Menu Sunday

Here's what the Browns will be eating this week:

Mon: The For the Love of Cooking Chicken with Chantrelle Mushrooms from last week
         I went and carved pumpkins for KB's mom and she fed me dinner!

Tues: Black Beans with Cilantro
         For a while I would only cook meat once or twice a week.  KB didn't like it, but I'm still trying to incorporate more non-meat meals into our routine and it's in the Crock-Pot.

Wed: Turkey Meatloaf with Walnuts and Sage
         I love turkey meatloaves.  They have a better flavor and are much better for you.  KB doesn't like meatloaf with any type of sauce on it, so I'm a little limited in the meatloaf department.

Thurs: Chicken Korma in the Slow Cooker
          Indian food is the best.  The slow cooker is the best.  There's on way this could be bad.

Fri: Italian Meatball Subs
      Friday is always an up in the air day, dinner wise.  Sometimes I don't feel like cooking or things come up last minute.  I like to plan meals for Fridays where the ingredients could last until the next week.  This looks simple and nothing will rot in the fridge if I don't make it until next week.

Bonus Recipes:

I made White Chocolate and Pumpkin Pecan Muffins yesterday for breakfast.  I had some leftover pumpkin and white chocolate chips from my fudge from last week that failed MISERABLY.  They were pretty good.  KB liked them more than me!

I was going to make Grilled Steak with Avocado Sauce last night, but KB stopped by Wendy's at 7:00 and ate two spicy chicken sandwiches.  So I'll more than likely be making this tonight.

Almost heaven.....The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

It seems like you either love or hate Johnny Knoxville.....and West Virginia.  Lucky for me, I love both.  If you've never heard of the White family, you're really  missing out.  A couple of nights ago we watched this little cinematic gem:

Years ago my family discovered Jesco White....the original "Dancing Outlaw".  This is the follow up about what happens with the production company of Jackass follows around the White family for a year.

If you don't like rednecks, backwoods hill people, crazy hellion kids and mountain dancers....then this probably isn't for you.  But if you're like me and grew up with, went to school with, worked with and are friends with people like these....then you're gonna love it.

For all you West Virginia people out there....I'm not bashing your state.  I love it and some of my family is even from there.  I pretty much grew up with people just like these.   I feel ya.

Here's a little taste of the awesomeness:

Halloweenies

We're having these for dinner.....because everyone loves Halloween....and hotdogs.

Workout Review: Valerie Bertinelli: Losing It

I have some mad love for the former Mrs. Eddie Van Halen....unfortunately, this DVD does her no good!

I feel like, even for me (a completely non-fit person), this was really easy.  I only did the 20 minute workout because I really just wanted to get through it so I could send it back to Netflix.  There wasn't anything special in the workout, just lots of lunges and a few arm moves.

While the workout may have sucked, I LOVED Val B's hair.  It was excellent and curly and bouncy in every segment.  I also got a sneak peek of a little Van Halen tattoo on her ankle....what a rebel!

Etsy Review: Willow Tree Minerals

Recently, I decided to switch up my makeup routine. I normally don't wear foundation, but I do wear a heavy liquid primer underneath my mineral foundation, blush, etc. I've been wearing more makeup than I usually do and I've noticed that my skin has started to react. I have a small patch of some type of weird eczema-y stuff just below my bottom lip and it has started to return!

I ordered from Willow Tree Minerals a few samples of things. For $2 you receive up to 6 samples of basically anything that you want to try! Lora, the owner, also threw in a few extra goodies with my sample bag. I also ordered a few things for my sister's b-day since I was there and all.

First of all, everything arrived very quickly and the packaging was very neat. I would have taken a photo, but I actually used it as the gift wrap for my sister's presents.

The makeup itself was pretty good!  I wasn't sure how much to put on and since I don't normally wear much foundation I was kind of a clutz applying it.  Overall I was very pleased with it.  It was alot like Bare Minerals, but much less expensive.  It's about half the cost of Bare Minerals and plus I feel good supporting a small business. It also washed off really easily and felt really light on my skin.

