Five Guys

I have a new favorite burger place. Kurt has been raving about these burgers for months. I was less than eager to try it. But on Friday, I was craving a burger. I was sick of same old Red Robin and Ruby Tuesday’s sliders. So, while Five Guys in Ewing was a 30 minute drive, I suggested we go. Oh my goodness. I was in love. The place is a cross between Checkers (décor) and Pat’s Cheesesteaks (ordering style). The décor is 50’s-inspired red, white, and black. We walked in and I almost tripped over 10 sacks of potatoes sitting on pallets on the floor. I assumed they had just come in and they were in the process of storing them. Not so. They just sit there until they’re needed. Love it! Five Guys only has burgers, hot dogs, and fries. That’s it. Let me give you a piece of advise: go straight for the burger, and make sure you've prepared your order ahead of time.

I stumbled over my order, “uhh a cheeseburger please?” while Kurt whispered instructions, “tell him what toppings!” “umm lettuce and ketchup?” Kurt went through his order like a pro and the cashier yelled out “four patties and fries!” I looked at Kurt. We had only ordered 2 burgers. “Four patties?” Each burger has 2 patties, but he assured me I’d be able to handle it. We put a dollar in the tip jar and the cashier yelled, “tip in the jar!” and the line cooks responded, “thank you!” I was loving this place already and I hadn’t even tried the food. When our order was up, Kurt came back to our table with two brown paper bags. One had our burgers and the other will filled with fries. The fries were awesome – they reminded me of the fries we used to get at the boardwalk smothered in vinegar. The burger was a little messy, but was hands down, by far the best burger I have ever had, including the filet mignon burgers my friend’s uncle used to make. It was juicy and full of flavor. The cheese is completely melted and completely awesome. The sesame-seed bun was soft and fresh and soaked up the juice from the patties. It was a burger that could convert any vegetarian. Kurt always teases me because I always end up leaving the last bite of food on my plate (why - I have no idea). Let's just say there wasn't a crumb left. Do yourself a favor, drop everything, and find the nearest Five Guys.

A Wedding Rant

Warning: This blogpost is going to be a wedding venue venting session. I would love to promise you that this will be the only wedding venting session, but I don't like to lie. Bear with me please.

Since Kurt and I got engaged, I’ve been on a google rampage. Whenever I have free time, I head to my favorite website and type in terms such as “outdoor wedding, princeton, nj” or “vineyard weddings, 08501”. We (and by “we”, I mean “I”) have two requirements for our wedding. (1) We don’t spend a ton of money. Even if we had all the money in the world, I can’t justify spending beaucoup bucks on 8 hours of my life. (2) It is outdoor or tented. I will not compromise on this. I love parties outside. I think there’s something so romantic and fun and casual about them. That’s what I want my wedding to be like. But finding a venue is proving to be more of a challenge than I thought. I have the option of a backyard wedding, but I have two concerns. First, we would have to rent everything, plan everything, assemble everything, break down everything, AND worry about mud if it rains (I really don’t want a ruined lawn on my conscience). (2) renting everything might end up being really expensive and since saving money would be one of the biggest draws of a backyard wedding, I’m not sure it would be worth it.

I read blogs (this is my favorite: a $10,000 wedding), buy magazines (I would have a lot more money to spend on the wedding if I hadn’t bought so many), and scour theknot.com for tips. You’d think with the economy the way it is and with all the information in the world at our fingertips, planning an inexpensive outdoor wedding would be easy! Not so. First of all, the options are endless. Just looking at the number of pages my search generates makes my head spin. Second, why don’t places post pricing!? All I want to know is how much it will cost per plate. Is that really so much to ask? I have a list of venues as long as my arm and I’m sure a large majority will be easily and quickly eliminated once I see the price per head. The only things I have planned so far have been discovered through connections. A chef/restaurant owner we know will cater (so the venue we choose, if not the backyard, would have to allow us to bring in our own caterer), and due to a hobby of my aunt and uncle, we have our favors. The thing is, the more I search for venues, the more frustrated I become. I don’t want a reception in a hotel (no offense to anyone who had their wedding in a hotel – it’s just not for me). I’ve found a few “perfect” places, but they’re either too expensive or too small. I’m hoping the backyard reception will be easier and cheaper than I think, because the more I think about it and envision it, the more I want it. If any of my readers knows someone who owns a tent/table/chair rental company, please hook me up! Also, any anti-mud suggestions would be much appreciated.

PS - I know I've been slacking with the book suggestions and new recipes. I promise to get back into it. I've been reading a manuscript so I can't really write about it, and I've been cooking some favorites lately. I've found some new recipes though for next week.

