When I need a quick break at work, I check out the latest photos added to the Maine Coon flickr group. Endless entertainment…enjoy!
When I Need A Break
February 8, 2010 · Leave a Comment
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Work
Tagged: cats, Flickr, Maine Coon, Photography, Photos, Work
Cats Fly Free?
January 27, 2010 · 1 Comment
→ 1 CommentCategories: Work
Tagged: Dallas, fort wortg, funny cat, jack bauer, suitcase, Travel, Work
Two Years of McDay
January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Ryan and I celebrated our two year anniversary this weekend. It started when he called me at work on Friday afternoon to let me know he had made RESERVATIONS (!!) at a new restaurant in Fort Worth. He had conspired with our neighbor, who is a wine distributor, to pick the perfect location. He took me to Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana. Totally amazing date! I’ve reviewed the establishment on yelp. Ryan did a great job by taking me to a 5-star restaurant (and I mean 5 yelp stars!).
A little background on Lanny, from their web site:
Lanny, the great-grandson of the legendary restaurateur Joe. T. Garcia, was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas spending most of his time in a restaurant. He has traveled extensively through Mexico cooking and learning what a meal means within the Mexican Culture. Rooted in Mexican Cuisine he began to explore the ideas of Mexican and Haute Cuisine. It was the passion behind these ideas that led him to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where he had a more formal understanding of Classic Fundamentals. He spent three years developing a concept and cuisine within the walls of Joe. T. Garcia’s before opening the restaurant on July 27, 2005.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Fort Worth · Texas
Tagged: Celebration, Dinner, Food, foodie, Fort Worth, Lanny's, restaurant, Yelp
The Power of Your Voice
January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Disclaimer:
- The statements here are definitely my own (very personal) feelings and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer -
Is professionalism completely lost when you gain a following online? Whether that’s your blog readers, Twitter followers, or Facebook friends? Yes, I am completely aware the person I am (passive aggressively) referring to in this post has built an untouchable level of trust with his posse online.
If you find our systems inefficient, inoperable, or outdated – we are the first to want to hear it. But I feel like (and maybe I just assumed this) that you and I have a professional relationship – we’ve shaken hands, talked online, and run in many of the same circles. You knew that I was on the other end of your criticism that was spewed all over the internet on Friday. In my opinion, there are better, more professional ways of getting your point across.
I’ve followed you, trusted you, and have modeled a lot of what I do after you. The fact that you didn’t feel like you could TRUST me back to share your frustrations in a professional (offline) way, hurts me. It hurt me personally, and left a huge bruise for my Company online. I hope you understand the power of your voice. Use it for good!
Thanks for listening.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Work
Tagged: brand, Facebook, reputation, Social Media, Trust, twitter
Social Media Club Dallas
January 24, 2010 · 3 Comments
Last night I attended my first Social Media Club Dallas meeting since the relaunch of the club. I must say this was a super organized well thought-out event. My colleague and I geeked it out with the best of the Dallas Twitterati and Foursquare fanatics. The meeting had a great turnout, which isn’t surprising since they kicked off the first meeting of 2010 with the highly esteemed blogger and writer Chris Brogan. Brogan tackled a bunch of my favorite concepts -
- We are all in the Customer Service business.
- If you aren’t living in Twitter search, you aren’t using the tool to it’s full potential.
- Don’t self-promote all the time. If you want readers on your blog don’t write about yourself.
It was great to reconnect with folks that I’ve met at other Dallas events and meet some of my Twitter friends face to face! I also met a few new contacts as well.
Mike Merrill, SMC President, did a great job of kicking off the new year. I have a feeling lots of new locals will be joining Social Media Club Dallas after this event.
→ 3 CommentsCategories: Work
Tagged: Chris Brogan, Dallas, Foursquare, Mike Merrill, smcdallas, Social Media, Social Media Club Dallas, twitter
The Lose It App
January 10, 2010 · 1 Comment
Just like everyone I know, I’m on a mission to lose weight in 2010. Hopefully, this year, I can stick with it. When I was in college, I danced all day and night (on TCU’s Dance Team). We were required to make weigh ins and look our best all the time. Once I graduated and moved on to a “desk” job the New Job 15 really hit me. At work there is never a shortage of catered lunches, happy hours, and of course honey roasted peanuts. It’s time to change things around. In the past, I’ve tried Weight Watchers. It worked well and taught me the power of calorie counting and portion control. I paid $16 a month for an online subscription. The hard part was, Weight Watchers did not have a robust mobile site or app. We all know if your goal is to keep track of the food you consume, it’s best to do it right after you eat…which isn’t typically at a computer. I ended my Weight Watcher’s contract a few months ago.
