70. Make 10 meals in the Crockpot.

For my first "official" crockpot meal (I have used my crockpot many times before - but never documented it) I chose a vegetarian version of J's favorite meal - chili.

This Black Bean Chili  was super easy to make - thanks to my dear friend, Mr. Crockpot.  I love the functionality of the crockpot - throw everything in, set to "low", arrive home from work to a home-cooked meal. yum.

This recipe used a ton of different types of beans - which I LOVE.  I, however, do not love the gross oil and added chemicals to the beans in the cans.  After rinsing and cleaning them they looked much better...

But I think after this experience, I will be buying dried beans.  Better for the earth and less gross things added = win/win! 

After cooking for close to 10 hours - the chili looked like this:

...and closer look

I topped mine with a little fat-free sour cream, while J opted for his go-to Frank's Hot Sauce.  Truthfully - I am not big on spice - but I added a bit to mine - and it totally kicked it up a notch.

J really enjoyed it - so it's safe to say this will be made again.  Plus, it was great to come home to a warm meal after the cold and rainy day we had!

71. Make 80 new recipes.

A few weeks ago I tried a new recipe from my girl Ray Ray and boy, did I pick a good one - we made RR's 30 Minute Stuffed Young Zucchini.

Sauteing the mushrooms and onions!

One of my favorite parts of this recipe was the yummy bread stuffing.  We chose to use a piece of my Dad's fresh home baked bread.

Yum!

After toasting the bread, buttering it, and throwing it in the food processor with the basil leaves - it looked like this.  Oh, and it smelled heavenly.

The zucchini were hollowed out and sprinkled with olive oil, and salt & pepper to prepare them for the filling. 

After filling the zucchini with the veggies and bread mixture - they looked like this.  They were ready for the oven and I was ready to eat them.

The final product! I wouldn't change anything about this recipe.  The sweetness of the bread and butter balanced perfectly with the tanginess from the veggies.  An overall win! 

38. Make a Newlywed Map.

I stumbled across this project a few weeks ago in my search for some DIY wedding ideas for our wedding next year. (yay!)  If you have never heard of a newlywed map - the idea is pretty basic.  Basically, it's a map mounted on foam board with tacks indicating the places you and your partner have traveled together.  Neat, right?

J and I chose to frame ours after completing it.  I used several Michael's coupons so this project only ended up costing us a little over $40.  Which is pretty good considering the map was ordered online.  (P.S. - National Geographic has a great selection of maps for this project.)

The materials!

After carefully applying spray adhesive and rolling the map over top, we used a rolling pin to help smooth out the edges.

When the glue was dry, we placed the tacks and then hung it right above over TV in the living room.  I really love maps as decorations. 

Below is a closer look of the map and the places J and I have traveled together.

All the islands from our January 2010 cruise!

Now we just need to work on getting some tacks on other continents! :)

15. Go to the NYC Transit Museum.

A few months ago, J and I took a weekend trip to Brooklyn to go to the NYC Transit Museum.

This might not be everyone's cup of tea - but for some reason - I am fascinated by the subways here in NYC.  My first few weeks of work - I would come home and tell J about all the crazy things that happened on the subway - to which he usually replied, "uh-huh, yep, seen that too."  But seriously where can you find ballet performances, a one-person band (complete with CDs for $1), and a man who would rival some gymnasts for greatest-back-flips-in-a-moving-car all in one place?

But what really made me interested in the subway was when I was stuck in it.  Literally.  One hot summer workday evening - I was coming home from work - only to find myself stuck somewhere between 42nd St. and hell on the E train.  The signals and tracks were down as an electrical problem promptly turned off all power in the train.  So let's re-cap - no light. no air. no announcements. It was bad.  So bad - that the train had to limp itself to the closest station - where its passengers had to walk through the tunnels to get onto the station platform.  It was in walking through the old rail tunnels that I had two thoughts:

1.  Thank god I had worn sneakers that day instead of flip-flops.  You do not want to know what is discarded onto subway tracks. gross.
2.  The tunnels look really old and creepy. I must know more about them.

Thus, my quest for NYC subway knowledge was born.