Celebrity Sightings in Starbucks

Today was a good day. First of all, the sun came out after two miserable days of rain, but more importantly and more excitingly (is that even a word?) I saw Chris Meloni today at the Starbucks near my office. I know. My heart was all aflutter (it’s even fluttering now as I relive it in my head). For those of you sad, sorry people who don’t know who he is, he plays Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU – one of the few shows my DVR is set to record. I had heard rumors that he lived in our building, and some of my coworkers had spotted him previously, but I’d never seen him. Until today! My colleague and I were waiting in line when I saw him in the line behind us. I immediately began *subtly* poking my friend and mouthing “look!” Understandably, it took her awhile to realize why I was freaking out – though I’m surprised he didn’t notice my antics. When she finally realized who I wanted her to look at, she was a lot less excited than me. Another colleague came in and after the same poking and head tossing to point out my celebrity sighting, she said, “oh, I don’t know who that is.” Me, I could barely contain myself. On the rare occasion that I see a celebrity I’m always torn between respectfully going up to them telling them I’m a fan and acting “cool” and nonchalant about it. I usually go with acting “cool” though I’m sure I look nothing of the sort while I’m stealing glances and giggling like a preteen. I decide not to speak to them because I know I won’t be able to restrain myself. I’ll end up gushing and professing my love for them or stumbling all over my words. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a huge celebrity hound, but Chris Meloni? Come on. There was no way I could go up to him without blushing something crazy and sounding like a complete stuttering idiot. Now, of course, I regret it. That always happens. In the moment, I’m torn, racked with inner conflict, but always take the “I’m a cool New Yorker who sees celebrities all the time” route, like everyone else in Starbucks (seriously, no one else seemed to notice that Detective Stabler had just ordered a tall latte!). But when it’s over and they’re long gone, I wish I had gotten a picture with my cell phone or been that flattering, over-enthusiastic fan. I guess I could always turn stalker and go to Starbucks every single day at the exact same time, waiting for my second chance. Just kidding. I may be overly excitable, but I’m no stalker. At least I have that going for me.

The Right to Walk-Out

While sitting captive in the doctor’s waiting room last week, I saw a story on the news that got me thinking. Students from a Linwood, NJ school had staged a walk-out to protest some of their teachers being let go. To conclude the story, the reporter stated, “disciplinary measures are being considered.” I understand that these students are disrupting the school day by walking out, but should they be disciplined? They are peacefully protesting their AUTHORITY FIGURES being let go. They walked out in support of their teachers. Isn’t this what we want from students? Support for their teachers? They weren't being rowdy or obnoxious. In fact, their walkout drew the attention of the news and shone a spotlight on a very real problem. I say bravo. When I was in 5th grade, my elementary school did something similar. One of our teachers was being let go. He was dedicated, well-loved, and an all-around great teacher. But rumor had it he didn’t get along with the superintendent. Frankly, I think petty politics do not belong in our school systems as the true meaning of teaching ends up getting lost, but I digress. Grades 5-8 staged a walkout. We wore buttons, carried signs, and even had the support of many teachers. The superintendent threatened to expel all students who participated – an empty threat since he couldn’t very well expel EVERYONE. Our walk-out generated some local media buzz, but all in all, was completely ineffective. Our teacher was let go anyway. But it showed our administrators that we cared what happened to our teachers, that we wanted good teachers. Sure, the superintendent wasn't keen on our disagreeing with him, but our intentions were good and our teachers supported us.

My question is, why are these administrators looking to punish these kids? They’re exercising their freedom of speech as well as their right to gather peacefully. I think it’s brave and touching that they banded together in support of teachers - whom they normally rally against. They should be applauded. And maybe (gasp!) even listened to. I think school authorities sometimes forget that to really teach children means to listen to them and to consider their concerns, not just throw information at them and hope it sticks. I truly believe most teachers understand this - all good teachers do, certainly - but I think it becomes lost on the administrators. I think we need more students who will fight for education and for the benefit of good teachers. Who else will?

All-nighter

Tonight's the night. I have my EEG in the morning, so I'm not allowed to sleep. I've been up since 5, just got home from work, and now I have 12 hours of wakefulness ahead of me. Ali's coming over to stand guard and make sure I don't fall asleep. It'll be a night filled with girlie movies, junk food, and late-night diner runs - a typical sleepover...without the sleeping. This will be a running post tonight, hour-by-hour. So check back for periodic updates if you're up all night with nothing to do. Here goes nothing.

