Viva Mustachio

This is Mustachio

He has worked there since 1942 I think.

He serves mean pie.

In other news, happy birthday to my big brother.  Get awesome.

Whole lot of nothing, as usual

1.  Today is my Friday hence this rando mumbo jumbo.  My brain is not functioning anymore.  I am already mentally standing with Allie Brooks Edwards at her wedding.  And eating cake.  Lava lamp cake.

2.  I need a hair cut.  My bangs are at the point where they aren’t bangs anymore and DC starts saying things like, “Remember when you had that cute hair in the front” and I’m all fine I get the hint, you hate my forehead.  Then again Rhonda has told me more than once that my forehead needs bangs.  That’s a good friend right there.  Anyway, I need someone good to do it.  I hate sitting in the chair closing my eyes paying my salary and hating my haircut for 60 days because they did the opposite of what I asked.  2 inches means 2 and not 8.

3.  Where is September going??

4.  I am so impressed with Tricia and her marathonness.  Get. it. girl.

5.  Love this.  If only I had a wall.

6.  I need some new jewelry

7.  In the past month, 6 people I know have had babies.  Squishy chubby babies.  Makes me wanna get a puppy.

8.  I have a picture of Mustachio for you.  I’ll post it tomorrow.  Yes we went back to House of Pies this week for said pictorial evidence.  Devin kept saying under his breath “get a picture get a picture!” every time he was within a foot of us.  Oh and yes we got pie.  Duh

9.22.10

Dear Husband,

The other night we were working on some paperwork, and you held your hands up L-7 weenie style, measured it to my face, and told me I could be a Lego character.  I can only assume you meant one of these.  I think it would be safe to put those on my Christmas list.

Dear lady with the apricot friend running around Rice,

I often run behind you and think we would be friends if I had one too.  And they could be friends.  Someday! 

Dear Crock Pot Dinner,

While I love your convenience on Bible Study Wednesdays, my hands will smell like garlic for the remainder of the day.  I do not enjoy this.

Dear Biggest Loser,

So glad you’re back.  My love for Jillian was beginning to fade into a love for Jackie Warner, and we all know that would be a stab in Jillian’s back.

Dear better half,

Monday night before bed, you stuck your thumb in my mouth and measured the thickness of my chubby cheeks by squishing them between your thumb and pointer.  Then you measured yours and informed me that my cheeks are indeed thicker than yours.  Thank you for loving me despite my inability to lose my baby fat soft cushion mallow face.

Dear Legs,

STELLAR run yesterday.  What the heck was that?!

Dear high of 88,

I’m getting out my winter coat.

Dear Beloved,

Nothing breaks my heart more than listening to you cough, snore, and talk in your sleep when you are down for the count with a cold.  Except the talking in your sleep has nothing to do with being sick.  I am ready for you to feel better so you will pay more attention to me than your netti pot.

Love,

Autumn Wife

Flex your mussels.

Last night, I made mussels marinara.

I have never cooked mussels in my life.

But I do love to eat them.

And now I love to cook them- this took all of 12 minutes.

These are a fantastic source of protein and are very low in fat.  The aroma from this meal was un.bel.ievable.  I couldn’t stop taking big whiffs over my bowl of steaming, laughing mussels.  Don’t they look like they’re laughing?  Or maybe screaming.

So- 2 lbs. mussels (we bought 3 and it was too many for 2 people, so keep that in mind), 1 cup onion chopped, 5 cloves garlic minced, 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup white wine, parsley, oregano

Saute the onions and garlic until translucent, add tomatoes with juice, wine, parsley, oregano, cook 3-4 minutes, add mussels (washed and make sure you remove any cracked or open ones), cook about 7 minutes or until they are all open.

Our first date

Was here.

The House of Pies. Classy not trashy.

I could go into the long details, but I don’t think you care to hear them.  In short, it involved spontaneity, almost getting jumped, pie of course, coffee of course, me paying (he was a poor college student.  I was a sugar mama with a big girl job), and a late late night with work the next day.  And they sat us in the strip club room (formerly the smoking section completely lit with neon green lighting) which sadly no longer exists.

This place holds a dear spot in my heart.  My brothers and I have spent many a night eating pie, drinking coffee, eating Zach’s food.  As a matter of fact, in the picture below, Devin is sitting across the table.  It was MONTHS before our first date.  I look disgustballs dot com.  Zach was mad Alex and I were eating all of his food…so he stuck some toast in his pocket for safe keeping.