The Transit Museum itself is awesome.  I highly recommend it to anyone living or visiting New York.  It is built inside a shut-down station and houses old rail cars, turnstiles, old bus interiors, and various transportation artifacts.

Oh and you can climb inside everything.  Perfect for us big kids.

Original ticket booth from the station.

J inside one of the original subway cars from the early 1900s.

One of the neatest parts of the station was this working command center.  The green lights still light up and indicate trains traveling along the rail lines.

My only wish is for the platforms to look like the above one everyday at 9 and 5!

13. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and get Grimaldi's Pizza.

On sunny Saturday morning, J and I set out in search of one thing: pizza. And not just any pizza my friends - but authentic, crispy, New Yorky Grimaldi's Pizza.

Grimaldi's first opened in New York in 1905. It is the fierce competitor of Lombardi's. Both establishments boast they there were the first pizzeria's in America and use coal-fired brick ovens. I have been to both and personally - I don't take sides - I just eat.

Mama and I at Lombardi's.

Grimaldi's is located in Brooklyn by South Ferry, just over the Brooklyn Bridge. While on our walk over the bridge we snapped some pictures.

Also, I know the snow makes these pictures look like I'm really cold - but it wasn't too bad.

Once over the bridge, we headed to get us some pizza and were faced with this:

Do you see that line friends? Now, I will remind you this was a Saturday, in February, at about 3:00 in the afternoon - well after lunch and before dinner.

After waiting about 45 minutes in the cold (J claimed his feet were frozen - we totally should have brought those HotHands instant handwarmers, but alas) our name was called and we entered.

The walls were lined with old pictures and memorabilia from the past. But let's get to the good part - the food.

We ordered a large pizza with ham and onions. When it came out - it looked like this. Dear lord it smelled good.

After inhaling the deliciousness - we took our first bites - the verdict: awesome.

We are two very happy campers! 

The crust is so thin and crispy, the sauce tangy and delicious, the cheese was so fresh and melty, and the best part: the fresh BASIL. Now, I love basil - but it never dawned on me to put fresh basil on pizza It was outstanding.

For dessert we ordered a cannoli to share. Side Note: if you ever eat here - he need to order this. It was perfect way to end our meal.

Overall - this was pizza perfection.

71. Make 80 New Recipes.

Today's yummy weekend meal came to me from the lovely Giada DeLaurentiis.  First off, let me just say that I totally covet her casual, beachside home, with its simple decoration and serene decorations.  But I watch her show for more than that reason friends - I love me some pasta and Giada always knows how to please.

I choose to make her Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil recipe..

One of the reasons I decided to make this dish was the use of Lemon Oil - basically lemon zest + olive oil + time to absorb.  It gave the oil such a fresh flavor and was something I never made before - flavored olive oil.

Overall - I would say this recipe was ok.  I felt it was a bit too lemon-y and didn't really care for the arugula. 

So it's safe to say, I won't be making this again - but without trying - I would have never learned of my love for flavored olive oil - which is a total success in my book.  :D

77. Go on a date with J once a month. (April 2010)

Last friday, J and I embarked on quite the adventure.  Let me explain.

I love Cirque du Soleil.  Everytime I am at Disney World with the fam, we pass by the La Nouba theatre in Downtown Disney.  I always wanted to go but the price range of tickets always presented a problem for me - mainly - going to the show would mean I would have no money afterwards.  sigh.

Enter J.

J is awesome at finding deals.  He falls into them.  He has incredible luck.  It's really quite ridiculous.  Good thing he's on my team.

Long story short, J found a ridiculous deal on tickets to the new "OVO" show here in NYC and bought two.  The cost - over 75% off. Sold.

The show was held under the Big Top on Randall's Island, which is a small island between Manhattan and Queens.

We took the Zephyr Ferry to the island.  Plush seats, check. Inside seating on a cold day, check.  We were happy campers.

Ready for some Cirque du Soleil!

After a very leisurely sail up the Hudson River, we disembarked and were greeted with this:

Welcome to the Big Top!

