Halloween 2011 Ponderings

Happy Halloween!!  I’ve never been big on Halloween, even when I was a kid.  We didn’t really trick or treat or anything.  I think maybe one or two years my parents possibly took us to the mall to do the trick or treating there, one year I think I ended up at my school’s festival.  But besides that most years I spent Halloween at home, and I do remember even handing out the candy that I had obtained from school to the few kids that came by.  Oh and if I dressed up it was as a Punk Rocker, I loved Joan Jett when I was a kid, still do.  In my adult life I only handed out candy a few times, most years I’ll admit that I’ve just turned the porch light out and pretended no one was home, however it seems there are very few that actually trick or treat on the street anymore anyways.  Years ago I went to Halloween parties friends had, not because it was Halloween but because it was a party. 

At one of my old jobs the boss told us to dress up or not come in that day, so I dressed up for the sake of not hearing her moan that people didn’t participate.  I just used what I had, I had recently been in a wedding and had lost weight since it and the dress was falling off of me, I did my hair all crazy and was the bridesmaid from Hell.  That's the only real costume I've done since I was a 12 year old punk rock star, and it's been about 6 years since the bridesmaid outfit.  This year I’m in a whole new world.  My current job goes Halloween crazy.  Every section of the department decorates their area in mad fashion.  My area is Hell, another area decided to do a flip on us and do Heaven, there is a haunted carnival, a couple of non theme areas, and an area very dedicated to vampires.  I think the vampire crew is going to win, they went all out and the person who was the creative force behind it all is definitely not a Halloween decorating foe to be messed with.  Oh and everyone dresses up.  At least since my area is Hell I get to keep it simple and wear black or red and these silly devil horns.  Though I’m not a huge fan of Halloween the competitive spirit and the happy warm fuzzy feelings everyone has over it is very fun, it makes loving working here that much easier.  Though today is Halloween the competition and tours do not start until tomorrow.  Tonight I will be spending my Halloween dipping the rest of my cake balls that I mentioned in my last blog, Not So Lazy Sunday.

One thing I do love about Halloween is that it marks there are only 4 days left until my birthday on November 4^th.  Now that’s exciting!

Are you going to be dressed up partying your Halloween evening away or doing like me and hiding in the dark recesses of NoCandyHereville?

Much Love!  

I see that Amazon has their Halloween stock on sale! Stock up for next year!!  Click here for Halloween goodies!

Not So Lazy Sunday

Today I woke up and have been on the go since.  I haven't even had time to think of an actual topic driven blog for today.  Laundry, grocery shopping, dog walking, iguana petting and ball dipping.  The details of the actual ball dipping is a blog all of it's own to come at a later date.  Today was my first time making the ever popular new fad cake balls.  I baked two cakes for these balls for the work Halloween bash being held on Tuesday, because not everyone will be there tomorrow on actual Halloween or something like that.  I've made my first batch of balls and I'm over it, and I have a whole nother batch of balls to go.  I have ball delirium.  I need to hire a little unsuspecting person at my apartments and tell them if they dip my balls they get to keep some of the balls.  Now I'm just going to vegetate for the rest of the night try to forget the balls and the rest of the balls will be finished tomorrow.  The ball project has been fun but tedious.  Whoever thought of the cake balls was brilliant, for one they are yummy for two I just got to reference balls 14 times in one blog.  I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend and that Monday is kind to them.
 
 Much Love!!
 BALLS!(15) These are some of the ones I've made so far.

Online Dating?

Online dating… kind of scary and freaky. I’ve done it. Finding strangers online didn’t work out too well for me. I actually formed my last relationship that lasted 2 years from us meeting online. I knew it was over sooner, it just took me awhile to realize what I knew had no option but to come to fruition.


One thing I've learned from my own mistakes as well as from other people is that if you put too much information out there about yourself there is no mystery.  Some people will take advantage of knowing too much about you and put up a false front because they know exactly what it is you are looking for. By the time true colors come shining through you’ve already invested time and heart strings, and then comes the dilemma of dealing with the real person for the love of the one you fell in love with or just moving on.

After my relationship that had formed online ended I decided to try again. Scary. I didn’t put out as much information about myself and what I was looking for this time. I came in contact with this guy who was super and nice and sweet, a little clingy which I find annoying but with time it becomes tolerable. A few days into talking to each other he found me on Facebook and I accepted his friend request.   Then the fun started. Within a day he starts telling me that I am now his girlfriend and he wanted me to delete all the other men on my Facebook page and did not want me talking to any other men at all. Whoa!! What!! It hasn’t even been a week since we started talking and we haven’t even met! Deleted and Blocked.

