Summer in Kentucky: Around The House

I just love the summer's here in Kentucky. Yes, there is almost 100% humidity from July through September. Yes, it's usually in the upper 90's most days. And yes, we do have huge thunderstorms a couple times a week. 

My hair hates the humidity, along with my makeup and freshly showered skin. But the temperature? Love it! The sun is amazing and wondrous here, especially to a girl who spent 27 summers in Oregon. I love you Oregon, but seriously, your weather is the pits. Summers with weeks of gray, rainy weather are common in the Willamette Valley (where I grew up), but even sparing a couple weeks of your summer when you don't see the sun for 9 months is unbearable! My body likes all the vitamin D I get here, because I definitely notice less headaches on sunny days.

Our property is a veritable quandary of flora and fauna. We've got a deer that comes to feed in our backyard most evenings around 7:30. There are bunnies everywhere. I see frogs and toads all the time. Unfortunately, I see lots of raccoons, possums, and coyotes as well. Our grass is making progress (those thunderstorms are good for something!).

Oh, and the pups are enjoying the summer as well :)

 Butterfly in our driveway// Scary thunderstorm blowing in// Lawn in front of the house// Lawn on the side of the house// Big branch that fell too close for comfort// Our makeshift fire pit (from said branch)// Weeds starting to grow on the fire pit// Daisy// Another weed// Pecan Tree! (I think)// Looking down the lane at our house// Field across from our house// Haloti at his watch post//Gizmo wants the watch post// Gizmo gets the watch post// The dogs are shedding like wild men!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

The 4-Year Mark

I cannot believe it's been 4 years. 1461 days, give or take. I might be missing a leap year in that calculation, but I don't think so. Our wedding day is still so vivid in my memory, it feels like yesterday. Crazy.

I wouldn't change a moment of anything that has happened. We've gone through some tough times, but they've all got us to where we are today. I wouldn't trade where we are today for a second. I can't believe how much things have changed in just a year. Last year at this time, construction had barely begun on our home. We were semi-homeless, living between the hubby's aunt's house and his mother's. All of our things were in storage, and the memory of living in that rental house was still painfully fresh. Today? We are settled, happy, and satisfied in our new home. After everything we went through in the last year, things look so good from where we're at.

So, I wanted to post pictures of the hubby and me that I haven't previously posted. Which means I had to do some serious digging through i-Photo. It was worth it, because I found some classically classy pictures, as well as some classically goofy pictures.

Hubby and I's first Duck Game together.

Bloody Mary brunch in Oregon.

Hubby's 29th B-Day.

Another Duck's pre-game spent at the Mo Center.

The hubby had a little bit too much to drink at one of our Superbowl parties, and decided to perform for everyone using a speaker as a microphone.

Nothing says classy like Rock Band in a wife-beater :)

Oregon Coast

Haystack Rock

Hubby and I singing karoke together. We both make the greatest faces :)

New Year's after our engagement. I really liked that pizza, and the hubby's take on sign language.

Our first Christmas after we got married.

Hubby's 33rd Birthday.

Shortly after moving to Kentucky.

Happy Anniversary Hubby! Another year of marriage, under the belt :)

Easy Homemade Salsa

Oh salsa, how I love thee. Let me count the ways- with chips, tacos, burritos, eggs, veggies, salads...  Counting the ways might take a long time...

Fresh salsa is such a luxury. I eat the pre-made kind throughout most of the year, but when tomatoes are finally in season, it's homemade time! Salsa is so easy, and such a good way to use an over-abundance of tomatoes. I had 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes from the hubby's aunt and uncle that I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with. I finally narrowed down the choices to salsa, marinara, and pizza sauce. I didn't have a parmesan cheese rind to make my marinara, and pizza sauce sounded dull. I think I just really wanted homemade salsa.

I had to pick up some freshies at the store- onion, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro. Surprising because I usually have cilantro in the house. At all times :)

Why is this recipe so easy? Umm, cuz it's made completely in the food processor. Which also means you don't have to have perfect knife cuts to make this. You can get away with barely even chopping your ingredients when using the food processor. Love! The hardest part about using the food processor is cleaning it afterwards, honestly.

The recipe is for 1/4 of what I made. I just had a lot of tomatoes, hence the quadrupling of the recipe. I find homemade salsa usually keeps for 5-7 days in the fridge. You could also can homemade salsa, that was just a whole lot of work that I didn't feel like doing today. Eh, it's one of those Mondays.

Take advantage of tomato season! Make salsa!

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh tomatoes, deseeded and quartered
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp jalapeno, roughly chopped
2-3 tsp cilantro, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.
2. Pulse until salsa reaches desired consistency.
3. Store in fridge in airtight container 5-7 days.

