The Katie Chronicles

Slowcooker Coq au Vin

2012-02-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

It's wintertime in South Florida, and by wintertime, I mean Slightly Less Hot-time. It's actually my favorite time of year - the humidity goes away, the temperatures cool down a bit, and we usually have about four very pleasant months before summer heat and humidity swoop in and suck the breath out of your lungs.

Every once in a while, however, we do get cold fronts that roll through, and it gets chilly. Very, very chilly. And on nights like that, you want something warm, flavorful, and home cooked to eat.

One of the new dishes at this year's Epcot Food & Wine Festival was a coq au vin au gratin in France...I had never had coq au vin before, but you slap macaroni au gratin with anything and I'd probably eat it. And honestly, it was quite delicious...warm, homey, and full of flavor...it was easily in my Top Five Dishes at this year's festival. However, coq au vin just seems impossibly fancy whenever you look it up in cookbooks. There had to be easier way to make it...right?

Slowcooker Coq au Vin

4 chicken thighs and 2 chicken drumsticks
2 cups frozen pearl onions
1 1/2 cups frozen sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups raw baby carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups red wine*
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp butter, cut into three pats
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 packet dry onion soup/dip mix
2 tbsp MarketSpice Salt-Free Country Herb Blend
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Cornstarch (optional)

* We use a cabernet (like the flavoring a lot more), but you could use a merlot.

Directions:

1) Lay chicken pieces in a single layer in the bottom of a 6 quart slowcooker pot. Sprinkle onions, mushrooms and carrots over top. Sprinkle entire dish with garlic, rosemary, oregano, and thyme.

2) In a small dish, whisk together onion soup mix, country herb blend, salt, ground bay leaf and black pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over top the entire dish.

3) In a bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together wine, chicken broth and olive oil. Carefully pour into pot, pouring around the edges, doing your best not to wash off too much of the seasonings. Top dish with pats of butter.

4) Cook on low setting for four hours. Serve immediately with a piece of chicken and scoop full of vegetables. If you so desire, you can add small amounts of cornstarch (until you reach desired thickness) to the remaining cooking liquid to thicken it up for a sauce to drizzle on top the dish.

First, let me prefice this with the fact that the smell this dish creates in your home alone is worth cooking it. We set this up and had it cooking while we took Sandy to the dog park; when we got back home and opened the door, I wanted to melt into a puddle right there on the doorstep. It smells wonderful.

Second, this dish is wonderfully, wonderfully simple to make. Simply layer all the ingredients, turn on the slowcooker, and you're done. Simple as that, yet it comes out looking and tasting like a gourmet dish. Paired with a little wild rice and a nice baby greens salad, and you've got a meal fit for company.

Now, let me say this - I normally don't like recommending specific products (such as a certain brand of spice, or a certain brand of oil), because it forces people to go out and try and find a product that might not necessarily be easy to find or worth spending the money on if you're only using it for 1-2 recipes. If I use a specific "specialty" item in a recipe, I try and offer an easy-to-find alternative. However, with this dish, you absolutely need the MarketSpice country herb seasoning. The first time we made this dish, we didn't include it, but the second time, I added it in for variety...and it totally knocked this dish out of the park. Trust me, it's worth it...not to mention, it makes for excellent seasoning on roasted turkey or chicken. :)

Slap a Sticker On It

2012-02-06T17:18:00.000-05:00

So, I was perusing today's posts by some of the blogs I follow on a regular basis, and I came across a post from the lovely Krysten at Why Girls Are Weird. She had come across an article by a 19-year-old girl out of the University of Buffalo talking about how tattoos on women are more-or-less the equivalent of slapping a tacky bumper sticker on a vintage Ferrari, and (being a gorgeous tattooed girl herself) was rightfully pissed off by it. Naturally, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

The article in itself is enough to make you want to stab a hot poker through your skull in sheer anger/frustration, so I'll summarize her thoughts with a few direct quotes:

"An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body. She appreciates it. She flaunts it. She's not happy with it? She goes to the gym. She dresses it up in lavish, fun, trendy clothes, enjoying trips to the mall with her girlfriends. She accentuates her legs with high heels. She gets her nails done. She enjoys the finer things in life, all with the body she was blessed with."

"Can you get meaning out of a tattoo? Arguably. If you want to insert ink into your skin as a symbol for something greater than yourself, then maybe you are proving a point to yourself or the rest of the world.

But at the end of the day, are you really a happier person? Has this tattoo, for instance, caused you to learn something new about yourself? Has it challenged you? Has it led you to self-growth? Nothing comes out of getting a tattoo. You get a tattoo, and that's it. You do something productive, though, and you see results. That's a genuine, satisfying change in life. Not ink.

Invest your time, money, and effort into a gym membership, or yoga classes, or new clothes, or experimenting with different hairstyles if you're craving something new with your body, not a tattoo.

I promise, it will be a much more rewarding experience, and you won't find yourself in a rut when your future grandkids ask you what's up with the angel wings on your upper back as you're in the middle of giving them a life lesson on the importance of values and morals.

God knows the last thing this world needs is another generation of kids questioning their basic values and morals."

I am a 28-year-old woman. I am a wife, a sister, and a daughter. I have two degrees and am in the process of earning a doctorate. I think I am a pretty intelligent, articulate person who is able to understand concepts simple and complex, and use deductive reasoning, logic, and common sense to solve basic and complex problems. I try to live my life in a manner that I can be proud of. I treat other people with kindness and respect, even when I don't necessarily think that their own behavior or treatment of others has earned either. I do my best to be a good person, and when I make mistakes, I take ownership and responsibility for those mistakes and do what I need to to fix them and make amends with those that those mistakes may have impacted. I dress decently, I have respect for my body and what I put in/on it, I don't walk around with my girls hanging out or my g-string showing for all the world to see. I don't go out and get sloppy drunk or sleep around...with the exception of a mild case of pottymouth, I think I am a reasonably well-behaved, elegant woman. I'm by no means a saint, but I think I have a decent amount of class.

I also have two tattoos.

One of the a tattoos that I have is a blue butterfly. It's about the size of a half dollar, on the back of my hip, and unless you're my husband or you happen to catch me in the right bathing suit, you wouldn't even know it was there. So, obviously, I didn't put it on my body to make this grand statement to the world at large, considering I put it somewhere on my body that wouldn't be visible to the naked eye.

I got a blue butterfly in honor of my grandmother. Butterflies were one of the things she loved most in this world. She had them everywhere. Figurines, paintings, photographs, embroidered pillows...you couldn't enter a room in her home and not find a butterfly. She'd plant roses and flowers every spring just to attract them. As for blue, it was her favorite color. Whenever I think of her, of my happiest memories of her, I always picture her in blue.

On the day my grandmother passed away, Erin and Sarah (who were just little girls at the time) called me crying. They were so young, and we were all so close to her...their hearts were broken. All of our hearts were broken. Erin was crying and telling me how she couldn't understand why she could never see her grandma again, and I told her that she would. I told her that every time she saw a butterfly from now on, every single time one flew by her or landed on a leaf as she passed by, that was Grandma. Whenever she saw a butterfly, that was Grandma, watching over her, protecting her, telling her that she loved her and was with her at that very moment.

When I said it, it was my way of trying to comfort a broken hearted little girl. What I didn't realize at the time was how much that would stick with her, with me, with all of us grandchildren. There are times where I'll be walking down the sidewalk on campus, or out shopping with girlfriends, and I'll see a butterfly flit by and for that split second, I'll stop. And somehow, in that split second, I get some amount of comfort. There are times when my sister or my mom will call me up, or send me a text message - "I saw Grandma today <3". And it brings us comfort.

My sister and I each got blue butterfly tattoos about a year after she passed away, right around the time that she passed. It was an experience that brought us closer. It created yet another permanent link in our bond with one another. It's a link that we could not have created with a cup of Starbucks, or a pair of Manolos, or a yoga lesson. Those moments, that day, is irreplaceable to us.

Will a blue butterfly on my hip magically change the world? No. Will it suddenly make all my problems go away and create unshakeable inner harmony? Not even close. Does that little patch of ink have tangible, irreplaceable value? Has it led to self-growth? You bet your ass it has. Call me crazy, but getting that mark inked on to me, where it can never disappear...it helped a little part of me heal. On those days where I miss my grandmother more than I can physically stand, and drawing her face up in my head isn't enough to bring me some degree of comfort, I can look in the mirror and see those wings. I can put my hand on my back and I can feel the lines where ink has embedded in skin. I can physically feel a little, tiny, tangible link to her, even if it is superficial, only skin deep.

Not every woman who gets a tattoo gets one because they are bored with their look. Not every woman who gets a tattoo gets one because it's the cool or rebellious thing to do. Not every tattoo is a picture of Tweety Bird riding a motorcycle with Mickey Mouse that you got one drunken night on Duvall (no, I don't actually have one of those). Not every tattoo is without meaning, or value. Not every woman with a tattoo is without values, or morals, or class.

I am a 28-year-old woman. I am a wife, a sister, and a daughter. I will someday be a mother, and you better believe I'm going to be fierce when it comes to the love I will have for my children. And I know, in my heart of hearts, when one of my babies touches that little patch of ink someday with his or her tiny fingers and asks where it came from, I will have zero qualms telling them what inspired me to have it done.

Zero.

Meanwhile, In An Alternate Universe...

2012-02-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

For the first time ever, the hubs and are hosting Super Bowl Sunday. In the past, we've always done Super Bowl festivities at a friend's house, but this year, with a big fancypants high-def big screen TV sitting in the living room, I thought it would be fun to take my turn at hosting. We're throwing a potluck bash, but I'm making quite a bit of food myself, just because I enjoy doing so and it gives me an excuse to try out some new guy-friendly recipes I've come across over the past few months.

So, last night, as I get ready to leave work, I finalize the grocery list that I had been prepping throughout the week. And, as I look at the whole thing, I did what you could call a double take. Why?

Farmers Market

Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Jalapenos
Eggplant
Zucchini
Cherry tomatoes
Roma tomatoes
Avocados
Garlic
Yellow onion
Red onion
Green onions
Limes
Lemons
Cilantro
Basil
Chives
Italian parsley
Peanuts

Grocery Store

Tortilla chips
Feta cheese
Chicken breasts
Poppyseeds
Extra virgin olive oil

Now, mind you, there are some other ingredients that are being included in said Superbowl food (our pantry is pretty well-stocked), but honestly, there's not that many ingredients that that list doesn't cover. And I picked mostly man-friendly foods. But that list makes me look like Michelle Obama throwing an Oprah's Book Club dinner party.

I'm wondering if I've somehow been sucked into some sort of alternate universe, because I'm pretty sure Superbowl shopping lists are supposed to look somewhat like this:

Farmers Market

Avoid altogether because manly men don't shop at sissy farmers markets, right?

Grocery Store

Beer
Meat
Stuff to dump on top of meat
Bread to put around meat
Beer
Doritos
Cheetos
Potato chips
Beer
Bacon
Insanely hot salsa that the wife/girlfriend will not be able to consume
Velveeta
Beer
Pizza
Wings
Beer

Something is wrong...very very wrong. ::shudder::

Demon Cookies

2012-02-02T15:34:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again. That time of year when I cringe anytime I have to walk into a grocery store, pharmacy, drug store or farmers market.

Because they are waiting for me.

They wait until you are at your most vulnerable...when you're starving because you didn't have time to scarf down a turkey sandwich for lunch and all you want to do is get in and get out and go home and eat something that resembles a balanced meal, but at this point, you're so damn hungry, you'd settle for an army boot slathered in peanut butter.

That's when they pounce, like a cougar in the mist.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One look at those cookie boxes, and you're seized by the overwhelming sensation of:

If you're lucky, you have the willpower to mumble out "no thank you" whilst wiping the Samoa-induced drool from your chin and powering past the adorable girls that you just turned into Sad Pandas due to your rejection.

You then spend a day or two perusing Pinterest for "homemade samoas" or "thin mint cheesecake", but then you remember this:

Eventually, they will wear you down. It's inevitable.

Today, that inevitable day came for me. It started off innocently enough. I popped into Walgreens on my lunch break for a 5-Hour Energy and a bottle of vitamin water. I was actually priding myself on the fact that I had actually eaten a sensible lunch and had resisted all temptations of a grease-laden or sugar-coated nature. And then I stepped out of the store.

And there she waited. The most adorable little girl I've seen in, well, forever, with her little green uniform on, surrounded by boxes and boxes of cookies. Seriously, the only thing that could possibly be cuter than this little girl would be if you threw a girl scout uniform on a kitten.

HOLY SQUEE OVERLOAD...::melting into puddle of awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!::

And then, in the sweetest little voice that you could imagine coming out of this sweet little girl, she says, "Ma'am?" (::cue heart melting::) "Would you like to be some Tagawongs?" (::cue melting into puddle::)

Somehow, I was able to mutter "Let me think about it, ok?" from my molten puddle of awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!ness. To which, I got a response something like this:

To which I responded by hightailing it to the ATM for cash and buying four boxes of cookies.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! HAPPY GIRL SCOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And this is where the battle with the inevitable begins.

Four boxes sounds like a lot. But for me, that lasts the hubs and I for quite some time. I may have a healthy appetite, but when it comes to sweets, it shrinks considerably. I love sweets, but I can't eat a huge amount of them all at once, especially since I kicked Pearl to the curb. About four cookies sends me over the edge and into the "ZOMGSTOMACHIHATEYOUUUUUUUUUU" zone.

So, I'm driving back to work with four boxes of Girl Scout cookies in my back seat. And they are taunting me. EAAAAAAAAAT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, they whisper. You know we're delicous! And you were sooooooooo goooooooooooood for lunch. One little cookie isn't going to hurt...which is why I had resolved to leave the cookies in my car when I went back to work. Even if they weren't out of mind, at least they weren't within munching distance.

Except, when I get back to my office, I spend 20 minutes driving around the parking garage trying to find a parking spot and there's nothing. Except on the roof. On the hot roof. On a warm winter day in South Florida. Where cookies will melt.

It is around this time that I get the inkling that Satan decided today was the day to fuck with me.

So, I get back to my office, and I put the cookies as far away from my desk as I can legitimately put them before they become office-wide property. I even put a stack of papers in front of them, hoping to shield them from my eye line. And yet, they taunt me. They call to me...much like those medallion-peso things in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Forgive me Father, for I have not the willpower of Bob Harper. I did manage enough willpower to only eat ~~one~~ three cookies. And I now feel like puking from sugar overload.

But hot damn...those Thin Mints were damn delicious.

Update (3:47pm) - I just received this photo via Facebook from my friend Lyn. Apparently, Demon Cookies are achieving world domination as we speak.

Wedding Wednesday - The Rehearsal

2012-02-01T12:41:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday, so that means it's time for something long overdue that I've been (unfortunately) neglecting for some time...Wedding Wednesday.

Just to recap...when we last left off, my handsome boyfriend had proposed to me (complete with getting frenched by our dog mid-proposal), we had introduced the two sets of parents. About eight months later, wedding preparations and partying is in full swing...we had the bridal shower of the century, followed by not one, but two bachelorette parties, one of which included a sailor hat and some drunken Lonely Island sing-alongs. We hit a few hickups in the road, including an accidental viewing of my wedding dress, the inadvertant implication that we would be cannibalizing small children at our reception, and Flowerpocalypse 2011, but all in all, things were trucking along.

It's finally the day before the wedding, and it's all becoming very, very, very real. All our family and wedding party are here. All the dresses are hanging in the loft. The rings are in, the flowers are in, everything is down to the last and final detail.

Holy shit, we're actually going to do this thing.

But first, we have to rehearse it.

We held our wedding rehearsal the morning before the wedding itself...as it happened, our venue holding another wedding that night, so the morning it was. It actually worked out pretty well - the atmosphere was laid back (everyone was in short/tees/sundresses and flipflops abound, so no one was trying to practice walking up and down the grass in stilettos), everyone was comfortable, and we got to take our time (rather than rushing through the thing just to drive across town for dinner).

Annie (bridesmaid), my mom, Aunt Joyce (via the hubs), E (my unofficial wedding coordinator), me, Coley (matron of honor), and Erin B (bridemaid) in the lobby of the hotel before the rehearsal. Call it serendipity, but the hotel where all our guests were staying, the venue, and our house were all within five minutes of one another. Made for easy shuttling back and forth, that's for sure.

While we settled the last of our affairs (i.e. $$$) in the main office, our wedding party and families entertained themselves by the ceremony site...

Joe (groomsman), Brian (officiant), E, and Blondie (bridesmaid)

I'm not sure what kind of stand-off my brother (groomsman) and Annie have going on here, but it looks intense.

The crew trying to look like they're not plotting some sort of evil-type shennanigans...

My mother-in-law getting to know some of our wedding party...

My gorgeous mama and my equally gorgeous cousin Sarah (bridesmaid)...somehow, she became the Unofficial Bow Bouquet Guardian.

