Sunday, March 30, 2008

Grab your blender... I have a drink for you!

We found this recipe online and knew we had to try it! It is a creamy yummy treat for any adult! :)

Kahlua Colada

makes one drink:

1 ounce Coco Lopez Real Cream of Coconut® (don't use any other cream of coconut... we tried and we can tell a difference... Coco Lopez is the shit)
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
1 ounce Kahlua
½ ounce Rum
1 cup ice

Mix in blender until smooth, pour into a frosty glass, sit back and ENJOY! :)

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Movies

I didn't think I would be excited for the Sex and The City movie, but after seeing a trailer for it, I'm a bit excited. Okay, I am probably a little more than a little excited. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it because it seems so "popular" to want to see that movie. I won't be there for opening weekend, but I'll probably see it soon after it opens!

We watched a movie tonight that was pleasantly different. Broken English is a movie about a girl that is getting older and looking for love. The movie follows her through life, and in my opinion a realistic look for every day women!! If you get a chance, check it out.
Cauli-blah-flower

In my attempt to broaden our food horizons, I thought I would give cauliflower a try. I have probably had cauliflower once or twice before, but I have never made it. The last time I had it, it was a great texture as well as great flavor (it would really help if I could remember exactly where I had it). I thought I would go the simple route, just to test it out. Well,,,, simple was not the way to go. The cauliflower was edible, but not tasty. I'm not giving up on cauliflower, but I really need to find a different recipe. I think I may have found it.... a mac n'cheese with cauliflower (will try to make within a couple of weeks and report back).


Recipe

1 head of cauliflower, cut in pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 small onion, in slices
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper
Parmesan cheese (how ever much you want to add)

Combine all ingredients, making sure oil and spices are evenly distributed, in a casserole dish. Cook for 15-20 minutes in 400 degrees. Once the cauliflower is done, pull it out of the oven and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.


Thursday, March 27, 2008

Cool new TV

We found a cool new show that encompasses one of my favorite aspects of going to the movies....PREVIEWS!! A whole hour of movie trailers... totally freakin awesome. It so neat to see all of the movies that are about to come out. There are all different types of movies.... big blockbusters to small independent movies. I highly suggest checking with your cable provider to see if you have access to it :) (FYI- we have Direct TV)

Monday, March 24, 2008

BAVARIAN APPLE TORTE

I came across this recipe the other night and I knew I had to make it soon!! It is soooo damn easy and it was fantastic! The next time I make this, I will be making it with peaches instead of apples. I loved the apples, but I am also a huge peach fan.


for the crust


1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 t vanilla
1 cup flour


Cream the butter and sugar and vanilla. blend in the flour until everything is combined. Flatten to a disc and put it in a 9” springform pan. Working with your fingers, spread the dough onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan. It should have a rustic look. Put in the fridge while you make the fillings.

for the filling

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
Combine the cheese and sugar and mix well- i use an electric stand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until very smooth. Set aside.

for the topping

4 cups very thin sliced tart apples that have been peeled
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds


Toss the sliced apples with the cinnamon and sugar. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pastry lined pan. Place the apples in layers over the mixture. Sprinkle with the almonds.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake another 25 minutes or so until the crust is a rich dark golden brown and the almonds look toasted.
Let cool completely before removing the springform sides. Place in the fridge so the cheese filling can firm up some. You can serve this room temp or cold. Warning:the cheese will run if you serve it while it’s still warm- but it’s still yummy.











Sunday, March 23, 2008

Friday Night





We went out on Friday night to celebrate Sarah's birthday. We met them at a bar downtown and enjoyed a few adult beverages. It was a beautiful night so we sat out on the patio. We could not have asked for better weather!!






Some pictures from our night out....


Sarah, Jim, Orly and I



At the Belmont


Sarah, Jim and I

Heath dancing up a storm at the bar

Laura, me, Sarah and Vanessa. Laura is a fellow Eagles fan!

Jim, me and Jake... enjoying an Irish Car Bomb

Sarah and Jake.... Jake was showing Sarah how much he loved being at the bar (NOT!)

Kristi giving Sarah a birthday kiss

Jim licking his new friend.... is that normal?

