Chocolate Cake....from the microwave!?

From time to time I enjoy making a box cake to get my frosting fix, but after I get my cake hit from one square, I'm left with a whole cake...tempting me day after day.  Last cake I made I ended up bringing over to one of my friend's parties (a guarantee it will be scraped clean).  I feel like it's such a waste to make a whole cake that I don't even want and those little Betty Crocker bowls are so expensive.  So I looked up some one cup cake solutions and came up with this quick microwavable cake that's baked in a coffee mug!  This was my first time experimenting with it and in the future I might try out some different flavors or add-ins.  Now I'm not saying this is the Rolls Royce of cake or anything, but it's perfect when you just got to get your chocolate cake fix and fast!

I love my homemade tinsel tree :)

What you will need:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2-3 tablespoons sugar (according to desired sweetness, I put in two, it could have been sweeter)
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola
3 tablespoons egg white or plain Egg Whites in a carton (the egg white of one large egg is just about the amount needed)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
optional:
1 teaspoon chocolate chips

Directions:

In a microwave safe mug, blend cocoa, sugar, and flour together. Add milk, oil, egg white and vanilla. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes, making sure to get all ingredients incorporated. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top, if desired. Bake in microwave for 2 minutes. Check to make sure it is cooked on the bottom by lifting it a little with a spoon. If it is runny, cook 10 seconds more at a time until done. Do not overcook, as it will be rubbery. It puffs up and may overflow, but that is OK, it deflates somewhat as it cools. The texture will be really moist and seem almost slightly undercooked, but this is what you want!

Sami's note: Mix your egg whites super well; I had a spot in my cake EWWWW!

Also you can substitute almond extract for the vanilla or different flavored chips. I think peanut butter chips would be amazing!

PS: I found a cheesecake mug cake recipe too!  I'll try that one maybe after I get crackin' on the Christmas cookies.

I know, it's not the prettiest...just cover it will LOTs of whipped cream!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homemade Granola Bars

There's so many grocery items that we spend a lot of money on every week without realizing we can make those things at home ourselves. So I am starting my list of favorite grocery snacks with Pumpkin Granola Bars. And here comes my favorite word: EASY! Plus it's great to have a use for that last can of pumpkin lingering in the pantry.

Ingredients:
-3 1/4 cups rolled oats
-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup pumpkin puree
-1/4 cup applesauce
-1/4 cup honey
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, spices, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla until smooth. Add oat mixture and beat until oats are completely coated. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Press oat mixture into the prepared pan, using a spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack fro 5 minutes before cutting into bars and cooling completely.

Naughty List

Yup, I'm putting myself on the naughty list this year...cause I'm stealing Ben's photos of the cookies he made to post on my own blog. BUT in my defense I made them first!  Plus mine were shaped like acorns and dipped in chocolate.  So that makes it even, right? Right Santa?!

Have to show off my (shiny) vintage Sunbeam mixer from my auntie. I <3 it!

Recipe from Ezra Poundcake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (4 ounces)

Decoration (optional)

• Semisweet chocolate melted

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture at low speed, then stir in the walnuts.
5. Form 2 teaspoons of dough into an egglike shape the size of an acorn. Arrange the “acorns” about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake in batches in the middle of the oven until undersides are light brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
7. To Decorate: Dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper to set, about 15 minutes.

Ben rolled his rather large, but it was his first baking experience.

*Conversation with my cousin about my cookies

Cousin: "Your cookies are awful Sam"

Me: "Oh yeah?" (Noting he was still eating the cookie) "How many cookies did it take for you do come to that conclusion?"

Him: "....two. Okay, maybe three..."

Haha! You can't resist people, go make them. NOW!

French Onion Soup in mere minutes!

French onion soup sounds way more complicated than it has to be.  You can whip this up in mere minutes, try it you'll love it!

