Our First Chili Cook-Off... Team #14 Chunk Master's Chili

This past weekend was our first Chili Cook-off EVER! And I don't think it will be the last. Paul and I, as much as we love to cook and try new things, we have (neither of us) made chili before. We started the week with a test run, in which we invited Desi and Tristan, and A.J. and Ann over to critique. Ironically it was a split vote! Desi and Tristan wanted a little less meat, and a little less spice, and A.J. and Ann said they liked the meat consistency and would like a little more spice!

So we were split down the middle, so Paul and I took the liberty of trying a new recipe for the cook-off! We started the day off with a trip to Whole Foods, and stocked up on some fresh organic veggies and meats!

We bought:

The process was really pretty easy, we sautéed up the onions and peppers with the meats while adding lots of fresh chopped garlic cloves. Once all the meat, onions and green peppers were in the big pot, we added the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, canned corn and beef broth. We used about two or three bottles of gluten-free beer, and stirred regularly as we added fresh jalapeno and an assortment of other spices from chili powder to cayenne to paprika, cumin and more!

After that you add the beans to simmer with the meat, juices and seasonings! And Paul also added a bit of molasses for some sweetness (more to cut the burn) - but not a lot at all!

This recipe made 5 GALLONS!

Check out some pics of our booth!

The huge pot for lots of chili!

Doesn't that look delicious!?

Our fun booth - We were Chunk Master's Chili (Chunk our dog inspires us so much!)

Chunk really did enjoy the Chili Cook-off, but his favorite thing was Kara's awesome cornbread! He's telling us here that he wants more!

So the results were in, and while we didn't win, nor did we rank, we made a valiant effort and had repeat customers! I have some thoughts about why things may not have gone our way... and about how it wasn't what I would consider a true test of people's choice on Chili... but c'est la vie! I did bring some into work though, cause we had a good bit left over, and it was a hit!

I think we'll definitely try our hand at another Chili Cook-off in the future, but who knows...

by Monica

Day Three of Mini Vaca: My Cousin Vinnie is Married!

The last evening in the D.C./Annapolis area was for my cousin Vinnie's wedding!

The day started early at Renditions Golf Club in Davidsonville, MD. While it was a dreary cold day, we had a blast! Theresa was all smiles and everyone was super excited for the big day! Paul did a great job, and we've got tons of great images for Vinnie and Theresa to choose from!

Here's a peek...

Theresa had three bridesmen, and they were great! I was surprised how attentive they were!

My cousins, the Sisca brothers, Nick, Vinnie and Damien.

Congratulations Theresa and Vinnie! It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple! We love you guys!

Click here to view the full gallery...

by Monica

Day Two of Mini Vaca: Perusing Downtown D.C.

Day Two we started the day with my cousin Vinnie's Wedding Rehearsal, but that was a short time before we headed back to D.C. to meet up with friends for dinner, drinks and FUN!

Check out some of our evening festivities!

We went for Sushi, Hookah and Drinks at Gazuza Lounge in Dupont Circle, and it was amazing! I'm not a hookah person, so I did not partake in that, but I did absolutely enjoy the sushi! The Sabotage Roll was the best! It will set your mouth on fire!!!

Me and Ashley enjoying the atmosphere! Paul was able to get some fun shots!

Then we headed around the other side of Dupont Circle to Eighteenth Street Lounge. A hip bar with good music and lot of interesting people (great for people watching)!

Jeff and his friends, Aliya and Cat... having a good time!

One of the only pics of Paul and I together on the trip! Thank you Ashley! :)

Me and Ash getting our buzz on!

Paul, doing the Jeff pose! haha

We had parted ways with Jeff and his friends at the Eighteenth Street Lounge and decided to meet back up with them. After leaving Dupont, we headed over to U Street for some more bar hopping. We stopped in one of  Jeff's favorite stops, Queen Makeda, it was pretty cool, but a little empty for our taste and Jeff and his friends weren't there, so onto the next stop!

From there we reunited with Jeff and his gang at Black Bird's or Black Cats... I'm really not sure! But it was a really cool spot and a nice place to end our D.C. bar tour!

And last, but certainly not least we stopped into the place that Jeff calls JUMBO SLICE, and had like a quarter of this huge pizza per person! It was definitely a good stop after a night of drinking, of course definitely off our diet. Oh well, it definitely hit the spot!

We made it home safe and sound, and actually woke up in plenty of time to head out to MD for the wedding (it started at 2PM and Paul was photographing so we had to be there early)! This was truly a busy weekend, but it's totally awesome to experience D.C. in new ways every time we go!

Click here for the full gallery of pics!

by Monica

Day One of Mini Vaca: We made it to D.C.!

The drive up went really smooth, we were able to leave the house around 5AM, and made it into the city by 2:30PM. I think we hit is just right!

We're staying right in the city with a friend, and the house is pretty awesome and in walking distance of Capitol Hill! Thank you Jeff and especially Chantal for giving us a free place to stay! The house is a 1930's home and has so much character! Chantal also has a great garden in the back yard.

Hanging with friends, meeting new people, and catching up on old times! We were enjoying the good company of Jeff and Chantal.

After a few drinks, we decided to head over to the fish market to grab some fresh fish to grill out, gotta love having these kind of things so close!

We ended up getting some fresh grouper, and I was ready to get back to grill it up! I get grumpy when I'm hungry, can you tell??

