Mangia! Italian Recipes from Supper Club 600

Following up on yesterday's Adventure blog, today I'm sharing some of the recipes from our Italian edition of Supper Club 600.

This supper club was the first one that, during the full preparation time, I was home solo.  Tom used to be our primary (who am I kidding - our SOLE) cook, and the testing - outside of baking - was his turf.  Now that he has a very busy work week, it was up to me to come up with the majority of our recipes, except for Tom's favorite...

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

• 1 ounce spaghetti
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp good quality olive oil
• red pepper flakes (to taste)

Warm the olive oil, and then saute the garlic until browned and fragrant.  Boil the spaghetti until just al dente (which means "to the tooth," or just biteable.)   Drain the pasta, and then add to the pan.  Toss with a touch or red pepper, and you're ready to go!  Tom cooks this for himself, occasionally, for breakfast.  And it never fails - when I wake up and come downstairs, I ask him what he's been cooking because it smells delicious.  The answer is always Aglio Olio.

Now, on to some of my own recipes!

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Red bell peppers (30-40 minutes at 400)
Cherry tomatoes (15-20 minutes at 400)
Zucchini (15-20 minutes at 450)
Sweet onion (30-45 minutes at 400)
Garlic (30-40 minutes at 400)
Olive oil spray (like Pam)
Balsamic Vinegar

Spray the bottom of a few different baking pans (I recommend pyrex a few inches deep.)  I tend to pair like veggies together, because they take different times to cook.  Then prepare the veggies: cherry matoes are good as-is, peppers need to be halved and de-seeded, zucchini sliced into spears, and onion into wedges.  You can just slice the top off a head of garlic and roast all together.

Once you lay the veggies in their pans, give them another quick spritz of olive oil spray, and then pop them in the oven, time and temperature listed with each ingredient above.

When all are finished roasting, combine tomatoes, zucchini and onion in a bowl.  Place the peppers while still warm (but not hot) in a plastic zipper bag, to steam the skins.  They'll be ready for you to peel after a half-hour.  Then squeeze the roasted garlic (through the sliced top of the head) into the bowl with the rest of the veggies.  Toss with a tablespoon of vinegar, and you're all set!

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Authentic carbonara was my favorite dish in Rome.  I had no idea that all of America made it so improperly.  I had always thought it was a cream-based dish.  In fact, the glory of carbonara is that there is no cream, only egg - and that's what makes the spaghetti strands stick together!

Real carbonara is very caloric - pancetta, lots of egg, lots of cheese, and lots of pasta.  I lightened up the recipe by reducing egg/cheese, swapping turkey bacon for panchetta, and swapping spaghetti squash for pasta.  It's surprisingly delicious for the calories.

1 spaghetti squash
3 egg yolks
3 slices of lean turkey bacon
2 tb good-quality parmesan cheese, grated.
2 shallots, minced
Olive oil spray (like Pam)

Halve the squash and bake it rind-up 30 to 40 minutes at 375 degrees.  Cool slightly, and then separate the "spaghetti" strands by lightly scraping with a fork from stem to stern.  This can be done slightly ahead of time, as the squash will be rewarmed later.

Saute the shallots in olive oil spray, with the turkey bacon, until all are browned. Whisk the yolks together with the grated cheese.  Add the squash to the bacon pan, and pour the eggs in.  Toss the squash quickly and continually until the eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

Tiramisu

I am insanely proud of this recipe.  We knew, as soon as we decided to have the Italian theme, that we'd want tiramisu for dessert.  And little did I realize that tiramisu is crazy caloric per serving.  If you've eaten even a small serving of regular tiramisu, it was probably light and fluffy, and you probably didn't realize how calorie-dense it was.  A typical small serving is around 350 calories, and goes up from there.  Though - I have to apologize, this is actually 55 calories, not 50 calories.  (Still, that's a big reduction.)

But I love a challenge, so I went hunting for ingredients to combine and swap to lower that calorie count.  And swap, I did.

