Make-A-List Monday: Things of Old

I'm a child of technology.  I love my laptop, the Internet, cell phones, and all the modern conveniences we have today.  But for all these advances, I find myself missing things from days gone by.  So with that in mind, I present my make-a-list Monday:

Things of Old

1.  Books.  I love reading.  Not just for the stories, but for all the things that happen before I crack open the cover.  The smell, the hunt, the feel... but even I have a nook now.  Which I love very much.  But I have a feeling the days of books might be numbered.
2. Letters.  I don't particularly like talking on the phone.  Texting and emailing were a godsend to someone like me.  But letters are a lost art.  Who doesn't love getting a note in the mailbox for no reason?  Plus, there is so much fun stationary out there!
3. Sundays.  I'm just as guilty as the next person for going shopping on a Sunday.  It's a great convenience that everything is opened on Sundays (except Chick-fila).  Kudos to Chick-fila though.  Sundays should be a day with your family.  My favorite Sunday ritual is church in the morning, breakfast after.  And while we're at it, let's bring back our "Sunday best".
4. Sports.  Now if you've read a few of my previous entries, you can probably guess I am a sports fanatic.  How lucky are those people that get to play a game for a living (and make millions) while I worry about over-drafting my account ad the grocery store.  Is it me, or are players disenfranchised about playing these games?  Play with heart!  There's a great series my dad has on DVD called "When It Was a Game".  Can you imagine A-Rod having to wait tables in the off season to make ends-meet?

Those who can't do...

I feel like I did everything "right".   I graduated from college with a degree in marketing and economics.  I earned an internship with Nestle while in college that parlayed into a career upon graduation.  Within a month of graduating from Pittsburgh, I moved home to Cincinnati, visited Houston to find an apartment, moved everything I owned to Houston, said good-bye to everyone I knew, and started working full-time at this mega-huge company.
Before I knew it, I was wrapped up in a career that I wasn't sure I even wanted.  Fast-forward to three and a half years later and you will find me unemployed and searching for a job.  I've shared my job search with y'all and have been opened in the fact that it's hard.  Interview after interview, I felt something was missing.  I was looking for a job to fill my time and not a passion to enrich my life.
Now, I know I complained about my old job, but there was one part of it that I truly loved.  Training new associates.  And not to brag, but I was good at it (at least that's what my trainees said after I told them I had the authority to fire them).  But I felt like I was making a difference.  That's when it dawned on me...
Recently, I enrolled in program to become a certified teacher.  I am so excited.  I'm also very nervous.  I had orientation last night and I can't wait to officially begin.  There's a saying, "those who can't do, teach."  And I'd have to say that in my case, the first part is fairly accurate.  I'm hoping the later is as well.  Nonetheless, I already feel better about this career decision than any other decision I've made in the past.  The problem is that I was 18 when I chose business as my career.  Actually, I was 17 when filling out my college applications and haphazardly checked the business school box.
So I am embarking on a new adventure and I will keep y'all updated as my progress continues on this endeavor.

On another note... Happy Friday!!!! It's 70 degrees here today.  Gabby won't come inside :)

Paying Tribute

America lost one of its greatest citizens a few weeks ago.  He was a humble farmer from rural Pennsylvania.  He truly personifies what it means to be not only a great American, but a great person.  I would call Major Richard "Dick" Winters a hero, but, true to his soul, Major Winters declines being a hero, saying instead that he "served in a company of heros".  Take a minute today and read this article or listen to the clip about this amazing man.  And please try to always remember that we owe our country and our freedoms to men like Major Winters.

Major Winters  

Barbarian

Greetings to you this Monday morning.  I hope you and yours had a wonderful weekend.  This weekend was a fairly busy but fun one.  The fiance wasn't working so that in itself was wonderful.  We treated ourselves to a wonderfully tasty Chinese buffet Friday night, which we capped off by playing Wii at his brother's house.  Thanks to my parents not allowing me to have any video games as a child, I am horrible at Wii.
Saturday morning we slept in until 7:30!  It was a brisk morning, so we watched some TV and ate some breakfast and stayed warm with the pupps under the blankets.  The great thing about where we live is that a 25 degree morning warms up to a 55 degree afternoon.  And the sun actually shines.  So we ended up taking the dogs to the park with the fiance's brother's family.  Vedder loved barking at every person, dog, and leaf that crossed his path; while Gabby loved sniffing (she is a true hound dog).
But the real thrill of the weekend was a cultural event we attended Saturday night.  This event wasn't offered in Waco, so we had to journey about 50 miles south to the town of Belton, TX.  I'll give you a moment to check out a map to locate this town...  As we pulled into the parking lot, you could smell the excitement in the air.  Literally... you could smell the diesel fumes as soon as we got out of our car.  We had arrived at the Monster Truck show, live in Belton, TX.  It was a true cultural event where I learned all about this surprisingly popular world of Monster Trucks.  There were lines to take pictures with the trucks, get the drivers' autographs, and thousands of long-time fans all packed into this small arena to see their favorite truck destroy things.

