because i can

Guest Blogger!-Kmac

2011-10-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is a hilarious blog from my best friend Kmac that I just absolutely had to share. In case you're wondering what I have been doing in between work and school ... Here's a little insight into my life these days. My dog Lilo that you have all seen me speak about often was dealing with severe allergies. I wasn't able to take seeing her suffer anymore so in February of this year I decided to start feeding her raw. She is a different dog and I will never go back! So as I said before, here's some insight into what some of my Friday nights are like. We are weird yes. But we have a great time. This is a long one but a must read. <3 B

Kmac's Tips for Making Raw Dog Food

This past Friday night, my friend B and I had dog food date night, as we do about once a month. We get off work at 6:00 and go to two different grocery stores for ingredients for the dog food as well as for stuff to make ourselves dinner and usually margaritas The food we make starts with a base of bone-in chicken thighs and then we add about 50% boneless meat to that (turkey, pork, beef, etc). We typically can get through Costco (the first stop) without being asked too many questions. But we ALWAYS have to explain ourselves in the check out line at our regular grocery store when the cashier wants to know what chicken hearts taste like. Apparently in that neck of the woods, it not that normal to find girls our age buying out the store's supply of chicken livers, gizzards hearts and necks on a Friday night. We've gotten strange looks from many a soccer mom in Juicy Couture sweat suits, wondering what the heck we were going to do with all of those chicken parts or looking at a cow tongue with wide eyes.

After we finish shopping, we arrive at my house, set up the grinding station, open up our snacks and make a batch of margaritas. We always get snacks because we know we won't be eating until very late. Plus when my blood sugar is low I'm not allowed in public or to be in close contact with other humans, so spicy hummus and pita chips it is. Then we get busy steaming veggies, opening cans of sardines and cracking eggs into our giant mixing bowl. We put the organ meat and cooked veggies through the grinder, add some ground turkey and then package the food into 12 oz portions for B's French bulldog, Lilo. Keep in mind that this is a pretty long and tedious process since we weigh each portion and spoon it out of the giant mixing bowl that holds around 30 lbs of ground up meat slop. Then we put all of the containers in the freezer and take a snack/margarita break. You may not believe this once you keep reading, but on this particular night, we had been too involved in what we were doing to drink ANY of our margaritas until then.

At this point it's about 10 pm and we feel like we're doing okay on time, all things considered. So we get started on the next batch that will feed my two dogs and my cat. As we were steaming a second batch of veggies it occurs to us that we have completely omitted the chicken thighs from Lilo's food. It was funny because the whole purpose of having a 58 lb meat grinder is to grind bone-in chicken thighs, yet we managed to finish a whole batch of food without grinding anything except veggies and organ meat. So we collect all of the containers from the freezer, dump them back into the giant mixing bowl, grind the chicken thighs, mix it together and repackage the meat.

Margarita break!

Then we get started on our second batch. We were not about to make the same mistake again, so we start with the chicken thighs this time, then grind the organ meat, cooked veggies and stir in all of our other ingredients—sardines, yogurt, eggs, etc. We weigh the food (2lbs each for my critters), package it and put it all in the freezer. Then at around 1 am, we finally have time to make our own dinner—pork and chorizo sliders with bacon and "fancy sauce?" yes please!—and our last round of margaritas for the night. We eat, relax for a while and then B's sister comes to get her so she packs herself up and gets in the car to leave. We had a bridal shower to set up the next morning so we needed to sleep.

As they were pulling out of the driveway, I open the refrigerator in the garage to put leftovers away and nearly drop the dish I am holding. Sitting innocently on the top shelf is the ground turkey that was supposed to be mixed into the second batch of dog food. I run out in the driveway to tell my friend what had happened and we both have a good laugh and talk about how horrible it would have been to realize the turkey was missing AFTER the dog food was frozen solid. But it doesn't take long for the funny to wear off and reality sink in. So I do what has to be done ... I send B home and drag myself back into the house to re-mix the second batch of food, repackage it and put it in the freezer all by myself. I finally get to bed at around 2:30.