The show itself was amazing.  It is loosely based on insects and bugs.  With so many different costumes, acts, and characters it was easy to forget everything was taking place in a tent!  It was fantastic and the live band did an awesome job with the music.  One of my favorite acts were these little balancing ants: 

Awesome.

After the show we headed home on the Zephyr - full of popcorn and yummy soft pretzels.

My verdict:
It was totally worth the years I have waited (and a 75% off ticket dosen't hurt the checkbook either :) )

77. Go on a date with J once a month. (March 2010)

On March 27th, J, J's sister K, her boyfriend L, and I decided to venture out in the below normal temperatures to view the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA.
First of all, I love MoMA. I love all the crazy awesome pieces of art there. I love the architecture of the building.

Secondly, I love Tim Burton and his crazy self.
So for me, this outing was a win-win topped off with some delicious Indian Buffet from Bombay Place in between sculptural and photography viewings.
The exhibit itself was amazing with many pieces coming from Burton's private collection. Also included was an entire room full of movie memorabilia ranging from Batman's mask from Batman Returns to sketches of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. Overall - this was an awesome exhibit - well worth the 8:00am wake-up and $4 Starbucks coffee to get me going on a Saturday. :D

44. Plant a window-sill herb garden.

For Christmas last year, J bought me a few herb garden kits for our windowsill. When the spring came - I planted both dill and basil seeds. Surprisingly, they grew. like really grew. By June, I had two little 5-6 inch plants. I was amazed. I never thought anything would be able to grow on our apartment window sill.

They were growing great until we left for our vacation last year. While we were in Arizona, they were slowly wasting away. I tried to revive them once we got back with no luck. I mostly regret not using the herbs I grew when they were alive. I make a mean tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil salad. But alas...

 That was last year.

This year, I planted some left over seeds as well as some new ones.

In order by container:

Lavender, Oregano, and Thyme,

Marigolds,

Herb Mix,

Tomatoes,

Clovers,

and Joshua Trees

(a little souviner I pickup up last summer in AZ)

I planted them all in the leftover pots and soil from last year and added some water hoping for the best.

That was last Sunday.

After spritzing with water the past few days, I pleasantly found this when I came home from work yesterday.

Clover sprouts.

and thyme sprouts.

Now I just need to not drown them in water or have Layla discover them as new toys.

This could be interesting.

26. Go to the dentist every six months. (2/6)

Also I went to the dentist on Tuesday and she said I needed to floss more.

boo.

50. Figure out how to organize the "things that have no home” drawer in kitchen.

I have been really bad with blogging this month.  Like really bad.  Everyday I login onto to blogger and I have 6-7 pending posts I start writing, stop because I need to download pictures, and never finish.  Add to that this death cold I have been fighting and the renovations completed to our apartment and that pretty much sums up the past month.  Fun stuff right?  

This is where #50 comes into play. I regret not taking a picture of our disorganized drawer, but imagine that everything in this bag below was just thrown in the drawer all willy-nilly like, because that's exactly what happened.  That's the level of disorganization we're dealing with folks.

Here is a picture of the new drawer. I love me some new-cabinet smell.

Post organization.

After getting rid of roughly 483 dried-up pens and 38 takeout menus - we arrived at a level of organization which J and I can maintain.  I used some older containers and boxes to create dividers and compartments.  Oh and two old shot glasses to store the paper-clips and rubber-bands.  I hate when those sink to the bottom of the drawer.

55. Adopt a pet.

Please met the newest member of our household - Layla.  She is adjusting well and enjoys climbing in the fridge, chasing flying hair-ties, and investigating our bookcase.

We adopted her from a shelter and she is estimated to be about 5 months old. :)

Hoppy Easter from J&J + Layla!

So...

I found out today that books cannot be taken out of the Bryant Park Library location.  Apparently, the only books that can be taken out are children's books.  (This was after I tried to check out a book which was in the reference area, nice move Julia.)  I thought about re-reading Charlotte's Web for a hot second, and then decided to replace #38 with a project I have been eyeing up recently: A Newlywed Map.

Now, I know J and I are not married (yet!) therefore we are not newlyweds, BUT the idea of a map hanging in my living room is all the decorating excitement I needed to quickly switch this goal in as my new #38.