The only con of the whole deal was that it wasn't very easy to apply out of the little baggie things the samples came in.

You should definitely give Willow Tree Minerals a try if you're looking to shake up your routine...

Menu Sunday

Here's another installment of what the Browns will be eating this week:

Mon: Ethiopian Chicken Stew
This is another Year of Slow Cooking recipe.....I absolutely love this site.  I ate an Ethiopian restaurant one time in college and it was the bomb dot com.  We'll see how my own Ethiopian flavor turns out!

Tues: Chicken Potpie Soup
I love soup...can you tell?  I'll probably be leaving out the leeks and the puff pastry, since the Food Kitty in Podunkville probably doesn't carry them.

Wed:  We'll be eating out somewhere in A-ville with some of KB's co-workers.

Thurs: Crescent Mummy Dogs
Crescent rolls are the best and so are hotdogs.  These are great because everyone loves Halloween (except for my mom) and everyone loves hotdogs!

Fri: Chicken Thighs with Chantrelle Mushrooms
Once again, another recipe form For the Love of Cooking.  I"ll probably be using just regular mushrooms.

Bonus recipes for this week:
I'll be making some butternut squash ala Preppy Pink Crocodile it sounded pretty easy and good.

I'll also be making Pumpkin Fudge ala Muffy Martini.  I depend on lots of IT people where I work and this week especially I have put them through the wringer...so they're getting fudge to make up for it.

I've always wanted to be married to a celebrity...

KB is starting to look a lot like this guy:

Keith Stone.  Of Keystone Light.  KB has a natural mullet and natural white trash beard.  He doesn't even have to try. Recently he hasn't done much to tame it. When he's in his natural environment he often wears old smelly t-shirts and weird old hats. He's even starting to talk like Keith Stone by saying things like "Hold my 'Stones" or "I'll get your KiKi". I don't really mind.  I kinda like Keith Stone and his weird white trash appeal.

See the video below if you don't get any of that....and you will

Book Review: Committed

When I got this book from the library I wasn't completely sold on it anyway.  I didn't see the big hype with the whole Elizabeth Gilbert/Eat, Pray Love bandwagon.  I still don't....

It took me almost 3 weeks to get through this thing and I hated it.  I pretty much had to make myself read it.  Don't get me wrong parts were interesting, just not the parts about the author's life....which is pretty much all this book is.

Maybe I just went into it not wanting to like it since the whole Eat, Pray Love stuff was getting on my nerves.

How did you feel about it?  Do you have any good suggestions?

Squashing

I have never cooked/prepared/eaten butternut squash.  I think it'd be good and I think it'd taste good but cooking it makes me feel like this...

When I want it to be something like this:

via FoodNetwork.com

Do you have any good butternut squash recipes that I won't be too scared of?  I'm up for anything!

Me Llamo Pancho...

This little guy....

formerly Ziggy is now known as Pancho.  He's named after this guy....

 Pancho Villa....mostly because he's a huge trouble maker and is a chihuahua.  Senor Pancho was the Mexican governor of the state of Chihuahua and was a big trouble maker (yeah for finally using all the random things I learned in years of Mexican history classes!)

Or this slightly handsomer version if you like!

Pumpkin Practice

I found this weird little guy at the grocery store this weekend and decided that I'd practice my jack-o-lantern skills.

 He had a weird little orange spot on his side.

 I got these wood carving tools last year to work on my pumpkins.  They were only a couple of dollars at Lowe's.

 I drew some crazy squigglies with a silver sharpie.  They ended up coming off after I started carving, so I ended up just free handing everything.

 Here he is! 

I put him outside next to our other pumpkins and the sun actually bleached the orange parts and made them a white color...even cooler.

Menu Sunday

Here's what the Browns will be eating this week:


Mon: Slow Cooker Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
        My sister showed me the "A Year of Slow Cooking" Blog and now I'm hooked.  I love my crock pot and there are some really neat recipes on here.  I love stuffed peppers, but they're kind of a pain to make, these look pretty easy though.

