weeks out (67 days to be exact) from Nick’s PT graduation! It was also awesome because we got to see some of our very favorite people get tie the knot and visit with friends and family for a short chunk of time (photos still to come from these events — once I get my camera back).

I was all stoked to begin the month of travel and reunions. In part because I love weddings, but also because I knew I’d be SUPER busy. By the time I got home from one trip, I had a few days to unpack, try to catch-up on life and then it was time to get ready to leave again.

One thing I didn’t realize though, was that I’m not quick to recover anymore (I’m sure the constant flow of alcohol and lack of sleep helped, too). It’s taken me almost a full two weeks to get caught-up on “life.” And it only took the following:

  1. 64 oz. of bubbly water a day (made with the soda stream, of course!)
  2. Two yoga sessions, weekly (with lots of child’s pose throughout)
  3. Four straight nights of going to bed between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.
  4. A three hour Saturday nap (which preceded and followed by 11 hour sleep nights)
  5. Running and swimming outside in the sun and LOTS of stretching (some of these are even ‘family’ workouts – which is WAY more fun)
  6. Green antioxidant smoothies and multi-vitamins
We also have been working A TON. Nick’s busy flying around the south-eastern US and I’m working on my freelance business and am going to redesign my blog a bit. So far so good. It’s an interesting time to be freelancing, in part because I feel like there’s just so much opportunity out there and that there are so many different directions that I can take my new “career.” I’m still trying to work all of that out. It definitely requires a lot of individual thinking time and exploration, which is something I’m not really used to doing. Will keep you posted on how this one turns out, though.

 

Now, your turn? What have you been up to the last few weeks? Any big plans for the summer?

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May 19, 2011

May is the Month of Weddings!

Apologies in advance for all the exclamation points in this post. I did not use them sparingly…

I’ve been waiting for May to come for the last six months. Why? Because we get to attend the weddings of some of our best friends and family members! If you don’t know me well, let me share with you that I LOVE weddings. I wish I could plan our’s over and over again, just because I loved it so much and there are so many possible FUN ways to do it.

I’m thinking some day I’ll try to be a wedding planner or own a wedding dress shop. I think it really may be one of my true callings (though, I seem to be having a lot of those lately).

So here’s the scoop on our wedding travels this May – it’s awesome.

CHICAGO

Last weekend, was a whirlwind of a trip to Chicago and back — all under 24 hours. I don’t think we were even in the city for more than 15 hours (it all felt a bit like Amazing Race).

We missed the actual wedding due to some fun AF logistics (enough said, this kind of thing happens – all. the. time.), but were thrilled to make it to the reception – just in time to see the beautiful bride and groom! We were also able to do just a LITTLE bit of celebrating.

The reception was GORGEOUS and was hosted at Park Grill in downtown Chicago. Colors were yellow, black and white and there were tulips all over the place (my favorite flower). LOVED it all.

Everything was perfect and it was great to see Nick’s entire family – it’s not often everyone is all together in ONE place! We even got a hotel room upgrade at Hard Rock Hotel Chicago (which never happens to us)!

Fun dancing, great food, great people and one BEAUTIFUL cake!

Congratulations to cousins Jared & Allison!

INDIANAPOLIS

This weekend, I leave for one of my dearest friend’s wedding in Indianapolis. Nick won’t be going along with me on this adventure (again, due to AF stuff), so I’ll be representing the Cenci’s STAG. I leave tomorrow (around 3 a.m. CT) to drive to Birmingham where I will then catch a flight to Chicago. There, I’ll meet up with my friend, Colin. He’s awesome.

We’re going to trek it down to Indy together for the wedding of college room-mate and swimming buddy, Susan and her fiance, Bryan!

Susan and Bryan are just perfect for each other and there’s no doubt in my mind this is going to be one of the most classic and elegant of the Purdue swimming family weddings. Updates and pictures to come!

Congrats to Susan & Bryan! I can’t wait to see you!

AUBURN, AL (felt like that city needed a state with it)

Our final wedding in May, is that of my best friend and FOUR-YEAR college room-mate, Miss Carrie and her fiance, Bryan (funny how my friends are all marrying people named Bryan-with-a-Y).