I’ve known people who have successful relationships from meeting through online dating. Typically it seems they actually talked online for quite awhile before meeting, some for weeks, some months and some years. One of my favorite online love stories was recently posted by my friend Dinosaur Mommy in her post A Borrowed Blog. At first look it is long, but it's so worth the read, even though I already knew how it would end I was on the edge of my seat the entire time hoping they would end up together.


Taking it slow and getting to know each other probably sounds less appealing for some people who are lonely. However a major advantage is people are much more open via online correspondence than they are in person. This works with friends as well. If you are a virtual chatter you probably find that you end up telling your friend who you speak to online through instant messengers, emails, and other services, even text messaging more than what you tell your friends who you spend more time with hanging out in person. This isn't the law for everyone, I just know a lot of people are like this.  And I do not see how actually getting to know someone before investing your time and heart into them can be a bad thing.

In this cyber age I am sure we will all hear more and more stories from our friends about how they met their one and only online. Do you online date? Have you had a success story or find yourself with failure after failure?

Much love and many wishes for relationship success! 


If you are looking for a book to help, you will find that Amazon has many Dating Books for advice and stories etc for great prices, and many qualify for super saver free shipping.

Blind Man Walks Into A Bar

A blind man and his guide dog enter a bar and find their way to a barstool. After ordering a drink, and sitting there for a while, the blind guy yells to the bartender,

"Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?"

The bar immediately becomes absolutely quiet. In a husky, deep voice, the woman next to him says,

"Before you tell that joke, you should know something. The bartender is blonde, the bouncer is blonde, and I'm a 6' tall, 200 lb blonde with a black belt in karate. What's more, the woman sitting next to me is blonde and she's a weight lifter. The lady to your right is a blonde, and she's a wrestler. Think about it seriously, Mister. You still wanna tell that joke?"

The blind guy says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times."

It is almost the weekend so I thought we'd lighten things up and kick it off with a good blonde joke.  Who doesn't love blonde jokes?

Happy Friday!!  Have a safe and super fun weekend!

Much love!


I found this joke at www.funnyhumor.com.

Music Is Life

I truly love music, all kinds.  I will always have a special affection for rock and roll because I was a little girl growing up in Texas during the 80’s rocking out to the sounds of Pink Floyd, Tina Turner, Guns N Roses, Joan Jett, Aerosmith etc.  In our house rock and roll was pretty much all that was "allowed" on the radio, go ahead and deny it Dad, all radios in the house were to be tuned to, I’ll never forget, KBat.  Granted I was able to get away with New Kids On The Block and Tiffany and other 80’s pop music icons, but I couldn’t blast it.

My dad did grow out of that phase.  The first time he told me about how good this rapper was that my younger brother had shown him I think I about went into shock.

Now that I’m a grown ass woman, and live a few states away, I can gleefully admit that when my parents were not home I would scan the radio stations and listen to different kinds of music very loudly.  One of my favorite past times was recording songs on cassette tapes using my stereo/record player/cassette player/8 track player.  Oh yes I rocked the 8 track. 

I think my favorite song that I had recorded off of the radio onto cassette that I’d either play really low with my door closed or full blast when I had no parentals around to say something like “what in the hell is that, turn it off” was Will Smith or back then DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Parents Just Don't Understand.  Oh yes, they truly didn't.   I remember having friends over and sneakily playing it, and the other awesome songs I had found like I Can't Live Without My Radio by LL Cool J.  Keeping it low for my friends to hear, feeling like the coolest 9 year old little girl on earth playing my contraband and exposing them to music that they had never heard.

Music has changed in the past 30+ years that I’ve been alive and it will always continue to change.  I will always love it.  Though rock is my favorite, on any given day I may listen to anything from P!nk to BB King, from Taylor Swift to Snoop Dogg.  I love the way it can soothe your soul or amp you up.  There’s music for every mood and every emotion. 

I couldn’t imagine our world without music!  A great place to find all kinds of music of every genre from over the decades is the Amazon MP3 Store.  You can download singles or entire records.  It’s great and it’s affordable!  The best part is that your purchased music is available to you everywhere.  You can log into your Amazon account and play it anywhere on your Kindle Fire, PC, Mac, iPad, or Android device.  All of which are also conveniently available at Amazon.  Friggen awesome! 

With the holidays coming up do not forget that music is a great gift.  You can purchase Gift Cards that do not expire at Amazon and your children, friends, and family can pick the music or other merchandise they love.  I also love that you can email or Facebook Amazon gift cards, this is great for friends and family who do not live nearby and saving money on postage and avoiding your gift being delayed in the mail during the holidays is not a bad thing.

