crazy heart

Blah. Blah. Boo. Hiss. I did not enjoy this movie at all. We watched this weeks ago but I just remembered to blog about it now. Do not watch. If you liked this movie, sorry, I really have to disagree with you.

million dollar baby

Last night we watched Million Dollar Baby. I know, I know, we're like 6 years late on this one but it's pretty good. However, John was pretty upset with the ending. I give it a 2.5 out of 5. The acting was great and the storyline is pretty good until about 2/3 the way through the movie. One of my fave things from the movie is that Hilary Swank's trainer has mo cuishle embroidered on her robe and tells her at the end that it is Gaelic for "my darling, my blood". Love it :)

onion rings

After finding out that Red Robin's onion rings had 54 grams of fat and 724 calories per serving and John almost breaking down over it I decided that there had to be a healthier recipe out there. And I found it! And it's delicious! I (and John!) highly recommend this recipe!

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup flat beer
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup ketchup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut the onion crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices, and separate into rings. Use 16 of the largest rings; reserve remaining onion for another use. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in beer and egg white (batter will be thick). Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip 5 onion rings in batter, letting excess drip off. Add onion rings to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Place the onion rings on a jelly-roll pan. Repeat procedure of dipping onion rings in batter and cooking in remaining oil, ending with 6 rings. Coat the onion rings with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until crisp. Serve rings with ketchup.

Kitchen Note

Unless for some unknown reason you have an open can of beer in your refrigerator, try this simple way to flatten the suds you need for this batter. Measure 1/2 cup beer in a small bowl, and stir with a fork. You're left with about 1/3 cup flat beer.

(thanks to cookinglight.com for the recipe and pic)

things that are awesome

1. my new pillow
2. baking soda (it cleans my sink, freshens up any area and can help heal rashes)
3. baklava mixture at trader joe's (only $4.99)
4. mexican food
5. air conditioning
6. the joy that comes from a beautiful day + swimming pool + happy kids playing in water
7. 70-80 degree weather
8. lavender bodywash
9. how i met your mother (the TV series)
10. getting a shower at the end of a long, sweaty day

high cotton

I thought that was fitting since this is the cotton anniversary. We had a great time celebrating two years together. John had a softball game on our actual anniversary so after that we had a small dinner outside (thanks Mom and Dad for the table and chairs!) and exchanged gifts. I appreciate all of the helpful suggestions for gift ideas; I ended up replenishing his undergarment collection (he was beginning to run low) and he bought me an Isotonic Memory Foam Temperature Sensitive pillow (long name, but awesome pillow)

Last night we celebrated by eating at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, a fabulous restaurant on Mt. Washington. The food was incredible as well as the view. Of course, my researcher of a husband timed it perfectly so that we could see the city in the sunlight, watch the sunset and see it at nighttime all the while enjoying a yummy dinner. Here's to two years!

family time in PA

Last week my fam made the trek up to PA to spend some short but sweet quality time with us! It was so great just to hang out and talk. There was a lot of time spent on the back porch with coffee, walks with a crazy dog and time sitting together to eat. My family also made a quick day trip to Niagara Falls since Dad and Katie hadn't been before. Seriously, am I getting old or is it ok for me to just love sitting around and talking? Ok, I just wanted to make sure. Thanks ya'll for driving up here and spending time with us, it was short but very, very sweet. I love ya'll!!!

TN

Sorry it's been awhile since an update but I just wanted to give a little report on our time in TN. We had a great time with J's family and friends! When we go we're able to see pretty much everyone, which I love! We got to spend lots of time with his parents, Heather and Patrick and precious Anna. I think each time I see Anna she is even more fun to be around, it's crazy how quickly she grows and I was so amazed by how smart she is. That girl could talk to you for hours and has a better memory than I do. It's always good to see family, even if it is for a small amount of time. John, of course, was able to ski on the lake and eat Big Ed's pizza (both a MUST when we are in TN). We also got to spend some quality time with both the Kelly and Moon sides of the family, so great to see ya'll! Thanks again for everything, we had a wonderful time!

plus que ma propre vie

Today marks 2 years that I've been married to the man I love. Yay!

update

Hello all, sorry I've been slacking on blogging lately. This past week we've been bustling around the house...it was a big mix of cooking, paperwork, research, staining the fence, packing and end of the fiscal year junk. Needless to say I felt like we were running around like chickens with no heads :( But now we are here in lovely TN!! Yay! We made it! And for all of those who are wondering...we left at 5:00 p.m. and arrived at 3:00 a.m. Oh the joys of driving and having a dog that is a slobber monster in the back seat. But the most important thing is that we're here with family and looking forward to a great 4th of July weekend! Yippee! Bring on the outdoors, sun and no work! Love ya'll! Happy 4th of July!