I don't know who I was for Halloween, but I know I was fabulous!

Actually, me & some of the other gals in the Mktg department were all fabulous. Perhaps some more than others...


Ha! I initially set out with the goal of impersonating the Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kim Zolciak, however when my wig turned out to be a bit curlier than expected, it opened the doors to multiple impersonation options.

Here's another "Housewife," Teresa from New Jersey & I, at odds once again about whose season on Bravo TV was more successful - I think we all know which was everyone's favorite...


Other ideas of who I was for Halloween ranged from Christina Aguilera and Dolly Parton, to Taylor Swift (what?!?) and many others. What do you think:


And yes. That, my friends is a Magenta "silk" jumpsuit = one piece. I located this little treasure at a mall that's now - ahem - not as "upscale" as others; in fact I had to have a friend accompany me in for my safety. But luckily I found this item of clothing at a store (no, not a costume store) called Gili along with the belt. The jewelry was all from Icing and vest... it's mine. Seriously :-) I love it.

Here's Margaret, another Marketing team member, who achieved the "scariest" costume of the year. She went as "Swine Flew." Get it?!? Swine flew = swine flu, H1N1.... this skinny minni literally had to make a padded suit to better portray her version of swine - hahahahahaha!


And a quick group shot... including a ParrotHead to the right who decorated her whole work space to reflect Jimmy Buffett tailgating excitement & played "Hamburger in Paradise." All. Day. Long. It was awesome!


What about you... how was your Halloween, do you dress up for work & get a bit crazy?!?

XOXO

The Crock Pot Champion

Yeah... that's right! My Slow Cooked Winter Bread Pudding with Buttery Apple Brandy Sauce won in the misc. category (there were other first place winners in both the Soup & Chili categories as well) in yesterday's Crock Pot cook off!!!!!!!! I was up against some other super delicious dishes too - a Pumpkin Pie Pudding, a yummy Jambalaya, Italian Beef sammies and SO much more - I was definitely thrilled to be a winner :-)


Now that you all KNOW this is a winning Bread Pudding recipe, you're going to have to try it out for yourself, so I'll post it one last time:

Slow Cooked Winter Bread Pudding

Ingredients
• 1 loaf (about 1 pound) cinnamon-raisin Challah bread, preferably stale, cut into 1/2” cubes (about 6 cups)
• 1 quart (4 cups) half-and-half
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple brandy
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 12 ounces dried apples & pears chopped

Topping
• 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed together
• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
• Whipped cream (spiked with a bit of Grand Marnier)
• Buttery apple brandy sauce (recipe below)

Directions
Whisk the half-and-half, eggs, sugar, whiskey, vanilla, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a large bowl to create custard mixture.

Toss bread cubes and chopped dried fruit together and place into the slow cooker. Pour custard over top and press down lightly until all bread is covered with custard. (I covered mine with the custard & let it sit over night in the fridge to allow maximum absorption.)

Cover and cook on LOW until pudding puffs and is just set, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove insert from the slow cooker and cool on a rack, about 20 minutes.

Spoon pudding into large cups or bowls and sprinkle each serving with cinnamon sugar, and toasted nuts. Top with whipped cream or buttery apple brandy sauce, if desired.

Buttery Apple Brandy Sauce:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten lightly
1/3 to 1/2 cup apple brandy, to taste (I used less than this – probably closer to 1/4 cup)

In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan combine all ingredients except the brandy and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat immediately; do not allow the sauce to boil. Add the brandy, stir to combine, and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with Bread Pudding. (The sauce can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container. Warm gently before serving.)

Yield: 2 1/4 cups

Enjoy & happy Crock Pot-ing!

XOXO

It's Crock Pot Cook-Off Time

Today, the company I work for is hosting a Crock Pot Cook Off! Now that you all know about my super-competitive nature, you'll know I'm participating. And no, not just to have fun - I'm in it to win it :-)

Initially it was difficult to pick just one recipe to enter into the contest... It was between a fabulous Winter Bread Pudding (recipe inspiration here) with Buttery Apple Brandy sauce (sauce inspiration here) and my ultimate comfort food: Crab & Corn Chowder with Shrimp. When I was explaining this to the great gals organizing this event, they informed me that I could submit as many dishes as I'd like - YESSsss.....! So to make my chances of winning even better, I've entered both dishes into the contest. Here's what the bread pudding should look like, topped with a bit of my homemade Grand Marnier spiked whipped cream:

image

I did a test run on the crock pot bread pudding this past weekend, for the Hub's Grandpa's birthday dinner celebration, and it was a BIG hit... especially that Butter Apple Brandy sauce :-) He even poured it all over his birthday pound cake, ha!