2 Tbsp of butter
2 cups of thinly sliced sweet onions
4 cups beef broth
4 slices of a baguette
Thin slices of Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper

In a large pot, melt butter and cook the onions until soft.  Meanwhile toast up your baguette slices in the oven for 5 minutes at 450 degrees.  Add the beef broth to the onions and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and the soup is done!  Pour into individual bowls, place a baguette slice in each and top with pieces of Gruyere.  You then can place in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts (make sure your bowls can go in the oven).  It was delicious...I had seconds and both Ben and our friend Sarah loved it!

Chicken & Dumpling Soup

This is a great meal if you're tight on time and tight on budget! It saves time and money by using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies and Bisquick for the dumplings.  Enjoy!
 
2 Tbl. butter
2 ½ – 3 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (48 oz.) low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper 

Dumpling Mix:
2 cups baking mix (Bisquick)
¾ cup milk

Melt butter in a heavy stock pot. Sauté the diced chicken, frozen vegetables and oregano in the butter for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Seasoning will depend on how salty the chicken was when it was cooked. Slowly add the chicken broth to the pot and bring soup to a rolling boil. This is important for the dumplings to steam properly.

In a separate bowl, combine the baking mix and milk until well incorporated. Drop large tablespoons full of the dumpling batter into the boiling broth. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, uncovered. Cover the soup and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, covered.

Took me a few tries to get this shot because it was still steaming and fogging my lens!

Pumpking Spice Loaf

Starbucks; a love/hate relationship.  The things I love most about Starbucks come out in fall: pumpkin spice latte, hot caramel apple cider, the new toffee mocha flavor and pumpkin spice loaf slices.  The things I hate: snooty baristas and of course the prices are ridiculous.  I pay the price every time I want coffee, because frankly I can't even make a pot let alone make it taste as good as they do...BUT when it comes to breakfast/pastry items I know how to make that stuff and I know that it certainly does not cost $1.95 for a stinkin' little slice.  So I made it my mission to find a recipe and I think I nailed it!

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup lt. brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ cups canned pumpkin
¾ cup oil

350 degree oven. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. Beat Eggs, sugars, and vanilla in large bowl on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add Dry ingredients and mix well. Add pumpkin and oil and mix well. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake approx 70 min. or until toothpick inserted come out clean. Cool on wire rack. 

 

And you can top it off with this pumpkin cream cheese recipe from Skinnytaste.com. It's just as good as the Einstein Brother bagels one!

8 oz Philadelphia 1/3 fat cream cheese

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp agave nectar (I just used honey)

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. You can easily 1/4 or halve this recipe if you wish to make less.

So there you have it, two recipes that you don't have to over pay for in the coffee shops and instead make them at home!

(By the way, Skinny Taste is my favorite site for low fat healthier meals.  I'm not on Weight Watchers, but I just like knowing recipes with the healthier options without losing flavor!)

Cooking/Baking for REAL

Recently, I was bitten by the Jealousy Bug; a terrible, infectious bite that gnaws at your cool disposition until it renders you pretty much useless to do anything without spiting at all those who have more than you do.  This "bite" I received was caused by being envious of someone who had everything I'm dreaming of having (kitchen/cooking-wise).  They have it all; the stainless steel pots and pans, the food processor, the grand-daddy of all Kitchen Aid mixers and every hand tool that you've ever seen.  And the kicker is, they don't even know how to use any of it and haven't even taken some of the things out of the packaging!

But fear not if you have been struck with the J.B. bite too before, I have found the cure!  It's easy, whenever you want what others have whether it be a talent, status clothes/accessories, a car or endless kitchen tools like me, just realize how you can do without.  Having those things doesn't make anyone a better person or have more passion than someone who doesn't.  It's just the same as my boyfriend Ben says about writing: "We should interpret and perform for ourselves...We should not deny ourselves."

And what that means pretty much is that we should not be held back by thinking we don't have the tools to do something, whether they are physical tools or tools of education, but as long is the passion to pursue our dreams is there, that's all that really matters. 

Remember where your heart is and never hold back, it will lead you to great places. <3

REAL Simple

One of my goals I had during the week I watched my parents house and dogs was to go through mom's huge cabinet collection of recipes and cook books and take all my favorites so I could have them to make for many years to come.  Well, my favorite cookie recipe that I found has to simply be the SIMPLEST Thumbprint cookie recipe ever created!  I've made Thumbprint cookies for people in the past from other recipes and people absolutely devoured them quickly, but mom's cookies taste just the same as those that had numerous ingredients!  It is indeed a win-win and I will surely be making these for the holidays.  Enjoy!

