Sometimes weird can be good

This is my go-to summer pasta salad that I always bring to BBQ's...

It's a little strange, but the flavors work well together, and it is actually quite tasty!

Here's all you'll need...

Box of pasta

2 avocados

Cherry tomatoes

Imitation crab meat

Olive oil and Apple Cider vinegar

Pineapple tidbits (yep, pineapple, just trust me folks!)

Cook the pasta according to directions and run cold water over it while it's being strained. (I like to make sure my pasta is al dente since it sits in the fridge or on the picnic table for a bit prior to consumption!)

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the mix as well as the diced avocados.

Slice up the imitation crabmeat into bite-sized pieces and add them as well!

Now, you can get creative here folks, I've added those little baby corns, edamame, garbanzo beans, whatever floats your boat! (So long as you don't add anything with a super-strong flavor, like pickles or capers!)

Add the pineapple tidbits-not chunks, not crushed, it has to be tidbits because they are the perfect size! Make sure you save the juice first!

In a pyrex measuring cup, add to the pineapple juice some olive oil and apple cider vinegar-about equal portions of each...Again, you could use whatever vinegar you like, I'm pretty particular with my vinegars-balsamic would make your pasta salad rather strange looking. Besides, I think the different vinegar flavors really complement certain dishes and the apple cider version just seems to work best for me!

Pour over your pasta creation and head to that BBQ! The pineapple is always a shocker, but even though it's weird, it is good.

Enjoy!:)

Hey Y'all

Sorry I have been neglecting the blog world and all my friends in it.
The Mr. and I finally went on our honeymoon. (To Alaska. Yes, it is as beautiful as everyone says it is. Yes, I will post some pics!)
And I just haven't gotten back into the swing of things yet.
However, my brain has been buzzing with lots of ideas and recipes and I look forward to sharing them soon!
XOXOX,
McBee

Mudd Volleyball

Yes, mud is spelled with two D's...

This is what I will be doing all day...knee deep in mud, my extremely un-athletic self will be playing volleyball. However, I have been assured by many, many, many people that athleticism is just not necessary when you are literally stuck in one place while playing volleyball.

I'm playing with the gals from Babes and Bullies, so it will be a great way to get our name out, and it really does seem like a lot of fun, albeit messy fun!

Best of all, it benefits The Carrie Tingley Hospital here in town! CTH is a part of the hospital I work for that works with all kinds of kids needing rehab services (speech, ortho, etc.). They do great things over at CTH, and this event brings in gobs and gobs of $$$ for them!

Wish me luck!

DIY Stationary

One of the Book Club girls is moving away...to Kansas City! We are going to miss her so very much, Book Club just won't be the same without her.

I wanted to get her something nice as a going-away present and remembered when I made these for Kelley over at The Lawrences for her bridal shower...They are easy to make and nice to give someone who loves stationary and might be needing to write some thank-you notes in the near future! I originally got this idea from my mom, but I don't know where she got the idea in the first place. I just thought they were so cute and such a clever idea!

All you need:

Stamps and an Ink Pad

Pretty Paper

Adhesive squares (I LOVE LOVE LOVE these things!)

Packaged sets of cards and envelopes (I bought these at Hobby Lobby and they had a plethora of colors to choose from!)

Seeds! (I purchased these at Sunflower Market, I really liked the vintage look they had to them and each packet was less than $2)

I didn't have my camera the day I made them, but they were really easy. Here are some photos of the finished product...

1. Cut the pretty paper to a size which will cover the majority of the front of the card. Do yourself a favor a use a paper cutter! It just looks so much better...

2. Affix the paper to the front of the card using the scrapbook squares. (You could also use a glue stick, but it just doesn't stick as well, in my opinion.)

3. Using the adhesive squares again, affix the seed packet to the left side of the card

4. On white or any corresponding color, stamp a message and cut it out accordingly! My stamps said:

"Wishing you sunshine and sunflowers all season long"

"Friends are flowers that never fade"

"If I planted a seed for every time I think of you, my garden would grow forever"

*Note: I totally poached these stamps and the aforementioned paper cutter from my mom!

