Recipe of the Week!

Sweet Potato Chips

So this is just one of those recipes that randomly occurred one night. There was one sweet potato in the house. I don't really like sweet potatoes. Matt loves sweet potatoes. It really just needed to be eaten. I love chips. Like LOVE. I can't buy them at the grocery store, or really be near them, because I will literally eat the entire bag and still want more. I love chips. So I tried making some sweet potato "chips." I tried slicing the sweet potato as thin as possible. I tossed them in olive oil and laid them on a cookie sheet. I sprinkled them with salt and cayenne pepper, and flipped them about half way through the cook time...until they were golden on each side. 

They were decent. Not really chip-like, maybe more fry-like. Worth a try if you are a sweet potato fan for sure. Also, incase you were wondering...I only like BURNT hot dogs. Usually they have to be Nathan's brand too. 

Guess What?!?!

Yep! I finally did it. I took the plunge and bought myself a new computer. I already feel like I was missing out on so much for like the past 2-4 years. I also feel like I wish someone would make everything just be the way I want it to me automatically. My plan for cleaning has definitely suffered. The price you pay...YAY!

Long Time, No Blog

TEN DAYS and no blog post!!! Can you believe it? Maybe you can since my blogging habits have seriously gone by the wayside this summer. I did seriously intend to write a post 2 days ago then ran out of time, and then yesterday I even sat with my computer with the blog page open, but guess what happened? Yep, my antique, original MacBook Pro deciding blogging was far too much for it to handle. And even now I am using Matt's computer so I don't have to wake mine from it's slumber and argue with it. This is a problem I fully intend to solve before getting married. A new computer is going to happen ASAP.

Anyway, speaking of wedding. Last Thursday night we traveled to Pittsburgh (I can't believe this was a week ago) to get our last wedding details taken care of. We got our marriage license, I had my dress fit, I wrote a lot of emails, finalized numbers, etc. It was busy. I almost had my first official, full-on bridal meltdown on Monday morning. I had to get my hair trial done which I didn't want to do in the first place, but I sure am glad I did. It was a hot, hot mess. I made the poor girl redo it since it looked like I was going to the 8th grade dinner dance. The second time was only slightly better and still not what I asked for. This is when I almost freaked out, but somehow held it together. The third time it was going in the right direction, but not quite there. I'm sure I was definitely talked about the rest of the day. Bridezilla.

I guess the other main highlights include the Penn State sanctions (maybe we should say lowlight)...I'm sure you can guess my thoughts on this. I think I've decided not to blog about it. I'm accepting it and moving forward because I believe that Penn State is Penn State. We will prevail.

Lastly, I only have six days of babysitting left this summer. I'm excited for a nice vacation, but at the same time I will (sort of) miss my little friends and this also means summer is flying by way too fast. I hate that! I think those are my main updates for now. More reliable posts to come post computer renewal!

Published...Sorta...

Random, but remember when I entered that food blogging contest? I never saw the blog post a winner, so I went back to her May entries and figured out I didn't win. The nice surprise I found...I am sort of published in a cookbook. She made a small cookbook of all the entries she received. That's dedication. She got over 40 entries. The winner does have some great writing, so I'm OK with losing. Next time...

I know you probably could have gone without that information for today, but I thought it was pretty cool...

Recipe of the Week!

Caprese Quinoa

I wanted to see what this quinoa fascination was all about so I decided to mix it with one of my favorite summer meals...tomato, mozzarella, and basil. It was delicious! I still don't see what the big deal is about quinoa, though. I mean it's good and good for you, but it's not like I'm over the moon for the stuff. Anyway, this is easy and delicious by itself, or as a nice summer side dish for a picnic or cookout.

Directions:
Cook the quinoa as it says on box. I think I used about 2 cups for this recipe so we could have leftovers. Put the cooked quinoa in the fridge for a few hours. Once it's cooled add a desired amount of olive oil and the juice of about half a lemon. Add cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and lots of basil!

The Good, The Bad, and Mainly The UGLY

Yesterday babysitting was UGLY. Behavior was beyond unruly. There was a lot of bickering amongst all sisters, so much whining I thought I was going to cry, hitting, pushing, and best of all lying and peeing in the pool. It was so out of control that one of the mom's friends (who witnessed the whole peeing incident...cause let me tell you NOTHING is sacred) text the mom at work and the mom knew the whole (sort of) story when she walked in the door. At least she put the smack down on with me when she got home. I also made them write these letters to their mom before she got home because their behavior was embarrassing to themselves, me, and their mom.

Today we were back to normal...well as normal as we get...

MacBook vs. iPad

I need technological advice. I have been debating (for a few months now) the possibility of getting an iPad instead of a new MacBook. You may remember from this post that it's about time for a new computer. What I need to know from you is what you think. Should I get an iPad or a MacBook?

Let me give you the facts. My current MacBook is functional, but definitely not ideal. I mostly use my computer for email, blogging, pictures, general internet use, occasionally to play music. That's about the extent of it. I no longer use it to write papers...maybe on occasion, but definitely not to do stuff like I did in college or grad school. Do you think an iPad could work just as well for me right now?

I see the downfalls as not having a keyboard (but I would buy it as an accessory if I go iPad), not being able to get pictures off my camera (but I could use my current computer for that, or buy an adapter), and not being able to type up a document, or print something as easily. Then there's the size factor (both a pro and a con), and the whole thing being touch screen.

Anyway, I think those are all my pros and cons for now. Soooo please if you have either of these products, or both please let me know what you think. Ideally someone out there will be solely using an iPad. I would really love to hear from that person. HELP!!!

Recipe of the Week!

Lemon-Cucumber-Mint Water

Soooo I know this isn't exactly a recipe, but I thought maybe it could serve as an idea for everyone to create some fun summer water. I used some lemons and cucumber and then took some of the apple mint out of my herb box and added it as well. I put it all in a big pitcher then filled it with water and let it sit for a few hours. It was delicious. I would suggest trying to drink all the water in one day, though. The next day it was a little too overpowering.

Pittsburgh Shower and Other Wedding Business

Bridal Party

This post seems long overdue. Sometimes I don't really understand how I get all my stuff done when I'm actually working my real full time job because it seems I have been going non-stop since school ended. I guess there's a lot of wedding stuff to be done and combining two adults lifestyles and futures together takes a lot of paperwork and planning too. Anyway, I am going to try to be better with posting in July than I was in June. That being said, last weekend was my bridal shower in Pittsburgh.

It was a great time thanks to my bridal party, my mom, my aunts, and Matt's mom. The day was beautiful, the food was great, and the company was awesome. I was very lucky to have so many people come from a lot of places to join in the fun. It was a great preview of the wedding.

While we were in Pittsburgh we also had a few wedding appointments to attend. We set the details in place for the reception which was a relief, but also a little stressful. There's still a lot to be organized before August 12th. And I had my first dress fitting. It went very well, but I forgot just how much dress there was. Let's all hope for a very cool August day.

This weekend has been spent doing A LOT of wedding shopping and prep. Matt has been a trooper for sure, especially since we have been to about every mall and other random store in the Fairfax/Vienna/Falls Church area. It was really nice to cross some things off the list. I can't believe there are only 42 days left!