And now that you've read how raw dog food making can go wrong, I present, for your reading pleasure, my top 10 tips for making your own raw dog food without incident:

1. Spend the big bucks for a grinder that can handle bones. The cheapo grinders WILL break. It's a matter of when, not if.

2. Put all your ingredients in one place before you start grinding, otherwise you could forget the main ingredient.

3. Do your shopping ahead of time if at all possible. It feels like a lot less work when you split up the shopping from the food prep.

4. Make an evening of it. Be prepared with snacks and adult beverages (if you feel so inclined) kept far outside of the raw meat danger zone. If possible cook something in advance that you can heat up easily. In fact, if you're going to spend all night making dog food, you should probably just order pizza for dinner. Cooking for everyone at once gets overwhelming and raises the possibility of cross contamination. No one wants a side of raw meat juice with their taco salad. In fact ... no one wants taco salad after they've made dog food. Avoid anything that includes ground meat. No matter how good it sounds right now, it won't sound good after a meat grinding marathon.

5. Invest in a really big metal mixing bowl so you can make large quantities of dog food and freeze. The restaurant supply is a good place to get giant bowls for cheap. I'm talking 13 quarts for about $12. Also know that people will make fun of your giant bowl, but will be really impressed when they see how handy it comes in (and many of my friends have witnessed dog food date night and been both terrified and impressed at the same time).

6. Find a friend to help and together you can make hilarious meat jokes while you work (that's what she said!). B and I spend the majority of the time laughing at the things that happen in the kitchen, like pureed liver squirting out of the grinder across the room or big blobs of meat falling on the floor (meat down!) or accidental splattering of meat juice all over us (SAVE my margarita!!!).

7. Take care when feeding items with a high moisture content through your meat grinder. Maybe consider having someone create a meat juice barrier with a towel or a disobedient child. The projectile of a 1 lb container of liver can clear several feet. And don't leave anything in the line of fire, like a drink, that could potentially catch flying meat particles ... because if you do, that is definitely where they will land.

8. It might seem like a good idea at the time, but whatever you do, do NOT put your face over the feeder tube while the machine is running. Once, before I got my big 1 HP Cabela's grinder we were using a little 400 watt grinder. I swear that thing used to burst into tears when it saw us coming with all of those chicken bones. During its last good run, it got backed up and Husband Elect, who is completely grossed out by raw meat, looked into the feeder tube to see what was going on. He had put it in reverse and when he turned the grinder on, a chicken knuckle flew out and hit him right in his mouth. We were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. Highly entertaining, but possibly dangerous. Nobody wants to explain that they got their eye put out by flying chicken parts.

9. Keep it clean and be aware that this is not a project for the squeamish. Chicken hearts have tiny heart valves (barf) and raw meat has a smell that you won't soon forget. Liver is slimy and bloody and if you get meat on your hands and touch anything else (which you inevitably will) it doesn't take long before everything is covered with raw meat. You will get dirty. Your kitchen will get dirty. And you should really shower afterwards. Make peace with that before you start and when in doubt, wash your hands. Keep the spray bleach or hydrogen peroxide handy or your house will become a cesspool of meat. Put down newspaper if you can. Also if you have a digital kitchen scale, no matter how much meat juice gets on it, resist the urge to wash it under running water. It will break.

10. Making homemade dog food once a month seems like a lot of trouble, but it's really not that bad. It can actually be fun and it's rewarding to see how much the 4-legged ones enjoy it. Mine won't touch the store bought stuff anymore. My "finicky" Chihuahua never reached his full weight until he started eating raw. I always thought he was naturally skinny, but he really just hated his food. So I guess the final lesson is, try it, but you might never be able to go back. Don't say I didn't warn you.

2011-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hello to my mass of followers! Don't worry..I'm still alive. Just thought I'd post a short update on what's going on with my life.

Please.Brace for excitement.

Tomorrow I start my FINAL semester of school. How excited am I? How HAPPY? Ready to get it over with?? Well...all of the above.

In truth, I couldn't be less motivated. I nearly passed out trying to print out the syllabuses today. Really.I just can't care. Someone help, I've got a ridiculously serious case of senioritus. I mean...I've never liked school but now I'm feeling a little...numb to it.

oh well.

