Paint n' Partyin

A few weeks ago, Kathleen, Lindsay, Devin and I decided to cash in our Groupon that we purchased last Spring and make our artistic dreams of being painters come true. We went to Painting with a Twist, which is like the Paint n' Party of our youth, but with wine and cheese this time! You can bring your own wine and food and learn how to paint the same generic painting as everyone else, while adding your own unique, drunk twist. And that we did.

When we originally found out what we were painting, a boozy redhead party girl entitled "Lucy on the Loose", I was a little irritated. Of ALL the selections, we have to do this one? What am I supposed to do with this? But as Lindsay pointed out...was this not the most appropriate/awesome painting this group of girls could have done? You bet it was!

The beginning of the end of Lucy. On the loose.

I'm concentrating very hard on blending my blue and white and painting the dress within the lines.

Halfway there....

All four of us with our finished paintings! As you can see, they are all the same, but DIFFERENT. Creativity people!! I'm jealous of Devin's blonde one. Sigh.

The finished product was a wild haired Lucy who was living the dream. As my friend Moll said, "Excuse me, bartender? I'll have what she's having!" But seriously.

AH!

Let's start a riot! The Rangers just won against the f-ing YANKEES and we're going to the WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!

We are starting a naked riot here in Uptown so whoever wants to come, come on over and join us.

Terry Getting Married

One of my b-fris Tara got ENGAGED this weekend! Yay! She met her fiance, Tully, 4 months ago - which just goes to show that anything can happen and God has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. We were fortunate enough to get to go out to Tully's ranch to surprise her and celebrate, and that ranch is AMAZING.

Infinity pool overlooking the Texas Hill Country, anyone? Tully said we were welcome out there anytime but I'm not exactly sure he knows what he's offering. Cause I'd be there every weekend. It's a resort.

That's me and my boo, just clownin around in front of a beautiful sunset. La la la.

Tully and Tara smiling and laughing and being lovers in love! His dad was giving a very sweet wonderful toast and we were guzzling champagne.

Check out her sparkler! This thing really will blind you and I ain't lyin'.

Lovers in love! Again! Happiness! Love! Yay! Exclamation points!

I am super pumped up and happy for these two. As you can see, they are a gorgeous couple inside and out! I've only gotten to hang out with Tully a few times, but I know that I already love him and can't wait to get to know him better in the upcoming months and years. Congrats to T&T!!

Birthday Bonanza

I haven't written in awhile and the people have been begging for my return. The only reason for my absence I can think of is that I got a new computer (more on that later) and I've been trying to figure out how to use it and make life easier...but it HASN'T been easier. So here I am.

My birthday was this past week and it was a lovely few days. My boss brought me flowers and a cupcake and everyone at work gave me a sign, I received cards and gifts from friends and loved ones, my b-fris took me to a fun lunch, and I got a delicious meal from Houston's out of the deal. I am now officially 26, which is officially closer to 30 than 20. I don't feel old enough to be 26 - which makes me wonder if this is how our parents feel. They continue to get older but mentally they feel young and spry. It's a tale as old as time I'm afraid.

ANYWAYS....

Here's me at my parent's house for my birthday dinner, blowing out my candles.

The flowers my boss brought me! Sunny and cheery and bright! Eeeeeee.

On Saturday, Drew and I decided to go to the State Fair o' Texas for some old school eating and drinking. Surprise. (I think I should change my blog title to "Eating and Drinking with Lauren and Drew". That's all I do and talk about on this damn thing.) Baylor and Tech had their football game at the Cotton Bowl and we were hoping they would be cleared out of the Fair by then - WRONG. Instead, we had to walk around and avoid Tech trash and defeated Baylor bears. Sigh. It was still fun though!!!

Corny Dogs! I'm the only person in the world I know that eats their's with only ketchup. So sue me.

A delicious cinnamon roll that Drew always has to get every time we're at the Fair. It's damn good. And soft and doughy and sweet and covered in frosting.

We also had heard great things about the Fried Oreos, so after much debate, we decided to wait in line for almost 30 minutes for these pups. I don't know if it was worth it or not...? They were good and Oreo-y (especially with a topping of Blue Bell ice cream for only 3 tickets more) but we didn't eat all of it and probably wouldn't get it again. But go crazy if you want to and try some too!

