Hey so apparently it's Thursday already...

... but by already I mean FIIIIIIIIIINALLY!  Because this week has been very very blah.  The epitome of blah.  April and I are fair weather friends, and I mean that in the very most literal sense.  We are only friends when there is fair weather.  I actually used this image to describe how I was feeling yesterday:

It would only be more accurate if he had like 3 coffee mugs around him and a pillow off in the distance.  I couldn't wake up.  I didn't go to the gym.  I was late to work (that was actually not my fault.  My hate of the MTA grows exponentially every day.).  The weather seriously effects my moods.  Because today?  I woke up no problem, was on time to work, am getting stuff done that I've been putting off all week.  I'm like Wonder Woman! But without that weird costume that is often mistaken for sexy.

Anyway, the reason I'm mildly surprised that it's Thursday is that I never gave you a weekend update.  And people?  I KNOW you can't live without my weekend updates.  I am so fabulous!  I am so exciting!  I do the most wonderful and cultured things!  Ugh.  I should really go to a museum at some point.

Anyway, here we go.  So Friday I made plans with Miranda.  As you may recall, on Miranda's birthday celebration night it was actually my birthday.  And not only did I not get to buy her a drink, but everybody else bought ME all of MY drinks.  Wonderful friends I have, but seriously?  Ridiculous.  So I told Miranda that I owed her a dinner or drinks or cake night or whatever so she should let me know what she wanted to do.  She chose all 3.  And that was perfect!  So we met at my house on Friday.  Actually, Miranda beat me there and so she and her friend, Ana (and apparently my other half), went downstairs to the bar for a drink.

I made pesto.  LORD did I make pesto.  I had never done it before but was pretty confident I could do it successfully.  Ya know, because pesto is so TOUGH and it takes a fo real Culinary genius to make, and all.... Yeah. 

Can I tell you how many compliments I have gotten on this pesto?  The girls couldn't stop eating it, and since I am pretty sure I made a whole boat load, everybody at work has been complimenting my leftovers! 

In case you've never made it before and would like to become famous like I have over this pesto, here's what it entails...

Basil (As much as you want.  Pesto goes a pretty long way, as I discovered.  I used like a pound or so.  GAH!)
Grated Parmesan cheese (or Romano, or something similar.)
Garlic (cloves, minced, whatever.)
Olive Oil
Pine nuts (If you want them.  I didn't use them, so maybe skip this step to achieve maximum fame?  I don't know.)

So... um... yeah so then you pull out your nifty difty food processor, throw it all in, and process away.  You add as much cheese as you like, as much olive oil as it takes to make it like a thick sauce, and garlic to your liking.  Add a little salt and pepper and vioa la!  Go collect your Lifetime Achievement award, you're done!

So I had pesto pasta with Italian sausage for dinner.  Miranda provided the wine, and boy did she!  Two bottles of white and four "single servings" of Riesling.  You recall my experience with "single servings of wine"...  So anyway, we had dinner, and then it was cake time.

That's right.  ANOTHER cake night.  That makes 3.  3?!?  Who needs that much cake?!  And I say to you, "we do".  Natalie joined us at about this time.  She has such good timing.

I gave Miranda a choice for her cake.  We could either do another white cake which I would color something outrageous (since the St. Patty's Day Cake was so popular), or she could have a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.  She chose the chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. 

This particular kind of cake is very popular in my family.  So I immediately went to the source:  My dad for the peanut butter icing recipe.  Do you call it frosting or icing?  I used to call it ice-en-ing.  Now I go with frosting because I think it sounds prettier and I tend to continue saying ice-en-ing even though I am a grown up now.  It makes  me feel dumb.  Anyway.  I wasn't able to immediately get in touch with Daddio due to his busy social schedule, so I went to the second source.  Google.  I found a recipe that called for both peanut butter and cream cheese.  Honestly.  Is there anything better?  When I talked to my dad, he gave me the family recipe.  It's Nanny's recipe, and even though I know she really wouldn't mind at all, I felt super guilty changing the recipe.  But I did it anyway.  SORRY NANNY!!  Here's what I did:

4 cups of powdered sugar (confectionery sugar)
1 8oz. package of cream cheese (we all know Philadelphia is best, but ya know...)
1 tablespoon of milk
1/2 cup of creamy peanutbutter
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1 tsp. of vanilla extract

This is basically a combination of the 2 recipes.  People.  When I tell you that this frosting came out.... actually I can't tell you.  There are no words to describe the perfectly sweet, salty, savory decadence that is that frosting.  There just isn't.  Clearly this is not a low-fat venture.  And to you I say "um.  Duh?  I don't know... go to the gym tomorrow I guess?"  People, it was so worth it!  Here's the finished product:

It is, again, a layer cake.  I have the peanut butter frosting in the middle.  I used a small tube of decorative cake gel to draw hearts around the edge.  Ya know, just to fancy it up a bit :)

Zilla joined us.  You remember Zilla.  No?  Here, let me remind you.

