Newlymeds do Pizza Night

Looking for an easy meal to create at home for two?  Or a fun interactive party idea?

The Newlymeds will show you how to create your own Pizza!  I have, what some would say, is a simpler palate that can be otherwise called picky!  Doctor J likes things spicy so we each made our OWN pizza...and this way we don't have to share! I made a good ol' cheese pizza and Doctor J made a Mexican pizza.

Here is what you will need for an old fashioned pizza bake off:
Good ol' cheese pizza 
Frozen pizza crust-I prefer an organic choice from Central Market
Marinara Sauce-Newman's Own is my sauce of choice
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Spicy Mexican Pizza
Frozen pizza crust
Canned refried beans
Salsa
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Sausage

Newlymed Note: You can buy a non-frozen crust, but read the ingredients.  Many times packaged crusts have lots of preservatives.  Some local stores make fresh crusts daily.  Those are the best!

So preheat your over to 450, slap those ingredients on your pizza crust and cook for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the crust!  If you are doing this as a group activity get creative with the toppings.

Some of our favorites:
Fresh Tomatoes & Basil (to make a Margarita pizza)
Artichoke hearts-chopped in to small pieces
Olives-Black or Green
Pepperoni
Mushrooms

Dapper party trick: When you have company over, put your ingredients all in the same type of bowls.  Glass bowls are pretty and showcase the ingredients.  You can set the ingredients in the center of the counter and let your guests choose the toppings of their liking.  If you are making a multitude of pizzas, you will need several cookie sheets, or you can make your pizza's in shifts.


Here is a snapshot of our night:

Shredding the cheese with the precision of a surgeon

K vs. Doctor J.  Whose Pizza looks better?

K's Pizza

Doctor J's Pizza

Taking the pizza out of the oven

Dinner is served!

"How To" Be a Kick A%$ Maid of Honor

I have had some how-to wedding questions come my way.  SO, here is a little tidbit from one sassy Maid of Honor on how to do the job just right. I had to ask her for advice, since this is something I haven't done before. Look alive first timers- it looks like a piece of well planned out cake.

The basic steps - Welcome to the ride:

1. Follow the rules

2. There are no rules

3. Ask what you can do to help

4. Give your opinion on which calligraphy you like on the invitations, which photographer you like better, which band is better judging by who will play a little JT/Rhianna etc, and which guests should make the A list and which the B (judging solely by dance moves)

5. Plan a baller bachelorette party: Don't forget the inappropriate essentials and remember to remind the Hotel not to put 4 guests in a room with one lonely king bed (Yes, that happened! )

6. Pick the bridesmaids dresses. Forget the other suckers- its most important that you look the best.

7. Help your mom pick out something gorgeous.

8. Send out an email 2 months before rounding up all the girlfriends and plant that wedding speech seed. People need to be reminded and the one's who want in- oh they'll write back. Remind them to keep it PG . . . 13 (encourage the 13)

9. Alter that dress. Put in extra cleavage.

10. Don't forget to pick up your bridesmaid dress. (I saw some still hanging at the NY tailors the day before). Pack that baby in your carry on . . . you thought having your luggage not make it for that Hawaii trip was bad?

11. Write your speech whenever it flows. Don't force it, it will come, even if it finally comes on the way to the big day, stored in the MemoPad of your Blackberry.

12. Make sure the bride eats the day of and stays cool, calm, and collected.

13. Don't forget to hold your dress while walking up stairs. Even with two bouquets, this is one detail you don't want to forget. 

14. Eat everything. The bride might not have time, so its the job of the Maid of Honor to try everything and report back. 

15. Enjoy! You are with great friends and great family - it all comes easy!

Hail Hail the Gangs all Here

This weekend was a great weekend in Austin with some very special people.  Austin is an incredible city filled with amazing music, culture and food.  We walked, ate and sang our way through the city.  What we realized we are not 15 anymore or twenty + one for that matter!  We are twenty + A LOT.  We are still (very) young at heart.

Here is a shot from our last reunion in NOLA. Just entering our twenties.  So young.  So innocent?

Houston Reunion.  When do B.T. girls not like to dress up?

Here is a little snapshot of some of the weekend highlights.

Food trucks!

Live music on the street

Dinner at the Saltlick-best bbq hands down

Amy's Ice Cream- almost as good as the SCOOP

Day is done
Gone the Sun
From the Lakes from the hills from the sky...

Until next time!

Heart Tarts for my Sweetheart

For Valentines I made Doctor J Raspberry Heart Tarts.  They might not have turned out as pretty as the picture on the Weelicious website, but I have to say they were DEElicous.