Here's the recipe:

Slow Cooked Winter Bread Pudding

Ingredients
• 1 loaf (about 1 pound) cinnamon-raisin Challah bread, preferably stale, cut into 1/2” cubes (about 6 cups)
• 1 quart (4 cups) half-and-half
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple brandy
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 12 ounces dried apples & pears chopped

Topping
• 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed together
• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
• Whipped cream (spiked with a bit of Grand Marnier)
• Buttery apple brandy sauce (recipe below)

Directions
Whisk the half-and-half, eggs, sugar, whiskey, vanilla, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a large bowl to create custard mixture.

Toss bread cubes and chopped dried fruit together and place into the slow cooker. Pour custard over top and press down lightly until all bread is covered with custard. (I covered mine with the custard & let it sit over night in the fridge to allow maximum absorption.)

Cover and cook on LOW until pudding puffs and is just set, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove insert from the slow cooker and cool on a rack, about 20 minutes.

Spoon pudding into large cups or bowls and sprinkle each serving with cinnamon sugar, and toasted nuts. Top with whipped cream or buttery apple brandy sauce, if desired.

Buttery Apple Brandy Sauce:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten lightly
1/3 to 1/2 cup apple brandy, to taste (I used less than this – probably closer to 1/4 cup)

In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan combine all ingredients except the brandy and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat immediately; do not allow the sauce to boil. Add the brandy, stir to combine, and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with Bread Pudding. (The sauce can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container. Warm gently before serving.)

Yield: 2 1/4 cups

I think it's a definite winner! Now, if my Crab & Corn Chowder w/Shrimp holds its ground in the contest's soup category, we'll be good to go!

There are three Crock Pot cook off categories - Soup, Chili & Miscellaneous. As you can see, I've entered two of the three categories. Top prize in each category is a free paid day off work & second prize is a highly coveted parking spot in our lot, right close to the team member entrance ;-)

I'm crossing my fingers today...

I should have been a contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire..."

That's right - and I would probably win the million-dollar prize too!

I've recently unearthed my talent for trivia while playing Delta's InFlight Trivia Challenge game on the way back from Vegas. The Hubs began playing it, and he's a smart guy, so he did well. But he didn't win his round. Then, I joined in, with the username: "AW," just to see how we'd compete against each other.

I quickly gained ground... quickly selecting the correct answer for maximum point value, inching higher and higher to the top of the leader board. Until - I was in firs place, beating everyone else by more than 1,000 points - the Hubs couldn't believe it!


Finally the game commenced and I was announced the winner... It was a great moment.


Okay, okay, so it may not be some great honor, but I've got to work with what I'm given & if being the in-flight trivia champion of Delta flight 24, service from Las Vegas is all I've got, then I'm going to revel in it. And schmear the Hub's face in it - because I beat him!!!

Ha, I won, I won! It certainly make our flight more enjoyable & this is the ideal activity for someone as competitive as myself :-)

What are your favorite in-flight activities - what keeps you occupied on long flights?

Happy hump day!

XOXO

Sensational Sin City

The Hubs & I had a fantastic time in Las Vegas, so I thought it was finally time to share a few pictures from our time spent out West...


This was our view at dinner one night, right in front of "Lake Bellagio" with an ideal viewing point for the fountain show, as depicted in these videos posted a few days ago.


We went to Vegas so that I could attend a {wonderful!!!} conference for work, so we stayed a bit off the strip, but very close to the convention center. Unfortunately this meant for an expensive taxi ride any time we wanted to visit one of the "big time" hotel/casinos :-(

Well, the Hubs wasn't going to stand for that. No sir! During my first full conference day, he took to the Vegas monorail. And I think it might have just become his favorite thing about Sin City. The only negative - it doesn't go to the airport... In the Hub's words: "Dammit, what kind of city transit system doesn't go to an airport?!? Come on! Event Atlanta's crappy Marta system has a station at the airport and DC's Metro system has access to the airport. This is ridiculous."

Soon enough, he got over it. Here he is enjoying a ride on the Las Vegas Monorail:


While I was off "conferencing away," the Hubs took to the streets of Vegas, intent on seeing all he could & visiting as many casinos as possible. He was determined to locate at least one very lucky nickel machine.

After his initial visit to the strip, he took me to the MGM Grand....



The Hubs just knew I'd love to see the lion habitat located right inside the MGM grand - it awesome!!!


This gal had the right idea, and if I were a lion, this is exactly where I'd like to be...


Nest we visited another of the Hub's favorite places - New York, New York:


I have to admit - the structure is pretty fantastic & the roller-coaster, which rides in & out of the actual building, is fantastic & think the Hub's favorite part about New York, new York was the Nine Fine Irishmen pub, located conveniently right off the casino floor :-)



Not to mention those great nickel slots he located & unending flow of rum punch for me!


