Book of Randomness

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and thankfully, I don’t have to be responsible for it this year. I’m excited to say, I don’t really even have to help plan it! I only have one responsibility this year, and it is something I could do in my sleep!

My responsibility at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and any appropriate holiday is to make the classic green bean casserole. You may be wondering why I have this task at EVERY family party?

I don’t follow the recipe!! But I will share my secrets… for the first time on paper (or screen rather).

From the French’s Website.

Ingredients

• Green Beans – Two cans of FRENCH CUT beans. This is VERY key. The recipe calls for cut green beans, but I have found that the french cut mixes better with the other ingredients.
• Cream of … – You might be surprised here again. The recipe calls for cream of mushroom, but YUCK! Somehow around the age of 12 (when I was given been responsibilities) I accidentally started using CREAM OF CHICKEN when no one was looking. My bad! Except it was GREAT! So much better! Use one whole can.
• Milk – You can use whatever milk you choose. Add just a dash of milk, no more than a 1/8 of a cup, unless you like them runny.
• Onions – One LARGE can of the REGULAR French’s Fried Onions. The recipe calls for the cheddar kind, but seriously? Cheddar and mushrooms?

What to do!!

• Turn on oven to BAKE at 350 degrees.
• Mix in a 9×13 Pyrex dish: 2 cans of beans, one can of Cream of Chicken, milk, and 1/2 of the fried onions.
• Use fork to make sure it is laying reasonable flat in dish.
• BAKE at 350 degrees for 30 mins
• Remove beans from oven. Top with remaining 1/2 of fried onions. BAKE for 2-5 additional minutes until the onions are brown (or to your liking)!

If you listen to my recipe instead of the “classic” from French’s you will have the perfect combination of gooey and crunchy. I promise if you give this version a shot JUST ONCE, you will never, ever, want to go back!

A relative of mine learned the hard way when she went shopping for the ingredients once and not only bought the cut beans, but also the cream of mushroom. That’s when the ENTIRE family decided I was the only one allowed to make them ever again!

It’s easy to make, but it’s such an important part of the holiday menu!

P.S. You might also be wondering why I didn’t switch out any of the ingredients for healthier choices. My family and I decided right off the bat that when it came to our traditional holiday meals, we were not going to go our usual route of substituting. The holidays are so rare and important to our family, that it is a cause for celebration!

If you are looking for a relatively easy meal that won’t pack on the pounds, then this one is for you. And trust me, they can taste great!!

Hot Pockets/Lean Pockets are easy to make and pretty tastey, but the ingredients and OMG the sodium levels are enough to turn you off. Luckily, there is an alternative.

Last year we started making our own pizzas with whole wheat dough and turkey toppings, still delicious and sooo much better for you. Unfortunately, after purchasing all of the ingredients for our have pepperoni, half sausage pizza, we realized we had come home without the dough!! Of course we were hungry and no one wanted to go back to the store, so we decided to improvise.

One thing we ALWAYS have in our house is pita bread, and there ya go, Pizza Pockets!

Here is how, and why!

The making of a BBQ Chicken Pizza Pocket!

1. Grab all of your ingredients!

• Pita Bread (whole wheat)
• Cheese – Pick your favorite, mozzarella is the basic for most recipes
• Sauce – Typically you will want pizza sauce, BBQ Sauce or some kind of white sauce
• Meats – If you want! To make it healthier, choose turkey pepperoni, turkey Italian sausage or chicken
• Veggies – These will be entirely dependant on the type of pizza you want. Some options are basil, tomatoes, onions, cilantro or peppers

  2. Slice your pita bread in half and separate the sides so that it creates a “pocket.” You may need a knife to do this, just remember to be gentle!
  

  
  
  

  3. Cook and meat that you will be including!

  4. Stuff the pockets with WHATEVER you want. It is probably the easiest to put everything in a bowl and mix it up. Place on rack as you go (we use a cookie drying rack on top of a cookie sheet so that they cook all the way around and any droppings fall onto the sheet).

  5. At a low to mid temperature (one you feel comfortable with), usually around 350-375, put the pockets in the oven for about 10 minutes. Watch them because this hasn’t exactly been an exact science, and different ingredients cook differently.
  