Now I'm not knocking them or this event.  It was entertaining.  I mean, who hasn't wanted to smash into a car or drive recklessly fast while careening over a huge dirt ramp?  Plus, there's the element of danger with every rev of a 1500 horsepower engine.  And we were lucky enough to witness one of the most popular celebrities on the Monster Truck circuit.  As the event M.C. informed us, "this guy is so big, that you can go down to your local Wal-Mart and get yourself a Barbarian t-shirt".   Jealous?

Sunday was an excellent conclusion to the weekend, complete with the best Mexican breakfast I've had in a long time (another joy of living in Texas).  We also grilled some ribs, made homemade soft pretzels, and watched the football games.  All in all, it was a wonderfully full, fun, and educational weekend.

Snow

Today, I find myself missing snow.  I know it is a fleeting feeling, but I miss it like I miss a friend.  It's hard to explain to people that were late to work because of it, or became frost bitten while shoveling out their car, but it is true.  The fiance asked me once what I miss most about home (besides the obvi friends and family) and I told him the sound of snow falling.

It's one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.  If you ever venture outside while it's snowing at night or the wee hours of the morning, it is so calm and quiet.  And beautiful.  The snow hasn't been walked in or plowed or shoveled.  I remember, especially at college, just standing alone for a few moments and savoring this sound.  The sound of the snow that gently weighs on the roof of an old house.  It moans ever so softly and the snow shushes it gently.  You can hear the snow accumulating too.  It is so faint, almost like the static sounds of in old movie.  And the lighting.  It's almost a glow at night when there's snow on the ground.
Perhaps I've been removed from it just long enough that I can appreciate the snow once again.  If you're in or around snow today, remember there is at least one soul in Texas envious of your circumstance.

It's brutal out there, kids

I wanted to provide an update on my job interview.  Following my motto of "if you're early, you're on time; if you're on time, you're late; and if you're late, don't bother", I showed up 15 minutes early.  I asked the lady at customer service and she directed me to wait in the cafe for my interviewer.
After a few minutes, a very nice lady greets me and we sit down to start the interview.  She mentions another lady will join us in a few minutes because "she's the cafe manager".  OK, I thought, a second opinion.  The interview progresses and it's going well.  Then she asks me why I want this job.  I say that I love reading and I enjoy working with customers on a daily basis and this blends the two together.   Good answer right?  Well it would have been, except I'm apparently interviewing for a cafe assistant position.  You know, a Starbucks barista but inside Barnes and Noble.  Not exactly what I was picturing.
The interview continues, it is going well, and we come to the part where I get to ask questions.  I ask a few about training and working environment and then I ask the pay.  $7.25/hour.  And the only reason they interviewed me was because I had so much sales experience.  It's part time, not even 20 hours a week, but eventually it could be full time where, because of all my experience, I could make up to $9/hour.
So after an hour interview with 2 people, a lot of questions, and confirming my references, I leave feeling like I got the job.  By the way, this was one of the most intense and thorough interviews, ever.  But the only problem is that I'm not sure I even want this job.  I didn't realize it was in the cafe, or that it was minimum wage, or only 15 hours a week.  That's only $100 before taxes (can they even tax that?!?!).  And let's not count our chickens before they hatch... I haven't even gotten the job yet.  If I turn down this job, can I still shop there?