After my trip to Indy, I’ll come home to lovely Columbus for a few days, then pack up the car and drive down to the beautiful campus of Auburn University (I’ve got a few audio books to get me through the trip). Nick will be driving separately (again, AF).

I’m looking forward to a few days of relaxation and fun – southern style. And I can’t wait to see Bryan and Carrie. They are a perfect couple and are SO much fun to be around. They LOVE life, they LOVE each other, and it shows when you see the two of them together. I can’t wait to see them tie the knot!

This weekend is going to be AN EVENT! All I know is there’s going to be lots of good food, good friends, “air quotes” and lots of good wine. Definitely my kind of event. Can’t wait!

A toast to Carrie & Bryan! I’m so excited for you both! WDE!

Whew! Stay tuned for pictures (and I’m sure a few Facebook updates along the way).

Image Source(s): Tulips – http://www.pinkfrosting.com.au/

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May 13, 2011

Book Review: Attachments

Image Source: Amazon.com

I’m going to just come out and say it – you have to read Attachments.  It’s a new fiction book (released April 14) by Rainbow Rowell.

I finished the book a few weeks ago and just loved it. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. If you liked Something Borrowed or Something Blue by Emily Griffin (which I very much did), I think you’ll like Attachments.

In Attachments, you meet friends Beth and Jennifer — through their e-mail exchanges. In these e-mails, the two talk about anything and everything they shouldn’t be while at work. Especially since their workplace is “monitoring” their e-mails. That’s where Lincoln comes in. He’s the IT guy who’s tasked with reading all the e-mail.

Throughout the book, Lincoln reads through the most personal and detailed e-mail dialogue that two people can have. All the while, he becomes attached and falls for Beth – without having ever met her. How cute is that?!

I won’t give away the ending, but it’s good. In fact, I wanted to keep reading about the characters.

What was interesting about Attachments, was that at times, I felt like I was in the book. Almost like I knew the characters. I think this is because there was so much dialogue and I was able to really sink my teeth into each conversation and exchange between the characters.

I also LOVED the 1999 pop-culture references throughout the book. It made me smile and reminisce just a bit with each new mention. Not sure if that was purposeful, but I liked it. In fact, there were so many details throughout it, that I just found clever and smart.

I hope they make this one into a movie. I love these kind of chck-flicks. It would be a good one to force my husband to watch with me, too.

If you’ve read the book, leave a comment to share what you thought about the book! I’d love to hear it!

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May 8, 2011

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom

Mom,

I’m so lucky you’re my mom and best friend.

Somehow you always know when I need you — even over the phone. It must be some type of sixth, mother sense.

I love our “speaker phone” conversations, the fact that we can really only talk on the phone for 5 minutes at a time, and that you can tell what mood I’m in without seeing me for months.

I appreciate your advice, your stories, your favorite sayings (Carpe Diem!!), how much you care, your love of bassets, and your sense of adventure. You always seem to find the bright, shiny moment even when other’s can’t. This is something you’ve also taught me to do, though, I’m still working on perfecting this.

You’ve taught me a lot over the years without likely realizing it. How to appreciate the little things in life, how to be independent and strong, how to laugh at life’s challenges, and how to tone down it down when I want to “express my feelings” to anyone and everyone who will listen.

I can’t tell you enough how much I cherish our relationship.

Thank you for everything you do and for being such a great mom. I don’t know how you did it, but you did a FABULOUS job.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! Love you!

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May 5, 2011

Stella & Dot

A few month’s ago, I discovered a GEM called Stella & Dot (thanks to my friend Leigh-Anne). For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, I’d like to introduce you. Stella & Dot is a boutique-style jewelry and accessories line sold through Trunk Shows by Independent Stylists and online.

The jewels range from the gorgeous chunky and trendy to the more delicate and light. They even have a special “bridal boutique” for those of you getting married soon. I’ve sprinkled a few of my favorites throughout the post for you.

Now, as most of you know, I’m budgeting my life right now (and have been for the last year or so). Because of this, there aren’t nearly as many shopping sprees in my schedule and I’ve also stopped with the “I’ll buy this because it’s on sale and is only $3″ moments (yes, I’m referencing the ugly GAP baseball hat here).