  
  
  

  And then enjoy!

  Keep in mind you can turn pretty much any pizza or even sandwich into a pocket. My favorites so far have been pepperoni and sausage pizza pocket and a BBQ chicken pizza pocket.

  The keys to making these healthy are using white meats like chicken breast and turkey (the pepperoni and sausages are GREAT substitutions), whole wheat pita or dough, and if you choose to, low fat toppings. Also make sure to watch the sodium and sugar levels in the sauces.

  You can also throw in an extra health kick by adding carrots, broccoli, spinach or any other veggies that have been food processed, to the sauce!

My FAVORITE book EVER! Ok maybe it is my favorite possession….? I guess that could be stretching it, but this book is definitely WAY up there.

So what is it you may ask?

Freakin’ Fabulous by Clinton Kelly. I feel hesitant to share this with everyone because, well if I share, then you may become more fabulous than I am… oh well. The more fabulous people the better!

Everyone has seen the TLC show What Not to Wear on at least one occasion (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock). Clinton is half of the hosting duo, Clinton and Stacy. Clinton is also touring the country’s Macy’s stores for Make Over America (sadly I was not chosen ) He is undoubtedly funny on the show, and it translates perfectly into his book. He had me laughing cover to cover.

Freakin’ Fabulous is like my new life bible. I have only had the chance to read it all the way through once, but I frequently refer back to it. I actually began to annoy my friends and family by saying… “Clinton says….” or “According to Clinton…” I even had my DAD quoting the book!! Weird.

By the first few pages of the book you will wish Clinton was your best friend!

Freakin’ Fabulous is the book that you need if you want to know “How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else” according to its sub-title!

Highlights of the book… according to moi!

• Dress: Includes everything you need to know from accessories, to tailoring, dressing for certain occasions and a page of very ugly shoes (clearly the DON’T page)
• Speak: Definitely the section I need to read again… and AGAIN. The proper use for words. My greatest accomplishment so far has been taking the “s” off of the end of anyway! The pretty pictures and doodles help my learning… what can I say, I’m a visual person!
• Behave: Don’t butter the entire roll!! Holding wine glasses, eating oysters, texting with company and even a section on “bodily functions.” This section is definitely a must read. Did you know you should never bring your own food item to a party unless requested? I did not know that one, but you can ruin the theme/atmosphere.
• Eat: Four recipes you should MEMORIZE, cutting onions and other great recipes.
• Drink: I was laughing from the first page of this section as Clinton says, “Gin has made me do a lot of stupid things, but I forgive it.” Obviously there are drink recipes in the section, but my part is the section on wine; descriptions, how to serve, how to order and which wine pairs best with your food.
• Entertain: Plan for 1 bottle of wine per person!! Now that sounds like a party! Covers food to serve, music, booting people at the end of the night and making the potty smell nice! The “Mac and Cheese with Bacon” looks and sounds delicious… although it reminds me of the overeating experience I had at Yardhouse.
• Decorate: I cannot wait until I have my own house to be able to do all of this!! Room by room tricks, organization (“Kill the Clutter”), and fresh flowers. Never include baby’s breath or ferns IN an arrangement! Clinton suggests using Flowerbud.com for flowers.

  The book is full of color and information. Clinton has done an amazing job with this book balancing entertainment and information. I suggest it to EVERYONE. Give it to your girlfriends for their birthday or as a bachelorette party gift.

  You don’t NEED a reason, just get the book for crying out loud!! You will thank me later!

My FAVORITE book EVER! Ok maybe it is my favorite possession….? I guess that could be stretching it, but this book is definitely WAY up there.

So what is it you may ask?

Freakin’ Fabulous by Clinton Kelly. I feel hesitant to share this with everyone because, well if I share, then you may become more fabulous than I am… oh well. The more fabulous people the better!

Everyone has seen the TLC show What Not to Wear on at least one occasion (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock). Clinton is half of the hosting duo, Clinton and Stacy. Clinton is also touring the country’s Macy’s stores for Make Over America (sadly I was not chosen ) He is undoubtedly funny on the show, and it translates perfectly into his book. He had me laughing cover to cover.