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple

What I Love About Summer: Raspberries

There are few things in the world more perfect than the raspberry. They symbolize summer to me. Plump, juicy, flavorful, and a beautiful rosy red color. My parents grew raspberries in our backyard when my brother and I were growing up, and I'll confess- I spent a lot of time hunkered down in those raspberry bushes. My mom would freeze raspberries, make raspberry syrup for pancakes, and bake raspberry cobblers in the oven. She would keep large bowls of raspberries in the fridge, and they went on everything from my cereal to my bowl(s) of vanilla ice cream.

Now that I'm an adult, my lust for the raspberry has not abated. I would cook or bake everything (well, almost everything) with raspberries if the hubby wouldn't start to question my sanity. I do love to cook with them though- that means I get to eat whatever I put them in. Here's a few of my favorite raspberry recipes:

Raspberry Filled Vanilla Muffins

Raspberry-Peach-Lime Lemonade

Raspberry Banana Oat Muffins

Raspberry Filled Mini-Doughnuts

Raspberry Lemonade Muffins

Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

And, a couple of recipes on my to-do list:

Brownie Bites with Raspberry Sauce- Hardly Housewives

Raspberry Crisp- Pioneer Woman

Raspberry Lemonade Bars- Annie's Eats

Raspberry Bread Pudding- Chef In Training

Raspberry Mint Ice Pops- Cooking Light

I always dread that time of year when raspberries are no longer in season. I'm hoping to grow my own berries next year, so hopefully at this time next year, I'll have raspberries out the wahzoowilla. Yes, that's right. I said wahzoowilla.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Product Review: CoverGirl Tone Rehab Foundation and More

How I like to wear my makeup is an ever-evolving affair. For most of my young adult life, my attitude towards makeup was 'the more the merrier'. I liked a very dark, smoky eye, lots of eyeliner and mascara, perfect skin with a thick layer of foundation, and no chance of an oil-slick with pasty powder. Somewhere along the crazy ride, my tastes have changed. I like my skin to look like I'm not wearing foundation or powder, and I like my face to be a bit dewy. I'm very into a natural eye, wearing a shimmery skin-colored eyeshadow, smoky liner, and a thin coat of mascara. I like to leave a lip stain on my lips for 10 minutes and then rub it off, and wear chapstick the rest of the day. I really like a fresh look in the dead of summer, which it definitely is here in Kentucky (it is 7 am and 75º already!). My point? The products I'm reviewing today probably wouldn't have floated my boat 10 years ago. They do now though :)

1. CoverGirl Tone Rehab Foundation

I've really been impressed by CoverGirl products over the last couple of years. When I was first discovering cosmetics, CoverGirl was easily one of the most affordable lines for a teenager. It was a line that showed little quality, though. I tried their eyeshadows, lip glosses, foundations, mascaras, powders, etc. I hated everything. I stuck to Revlon, Maybelline, and L'Oreal in my younger days. Recently however, I've been foraying back into CoverGirl. I like some of their primers, foundations, eyeshadows, and nail polish. I really like this foundation. It reminds me a lot of CoverGirl's NatureLuxe foundation, which I really liked as well. The foundation itself is creamy, smells fresh, and is nicely pigmented. I've applied this with my hands, and also with cosmetic sponges, and both techniques result in a nice finish. This foundation really covers any random redness, or flaw that my skin might have, but still looks and feels like my skin. The formula is pretty long-wearing, although I usually need a touch-up mid-day. Some online reviews have stated that this foundation clogs pores immediately, but I haven't had any problems with that. None. And I have really acne-prone skin. The verdict? I would purchase this again. I've got 3-4 go-to foundations, and I would make this one of them.

2. CoverGirl Flamed Out Eye Pencil in Melted Caramel

It's all about the taupe, baby. Seriously. You might be disturbed by the amount of taupe eye products I have in my collection. Way more than I have any business having, that's for sure! I'll get right to the point, which is I. Love. This. Pencil. Love it. There is nothing not to love about this pencil. It's a wonderful, shimmery light-colored taupe. The color looks like my skin, but dewier. I've worn this over concealer on my lids, over eyeshadow primer, over MAC primer, and under powder eyeshadow. It's all good. The formula slides on creamy, blends easily before it sets, and does not move. I love that the glitter doesn't travel. I love that this shadow looks creamy all day, and doesn't crease. I've come back to the mirror after 10-12 hours to find my eyeshadow perfectly pigmented, in place, and uncreased. I like this pencil so much I've already bought the white and pink colors to test out as well. My only complaint about this pencil is that you have to use a manual pencil sharpener to sharpen it. I only complain about this because all my pencils are self-sharpening, and I didn't own a manual pencil sharpener previous to this product. The verdict? Love, love, love this! I would buy this again, and I may be purchasing even more colors soon.

