One Modern Girl

Oyster Po Boy

2010-02-21T02:27:00.001-08:00

From start to finish, you can have this on the table in 10 minutes.

It's that fast & oh so very good.

I grew up eating these here & there but this is my first time making them.

Oyster Po Boys are definitely going in my regular rotation of things to cook.

Something about eating oysters that came from a can sounded scary to me & probably still sounds a little scary to a lot of you reading this.

So, in the name of blogging & wanting to share with y'all food that I love, I relinquished all bad thoughts & reasoned that there are a lot of food regulations in place in this country & if canned oysters were that bad for me they probably wouldn't sell 'em in the grocery store.

Plus, any other bacteria that may be lingering in these slimy little death traps would hopefully be killed when I plunge 'em in hot oil.

It's been over 24 hours now & I'm still here :)

Wow, could I do any worse of a job of setting this recipe up? Hopefully the pictures speak for themselves & you'll want to try it.

Here's what you'll need: A can of whole oysters, cajun fish breading, 3 eggs & vegetable oil.

Start by cracking your eggs in a small bowl.

And stirring them.

Open the can of whole oysters & pat them dry with a paper towel.

Start heating up your vegetable oil on medium high heat.

Put the oysters in your egg mixture & then push them down so they are completely covered.

While those are soaking in the egg & your oil is heating up, go ahead & start slicing your french bread & putting all of the fixins you want on there.

I personally think lettuce, real mayonaise & tomato are mandatory for maximum enjoyment but I also like to add a little raw onion if I have any on hand.

Take a gallon size ziplock & add some of the cajun breading. Drop the oysters in the bag & shake, shake, shake.

They'll now look like this with a nice light coat of seasoning.

Once your oil is for sure piping hot, drop these lil suckers in there.

These will cook up in just a couple of minutes & I turned my stove off immediately when I dropped them in the hot oil.

See how nice & golden brown they turn out.

Far from slimy little death traps & not so scary after all.

Place the cajun fried oysters on your already fixed up french bread & get ready to chow down.

My personal observation is that it's best to smush the Po Boy down a little bit before attempting to eat it so all of the oysters don't fall out.

Enjoy!

Fresh Mozzarella & Tomatoes

2010-02-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

With optional balsalmic vinaigrette.

It's SO easy, here's what you'll need: Fresh mozzarella for slicing, ripe tomatoes & salt.

Start by slicing the tomatoes & mozzarella.

Start with a slice of tomato & sprinkle it with salt.

Add a slice of mozarella, give it a light dusting of salt.

Continue to layer, salting lightly as you go.

Or, if you want to serve this at a party you can make singles like this.

I LOVE this so much & I like to add a splash of balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.

Mmm. This is so light & fresh, give it a try sometime!

Fasolakia

2010-02-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

A Greek recipe for fresh green beans in tomato sauce.

This is a delicious side dish, here's what you'll need: Fresh green beans, onion, chopped garlic, stewed tomatoes, vegetable oil, salt & pepper.

Start by dicing your onion.

Snap off both ends of the green beans & discard.

They should now look like this.

Thoroughly rinse the green beans.

Heat up a small amount of vegetable oil & start sautèing your diced onions over medium high heat.

Once the onions get a little color to them add a heaping spoonful of chopped garlic.

Let the garlic & onions cook for a little bit more & then add the stewed tomatoes.

The green beans.

1/2 a can of water.

A generous layer of salt & pepper.

Reduce your heat to a simmer, put the lid on & let it simmer for 45 minutes.

Oh man, these are SO gooood.

Even though they take awhile to cook, the actual prep time is very minimal, but you don't have to tell people that.

They'll think you slaved for hours. It'll be our little secret.

Potato Cakes

2010-02-18T10:24:00.001-08:00

Potato cakes are a good ole standby recipe. They always taste good & no matter what you put in 'em they always turn out just fine.

You can eat these for breakfast, brunch, supper. Just about any time of the day when food is being eaten potato cakes can be served.

I guess the word I'm looking for is versatile. Potato cakes are versatile.

Here's what you'll need: Shredded potatoes, 2 eggs, onion, parsley, flour, salt & pepper.

You'll also need some vegetable oil to fry these up in.

These actually taste great with applesauce but I went with a horseradish sour cream today.

If you'd like to make the sauce all you need is some prepared horseradish & sour cream.

Start by dicing your onion & chopping your parsley.

Sprinkle on a generous layer of salt & pepper, add 2 eggs.

Cover in flour.

Add about a quarter inch of oil to your pan, while that's heating up stir your mixture & shape into patties.

To ensure your oil is plenty hot take a small piece of potato & make sure it sizzles immediately. Then drop your potato cakes into the oil.

These cook up super fast so be sure to keep a constant eye on them.

Once you get the timing down you can start to make your sauce.

This is so simple. Plop some sour cream in a bowl & add a heaping spoonful of the prepared horseradish.

Stir.

Easiest sauce in the history of man.

The potato cakes are best served warm.

The Head Honcho

2010-02-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, this is the Alpha dog in my house.

Wink.

A very, very old one eyed Boston Terrier.

What Wink wants, Wink gets.

This is Diogi, my big dog's bed by the way.

But when Wink wants it, Wink gets it.

And Dee actually goes & curls up into the tiniest ball possible to fit on Wink's bed.

How pitiful.

It's a dog's life, that's for sure.

Ah, much better.

Elote

2010-02-17T10:54:00.001-08:00

Mexican inspired corn.

I just cannot even describe how good this is. The flavor combination is out of this world.

Here's what you'll neeed: Corn, Real Mayonaise, 1 Lime, Parmesan Cheese, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Salt & Pepper.

Start by bringing a pot of water to boil on the stove.

Shuck your corn by peeling away the husks & rinsing it to remove the silk. Drop the corn in boiling water.

Place the lid on & let it continue to boil for 11 minutes.

I find it's easiest to remove the corn with tongs.

Once the corn is cool enough to handle, but still warm, slather it in a layer of real mayonaise. Don't knock it until you try it, this stuff is amazing.

Sprinkle with cayenne, salt & pepper, & cumin.

Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top.

Cover in Parmesan.

And enjoy.

Muddy Buddies Chex Mix

2010-02-16T11:54:00.001-08:00

This stuff is 3 of my favorite things.

SO good.

SO quick.

SO easy.

Here's what you'll need: Rice/Corn Chex Cereal, Powdered Sugar, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chips.

This would be absolutely great with just those 4 ingredients, but I like to add a lil something something to it.

Toffee covered peanuts from my local dollar store.

Pour the cereal in a large bowl.

Take a couple of large globs of peanut butter & place in a microwaveable bowl.

Cover in the bag of chocolate chips.

Microwave for 1 minute & stir until it's melted.

Pour the melted peanut butter & chocolate on top of the cereal.

Stir gently.

Add in any extras, pretzels etc., today I'm adding toffee covered peanuts.

Cover generously in powdered sugar.

Stir. I have a lid to this bowl so I stirred it & then shook it up in the bowl with the lid on. If you wanted to you could spoon this into a gallon size ziplock & shake it in there.

Here is the end result.

Too Much Information

2010-02-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

If you have a weak stomach, please don't look down.

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You can't ever say that I didn't warn you.

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I was riding with a friend yesterday & she asked if it was okay if she smoked. It was her car so who was I to object. She cracked her sunroof & started smoking her Virgina Slim Menthol.

A couple of blocks later I'm feeling a little dizzy. I commented to her that I started feeling a little funny & her cigarette was out by then.

Fast forward another few blocks & she pulls into the driveway of a local carwash on a main drag of town.

Well. I think this picture says it all.

I puked EVERYWHERE!!!

Yes. Everywhere. The impact to the ground was so great it left splash marks all over the bottom of my jeans.

But the worst thing was the very immediate flock of birds that was swarming me to eat my vomit. They came from the left & from the right, from up above & came from absolutely out of nowhere.

It's been a snowy winter. I guess they were desperate. But my goodness, they were everywhere. These are just the birds that weren't scared off by me taking my phone out, there were plenty more birds where that came from. Ewww.

Microwave Meatloaf

2010-02-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

2 words, comfort & food.

