What Happens in Vegas...

So it begins…my travel season for my “big girl” job officially begins tomorrow at 7:20 a.m.  I’m off to VEGAS baby and I couldn’t be more excited.  Not just because I’m going to my favorite city in the world but because I’m getting the hell outta dodge!

Each year I’m on the road about 10 to 12 weeks, whisking off to here there and everywhere.  Most of the time I’m going to great places like Vegas, Orlando and San Diego but,  sometimes I have to go to not-so-great cities like Philly, Dallas and Atlanta.  Not to say that these places aren’t nice, I just seem to have bad experiences.  Case-in-point…I was stung by a scorpion seven times in Dallas.  Not fun!  But I am really looking forward to this trip.  It’s the first trip of the year, the weather in Vegas looks perfect and I’m traveling with some of my favorite people in the company.  Also, the show that we’re exhibiting at is one of my favorites to organize each year.  It’s just the right size, the attendees are very nice and willing to talk and the show hours are very short leaving us plenty of time to enjoy all of the great parts of Vegas i.e. laying by the amazing pools, gambling, eating delicious foods and sipping on all those wonderful cocktails!  We also have two great parties that we HAVE to go…sounds rough I know.  Are you all jealous yet? 

Now, as the year goes on and I continue to travel, I’m sure there will be many posts that talk about where I’m going and what I’m doing.  Not all of them will be this upbeat.  This happens to be one of my easiest trips of the year in a fantastic city.  Most of the time when I’m on the road, I work four times harder on very little rest and barely any food.  Traveling for work is never as much fun as it sounds and for any of you out there reading this that travel, I know it’s a love hate relationship.  It gets old being out on the road, staying in hotel after hotel, eating out and living out of a suitcase.  I seem to always count the months down to when my season is over and I’m home for a few months.  On the flip side, I’m always counting down the months till I’m back on the road. 

At least I’m starting this year out on a good…did I mention I’m heading to VEGAS?!

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Am I Bathing Suit Ready?

So one week ago today, I decided to join Weight Watchers….the online version, not the “go to a meeting” version.  Most people who see me wouldn’t consider me overweight.  I’m 6’0” tall and I “appear” to be quite thin but believe me, I’m definitely hiding some things under my shirt and I am most definitely NOT bathing suit ready.  According to doctors, I should fall somewhere between 145lbs – 165lbs and right now, I’m on the higher end of that scale and not happy about it.  Now I’ve never done Weight Watchers before and everyone who has swears by it.  Not to mention seeing Jenifer Hudson on the commercials is pretty darn convincing.  She looks fantastic!  Granted, she has personal trainers working with her every day and I don’t but, after one week I can already feel/see a difference and I’m very anxious to get on the scale this morning.

The Weight Watchers program is interesting.  I like that it holds you accountable for everything including, what you are eating, what activities you are doing and more.  I love that it provides recipes and success stories to keep you motivated and I really love that the way it’s set-up, you almost get excited to go online and track your food.  It’s interesting to see what goes in your mouth and how many points you lose for eating something.  By the end of the week, I was no longer snacking on cookies and chips but on bananas and other fruits.  I’ve also changed what I’m buying at the grocery store.  Weight Watchers has also shown me that my biggest food issue is portion control.  I was definitely overeating!  To put it mildly, I was stuffing myself like a pig and it just wasn’t necessary.  Now, I’m not going to lie…this last week I’ve felt like I was starving to death and I really needed to show some serious self-control.  But I survived and I feel less hungry and it’s getting easier.

I don’t know how many of you out there reading this are currently on a diet, on Weight Watchers or thinking about joining Weight Watchers, but I’m going to recommend it.  I find it easier than trying to figure everything out on your own and because it’s a slower more gradual weight loss, it’s far more healthy for you.  You just need to work through the initial hunger and be patient…the weight will come off.

Okay, it’s the moment of truth for me.   After seven days, I have lost…3.6lbs!!!  Holy-cow, I really didn’t expect it to be that much.  YAY me!

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No Betty Crocker

I am not a chef, I am not a baker, in fact, I can’t even convert ounces to cups without the help of Google. But I like to try. I like to check out recipes, drool over how delicious the pictures look, but always manage to get bummed out when my concoction just doesn’t look like the picture.

