Dear Mom

Cleaning out your email inbox can be a positive event, not just a soul-sucking activity! I found this email written 6 years ago which I thought was long gone. I'm so glad I kept it :)

Many, many years ago, when the hubby and I first got together, we went to Hawaii. The hubby's company sent a bunch of employees from the hubby's branch, along with their significant others, to Kona. The only thing that sucked about the circumstance was having to leave my 6 month-old puppy with my parents.

Haloti was such a cute puppy, and an adorable teenager. He had the cutest little pencil tale, and a sparse fawn coat. I consider them teenagers when they are still in that obnoxious phase where they aren't a puppy, but they definitely haven't outgrown the "play" yet. Haloti was an especially rambunctious teenager. I swear he never slept. He chewed on my shoes and the carpet in our apartment. He even dug holes in the walls out of the drywall. There was a time where it seemed like every time the hubby and I came home, there was a new hole in the wall. He tested my patience infinitely. And he loved to test my dad's patience with him as well.

Whilst the hubby and I were in Hawaii, I received the following email from Dad. This is a classic family tale that the hubby and I still laugh about today-

From: Howard & Janice
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 10:57 AM
To: Jessica
Cc: Janice
Subject: Dear Mom

Hi Mom:

This is Haloti.  I hope you are going to pick me up soon.  I've had fun with Grandpa Howard but possibly, just possibly, I may be on his list now.

Yesterday we were all playing in the back yard and I happened to notice Zippy (the big black fur ball - remember?), well anyways, he was sitting just outside the fence when I saw him laying there in the sun.  Honest Mom, I know I shouldn't chase cats but something just comes over me that I can't control.  (Maybe I need therapy.)  I managed to sneak under the fence and race around to where he was.

I surprised the s out of him and he took off across the street!  I was so proud!  (Whoops - I mean ashamed.)  He and I raced across the street and into this big field and somewhere in that mess I lost him.  Then I could hear Grandpa Howard calling me.  (Actually he was more like yelling, but I heard him and he didn't sound happy).

By the time I got back to him, I was covered with leaves and grass.  Grandpa Howard's face was all red and looked like he could kill something!  Scared me to death!  But just then I saw another kitty cat crossing the street over by the basketball thing and - don't get mad now - I was overcome with that same feeling and I JUST had to get him.  He ran into another place down where there's water so I stopped when it got too deep and went back to Grandpa Howard.  By now he was beside himself!  I've never seem him like that before!  I rolled over and did my best submission pose so he picked me up and carried me into his house.

My word Mom you have NEVER heard such language from a mature adult!  He said things that sounded like you watching Steeler football!  I was shocked!

Anyways, he still lets me go outside but now I have to wear this stupid leash outfit you bought me - you know, the one that looks like an S & M outfit!  I'm so embarrassed!   The other dogs laugh at me and I think it is having an negative effect on my self-esteem.

So, if you can get down here soon, Grandpa Howard can have some time to recover and maybe quit looking at me like I was a serial killer or a Republican.  I would appreciate it very much.

I miss you and hope you had a good trip.  I did too until yesterday, but I will play kissy face with Grandpa Howard and maybe he'll feel better about the whole thing and will let me come back in the future!

Love, Haloti

Salted Brownie Cookies

Another week, another urge to bake! I was actually hit by the baking bug yesterday, but it was 9 o'clock at night and I said, eh. Watching re-runs of "Friends" in bed sounded much better than staying up late baking and cleaning the kitchen. It's crazy to think how much life has changed since Thursday nights in college. Thursday nights in college my friends and I had down to a science. 99% of the time they consisted of:

1. Getting a half-full Big Gulp from 7-11.
2. Filling the other half of the Big Gulp with vodka.
3. Staying out till 2 in the morning at a frat party.
4. Someone driving 10 girls to Taco Bell at 3 am.
5. Waking up with a pounding headache just in time for my poorly scheduled, 8 am math class.

A lot can change in 8 years. Beware.

Forgive me for my tangent there.

I decided to give this recipe a whirl mainly because I had all the ingredients on hand. I really wanted to make Latte Cupcakes, but they will have to wait till next week since that recipe requires a trip to the store. Now, I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I love these cookies! They are soft, chocolatey, fluffy, and oh yes, salty. If you are looking for a brownie, but in cookie form, you found it. The first half of cookies I made,  I was light-handed with the salt. The cookies are sweet enough that you can liberally apply salt to them.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
11 tbsp butter (1 stick plus 3 tbsp)
3 large eggs, room temp
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a double broiler, combine cocoa, 1 cup chocolate chips, and butter. Stir mixture until it is completely smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and sugar. Beat at a high speed until mixture is very thick and light-colored, about 5 minutes. Turn mixer to low, and mix in the melted chocolate mixture.
4. With a spatula, stir flour, baking powder, and salt into chocolate mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
5. In large spoonfuls, drop batter onto cookie sheets, placing about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle cookies generously with sea salt. Bake in oven 8-10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven. Let cool on cookie sheet 1-2 minutes, then remove cookies to a cooling rack until completely cooled. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 18 cookies.