It could also have something to do with the fact that I have just returned from our annual beach trip. I should be laying out right now. on the beach.with my kindle.

Just so you know.

Other than that...life is good. It's hundred billion degrees outside....but to me that just means there's still time for pool dates with my girls. go team.

And now a picture from the beach!! It was storm day. I <3 storm days.

<3 B

hmmmm...life

2011-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'm tired of talking about how I haven't blogged in a while every time I decide to write a post. Therefore I refuse to mention it from this point on.

I'm never going to be one of those awesome girls that posts amazing blogs on a regular basis.

In the same way I will never own a white shirt for long without getting something on it.

These are the facts of life I have accepted. moving on...

I've been crazy busy over the past few months and it has been totally self-inflicted. But as I sit here staring at my computer screen trying to find the motivation to complete my accounting homework (due by midnight btw) I can't help but try to find something else to distract me. It's a terrible habit of mine.

So I thought I would write a quick blog about the various things that have been going on in my life. brace for a ridiculous amount of excitement.please.

So this year I moved into my very own apartment...which has worked out well seeing as I am a crazy person that rarely sleeps and lives off of vending machine food during the week but yet somehow still finds time for soaking up some sun at the pool with my kindle.

This is why I will only have one hour to complete my homework. I have deep.emotional.issues. Hence the reason it's an excellent idea for me to live alone.

Well. as alone as one can be with an adorable, flat faced, snorty dog that enjoys taking up a corner of my couch and bed.

See what I mean? A-dorable.

So my 18 hour semester is about to be over. I am both excited and exhausted. If that makes sense?

I am also very excited about my 2-3 week break before my summer semester starts. Did I say LAST SUMMER SEMESTER EVER?? Because that's what I was totally thinking.

Lord willing...graduation comes in December and it can not come quick enough.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH<--current emotional state of mind

ok. enough random blogging....back to homework!

until next time

<3 <3 <3

B

Because it's Monday...

2010-08-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

...and because journalism this fantastic needs to be shared.

Props to you channel 48 reporters for keeping a straight face during this segment...I also would like to personally thank you for showing the interview with the "victim's brother" in it's entirety. It's because of people like you that I can survive another Monday.

Vacation, the 5 pounds that haunt me, and whatever else comes to mind in the next 5 minutes

2010-07-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hello there. I know all five of my followers have missed me lately and I apologize for my absence. I have had (and possibly still have) a severe case of writer's block lately. While the definition you will find says the writing has to be a profession in order for this illness to be applicable...I think the "expert" that entered this definition into wikipedia did not take into account all of the bloggers out there including myself. Oh well though... I'm going to do my best to throw something together(and keep doing so) until it comes back to me.

When I figure out what I mean by "it" I'll be sure to let you know.

I enjoy having a blog. The hard part is trying to have something interesting to say. So here we go.

What's going on with me you ask? WELL I am so glad you want to know...

This Friday we leave for vacation!!!!

Ahhhh...beach house. My love. I have been waiting to see you for an entire year.

1 whole week of relaxation, basking in the sun, plenty of reading, and let's not forget the high intensity wii playing that will be going on. Um yes. I think I will. Thank you.

So this leads me to my next subject that I'm sure all of you are dying to hear about...

The dreaded insert number here pounds that every woman hates/complains about/talks about losing. You know what I mean and with women there is usually a number that we have decided on. My most recent number is 5. 5 pounds can make all the difference in the world. Jeans fit better, shirts aren't as tight, and let's not overlook the fact that it takes you about HALF the time to get ready because EVERYTHING DOESN'T MAKE YOU LOOK FAT anymore. Ah yes. 5 pounds. I hate you. Why oh why will you not go away?

I think the most difficult part in all this is diet.

meh.

But with the help of my good friend R, I have been doing well for going on 3 weeks! We are eating better and working out.

Which brings us to Jillian. The devil.

If you're not terrified. You should be.

R and I have been doing her 30 day shred for the past few weeks along with our new diet plan.

It is painful. makes you want to kill yourself.and...awesome.

What happens on vacation you ask? Don't worry. We are taking her along for the ride. We plan on working out while the boys are all gone fishing. Nothing like a little pain and suffering to get you going in the morning!