Mom’s Thumbprint recipe

½ cup sugar
1 cup butter soften
2 egg yolks
2 cups flour
1 Tbs vanilla extract
Finely chopped nuts (I usually use pecans)
Jam of choice (I like seedless raspberry, but you could use multiple jams)

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar.  Then add the egg yolks one at a time and then the flour half cup at a time until thoroughly incorporated and then the vanilla. Roll into small balls (I'd guess like an inch and a half in diameter) then roll the dough ball in the chopped nuts.  Place on baking sheet covered in parchment paper and then make a "print" with your thumb in the center.

Bake at 375 F 10-12minutes, add jam before the last 4 minutes using a teaspoon and another spoon to help you scoop it out and put in each "thumbprint" you made.



*Sami's note:  The reason my jam looks all oozed out all over the cookies might be due to the fact that I did not see the jam I used was sugar-free.  Oops! But still delish!

Food Discoveries

From a very young age I was fearless when it came to trying new foods. My mother has told me that when I was little and would come home after school I would say to her, "Is there anything to eat that I never had before?" and she would look for something for me and no matter what it was I always tried it and usually enjoyed it.Even when she gave me sardines!

As I've gotten older I'm still the same way, I will try anything once and for the most part I enjoy it. But then there's those times where you try something and you think, "What have I been doing living my life without this?!".

That very thing happened to me about a month ago and now I literally want it just about every week. That dish being Thai Red Curry soup. My neighbor/best friend from high school brought it over to me one night to try and I was instantly hooked. The creamy coconut milk fused with the wonderful heat of the red curry with the add-ins of shrimp, noodles and veggies: absolute bliss for my tastebuds. Later in the month we went to a Thai restaurant and I of course had to see what the authentic kind was like and of course it was ahhhh-mazing! However also not cheap, so I had to get the recipe from her right away to make it myself. I bugged her until she finally gave me the link to RealSimple and I adapted this recipe from there. Enjoy!


Ingredients

12 ounces chow mein noodles or spaghetti

1 ½ tablespoons red curry paste

2 14-ounce cans coconut milk

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons grated ginger (I ommited the ginger because it's one of the few flavors I don't enjoy)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I used regular button mushrooms)

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1.Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
2.Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the curry paste, coconut milk, broth, ginger, and salt. Bring to a boil.
3.Add the peas, mushrooms, and shrimp. Lower the heat and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes.
4.Divide the noodles and soup among individual bowls. Sprinkle with the cilantro.




*Sami's note:
Next time I would use less noodles because it make this less of a soup and more of a pasta dish. Also to save time I used precooked shrimp and just added it at the very end so it would get warm.

Cookies!!! err...cookie bars

As it is stated in my Welcome, I am purely amateur at all of this...and it becomes more apparent with each baking adventure.

I decided to make some basic chocolate chip cookies from a recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine for a cook-out.  Now first things first: I do not own a stand mixer, I want one badly but for now I have to deal with just a regular handmixer.  I was told this should be perfectly okay and perhaps it would have been if I had any idea just exactly how old my inherited cruddy handmixer was...

So during the process of creaming the butter and sugars together the handmixer just couldn't take the stress any more and it slowed to a halt and made terrible grinding sounds and then smoke began to rise from it's vents...I'm a murderer! I should have known that the little junker was on it's last spin.  None the less I finished mixing the cookies by hand and spatula (perfectly efficient way of doing it just makes you really tired!).  Scooped them up and put them on a pan and then into the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.  And what I got was a single giant flat super crunchy cookie.  It still tasted pretty good, but was for sure way too ugly looking to bring to a party.

So I went looking for a new recipe also from Martha Stewart (but this one was on her online site and not the magazine).  Big difference!!!  Complete success; I brought these to a friend's birthday party and they were pretty much all devoured quickly.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Martha Stewart 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  

3.Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week (yeah, if they even last that long).

