New blog!!

Because this blog uses my old last name, I feel inclined to have a new blog.

You can find it here:

Kelseymeg.wordpress.com.

-kels

Indulge Brownies

So, I made the brownies. The most delicious brownies ever. I would post the picture, but I am on my iPhone and can’t figure out how. But oh, how they were fudgy and chewy and rich and just crispy on top and perfect. I had to restrain myself from eating a third one.

Want to know the recipe? Sure you do. Make these tonight, for your own pleasure, or save them for your yuckiest PMS day. Or make them to share, and become instantly popular.

Indulge Brownies

Ingredients
-3/4 cup cocoa
-3/4 cup, and 4 Tbsp butter, separate
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-3 eggs
-1/2 Tbsp Vanilla
-1 cup flour
-scant Tbsp instant coffee
-sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place cocoa and 4 Tbsp butter in a glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds or until the butter melts. Mix well, until all cocoa is incorporated into the butter.
In a separate pan, brown the 3/4 cup butter. You can do this on the stovetop, continuously swirling the melted butter until it is brown and has a rich, nutty smell, or you can place the pan in the preheating oven and taking it out when the butter is brown. Each produce the same result*.
Pour the browned butter over the cocoa mixture, and beat until smooth and glossy.
Stir in the sugar, mix well.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Stir in flour and instant coffee, mix well.
Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 30 minutes.

This will not let you down.

*something I just thought of, is that you could increase the amount of browned butter, and brown it in the baking dish that you will later pour the batter into. That way, you have one less dish to clean, and your pan will be greased automatically.

Let me know if you try these, and how you like them!

-Kelsey

Chocolate.

Girls crave chocolate. I don’t know why, but it’s science. Especially around the same time each month.

Well, today is my day. My, “owch, that hurts, I thought a cycle was supposed to be 28 days, not 21, salt&sugar deficient” day.

So when I get off work in 30 minutes, nothing (not even you, Jillian Michaels) is going to stop me from baking the most indulgent brownies ever.

They will include:
-brown butter
-sea salt
-pure, unadulterated cocoa
-sugar, but not that much
-espresso

These are going to be dark, rich, bittersweet, and they are going to kill me.

And I am going to pretty much wing it on the recipe, so they might really suck.

Maybe I will document it. Maybe I will actually get some comments on this ragamuffin blog if I do.

Hugs and Kisses (the Hershey kind),
K-May

Shredded- Day 2

Last night I was at a sewing class until 9, and then I needed to clean house, so I didn’t work out.

Instead, I woke up at 6 am to do it this morning. My muscles were tired and sore, but I pushed through. Oddly enough, I had more time than usual to get ready.

And victory of victories, I weighed in at 139. I know that 1 pound in 1 day is just water weight, but it is enough to keep me motivated.

Different note: I have discovered the secret to smooth hair in East Tex. Since I moved here, my normal stylings have ended up frizzy and wavy immediately after stepping outside. But here is what works: after I wash my hair, I put in serum (aveda) and mousse (garnier), and blow it dry with a ceramic round brush. Then, I give my whole head o’ hair a good spritz with a light hairspray (kenra), comb my fingers through it, and then style with a curling iron. It is magic. I know magic. Smooth hair all day, even with the humidity index through the roof.

I ate fat free cottage cheese and a pear for breakfast. I will spend the rest of my day dreaming of Noodle Kugel, German Spaetzel, and bittersweet brownies.

Goodbye Fat. Your enemy,
Kelsey

30 Day Shred

I am going to be really honest, no matter how much my pride hates it.

Yesterday, Luke and I bought a bathroom scale. Very scary.

I weighed in at an all time high of 140 pounds.

Now, some of you are going to stop reading this sob story because maybe you’re heavier than me for whatever reason. But don’t stop. My body was not made for 140 pounds, and it got there through an intense combination of junk food, constant eating out, and laziness. Every body has a healthy weight, and mine is not 140.

The problem: Beyond my lowered self esteem, I also cannot fit into my jeans, and I simply don’t have the money to buy bigger ones. I also don’t want to have any of the heart problems that I know come with extra stomach fat.