Black Eyes

I've been noticing something dark in the mirror lately.  I'm 25, I don't work, I have no kids... pretty stress free life.  But something has been casting a shadow that won't go away.  I tried to act like it was "bad lighting" or a one time thing.  Unfortunately, I believe it is here to stay, and stay, and stay.  I'm talking about under eye circles.  Or in my case, black eyes.
Now I've had a few black eyes (thank you rugby) in my day, and those were cool.  I walked around like I had a medal of honor won in a hard fought battle.  But these black eyes are nothing to flaunt.  I'm only 25! I can't have dark under eye circles already.  Thus began my quest of hiding or concealing these circles.  I tried my normal concealer that I use on blemishes.  I tried cool rags on my eyes in the mornings.  Nothing worked.
One day while at Walgreens, I was looking at the make up wall because that store has a magnetic force that pulls all women to that wall.  All of a sudden, a light shone on a product and caught my attention.  When I walked forward to see the product, I realized this was the answer to my prayers.  Garnier Anti Dark-Circle Roller with a tinted color.  Not only does this product soothe the under eye, it conceals the darkness.  For me, this product works great!  It's around $12, but it lasts a long time.
So if you have black eyes and you didn't recently play a rugby game, I'd suggest picking up this handy little tool!

Weekend, a litte late...

What a great weekend!  I got to see so many friends and had a lot of fun.  Unfortunately, one of my dear friends relocated for a pormotion (CONRATS!!!) on Sunday.  The good thing is that I know she will be a life long friend, no matter where either of us lives.

I also go to see some of my best friends from Cincinnati!  It is always great to have a little piece of home down here in Texas.  I ate too much food, didn't get enough sleep, and played one of my favorite games (catch phrase).  All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.
To top it off, I came home to the best welcome ever.  When I walked in my front door, the house was cleaned, the clothes were washed, and breakfast was on the table.  Jealous much?  Yeah, I would agree, I have the best fiance in the world!
Today is an exciting day.  I have an interview!!!!!!!  This is the first interview I've been on in a while.  I had a few phone interviews, but no in-person interviews.  Well, today is the day.  "Where/what is this interview?" you might be asking.  Barnes and Noble.  A very nice lady called me the other day to schedule the interview and to make sure I was ok with a part-time job that paid under my stated salary of $10/hour.  Sure, no probem... I don't mind making minimum wage at a part-time job after college and working for 3 years.  And the kicker is, I don't even know if I'll get this job.  So wish me luck at my interview today!

Road Trip

Today I'm heading off to Houston for a girls weekend.  I'm excited to see my Houston friends and a few of my friends from Cincinnati are even coming into town for work!  Packing is always hard for me.  If you see the final product, you wouldn't think that it was an issue.  But it's actually a pretty anxious experience for me where I constantly feel like I'm forgetting something.
Anyways, I'll be road tripping with my iPod to Houston shortly.  I'll be sure to fill y'all in on my weekend Monday.  I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Comme si dice...

I took Italian in college for 2 years.  Not much stuck, but I blame that on the fact that I took French for years in grade school and high school.  I believe I actually invented a new language: Fritalican (French, Italian, American).  But I do remember one of the most important Italian phrases... "comme si dice ...." which means "how do you say" (insert word in English).  You can get around with that.
So why the Italian lesson???  It's Thursday!  aka Italian day!  And of course Jersey Shore night.

I'm repeating my spaghetti and meatballs from last week because it's such an easy meal to make.  And I'm watching my nephews this afternoon so there won't be a lot of prep time for a gourmet Italian dinner.
Here is my mom's meatball recipe.  It's so so easy and there are a few ways to cook the meatballs and all taste great!

Meatball Recipe

(1-easy, 2-time, 5-taste)

1 pound lean ground beef (the leanest you can buy)

1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 eggs

1/4 grated Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1.  In a large bowl, add eggs and beat.

2.  Add all other ingredients.

3.  Mix ingredients together with hands (that have recently been washed)

4.  Roll into meatballs 

Now here are the options on how to cook them:

a.)  Brown meatballs in a skillet on medium heat.

Once browned , add meatballs to sauce and cook for 1 hour.

b.)  Place meatballs on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cook in oven on 300 for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

c.)  Place meatballs in skillet on oven over medium heat.

Add about 1 tablespoon of water to skillet and cover.

Let meatballs cook in steam, occasionally turning meatballs so

they are evenly brown.  (takes about 10 minutes total)

Combine this meatballs recipe with the sauce recipe from last week and you'll have an instant classic.  Oh, BTW, you can freeze your extra sauce!  If you know you want spaghetti on Thursday, take the sauce out of the freezer Wednesday and put it in your frig.  Finish thawing in a pan on the stove over medium heat.  It's just as good the second time around and it saves you a lot of time.  Also, you can freeze the uncooked meatballs!  You basically have two meals for the time of one!  Isn't that molto benne?

Scarves, leftovers, and soup (RECIPE!!!)

