Fiddlesticks!

Last night I finally got my dresses from Eshakti.com which I wrote about two weeks ago. I bought two and I'm sending one back. The black dress fits perfectly and I love it. I will try and take a picture when I try it out. I did buy a wrap dress though and it did not turn out how I thought. It was very long and came very close to my ankle....its going back.

We had our first major house catastrophe in a few months. We have a condo and have central air. We recently bought a window air conditioner for our master bedroom so that it would be really cold in our room to sleep. Last night we were adjusting it in the upstairs window and there was some miscommunication and it fell out the 2nd story window and broke the window in our downstairs living room. SO NOW WE LOOK LIKE THE CLAMPETS! I hate that! I have to start looking for someone to fix it...ugg i hate doing that! oh well. Just another day in the life!

I'm not giving them back!

So I started blogging about a month ago. I ask the Hubster almost everyday if he has read my blog. His response....no. NO...NO...WHAT?
What do you mean know? How could you miss it? I sent you a link!
He just laughs it off.....Well get this

THE SAGA
About three weeks ago the Hubster lost his sunglasses. TYPICAL! He always loses his sunglasses! So he asked me how long I thought he would be able to keep the current pair that he went out a bought. I said 5 weeks MAX! Well The Hubster is a radio DJ and was talking on air about this whole situation regarding sunglasses and came up with the idea that he would blog everyday about the location of his sunglasses. Pretty funny! Except he still has yet to read my blog! (or does it occasionally!)
So everyday he has been taking pictures of his sunglasses doing different things and posting it to his blog here.

Well his is two weeks in and has yet to ask me to take a picture in the stupid glasses. Last night he even had his grandparents wear his glasses!

THE SET-UP
Well this morning....I found the alleged glasses in my car. I am not telling him where they are! HAHA
Maybe he will think he lost them all over again and lose the bet! I may even hide them! I guess if he reads my blog then he will know where they are :)

Happy Hunting Hunny...XOXO

RANSOM

What i'm loving Wednesday!

So I thought I would include some the the misc. things that I'm loving this moment!

So the season is over for glee- I cant help myself I like Jesse St. James!

For those of you who have not found this app for the IPhone, I think it is one of my favorites for sharing pics!

I read this book a few weeks ago...It reminds me of "Hunger Games" which I loved!

I'm currently obsessed with these water bottles. I just bought one for the Hubster too!

So I guess the things I'm loving this week have to do with all my shows that are ending and will not be on for several months...tear!

Herb Crusted Pork Chops

Hello ladies! So last night I tried one of Rachael Ray's 30 min meals! It was so easy. I made her Herb Crusted Pork Chops. I have attached the link to her website as well as the recipe. I was able to make this in about 15 mins and then just popped them in the oven for 20-25. They were so good and.....even Jared ate them! The only modification that I did was instead of using a liquid mustard I used a mustard powder since the Hubster does not really like mustard. It was great with the changes

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dinner-recipes/herb-crusted-pork-chops-with-broccoli-and-onions

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups (about 3 ounces) fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Four 6-ounce 1-inch-thick boneless center-cut pork loin chops
• 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
• Salt and pepper

Brine the pork chops overnight to boost flavor and juiciness.

Use the broccoli stalks—don’t toss them! Thinly slice and add to the skillet a minute or two before the florets to give them time to cook through.

Swap in honey mustard for the grainy mustard for a subtly sweet taste.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Place a greased rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool; stir in the parsley and cheese.
2. Brush the pork with the mustard and coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on the rack and bake until cooked through but still juicy, 20 to 25 minutes.

Chop the parsley fine

This is the mixture before you put your pork chops in to dip

before it went into the oven

Finished product!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe, we loved it!

Alum Creek Dog Park

This weekend I took the pups the the dog park. I have been to this park before. It is very nice. They have about 4 a different areas for dogs to run. They are divided by the size of the dog so that little dogs can have fun too. I love coming here because the people are so friendly and I always feel like I'm at day camp for dogs with the other mothers. I have included the link for any of you here in the Columbus area. I have to drive a little ways to  get there but it is worth it. They also have a park that has access to the waterfront in case your dogs like to swim.
http://www.alumcreekdogpark.com/#

Beans running!

Frank exploring

Also there is an upcoming event for dogs. I thought I would include the information in case anyone is interested! :)

Pasta Carbonara

A few weeks ago the Hubster has to have collar bone repair surgery after a skiing accident. While I was staying home with him for a few days I saw my first episode of "The Kitchen Boss." Basically Buddy from the "Cake Boss," doing a cooking show on Italian food. Everything he made looked so good but I wrote down the recipe for his Pasta Carbonara because it looked so good and the Hubster was willing to eat it! (shock-cooking for a picky eater is terrible)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound of pancetta or bacon
1 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
3 eggs
2 cloves garlic
Spaghetti

PREPARATION:

1. Start a large pot of salted water to boil.
2. Whisk together the eggs and cheese in small bowl. Start the bacon in a cold large skillet, turn up heat to medium and cook until browned and crisp. Add two cloves of crushed garlic to bacon while cooking. Meanwhile, start cooking the pasta. Have a large bowl ready for the pasta and sauce.
3. When the pasta is al dente, quickly drain and place in the waiting bowl. Toss in the egg mixture. Scoop the bacon and toss to coat.

