Sunday Night Dinners

At the beginning of the year, Terry and I set a New Year's resolution to cook one new meal every week. We love trying new foods, and we love cooking together, but we often fall back on our easy, usual (read: boring) meals when life gets hectic in the middle of the week. So we decided on one new meal per week, and to stick to it, we set aside Sunday to fix our new creations. Every Sunday, we pull out my binder of recipe collections (from magazines such as Cooking Light, Gourmet, or Food Network) and choose something that sounds good.

The Sunday Night Tradition has proved a huge success! We have cooked a new meal almost every Sunday since January 1, and we truly look forward to the time we spend shopping for, preparing, and enjoying the meals. Even cleanup can feel fun, because we discuss what we liked or didn't like, what we would do differently next time, or future meals we might make. Cooking is a great bonding experience for us and a good break from school, work, and the general stress of life. Enjoy some photos of our creations!


Goat cheese-and-prosciutto-stuffed chicken with ratatouille

Pepperoni and bell pepper pasta (one of our favorites!)

Salad with homemade vinaigrette and croutons

Greek salad with Mediterranean chicken

Steak and arugula salad








Yum!

A New Trend?

My mom sent over some disturbing news today: Apparently adult diapers have made their way into the bridal industry! According to my sources, some women find using the restroom too difficult, time consuming, or bothersome on their wedding day, so they opt to...um...skip that step altogether. What happened to having a few bridesmaids hold up your dress? I know some women dream of THE DRESS and choose that dress despite any obstacles or hoops they may have to jump through (forgive the pun), but would your wedding day feel as special if you spent most of it in a dirty diaper? And then imagine the wedding night: "Give me just a second, new husband, while I change my diaper." What's worse is that some women even wear satin skivvies over the diaper. WHY?! At what point during the day are you planning to have other people see your dirty diaper? Some opinions say that it makes the attire feel "more bridal," but I'm fairly certain that wearing the diaper in the first place threw that feeling out the window.

Call me old fashioned, but I'd rather go for the slightly less ridiculously sized dress than face the alternative. To form your own opinion, enjoy these topical articles from Aisle Dash and The Frisky.

Note: I tried to find a picture to post, but thankfully this trend has not hit Google Images yet. Here's hoping it stays that way.

Best Fiance Ever

As if I didn't already know, I have confirmed that Terry is the world's greatest fiance. No offense intended toward other friends' and family members' fiances out there, but Terry really takes the cake. He and my awesome dad have been taking excellent care of me since the surgery yesterday, and I feel rather spoiled having such service. Dad has been helping me get ice for my leg, water to drink (I have become part camel since yesterday), and taking me out to practice climbing stairs with my crutches. Last night, Terry made a lasagna from scratch. How incredible is that? And it was absolutely delicious! Here's the recipe if ever you and/or your significant other is up for some comfort food. Cooking together is one of our favorite activities, so I hope you'll enjoy doing the same!

Awesome Air Kicks

While not specifically related to the wedding, my foot surgery certainly affects our wedding planning and the rest of our summer. I have a bunion on each of my feet. The condition has plagued me for as long as I can remember. Essentially, my big toe grows in the wrong direction, which causes immense pain most of the time. The condition can worsen based on genetics, activity levels, shoes, etc. Over the last few years, the pain has grown increasingly worse, so I opted for surgery. The procedure will be extremely routine, but I'm still very nervous about the recovery time. According to my doctor, I will be in a full cast and unable to put any kind of pressure on my right foot for the next six weeks. I have crutches, so I can get around, but I won't be able to drive or help much around the house. Ultimately, the next few weeks will be a great opportunity for me to rest, take care of minor chores (shredding old paperwork, for example), and research more vendors for the wedding. My dad came down today to take care of me for this first week while Terry works, and Terry is excited to take care of me after that, which is great, because he will be cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and driving me everywhere! I'm very blessed to have such awesome men in my life.

If you're at all interested in the condition or procedure, or if you're a person who thinks bunions are "gross" (like my loving big brother), check out the website from my surgery center. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery! Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). Here's to being able to do some awesome air kicks in six weeks!

The Music Man - Rob Mutzl

As Julie and I sit and enjoy ABC Family's Pixar Weekend (Toy Story and The Incredibles, my two favorites), I was inspired to add a little bit to our blog. Don't ask me why, but I was.

This one is a bit overdue. We've had our DJ booked for a little while now, but we haven't announced it to the world (not in blog form, at least). Well, I would like to "introduce" our DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Rob Mutzl.

Rob was the first DJ we met with and we were quite smitten with the guy. He's charming, personal, professional, and an all around good guy. We met over coffee at a Starbucks in Pleasonton and for the next hour, we got to know the dude. He offered plenty of tips and ideas for things we hadn't nailed down, like how we would introduce the bridal party, greet guests over dinner, and stuff like that. An added bonus is he's extremely familiar with our venue, the Palm Event Center, and even gave us some tips to make our wedding even better!

We loved Rob, and can't wait to work with him. He gives us plenty of updates, and always looks forward to meeting us when we're in the Bay Area. We honestly can't say enough about him, and we hope everyone in attendance will agree!

Until next time...enjoy a Pixar movie.