9:30pm - blogging and eating a milkshake. Ali just got here. Kurt's friends are here to watch basketball. I'm already tired. It was a long day. Spring Break 2010 Party at work today.

11:00pm - Ali and I are reminiscing. The boys are listening to our crazy stories from middle school. I'm pretty sure Kurt is now wondering what he's getting into - if he wasn't before.

12:20am - My eyes are starting to close. Switching from contacts to glasses soon and am now chugging Dr. Pepper. Still watching b-ball which is helping keep me awake. Really want to sleep.

2:00am - Getting a second wind. We just played rock band for the past hour. I'm a master on the drums. Eight hours until I can go to sleep. Ali and I plan to go to an all-night diner around 3. Apparently, most of the diners near us aren't open 24 hours anymore! I'm a little upset. This is New Jersey! What are people supposed to do at 2 and 3 in the morning after going out drinking all night? Ali and I will find one. I know Crystal is open 24 hours, but we're going to stick to Rt. 130 and drive North until we find something. Road trip!

4:30am - We just got back from our mini road trip. Apparently, there are no 24 hour diners in New Jersey. We drove for about 20 minutes up Rt. 130 past two diners, both closed, before we headed to Lawrenceville and Crystal Diner. On the way, we got Dunkin Donuts coffee. The smell of it instantly woke me up (I'd been falling asleep in the car - don't tell Ali). When we walked into Crystal, the manager told us they were closing in 30 minutes (!?!?). What happened to all the diners?? We ate quickly and left before 4:00...and stopped at Dunkin Donuts again. The man at the drive-thru recognized us, laughed, and gave us some free munchkins. Now we're home and I'm much more awake than I was before eating and drinking two lattes. Only 3 and a half hours until my appointment and 5 hours until I get to sleep again!

6:20am - Normally I'd be leaving for the train station about now. I did it! I don't feel as bad as I thought I would. I can't believe I made it. We just finished watching Town & Country - weird, weird movie, but cute. The sun is coming up and it feels good to have accomplished this and stayed up all night. Thank you Ali for being such a good friend and staying up with me! You're the best!

10:30am - Just got home. EEG went well. Probably should not have driven to the test. I could feel my body trying so hard to shut down the whole drive there. Weird experience to say the least. I still have goo in my hair, but I don't care. All I can think is SLEEP. Goodnight!

White Lies

So I had an awesome weekend. Not only was the weather beautiful and warm and made me never want to be inside again, I also learned that I have the best family and friends ever. Kurt and I were going to lunch at my friend’s parents house with my dad on Sunday...or so I thought. When I opened the door, our bridal party and close family were all there to surprise me. They had thrown me a surprise engagement party! (And I say “me” because Kurt knew about it, not because this wedding is all about me, which I know it’s not ;-)) Once I got over the initial shock and confusion (I can’t wait to see the pictures from when we walked in – I’m sure the look on my face says “whaaaat??”) I was very very touched. Kurt thought he had blown it a few times, and if I were a suspicious person, he probably would have, but I had absolutely no idea. There were clues throughout that I just never thought twice about: Kurt wearing a polo without my prodding, my father dressing up for “lunch,” Kurt calling “lunch” a party and then backtracking. Yet I remained blissfully unaware. I still can’t believe my friends and family pulled it off and managed to lie (white lies of course, but lies nonetheless) to me for months. I know they worked so hard and it was absolutely amazing. My sister even went as far as to call the township and have them change the St. Patrick’s Day parade! At the last minute, the township had changed the course of the parade, sending the bagpipers and paraders down the street we needed to take. She called them and told them what they were planning and they didn’t block off the street! My sister kicks butt. It was absolutely perfect; the weather, food, family, and friends. I am a very very lucky girl.

On a completely separate and random note, I need to start taking vitamins. I say this about once a year. If you haven’t yet noticed, I’m the kind of person who gets stoked about/obsessed with something for a short period of time, and then just as quickly, bored with it. Every so often, I vow to take a multivitamin every day. It lasts about a week, and then the bottle sits on my desk, in front of my computer screen where I look at it everyday and think “I should really take my vitamins,” but still it sits, untouched. Pathetic, I know. Well, you all heard about my appointment with the migraine doctor and all the crazy tests I have to have to make sure my brain is lesion-free. He has also recommended that I take Magnesium Oxide and Riboflavin every day along with my vitamins (because I lied and told him I take vitamins every day). These are natural remedies (Riboflavin is B2 and found in fortified cereals – you would know this if you liked to read cereal boxes, like me). Not only would these reduce my migraine occurance, but the occurance of ALL headaches. You’d think I’d jump right on that right? Wrong. I keep meaning to, but haven’t bought them yet. Today though, I made the first step and took my multivitamin. Next step, CVS for some MgO and B2. Maybe writing it down will actually force me to do it. And then my headaches will magically disappear...for the week or two that I remember to take the pills.

