IveGottenMyselfinaPickle

Babyy!!

2011-04-12T00:03:00.002-05:00

Baby making progress :)

2011-03-30T22:54:00.002-05:00

sorry for the lack of posting..ive been busy!

Visit my shop :)

2010-08-08T22:44:00.001-05:00

Art, Job...lack of bloggin..

2010-08-06T17:53:00.001-05:00

I have really kind of sucked lately with keeping up with the blog. I apologize. I work too much. I also have gotten really into my art as of late...

check it out :

www.deviantart.com/mademoisellemelli

or if you wanted to purchase some lovely art for your home or office or as a gift...check out my Etsy store :)

Ive been bad

2010-05-24T10:45:00.002-05:00

Ive been a bad bad BAAADDD blogger, and for that I'm sorry. For my 5 followers, if you are still there ~ :) ~ I will try to update more frequently! It's almost summer, or is summer... and Ive already made a HUGE batch of pickles with my mom. Also, we went to this awesome blackberry farm near our house. We picked to our hearts were content, and made jam & jelly till like midnight.

Scared of Pickles?!!

2009-12-11T20:05:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSCotdOh5WY&feature=player_embedded

OMG!!!! How can you be scared of pickles?!!! I love all pickled pickle things~!!

For Katie

2009-11-09T09:05:00.002-06:00

Girl's day out at the Ren Fest. WOoooo :)

Chuy'sssssss

2009-11-09T09:03:00.003-06:00

How I love thee. ugh. I can't move. No more fajitas!

Ready for bed!

2009-10-31T22:19:00.002-05:00

Well, we didn't have nearly as many trick-o-treaters as we would have liked, however, the night was fun and we are ready for bed. Here's little layla dressed up as a Honeybee :)

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-30T23:31:00.002-05:00

I've been a very bad blogger as of late. But, in all fairness I've been really busy with my classes. I hope everyone and everything is well....I will leave you with the gift of these delicious Halloween delights!

art, study, sick, sleep

2009-10-01T16:35:00.004-05:00

So i've had this funk the past few days. Not the H1N1 but something else, something less cool. Id rather have the real flu so I could stay home and be "really" sick. Instead i'm sitting at school, without really a fever but hacking and coughing and being close to miserable. On the bright side, I started a new painting. AND I actually did my art history homework for once. Bonus.

Summer is so over :(

2009-09-24T15:19:00.000-05:00

Sorry i've been flakey

2009-09-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

I haven't had much time to post since school started back up for the Fall. I'll try to add some new things in and hopefully will be keeping this more up to date! Hope everyone is having a fabulous day. :)

Melissa

mmm do I loveee hot dogs

2009-08-16T18:53:00.002-05:00

After getting home and wanting some Texas food..I stopped by James Coney Island for dinner. Ahhh 2 coneys with mustard/ketchup/onions and chili-cheese fries with onion. superb. I found this fun website with a million types of hot dogs. I'm gonna go try me some. :)

http://www.tastespotting.com/tag/hot+dog

Have fuN!

Mel

Back in Texas!

2009-08-16T11:56:00.002-05:00

I'm a bit bummed by the end of my vacation but I'm so happy to see my little munchkins again. Odie and Layla had to stay with the grandma and they were happy to be home. We all slept in really late this morning and my boss was gracious enough to let me have Sunday off too...so I'll probably need to catch up on some cleaning before I go back to the Apple. Yay, home:

El Pollo Rico

2009-08-14T19:12:00.005-05:00

So I recall having Peruvian chicken many years ago when my Aunt Lockie lived in Washington, D.C. and it is insanely popular for good reason in this area. Why I cannot find this succulent rotisserie charcoaled delight anywhere in Houston is besides me.

Even my idol Anthony Bourdain went here in his show "No Reservations"

see here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08clo-lj-jg&feature=related (skip to the 8:30 mark)

El Pollo Rico

is DC ' s bestttt Peruvian chicken spot..or Pollo a la Brasa as it's traditionaly called. You can pick up a quarter, half, or whole chicken meal that come with big home fries and cole slaw.

It's served up with 2 sauces: a spicy green puree that tastes like pureed jalapenos and cilantro (its amazing, my favorite for sure) and a creamy mayonnaise-y sauce.