My boo wanted to flex his basketball muscles (as the former Top Outside Shooting Threat for Lake Highlands High School, have I ever mentioned that?) and promised me he would win us some UT paraphanelia. Sure enough, he sunk those baskets and made the dream come true. We now have a collection of UT basketballs that we had to cart around the Fair all day. But doesn't he look so cute and proud?

It was a really fun birthday week/weekend! And I'll try to be better about writing more frequently. See you later suckers.

Southbound 35

We went out of town in late August and early September to hang out and see friends, and I keep meaning to post stuff about it!

Drew and I decided to take a weekend away in Austin a few weeks ago to celebrate...our love! Or something. We both went to UT and going back to Austin is always fun for us - especially when we make lists of restaurants to frequent while we're there. The most stressful part is picking where to eat and what to do because there's SO MUCH!

Our hotel room at the Stephen F. Austin!

Another view of our hotel room!

Another great reason to be in Austin was to see my brother. He and his wife just moved there from Berlin to get his PhD at UT - he's evidently addicted to learning. A gene/hobby/interest that I was not blessed with. We went to dinner at Mandola's, a cute Italian restaurant that has the BEST PIZZA in the city!!! (In my opinion.) And then we pretended like we were young and still living the dream and went to Cain and Abel's for a few drinks. Sigh.

The next morning we stopped by John and Lauren's apartment and this is what we found greeting us at the door. Some may say it's fitting.

My brother showcasing their awesome place!!

The cutest chair in all the land in their apartment. She just picked these two fabrics to recover the chair with and voila, the coolest thing ever.

We also went to Kirbey Lane, THE quintessential Austin/college breakfast locale, and I ordered the Kirbey Queso as an appetizer to my breakfast. That's right. I got the Veggie Scramble because I'm super healthy and food concious, and Drew got the basic breakfast thingy majig - gingerbread pancakes and bacon and eggs and deliciousness. At some point during this breakfast and all the food photography, my brother accused me of being a Food Pornographer and indulging in Food Pornography. And you know what? I LIKED it. If loving food porn is wrong, then I don't wanna be right. This continued throughout the weekend.

Next up was a trip to South Congress to hit up the weirdo beardo shops and get some more food. There are lots of weirdo beardo people walking around there too, but I guess that's part of the fun.

A pair of boots I liked for myself at Allen's Boots. Perhaps I'll buy them sometime.

We needed something cool and refreshing on the hot summer day, so we stopped at a parking lot full of food trucks. They're all the rage right now, you know. A pink lemonade shaved ice and we were on our way to the next truck....

Hey Cupcake! Oh, hi! Great to see you.

This is just your basic, run o' the mill vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing, but it sure didn't TASTE basic or run o' the mill. It tasted like something I would have made myself but BETTER.

We then stopped by Abel's on the Lake for an afternoon margarita and to enjoy the sights on the lake. And the college kids acting like they all are supposed to. Ohhh to be young again! A quick stop by the hotel to nap and change, and we were on our way to our favorite place ever: MOONSHINE.

Moonshine has the best brunch in the state, and it's worth every damn penny. Drew chose to forego the brunch, much to my dismay, because he said he'd be miserable the rest of the day. SO WHAT. I am always willing to risk misery for the Moonshine brunch. However, we decided to go to dinner instead, which is the next best thing.

This is an elementary school caliber picture of my Ruby Red Slipper martini. Vodka, grapefruit juice, and champagne. Mmmmm.

I believe in Food Porn, this would be called the Money Shot. Ooooooh baby. That was some crab stuff rainbow trout with some veggies, corn salsa, and mac and cheese, of course. I think I ate every single crumb and was tempted to lick my plate. Sorry not sorry.

Kirk came and met us for a drink at our hotel, we got breakfast tacos in the morning (another major bonus) and we were on our way. It was so fun! I think we hit up everywhere we wanted to and successfully completed our food tour of Austin. (Side note: whenever people ask me how a trip to NYC, Austin, or anywhere else was, I usually say something like "It was fun! We pretty much ate our way through the city!" I wish I could say something else about my trips, but I suppose this is the life of a Food Pornographer.) We had a great time and can't wait to go back!

The Best of What's Around

Drew and I had the distinct pleasure of going to the Dave Matthews concert this weekend. This is Drew's 11th concert and I think my...6th. Maybe. Drew has loved DMB from day one and I'd like to think that he's gone to most of those 11 concerts with me. But maybe not.

We were fortunate enough to land PIT tickets, which is the closest we've ever been! We were about 12 feet from the stage and it was awesome. And we were two inches from catching a signed drumstick that Carter Beauford threw into the crowd!! Damnit!