This microwave meatloaf is the epitome of comfort food. It's so easy & ready in 30 minutes.

Here's what you'll need: 1.5 lbs. of Hamburger Meat, Onion, Chopped Garlic, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 cup of oats, 1 beaten egg, salt & pepper

For the sauce that goes on top you need the following: Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, Brown Sugar & Ketchup

Let's start with the meatloaf part & move on to the sauce later. First, dice your onion & combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

You can start out using a fork or another utensil but to get it combined quickly & most efficiently, I use my hands.

Place the mixture in a glass dish & microwave on high for 8 minutes.

While that's microwaving, lets make the sauce.

Put some ketchup in a bowl, a spoonful of brown sugar, mustard & a few sprinkles of worcestershire sauce.

Stir.

After the 8 minutes is up, check on the meatloaf. This part really all depends on your microwave.

My meatloaf didn't look near done enough after 8 minutes to be even close to done so I put it back in for 11 minutes.

Now it's getting a lot more firm so I'm ready to add the sauce.

And I microwaved it for 11 more minutes, once again, this depends on your individual microwave, it will be firm when it's done.

Mmm. Mmm.

Yubz Retro Phone

2010-02-14T22:23:00.001-08:00

I LOVE this. I want this. I dare say I need this. They are available at Neiman Marcus & other select retailers.

Visit http://www.yubz.com for details.

Pimento Cheese

2010-02-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

There are fewer things more Southern than Pimento Cheese. I was actually in high school before I realized the rest of the country didn't enjoy this amazing glob of orange goo.

The kind you buy in the grocery store tastes absolutely nothing like what you can make at home.

It's simple, here's what you'll need:

Salt, pepper, celery seed & SMOKED Paprika (not regular Paprika, SMOKED)

1 cup of Real Mayonaise, 1/2 of a Red Onion, 8 oz. Shredded Colby Cheese, 8 oz. Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese, 1 jar of Pimentos & a heaping spoonful of chopped garlic.

I couldn't find shredded pepper jack in my local grocery store so I also needed a cheese grater.

First, I diced half of a red onion & grated 8 oz. of pepper jack cheese.

Add all of the ingredients into a bowl.

Colby Cheese.

Diced Red Onion.

Pepper Jack.

A few shakes of each of the spices.

Pimentos & Garlic.

Mayo.

Stir to combine.

You can eat Pimento cheese on bread for a sandwich, stuffed in celery sticks for a light snack or even on tortilla chips & ritz crackers.

Enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T20:26:00.001-08:00

I bought myself some flowers.

All the single ladies deserve pretty things too.

Thanks SO much to Shawn at The East Garden for such a beautiful arrangement. Anyone living in the Nashville area definitely needs to check out his store located at 307 North 16th Street, East Nashville. They have everything from bedazzled staplers to fabulous Chanel inspired rings.

Chocolate Covered Treats

2010-02-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

These would be great to bring to a Super Bowl party. It's one of those things that people really seem to love & they think you slaved over, little do they know it's about 10 minutes, 1/2 of which is spent microwaving the chocolate.

Here's what you need: Chocolate, Ritz Crackers, Peanut Butter & Double Stuf Oreos

Start by microwaving the chocolate according to package directions. I like to stop the microwaving process about every minute or so & give it a good stir to help ensure the chocolate doesn't burn.

While the chocolate is being microwaved you can start spreading peanut butter on the Ritz crackers.

Add another Ritz cracker on top.

Start dipping the Oreos & PB sandwiches into the chocolate using a fork.

Once they are dipped you can sit them on wax paper for easy removal. I didn't have any on hand & sat them on a plate, which is fine, it just takes a little more elbow grease to lift them off with a fork once the chocolate has dried.

These will keep in a tin or ziplock bag for days, not that they'll last that long.

You could easily add some pink food coloring & sprinkles for Valentine's Day, the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

My Most Ridiculous Purchase Ever

2010-02-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

A ceramic rooster.

I had to have him.

I never thought I would say those words, "I had to have a ceramic rooster", it just doesn't seem like something I should like. Ceramic roosters don't seem like something anybody should like.

But it was love at first sight, so I digress. I have no idea where I'm going to put this, it does nothing, it's not a cookie jar or anything but I couldn't resist.

As a side note, the weather predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow this morning. So, it's looking like it will be Winter for a little longer.

Mango Cream Cheese Salsa

2010-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

My Grammy snack of choice tonight. This is SO easy to make.

Here's what you'll need: tortilla chips, mango salsa, whipped cream cheese.

Microwave the cream cheese for about 45 seconds to soften, you don't want it hot, just a little easier to stir. Scoop the softened cream cheese into a bowl & top with mango salsa.

Stir.

Hey, I never said this was pretty to look at, but it's really good & really quick to make!

Enjoy!

Here's to hoping the Zac Brown Band wins a Grammy!

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

You would think that with all of this snow & not being able to drive anywhere that I would be productive & get something done, anything, just one thing. But I've done NOTHING. Sometimes it just feels good.

Egg Salad

2010-01-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful Winter day in Nashville & I can assure you that no one but the postal service is out driving around, look how white my street is!

Egg Salad is cheap, easy & most households already have all of the ingredients needed on hand. What better for a snowy day when you can't get out to the grocery store.

Here's what you'll need: Eggs, mayo, mustard, dill relish (not sweet), salt & pepper

Place eggs in a pot, cover with about an inch and a half of water, bring to a boil.

Boil eggs for around 10 minutes & then immediately remove them from the stove & immerse in cold water, this stops the cooking process & keeps the yolks from turning a greenish tint.

After they've cooled to touch, peel your eggs & dice them.

I use an egg slicer because it's easy & the result is very uniform, but it's certainly not necessary. Here's what I do though.

Place an egg in the slicer.

Pull the handle down to slice it.

Pick up the sliced egg & put it back in the slicer going the opposite way of how you placed it before so you are now dicing it.

Place the diced eggs in a bowl.

Cover in a generous layer of salt & pepper.

Add a few swirls of mustard.

Cover in mayonaise & add a heap of relish.

Stir.

It's ready, make a sandwich & then run outside to play in the snow!

Lana's Birthday

2010-01-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I went to a surprise party for my friend Lana. It's only the 3rd surprise party I've ever been to. The surprise aspect of the first two were utter failures. Fun parties overall, but the "SURPRISE" part was nothing like how they portray it on TV.

The first one I attended was at a small Japanese Restaurant. I'll never forget it because when I arrived I was toting around a large gift basket & the waitress took one look at me & said "oh you must be with the party, follow me" & she led me into their back room to join everyone else. Long story short, there were two birthday parties at the Japanese restaurant that night & I was in the back room with my gift basket & the wrong people.

The second one I attended wasn't too terribly long ago. It was my friend Rebecca's birthday & everyone told her that our friend was hosting a wine tasting party. When Rebecca arrived we yelled SURPRISE & all hugged her neck & wished her Happy Birthday. Our friend had tons of yummy food setup, there were gifts, a fabulous bon fire, the works. About an hour into it Rebecca said, so when are we doing the wine tasting! She had no idea that we had actually gathered for her birthday!

So, the third time really is the charm.

Lana actually got that it was a surprise party & I was seated with the right people, 12 of the nicest ladies in East Nashville.

We all gathered at Rumours East.

Such yummy food. I started out with a cheese plate. Here it is after we've all picked at it. It was served with grapes, crusty bread, honey with nuts & apple butter.

An olive medley.

Parmesan cheese grits with basil & balsalmic vinaigrette.

Steamed mussels with lots of chopped garlic and parsley.

And the moistest most exquisite death by chocolate cake EVER from Sweet 16th Bakery.

To say that it was the best surprise party EVER would be an understatement.

Everything was perfect.

Good food, good fun & good friends, fireside.

Lana even cried, just like on TV.

Snow Day!

2010-01-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

It's so nice to be home from work today.

Just me, my dogs & a hot cup of cocoa.

There would be no wars in this world if everyone could simultaneously drink a cup of my hot cocoa.

Here's what you need to make it, cocoa powder, sugar, milk & heavy cream

Start by filling your mug with milk leaving a couple of inches to the top. Add a splash of heavy cream & a couple of spoonfuls of cocoa powder.