Much love and pump up the jams!

Firefighter Love

Last night I was watching the evening news and saw a brief what seemed like a 60 second or less spot to let us know that our local Gainesville area Firefighters would be wearing pink for breast cancer awareness.  I thought ‘Yay!’  And then a few spots later was what seemed like a much lengthier segment about an actress once again going to court or something.  I didn’t even pay attention to the story about whatever it was that she is going through because I was thinking about how I thought the Firefighters deserved much more attention.  To me Firefighters are just as important as our military and law enforcement.

78% of fire departments must raise their own funds for some or all of their funding.  To me this means that they provide a public service and have to support themselves to do it.  Perhaps next time you see that your local fire department is trying to raise funds you will find it in your heart to donate whatever you can, even if it’s a dollar or some change, it all adds up.  These men and women need the proper equipment to do their jobs and to survive. 

In 2002 volunteer Firefighters made up 74% of the firefighting personnel.  That is incredible to me.  And I know that statistic is probably not much different today.  Some people volunteer to pull bingo numbers and some people volunteer to run into burning buildings.  This year between 1/1/11 and 9/30/11 62.3% of firefighter fatalities were volunteer Firefighters.

For more information on firefighter fatality statistics: FEMA Fatality Statistics

I happen to know that some of the fire departments in country areas near where I reside are volunteer.  Help support these fire departments.  If you are in one of those areas you will never know when a tragedy will strike your home or business.  You want them to be prepared and to have the proper equipment to save your loved ones, belongings and/or livelihood right?

Not only do the fire departments put out fires, perform EMT duties, provide safety and awareness training, but I also see them do other worthy causes and raise money to benefit things that have nothing to do with supporting their department.  How truly benevolent!  Next time you see them out there holding out a boot or a hat and asking for donations no matter what it is for throw them a bone. 

You may be able to find information about your local fire department by doing a quick online search of your city or county and the key word “fire department”.  Even if you cannot thank them with money perhaps you can show your gratitude by explaining how brave the Firefighters are to your neighborhood children while teaching them about fire safety and hopefully practicing home evacuation plans, and then having them draw pictures and write letters thanking the Firefighters for what they do.  Or maybe drop off food.  You can always contact them and ask if they have any specific needs or wants.  There are so many ways to show your support.  Be creative and never forget to be grateful for their sacrifice.  There are also many funds set up that you can donate towards to help the families who have lost loved ones who gave their lives firefighting.  

Being kind and showing gratitude can be one of the most powerful tools you have in life.

I found the statistics listed in this blog on the Fireman's Fund website as well as the FEMA website.

Bravo to all of those who risk their lives to save our lives and homes every day.  My admiration and gratitude for the amazing people who put their lives on the line for the rest of us will never cease.

Much love and thank you for your bravery!



This screenshot is taken from a banner on the FEMA website.  Everything that you love and hold dear to your heart could become in danger in an instant.  For tips and saftey guides please visit the FEMA website and/or your local fire department's website.

Nudist Neighbors

Sunday afternoon I took a fantastic nap.  I woke up at one point because my dog was talking in his sleep, I look at my clock and see I've been down for an hour and decide I better get up so I'll be able to fall asleep at a decent time that night.

I get out of bed kinda stumble into the wall, wipe the sleep out of my eyes, tired, trying to focus, trying to wake up and think a nice hot shower would be the perfect thing to wake me up.  I toss off the clothes I was napping in, walk out of my bedroom into the living room eyes closed and stretching and suddenly remember that before I had laid down I had opened the blinds to every window and the sliding glass door...

I remembered this is what I had done because when I opened my eyes I'm standing there being showered in sunlight and a neighbor is walking past my sliding door catching full view of my nakedness.

Luckily he did not die of fright and I did not have to call an ambulance.

Not too long ago this happened to one of my other neighbors, he walked out of his bathroom naked and I was walking past his window and see him flying to the window to close the blinds likely hoping that I didn't see his manly naked body... Oh I did.  I wrote a quip on Facebook that morning making fun of him and saying that people should close their blinds before getting naked.  This is what I get for being a smart-ass.

Up until this my most humiliating naked moment was when I lived in the country and, again about to take a shower, ran outside to my car to grab something I had forgotten and the Great Dane that I had at the time decided to try and come outside too and locked me out when trying to open the door with her mouth on the knob.  Luckily no one saw me, as far as I know, up on a ladder, naked, trying to get in through a window.

