MuchAdoAboutMadison

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2012-02-09T08:51:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"All a girl needs to be happy, Grape Nehi!"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2012-01-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Tim being a tourist on our Alcatraz trip"
(taken at Alcatraz Cruises)

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2012-01-01T18:39:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Starting 2012 on a sad note, RIP Gilly, you were the best. "

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2012-01-01T10:31:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Ready to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge!"
(taken at San Francisco Maritime Park)

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-12-10T15:30:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Starting our night in Cedarburg right!"
(taken at Washington House Inn)

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-12-08T14:04:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Need some presents under my office tree"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-11-07T17:47:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Vino and Van Gogh with the Junior League ladies. "

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-10-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Wings, pizza and a gyro. Dinner of champions!"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-10-21T06:26:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Happy Friday!"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-10-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Walk from work"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Wearing sunglasses despite the clouds. Vacation here we come!"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-24T09:54:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

" Fall at the Capitol"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"My personal secretary"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-11T07:20:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Big fat lazy cat"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-10T09:31:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Bleeding orange and blue in the Badgerland"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-08T15:30:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Lord of the manner"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

laurelp shared an Instagram photo with you

2011-09-08T12:38:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

laurelp just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"I love where I work"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

Back in Action

2011-07-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Even though this blog shows several months without a post, life has been so busy that I feel like its been a week or two. Thank goodness for my lazy Fourth of July weekend where I was able to relax with my husband and catch up on all my favorite things about Madison...which mostly consists of eating. This time of year means one amazing weekly event is back in my life and that is Concerts on the Square. I'm just getting ready to enjoy the second week of relaxing on the Capitol lawn and enjoying a glass of white wine with Tim.

Summer in Madison also means enjoying Wisconsin beer at the UW-Madison Union Terrace with its amazing view of the water and the colorful chairs that uniquely mark the spot. That's where Tim and I started off our lazy weekend with some other couples. It was the best way to begin a relaxing weekend together.

The rest of the weekend meant visiting local eateries like the classic Old Fashioned with my cousin Suzanne who dropped by on her way back from camping. Their cheese curds and entrees are delicious and an awesome option for visiting family members.

During my hiatus I also took a break from cooking. Fortunately I got back into that this weekend with an experiment in cake and pork ribs. Both turned out splendidly but I only have pictures of the cake.

A first for Tim and I this weekend was a trip to the local Henry Vilas Zoo. They have a great array of animals and I'll post the pictures from our adventure below.

Running off to the concert now, can't wait to lay back and relax!

Gilly was lazy this weekend too...and every day of his life

Trying to hangout like the flamingos!

It's too hot for a penguin to be walking around!

Yellow cake with Nutella filling, Gilly wanted to try!

Back asleep in his cat stroller

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes!

2011-03-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm a Patrick I thought I would celebrate St. Patrick's Day the right way with some festive cupcakes. I completely stole this idea from my good friend and baking inspiration Alix Ebbert. I'll post her complete recipe at the end of this post.

The treat? Pot of Gold Cupcakes with rainbow cake. Sounds much harder than it actually is. The messiest part is creating the "pot of gold" which I made out of a chocolate donut covered in dark chocolate with a circle pretzel on top with yellow mini m&m's on top.

Then it was time to make the rainbow colored cake which is simply coloring the batter and then layering the colors as you wish.

Then you put it all together and you get Pot of Gold cupcakes!!

Here is Alix's step-by-step recipe. Enjoy!

Cake:
I just used french vanilla flavored boxed cake mix
If you want to make it rainbow colored, pour about 3/4 to 1 cup batter into separate bowl and dye with first food coloring (ROYGBIV). Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each cupcake just so it covers the bottom. Repeat with the rest of the colors as far as you can go (I only had enough room for blue because I used more than a tablespoon in my red and orange colors, so I had no room for indigo or purple).

Frosting:
2 sticks butter
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
mix all that in stand mixer on low until butter is smooth and combined with the liquids
slowly add 4 cups powdered sugar until combined and spreadable.
Green food coloring!