Microwave for about two minutes, stir, add sugar to your liking, taste test. Top with marshmallows if you so desire.

And enjoy.

I'm Baaaaaack

2010-01-29T11:55:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I feel like a complete anomaly, I'm 25 & live right smack dab in the middle of a technological age. I am SO not technological.

At all.

I've been paying for Internet for months now at home but have been too ~~inherently lazy~~ intimidated to set it up.

First, the computer I blogged on crashed, then very shortly after that the phone I used to take all of my pictures on broke.

Apparently the world did not want me to blog.

Who am I to argue with the world?

So here was my 4 month course of action to get back to blogging.

Step 1. Fix my computer & purchase a real camera.

Step 2. Order Internet from Comcast & set it up.

Step 3. Blog

It should be as easy as 1,2,3 right?

Wrong.

Here's how I operate.

Step 1. Fix computer & buy a real camera. Check.

Step 2. Order Internet from Comcast. Check, check.

Step 3. Always be at work when UPS delivers the Comcast package to my house.

Step 4. Continually fail to call back the 800 number UPS left for me to coordinate a time for them to deliver my package when I'm actually home.

Step 5. Too much time has lapsed, UPS returns package to Comcast.

Step 6. Have Comcast ship package to my office.

Step 7. Receive package at office. Look at the big box by my desk for a month & then decide to take it to my car.

Step 8. Have package in the back of my car for a month..

Step 9. Huge progress, the package has now made it into my house where it will sit in my living room for another month.

Step 10. Move package to guest room.

Step 11. Pass package multiple times a day in guest room & think about setting it up.

Step 12. Wait a week & then start contemplating the logistics of how hard it would be to actually set up the Internet.

Step 13. Take package out of box to read instructions, that's enough progress for one day.

Step 14. Pop in the Comcast CD that installs the Internet on my computer, screw the cable modem into the wall outlet & then attach it to my computer.

Naturally this amount of mental labor & few flicks of the wrist was too much for me to bear so I had to wait one more week to gain my strength back, which brings us to my final step.

15. Blog.

So, here I am, all the way to step ~~three~~ fifteen, 4 months later.

Can I get a Hallelujah?

Don't Be Tardy For The Party

2009-09-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

I ♥ Bravo & the Real Housewives...all of them...but ATL is absolutely the only reason I have cable!

Surely at least one of you ladies was watching last night.

What did y'all think about Kim cutting Nene out of Tardy for the Party? Kim didn't even want to do that song until Nene encouraged her to do it.

It's catchy...I'll be feeling good by nine...after my third glass of wine...I liked that part...but for real, who's on time to a party?

Best Friend's Wedding

2009-09-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

One of my very best friend's got married yesterday. The wedding was outdoors right on the water at sunset.

The venue was absolutely beautiful, here is what the site looked like before everything was setup.

The wedding started at 6 o'clock but I came 4 hours early to help with things. I was in shock for a minute when arrived & was asked to make all of the centerpieces.

All of you ladies out there know how vital the centerpieces are to the wedding.

It's not that I minded making them, I just wish I could have made them 2 weeks ago so I didn't have to worry about anything going wrong.

Start with a tall cylinder vase, these particular ones were purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I'll have you know one of the first vases I pulled out of the box broke in my hands.

Of course there were no extras, that's one of the downfalls of making them at the last minute.

One of the tables couldn't be without a centerpiece so I had no choice but to jazz it up like the rest of them & place it on a table hoping that no one would notice the vase was missing a side...

Here's how you can make one, take some good ole rubber cement.

Glue a one inch ribbon at the top of each vase & place an LED light at the bottom.

Take a wide band of construction paper & attach a strip of fabric & a different color ribbon than what you've placed at the top. Affix the adorned construction paper to the bottom of the vases.

And add your flowers.

At least the Bride had the flowers arrangements already made so all I had to do was place them on top of the vases.

To make the flower ball she took an inexpensive half ball of styrofoam.

The cheapest fake flowers she could find, & then actually spray painted the flowers all one color & cut the long stem & arranged them in the half ball of styrofoam.

For extra jazz the Bride added a 5 inch long strand of beads to the bottom of the styrofoam ball so it would dangle over the LED light. To attach the strand of beads to the styrofoam I would use a pen to make a small hole, put hot glue in the hole & then put the strands of beads in the hot glue.

These centerpieces were so inexpensive & simple to make but the end result was fantastic.

I'm happy I was able to finish them all in time for the wedding & will definitely be making some for my next event.

The Bride also made her own wedding favors as well.

The boxes were filled with different shades of pink breast cancer awareness M&M's that she found on deep clearance.

The ceremony was beautiful & went off without a hitch. I wish that I had an actual camera, I take all of my pictures from my cell phone & unfortunately my battery went dead pretty early into the night. Below are the pictures that I was able to snap:

This just goes to show you that you don't have to break the bank to have a nice wedding, creativity & hard work go a long way.

The Saddest Movie Ever

2009-09-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much a cold hearted snake when it comes to crying during movies.

I don't do it.

The tears just don't come out. If it's really really sad then my eyes might sweat a little, but a tear wouldn't fall.

Except for the Notebook. You're not human if you didn't cry during the Notebook.

Or you've never been in love & had your heartbroken, one of the two.

I thought I was special & could go watch My Sister's Keeper, a movie about a child dying of cancer, in the theater & not have my mascara run.

I was wrong.

So very, very wrong.

My Sister's Keeper is the absolute saddest movie I have ever seen.

Pretty much everyone knows someone who has had cancer & the movie really portrays the private struggles of a family that's been afflicted.

People were blubbering. At one point I had to dig my thumbnail into my left palm to keep from laughing because people were sobbing so hard. I did shed a few tears myself though, so take it from me, please watch My Sister's Keeper in the privacy of your own home & you won't have to worry about puffy eyes or mascara.

What Happened on Friday

2009-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

These happened.

To a brand new tire that I purchased for an obscene amount in July.

Lucky for me I'm a girl & the men at the tire shop took pity on me & just charged me the price of a warranty.

I got out with a brand new tire for $23.89 & a free oil change.

I love being a girl...

Baby Kitty Kitty in a Teacup

2009-09-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Baby Kitty Kitty

2009-09-07T21:55:00.001-07:00

I'm a new mom. That is my friend bottle feeding my new baby.

I'm not a cat person.

How was I supposed to know that it's typical for a mama cat to hide it's babies in different safe places so they can come back for them later.

I heard something screaming at my basement & found teeny tiny baby kitty kitty in a pile of leaves. I immediately swooped it up & went to get it some milk from a pet store.

Baby kitty kitty was expensive. It was almost $30 for the powdered milk & bottle.

So, since I unknowingly stole baby kitty kitty from it's mama, it's mine now.

Too bad I think I'm allergic. Hopefully it will pass.

Diogi just loves baby kitty kitty.

I have yet to introduce it to Wild Thing & the One Eyed Monster. I'd like it to at least have a chance at a long full life.

Rotel

2009-09-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

Rotel is a classic party dip that I'm sure all of y'all have had at one time or another. Now that football season is upon us, I thought I'd share how I make mine.

The recipe on the can of Rotel calls for one can of Rotel & one pound of Velveeta.

You know me, more is more.

I make my dip with not one, not two, but THREE cans of Rotel. I like to use two originals & one Mexican with the lime & cilantro.

Then I add a pound of HOT sausage. This is not negotiable unless you are feeding vegetarians. It has to be HOT sausage. It's wonderful & people always ask me what I add to my Rotel, the end result is not too spicy, but flavorful.

So I start by cooking my sausage. Just add it to your pan on medium high heat.

I like to spread it out & then start chopping it up with a fork.

Slice the Velveeta while your sausage is cooking.

Be sure to crumble the sausage really good & cook it all the way through.

If you're planning to keep the dip warm in a crock pot you can use these liners for a no mess cleanup later:

The liners are actually really good to have when taking the crock pot to someone else's house because then after you're drunk on Sake from an ugly Christmas sweater party & forget to take the dirty crock pot in the house, it's all good & clean. Not that I've done that...

So, now that the sausage is cooked all we have to do is melt everything together. I layer everything, but I don't think the end result will be any different if you just toss it all in a pan & melt it.