 

 

 

 

First baking fail

Okay so it's not my very first food making fail (like that time my half my pecan pie spilled over before I was finished baking it) but one I'm real disappointed for rushing through.

It was SO simple, I just wanted to make a tasty dessert that I had years ago at a summer cook out: Eclair cake.  Made with instant pudding, whipped cream, gram crackers and topped with chocolate frosting and no baking required it was perfect for our evening of stormy weather.  First thing that went wrong was when I went out to get the ingredients for it I'd forgotten what size package of pudding mix to get...yep, I got one too small.  Luckily my friend had two small packs of cheesecake flavor instant pudding...not my favorite but it worked just fine. 

So it basically went like this:
Line the bottom of wide deep dish with gram crackers
Cover gram crackers with about half of the following mixture:

• 6oz instant pudding
• 3 cups milk
• 8oz whipped cream

Make another layer of gram crackers, then the other half of the cream mixture, then a final layer of gram crackers.

Now the next part of the chocolate sauce topping was simple enough according to the recipe I was following:

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Being the amateur I am in the kitchen (but I have such spirit!) I didn't have any assumptions about how it was suppose to come together...and there were no instructions on how to bring the sauce together.  It pretty much just said "Beat together".  Fortunately I was bright enough to assume my butter needed to be melted...but I did not know that all together it should be heated until the sugar dissolves.

That being said, I ended up with a delicious eclair cake...with a terribly sweet gritty chocolate frosting.

Live and learn....and then go get a hug =/

(Pic from about-recipes.com)

Quick, delicious salsa

It is WAY to hot to turn on the stove today so I decided to make a very quick tasty and very easy salsa.

• 1 can corn (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drain off a little juice)
• 1 avocado cut into pieces
• a few stalks of cilantro coarsely chopped 
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and serve with chips.
The cilantro really made this a very refreshing salsa and I was pleased to see that my avocados have stayed nice and green even though I made this dish a few nights ago, which is probably caused by the acidity in the tomatoes.

Happy Eating!

Planning ahead= key to success?

Some day, I'm hoping that I can actually make this a notable blog, one that people will be interested in my thoughts and creations, but until then I'm just trying to stick to being consistent with anything really.

I'll get there eventually I believe and I think I've just got to plan for things better ahead of time.  It's not like a construction worker just grabs a bunch of supplies and just starts hackin' away at making a building.  There's blueprints that are carefully studied.  So the same approach should work for me...

In a few weeks I'll be housesitting and dogsitting for my parents, I have ten whole days to make a bunch of things I've been wanting to do: cooking, baking, crafting, sewing.  But the only way I'm going to be able to do all that I want is to plan it out well in advance.  So these next few weeks I'm going to break all my desired projects down into supplies, process and completion steps (with pictures along the way of course!).

I'm extremely excited about my mini vacation of crafting and cooking and of course some blogging!

"We're movin' on up, to the east side"

I am now currently in the process of having my annual moving.  Every year around this time, I move it seems!  But hopefully, this time, I won't want to move after just one year.  The plan is to actually stay in this new apartment until I am done with school/save lots of money to move into an actual house of my own.

I've always wanted to live in this building that I am moving to (because one of my best friends has lived there for almost 3 years and loves it) but when I went to look at openings in the building a few weeks ago all the one bedroom apartments were VERY small.  My bed would probably fill the entire room.  So I went home a little discouraged that I would not be able to get an apartment layout similar to my friend's place.  Then I decided to keep pursuing and not settle for less than I wanted and well, it paid off! I emailed just a week and a half later and they replied to me right away saying they just had the keys dropped off for #405 (the next door to my friend!) and I could see it that day if I wanted.  So I went to see the apartment, loved it, and the manager recognized me from having lived in a different building he owned back in 2008, so he said right away if I wanted it I could have it and he wouldn't make me pay the application fee even!

So July 10th I will be back in downtown Milwaukee and LOVING IT!  Pics to come soon!

Now if only I could stop procrastinating on the packing... ;-)

When You're Smiling...