My in-laws. My father-in-law was also best man. :)

Either there's some sort of bridal party dance-off going on, or Coley and Annie suddenly converted to Gator fans.

"We just wrote a big-ass check...LETS DO THIS!"

Let me prefice this whole thing with stating our wedding wasn't what you would call "traditional". I think my mom had difficulty coming around to the idea (which she did, in the end, and she was wonderful about it) of what we wanted to do.

Here's the thing - we didn't want a big, fat, stuffy church wedding. Nothing against big, fat, stuffy church weddings - or church weddings or big weddings in general - but that's just not us. In fact, it was only the veiled threat of severely disappointed family that kept me from saying "fuck it, let's just elope".

We both have huge families, but we didn't want a huge wedding. We both are Christians, but we didn't want a beat-you-over-the-head-with-Biblical-references ceremony. We didn't want a stranger we just forked out $500 to get up in front of our family and friends and talk about us and our relationship as if they really knew who we were. We're not stuffy, formal, dignified people - we're laidback goofballs and humor is a major component in our relationship with one another and with the people in our lives. Big, stuffy church wedding? That just wasn't us.

In the end, we kept it relatively small at about 100 guests (70% of which were family). All but three (out of twelve) of our wedding party were immediate family. We did the whole shebang in a local country club because it meant our guests (80% of which were coming in from out-of-town) could go to one spot and not have to leave all night. We wrote our own ceremony. We had one of our best friends (who more or less introduced us, and happens to be a notary for the state) marry us. We did just about everything - from the flowers down to the thank you cards - ourselves. We inside jokes all over the place - from True Blood and chupacabra references to vows that included promising to root for the other's favorite football time (except when they play each other...then all bets are off and someone's sleeping on the couch). It wasn't perfect, nor was it what every little girl could say they dreamed of growing up. But it worked for us. It was us.

Ok, I go off on that little soapbox tirade to make the point that the rehearsal in itself was, well, kind of a clusterfuck. We pulled it off, but it wasn't without it's comedy. It was the first time Brian got his hands on the ceremony, it was the first time we had all of the wedding party in the same spot at the same time, it was a miracle Joe was alive considering the last-minute "bachelor's evening" they threw the night before...

Wedding party lining up...

We've got the bridal party (complete with Blondie playing paparazzi)...

...and the groomsmen. And no, I have no idea why there is a water bottle in that particular position in Joe's pants, but apparently, it was happy to see us all.

Lining up for our practice walk. It was around this time I started practicing all the dirty jokes I was going to tell my dad the next day so he didn't cry his way down the aisle.

"YOU! STOP WITH THE CAMERA. YEAH, YOU. I SEE YOU, FATHER OF THE BRIDE."

Everything went reasonably well the first run-through...we had a lot of joking, a lot of my dad getting confused as to what exactly he was supposed to be saying and when (which would come back to bite him later...but more on that in upcoming posts), a lot of "NO KISSING! U NO MARRIED YET!"

We headed back down for a second run...

Brian does his best impression of that girl from The Ring...

The wedding party does their walk...and I bust out the sailor hat. Remember the sailor hat, from the infamous "I'm ON A BOAT but actually I'm in a bar" bachelorette party?

Yeah, that one. I slap that bad boy on, E happens to cue up her "I'm On a Boat" ringtone, and all hilarity ensues. I believe it was around this time that our venue coordinator started seriously questioning how seriously the hubs and I were taking this whole marriage thing.

Wrapping up the shennanigans...

Once the rehearsal was over, The Hubs and I each took our respective members of the wedding party out for a bridal party/groomsmen lunch. I took my bridal party, E (who was more-or-less our unofficial wedding coordinator) and my mom to Bubba Gumps right on the main drag, and the hubs took his guys to a local beach pub that we like to frequent. We wanted to make sure that, even though we couldn't get married on the beach, our wedding party at least got to enjoy some beach while they were in town.

Enjoying some lunch. Apparently, I was really enjoying ~~that margarita the waiter brought me~~ lunch.

My girl Sarah <3

Blondie, E, and Annie

The two Erins :)

My gorgeous sis <3

We ate seafood, we (of legal age) drank margaritas, we opened gifts, we just all-in-all enjoyed ourselves. Until the waiter made me doing a single-ladies dance for dessert. Unfortunately, no dollar bills were involved, but the ice cream was delicious.

Apparently, this is the last dance of a single girl. Observe and document.

Up next week...the rehearsal dinner and pre-wedding cocktail party...and the infamous chainmail handkerchief. :)

Meyer Lemon Basil Pesto

2012-01-30T11:35:00.000-05:00

So, needless to say, the last few weeks have been a complete and total clusterfuck. Work in overload, finishing up two classes and starting another (much of which sounds like Mandarin Chinese to my overloaded brain), cranking up the lab work to get ready for March's research trip to Austria, writing proposals for meetings that I want to attend, trying to get the house back in order after a whirlwind of holidays and family visits. It's been crazy, and I've unfortunately had to neglect this little corner of the web universe as a result.

That being said, I am back...I can't promise I'll post every day (things are still crazy - in fact, I have an exam tonight. Trying not to hyperventilate.), but I do my damndest and try my best.

It's wintertime here in South Florida...or as I like to call it, Less Hot. It's actually my favorite time of year to be living down here...the humidity plummets like a stone, the daytime temperature lowers to the range of tolerable (think mid to upper 70s) and the nights are cool enough and breezy enough to leave the windows open. You don't know how huge a reprieve that an open window can be when you're cooped up in air conditioning for eight months out of the year.

Wintertime also marks my favorite season in terms of produce. It just so happens that all my favorite fruits are in peak season in the fall (apples, pumpkins) and winter. Florida strawberries, blood oranges...nom nom nommity nom nom. But hands down, my favorite, is Meyer Lemons.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm...look at those gorgeous babies!

If you read my blog with any regularity, or know me in real life, you probably know about my mild obsession/love affair with meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are like a cross between a lemon and a tangerine - like a sweetened lemon. They've also got a sweet peel, which goes great grated (no pun intended) into recipes and overtop dishes. When they are in season, I seriously cannot get enough of them. To the point where I actually own my own baby meyer lemon tree. I did a happy dance the other day when I noticed that it's finally flowering for me. I'm seriously hoping it looks somewhat like this within then next 1-2 months:

That being said, when they are in season, I like to put them in just about anything. I already love lemon to begin with, but the sweeter, mellower spin of the meyer lemons just gives recipes that I would normally use regular lemon in a whole new spin.

I was at the farmer's market the other day and they had big, fat, delicious-looking bunches of fresh basil on sale. Being a big fan of homemade pesto sauce, I snatched two right up. After I got them home and began grabbing what I needed to make some pesto, I opened the pantry and this bad boy stood out on the shelf, practically calling my name:

Floribbean Meyer Lemon Savory Oil - I picked up during our Thanksgiving trip to Key West with the in-laws and, other than using a little on some lemon & dill salmon, I hadn't really gotten to use it. Inspiration struck. :)

Meyer Lemon Basil Pesto

2 tightly-packed cups fresh basil leaves
Juice and grated peel of one large meyer lemon*
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp meyer lemon-infused oil*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shaved almonds**
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend, occasionally stopping to scrape sides of the bowl, until relatively smooth (will still have some grainy-ness to the texture, but no large chunks). Keep refrigerated in an airtight container in between uses. Depending on the freshness of your ingredients, I've had this sauce stay good for anywhere from 1 - 4 weeks in the refrigerator. You can also freeze small batches in ice cube trays for addition to recipes down the road.

* If you can't find meyer lemon products, you can use a regular lemon and lemon-infused olive oil.

** I use almonds in my pesto for their mellow flavor and the fact that they typically are the least-expensive nuts on the market. You can also use walnuts or pine nuts.

I love fresh basil pesto to begin with, but the addition of the meyer lemon gives it a really unique taste that I'm finding I love just as much. Thus far, it's been fantastic as a spread on lunchtime sandwiches and melts, but I'm really looking forward to using it in pasta with some fresh grilled shrimp and sauteed vegetables...

...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. :)

Friday Five: Friday the 13th, Part 2 (?)

2012-01-13T13:39:00.001-05:00

I think this is quite possibly the greatest Friday known to man.

Why, you ask?

1) It's Friday. That means it's inherently awesome.

2) It's a Friday before a three day weekend. I need a three day weekend so badly right now, I can't even see straight.

3) It's a Friday before a three day weekend that is also a FRIDAY THE 13TH!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

::cue swinging around lamp poles a la Fred Astaire::

Tonight, the hubs is teaching, so I have the house all to myself with the Pupmonster. I plan to do what I do every Friday the 13th (baring those where I'm absolutely obligated to do something outside of my own home) - put on my comfiest pajamas, order in some delicious carryout, curl up on the couch with a blanket and the pup, and conduct a Friday the 13th movie marathon.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Unfortunately, this week has been complete and utter chaos due to classes starting on both main campus (therefore, making my job a complete and total clusterfuck) and out at the lab (meaning I'm back to working full time, classes full time AND lab full time), so I didn't have any time this week to come up with a traditional Friday Five list. However, I thought it would be fitting to bring back one of my favorite posts - Friday Five - Favorite Friday the 13th Films. I wrote it about a year and a half ago, right before I was going in to have my bitchy gallbladder removed (on a Friday the 13th, no less) and hilariously enough, it's become one of my most popular posts to date (hits-wise). So, I apologize for the copping out, promise to slide properly back into blogging next week, and invite you to enjoy my complete and total nerdhood. Enjoy. :)

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Yep, it's that time again...it's time for Friday Five.

Now, I'll be a little honest with you - this one was pre-written. Right about now, I should be doped up on Vicodin and having my bitchy gallbladder sucked out through a hole in my chest. Ugh, just typing that made me vicariously send thought bubbles to my future self to push that little painkiller button one more time.

So, since I'm currently going under the knife (hahaha), and it's Friday the 13th (one of my favorite days of the year), I figured it was only appropo to make this Friday Five reflect those themes.

Thus, I bring to you, Friday Five - Special Edition...my favorite Friday the 13th films.

::key key key key cha cha cha cha::

#1. Friday the 13th (1980). But, of course. The original. The classic.

I don't know how, with a list like this, someone could list anything other than the original in their number one spot (though, to be honest, number #2 was in very close running).

Let's be honest - the original was essentially an effort for Sean Cunningham and Crew to cash in on the phenomenom that had become Halloween in 1978. Which was directly influenced by Psycho in 1960. But I digress...

Friday the 13th took the the most basic of concepts from Halloween:

- serial killer offing nubile young teenagers engaged in "risky" behavior (drinking, having sex, smoking, etc.)

- young, virginal final girl survivor handily dispatching the killer in the final frames

- cliffhanger ending where you don't quite know if it's really over...

What it did differently was making what many would consider a relatively innocuous character as the killer. Mrs. Voorhees - she's a mom. She's rocking Mom Jeans. She wears a cable knit sweater straight from the JC Penny St. John's collection. She looks like she'd bake you a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. And give you a glass of milk to go along with it.

Apparently, however, after milk and cookies, you get a machete through the throat.

Along with having one of the more creative twists in horror movie history, it also featured some of the most iconic deaths in the entire series. It features what many consider the most famous, and most startling, deaths in the F13 series - Kevin Bacon and the spike through the throat.

The original F13 also set up what would be a major calling card for 80s horror films - the final scare. Up until this point, the "final scare" was a concept rarely utilized in horror films, until the release of Carrie in 1976. What would become the "final scare" in F13 would become not only a calling card for the series itself, but a commonly-used tactic in slasher and horror flicks that followed.

Sure, the movie isn't Oscar worthy. Sure, it all but stole concepts originated (or at least finetuned) in horror classics such as Pyscho, Carrie, and Halloween. Sure, it only reinforced the horror stereotype that risky teenage behavior (drinking, smoking, sexing) will earn you a machete through the forehead. But it is considered one of the most profitable horror movies in history and is a landmark film for 80s slasher cinema.

#2. Friday the 13th (2009). Didn't see that one coming, did ya?

I'll admit it - I'm a horror/slasher movie snob. I have a serious problem with the 90s-00s trend of "remaking" or "reimagining" or (most offensive of terms) "rebooting" of classic horror/slasher films and franchises. Not because I'm opposed to people trying to put out a fresh take on an old film. But because it's so damn hard to do it right.

Need some examples?

2005's The Fog, which essentially took an understated and wholly unappreciated John Carpenter horror classic and took a piss on it.

Rob Zombie's bastardization of Halloween - he took a classic horror film that derives the most suspense and fear from the fact that so much is left wholly unexplained (what's more terrifying than someone killing for no reason?) and turned it into just another white trash-stripper mom-bad childhood redneck stereotype - essentially a showcase for naked women, fake blood, and his wife.

The list could go on and on and on - Last House on the Left, Black Christmas, My Bloody Valentine, The Stepfather, Prom Night, The Haunting, The Amityville Horror, House of Wax, Psycho, The Wicker Man, The Omen...and that's not counting the American trend of essentially pillaging classic Japanese horror.

I can honestly say that there are very, very few horror remakes that come close to living up to the original - The Thing, The Fly, Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

After having to sit through Rob Zombie's piss poor excuse for Halloween, I was pretty apprehensive when it was announced that Michael Bay would be "rebooting" the F13 franchise. I would see it, hands down, as it was one of my favorite horror series and likely one of my only chances to actually see an F13 film in the theater on Friday the 13th, but I just hoped they wouldn't totally obliterate the series with a crappy reboot.

I have to say, I was highly impressed.

Michael Bay strattled what could be considered a fine line for many horror film buffs - staying true to the core values and storyline of the original, yet making it your own and presenting the audience with something new and original. Many horror remakes have failed miserably by straying too far from the original storyline (Halloween, The Fog) or making a shot-for-shot rehashing of the original story (Pyscho, The Omen).

The new F13 essentially combined concepts and storylines from the first 3-4 films (Jason's on a revenge kick after losing his mother, nubile young campers getting offed after doing naughty things, a strong lead female character facing off with the killer at the end, the final scare sequence), while presenting you with completely new concepts (Jason takes prisoners now?!?).

Another huge improvement? A new-and-improved Jason Voorhees. Old Jason - hulking, lumbering coverall-clad undead killer who manages to catch up with and slaughter a character who is running through the woods without managing to break a sweat. New Jason - lean and muscular after living off the land for 20+ years, runs, throws axes, shoots bows-and-arrows...the guy is frightening. Welcome back, Jason.

Michael Bay also made a point to create little "nods" to the original film series, many of them only a fan of the original series would notice. That wheelchair on the wall of Jason's liar? Friday the 13th Part 2. The death via sleeping bag? Spin on Part 7 (yes, I'm refusing to acknowledge the load of crap that was Jason X). The spike through the throat of Chewie? Essentially what I would call a "reverse Kevin Bacon" straight out of the original. The grab through the window in the last action sequence? Part 4. The impersonation of Mommy to get Jason into a vulnerable spot? Part 2. The entire duration of watching the film, I kept slapping Mike in the arm and whispering, "That's from Part #!" I think it was about 45 minutes and 12 arm slaps in that he made a vow to wean me off horror flicks.

Sure, the movie's not without it's flaws. The fact that halfway through, it turns into practically softcore porn wasn't all that enjoyable to me, but I have to say, I was highly impressed with the remake - it was a slick, stylish, fast-paced horror film that paid homage to original without turning into a waste of celluloid.

#3. Friday the 13th Part 8 - Jason Takes Manhattan. Hey...I never said this list was about quality.

Friday Part 8 is a personal favorite for me simply because of how utterly ridiculous the entire film is. You watch Part 8, and you typically have one of two reactions - a) "WTF am I watching and why the f* am I watching it?!? Stupid f*ing movie ever..." ::flip channel:: or b) laugh your arse off. I distinctly fall into Reaction B territory.

Friday Part 8 has one of the most illogical storylines of the series (Jason is reanimated off the bottom of Crystal Lake via a boat cable, slaughters a couple yachters, then decides to take a cruise on a retrofitted steamer ship that's hosting a senior class trip to ~~drug-and prostitute-addled~~ New York City (which looks remarkably like downtown Los Angeles). Never mind that the actors can't act for shit. Never mind that the entire premise is, well, kinda ridiculous. Never mind that the lead actress has so many *delusions* or *hallucinations* that she's lucky she's not in a sanitarium. Never mind that they finally take Jason out with - wait for it, wait for it - toxic waste. It's like Friday the 13th and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all rolled into one.

#4. Friday the 13th, Part 6 - Jason Lives. Again, who said anything about quality?

