The World According To Kate » fun

A Recipe For An Awesome Birthday

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:12:27 +0000

It always makes me sad when I hear that someone plans to not celebrate their birthday or, even worse, just completely ignore it. As we get older, this seems to be a more and more common occurrence, and I don’t think it’s right! It’s not as if by not acknowledging the day, the aging process won’t continue. We’re getting older every single day whether we like it or not. You have this one day a year that’s your day… shouldn’t you make it special? Embrace it! I actually usually celebrate multiple times throughout the month of February. February’s my month – I’ve claimed it.

Anyway I’ve decided to make a small list of things that I like to do every year to make my birthday extra special and also re-cap what I’ve done to celebrate so far this year. These are just some suggestions… your day should be about you and what you want to do!

1. Spend time with the people you care about.

I always have two parties every year – one with the family and one with my friends. The family one is usually a joint birthday celebration with my brother since his birthday is about two weeks before mine. We usually celebrate the weekend in between- often for the Super Bowl. Some people might not like having to share a birthday party, but I actually like it better this way. I like sharing and I think it just makes it more fun. I also like that the celebration is a week before my actual birthday, because it kind of gets things started and serves as a sort of kick-off for my birthday season.

This year, for my friends party, I had all the usual suspects over (Tom & Heather, Jenn & Dan and, of course, Kevin) plus my BFF Andrea and her husband Ryan , which was awesome and extra special, because I normally only get to see them a couple times a year. This was great. I prefer to keep my parties on the smaller side just because it’s easier and less stressful (and my house really can’t fit that many people!). I probably could have had a few more people over, but in the end, these are the really important friends that I wanted there to celebrate my special day with me.

2. Take some time off from work.

Please don’t work on your birthday if you can help it. Take at least a day off. How can your day be really special if you’re going to work? There’s nothing special about going to work – you do that every day! Work is going to totally cramp your style and potentially even make your day a bad day. That’s just unacceptable. For the last few years, I’ve actually been taking a whole week off for my birthday. I highly recommend it.

3. Buy yourself a birthday gift.

I always like to buy myself a gift for my birthday every year. I work hard all year and I deserve it. Now this is partially because my birthday falls around tax refund time, so I have a little extra cash to buy myself a toy – usually a fairly expensive toy. I do understand that this may not be feasible for everyone. I do think, though, that everyone should treat themselves to a little something special – even if it’s something small. You deserve it! This year, I bought myself a new camera – my first DSLR. I got a Canon EOS Rebel T1i, and because I took a week off from work, I have plenty of time to play with it!

4. Overindulge.

If there were ever a time to overindulge this is it! There is a ridiculous amount of chocolate in my house right now, and I won’t lie, I’ve eaten it for breakfast a few times over the last couple of days. I’ve eaten out a lot over the past week and on my actual birthday, Kevin and I visited a couple of beer bars and started drinking at 2pm. It was my day and that is what I wanted to do. There has been a lot of beer, wine, chocolate and fried food consumed over the last few days. Eventually I’m going to have to go back to my old routine, but for now, I will eat and drink whatever I want. It’s my week.

So that’s it! Those are my rules for having an awesome birthday. As I stated above, these are just some suggestions. Heck, if you really want to go to work on your birthday, I guess you can go to work. I just wouldn’t recommend it. The main thing is that you should just enjoy the day!

Here are a few photos from my week!

Mad Men Yourself

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 11:46:22 +0000

I have recently started watching Mad Men on AMC. When I had that week off from work last month, there were a few days we spent at home doing as little as humanly possible, and in that time I watched just about all of season 2 of Mad Men through Comcast On Demand. This was actually just in time for the beginning of Season 3. How good am I? Anyway, this has quickly become my most favorite show on television, and if you’re not watching, you definitely should. What else are you doing with yourself at 10pm on Sunday?

Anyway, the other day, Kevin sent me this link to Med Men Yourself and I just found it really amusing and spent far too much time messing around with it (at 5:30 AM when I was supposed to be getting ready for work nonetheless), so I felt the need to share it with all of you. Oh and when you’re making your little 1960′s you, I say definitely go for the martini or even a cigarette… at work… because it’s like 1962 and you just don’t know any better. And because you can, damnit (I know I could have used a drink or two at the office the last few weeks)!