*Recipe adapted from Seasons and Suppers*

Summertime Workout Playlist

This virus I'm fighting is the devil! While I'm feeling much better today, I'm still a little woozy. I've got tons more energy than yesterday, but I can definitely tell I'm not 100% yet. Food doesn't sound as nauseating as it did yesterday, but I still don't have an appetite. I'm really, really hoping that today can be my last rest day, and my last day of forcing food into my body. I've been saying that everyday this week. Today is going to be yoga (hey, that's pretty restful!), couponing, mani's, and pedi's. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to workout to my new playlist.

I haven't worked out in over a week, and I feel like a capitol S, capital L, capital U, capitol G. Ugh, I hate getting this far off track. I don't get this sick that often, but when I do, it's enough to drive me crazy. Hopefully that will change tomorrow, and I can get my cardio on! I'm really obsessed with country in the summer. It seems like these summer months is when all those country songs get released about partying, drinking, staying out late, and sunshine. In other words, the best of country. And I do realize there are 2 Jake Owen songs on there, but come on. Jake Owen's voice is hot.

I sincerely hope that everyone is having a much better week than me :)

A Long Weekend, a Stomach Virus, and a Coupon Haul

Downy Fabric Softener, Puff's, Bounty Basic, Secret Clinical Deodorant, SoftSoap Body Wash, Crest Toothpaste, Covergirl Jumbo Pencil Lip Balm, Dawn Dish Soap

Oh, goodness. It's been a hell of a last couple of days. On Friday (of our long 4th of July weekend) the hubby came down with a stomach virus. He was better by Monday, however, the evilness hit me on Sunday night. I was in the middle of making dinner, when I got very, very light-headed. I went to lay down, and within 2 hours, I was throwing up. Among other things... Here it is Wednesday, and I've woken up extremely disappointed that I'm still sick, and seemed to have developed a sore throat. Argh. The debilitating part of this virus is that's taxing to be on your feet for more than a couple of minutes without getting light-headed. I'm super annoyed, I've got lots to do around here. I haven't cooked or baked at all this week, the blog has been neglected,  the house needs to be vacuumed, muscles need to be worked out, etc.

Luckily, I was able to complete the grocery shopping and couponing for the week on Sunday before I got sick. Unfortunately, I just haven't had the energy to open my computer and use those little click-y, buttons to type actual English words. I've got a small list of goals to try and accomplish today, blogging being numero uno on that list. I actually had a good haul this week. My stockpile was running perilously low on fabric softener, dish soap, those little kleenex boxes for the bathroom, and paper towels. So, as you can see, this was a much needed haul. Here's the breakdown for this week:

CVS

*All items purchased under "Buy $30, Receive $10 in ECB's" promotional event.*

Dawn Dishsoap, $0.97
-used (4) $0.25 off any Dawn product
SoftSoap Body Wash, $2.99
-used a $2 off SoftSoap Body Wash CVS store coupon
Covergirl Jumbo Lip Balm Pencils, $9.29 (Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off)
-used a $4 off 2 Covergirl Lip Products coupon
Secret Clinical Deodorant, $9.99 (Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off)
-used a $5 off 2 Secret Clinical Deodorants coupons, and a $2.50 off a $12 Deodorant Purchase CVS store coupon

*Also used my $5 Beauty Bucks reward, and $2 Spring Spending Reward*

-used $10 in ECB's from last week, paid $4.28 out of pocket, and made $10 in ECB's.

Rite Aid

*All items purchased under "Buy $30, Receive $10 in UP's" promotional event.*

Bounty Basic, $0.99
-used (4) $0.25 off any Bounty product coupons
Puffs, $0.99
-used (2) $0.25 off 3 Puff's small boxes coupons
Downy, $3.99
-used a $3 off 3 Downy products coupon
Crest, $5.79 (Buy 1, Get 1 50% off)
-used (2) $0.75 off any Crest toothpaste coupon

-used $5 in UP's from last week, paid $20.54 out of pocket, and made $10 in UP's.

Total Spent- $24.82 on $102.23 worth of product. Savings of 76%.

Happy Hump-Day Everyone!

Pepper-jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas

I'm currently in one of those phases where I like fruit in the most unexpected places, in combos I've never tried. I like to consider myself a foodie, but the truth is there are so many flavors my palette hasn't tasted. There are many vegetables I don't cook with, many fruits I haven't tried. I don't cook with different squashes, such as spaghetti or butternut. I don't cook with beets. I don't cook with radishes. I've never tried a fig. Or a starfruit. Conquer these, I must.