Swap #1: Lady Fingers.  They're not the worst thing in the world, but they're dense and rich, and in tandem with the creamy filling, they add to the overall pudginess of tiramisu.

So instead, I used individual angel food bundt cakes that I purchased at Ralph's. (Also known as Kroger's, for all of you who grew up in or around Midland.)

Swap #2: Mascarpone cheese. This little bugger crams 120 calories into a single tablespoon.  But it has a particular taste and texture that is hard to recreate, so I wasn't sure I could do it... that is, until I met Quark.

Quark is a German cream-style cheese that is kind of similar to mascarpone, but is slightly more sour... and comes in a fat-free variety!  To adjust texture and flavor, I folded in fat-free (5-calorie) Reddi Wip after the usual tiramisu ingredients.  It may be challenging to find Quark, but I was able to locate it in a specialty grocery store (Gelson's) so you may be able to locate it at one near you.

Here's the final recipe.

• 1/4 cup Quark
• 1/4 cup fat free Reddi Wip
• 1 tb sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 mini angel food bundt cake
• 2 shots of good-quality espresso
• scant 1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa (or less - you don't need much.)

With a mixer, blend Quark, sugar and vanilla.  Once smooth, fold in Reddi Wip.

There should be 12 ridges in each bundt. Slice between each ridge, and use four ridges for one serving. 

Soak one side of a ridge in espresso for 2-3 seconds, then flip and soak the other side.  Repeat, and place both ridges at the bottom of the serving cup.  Then layer a tablespoon of the Quark mixture on top of the cake, sealing it in the bottom.  Repeat the soaking process for the other two ridges, and lay them on top of the Quark mixture in the cup.  Layer one last tablespoon of Quark, making sure to seal in the rest of the cake.  Sprinkle a touch of cocoa on top, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Woo-hoo! 

There are other recipes we used from that day, but if I gave all of them to you... why would you buy the cow when you get the milk for free?  Just kidding.  If you want one of the other recipes from the menu I shared yesterday, let me know and I'll pass it along to you.  Everybody needs a good recipe - it's a great way to take care of you (which I hope you're doing today!)

Barbecue Part Two: Recipe Boogaloo

Yesterday I shared my Supper Club 600 adventure at the Drive-In, and as promised, today I'll be sharing the recipes for all of the dishes we made.  (Well, all but the barbecue jackfruit, which I've already shared.)

Curried Chickpea Salad

An excellent source of protein!

We fell in love with this salad at Joan's on Third, our favorite place in Los Angeles to pick up a picnic-to-go.  Whenever we wanted it, we'd have to trek over to Beverly Hills... until The Times was so kind to print the recipe!

As with any recipe, Tom and I tweaked it to lower the calories... and I'm a wuss when it comes to spice, so we removed the heat.  Here's our variation on Joan's chickpeas:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 30 ounces of chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Pam
• Water
• Salt

Saute the onion in Pam over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Stir regularly for about 3 minutes.  It will develop into a kind of spice "paste."

Drain the chickpeas, then add to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add a tablespoon of lemon juice along with a little water, to thin the paste.
 
Remove from heat and season with the cilantro, the rest of the lemon juice, and salt to taste.


Broccoli Slaw

Light and crunchy!

  
Tom got this recipe from "Big Daddy's House," starring Aaron McCargo Jr, the winner of Next Food Network Star a few years ago.  It's a lot spicer as Aaron makes it - and it includes oil that, in our opinion, weighs the slaw down unnecessarily.  Here's our twist on Aaron's recipe:

• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 cups shredded broccoli slaw (we buy ours at Trader Joe's.)
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Soak the slices of onion for a few minutes, which will make it slightly milder.  Then drain, and combine with the carrots and broccoli slaw. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, salt, sugar, and the black pepper. Bring to a light boil over low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.


Add the mixture to the vegetables, and toss to combine.


 Blue Cheese Aioli

We served ours with crunchy veggie crudite.