I just stick with this firey green one..

I mix it into the otherwise boring cole slaw and slather it onto the charcoaled chicken. so good. I need to practice my BBQ skills at home and get back to you on this one in Texas!

Screen on the Green!

2009-08-14T19:07:00.002-05:00

This post is a bit late but last Monday me and Patrick went for "The scren on the Green" which is basically a huge screen that is setup on the National Green in Washington, DC. Hoards of people show up to watch movies outside. The movie on the night we went was "Rebel without a Cause" OK so I know this movie is like...a classic..but It was a bit old :-/ for our tastes. I mean no offense we we're just kind of bored..and sweating..and getting bit by mosquitos..and eh..we had a large group of people near us THAT WOULDNT STOP TALKING through the movie...isn't that annoying? So we jetted a bit early...but here's a blurry shot of the setup..

The BEST! breakfast in D.C!

2009-08-14T18:55:00.005-05:00

So in case you are ever in D.C...get your butt onto the Metro and get off at the Metro Center stop..and walk around the corner to " The Waffle Shop" aka "Lincoln's Waffle Shop" Lemme tell you guys that this breakfast is AMAZING. It is owned by this cute asian woman whom everyone refers to as "Mama". She was so kind to us, and remembered us each time we came in, and remembered we were from Houston. So, we have eaten here 3 days in a row for breakfast~ and it was simply the best best best!

Days 1 and 2 : The Breakfast combo A, with sunny side up eggs, bacon, extra home fries and a waffle (duh)

Day 3: ((the good choice I'm told)) Fried chicken wings and a waffle..::drool::

I will miss you Waffle Shop! Me and Patrick are TOTALLY planning a restaurant now!

Tryste Lounge ~ D.C.

2009-08-14T18:45:00.005-05:00

So I study art in school, I am a painter, and art in general is pretty much my OTHER interest besides food. So last night in D.C. Patrick and I were searching mainly for a desert place for Patrick so he could get his chocolate fix subdued. I wanted food as I usually do, so I came across this place called Tryste on the interwebs...

http://www.trystdc.com/

It was just amazing and fun. It was very dim, with trendy music booming. We sat at a large table in the middle that sat about 8 people and ordered up some amazing eats. I tried to snap a few pics with my phone..

That poor guy didn't see it coming. :) Anywho, they have awesome original art (for sale- lovin' it!) and it had the overall feel of the nightclubs that were in the surrounding Adam's-Morgan neighborhood. I had a delish salad and a cup of Gazpacho...mm (sorry for lack of picture but it was too dim!) I'd never had gazpacho before but it was really surprisingly good. It was about a half mile from the metro but the surrounding neighborgood was really quaint and fun. Patrick ended up getting a frozen mocha and a huge belgian waffle. Just Awesome!

Lost trying to find the metro!!

2009-08-14T18:40:00.003-05:00

So me and Patrick are like literally lost trying to learn to read a map today... What better to do than to EAT?! We found this cute little cafe in Georgetown for a quick breakfast/brunch. I was a bit done with breakfast so I got a delicious three cheese panini with spinach and tomatos.

Tomatos and cupcakes!!

2009-08-14T18:31:00.003-05:00

Did I mention that I LOVE eastern market? We went on a Tuesday so only a smaller area of the market was open, but I did manage to get a few treats..

These are the little beauties I got at Eastern Market... I've been slowly devouring these every morning for a quick breakfast. yummers I love tomatos. just a bit of salt and I'm set

What's better for desert than a cupcake? This sinful concoction was a dark chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate mousse and whippd cream..and drizzled with chocolate sauce. It was literally the BEST cupcake I've ever had..

Damn you McDonald's

2009-08-14T18:28:00.002-05:00

damn McDonald's literally follows me everywhere I go!!! I can never get away from it! And when you have walked about 2 miles and need food NOW it sounds sooo good :( ahhh

mmm little cheeseburgers with extra pickles and onions.

Thai Food from Eastern Market , DC

2009-08-14T09:53:00.004-05:00

I love love love love loveeeee Eastern Market in D.C. It's about as close as I get to being a "kid in a candy shop".

http://www.easternmarketdc.com/

(I think it's partly due to the fact that in the area of Houston which we live there are like NO farmer's markets, no fresh markets or food of any kind...)

