Thirsty Thursday

I went out for drinks with a girlfriend last night to celebrate her starting a new job. She used to be the bar manager at the bar where I work. In her honor, I thought I would post my current favorite shot, a Scooby Snack.

1/2 oz Malibu coconut rum

1/2 oz Midori melon liqueur

1/2 oz pineapple juice

1 1/2 oz cream

Pour contents into a shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled. Strain into a highball glass and shoot.

And just for fun, here's a shot I made up when we were experimenting with a new bottle of whiskey.

Hot Apple Pie

1 1/2 oz Apple Pucker

1/2 oz Fireball cinnamon whiskey

2 drops grenadine

Pour Apple Pucker and whiskey into a shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled. Strain into a highball glass rimmed with brown sugar. Add two drops of grenadine and shoot.

Enjoy!

*SJ*

New Blog Look!

It's been a long time coming! I've been blogging (sporadically) now for over two years, and had the same generic template the whole time.

My friend Denise has a great blog about being a wife, mother to triplets, and deal-finder. She updated her own blog recently, and it looks great. She was gracious enough to share her source with me so I could do the same.

Denise also has started a photography business recently. I wonder if she can photograph food. ; )

Be sure to check out her blog, Bits & Pieces and her photography blog Denise Slater Photography. (Also, lemme know what you think of the new look!)

*SJ*

Confession #6 - I'm a Tech Junkie

I think I *literally* bought the third iPod ever created. We're talking Generation 1 here! Of course, since I have HORRIBLE luck with electronics, I am now on my 8th iPod, but that's beside the point.
I also have a couple of laptops, three SLR cameras (one is DSLR, 2-35mm), a Wii, XBox, XBox 360, and myriad other electronics paraphernalia. So, what's my latest quest, you ask?

Behold: (queue angelic music)

iPad awesomeness!!

I know, I'm really late to this party. I'm not actually *late* per se, but they have been out for a few months now. I'm actually right on schedule for mine, though, as I had always planned to buy myself one for my birthday.

In case anyone's counting, my birthday is exactly 31 days from today. I went to the Apple Store this evening where two things happened. 1) I got the BEST customer service I think I have ever had and 2) I got completely sold on the iPad.

A very friendly girl named Chelsea approached me, and - poor thing - I don't think she knew what she was getting into! Forty-five minutes later, I left the store, feeling completely satisfied with my impending purchase. In case you've been living in a cave, here are some of the things I'm looking forward to on my iPad:

*eReader app called iBook (also has a Kindle app available for download)

*mobile web browsing without having to lug around a laptop

*over 100,000 apps including geocaching (see yesterday's post) & games for my nieces/nephews

*stylus available (add'l purchase) to write notes, draw pictures, etc

I'm really excited to get my iPad and figure out all the cool things I can do on it. I've been reading the threads at 2 Peas and, from what I can tell, I won't be able to put it down! So, what do you think about the iPad? Do you have one? Love it? Hate it? I'd love to hear what you use *your* iPad for!

*SJ*

I Believe I Could Have a New Addiction

So, I was cruising around the interwebs today, and came across a blog that mentions geocaching. Wanting to find out more, I went to www.geocaching.com. What a wealth of information!

According to the site, what geocaching is, in a nutshell, is a treasure hunt. Sure, you use more high-tech gadgets than you did when you were a kid, but it's the same basic concept. People from all over the world hide treasures ("caches") and then give the latitude/longitude. Once you find the cache, you sign the logbook & record your experience online. Sometimes there is something to trade, such as a trinket or a note.

I definitely have more to learn about geocaching, but so far I'm intrigued. Any experiences or helpful hints would be appreciated.

*SJ*

I'm Still Not a Food Photographer

However, I wanted to post another recipe I've tried recently. I adapted this recipe for Strawberry Lemon Granita from www.mybakingaddiction.com .

Ingredients:
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp Country Time Strawberry Lemonade mix
3 cups frozen strawberries, slightly thawed

Combine the water, sugar and lemonade mix in a saucepan over medium heat, just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Blend strawberries until smooth.

Pour cooled simply syrup into strawberries and blend to combine.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and place in the freezer.


After about 30 minutes, ice will begin to form around the edges. Using a fork, scrape the ice crystals toward the center of the pan.


Repeat every 20-30 minutes for the next 3-4 hours, or until the entire mixture is frozen and "crumbly" texture.

Enjoy!!

(You'll want to store leftovers in an airtight container -if you have any!)

*SJ*

I Am Not a Food Photographer

I would love to be, but it's going to take a lot more work on my part. Not to mention a regular blogging schedule. Some of the blogs I follow have certain days when they post about certain topics. Maybe that would help me be more "regular." (LOL, I make myself laugh!) I'm not a food photog, but I *really* like food, and I love to cook. Therefore, one - or more - of my days will definitely be devoted to what's going on in my kitchen.

For your viewing pleasure today is what we had for dinner last night. For starters, I created a salad of cucumbers, grape tomatoes, queso fresco and balsamic vinaigrette. Queso fresco is a Mexican cheese, commonly found crumbled atop salads, or used to stuff chiles and quesadillas. It's mild flavor makes it possibly the most common cheese used across Mexico.