Pots:
Donut holes
something circular to hold the gold (I used those peach gummi rings)
Dark Cocoa Candy Melts

Gold:
Anything small enough to fit in the ring/rim you choose. I saw mini M&Ms which I would have used, but only saw them after I already checked out. I used these little chocolate covered sunflower seeds I found at Michaels.

Melt candy melts in microwave, stab donut hole with small wooden kebab skewer thingy and dip donut hole in chocolate. Dip ring in chocolate and place on top of donut hole. Stick in styrofoam or something so it can dry upright. Frost cupcakes, put on pots, and add your gold! :)

Have Your Cake And Eat It Too!

2011-03-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

After shopping for some fresh decorations for our apartment to make it feel more like spring, I also decided to purchase several items to help me display and transport baked goods. The reason? To prompt me to add delicious recipes to my arsenal and prove you can stay in shape while having baked goods around.

It all started when my coworker gave me the idea to make a favorite cake of hers, Jello Poke Cake. This is simply a cake that you bake and cool, then poke holes into with a toothpick, and more liquid jello over to allow for streaks of jello inside your cake. Very simple, unless you decide to also make the cake from scratch. It turned out great, but not as beautiful or fluffy as I would have liked it to be, kind of crumbled out of the pan. Oh well, I'll get better!

I thought trying a new cake or two every week during March would be an interesting pair to my "Positive Body Image" goal for the month. Yes, I enjoy cakes/cookies/all things fattening and delicious, but I also enjoy sharing and making others happy. Luckily I have coworkers, a husband, and several friends in the area that I can pawn some of my creations off to but I'll also always have something sweet to snack on. I think every type of food is okay as long as you keep it in moderation and know yourself enough to stop when you're full. All I know is personally, deprivation has always led to more binges on the sweet stuff than moderation has.

Here is my new table display for spring with my first attempt at a Jello Poke Cake. The top layer crumbled while the bottom layer seemed to hold all the jello. While it wasn't as pretty as I'd like, my colleagues at WisconsinReporter.com and my husband gave their stamp of approval, so I'm fine with it. I'm ready to try my next cake, any ideas/recipes?

Springing Back Into Cooking

2011-03-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

It feels like time is slipping away from me, I can't believe we're a week into March already. So much has been going on the last couple of months, I've lost the time and desire to try new recipes, which is sad because I have so many awesome recipe books! Saturday I tried a new recipe from a Chicago Cubs players recipe book. The meal was chicken cordon bleu and I took the idea and ran with it, but not far because the kitchen wasn't fully stocked, haha.

My version of chicken cordon bleu did not include ham or swiss, I just used what I had, and what I had was shredded mozzarella and colby jack cheese. It was very simple to do and kind of fun to try something new.

Start with melting a stick of butter in a pan on medium heat. In the mean time I put the cheese on one side of the chicken breast and folding the other half over, securing it with toothpicks. I then rubbed the outside of the chicken breast with some flour and paprika to give it some type of breading and spice.

Then you brown it on all sides and turn the heat down and let the chicken simmer until done. It took mine about 20 minutes. The actual recipe called for vinegar and cream to simmer with the chicken, but mine stood alone.

While the chicken cooked, I oven roasted some orange peppers and sweet potatoes. I tossed them with some olive oil, sea salt, and garlic seasoning. So simple and so tasty!

Here was my completed meal, not outstanding but it was delicious. Definitely something I want to continue to tweak and improve on.

I promise better pictures of the entire process from now on. Thanks for reading, have a great start to your week!

Ode to Tim

2011-03-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

TGIF! The week is over, I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead. Fridays are always made better when you have a fabulous husband like mine. Not only did he spend all day Thursday helping to clean the apartment (he even did the laundry!) he was kind enough to pick me up some delicious pasta at Za's on State Street. He even surprised me with a slice of Snicker's cheesecake!! That's enough to make any girl smile. Thanks sweetheart!

Checking In

2011-02-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

I'm constantly trying to figure out what this blog is about. Obviously Madison, but lately I feel like I'm not so much exploring Madison as I'm existing in what I've created for myself. The town has been so amazing for me and Tim and our new life together, I unfortunately feel like we've let life bog us down with all its appointments and agendas and we aren't living the way we did this summer. I can't wait until everything slows down again and warms up so we can go on more evening walks and hopefully explore some different areas of this awesome city.