The reason why I enjoy Friday the 13th Part 6 is because it's so much fun. The acting is horrendous (which, at this point in the series, is pretty much a staple for an F13 film), the entire raising-Jason-from-the-dead concept is a direct rip-off of Frankenstein...but the film is fun.
I didn't realize how much fun the film really was until I got my hands on the From Crystal Lake to Manhattan box set (the first 8 films of the series) and watched the Making Of documentaries for each film. Sure, by the time you got to films 5, 6, 7, etc., the documentaries were essentially 5-minute shorts explaining particular parts of each film, but after I caught the doc for Part 6, I looked at Part 6, and enjoyed it, in a completely different way.
The director of Part 6, Tom McLoughlin, put a bit more thought into the film than "how many naked chicks can we off in 90 minutes?" He actually created in-jokes and set up audience-interaction moments within the film. He had originally set up 13 deaths (as a nod to the original), until the execs ordered him to add three more deaths to up the blood factor. He gave the film a sense of humor, something that was lacking in the previous installments. He knew how damn cheesy the series had become and he played on it.
You gotta appreciate a director who takes what should really be a piece of schlock and try to make it entertaining for his audience.

#5. Freddy vs. Jason. Again, see intros to #3 and #4.

The whole Killer vs. Killer concept kicked off in the 2000s, with Alien vs. Predator. Freddy vs. Jason was one of many Slasher Killer vs. Slasher Killer movies planned over the mid-late 2000s, and it was the only one to date that's actually been filmed.

At first, I wasn't quite sure how they were going to encorporate two very different storylines and mythos into a singular movie and have it make any degree of logical sense. Then again, these films aren't particularly out to make sense, are they?

However, they did come up with a somewhat logical explanation as to how these two killers actually correlated to one another and why the hell they were interacting with one another (and why they now hate each other so much they have to go Thrilla in Manilla on each other). It also - major spoiler alert - had Jason throroughly kicking Freddy's ass, both in battle scenes and in sheer death counts. Freddy is truly only responsible for a single death in the entire film. Jason takes out an entire cornfield of ravers, and that's only one scene in the film.

I'm not saying this film is by any means stellar - but they took what had been complete and utter dog shit and made an somewhat decent film for the fans of two opposing horror franchises. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Then again, if you want a stellar version of the film, you can get a 30-second summary from a bunch of animated bunnies.

So those are my favorite films of the Friday the 13th film franchise. I'm kinda looking forward to the next Friday the 13th...perhaps Top Five Jason Kills? Top Five Hapless Victims I Was Glad to See Get an Ax to the Head?

In the meantime, enjoy this schmorgasboard of Jason awesomeness, and keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I'll talk to y'all soon. :)

101 in 1001

2012-01-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Y'all know me...I love lists. To-do lists, to-buy lists, wishlists, goal lists...lists, lists, lists. They appeal to my OCD tendencies and frankly, if I didn't have as many as I do, my life would unravel and become one giant clusterfuck in the order of approximately 10 seconds.

A while back, I came across the Day Zero Project via one of my favorite bloggers, Heather at Heather Drive. I loved the concept of it, and I thought it was the ideal type of challenge for me.

What does it entail, you ask? Well, here you go, straight from the website:

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

Sounds pretty sweet, huh? And frankly, I need the motivation to actually get out there and do stuff. Otherwise, all I'd ever do is work and study.

I made my first attempt at 101 in 1001 about a year and a half ago, but unfortunately, between work, school, two surgeries, endo, Pearl, and planning and executing a wedding, I ended up getting so far behind, there was no way to really catch up. So, I decided to scrap the list entirely, sit down, and really think about what I wanted to accomplish in the next 1001 days. It took me about a week and a half to finalize the list, but it encompasses nearly everything I'd like to do in the next 2.75 years.

Family

1. Give birth to a healthy baby
2. Adopt a second dog
3. Take a weekend trip every year for our anniversary (0/3)
4. Have a photo shoot with a photographer for our first anniversary
5. Surprise the hubs with a trip to somewhere he's never been before
6. Go on a date night with the hubs at least once a month (0/33)

Health

7. Reach 150 lbs (or less) and maintain it
8. Work out/do some sort of cardio activity three times per week (0/143)
9. Practice yoga at least once a week (0/143)
10. Complete a 5K
11. Complete a half marathon
12. Complete a Warrior Dash with Brian D.
13. Complete the 100 Pushups Challenge
14. Bench press my own body weight
15. Complete my advanced open water scuba certification
16. Have a complete physical once a year (0/3)
17. Get a full-body massage once a year (0/3)

Home

18. Buy our own house
19. Spring clean our entire home - top to bottom - at least twice per year (0/6)
20. Establish a functioning kitchen garden/homestead
21. Build/set up a dream pantry closet
22. Build a backyard fire pit
23. Build an outdoor entertaining area
24. Hang a hammock in the backyard
25. Put together a family handbook
26. Grow my own citrus tree
27. Grow my own pumpkins
28. Host a proper Lowcountry seafood boil
29. Host at least one nice dinner party per year (0/3)
30. Host our own family Christmas

Career

31. Finish my Ph.D.
32. Successfully pass my comprehensive exams and dissertation defense
33. Establish a career

Travel

34. Put another stamp in my passport
35. Take a graduation/30th birthday cruise with the hubs
36. Visit a national park
37. Take a trip to somewhere I've never been before
38. Spend a weekend in Disney at least twice a year (0/6)
39. Spend a long weekend in Charleston SC
40. Take a beach house vacation in the Outer Banks
41. Visit K in California

Personal Development

42. Write my will
43. Put money into savings at least once per month (0/33)
44. Spend at least one day a year volunteering (0/3)
45. Donate old clothes at least twice a year (0/6)
46. Donate 100,000 grains of rice at Freerice.com
47. Build or renovate something with my own two hands
48. Learn how to can my own produce/sauces
49. Learn how to play guitar
50. Learn how to play piano
51. Learn how to two-step
52. Learn how to crochet
53. Learn how to sew
54. Learn how to speak another language functionally (if not fluently)
55. Do a "skill exchange" - learn a skill from a friend and teach him/her one in return

Challenges

56. Make it to the end of Lent without cheating (0/3)
57. Learn 100 new vocabulary words and incorporate them into my vocabulary (0/100)
58. Try 100 new recipes (0/100)
59. Read at least 10 non-school books for pleasure every year (0/30)
60. Complete 10 DIY projects/home improvements I found on Pinterest (0/10)
61. Go an entire week without swearing
62. Go an entire week without complaining
63. Go an entire week without drinking soda
64. Go an entire month without buying something non-essential (clothes, DVD, etc.)
65. Put together a monthly to-do list and complete at least 50% of it (0/33)
66. Come up with a list of 365 things I love and blog it
67. Start and finish a complete Friday the 13th movie marathon

Fun Stuff

68. Scrapbook all of our wedding DIY/paper goods
69. Print my own photography book
70. Print my own cookbook
71. Print a book of our honeymoon photography
72. Take a cooking class
73. Pick my own apples
74. Pick my own strawberries
75. Make my own ice cream
76. Get another tattoo
77. Go sky diving for my 30th birthday
78. Go ziplining
79. Go horseback riding
80. Go camping
81. Go indoor rock climbing
82. Go to a rodeo
83. Go to a concert
84. Go to a pro/college sporting event
85. Go to a food/wine festival
86. Spend a day at a zoo/aquarium
87. See at least one movie in the theater per year (0/3)
88. Spend a day at the spa getting pampered
89. Own a proper pair of real cowboy boots
90. Establish and maintain an old-fashioned pen pal
91. Meet the UBs (0/15)
92. Be a bridesmaid or matron of honor

Photography and Blogging

93. Re-establish my photography business
94. Establish 10 photography clients outside of my immediate group of friends (0/10)
95. Enter an amateur photography contest
96. Establish an Etsy shop
97. Reach 100 blog followers (0/100)
98. Host a blog contest/giveaway

101 in 1001

99. Stash away $10 for every task I complete for a shopping spree on Day #1002
100. Donate $5 to the American Cancer Society for every task I do not complete
101. Come up with a new list to start on Day #1002

As of January 1, I consider the challenge officially started. You can keep track of my progress under the "101/1001" tab up top, and I'll be posting periodically to fill you guys in on how I'm doing. I'm hoping that, by re-committing to this, maybe I can get some resemblance of a well-rounded life back.

Andplusalso, there's skydiving involved. Score! :)

Peppermint Pretzel Bites

2011-12-22T10:12:00.002-05:00

I'm a sucker for salty and sweet together. Something about that taste combination drives me insane. I love chocolate covered pretzels. I love chocolate dipped potato chips. I love caramel corn. I love salted caramel. I love dark chocolate and sea salt.

I really love salt and chocolate. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and was surprised by how remarkably easy it sounded. I then actually made them and was even more surprised at how remarkably easy they actually were to make. Then I ate one. And then twelve.

Peppermint Pretzel Bites (recipe borrowed from Cookies & Cups)

1 large bag (or one 10-pack box of 100 calorie bags) of waffle-style pretzels
2 bags Candy Cane Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2) Arrange pretzels in a single layer on parchment paper. Top each pretzel with a Hershey Kiss. Place in oven for 2 1/2 minutes (chocolate will just be getting glossy).

Look how cute these babies are!!!

3) Remove cookie sheet from oven. Working quickly, but carefully, press a pretzel on top each Hershey Kiss - you want the candy to flatten, but not spill over the sides and onto the tray (this method will give you a nice "thick" layer of chocolate and will cement the pretzels together).

4) Once all the pretzels are sandwiched, place entire tray in the refrigerator for one hour, until cooled and candy layer in the middle is solid again. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

It was a high holy miracle that I didn't devour these before our dinner party this weekend...they are friggin delicious. The white chocolate combined with the salt of the pretzel and the crunch of the little bits of candy cane in the chocolate...excuse me while I melt into a puddle of food-related nirvana.

And the beauty of this recipe - soooooooooooooooooooooo easy. Seriously. The hardest part of the whole thing was unwrapping all the candies and not eating some along the way. Also, this recipe isn't limited to candy cane Kisses...you could literally repeat this recipe with any Hershey Kiss variety. You better believe these bad boys are getting repeated at Halloween when the pumpkin kisses come out...

::commence drooling::

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup, Special Edition - Holiday Wishlist

2011-12-21T09:13:00.069-05:00

It's Wednesday, folks, so you all know what that means...it's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

Now, normally, this is where I'd introduce the featured store of the week, from which you would windowshop. However, in honor of the upcoming holidays, this week is going to be a little bit different...

This week's featured theme:

Holiday Wishlist!

This week, let's talk about what's on your wishlist this year...what are the gifts you'd love to recieve this holiday season? Anything, from anywhere...just be sure to post the links!

So, what's on my holiday wishlist?

Our Names & Anniversary Date Copper & Silver Stamped Pendant, Hammered Finish by HannahDesign - this is one that I hinted pretty heavily about with the hubs for Christmas...I totally fell in love with it before our wedding and haven't really fallen out of love with it.

Massage from Massage Envy - good lord, I could use a massage.

Three Tiered Oven Rack from Williams-Sonoma - this would be a miracle worker when it comes to throwing parties.

Chupacabra Plush from CryptoCritters - I have been uberjealous of E and the fact that she has a lab Chupacabra. I think I need a home office Chupacabra.

Charming Charlie Giftcards - y'all know about my love/obsession with Charming Charlie by now. This store has managed to overcome Crate & Barrel in the category of Stores I Can't Leave Without Purchasing Something. A gift card from there would likely turn me into a kid in a candy shop.

And cookbooks...lots and lots of cookbooks...

The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

Fondue by Lou Seibert Pappas

Basic to Brilliant, Y'all by Virginia Willis

Bon Appetit, Y'all by Virginia Willis

Southern Living Farmers Market Cookbook - A Fresh Look at Fresh Flavor

The Charleston Chef's Table - Extraordinary Recipes from the Heart of the Old South by Holly Herrick

Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It and Other Kitchen Projects by Karen Solomon

So, what's on your holiday wishlist this year?
Grab the badge, link up your post and join in the fun!

Seven Layer Bars

2011-12-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

::cue Peanut voice::

It's Christmastime...Christmastiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime...Christmastime in South Floridaaaaaaaaaaaa...

I wish I could say that was our yard, but 1) we don't have a lawn chair in our backyard, 2) we don't have a palm tree in our backyard, and 3) we don't have a backyard. But you get the idea of what Christmas is like in a part of the country where we're lucky if it drops below 70F during the month of December.

Classes are finally over for the year. And by finally, I do mean finally. You see, when you're in a doctorate program, there really is no such thing as "spring break" or "summer break". I had DIS (independent study, more or less) courses that literally ran through the entire year (including the week of our wedding and our honeymoon). Last week marked the first time in eleven months that I haven't had some sort of paper to write or exam to study for. It's been glorious.

It also meant that after eleven months of running my arse off nonstop, my body would crash within 48 hours of things calming down. I came down with raging PMS, a raging cold, and a sinus infection all at the same time. Balls.

But, even with that, it's been a good holiday season so far...we worked in our annual pilgrimage to the whitetrash wonder that is Santa's Enchanted Forest last weekend. Seriously, picture the most ghetto carnival you can imagine, then up it by five, and you've got the Enchanted Forest. That's honestly the appeal - the sheer ridiculousness of the whole event makes it so damn fun. I had previously detailed all that is wrong and right with this place, but as my camera died approximately 2.5 seconds after getting through the front gates of the joint this time, I'll let my tweet from that evening summarize:

Because nothing says "family-friendly Christmas" like 50 ft tall scantily-clad women and blaring Ludacris' "What's Your Fantasy?".

This weekend, around battling the Demon Cold from Hell, we hosted our annual Christmas dinner party. Suffice it to say, the camera did indeed work this weekend, and I'll be telling you all about it tomorrow.

Needless to say, now that classes are over, I've actually been able to get into the holiday frame of mind and actually enjoy some of the traditions that come along with Christmas. A big tradition for me is baking holiday cookies. I not only use them as dessert for dinner parties and get-togethers that we inevitably host, but I wrap up batches in pretty little containers and give them to my coworkers as Christmas gifts. One yearly staple in my Christmas cookie baking is my mom's Seven Layer Bars.

I have to prefice this with the fact that there are just barely seven layers. In order to claim the seven layer title, you have to count the layer of butter on the bottom...which, according to Paula Deen, I probably have to.

Regardless of possible technicalities in the recipe name, these things are delicious...they're a staple in our household, and they are the second thing I grab when I get home for a holiday visit. First is always pretzel bark...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, pretzel bark.

::drool::

Seven Layer Bars

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup crushed graham cracker
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 F.

2) Pour butter on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and spread around until bottom is coated in butter. Sprinkle crushed graham cracker over bottom, spreading evenly.

3) Sprinkle each ingredient evenly over the next, in this order - chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, crushed walnuts. One layer will not completely cover the next, but you want to make sure that each layer gets spread out as evenly as possible.

4) Use a can opener to open the can of condensed milk about 1/3 way (enough that liquid can get out). Tip it and press the lid down so condensed milk drizzles out over top the dish. Drizzle the milk in thin layers over the top of the entire dish, going back over spots when needed. When you're finished, the entire top will pretty much be covered.

5) Bake dish at 325 F for 35-40 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature before cutting into squares.

I love these bad boys. The chocolate and butterscotch chips form a rich, "crunchy" layer, while the nuts and coconut on top form a soft chewy layer. The flavor contrasts and texture contrasts just make for one delicious dish.

Now the big trick? Not eating every single last one before company shows up. :)

Friday Five - Favorite Holiday Songs

2011-12-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

That's right, folks...it's Friday. You know what that means...time for another set of my Friday Fives.

This week kicks off my favorite month of the year - December. I love December, and all that it brings - the holiday shopping (well, window shopping...actually shopping for Christmas gifts in December typically makes me want to stab someone in the eye after about 30 minutes), the music, the movies, the baking, the cooking, the gatherings of friends and family, the snowy evenings inside in fuzzy pajamas...you name it, I pretty much love it. I look forward to this time of year from the day it's over the previous year.

In honor of that, the next few Fridays will be dedicated to the upcoming holiday season, and I'll be sharing with you some of my top five's of the holidays. To kick this party off, let's start with a personal soft spot...my top five Christmas songs, in no particular order...

Otis Redding - White Christmas. The song White Christmas in itself is one of the best holiday songs ever written. Period. The feelings it evokes...you just cannot compare it to any other song. And man, is it hard to pick a favorite version, because most of them are pretty damn amazing. But, hands down, my favorite Christmas song of all time has to be Otis Redding's rendition of White Christmas. It makes me feel warm and cozy, and breaks my heart, at the exact same time. One of my holiday traditions is to always play that song while I'm decorating the tree, and it's always on frequent repeat during the Christmas season for me.

Vince Guiraldi Trio - Christmastime is Here (Instrumental). This is another song that a) grabs me by the gut, and b) never, ever gets old. The whole soundtrack to Charlie Brown Christmas is fantastic, and there are often times I'll listen to it at work outside of Christmas, just because it makes me feel good. But Christmastime is Here is hands down my favorite track off the album, and one of my favorite tracks of all time.