I'm proud to say that I came up with this recipe myself!  I'd heard about combining sour cream with mayo to make aioli, but when I had discovered two perfect low-calorie ingredients, I knew that putting them together would make for amazing flavor and texture.  And I was right!  You can try other replacement ingredients, but if at all possible, I highly recommend these specific ones:

• 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Fat Free Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Light Vegenaise (available at Whole Foods)
• 2 oz blue cheese crumbles
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced

Stir it together, and that's it.  For some real foodie fireworks, bake some sweet potato fries and have at.

There are a couple of other recipes I can share with you... but they're hiding inside the movie snack sampler bags!

The spoils of Supper Club 600!

Every guest at the Drive-In received a sampler with two kinds of popcorn, some fresh market cherries, and a mini-serving of dark chocolate pomegranate "raisinettes."  (We did not make the "raisinettes" ourselves. They're available at Trader Joe's as Dark Chocolate Dried Pomegranate.  They're great, but be wary of portion size.  They list it at 1/4 cup for 200 calories - a third of our evening's calories! - so we gave our guests less than half of the recommended serving.)


We made the popcorn ourselves, with just a tiny bit of oil in the popper.  From there, we sprayed it with a little butter-flavored Pam and transferred it to a large bag (not packed - with plenty of room.)  Add the flavor mixtures and shake to coat!  Here is the ratio information for our mixtures, per cup of popcorn.


Cinnamon-Sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt

Southwestern
1/4 tsp taco seasoning (with salt but without MSG)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder

Tom - who is a veritable popcorn fiend - liked the flavored popcorn enough that he's considering bringing some to a movie theater in the future.  (Movie theater popcorn is possibly his greatest vice, and he's cut way, way down.)

That's everything!  But don't forget to come back tomorrow for the sequel... ATTACK OF THE DRIVE-IN FASHION!  'Til then, take care of you!

In the Kitchen with Zucchini x 2, and disastrous results!

It's a beautiful Thursday morning, and I find myself centered - even serene - after crossing several items off my to-do list this week.  I imagine that staying mindful about food (and lowering my sugar intake) helps my general sense of zen, too. 

You know what else keeps me centered? A great big laugh.  There's something really cathartic about laughing until your diaphragm is tired.  And for me, it's especially good if I'm laughing at myself, not taking myself too seriously.

I really love blogging, and I always try to keep it light - but sometimes while preparing for some of these entries, I can get entirely too serious.  Furrowed brow and everything!  Fortunately, all I needed to get out of serious mode was to screw up one of my recipes.  I mean, it was AWFUL.  And when I figured out why... well, let's say my diaphragm wasn't just tired from laughing, it was exhausted.  And with good reason - according to a 2005 study, "ten to 15 minutes of laughter could increase energy expenditure by 10 to 40 calories per day, which could translate into about four pounds a year."

Let's go back to the kitchen, though... what did I do wrong?  Telling you would be too easy, so I'm going to see if you can guess before I get to the end of today's entry, "Zucchini x 2." That's right - I have two recipes for you today!

I have vivid memories of seeing the "take a veggie/leave a veggie" table at church growing up.  This time of year, people would leave the extra fruit (sometimes literally) of their gardening labor, because - let's face it, it's really hard to finish off a whole crop of even a small garden.  On that veggie table, people would snap up tomatoes or beans or melons quickly, but what always stayed behind was the ever-expanding collection of summer squash.  Zucchini just can't be eaten as quickly as it grows, unless you share it... or eat it for every meal.  And in the spirit of "take a veggie/leave a veggie," I offer you two zucchini recipes, one savory and one sweet.

Sauteed Zucchini with Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

You know you're in for a good meal when even the pre-cooked ingredients look delicious.

  
Ingredients:

• 4 small zucchini (or equivalent summer squash)
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tb basil
• 1/4 cup broth (we use low-sodium veggie broth)

When it comes to savory zucchini, I didn't used to be that much of a fan.  It can get so overcooked, soft and stringy... and I never enjoyed it that way.  But it turns out that if you cook it al-dente (or if you roast it - but that's another day In the Kitchen) it's much more delicious... especially if you punch up the flavor with tasty accompaniments.  Tom introduced me to this veggie dish, which is perfect for a summer night like tonight.