I also plan on going to target on my way home to get a sweet new scale I found online. I'm realizing that the whole "goal of losing five pounds thing" is a whole lot easier to keep track of when you own a scale.

Go figure.

Now for the finale of this post....my latest favorite song.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Recently

2010-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've recently decided a few things...

One of the first things is I want to finish school in 2 years or less if I can. I'm tired of school. It exhausts me. It annoys me. It keeps me from doing what I do best...which is working of course and spending time with the people I love. I feel like school is something I can be good at if I try REALLY hard. Which lately I have been. However, working comes naturally to me. I'm good at working hard. I'm good at learning my job and growing to be great at it.

Yes.I know. The importance of education...blah blah blah.

I have every intention of completing school and I will very happy once I finally get my degree.

But that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

Secondly...

I took Lilo for a walk at the dog park in my apartment complex the other day. There were big dogs there that wanted to eat her and while the people were very nice, it just wasn't Lilo and my's scene.

We need a yard so that I can sit and drink coffee....

or maybe a glass of wine....

and watch the bug terrorize anything that moves for as long as her heart desires...

I know right now is not the time, but someday I intend to be in the country again. I love it there.

No traffic.

No one living directly next door to you.

Its where I grew up and eventually it's where I would like to be again.

For now I'm happy living in the city. In an apartment where there is not a lot to worry about. I have my two plants out on the balcony and Lilo and I have plenty of room to go for walks outside.

but maybe someday I could have a nice big yard...a garden...and possibly a clothes line...

Totally not kidding about the clothes line.

For now, I am content where I am. I have things I need to accomplish, then I will see whether or not my dreams of living the country life are able to become a reality. It's possible that I could change my mind before then...so who knows? I'm just thinking out loud...

Plus...I definitely feel like it's ok to dream...

hmmm...I can almost smell the fresh air

Southwestern Baked Chicken and Zucchini

2010-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

I found a great recipe via my palm pre app that's called "what's for dinner?". It's great because I can type in ingredients and it pulls up recipes. This one was super easy and came out great. I improvised a little but mostly stuck to the directions.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
southwest seasoning (Emerils is a good brand)
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, divided
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green chilies
2 medium zucchini, unpeeled
Shredded mexican cheese

So I forgot to buy green chilies but I added some chopped red bell pepper and chopped fresh jalapeno (both of which were in my fridge) and they worked just fine.

The southwestern seasoning I made myself from the recipe that I also pulled from the app

Emerils Southwest Seasoning

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

A good reason to save your empty seasoning containers, just make sure you label them afterwards :)

So once I preheated my oven to 350, I followed the directions pretty closely.

First you slice the zucchini and lay it in the bottom of a baking dish(the recipe calls for a 9x13 but something close to this works just as good) then you pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce over it. Lay the chicken breast on top and sprinkle with the southwestern seasoning. Next pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the chicken and add the chopped veggies.

This is what mine looked like at this point

Pop it in the oven and cook it for about an hour, about 50 to 55 minutes in you can add the cheese and let it melt.

When it's done your home will smell wonderful and you will have something that looks similar to this to eat for dinner....

Yummy!

My roommate wasn't the only one excited about dinner being ready...although in this case the excitement was in vain...

"Is that for me mom??"

Sorry bug, that's for mom and Auntie Krust.

the uneventful life of me

2010-01-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

I am determined to keep this whole "blog" thing going.So.Although I don't really have anything to say....I think it will be OK to put a few snips of what's been going on in my life lately. No it's not exciting at all so please brace for boredom:)

Moving was a pain as usual, but once again I survived. Things are different now, more different than they have been in a long time. I know that everything has a purpose and I know that change is also good sometimes. So I'm happy and I'm hopeful for what is to come of this new situation I am in. Lilo and I are living in our new home with our new roommate krust and it is going great. Lilo is getting better every day with potty training and she is also getting big, losing baby teeth and growing adult ones all the time. Weird.

She is also crazy, stubborn, gets into everything, and loves loves loves. She makes me happy.

School has started back up and to be honest I'm relieved to have something to do with my time. Not that I have a crazy abundance of it, but like I said things are different. I have allot more time to myself lately which means allot of time to think. It can be overwhelming to face yourself alone every day but I seem to be adjusting just fine.