Besides, my husband proposed to me with this soundtrack on in the background...how could it not bring a smile to my face?

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song. The sweeping strings in the beginning draw you in. His voice keeps you there. It's such a classic song, but somehow, it never seems to get old, no matter how many times or for how many years you play it.

The "chipmunks roasting" version is just as amazing. Heheheh. :)

Carol of the Bells. When I was in high school, I was a member of the Concert Choir. In my school, at least with the performance-inclined students, getting to join Concert Choir was a big freaking deal. You had to go through an auditioning process, and once you were in, you were a part of one of the top high school choir groups in the state of Ohio. I just about died of happiness when I was admitted in for my sophomore year.

One of the major traditions of Concert Choir was the annual Christmas concert. It was a big concert featuring all the school choirs, and the glee club our school had. Concert Choir always opened and closed the show. There were always two constants when it came to the Concert Choir and the Christmas concert - we always opened the concert by performing Oh Come All Ye Faithful acapella "in the round" (basically, standing around the audience, rather than up on stage in risers), and we always performed an acapella Carol of the Bells. It was a right of passage to be able to sing that song, and as a result, it's always held a very special place in my heart.

There are hundreds of versions of the song...some are good, some are horrendous. It's hard to pick a definitive favorite, so I'll give you some of my top picks:

Transiberian Orchestra & Metallica

George Winston

Destiny's Child

(slam it all you want, their harmony on this track is wicked)

Frank Sinatra - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I'm not going to lie...I have to be careful about when I play this song. We alternate Christmas and Thanksgiving between my parents and the hubs' parents, and on years that we're visiting the hubs' family, hearing this song is enough to set me bawling.

Now, don't get me wrong...I love my in-laws. I'm a very, very lucky girl in that department. But there really is no place like home when it comes to Christmas.

And, since I'm now all hopped up on holiday spirit, a honorable mention...

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - The Christmas Song. I love this song for so many reasons...how it's so simple and stripped down...the beautiful guitar melody...the meaningful lyrics...Dave's amazing voice. This is honestly one of those songs that I think really does encompass and express exactly what the holidays are supposed to be about.

Happy Friday everyone! See you next week...

Wedding Wednesday - Flowerpocalypse 2011

2011-11-30T11:41:00.003-05:00

Well, it's finally time that I can reinstate another Wednesday tradition (you know, besides shopping)...it's Wedding Wednesday!

Just to recap...when we last left off, my handsome boyfriend had proposed to me (complete with getting frenched by our dog mid-proposal), we had introduced the two sets of parents. About eight months later, wedding preparations and partying is in full swing...we had the bridal shower of the century, followed by not one, but two bachelorette parties, one of which included a sailor hat and some drunken Lonely Island sing-alongs. We hit a few hickups in the road, including an accidental viewing of my wedding dress and the inadvertant implication that we would be cannibalizing small children at our reception, but all in all, things were trucking along.

We've finally reached the week of the wedding...the final stretch before the big day. A lot has happened between the proposal and now, so I felt it only far to properly catch you up before we launch into the big day...

I ended up working clear up to the Wednesday before the wedding. I would have loved to take the whole week off (and frankly, I probably needed it), but I had just gotten back from a research trip to Europe (yes, I spent a week in Europe with no cell phone and crap internet two weeks before our wedding...no, it wasn't my brightest moment, but my hands were kinda tied). I had come back from Europe with what was probably the worst sinus infection / case of bronchitus I'd ever had in my life, so I needed to work at least part of the week to make up for the time off I had had to take.

Our vendors had all been settled in the months prior, and we were in the final stretch of last-minute details, playlists and payments.We were in the final stretch of DIY as well...remember that big 'ol list of DIY projects I had intended to attempt? Well, turns out we knocked out most of them...and added a few more. But there will be more on that later...

My gorgeous mama and I at a local beach pub the weekend before. Holy lord, my bangs were long.

Family and friends began arriving the weekend before the wedding. My mom was the first one in town, and from the moment she set her suitcase in the guest room, she proceeded to clean our entire house with the fervor of a woman possessed. Which was utterly fantastic, considering the amount of shit I still had to do before the big day arrived. She also made a point to take me out to one of my favorite restaurants and let me drink as many margaritas as I needed to. That weekend also marked The Hubs' bachelor party. The one where he got so bombed on tequila shots, he passed out at IHOP at 3am with a piece of bacon still in his mouth. Yep, that one.

Honestly, the week is a blur, even now...lots of last-minute DIY, typical last-minute wedding prep (manicures, tanning, etc, etc...). But the one thing that is honestly worth mentioning in depth before we launch into the wedding weekend itself was the flowers. Or, in other terms, the disaster that the flowers could have been.

When we first started talking wedding details, Hubs and I knew we wanted to do our own flowers. Well, I knew I wanted to do our own flowers, and Hubs went along with it because he trusted me when I said I could do it and when he saw the difference in cold hard cash it would entail (we're talking savings in the quadruple digits here). Neither one of us wanted overly fussy arrangements or for the wedding to look like someone vomited foliage everywhere, so - logistically and financially - it made sense for us to do our own.

We went through wholesale dealers for all of our flowers. We found a company that could do bouquet and boutonniere packages (because, frankly, I didn't want to have to that on top of all the arrangements) and bulk flowers for our centerpieces and other accents. We ended up going with two different companies, because we needed one more bouquet than our original choice could offer us in a package.

The flowers were scheduled to arrive on Thursday morning. Shortly thereafter, Blondie and E were scheduled to arrive at my house to help out with cutting and watering the flowers and getting the arrangements refridgerated. All was running incredibly smoothly. That probably should have been a sign.

The flowers arrived bright and early at 8am. I came downstairs from a shower to see Hubs surrounded by big white boxes. One by one, we opened them. And that's when shit started hitting the fan.

All the bouquets were brown. All the boutonnieres were brown. They were supposed to be white roses, not brown roses. Oh holy fuckballs.

As I open more and more boxes, I am seeing more and more brown roses, and I am getting more and more concerned as to how exactly I'm going to be able to secure a bunch of white flower bouquets from Whole Foods at the last minute to replace them. Thankfully, we got to the bulk flower boxes and found that we had 200 perfectly gorgeous, bright white long stem roses in them. So, all we had to worry about were, well, the flowers people actually had to hold/wear.

I ended up calling both companies, explaining the situation, and they assured me that new, non-brown flowers would be sent the very next day to replace the others. During these conversations, my parents, brother and his girlfriend arrived...I thought my mom was going to pass out. She looked more worried than I was.

After I finished up my phone calls, my brother was just staring at me. I finally asked him what was up, and he said to me, rather incredulously, "why are you being so nice? Why aren't you freaking out right now?" Apparently, rather than my reasonably calm but concerned reaction to Flowerpocalypse 2011, he was expecting something more along the lines of:

Was I worried that the flowers wouldn't arrive on time or wouldn't be the way that Hubs and I had hoped? Sure. Was I about to have an epic meltdown about it? No. First of all, there had been far more serious drama/issues that had happened leading up to the wedding (including, more or less, my entire family having a nuclear breakdown of epic proportions), so this was small fries. Second, at the end of the day, as long as Hubs and I were married, I really didn't give a shit about what my flowers looked like. If I had to walk down the aisle with a $10 white bouquet from Whole Foods, then so be it.

That, and we had something else contributing to my mellow mood.

Don't see it?

That's right. It was five-o-clock somewhere. That somewhere being my kitchen at 8:30am. Sue me.

So, we proceed to unpackage 200 long stem white roses (with thorns, mind you) and put them in the dozen of Home Depot buckets (keeping it klassy, my friends) that I had purchased for that express purpose a week before. I wish I had pictures of the relay system we had going - Blondie and my brother's girlfriend with their hands in the spare bathroom tub cutting stems off, me sitting in the loft hallway surrounded by orange buckets and flowers - but we were too busy trying not to bust up over my brother's incessant Godzilla roars from the downstairs. Apparently, he wanted a show and I just wasn't delivering. Sorry.

Fast forward to the next day, and the new flowers arrive. Our wedding party flowers, which came from the original wholesale company, for the most part, turned out great - snowy white roses, with a few brown tips here and there. A few plucks, and all was well. My bouquet, and our mother's corsages, which came from our late-addition company, were a different story. My bouquet was now ivory (to the point of yellow, ivory) and was brown all over, and the corsages were full of bruised roses. And we have to leave in 15 minutes for our rehearsal. Fuckballs.

And here's where the funny shit started happening.

Of all people in the world, my brother-in-law Evan steps up and says, "let me have a hand at it and see what I can do." At this point, I figure, what the hell, what's the worst he could do at this point? They're already brown and bruised. So, I hand him a pair of scissors, some tape and give him a brief summary of what I had in mind, and off we go to the rehearsal.

Fast forward about four hours later, and my sister and I walking back in our house to get ready for the rehearsal dinner, and our kitchen is full of flowers. And they're all damn near perfect.

Turns out the brother-in-law used to work in a florist shop (surprise!) and he's single-handedly saved the flower day. In the time we were at the rehearsal, he and Mitch (E's husband) took apart my bridal bouquet, built me a new one by taking good flowers from the original brown bouquets. He also built me not one, but two, toss bouquets for the reception, and totally rebuilt the mothers' corsages using the same method.

I seriously couldn't believe it. If he wasn't my sister's husband, I probably would have frenched him.

The morning of the wedding, he shows up at my house (he had crashed with Hubs at his hotel suite while us girls had ourselves a proper slumber party the night before) with Starbucks and says, "I want to play a little more." Given how well his playing yesterday had turned out, I was all for it.

Fast forward to four hours later, and we're all piling back in the house after hair and makeup. I had spent the entire morning throwing up from food poisoning (I wish I was kidding), but we were all coiffed and ready to go. I walk in and my kitchen is full of flowers. Beautiful, perfect flowers.

In the span of that morning, he has de-petaled about half the 200 long stem roses and I've got five buckets of gorgeous white rose petals, layered with damp paper towels. He's set aside and trimmed the fattest blooms for a memorial vase we had planned to set up for the ceremony, and he's got the rest ready to go for centerpieces.

If he wasn't my sister's husband, I would have definitely frenched him and I might have offered to bear his children.

In the end, the flowers really did turn out beautiful. I spent an hour in the dressing room at the venue setting up the centerpieces and other arrangements myself while the girls did their makeup and got ready, and a truckload of friends showed up while Hubs and I took pictures and put them all out for us.

Our ceremony arrangements - they were down the aisle, on top of white pillars.

Bridal party bouquets...

Boutonnieres...

My bouquet...

Cocktail hour table vases...

Our ceremony centerpieces...

And it was all thanks to a kickass wholesale company, some imagination, several trips to Michaels for glassware, and a ~~little~~ lot of sweat equity by the bride and bridal party.

Not to mention my personal miracleworker, florist, and the best pretend brother-in-law a girl could ask for. His new official name is Saint Evan. :)

Coming next week...the kickoff to wedding weekend, complete with a little T-Pain.

Nope, not kidding. :)

Professional shots courtesy of Claudia Oliver Photography.

Fabulous Holiday Blog Challenge - Day #1 & 2

2011-11-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

See? This is what happens when you spend Thanksgiving weekend out in the middle of nowhere (i.e. Little Torch Key) with no internet - you miss the start of another fabulous blog challenge...

Once again, I am teaming up with two gorgeous gals - Amber of Brunch with Amber and Neely of A Complete Waste of Makeup - for a fantastic holiday-themed blog challenge. Each day (Monday through Friday) for the next two weeks, I'll be bringing you some posts chock full of holiday goodness.

Don't blame me - blame them. It's totally all their fault. :)

To kickstart this challenge, I'm bringing you a two-for-one to put me back on track with the challenge - Day #1 and Day #2.

Day #1 - Favorite Gift Ever Recieved

Two Christmases ago, my in-laws decided to get the hubs and I one big gift, and it was a Nintendo Wii. It has seriously been one of the best gifts I've ever received for Christmas. Between Just Dance 2, Just Dance 3, The Biggest Loser and Wii Fit Plus, we use the thing nearly every day. I lost close to twenty pounds before our wedding using this bad boy. Between Just Dance 2/3, Mario Kart or bowling, this baby gets busted out at nearly ever gathering we have at our home. It's seriously worth every stinkin' penny.

Then again...this wasn't a bad "Christmas gift" either.

Day #2 - Favorite Holiday Traditions

Decorating the Christmas Tree. Every year since I moved out on my own, I do tree decorating the same way. I put on my comfiest, softest pjs, order in Chinese takeout, put on Christmas movies (always starting with Charlie Brown Christmas), and I decorate the tree. Since the hubs and I moved in together, he's adopted the practice. :)

Christmas Day Pajama Party. On the years that we celebrate Christmas with my family in Northeast Ohio, we always have the same tradition. Christmas Day, after everyone has gone home and the festivities are over, all the cousins get together - everyone wears pajamas (to the point that the hubs actually went out the first year we were together and bought pjs specifically for this event), we order Chinese food (or go out for Chinese food) and we go to the movies. In our pjs. In the snow. It started out with just my sister and I, and as the years have gone by, all the cousins have gotten involved. I'm looking forward to this year...I missed this tradition last year a lot.

Santa's Enchanted Forest. There is a magical little place in Miami called Santa's Enchanted Forest. It's basically a carnival/amusement park/Christmas lights display that goes up every year and lasts through New Years. I honestly can't put how hilariously awesome this place is...the best description I can give it is that it's like a Latino White Trash Christmas. Bazillions of lights thrown up all over the place, Christmas displays recycled from the 1970s, deep fried everything, a Magnum PI-themed rollercoaster. It can't get much more awesome than that. Our posse tries to go once every year, and (just to complete the hilarity), we make a point to go in the cheesiest, most horrible holiday apparel we can get our hands on. It's always a fun evening, to say the least.

Christmas Dinner Party. Every year, we host a potluck Thanksgiving dinner party and a sitdown Christmas dinner party with our group of SoFL friends before we all scatter to the four winds for our holidays. Now that Blondie has her own place with lots of space for entertaining, we are alternating who hosts what each year. This year is my turn to host Christmas. I love our Christmas dinner party - I make a full Christmas dinner (appetizers, lasagna, roasted asparagus, the works), we crack open a ~~couple~~ lot of bottles of wine, and we just enjoy each other's company. We also do a White Elephant Secret Santa - everyone brings the funniest, most obnoxious gag gift they can find and we do a blind exchange. To say the one-upmanship of who can come up with the most hilarious gag gift has progressed every year would be a huge understatement. Just ask Joe and his Ghetto Barbie. Yes, Ghetto Barbie.

"Engage-o-versary". The hubs deliberately proposed during the Christmas season because he knew how much I loved Christmas. Every year on the anniversary of when he proposed, we make a point to spend the evening the same way we did that year - we go get ice cream and we drive around to see the Christmas lights. Simple, but perfect, every single year. :)

Cousin's Night Out. I'm extremely close with my siblings and cousins. We are all super close, and whenever we can all (or at least most of us) get together, we try and do something special. This year, all but two of us will be in NeOH for the holidays, so we've decided to all go out one evening together - have dinner at Mongolian BBQ, then go out to Nela Park to see the Christmas lights. I'm seriously hoping that this becomes a bi-annual tradition whenever the hubs and I can get to NeOH for the holidays. :)

40 Cloves Chicken and Noodles

2011-11-29T11:01:00.001-05:00

There are a few ingredients that I absolutely, positively love when it comes to food:

1) Pumpkin
2) Meyer Lemons (hell, any kind of lemon, actually)
3) Fresh basil
4) Teriyaki sauce
5) Garlic

I love garlic. Lots and lots of garlic. I will put garlic in just about anything. I've been known to toss some angelhair in a little bit of butter and a bunch of garlic and have that be an entire meal. Garlic = NOM NOMs in our household.

So, when I was digging through some cookbooks and came across a recipe for chicken that required forty cloves of the stuff, I was intrigued, to say the least. Even for a garlic lover like me, forty cloves sounded like a lot. Then again...

The hubs' family was in town all this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, and after my father-in-law mentioned how much he loves slowcooker meals, we figured that this would be the perfect time to give forty cloves a shot.

Yes, forty cloves.

Just trust me. Seriously.

40 Clove Chicken and Noodles

1 whole fryer chicken, cut into pieces, skin removed
1 box Jerusalem artichoke linguine
40 peeled whole cloves of garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vermouth
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Dash of red pepper flakes
Olive oil & salt (for pasta water)

Directions:

1) Place garlic cloves and chopped celery in the bottom of a 5-6 quart slowcooker.

2) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Brown chicken on each side in batches. Once chicken is browned, place on top of garlic and celery.

3) Finely mince fresh herbs. In a small whisking bowl, whisk together wine, lemon juice, vermouth, fresh herbs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over top the chicken.

4) Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until juices run clear. Carefully remove chicken from bones and shred as much as possible, carefully removing and discarding bones as you find them.

After four hours of slow cooking, this is what the chicken looked like pre-shredding. Heavenly, absolutely heavenly. And our house smelled like heaven's heaven.

4) Bring a large stockpot of salted and oiled water to a boil over high heat. Add linguine and cook until al dente (about 5-7 minute). Remove from heat and drain.

5) Carefully remove the shredded chicken from the crockpot, letting as much of the juices run off in the pot as possible, and set aside on a plate. Once the chicken is removed, dump the pasta in the slowcooker and toss to mix (I added a small drizzle of olive oil for a little extra kick and viscocity, but that's your call). Plate your pasta with shredded chicken and a sprinkle of cheese (if you so desire).

Okay, there are a few thoughts I have on this recipe...

1) You should really like garlic if you want to make this. While the flavor of garlic wasn't beat-you-over-the-head overpowering, it was definitely present.

2) This has to be the most delicious-smelling recipe I've ever made in our slowcooker. I opened the door coming home from work and about melted on the floor. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

3) While you can definitely substitute regular linguine or whole grain linguine in, you should definitely try it with Jerusalem artichoke pasta. It gave it a different texture and flavor than traditional pasta, and I really enjoyed that.

4) Be careful as you're shredding your chicken. Little bones are easily mixed in to the general chicken deliciousness. We took bigger bones out as we shredded and then took small portions of the chicken out at a time with tongs to find the smaller bones.

5) This recipe was delicious. Seriously delicious. It was warm and buttery and rich in flavor, the play of garlic (press on one of those slowcooked cloves and out comes warm, deliciously soft garlicky goodness) against the subtle nuttiness of the artichoke noodles (which, honestly, tasted nothing like artichokes) was fantastic, and the chicken came out super tender and juicy.

So, another hit in the slowcooker...that bad boy is starting to become a girl's best friend. :)

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup - West Elm

2011-11-09T09:27:00.001-05:00

It's Wednesday, folks, so you all know what that means...it's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

This week's featured store:

I had heard of West Elm, but had never gone in until recently, when my mom sweet-talked me into it during a trip to a local casino/shopping center. I almost wish she hadn't, because I forsee quite a bit of my fun money funds being funneled directly into this store in the very near future.

So, what's on my wishlist at West Elm?

Recycled Glass Vases - I love gorgeous colored glass. There's nothing prettier than a bunch of different colored glass on a window sill with the sunlight streaming through it. And these bottles would be a gorgeous touch in our pad, especially in emerald, turquoise, and ocean.

Harbour Rope Pillow Covers - these bad boys would totally mesh with our nautical/ocean-y abode, especially the dusty navy.

Embroidered Winter Branch Pillow Cover - these would be so pretty on our couch for the holidays.

Favorite Throw - these just look so damn soft and snuggly...I don't know if I would ever come out from underneath one.

Hammered Entertaining Serveware - these would be great for everyday entertaining (they nearly perfectly match our silverware and serving utensils), but they would look amazing on a Christmas dinner table.

Simple Etched Hurricanes - so pretty for the holidays.

Glass Greenhouse - I'm sorry, but this is just so freaking fun. I would love to have one of these in a kitchen window with herbs we use the most.

So, what's on your wishlist at West Elm?

Grab the badge, link up your post and join in the fun!

Short Bits - You Know, I Just Don't...

2011-11-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

...understand why South Florida drivers cannot drive in the rain. And I'm not talking about a torrential downpour here...I'm talking about complete lack of driving skills in a light drizzle. You would think, considering it rains daily in South Florida for about 80% of the year, SoFLa drivers would have mastered basic driving skills in wet conditions.

...get what the big deal about the Kardashians is. I don't get it - they dress like hookers half the time, they're materialistic as all hell, their relationships are totally and utterly dysfunctional, they're trashy and obnoxious, and they are all famous merely because they happen to go to the right parties because their dad got O.J. Simpson off. Really...what's to like here?

...understand what that Justin-Beiber-baby-mama girl was thinking coming forward with her story. If you're wrong, you're going to get the pants sued off of you. If you're right, you're going to jail for statutory rape. Either way, I don't consider that a win-win type of situation...

...get why Casey Anthony is getting all of this privacy and protection. She's being afforded more protection than her daughter ever was.

...get why certain songs that previously annoyed the crap out of me grow on me until I like them. I originally couldn't stand LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem"...now I find myself turning the radio up when it comes on.

...plan to pay any attention to the presidential elections or associated politics until about a week before the election. At that point, I'll do the research I need to do and make a decision on who I feel is the best fit for me and the issues that are important to me. Call that move stupid or naive, but I think if I have to watch the nasty media-politics war go down for the next year and a half, I'll be so turned off by the process that I won't vote in the presidential elections. And frankly, I don't want to not vote.

...like mashed potatoes. The smell alone makes me want to puke. Apparently, that makes me very un-American.

...have a problem with Christmas decorations already being up and Christmas music already being played. Call me crazy or naive, but (for the most part) this year has sucked. I could use a little happiness and good tidings and all the cheesy warm feelings that comes along with the holidays.

...don't have any desire to get involved with any of those Occupy movements. I've tried to follow them and see what the whole movement is about. Unfortunately, I've also seen (and heard) a lot of kids getting involved because it was the "cool" thing to do without actually understanding what the hell the whole thing is about. To me, that instantly makes them far less relevant.

...think it's anyone's business when (or, whether or not, for that matter) my husband and I plan to have children. We'll let you know when we decide, but for the moment, it's really no one's business but our own. And I don't understand when it suddenly became socially acceptable to tell a woman to "get on it" because "her clock was ticking."

...think I'll ever break my Pinterest addiction. It's like crack, only with far more creative side effects.

Happy Birthday, You Big Lug

2011-11-07T10:34:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to send out a special birthday shoutout to my cousin, surrogate big brother, my apple pie shooters dealer, one of my closest friends, and one of my favorite guys in the whole wide world...

Happy birthday, Brian! You make me thankful for unlimited text messaging.
(seriously, 300 text messages in two weeks?!? Holy fuckballs, we need lives.)

Just remember...you're going to be 30 before me.

HA!

Love ya and all that mushy crap. :)

Friday Faves - What I'm Loving Right Now

2011-11-04T14:23:00.000-04:00

Why, hello, everyone! :)

Yes, yes, I have been lousy this week (and last, for that matter) about updating, but it's been ubercrazy at work and the parents are in town and Halloween...utter madness. Needless to say, I missed y'all and I will be back next week with lots of fantastic Halloween photos and dishes to share...

In the meantime, it's Friday, and I want to share with y'all what I'm loving right now, but first and foremost, I've got to do a little bragging...

That's right...your girl was featured on For the Love of Blogs! Pretty exciting...I've never been featured on a blog community before. So, for all the new faces who have recently found this little corner of the universe, welcome!

That being said, what I'm loving right...this...minute...

Blood Orange Martinis. I really wanted blood orange something for our Halloween party. The name alone - blood orange - is juicy in itself, but throw in the fact that once you cut those bad boys open, they actually look bloody...win-win for Halloween, if you ask me. Unfortunately, blood oranges typically are not in season this time of year.

Cue my favorite farmers market, which tends to carry all sorts of random items that are exotic or normally out-of-season...they got shipments of blood oranges from New Zealand for a good five weeks in a row. I literally would buy 5-6 at a time, juice them at home, and freeze the juice. A little puree-ing pre-party, add in some vodka and simple syrup...these bad boys are officially my new favorite drink.

Design Seeds. I accidentally discovered Design Seeds on Pinterest a few weeks ago...it is seriously a new homebuyer/decorator's best friend. Unfortunately, we're still in a rental (and I'm not willing to repaint our entire pad before we move out and into a new house), so I won't get to utilize Design Seeds for another year and a half or so, but it's been giving my inspiration and things to dream about when it comes to my wicked case of houselust.

Seriously, how gorgeous is that color scheme for our future kitchen?!?

Our newly revamped guest room. I really should have taken pictures of it before I included it in this post, but I'm just loving it so much, I can't help it. (I promise a before-and-after post soon...very soon)
My gorgeous mama surprised me with a shipment from Target...the medallion bedspread set I had been lusting after had gone on mega-clearance and she snatched it up practically for pennies. With the new bedding came the idea to spruce up the room a bit, because, frankly, up until that point, the room looked like a catch-all disaster zone when guests weren't staying in it. Some heavy-duty cleaning and organizing, some new picture frames (and by new, I mean your girl went crazy on the spray paint and re-tooled some old black ones I had lying around the house), hung some skinny white shelves that my mom wasn't using anymore and had sent us to try out...minor re-toolings, but it completely changed the look of the room. Now I almost want to live in there. Almost. :)

Castle. I love watching Castle. It never fails to crack me the fuck up. Seriously...the comic timing of nearly everyone on that show is ridiculous. The chemistry between all the different characters is ridiculous. The gorgeousness of Stana Katic is ridiculous. Every season, Castle seems to get better.

Not to mention...I've got a minor nerdgirl crush on Nathan Fillion. Minor. To the point that the hubs teases me about it.

Sprint Cell Phone Insurance. Thank you sweet baby Jesus and all the little fishes for cell phone insurance. Because, otherwise, an accidental encounter between your brand-spanking new wedding gift Android phone and the ladies room toilet just outside your office would result in a $250 purchase fee. Thank you, Sprint.

The Furmonster. I love my sweet little dog. Especially considering that she very quietly puts up with all forms of Halloween costume-related torture without a single peep.

Even if she does bark like a pit bull and scare all our trick-o-treaters away.

Have a fantastic weekend everybody...see you next week!

Friday Five - Favorite Horror Films

2011-10-28T15:22:00.000-04:00

That's right, folks...it's Friday. You know what that means...time for another one of Katie's Favorite Fives lists.

Throughout the month, I've been filling you in on my Favorite Fives of various entertainment in relation to Halloween, one of my favorite holidays of the year. This weekend is Halloween weekend, so to speak, so I've saved the best for last...

::cue diabolical laughter::

Tomorrow, the hubs and I will be hosting our annual Halloween Night In. We decorate the pad to the nines, we make tons of delicious-yet-disgusting-looking themed foods and beverages, dim the lights (well, actually, switch them out to red light bulbs), and have our buddies over for a night of celebration. One of the featured activities of the evening is the watching of horror films.

So, in honor of tomorrow's festivities, I bring you...my five favorite horror films.

Jaws. Ok, take away the obvious reasons why I *might* be *mildly* obsessed with this movie. This is honestly one of the best horror films ever made, and it was truly one of the big pioneers of the genre. It played on several of your most primal fears - the fear of something lurking below, just out of view...the fear of being eaten alive by a huge maneating animal...the fear of being stalked without even knowing it. It took what the director, cast and crew thought would be the end of the film - a malfunctioning mechanical shark - and made it into one of the most powerful and terrifying aspects of the film. You barely see the shark, save for the last 30 minutes or so, so you spend 75% of the movie imagining what you think you should be seeing. And trust me, what you are imagining in your head is almost always worse than what you are actually seeing. It's one of few films today that still scares grown adults into not doing something (namely, swimming in the ocean...in a pool...in a bathtub). It's a horror classic, and my favorite film of all time.

Silence of the Lambs. I don't know if Silence of the Lambs technically qualifies as a horror movie...there seems to be this eternal debate among movie critics and watchers alike over whether it is a horror film or a dramatic film. Either way, it's creepy as fuck.

Silence of the Lambs just has the whole package. A tough, admirable, relate-able female protagonist. The greatest movie villian of all time (Hannibal Lector), and a secondary villian (Buffalo Bill) who gives him a run for his money. A tense plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat, even though the majority of the movie is full-face shots full of wordy, somewhat technical dialogue. That "lotion in the basket" dialogue that you know you've dropped on someone at least once in your lifetime. That scene that every girl has seen at least one boyfriend replicate one day when coming out of the bathroom, just to freak you out. It's just a kickass film, all around.

Halloween. The classic. The original. Not the redneck softcore-porn schlock that Rob Zombie attempted to pass off as an actual quality film.

Halloween is one of those movies that just never seems to get old, especially around this time of year. And, at least for my generation, it's not that particularly scary, really...not when you've got Saw films and Final Destination films pushing blood and guts and beheadings and disembowlings at you every five minutes. But, it is, to this day, a genuinely creepy film. And, surprisingly enough, one of the creepiest parts of the film is the very beginning. See, Rob, that's where you failed...you gave Michael a reason for killing, and an uber-cliched, overdone reason at that. What makes the entire film of Halloween so damn creepy is that someone can just kill for no other reason, other than he can.

The Descent. Ok, with as much as I love horror films, it's genuinely hard to scare me. This movie creeped me the fuck out. Like, I'm afraid to look under the bed because there might be a rabid cannibalistic albino sub-human underneath there ready to eat my face off.

The Descent was an all-around awesome movie. Fantastic casting, great storyline, great pacing. The funny thing about it was, it wasn't so much the gore, or the creepy little albino fuckers, that made it so damn scary. It was the sheer claustrophobia it induces. By the end of that film, you seriously just wanted to go for a walk. Or a run. In a wide open space.

Frailty. Frailty turned out to be one of those little arthouse-style horror films that I didn't expect a whole lot from, and it totally blew my expectations and impressed the hell out of me.

Frailty actually took a concept that no one, at least in my memory, has addressed in a horror format - what if you could play God? Or, more specifically, what if God told you that you were to be one of his enforcers? And what if his version of "enforcement"...was to kill someone? What if you couldn't see what someone you loved was seeing, in that respect? It's a pretty daunting concept, and well-played out in a tight little creeper of a movie.

Have a great weekend, everybody! See you next week...

FanGirl, Party of 1

2011-10-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

Hello, ladies and gents...it's been a few days! I'm happy to report that we had another fantastic Food & Wine/Halloween roadtrip to Disney (which I will recap for you next week) and I'm getting settled back into the swing of things before we have a solid month of familial visits...

That being said, let me fill you in on last night...because I had a total fangirl moment. Thankfully, I didn't embarrass myself in public.

I work for and attend a private university. I'm working on my Ph.D. in marine biology, and I work for one of the undergraduate colleges to pay the tuition/bills. This undergraduate college often hosts lectures by public figures that are open to students, staff, faculty and the public at large.

Now, I'll be honest - I've never attended one. And it hasn't been for a lack of interesting talks. We've had everyone from Salman Rushdie to Jack Kevorkian to Gabrielle Union come to speak at our school. I typically don't attend these talks, and most after-work/school events hosted by the university, for a very simple reason - between work and school, approximately 80% of my life is spent at this university. The very last place I want to spend what free time I do have is on campus.

And then I got an email last week stating that Richard Dreyfuss was coming to talk to the university. And I squealed like a pubescent girl at a Justin Beiber concert.

You see, Richard Dreyfuss holds a very special spot in my heart and my mind...he, in part, is why I became who I am today. I was five years old, my father was a lousy babysitter, and somehow I ended up in the family room watching Jaws. I couldn't shower for about two weeks without staring at the drain behind me, waiting for a great white to pop up out of the pipes and eat me alive (again, remember, five years old here), but underneath all that, I found myself absolutely fascinated by sharks. I wanted to be Matt Hooper. Twenty something years later, I'm nearly there.

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MATT HOOPER! ::insert marine biologist nerdum here::

So, I ended up begging two tickets for the talk and the hubs and I went last night. I spent most of the talk trying not to freak out that I was in the same room with one of my childhood heroes.

In the end, the talk was excellent, and had absolutely nothing to do with Jaws (or his movie career, for that matter)...it was all about the importance of teaching civics in our schools and educating our youth to lead our country before they are called upon to lead it, and the importance of self-responsibility, self-accountability and civility in modern politics and modern society. It was an absolutely fascinating talk, and it echoed a lot of the thoughts (especially pertaining to the lack of self-accountability and civility in today's society) that I had been holding for a while now. Even though he didn't talk about his movie career once, I don't regret going for a second, because it was probably one of the most thought-provoking, interesting talks I've seen in a long, long time.

My only disappointment? No meet-and-greet afterwards. I'll be honest - I had my hardback copy of Jaws (signed by Peter Benchley and easily one of my most cherished possessions) in my purse just in case. I was really hoping that they would have some sort of meet-and-greet, or even come-on-up-and-shake-my-hand, after the talk, but they didn't. I'll admit it (insert shameface here), I actually got a tiny bit teary-eyed over it. It was such an honor and thrill to be able to hear one of my childhood heroes talk, period...but to be able to shake his hand and thank him for being one of the people who inspired me to do what I love...man, what a thrill that would have been.

So, I half-crossed off "meet Richard Dreyfuss" off my bucket list...I'm hoping I can cross it out the other half at some point in my lifetime. In the meantime, you better believe there's going to be some Jaws marathons going on in our household this week...