The main course was my mom's famous stuffed shells. I cheat a little on the sauce, and start with a large can of Prego flavored with meat. To that, I add 2 lbs of cooked ground beef, a can of diced tomatoes, and a small can of tomato paste. Allow that to simmer for at least an hour. While simmering, you can start on the filling.

For the filling, combine 16 oz of Ricotta cheese, 16 oz of cottage cheese, 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, and two eggs. Season to taste and refrigerate for at least an hour. During this time, you can boil and cool the jumbo shells.

You are now ready to combine everything. Fill each of the cooled shells with a large scoop of the filling. Place in a large casserole dish without crowding, seams up. Cover with plenty of sauce. Cover with foil and bake for an hour. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving. They'll be HOT!


Finally, for dessert we had one of my favorites - Sopapilla Cheesecake! Another southern favorite, it's super easy to make and makes a great impression.

Begin by lining the bottom of a baking pan with one (8 oz) tube of crescent rolls. Next, you'll want to add the filling. Combine 16 oz of cream cheese with one cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Place over the bottom layer of crescent rolls. Next, take a second tube of rolls and line atop the filling layer. Finally, melt 1 cup of butter and spread over the top. Combine a cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Spread on top of the butter layer and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



ENJOY!!

*SJ*

A L'il Bit O Me (AKA Confession #5)

(Fair warning: This list was swiped from a couple of Peas' blogs)

1: Real Name: Sarah
2: Nickname: Sar-z, Sarah Jane, Sar, Sarz
3: Real Age: Eek! OK, I'm 30, but I lie & tell people I'm 24
4: Horoscope: Virgo
5: Male or Female: Female
6: Elementary: Eastland Elementary
7: Middle School: Eastland Jr.
8: High School: Roseville High
9: College: Southwestern A/G University & University of North Texas
10: Hair Color: Dark Brown with Blonde & Maroon highlights
11: Long or Short: Long, going for longer
12: Loud or Quiet: Anyone who knows me, knows I'm loud!
13: Sweats or Jeans: Jeans, always
14: Phone or Camera: Camera, unless it's for texting. But I hate talking on the phone
15: Health Freak: Nah, not a freak, but "conscious"
16: Drink or Smoke: Drink; hate smoking
17: Do you have a crush on someone: Yep, and I think he likes me back! ; )
18: Eat or Drink: Unfortunately, eat! I am always snacking on something!
19: Piercings: I used to have 13 in my ears, but most of them closed up. I also have my tongue pierced.
20: Tattoos: None yet
21: Social or Anti-Social: Mostly social, but very shy at first
22: Righty or Lefty: Righty
23: First Piercing: Ears; I pierced my own at age 7!
24: First Relationship: First "real" one was at age 18
25: First Best Friend: Jennifer Legumina (we called her 'Jenny Legs')
26: First Award: Perfect Attendance in Kindergarten. Maintained through most of my school years, along with Honor Roll
27: First Kiss: Age 19
28: First Pet: 2 goldfish, Lucky & Looney, I won at the MI State Fair
29: First Big Vacation: Cozumel in 2005
30: First Love at First Sight: Yes! Definitely YES
31: First Big Birthday: Probably 18
32: First Surgery: None (knock on wood)
33: First Sport You Joined: Basketball in 4th grade

This or That
34: Orange or Apple Juice: Orange - no pulp, please!
35: Rock or Rap: Rock
36: Country or Metal: Mostly Country, but a little Metal every now and then
37: Salty or Sweet: Sweet, but love the salty/sweet combo!
38: Coffee or Tea: Gimmee coffee!!
39: Night or Day: Night
40: Sun or Moon: SUN!!!
41: TV or Internet: I have to choose? OK, TV
42: Playstation or XBox: XBox or Wii
43: Kiss or Hug: I kiss everyone!
44: Pepsi or Coke: PEPSI
45: Wine or Beer: Vodka, chilled
46: Fall or Spring: Fall always reminds me of home
47: Limewire or iTunes: iTunes
48: Early or Late: My internal clock is perpetually 3 minutes late!
49: Troublemaker or Peacemaker: mostly troublemaker!
50: Sensitive or Loud: definitely both

Currently
51: Eating: Just finished some Cheetos
52: Drinking: XXX Vitamin Water Zero
53: Excitement Level: Pretty excited, but not in a good way
54: I'm About to: post this, then run to Wal-Mart
55: Listening to: True Blood Season 2 reruns, gearing up for Season 3
56: Plan for Today: Wal-Mart, then cooking an awesome dinner from my mom's recipe
57: Waiting for: something good to happen
58: Wearing: standard "Day Off" uniform: T-shirt, jeans, flip flops, baseball cap
59: Wearing glasses or contacts: Glasses
60: Perfume/Cologne: None right now
61: Thinking of Someone: Yes
62: Want Kids: Thankful I don't have to worry about anyone but me today
63: Want to Get Married: My husband wouldn't like that
64: When: See #63
65: How Many Kids Do You Want: One, maybe
66: Any Names On the Mind: I'd have to be more serious about it to think of names
67: What Did You Want to be When You Were Little: famous
68: Career: Bartender/Student
69: Mellow Future or Wild: Exciting, full of opportunities, but probably not wild

Gotta go make that Wal-Mart trip I've been talking about. More to come!

*SJ*