I regularly scroll the “featured” apps in the app store on my iPhone. One that popped up this week was the Lose It app. This app is basically a handy dandy calorie counter. I entered my current weight, then entered my desired weight and it told me how many calories I can consume per day. During the day I enter the items I eat and the app calculates approximately how many calories I’m taking in. I can also get “calories back” by hitting the gym.
So far I’m super impressed. The app was FREE and does everything I was paying the Weight Watchers web site for. The app is also super social. If you are comfortable sharing your progress with your Twitter followers you can link the app with your Twitter account. Not sure if I’m ready for that yet.
For other motivation, I’ve signed up for the Fort Worth Cowtown 5K.
Time to stop writing and hit the gym! Laters!
→ 1 CommentCategories: Fort Worth · My Faves · TCU
Tagged: Apps, Fort Worth, Gym, iPhone, TCU, Weight loss, Workout
Jack Bauer Knows His Name
January 9, 2010 · Leave a Comment
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Tagged: Cat, cats, funny, humor, jack bauer, video
TCU Bowl Game 2009
January 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Fort Worth · TCU · Texas
Tagged: football, Fort Worth, frogs, Phoenix, TCU
Snow in Fort Worth
December 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We had a white Christmas here in Fort Worth! It was beautiful, exciting, and record-breaking! Here are some snow shots from Eagle Mountain Lake in Fort Worth.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Fort Worth · Hurst · Texas
Tagged: beagle, Christmas Eve, eagle mountain lake, Fort Worth, Lake, snow
Sorry Mr. Blog and Cheese Rigatoni
December 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment
I’m sorry Mr. Blog. I have been entirely way too busy to share any new posts. I have some interesting new FUN projects at work! I’ve also had a death in the family and of course all the holidays. It’s been a lot to handle. Every day I had new blog post ideas swirling in my head…and this morning I was determined to make time.
First things first. I have to share my best recipe of the month (so far). I cooked this the other night for myself and Ryan. We were both stunned at the flavor and I was stunned with how easy (and low cal) it was. I added a few notes below. Also, I divided mine between two smaller casserole dishes. I have to give the credit to Cooking Light Dec. 2009. And shout out to Gary Vaynerchuk who gives wine advice for this meal (below the recipe).
Two Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese 
“This is a great basic recipe because there are many possibilities for variations with different pastas and cheeses. You can also use individual gratin dishes if you want a special presentation.” –Jeff Towle, Kingwood, Texas
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ingredients
- 5 cups uncooked rigatoni (16 ounces uncooked pasta)
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups fat-free milk
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickled jalapeño pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions (I omitted these)
- Cooking spray
- 2 (1-ounce) slices white bread (or premade bread crumbs)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; place in a large bowl.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add to pasta.
4. Add flour to pan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, stirring until cheeses melt and mixture is smooth. Stir in jalapeño and salt. Add cheese mixture to pasta, tossing well to coat. Stir in green onions. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. I skipped this step and just used premade bread crumbs. Place bread slices in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Combine butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl; toss until blended. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned.
Wine note: Portuguese reds are ripping hot right now and Esporao is one of my favorite producers. Gorgeous on the nose with strawberries and pansies, the 2006 Esporao Reserva Red ($15) has a creamy character that will meld very well with this cheesy dish. Its jammy fruit will prevent it from clashing with the jalapeños, a concern when there is heat in a recipe. —Gary Vaynerchuk
Nutritional Information
- Calories:
- 408
- Fat:
- 12.8g (sat 7.8g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.6g)
- Protein:
- 19.2g
- Carbohydrate:
- 54.5g
- Fiber:
- 2.4g
- Cholesterol:
- 40mg
- Iron:
- 2.5mg
- Sodium:
- 550mg
- Calcium:
- 293mg
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Tagged: cheese, Cooking Light, Home, recipes, Rigatoni, two pepper