I miss my sister. We moved to a brand new city together and now it's just me. Its a good thing but again it takes some adjusting. My roommate is great but my sister is my sister.

Austin will never be the same without her.

I know it's good for both of us though. Splitting up also makes me realize we're growing up. Scary as it is I'm alright with it. Who knows where each of us will be in a few years but I'm glad we shared the time we did. One chapter ending leaves an opening for a new one to begin...

I miss cooking dinner for A and watching junk TV with him. He's such a hard worker and I love him for it but it has its moments where it is hard not having him around. The little things you never think about are the things I miss most. Adjusting to feeling single during the week has been a challenge. Once again though, it all happens for a reason and I know it will work itself out.

I'm never certain of where my path will lead next, but I'm always certain of Who is leading me down it. Thank you Jesus for all your blessings. Your forgiveness of me and all of my shortcomings. I know You will continue to work things out the way that You see fit. Lord I believe...help my unbelief...

Organizing with style

2010-01-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

I've recently moved into a new apartment and ever since have become increasingly overwhelmed by the massive amount of crap I own. Because of this feeling I am in a mood to either turn my stuff into something I like to look at or throw it away. I have been known to have several projects going on at once when I find myself in a mood like this one. So here it is, Thursday, and I have successfully completed two projects for my bathroom, rearranged my bedroom, and thrown away random pieces of furniture that have been moved one too many times and subsequently passed from the useful zone into the junk one.

So project number one is a copy cat DIY project that I stole from my good perfect insane friend R, check out her blog here.

I fell in love with the jewelry holder she made and felt the need to create my own. I have several pairs of earings but rarely wear any of them because they are in a mess of a drawer underneath my sink.

Taking R's advice I moved on to a more heavy duty wire to avoid any tearing. Not quite as fancy looking but much more durable.

Just like that, jewelry I forgot I own! This was a simple project all that was needed was an 8x10 picture frame, a piece of scrapbook paper, an 8x10 piece of sturdy wire mesh (easily found at Lowes or Home Depot), and a good pair of wire cutters to get the size right. A glue gun is a good idea for the paper but I didn't feel like digging mine out of the box I'm sure it still resides in so tape worked just as well. Attach the paper to the backing insert of the photo frame. As for the wire, the original plan was to use a staple gun to attach it to the inside of the frame. However, I found that once I cut it to the perfect size with the cutters it fit in nice and tight and didn't need to be stapled.

So the second project was an attempt to tackle the same problem in regards to my necklaces. I had been searching for the perfect little shelf I could use for this purpose but I only found one's that were more than I was willing to pay. Instead I went to the unfinished wood section at hobby lobby and found two tiny shelves with shaker knobs that were perfect for hanging things on. They were both less than $2.00! Of course I needed to buy acrylic paint, I purchased a solid white for a base coat and a nice butter cream color to finish with.

I applied two base coats and let it dry before applying the final color. Great thing about acrylic paint is it's around .99 cents a bottle and only takes an hour to dry:)

I am quite happy with the finished project, but the pictures don't really do it justice. Wow accessible jewelry that also decorates my wall...yay:)

I <3 projects.

random friday thought

2009-12-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

I've had allot on my plate this week and as a result...allot on my mind. So here's a random blog that's basically a thought turned into a awkwardly long paragraph.

I apologize in advance if it doesn't really make any sense:)

I wonder sometimes why my friends can't see what I see. Why they don't think they deserve the absolute best...from life, love, just everything. I hate that they settle. I HATE it. Sometimes I just want to leave where I am and go to them...maybe shake some sense into them. I guess I have this deep need to try and help people. But what if they don't want my help? What if they are exactly where they want to be? It doesn't matter how much you tell them what they are capable of, how beautiful they are, how much more they deserve out of life...they have to make their own decisions. I know this. But it doesn't make me any less crazy. My heart just aches for people that I care about. I don't always think I say the right thing either so it just makes me feel worse. Sometimes I feel SOOOO much that I end up being terrible at expressing it out loud. For someone that "feels" so much I end up coming off as pretty cut and dry. Oh well. I just pray that some of the things I say help in some way. I just can't help but be honest about what I think. Although I am quick to admit that I can be wrong. It still doesn't change the fact that I say it out loud most times:) I know it will all work out though, it always does. Even though sometimes what I say drives my friends crazy....they know how I am and for some strange reason still call me when they need me.Maybe what we need hear isn't what we always want to hear... I guess that's what friendship has to be, or else we're all just pretending to be something that we're not.