Mad Men Yourself

Canabalt!

Kate Czlapinski — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:51:02 +0000

This game is oddly addictive. It’s simple and it’s dark. You leap from rooftop to rooftop as the world crumbles around you. Things have been a bit ridiculous around here (about 70 hours at the office this week) and this is what I’ve been doing when I haven’t been working.

Enjoy!

CANABALT

Rams Head Tavern

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:14:21 +0000

Kevin and I are heading down to Baltimore today for the weekend and, in typical fashion, we really have no definite plans other than where we will be eating and drinking, which is fine by me, because I’m pretty sure that’s the most important part of the trip.

Tonight we will be meeting up with his friends Jake and Elizabeth and heading to the Rams Head Tavern. Kevin is very excited about their 100 Bottle Beer List and their World Beer Club, where if you

Drink all one hundred of the world famous beers listed on the Passport, and you graduate!

Upon completion, you will be awarded:

Rams Head Tavern World Beer Club Mug

Rams Head Tavern World Beer Club T-Shirt

Name & Completion # Engraved on our “Great Minds” plaque

a symbol of your education and appreciation of fine beers from around the world

Kevin is, of course, very excited… however, I don’t think we’ll have the time or money necessary to imbibe all 100 beers on this trip. The t-shirt would have to read something along the lines of I drank 100 beers at Rams Head Tavern and all I got was this lousy t-shirt… and alcohol poisoning. Good times! Probably not how I want to spend my trip.

Anyway, I’ve got lots of stuff to take care of before I take off. Posting will probably be light or nonexistant this weekend, but I’ll sure to post about everything (probably mostly food) when we get back!

Back From The Beach!

Kate Czlapinski — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:37:10 +0000

I’m baaaack! Well, I’ve actually been back since last night… but, seriously, who feels like writing anything after a day at the beach and then a long car ride home? I certainly don’t!

Great times were had in Rhode Island this weekend… Sunday was a perfect day for the beach and it was just really nice to get a chance to spend some time with Andrea, because I really don’t see her too much these days. Although maybe we’ll try to get together once more this Summer… maybe?

I would love to elaborate a little more about my trip, but I’m hoping that my dear friend Andrea posts her pictures to Facebook in a somewhat timely manner, so I can steal them and post them here along with my own. Andrea, if you’re reading this (and you better be! Tell your husband to stop playing World of Warcraft!), that’s a hint!

At the Beach, Beachez!

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

I know, that title is terrible… but it made me happy – and that’s what this blog is all about – my MASSIVE ego. When Facebook just isn’t enough for you, it’s time to start a blog.

Anyway, I am heading off to visit my BFF in the great state of RI – the tiniest of all the great states! And we will be going to the beach! It is now late July and I have not yet been to the beach (probably has something to do with Mother Nature and her menopausal state this season). What is the point of living in New England if you’re not going to hit up the beach once in awhile? One of the many not so great reasons people give for why living in CT is a good thing is proximity to beaches (along with the always present ” it’s only 2 hours from New York City AND Boston- oh my!”)

I will also be seeing her new house (which I have not yet seen and she’s been there for quite a while now – I am the worst BFF ever)! And we will also probably be going to dinner and consuming some alcoholic beverages – which I will probably blog and or tweet about at a later, yet to be determined, date.

Anyway, I have to run a few errands before heading off on my grand adventure. I just wanted to check in and remind everyone to have a safe and happy weekend! Later Beachez! (Yeah, I totally just violated you again with that)

Prime 16 (New Haven, CT)

Kate Czlapinski — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:35:57 +0000

Recently, I have been less than enamored with the selection of beer bars in the area and, as a result, have started reading lots and lots of reviews on Beer Advocate. In my research, I came across a number of reviews for Prime 16, located in New Haven, and am I sure glad I did.

On Friday night, Kevin and I really weren’t sure what we should do with ourselves, so of course we decided to hit up a bar - because that is just how we roll. But where to go? It seemed like the perfect night to to try out Prime 16!