He just had to have a picture with these perfectly aged steaks...


Ready to go out for dinner & a bit of gambling - I believe this is the night we went to Bouchon, located in the Venetian. My favorite meal of the trip in my very favorite Vegas hotel & casino.


The weather was fantastic the entire time we were there and I truly got a LOT out of the conference! I'm so grateful that the hubs was able top tag along as he deserved some time away from work - it was a great time!

You've got front row seats to the Bellagio fountain show!

When the Hubs & I were in Vegas last week, we had dinner at Olives, located inside the Bellagio. I didn't make the reservations based on the food {it was just okay & I probably wouldn't eat there again - shells in my shrimp pasta!?!}, I made the reservation based solely on the fact that we would be able to enjoy the famous Bellagio fountain show at our own private table, out on the patio while we enjoyed a meal together.

It was THE perfect plan & our table could not have been more ideal. We were literally sitting right in the center of the patio, on the railing, overlooking a fabulous view of "Lake Bellagio." And the fountain show didn't disappoint (well, perhaps the "Proud to be an American" number was a bit over my cheesy meter range) complete with some favorite Frank Sinatra tunes - it was a blast!

Here are a few quick videos I took, with my camera, so I apologize for the poor quality, but you'll get the gist. Oh, and the quick cut off? Our entrees arrived :-) Hey! Keeping my priorities in check, alright?!?

Enjoy...

It felt great to have such wonderful seats & not packed in with the masses, along the railing buffering the strip from the lake - we didn't want to leave!

Who's "Over The Top"?!?

Well, Mrs.sHp over at Our Three Ring Circus thinks I am & I know so many of you are too :-) That's why she passed this wonderful award along to me... now I can pass it on to some of my favorite bloggers!


But first, just like with any fun award, I owe you a couple of things. A couple of one-worders to be exact. One word answers to these questions/statements:

1. Where is your cell phone? love-seat

2. Your hair? brown

3. Your mother? beautiful

4. Your father? Handy

5. Your favorite food? Cajun

6. Your dream last night? nah...

7. Your favorite drink? Tea

8. Your dream/goal? Fulfillment

9. What room are you in? Living

10. Your hobby? Cooking

11. Your fear? Sadness

12. Where do you want to be in six years? Family

13. Where were you last night? Parent's

14. Something that you aren't? Indifferent

15. Muffins? Blueberry

16. Wish list item? Travel

17. Where did you grow up? Peachtree

18. Last thing you did? Played

19. What were you wearing? Slippers

20. Your TV? House

21. Your pets? Maxie

22. Friends? Funny

23. Your life? Rich

24. Your mood? Overwhelmed

25. Missing someone? Sister

26. Vehicle? Smart

27. Something you're not wearing? Polish

28. Your favorite store? Banana

29. Your favorite color? Green

30. When was the last time you laughed? Evening

31. Last time you cried? Month

32. Your best friend? Hubs

33. One place that I go over and over? Mall

34. One person who emails you regularly? Daddy

35. Favorite place to eat? Mexican!

Now I get to pass this award on to some of my favorite bloggers who can complete this fun, one-wordie {very hard for us blog writers!} questionnaire :-) Here goes...

Ally @ Life's a Beach

The *brand* new Mrs.Dew @ Life After I "Dew"

THE Domestic Goddess

Ashley, another new Mrs. @ Let Go, Laughing

Jenn's back {!!!} @ Bending the Truth

Have fun ladies & please pass along to some of your lovly bloggie friends!

XOXO

Pumpkins & Puppy Chow

You know fall's here when all your favorite home accent stores & craft stores start discounting all those Autumn-themed items... and when your Marketing department holds a Fall Fun/Pumpkin Carving Party.

Ours was last week & a TON of fun! We'd all been talking about our pumpkin designs & what treats we were bringing for the group to snack on. It was the perfect evening... there was a slight chill in the air, but we were warmed with a bit of hot apple cider, spiced with a few cinnamon sticks I had going in my crock pot. Here are {most} of the ladies of Marketing & our super-scary pumpkins:

Yours truly is second from the right & although you can't see my completed masterpiece very well, trust me when I said I surprised myself with my pumpkin carving abilities. I must have gotten them from my father as he creates THE most stunning Halloween pumpkins every year. I mean, seriously. I think the neighborhood kids come for the pumpkin more than for the sweets, unless Mom has made a batch of her famous caramel apples... but that's another post.

Here's the design I used to carve my pumpkin:

I found it here, with tons of other great {and free!} templates.