I'd rather be who I really am and annoy the people I love then try to please everyone and lose who I am.

Hello fall...

2009-11-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

I just left A's family Thanksgiving dinner and we are on our way home to see my family.. I can't believe another holiday has come and gone. I find myself wondering where the year has went to. It's the season for being thankful so I am thinking about ALL the things from this year that I have to be thankful for. So much has happened in the past few months. God has been so faithful to me but then again there has never been a time in my life where He wasnt't...so why do I say that like it's a surprise? Everything that comes to mind that I am thankful for all leads back to Him. My family, the family that has taken me under their wing here in Austin, my awesome friends, EVERYTHING is from Him that's where my focus should be. The only reson I am able to live the way I do is because of His grace and faithfullness. If i I don't understand that...then I'm not able to be thankful the way I should be. Although everything this year has't been perfect...all of it has taught me where my strenghth lies and Who is in control. So for that...I am SO THANKFUL. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello fall, i'm so glad you're finally here...

pumpkin cake I baked for thanksgiving

Lilo loves going for walks in the cool weather....

My first week as a new (puppy) mom

2009-11-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

The first time I remember seeing a french bulldog was in a commercial for a vacuum cleaner on TV when I was in highschool. I knew right away that I wanted to own one sometime down the road. A has been listening to me talk about wanting one the entire time we've been together, so in the spirit of shutting me up...he took me to get my very own 8 week old puppy on Sunday. She was a very generous gift from him and my family and friends for my birthday.

Lilo

French bulldogs are a great breed for people that live in apartments and want a dog that will be content living inside for the most part. They are known for their fun personalities and affectionate behavior. They do have their quirks but from what I have read I think that she will be a great fit for me.

I grew up having pets but I've haven't owned one since moving out of the house when I was 18. 6 years later I feel like I'm ready for the responsibility of having a pet in my life.

Honestly, I'm not sure how people have real live children. All I have done since I've brought her home is worry about what she could choke on while I'm at work. It's lame. I know. I'm told by my (much more intelligent) boyfriend that she is just a dog and I should stop treating her like a person.

Yeah.I'm sure that will happen.

So this week has been our first week together and I feel like we have already accomplished allot. Lilo spent her first night in her kennel on the floor last night, after a few nights of sleeping with me in the bed. She's learning that crying (although it breaks my heart at times) isn't going to get her out so I think she has accepted sleeping there and will make the best of it. It will be a much more comfortable place for her in the long run.

Our morning routine consists of her barking at me while I'm trying to take a shower and then sitting on my feet while I get ready. She only barks as a way of communication, in kind of a "Pay attention to me now!!" way.

Our next challenges will include potty training but I plan on taking that one in strides. For now, I'm letting her get used to her new home and family. So far we are having a blast with her.

Her right ear also stood up all the way this week (you can see in the above photo that it was almost there).

They grow up so fast...

Cheesy Jalepeno bread makes me happy

2009-10-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today we had a fundraiser at work that was a tailgating theme. I needed something easy that would also be very tasty and perfect to bring to such an event.

How about some cheesy jalapeño bread? Yes. Please.

Anything with melted cheese on it has my vote, the added green onions and jalapeños just made it that much more desirable...

I needed plenty to feed a large amount of people so I started with this recipe for cheesy bread..doubled it, and took the liberty of adding jalapeños...yum.

Here's my version of the recipe

Ingredients

1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
2 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions
1 medium can pickled jalapeños
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons sour cream
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sticks butter (softened to the point of being slightly melted)
3 loaves French bread

First, mix cheese, chopped green onions, and chopped jalapeños in a large bowl, then stir in the mayo and sour cream

Next, blend the butter and garlic until smooth (I also added a little of the juice from the jalapeños can to this for a little more spice)

Then, add the butter to the cheese mixture

Preheat broiler. Slice bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down

Spread cheese mixture (generously) onto the bread and pop into the oven, I barely walked away because it was before 3 minutes that they were good and melted

mmmmmmm.....:)

and....voila!