While the place was busy when we got there around 8pm, we had no trouble getting seated. The first thing we did, of course, was look for the beer list, which we found on a giant chalkboard hanging on the wall… and oh, what a list it was! Widmer Hefe, Flying Dog Golden, Lagunitas Pilsner, Blue Point Blueberry, Shipyard Summer, Lagunitas Correction Ale, Great Divide Titan, Lagunitas IPA, Dogfish Head 60 minute, Southern Tier Unearthly, Weyerbacher XII, Guiness, Great Divide Yeti, Rogue Captain Sigs, BBC Draymans Porter, Farmington River Mahogany, Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout, Chimay, Delerium Tremens, and Alagash Double… and that was just what was on tap! There was also a multiple page bottle list on the table!

So needless to say, we were thrilled with the beer selection. And the food was pretty great, too. We ordered an appetizer of Chipotle and Agave chicken tenders, which were perfect in every way – crisp, spicy, smokey, and a little bit sweet.

Prime 16 specializes in burgers, so that is what we had. Kevin had the Maui burger, “topped with grilled pineapple, Maui onion, bacon , pepperjack cheese, and tropical mayo”. I chose the stuffed mushroom burger, “stuffed with crimini mushrooms and shallots, topped with swiss, portabello mushrooms, and IPA mustard. Both burgers were really phenomenal- juicy, flavorful and cooked just right!

Kevin and I will definitely be hitting up Prime 16 again in the near future. It has easily become my new favorite beer bar and I have to admit, it even kind of makes me sad that we no longer live near New Haven.

172 Temple St.
New Haven, CT 06510
phone: (203) 782-1616

Aunt Chilada’s (Hamden, CT)

Kate Czlapinski — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:00:09 +0000

It was another gorgeous weekend here in New England and my Aunt Annie and I decided to celebrate it Sunday afternoon with Mexican food and margarita’s out on the deck of my personal favorite Mexican restaurant (and I’m something of a connoisseur), Aunt Chilada’s, located on Whitney Ave in Hamden, CT.

I’ve been going there for a couple of years now and went fairly often when Kevin and I were living in the area . I have taken many friends and family members to the restaurant, and most people have agreed that this is some of the best Mexican food they have ever had. This was the first time I had taken my Aunt Annie there (finally using a gift card I’d given her back at Christmas) and, like everyone else I’ve taken there, she loved it.

When we got there, the place (as always) was busy, but we had no trouble getting seated. Their deck is fixed up really cute and overlooks the golf course that the restaurant is located next to.

We each ordered a margarita on the rocks with salt. They make a really great margarita. Aunt Annie is pictured on the left, enjoying hers. What I actually think is the best part of Aunt Chilada’s, though, is their chips and salsa, which you’re given immediately upon being seated. It sounds strange, I know, but their homemade salsa is absolutely out of this world. It just tastes really fresh and it’s just spicy enough… it’s perfect.

We each ordered burritos. Aunt Annie had the black bean burrito, which I’ve had before and is awesome and I had the Sonoma chicken burrito, which I’d been eying for awhile, but never ordered. My burrito also was excellent -the chicken was spicy and somewhat smokey. Both burritos were served with beans and rice, which are also very flavorful and better than what you get at most Mexican restaurants. Their menu is pretty good sized and has a great variety of items. It’s actually, as my aunt noted, a great place to take vegetarians.

If you live in the area, or are visiting, I would highly recommend a trip to Aunt Chilada’s.

Fast Food Folk Song

Kate Czlapinski — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:37:44 +0000

This was neat, but I hope that before heading home to eat this feast, these guys stopped somewhere and sang for a large bottle of Pepcid.

Porch Drinking Season Has Arrived!

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:06:54 +0000

After I returned home from washing and waxing my car at my parents’ house yesterday, Kevin and I made a trip out to the liquor store to stock up on beer and then to Lowe’s to spend half a fortune on soil, flowers, peppers, tomatoes and herbs. We then spent some time digging around in dirt and planting everything out on our balcony. It was every bit as exciting as it sounds.

What really is exciting, though, is that we will now be able to entertain and be social outside now that everything has been cleaned up and the flowers and vegetables and the whatnot have all been planted. The balcony is one of my favorite parts of our current apartment. We have lots of space to plant things, a place to sit outside and read, a place to entertain guests, and the cats enjoy hanging out there with us as well:)

I took a few pictures this morning and have posted them below. More can be seen on my Recent Photos page (as soon as I upload them!). Take special note of the garden box on a cart that is now holding our two tomato plants… Kevin and his dad built that! Pretty neat, huh?