I love how the peach in this quesadilla really ramps up the flavor. It's the star of the dish. I seasoned my chicken with Mexican-influenced spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, and cumin), and I made a lime-sour cream-cilantro sauce to put on the quesadillas. Let's face it though, that's all pretty standard fare. But, throw in some peaches and pepper-jack cheese? Flavor-town! I love the pairing of the sweet peaches with the earthy flavor of the chicken, the tanginess of the sour cream, and the spiciness of the cheese. Ay-Chihuahua!

I do urge you to try this. It might not be the healthiest meal of the week, but it will be one of the tastiest :)

Ingredients (makes 2 quesadillas):

1 chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, and cumin
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 peach, peeled and diced
2 oz pepper-jack cheese, shredded
1 tsp cilantro, chopped
4- soft taco size flour tortillas

Directions:

1.  Rub olive oil on chicken breast. Season chicken breast with salt through cumin. Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken breast 10-14 minutes, or until done. Remove from grill, set aside to rest. Let rest for 10 minutes, chop chicken, and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream through salt. Mix well. Set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Take 2 tortillas, spread 1-2 tsp of sour cream mixture onto each quesadilla. Sprinkle chicken, peach, and 1-oz pepper-jack evenly over each tortilla. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp cilantro over each tortilla. Take 2 remaining tortillas, and sandwich over the prepared tortillas. Place in skillet, cover with lid, and cook 1-2 minutes on each side. Cook until tortilla is browned, and cheese is melted.
4. Remove from heat. Slice into 4 sections, and serve immediately with any remaining sour cream mixture.

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light*

Cookie Cup Cheesecake Bites with Sprinkles

On Friday, I got the urge to bake. I didn't know what I wanted to make, but I was going to make something. I turned to one of my most trusted sources for inspiration. Pinterest. I thought I'd look at food for awhile, but instead I picked the first thing I saw. I do that at times, picking the first thing I see.

Sophomore year of high school, I went dress shopping with a friend of mine for winter formal. Her mother, my friend, and I arrived at our first store at 10:30 am. I walked in the store, and saw the most gorgeous dress. My heart leapt wildly in my chest as I took the dress off to the dressing room. I slipped it over my head, and... perfection. I immediately bought it. It was 10:50 am. My friend proceeded to try on what seemed like 5000 dresses. She didn't find her dress until 5:00 pm that day. Which means we were shopping all that time. And after she found her dress? She announced it was time to find shoes. I still hate shopping with people to this day.

The point is, my picker is not broken. I'm pretty definitive about what I want, and that's what I want. I don't need to look at recipes for 5 hours to know what I want to make. I'm perfectly satisfied making the first thing I see. With good reason! These are delish. I found it hard to retain self-control. I only made half a recipe, but I still need to get these out, out, OUT of the house. I think I'm going to drop off the rest at the mother-in-law's later today :)

Ingredients (makes 12 cookie cups):

Cookie Crust-
3/4 stick of butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 large egg, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling-
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Set aside.
2. To make cookie cups, cream butter and sugars in a large bowl. Don't cream too much, you don't want the cookie cups to rise too much! Add the egg and vanilla to the bowl, mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour through salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until combined. Dough will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Press about 1.5 tbsp of dough into bottom of muffin tin. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then remove. Cookie part will not be done, but it will be going back in the oven.
4. To make the cheesecake filling, mix cream cheese through vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Mix until smooth. Fold in the sprinkles gently, being careful not to over-stir (sprinkles will bleed their color).
5. Pour 1 tbsp of cheesecake filling onto the cookie cups, spreading it to make sure it covers the cookie.
6. Bake cookies in the oven for an additional 15-18 minutes. Check cookies often to make sure they don't brown on the top (cover with foil if cookies begin to brown). Cookies are done when tin can be shaken, and cream cheese doesn't jiggle in the middle.
7. Remove from oven, let cool in tin 5 minutes. Remove to a baking rack, and let cool completely. Cookies can sit out for 24 hours, after which they should be covered and refrigerated.

*Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction*

25 Things You May Not Know About Me- Take 2!

1. I'm a speedy reader. I read Catching Fire in 7 hours.

Image source: Wikipedia

2. I watch at least 2 hours a day of Friends. Well, I might not be completely watching it, but it's on in the background for at least 2 hours a day.
3. I didn't eat eggs until I was 16, or clam chowder till I was 20.
4. I've got a girl-crush on Jennifer Lawrence.
5. I'm addicted to online shopping. And Pinterest.
6. Sephora is my favorite store to shop in, with Victoria's Secret and American Eagle coming in close second and third.