Ignore the look on my face.... this picture is about the guy in the background of the picture. This guy is a total jackass. He showed up to one of Sarah's parties last year (he was a friend of a friend of a friend....) and caused issues at the party. He got drunk then started to fight about a Jenga game (yes, the simple game of jenga, it was pretty dumb). Anywho, he got thrown out of the party and we haven't seen him since! So we took about 3 or 4 pictures with him in the background... who knows if he figured it out or not :)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Lake Limestone

This past weekend we drove up to Lake Limestone (which is about 2 hrs away,,, North east of Austin). Rachel's parents have a lake house and they were nice enough to invite us all up there to have fun and spend time with friends. Rachel's husband just got back from Iraq (Marines) and Rachel turned 30. We had a very good time. We were took a chance and brought the dogs with us. Overall it wasn't terrible but it did slightly hinder our ability to have a good time. We always had to be on watch because there wasn't a fence, and we didn't trust Taylor enough (for very good reason) to take her off of the leash, so she had to stay on the leash.
Horseshoes

Taylor


Jason the ham, and Ashley

Nicole. I love Nicole... she is a lot like me... funny, athletic (okay, not so athletic now but I used to be and I plan to eventually be once again!) and sarcastic. Who doesn't love a sarcasic funny lady?!?!?
Ashley
Jim and Jason... with Chewie on watch in the background
Little poopa
The ladies... the next morning. Me, Rachel, Ashley, Mahvish, Michelle, Jennifer and Nicole
Da Bones


Ashley and Mahvish
Dogs enjoying the dock on the lake
Lake Limestone
Jim playing volleyball.... Jim played two games and I played a game. We couldn't play together because of the dogs
Hanging around talking
Rachel, Michelle, Mahvish and Rachel's friend (oops... forgot her name)





Bridesmaid shoes


Bridesmaid shoes
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

Our shoes were really pretty but they weren't exactly comfortable :) As soon as the wedding and pictures were over, all of the bridesmaids took off their shoes. The lily was our bridesmaid flowers that we carried.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

A new form of tourture....


A friend of mine introduced me to eyebrow threading. It is a way to keep your eyebrows in check, without waxing and without having to do it yourself. I wasn't going to do it, but I watched her get it done so I thought why not. Okay, I will be the first to say that I really like the results, but HOLY SHIT, it hurt. Hopefully this will last a long time because I don't think I'll be ready to go back in for at least a few months. If you aren't familiar with eyebrow threading, here is a question and answer session I found on the internet:



Q. What is Eyebrow Threading?
A. Eyebrow Threading is an ancient Indian all natural, safe, simple, fast effective method of facial hair removal. Facial threading is the best alternative to waxing and tweezing, especially for sensitive skin or people who are on Retin A and Accutane. Eyebrow threading is very precise for an eyebrow shape that frames your face. Also once you thread you will never go back to any other method or hair removal.
Q. How Does it Work?
A. It's done with a piece of thread. By knotting the thread and creating a trap, hairs are removed by the roots or closest to the roots.

Q. How Long Does it Take to Do Eyebrows? A. 5 to 7 minutes.
Q. Does it Hurt?
A. It may sound painful, but threading is a lot less painful than waxing. Many of our clients say it hurts less than waxing and some say it does not hurt at all. -- LIARS!!! This shit hurts, but I will say it isn't a lingering pain, after about 4 minutes it stops hurting. I haven't waxed before, so I can't really say which is worse
Q. What are the Benefits of Threading vs. Waxing? A. Here are a few:
1. Threading does not peel a layer of skin.
2. The majority of our clients--90%--experience no redness or swelling. If redness or swelling occurs, it is gone within 30 minutes.
3. No irritation or bumps at all.
4. Hair does not grow back as fast, and hair regrowth is finer.
5. Threading removes even the finest of hair and feels smooth like baby's skin.


Friday, March 14, 2008

Guess who???


Guess who???
Originally uploaded by chunkychewie1

I think this might be one of my favorite photos from our vacation. Jim bought those glasses at the Houston airport to wear for the trip (along with his good pair). I have to say I really dislike the sunglasses, but they did prove to be good for one thing... a new type of self portrait :)

Some pictures for you...

Here are some pictures from our vacation. I tried to get a little of everything for now. I haven't had the time to go through all of the pictures (I am about half way through) but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging :) We are going out of town tomorrow (which means more pictures) so it will probably be Monday or so when I get through all of them!



Here we are near our resort at the beach. The people we asked to take the picture of us were actually on our plane to Cancun :) How random is that!!!
Here we are in the lobby of the hotel.

After dinner we all headed out to a bar downtown Playa Del Carmen. The bar had a fire show at 11pm. There were 4 women and 4 men that performed for us. It was very cool.

Colin, Jim and Matt (the groom)

Ahhh, the first kiss

Me, Holly and Krista

Hubby and I at the reception

Walking down the isle with my escort (the grooms, brother in law)

Getting ready before the wedding

Boats tied down in the ocean



Erin, Krista and I at the swim up bar :) Love the swim up bar
Jimmy and I

Self portrait after we went snorkeling. We used an underwater camera to take pictures, so I'll post some of those once we get them back. The water was cloudy, so I'll be happy if we get a couple of good pictures.


This is the lagoon where we went snorkeling. It was a fresh water river flowing into the ocean.


Part of the gazebo where Courtney and Matt were married.


One of the "life guard" stands on the beach. I don't think saw one person sitting in these :)

More to come!!!!!!!!!!