So anyway, it’s not like we haven’t been since, but D took me there last week.  I had been begging.

House of guys pies is really great because you can see what your significant other would look like with other hair styles.

Exnay on the fro-ponytail…ay.

They have a rep for being out of every pie listed on the menu (I believe, on our first date, I got key lime.  WHAT THE CRAP WAS I THINKING?!  Key lime is like the worst!!!), and the waitresses are no b.s., so if you go to house of pizzies, you should follow Zach’s directions regarding what to order:

“Get the blueberry warm a la mode.

If they don’t have the blueberry warm warm a la mode,

get cherry warm a la mode.

If they don’t have cherry warm a la mode,

get pecan.

If they don’t have pecan,

get apple warm a la mode.

If they don’t have apple warm a la mode,

you should leave”.

Thank you sweet baby Moses.  They had cherry.  Oh how I love cherry pie.  In all seriousness, I feel like it doesn’t get the credit it deserves NOR is it ever baked for a holiday.  What was cherry pie made for!?  My belly.  That’s what.

Best coffee.  Best coffee mugs.  Want to steal one. 

Beloved.  You are never cuter than when you are eating something you love.

But seriously why in the sweet name of Bathsheba did you pick cheesecake?!

I forgive you.  Just don’t touch my pie.

Go to house of pies.  Ask for mustachio.

You’re welcome.

If you can name 4 shows that were on TGIF, you win a high five.

I had this great post planned about how Devin and I went on our first date again last night, sort of, complete with iPhone pictures that were naturally a little blurry but that’s ok because the blur takes away the harshness of the neon trim around the place just a little (yeah.) but then I walked into work where I don’t have cell service and forgot to send the pictures to myself first therefore I don’t have them, so there goes that post for today.

So there’s that.

Maybe next week.

In the mean time, I guess I will fill your minds with anything random going on.

1.  Today someone asked me what I love most about fall.  Fall, for Houston citizens, is about a 10 day period, if that.  But don’t worry, it’s 94 outside and a gazill percent humidity and I wore a scarf today.  Scarves.  What I love most about fall is: scarves.  I could be featured on scarf hoarders.  Gong.

2.  I do not get fashion.  Like this.  Someone explain.

3.  I need a good dip recipe to take to a BBQ with some chips.  PS I need to make it for tomorrow, so, like…

4.  What are you reading?  Everything I pick up lately leaves me snoozing.

5.  What are you going to be for Halloween?  I think the most popular costumes this year will be Jersey Shore.  I will probably be Mike the Situation because our abs are identical.

6.  For the runners- favorite bar and/or gelish substance.  As in clif, luna, powerbar, etc etc.  I like to try new ones.  Also, favorite socks because all of mine are bunk except two that I save for my long runs.

7.  Who is your favorite Muppet?

8.  Things I see at work that you most likely do not see at work (I really feel as though this could be a set of 10 posts in itself): When leaving the other day, there was a man sitting on the edge of his wheelchair at the door of my place of employment and he was peeing all over the sidewalk.  No one was alarmed.

Happy Weekend, party people.

9.16.10 or Just spending some time on the podium

Dear Husband,

You were so fast this weekend.

  

I still don’t get the hands up thing.  I am so proud of you.  Good racing.  Thank you for dealing with my running mental break downs this week and not leaving me.  Your patience floors me.  I am so grateful for your forgiving heart.

Wife

I only hang with famous people

Following in my Today Show footsteps (a clip that will never ever ever be posted here so don’t even ask), my college roommate, Meg, was on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night.

Click here to watch, fast forward to 2:24.

She rules.

Also, my friend, Kstan, and her running team (Central Park Track Club) were featured in an article here. Click on the slideshow, in the group picture she is on the far left in the orange tank top. She is a sponsored runner with New Balance and will run circles around you.

And my baby brother works for TV. Like he works on all of the shows you like...and all the new ones that make me gag but I know you will all love them.

Oh and minor detail- my husband dominated the track races this weekend. He was on the podium for 4 out of 5 of the races he did. The kicker…he never trains. He is THAT guy.

Latin Baked Chicken

Per requests from yesterday’s post, here is the recipe for the Latin Baked Chicken from Cooking Light circa 1989.  Don’t quote me on that date.  I think it may have been more like 2007 but the magazine looks like it’s been through 21 years.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  If your oven is anything like our apartment botch-deluxe of an oven, this will take 7 hours.

