Happy Halloween!!!

Click HERE for a funny halloween tradition to look out for tomorrow morning.

Found HERE on Apartment Therapy.com

just vote.

I HAVE TOTALLY LOST MY MIND!!!

And I can't even write about it. I'm having a hard time finding a place to live in Utah. It's not falling together like I think it should. It doesn't feel right. I'm already having withdrawls, I miss the water, and I don't want to be cold. I guess I am writing about it.

I had a moment of weakness and got a little down about my rotten luck with the yacht in Seattle. I thought it meant I needed to try something different. Maybe it just meant I needed to try again.

Here's the story...

Mom and Dad will be relieved to hear this news. I have been feeling this for a few days now and tonight it all came to climax while I was chatting online with an old friend from Key West.

Courtney and I have been friends since 2003 when I moved to Key West. You see, she is a badass. When I was a lowly dock girl selling day trips on the Schooner Liberty, before anyone even let me attempt to train on board, Courtney was the Firs Mate on a Parasail Boat at the same marina. She's just a badass. Anyway, we lost touch like people do and due to the majic of Facebook and Myspace we have reconnected and have been chatting frequently this year. When I told Courtney about my bad luck and getting laid off from the Seattle yacht she got all excited and decided it was a sign that I should come to Ft. Lauderdale and stay with her for a while, after all, it is the Mega Yacht Capital of the world. Now, any normal, "sign seeing" person would have seen that as a good idea, but I decided to wait it out. I was a little depressed I have to admit.

I had totally forgotten about that fleeting conversation when tonight Courtney instant messaged me and we started to chat. She was telling me all about Ft. Lauderdale and how great it was and she mentioned again that I should come stay with her at her new apartment. I told her I couldn't afford rent at a condo in Lauderdale at the moment and she just laughed and said " I didn't ask you to pay rent, I told you to come stay with me for a while and look for a job here, if you find one and leave thats cool and if I decided to stay then we could wait till the next month before we worry about rent." Can we say "HERE'S YOUR SIGN" ?
Then she continued to berate me about how I was a boat chick and to just get over it because I was going to regret being cold constantly... She's right.

P.S. The rent in Lauderdale is the same as what I would be paying in Utah. Ahem....

Let the comments begin....

Yes I know... I am a flake. I feel like a big flake. I don't know what to do.
I do know that being in Lauderdale is what's best for my career.

p.s. again I put out an email to my agent in lauderdale to ask her what she thought about me moving there, if she thinks it would help me get a job and if she knew of any shore based or freelance positions... we shall see.

Another perk... Courtney is a personal trainer... yep... she would kick my ass into shape...

Got this from the Ski Utah blog. Cute!

Ski Utah blog here.

In response to Russell's bad idea to make fun of a cultural icon...

Russell resigns from Radio 2


i still love russell brand.

Here is the recipe for the Rolo Cookies!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST(R) All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
48 Rolo(R) Chewy Caramels in Milk Chocolate, unwrapped
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating (optional)

Cooking Directions:

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; mix well.
In large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture; blend well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around 1 caramel candy, covering completely.
In small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press one side of each ball into pecan mixture. Place, nut side up, 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
Melt candy coating in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.
Yield: 48 servings

I just poured a half a bottle of Wild Turkey down the drain...

I decided to have a sip for old times sake... I nearly yacked all over the place... i went right into the bathroom and poured it down the drain. I have never abused alcohol like that... I feel bad about pouring it out... some homeless bum would have liked it. My brother would have taken it... oh well.

HAHA HAHHA GOBBLE THAT TURKEY!

It's coming...

The snow... It's on it's way to Utah finally! Forecast says Monday! Yay! Can't wait to get there... sure wish I had a room... haha! I am sure something will come up, I still have 3 weeks to find a place!

I have decided to make some Egg Nog.

I think my dad is worried about me now... haha I was standing on the stool reaching in the highest cabinet in the kitchen pulling bottles of alcohol out and placing them gently on the counter as if he wouldn't hear the glass clacking on the tile counter tops. He was playing the mandolin... Anyway, I finally got to the very back of the cabinet where I knew my mother hid the bottle of Wild Turkey she found in my room over a year ago. I pulled it out, over the Crown Royal and through the muffin tins (to grandmother' house we go) and then put all the other liquors back in the cabinet. With my bottle of WT on the counter I noticed we needed to make a pitcher of tea. So I got the pitcher and the sugar and made some tea, dad got up and walked to the garage door and paused when he walked past the wild turkey bottle and just kinda glanced at it... then walked outside. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. yarrrrrrrrr! I bet he thinks i'm back here swillin outta the bottle!