Tues:Tuna with Cheese-Garlic Biscuits
        Growing up we never ate fish.  KB loves fish and could live off of canned tuna.  This recipe looks pretty easy and you can substitute chicken for the tuna if your not a big fish person.

Wed:Traditional Minestrone Soup
        This is another Year of Slow Cooking recipe.  I love soup and could eat it every meal.  Wednesday is also when all my favorite TV shows come on, so I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking.

Thurs:Chicken and Rice
         This is from For the Love of Cooking.  Our podunk grocery store didn't have all the types of mushrooms that she used, so we'll be making do with just the regular ones.

Fri: I'm not cooking dinner again this Friday!  It worked out pretty well last week and no one complained....let's see how long I can keep this going.


Bonus Recipe: Haystack Creatures
                       I work in an office full of super crafty, Martha Stewarty moms.  They can bake anything and make it look professional.  KB works in an office full of mostly young, single guys.  Therefore, I will be making these for KB to take to work.  They look pretty easy and I love their crazy googly eyes.

Meet the Newest Brown

Meet Mr. Zigs...

 He's a little skinny right now, but we'll fix that!

 He came from an animal seizure case in a neighboring county.  Due to years of neglect, he is very underweight and has some skin issues.  We'll have him up and running in no time!

The meeting with the Rose went very well.  We introduced them outside away from our yard and things went very well.  They were playing and licking each other in no time.  They've eaten together and slept in the same bed and no major incidents have happened.

We'll probably keep the name Ziggy, but he already goes by quite a few names including, Choncho, Esqueleto, Tito, Frito, and Ricky.

Guilty Pleasure

When this is on....I just can't.  stop.   watching. 

via

BARRETT-JACKSON AUCTIONS

For some uncontrollable reason, anytime they are on....I have to watch, and these events aren't convenient thirty minute shows....they last HOURS.

I know absolutely nothing about cars in general, much less classic cars, but I could (and do) watch this for hours and I have no idea why.  KB hates it and has actually started to try to hide the remote from me when they're on.  Lucky for me, since they last a bagillion hours, I'm sure to find it at some point!

What's your guilty pleasure?

Calling all two dog families....

This weekend we are testing out a new friend for the Rose.  A few weeks ago we did something similar and Rosa absolutely hated the dog we brought home.  This week she'll be introduced to a 7 pound, male chihuahua.  For all you chihuahua people out there, we're not sure yet if he is a doe or apple head.  We haven't seen him yet.  His name is Ziggy...kind of a dumb name, but we'll love him anyway!

We need some help!  How did you introduce your animals?  We really want Rosie to have a friend and want to make sure we go about this the right way, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

On a side note....if you live in NC and are thinking about adopting a dog you should really look into Brother Wolf Canine Rescue.  They are based out of Asheville, but adopt dogs out to families all around.  They are super nice and are really trying to work with Rose to find her perfect special friend. 

Find your special friend!

Chiquita Banana

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays (hence the two day halloween post fest).  We never really celebrated it growing up because we lived in the sticks and had no neighbors to trick or treat with.  I always make a point now to make sure that my darling Rose is in the festive halloween spirit.  Last year she had a pumpkin suit and looked a lot like this little guy:

 She hated the hat and ended up eating it later....

This year these are her two options:

 At least she wouldn't have to wear anything on her head...

via The Daily Puglet

We're thinking she'll probably end up a banana for Halloween, since her registered name is Chiquita Rosalita.  What do you think little Rosielee should be?

Hmmmmm?

Jack -O- Lantern of all trades...

Last year I worked at a large company that had a pumpkin carving contest.  I got a free pumpkin and was told to bring it back in a week carved with something great.  I amazed myself at my mad pumpkin skillz....last year I did a little something like this...

 Plus this guy:

Via Klara Viscova...a really cool graphic designer.

I etched it all free hand on the pumpkin and it turned out surprisingly well!  Unfortunately, where I worked housed lots of professional chefs that beat me really bad and I didn't take a photo of it.