This morning as I was walking to my car I saw my neighbor that caught me in my birthday suit and he gave me one of those creepy guy smiles.  I'm not sure what base flashing is but from that smile I'm thinking he hit a home run with himself later.

This seems to be a trend with me and unfortunately it's probably not the last society has seen of my nudity.

Much love and be kind to your epidermis.

Guard Dogs and Guns



Balue's first night home.



When I brought Balue home when he was about 8 weeks old on his 3^rd day with me I knew he was going to be a good guard dog.  I barricaded him into the kitchen with a baby gate and left for work that Monday morning.  When I got home and opened my front door I hear the most precious little guard puppy noises coming from the kitchen you ever heard… “Grrrr WOOF grrrrrr woof woof woof grrrrr”.  I was thrilled!  I walked around the corner and he saw me and immediately started wagging his tail and went into goofy happy my mom is home puppy mode. 

Since then there has only been a couple of occasions when Balue has had to go into guard dog mode.  One such occasion was when I had left home for a birthday party and came back I did not notice that though I had left lights on, the inside of the house was now completely dark.  The house had a fenced back yard and that is where I had left Balue because he was still in the young dog phase where he would tear things up if I left him inside alone.  I enter the back yard to go through the back door to let Balue inside with me still not a care in the world and happy from such a fun party and he was acting all antsy and wanting in badly, I’m thinking ‘sheesh dog chill’.  I open the door and Balue immediately flies inside and starts growling and barking and I realized something was wrong.  It turned out I had gotten home just in time to let Balue in to chase the robbers that were in the house through the front door and they left behind the duffle bags of items they had packed to take with them, unfortunately they had pocketed some of my jewelry though.  Balue proceeded to check every room and be on guard for the rest of the evening.

Last night about 2:30 am I am sleeping and wake up to Balue jumping out of the bed and then hear his large paws hit my sliding glass door and he starts his low growl and barking telling someone to get away.  I’m pretty sure it was not an animal because he has a different bark for them.  This was serious.  I’m so freaked out that I was kinda sitting there in bed thinking ‘why in the hell do I not have a gun!’ Balue ran in jumped in the bed looks at me and runs back to the window but he wasn’t barking or growling anymore so I’m assuming whoever the creeper is must be gone.  I go and double check all the doors and windows are locked and thankfully they were and did not see anyone.

I’m then laying in the bed thinking about this event.  I’ve always had a man and usually guns in the house and never really worried about safety.  I was thinking maybe I should get a baseball bat… which a serious assailant would probably laugh at a girl standing there with a baseball bat.  Unfortunately I’m not a ninja and probably couldn’t actually knock a gun out of someone’s hand with my bat and then do some fancy flip and karate chop them in the back of the head to knock them out until the police arrive. 

I’ve always believed in the right to protect your home with a gun, and I’m thinking I don’t want to bring a bat or a knife to a gun show.  Being a single female who lives alone certainly has its advantages and along with that it's downfalls, and safety is one of them.  I used to be an apartment property manager and I know that apartment break-ins in this city are very common.  For example, a couple of years ago a couple of girls at the complex next to the one I worked at were tortured at gunpoint for hours then robbed.  Having a great guard dog does make me feel a level of safety and I love and appreciate him dearly… however what would I do if they got past the dog? 

Perhaps a gun of my own isn’t such a bad idea.  I’ve used them before at target practice and I’m not a bad shot.  I’d just need to find the right one for me and then learn how to clean and properly maintain it.  That thought reminds me that there is something sexy about a man cleaning his gun, they take such pride and care in doing it.

I know a lot of people do not feel the same way as I do and are very anti-gun.  How would your family protect yourselves if an armed assailant entered your home?

Much love!

Cool Weather Cooking

I think most people who love to cook would probably agree that when the weather cools down it's time to do some serious cooking.  This is probably why so many people pack on the pounds during the fall and winter.

This year to avoid that cool weather padding I'll be participating in some indoor workout routines, hopefully it helps keep those extra pounds away, and with all that internal body heat maybe I'll save some money on my electric bill not running my heater as often.  I've also picked up a couple of new recipe books that have glycemic index recipes for some new healthier choice options.

This morning I was waiting on my coffee and I noticed my stack of cookbooks on top of the microwave.  Oh yes, the past few mornings have been the first cold ones for me and now cool weather cooking mode is commencing. 

I'm now sitting here thumbing through my stack of cookbooks armed with a pen, pencil, highlighter, sticky notes, and sticky flags marking recipes, making notes, and compiling a cooking wishlist.  I've had some of these books for years and sometimes new things I never noticed before jump out at me and scream 'Cook Me Cook Me'! 

