I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

By this time tomorrow morning i will be on a plane to Michigan. I will be visiting my BFF Rachel, and some other friends from long ago. This month will mark 10 years since I left everything that was familiar and moved across he country to New Hampshire. It's hard to imagine that this much time has passed, some days it feels like I just left. My time in NH was difficult and wonderful all in one year. The best part of moving there was meeting Rachel. I knew the moment I saw her that we would be best friends. We have seriously gone through so much together, loss and birth, boyfriends and marriage and moves criss-crossing the country. Yet here we are, still as close as the day we met, probably closer, because we have shared so much history. I am looking forward to just chillin' and doing what we do best, just being our goofy selves. I will report back with an update of my travels probably Monday night next week, when I return. peace.

Rock Lobster!

Have you ever heard the B-52's song Rock Lobster? If not, I have the video below. This is one of the coolest goofiest songs known to man. I was never a fan of the B-52's because unfortunetly I only knew them because of that dumb song Love Shack! But one night about 4 years ago, my boyfriend at the time, put this album on his record player, and he played me Rock Lobster. WE danced and danced to this song, and we laughed and laughed. This by far was craziest boyfriend i ever had, and every day was an adventure with him. The relationship was short lived, because silly boys only get you so far, but overall it was one of the funnest years of my life! Rock Lobster Forever!

Drink Du Jour

This is a take on the Bloody Mary, but with way more za za zing! I have been making this drink now, almost everyday for a week. It is deliciously spicy and fresh. And very healthy too! I don't add the alcohol, but you could add gin or vodka for a kick.

Red Snapper

5 ice cubes
6 fluid ounces of vegetable juice hot & spicy
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon brine from olive jar
1 pinch hot chili powder
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish

DIRECTIONS
Place ice cubes into a cocktail shaker, and pour in tomato juice, gin, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, celery salt, pepper, and horseradish. Cover and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Pour contents (including ice) into a 12 ounce highball glass. Garnish with celery, pickle, olives, and lemon wedge before serving.

A story...

I was just thinking about this little story I heard about an old married couple. The man was crotchety and gruff and completely pessimistic, and his wife was nagging but in an endearing way. One day they went on a boat cruise that also happened to have a fishing contest going at the same time. Now in order to actually win you would need to have purchased a raffle ticket. So even if you caught the biggest fish, if you had no ticket, you received no prize, which in fact was around $5000! So the man and his wife boarded the boat, and set out for a day at sea. Now the husband wanted nothing to do with raffles and the like, and told his wife, “I don’t want to buy no damn raffle ticket”, which the wife replied, “Fine, but don’t come crying to me, when you need one.” The gruff old man went fishing and low and behold he caught the largest fish of the day. When he went to show the judges, his prize fish, they said to him, “You have indeed caught the largest fish, but do you have a raffle ticket?” The man hung his head regretfully and was about to say no, when his wife came forward with a raffle ticket she had gone on to buy, regardless of what her husband had said. And as the judges handed over the money to the couple, the wife looked at her husband and said, “Eat Crow!”
And so this couple tells this story with a glimmer in their eyes, and a smidgen of a smile on the old man’s face. And you know without a doubt that this grumpy old man loves his wife, and the wife loves her husband, not despite of his crotchetiness, but because of it.

Friday night laid back...

I am finding that more and more, and maybe it is my age, but i really like to just chill on a friday night. Not that i wouldn't pass up an opportunity to shake it up on a friday, but i try purposefully to not make plans. And really, i have no problem being home alone on a friday... I mean where does it say that you HAVE to be doing something all weekend long! During the week, I get up early, work all day and almost every weeknight i have something going on! so who's to say that friday can't be a chill night? I am not ashamed! I made some delicious thai noodles with crunchy carrots, that made my heart skip a beat! Hey I even busted out a set of chopsticks I purchased in China over 5 years ago! Life is too short not to use the good kuàizi! (chopsticks)

Crunchy Thai Noodles

Serves 6, (the recipe called for snap peas, bell peppers & scallions, which i had none of, so i used carrots, which tasted just fine!)

Kosher salt

1/2 pound thin spaghetti

1 cup sliced crunchy carrots

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
For the dressing, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, peanut butter, salt, to taste, and the pepper, in a medium bowl.
Combine the spaghetti and carrots in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the spaghetti mixture. Add the parsley and mix again.

Birthday & Slumber Party

Answer: NEVER!
What is: When are you too old to stop having slumber parties?
Saturday was a busy day of preparation for a fun evening with the girls. I spent the morning baking and decorating a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for Tabitha... I love baking cakes, and I love to decorate them, but the problem I have is that decorating a cake takes patience... which sometimes I lack! I hurriedly wrote "Happy Birthday Tabitha" on her cake, when I realized that I spelt Birthday: BIRDAY! UGH! So I had to clean up the mistake, wipe the palette clean and start fresh! Which funnily enough, often mirrors how my life works! Thank God that frosting is forgiving, which then i guess i should say that thank God, He is forgiving too!

Anyway, make the cake, get everything together, head over to Bonnie's and wait for Tabitha to arrive. We went all out on making this the most girly birthday she has ever had. We're talking, candles, bubble bath, bath salts, earrings, bathrobe, slipper... and a tiara that we made her wear all night. I love other people's birthdays!! What fun it is to celebrate someones arrival into life!

After that celebration we had over some of our girlfriends for an all out slumber party! Chick flix, smoothies, mud masque facials and lots of laughs. I had such a great time, and I hope we make this into a reoccurring tradition!

Next weekend I will be in Michigan with my BFF Rachel, with a slumber party of our own!

Happy 7th Anniversary to my wonderful cousins Kyle & Kelly! Way to go on 7 great years!!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

wasn't that the song for the cereal? I can hear it in my head! I used to be addicted to that stuff when I was kid. My mom raised us on goats milk, wheat grass shots and everything that equals healthy. But for a season, my mom got lenient and she would buy me cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Oh mom, you are the best! Speaking of cinnamon toast, when I used to live in NH, I would make breakfast almost every morning for up 75 people. Usually it was oatmeal, pancakes or cold cereal. But there were times, when the stars would align and we would get a donation of cinnamon bread, and if it was in the budget to purchase cream cheese; I would make cinnamon bread french toast! Holy Moly was that delicious. Yesterday, I knew that Bonnie and Paula were coming over. (No Tabitha though, cause it was her birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TABS!)
So I polled B & P and asked them what they were craving for dinner, and the response was French Toast. So then I thought, OMG I could make the cinnamon bread french toast! And it was decided. I jazzed up the recipe with chunks of honey crisp apples, and it was like a moment of heaven in your mouth.

Cinnamon Bread French Toast
serves 4

2 Tablespoons of butter
8 slices of cinnamon bread (with raisins optional)
4 oz of cream cheese
1 half apple chopped into small chunks
3 eggs
2 Tbls milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Heat griddle or pan on low and melt butter. In a small bowl mix cream cheese and apples together, set aside. In another shallow bowl or dish, whisk eggs, milk & nutmeg together, set aside. Take 2 slices of bread and spread cream cheese mixture between them, follow likewise with the other slices. Dip each sandwich into the egg mixture and coat thoroughly. Follow with the other 3 sandwiches. Place on griddle and fry sandwiches until they are golden brown on both sides.
Serve with your favorite toppings. heaven.