Image source: simplychicxox.blogspot.com

7. Gone with the Wind is my favorite book and movie.
8. I wish I could have hedgehogs as pets.

Image source: rosecityhedgehogs.com

9. I hate the Patriots.
10. I love the Steelers.
11. My dream job would involve working with dogs in some manner.
12. At one point, I had braces, glasses, and a perm. All at the same time. Yikes.
13. I love living in the country, even though I never thought I would growing up.
14. I don't wear my engagement ring all the time, because I'm scared to death I'm going to lose it.

15. I carry at least 2-3 lip balms with me at all times.
16. I don't feel supportive of Paula Deen. The n-word tops my list of words you don't say, along with the r-word and the f-word (and I don't mean the f-word that rhymes with luck).
17. HBO and Showtime shows drive me crazy. Why do they only do 10 episode seasons once a year? True Blood, Homeland, Dexter, and Game of Thrones all make me want scream when they wrap up a season.
18. I think Game of Thrones is the best show on TV right now.

Image source: Fansided

19. I think Homeland is a close second.
20. I secretly wish I could pull off bright red hair.

Image source: Tumblr

21. My favorite color is purple, and has been since high school.
22. I wear yoga pants 90% of the time.
23. I've bought 872 songs on i-Tunes.
24. Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do, but it's also one of the hardest things for me to do.
25. I like to make up dance routines in my house when no one is home.

Brown Ale Chicken Tacos with Cabbage-Apple Slaw

This is one tasty dish! I made these tacos for the first time a couple of months ago, and I immediately regretted not taking a picture for my blog. This has been on my list to make for the last two weeks, but kept getting pushed. Forgot to defrost the chicken one day. Was out of bacon the next. Oops, I forgot to buy an apple. Last night, however, I found myself in the kitchen with all the components. Score!

I typically like my tacos packed with as much flavor as possible. This equates to stuffing my tortilla with as many ingredients as I can cram in there. When I stumbled on this recipe,  I first thought, "What? Only two things in a taco? No cheese? What's that about?". I'm glad I went against my initial dismissal of the recipe. For a taco with only two filling items, it's got tons of flavor. A little bitter, from the brown ale. Sweet from the apple in the cabbage slaw. Salty from the bacon in the slaw. Chewy from the chicken, and crunchy from the slaw.

The hubby is always up for something adventurous from the culinary world, so he loved the tacos. If you have a pickier mate, well, this might be one for you to skip :)

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts, cooked, chopped
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 cup green apple, julienned
4 pieces bacon, chopped
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 (12 oz) bottle good quality brown ale (I used Costco's, surprisingly tasty)
3/4 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp sugar
4 soft taco size flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cabbage and apple.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy and fat is rendered. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel, then add bacon bits to cabbage and apple.
3. Reserve 1 tbsp bacon grease to a medium bowl. Discard the remainder of the bacon fat. Add cider vinegar through dijon mustard. Whisk to combine. Drizzle dressing over cabbage mixture. Toss well. Set slaw aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together beer, flour, and sugar until smooth. Heat in the skillet, until boiling. Turn temperature down to a simmer, and reduce sauce until it's halved and thickened. Add chicken to the pan, toss to coat.
5. Spoon chicken mixture into center of a warm tortilla. Top with cabbage slaw, and serve immediately.

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light*

Tuesday Tidings

Time: 9:07 am

Weather outside: 73º and sunny, with a high of 91º. Humidity- 83% right now, at 9 am. Translation- it's going to be disgusting out at the height of the day.

On my desk: Numerous US Weekly's, World War Z, and Deadlocked. I'm behind on my reading, but I'm currently trying to catch up. I finished that cheerleading book, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay last week!

On my nightstand: Right now? Nothing, except an empty bottle of water. But tonight? You might find World War Z there, I'm a couple of chapters in. 

On my DVR: Game of Thrones! Holy cow, the hubby and I just watched "The Red Wedding" last night, and let me tell you, I think I'm still processing it. I'm walking around in shock. I can't believe it. The hubby and I are watching the season finale tonight, what else are they going to throw at us this season???

In my ears: The Today show.

In my garden: Currently waiting on basil and cilantro!

In the oven: Nothing yet, but I've got all the fixings to retry making cheesecake. It will happen this week.

In my tummy: Kashi's Go Lean Cinnamon Crisp cereal with banana slices and almond milk. My favorite breakfast. I've tried other breakfasts, but I find I actually miss this breakfast. It's just not worth skipping for me :)

In my future: Working out. Laundry. I'm behind on couponing by about a month, really need to that. Possibly baking. Making something yummy for dinner. Reading World War Z. My life is hard, huh? LOL.

On tap for dinner: Beer Braised Chicken Taco with Cabbage Apple Slaw. So good. 

Latest obsession: Homemade Samoas!

On my mind: I need to get some chicken defrosting. I need to set out some butter and eggs to come to room temperature. The dogs want to go for a walk. I really need to start the laundry. The house needs to be vacuumed. All these things can wait because this cup of coffee is so damn good!