Soups, stews, casseroles, slow cooker creations and more!  Seasonal yummies at their peak cranberries, apples, citrus, sweet potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower!  In the near future I'll be making one of my Fall fallback favorites, pork chops with an apple and cranberry sauce... it's on!

What are some of your favorite Fall and cool weather dishes?  Send me recipes!

Much love and happy cool weather cooking!

Scorpio Season

I love anything to do with astrology, mysticism, mythology, science fiction, etc.  I do no live by horoscopes, I've never called a psychic hotline, and I've never had my palm read.  I'm just super intrigued by the romance our minds have with these fascinating subjects.

When it comes to astrology I especially love Scorpio for the simple reason... I'm your Scorpio blonde girl.  My father is also a Scorpio and celebrates his birthday today, Happy Birthday Dad!!

My birthday is in 12 days on November 4th. I do not mind getting older.  One of the main reasons for this is because the older I get the better I get.  I also do not feel like nearly the dumb-ass I was when I was younger.  When I think about when I was 20 and thought I knew everything I kinda want to slap myself.

I'm super stoked that today is beginning of the reign of Scorpio my favorite sign.  A couple of my other favorite things this time of year are Fall my favorite season and Thanksgiving my favorite holiday.

In mythology the scorpion came to be in the sky after he killed Orion the hunter. The stories of why Scorpius killed Orion vary. One says Orion slept with the wrong chick and Apollo had Scorpius sent to kill him. Another story says it was because Orion was threatening to kill all of the beasts on earth and Gaia sent him to take care of Orion. Another I've read says that Scorpius and Taurus the bull were great friends and Orion killed Taurus while hunting and Scorpius retaliated. For some reason or another Scorpius killed Orion whether he was the hired gun or the loyal friend, and all of the stories tend to agree that Zeus put them both in the sky with Scorpio forever chasing Orion.

I am not an astrologer and will not go into a long rambling, which I could, about all of the traits and qualities of a Scorpio... but to sum us up, and I may be biased, I think we are pretty awesome.

Are you a Scorpio or know a Scorpio?  What are some of your favorite Scorpio traits or qualities?

Happy Birthday to all of my fellow Scorpios!


Much love!

Attention Hound

Have you ever had that weird feeling someone was watching you?  I'm sure we all have.  I was sitting here vegetating my brain with internet nonsense and kept feeling like someone was watching me.  Then I kept hearing my dog, Balue, huff out of his nose.  Kinda like when someone wants your attention but doesn't want to ask for it.

I finally turn around and this is what I find I find behind my chair...

It's not hard to figure out what he wants! He kinda wagged his tail and of course he got his belly rub.

You have to love a good dog, and he's the best!

Much love!


If you are looking for a great dog check your local rescues and shelters, many pets are waiting for a great home.
  

Toe Socks Equal Toe Heaven

Here in Gainesville FL it is currently a chilly 46 degrees Fahrenheit... and for you people who live on the other side of the world that would be 7.78 Celsius.  Brrrr!  Have no fear I bundled up in warm clothes and I am surviving.  After a bit I realized my poor toes were cold... ahhh time to bust out the toe socks! 

OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT!  TOE SOCKS!

A friend of mine gave me these socks for my birthday a couple of years ago.  When he first handed them to me I was like hmmm they are cute but I don't know about toe socks... but due to their cuteness I had to go ahead and try them.  One word - SuperComfy. 

My toes absolutely love being wrapped in their own little cozy little blanket of warmth.  

These socks are great and now a staple to my home winter survival attire.  I really should get some more pairs, though it may be hard to find ones cuter than these.  My birthday is coming up, feel free to send me new ones, my toes will feel so spoiled.  ha!

If you find yourself with half frozen toes, or just want some groovy fun socks go pick up a pair!

Much love and keep warm!

Freaky Fast Unwich

Update August 2013:  After finding out that Jimmy John hunts and kills endangered animals I have decided that I will no longer be eating there. 

 
----------------------
About once a month on a payday I like to treat myself to a lunch that I didn’t make… in other words I eat out.  It usually falls on a payday Friday.  About 9 times out of 10 I end up getting Jimmy John's because they are fantastic!  I love the quality of their ingredients and the fact that they deliver means I can hang out in my cubicle at work and perhaps work on a blog while I wait on my delicious lunch to get here.

As many times as I’ve ordered a JJ’s sandwich looking at their online menu I’ve never noticed the Nutritional Information tab.  I’ve been making an effort to be aware of how many calories and whatnot that I am consuming in an attempt to achieve a healthier lifestyle.  Therefore today I actually sought out the nutritional information before ordering instead of just jumping in and indulging without a care and trying to work it off later.