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
9 Eggs separated
1 cup extra fine sugar !DO NOT USE confectioners sugar!
2 cups light cream
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup Wild Turkey Bourbon Whisky
1/2 cup Remy Martin VSOP
( substitute Christian Brothers Brandy for a sweeter drink )

3 large mixing bowls
a whisk or electric beater
Directions:
Chill all ingredients Metal and glass bowls

Place 9 egg yolks into a bowl and add sugar. Beat until thick. Add light cream, bourbon, and congac. Set aside.

Place 9 egg whites into a bowl and beat to soft peaks.
Do not make stiff peaks as this will make the eggnog separate. Set aside.

Place heavy cream into a bowl and beat until whipped cream.

Gently fold all 3 bowls together into your punch bowl.

Enjoy with some freshly grated nutmeg.


It's the HOLIDAYS!! Just drink it!
Keeping the eggnog cool is always good so don't put it by the fire. Don't over mix or stir the eggnog in the serving bowl. Gently fold it together if it needs it after an hour or so. A small spice grater and whole nutmeg by the bowl makes it real nice!

For my viewing pleasure.

I already own National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation so I don't need to steal it from YouTube. But I don't own the other mandatory viewing... How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It's in 3 parts, enjoy!

For LYVVIE!!!!!! ahem....

SWEET POTATO CASSAROLE

you need:
1 can of sweet potatos
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
about a handfull of mini marshmallows


Open the can of sweet potatoes with a can opener almost all the way so you can use the lid to strain the juice.
KEEP THE JUICE!
Pour the juice from the sweet potatoes into a sauce pan
add the white and brown sugar to the sauce
you want to cook this mixture on low-med STIRRING CONSTANTLY
you can bring it up to a low boil to make the process go faster but you have to really be on it and not let it scorch.

Stir and cook the sauce till its nice and thick like between honey and molasses.

put the sweet potatoes in a small dish about 6" by 6" or something to that effect
pour the sauce over them and put it in the oven on 350 for about 10 mins or so till warm.
take it out of the oven and sprinkle the mini marshmallows on top in an even layer covering all the sweet potatoes.

pop it back in the oven for just a couple of mins till the marshmallows are browned slightly

BE CAREFUL YOU KNOW HOW FAST MARSHMALLOWS BURN!!!

ta da!

dig in.

I will post the chocolate rolo cookie recipe next.

this pic is not mine but i forgot to take a pic of mine and it looked so much better.... :)

The big thanksgiving...

Well, after everyone said their hellos and got comfy the long lost cousins got up and started to leave and take 3 people with them BEFORE we ate!!! I almost blew a gasket!!! OHHHHHHHHHH NO! NOBODY IS BAILING OUT ON THIS GOOD OLD FASHIONED FAMILY THANKSGIVING NO WAY!!! I almost went crazy just like this....



Thankfully my father saw the crazy in my eyes and told everyone just to relax and stay a while... good thing too... i had a cassarole dish full of molten candied yams and I wasn't afraid to use it....

Whew,,,

it was a success! i will post the fam reunion pics soon. been cleaning and drinking wine...

HAL-LEY-LOO-YAH! HOLY SHIT!

Add another 2 people to the guest list!!! Uncle Derwood and Aunt Betty are coming too!!! Thats 10 people!!! I have to peel more potatoes and make the sweet potatoe cassarole!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Oh MY GOSH!

Mini Griswold famly gathering crisis. I started making the greenbean cassarole... i messed up the ingredients but don't tell anyone, we will see how it turns out... i don't eat it so I wouldn't know...

Got a call from Grandma, looks like we are having 2 extra guests for dinner, some long lost relatives I either met when I was 2 or never... so I am running around doubling up on food and making extra side dishes....

I knew there was a reason I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation this morning....

Turkey Time!

Naked raw turkey... ready to enter roasting compartment. NOW!

Oh! I made these mini apple pies yesterday...

I got the idea from Lyvvie.

The chocolate Rolo cookies

It's Thanksgiving again!!!

Today I am busy cooking Thanksgiving dinner for Mom, Dad, Jeff, Grandma and Grandpa!!! It's the second time this year! Before I went to Seattle we had turkey day because we thought I wouldn't be here for it. Well, we all know how Seattle turned out... Now I am back home but it looks like I won't be here for Thanksgiving again, and the grandparents are stopping by for the night so we decided to do it again!!! I love it and I don't mind cooking it. I made a honey glazed ham this morning because I think it's acceptable to eat that at room temperature. It was actually just a ham and I made a brown sugar honey glaze from scratch, I let the ham cook for about 40 mins then I smeared the glaze all over it and cranked it up to 400 for about 10 mins to caramelize the glaze. It looks yummy!

I just whipped up a batch of cookies, not sure what they are called, but they are chocolate, with a Rolo in the middle so when you bite into them its melty chocolatey caramel!!! I made those from scratch too. The dough is in the fridge cooling so it's easier to handle, so says the recipe so I will post pics when they are done!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

lol'd so much i think i woke mom up...