So anyways, we shopped around Eastern Market a bit, I bought some beautiful little tomatoes and a chocolate mousse cupcape (OMG!). And then later we headed over to this awesome little Thai food place down the street...

We shared Curry Puffs..basically potato/chicken/curry in a little empanada/puff pastry ...very good served with a sweet cucumber-onion sauce:

We both got salads that were basically different ingrediants layered on top of lettuce. I had the green papaya salad and Patrick had the Pla Goong which was like a spicy/ sour salad with shrimp. They were both really really good.

We are in D.C. for the week

2009-08-14T09:45:00.008-05:00

Ahhhh plane food!!! EEEEeeeeee! It actually wasn't too bad... cereal and a banana..that's healthy right??

Many stories are sure to follow, here's a pic real quick of where like 75% of my time for the next week will be spent:

The Metro.

(it's really the best way to get around exp. once your feet start aching!!)

Also included is my lunch of the day, which was fabulous!! It's a plain bagel (toasted), with chive cream cheese and sliced tomato. mmmm

P.S.

Patrick also wanted to include his breakfast, which was a blueberry bagel that was literally blue. Enjoy!

..This is why I'm fat...and this is how I'm trying to LOSE IT!

2009-08-11T23:22:00.004-05:00

Ugh, foot long chili/cheese/onion/mustard/ketchup monstrosity known as a hot dog. Topped with FRECH FRIES ...

Ahh salvation.. Subway sub with ALL veggies (except jalapenos) thats lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, pickles, banana peppers, salt n pepper. I much prefer this to the above gloppy mess ...

mmmm Wedding food!

2009-08-11T23:18:00.003-05:00

Salad Course :

Caesar Salad

Main Course:

Roasted Chicken stuffed with sausage and shrimp, roasted potatoes, and sauteed vegetables

Sorry for the semi-destroyed plate, we had already started eating per the usual and I was like "ahhhh need picture!!" which is like..everyday. :)

Belated congratulations for Cindy and Alex!

2009-08-11T23:01:00.005-05:00

Me and Patrick in our finest, ready for the ceremony!

Congrats Cindy and Alex!

Chuy's!

2009-08-10T19:05:00.003-05:00

OMG! This is the Elvis Presley Fried Chicken combo at Chuy's...it's basically chicken coated in Lay's potato chips, deep fried, covered in a spicy salsa and cheese, served with rice and refried beans. mmmmmm so good yet soo bad...

yummy 2 "dots" (margaritas) and some chips, salsa, and creamy jalapeño dip :)

The Cubewich!!

2009-08-05T15:06:00.002-05:00

I love some sandwiches...i'd love to make one of these as it is awesome looking and i bet awesome tasting. Thought you guys might get a giggle out of this.. :p

omg we have HUGE cucumbers!!

2009-08-05T14:53:00.002-05:00

I wasn't really paying close attention to the vine and bam! look at these honkers! they might make some good pickles hopefully they are not too seedy :)

quick breakfast before work

2009-08-05T14:52:00.002-05:00

some kashi go lean crunch w/ strawberries and vanilla soymilk.. and a side of green grapes

mmmm "blow pop"

2009-08-01T08:26:00.001-05:00

so it's kind of going to be a crazy drinking weekend for me.. Friday night was my boss shaun's little going away get together... and tonight is Patrick's ( my fiancé) sister's (Cindy) batcholette party! wish me good luck...

Some artwork on a rainy day

2009-07-31T17:41:00.003-05:00

Today was my painting class and it's absolutely pouring rain today so I was the only one to show up! My teacher, Ellie, was nice enough to spend the hours with me... Here's some things I'm working on.

Deviantart.com

2009-07-29T22:43:00.002-05:00

So I was on someone's blog and saw their artwork displayed on their deviantart gadget. I had forgotten that awhile back I had made an account on that website. So I loaded some of my artwork into the site and so far the feedback I've gotten has been really great. If you click on the gadget on the right side ---> of the screen it will take you to my album. It's a cool website on which if you like someone's artwork you can buy a print of it and help them to earn some extra $$. Really cool, I recommend it if you have any photography or artwork you would like to display or get a critique on. OK, night night for now!