I start with one can of Rotel.

Some Velveeta.

Cooked sausage.

Remaining two cans of Rotel.

And the rest of the Velveeta.

Then I set it & forget it.

Stirring ocassionally of course. Rest assured that if you bring THIS Rotel to your next get together that you will be invited back.

Wink's Day Out

2009-09-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Wink & I went shopping for Fall flowers at Home Depot this weekend.

Then we went to Sonic for water & apple slices.

It's cool to have a dog I can actually take places. Buzzy is too wild & Diogi is too big.

Mmm Mmm Good: Southern Bred

2009-08-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

What a great addition Southern Bred is to my neighborhood, East Nashville. It's an a-typical meat & three who's slogan is "From the South, For the South".

Let me tell y'all, they know how to do it right.

A never ending supply of Corn Muffins, Buttermilk Biscuits & Yeast Rolls.

In the name of blogging I took it upon myself to try each of the three kinds of breads they presented me. I had no choice, how dare I not be prepared if one of you asked me how the corn muffin was & I *gasp* didn't know.

Here's what I ordered, a meat & 3 for $9:

Country fried steak, so tender, I didn't even have to use my knife. Heaping portions of homemade squash casserole, mashed potatoes & gravy, macaroni & cheese.

I ordered the fried okra too, in the name of blogging of course. Absolutely not because I'm Miss Piggy & wanted to sample 4 of their vegatables.

My saddle bags hate this blog.

Here is what my plate looked like after I was full:

The portions were just that big, it doesn't look like I made a dent in it & I definitely don't eat like a bird.

The okra was absolutely delicious. Served piping hot with a side of smoky bleu cheese sauce...they went fast.

Going.

Going.

Gone.

If you live in or around Nashville or will be visiting the area, please go visit Southern Bred located at 1048 East Trinity Lane.

My Playlist

2009-08-28T10:20:00.001-07:00

I'm constantly looking up songs on YouTube to listen to throughout the work day. I don't know if this is normal but I could listen to the same songs over & over & over & not get tired of them. So this post is really for me so I can just come here & play these songs. I've narrowed it down to ten songs that I'll never get tired of hearing, hopefully you'll enjoy them.

1. Bill Withers, Use Me Up

2. Dottie Peoples, On Time God

3. Michael Jackson, Billie Jean

4. Bush, Everything Zen

5. Juvenile, Back That Thing Up

6. Tim McGraw, Where The Green Grass Grows

7. Joe Cocker, With A Little Help From My Friends

8. R. Kelly, Weatherman

9. Leo Sayer, More Than I Can Say

Last but not least. Not only one of my favorite songs but my absolute favorite movie of all time.

10. The Wonders, That Thing You Do

:

Movies.Movies.Movies

2009-08-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

A local movie theater recently dropped their prices to $1.50 all day everyday & I must admit that I've been wearing it out.

Tuesday is Stimulus Night with popcorn & drinks on special for $1.

Last night I went to see I Love You, Beth Cooper:

I adore teen movies. I Love You, Beth Cooper was silly & I did laugh out loud but there was definitely something missing in the atmosphere.

When there was supposed to be roaring laughter all I could hear was dead silence.

Turns out, I was the ONLY PERSON in the theater!

Now, now, before you go throwing me a pity party about going to the movies all by my lonesome I'll quote Terrell Owens & say that "I love me some me", so who better to go to the movies with?

You can see what you want to see, when you want to see it & not have to worry about sharing your junior mints....

While we're on movies, I finally saw The Wiz with Michael Jackson & Diana Ross. The Belcourt Historic Theater hosted a midnight viewing & I went with my friend Angela.

The Wiz is an all black version of The Wizard of Oz.

Let me tell you, I am not one to enjoy a musical. I've actually never even seen Grease.

But Diana & Michael brought their A Game & The Wiz was rockin'. I've been listening to the songs from The Wiz nonstop on YouTube.

Here is one of Michael's songs "You Can't Win":

Wedding Cake Toppers

2009-08-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

One of my best friend's is getting married in a few weeks & her bridal shower was last weekend. Just in case anyone is about to get married or is having any kind of a shower where gifts are given, here's a little word of advice...Don't Read Your Cards Out Loud! Nobody else there cares what your card says so save that for later.

Hardcore Suicide

2009-08-19T17:10:00.001-07:00

There's an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry was doing his stand up bit & was talking about the humor behind attempted suicide. I haven't seen that episode in a very long time so I'm definitely paraphrasing here but Jerry says something along the lines of how horrible it must feel to not even be able to commit suicide properly.

Like you would take a bunch of pills or slit your wrists & you still don't die. So when you get out of the hospital you'll have to add suicide as one more thing you've failed at in life.

Well one lady in Nashville around Christmas last year doused herself in gasoline & then set herself on fire & walked into a church.

TWICE.

The first time she lived.

The second time she didn't.

Melting to death just seems like one of the most horrible ways that you could commit suicide.

I remember that story about the woman here in Nashville & thought it was the weirdest thing & then I heard today about another woman in Miami that also committed suicide by setting herself on fire.

Apparently this woman doused herself in flammable liquid. Went to the mall. Set herself on fire & then proceeded to walk around really calmly & slow with her arms stretched out to her side while she melted to death.

The picture at the top is someone trying to extenguish her.

It's crazy that she was able to keep her composure.

I'm a wimp.

I can assure you that I would run around screaming in pain if I so much as got burned by a hot curling iron.

Let alone melting to death. Can you imagine?

Blast From the Past

2009-08-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was helping a friend move into her new house & she found a picture of me & Diogi when he was a puppy! Awe. Hims was just the tiniest little thing ever!

I don't have a scanner so I rigged this & took a picture of the picture. It's not the clearest but it still warms my heart so I thought I'd share it.

Here's Dee all grown up. I can't believe he'll be 6 next year. I always tell him he has just a few good years left. That's the thing that sucks about big dogs. Maybe he'll beat the odds.

Restaurant Recommendation-Lime

2009-08-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Lime is a Latin Fusion restaurant in Nashville that is filled with candlelit tables & great ambiance.

I think it's an ideal spot for a date, everyone looks prettier in the dark.

Fortunately for me my Strawberry Mojito was to die for but I was too busy sipping it to take a picture.

Here is what we ordered:

For starters we had a lobster, bacon & shrimp dip, spinach dip & salsa. I was surprised at how generous the portions of each dip were for only $9. If you are a cilantro lover definitely try the red roja salsa. Yum. This appetizer is served with tortilla chips for dipping.

Vegetable Paella

And Chicken Burritos. Yes burritos plural. It's one large chicken burrito with another one on top!

So, if you're going to be in the Nashville area & are looking for something different visit Lime at 1904 Broadway.

Up, Up, and Away!

2009-08-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

JetBlue Airlines is offering an All-You-Can-Jet Pass for $599!

Here's the deal.

You purchase the unlimited pass from JetBlue between now & this coming Friday, August 21st, for $599 & you'll receive an All-You-Can-Jet Pass valid for jetting anywhere you like between 57 JetBlue destinations between September 8, 2009-October 8, 2009.

How cool would that be? Too bad JetBlue doesn't service Nashville anymore. With the pass being valid for a whole month you wouldn't even have to take off of work. You could just go somewhere every weekend for 4 weekends & get your money's worth or be more adventurous & book flights after work & fly back home early in the morning.

Awesome.

Girl, you paid how much?

2009-08-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Last night on Bravo's Top Chef Masters the contestants or "cheftestants" were asked to prepare hamburgers. One of the chefs, Hubert Keller, said that his restaurant carries a $5,000 hamburger on the menu.

Don't worry, in case you thought that was high, it's served with a bottle of Dom so I guess that makes it okay...NOT!

It got me thinking about other everyday items that some people shell out a ridiculous amount of dough on.

The Hermes Birkin Bag is what little girls dreams are made of. Well maybe not all girls, but spoiled rich girls. The price of a Birkin Bag starts at about $5,000 & moves into 6 figures.

The exclusivity of a Birkin Bag is not just the price alone, many people can ~~go into debt for~~ afford a $5,000 bag. The exclusivity is that it cannot merely be purchased online or in the store, the bags reportedly have a 2 year waiting list & the stores themselves are very exclusive, even Oprah herself was denied entry into an Hermes store.