Well, well, well...what's this we have here?  A poor neglected blog I see!  Aww, sad little bloggy, always being the victim of procrastination!  But that's why we keep expectations low around here so you can be pleasantly surprised when an update comes around...right? Right!

Being that I've missed well over a month if not more in blogging I'm going to have to stretch out all the happenings and mishappenings in more than one blog...so it has the appearance of not being so lacking in material heehee...

So best, top news by far is:
I GOT INTO THE DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM FINALLY!!! YAY!
I've been waiting for years, there was a lot of people applying and very limited places, but I got in on my second try!  Nothing could make me feel better, this makes all my efforts well worth it.  I also finished out my microbiology course with an A- and I walked away with a really good understanding of a lot material.  Best class I've ever had, can't wait to take Plagues, People and Power course with the same professor!

Also, since I'll be starting classes in the fall I've recently become very vain about the whiteness of my teeth.  I just feel like if I'm going to be practicing a profession based on oral hygiene, I should also have a set of choppers that inspires...not makes people think, "Well she should take her own advice".  I tried some whitening strips, they didn't really work for me and I found them really uncomfortable and expensive!  Then the other day I was waiting and line and saw a display for Crest 3D whitening line which had a vibrating toothbrush, whitening tooth paste and whitening mouth wash and I thought I would give it a try.  It's only been 3 days of using all the products twice a day and I've already noticed surface stains disappearing!  It's fantastic and it makes my mouth feel super clean and the best part is that it cost me only about $17 for all the products together, that's a fraction of the cost of the strips!  So I really highly recommend the products if you're looking for great results!

You probably would get even faster results with the strips but I was trying to save some money, because those usually run like $39-60 for a two week supply.

Well, that's concludes our blog for today, 'you stay classy San Diego, I'm Sami?'

Coming soon!

A post!  Maybe...I need more time to enjoy my beginning of summer!

Rabbit Food

See now doesn't this feel like a proper procrastination blog?

I'm just not feeling the blogging lately, schools going to be coming to an end soon and then I'll probably do a little more.  Plus, I want to post more successes that I have so I'm working on that...

Final thought for today: got an All-Bran cereal sample in the mail for their new Bran Buds...so gross; it looked exactly like those little brown food pellets we used to feed the rabbit I had as a kid...it might as well have been that too because it tasted awful!

Dance the Way I Feel

So I let a week slip by me, but I was doing so well I think I deserved a break from blogging, right?

Things that are going on:

• Only have 5 more classes of Microbiology, they're gonna fly by!  Found out the last exam is a freebie since we are so short on time in class.  She's pretty much making it open notes...and she's giving us the notes.  How epic is that?!
• The dress is coming together nicely; done with the skirt and pockets on it, most of the bodice is done, so just need to put them all together, put on the contrast piece on the bottom and put in the zipper! I hope it doesn't look awful when I put it on!
• I have discovered that I'm in love with all things psychedelic rock: MGMT, Phoenix, and most of all Passion Pit.
• I'm stressing about when my letter of acceptance (or rejection) will be here for the dental hygiene program. I need to find out soon so I can choose my alternative to what I'm going to take.  Perhaps dental technician.

Other things on my mind have been my birthday, yeah silly thing to think about I know, it's just another day, but I just want to have a day to have fun with my friends and catch up with them, I see them so little now a days.  I just can't decide what to do! And then some days I want do to nothing because I always feel like my birthdays never reach my expectations...

Also, I was off for two days in a row, and today I don't work till much later and it really makes wish I didn't have to work...there's much better things to do and discover.

Food Coma

This is about the only thing I have energy to do right now; I just got home from having dinner, I mean 'banquet', at one of my friends' house.  So. Much. Food.
She made a whole chicken (that was the best), fillet minion and shrimp.  It was heaven!  I made my mom's Summer Succotash (recipe below) which was so light and balanced with all the meat we had.  We finished two hours ago, I'm still stuffed!