Most of my cooking adventures fail. Events have resulted in inside jokes such as “the puddle cake” and “melted balls.”

I watch the Food Network and buy cook books, but nothing seems to help. I’ve mastered two meals – crock pot lasagna and potato leek soup. SOMETIMES my cookies turn out OK, but then again, it never fails that I burn one tray.

What does it take, practice? Some lessons? I’m not sure, but what I do know is that I have no natural talent. I’ve babysat for very cuisine-talented families, including the Mineo kids and Miss Laurie’s kids. I’ve eaten some GREAT home-cooked meals, but looks like none of their talents rubbed off. Hell, I cooked those kids mac n cheese or pizza for dinner. Nothing gourmet, and certainly not what they were used to from their parents. I still find Kraft and a Tombstone vital labels in the kitchen.

This weekend, my BFF Jackie and I took part in our latest cooking adventure to break in my new kitchen. This recipe Jackie actually located on Pintrest, but came from The Apron Gal.

Here is a quick peek into our SUCCESSFUL baking quest: Baked S’mores -- get the recipe there

We started by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl to make the crusts. We had to double the recipe, because as per usual, I was not prepared, and did not have the proper sized tray.

Once the dough was made, we placed it in the bottom of the tray and rolled it out pretty thin.
Then we added layer one: CHOCOLATE!

Layer two: FLUFF!

And then Jackie carefully put the top dough layer on... which ended up being way messier than the first dough layerHere is the sweet, sweet dessert - baking away, getting ewwey and gooey

After 30 minutes, and once it was "golden brown" we took it out of the oven. Waiting 15 minutes or so was tough - I wanted to dig in right away!

Here is the final product. Beyond delicious, and tastes just like a camp fire s'more. I would certainly recommend serving them warm, and the next day, just heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds.

Basically, I need help. Our picture does not look like the one from The Apron Gal. But I bet it tasted just as damn good! I would love to take some cooking classes and learn a little more about making quality meals for two. Any suggestions?

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Halloween: The First Party-Holiday of The Season

September, one of my favorite months, is sadly coming to an end today. However, this means the fall/winter holiday season is nearing! The first of the party-holidays, Halloween, falls on a Monday this year, but the weekend prior will surely be full of ghosts and gouls lingering in your neighborhood.

As kids, we all loved to get dressed up and go trick-or-treating with our family and friends. But as we get older, digging your 25-year old hands into a bowl full of M&M's is unfortunately frowned upon. So instead, we have learned to celebrate Halloween with Bloody Mary's and spicy witches brew (see recipe below).

Entertain your friends with a Halloween party that will blow their mind. Tell them to be sure to find a sitter if they have kids because it might end up being like college again and lasting until 4 a.m.

DRESS TO IMPRESS

But don't spend $50 doing it. Take a look at what you have around your house. My favorite costume I ever made (and I am not a seamstress by any means) was Cleopatra. I found an old white bed sheet and made that into my dress. I had an old, long black weave from a previous costume that I cut into the short, Cleo-hair. I then found a gold belt and gold jewelry and made my way to the local Gabes (yes- I go there a lot!). I was able to find cheap and SUPER comfy gold shoes, some gold rope to spice up the dress and some fake snake tattoos for my arms. And there is Cleopatra. Images available by request! :)

EAT & DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY

Use this as an excuse to make girly drinks and creative hors d'oeuvres that the men might try! Find a simple Bloody Mary recipe here. Spicy witches brew is also a treat! There are many other drinks you can sip the night away on. You also can't go wrong with the traditional BBQ bat wings, eyeball platter and toasted pumpkin seeds. Find these and other halloween treats here.

DON'T FORGET THE CANDY

Just because we aren't 5 years old anymore doesn't mean we don't like candy! Hit up your local Sam's Club, Costco, whatever wholesale distributor that you are a member to or can convince your friend to take you, so you can get the best deal on a mixed bag of goodies.

Start planning now so your friends have enough time to find a sitter and plan ahead for the start of the party-holiday season!

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