Also, because it is now officially porch drinking season, I wanted to direct your attention to a great article I came across on Apartment Therapy, detailing some guidelines for Porch Drinking Etiquette. If you have a porch, balcony or deck, and you like to hang out there in the Summer months and drink, then you should consider adhering to some or all of these rules.

A few of my personal favorites from the list include:

- Everybody’s welcome on the porch. There’s a time and a place for exclusivity: middle school. On the porch, your influence extends only as far as your generosity.

- Greet your neighbors as they come in and out of their front doors, which are, after all directly adjacent to your drinking area. Not to do so will create a weirdness force-field for all future interactions.

- Clean up after yourself, but don’t scrub too hard. A porch should never feel too clean to spill a beer on.

Apartment Therapy: Porch Drinking Etiquette

Sweet Potato Fries

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 24 May 2009 22:06:49 +0000

Last night my dear friend Jenn joined Kevin and I for dinner and drinks and overall good times. Jenn is a vegetarian and originally she had invited us to this great Chinese restaurant, China Pan, that has an extensive vegan menu. I, however, really wanted to celebrate this Memorial Day Weekend with burgers. Holiday weekends, in my opinion, should be spent consuming as many burgers, hot dogs and beers as humanly possible.

So instead of making the turkey burgers that I was originally going to make, I invited Jenn over for my homemade black bean burgers, a lovely cucumber, red onion, tomato and mozzarella salad, and of course my homemade SWEET POTATO FRIES!

The sweet potato fries are a little sweet, a little spicy and super delicious – and I HIGHLY recommend making them

They are a variation on a recipe I found here: http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the potatoes and, with the skin on, slice into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; cut the rounds into 1/2-inch-thick finger-shaped pieces. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the oil, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.

3. On a baking sheet, spread the sweet potato fries in a single layer and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until brown and tender, 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter or bowl and sprinkle with a little more salt.

ENJOY!

‘The Office’ Meets ’24′

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:45:25 +0000

Today was pretty rough- like 5 minutes to kill yourself rough. This somehow made it all better. Enjoy.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/24-office-parody.html

Hedgehog Launch

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:45:15 +0000

Ok, so I know I’m pretty easily amused, but I just spent a lot of time playing this game. I just found it to be really fun and a great waste of time and I had to share, because I loved it so much. The goal is to launch the hedgehog into space in as few days as possible, by collecting money by hitting targets in the sky and then purchasing yourself upgrades. Eh, I’m probably not explaining it well. Check it out for yourself

Launch a hedgehog into space!

Hedgehog Launch

TD Homer’s

Kate Czlapinski — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:57:14 +0000

So after a long day spent running errands on Saturday (getting my emissions tested, Target, the grocery store, Lowe’s), I really didn’t feel like making dinner and also felt like I could use a drink or six. I also thought I’d like to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. After some discussion and a little driving around, I remembered that TD Homer’s a new sports bar had recently opened in Southington in the space that was once Agave.

TD Homer’s turned out to be just the right choice. We sat outside on the large patio in the front of the building, where we shared an order of 12 buffalo wings and a pitcher of Harpoon IPA. The wings were great – not the best I’ve ever had, but really good, cooked to perfection and reasonably spicy. The IPA, of course, was delicious as always.

For dinner, I had the portobello wrap (after the wings, I felt like keeping my dinner meatless) with red peppers, avocado, lettuce, jack cheese, and a balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious and served with a heaping pile of curly fries. Kevin ordered the Philly Cheesesteak, which I of course had to sample. It was pretty good – one of the better ones I’ve had around here… and having spent a few years living in Philadelphia, I know cheesesteaks.

After dinner, we moved into the bar area and watched the Yankees game on the many many flat screen televisions that hang on the walls. We also played some trivia, which ended up being a really fun way to spend the night… we actually played for hours.

If in the area and you’re looking for a fun place to grab some beer, eat some wings, watch a game, play some trivia or enjoy a comfortable evening dining outside, I highly recommend checking out TD Homer’s.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:13:36 +0000

www.marriedtothesea.com

Wait, that was just my mom?

