Monthly Archives: August 2009

That’s a wrap!

Posted on by
5

Exciting stuff, ya’ll!  Real Simple has a list of creative gift wrapping ideas on their website today.  I happen to LOVE anything gift wrap-related….   the papers, ribbons, bows.  I really look forward to Christmas and getting to wrap presents!  Well, really showing off my wrapping skills to be completely honest.  I know…  nerd!

Just this weekend, as a matter of fact, I wrapped a present for my husband to take to a birthday party our friends were throwing for their little girl (I was busy on baby-shower duty).  Of course I made sure to wrap it super-duper cute with all the trimmings.  Since I was not able to gather all the compliments I was expecting to get on how cute it was wrapped in person (hehe!), I asked for a detailed report as soon as he walked in the door on the compliments he received.  According to him there were ZERO!!!!  Yes.  Z-E-R-O.  Now my husband, let’s just say he is not a fan of reporting every detail on things to me as I like, so I had to probe again just to make sure I was hearing this correctly and sadly my hearing was not failing.  No compliments.  What a waste that was!  I should have just thrown it in a dang gift bag and called it a day!

Anyway, enough of my craziness.  :)   Here are some of the ideas from Real Simple that I like best:

1.  This is super cute for a child’s birthday present.  Use old comics from the newspaper to wrap the gift then top with a pretty bow.  The only problem is I really don’t like touching newspaper.  Something about the way it feels and the ink that gets on my hands….   ugh.  This does look so cute I could probably get past it though.

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

2.  I love this idea….  white construction paper with ribbon that has been hole-punched.  Very fun!

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

3.  This is such a pretty idea for the times you run out of wrapping paper and only have a bunch of tissue paper….   which seems to be all the time in my case.

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

4.  I really like this idea of wrapping a bottle of wine in a pretty dish towel.  We often bring wine as a hostess gift and this is definitely an idea I will be putting to use.

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

5.  Okay, I LOVE this idea.  Using your old holiday cards as gift tags by cutting out the part that would be cute (and obviously no writing on the opposite side!) and hole punching a corner.  Every year I feel so much guilt throwing out beautiful Christmas cards we have been given by friends at the end of the season….  this solves that little problem and saves money!

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Eeeeee!!!  This post just got me really excited for the holidays which are just around the corner!!

Source

Mango me crazy!

Posted on by
9

Martha has been on fire lately with one great recipe after another!  Today we have a Mango-Lime Granita and HOLY MOLY does it look good!

I could just eat this by the bucket-full out by the pool, I really could!  Speaking of the pool…..     I only have four more days of vacation to enjoy before getting back to the ‘ol ball-and-chain also known as school.  Other than a baby shower to attend on Saturday there is going to be LOTS of laying out poolside working on my hawaiian tropic tan!  Uhhh, I mean storing up lots of vitamin D!

Photo courtesy of Whole Living

Photo courtesy of Whole Living

I can think of so many ways to serve this– as an easy weeknight healthy dessert, as a brunch dessert, add some pineapple flavored vodka and serve it at a pool party or outdoor barbeque!  The list goes on and on!

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 3 cups chopped ripe mango (about 3 mangoes)
  • 1 cup water
  • Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

  1. Place chopped mango in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the water, lime juice, and sugar, and stir to dissolve.
  2. Pour mixture into a 9-by-5-inch deep-sided metal pan, and place in the freezer until nearly set, about 3 hours, whisking mixture every hour. Remove from freezer, and scrape surface with the tines of a fork until it is the texture of shaved ice. Return to freezer until ready to serve. Granita can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 weeks.

SOURCE

Sushi for sushi-haters!

Posted on by
11

There is always an uproar when I share this:  I don’t like sushi!  I just don’t!  I have tried it so many times and we have just never taken to each other.

He loves sushi!

He loves sushi!

People say “0h, you just need to try the California roll”.  So I try it– and blah.

“Oh, you just need to try sushi from a really nice sushi place”.  Good idea but still nothing.

Maybe I should try some Obama sushi??

Maybe I should try some Obama sushi??

The thing is I really do want to like it!  It looks so cool and fun to eat!  My husband says that I should give it another go since it’s been a while since I last tried it–maybe my palate has expanded since then.  We shall see!

In the meantime, here is some sushi I KNOW I would love!  Stew-dog has come up with a Cold Fruit Sushi that looks and sounds amazing!  Perfect little appetizer for an outdoor get-together.

And yet, something is missing that I just can’t put my finger on.  They need something to make them just a smidge more interesting, a little less plain-jane.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 1 small honeydew melon
  • 1 small cantaloupe
  • 1 small pineapple
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

  1. Place the fruit on a cutting board lined with parchment. Trim the tops and bottoms of the melons and pineapple and sit them upright on the cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut away the rind, slicing lengthwise, working your way around the fruit. Cut about 24 very thin slices of melon in the same fashion, slicing from top to bottom, allowing the juices to collect on the parchment paper.
  2. Slice the pineapple lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices. Pile and cut into matchsticks.
  3. Pour the juices that have collected into a small bowl. Stir in the honey and set aside.
  4. To assemble the fruit sushi, lay the melon slices vertically on the cutting board. Place 3 pineapple matchsticks horizontally at the base of the melon slice and roll. Trim the base so that the rolls sit firmly on a dessert plate. Serve with the honey dipping sauce.
SOURCE

I’ve been picked for what?