I am impressed with the nutritional tool that JJ's has on the website!  It’s truly fantastic.  If you go to their Menu, then click on the Nutritional Information link you will be taken to the interactive tool they have provided.  Click on the sandwich that you would like to see and you will find out exactly how many calories you are consuming if you purchase your yummy sandwich as is. 

However the really cool part is if you click Add To Meal and then in the Your Selected Meal Items box click on Edit.

You can then start adding and taking away ingredients and see the nutritional information of your sandwich if you customize. 

I love the Beach Club and I’ve always ordered it on their fantastic wheat bread with Dijon mustard added.  We will just talk calories and the rest you can play with yourself. 

When I added the Beach Club as is with the sandwich on the default French bread you will see that it started out at 729.35 calories. 

I was like whoa… no wonder it tastes so good. 

Take away the French bread and put it on my usual wheat and it is now 730.35 calories.

Add Dijon mustard and I find that I typically consume 738.55 calories just with the sandwich alone.

The yummy factor of this sandwich makes it worth the extra work out later. 

But of course I had to see what would happen if I removed the mayo, I’m not big on mayo anyways but usually do not bother removing it… get ready for it…. No mayo brings us down to 545.55 calories!  The mayo is definitely something me and my hips can live without.

Now what else can I do… all of the other ingredients really do make the sandwich but I decided to see what would happen if I made it an Unwich aka Lettuce Wrap… remove bread and lettuce since it will be wrapped in lettuce and we are now at a phenomenal 201.85 calories!

So my dilemma… do I go Unwich and sacrifice my beloved bread?  I spent about 10 minutes showing my coworkers my new Nutritional Information toy that JJ’s has provided me while deciding (they seemed as amused as I was) and in the pursuit of practicing indulgence restraint (and I just had that awesome dinner last night Omelet Night) I decided this time I will go out on a limb and try the Unwich.

I was fearful that without the bread I’d feel like I’d wasted my money because I thought I’d just basically purchased a salad wrapped in paper.  Was it going to be enough to be filling?  I was also afraid that maybe the lettuce would be be kind of gross, perhaps not at its freshest or some weird something.

My fears were for not!  Oh my gosh!  It was good!  First thing I was impressed that it was the same size as if you had ordered it on bread.  The lettuce was flavorful and crunchy.  And mostly I did not miss the bread at all!  All those ingredients that go in the bread that make the sandwich were able to shine and be the grand star in the Unwich.  Turkey, tomato, avocado, cucumber, provolone cheese, sprouts, and Dijon mustard wrapped in lettuce was awesome flavors exploding in your mouth goodness.

I realized I needed to stop and take a picture when there were only a few bites left.

The Unwich filled me up and I did not feel overly full like I usually do when I order it on bread.  I consumed 536.7 less calories than I normally do when I order my beloved sandwich.

I actually started this blog before my food was delivered by the super friendly delivery girl because I was so enthused by the interactive nutritional guide, however the Unwich was so good it needed attention as well.  I am now a JJ’s Unwich convert.

Take a risk!  Make healthier choices, you may be surprised at how good it is.  And never forget to tip your delivery driver.

Much love!

Please note that Jimmy John’s did not ask me to write this blog… I just really love their food!  All screen shots of the Jimmy John's website were taken by me as I played with the nutritional information tool and I claim no ownership of them, nor do I have intention of any copywrite infringement.

Omelet Night!

Yesterday one of my wonderful coworkers brought in some freshly laid eggs from his chickens.  Fresh eggs are undoubtedly the most awesome of all eggs.

Later in the day I remembered that a few weeks ago another fantastic coworker had brought me a jar of homemade Concord Grape jelly that was made from the grapes her father grows on his farm in Kentucky. 

I was never a grape jelly fan, however I had never been exposed to homemade grape jelly - I'm now a fan!  It's not overly sweet and it tastes like grapes, unlike the mock grape flavor infused sugar as you buy in the grocery store.

 

I decided I must have an omelet with these fantastically colored eggs.  And it had to be just a simple cheese omelet so that the flavor of the fresh eggs would be the star, not the filling/toppings. And the perfect complement would be biscuits with that wonderful grape jelly.

A basic light and fluffy wonderful Bisquick drop biscuit.   When you are a working woman who doesn't have time to roll out the homemade, but want fresh hot biscuits with the satisfaction of at least mixing them yourself this is the way to go. 2 minutes prep, 8 minutes cook and you feel like you've accomplished awesomeness.