5. Stick the stamped message on the right side of the card and you're all done!

Now your friend can send the cards to anyone they want, and the recipient will have a packet of seeds to plant! Cool, huh?

The Mixquiahuala Letters

The Mixquia-what? The Mix-key-a-wah-lah letters. This was our Book Club pick this month!
In all honesty, this wasn't one of my favorites, but the format was cool and a complete departure from previous picks we've had.

The Mixquiahuala Letters is about two women (an artist and a writer) who met in Mexico and the friendship they share over several decades. Actually, the letters were only written by one of the women (the writer, duh!) but it evidently contains the artist's point of view as well.

What made this book so different was the way the reader could choose to read it! It was kind-of like a choose-your-own-adventure book! The reader could choose to read the book as: The Conformist, The Cynic, or The Quixotic. (To be quixotic means to be not sensible about practical matters, to be idealistic and unrealistic.) Depending on which path you choose, you read the chapters (letters) in a different order. I guess it is meant to tell a different story each time.

I read The Conformist and The Cynic, I didn't have enough time to read The Quixotic. I didn't find the two paths I read to be too entirely different-most of the chapters were repeats, although the author doesn't direct you to read all the chapters in each path. It was kind-of confusing and I know I am not making this review any less so.

I wasn't blown away by this book, and I suspect that the Book Club girls aren't exactly going to be impressed, either. Lucky for us, we're having this month's Book Club at a Mexican restaurant, so we'll be entertained by the margaritas!:)

My Latest Obessesion

OK, I know I said I was back, but I wasn't really back...
However, I have several recipes, crafts and even a Real Wedding up my sleeve, if I could only find the time to post it all!!!

I have found a new love....Podcasts! Now, I still heart Justin Timberlake, but these podcasts from iTunes have been so cool for the gym! I have never been the talk radio type of gal, but since I have turned into a rabid political junkie, these have been such great sources of information...

The best part about these podcasts.....they are FREE!!!!! Yep, no cost whatsoever to download these babies and stay informed-and politics aren't the only genres out there...They have language learning, comedy, etc...Some of them are even in video from, so if you have a fancier iPod than I do (I just have the shuffle) you can even see your podcast instead of just listening!

Once you subscribe to the podcast, it is automatically updated each time! Here's what I've been listening to:

Cato Daily Podcast, Left, Right & Center, and The McLaughlin group: These are all panel formats that contain people, from both political persuasions, discussing current events. Each podcast is between 8 and 25 minutes.

Meet the Press: This is just the weekend television show in audio format. It's about 40 minutes.

Democracy Now!: This podcast is completely geared towards liberals. I think that hearing both takes on the same story is always a good idea, and I just couldn't bear to download NPR. My biggest beef with this one is that every episode is almost an hour and broadcasts 5 times a week, so it is difficult to keep up with.

Fox News Radio and President Obama's Weekly Radio Address: Oh yes, I put those two together! These are each 5 minutes and only are updated every week. There is some good info here!

Happy Listening!

I'm ba-ack!

Well, I guess that didn't take as long as I thought it would-now if I can only find the time to put all my thoughts on screen (haha, instead of paper, I said screen! Yeah, I'm a dork.)

OK, so the Mr. and I finally returned our (late) DVD's this weekend and exchanged them for a couple more. BTW, Blockbuster Online is such a fab service! It's just like Netflix as they mail DVD's to you, but instead of mailing them back (which you CAN do) you have the option to exchange them in the store! Once they are scanned in one of their stores, they automatically send the next one in your queue! However, the ones you get from the store are subject to late fees, which is unfortunate. Thus concludes my shameless product promotion of the week.

Anyhoo, the Mr. and I finally got around to seeing Seven Pounds. I had read a couple of spoilers, so it wasn't exactly a surprise for me, but I was thinking that if I hadn't read all that, the movie would've been super confusing! I thought it was pretty good, but the whole "revealing the plot at the very end" just doesn't work for people like me. AKA Impatient! Warning, spoiler alert after the picture.

