Good Eats Wednesday: Caesar is a pleaser!

I'm continuing on my journey of homemade dressings today with a recipe for some flat out amazing egg free Caesar dressing. It's not my recipe, so here's the link to where I found it. I did tweak it just a bit. (no tabasco and more vinegar to cut down on calories per serving)

Before we begin, I think we need to have a talk about anchovies. If you are hesitant to use them, don't be! Trust me. They are essential in this dressing.

 If you taste them by themselves, they just taste like salty fishy deliciousness. I happen to really like them. So suck it up and use them. 

Ingredients: 

3 cloves garlic

6 anchovy fillets

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

10 grinds of pepper

juice of one lemon

1 cup olive oil

Grab a container with a lid. This is what you will store the dressing in, so choose wisely. Crush the garlic and add it to the container. Then chop the anchovies and smash them with the side of your knife until it is a rough paste. If you can find anchovy paste to begin with, use that. 

Then add the red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and lemon. Add the olive oil and shake until an emulsion forms. It will change color to a beautiful golden yellow.  

Done! You should eat it on a big ol salad with some chicken and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Amazing.

DIY Tuesday: Ants!

I found a swarm of ants yesterday when I was cleaning in my bedroom. They were right by my side of the bed, ew, ew, ew. It's that time of year that the ants swarm in Oregon so I was expecting it to happen soon. I don't think my house is dirty, it just is an Oregon thing. But I was still SUPER irritated. Lots of cussing. 

Instead of using a chemical  ant spray, I want to share with you my NEW WONDER SPRAY recipe. 

It's orange oil and vinegar. 

I use this to keep spiders away (spiders taste with their feet and don't like the taste of orange oil)

I use this to kill weeds (the oil helps the vinegar stick to the weeds and kills it faster)

I use this to clean my counter top (cuts through grease and grime like no one's business)

I use this to clean my tub (let it sit on the tub for a while, wipe off)

I use this to kill and keep away ants (This is the best part! The vinegar kills the ants on contact, destroys the hormone trail that they follow, and the orange oil creates a barrier that they will not cross)

I just filled up a spray bottle with regular vinegar (I buy it at Costco for super cheap)

and added about a half-cup orange oil. I bought it off of Amazon. Here's the link: Orange Oil 

The bottle is huge!!! 

I think you should try this new spray concoction! I haven't seen an ant since I sprayed it and vacuumed their little corpses up. 

Have a great day! 

Random Monday: I like lists.

 My life is incredibly busy for being unemployed. I always seem to fill my life up to the brim no matter what I'm doing, that's just who I am. I like lists to help me prioritize, and I also like my lists to be pretty. I get a lot more done when I have a pretty list to write on and cross off of. Sounds lame, but works for me. 

 The next few months seem to be filling up like CRAZY and I need to get organized. We've got a trip to Canada, family and friends for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more family coming after Christmas. I have created some list  templates that you guys might like, centered around the holidays. They are nothing too fancy, but they DO have fancy fonts, which makes me so happy!

Click Below for Links: 

Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Years
Vacation 

I printed them out on some nice looking brown card stock and hung them up in my office/sewing/crafts area. They are already filling up! 

Friday Adventure Time: Screen Door

Husband and I took a little excursion into Portland last weekend and ended up going to a brunch place called Screen Door. 

It's southern food with a Portland twist. 

I had a fennel sausage scramble, and husband had some GIANT chicken and waffles. 

Yeah, that's three chicken breasts on there. It was amazing. 

It's such a cute place to go on a weekend, although it was crazy busy. 

It's all part of our master plan to explore all the awesome places Portland has to offer in the eats department. 

Afterwards, we headed downtown to look around Blick Art Supplies. 

I was fascinated by the large oil pastels.

Twas a fun fun day! 

Booze Thursday: Pumpkin Time!

I bought pumpkins at the grocery store the other day, and of course I needed to randomly pick up a six pack of pumpkin beer. Hey, it was on sale. Tis the season of pumpkins. 

It is pretty yummy. It is a ton more fruity that I anticipated, but that is a good thing. It has a subtle pumpkin taste, and it tastes more like a raw pumpkin than a pumpkin pie, hence the fruity-ness. It is a lot less intense than I expected, it's actually slightly refreshing. It's not a super well crafted beer. I would describe it as having 'drinkability'. Which is a way of saying that it's a beer with mass appeal. 

I went back for seconds, which I don't normally do. I think it's a solid offering for this season, but if you want something more substantial tasting, go for something like Avery's Rumpkin. 

Have a great Thursday! 

Good Eats Wednesday: Mama Mia!

Usually I make stuffed peppers with a ricotta filling. I wanted something more filling this time and less.....dairy. 

Enter the Chicken Italian Sausage!

Ingredients: 

1/2 lb chicken (or pork) Italian sausage

2 cloves of garlic

5-6 cups fresh kale or spinach  

1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked

4 bell peppers (color of your choice), tops cut off and seeds and membranes removed

1 cup mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Brown up the sausage, drain any fat if you are using pork sausage. 