I am embracing cooking with all natural ingredients and this was a great recipe to try.  

I didn't have a heart cookie cutter, so I tried to cut the pie crust with these silicon heart cupcake holders.  Epic FAIL!  You need a harder surface to cut through the dough.  If some of you read that and thought "duh!" bear with me as I am a chef in training.  There is lots to be learned, and I mean LOTS.  With the dough all rolled out on my counter and no cookie cuter in sight, it was time to be innovative.  Did I mention that Doctor J was expected home shortly and I still needed to get ready?  Time was not on my side!  I took a water glass and used it to cut out the circles that I would use as my base for the heart tarts. It worked perfectly!

Silicon Heart Cupcake Holders

Pie crust cut into circles after a little improvising

I then mixed together the key ingredients which were raspberries, whipped cream cheese and honey which would become the filling.

I spooned the filling on my pie crust circles and put another pie crust circle on top.

I used a fork to connect both pieces of the pie crust together, by pressing down on the edges.  While the heart tarts were baking, I whipped up the icing.  I loved that this recipe used raspberries for natural flavor and to achieve a pink color.  It is so much better for you than food coloring and it tastes great too!  Here is the finished product.

For the complete recipe click here!

Doctor J and K(me) give them two thumps up!

Be Mine?

Happy Valentine's Day!  I know some of you read Valentine's Day and think Doomsday.  I am here to tell you to think again lovers!

Today we are celebrating ALL the people we LOVE.  It is not only about a significant other, but it is about family and friends.  Now I know some of you may be thinking, the Newlymed is here to talk about love? Gross! But I have to say I have loved this day long before I met Doctor J.

Think back to your school days, when you would bring valentines to class?  You would walk around your classroom and place your valentines in all your friend's specially decorated bags. I always signed my name with a heart for the boys who I thought were cute (true confession!).  After school, I would bring my valentine's bag home, pour the cards out on the kitchen counter and separate them into piles.  The cards with candy attached were top tier, unless there was a valentine from a secret crush...  During elementary school days you had to give a valentine to EVERYBODY so NO ONE felt left out.  There were no broken hearts. . . just sweethearts.

When I was growing up, we had an annual Valentine's Day dinner.  My Mom would decorate the table V-day themed and my sister, brother and I would would get special valentines candy and little presents.  With candy and presents, where can you go wrong!  It was always a special day in my family and one I loved celebrating every year.

I look forward to continuing the tradition with my own family some day.  I am starting small this year and making Doctor J a special valentines treat from a new favorite online hotspot Weelicious along with a DIY card!

So here is a big smooch from me to you.  Go out and enjoy the day!  Eat lots of chocolate (it's good for you in moderation) and tell the people around you how much they mean to you.  Feel the LOVE.

I will leave you with this LOVE note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0RQnGhxZzg 

Docvey: A Social Experiment

Docvey: [Dok-vey] 

-verb (used with object)

1.  A doctor survey

2.  A poll of people in the medical profession

3. A really awesome word made up after a few cocktails

This weekend I got together with another Doctor's "plus one".  The "plus one" had lots to share about her own personal adventures dating a MD.  You might be reading her insights as guest blogger one of these days!

It is essential to spend time with people who can relate to the madness.  She was on hand to chat/share fishbowl drinks with, when the Doctor Talk  got out of control!

We embarked on a journey of sweetly interrogating the people we know/love and conducted some interviews of single Doctors.  Here is a sneak-peak of some of the questions:

-How do you handle the dating world when you have limited time and hectic schedule?
-What it is like having a new girlfriend when you are working on Valentines Day?  Can a box of chocolates take the place of a good date?
- Have you ever fallen asleep on a date?  If so, what is the best way to express it's not her, its YOU.

We learned that dating during your residency poses many challenges and there were definitely some sensitive subjects.

. . .Don't worry we pushed the envelope to get the real juice

Docvey has collected some interesting responses and funny anecdotes and we will share when our little research project is complete ;)

There is no place like HOME

Here is a link to the trailer of an incredible movie about the environment called HOME.

If you need something to entertain you on this chilly Thursday evening, you can click here to watch the full version movie on youtube.  It is fascinating and definitely worth your time.  What else are you going to watch now that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is over?

A SUPERbowl sized Sunday Funday

SUNDAY FUNDAY is always a great day.  It's filled with fab friends, supurb food, fiestas and to top it all off, some football.