Start by soaking the tomatoes in warm water for ~10 minutes

   

Meanwhile, slice the zucchini, mince the garlic and chop the mushrooms.

 

Spray your frying pan with a spray oil (we use Pam) and saute the garlic over medium heat. 
As it becomes more fragrant, and sizzles a bit, add the zucchini to the pan.

 

Once the zucchini softens slightly, add the drained tomatoes with the mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms are done.

  

Stir in the chopped basil, and you're ready to serve!

   

This has definitely become my favorite warm summer veggie dish - and if you're fond of the ingredients, you'll be surprised how lovely they are together.  (You may even forget you're eating your fifth serving of zucchini this week!)  It's also incredibly low in calories.

Zucchini Surprise Mini-Muffins

Baking with zucchini is a good way to sneak extra veggies and vitamins into your baked goods.

   
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup greek yogurt (sweetened is OK)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tb cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tb vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup grated zucchini (~2 small zucchini)
Plus the surprise ingredient...

I based this recipe on my mom's own recipe, which was delicious but which called for three times the sugar plus a whole cup of oil.  I made a few swaps here and there to reduce calories and increase the healthy factor.  It's a bit less sweet than most zucchini bread, so if you don't mind the calories, you can increase the sweetener and plan accordingly.

In a stand mixer (or with a hand-mixer), combine the eggs, applesauce, yogurt and sugar.

 

Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and blend thoroughly.
Then add the vanilla and mix until smooth.

 

Then add the flour, mixing slowly until just incorporated. 
(Too much mixing makes it too gluten-sticky.)

 

This is very nearly incorporated - a couple more turns of the mixer should do it.

Grate one cup worth of zucchini.

   

Mmm, zucchini.

  

And fold it into the batter.

  

Scoop one tablespoon of batter into mini-muffin cups.

   

And then it's time for the surprise ingredient!

Today's surprise ingredient is...

BLUEBERRIES!

   
I hide a single blueberry in the middle of each mini-muffin, in tribute to my mom's blueberry zucchini bread.  The blueberry is just the right touch of acid and sweet, giving a burst of flavor to each bite-sized muffin.

Press the blueberry into the middle of each muffin cup, and then top with a tiny amount of additional batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven/altitude.

   

Yum! A perfect summer snack.

And now, the real question: did any of my eagle-eyed friends find my cooking mistake?  Well, I'll tell you this... when I bit into the muffin, I found it bland and kind of soggy, and the taste was off.  I couldn't quite figure out why.  That is, until I went to make dinner that night, and instead of a bag of cucumber in the frige, I found a bag of... zucchini?  WHAT!?

That's right, folks.

SURPRISE.
It's my other secret ingredient.
I made cucumber bread.
And it was TERRIBLE.

   
Fortunately, I had enough ingredients left to make another batch the following day, and they tasted great.  (The photo of the baked muffins are actually the real zucchini muffins, not the gross cucumber ones.)

Moral of the story: use cucumber in salad, for pickles, or on your eyes... but not for zucchini bread.  And if you accidentally make cucumber bread... at least you made yourself laugh.  (And also gag.  But hey, it's a workout!) 

Get a good laugh in today - and take care of yourself!

In the Kitchen with Tom: Ginger Noodle Stir-Fry

Today I have a healthy - and filling - recipe for you.  But before I get to that, some news!

I had my surgery follow-up, and all of the biopsies came back clear.  I was very happy to hear it, so I hopped over to Facebook, where I posted that the biopsies from my surgery were back, and I was "footloose and cancer-free." What I didn't realize was that many people interpret the phrase "cancer-free" as meaning "no longer have cancer."  So just to be clear about it here - I do not have (and have never had) cancer - my surgery was to help correct my troublesome reproductive system.  I do, however, have many loved ones who have faced and beaten cancer, and I'm always awed by their strength. May we all have that kind of strength in the face of illness.