Then pop your crushed garlic in the middle. 

Then overload that pan with greens. Like a ton. 

Cook it down to this: 

After most of the water is cooked out, combine with the rice in a large bowl. Stir and taste and season. Repeat. 

Optional: Put a bit of char on your peppers by placing them in a hot hot skillet. Even better, if you have a grill fire that baby up and get some black spots going. 

Black=flavor

Stuff em. Really cram it in there. Yep. 

Then stick a slice of mozz on it. (Not a slice of my friend's dog named Mozzie, just some cheese. Just wanting to be clear.)

Encourage standing up with foil if needed. But I hope that when you bought your peppers you bought ones that could stand up alright. 

Bake at 350 for about a half hour. Eat them. 

DIY Tuesday: Photo-palooza!

My momma gave me a bunch of old pictures when I was in Missouri. I am so in love with them and I wanted to display them right away. 

I had a frame that I got from Goodwill, with pretty cool water skiing dude in it. I buy lots of frames from Goodwill because they are so cheap. I think frames are too expensive...but I'm also super cheap. 

I laid out all of the pictures onto the frame, and took a picture so you guys could see what I came up with. I just played around with it until I found something that I liked. 

Then, I pulled out water skiing dude and the glass. Then I painted the frame the same black that I had used on the other frames in the room I wanted to hang it in.

 This sh*t is bananas...b-a-n-a-n-a-s. 

Then I cut a piece of grey fabric for my backing. I ironed it and duct taped it onto the mat with the water skiing dude. Duct tape is my friend! This frame didn't have a cardboard back on it (not a big deal at all) so I got to face water skiing dude toward the wall so I can see him whenever I want to. Aw. 

Next, I stuck the photos onto the mat in the same arrangement with some acid free photo stickers. 

Then I stuck the whole thing in the frame and stuck it on the wall. 

TADA! 

I know that there's one crooked picture in the frame. One corner came unstuck when I popped it in the frame. I did fix that, promise. You just don't get a fixed picture, sucka!

Here's a couple of close ups of my momma and her cousin. 

How rad is that poncho? And you can see the VW bus in the garage. Groovy! 

Random Monday: And on the Monday, She said "Let there be light!"

FINALLY. FINALLY there is light in our living room. I was headed to Target to snag a lamp for fifty clams that we had agreed on, and I thought that I should stop by Goodwill. Juuust in case. 

Here was the lamp we were going to get. Not our favorite thing ever, but in our price range and slightly stylish. 

But what I had not so secretly wanted was a lamp that would give light over the couch. Like an arc lamp, but those were too expensive. I liked this look from Urban Outfitters: 

So imagine my shock when I walked into Goodwill and saw this dude. 

I know. You can't believe it. 

He's super heavy, high quality stuff. He was mine at 25 clams. The best part, he's super bright. (And apparently a boy...) Now..... He's 80's all the way. That needs to change. First, I took off the cage underneath the light. Safety be dammed. I think we might be spray painting him or painting the frosted part on the top of the lamp. Or leaving him alone, as is my husband's vote. It will be determined at a later date. Meanwhile we are just ecstatic to have some light in this place. I can stop calling it my dark room for photography. 

Have a great Monday! 

Adventure Time Friday: ABMD

WOAH!

My blog has over a thousand views. I am so excited! Half of them are probably my mom...KIDDING. Thank you guys so much for your support on my little blogging adventure. 

Without further ado, Apple Butter Makin' Days!

This here little festival is in the small Missouri town where my family is from. Way back to my Great Grandpa and Grandma. My grandparents met here. My mom and grandma went to school here. It's super small and cute. There's a hill in town named after my family because they all lived up there. I remember it as a place you go to visit family, mostly on the second week of October. Hmmmm....wonder why?  

They cook apple butter on the square (shown above) in big copper kettles and stick it in jars to sell. I bought four jars, and it is currently on its way here in a box. It was still warm when I bought it.  I can make apple butter at home, but it's just not the same at all. It bubbles and looks like lava. They have to stir it all the time or it will burn. No one wants that. 

They stir it with big wooden paddles. It's pretty neat. 

There was a parade that we didn't watch. We took the opportunity to check out the booths. They all have to be handmade goods. I am related to a judge that made sure of that, thankyouverymuch. 

Um. apparently the only thing that I thought worthy of a picture in the boots was this guy, named Hillbilly Willie. 

Here's a picture of me with the apple butter queen. I was so star struck I just didn't know how to handle myself. 

Above is a picture of my lovely grandma showing me her final resting place. 

No, this is not weird at all. Totally normal. Carry on. 

Y'all have a great weekend! 