Short Bits - Things You Never Expect to Hear Coming Out of Your Mouth

2011-10-21T10:41:00.000-04:00

I wish I could say these were all made-up. Nope. My life is genuinely this insane.

"I'm pretty sure she just texted me a picture of her son's junk. But, it's in-womb junk, which shifts it from totally creepy to totally hilarious."

"Honey, can you pick me up some fangs on your lunch break?"

"Mom, it's a jaguar. You don't run. It'll mistake you for prey."

"Just bang some sticks together to scare it away. It worked for Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap."

"Apparently, PMS makes me swear like a drunken sailor in a titty bar."

"Yes, she's wearing a snuggie. To class. Leopard print. With Uggs."

"I'm apparently the Miss Cleo of predicting baby genders."

"I'll have your baby doing jello shots in no time."

"I'm sorry, but these teeth make me look like a fucking chupacabra."

"Did that guy really just eat a raccoon?!?"

"Well, next time I have an full-grown aggressive lion charging me, I'll try to talk some sense into it before it disembowels me."

"Um...getting tied up certainly sounds like an interesting way to start the morning."

"Quit looking at me like I just drop-kicked a puppy in front of a moving car."

"I definitely slept through a tornado siren. Good thing the roof didn't blow off. That would a pretty rude alarm clock."

Friday Five - Favorite Halloween Tunes

2011-10-21T09:20:00.003-04:00

That's right, folks...it's Friday. You know what that means...time for another one of Katie's Favorite Fives lists.

Throughout the month, I've been filling you in on my Favorite Fives of various entertainment in relation to Halloween, one of my favorite holidays of the year. Next weekend is Halloween weekend, so to speak, so we're starting in on the home stretch...

::cue diabolical laughter::

Next weekend, the hubs and I will be hosting our annual Halloween Night In. We decorate the pad to the nines, we make tons of delicious-yet-disgusting-looking themed foods and beverages, dim the lights (well, actually, switch them out to red light bulbs), and have our buddies over for a night of celebration. No matter how good your food is, no matter what you're doing for entertainment, no matter how hilarious your buddy's costume is...you can't have a proper Halloween party without the right Halloween tunes.

So, in honor of tomorrow's festivities, I bring you...my five favorite Halloween-esque tunes.

Michael Jackson - Thriller. Oh, come on...like you didn't know this would be on the list?!?

It's the classic Halloween song...one of the best music videos of all time...that song that either completely clears the dance floor because everyone is too embarrassed to try the dance moves themselves (because they only know half of them) or packs it because everyone knows the damn dance moves. You can't have a proper Halloween without at least one spin of Thriller.

Rockwell with Michael Jackson - Somebody's Watching Me. This song really is a perfect song for Halloween...it's got an intense beat, some creepy lyrics, and Michael Jackson, who I think is probably the unofficial King of Halloween. Too bad those stupid Geico commercials turned it into a joke. Well, it was kind of a joke before...but whatever, it's still on my Halloween playlist on principle.

Jace Everett - Bad Things. It helps that it's the theme song to one of the most popular horror-based television series on television today. It would warrant a spot on a Halloween party playlist even if it wasn't. A nice change-up from your typically rock- or metal-based Halloween-y fare, Jace Everett's Bad Things is a dark sexy little thing that gives you the urge to do bad things, just by hearing it.

Gil Scott-Heron - Me and the Devil. This is a little ditty that not a whole lot of people have ever heard, but it is so fitting for Halloween, it's ridiculous.

A haunting, intense, sexy little ditty that would fit into a Halloween gathering like a glove. I first heard it during one of this season's episodes of True Blood and immediately fell in lust with it. You better believe it's gonna be on next weekend's playlist.

Godsmack - Voodoo. You can't have a Halloween party without a little voodoo...

This is a sick, twisted, dark, sexy tune that just invokes all those creepy feelings that go along with Halloween...whenever I hear it, I can just picture the dark corners, red glows, and dark deeds going on.

As for the entire playlist...

Have a great weekend, everybody! See you next week...

Baked Apple Chips

2011-10-20T10:02:00.000-04:00

As I told y'all last week, your girl is trying to overhaul her life, and a big part of that is eating healthier and being more active. One of my biggest problems is eating. I tend to like snack foods that have a crunch to them, and things that are easily snackable-upon while doing other things (watching tv, working at the computer, etc). Hence my addiction to processed foods like potato chips and M&Ms.

I came across a recipe for oven baked apple chips on Pinterest a few weeks back and thought they sounded...intriguing. I'm normally not a fan of baked/dried fruit stuffs, as the drying process tends to strip all of the tastiness out of whatever you're baking/drying (at least for me). But I figured, what the hell, I would give these apple chips a shot.

Baked Apple Chips

2 medium Gala apples
1 tbsp cinnamon sugar
Pinch of ground clove
Canola oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200F.

2. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a mandolin slicer, very thinly slice apples into chips. Lay in a single layer (avoid overlapping as much as possible) over parchment paper. Spray slices with canola oil.

3. In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon sugar and clove. Sprinkle over top apple slices as desired*.

4. Bake at 200F for 2.5 hours, or until edges are crispy. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (they will finish crisping as they cool) before storing them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

* You may not use all of the spice mixture, or you may want more - it's to your desired taste. Regardless, always maintain the 1 tbsp : 1 pinch ratio of spices.

These were super easy to make, and required very little work on my part. However, there was one major downside - they never even made it into the airtight container. I literally ate the whole batch straight off the baking tray. The combination of tart and sweet, the crispy chip-like texture...oh holy NOM NOMs.

Oh How Pinteresting! - Funnies

2011-10-19T14:08:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday, and along with window shopping, I'm linking up with Michelle of The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting! Wednesday.

It has been raining for about five straight days. I kid you not...it's raining to nearly biblical proportions. I'm half-expecting to see a wooden arc with two giraffes and a cockatoo roll by my office window any day now. We're getting more rain from a thundercloud than we did from any actual tropical storm we received all year.

So, let's get to pinning some funny shit for an incredibly gloomy week...

You can find all of these pins and (an obscene amount) more on my Pinterest profile...be sure to check out The Vintage Apple for more Pinterest fun! :)

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup, Special Edition - Halloween Decor

2011-10-19T09:56:00.002-04:00

It's Wednesday, folks, so you all know what that means...it's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

Now, normally, this is where I'd introduce the featured store of the week, from which you would windowshop. However, in honor of the upcoming holiday, the next two weeks are going to be a little bit different...

This week's featured theme:

Halloween Decor!

What do you normally do for do for Halloween? Go to a costume party? Throw your own party? Hand out candy and scare passerby? What would you love to get to decorate for Halloween? It could be for a Halloween party or get-together, a spooky dinner party, or things to deck your pad in for the big night. Anything you want, from any site you want (just be sure to post links!).

So, what's my plans for Halloween?

We usually throw a movie night-style get-together for our local friends with lots of food, drink, Wii-playing and scary movies. On Halloween itself, we always dress the dog up and hand out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

How do you normally decorate for the holiday?

The hubs and I are kids at heart when it comes to Halloween...we decorate to the nines. We actually go against the grain a little bit, and do a red, black and silver Halloween. There tends to be lots of skulls and skeletons involved.

And what's on my wishlist for Halloween decor?

Skeleton Hand Drink Dispenser Stand from Pottery Barn - ZOMG, I friggin love this. I LOVE creepy little detail pieces like this. Totally up my alley.

Skeleton Hand Condiment Set from Pottery Barn - gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh why do you have to be so expensive, Pottery Barn?!?!?!?!?!?

Bleeding Taper Candles from Amazon - I've been dying to get these one year, but unfortunately, the only candleholders we've got that would work for them are blue sea glass. Not exactly Halloween. Maybe next year...

Mock Stone Gravestones from Grandin Road - I would stick these all over the friggin front yard, love them!

Classic Halloween Wine Labels from Martha Stewart Crafts - too fun!

Halloween Sky Print from Etsy Seller Raceytay - This would look amazing in a big print (like, 16x20) over a mantle or above the TV...

Skull Pillows from Target - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...

So, what are you doing, how do you decorate and what's on your wishlist?
Grab the badge, link up your post and join in the fun!

Life Overhaul

2011-10-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

So, I have a confession to make.

I'm really, really unhappy.

I should probably clarify that statement...I'm really, really unhappy with the way I'm living my life right now. I'm not getting enough sleep, I'm not eating right, I'm not being active enough, I'm way too stressed.

As a result...I weigh too much (at least for me, I do), I'm too tired, and I'm getting sick way too often.

So, I've decided it's time that I own up to my part in this whole situation, address the causes that aren't necessarily my fault (and deal with the ones that are), and come up with a plan to take my life back into my own hands and make it into something that makes me happy.

One of the major components of this plan is getting healthy. That being said, I've come up with a plan, and that plan starts today.

Diet

1. Eat 1200 - 1400 calories per day.
2. Flesh out diet with healthy fats, lean proteins and natural sugars.
3. Follow recommended portion sizing more strictly.
4. Eat at least 1 piece of fresh produce per day.
5. Drink at least 2 bottles (5 glasses) of water each day.
6. Limit processed foods and artificial ingredients whenever possible (within reason).
7. Limit myself to one diet soda a day.
8. Try at least one new recipe a week (so I don't get bored).

Fitness

1. Run every other day.
2. Practice at least 30 minutes of yoga a week.
3. Work out with the Wii at least once a week.
4. Do some sort of "fun" cardio activity at least once a month (scuba diving, hiking, rock wall, etc.).

The Odds and Ends

1. Get at least six hours of sleep per day.
2. Take a vitamin and suppliments every day.

So, that's the plan. Thankfully, I'm not doing it alone. The hubs decided to team up with me on this, as he's in a very similar situation as me (heavier and less healthy than he'd like to be) and we figure that if we do it together, we're more likely to succeed. I'm also utilizing an online healthy living community to help keep track of my intake and output.

However, one thing I could use are people to keep me accountable. It's so easy to say that you're going to do A, B, and C, and then not do it because life gets too crazy or things get in the way. That's why I'm putting this out there, for all the universe to read - I need y'all to keep me accountable. Comment to me, tweet me, leave messages on my Facebook page, text me...whatever you want to do, do it. I need people to light fires under my ass when I need them, to encourage me to not give up. Because it's so, so, so much easier just to give up.

Steak Melts

2011-10-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you just need a steak melt.

There's a pub-type restaurant by our house that makes the best steak melt I've ever had in my life. Perfectly seasoned marinaded steak, melty cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms, a garlic toasted bun, topped with a Cajun-style mayo sauce...sub the onions and mushrooms for fried onions and holy NOM NOMs. Seriously, this sandwich is awesomesauce.

However, sometimes, you want that sandwich and you're too damn tired to go out and deal with eating out. Or it's too damn close to payday to justify eating out. Or your fridge is just too damn full of perfectly good food to justify eating out.

That's when you jerryrig it for yourself.

Steak Melts

2 brioche-type hoagie buns
3 tbsp butter
1-2 tsp garlic powder

2 6-8oz round steaks
1 cup bottled steak marinade
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 tsp soy sauce
Salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 cup lowfat mayo
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
4 slices Jarlsberg (or other white) cheese, sliced in half

Directions:

1. In a plastic bag, dump the steak marinade and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce over steaks and seal; marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven on broiler setting at 500F for 20 minutes. In addition, heat/prep an outdoor grill for the steaks.

3. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a saute or stirfry pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions, toss to coat. Add remaining olive oil, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and salt and pepper and toss to coat. Saute until vegetables are softened. Set aside.

4. Mix together mayo and Cajun seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside.

5. Add steaks to the grill. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side for medium doneness. Set aside and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly on the bias.

6. While steaks are resting, slice buns down the middle. Spread each inside with butter, then sprinkle with garlic powder as desired. Place in oven for 2-3 minutes, until edges begin to brown and butter is melted.

7. To build sandwiches, spread desired amount of Cajun mayo on the top half of each bun, set aside. Build your sandwich on the bottom half of each bun - steak, veggies, cheese. Place in oven and broil for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top with other half of the bun and serve immediately.

Now, I'll be honest with you...these were not as good as the real thing. But they were pretty damn close. The flavor combinations were just about right, and the steak came out all tender and delicious on the grill. Not bad for making do. :)

Friday Five - Horror Film Series

2011-10-14T09:12:00.000-04:00

This week kicks off my second favorite time the year - late October. I love late October, and all that it brings - the cooling weather, the changing colors in the leaves, the food, the drinks, the hayrides, the haunted houses...you name it, I pretty much love it. But most of all, what I truly look forward to down to the tips of my toes, is Halloween.

In honor of that, the next few Fridays will be dedicated to the upcoming Halloween holiday, and I'll be sharing with you some of my top five's of the season. To kick this party off, let's start with a juicy topic...my top five horror series, in no particular order...

Friday the 13th. They are not particularly frightening films. Not really. With the exception of a few fantastic jump scares (Kevin Bacon, anyone?), the series is rather predictable - young sexually active nubile teenagers become isolated from adults in the woods around Crystal Lake and, being so preoccupied by wanton activies that they are not aware of totally obvious shit going on around them, one-by-one get slaughtered by some reincarnated decaying manbeast in a beat-to-shit hockey mask. They aren't on my list because they're scary. They're on my list, and the top of it at that, because they are so bad, they're good. They never fail to crack me up and keep me entertained. Can't really ask for a whole lot more in entertainment, now can you?

Halloween. Now, I'll admit it, Halloween is pretty damn close to tied with Friday the 13th in my top horror film series...the only thing that sets it one step below is that I am far more of a Halloween snob than I am a Friday the 13th snob. With F13, I only blantantly disregard/refuse to watch Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X. When it comes to Halloween, that list includes Halloween III, Halloween VI, and all of Rob Zombie's bastardizations. For me, the best of the series are the original (of course), Part 2, and Part 4. But nothing comes close to the original, baby. A taught little thriller that has virtually no blood or guts, but gives you the distinct impression that you saw a whole lot more blood and guts than you actually did. It's one of those films that leaves a lot to the imagination, and a lot unanswered. Therein lies the genius. :)

Jaws. I have to hang my head in shame and admit...I actually like Jaws III. And Jaws: The Revenge. Flame away, folks.

Look, I never claimed they were masterpieces or even art for that matter. But they keep me entertained. They have a giant beastshark chasing people around, growling (despite the fact that sharks lack essential anatomy - namely, vocal chords - to be able to produce such noises) and manage to stalk a single family across a country (and through a major theme park). The first is a horror classic, the second is a very decent follow-up to an unmatchable original...the third and fourth are pure and unadulterated popcorn fare. And I love it.

Jurassic Park. Now, some people may not classify the Jurassic Park series as horror films. Science fiction, adventure, drama...sure. Horror, maybe not. But given the fact that the sheer mention of dinosaurs - let alone giant man-eating dinosaurs - makes a friend of mine cover her eyes and ears and squeal like a little girl, I'm qualifying it as horror.

Jurassic Park absolutely fascinated me as a kid. That movie was astounding, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. It wasn't until later, as an adult, when I read the book, that I realized how much more insane the movie could have been if Speilberg had forgone the PG13 rating and stuck with the original material. Nonetheless, the movie was fantastic, and the sequels weren't half bad. I'll admit, in a lot of aspects, I actually like the second film better than the first.

SyFy's Maneater Series. Chalk it up as another addition to the so-bad-they're-good category. The Maneater series are a bunch of made-for-television killer animal movies put out by RHI Entertainment and heavily aired by the SyFy Channel. They all feature some sort of killer animal, all feature nubile young teenagers or adults getting eaten by said creatures, and more blood and guts than you can see killing a chicken for dinner. They have horrible acting, horrible dialogue, improbable storylines and horrendous special effects. That being said, they are more addictive than crack. Seriously.

To date, there are 24 films in the series - ranging from killer grizzly bears to killer tigers to giant spiders to giant squid - and I've seen little over half of them. They are all deliciously ridiculous. :)

Have a great weekend everyone! See you next week...

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup - Williams-Sonoma

2011-10-12T10:09:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday, folks, so you all know what that means...it's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

This week's featured store:

Williams-Sonoma is one of those kid-in-a-candy-store shops for me...so many pretty things for the kitchen, it makes me giddy inside.

So, what's on my wishlist?

Le Creuset Signature 6-Piece Cookware Collection in Ocean - I'm not going to lie, I honestly didn't get what the big deal about Le Creuset was. I mean, seriously, how can you justify paying that much for one pot or pan? It better do my laundry for that price...then I actually got one, and it seriously is one of my favorite tools for cooking. Enough that it would justify me quietly lusting for a few more pieces. I love the Ocean color - it would coordinate with what I have envisioned for our future kitchen (in terms of color scheme) and would coordinate with the piece we currently have.