Anyway, to celebrate my bill of health... I get to swim again! Fully recovered from surgery, and able to swim to my heart's content.  It's very timely, seeing as our upcoming Supper Club 600 is taking place poolside.

I'm feeling great, and that's probably a result from the recovery, as well as the exercise I've been able to do in the last week, and the good food I've been eating.  What good food have I been eating?  Well, let me show you an example!

I think most of you know what an excellent cook my husband is.  I think he's been my secret weapon in my weight loss journey, because he's always finding new ways of throwing food together that is both healthy and tasty.  Today's recipe - Ginger Noodle Stir-Fry - is one that Tom has developed over time, inspired by dinners his mom made when he was younger.  This dish is very warming, very filling, and excellent when enjoyed a few hours before a workout.  I try not to think of food as "comforting" these days, but there's no way around it: this is excellent healthy comfort food.

The recipe's two most important ingredients are right in its name.

Ginger root is such a warm, flavorful ingredient.  Growing up, we always had powdered ginger, but I'd never seen the root before Tom introduced me to it.  If you haven't used it fresh, you're in for a treat.  You can find it in most grocery stores, and though it looks odd and bulbous, don't be afraid of it - it tastes much better than powdered ginger.  You can chop off a piece from the root, peel it, and dice it - and throw it in as if it were garlic.  (In fact, we throw it in with garlic for this recipe.)

The noodles in question are a Japanese variety called soba.  They are made from buckwheat, which is not actually a grain - it's a fruit seed!  Buckwheat can actually be enjoyed by people who are unable to process gluten.  Soba does contain carbohydrates from the starch, but it also has a large amount of soluble fiber, plus it's a source of magnesium, B1 and B2.  It's a great swap for heavier pasta in a stir fry like this.

I believe I missed listing onion in this graphic, but it's there tucked in by the pepper and garlic.

   

Chop the pepper and onion, then saute in a Pam-sprayed pan for about 6 minutes, or until softened.

   

Then peel about an inch of ginger root, and dice into fine pieces, along with the garlic. 
Add both to the pepper/onion pan, and cook for about two minutes.

   

Next, chop the mushrooms, and cook with the pepper/onion pan for about 5 minutes, until they begin to release liquid.

   

Now, chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, and then add to the pan with everything else. 
Add a tablespoon of light soy sauce, plus a dash of chili oiland sesame oil,
and cook for another 10 minutes, until it is tender.

   

As you soften the cauliflower, bring a pot of water to a boil. Then add the soba noodles and boil for about 3 minutes.

   

Drain the noodles, and add them to the pan. Toss briefly, and then transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy!

  
Because this dish includes a whole head of cauliflower, you can eat a nice-sized serving and still stay moderate in calories.  I usually eat a serving of protein and a piece of fruit to fill out the meal.

I usually eat about 2 cups, so my serving is around 230 calories or so.

   
What is your favorite Asian dish?  Tom and I would love to try our hand at replicating it for you, so let us know!  And, as always - take care of you.

A toast to Harry Potter... with a glass of low-calorie Butterbeer!

You can call me a nerd.  You can call me a muggle.  You can call me whatever you want, but don't stand between me and Harry Potter.

This Friday marks the last official opening of a Potter movie, and there's no better time to celebrate with my recipe for low-calorie Butterbeer, the Potter drink of choice.  Recently, Tom and our friend Rena joined me in my Butterbeer Test Kitchen, to figure out the best possible low-calorie way to recreate the flavor of Butterbeer as offered at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando.

And the results?  A delicious facsimile, Diet Butterbeer at only 20 calories!

We started by sampling diet cream soda, which would serve as the majority of the beverage body.

We sampled three different zero-calorie cream sodas for the occasion.  The winner was Olde Philadelphia, which we hadn't heard of before. The perfect hint of caramel flavor for the beverage base. But any diet cream soda would work.

We added a touch of sugar free butterscotch syrup for the "butter" flavor.