That’s where my Stella & Dot experience begins. I’ve starting accessorizing my ever-so-stylish-work-from-home plain tanks, tees, yoga pants and jeans using fun, funky jewels. I’ve actually discovered this is a more “budget-friendly” way for me to update my wardrobe (once I got past the initial investment pieces).

And, after spending just a few short months falling in love with this brand and my new jewelry, I decided it was time to introduce my friends to this wonderful stuff, by hosting a virtual trunk show.

If you’re interested in checking out the catalog or in buying some jewelry, here are the details of my trunk show:

  • When – Going on NOW through May 10
  • How and Where – Visit: http://www.stelladot.com/sites/laurensanders. Click “find your hostess” in the upper, right-hand corner of the page, then type “Erica Cenci.” After that, you should be good to go!
  • Why – because it’s awesome (and Mother’s Day, graduations and weddings are coming up and these things come gift-wrapped!)
Other questions that have come up:
  1. Does it ship to me directly? It will be delivered right to you, not me. Whatever you put down as the shipping address, is where your jewels will be sent.
  2. Is it gift-wrapped? Yup.
  3. Where do I find your name? It’s in the upper RIGHT corner of the page. Then you enter my name (ERICA CENCI) into the form field.
  4. Is there anything on sale? YES. These three items are on sale for the next two days only. The Owl Charm Necklace Original Price reg. $44, on sale for $22, the Mimi Necklace reg. $59,  on sale for $35, and the Charlotte Charm Necklace reg. $49, on sale for $36. There is also the Sale list!
I think that about covers it! I hope you LOVE this stuff as much as I do. Also, leave me a comment if you have a question or can’t figure out where to go on the page for the “party.” Happy shopping to you!

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April 25, 2011

Our Easter Feasts

I hope that everyone had a GREAT Easter holiday!

Nick and I played it pretty low-key. We were originally going to trek to Birmingham for the weekend  but decided to stay home and enjoy our own much-needed weekend of relaxation and laziness.

We made a lot of food over the weekend. On Easter specifically, we focused on two big meals:

1. Our breakfast (even though we ate at 1 p.m.), which consisted of a favorite of ours from this springs New Orleans trip to Stanley. This is probably one of the best restaurants in NOLA. They had the BEST Eggs Benedict, which is what we tried to recreate for our meal.

2. Our dinner, which consisted of a crazy amount of prime rib for two and some twice-baked potatoes. Not your typical Easter dinner meal, but just divine.

Here’s a quick look at the food and the recipes we used (just links today, since we had to make a lot of recipes and each one can be found online)!

For Breakfast:

Stanley’s Breaux Bridge Benedict  – Made with Homemade Boudin (a New Orleans sausage, prepared with rice and vegetables). Oh. So. Good. This was a key ingredient for the Breaux Bridge Benedict.

 We made it from scratch versus buying it (because I have no idea where we’d get it here). You can find the link to the recipe above.

Additionally, the recipe calls for poached eggs.

Now, if you’ve never done this on your own, it can be a challenge. We also don’t have a special “egg poacher” to make this happen. Our version is some giant spoons to keep the eggs together in the water – ha!

To complete the recipe, you need some big-freakin’ french bread pieces, hollandaise sauce and American cheese (screams “cure for a hangover,” doesn’t it?).

And finally, when all the pieces are done, you get to stack ‘em up and eat! This recipe then pairs perfectly with a mimosa or a bloody mary to complete your Sunday morning brunch!

Many, many hours later, we made dinner…

For Dinner:

We went with a prime rib and paired it with one of our favorite brands of Cabernet Sauvignon by Louis M. Martini.

We had never made a prime rib before, so it was a fun new dish for us to try. And during the cooking process I definitely learned a few things – one, this is EXPENSIVE to make and two, I like bone-in versus boneless. When you go boneless, you don’t get to snack on the ribs after it cooks – this is  ONE OF THE BEST PARTS!

We followed this recipe for our prime rib. The best part of it? The thyme au jus sauce and the sliced garlic (also note that the thyme au jus makes this recipe – it’s so good you almost want to drink it).