Well we got back and the guys cooked up some amazing grouper (the best we've ever had!) and corn on the cobb, and it was amazing! After a long day of driving, I crashed, but the boys partied on!

It was definitely a good start to this mini vaca and wedding trip!

by Monica

I love the Lily Allen station

I love the Lily Allen station on Pandora! Great station for a road trip! :)

by Monica

Fall Inspiration! Herb and Flower Arrangements

The Wall Street Journal is providing some awesome fall inspiration, and this one, of many caught my eye! It sounds delicious and beautiful all at once, to have the fragrant herbs and flowers to create a beautiful home arrangement!

WSJ: Herb & Flower Arrangements - "Mint and basil are flowering, autumn is releasing its early blooms—now is the moment to combine them. New York flower expert Nicolette Owen explains the basic steps."

For details about how to make the pictured arrangement read on!

Mint and Lavender + Pom-Pom Dahlias + Grass

Step One: Start with a slightly asymmetrical base of greens. We used flowering mint. Leave some stems nice and tall so the arrangement will be taller than the pitcher. Step Two: Place your large showy blooms throughout the base of greens. We used pom pom dahlias. Play with the directions of the "face" of the flowers so they are not all looking the same way. Step Three: Finish the arrangement with a bold gesture of grass to balance the shape of the pitcher. Sprinkle little sprigs of flowering lavender throughout to add some extra fragrance.

Click here to view "The Off Duty Fall 50"

I'll definitely post a pic when I get the opporunity to make my own arrangement!

by Monica

Brother Kane Chips Now Available Online!

One of Paul's client's, Brother Kane, is now selling chips online! Jim Kane Sr. and Jim Kane Jr. have been long-time customers of my parent's at The UPS Store in Dacula, and have been working with Paul for design, photography, web design and more.

We were first introduced to Brother Kane peanuts, and they are AMAZING! They are some of the biggest, crunchiest and most flavorful peanuts you will find. Then they branched out even further with potato chips. And I honestly think they hit the nail on the head with these chips!

Paul and I absolutely LOVE Brother Kane Chips, but like so many others, have only been able to find them in varied vending locations and random grocery and gas stations. BUT NOW, they are online!!! We absolutely love these chips, specifically the Baby Back Ribs, Cracked Pepper, Jalapeno, and my absolute favorite Buffalo Wing Bleu Cheese!

You should definitely check them out, whether you decide to order online, or find them in your local store or vending machine, they are definitely worth it!

by Monica

Super Cool New FaceBook Timeline Developer Release! Check it out!

 

This is a super cool new Timeline Developer Release! You have to set it up to be able to view FaceBook in a timeline format. Only those that set this up can see other's Facebook in this format.

It's really cool! You can hone in on certain dates in the timeline to see pictures, posts and comments, etc. Definitely worth checking out! Click Here to access details about set-up...

by Monica

Medabolic Recent Program is a Success!

Following the HC3 Trim program, we continued the process moving into the Metabolic Reset Program in which we continued taking supplements, and maintained a low-fat, low calorie diet (1200 calories for me and up to 1500 calories for Paul).

I had read a lot of blogs and general information and my biggest fear going into those next three weeks was the fact that most people seemed to struggle to keep the weight off even eating 1200 calories and exercising. I was so happy with the results from the HC3 Trim, and definitely didn't want to be back in a position where I was struggling to keep the weight off. We weren't supposed to lose or gain more than 3 lbs over the three weeks. Honestly Paul and I both wanted to lose more during this time because we both have around 10-15 more lbs we would like to lose. Either way, we went into the program hoping for the best!

We had fluctuation in weight, but thankfully it was usually not more than a pound or two. We had the occasional slip, but generally have kept to the low-calorie diet. It was honestly a struggle to reach the 1200 calories for me, which seems surprising, but when you're not eating out all the time, it's really not hard to eat healthy and still feel full!

We have gotten through the three weeks of the Metabolic Reset, and it has absolutely been a success! I've been able to maintain, and even lose weight since the last weigh-in. This past meeting with Kelly at Optimum Health, she gave some more good advice. We are allowed to have cheat days (within reason and under certain restrictions) once a week.Those restrictions consist of three or more days of working out prior to the cheat day, limit carb intake to 10 carbs per meal excluding the "cheat meal." Seems pretty easy... I think we can handle that!

Kelly's analogy was based on taking a class, you won't fail a class if you do badly or even fail the occasional quiz, but if you fail a lot of quizzes, you will probably fail the class. When it comes to living and eating healthy, if you continue to stay on a good track, you will succeed, but if you allow those cheat days to happen too regularly, you will likely fall into an unhealthy lifestyle and fail...

Here's to continuing to drop weight and stay healthy! If we've done this well up until this point, I imagine we'll be able to continue!

by Monica

Engagement Shoot in Downtown Norcross, GA

This past weekend we had a great shoot with Christine and Sean in downtown Norcross. It was a beautiful day, started out a little chilly and overcast, but the sun came out and it was a great day. We had a lot of awesome shots of this couple and they were very open to whatever. Downtown Norcross is such a great place for photography with multiple parks, a very cute downtown area and just an overall nostalgic and fun feel.

Here are some of our favorites! Oh and Paul was able to do some HDRs too... Click Here for the full gallery.

Can't wait for their wedding in November! It'll be quite the party!!

by Monica