This year, I'm back on the jack o lantern bandwagon.  I'm thinking about these bad boys maybe...

 Porcupines!  These actually look pretty easy, the lights are just Christmas lights inside of the pumpkin.

 I like the little scrolly guy.  I think I'm going to make my scrolls a little more jagged so they look a little less cutesy and a little more scary.

I've gotta get my hands on some turnips.  They look like little shrunken heads...I love it.

I'll be sure to let you see how mine turn out!

Menu Sunday

It's a pretty boring menu Sunday.  I ended up not making a few of the meals I had scheduled for last week, so there's only a few new recipes.

Mon: Cider Chicken recipe from last week.

Tues: Grilled Ham and Cheese recipe from last week.

Wed: Slow Cooker Pork Lo Mein
         I heart my crock pot.  I would cook in it everyday if I could find enough recipes.  I'll be substituting the Pork Arm Steak (that just sounds kinda gross) with some pork chops that were on sale.

Thurs: Rotini with Sausage and Broccoli
          I'm normally not a big sausage fan (insert all the "that's what she said" jokes here), but I love turkey sausage and broccoli and pasta, so hopefully it won't be too sausage-y

Fri: Eating something I won't be cooking.  Maybe we'll go out....maybe we'll eat frozen pizza...as long as I'm not cooking it I don't care.

What will you be eating this week?

It's the most wonderful time of the year....sort of

It's started already.....people wanting to know what I want for Christmas.  These are a few items I've got my eye on....

IF (and this is a pretty big if) the iPhone ever comes to Verizon I would love to have one.  Unfortunately, in Podunkville USA we can only get cell reception if we have Verizon.

I need a new wallet like woah.  This one is from dnacreations.  They have some crazy, weird, funky, mexicano stuff and I love it.

I want a lunch box.  Right now I carry my lunch in a weird purse bag thingy.  This one is from Rick Rack Queen and looks like it would work for the huge amounts of food I end up taking to work.

This coat from Lands End.  I could only get a picture of the back, but the front is cute, trust me. My crazy grandmother refuses to get us anything that cannot be bought in either the Lands End or LL Bean catalogs.

Finally, what I really want....

This little guy/gal!  I'm pretty sure both KB and Rosielee would kill me if I got this little one.  I'd love to have a silver pug...true they are super rare and super expensive, but a girl can dream!

Is there a doctor in the house?

Today was my first day at my new job.....it went very well!  Except for the nagging sore throat I developed after lunch.  All afternoon my throat was on fire and now I'm starting to cough a little bit.  If you know me IRL at all, you know that I am a HUGE hypochondriac.  I'm paranoid that I'm getting sick with some strange illness all the time.  In order to head off the cold that I'm sure I'm getting, I started taking this little guy:

from AdWeek.com   a really cool website

AIRBORNE!  I got the very berry flavor and it's pretty good.  Does this stuff actually work or do you know something better to get rid of my cold?  HELP

What rhymes with Purple?

 I was trying to be clever and think of a cutesy title that rhymes with purple....but nothing rhymes with purple.

Anywho....today I got my first manicure and pedicure.  I know, I know....how has anyone not had these done by the time they are in their 20s....well I just didn't.  I never thought about it and I never really cared about it.  I bit my nails most of my childhood and teenage years so I really didn't need it.  Today I thought I might like to try it.

I was actually kind of nervous about this, so I decided that I didn't want to go just anywhere and that I wanted to be able to actually talk in English to my manicurist.  Both my manicurist and my pedicurist were muy excelente!  They were very nice and talked enough for me to be comfortable, but not to be annoying.

If you're ever in the Asheville area you should definitely check out Solstice Salon & Spa.  Everyone was nice, it wasn't that expensive and I'll probably be going back!

 I got "William Tell Me About OPI" on my fingers.

I got "Pamplona Purple" on my toes.  PS I KNOW I have weird toes.  Everyone in my family makes fun of my weird feet.  I've come to accept that my feet look like a gecko and my second toe is as long as my pinky finger.  We're not all perfect!