*SPOILER ALERT!* Can I just say that killing yourself with a jellyfish (albeit a poisonous one) is weird. How were his organs even viable for transplant after that? Sorry, but that just doesn't jive with the health care professional in me.

All in all, it was a pretty good flick and I even shed a couple of tears at the end. However, the last movie I saw in theaters with the Mr. is quite possibly the WORST movie I have ever seen...

Thank goodness we had a gift card and didn't shell out any dinero for this one. Had I known it wasn't screened for critics prior to release, I never would have wasted our time with this one! It was so bad. It was painful. I thought the Mr. was going to walk out at one point (something my penny-pincher self just doesn't like to do, but I seriously could hardly have blamed him!)

I love Beyonce's music, but am racking my brain for an example of a movie I have enjoyed her in. Her acting was....not good. Ali Larter (from Heroes) wasn't bad, but she's always the femme fatale sort, so it wasn't exactly a stretch for her.

My main disappointment (aside from the movie as a whole) was Idris Elba...I fell hard for that guy while watching The Wire where he played Stringer Bell. The Wire was an incredible show on HBO about inner city Baltimore from both police and criminal points of view. It was awesome! I will have to do an entire post just about that show!

Anyways, to see my Stringer Bell in such a stinky movie, it just made me sad. Seriously, this movie isn't even worth posting spoilers on because I don't think anyone should be wasting their time. Trust me folks, this is 2+ hours of your life you will not get back!

Ah, that was a long winded one! hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

Writer's Block

I think I've been spreading myself a little too thin lately...

Between coordinating weddings, work, and family obligations, I have been neglecting my blog.

Couple that with more than 40 posts in less than 2 months , and I just haven't been able to come up with any new material! But, fear not, dear readers, I will be back with new and clever ideas ASAP!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Memorial Day

This song always gets to me...God Bless Our Troops

Blogs of Note

I am suffering from a wee bit of writer's block...I've been rather busy lately and just haven't really felt the inspiration to write anything.

Instead, I would like to recommend some blog writer's who don't lack for material. And they could not possibly be more different!

First off, I would love to introduce everyone to Awkward Family Photos. We all have them. People can either be brave and submit their own silly photos or choose to remain anonymous. There is a whole lot of anonymous going on at that blog. Here's just a teaser...

I would also like to introduce a new blog I have been enjoying lately, Neo-Neocon. This blog is written by a woman in her 50's who was a lifelong Democrat living in a Blue region of our country. After 9/11, she re-examined her politics and switched to the Republican way of thinking, much to the dismay of many of her friends, family, and colleagues.

I, myself, have avoided choosing a political side for most of my adult life. However, with the recent election of Obama, and a campaign that left such a sour taste in my mouth, I have become a Neo-Conservative as well! Her writing is witty, but much more tame than some of the pundits out there (i.e. Limbaugh et al). However, she's not for the die-hard Dems out there!

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Friday Fun Fact

As I'm sure you all know, this weekend marks Memorial Day holiday for Americans. And for almost everybody I know, it also means BBQ's with family and friends...

As an inpatient nurse for many, many years, holidays had lost some meaning for me. Since the hospital never closes, somebody has to be at work during the holidays, right? Memorial Day is just something I never really took the time to consider.

Now that I work in a clinic with guaranteed holidays off, I have taken the time to think about and appreciate the various holidays that America celebrates...

I have always held the utmost respect for our soldiers, and have always admired my father for serving in Vietnam (willingly, not through the draft.) My father-in-law is retired from 30 years of military service, and both my grandfathers are WWII vets. Anyone that has the courage to actually risk their life to protect and maintain the advantages we hold here in the US just strikes awe in my heart.

I know the Iraq war is quite controversial, but it is a part of our everyday lives. Our brothers and sisters are risking their lives so that others might enjoy the freedoms that we hold so dear to our own livelihoods. A lot of people don't want to believe that, and see this as a war that will keep us in oil. But I choose to believe that life has improved for people living in that corner of our globe, not as a result of our President, but as a result of our soldiers.