Here's her butt...



And here's her arms... remember yet?



How could you EVER forget that face??

So this is Zilla's new favorite spot to sit.  Under the coffee table.  She fits perfectly at the moment.  But I just have this feeling she'll outgrow it by the time she gets back to visit.  Zilla was, as I'm sure you can imagine, a huge hit.  Miranda totally bonded with her!  We all played with her between bites of cake.  She only had one accident inside the house, which I still don't understand.  We took her out like 3 or 4 times, and she would never go!  Whatever.  I needed to replace that bathmat anyway. 

Miranda had put the Riesling in the freezer to chill a bit since it was warm when she bought it.  We sort of forgot about it?  Because of the cake?  And the puppy?  And so it froze a little bit?

AND MADE THE BEST RIESLING SLUSHIES EVER?!  We pulled out the crazy straws and went nuts on the single serving bottles.  This is how the night ended...

Yes those are shamrock crazy straws, what of it?

Anyway, the girls left and John took Zilla home.  The next day I was planning to meet up with Katie (K80) and Bill since it was their last day in the city and I still hadn't seen them!  Unfortunately, Bill got sick and it was touch and go.  But eventually he went back to relax in the hotel lobby for a bit while Katie (K80) (is that annoying?)  and I met up for brunch.  We walked up to Columbus and 68th street for a bite.  A big bite.  And complimentary never ending mimosas.  Yeah we did.  The place is called Jalapeno, and you must go!  It's tiny, but absolutely delish!

I had two poached eggs over tortillas, hash browns and crab cakes with a chipotle aioli.  Katie (K80) (I'll stop that now.)  had a burrito and a mescaline salad.  We both had cornbread and a mimosa.  The meal was reasonably priced and so so good!  I wasn't hungry again until much much later in the evening.  So so good!  So we walked back down to Katie's hotel to meet up with Bill.  So that was maybe 20+ blocks which was a really nice walk after such a big brunch!  I went home and took a nap.  I decided not to go out that night.

The next day I slept in.  I hung out.  I worked on my resume, and was about to work on my stupid website when Alice rang.  She wanted to see a movie.. and so we did.  We saw Arthur.  I've never like Russel Brand.  Ever.  I think he's ugly and gross and obnoxious.  Until I saw Arthur.  And now I'd like to have dinner with him and Katy Perry.  It was so funny!  And cute!  What probably made this even funnier and cuter??

Alice. Snuck. A. Bottle. Of. Champagne. Into. The. Theater.

She kept saying that I needed to get a cup from the concession stand because "It's SUNDAY"!!  I figured she brought a drink like the college kids or high school kids do.  Jack and Coke in a Coke bottle, or vodka in a water bottle.  No, this crazy woman brought an un-popped bottle of Champagne to the theater.  When I saw the bottle in her bag I almost died.  We decided it would draw too much attention if we opened it in the theater.  So Alice took it to the bathroom and popped it.  We finished the bottle during the movie.  Now here I was planning on just having a nice easy Sunday. 

We'd see a movie, and then I'd go home.

... We'd see a movie, drink a bottle of champagne and then I'd go home.

... ... We'd see a movie, drink a bottle of champagne, stop by and get 1/2 price martinis from Alice's roommate, and then I'd go home.

... ... ... ok, 2 half priced martinis...
... ... ... ... One movie, one bottle of champagne, two martinis... and a beer with mozzarella sticks....


O geez.  And now it's 12:30am on a Sunday night, I'm drunk and must go home NOW!

So that was my weekend.  It was a lot of fun!  I plan on taking things a little easier this weekend though.  No craziness, just relaxing.  Maybe running a few errands.  But mostly low key.  But then that's how I thought Sunday was going to go....


(PS... all the pictures are mine.  Except for Eeyore.  I am going to give photo credit to Christopher Robin.)