Monday, March 26, 2012

First Live Musical Show!!!


Since indulging in the classic "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" with my dear friend Sarah in high school on her couch, I discovered my passionate love for musicals.

I followed this up with "Paint Your Wagon", "White Christmas", "Rent", ect.

But I had yet to actually SEE a live musical! Sad, I know.

For my birthday this year (25 yay!) I recieved 2 tickets for Mezzanine seats at the Winspear Opera House in downtown Dallas. OMG I know, right?! I asked my lovely friend Stacie to join me, and I am so glad she could make it! She has been there for me in so many crazy stressful situations, it was nice to be able to give back just a little bit.



The tickets were for a show called "In The Heights" and was about a group of people living in a rundown area of New York and their struggles. It was hilarous!

A lot of the characters were Latino and played up the stereotype hilariously omg.






They are showing Oklahoma this summer, and I am so hoping to get tickets!!! 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Little Tiny Baby Seeds





The sun peaked out today!

And my gardening began.

Instead of getting carried away with my eagerness for a wonderfully blooming herb and flower garden, I am taking it one very small step at a time.

First step, purchasing herb garden kits!


They come with vitamin enriched soil pellets, seeds, and a "greenhouse".

I planted Oregano, Basil, Chives, and Parsley. I would like to also get some Thyme and Rosemary, and then I think my little herb garden will be happy and contact! 

I had to pour a few teaspoons of water in each pot prior to planting the seeds, and they blew up!






Next step, plant some seedlings for a few flower pots! I purchased some Delphinium seeds, but am thinking of getting some Begonias and Impatients as well.


I love all the purple hahaha!

Hoping to be able to get a dwarf hydrangea bush in a large pot as well like last year.


Yes, it is possible to successfully pot a hydrangea bush! I wish I could transplant them of course and have a beautiful yard with many bushes...

*cross fingers* Good things come to those who wait *cross fingers*


My hydrangeas from 2 years ago at my old apartment! I think they might have been exposed to too much sun and I over watered them lol, so hopefully I have learned.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Hunger Games

This weekend is the official opening of the first film in Suzanne Collins trilogy, The Hunger Games.

Epic! hehehe.



I am comparing, as so many are, this sci-fi Trilogy with the Twilight Saga and the Harry Potter Series.

I have read all the HP and Twilight novels and seen all the films, and just completed the games trilogy a few weeks ago.

I really enjoyed the themes of fighting for political freedom in tandem with the struggle for personal survival, and thought that the novels had much more complexity in a thematic sense than the Harry Potter books. They were still a much more simplified version of many adult science fiction novels that have been on bookshelves for years, but should translate well to film because of this. Great books for anyone but probably best for teenagers.

HP still has something that can never be trumped; magic! Despite its simplistic thematic plot, the world created by J.K. Rowling offers that childish escapism none of others compete with, and will likely remain a classic for children and young teens.

Twilight has more of an obsessive, corrosive, brooding quality to it that isn't quite the healthiest, but is somehow impossible to resist. Despite the main character's insanely annoying possession of a suicide/stupidity gene, I think the true allure originates from Edward's possessive and unyielding love. Committment issues are pretty much not a factor in this relationship, and in this divorce riddled age, I think that amps up the attraction.


Yay for Katniss Everdeen! Go see the movie, even if you opt out of the books (I think it will be better on film anyway), and cheer for District 12!

Sausage Links with Pineapple

o.m.g. I heart fresh pineapple.



Seeing as this was my first experience purchasing, cutting, and coring a fresh pineapple, I think it turned out pretty dang fabulous!

I knew I liked pineapple, but getting to nibble a fresh bite of this while prepping for this recipe, was oh so worth the effort of haphazard chopping happening in my kitchen last night lol.

I stumbled upon the recipe purusing my Better Homes and Gardens mag for March, and was able to stick to my motivation enough to follow through with acutally cooking it hehe. Which was great, considering as soon as I shut my front door with my grocery bags after work, the clouds suddenly clapped together and deluged our city in some desperately needed showers. So I spent the darkened stormy evening puting around in my kitchen :)

I love that there really were only two ingediants that I had to actually purchase too! A small shopping list always has me more motivated to test and keep a recipe hehe.


There are a few renditions I plan on creating from this core recipe as well:

1. Add brown rice when needed to feed more or hungier people
2. Use pre-cooked sausage and nix poaching for a faster less expensive meal
3. Nix the sausage entirely, add sweet onions and peppers to pineapple, and toss over brown rice for a vegetarian version
4. Use the pineapple as a stand along side dish

Done and done.

RECIPE:

Ingrediants:

6 fresh sausage links (1-1.5 lbs)
1 750 ml bottle white wine or 4 cups water
2 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp black black peppercorns
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
1 pineapple, peeled cored and sliced ino 2 inch pieces
3 tbsp pineapple juice from pineapple
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or favored hot spice)
1 tbsp packed light brown sugar

Instructions:

Poach the sausages if not precooked. In a 4-6 quart dutch oven over medium heat, combine the white wine or water, 2 cups water, sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to barely a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook, partialy covered, for 10 minutes. Remove sausages with a spatula (do not pierce through the casings!) and set aside.


In a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil and butter, and add the sausages. Slightly brown on all sides for 8-10 minutes. Carefully add pineapple juice to skillet. Increase heat to high. Roll sausages in pan until the juice is thickened into a glaze, and transfer sausages to a pan. Add pineapple to the skillet. Sprinkle salt, red pepper, and brown sugar over pineapple. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the pineapple is caramelized. Serve immediately.

Servings: 6
Calories: 469
Protein: 11g
Carbs: 25 g
Fat: 27 g
Sodium: 820 mg

Monday, March 19, 2012

Bacon-Wrapped Li’l Smokies


Appetizer fun!

We had another little potluck at work, and there always seems to be a mystereious lack of protein and an abundance of carbohydrates at these things (my coworkers are not in favor of a coordinated effort lol) Therefore, I decided to try something a bit different from my usual choice of healthy roasted vegetables.

These little pigs were a bit of a decadent decision, but definitely fun to make!

The sauce was really the highlight; a blend of maple syrup, brown sugar, and dijon mustard. Mmmmmm sugary goodness!

I think wrapping them all in bacon though was a bit uneccesary, and didn't really improve on the recipe as a whole, so def skip that for a simpler tasty version.

This is a great potluck recipe as it can be reheated without any diminution in taste, and is easily transportable.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Oversized Sweaters Fight the Winter Chill


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As winter slowly creeps into the bones of the earth each year, vague memories of snuggling in a blanket on the couch, sipping a steaming cup of coffee, and reading a new novel seem to permeate my mind in anticipation of the season to come.

Now that spring is replacing those hours of quiet stillness with joyful bursts of sun, I am shedding a few tears in honor of this past winter's most popular fashion staple, the oversized sweater.

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Whether pairing it with skinny jeans, or some neutral tights and a skirt, this was by far my favorite fashion item for the winter. Boots, scarf, and messenger bag required!


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Here's to hoping next season sees a recurrence!

     

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Spring is in the Air

 
 
 


Last weekend (ok, really the sat before this past weekend) the clouds finally parted and the sun peaked his head out. After a rather dull grey winter, it was such a beautiful day!

I headed out to the park close to my house for some card games, frisbee, and fun. I wanted to bring a little snack of some sort for the group, even though it would only be the afternoon and not meal time, so decided to try out this recipe for Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.

It was such a hit!

I did substitute a bit of cream for some of the cream cheese to make the filling a bit lighter, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. They taste sooo good with a bit of lemonade too!

I can't wait to bring these to a real picnic later in the season...

Who wants to go berry picking?