And for my sweet snack I brought along to share - everyone's favorite & very addictive, Puppy Chow:

image & recipe here

You may also know this delicious snack by the name of White Trash, at least that's what I've heard it called here in the de-licious deep South :-)

We all had a wonderful time, enjoying lots of goodies, up to our elbows in pumpkin gunk and designing our orange masterpieces. Let's just hope that it lasts until All Hallows Eve!!!

Happy Halloween :-)

End to the haitus, black boots, yummy recipes & Las Vegas...

You may not have noticed, but I've been a bit MIA lately. I didn't mean for it to happen - truly, I feel bad. But, things just got busy.

The Hubs is still uber-devoted to that parking deck, but hopefully this affair will come to an end this weekend & I'll get my sweetie back. At least until the next BIG project hits.

Last week I traveled to NYC for a few days for work. My company hosted an event at the historic Christie's auction house, in Rockefeller Center, in conjunction with Elle Decor magazine and it was fantastic! The "Young Collector's" cocktail party was totally fun & there were some unique characters in attendance :-) The items up for auction had low minimums & of course, I fell in love with a few things, but alas, but budget doesn't even allow for too many "Young Collector" priced items.

I've been shopping around for a fab pair of black winter boots - I'm still in love with a soft & supple brown leather pair that I bought last year that fits just perfectly with skinny jeans tucked in, or to compliment a sweater dress, but I'm in need of black! I purchased a pair the other evening, at Macy's and although I couldn't find them online, they look like a combination of these two pairs:





Now, I'm just not loving them anymore. I think I want something a bit more classic in styling, and not quite as funky, chunky & trendy - you know? Maybe something more like these two pairs:





What do you think? Keep the fun, slouchy, trendy ones I've already purchased or exchange them for the more classic styling of the ones above?

In other, non-fashion related news, I've been cooking a good bit lately & the other evening made a total, comfort food meal: homemade mac & cheese, a mini-holiday ham & butter lettuce salad with dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments & candied pecans. It was awesome; the Hubs had seconds that night & even ate the leftovers last night {he's SO not a leftover person}!!! I used whole wheat noodles for the mac & followed this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, it looked as good as the picture on the site...


Another great recipe I whipped up was this delicious shrimp, potato & cheese Tortillia - basically a baked egg dish, similar to a quiche (without the crust) - it was fantastic & another dish the Hub's loved. YUM!!!!!

So, next week is the trip to FABulous Las vegas & I'm thrilled! I'm so excited to visit Sin City & am even more excited that the Hubs will be joining me :-) I've already got a list of must-visit restaurants, casinos, etc. And although I'll be there, attending a conference - I'm actually super thrilled to be learning exciting new things & getting away from the office for a bit.

As for this weekend, the Hubs, Max the pup & I will be driving down to visit my parents. I feel like I haven't seen them in a LONG time {probably since the Hub's birthday celebration in late July} & am looking forward to chit-chatting in person, drinking Margaritas with my mom & possibly doing a bit of shopping for said Vegas trip. the Hub's wardrobe needs some serious help & I could do with a few fun, new "Vegas" items!

What about you, anything exciting happening this weekend?!?! Oh, and please don't forget to help me with my boot dilemma!

XOXO

me

When I Wore Rain Boots to a Wedding

This was my footwear of choice for a wedding I attended this past weekend. Seriously.


I never thought I'd have the opportunity to wear my sweet little rain boots to an event as special as a wedding, but their day came this past Saturday afternoon.

It had been dark & gloomy all day & as the Hubs & I were getting ready to leave for the wedding, the rain started to fall... first soft & misty, then as big, fat drops. Unfortunately it kept on coming as we made our way to the open-air chapel {under our umbrellas, of course} to enjoy the service...


This is my cutie-pie little brother-in-law, Daniel, taking his seat after running to the chapel, sans umbrella:


After the ceremony we swam our way to the reception...


Yes, it was open-air too & as you can see, there were no plan "B's" for either the ceremony or reception. Normally, with this roof over our head, rain wouldn't be such a problem. But this was just the type of misty/heavy rain that travels sideways - moistening everything in it's path.


Here's my MIL with Daniel & the Hubs; making the most of this chilly, rain-soaked wedding!



Here I am with the Hubs, a wet, hot mess... gross:


But, at least I got to don these sweet shoes : - )

The Hubs has left me for a Parking Deck

That's right... His current parking deck project is taking over our life, and it's pretty much the beneficiary of all his time.


But it sure is a beautiful parking deck, right?!?


Luckily, this project is coming to an end & I'll have my Project Engineer Hubs back to a more normal schedule, and away from managing this job site. Thank God!!!