Thursday, April 29, 2010

she's coming! she's coming!


ABby is flying to the burgh in a mere week! Yippee!!

Here's what I'm envisioning:
  • reliving middle school summers
  • shopping
  • eating
  • talking
  • drinking
  • watching pop up video, preferably Jump! by Van Halen and Love Shack by the B52s (i know there has to be some mysterious place out there that is hoarding all of those vintage vh1 videos!)
  • maybe some four square (just kidding, or am I?)
  • watching movies
  • playing putt putt and getting rainbow sherbet ice cream
Well, there you go, I just described every summer ABby and I shared from like 5th grade to 10th grade. Hope you enjoyed it :)

Seriously though I cannot wait for her little booty to get here!! Love you Abs!

my snarky husband

Guess who found a snarky new website? Yes, you guessed it...my husband. The other night we're sitting in the living room, each doing work on their laptop and he begins to giggle and asks me to come sit next to him. He prefaces the website with this "anytime someone asks me a computer question I'm going to send them this"...more giggling...website: http://www.lmgtfy.com/

He's so snarky and...dare I say it....giggly :)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

it's all greek to me


Yum yum yum yum yum!! Note: This is a MUST TRY recipe!

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
  • 1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread, torn into pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, split
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1/2 cup Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Preparation

Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until well blended (mixture will be wet).

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chickpea mixture per patty into pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Line each pita half with 1/4 cup arugula, add 1 patty to each pita half, and spoon 2 tablespoons Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing into each pita half.


Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
  • 1/2 cup diced seedless cucumber
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Note: Nutritional analysis includes Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing.
Calories: 280
Fat: 9.4g
Protein: 11.4g

(recipe and picture thanks to cookinglight.com)

Sunday, April 25, 2010

kamut spirals with chicken-artichoke wine sauce



Yummmmmmy!! If you're a veg head you can leave out the chicken and if you're a meat head you can leave out the artichokes. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) package kamut spirals (I used regular ol' rotini pasta)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke quarters, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
  • Chopped fresh basil (optional)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, salt, pepper, and artichokes; simmer 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened and chicken is done. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and 1/3 cup basil. Place sauce and pasta in a large bowl; stir gently to combine. Garnish with chopped basil, if desired.


Calories: 434
Fat: 9.2g

movies, lately

Brothers


This movie was really good. I'm sure most of you have seen the previews or have heard of it. Its basically about a military family, dad goes off to war and dies...or so they thing (dun dun dun). And of course I adore Natalie Portman so we had to watch it. It is sad to see what military families have to go through, I truly respect each of them.

Precious

I had to see it because everyone has been talking about it. I must say I really liked this movie. If you're looking for a happy-go-lucky movie, this is not for you. I've always been interested in what other peoples' lives are like, especially those that are different from me. Very, very interesting. If you're looking for a deep movie, I highly recommend it.

The Men Who Stare at Goats


Blah blah blah blah blah. I did not like this movie at all. I thought it was totally pointless and kinda dumb. I think its supposed to be funny, but it wasn't. We were so disappointed after watching it we decided to watch a movie that is an all time fave, Napoleon Dynamite, just to lift our spirits.

Couples Retreat

I saw this movie in the theater with Anna, but when John and I were looking for a movie that was light and funny I decided to watch it again. And I loved it again! It is very, very funny. I really like Vince Vaughn, he's great :) Highly recommend :)

rhett butler's people

I finished this book (on CD) last week and it is awesome! If you are a fan of Gone With The Wind (and if you aren't then our friendship ends here) then I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this book! Its really great :) It starts off a little slow but push through the first few chapters and you'll be in love. Love you Rhett!




Monday, April 19, 2010

i love country music!

When I was a girl I LOVED country music...Reba, Tim McGraw, Garth, Brooks & Dunn, and Alan Jackson were a few faves of mine. Then I went through my hip hop phase (who am I kidding, I will never exit that phase) but I was in a phase where I thought "ughhh country music blahh" and I hated when John played it in the car...blah. Well, its funny when you're removed from a place (the South), you begin to miss it a lot (duh) and you love anything that reminds you of it. Well for me that was country music, and it has been slipping into my music repertoire ever since. Last night Anna joined me to watch the ACM awards which were awesome! And we were both able to place faces to the artists that we love on the radio. Here are a few of my fave moments of the night and a few song suggestions:



Carrie Underwood after she won Entertainer of the Year (love that dress!)


Lady Antebellum, a new (to me) group--great voices and brought home quite a few awards


My girl, Taylor Swift, looking fabulous, as always


And last but most definitely not least, my girl REBA....loooooooove that dress!!

And here are a few songs I HIGHLY suggest:

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

bucket list item #12

12. Shamelessly sing karaoke in front of a crowd of people

Saturday, April 10, 2010

bucket list things

  1. Grow my own vegetable garden...successfully
  2. Have babies
  3. Visit Italy
  4. Spain
  5. France
  6. South America
  7. Greece
  8. Feel so passionate about something that I would publicly march and/or protest for the cause
  9. Learn how to ride a horse
  10. Take Irish dance lessons
  11. Learn how to two step and square dance

horseback riding?


As you all know I am randomly interested in different activities/topics. Lately I've been entertaining the idea of horseback riding. More than likely nothing will come of this, at least for the foreseeable future. It would be really cool to learn though. But maybe I'll put it on my bucket list.

side note:
bucket list: A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket". (thanks urbandictionary.com)

Maybe I'll begin by creating my bucket list. Yep, now I will randomly post things for my bucket list. Feel free to post things on your bucket list in the comments section, I would love to know :)

Friday, April 9, 2010

book(s) report

I've been reading/listening to quite a few books lately. I'm telling you, if you travel a lot for your job then audio books is definitely the way to go (if you're into books that is).

Here are some I've read lately:

Everything She Thought She Wanted by Elizabeth Buchan
This one is pretty good. It follows the lives of two women stuck in very different times in their lives. One is a woman in her 40s living in the 1950s. She is basically having a mid life crisis and is tempted by an affair with a younger man. The other woman is in her early 30s living in 2003ish. She's established in her career and her husband is urging her to have a baby. Entertaining. I give it a 2 out of 5.

Bright Lights, Big A** by Jen Lancaster
Freakin hilarious! I adore Jen Lancaster, she makes me laugh so hard! She writes the things that most of us are thinking but just too scared to say out loud. If she were Southern then she would be absolutely perfect (sorry Jen). 5 out of 5, definitely!

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
Interesting. Definitely interesting. I did like it, didn't love it but I did like it. I give it about 2 out of 5.

foxy blunt

While stalking The Pioneer Woman I found this presh site: Foxy Blunt.

Stationary for those with a sassy sense of humor.

My fave: Get well soon...you're a mess.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

serrv.org

While reading various articles on relevantmagazine.com I came across this article that was very interesting. Then after reading that article my interest was peaked and I searched serrv.org. What a great website!

Now I'm not trying to be a saint or a world crusader (although that would be really cool) but when I learn something interesting I do like to share. I think that free trade is an awesome thing and I often forget about it or it is compartmentalized to a little area in my brain. I just feel that as a Christian and a fellow citizen of the world I'm called to let others know what I've learned. So check it out, I hope you enjoy!

happy Easter ya'll!

I stumbled across this site while facebook stalking and I have to say its pretty blunt, direct and the dead on truth (just the way I like it). Check it out:

Drunken Nights and Easter Mornings