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!

HAPPY ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!!

I may be too late in getting to most of you, but I’m sure there are still a few of you last minute pumpkin carvers out there. If in fact you have already carved your pumpkins, keep this in mind for next year.

I experimented (not by choice) with artificial pumpkin carving this year… boy was it fun…

One would assume that since you are working with a foam like material versus a unpredictable and often times gooey fruit that it would not only be easier to cut, but also a cleaner experience.

One would also assume that these would be good for kids… if I were a kid, I wouldn’t have been strong enough. My fingers still hurt!

Things I Discovered or Observed:

• They are strong little boogers when you don’t want them to be (aka trying to poke in the knife) and weak when you want them to be strong (aka when you are trying to carve intricate designs.
• They are INCREDIBLY messy. It looked like I had been shaving styrofoam all day. Definitely do not wear black when you are working with them.
• You can try and try, but you will NEVER get a clean edge.
• Similar to the previous bullet, cutting is terribly difficult in some places which causes you to not be as accurate.
• They lack the great characteristics of natural pumpkins such as those little flaws we have all learned to love. The pumpkins also only come in certain shapes.

Helpful Hits

• If you chose to use a Dremmel tool, be VERY careful. The foam cannot always stand up to it and you will quickly lose control (you can imagine what Mr. Olantern can turn out looking like).
• After carving the pumpkin, use the Dremmel sanding tools to “buff” the edges. It won’t be perfect, but it will help.
• White pumpkins look really cool with a simple ghost face.
• If you ignore my warning, DO NOT try anything more intricate than a simple face.
• If you ignore me still, cut all of the fine sections first to make sure most of the pumpkin still has its strength.
• These artificial guys make a perfect decoration intact, which is just about the only way you will see me needing these ever again.
• DO NOT USE A CANDLE!!!!

Good luck to you who decide to try them out despite my best efforts to warn you!! Talk to me after it looks like it snowed in your house.

If I were you, I would consider these good “craft pumpkins” and not “carving pumpkins.” Paint them or stencil them just don’t cut them!

For example:

From Michaels’ Website

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!

~~For you wannabe winos!~~

Who says good wine has to be expensive??

Whoever they are, I am definitely NOT one of them. I drink Two-Buck-Chuck! There I said it!
(for those of you unaware, I am referring to Trader Joe’s $2 Charles Shaw wine)

Photo from Making Memories.org (more info at the bottom!)

I do not seek out two-buck-chuck, but it is a great thing to have around the house for the last minute wine needs or to add to a dish. It is never GREAT but it is also never AWFUL. It usually is decent tasting wine and you can stock up on it at the $2 price (although I hear it is $3 in NY… bummer). Apparently, Trader Joe’s can afford the cheap price since the wines are left over from different wineries… which is why some are better than others. That could be a rumor though….

So on to the moderately priced wines that everyone should give a shot.

Sidenote: I am not a wine connoisseur (and in fact, I didn’t even know how to spell that), I am just a girl who is trying to learn more about wines by experiencing, tasting and listening to people who think they know what they are talking about. Also, I typically lean towards white wines, but I am open to just about any… red, white, pink, sparkly, bubbly and you name it. Just keep that dessert wine away from me. Especially one flavored like a peach.

Back to the wines…

When I need to bring wine for a special occasion or I just do not want to be thoroughly embarrassed by my poor wine picking skills, I try to be loyal to these brands.

• Beringer-Smooth tasting wines. My favorite is their Chardonnay
• Barefoot-Love the wine AND the bubbly (champagne peeps)
• Yellowglen Sparkling Wines- Pink is one of my favorite wines/champagnes. Smooth tasting with lots of bubbles. The bottle is adorable and who can fault the pink color of the liquid!
• Kendall-Jackson-Always a decent taste!
• Francis Ford Coppola Winery-What can I say? They are a talented family!

The gadgets!!

Opener! – Plus this one comes with a foil cutter and a sweet box!

Keep track of your glass for crying out loud!

The helper – Clinton’s book helps explain wine pairings in a simple manner!

Other books:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting and Running a Winery

Wine All-in-One For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking))

California Wine For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking))

Yellowglen Pink and Yellow are supporting National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) by giving $1 for every bottle sold during the month! Check in out on Making Memories.org and support them in their quest.

That means drink people!

Also, BevMo! has great deals on wine and champagne, especially during their 5 Cent sale. I can usually find Pink! I believe the sale is about to start again!!