If you are unsure of how to make an omelet  below I will paste a basic recipe I found from the web that uses the same technique I've figured out after years of trial and error. Follow the directions and it will be perfect.  It cannot get any easier than that.
*************************************
Cheese Omelet on the Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 large Grade A eggs
• 2 slices American cheese
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Equipment: 9-inch non-stick skillet and an immersion blender

Add oil to the skillet over high heat, and heat it until small hairline ripples appear on the surface of the oil.

Break the eggs into tall glass or frappe cup and whisk to blend for 1 minute. (The Waffle House uses a 15,000 rpm malt shop mixer.)

While moving the skillet in a circular motion, pour in the eggs. Continue to move the skillet in a circular motion, allowing the outside of the eggs to cook and fluff up. When the outside edges have firmly cooked, flip the omelet and cook on the other side for approximately 30 seconds. Keep moving the pan in a circular motion, but not as often as before it was flipped. (Too much movement at this time will cause the omelet to fall.) Flip the omelet once more to finish cooking--no more than 30 additional seconds.

Overlap 2 slices of American cheese in the center of the omelet in a diamond shape.

Fold the omelet in half, being certain to cover the cheese slices, and slide it onto your plate.
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My Personal Notes:

• Do not add milk to your eggs for whatever reason it is people add milk.  Don't believe me, read this Why not to put milk in eggs.  Notice the awesome yellow color of my omelet.
• I do not have the recommended blender device... I went old school with your good old bowl and a fork and beat the dickens out of my eggs for 60 seconds.
• I did not use cheese slices as they suggested. I had shredded cheese which worked beautifully and even sprinkled a little on top for the fun of it.  
• Notice you are not melting your cheese into the omelet while in the pan. If you try to do this it will dry out your eggs.  They are saying put in your cheese fold and take out of pan, it's a quick process. 
• I personally, to not risk egg dry out, have my cheese prepared in advance then when they are done flip my eggs onto the plate so the hotter skillet side is up and toss in the cheese and fold. The heat and steam of the hot eggs will melt it perfectly within a minute or so as it cools.  
• This also goes for if you were using other fillings such as vegetables, meats, etc... precook your fillings because they will take longer than your eggs, keep them on warm covered so they are nice and hot and throw in the middle of your hot egg as soon as it hits the plate and top with your cheese then fold.
• Let's say you missed getting everything into the omelet before it lost it's hot steamy cheese melty abilities... do not fret and do not stick it back in the skillet to dry it out. Just put it in an oven safe dish and cover tightly with foil and pop it in the oven at a low temperature for a few minutes and it will retain it's fluffy moisture.
• What does circular motion mean? You are not sliding your pan around on top of the burner in circles (or I don't). Slightly lifting up the handle holding the pan at an angle and gently making your eggs slurry around in circles in your pan by constantly moving your angle.
• Pop and air bubbles with the corner of your spatula and keep circling.
• Make sure you have a rather large spatula for your flipping and your eggs will be less likely to fold when you flip.
• And finally be kind to your non stick pans - Only use a plastic or wooden spatula and your skillet will thank you!

When it comes down to it everyone has their own style. I know some people are reading this and thinking NO NO NO that's all wrong!  But hey....

My omelet was fluffy, moist, and the farm fresh egg taste was rich and wonderful!  And biscuit with that jelly... oh man that jelly!!!  Now that you've been shown the basics mix it up and try your hand at an omelet this weekend!

Much love and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Do you have omelet cooking tips I should try? Let me know!

Dead Phone Walking

I purchased my cell phone about a year ago, and not surprisingly it is now having issues.  I’ll be talking, texting or it’ll just be sitting there on the desk and it decides to restart.  It’s so weird!  Oh and reception quality is not as good.  It’s not having charging issues because it seems to hold about the same charge as it did when I purchased it.  The brain is just giving out I suppose.  So I’m assuming I have a limited amount of time with this phone as it’s begun its stretch down the green mile so I must prepare for its untimely departure.  It’s been such a good little phone.

My techno savvy does not include the vast cell phone world.  So now I’m researching phone advantages and disadvantages.  From the choices I have with my current carrier it’s either a Blackberry or an Android, or another simplistic non smart phone.  However I’m ready to leap into the Smart World!

My phone is not a Smart Phone.  Its a little touch phone with a slider keyboard.  I love having a keyboard.  I text more than talk and having to deal with a touch screen only keyboard is not appealing to me.  My carrier happened to come out with a new Android with a slider this week, which is the only reason it’s in the running.   