Superbowl Sunday is the most glorious SUNDAY FUNDAY of them ALL.  Due to a busy weekend of work, I had to throw together a Superbowl party stat.  Forget the shrimp on the barbie, bring on the frozen food aisle!  Here are three easy tips to throwing a party on the fly.

#1: Frozen Foods.  I know it may not be the healthiest option out there, but let's be honest-it's easy and delicious.  And during the Superbowl, expert studies show that calories don't count, right?

#2: Do the Dips (with Guacamole at the pinnacle).  Guac = crowd pleaser.  It takes less than 10 minutes to make and literally has people thinking you are a great cook from the first dip.  Sure fooled them!  Here is the recipe I used.  Newlymed Note: Stick the pit in your bowl to keep your guacamole from browning.

#3: The Advanced Freeze.  Make things in advance and freeze them.  I made the cookies in anticipation of the couching and munching and stuck them in the freezer.  Another post to come on my obsession with freezing things, but it is SO helpful when it's party crunch time.

Tower of treats anyone?

This weeks mission: Embrace veggies!

SUPERbowl Celebrations

This past weekend was SUPER.

The Superbowl came to town and in rolled the athletes and celebrities and SNOW.

For Doctor J this meant a crazy weekend at the hospital.  For me, the Superbowl brought two great job opportunities.  I worked the GQ and Maxim Superbowl parties. Common denominator. . . handsome men!

Below are a few pictures of the weekend's highlights!

Trudging through the snow to hang our sinage

I spy Pauly D. The hair, no words

Jason Deruloooo

Doctor J makes an appearance, pager in hand (pocket)

Wyclef Jean

Having a GLEEK moment

C Lo Green-Jay West/Getty Images

We finished off the weekend with some superbowl fun. Stay tuned for a special post dedicated to Superbowl Sunday.  

Doctor Talk

Doctor Talk, if you are a not a doctor, sounds a lot like baby talk.  You may be able to make out certain words but the rest is just a string of consonants and vowels.

I was at a lunch the other day with a group of doctors and had this epiphany.  Doctor J told me to come meet them because another Doctor was bringing his significant other.  I love being with Doctor J and cherish any time I get to be with him. However, I have learned from experience Doctors like to talk their Doctor talk, so it's nice when there is someone for me to chat with.

Well, it turned out that the significant other was a DOCTOR too!  So there they all were chatting away.  I will share with you what their conversation sounded like to me...an outsider.

Blah Blah Blah elbow Blah Blah Blah scalpel in the Blah Blah chest.  Blah blah blah gallbladder.

OH! I know that one.   All excited that I finally have something to contribute to the conversation, I share that I once had my gallbladder removed.  Cool!  They all looked at each other, then at me and one of them manages a That's nice.


Blah Blah Blah

"I am a GREEN bride" UPDATE 4

*Nahn Photography

Below is a little update on my GREEN bride efforts.  If you are a new reader, here is a link to my first post, explaining the GREEN bride concept.

I have basically been stalking both Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma and they haven't returned my calls or emails.  I know the first of the year was a busy time for them, but I am hoping to get a response soon.

William's Sonoma woman (we will call her) seemed very interested the last time we spoke, so I am sure something will happen...I just have to be patient!

On the home front, I am teaching Doctor J to be more GREEN.  Step one, recycling!  

Shhhh

As Newlymeds, Doctor J and I have had to adjust to each other's schedules and make some compromises!  Some people say a marriage and relationships are about compromises.  Others say "happy wife, happy life"  Which one do you think will lead to longevity?

Due to his crazy and weird hours, he is usually awake when I am sleeping and often sleeping when I am awake.

There have been a few gifts exchanged during our first few newlymed months that have made this adjustment period easier.

Gift # 1: The Eye Mask
I gave this to Doctor J when he said he couldn't sleep with the light on when I was reading.  Thoughtful?  I thought so.

Gift # 2: The Reading Light
Doctor J says this is the best $5 he has ever spent.  He came across it while we were checking out at the grocery store and decided I couldn't live without it.  Isn't he romantic?

These two gifts were great, but the noise from the t.v., still seemed to be an issue.  When Doctor J is trying to sleep at  8:00 pm and I am trying to watch Gossip Girl, we have a problem!

Enter Gift # 3: Wireless headphones
Doctor J recently gave these to me for my birthday and they are A-mazing!  Now he can be sleeping in lala land and I can be watching t.v. at the same time.

This is the picture on the box.  Our real life picture is  just the opposite!

So, no more real life "quiet game".  In my headphones, the volume is turned up LOUD.