The trick to the Wizarding World recipe is that their "beer" and their "head" are two separate elements, added together in the glass.  There was some debate about what would make a good head, so we tried it two different ways.

Tom and Rena toast.

   
But my wacky idea was far and away the winner...

The winning head: salted caramel ice cream, stirred until it melts, then folded into fat-free
Reddi Whip. Plain caramel or dulce de leche should work, too.

Here's the recipe our test kitchen settled on, with links to where you can purchase:

Diet Butterbeer Body:
1 cup of zero-calorie cream soda (Olde Philadelphia is best - we bought ours at Rocket Fizz.)
2.5 teaspoons of sugar-free butterscotch beverage syrup (DaVinci's is best, I bought online at Boba Tea Direct.)

Diet Butterbeer Head:
1 tablespoon of salted caramel ice cream (We used Carmela, but plain caramel or dulce de leche should also work - as long as they're smooth, no chunks.)
2 tablespoons of fat-free whipped topping spray (Reddi Whip is best.  Available at most grocery stores.)

Instructions:
Combine the soda and butterscotch syrup in a glass.  Set aside.
Stir the ice cream until it is frothy, then fold in the whipped topping spray.  Spoon it carefully onto the Butterbeer body - then enjoy!

To your good health, Harry!

Butterbeer is the perfect cuppa to toast the end of an era.  After all, the series has captured my heart for... can you believe it?... ten years.  It's been amazing to watch the actors blossom into maturity.  They're so grown-up now!

It isn't only the actors who've grown.  Our friend Erik put things into perspective by counting the girlfriends he's had since Sorcerer's Stone hit theaters.  And that made me realize just how far I've come since I was first swept away to Hogwarts... cinematically speaking, that is.

I saw the first movie opening weekend, in my hometown - Midland, Michigan.  At the time, I was recently graduated from college, single, and living with my parents and building my savings so I could afford a move to Los Angeles. I went with a dear friend from high school, Amanda - who was also single at the time, and who now works as a teacher, and is married with a beautiful daughter.  We were at the Midland Cinemas, the only real first-run multi-screen movie theater in my hometown, which opened when I was 15.  (Before that, we had to go out of town for new movies, or watch scratchy second-run reels at Studio M.  Where, by the way, I'd have my wedding reception six years later.)

The film transported me.  I had only read the first book, in preparation for the film, but it spurred me on to read the rest of the series.  By the time the second film came out, I was settled in LA, where I'd moved without any existing family or friends in the area.  I was pretty lonely.  The books, and the fandom friends I made online, made me feel like I was part of a community.  By the third film, my new friend Audra and I had already gone to a midnight Potter book release party... and by the fourth, my soon-to-be-husband was in tow.  The three of us went together to the final book release... in costumed geekery.

Audra wears a Slytherin scarf. I'm in a Gryffindor one, with a Dumbledore
t-shirt I made.  Tom is in - yes - a Weasley sweater with "T" for Tom.

   
Flash-forward to this weekend... and how things change!  But friendships remain.  Audra and Erik are now house-hunting, Tom and I are four years into our marriage, and some of us are not just fans of the entertainment industry, we're part of it.  So when Audra was invited to a special early screening of the film, she brought the three of us - her own "Potter Pals" - along for the ride.

And when we met up with them at 7AM to stand in line for our sneak preview, we brought along a batch of Butterbeer for a breakfast of muggle champions.

While queued up for the movie, Erik raises his glass.

On our way into the Chinese for the movie.

Where were you when the first Potter came out in 2001?  And how will you be celebrating the end of the Potter era?  We'll be heading back to the theater to watch it again. Frankly, we wanted to turn right back around and watch it again after we saw it, but alas, we must wait for Friday.  If you make the Butterbeer, be sure to take and share the pictures of you enjoying it - and heck, if you're dressing up all nerdy, send those pictures too!

I'll be back tomorrow with a weigh-in and tales of last week's time offline... until then, keep taking care of you.