Posted on by
3

Just the the other week, I was laughing with Stacey about how I have never had Jury Duty.  I spoke way to soon!  I came home and checked my mail only to find a huge postcard with “JUROR” on the front.  What?  Are you serious?  Yep, I have been summoned to fill my citizenly (is that a word?) duties.

Courtesy of cartoonstock.com

Courtesy of cartoonstock.com

I had to be there yesterday at 8 am and for some reason thought I would be home by lunch.  Ha!  No way.  I first had to wait in a huge room with everyone until I was called along with a group of fifty others to go up for a trial where the judge spoke to us and asked us 50 million questions.  Not kidding, it took the whole day long.  I didn’t leave until 5:45 pm.

The judge, attorneys, defendent, court reporter and four policemen where all in the room along with all 50 jurors.  This process is called voir dire.  They had to narrow down the 50 jurors into 14 jurors they felt would be fair to serve for this trial.  I guess they thought I was a fair person because low and behold…I was chosen as one of the 14.  Thank God I have this week off from school!  The trial starts today and will most likely last until Thursday.  Oh…I am so lucky!

Once it is over with, I will tell you what the trial is for and the outcome.  I am sure I will have some interesting stories.  I better not be sitting next to the same guy yesterday who obviously forgot to wear deodorant!

Not your grandfathers log!

Posted on by
7

Nope, this is not a log found in the forest or one used to make a fire in the fireplace.  Much better!!

This is a recipe for something called Lusciously Nutty Holiday Logs from Eating Well.  Yummmmmm!

Photo courtesy of Eating Well

Photo courtesy of Eating Well

They call them Holiday Logs but I say let’s not wait for a holiday to make them!  They look amazing….   and one thing I especially love is how unique they are.

Definitely not your average cookie or brownie (not that I don’t love your average cookie or brownie!!)

Makes 2 dozen cookies

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup plus 5 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
8 sheets phyllo dough (9-by-14-inch), thawed
Canola oil cooking spray

Topping
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. To prepare logs: Combine nuts, 1/3 cup sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a clean, dry surface. Coat thoroughly with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of phyllo and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle one-quarter of the walnut mixture (about 1/3 cup) evenly over the phyllo.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the large phyllo rectangle lengthwise into 3 strips then in half crosswise to form 6 smaller rectangular strips.
5. Beginning at the short ends, loosely roll each strip into a neat log. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and walnut mixture.
6. Place the logs about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with the remaining 5 teaspoons sugar.
7. Bake the logs, in batches, until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
8. To prepare topping: Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue to microwave for 20-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Transfer the chocolate to a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off one corner, being careful not to make the opening too large. Squeeze the melted chocolate decoratively across the top of each cooled log. Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate is completely set.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

Per cookie:

76 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 31 mg sodium; 36 mg potassium.
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate (other), 1 fat

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze without the chocolate drizzle (Step 8) for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before decorating with the chocolate drizzle.

SOURCE

Long time no speak!

Posted on by
7
Anne Taintor Image

Anne Taintor Image

Yes, we have been absent from our beloved blog for so long it seems!

School duties unfortunately trump blogging fun, especially when less than an 80% in a class  = failing the class = getting kicked out of the program = serious mental breakdown probably requiring medical intervention.

Lexie and I both decided a few years ago to go for a career change into sonography (ultrasound) and thus a second round of college educating.

The way I look at it is my first college education at FSU was my “social” education–areas like communicating (that is, how to enunciate my words so they can be heard over the loud DJ at the bar), cultivating my refined palate (yes, I learned to like wine, beer and that a long island iced tea doesn’t even actually contain any iced tea!), and polishing my visual presentation (I can accessorize any outfit!  What, my major was fashion merchandising okay!).

Now, this time around MAJOR studying is involved.  There is so much to know about anatomy, how it looks when sliced into sections and also how it looks in shades of gray on the screen, the various pathology we are ruling out, how that looks, and on and on–I will bore you no more with further details.  The bottom line is who knew so much would be involved?  But I love every minute of it–especially the clinical aspect and getting to work with patients.

If I can be one caring and warm health care person that the patient gets to see amongst the many who sometimes, let’s just say, have a harder time expressing the empathy that I hope is deep down there somewhere, then good.  And to be able to give information that may help to provide (or rule-out) a diagnosis for the patient is even better.

Okay, enough of that serious talk, right!….    back to yummy recipe ideas!!!

Happy Friday!

Posted on by
3

Stacey and I have really been slacking on the blog posts lately, but everything should return to normal after we finish our finals next Wednesday.  yippee!

Here is a little something to make you smile….

springtime-09-027

Kailani lurves to show her teeth!  She hides under my bed and then pops out to see whats going on.

puppies-054Here is Tayo and Bella…bff’s!

puppies-067Bella taking a Sunday snooze!