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!

It may be a little late in the season to discuss boating safety, but since I am fresh off of a boating trip I thought I would share a little bit about what I know and just learned. This is definitely not a complete (or anywhere close to it) list, so check out some boater safety sites before you go on your trip.

Obviously the key thing is to put kids in a life jacket!! It doesn’t matter if they think they look stupid! We ALL look a little silly in them!

Orange Flag You HAVE to have an orange flag up when you have people in the water. Whatever you do, do not forget this and have a friend run over. Major party pooper.

Remember to turn off the prop when your friends and family are getting in and out of the boat.

Drinking High on the list of things NOT to do. Drinking and driving anything is a bad idea. Places that are frequented by “partiers” like Havasu have a zero tolerance policy, meaning if you test positive for ANY alcohol, they are sending you to the big house.

No Wake Zone Always obey this rule. You never know who is watching. Breaking the “No Wake” is like rolling a stop sign… it just gives the cops a reason to pull you over. (My friend was almost arrested because of this)

Wave Runners The passenger is always supposed to wear the safety key. Luckily the cops who almost arrested my friend gave us this lovely tidbit. It makes sense, how else would you know if they fell off?

Also remember that people do not pay attention to wave runners. Keep an eye out for boats in your area.

Lights Boat lights are very important. It is illegal to have a boat out in the water without having lights on it.

Sunscreen Wear it, re-apply it. There is nothing worse than a burn – they make you feel like an idiot because you can’t do something so simple. Plus peeling and skin cancer are hidious side effects.

Other helpful ideas…

• Wear boardshorts when you are wakeboarding or tubing (no one wants their bottoms coming off or going up there tush).
• Take your earings out when tubing. Not only can they fall out, they can go right through your earlob.
• Take plenty of food and water. Boating (especially in the sun or doing activities) can be physically exhausting.
• If you are riding wave runners, or on a boat, make sure the plugs are in… you don’t want to sink.
• Did I mention sunscreen??
• If you rent a boat make sure it has an anchor, large bimini top and a sound system.

  If you do rent a boat, or borrow it, make sure it is in good working condition. Nothing can ruin a boating trip faster than a dysfunctional boat.

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!

Holy Hell it is hotttt tonight. It is Saturday night, and you guessed it, I’m home. Still a little sick, but I did make it to a little BBQ get together this afternoon. Now that I’m back home writing this, I’m getting a little sweaty! Ewww. I’m not sure if it is the hot humid weather or if I have a little lingering fever, either way, it blows.

On to happier more helpful things.

The other day I was looking at all of the bookmarks I have, trying to decide which ones I could get rid of… then I realized how much I use mine. So there ya go….

The 10 Bookmarks every modern girl needs:

• 1- Your Bank. Who doesn’t need immediate access to their bank account when they have, let’s say, spent too much??? I am quite familiar with this concept… you may also want to bookmark your credit cards…
• 2- Google. For the always important quick find.
• 3-Blog. To keep all of your people up-to-date. Besides, if you spend at least an hour or more a day on something, do you really want to go searching?
• 4- Twitter. I must say I never thought I would have Twitter bookmarked. Yet, here we are. If you have a blog/website/business, Twitter is the new, ever powerful way to keep in touch with your clients. (I have more on this coming up in a blog, thank you Twitter 101, and yes, there is a class)
• 5- Weather.com. Because every girl needs to know how to dress tomorrow!!
• 6- CrossFit or Gym. For me, it is great to be able to access the W.O.D. (Workout of the Day in CrossFit speak) so that I can get mentally prepared for the workout ahead of me as well as eat correctly so I have the most energy. If you go to a normal gym, you might also want to keep up with the class schedules.
• 7- Facebook. Whether for personal or professional use, Facebook is a clean, easy and straight-forward way to keep in touch with friends and customers.
• 8- IMDb. IMDb is my lifesaver when I have a face that I cannot put a name to or vice-versa. Great for a movie or TV watcher.
• 9- eBay. Whether you are a buyer or seller, having eBay around is very important! It is so much fun just to see what you can find sometimes!
• 10- E-mail. Which ever medium you decide to use, gmail or yahoo, you need it around! Duh!

  So why do you keep searching around for everything??

  There are many other things you might find important to have bookmarked. For example, I have other bookmarks for this blog, my salon (to make quick appointments), the Women’s Health monthly giveway, and a few other.

  The choice is yours, but please…. simplify your life!! Your sanity will thank you!