Music ADD

I have been getting a bit music bored lately so I decided to look up a band that we once saw in concert when they opened for WPA. I can't believe I haven't listened to them for so long, especially when they were so good in concert. What I love most about this band the most is that each member is incredibly talented so no one is left behind. I highly recommend them to you. Click here to listen to them on their myspace page. I really like their song Goodnight Midnight as well as Bells and Whistles.

The video below is a good representation of what we experienced at the concert. Very mellow, very chill, but so awesome at the same time.

In Need of a Mixer and Advice

I always knew baking would be much easier with a mixer of some type but I never really minded hand mixing things. That is until this last week or so when the things I have baked have needed way too much mixing to get the clumps out. Take for example the cookies I made today. The brown sugar was so clumpy that it took  forever to mix correctly and my muscles burned by the end of it. So I have finally come to terms with the fact that I need a mixer. Now the question is what type of mixer? Do I splurge and get a KitchenAid Stand Mixer to make the job even easier or do I save money and get a hand mixer? What if I have 15+ kids that I have to bake for one day? The stand mixer would be much better to use. On the other hand, what are the chances of me having 15+ kids?

Anyone have any opinions or advice for me? What do you use? Do you like it?

Great Recipe

There has been a recipe called Amatriciana on my menu for weeks now and I kept finding excuses not to make it because I was scared it wouldn't turn out well. Today though we had no dinner plans and I knew I shouldn't let all the fresh basel go to waste so I sucked it up and finally made it. By the time I finished making it, I was so excited to try it and it didn't let me down. This has probably been my favorite homemade meal in a long time and it only took a half hour to make.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 pound linguine pasta, uncooked
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.Cook diced bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pan.

2.Add onions, and cook over medium heat about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes, undrained; simmer 10 minutes, breaking up tomatoes.

3.Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of 4 quarts boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

4.Stir basil into the sauce, and then toss with cooked pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
 
The changes I made to it were using garlic diced tomatoes instead of the stewed tomatoes and I put the parmesan in near the end of simmering so that it could melt. I added extra red pepper and my husband and I both added hot sauce as we like hot sauce in everything but of course that doesn't work for everyone.
 
I got the recipe here!

I Have A Strange Fascination With

hot dogs. I don't know why. I think it just runs in my family. I really want a hot dog right now and it's almost midnight. I haven't found many places with good hot dogs. Ben's Chili Bowl wasn't bad but it's a bit pricey. If I want to eat out and get one it usually means going to 7-Eleven. Sometimes I want to be a bit more classy than that without paying the price of Ben's Chili Bowl, but I have found no other alternatives yet.

Good news is that I may have found an alternative. There is a place somewhere around here that I have always wanted to try but I was never sure if it was still open.  But thanks to a facebook status today I decided to do a bit of research and found out that not only is it open but it has rave reviews. It's called Windy City Red Hots and it's just in the parking lot of a nursery. So I am super excited and I have decided that I have to go next week, with or without my husband. Hopefully I will find it amazing too.

I will let you know how it is and maybe next time you are in the area you can check it out too.

I Have Been Up Too...

Last week, I spent Sunday - Friday afternoon with my good friend Logan. For a quick run-through of what we did feel free to check out her blog posting about it.

Yesterday, while waiting to go to a job interview, I made these. I thought they were pretty darn good. The only change I made was using half and half flour rather than the whole wheat flour. I had never eaten a whole wheat muffin before and was a little concerned I would not like it so I compromised and used half and half flour. Another bonus is that they are really easy to make.

If I Had Twitter My Updates For These Past Few Weeks Would Include:

Wow! A kid on a bike just ran into me. Luckily, he blamed it on himself so I don't have to feel bad.

Why does D.C. build narrow roads, let cars park on each side, and then let two lanes of traffic go through it. Ever heard of one way roads?

If all the cops are in D.C. today, who is protecting us from all the law breakers out there.

I got cut off by a cop not using his blinker. How ironic. Oh and I was on my way to the Crime Museum.... (this ended up as my facebook status. Couldn't resist.)

After a week of shopping I finally found something to buy. In fact, I found too many things to buy. Thanks Outlet Mall (oh and thanks to Gap and Banana Republic for your great sales).

Don't watch 2012 unless you want to have bad dreams. Or maybe it's extensive Bones watching causing the nightmares.

To my brain: don't tease me in my sleep and make me think I have a bunch of cute outfits I don't actually own. The realization that I can't look that good is almost too hard to bear in the morning.

Rude people shouldn't be allowed to drive or I should be legally allowed to hit them for no charge.

Why is it that my car gets hit by an unnatural amount of bird poop?

Hacking Spammer

The other day I received a very strange email. It came from a guy I knew at college who I had a mini crush on and who I hadn't talked to in over a year. It was so strange, I read it out loud to everyone in the room. It stated,

I'm sorry for this odd request because it might caught you unaware but due to my current situation i've got no choice than sending you an email since i do not have access to a phone at the moment.

I am currently stuck in Wales,United Kingdom right now, I came down here on a short visit it was fun but unfortunately I got mugged and robbed last night and lost all cash,credit cards and other stuff. It was such a terrible experience and this has left me in a critical condition financially,I need help flying back home...I do not have enough money to get a return ticket, the authorities are not being 100% supportive but the good thing is that i still got my passport and already my staying in the hotel expires on Saturday and this has also made me have some bills to clear with them,all i need right now is a quick loan to get my return ticket back home and some cash to get a cab to the airport.

Please i need you to loan me some money, will repay you as soon as i am back home.

 
All our immediate thoughts were "wow, that is a weird email," "most likely spam," "would he even be in that country."
 
I decided it was possible he could have been mugged. It is also possible he could be in Wales. But the chance of him writing an email with such bad grammar and punctuation was slim to none. But just to double check he wasn't in trouble, I checked his Facebook. And a message was there from his brother saying that no his brother was not in trouble and yes it was spam.
 
Be careful everyone. If you have any doubts, no matter how much you want to help someone who might be in trouble, ask questions and triple check before you do anything.

My Summer To Do List

1. Read More Books
2. Hang out with my Besties
3. Get a Tan
4. Go to the Outer Banks
5. Day trips & Outings on the Weekends
6. Pool
7. Hiking
8. Celebrate the 4th of July
9. Slurpies
10. Smoothies
11. Zoo
12. Maybe find a Job
13. Thrifting or Yard Sales
14. Buy some Local Produce
15. Make Popsicles
16. Walks and more Walks
17. Play at the Park