Next, water. Vital to the existence of mankind. A lil ole company in my home state of Tennessee thought it would be a grand idea to jazz up the outside of a frosted water bottle with fake diamonds, come up with a catchy name & charge $441 for a case of 12. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Bling H2O:

What about Pizza, what's your favorite topping? Let's see we have peperoni, onions, gold flakes, mushrooms. Huh, what was that? Gold flakes? Yes, I know I personally demand 24k gold flakes on my pizza every time. I was actually kicked out of a Chuck E Cheese once because they were out of gold flakes. True story, cheap bastards.

The most expensive pizza in the world is made up of lobster, caviar & of course gold flakes.

It could have been yours for a cool $4,200, it was sold on e-bay & thank goodness the proceeds went to charity. We needed some sense of humanity in this stomach turning post.

So last but not least. Where else could you lay your head down at night after a long day of dining out for $4,200 pizza, drinking your $500 water, eating a $5,000 hamburger & of course all the while carrying your $100,000 Birkin Bag. You would have to lay your head down in a place like this.

A 400,000 square foot high rise that one family actually calls home in Mumbai. I was going to shell out the 2 Billion for it myself but ultimately decided my 670 square foot East Nashville house was just fine. And so is my fake Coach bag that Rod gave me. And the $15 pizza I had last night. And where would my saddle bags be without being a dollar menu-naire at McDonalds. I am who I am & I'm not trying to impress anyone.

Grape Jelly BBQ Sauce

2009-08-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

This BBQ sauce is as easy as 1-2-3 & is always a crowd pleaser.

You need a bottle of Chili Sauce, Grape Jelly & some kind of meat. I love to use Lit'l Smokies & Meatballs.

1. Pour the Chili Sauce in a pan or crock pot.

2. Mix in the Grape Jelly, the more you add the sweeter it is.

3. Add meat that has already been fully cooked, warm through & enjoy.

Amazing Grace

2009-07-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Jordynne has been cast in the lead role of Grace in the play Amazing Grace. She's only 9 years old, look how cute she is in the flier!

Amazing Grace premiers tonight at the Lakewood Theatre in Old Hickory, Tennessee. Click on the flier to see showtime details. It's a touching story about a little girl that wants to be Peter Pan in her school play but is told she can't because she's black.

Way to go Jordynne! Break a leg :-)

Forever Playing Dress Up

2009-07-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Ryan has 3 little girls all under the age of 6. Whenever I visit with them the 2 older girls like to wear my shoes around for fun.

It feels like just yesterday that I myself was the one playing dress up.

Where did the time go?

Now I'm 25 & I suppose it's official that I am not playing dress up anymore & this actually is my life.

I ♥ TJ Maxx

2009-07-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

I went Thursday & found the best monogrammed lunch gear ever...for $10 total!

I also purchased a great last minute co-worker gift for $10.50. It's too cute.

They are the absolute sweetest ice cream cone sugar cookies I've ever seen nestled in a small powder blue colander. I love it when gifts turn out great!

Flour Dogs

2009-07-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year Buzzy got into some flour at my house. I thought it was the weirdest thing because flour doesn't really smell. Out of all the things that he could have gotten into, flour just seemed like an odd choice.

Fast forward about 6 months, give or take, & what do we have here?

A little Demon dog that got into the flour is what we have! Wink looks so evil with his one eye popping out of his head! It must be a Boston Terrier thing.

Or a bad little dog thing! Diogi wasn't having any part of it.

So I've immortalized him in pop art.

Good boy. They say after awhile dogs start to look like their owners, Diogi's got his mama's almond eyes for sure. Is that weird to say, cuz he definitely does.

We're practically twins.

Living Room

2009-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

I've expressed before how incredibly tiny my house is, 670 square feet.

The best thing about having a small space is that a little goes a long way when it comes to decorating.

I found a steal on Craigslist this week. Two faux leather wingback chairs that are only 5 months old for $60 TOTAL.

Their cat scratched 'em up a bit but to me the scratches make the chairs look aged & I like that. They might actually end up being a little too big for the space I want to use them in, but for now I can make due.

I've been ~~looking for~~ obsessing over the perfect window treatments for over 2 years & haven't found anything that takes my breath away yet. What I've finally decided to do is put white plantation shutters throughout, which is what I originally wanted to have 2 + years ago before I convinced myself that a roman shade would look better.

So now I'm back at square one thinking the plantation shutters would be just fine & less maintenance, no laundering or vacuuming, just an occasional wipe down. So that's the plan. They just look a little plain to me so I would like to add some drapes.

I love silk taffeta, I had red silk taffeta drapes at the townhome I rented & they were the first thing most people commented on.

I've been doing some googling (one of my favorite pastimes) & found really beautiful silk taffeta knock off drapes from Overstock.com at a way lower price.

So, if you'd be so kind, leave a comment letting me know which drapes you like best. My walls are a grey blue color & I have lots of white accents. Here are the drapes:

Inspiration photo & drapes number 1:

And inspiration photo & drapes number 2:

The price is the same for both. Please let me know what you like best, I'm stubborn though so I can't guarantee I'll pick it!

Thanks.

Lunch Boxes

2009-07-22T16:51:00.001-07:00

Money is tight right now for most people & one great way to cut back is by cooking more at home.

Here are some really cute things that you can pack food in to take to work or send with your kids:

I especially love these bento boxes!

Bird Love

2009-07-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

I've wanted a Cockatiel ever since I can remember but I've never seen a cage that I could picture in my house until now. How gorgeous is this!

Below is a completely unrelated short story from my childhood. The cockatiel cage just made me think of it:

When I was in 7th Grade I sat in between two boys & when class would get started they would talk to each other over me & would say stuff like "mine's bigger than yours" & stuff like that & would start laughing.

One day I finally asked them what they were talking about & they said "our cock and balls".

I was twelve & had no idea what that was, not the slightest clue.

So I asked them if it was like a cockatiel & they said that it was an animal but it wasn't a bird & it liked to roll around in it's cage all day. At one point they even drew a picture of it & they were terrible artists! The hair sticking out made it look just like a porcupine in the picture.

At one point a guy said if I touched his that it would spit at me, I then proclaimed "they're mean?!".

Oh Lordie. What a long way I've come! No pun intended.

Can you believe they actually told me to go to the pet store & ask the employee if I could see their cock & balls?!

25 & Alive...So Far, But It's Only Been A Week

2009-07-19T21:43:00.001-07:00

I was born July 11th, 1984.

I've been around for about 9,131 days and approximately 219,144 hours.

In 1984:

Ronald Reagan was re-elected President.
Macintosh personal computers were introduced in the U.S.
The Detroit Tigers won the World Series
When Doves Cry, Footloose & Born in the USA topped the record charts.
The average car was $11,079 & the average home price hit 6 figures for the first time at $101,000.
The Cosby Show debuted on TV.
And my parents were only 3 years older than I am right now.

I'm sure kids born in the Millennium are thinking it's weird that I was born in the 1900's. That sounds so primitive to me when you say it like that, the 1900's.

I took the $5 bus from Nashville to Harrah's Metropolis Casino in Illinois. It's SO fun! It's a 2 hour trip down there & we watched Slumdog Millionaire on the way, it's a great movie. When you get there they give you a meal ticket for a free meal & $5 cash. So it's basically free.

My friend & I were at the slot machines. I put $20 in a machine & played my first penny & won $18.18 woo hoo!

It's almost worth going down there just for the movies & the food. We had a great meal with some things I've never had before.

Oysters Bienville.

Which are oysters baked with green onions, shrimp, bacon & cheese. Oh my. They are very very good.

Cheap wine, which killed my head the next day!

The best rolls with strawberry butter, that's right strawberry butter! Yum!

A great caesar salad & a huge portabella mushroom stuffed with beef tenderloin, roasted red peppers & topped with gorgonzola cheese.

When we were at the slot machines my friend Danielle & I met the female version of Forrest Gump & she gave us two tickets to see the Thunder From Down Under.