"Positive February" is at an end and I feel like life was more manageable when I approached everything with a positive attitude. So many aspects of daily life and the unknown intimidate me, I'm ridiculous I know. When I started to calm down and not allow the negative feelings to rush over me I found I was able to get through the week with little to no stress at the end of the day. I feel like I'll always have to work on being positive, but the benefits were so great that I know I need to.

Going into March I'm hoping to continue my personal "Happiness Project." This month will still embody a positive attitude but this time towards my body image. I need to love the body I have and strive to make it and myself better. So many days I berate myself for not looking the way I'd love to and instead, I'm hoping that being more positive towards how I look with affect how I treat my body and maybe I'll be at ease with myself come the end of March. We'll see, all I know for certain is it can't hurt.

Thank you to all who read, I know most are just family and friends. I appreciate all your love and support. I'll do my best to post more, post better content, and post positively. Also, thank you to my amazing friends and incredible husband for this past weekend. It was insanely fun and relaxing with lots of laughs and exactly what I needed. Going forward into my 24th year is exhilarating when I have so many outstanding people surrounding me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

Despite the critics and haters of this holiday, I've been lucky enough to always have amazing family and friends to share this holiday with and this year was that much better having my husband. His job unfortunately calls for working the night shift so our celebration was cut short but he made delicious steaks and had flowers and chocolates waiting for me. We were also able to go out to dinner Sunday night thanks to his amazing adopted Grandma Jean. It just makes me overjoyed to think of all the incredible people we both have in our lives. I don't know how two people got so lucky.

And on that note, I've decided to start a project for the next year. Starting today (tonight) and hopefully following through for the next 12 months. Tim and my family are constantly reminding me how good my life is, despite the tiny things that I get caught up worrying about. After reading an article in a magazine this weekend, I've been inspired to start a Happiness Project. For the next year, each month I will focus on one area to work on to help make me and those around me happier people. This month, even though it's halfway through, I've decided I will do my absolute best to not be negative. I get so hung up on bad feelings and anxiety in my day-to-day life that it brings everyone else down around me. If I can learn, in the next two weeks, to overcome and get past the small negative feelings and moments that I've allowed myself, I feel that it would be a significant step towards bettering myself. I'll also try my best to write about my progress every day or every couple of days...as well as continue to experience all that Madison is about.

Much love to you all, not just on today but every day. Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow White

2011-02-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Madison hasn't been free of snow for weeks but with this Snowmageddon that's headed our way, I'm dreading the thick blanket that I'm sure will linger for days after the blizzard is over. There were only a few inches last night and walking to the gym this morning was almost as much of a workout as I needed.

Happy February! I'm giving everyone ample notice that this is my birthday month and not just any old birthday, but my golden birthday!! Watch out for Thursday February 24th, it's going to be a big celebration, haha.

I cannot believe I didn't blog about last week's delicious events of Restaurant Week!! I didn't get around as much as I liked but I was able to enjoy an amazing three-course meal at Ruth's Chris (Caesar salad, fillet Mignon, and a delicious chocolate dessert). To say anything negative about that spectacular steak house would be blasphemy because they always please. It was also an awesome way to get out of cooking dinner Tuesday night! And the Restaurant Week gods smiled upon our group of 8 on Wednesday night and we were able to get a table at Samba, a Brazilian grill. There was unlimited amounts of their unique buffet and six types of meat (including pork, lamb and several types of steak!). This place is pricey but my personal heaven and I would love to eat there on a regular basis if my bank account or waistline wouldn't be so negatively affected.

This weekend was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a while. After traveling to Milwaukee Friday evening for a Ben Folds Five concert (which was awesome!) I spent time on the couch, curled up in a blanket napping with Gilly. I love when I have nothing to do, it is a very freeing feeling.

This week is the opposite, back to work and busy days. I love writing and being busy. I hope this week goes well for everyone, stay safe in the snow!!