Freakin’ Fabulous is like my new life bible. I have only had the chance to read it all the way through once, but I frequently refer back to it. I actually began to annoy my friends and family by saying… “Clinton says….” or “According to Clinton…” I even had my DAD quoting the book!! Weird.

By the first few pages of the book you will wish Clinton was your best friend!

Freakin’ Fabulous is the book that you need if you want to know “How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else” according to its sub-title!

Highlights of the book… according to moi!

• Dress: Includes everything you need to know from accessories, to tailoring, dressing for certain occasions and a page of very ugly shoes (clearly the DON’T page)
• Speak: Definitely the section I need to read again… and AGAIN. The proper use for words. My greatest accomplishment so far has been taking the “s” off of the end of anyway! The pretty pictures and doodles help my learning… what can I say, I’m a visual person!
• Behave: Don’t butter the entire roll!! Holding wine glasses, eating oysters, texting with company and even a section on “bodily functions.” This section is definitely a must read. Did you know you should never bring your own food item to a party unless requested? I did not know that one, but you can ruin the theme/atmosphere.
• Eat: Four recipes you should MEMORIZE, cutting onions and other great recipes.
• Drink: I was laughing from the first page of this section as Clinton says, “Gin has made me do a lot of stupid things, but I forgive it.” Obviously there are drink recipes in the section, but my part is the section on wine; descriptions, how to serve, how to order and which wine pairs best with your food.
• Entertain: Plan for 1 bottle of wine per person!! Now that sounds like a party! Covers food to serve, music, booting people at the end of the night and making the potty smell nice! The “Mac and Cheese with Bacon” looks and sounds delicious… although it reminds me of the overeating experience I had at Yardhouse.
• Decorate: I cannot wait until I have my own house to be able to do all of this!! Room by room tricks, organization (“Kill the Clutter”), and fresh flowers. Never include baby’s breath or ferns IN an arrangement! Clinton suggests using Flowerbud.com for flowers.

  The book is full of color and information. Clinton has done an amazing job with this book balancing entertainment and information. I suggest it to EVERYONE. Give it to your girlfriends for their birthday or as a bachelorette party gift.

  You don’t NEED a reason, just get the book for crying out loud!! You will thank me later!

Second Fave Find Friday!! YAY!

Have you ever struggled with diets? Tried everyone in the book and yet somehow you are still yo-yoing? Well, here is your life saver!!!

I have mentioned it in the past, but Hungry Girl has been my lifesaver for about a year now. When my family started on our fitness kick last year, our trainer told us we weren’t allowed to eat: dairy, grains, sugary fruits, etc. Now those things right there, are my life!! Needless to say, I was a little bummed. We tried it for a couple months, but no one can eat like that forever. ( I literally craved McDonald’s for a month after, weird right?)

Sooo…. HUNGRY GIRL!!! The greatest way to continue eating the foods you love without adding the inches to your waist. Better yet, LOSE some of those inches!!

Lisa Lillen, the creator, is NOT a nutritionist, she is a self proclaimed foodologist who has spent the time and research trying to find good tasting and healthy food items. Lisa develops these recipes based on her idea that “food is [her] passion and it has been [her] lifelong obsession.”

Hungry Girl now has two books out, Hungry Girl, and Hungry Girl 200 under 200. Both are great. They are full of more ideas than you can possibly imagine. Comfort foods, cocktails, desserts, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and you name it. There is even a section on typical party foods.

The basic concept behind all of the recipes is that you take a regular dish and just exchange a few ingredients for smarter choices… all while maintaining the delicious flavor!!

If you don’t want to jump right into buying the books, you also have the option to sign up for the daily newsletter which gives you some recipes and healthy grocery store finds. The pink links will take you to where you can buy the books!

Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World

The website is also a fountain of information and well designed!

There are sections called top ATE. For example, the top ATE: holiday favorites, long lasting snacks, and summer beverages.

The most useful top ATE is the one on calorie saving swaps. Hungry Girl uses simple substitutes like using the liquid egg substitute rather than a traditional egg. My own swaps that I ALWAYS stick to: turkey instead of ground beef, whole grain pasta (and all breads) instead of white, and olive oil spray instead of olive oil.

It is because of this mentality that you can cut out tons of calories without having to try to hard, or even worse, STARVE!!!

Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories

My only complaint with the Hungry Girl books is that they suggest using a product called Shirataki Tofu Noodles… I tried them once, and found I’m not such a fan. They are quite slimey and have an odd consistency… but go ahead and try them. If not, just substitute with whole wheat pasta.

Good luck!! Sign up for the newsletter at Hungry Girl, and buy the books!! Trust me, it will be worth it!

I forgot to mention they also have a fun little game called Whack-a-Snack!

This past week, I somehow received all of my magazine subscriptions in a matter of two days… Between that “wake up call” and my lovely budget crunching mode that I’m in, it made me wonder, when did I get all of these magazines?

I like many girls my age went through the various magazine stages. From Highlights as a little kid, to Seventeen when I hit 13, to my current obsessions.

I now receive: Women’s Health, Shape, Glamour, and People Style Watch.

While this may not seem like “a lot,” when you routinely run out of time to look at all of them, and you eventually throw them all out anyway, you realized what a waste. Plus, it is not very “green!”

My Women’s Health and People Style Watch are more expensive than your traditional $12 subscription price. But I suppose they balance out with the great $12 for two years I paid for Shape!! YAY!

But add it up, I’m suddenly spending OVER $50 for some paper!! Information I can easily access online!

I know you are thinking, $12, big deal, you are practically robbing the magazine! Turns out, you are actually making them more money simply by taking them up on their “great offer.” Magazines make their money with advertising. They are making mucho dinero on your “savings” because you add to their circulation numbers. Higher circulation=More expensive Ad buys. Personally, I think Ad buys are a little overrated when you think about the “impression” you get with the readers. I mean I skip the ads. I’m sure you skip the ads. That is why we find ourselves surrounded by “advertorials.” You guessed it, they are trying to trick you. Bummer!

By the way, this holiday season when you are checking out all of those nifty gift guides, make sure they are not paid for. Some publications are so strapped for cash that they are actually offering up their gift guides as paid advertisements. It will guide you alright, right to their customers’ products. Not so trustworthy is it?

SO what is my point? Well my point is that I do not need to spend $50 a year on magazines. I’m not sure which ones I will end up giving the boot, but you can be sure some of them will get it! I can go online and try to do my little part of the environment and my pocket!

By the way, did you know that the website, Perez Hilton makes $110,000 A MONTH!!??!! Man I wish I had all of the latest gossip to share!

I mentioned it before on the About Page, but if you EVER have any questions about ANYTHING, please let me know. If you are a curious girl (or boy) like I am, you wonder why, how, who, when, where, etc. ALL the time. But do you really have the time figure everything out?

Well I have some time, and I am willing to give you some!! From my time working in public relations and marketing (having to track people and contacts down – yes I have probably talked to you or sent you something in the past ), I have gained this crazy ability to find almost anything on the internet, and at an alarmingly quick rate. Let me know who you want to know and we’ll figure it out! Plus I’ll be glad to share the findings with everyone on Book of Randomness.

Thanks!!!

PS, please let me know if you are enjoying/learning from the entries so far. More importantly, if you like it, tell everyone you know!!!

I mentioned it before on the About Page, but if you EVER have any questions about ANYTHING, please let me know. If you are a curious girl (or boy) like I am, you wonder why, how, who, when, where, etc. ALL the time. But do you really have the time figure everything out?

Well I have some time, and I am willing to give you some!! From my time working in public relations and marketing (having to track people and contacts down – yes I have probably talked to you or sent you something in the past ), I have gained this crazy ability to find almost anything on the internet, and at an alarmingly quick rate. Let me know who you want to know and we’ll figure it out! Plus I’ll be glad to share the findings with everyone on Book of Randomness.

Thanks!!!

PS, please let me know if you are enjoying/learning from the entries so far. More importantly, if you like it, tell everyone you know!!!

Today was the second day I was planning on starting this apple challenge I heard about on Twitter. One of Book of Randomness’ followers on Twitter said that if you eat a large apple 15 minutes before eating lunch, you will consume on average, 170 fewer calories. Yesterday’s problem in starting was a lack of apples in the house, and no time to buy one. Today, I took an apple with me with the intentions of trying this out. But then I remembered what I brought for lunch and I thought… why would I want to consume LESS of my lunch… it is too delicious! Lucky for me, my lunch was also healthy.