She said she liked to go see the men. And for those of you that don't speak Forrest Gump, men was pronounced "me-yin". So when she said "I come here to see the me-yin" I didn't realize that she was talking about professional dancers. Lord have mercy I would have loved to see that. I would have cracked up the entire time, who could take that seriously? Unfortunately the Thunder From Down Under was over by the time we made our way to the theater, whoever thought of that name needs a raise!

Dutch Doors

2009-07-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

Dutch Doors are my current obsession of the moment. I would love to have one in my kitchen that leads out into the carport. That way I can be inside cooking & still feel like I'm apart of the party when I have guests over.

Plus, they're really cute, see below.

Cheesy Brussels Sprouts & Celery

2009-07-14T08:59:00.001-07:00

This is fast, cheap & SO very very good. Give it a try, here's what you'll need:

Cream of Celery, Fresh Celery, Velveeta & Brussels Sprouts

First dice your celery, about 5-6 stalks depending on how much you like.

Bring your celery & brussels sprouts to a boil. I used two pots but if you have one large enough for all of it, knock yourself out.

While those are coming to a boil, dice your Velveeta. I don't know how many ounces, let's say a piece about 5 inches long.

When the veggies are cooked through, strain them.

Reserve 2/3 cup of the boiled water. Add in the cream of celery & the Velveeta.

Stir to combine, once all of the cheese is melted add in the celery & brussels sprouts

Push the veggies down to make sure they all get covered in cheese.

Serve & Enjoy.

Diogi wanted some cheese soup too.

He didn't get any. Insert evil laugh here.

As a side note, I actually slipped on a banana carrying these groceries back to my car. It was like a cartoon, I didn't go down, but I skidded & it scared me.

Who actually slips on a banana peel!

She's Country

2009-07-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice Holiday weekend. I packed up my dogs & drove away from the city lights & into the country.

It was Wink's first time being a country dog. He liked it pretty good. He is so aloof it's absolutely hilarious. He reminds me of a little pot bellied pig running around.

Wink was just trottin' along without a care in the world, trot.trot.trottin' along.

For those of you that don't know. Wink is my newest dog that's about 12 years old & is deaf with one eye. He had absolutely no clue that a cow was following right behind him every step of the way!

I really need to get a camera, my phone can only do so much, but look at this cow! He's already followed Wink through the creek & up the field & Wink hasn't turned around one time.

Dee & Buzzy got in on the cow action too.

But they noticed.

I don't think any of 'em knew what to do.

We hiked.

Played in the creek.

Drank water until we vomited.

Oh wait. That was just Wink.

Attempted to pet Cocoa Puffs.

Failed at petting Cocoa Puffs.

Rolled in the grass.

Rolled in the creek.

Gave each other kisses.

And had a doggone good time!

Aunt Faye's Chicken & Dumplings

2009-06-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I experienced my own personal version of Hell.

I was on Day 2 of my 18 Day Detox & a friend asked if I wanted to come over & photograph her making Aunt Faye's Famous Chicken & Dumplings.

Bitch.

I asked her months ago & she just so happens to ask me on Day 2 of my detox!

Now I truly know how the dogs feel when I'm cooking. You can smell it & know you can't have it...Diogi, I'll never get mad at you for drooling on me again.

So here it is, just for y'all. Step by step photo instructions on how to make Aunt Faye's Famous Chicken & Dumplings. If you're reluctant to try & make it because you think it will be too hard, fear not! These are super simple & it's an economical recipe as well.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Cans of Large Buttered Biscuits, 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes, 1 Can of Cream of Chicken, Salt, Pepper, Garlic & or Onion Powder, a couple of tablespoons of butter & some flour.

You'll also need some kind of chicken, obviously. We used a package of uncooked chicken but it would be just fine to pick up a rotisserie chicken already made or even canned chicken.

We started by boiling our chicken for about 20 minutes. Very lightly salt the water, the bouillon cubes we'll be adding have plenty of salt. This is also the same water that will be used for the broth later so add enough water to your pot to cook the dumplings in. You can always take away some of the liquid if you like your dumplings thicker & add it back in if you like it soupier.

While that's boiling, roll out your biscuits one by one on a floured surface. A rolling pin isn't needed.

Next, scrape off the weird foam that comes to the top when you boil chicken.

Make sure your chicken is cooked & then put it to the side, reduce the heat to Medium High.

We'll now add the butter, cream of chicken, bouillon cubes & onion/garlic powder.

Begin adding your dumplings in quarter size pieces.

As you continue dropping them in, the dumplings will begin to expand & rise to the top. If you feel like you're running out of room in the pot, remove some of the liquid.

Reserve the liquid in case you need to add it back later. Shred your chicken & add it on top.

Reduce your heat to Medium, mix everything together & continue cooking about 15 more minutes. The less you stir, the better the dumplings will be, but you need to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom. Once they are finished, sprinkle some pepper on top & enjoy!

Pied Piper Creamery

2009-06-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

It's hot & you need an ice cream!

I had this yummy deliciousness before my detox started.

Now it's just food porn. I can look, but I can't touch.

Mmm, homemade oreo ice cream...visit the Pied Piper Creamery located at 114 South 11th Street, East Nashville, 37206

The Farmers Market

2009-06-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ah, The Farmers Market, #5 on the list of stuff white people like, www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com, if you haven't visited that website...do it now.

More to come on what I make with these delicious things later.

18 Day Detox

2009-06-23T08:09:00.001-07:00

I've decided to detox for the next 18 days until my 25th Birthday.

I will drink water & eat all of the raw fruits & veggies that I want. I also have a Jack LaLanne juicer that I can use to make yummy drinks.

4 years ago one of my co-workers asked me to do a 10 day detox with her. I went & bought all of my fruits & veggies & was on board.

What I didn't do was plan.

The day after the cleanse ended I went on a camping trip at the lake with friends.

It was the Fourth of July & we were grilling all weekend long.

I'm talking meat with a side of meat here.

Ribs, chicken, steak, hamburgers, hot dogs...you name it, I ate it.

I was fine the whole trip & wasn't even thinking about any possible repercussions.

Then it hit me.

I was headed home to Nashville on I-40 & started feeling it. You know how you get to sweatin' but have chills all at the same time. The pressure built up inside me to Biblical proportions.

The exits felt so far apart & I felt like I was going to die.

What's a girl to do?

I pulled over & took a dump ON I-40.

Yes I did.

Not in the woods.

On the concrete of I-40 beside my car.

Here I was poppin' the squat like that's not bad enough & then Diogi, my big dog, jumps out of the car & was trying to eat it! It just went from bad to worse because this was years ago when I still had my 1988 Volvo with no kind of tinted windows. It's not like I was completely shielded from the traffic, anybody that looked could see me.

Oh well. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Here's to hoping I'll ease myself back into the real world this time.

Summer Fun at the Lake

2009-06-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

This time of year is so wonderful. I love nothing more than getting off of work & going to the lake. I feel like I'm a world away.

The vet said Wink, my new rescued dog, is at least ten years old & most likely older. I wasn't sure if Wink could swim so I bought him a life jacket.

Wink looks like a sausage stuffed in a life jacket!

All pets have to be on a leash & unlike some people, I follow the rules.

I may bend them a little, but that's okay by me, I always bring rope with me that I bought at our local hardware store for $2.99.

I then attach that rope to the dogs.

Then they swim their little hearts out:

I brought my friend's little girl with me. This is Jordynne.

Jordynne is nine & only weighs thirteen pounds more than Diogi, my big dog.

It was THE cutest thing I have ever seen. Everywhere that Jordynne went, Dee went. She basically swam with him like he was a Dolphin & was holding on.

Jordynne had fun at the lake! She didn't make it back home with her glasses.

I never claimed to be a good babysitter.

I felt really bad at first & then her mom told me that in one year Jordynne managed to lose 8 pairs.

Jello Wraslin'

2009-06-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday an old friend convinced me to come up to his parent's bar & watch some good ole fashioned jello wraslin'.

I think it might be an insult to the sport to actually call it "wrestling".

The bar is SO much fun. It's called The Beach & instead of having a regular patio in the back they have a sand pit, complete with a volleyball net & all, with tables scattered around the edges to watch.

I was driving on the Interstate on my way to The Beach & rain started pouring down.