There are a few reasons to looove cold weather.  
1.  Scarves!!!  I don't know why, but I love them
2.  Leftovers.  If you go out to dinner before a movie, your leftovers will be safe in your car (and won't smell up the whole car)
3.  Soups, stews, chillis.  It's the best time to make/enjoy these!
Here is a soup that will warm your insides and make your house smell amazing!!!  It is from a cookbook called "More Nutritious Still Delicious" and was written by a group of amazing women at The Nutrition Council of Cincinnati.  This is a great cookbook full of HEALTHY and DELICIOUS recipes... trust me, I should know, since my mom is one of the main authors and I grew up eating a lot of these!  If you like what you see/taste, you can go here and look into buying yourself a cookbook.  

Wild Rice Soup with Sherry 

(2-time, 2-easiness, 5-taste)

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 package (8oz) sliced mushrooms 

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup all purpose flour

6 cups (1.5 boxes) reduced sodium chicken broth  

2 cups cooked wild rice (using Uncle Ben's 90 sec. rice is so so easy!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

2 cups evaporated skim milk 

1/2 cup sherry

1.  In large saucepan, melt butter .  Add onion, cook for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add mushrooms, celery  and flour.  Cook for about 2 minutes.

3.  Gradually add chicken broth, stirring constantly until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

4.  Stir in wild rice, salt, curry, mustard, parsley, and pepper.  Reduce heat.

5.  Gradually add evaporated milk, stirring constantly.  Add sherry, continue stirring until soup is simmering.

6.  Simmer soup 30 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Another great thing about this cookbook is that every recipe has the nutrition information at the bottom (ie. calories, protein, etc).  I give this recipe a 2 for easiness (just some chopping and cooking rice), a 2 for time (depending on you're knife skills), and a 5 for taste!  I hope you enjoy this recipe!


P.S.  Do you like my new blog design?

Brrrrisk, boots, & bookstores

It's finally a chilly day down here in the south.  And I'm not being sarcastic.  The high today is only 37.  I enjoy a brisk cool day every so often.  I can put my sweaters and scarves to good use and curl up with my dogs while drinking a hot chocolate and reading.  The fiance was off work Monday and Tuesday.  We decided to watch some movies with the dogs since it was too cold to take them to the park.  Instead of lying on our couch, we ended up making a bed out of blankets on our family room floor.  It was quite enjoyable!
Today, I am going to go to a few stores and see if they are hiring.  I've been applying to jobs online but nothing has been happening.  So in the mean time, I am going to get a retail job (I hope).  I'm hoping for a job at a bookstore, which is my dream job, but beggers can't be choosers.
While this cold weather continues on, I'm going to enjoy it and bundle up with my scarves and boots.  It's easier for me to enjoy cold weather down here because 1.) we have no snow 2.) the high Sunday is 60 3.) it's only cold for a month.   Wanna move here yet??? (I'd suggest having a job first, apparently they're hard to find...)

Slice of Heaven on a Friday

My doggies are at the groomer's.  If you were inside my head, this would be more like: MY DOGGIES ARE AT THE GROOMER'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can actually do one of my favorite things: sit on my couch and drink coffee (and be on my computer).  With the two holy terrors around, this ritual inevitably ends with Vedder chewing on a toy, Gabby deciding that is the ONE toy she has to have, therefore a fight ensues and they run around and before I know it, they have busted up onto the couch, forcing me to spill my coffee all over my cream colored couch and then to finish it off, they trample my laptop.  
But not today.  They are being groomed (aka tortured to them) and I have freedom.  It might be pathetic, but my main motivation for finding a job is to get away from my dogs for a while.  Not money, not ambition... just getting away from my dogs.  Don't get me wrong, I love them so much.  But everyday, all day, feeding, walking, taking them out, scrubbing the couch because one of them stepping in mud and tracked it all over the couch... I can't wait to get a job!  
Happy Friday to you all!  Enjoy the weekend and have fun!