How to Emulsify

The past few weeks have been insanely busy and I haven’t had time to make dinner. I went to the grocery store Monday night, bought a ton of groceries, only to realize I barely had time to make 2 recipes this week and wouldn’t be home most nights.

Wednesday night I made Sirloin with Chimichurri, my famous smashed potatoes, and sauteed veggies. The chimichurri came out good and went great with the sirloin. I was a little worried since it called for a food processor and I don’t have one. I used my trusty chopping knife and some elbow grease instead. I learned a new word as well: emulsify. It sounds scary, like pulverize or puree, so that’s what I assumed it meant. It actually means to mix two liquids that do not normally mix well, such as oil and water. Not so scary. The sirloin itself was a little tough, so I’ll have to figure out how to make it more tender next time. I don’t even think we have a mallet. My smashed potatoes are simple and amazing if I do say so myself. The only problem with them is I always make too much and end up eating ALL of them in one sitting. I peel only about 3/4 of the potatoes, boil the peeled and non-peeled potatoes, then smash them with a masher (keeping some lumps in). I mix in milk, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. Please note, these are not “healthy” smashed potatoes. But really, when you want something comforting and tasty, who goes for healthy? Butter and sour cream make everything better.

Next on the menu: Chili-rubbed Tilapia (except Shop Rite didn’t have Tilapia, so I’m making Sole instead). To come on Sunday.

On Tuesday, I took a personal day and went to the Neurologist. For as long as I can remember, I’ve gotten migraines. They’re rare, but debilitating all the same. For about the past fifteen years, the only symptoms accompanying my migraine headaches are sensitivity to light and sound and nausea – basically the symptoms that turn a headache into a migraine. I don’t know my triggers since they are so rare, it’s difficult to find a common factor. But over the past 3 years, three of my migraines were preceded by loss of vision and mental confusion. I can’t even describe how scary this is. The first time it happened, I was so panicked I thought I was going blind. For anyone who's wondering, the confusion is more terrifying than the vision loss. Like any closet hypochondriac in my generation, once the symptoms subsided and my headache started, I looked up my symptoms on WedMD and found they were fairly normal for migraine sufferers, but I was determined to get it checked out anyway. It took two more migraines like this to put me into motion.

The exam was interesting. Honestly, I felt like I had time-traveled back to the ‘60’s. The doctor actually had a black “doctor” satchel filled with his stethoscope, little hammer, and the thing they use to look in your eye. After an extensive and exhausting round of background questions, he performed the neurological exam: providing resistance while I pushed and pulled my arms, legs, elbow, wrist, etc. He then hit my joints with the little hammer and declared that I was normal. In order to be completely sure I don’t have a lesion in my brain (!) he’s having me do an MRI and a sleep-deprived EEG. This means I have to stay up all night next Thursday. I’m not allowed to sleep at all, nor am I allowed to take anything to help me stay awake. I’m not sure this doctor knows who he’s dealing with. I can pretty much fall asleep at any time. I LOVE to sleep. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I have pulled maybe 2 all-nighters in my life and both times were nights when I was surrounded by people, music, and constant stimulation. Here’s the deal: if I’m bored, I will fall asleep. So what to do? I’ll have at least 8 hours to kill and I’ll be exhausted and delirious for most of those hours. I need suggestions. I’m thinking about cleaning the whole apartment from top to bottom, taking a shower or two, maybe going to an all night diner at some point. I’m seriously dreading Thursday night and I’m REALLY not sure I can do this. Stay tuned.

On my nightstand:

I finished Neverwhere last week. It was awesome. Please please please go read anything by Neil Gaiman. He is such a great storyteller.

Now, I’m on to The Help. It’s a New York Times Bestseller and I’ve heard rave reviews from a ton of people at work. Now, I agree with all of them. I’m about halfway through. It takes place in Mississippi in the ‘60’s during the Civil Rights Movement. It alternates between three women: 2 Black housemaids, and 1 wealthy white woman who wants to help them tell their stories. It’s filled with drama and history and is so well written and the story, so well told. The voices are completely unique and I’ve found myself becoming deeply attached to each of them. It’s an easy read too. It’s a long book, but I’m devouring it, quickly. Definitely worth lugging to the beach on vacation – though you might not want to put it down to turn over while tanning.