It seems to me on forums Blackberry users are diehard go Blackberry and Android users are the same about their Androids.  I then tried doing some recon by checking out some tech site reviews and they try to keep everything neutral…. ‘Oh the Blackberry is great and the Android is too, get them both! ‘

I need a baby of the Blackberry and Android.  It could come in Blackberry box and you pull it out and it looks like an Android and then you put it on the charger for 2 hours in a dark dry area that’s elevated by at least 7 feet and come back and you find that it has transformed into a DroidBerry!   Mmmm droidberries…. ;p

What do you think?  Are you a diehard Blackberry or Android fan?

Much Love!

***Imagine a big picture of a Blackberry and an Android boxing right here!

That Blindfold Kind of Trust

Do you trust your lover enough to let them blindfold you?  Many different fun activities can be done while blindfolded… it can be fun for the blindfolded and the blindfolder. 

First rule if you are feeding each other and this game is supposed to end in a hot steamy romp in the sack… do not use anything gross.  If you get to a point where you’ve ran out of things to feed your blindfolded lover do not run to the refrigerator and grab the jar of mayo.  It’s always better to either use your same yummy foods you’ve been using in a new order… or kick things up to the next level and try some light touch or start tasting body parts… but this time the blindfolder gets to do the tasting.  Who can resist a nibble behind the ear?

If this is a friendly game that will end in your friend passing out on the couch because you both indulged in too many shots while playing the Wii go ahead and reach for that mayo, mustard and ketchup.  (I feel sorry for your friend.)

When in the more sexy scenario and you are picking your foods hint around for some ideas of what some of their favorite foods are.  Perhaps they are succulent food lover, or maybe they’d like some spice and wouldn’t mind a hot chili.  Safe fallbacks are strawberries, cantaloupe, small cheese cubes, and chocolate.  Things that are fairly soft and easy to chew, bites that are small enough for your partner to not look like a cow while eating… the last thing you want is for them to be subconscious because you’ve given them a bite so large food is dribbling out of their mouth… not sexy. 

Use bubbly water or their favorite wine, juice, champagne, or shots between each taste test to clear their taste buds of the last thing they tasted so they can fully enjoy the next. 

Want a caffeine boost?  Throw in a chocolate covered coffee bean here and there.  Or there are some really great candy bars out there that contain coffee beans.

Be careful of fresh pineapple.  Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme that naturally breaks down protein and can be used as a meat tenderizer.  If you’ve ever eaten too much pineapple and your mouth started burning… you’ve just had too much and your mouth is being tenderized.  So if you see this awesome pineapple and want to use it in your food game… make sure it’s fully ripe, do not use any of the core, rinse it well, and for good measure you can cover it in some lime juice.  Main thing just do not indulge in too much because the last thing you want is for your lovers mouth to be out of order.

Be adventurous!  Try some blindfold fun to spice up you and your partners romantic time and deepen your trust for each other… after the food portion of the evening ends things really get fun. ;)

Much Love and Have Fun!!

Balue and the Boogie Man

This morning it was between light and dark when we headed out to the dog park for my boy to do his morning doggie deeds.  It was light enough we didn’t need a flashlight to get there but dark enough that not everything was fully visible.  I let him off his leash and go sit on a picnic table trying to wake up. 

Balue goes to a corner of the dog park and is standing there on point, tail straight and hairs standing up… the good thing about a white dog is even when you can’t see much of anything else you can at least see him. 

I’m trying to focus my eyes well enough to see what in the world he’s looking at and can only make out a couple of shiny spots that could possibly be eyes.  I’m thinking ‘wonderful it’s probably a rabid raccoon.’ 

Since it was too early to have much sense, or because I’m blonde, blame it on what you want, I decide to go over and investigate.  

On my way over Balue decided to inch up to the mystery Boogie Man in the corner but doesn’t quite get up to it and it moves and he jumps back a few feet and starts with the barking.  You know because their supersonic bark will kill anything. 

At this point I’m completely freaked out because it’s moving and Balue is super freaked out.  I slowly get closer and have armed myself with a stick which would have done absolutely nothing if it turned out to be a crazed wild animal or a dog park goblin.

I finally get close enough to focus my eyes on what it really is…

It’s a freaking birthday helium balloon that is trapped against the fence! 

Good Grief!  I walked over and picked it up and shook it at Balue and he ran like a bat out of hell.  It was hilarious.  I then released the balloon back into the atmosphere to go bring joy and/or mayhem to others.

Mwahahahahahaha

I’m now hoping I do not get home from work this evening and Balue has decided to shred some paper to pay me back for the balloon shaking.  We shall see.

Much love!  & Happy Birthday to whoever lost their fantastic balloon.