Three Tiered Oven Rack - I seriously just emailed the hubs this link for my Christmas wishlist. This would be a lifesaver for when we host dinner parties or do other entertaining, as it would eliminate the "we don't have enough room in the oven for all I need to bake/roast" dilemma pretty quickly.

Cupcake Corer - I've seen so many recipes lately for "stuffed" cupcakes, and have brushed them off as being to complicated to do, given the fact that you have to somehow take out the center of the cupcake without destroying it. This little gadget would certainly make that process easier.

Halloween Cupcake Stencils - I love the look of dusted cupcakes, and these would make that process super easy.

Melamine 4-Piece Mixing Bowl Set - as much as I love my stainless steel mixing bowls, it would be nice to have some that has the natural pouring spout edge. Would certainly eliminate some of the mess that tends to come with pouring out batter.

Glass Domed Cake Plate/Punch Bowl - I love the double function aspect of this piece, and it's very clean and classic in the look of it. Just my cup of tea. :)

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker - I've been lusting for the Kitchenaid ice cream bowl attachment for my stand mixer since before I even got the stand mixer itself. The main reason we haven't gotten it yet is that we honestly couldn't fit it in our freezer to make the ice cream - there's very little room in our freezer to begin with, then we bulk shop for our meats, and freeze produce mixes. This little baby looks like it would be small enough to store easily (or leave on the countertop, for that matter). Homemade frozen yogurt? Yes, please.

So, what's on your wishlist at Williams-Sonoma?

Grab the badge, link up your post and join in the fun!

Oh How Pinteresting! - Color Lust

2011-10-12T08:46:00.002-04:00

I've recently discovered the crack-o-licious free-time-sucker-awayer that is Pinterest. However, despite the amount of free time this addictive little site has sucked away from my life in the last month, I've also found myself feeling more productive, more organized, and more creative now that I've been utilizing things I've found there.

That being said...I'm linking up with the newly married (!!!) Michelle of The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting! Wednesday.

This week, I'm in serious house lust/daydream mode, and it's got me thinking lots and lots about color...

More or less the color scheme of our wedding, this has carried over into our homestead...

Love this scheme for an office or a laundry/mud room...

My dream kitchen color scheme...the bottom green, we have quite of it a bit in our house already.

I LOVE this color in a kitchen...I couldn't do solid cabinets AND walls in it (too intense), but with honeytone cabinetry, cream granite counters, and this color green beadboard backsplash? Swoooooon.

I want that tile. Like, tomorrow. As a kitchen backsplash or guest bathroom walls, it would be divine...

Our current master bed/bath color scheme, which I LOVE...

I love this wall color so badly, it hurts.

Love this color scheme for a nursery...it's so unisex, it could work for a boy or a girls room (and there's no pink! hurrah!).

You can find all of these pins and (an obscene amount) more on my Pinterest profile...be sure to check out The Vintage Apple for more Pinterest fun! :)

Roasted Fall Vegetables

2011-10-11T09:57:00.000-04:00

A meal in the KC household usually consists of three parts - a protein (meat), vegetables, and a grain side of some sort (couscous, pasta, rice, etc.). We're usually good about keeping the proportions of each of those three components where they should be, but the hubs tends to lean more heavily on the vegetable side, while I tend to lean more towards the grains.

The hubs also has a little habit of getting obsessed with things. He watches Too Big to Fail, and he's addicted to banking and economic news for weeks. Every once in a while, he'll watch Super Size Me and he'll swear off fast food for a month like it's the devil itself.

A few weeks ago, he happened to catch Fathead on Netflix, and ever since, he has been, well, obsessed with it. Fat Head basically takes Super Size Me to task, and tries to debunk the lipid hypothesis. More or less, it pushes the paleo diet plan, which seems to be all the rage as of late. Unfortunately for me, that means the hubs is all about the meats and produce, and absolutely not about the grains.

I tried to find a way to compromise with the man, considering that couscous and pasta were now relatively solo ventures on my part, and found that potatoes might be the way to do it. Potatoes give you all the benefits of a carb/starch, but (at least according to the theories the hubs has been leaning towards as of late) is more naturally/easily processed by the body.

So, I ran with it, and in the process, got to utilize some of those gorgeous fall veggies that had been calling to me from the local farmers market...

Roasted Fall Vegetables

2 small purple potatoes
2 small red potatoes
2 small golden or yellow potatoes
1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1/4 inch-thick wedges
4 shallots, peeled and quartered
3 large carrots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine
1 tsp applewood smoked sea salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp winter savory
1 tsp fresh ground rosemary
1 tsp fresh ground sage
1 tsp fresh ground thyme
Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Scrub potatoes clean, but leave the skins on. Cut each potato in half, then cut each half into lemon-style wedges (about 6 wedges per half). Cut carrots in thirds, then half (and, if necessary, quarter) each third.

3. Combine the potatoes, carrots, shallot, and fresh garlic in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

4. In a smaller bowl, whisk together dried herbs/spices, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over top the vegetables. Drizzle olive oil and wine over vegetables. Seal bowl and shake well to coat and mix (if needed, you can add more olive oil per tsp - you want the veggies to be well-coated).

5. Spread vegetables evenly over a nonstick baking dish*. Bake for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are golden and fork tender.

* I used a lipped cookie sheet (I believe they are called "jelly roll pans" in other necks of the woods) - you want something long, flat, and shallow, but with an edge to prevent the oils and juices from spilling over the sides.

Brian had a friend visiting from Detroit, so we had them over for dinner. Needless to say, the fall veggies were a hit. I think it's the first time that the hubs went out of his way to ask me to save the leftovers. However, the best part was probably the fact that Brian and his friend had never seen purple potatoes before. He asked me at one point how I was able to strategically burn individual potato wedges...I haven't laughed that hard in a while. :)

It's Ok...

2011-10-06T14:17:00.001-04:00

It's Thursday, and other than my lemon pepper shrimp pasta nirvana from last night, this week has been rather blah. I'm exhausted, can't seem to get motivated to do much of anything, and would much prefer to crawl back into bed and not wake up until ~~Monday~~ next Monday. So, in honor of the blahs, I'm teaming up with the lovely Amber for "It's Ok Thursday".

It's ok...

...to spend some cash on storage boxes and organizational stuff, if it means that your homelife will be a little less chaotic. Even if it's just plastic boxes. Money well spent.

...to not be all that devastated that Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. I mean, it's sad that he's gone, but it's not the end of the world.

...to not own an Apple product because you think they are too trendy for you and you don't feel like having to shell out big bucks to update it every. single. time. a new version of what you have (that works perfectly fine) comes out.

...to satisfy a wicked craving for deep fried food every once in a while. Even if you are on a diet.

...to not like vegetables. They kick my gag reflex until full gear.

...to drink diet soda for breakfast. Sometimes you just need diet soda for breakfast.

...to hate running, but do it anyways, and hate it all the while.

...to ignore your phone once in a while. Forgive me, but sometimes I just need to go an hour or two without having to talk to someone.

...to find your dog's mile-wide neurotic streak highly amusing.

...to be plotting a blog giveaway for 100 followers...when you're currently at 45. It just shows you're committed.

That being said...

I've officially decided to host a super funtastic blog giveaway in honor of reaching 100 followers, once I actually reach 100 followers. I've been wanting to host a giveaway for a long, long time, and I've finally found someone who's work I love (who I think you'll love too!) who I can team up with for a fun little giveaway. Now, the key is, I actually need to hit 100.

That being said, spread the word, recruit your friends and neighbors, because I'm just itching to give something fabulous away... :)

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta

2011-10-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of farmers markets. Especially those that cater to the homemade and/or harder-to-find products. I come across one, I could be sucked in for hours.

That being said, one thing that I was seriously looking forward to on our honeymoon was an afternoon trip to Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. I had heard tons of good things about Pike Place, and already had the two spots I really wanted to hit up plotted out in my mind - Market Spice (hello, lemon sugar and applewood smoked sea salt!) and Pappardelle's Pasta.

E from ChemistrE 101 got me turned on to Pappardelle's after her honeymoon in Vancouver. All she had to say was "homemade flavored pasta" and I was sold. I went into that market with a shopping list based off their website, and walked on the plane back home with 10 lbs of pasta in my carry-on (I wish I was kidding).

While I was there, I picked up a bunch of tasty-sounding flavors - basil garlic fettuccine, lemon chive angelhair, lemon garlic linguine, lime cilantro linguine, whole wheat toasted onion pappardelle, sweet red onion linguine, chipotle pepper fettuccine, garlic chive sea shells, autumn harvest orzo, lemon garlic orzo, and spring medley orzo. But the flavor I was most excited to try was lemon pepper linguine. I love the zing of fresh lemon and fresh cracked black pepper (I would seriously sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on everything if I could get away with it) and I love pasta...I about had a nerdgasm thinking about the two combined.

I finally had a chance to try my hand at our flavored pastas last night, and I have to say, I couldn't be happier with the results...

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta

12 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz lemon pepper linguine
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium-sized lemons
2 tbsp white wine
Old Bay Seasoning
Lemon pepper seasoning
Fresh ground sea salt
Fresh dill
Fresh shaved parmesan

Directions:

1. Grate the peel from one lemon and set peel aside. Cut lemons in half and set aside.

2. Bring a pot of salted water with a splash of olive oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

3. In a small bowl, season shrimp with Old Bay and lemon pepper seasoning to taste, toss to mix. Heat 1 tsp oil in a stirfry pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and saute for 2-3 minutes, until bottom side is pink. Flip, add the juice from one lemon half, and saute until pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes. Place shrimp in a bowl and cover to keep warm.

4. Add remaining oil to stirfry pan and allow to warm. Add garlic and mushrooms, saute for 1 minute. Add zucchini, juice from one lemon half, and 1 tbsp white wine. Saute until mushrooms and zucchini are crispy-tender, about 3 minutes.

5. Add drained pasta, tomato, remaining white wine and juice from one lemon half; toss to mix. Saute for about 1 minute, until tomatoes are warm. Add shrimp, then sprinkle dish with lemon peel, dill, lemon pepper seasoning and freshly ground sea salt (all to taste), toss to mix. Split pasta between two plates, and top with fresh shaved parmesan cheese and freshly grated black pepper.

I have to admit, the lemon pepper flavor from the pasta alone was not as strong as I had pictured it would be. However, the light and simple sauce brought out the flavor like you wouldn't believe. Zingy lemon, a little heat from the fresh black pepper, succulent shrimp...it was just about heaven on earth. :)

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup - Sports Authority

2011-10-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday, folks, so you all know what that means...it's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

This week's featured store:

My shin splints are finally healed up, my A&P DIS is over, and I can finally jump back into working out and running on a more regular basis. I also have a half marathon looming down over me that I am so not prepared for, and I've just recently promised my cousin that we'd complete at least one Warrior Dash before the hubs and I start spawning. I figured the best way to jump start my fitness drive would be a little window shopping at Sports Authority.

So, what's on my wishlist?

Nike Ohio State Buckeyes Women's Football Replica Shirt - I don't care if they're having a crap season, they're still my team. And I love this shirt.

Sofee Ohio State Buckeyes Women's Long Sleeve T-Shirt - this looks so comfy, I might live in it. And the logo is too cute.

Venture Slate Medallion Yoga Mat - I love the look of this mat...

Nike Women's Set Point Tennis Top - this looks super comfy-yet-stylish for running...

ASICS Favorite Long Sleeve Running Top - moisture wicking, yet warm, for running in the winter months...

Sportz SUV Tent - our group of friends here in SoFL have been talking about going camping for ages. This kind of tent would eliminate the need for elevated camping cots (unfortunately, snakes are a issue for Florida campers) and creates all sorts of extra space.

Sportline Women's 960 Solo Multi-Function Pedometer/Strapless Heartrate Monitor - it would be nice to have a pedometer that also tells you your heartrate and calorie burn.

So, what's on your wishlist at Sports Authority?

Grab the badge, link up your post and join in the fun!

Nestfest - DIY Extravaganza

2011-10-04T13:56:00.001-04:00

Nesting. I'm doing it. Hardcore.

The hubs and I moved in together about six months into our relationship, and have been living together for about three years now. We spent a year at a pretty little apartment in a very scary little neighborhood (as in, a drug bust featured on an episode of Women Cops took place just over the fence of our back patio as I watered my rosemary, scary), and then we moved into our current digs, a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath with a loft townhouse in a much quieter, much safer neighborhood. At the moment, we're very happy with where we're at.

The hubs and I also have a deal - when it comes time for babies, we're going to be in a house. It's one of very few things that would have been a deal breaker to me when it came to saying yes. It's very, very important to me, and something I've always wanted, to bring our first (and second, and possibly third) child home to a home we own. I want that sense of permanence and stability.

In order to make that happen, we're taking the time to save and to wait for when the market is to our best advantage. That, however, means that we will likely be in our current digs for at least another year in a half.

Considering those circumstances, we have two options - we can continue as we are, simply planning for the someday and riding out our temporary circumstances, or we can plan for the future while making our current situation still feel like a home. We've decided to do the second.

That being said, over the next few weeks, I (we) will be tackling some DIY and home improvement projects that I've wanted to do for a while, but have been putting off for the someday. We only have two criteria - anything we do must be reasonably affordable, and must be something we can take with us to our first house.

I'll be featuring projects as I finish them here at The Chronicles, but in the meantime, I wanted to give y'all a sneak peek of what I've got planned (courtesy of Pinterest)...

A Proper Pantry Closet. Right now, all of our food stuffs are scattered throughout multiple cabinets and closets, as there is no single space that everything can fit into. In addition, the cabinet that holds most of our stuff can be annoyingly difficult to navigate (very narrow, and very long). We also have a hall closet that's basically serving as junk storage. The plan is to covert the closet into a proper pantry closet (so all the food stuffs can go in one place, and be easily seen) and to go through the junk and organize, pitch/donate, and redistribute in a more organized/sensible fashion.

Menu Chalkboard - I love, love, LOVE the look of this. And it would fill up the big empty wall right by our front door. And it would keep the hubs from asking me every single day what's for dinner. I'm planning to DIY with with a glass poster frame, chalkboard paint, and cricut vinyl lettering.

Measuring Cup/Spoon Center - I'm tired of trying to dig through the cabinet above our stove while cooking/baking, trying to find the damn 1/2 tbsp. This looks super easy and super organized.

Wall Photo Collages - we have so many photos scattered throughout the house, it would be nice to put them together into some sort of cohesive collage-type deals. I love the idea of mixing in other items (block letters, text prints, etc.) in with the photos as well.

A Family Binder - I've seen these all over the web, and I love the idea of them - that everything you (or someone in an emergency) could need to know is all in one book.

Mock Etched Vases - these would look gorgeous going up our front walk or in the upstairs windows for Christmas. Seeing as I've thus far been unsuccessful in selling the pillar vases from our wedding, it would be a good way to make use of them...

Countertop Appeal - I love the look of the clear jars with scoops for baking supplies on the countertop. Right now, I'm casually on the hunt for jars that look like that.

Craft Center - right now, I need to get my DIY supplies (scrapbooking, paper goods, jewelry, etc, etc, etc...) under control. Setting up something super simple like this in the corner of the loft has definite potential...

I found these prints to DIY to go into our photo wall collage(s)...

Rules for Marriage

The History of Us <3

House Rules

So, wish me luck in what I'm certain is going to turn into a few month's worth of projects...I'll keep y'all updated on our progress! :)

Friday Faves - What I'm Loving Right Now

2011-09-30T13:07:00.001-04:00

That's right, folks...it's Friday! You know what time it is...time for Friday Faves...what I'm loving right at this very moment.

This week's been a long week...a fried big-screen television, a nasty little bout of food poisoning or stomach flu of some sort, wrapping up my vertebrate A&P independent study, trying to hunt down a Halloween costume and start a new healthy eating-working out regimen...I'm nauseous, running on about 4 hours of sleep per night, costumeless, and ready for a week long coma. Thank God it's Friday, because I'd go batshit crazy if it wasn't.

So, without further adeiu, some things I'm loving right now...

Megamind. I've got to give Hollywood credit...in the last few years, they've released quite a few good animated movies that aren't annoyingly saccharine and are just as funny (if not more) to adults as they are to kids.

I first caught Megamind while we were on our honeymoon...the cruise ship had a few HBO-style channels that repeatedly aired some of the newer movies out on DVD and on-demand. Megamind cracked me the fuck up. And the great thing is, every time I see it, I catch something new that I didn't before. I was watching it last night and released that Megamind said he was quaking in his custom-made baby seal leather boots, not navy seal leather boots...I shot water clear out my nose and was in hysterics for a good two minutes. So politically incorrect, but so friggin hysterical in context.

Gala Apples. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's autumn in the north. Definitely not autumn here in the Land of Perpetual Heat & Humidity, but it's autumn in the north. Autumn in the north means fresh crisp gala apples in SoFL farmers markets. I've been snatching up bags of these bad boys every week, and have had the pleasure of munching on at least one a day (sometimes, it's actually hard to limit myself to one a day). I think the only thing better would be a batch of Patterson's Farm gala apples...I'll have to wait until Christmas for those...