Yes it IS possible to have healthy food that tastes GREAT. Every once in a while, you need a little reminder that you don’t need to run out to Yardhouse for a Mac & Cheese Squared* to have flavor in your life! Here is a great example to remind you why you don’t have to be confined to rice cakes and carrots.

Thai Crunch Salad

Ingredients:

• Broccoli Slaw
• Canned Mandarin Oranges – Halved
• Canned Water Chestnuts – Chopped
• Roasted, Unsalted Peanuts (If you can find raw, all the better)
• Shelled Edamame Beans
• Newman’s Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger
• Chicken Breast – Baked and Shredded

You don’t have to worry too much about the measurements because most of this is good for you. Mix it all together and you are good. Just remember to go light on the dressing (just enough to coat the ingredients), and light on the peanuts. Go heavy on the greens and broccoli slaw because it will give you your vegetables, and the chicken and edamame will cover your protein.

And there ya go!! A great, easy to make salad!!! You can thank Hungry Girl for this one. Well the base of the salad anyway. I added/subtracted some things so it would taste more like my favorite salad at CPK.

I am still interested in trying this apple thing, and I will let you know how it goes. When I make healthier choices daily, it seems less important to worry about eating an apple before every meal. Frankly, before I start eating an apple to slow down my intake of calories, I need to figure out how to eat slower and LESS.

*If you are going to eat Mac and Cheese Squared from Yardhouse. Make sure that when you order, have them put half of it in a to-go box and put some kind of magical lock on it so you cannot open it until you have fully digested the other half. The pasta, cheese, chicken, and bacon combination is deadly!!! I made the mistake of enjoying it so much that I ate the entire plate. I don’t even want to know the calories in that sucker, but I can tell you one thing… it was not a pleasant feeling the next few days.

ENJOY the Thai Crunch Salad… Just remember moderation is the key to eating ANYTHING!

Since it is 5 O’clock just about everywhere (in the US anyway), I thought we could talk about the weekend.  For that matter, bring out the college student in you and make Thursday your big “party night.” 

I never really understood that whole Thursday night thing, even when I was in college… I guess it is the perfect F-U to those who had Friday classes, poor bio majors.

So back to your now Thursday-Sunday weekend.  Here is one of my favorite shots. YAY!

There is a little skill involved, so you may have to practice before you bust the skills out in public.  Don’t worry about perfection – that whole practice makes perfect doesn’t really apply when you keep drinking your practice runs…

 

SEXY ALLIGATOR* 

1 oz. Midori Melon Liqueur

1 oz. Pineapple Juice

1 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

Float of Jagermeister

 

*There are SEVERAL ways to make a Sexy Alligator.  I have seen recipes that use Amarreto, apple juice (can we say EWWW), and Malibu.  This is just MY favorite recipe, and I don’t even follow it.  See below…

I have never actually found a drink recipe in a book, online, or wherever, that actually tasted right… I always wonder how those bartenders do it.  I do a lot of trial and error when it comes to drinks.  When I find one I like at a restaurant or bar, I find a basic recipe, try it, and take it from there. 

I spent about 3 hours trying to perfect a berry mojito once, and I will gladly share that recipe too…. later.  If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, right?  HAHA I sound like my father.

Back to the drink.  With the Sexy Alligator, I found that if you have an equal part of Midori and pineapple it is usually a good starting point.  Feel free to tweak this which ever way you like it. Once you have the main section of the drink, the Chambord and Jager are pretty must just eyeballing it.  

It is best to use a tall, slim shot glass rather than a short fat one.  Pour in the Midori/pineapple mixture so that it is nearly full.  Then slowly add the Chambord, it will sink to the bottle of the glass.  You want about a 1/5 of an inch at the bottom.  To finish off the drink, you will want to float the Jager on the top.

 

Floating Alcohol

This is where things can get tricky.  The easiest way to do this is to use the back of a spoon.  Position the spoon so that the end is against the side of the glass.  SLOWLY, and I mean slowly pour the Jager down the back of the spoon.  In the case of the Sexy Alligator, you only want enough Jager to create a visible layer on the top.

Great drink even if you don’t like Jager, even better if you do!!