Rain probably wouldn't be a problem for most people but my windshield wiper blades fell off at least a year & a half ago.

I have the stick thingies, but not the wiper part.

So I drove really really slow. I probably shouldn't have ignored those tornado watches & thunderstorm warnings.

But I got there in one piece & was a little bummed thinking the wraslin' might not happen. They covered the jello with an umbrella & we stayed inside & watched the band play.

A little later the rain cleared & it was on like Donkey Kong.

I must say, red jello was the absolute worst possible color they could have chosen.

Fun times! I didn't wrasle, I had already participated in an impromptu wet t-shirt contest earlier that night.

Okay, okay, I'm not that daring, but my shirt was wet from the rain, that much is true ;-)

The Beach is located at 170 N. Water Avenue in Gallatin, TN. Go visit!

2 Cup Cobbler

2009-06-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine invited me over for dinner last night.

It was adventurous to say the least.

She was dog sitting a Chihuahua & a miniature Dachshund. The Dachshund has a long history of biting people. Since I'm now a crazy dog lady I thought he would like me.

I thought wrong.

So after dinner my friend's boyfriend said he wanted dessert & since she didn't have any prepared I offered to whip up a cobbler.

Cobbler's are great because it's literally as easy as 1-2-3 & most people have the ingredients on hand.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Cups of Flour, 2 Cups of Sugar, 2 Cups of Milk & 1 Stick of butter.

Then add whatever kind of fruit you like, canned or fresh, we added canned peaches.

Step 1. Spread the butter all over your baking dish up & down the sides, everywhere, it's okay if there are big chunks left.

Step 2. Mix all of your ingredients except for the fruit, add cinnamon if you'd like.

Step 3. Pour mix in your buttered dish & top with fruit.

Bake at 375 degrees until brown & yummy.

Ooey gooey goodness in no time flat, enjoy!

Billups Art

2009-06-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

June 6th was the Grand Opening of a new art gallery in my neighborhood called Billups Art.

Anthony Billups, the owner, decided to donate a portion of the proceeds made from the opening to East C.A.N., a non-profit I volunteer with (www.eastcan.org).

*photo provided courtesy of kristilklearphotography.com*

Saturday was a special day for Anthony, not only because of his opening, but 6 years earlier on June 6th, 2003, Anthony completely lost his sight.

He was a 20 year old college baseball pitcher at the time.

It's amazing how one day you can have it all & then it can all be taken away.

While Anthony was in the hospital, alone & blind, he turned to music & taught himself how to play the guitar.

Through the grace of God & modern medicine Anthony's sight was eventually restored. He went on to play college baseball again, which is amazing, & he also started painting & drawing as a way to express the new way he saw the world.

Below are charcoal sketches of various things he has drawn:

The Grand Opening was a ton of fun & had a lot of great music. It pretty much was just a party. Anthony bought a keg & a half & we had a ton of food donated.

If you would like to see more of Anthony's work or purchase any of his prints, please visit his website at www.BillupsArt.com

Copies of prints start at just $50, depending on size, & if you mention this blog post a portion of the proceeds will be donated to East C.A.N. *cough* *cough* right Anthony?

If you live in the Nashville area come out to Billups Art located at 1008-C Woodland Street in East Nashville (behind Beyond the Edge).

Next Saturday, June 20th, Anthony will be hosting a free community mural for people of all ages to paint one of the exterior walls of the gallery from 9-5, I hope to see you there.

Fan Fair

2009-06-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's that time of year again.

Fan Fair or the "CMA Music Festival" got started in Nashville yesterday. There's nothing like being flooded with tourists in cowboy hats that don't get the concept of a cross walk.

If it says don't walk & my light is green. DON'T walk. How hard is that?

I feel like I'm playing in a video game because fans are coming at me left & right & somehow as a driver it's my job to avoid them.

A co-worker & I ran an errand today & I was like "ooh there's one, watch out, here comes one on the left, yeah that one over there doesn't see ya".

I'm happy for the money it brings the city, but Lord knows I'll be ready when they leave. Gah, I mean my 7 minute commute has turned into 10 & I just can't be bothered ;-).

Wink

2009-06-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

There is a skatepark in Nashville pretty close to my office. There are always kids everywhere, completely unsupervised, riding their skateboards in traffic Downtown.

I was on my way to take Wink to the vet yesterday & one of these unsupervised kids on a skateboard grabbed my bumper & decided it would be fun to hitch a ride on the back of my car for a few blocks.

I realize that one of the absolute worst things I probably could have done with a teenager hanging from my car is to let one hand off of the wheel & grab my camera:

But that's exactly what I did.

Too bad he was crouched down further & I completely missed.

The thought did cross my mind for a second while I was snapping that picture that it would suck if I swerved & caused that kid to fall off, but I did it anyway.

Do you ever do stuff that you know you shouldn't do just to see what happens?

My favorite motto is why risk it & I'm usually pretty responsible but there are times I have to admit that I've done stupid stuff just to see what would happen.

I remember trying to light a candle in the microwave once. Yeah, you can't, well it lights, but it's more of an explosion.

Another time I left a tiny kitten I found in a crate with Diogi all day while I was at work. I didn't think he would eat it.

I got home & they were curled up asleep together. Diogi's a great dog & I thought it would be okay, but part of me wanted to see, good thing it worked out!

So Wink made it to the vet & I didn't run over a teenager on my way, he had a great exam & the follow-up care he needs isn't going to be as much as I anticipated so I've decided to keep him. It's official, I'm now a crazy dog lady!

Liquid Joy

2009-06-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost here & a shaved ice stand has opened up within walking distance to my house.

Not just any shaved ice stand.

But a New Orleans style shaved ice stand.

I had never heard of New Orleans style shaved ice. That might have a little something to do with the fact that I've never been to New Orleans.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the secret ingredient to having New Orleans style shaved ice versus regular shaved ice is:

Sweetened Condensed Milk!

So I had this huge cup of shaved ice, I picked my flavor.

Cream Soda.

And then they drizzled sweetened condensed milk over the top.

Mmmm. Sneaux Balls.

This little stand is located at 1106 Woodland Street in East Nashville, right next to the I Dream of Weenie hot dog stand. That placement is genius, what goes together better than Weenies & Balls?

Check them out.

Edited to say: How many times can I say the words "shaved ice" in a single post?

Apparently 7.

Life is Good

2009-06-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week since I last posted. Wednesday night I talked to someone in my Neigborhood that found a Boston Terrier on a playground. Someone used the chain from the swing to chain him up to the playground equipment & left him for dead. He's an old dog, anything could have happened to him. This is Wink:

Wink has one eye & is living with me right now until he goes to his new foster granny on Wednesday. Wink's really old. For days I was just calling him One Eye, I'm not the most creative with pet names, refer to one of my earlier posts about my hermit crab named Hermie Herm Herm, the list of bad pet names goes on & on. But Wink fits him. He's just cute as a button & him & Buzzy have become best friends. We took a walk Downtown today after work & played tonight.

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, Nashville is such a beautiful city. I love being around people but I like being alone too & I think it's even better when you can feel alone in a large city with people all around. There are all of these great spots right here Downtown where I can take my dogs & lay in the grass & just chill.

Diogi & I hung out for hours on Sunday at the park. Two parks actually. I've been busy lately & I figured he'd want some quiet time away from Wink & Buzzy for a bit. I told Dee I'd take him to the fountains but we got there & they were under construction. Go figure. So we had to settle for this little fountain, globe thing.

Diogi liked it, he drank the water.

We just walked around & layed in the grass. Lordie Dee loves to roll in the grass.

Since there wasn't enough action I took him to go see the ducks & geese at another local park. I used to rent a townhome that had a pond right outside of my front door so Diogi is accustomed to being around ducks & geese & he loves to sit & watch them. He doesn't make one peep, he doesn't lunge at them. He just sits & enjoys their company.

So today was Wink & Buzzy's turn. We went to a different set of fountains Downtown to play in. Fountains that weren't under construction.

They had a ball!

When the fountains would go down Buzzy went into attack mode boxing at them.

Get it boy, get it.

But then they would get BIG again & he would back off.

Then Shake. Shake. Shake.