Boil the pasta-add oil so noodles will not stick

This is what the the sauce looks like before its added to the noodles- Combine the cheese-eggs and cooked pancetta (I substituted bacon)

This is the finished product

 Well this is the second time i have tried this recipe and Buddy's version came out much better. Looking back I would throw in some salt and pepper while tossing in the sauce. Also I think a little parsley on top of this dish would have been a nice addition. I think this whole meal maybe took 20 mins. The longest part was waiting for the noodles to be finished. Hope you enjoy!

Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

I just got a couple of old Ella Fitzgerald CD's.  I always forget how wonderful her voice is until I hear it and then it just makes me melt. I love this duo she did with Louis Armstrong!

I love that she was a curvy lady!

So I thought I would put it up so everyone else can have a listen to one of the greats as well! Happy Thursday! I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

Farmers Market

So this weekend me and the hubs went to a farmers market in Clintonville. It was very cute.
Tons of fresh produce and plants. We had a great time walking around and trying a bunch of samples.

Tons of herb plants!

Baked goods. They had Woopie Pies!

Jams- I guess you can also find this vendor at Whole Foods

We tried two of these jams. Jared got a Carmel Apple Butter- He said it was amazing and he is a really picky eater if that is a recommendation for you.
I bought a "Peach Champagne" and it was really good on toast! Not sure if it would go with peanut butter but it was still very good. I think they sold a jar for 6 dollars. If you ever see this vendor, try it :)

I also got some tomato's and they were the best I have had in months. I'm hoping to check the Worthington market in the next couple of weekends. I'll keep you posted.

You can find a list of local farm markets at Shanna's Blog.

The Help

I recently read "The Help." I don't normally like books that don't involve some kind of love story but I fell in love with the characters.

Now they are making the movie! 

 

Check it out. Hopefully the movie will live up to the book :)

Planting Spree

I recently read a blog by Katie where she designed some pots for her herb garden. I had done this last year with three plants and it worked perfect. I had fresh herbs for cooking all summer. I was planning on doing this again this year and I've decided I'm going to try a grow a tomato plant in a pot as well.

This marker is a at Michael's craft store and it is made to write on ceramics

Obviously I'm left handed because my writing leaves something to be desired :P

My mom told me this weekend I will probably have to find a bigger pot for the roots...helpful hint if anyone else is going to be planting a tomato plant this summer!

eShakti

So a girlfriend recently recommended the http://www.eshakti.com/. I needed to get some new dresses for work and I love this site.

I loved the motto which is pictured above. Eshakti will let you custom build your dress. You can change sleeves, sizes, length and bust size. It only cost an extra $7.50 to make all the changes you want. Dresses run about $50 and they have so many trendy styles.

I just got this dress and cant wait to get it! I'll keep you posted on how the final product is! Also if you sign up for their email club you receive a 20 gift card code toward the price of your purchase. They are also offering free shipping on orders over $100. Check it out ladies!

Dessert in a Pinch

So I celebrated Mother's Day with my family this week and I was going over the items we were going to have when my mother asked me what we were having for dessert. I PANICKED! I had completely fogotten about making any kind of dessert and apparently my mom was expecting it. So I went to one of my go to recipe sites...Kraftfoods.com! What a lifesaver. I have gotten so many easy last minute recipes off here. So anyway this is what I came up with.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate-passion-bowl-61814.aspx

2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

3 cups  cold milk

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

1   baked 9-inch square brownie layer, cooled, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5-1/2 cups)

2 cups fresh raspberries

Make It

BEAT pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP. PLACE half the brownies in 2-qt. bowl; cover with layers of half each of the pudding, remaining COOL WHIP and berries. Repeat.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour.


So I made this recipe in like 10 mins plus the hour that you need to refrigerate it!
So yummy and totally worked great for Mother's Day.

Schools out for summer!

After tonight I’m 1/3 of the way though my Masters degree....I can’t even really believe it. Getting another degree has never been an aspiration for me but here I am anyway. I never thought I would survive that first class. I have learned the value of a good teacher!
Don’t be afraid to try something new for fear of failing... that is the lesson I have learned. You will not know what you can do till you push your limits. It is fear that keeps people from growing
Also if you are in the Columbus area and you are considering a Masters in Marketing/Communications there program is pretty good and manageable if you are still going to be working  www.franklin .edu/
I have included a quick pictures of the campus! Its right downtown.

Matron of Honor

So the big day is almost here. My bestest friend is getting married this weekend! I can't believe how fast everything has come together. I guess I should probally start working on my speech....

Anyway here is a picture of me and the bride at the bachelorette party! I'll have more updates after the wedding!