Delicious bread for the eating!

It was a success, 6 slices of goodness for my tailgating event and all in a very short amount of time. It was definitely a hit at work.

I will keep this in mind next time we have a party for the UT game...

Take 2: Grandmother L's Caramel cake

2009-10-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

So last year for A's birthday I attempted to make the cake his grandmother used to always make him for his birthday. Of course I know that I'll never be able to make it just like hers and I'm OK with that.

However, being the adventurous person that I am, I thought I would try it. Last years version didn't quite seem caramely enough but if at first you don't succeed.....

So here we are in 2009. With a new candy thermometer in hand I set out to try and get it right this time...well "more right" than last time:)

So, first thing first I baked the cakes. It's a simple (yet very tasty) recipe

2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. butter

1 C. milk

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla

First, I mixed together the dry ingredients and added the butter and 2/3 of the milk, then beat with a mixer for 2 minutes. Next, I added the remaining ingredients and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

Finally, I divided the batter up between two round cake pans (greased and floured) and baked them at 350 for 30 minutes. The cakes came out perfect.

Now to the REAL challenge....the icing.

My first experience with trying to make candy happened when I was twelve with my best friend LS. Let's just say when we dumped it outside the dogs wouldn't even touch it. These were country dogs...they ate EVERYTHING.

However, I'm not afraid to take a few more goes at something until I get better at it.

The more difficult thing of this recipe is the necessity to stir it the entire time, this can prove to make your arm sore but after a while of doing it, it seems to adjust OK.

Carmel Frosting

1 C. butter

3 C. sugar

1 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

So first thing

Combine butter and sugar in large saucepan. Cook stirring constantly...

The butter and sugar begins to melt and become thick.

Continue to cook it this way until it turns a light brown. I am pretty sure that my mistake last year was not having the heat high enough...

It actually starts to look like it's clumping up, which always makes me nervous, but once the heat gets going it begins to melt and eventually begins to caramelize

At this point I remove it from the heat and SLOWLY add the milk which needs to first be heated up in the microwave

Then I return it to the heat and carefully bring it to a boil

Once it hits 238 degrees (softball stage) I remove it from the heat and add vanilla

So at this point it actually looks like some sort of caramel substance, which is a pretty big improvement from last year. But, the directions state to let it cool to 110 then beat it with a wooden spoon until it loses it's gloss.

Candy is so sensitive I swear. Once it was cooled (keep in mind I'm still stirring at this point) It gets too difficult to stir and really isn't "beatable" so my improv skills kicked in and put it back on the heat to soften it up...stirred it with my wooden spoon as best as I could until it was cooled down a little...then I made the rash decision to dump it on the cake. Hey, it was after midnight at this point...I'd reached that place between tired and delirious:)

So here's the finished product

I have absolutely no idea how it will taste but I did try some of the caramel out of the bowl and it was pretty good. I'm thinking birthday cake may be a little chewy this year....

Can't knock me for trying though...right?

So I'll save this little recipe to try again next year. I'm hoping to get a little better at it the more times I try to make it:)

Happy Birthday to A!

I may or may not have some commitment issues...

2009-10-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that I have serious commitment issues. I start something up and i'm very excited about it for a few weeks but then I get bored and stop pursuing it.

I'm not talking about my relationships with men. I'm talking about the ones I have had with various fitness regimens over the years.

I've tried many different things when it comes to achieving a good personal exercising habit. I've had gym memberships, which I always end up cancelling. Once was because I got cable and was planning on using the fitness channel...that lasted about a day. I've also tried make use of my apartment gyms but I usually end up quitting before I get any real work done. The weights I purchased for home a few years back have ended up being one more thing for me to stub my toes on. Needless to say. It's been a tough battle against myself.

hey.don't judge me for being honest.