Anyways, earlier today I got over to Joann Fabrics because McCall patterns were only 99 cents!  And you know at the check out when they tell you how much you "Saved Today"? Well I was shocked when I saw this one:

Okay see that $9.15 at the top? That was my total for 7 patterns and just under a yard of fabric I need to complete my dress.  It's CRAZY the mark-up prices they give to sewing patterns, they really aren't worth more than a few bucks in the first place. So now I have project ideas to last me awhile!

Till next time...

***

Summer Succotash

• 2 bell peppers (any color you like, but I think red and yellow have the most crisp flavor) chopped into square pieces (1" X 1" about)
• 1 can of whole kernel corn (drained and rinsed)
•  1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 6-8 sprigs cilantro chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

 Mix all ingredients together, putting the cilantro in last chill for an hour then serve!  My mother and I's favorite non-cooking side dish, so crisp and refreshing, I'm sure you'll love it too!

Spark of Hope

Well, only skipped one day of blogging, not too shabby for me!  Doing much better than other blogging friends *cough LUSH-ous Baking*cough Waiting in the Meadow*cough My Take on Everything cough* Oh, sorry these allergies must be getting to me ;-) Kidding guys, but I hope it is some encouragement!

So yesterday I decided that I simply MUST get back to tracking calories, and the best website I have found to assist that is SparkPeople. It's like Weight Watchers sort of but it's FREE.  That's right, I said free!!! Not too long ago I tracked my calories using their nutrition tracker for a solid 3 weeks and I did see weight come off, but then as always I kind of deviated and stopped tracking...But here at the Procrastination blog that's what we are about, always try try again!  'Cause at some point there is a last minute in the procrastinators life and that's when it's now or never, do or die....diet? 

So that's another new goal set ahead of me.  I have a few others in mind now too...I want to finish the summer dress I'm currently making in my sewing class by the time my grandfathers memorial service is (May 14th).  That surely is plenty of time, but I just want to wear it then.  I'm very excited to see most of my family that I rarely see, some that I haven't seen in years even though the circumstances really suck...

Here's the dress pattern

(The one on the left) My fabric is the same for the bodice and the band, the colors of my pattern are three shades of blue, black and a hard-to-describe yellow.  Best of all: IT HAS POCKETS!!! My friend over at LUSH-ous and I decided a long time ago, every dress should have pockets heehee...

So tired...

tired of waiting, tired of waiting for YouuuUUUUooooo!

I get that song by The Kinks stuck in my head so often.  I think they are trying to tell me something...this 30/60/90 thing is not turning out for me.  I keep waiting for the weight just to come off on it's own, keep waiting to start tomorrow (now you know why it's called the procrastination blog, eh?) I just don't know how this is going to happen.  And really it's not a size thing for me, it's really a health one.  I eat TERRIBLY, believe me there was some line that was crossed long ago where I apparently decided it was okay to have a few treats every day.  No one needs sweets everyday, I know that but just...can't....stop...*grabs cookie*

My thoughts exactly Cookie Monster...sigh*

Tomorrow is another day...

Well, it's April

So I shouldn't really be that surprised about all the rain.  However this is now the 3rd day I haven't gone walking.  Some would think, "Oh, just walk in the rain".  Well I'm kinda like a cat, I don't like to get wet unless I'm taking a shower or swimming in a pool.

Plus last night I got my very badly needed hair done by Ben's mom; she did exactly what I wanted! I love it!  What does that have to do with rain?  Well, when she shampooed my hair in those special hair washing sinks the bowl moved and my entire back got soaked.  Then when we left and it was like the sky had just opened up it was pouring so hard and very hard to see the road with all the rain.  So I've had enough raining weather already!

Oh, last thought; hope it's a better day for the Brewers!

Brew Crew!

What a gorgeous day today, too bad I won't be at opening day for the Brewers!  But I'm showing my team spirit with my shirt aannnnd make-up!  Now I know blue eye shadow is kind of a no-no now adays, but let's see if you think I pulled it off well.

I used all Urban Decay!  First I used Primer Potion (seriously, never put make-up on without it, it's the best thing ever created since...it's just the best, okay?) then I covered the whole lid in Half Baked (the golden color) shadow, then Jinx (blue color, came in my limited edition Book of Shadows Vol II), then Gunmetal (gray) into the eyelid crease.  Eye lined with some Eldorado 24/7 eyeliner and reaplied a little more Half Baked to get it to show more.  I'm pretty proud!