Five Minutes To Kill Yourself : 2

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:46:27 +0000

Yes, there is a sequel… This time, instead of dealing with the horrors of the office, you have to deal with an even greater evil – your family. You have just 5 minutes to kill yourself while you are stuck at a family reunion. While the first Five Minutes to Kill Yourself is really great for any time, this one is especially appropriate this time of year. Who’s calendar isn’t quickly filling up with family picnics right now? This is sure to serve as a great tool to gear up for you Summer.

Five Minutes to Kill Yourself 2

First Yankees/Red Sox Series of the Season

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:15:09 +0000

Tonight at 7:10 is the first (of many) Yankees / Red Sox games this season and I am really looking forward to it. It’s always special when the division rivals meet, but that first time in a new season is a particularly exciting event. I’m sure tonight will be no different. Kevin and I will be celebrating in grand fashion tonight in front of our television (despite the beautiful Spring weather we’re having) with pizza, wings and a few beers. Actually, that’s probably how we will spend a good portion of our weekend… and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

In case you’re interested, this is what ~~my weekend~~ the schedule looks like:

Friday: RHP Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 5.06) vs. LHP Jon Lester (1-2, 5.50), 7:10 p.m., YES

Saturday: RHP A.J. Burnett (2-0, 3.20) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (2-1, 3.79), 4:10 p.m., FOX

Sunday: LHP Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.53) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (1-0, 3.18), 8:05 p.m., ESPN

This American Life Live!

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:25:40 +0000

OK, I’ll admit it…I’m an NPR geek. I listen all the time – to and from work, all day when I’m working from home, weekend mornings (gotta have my Car Talk)… all the time. I wasn’t always this way. I blame Kevin, because he’s the one who really got me started on it. And I must confess, I do feel like a better person for it. I feel like I really know what’s going on in the world around me (even more than I did while I was studying Political Science)… unless it’s celebrity gossip or top 40 radio – I’m not so good at keeping up with that stuff, but again, I feel like a better person for that

Tonight, Kevin and I will be attending This American Life Live!. I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but I’m totally stoked nonetheless. This American Life has always been one of my favorite NPR programs, so this should be pretty sweet.

If you too are an NPR geek or have any interest in seeing This American Life Live!, you should definitely consider checking it out at a location near you!

Dead Snow (Dod Sno)

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:15:40 +0000

Nazi Zombies. You heard me, Nazi Zombies.

Kevin sent me a link to this one…

Apparently, it’s a Norwegian film that made it’s premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and should see a limited US release this Summer.

Interesting. Not sure what to think about it, really… Looks entertaining to say the least.

Dod Sno

In Honor Of Good Friday

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:53:34 +0000

So this could be considered a little offensive (understatement of the year) – especially if you’re particularly religious. So if you’re religious, or easily offended or some combination of the two (they DO seem to go hand in hand so frequently), I wouldn’t recommend clicking on the link below. I was going to post the picture, but decided it would be more prudent to just link to it – so I can give fair warning. It’s an oldie, but a goodie (in my opinion) so there’s a very good chance that you’ve seen this one before, but I like it and thought it was timely. I’m going to hell if there is one and I’m OK with that – I hear it’s warm and all the fun people are going and I’ve never been good with the peer pressure

So anyway, after that little disclaimer here it is. AGAIN, IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR VERY RELIGIOUS, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO CLICK HERE:

ZOMBIE LAST SUPPER

Game Night

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:15:27 +0000

Because we recently got our new dining room table, we decided to host a little game night last night. It was very exciting… Tom and Heather came over around 9:30 with a very large assortment of games and some microwave popcorn – an absolute must for any game night. I had already started drinking as I am not typically a board game person and needed to be slightly inebriated for the event.

After some deliberation, we decided to play a game of Balderdash – a fun game in which players create definitions for words and they then have to guess which is the correct definition. I must say, I don’t know if it was all the wine that was imbibed before and during the game, but I really enjoyed myself.

Other events of the evening include an argument between Tom and myself, in which I had to defend the city of Philadelphia – because PHILADELPHIA IS JUST AS GREAT A CITY – if not A GREATER CITY than BOSTON. And I soberly stand by my argument. However, I’m told that in my drunken state I was particularly amusing. I’m glad I could entertain everyone – that’s what I’m here for.

Here is a picture taken by Heather with her new Blackberry from last night of me enjoying our game night with already wine-stained teeth – and the evening had only just begun!