Booze Thursday: Crispin...it's no Julian

Hard cider is the perfect drink for this time of year. Actually, it's the perfect drink for any time of year. When I was on the journey from hell adventure to get home, I stopped at a restaurant in DIA called Itza Wrap, Itza Bowl! (It was the name that drew me in.) I had a delish bowl of food subatance and a Crispin Cider. It feels so luxurious to have a drink in the airport...maybe that's just me. 

Now, many people know my extreme love for Julian Cider. 

If you see some, buy it, drink it. Repeat. 

Julian is very crisp, not overly sweet, and like angels cried straight into the bottle. 

Angel tears=Julian

To compare, Crispin is a bit more sweet. It's crisp, hence the name. It had a gentle apple taste that reminds me of the ideal fall day. It was perfect for what ailed me that day.

All in all, I would recommend Julian. But if you are looking for something less strong (Alcohol wise) and not in a bomber, Crispin is a solid choice. 

Have a great day! 

Good Eats Wednesday: Open Valley...that sounds wrong...

Don't get me wrong, I love a good ol' ranch dressing. But I worry about all of the unpronounceable ingredients, the fact that something with 'buttermilk' is magically shelf stable, and that it has a lot of calories. To be truthful, my husband also gives me a hard time about eating it. But darn it, this is America. I need ranch! I have been working on making an alternative that I like just as much as the bottled stuffz, and I think that I have done it! 

Ingredients: 

1/2 pint low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup non fat greek yogurt

1/4 cup italian flat leaf parsely

2 stalks of green onions, green part only

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed VERY small

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

juice of half a lemon 

salt and pepper to taste

Chop up the parsley, green onion, and garlic. Do it right, make it super fine. The dressing will be tons more flavorful. 

Then add the yogurt, stirring to combine. 

Add the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, stir. Then, thin the dressing to the thickness you prefer with the buttermilk. You might not use it all, but use at least half of the little container. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then refrigerate. This dressing will improve over time. I would think that it will keep about a week. 

If you can't wait for the flavors to meld (I couldn't), put it on a salad with some hot wing sauce dressed chicken. Amazing. 

Random Monday/Tuesday: Traveling Blows

Edit: Just realized that it's TUESDAY. I lost a whole day of my life yesterday in the traveling vortex, so deal with it. :) I'll see you for Good Eats Wednesday tomorrow. 


I had a great time in Missouri, and I am super glad to be back home. 

I desperately need to rant about my travel experience! 

(It should be funny in parts, so hang in there.)

I went to the Kansas City airport Sunday night. Every time I checked my flight time, (which I did three times that day) it was on time. As soon as I walked to my gate, I knew crazy times were happening at the airport. Maybe the people yelling and shouting at the gate agent should have been a clue. Turns out that Chicago was having some major windy tornado weather, and as a domino effect, every flight out of Kansas City was delayed by an insane amount.  My flight ended up being delayed four hours, luckily I didn't wait for it! 

I called my mom and grandma and told them to pull over on the side of the road while I got rebooked. After waiting in line for a looooong time, I got a flight the next day. We drove two hours back to grandma's house (hotels were full), then got up early the next morning to go back to the airport. 

I ended up flying Kansas City to Denver, Denver to San Francisco, San Francisco to Portland. Three hour layovers in between each time. Ew. 

The first flight was great, the second flight not so much. Here's where the funny starts. My bag fit just fine in the overhead compartment on my first flight, but the second flight was a no go. I swore to the flight attendant that it fit just fine last time. He probably was thinking "yeah right lady." The flight attendant told me to pull out whatever was bulging on top in my bag. Well, that was my underwear. That's right, I held up the boarding of a plane to pull out my underwear and stuff it in my laptop bag. And I have no shame about it. Then I had the middle seat. In case you were wondering, my laptop/underwear bag was in the seat back pocket. Fun times. 

San Francisco to Portland was fine, but the turbulence made me feel fifty shades of nauseous. Yes, I did just say that. I was able to check my bag on the way to Portland for free, so I pulled out my underwear yet again and stuffed it back in my suitcase. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to wave my britches around one last time after that. 

So it was a very long day of travel (almost 20 hours, yuck), but it made it all the more exciting to be finally home. 

Have a great day, and don't fly anywhere! 

Adventure Time Friday: Missouri Time!

I've had a great time here in Missouri, and the main event is still not even here! I timed my visit specifically for Apple Butter Makin' Days in Mount Vernon, MO. That's on tomorrow's agenda. I think I should get all of the other pics I have taken out of the way though! Enjoi. 

First, my cool manicure! The guy did it freehand with little brushes and it was the MOST amazing thing ever. Ever. 

Next, this super ironic quote from the bathroom, yes bathroom, of the local coffee shop. Life is hard when you don't know how to use your/you're. 

Here's the pic of my totally tubular Amish sandwich. It was delish. I had a sasparilla soda with it. 

We found these hats at Hobby Lobby. They are a fedora alternative to a santa hat. Werk it!

I made this pie with mystery apples that were mysteriously placed on the front porch. Yes I did. It has a cheddar-y crust! Yum.