I was also really proud last night when one of my managers bought up THREE of the cookie cakes that I made for the game!  I think it's pretty flattering when your own boss likes your work enough to buy it!

This one is slightly crooked IMO, but it took so much work! I am also not the best at mixing the colors at work and it took me like half an hour to get the right color for the golden yellow, and I still think it's too pale compared to what it should be.  But as they say, It takes practice, practice and then some more practice!

Go Brew Crew!

Hoppy Easter!

Hey there readers!! (if there are actually any of you...)  Happy Easter!  I think Easter is my favorite holiday, because of all the bright colors and cute baby animals and of course now it really feels like spring!

I unfortunately have to work the 1pm-9pm close this evening; I miss my family a lot thanks to this thankless job! But here are some cute things I made at work for the holiday.  Enjoy!

Bunny Cakes!  (These are actually ones I made last year at work, but they are still so sweet!  All butter cream cake and the ears are made out of white chocolate!)  I love their "doe-eyed" look, "Would you like a flower?".  Cuuuuuuuute!

Okay, not the most detailed or cutest, but when your boss says, "Hey Samantha, why don't you get 75 of those iced cookies out?" and there's about 5 customers impatiently waiting you tend to try to go as fast as possible.

Rain Day

Day 4-

Don't get to walk today due to rain, disappointing but it's okay with me because I've been having this increasing problem with my ears.  I don't want to call it a cold because it's not normally how a cold feels to me.  However, my throat is all swollen up along with my ears and it hurts very badly to even swallow. There's just so much pressure and I was at the doctor just two weeks ago.  I'm not sure if this is just something that has to do with the weather or if I have some sort of sinus inflammation. It's really frustrating...

Work has also been frustrating as well; it seems every day there is more and more to do and no one to ever help.  My manager keeps telling me what a good worker I am and such but to me being a good worker feels like I get "punishment" by having to work all the holidays because I'm dependable.  I'm really upset about Easter, I work 1-9 pm with a new girl (it will be her first day) and I really wanted to go to my grandma's house with the rest of the family.  I didn't get to see them for Christmas, and now this!  But I have to stay positive that one day I will have a job that I love and I won't have to work weekends and holidays!

Excuses

...are like armpits; everyone has them and they all stink!

Yes, welcome to day number 3...let's see how much I didn't commit to my plan between last night and now:

• Went out and got chicken nuggets after work last night...oops
• Went to bed at 1 am...oops
• Woke up today at 9:30 am

So I kinda feel bad about all those, but I still didn't eat treats and sweets at work, I brought food and right now I'm finishing my Special K red berries (mmm) and then getting on the shoes and walking!

I just have to keep thinking I can do this, I can do this!  A few slip ups are bound to happen of course and I can't let the whole thing come tumbling down when those things happen.  I think my biggest obstacle is being disciplined, and sure I could say, "I shouldn't be hard on myself" but all the goal I have chosen are easily obtainable.

So really what excuse do I have to give to not have a better life? 

Got To Do It

Okay, I know it's been quiet some time since Andrew W.K. fell to the way side, but his first album* is by FAR the best motivational/workout music. I mean don't get me wrong I like those occasional pop songs that every girl thinks is great for workouts but A.W.K. is some kickin' @$$ and taking names kind of music that makes you feel like you can take on the world.  And just when you think you're think you can't take anymore (around track 9) he's got this great, "don't give up" song going.

*which my aunt was horrified that I asked for it for my 14th birthday because it was titled I Get Wet and the cover art had a black sticker over it because his bleeding nose was "offensive" lol
 

And that is how I feel about my second day of my accomplishments.  I'm doing pretty well, the only rule I didn't achieve last night was not eating after 8, but what I did have was pretty healthy (baked potato, with a cooked egg, some bacon, cheese and mushrooms on top, found here: Idaho Sunrise). 