3. Revlon PhotoReady Foundation

I bought this foundation after doing some pretty specific research. I'm still searching for my Holy Grail drugstore foundation. I can't seem to find one that's perfect. I purchased this after reading several reviews on the Internet that said this foundation was a dupe for Make Up For Ever's HD foundation. Ummm people, this is not a MUFE HD dupe. No, no, no. I love Make Up For Ever's HD foundation, it's probably my favorite of all time. It's really, really expensive however, and I just can't justify buying it anymore. It was my perfect foundation. The coverage was sheer, but seemed to cover everything. It made my skin look flawless. I loved that you couldn't see makeup pooled in my pores. So I jumped on this Revlon version. I was sorely disappointed. The coverage is medium to heavy, I would say, definitely not sheer. The formula also has full-on glitter in it. I hate that. People end up looking a disco-ball, or one of the Cullen's from "Twilight" in direct sunlight. Not the look I go for. Another aspect I was disappointed was the length of time needed before a touch-up, which I'd say is short. It was only 2 hours before oil starting accumulating on my face, and I needed more powder. I don't even have a particularly oily face! The verdict? Needless to say, I was highly disheartened by this product. I will not be re-purchasing.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Grilled Chicken Panzanella

I still know a few people who think carbs are the devil, and that avoiding them is the key to weight loss. I don't subscribe to this school of thought. Your body needs carbs. Carbs are not the bad guy they were once made out to be. Sure, some carbs are better for you than others. Brown rice and whole wheat pasta are better carb choices than regular pasta, white rice, and white potatoes. I would never advocate eating a box of pasta. I would advocate eating a serving of pasta, though. While it really should be whole wheat pasta, if you want that white pasta, eat it!

I believe in eating what you want, just in moderation. I don't deny myself what I want when I want it. I just eat a little bit. If, come hell or high water, I want that pasta, I'm going to eat it. Just a serving size however, and then I fill the rest of my plate with vegetables. Vegetables are my secret for not going hungry. Instead of loading up on calorie-laden side dishes, fill your plate with veggies. You still get to eat a plate full of food which makes my tummy happy, but you're eating a lot less calories. This makes my brain happy :)

One very nutritionally-confused person told me they wouldn't like this salad because it's too carb heavy. They told me I shouldn't be eating it, because of all those carbs. Sad, I thought, to go through life completely avoiding carbs. I'll continue to eat my carbs, like this salad. Because, you can simply eat low-carb the rest of the day to make up for the bread carbs. Easy peasy. And much more delicious :)

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
4 ounces ciabatta bread, cut into cubes
1 tbsp olive oil (divided)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat gas grill to high heat. Brush 1/2 tbsp olive oil onto chicken breast. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When grill is hot, turn burners to low and place chicken on the grill. Close and let cook 4 minutes. Flip chicken over. Cook for another 4 minutes. Flip twice more, cooking 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat, and let rest for 10 minutes before chopping it. Set aside.
2. Preheat broiler on oven. In a large bowl combine bread cubes with remaining olive oil, toss to coat. Season bread with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss well to evenly season bread. Spread bread in a single layer on a coated cookie sheet. Place under the broiler, and broil for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Bread is complete when lightly browned on all sides. Set aside.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, basil, grilled chicken, and toasted bread cubes. In a smaller bowl, thoroughly whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Consume immediately!

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light*

White Bean and Spinach Soup

My brain is weird. I've had this soup on the menu for about 3 weeks, and I keep skipping it. Every once in awhile, I'll pick out a recipe to try and put it on the menu. Sometimes, later in the week, I find myself wondering why I picked that recipe to make because it doesn't sound appetizing. Ok, so this happens a lot. LOL. When something I've planned doesn't sound good, I change the meal to something that does sound good (logical, right?). Since this dish consists of mostly pantry staples, and only requires the fresh spinach, this soup has been changed at the last minute 3 times. I finally decided last night  it was time to bite the bullet.

I'm reminded why I need to escape my mental roadblocks. This is a good soup! It's also super healthy, providing you with plenty of Vitamin C from the tomatoes, potassium from the white beans, and tons of Vitamin A and K. I served the soup with a hearty, garlic ciabatta bread for dipping, and this ended up being a light, meatless summer dinner. Dinner came together fast too, this is a nice, speedy recipe. Anyhoo, I highly recommend this soup to all my peeps out there watching their summer swimsuit bodies. Delicious and nutritious. I guarantee this soup won't go straight to your hips :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can tomatoes, diced
3 (15 oz) cans reduced sodium vegetable broth
1 cup white rice, cooked
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (10 oz) package of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
parmesan cheese (garnish)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add onions and garlic to the pan. Saute 5 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add white beans and tomato paste to the pan, stir until tomato paste has assimilated.
2. Add tomatoes through black pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add spinach to the pot. Cook just until spinach wilts, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with grated parmesan cheese. Serve.

*Recipe adapted from Fitness Magazine*