We then walked over to the other calmer pool area so Wink could get in on the fun.

We had a great time. Life is good.

Bridal Fair Fundaiser for East C.A.N.

2009-06-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

The fundraiser we had this weekend went off pretty well. My favorite part was the fashion show, the girls had really crazy face paint & they walked with our dogs that have either been adopted through East C.A.N. or need to be adopted. I was really excited that News 2 & Fox came out to cover our event, I didn't get to see it air because I was still there, but such is life. See below:

Visit www.eastcan.org if you would like to learn more about our non-profit organization.

Motherlover--You HAVE to Watch This!

2009-06-01T19:07:00.001-07:00

This is the sequel to Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg's Dick in the Box Christmas video. Basically, Andy & Justin are best friends & they both forget to buy something for Mother's Day so they decided that they should F each other's mothers since their thoughts were that every Mother's Day needs a Mother's Night, check it out!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Privacy Hedges

2009-05-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Privacy hedges are my current obsession of the moment. I really like the idea of using trees & shrubs as a barrier around my property.

I would have given anything last night to have had a border of Thuja Green Giants between my neighbors & I.

As soon as I pulled in the driveway they came outside to confront me about whether or not I called Animal Control on them about their dog.

Trust me when I say it was beyond awkward.

Yes, their dog is an outside dog & mine are not, but it wasn’t me that called.

I live in an old neighborhood in Downtown Nashville & the houses on my street are really small & close together. I was okay with that because I rented a townhome prior to purchasing this house & you can’t get closer to your neighbors than that.

Now I’m thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea to plant things to create a shield between us.

Here are some photos of privacy hedges that I pulled offline:

She Works Hard For The Money

2009-05-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hey there, I hope everyone in the States had a great Memorial Day weekend, it was SO nice to have three days off from work!

I wish I could work 4 ten hour shifts & have a three day weekend all the time.

Oh heck, who am I trying to kid? What I really want is a man that lets me stay home & I’ll have a seven day weekend all the time.

It’s kind of funny to me now because I used to despise housewives.

Just ask my mom, she’ll tell you.

I never could understand why she wanted to stay home when Chris & I were growing up. I thought she must be SO bored. I mean she didn’t do anything…or so I thought.

Let me just go ahead & say now, on the record, that I totally get it! Seven years in the workforce full-time has changed my perspective on that just a bit.

I actually remember having Home Ec in middle school & coming home to ask my mom if she was mad that she went to college because she could have dropped out after the seventh grade & it wouldn’t have mattered!

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to work. When I was in elementary school I remember the teacher asking us what we wanted to be when we grew up.

Most kids gave the typical response of a fireman, professional baseball player, teacher etc.

I was not most kids.

They get to me & I say that I either wanted to work in PR or be an animal rights activist.

Brainwashed much?

My teacher laughed & asked me why I would possibly want to be in PR & I said “you get paid to go to lunch & talk to people”.

Ah, those were the days of innocent youth before I realized what complete & total satisfaction could come from having all the closets in your house color coded & organized or that you could actually forge fake friendships with the people on your TV.

Having a desk & paperwork just isn’t as thrilling as I imagined it as a child…but for now it’s back to work I go! I hope the rest of you working gals enjoy the short week!

Urban Outfitters

2009-05-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

One of the tenants in my office building tested their fire alarm today. I don't know why, but they did.

It turned out to be a $500 mistake that I don't think they'll be making again anytime soon.

So while we had that little hiatus this afternoon I went & checked out the fairly new Urban Outfitters. If you're going to be near The Gulch this weekend you should definitely check it out because they're having a pretty big sale for Memorial Day.

Here's what I found:

Sale. Sale. Sale.

Embarrassing fake letters to send your friends.

Fabulous rings.

Bangles.

And cute Headbands.

This one is beautiful.

I did see enough faux hipsters in sundresses & cowboy boots to last me a lifetime but all & all it was a nice break away from the screaming sounds of the fire alarm at my office.

Vinyl Decals

2009-05-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

I really like vinyl decals.

They are SO practical, relatively inexpensive & you can change them as often as you like because they aren't permanent. Win-Win-Win.

My first experience with a vinyl decal was last Christmas. I purchased one at Kohls hopeful that it would be easy to put up & take down when the Season was over.

And it was.

So I then purchased a custom monogram decal from Etsy.com to go over my bed in my bedroom.

One day...when I actually clean out my storage room...err...bedroom & put my bed up it will look nice. I just don't think I'll see that day anytime soon.

Vinyl decals would be fantastic in an apartment or dorm room where you don't need to be putting holes in the wall. Or how about a teenage girl's room that changes her mind all the time?

Below are some photos I snagged offline of how other people have used them in various settings.

I've decided that for my next project I'm going to purchase one to put on my front door that says welcome.

I used photobucket to draw it on to see what it would look like.

I really like it! I think it matches the character of the house.

Last night I took some updated photos of the planted urns pictured above. I can't believe how much they have grown SO fast. The bright green trailing plant is called creeping jenny. It was only $1.77 & was teeny tiny just a few weeks ago. I have never planted any before & it's quickly becoming one of my favorites. At some point over the Summer it's supposed to have yellow blooms. Take a look.

Completely Ridiculous

2009-05-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my dogs!

And by the word love, I mean I'm completely obsessed.

Have you ever seen a dog with grass stains?

Diogi was really gettin' it out there in the grass, rolling around like crazy.

Here's my Boston Terrier, Buzzy Bee. They're also known as Boston Terrorists. He's the latter. The little baby sweet devil fell asleep with an empty jello cup he took out of the trash.

All together now....AWE.

Period Flowers

2009-05-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well this may be a bit too much information for most. But that's just how I roll.

I had a revelation today.

Every month right around my period I take on a project. This is completely subconscious & I don't even realize that I'm doing it, but every month, without fail I do.

Current case in point, a pallet of pink begonias:

I bought these on Tuesday night. I left the house that morning with absolutely zero intention of going to Home Depot. I promised myself after going on the Garden Tour that I actually would not step foot in a place that sells plants, flowers or landscaping paraphernalia of ANY kind for at least a week.

Something about seeing other people's perfectly manicured lawns & gorgeous climbing roses does crazy things to me.

If you remember after the last Garden Tour I went on I ended up with a thousand pounds of pond pebbles mysteriously in the back of my truck.

I don't even really remember buying them, I was in a fog, delirious & still high off of seeing all the gorgeous displays at the Garden Show.

But all day in the back of my mind on Tuesday I kept thinking about how I needed something at the base of my mailbox. Just a little touch of color right at the bottom.

Then on my way home that night the steering wheel started turning toward the Home Depot instead of my house.

I don't think it was actually me turning the wheel, not consciously at least, the climbing roses made me do it.

So I thought, well...I'll just go & have a little look see over there to see what they have. I DO have a store credit so if I saw anything I liked then it technically would be free right?

Right. So here they are, a big pallet of pink begonias for a price I just couldn't say no to $9.43.

Yep. I bought them.

Then yesterday, Wednesday, I had a meltdown at work. I was SO pissed at Rod I finally made him give me the key back to my house so he can't come over anymore. We did break up in January so it was about darn time but we've still been hanging out & I never got it from him. So I was pissed & all huffy & puffy with him & he said I was acting crazy & being irrational. And of course that made me even more mad.

Until today.

When Aunt Dot came to visit.

I realized that I was being crazy & irrational & laughed at the fact that I have a whole pallet of period flowers waiting for me to plant when I get home, it made me buy them.

Neat Product

2009-05-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen one of these? My co-worker bought a plastic bottle top at a gas station that fits over any can.

Not only does it keep your drink from spilling but I think it's perfect because canned drinks are 12 oz. & that's usually plenty, they cost less than bottled drinks & they are easy to recycle.

Down the Garden Path

2009-05-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday a co-worker & I participated in a tour of gardens throughout Nashville called Down the Garden Path.

Proceeds from the tickets sold benefitted the Lupus Foundation of America, unfortunately my co-worker was diagnosed with Lupus about 2 years ago.

I took my trusty rusty iPhone, shattered screen & all, along for the tour & here are some of the highlights of what we saw.

How gorgeous is Nashville?