We got to the concert at Coca Starplex (which is what it is called and what it should always be called) early, with a pizza from iFratelli's to binge on and all of our drink materials. We sat "tailgating" in the car for an hour or so, judging people and watching all the douche lords around us act a fool. I also had two friends that were there tailgating near us, so we finished up, made a fresh bev, and headed over to hang out with them and louge around for a little while before we went inside.

As we were nearing departure time to head into Starplex, Friend #1 says, "So...do you guys need anything before we go?" with a sly look in her eye. Anything? What does she mean? "What do you mean?" I ask. "LAUREN!", she says. "Come ON." while Friend #2 procedes to nod affirmatively and the two disappear behind the car. Drew and I stand there dumbfounded, not EXACTLY knowing what they're referring to, but feeling stupid nonetheless. We look at each other and he asks "What were they talking about?" and I shrug and reply "Drugs, maybe...? I have no idea." Hmm. Drew and I decide it's about time to go inside and check out the scene anyway, so instead of standing there sucking my thumb like a 12-year-old IDIOT, I walk around to the other side of the car where the Friends are now INSIDE the car, smoking the doja. Excellent. I was right. They encourage me to get in and get going and that everything will be fine, while I proceed to make up something about getting drug tested at my job and that Drew's ready to go inside and scout it out. I politely shut the door and let them continue to hotbox. See you guys inside!!

It's just funny to me that, while that stuff doesn't bother me, I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about as an almost 26 year old, and that I felt as stupid and idiotic and clueless as I did when I was in high school and other Friends acted the same way. I felt like the naive freshman at the party who wanted to act cool and like she fits in, when really...she has no clue what the hell is going on. I proceeded to beat myself up for feeling and acting so stupid all the way inside until we got to the PIT and all my troubles melted away.

The concert was awesome. He played some old stuff, some new stuff, some secret stuff I'd never heard, and some CLASSIC stuff that the crowd went nuts for. Drew and I were dancin the whole time like we too had hotboxed before the concert too - which might have something to do with the weed being smoked to the left, right, front, and back of us - and it was so much fun.

I love DMB for a number of reasons. First, he plays good music. Second, all his music makes me nostalgic. Third, during his concerts, he gives every single member of his band the opportunity to play by themselves for the crowd for a LONG ASS period of time, and Dave is just smiling and acting as happy as can be the whole time. He seems to genuinely love the people in his band and loves giving them their time to jam. Fourth, I like the people in his band, particularly Boyd Tinsley, who is a crazy mofo with long dreadlocks who wears zany outfits and goes bonkers on the violin.

Lastly, I love DMB because they've sort of been the background of Drew and I's relationship since I've known him. We first started becoming friends the summer before 9th grade, when I was obsessed with "Before These Crowded Streets" and made my mom take us to watch the guy's baseball games. Later, one of my earliest memories I have with Drew is me running up to him in 9th grade after school, outside waiting with all the kids for our parents to pick us up, and saying "DREW! I just got the 'Crash' album! It's my second Dave Matthews CD! I know what a Dave freak you are - aren't you proud of me??" And I remember Drew chuckling and saying he was proud of me and then he probably turned around to go shoot a basketball or something because he was super shy back in the day and didn't say much to me or any female, for that matter. I guess we started dating almost 2 years later (and many more Live DMB albums later) and we've been listening to Dave and going to his concerts together ever since. And the three of us lived happily ever after.

A great time was had by all! (Do I end every post like that? It's possible.)

Bad Rep

I'm here today to talk about a very controversial topic. MEATLOAF.



Meatloaf has had a bad reputation for decades, and I'm not sure why. Was it the weird singer from the 80s? Is it the thought of a block of meat that turned people off? What IS IT!? Drew mentioned something about meatloaf to our church group the other day and you would have thought we were suggesting they eat worms or something.



While not all meatloafs are created equal, I'm here to tell you that meatloaf is not as terrible as one may think. In fact, it's pretty damn good. Especially mine. I invite anyone over to try it and tell me they still hate it. If you like hamburgers, then you'll like meatloaf.



I have included pictures and my mother's recipe (which I now use and have always loved) for you to try at home.

Combine a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground turkey in a bowl. (We use half turkey to be healthier).
Chop up an onion.

Pour aforementioned onion in bowl.

Add a can of tomato sauce.

Add 2 cups of oatmeal to give it some texture.