Now, I'm sure this fun fact isn't going to blow any minds, but Memorial Day celebrates the lives of all soldiers that have died in service of our great country. Here's something you may not know...Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day. In 1868, it was decided that our country would take the time to observe the lives of those who've died defending our country by visiting and decorating their graves. I think this picture is pretty powerful stuff.

Happy Friday Everybody.

Make this for dinner tonight!

My mom made this the other night as a side dish, and with a couple additional ingredients, it was easy to make into a main dish for the Mr. and I! Buying a rotisserie chicken makes it even easier, and it's one of those dishes that you could add whatever your pleasure!

Here's what I used, but feel free to add any sort of veggies or other additives you like!

Rotisserie chicken (I thought the Lemon Pepper flavor sounded yummy!)
Fresh tomatoes (but if you're a sun-dried lover, that would work, too!)
2 16 oz cans of artichoke hearts
1 16 oz can of garbanzo beans
Fresh basil and Fresh mint
Parmesan
almonds (I would've used pine nuts if I had them!)
orzo pasta
Olive oil/vinegar/salt/pepper to taste

Make the orzo according to directions (it only takes about 6 minutes to be al dente!)

Slice up the tomatoes and throw it in with the warm pasta

Take a couple turns around the bend with the olive oil and add vinegar and salt/pepper to taste

Drain and rinse the artichoke hearts and garbanzos

Add the fresh herbs of your choice

Slice up the chicken (I discarded the skin because I was feeling very virtuous!)

Finish with Parmesan and almonds!

This was even better the next day when all the flavors had a chance to get to know each other. This was also pretty yummy when it was cold!

Enjoy! :)

Desperate Housewives

So, the season finale of Desperate Housewives happened last Sunday...

I admit, I have been known to suffer certain TV show addictions. I was seriously crazed for "Grey's Anatomy" a while back, but then it became dumb and I became annoyed with it, so I don't watch that one anymore...

Desperate Housewives has also gone through a boring phase as well, but I stuck with it for some reason and this season was super juicy!!! I was sad to see Edie killed off on the show, but I think the 5 year jump was totally cool and was a gamble the writers took that paid off...

OK, I am NOT a fan of Susan. She is annoying, and I am hoping that Mike did not marry her at the end of the season like the cliffhanger wants us to wonder. I used to like Katherine, but she became all whiny and clingy once she started dating Mike, and that annoys me.

I also do not like Lynette's husband, Tom, or Bree's husband, Orson. I don't really care too much for Lynette, either. I guess I don't really like anybody on the show, but I love the show!

And that's all I have to say today.

Would you buy this?

I posted a while back about DIY soap...

I met up with some of the Babes from Babes & Bullies over the weekend to do crafty stuff. (I'm beyond excited that some of the Babes are craft-dorks like me!!!) One of the girls makes homemade doggie treats, so I thought it would be cute if we sold treats for bullies AND treats for Babes (homemade soap!) at car washes and various upcoming events we have around Albuquerque.

I wanted to just make the one type, since we weren't too sure how well received they were going to be...Do you think Mojito Soap is trying too hard??? It's basically white soap that is lightly scented with vanilla and mint and has dried lime rings at the top. It turned out kind-of pretty, but I'm just not too sure about this one...


I wasn't able to take any pictures of our efforts, so I thought I would just provide a picture of a mojito instead...

Mmmmmmmm.......Mojitos!

Steal This Idea!!!

I thought these candles were so clever! These were the favors from a bridal shower I went to a couple of weeks ago. In place of the religious picture, there was a picture of the bride and groom.

I know they are sort-of tongue-in-cheek as they are obviously Catholic religious candles, but you can purchase them without any saint or Jesus or Virgin Mary stickers on them, so don't feel like you'd be throwing anything away, thus being sacreligious!



I'm not going to show the picture of mine to save the future bride and groom's privacy, but these can be made into just about anything you could put on a sticker! And they come in such bright colors, they are a nice (and different!) favor to provide to guests.

Friday Fun Fact

So, earlier this week I provided a couple of recipes that were chock-full of chocolate, sugar, and calories! Then, I watched the finale for The Biggest Loser.