Deeper issue: sometimes, after I eat something greasy, I lie in bed afraid that I will die in my sleep because of the fat clogging my veins.

Anyway, none of this is desirable.

So last night I finally got off my couch, put down the boneless wings and worked out. I put Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and did the lowest workout. I have done it before, with no problems, but this time was different.

I couldn’t finish the push ups.

I didn’t wear a shirt, and was furious with my stomach’s appearance during the crunches.

My feet went numb during the lunges.

And my flexibility during the cool down was nothing short of pathetic.

So I am going to stick to it– the whole 30 days. After 10 days, I will move up to level 2, and after 20, level 3.

Although I would love to show you pictures of my progress, I would actually hate to do that, so I won’t.

Jillian, I trust you. Let’s make a change. (cue man in the mirror, instrumental version).

Maybe later I will show you how I made the yummiest meatballs and smashed potatoes ever, and they are actually healthy.

Kels.

Fall!!

Wow, it’s finally Fall. And just in time, I bought the adorable tweed Tucker for Target jacket.

But I like that I am in Texas, where sandals are practically a year round accessory, because trousers and wide leg pants don’t look good with closed toed flats. It’s a fact.

In the Fall, while every cooking blog is buzzing about the return of pumpkin, I am dreaming of biting into fresh, crisp apples. Yum. But don’t even think about asking me to bob for some, because I am not dreaming of contracting any saliva transmitted diseases.

Probably the best part of everyday life in Fall is Andrew Peterson’s Behold The Lamb of God. That cd does not leave my player; it is hands down the best Christmas album. And I am already planning which stop on the tour that I will attend.

Oh, tonight I am starting a sewing class with my awesome friend, Katie. Cheers to homemade clothes that don’t fall apart while I am wearing them!

Kelsey May

Ticky-tacky

This weekend, Luke’s brother is getting married. Yay!!! Weddings are fun. This will be my first wedding to attend while married. Very cool.

Here’s my only question: is it tacky for me to attend this wedding wearing:
1. An extra bridesmaid dress from my wedding that I bought
2. The necklace I wore in my wedding
3. The bracelet I wore in my wedding
4. The hair clip I wore in my wedding
5. A veil (just kidding)

They are all pretty understated and not at all “bridal.” And not white. And I am belting and cardiganing the dress.

Hmmm. I guess we will see if I get any “you’re so tacky” looks from people who attended both events.

K. May.

PS. the wedding coordinator wore a white dress to my rehearsal. I will always wonder if she realized what she was doing.

Issues

I have a problem. Lots of them, really. But here is the one that has destined itself to be focused on today.

And because everything I say, much to the dismay of my patient husband, mist be prefaced:

Preface: I love shopping online. It is 300% more exciting than shopping in person. There is the unrushed, organized browsing. Price low-high usually. And the archives of product are enormous.

Then there is the process of selection, with my cart total right there for me to see.

Then there is the mildly painful moment where I am forced to get up, find my purse, and dig around for my debit card. That’s the only part I don’t like.

But here is where the fun really builds: next, I wait. Daily wondering, will it be today? Will I find my parcel of goodies on my doorstep?

And then it comes and I see my newborn baby purchase for the first time, and I get to find out if it actually fits. Or works. Or whatever.

So, I am sure you are all thinking that, besides the potential for a home wrecking addiction, what’s the problem?

The problem is the obsessive compulsive checking USPS.com for the tracking updates. I can’t stand to just wait patiently. So every hour I type in my tracking number to see if my parcel has been scanned in at a new location. And usually it hasn’t. And I drive myself crazy with horrid thoughts of my goodies being lost in the mail, or worse, delivered to someone who will undoubtedly claim the gifts as their own, wearing my discounted clothing that I bought with a gift card.

This is the path I have chosen for myself.

Kelsey.