You will then also add 1.5 teaspoons of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, as well as 2 eggs to really bind it.

You will then take your dinosaur-looking CLEAN hands and start mixing all of the ingredients together! It's the only way to do it.

You will then seperate the mixture into two...sections of equal size. This is where it looks like something people won't want to eat. But WAIT! There's more.

You then flatten out your mound on fol or waxed paper, and pat our a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick by 8 inches by 15 inches.

The directions then claim that you need to sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese on the rectangle, but I always put more. Which is what makes it great. Try to leave a little bit of a border.

From the narrow end, you will then roll it up jelly-roll style, using the foil to help you roll it. Or your husband if he's around.

You seal "seams" on the sides/ends, and place it in a foil-lined loaf pan, or one sprayed with cooking spray. Gently pat it out to fill the pan. (I usually make two at a time to freeze for another night. Or to make right then for lunches.)

You then pour a combo of canned tomato sauce and ketchup over each loaf and spread it out to cover them.

You will then bake each meatloaf for 1 to 1.25 hours at 350 degrees (the long baking time is the only annoying part) and take out and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Then you'll slice into it and devour the cheesy oniony tomatoey goodness that is Jane's Meatloaf.

Though these aren't perfect slices, hopefully this looks like something you want to eat. I know I do. And if you don't then don't even tell me.

Voila! Now you too can make a delicious meatloaf and prove everyone else, maybe even yourselves, wrong. Wahoooooo.

NYC Part Deux

Part Two of my New York trip will be much shorter and sweeter, considering that last post took me 4 months to actually write. This will just be a picture post! (For the most part.)

Brunch at Clinton Street Bakery! Super long wait (where we were able to walk to a food market and get smoothies) but totally worth it!

Pancakes. Heavenly.

Some delicious scrambled egg dish. An omelet maybe? I can't remember but it was delish and I want it now.



After brunch, we walked around more places, and got 3 baby cupcakes at Baked By Melissa! They're like mini cupcake shots.

Then we talk a long stroll through the Meatpacking District and walked on the High Line, an above-ground railroad track that's been converted into a park. Really pretty and relaxing!

A view of the MPD from the HL.

We then stopped in to the Chelsea Food Market (one of my favorite spots in the city) and decided to try this new popsicle stand that opened there. It was a much needed refreshment after our long day of walking.

I tried the plum/thyme popsicle. Weird pairings/flavors but just what I needed!

After a quick cat nap and some getting ready, we took a cab over to Bistro Bagatelle for dinner with Meredith's friends.

The next picture requires a story. We had a lovely dinner at this classic French restaurant, and all the while, the girls were telling me about the awesome sundae (with a lit sparkler!) the restaurant will bring out if it's someone's birthday. We were all laughing about how awesome it would be if we could see one. Too bad it was no one's birthday at the table. I go to the bathroom at some point after our meal (and saw Jesse Palmer along the way), and then quickly returned to my seat to enjoy the evening. All of a sudden, the waiter is carrying a HUGE bowl of ice cream towards us with a HUGE lit sparkler shooting out from the top! The rest of the girls start singing "Happy Birthday" to Meredith at the top of their lungs and a stunned Meredith begins screaming in shock at the top of her lungs - (a) because she was really shocked and (b) we had to keep the pretense up that it was her birthday. Meredith's birthday was actually almost 3 months ago at this point. I am laughing so hard I'm crying at the sheer ridiculousness of the spectacle and the whole restaurant is staring at us. It was one of the funniest parts of the trip.

Meredith's sparkler birthday sundae. I'm so glad I was able to be there to celebrate with her.

We then stopped by a bar with the girls and then went to another awesome hot spot (that we usually go to every time I'm there because of the great music), Automatic Slims, to meet up with some of Mere's church friends. We walked home in the rain and may or may not have eaten a large slice of Joe's Pizza. And we may or may not have stopped somewhere else (maybe another food establishment, maybe not) after that. Psshh. Whatever.

We got up and packed and walked over to Westville, a super small restaurant in the Village that serves a DELISH breakfast and brussel sprouts that evidently change one's life. I know they changed mine. I ate my breakfast burrito, Mere took me by Sarah Jessica Parker's apartment, and I was in a cab on my way to the airport before I knew what hit me.

It was a reallllly awesome trip overall, and we literally just ate our way through the city. Which is right up my alley. I plan on going back around the same time next year so let me know if you (all my thousands of readers/fans) are interested. I can't wait to go back!