I don't know about you all, but I was super inspired! The oldest contestant ever on the show was the at-home winner, after only spending 2 weeks at the ranch! AND passing out at the gym on the first episode! I was so happy that he won (I thought Ron was way too devious, glad he lost!!!)
I think I get way too involved in these reality shows!

A couple months ago, while working out at our gym with the Mr., we saw an older lady (I'm really bad at guessing age, but I'd have to put her in her late 70's maybe?) on the treadmill. On oxygen. Yep, her O2 tank was right off to the side and she was just plugging away! And not at a snail's pace either! It wasn't like she was running, but she wasn't walking slow! I just kept thinking-what is my excuse?

So here's some fun facts about exercise and age, many of which I'm sure most of you know, but perhaps not.



1. Disease prevention

By regulating certain hormones in your body, diseases like cancer and diabetes are prevented, along with a boost in immunity which also keeps you healthy!

2.Prevents osteoporosis

Bones respond to regular use by getting thicker and become thinner the less we use them. Weight bearing exercises strengthens our bones and prevents fractures as we age!

3.Decreased risk of depression and anxiety

Along with the hormones that are produced and circulated to prevent disease in our body, exercise increases the happy hormones responsible for mood and behavior as well! (Runners high is not a myth!)

Happy Friday Everybody!

OMG! This cake, like, made me so popular!

So, we had this crazy two weeks worth of celebrations at the clinic where I work. (Tomorrow marks the last day with a Salsa making competition, which I am NOT competing in!) The celebration was meant to mark Nurses Week which my hospital pointedly chose to ignore, but we're not talking about that anymore, I have let it go! *Deep Breath*

Anyways, one of the days was a Chocolate Extravaganza Fantasy Madness theme where everyone brought a chocolaty delicious dessert to share with everyone. I was not working that day, but I brought in this dessert anyways and evidently it received quite a lot of fanfare! I just had to make it again for Mother's Day! Boy, am I glad I did!

A couple of weeks ago, I asked my fellow blogging friend Mommy's Kitchen for some advice about what I should make for this celebration. She had several suggestions, but this one seemed right up my alley as it didn't involve any baking! I would like to introduce to everyone: The Chocolate Eclair Cake! Be prepared everybody, you are about to be subjected to some extremely unprofessional photography!

All you need is:

Graham Crackers

Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

2 cups of milk

a tub of Cool Whip

a regular size jar of chocolate frosting

Prepare the vanilla pudding according to directions with 2 cups of milk (*Extreme action shot!)

Add Cool Whip (Really appetizing, I know!) And nice shadow of myself in the picture! I am GOOD!

Layer graham crackers at the bottom of a 9 x 13" pan

Alternate with your pudding mixture

Make sure you finish with the graham crackers!

Microwave the frosting on DEFROST for 30-40 seconds...That's all you need for it to be the perfect consistency

Spread evenly over the top!

Now, this cake needs to sit overnight so the graham crackers will get really soft~it was super yummy and unbelievably easy! Thanks Mommy's Kitchen!!!

Enjoy! :)

Nutella = World Peace

I think that Nutella is probably the best gift given to us by the Europeans. This is not up for debate. I think anything that makes it possible to eat a chocolate sandwich is fine in my book! This is actually encouraged on the jar! Mmmmm....Nutella!

One of my friends came across this recipe one night while we were at work. (Oops! I mean, after work! We never play around on the internet, checking our facebooks or reading blogs while at work!)

Anyways, the recipe called for almonds, I tried to change it up a bit with hazelnuts, but couldn't find any at the store, so almonds it is! Of course, the recipe is really easy and REALLY yummy!

All you need:
2 cans of crescent rolls
A jar of Nutella
Sliced almonds (these were dry toasted, but I bet salty one would be tasty as well!)

Roll out each individual crescent roll

Slather each triangle with Nutella (Yes, I said slather!)

Sprinkle on the sliced almonds

Roll 'em up!

Bake according to directions on the crescent roll packaging

And you'll have yummy chocolate crescent rolls!

Believe it or not, these were even better when they were cooled down!

Enjoy! :)