Fist-Pumpin Thursdays

It's finally here.  Season 3 of Jersey Shore... in Seaside Heights, Jersey!  I'm a huge juicehead for this show and I'm so happy it showed people in the south that fist pumping is cool. (Before, I got a lot of awkward stares).  While I am no guidette, I can definitely relate to having an Italian background.  In fact, I'm only a third generation American, thanks to my great-grand parents.  So in honor of the biggest resurgence in interest of Italians since Sopranos, tonight will be Italian night!
The fiance and I will be mange-ing some spaghetti with red gravy and meatballs while we watch the season premiere of Jersey Shore.  In fact, every Thursday will be Italian night with recipes included!  Now, this isn't a new recipe, but it's a classic.  It's a lot easier to make marinara sauce than you might expect.  I don't go as far as starting with fresh whole tomatoes, but I think you'll be pleased with the results.  I give this marinara recipe a 1 for easy, a 5 for delicious, and a 5 for time (only because it has to simmer on the stove for at least 2 hours, prep time is 15 minutes).

Marinara Sauce

3 cans of 16oz tomato sauce (I use Contidina brand)

2 cans 6oz tomato paste

Olive Oil (enough to drizzle in pan)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried basil

1.  In a large sauce pan, drizzle olive oil on bottom and warm.

2.  Add tomato paste and let warm up (about 5 minutes).

3.  Add tomato sauce.

4.  Fill 1 tomato paste can and 2 sauce cans with water and add.

5.  Add garlic, onion, basil, and cheese and stir.

6.  Bring sauce to boil over medium heat.

7.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours on low heat.

8.  Occasionally stir sauce and add spices as needed (to taste).

That's it!  That's all I do, that's all my mom does, and that's all my grandma does to make some of the best sauce I've ever had.  Ok, maybe I'm biased.  There are a few variations and additions if you want:

1.  Red pepper flakes - makes the sauce a little spicy

2.  Ground meat for meat sauce (brown in olive oil before adding tomato paste)

3.  Less water will make sauce thicker (vice-versa) depending on your preference

Well, boil yourself some water and cook some pasta for your red gravy cuz it's almost

Teeeeeee-shiiiiiiiirt Time! (Jersey Shore)

Lotta Frittata

Well, it's 5 days into the new year.  Keeping with my resolution to make one new recipe a week, I am going to tackle a frittata with potato and prosciutto.  This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis's book "Everyday Italian".  I love Giada on the food network!  She's so cute and sweet and smart and I'm positive I could never cook like her.  Now, thanks to her book, I can try!  So here is my attempt at her frittata recipe.

Frittata with Potato and Proscuitto- Giada De Laurentiis

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 large eggs

1/4 cup whipping cream*

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 ounces (1/4 lb.) thinly sliced proscuitto, coarsley chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

*I subsituted fat free half and half to cut calories a bit

1.  In 9 1/2 inch diameter non-stick ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

2.  Add onion and sautee until translucent

3.  Add potato, garlic, salt, and pepper and sautee over medium-low heat

until potato is tender and golden (about 15 minutes)

4.  Preheat the broiler.

5.  In medium bowl, whisk eggs, cream, cheese, prosciutto, and basil to blend.

6.  Stir egg mixture into potato mixture in skillet

7.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat until egg mixture is almost set

but top is still runny (about 2 minutes)

8.  Place skillet under broiler until top is set and golden brown (about 4 mins)

9.  Using rubber spatula, loosen frittata from skillet and slide onto plate

10.  Cut into wedges and enjoy!

I really love scales and assigning concrete numbers to abstract ideas.  I decided to use this scale system on my recipes (the recipe rating system).  They will be rank on a 1-5 scale in 3 areas: preparation, taste, and time.  For example:

On a scale of 1-5, where 1 is easy and 5 is difficult, this recipe is a ... 2

On a scale of 1-5, where 1 is gross and 5 is delicious, this recipe is a ... 4

On a scale of 1-5, where 1 is 15 minutes and 5 is an hour, this recipe is a ... 4

I will use this scale/rating system for all my recipes from here on out.  You're welcome.  

2011 Resolutions

Happy New Year!!!  What a great opportunity to start anew.  Many people do this by setting resolutions.  However, just as many people bag on the resolution idea saying that breaking it is inevitable.  Well I think it is healthy to set goals for yourself and then hold yourself accountable for achieving them.  So I am going to set a few goals for 2011.

1.  Update my blog at least 3 times a week (hold me to this!)
2.  Put pictures into frames/photo albums (love digital cameras but I have no pictures)
3.  Cook 1 new recipe each week (inspired by my new cookbooks)
4.  Get a job (probably should have that somewhere on this list...)
5.  Workout (my wedding is t-minus 265 days)
6.  Go to church every Sunday

Those are my resolutions/goals.  On this first day of a new year, I hope everyone has a hopeful and optimistic outlook on what lies ahead.  Good Luck on your resolutions!!!