For my mile walk ever morning I've been doing small jogs here and there to have a different degree of intensity.  I know that's not much for some people but jogging one whole mile is a lot for me to have to work on building up to!  But I think I can do it, if I do something every day.  I feel SO much better already!

30/60/90

No, that's not some strange nonexistent date! It's the new goal method I came up with today. It focuses on making goals at 30 day intervals: so smaller goals accomplished for the first 30 leading up to big goals to be completed by 90 days. So here are some that I came up with so far:

1. Be in bed by 11:30pm
2. Be out of bed by 7:30am
3. Not eating snacks/samples at work
4. Not eating after 8pm
5. Lose 15 pounds
6. Read every day, for at least ten minutes

I think that's good so far, I'll have to come up with goals for 60 days and 90 days, but I think I'm at a good start and so far.  This morning I got outside to walk by 8 and I even did a little bit of jogging and a quick sprint.  Just did a mile in total but it felt really good! (I think...).

Keep on Keepin' On

Okay DAY 2 of consecutive blogging now commences!

Today I feel really good, woke up at 9 (which I find to be a very decent hour) had some coffee (actually two cups of coffee, so watch out for this hyperactive blog!!!) and French toast MmmMmm!

And, wow what a beautiful day outside! Too bad most of it will be spent riding the bus and working 7 hours tonight. But it really makes me happy that summer is almost here! And Urban Decay is making me feel even more summer-y!

Check out what they just released for this year:


And my birthday will be here soon *hint hint* Kidding! All I want for my birthday is a beautiful sunny day, but that never happens, it always rains...yep every year!

The only thing I know for sure is that I will buy myself a beautiful cake from my work, something purple most likely, actually something themed like UD would be fun.

I like this periwinkle color, but maybe not the daisies so much.

This one is very new and creative

I love the "bubbles" on it. Ahhh so sweet! And they taste fantastic too!

It's a good think I love my job (most days).

Wish me luck to blog again tomorrow!

Oh, yeah...forgot I had a blog.

Hey Hey Heyyyy!

Yes, I'm alive. Yes, I completely forgot I even had a blog... One day I'll get into the habit of posting regularly. Promise.

Let's see what I've been up to since...*gasp* No, that couldn't be right. January!? Oh, well, umm, err, yeah. See now what I could say is that I've been making the most of my time and be doing so many fun and exciting things that I let this blog just fall to the way side, but...truth is I'm a procrastinator.

No, really?
Yes, I...I've been in denial and just wanted to come forth now and say it, "Hi, I'm Samantha and I am a procrastinator".

Kidding, hello I didn't give my blog it's name for nothing!

So back to catching up: let's see, first I didn't lose any weight sorry to say, although I have every tool I could possibly need to get that accomplished. I just don't have the time...that and I really really really like food.

I FINALLY finished my coffee cozie and gave it as a gift to my best friend for St. Patrick's; I'd only been working on it since before Christmas.

Here's the final product:



Not the best picture (took it with my phone because I realized I didn't have a final product picture just as she was about to leave!) but I'm really proud of it. I got the idea from a tutorial on Urban Threads. Best of all the receiver of the gift loved it and that's what's really important.

Now I remember why I don't blog very much, I'm tired! LOL

Until next time...which could be awhile...

Dude where's my fork?

First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wow, a decade....I was 12 ten years ago, there were no iPhones, no Facebook, no Wii......no wonder I was bored when I was twelve! Just kidding.

So I am all for being the designated driver in the future because last night was so fun! And I suffer none of the consequences of drinking! I'm simply tired as heck because we were out until almost 4. But I woke up at noon, both of the best gal friends that slept over were gone (so I didn't have to make them breakfast yay!) and I made my self some eggs, english muffin and some coffee =)

I don't really believe in "New Year's resolutions" because everyone just says, "Oh I have to wait til this such and such date to get started". JUST DO IT NOW!*in Arnold voice*....

On another note, in two days my Ben and I will have been together for 6months/half a year....(seems longer..., just kidding darling!!!). But I know many good things will come for the second half of our year together, and many more years. I love you!

Enough sap, where's my fork?