Mel

ugh what a bad bad day

2009-07-28T22:33:00.002-05:00

mc donalds = the devil

I had the absolute worst day.. so much so that it started last night and carried on until today! I was playing with Layla last night and I felt like I got something stuck in my eye (like an eyelash or the like) and I tried to get it out of my eye, pretty normal right? After like an hour of rinsing out my eye, and putting in eye-drops, and generally going crazy I decided whatever it was wasn't coming out. So last night was rather uncomfortable, I didn't sleep at ALL because my eye was killing me when I closed it. I had to work all day with my eye watering and burning because I couldn't get an eye appt until 4:30. I went on my lunch break to the eye dr, which of course took up my entire hour. Apparently I had scratched my eye and thats why it was all swollen and painful. I finally got home tonight at about 10pm after getting my prescription eye-drops and hopefully it will feel better in the morning. As for the McDonald's, ugh, I needed something that would make me feel better, I KNOW ITS BAD but I don't care today. and too bad this morning I was finally losing some weight. ::sigh:: back on track tomorrow.

Mel

more lean cuisine

2009-07-27T22:06:00.002-05:00

Mmm facebook and lasagna

Finally a hot breakfast! (kind of)

2009-07-27T11:21:00.003-05:00

Yay I don't have to go into work until 12:30 so I actually have time to cook something this morning. I made scrambled eggs, and topped it with some Pico de Gallo. On the side, toast and some sliced plums and nectarine.

Quick Breakfast~

2009-07-26T08:21:00.002-05:00

I'm going to the farmer's market in Houston with Patrick's dad so i don't have a ton of time this morning. Today it's Kashi cereal granola-style :

With added almonds, pistachios, and blueberries... see you guys later

quick veggie dinner

2009-07-25T23:26:00.003-05:00

Tonight was a quick healthy veggie dinner as I didn't get home from work until almost 10pm. We had some quick sauteed asparagus with a light toss of olive oil and some spices along with a baked potato stuffed with a bit of butter and some pico de gallo. It's freaking awesome, and I don't miss all of the cheese and sour cream...I'm a tomato fiend :)

See my flowers? Isn't Patrick the best :)

Just a dog day in the sun

2009-07-25T23:22:00.002-05:00

Cereal Cereal Cereal

2009-07-25T10:45:00.004-05:00

I love this Kashi cereal...its awesome but I have to add a few handfuls of other stuff to keep it interesting. Today is:

Kashi + Reg. Vanilla Soymilk + 1/2 Nectarine + blueberries + strawberries + whole raw almonds = yummy and healthy breakfast

Me and Patrick's BAD and GOOD date !

2009-07-24T20:18:00.006-05:00

So me and Patrick went exploring around The Woodlands and found a cool new frozen "tart" yogurt place called BerryPop on the Waterway. They serve frozen yogurt that tastes, well, like YOGURT. Its very low calorie (our cups were like 25 calories each or something amazing) and they have all these awesome toppings like fresh fruit and such...So this was the GOOD part of the date...Mine: a small regular flavored yogurt with raspberries, blackberries, and kiwi

Patricks: a small regular flavored yogurt with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries

And for the BAD part of the date ;( Fuddruckers. The amazingly fattening build-your-own burger joint..

it's bad in the good way. And yes, that's melted cheese sauce to dip those honkin fries in. ugh. to the gym I go.

Lean Cuisines....

2009-07-24T15:18:00.004-05:00

So, as any fellow dieters might know, cutting calories totally sucks. I started out OK with my butternut squash ravioli lean cuisine meal.

But, I was still hungry, and I was watching TV, and saw TOAST! So of course then I wanted and needed toast. So...

My 2 favorite toasts, on the left is cinnamon-sugar toast, and on the right gooey cheddar cheese toast. I'm sure they are not low cal but I don't really care. They *were on whole wheat bread!* Whatever good that does I do not know. :) The crispy melted sugar edges on the cinnamon toast are the bestttt.

random funny computer nerd video

2009-07-24T10:38:00.003-05:00

I do work for a computer company after all.

and p.s. buy a Mac and this will never happen to you :) hehe

Yawn

2009-07-24T10:08:00.001-05:00

Poor patrick didn't set his alarm this morning (it was set to P.M...oops) so he shot out of bed in a frenzy and ran off to the store. I on the otherhand got to to stay in bed and watched this show on the history channel about the underworld of Naples. I totally want to go to Naples now. I can never watch travel channel, food channel, history channel or discovery channel without wanting to go travel ;) Today is my art class at The Woodlands Academy of Art~ yay, perhaps I will finish my oil painting I'm working on and give you guys a pic later.