These are just a few of things I've tried to do in order to stay in shape but for some reason...I haven't really been able to get any of them to stick. With the crazy schedule I have had lately and everything in between, it's funny how fitness gets pushed to the bottom of my priorities list.

You would think that if something makes you feel better and look better that it would be higher up on the totem pole, right?

So. DETERMINED to break the cycle, I have taken up running and have been going bright and early 3-4 times a week with my good friend KM. AND I have been doing so for the past 2 months. I know I think I've set some sort of personal record here.

I have discovered that as hard as it is for me to get up in early in the mornings, I seem to have the most energy to exercise before the day takes it's toll on me.

...you know. once I can get my eyes to stay open.

So most weekday mornings at 5:15am, KM calls me to make sure I get out of bed for our run (yes I am spoiled). First rule for me and working out...have a BUDDY! I hate to admit it but if there isn't anyone waiting on me, 8 times out of 10...i'm going back to sleep. Thankfully I know KM is going to meet me at the track and I hate to let people down. Finally figuring this out has been one of the main keys to being able to get back on track.

When we first started out it had been a long time for both of us, so we did 4 minutes walking 2 minutes running. Sounds pretty easy doesn't it? Well to a couple of girls that haven't been working out for a while it was kind of tough. I'm not gonna lie. But we managed somehow and have been able to walk for 2.5 and run for 5 (hills before mountains people).

KM found a couple of great articles that helped us decide to start running, one from Woman's Health Magazine and another from runnersworld.com. They are both really good and have some great tips for first time runners. The ten week schedule is good but we're aren't technically "where we're supposed to be". So if you decide to try it for yourself don't be discouraged if you're not meeting the timeline. The first few weeks were hard (and we still have difficult days from time to time) but we have persevered and it's now become a normal part of my routine.It really makes my whole day better.

Recently we've started running every other day rather than trying to go every morning. The main reason being, we were having trouble with our legs getting too sore and not being able to finish out the week. Most things I have read say it's good to give your legs a break and not run every day. In order to avoid disrupting our new morning schedule we've been going to the gym on the off days and working on the machines. Its productive because we're able to work on the rest of our body and build up muscle on our legs to increase that running power;) I have definitely noticed some differences in the way I look but mostly in how I feel.

Well this has been one routine that I've actually been able to keep up. With a good friend and plenty of information on the internet....I seem to able to tackle even the most difficult every day challenges:)

Who knew?

The first of many

2009-10-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

So. It's after midnight. I'm (still) sitting on the couch watching junk tv (it happens to be a re -run of The Guardian on the sleuth channel). Yes. Welcome to my Friday night. Please don't feel sorry for me though, with the crazy week I have had, a night on the couch was just fine with me. In the hopes of completing something semi-productive this evening I thought I would get started with my very first post for this year on my new blog.

I really should be working on homework but honestly...I'm just not in the mood. I'm not your typical student. School isn't an "experience" for me, honestly it's just another job:) It's sad but true. Don't get me wrong I'm all about getting an education but it's nothing that I look forward to and can't WAIT until I get done. Please don't bother asking me how much longer I have because first, I still to this day don't know and secondly, from what I do know I'm embarrassed to say how long I think it will take...In spite of my pessimistic views I press on and I know I will reach my destination..eventually;)

I'm excited to have the new blog set up and ready to go. Especially since I have to do EVERYTHING the hard way and it seemed to take me forever to get it worked out. The fact that I had it nearly done and then accidentally deleted the entire HTML code probably played a part in that...but oh well. Like I said I wasn't doing anything else anyway so I guess it was OK that I repeatedly frustrated myself pressing the wrong buttons because I was too interested with the fact that Nicholas's baby's momma was giving birth to their child with down syndrome the same day he is also getting fired from partner at his father's law firm...junk tv...see what it does to your priorities?

So plans for the weekend include watching the UT game and enjoying the fact that everyone and their MOM is out of town...sweet! no traffic and the weather is supposed to be fantastic.

So that's all I can scrape together to write this late at night. I plan on watching this episode then heading to bed...I'd turn it off now but Lulu's grandma has just been physically abused in the nursing home and I am going to have to finish this one out.

What WOULD I do without DVR?

Probably homework. hah. oh well. So glad it's the weekend.