Gwenyth Envy...

I recently posted about how I was going to attempt to transform my dark, long, lifeless locks into this:

Well today was the day and my hair has been transformed into this:

YIKES!!  I look like I've been punched in the face.

I think my hair lady did a pretty good job given what she had to work with.  My hair's really straight and non volumous so I think this is as close as anyone could've gotten.  On a side note, my lovely hair lady actually knows the lady that gave this cut to Gwen...SCORE!


I also purchased a few lovelies today (on sale....of course)

 I had a Belk gift card and this is about the best I could do....

This was MAJORLY on sale at NY&Co.

And finally, just because she's super cute and loves me even though I don't look like Gwennie....

ROSALITA!!!!

Guilty Pleasure

I have a guilty pleasure that KB often makes fun of me for.....Enrique.

I heart Enrique Iglesias.  He's hot.  He's Spanish.  He speaks Spanish.  He has good hair.  He no longer has the mole. 

Yo hablo espanol, but sadly I often only talk to Rosa or KB in espanol and neither of them understand what I'm saying.  I get my Spanish on by listening to Enrique.  I'm pretty sure Pandora thinks I'm Hispanic.  All of my ads are in Spanish and are for weird products I've never heard of.

Here's some Enrique goodness to get your Spanish on to:

Workout Review: Biggest Loser 30 Day Jump Start

Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge trainer Bob fan (even though I don't watch the Biggest Loser).  I love Bob, he's so quirky, nice, southern, and funny in all of the BL workouts I've seen advertised....NOT THIS ONE.

My beloved trainer Bob leads none of the 10 minute workouts.  Instead past contestants lead them.  Now I have a hard time being yelled at by people that not too long ago weighed probably at least 3 times what I do!

The workouts were only 10 minutes long (I did all of them back to back) which made the whole tape go by pretty fast.  I did feel like I got a good workout, but I hated the instructors and I think all the other past contestants that weren't leading the workouts did too.

I only got to see Bob on the segment labeled "Bob's Diet Tips".  Bob tells you what and what not to order at different types of restaurants and is just his lovely self.

Overall, SKIP IT and take a walk outside instead!

Never go to the Food Kitty on an empty stomach...

Or you end up buying $70 worth of this:

True the cider is for a recipe and the cookies are for KB, but I broke into that pimento cheese before I even had the groceries unpacked.  EPIC DIET FAIL.

Menu Monday

Here's another installment of what the Browns will be eating this week:

Mon: Slow Cooker Honey Lemon Chicken with Potatoes
         I got lazy on Friday when I was supposed to cook this and ate dinner with my parents, so we're having it tonight.

Tues: Cider Glazed Chicken
         I got this recipe from elefantitas alegres Menu Sunday post last week.  I love all things apple and she liked it so hopefully we will too!

Wed: Pizza Burgers
         We'll see how these do.  I'll probably replace the ground beef with ground turkey because I like it better.  We'll probably end up eating some chips or something with this because I'll probably be too lazy to make fries!

Thurs: Personal Pizzas
        I start my new job on Thursday so I wanted something easy.  The recipe has alot of ingredients, but it was listed as "Easy Entertaining" so hopefully it won't take too long to make.

Fri: The Ultimate Ham & Cheese
      I saw this on the Rachael Ray show and it looked good.  I love sandwiches so anything between two slices of bread works for me!

What are you eating this week?

I'm gettin' my hair did!

In my perfect dream world my hair would look like this:

 Or maybe even this:

I LOVE big hair!  It wouldn't bother me a bit to have a big, huge bond girl bee hive everyday of my life.  Unfortunately, my hair looks like this:

Long, straight, black....BORING  and there's nothing I can do about it.  My hair is naturally stick straight, like flat-ironed straight.  I've been in the mood for a change for a while now and with the new job I thought now would be a good time.  After months of searching for just the right cut  and I think I've found it.

Now imagine this, but with black hair and hopefully that will be me sometime later this week.

We'll see how it goes and I'll be sure to post some pics of the new do!