I think we were also surprised at how easy making a prime rib is. You have to do very little to make it taste great. We also timed the cooking perfectly – getting the full range of temperatures in the roast (medium rare to well). This is pretty abnormal for us in testing out recipes.

For the sides, we roasted asparagus with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper (no recipe, it’s just spread over the bunch of asparagus and roasted at at 375 degrees) and then some great twice-baked potatoes. These were pretty easy to make as well. I’m actually going to start making them more often – so good, and so easy to make.

Overall, loved the dinner and the combination of recipes. I think this also makes my list of all-time favorite meals.

How was your Easter? Eat or drink anything wonderful? Spend time with great friends and family? Keep me posted!

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April 19, 2011

Recipe: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

This recipe is just about the easiest thing to make ever AND it tastes REALLY good. I was expecting completely gourmet, but I’m not sure we hit that mark this time (there’s always next week to try again).  It’s a 20-minute meal, but tastes kind-of like you spent an hour cooking. It’s similar to bacon-wrapped chicken breasts (which I’ve never made), but less salty and I believe much healthier.

Here’s what to do to make this dish complete – make a bed of angel hair pasta to put under the chicken and to pour the sauce over. Also, I like to make asparagus with this dish as a side. Add a little lemon zest and it pairs perfectly with the chicken.

As always, “chef’s” notes in parenthesis:

The Chicken Saltimbocca:

  • 4 (4 oz.) chicken cutlets (chicken breast is even better here, IMO)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 12 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 oz sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (2 for each cutlet)
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/3 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (No need to use fresh, any lemon juice will work. I also thought this was too much, made the sauce very lemony, use your judgement on this one)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (I used more – but don’t go over a tablespoon, the sauce will be too thick)
  • Lemon wedges (always optional)
  • Pepper (I added this, I think the sauce could use it)
  • Parmesan (Added this to the recipe, cheese makes everything better!)
For the asparagus:
  • Bunch of asparagus (trimmed)
  • Olive oil (to drizzle on the top of asparagus)
  • Salt/Pepper
  • Lemon (for zesting over the top of asparagus)
  • Parmesan (for sprinkling on top)
Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3-4 sage leaves on each piece of chicken (4-5 for the breasts). Then wrap two prosciutto slices around each piece of chicken securing the leaves in place.

At this time, I’d preheat the oven to 400 for the asparagus. Place the asparagus on a cookie sheet with some olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Spread evenly across the sheet, ensuring there is one layer and that all spears are covered evenly with the oil and toppings. Bake under high heat for about 15 minutes, tossing once.

Now, for the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon oil to pan; cook for two minutes on each side or until done (Ours took a LOT longer than two minutes on each side because we used chicken breasts vs. cutlets. Keep that in mind when you are cooking. Also, I covered with a lid for a while to help the chicken along). Then, remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute or until it slightly thickens (THIS was an issue for me. I did the sauce three times, all three with different amounts of cornstarch. I just didn’t believe that the 1/2 teaspoon was enough. Eventually, I used just over a 1/2 teaspoon to get this sauce right. It shouldn’t be think and you don’t need to use any amount over a tablespoon. It will actually be pretty runny by sauce standards. We also thought it was a BIT on the lemony-side and I’d add pepper).

Once you’re through there, pour sauce over chicken and angel hair pasta on the plate and serve with your asparagus side. Sprinkle Parmesan on top to-taste.

The original recipe is from the Jan/Feb issue of Cooking Light and serves four.

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April 18, 2011

Things I Freakin’ Love

Every once and a while, it’s good to sit down and run through all the things that make you smile in life.

Penny!

Here’s my list today. Try making your own – it just might improve your day.
  1. Finally mastering a tough yoga pose (mine was Crow)
  2. Hummus
  3. Penny
  4. Cheese and crackers for lunch (or really any time of the day or night)
  5. My Sodastream machine
  6. Weeds
  7. Tulips
  8. Spring weather in Mississippi
  9. My Women’s Health magazine
  10. This video.
  11. Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas” (All. Year. Long.) UPDATE: Click here to watch – it’s absolute BLISS.

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