Applewood Smoked Sea Salt. Speaking of apples, I'm in love with applewood smoked sea salt. I discovered this delicious little spice during our honeymoon, when we dined at a steakhouse who's claim to fame is the "gourmet sea salt selection" that came with any steak. We ended up buying a big ol' bag of it at the Pike Place Market in Seattle once we got off the boat, and I've been sprinkling it on damn near everything any chance I get. It's got a nice balance of smoke and salt, and it brings out flavors in steak and pork that you wouldn't believe. Along with smoked paprika, it's become a staple in the KC household.

Vintage Blue Mason Jars. I had no idea that mason jar companies ever made blue mason jars until about two weeks ago, and I've unabashedly fallen in love with them. It all goes back to my love of colored glass, and the way they glow when light is streaming through them. I ended up purchasing six of them off Ebay last week, and they arrived last night...and they are gorgeous. Thankfully, they easily coordinate with our household decor and mesh well with our outdoor entertaining stuff, so they'll make excellent vases, candleholders, utensil holders down the road. I'm seriously contemplating buying more as the months go on, as I keep thinking of all the wonderful things I could use them for....luminaries hanging from trees in our future back yard...luminaries up the front path at Christmastime...button and bead holders in a craft/workspace...Q-tip and diaper pin holders in a future nursery...birthday parties and bridal showers and baby showers...

Pinterest. It's official...I've decided that Pinterest is the devil. That being said, I'm embracing my sinful side.

Thanks to a few girlfriends of mine, I am effectively hooked on Pinterest. I've been gathering photo inspiration for just about anything you can think of - future housewares, recipes to try, ideas for Christmas and Halloween parties, projects to DIY for our home. I can't tell if the hubs is happy that I've found something that I can get excited about (and, in that sense, takes me out of the stress of school, at least temporarily) or scared about how many projects I'll be cajoling him into helping me accomplish over the next few months. Either way, Pinterest is up there at the top of my "things I've found I'd go insane without" list.

Masterpiece Theater's Jane Eyre (2006). This is a longtime favorite period piece of mine, and with all the homework and writing I've been doing as of late, it's become a staple of evening television viewing (or, at least, background noise). Jane Eyre is one of those stories that you have to tell very, very carefully. It's not one of those corset-busting, heaving chest romances, but the chemistry between Jane and Edward has to be enough that you can actually believe how much these two are willing to sacrifice to be together. All to often, Jane Eyre tends to come across as very cold and very clinical (I'm looking at you, William Hurt). Masterpiece Theater's 2006 version is my favorite, hands down, because they manage to balance the austerity and seriousness with the passion of these two characters beautifully.

This button. It makes me think of my sister, and it cracks me the hell up.

Have a great weekend, everybody! See you next week...

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup - Pottery Barn

2011-09-28T10:49:00.001-04:00

It's Wednesday, folks...you all know what that means! It's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

This week's featured store:

I'll admit it...I'm a displaced country girl. If we won the lottery tomorrow, the very first thing I'd do (you know, besides freak the fuck out) is buy a bunch of acreage out in the Carolina countryside somewhere and have someone build me a traditional farmhouse, with the big, wide covered porches and the big 'ol trees in the front yard. Or I'd find myself a big, gorgeous countryhouse and renovate it myself.

That being said, when it comes to decorating our home, I tend to lean towards classic, natural, organic looks, with a leaning towards vintage and reclaimed pieces. I just love the cozy, traditional-yet-contemporary look of them. Pottery Barn tends to carry that style in spades.

The only downside? Pottery Barn also tends to lean towards the expensive, but they are a fantastic company for getting ideas from...

So, what's on my wishlist?

Stratton Bed with Baskets - oh, how I've wanted a Stratton Bed, for about three years now. Thing is, I'd rather build it myself than actually buy it...but whatever, I love the look of storage beds with baskets.

Benchwright Reclaimed Wood Dining Table - this would look amazing in an enclosed back patio.

Cable-Knit Throw - the only downside to this blanket is the serious risk that I would never leave my cozy little corner on the couch if I got my hands on one.

Atrium Glass Table Lamp - I love the organic look to this. You could put just about anything you wanted into these bad boys. Though, to be honest, I'd probably stick with simple and put pretty stones or sea glass in them, like the one above.

Hudson Coat Rack - I'm a classic girl at heart. I like classic things. I love the look of an old-fashioned coat rack. Too bad they are not exactly practical to have in South Florida.

Glass Drink Dispensers - I've wanted one or two of these for entertaining ever since before they became the trendy thing in entertaining. I've been telling myself to wait to get them until I have a house and we have more space for entertaining (and storage, for that matter), but I can only hold off for so long...

Nubby Table Runner - I love the natural, beachy look to this runner...

So, what's on your wishlist at Pottery Barn? Grab the badge, link up your post and join in the fun!

Fabulous Fall Challenge - Day #7/8

2011-09-28T09:50:00.001-04:00

It's technically Day #8 of Brunch with Amber's Fabulous Fall blog link-up...however, I had a lovely case of food poisoning and spent my day half awake on the couch, instead of in front of a computer.

Therefore, you're getting another 2-for-1 post from mwah. You can thank my stomach and a bad batch of tartar sauce for that one.

Day #7 - Fall Recipes

Some of my favorites...

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cheesecake and Mom's Famous Apple Crumb Pie

Some recipes I'm dying to try...

Pioneer Woman's Chicken & Dumplings

Guyere & Spice Fondue Inside a Roasted Pumpkin

Roasted Fall Vegetables

Pumpkin Streudel Bars

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Day #8 - Fall Travel / Fall Roadtrips

Every October, M&E, Blondie, Fishman, The Hubs and I roadtrip up to Orlando for a long weekend in Disney. We hit the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and hit the Halloween costume party at Magic Kingdom. This year, we get to do it twice, as my parents, sister and brother-in-law are coming up in November for Food & Wine.

We typically alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between families each year, so we usually spend Thanksgiving in either Colorado (hub's family) or Charleston (my family, which prefers just to meet in the middle for a vacation, rather than us all trekking back home to Northeast Ohio). This year, the hubs' family is actually coming to us in SoFL for Thanksgiving, and we're heading up to NE OH for Christmas.

Asian Glazed Short Ribs

2011-09-26T11:29:00.000-04:00

In terms of wedding gifts, all of our top five favorite gifts were kitchen-related items:

Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Cookware - seriously, the best cookware I've ever cooked with. Period.

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor - I have no idea how I functioned in the kitchen without it, now that I have it. I've made just about everything in this bad boy over the past four months - diced onion, salsa, pasta sauce, pesto sauce, fresh herb rubs, breadcrumbs, dessert toppings...plus, mincing fresh garlic and ginger has never been easier.

Le Creuset Dutch Oven - I didn't get what the big deal about Le Creuset was. Until I got one. I shall never doubt again.

SodaStream - it's totally worth the hype. And saves us about $20 in soda every month.

Slowcooker - our savior on busy workdays, and the source of my beloved carnitas.

Not surprising, considering how much the hubs and I like to cook...when we're not down-to-the-bone exhausted, that is. Unfortunately, we've been down-to-the-bone exhausted quite a bit lately, which has led to us being too damn tired to cook and resorting to carryout or zapping up a frozen meal of some sort. These developments have led to some unappreciated side effects...namely, increasing numbers on the scale and increasing upset in the stomach region.

So, in an effort to eat real food despite being fatigue, we're breaking out the trusty slowcooker a little more often from now on. The beauty of the slowcooker is that it takes virtually no time to prep whatever you're cooking, and once it's all in the pot, the pot does the work for you. All you have to do is resist the urge to eat it before it's done (hard to do when the damn thing makes your house smell amazaballs). Eight hours later - BOOM - dinner's ready, with minimal effort on your part. Can't beat it.

We usually do chicken and pork dishes in the slowcooker, but we decided to try a beef dish to start off the week, and it certainly was a smart move on our part.

Asian Glazed Short Ribs

2-3 lbs beef short ribs
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onion (green and white parts)
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger root (fresh)
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp dark sesame oil

Directions:

1.) Place short ribs in the bottom of a 6qt slowcooker.

2.) Place all remaining ingredients in bowl. Whisk together well. Pour over beef in slowcooker.

3.) Cook on low for 7 hours. Halfway through, flip any ribs that are above the surface of the marinade over so they get evenly marinaded. At the end of the cook time, remove meat, discarding any pieces of bone.

I served these bad boys with a quick and super-easy Asian "fried rice":

1 cup cooked microwave-in-the-bag brown rice
1-2 cup mixed Asian vegetables*
1 tsp peanut oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds

* I will pre-make veggie mixes and freeze them for later stirfrys. Our "Asian" mix has yellow onion, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, carrot, green onion, snow peas, and baby corn.

Heat oil in a stirfry pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and toss to coat. Stirfry for 1 minutes, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, toss to coat. Stirfry until crispy-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add rice and remaining soy sauce, toss to mix. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, toss to mix.

I've got to admit, I'm not a huge fan of ribs or fattier cuts of meat, but this meat was good. The marinade gave the meat a fantastic flavor, and the slowcooking meant the meat literally fell off the bone as we were pulling it out of the slowcooker. Needless to say, the hubs was a very happy (and full) man last night. :)

Fabulous Fall Challenge - Day #5/6

2011-09-26T11:01:00.001-04:00

It's technically Day #6 of Brunch with Amber's Fabulous Fall blog link-up...however, Friday was ubercrazy and I didn't have time to post my regular Friday post, let alone a blog challenge post.

Therefore, you're getting another 2-for-1 post from mwah. You can thank my A&P class for that one.

Day #5 - Things You Are Looking Forward To

Cooler weather for running...I wish this one was guaranteed (some falls we've got cool weathers, others it's sweltering until January), but a girl can dream...

Fresh Northern apples...lots and lots of fresh Northern apples...

Our annual long weekend in Disneyworld for Epcot Food & Wine and Magic Kingdom Halloween Party...

The overabundance of pumpkin consumables in the grocery stores and farmers markets...

My parents come down for a long visit every November...this year, my sister and her husband are flying down and meeting all of us in Orlando for another weekend at Epcot Food & Wine. See why I'm hoping for cooler running weather?!? Regardless, I can't wait to see them...

Watching Ohio State trounce all over Michigan for the eighth year in a row...yes, I'm aware that 2006 was not a trouncing, but it's my blog, so whatthefuckever.

Day #6 - Fall Television

Castle - last season was pretty kickass, and the season premiere last week was good, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens between Castle and Beckett this season...

The Biggest Loser - BL is one of very, very few reality competition shows I can actually stand. I actually prefer to watch it while I work out, because there's no way in hell you can slack on the elliptical when you see a 300lb middle aged man run a 5K on the first episode.

Pitbulls & Parolees - I love this show. This show made me fall in love with terriers (I already loved terrier mixes, thanks to Sandy). It's also nice to see that some people who do bad things do get their lives turned around for the positive.

Halloween horror movie marathons - every year, AMC and SyFy hold their own horror movie marathons in honor of Halloween. I LOVES IT.

Piranhaconda - I don't care how stupid this movie is going to be, I'm actually looking forward to watching it. A big part of that is the fact that every time I hear the word "piranhaconda", I start giggling like a Japanese school girl.

Fabulous Fall Challenge - Day #4

2011-09-22T12:27:00.011-04:00

It's Day #4 of the Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge...

Day #4 - Fall Decorating

I don't go all too overboard for fall in general. I usually put out some cute fall towels in the kitchen, and I put out my "fall color" runner with a pretty oak leave candle holder from Crate & Barrel. We've got a little wreath for the door that I'll put out from September to Thanksgiving. We've got a full Thanksgiving dinner setup (tablecloth, colored napkins, centerpiece, etc.), but that only comes out when it's our turn to host Thanksgiving dinner.

I love this centerpiece...

As for Halloween...that's a whole different story. We go all out, to the nines, for Halloween. Thankfully, the hubs turns as much into a little kid when it comes to Halloween as I do, so he's all for decorating for the holiday. "Our" Halloween is red and black, and has lots of skulls and spiders involved. We put red string lights up, switch out our porch and foyer lights to red light bulbs, hang cobwebs in the windows and around the doors, hang fake gummy blood on the bathroom mirror, stick fake gravestones along our front walk...you name it, we probably do it (short of a fog machine...but that's on my someday wishlist). When we have our Halloween party, we've got red and black candles everywhere, spiders hanging from the ceiling, and we've got a full spread of Halloween-themed food...it's certainly something to see. :)

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of previous years (and by no means is our decor this good, but here are some Pinterest inspiration shots:

One of these years, I'm actually going to do these as invites...

Fortunately (unfortunately for my bank account), this year's Halloween decor at Target is all black and silver skulls, so I've been stocking up... :)

10' Ceiling Tapestry - I'm planning to hang this in the hall leading from the front door to our living room. We put a red light bulb in the foyer overhead light, so it's going to look kickass glowing red. And the fact that I got it for half the price listed online - bonus!

Spiderweb Tablecloth - for our Halloween party food setup...

I also found a bunch of cute & inexpensive skull decor...none of which happens to be on Target's website (WTF?)...

Speaking of Halloween...lookie lookie what we found for Sandy...

::cue evil laughter::

Windowshop Wednesday Linkup - Overstock.com

2011-09-21T11:43:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday, folks...you all know what that means! It's time for Windowshop Wednesday!

This week's featured store:

I love places like Overstock.com, where you can find just about anything you could possibly need in one place, and at pretty reasonable prices.
So, what's on my wishlist?

Novara 5-Piece King Bedroom Set - right now, the bedroom furniture we have works for us, but I know we're going to want to replace it eventually. This set is classic-looking, yet contemporary, and I love the spacious nightstands.

The Charleston Chef's Table by Holly Herrick - one of the things I miss the most about living in Charleston was the food. The glorious, glorious food. There seriously isn't a bad restaurant in the entire city. I would love to dive into this book and see what recipes my old favorites have contributed...

The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond - why the hell is this thing still on wishlists and not on my bookshelf already?

AMF LeGrande 100-inch Billiard Table - I promised the hubs one of these when we get around to buying a house. Truth is, I want one myself, but I'll just let him think it's his idea. :)

Yamazaki Gone Fishin' 5-Piece Place Setting - totally impractical and totally overpriced, but this set is friggin hilarious and adorable at the same time. If these were serving utensils and not eating utensils, I might have been giving these serious consideration.

JS Collections Women's Point D'espirit Dance Evening Dress - I love everything about this dress - the cinched waist, the sweetheart neckline, the tulle overlay, the full skirt. This would be gorgeous for a fancy dinner, a wedding reception, a formal party...

Ci Sono by Journee Junior's Double-Breasted Peacoat - I could really use a new, up-to-date winter coat for those few weeks we do get cold weather (and for those holidays in Ohio and Colorado).

Thea by Chelsea & Theodore Women's Pleated Trim Top - I love the neckline of this top...it looks like the cut of the shirt had enough give that it's not super clingy in the midsection, but isn't so billowy that you look bigger than you really are.

So, what's on your wishlist at Overstock.com?
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Fabulous Fall Challenge - Day #3

2011-09-21T10:22:00.003-04:00

It's Wednesday, folks, and we're continuing on with the Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge...

Day #3 - Halloween Traditions & Memories

I grew up in a relatively small town in the midwest...Halloween was a big deal. Every kid got dressed up and went out trick-o-treating. As you got older, you got to ditch the parents and go on your own, which turned into a marathon streak of how many houses you could hit in the allotted three hours of trick-o-treat time, and how many times you could hit the same house without them realizing it.

In my lifetime, I've had a pretty wide variety of costumes...Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, a clown, a mime, a bubblebee, a 50's girl (complete with poodle skirt), a witch, a vampiress, a Grecian goddess, a black cat, a WWII nurse, Velma Kelly, Amy Winehouse...

I'm big on Halloween parties. I love getting dressed up, hanging out with friends who are also dressed up, drinking beer and Jello shots, and forgetting about all those responsibilities and crap that comes along with being an adult for a few hours.

In recent year, the hubs and I have established a yearly tradition for what we do at Halloween. At some point during October, we always venture up to DisneyWorld for the Epcot Food & Wine Fest, and the Magic Kingdom Halloween Party. We get dressed up and tromp around Magic Kingdom, riding rides, checking out parades and fireworks, and trick-o-treating. Last year, we were a WWII Private & Nurse:

Awww, we so cute...

...this year, the costumes are still up for debate (i.e. dependent on what I'm able to find along the local thrift store trail), but should involve some sort of undead bride & groom element to it. Then, typically the day of, or the weekend of, Halloween, we decorate the house to the nines and have a Halloween movie night with our local friends. It's tamer than previous years' parties and nights out club-hopping, but it's still just as fun.