Mix 3 Tbs soy sauce, 2 Tbs honey, 2 Tbs minced Chili in Adobe Sauce, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice in a large bowl.

Place 8 chicken thighs (with bone, skinned) in bowl and toss to coat.

side note: our grocery store does not sell chicken thighs with the bone unless you want to buy 400 thighs.  I bought them without the bone and it worked.  Also, I did not make 8, though I think DC would have preferred it

Marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, reserving the marinade, and cook chicken for 15 minutes.

Place the rest of the marinade in a blender and puree.  Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes.  Brush chicken with half of this mixture, cook another 10 minutes, then brush again and cook 10 more minutes. 

side note: I skipped this entire step.  I was trying to Banish Fat and Boost Metabolism while doing this and couldn't stop to make a dadgum puree.  I just brushed on the marinade as it was.  So many of you are shaking your heads at me.

I would have taken a picture, but Devin ate it all.

9.8.10

Dear husband,

1 word will do: secondfrigginplace!!!  So proud of you and your mad “I never train” mountain bike skills.  Last night you seriously made me laugh harder than I ever have with you.  For hours.  Love.

Dear Jillian Michaels,

Oh really?  Really?!  Eleventy billion sets of jumping squats?!  Pretty sure you made up some of those moves and people think you belong in the loon.  The rain forced us to skip our Tuesday run/ride and meet with you.  I think we forgot how much we loathe you, but we said it at least 12 times last night while you yelled in our faces.  PS I secretly love you.

Dear old cooking light magazine I bought at a used book sale,

My husband wants to marry you for the Latin baked chicken I made last night.  Until he took that first bite on the living room floor, I had never heard him say “THIS IS FRIGGINGOODCHICKEN!” so many times.

Dear marathon training,

You are slacking.  Get. it. together.

Dear September,

Devin and I made a goal for your duration.  It is much harder than we thought it would be.

What a crock.

I need you to tell me about your crock.

We have this one and we use it at least once a week (more in the winter...like every day...like I had to buy a new slow cooker cook book this weekend because we've made all of them in our first book) and we love it...

The only thing is that if we want to cook something for only 6 hours while we're at work, it turns on the "keep warm" setting, which actually means "overcook your dinner" setting. We have resorted to one of us drawing the short straw and having to come home at lunch to turn the crock pot on. That sort of defeats the convenience of it, doesn't it??

So this weekend we dreamt up what we really want: a crock pot that we can program like our coffee maker. We can set the clock on it and program to start at, for example, 10:00 am so it will be ready when we walk in the door, and not burnt.

Turns out they don't make these.

Tell me about your crock pot and why you love/hate/both it.

9.3.10

Dear Husband,

Operation throw an epic lake house party with killer food without anyone getting hurt or breaking anything 2010 = success.  I loved doing that with you.  And the fact that you trust me enough to teach me how to drive the boat while you wakeboard makes me feel like your #1 stunna (what whawha what?). 

Thank you for being a man of God who has his eyes open to see ways he can love on people.  I love seeing that.  I love helping with that.

Wife.

Love this.

My cousin, Michelle, is a super talented painter.  She does amazing work in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area.  She has done work on Extreme Home Makeover AND last I heard she was going to paint Jewel's house in the near future? 

I saw her a couple of weeks ago when all of the girls got together and she gave us all one of these

 

How cute is that?!  The lipstick print is painted on.  A really cute idea for a group of girls.

I love it.

PSAs

1.  It’s the first of the month.  Don’t forget to pay rent.  You. are. welcome.

2.  My buddy, Brett, made an iPhone app for kiddos called Match-a-roo Zoo.  You can check it out here.  It’s really cute.  Ashley Ann Photography is doing a giveaway for it, so if you want to try and get it for free, check out her blog.  Her kids are the cutest things ever made on this earth besides this guy.

Look at those racing eyes.

3.  I need some running advice regarding the following:

- running with sore muscles

- abdominal cramps

- running form slash how not to tense my shoulders

     Anyone?  anyone?  Bueller?

4.  How the heck is it September? 

- 24 days until the Jellie matrimony!

- 9 days until D’s velodrome national championship master olympic races

- 19 days until I sign up for my first half marathon

5.  3 day weekend coming up!  What are you doing?

6.  Does anyone want to hire me?