Fam in town

Having family in town rocks. Highlights:

Favorite Fajitas and margaritas at Del Rio,
Sleeping late, coffee maker crisis and best ever breakfast casserole,
Lufkin Zoo! Held hands with a monkey who was just in love with us, had an awkward moment with a bat who unashamedly exposed himself to me while making eye contact (scarring), and fell in love with giraffes all over again,
Died over mirandasings08 videos on YouTube (seriously, if you haven’t seen her California Gurls music video, you aren’t alive yet)
Died over the Christian the Lion video on youtube (again, haven’t seen? Not alive)
Swimming in the perfect weather with my perfect niece- letting her “ride on shamu’s back” (talk about a self image boost)
Concerts for the family– Kelsey on the keys, Ash on vocals, and Adreyene on guitar

Family in town makes me so happy, but also, so tired! Luke and I did not move from the couch all day after they left– I think we watched at least 8 episodes of the O.C. Season 3.

Breakfast Casserole “Recipe” (I made it up as I went along, so you can guess the measurements… I really don’t think you can screw this up.

You’ll need:
1 can reduced fat crescent rolls
8 eggs (or more– they’ll fit, it’s just all I had, and it worked)
1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
Shredded Parmesan cheese
1 can diced green chiles
Salt n peppa to taste

Oven temp: 350 degrees

Spread the uncooked crescent rolls on the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish. Make sure to seal edges together to make a solid crust. Set aside. Brown turkey sausage, seasoning as desired (s&p was good for me). Once browned, pour all the sausage into the baking pan on top of the crescent roll crust– there won’t be much grease, but scoop with a slotted spoon to avoid getting any into your casserole. Set aside. Next, whisk the eggs until smooth. Season to taste, and stir in Parmesan cheese and diced green chiles. I probably used about a cup of cheese and 3 oz chiles, but adjust this according to your preference. It will be good, don’t worry. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage, and either cover and refrigerate overnight or bake uncovered right away. I wish I could tell you how long I baked this for, but I forgot to set a timer, went out of the room, and came back when I could smell it. The crust was perfectly golden, and the top was just beginning to brown. When a knife in the center comes out clean, it’s ready. We ate this plain, but it would be so good with salsa on top. And next time I might try making the crust out of hash browns. Yum!

Birthday!

My birthday is in six (6) days!

Sidenote: the fact that I naturally wrote out the number, then put the numeral in parentheses tells me I have been working at a law office too long.

Anyway I will be 24! Or, twenty-four (24)! And I know to some of you out there, that sounds young and you probably will hate me in about 1 second but… I feel soooo oolllld. I wish I was still 18, with a perfect young body and nothing to do but play truth or dare in the park.

Wait… Should I have been playing T or D when I was 18? Or should I have already grown out of daring my friends to walk through the drive through of a fast food restaurant and order a can of corn? And then make them eat dirt if they chickened out?

Whoa, now that was a digression.

The whole point of this post is to record my birthday wishlist. I assume that in one year, I will want to look back at this and laugh at the silly, not at all valuable stuff I wanted for my birthday. Here goes:

1. a keyboard pedal. Yes, I have been playing songs, trying to hold the suspension for as long as possible and ignoring the huge gaps between notes. Some nicely flowing sound would be nice.
2. Season 1, volume 2 of glee. Because they marketed the first half of the season as a full season and I believed them even though it was released conveniently in time for Christmas.
3. A vintage looking gold watch from Fossil that someone with better taste than me picks out.
4. Business smarts so I can start the business that is brewing in my head and be my own boss, and have the option of staying in my jammies until noon.
5. An Anthropologie shopping spree because, who doesn’t?
6. A German shorthaired pointer puppy.
7. A green thumb.
8. A baby.
9. A brown leather bag that goes over the shoulder and has the perfect combination of structure, floppiness, zippers and buckles. More buckles than zippers, please. And I want it to make me look like I am in a Ralph Lauren magazine ad.
10. A Volvo SUV.
11. A bag of candy so sour that it makes my tongue bleed and it’s not approved by the FDA.

Now, that’s only ten things. That’s not too much to ask from life, is it?

Oh wait, one more thing:

12. To see my family! And I get that one! At least most of them. Erin and Jackson live a leetle too far away for a weekend trip.

Happy Birthday,
Kelsey May