From the vine to the plate

2009-07-22T19:09:00.006-05:00

So I've been managing this crazy cucumber vine this summer growing outside of my dining room window:

and today it gifted me a present..yay

So what do I do? I make me a salad mmm! Plum tomato, little cucumber, fresh garden basil and chives, and some iceberg lettuce. (Don't even hate on the iceberg... its hot and disgusting in Texas and some cool crisp iceberg lettuce is delish!)

Breakfast

2009-07-22T09:19:00.003-05:00

OK so, we eat a lot of cereal and fruit at our house. One day I'll give myself enough time in the morning to cook a real breakfast :)

Kashi + nectarines + strawberries + soymilk

Remaking The Buffalo Chicken

2009-07-21T21:34:00.008-05:00

So I work in a mall, and most days I'm stuck with the fat laden choices of the food court. One my favs that makes me feel all gross and fat is Charley's Grilled Subs. (http://www.charleyssteakery.com) So, I decided to try to re-do my favorite "low calorie" sub at home:

It's basically this carb-a-rific white bun stuffed with chicken, buffalo sauce, cheese, ranch dressing, and some extras.

Well, I tried to make it at home with some low fat grilled white breast meat chicken (already chopped and cooked, thanks Kroger)

A dab of fat-free ranch, about a teaspoon of cheese, tons of lettuce and tomato and a small wheat bun. I think I save some calories in there someplace.

Oh and for dessert Patrick and I split a plate of fruit. Much better than french fries:

Edamame

2009-07-20T18:39:00.003-05:00

Ahh soybeans. These are kind of new to me and I've been adding them to some foods... They are OK in salads and pretty good with ramen noodles (i make my own sauce with some soy, asian chili paste, green onions etc ~ not that crazy high sodium/MSG packet they give you) I think I really just like them best plain, with some sea salt...like you get at those overpriced Sushi places. mmm

no pickles??!???

2009-07-19T11:27:00.002-05:00

my boss makes my pickle - lovin heart hurt

breakfast before work

2009-07-19T09:02:00.002-05:00

more kashi go lean crunch, strawberries, and low fat vanilla soymilk. and my dirty dirty desk

lunch for dinner

2009-07-18T20:31:00.002-05:00

my ode to Neal (dean) and his sandwich obsession! turkey on wheat w/ some grey poupon, a pickle (duh) olives (they are good fat!) and sun chips ;)

ps the camera on my iPhone is acting whack - sorry for the blur

snack @ work

2009-07-18T13:13:00.002-05:00

cherries + blueberries = super antioxidants :)

Popsicle

2009-07-18T10:31:00.002-05:00

ok fed odie a Popsicle and now it's off to work

2009-07-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

I need a blogger app for my iPhone..which ones are good?

2009-07-18T10:05:00.004-05:00

Woo-hoo good morning. I have my first follower! yay thanks Jas! In homage to my inspiration: http://spidersfrommars.wordpress.com/ today's breakfast is Kashi Go Lean Crunch! (Yumm) with some berries. A girl's gotta eat breakfast.

Italian Dinner Night

2009-07-17T21:21:00.004-05:00

all it takes is a quick trip to Le Kroger and dinner is ready in a snap. We made some roasted red pepper-tomato sauce with angel hair pasta and some delish pizzas. That was some dough with pizzazz. :)

2009-07-17T20:42:00.003-05:00

I went to the farmers market the other day, and made these cucumbers bow down to me!

Now, alas, we have the pickles...

The big pickle adventure

2009-07-17T20:38:00.004-05:00

So, this summer I decided along with my better half to attempt to get healthier. We have began to create our own foods and cook more at home. This blog is an attempt to chronicle my tastier foods and recipes. Also included will be some of my current artwork I'm inspired to create and my daily adventures. Stay tuned...

Love,

Melissa :)