6.29.2011

BEAUTIFUL.

The Voice Finale.

Beverly McClellan & Christina Aguilera duet.

"Beautiful"

WARM BODIES.

Warm BodiesWarm Bodies by Isaac Marion

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Really good read. I was surprised that I could feel so many emotions from a character that ultimately shouldn't have any! "R" is a character that I found myself really caring for. And Julie is fierce and sarcastic and someone that I find myself relating to with all of her quick quips and remarks about life. Very good debut novel.



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6.18.2011

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP.

YAY! I haven't posted many recipes since I didn't have to blog about being vegan. It's sad, I kind of liked sharing all these cool recipes I was trying out. My dad had recently poached some chicken for another dish and he was left with a whole lot of ready made chicken stock. I hate to see anything go to waste so my sister and I decided to use the chicken stock instead of throwing it out. We usually have a few ingredients that are staples in our house, so after assessing what we had we decided to make chicken tortilla soup. YUMM! We've used this recipe before from foodnetwork.com and it's really good. We do make some adjustments here and there. This is the recipe as is:


Ingredients

* 4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
* Good olive oil
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
* 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
* 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
* 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
* 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
* 2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
* 6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

Directions

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.


These are the steps that I took. I first chopped up all my veggies. (onions, carrots, garlic, celery, jalapenos and cilantro)


I had the chicken stock on the stove simmering. I also skimmed the fat off the top and threw it out.


Since I had chicken stock and no chicken I decided to be "semi-homemade" and go to the store to get a rotisserie chicken that was already baked. These are great when you're on a tight schedule because they're already fully cooked and only cost about $5 depending on where you get it. Most grocery stores have them in their deli section and they come in containers like this:


With the chicken already cooked you just take off the skin and bones and shred it. After all the chicken is shredded, save it off to the side while you work on the base of your soup.




For the soup; you want to first saute your carrots, onion and celery. This trio of veggies is often referred to as a mirepoix (pronounced "meer-pwah") and is used for the base of many dishes and used as aromatics.



Once the onions are browned a little, add the garlic and saute for a couple minutes. It smells DELISH at this point! :)



At this point it is time to add your chicken stock. I moved everything to a large soup pot so that it didn't over-boil on me. I added the stock, can of crushed tomatoes, chopped jalapenos, cilantro, cumin, ground coriander, salt & pepper to taste, and corn tortillas. The corn tortillas should be cut into small strips. This really helps to thicken the soup.




After everything is added to the pot you want to bring it to a boil. Once the soup is boiling you want to simmer it on low for 25-30 minutes. The soup should have thickened a lot due to the tortillas. Once you are done simmering, add the shredded chicken that you saved and stir until all the contents are mixed.



When you are ready to serve you can add whatever toppings you want. I've tried this many times and you can put sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh tomatoes, green onions, salsa, tortilla chips, etc. I just added a little dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips for crunch. This was DELICIOUS!!! Enjoy! =)



SOURCE.

6.16.2011

BOOKWORM.

How many books have you read this year???!

Take the challenge!!!






2011 Reading Challenge





2011 Reading Challenge



Katarina has


read 20 books toward her goal of 30 books.




hide















I might have to raise my goal!! 50 books??!

MOROCCAN OIL.


MOROCCAN OIL: $30-$40 (large bottle)


This is truly a MUST for people who struggle with dry or damaged hair. It leaves your hair feeling silky smooth! I LOVE it!! It is a bit pricey but there are cheaper/drugstore versions that are just as good as any you find in a salon! Also the bottles often come in different sizes so you can grab a small bottle for shorter or thinner hair. This is a really great product because it is a rich oil that is high in natural Vitamin E and phenols and it’s a natural deep conditioner for your hair and even skin! Moroccan Oil is also known as Argan Oil because it is derived from the Argan tree that grow almost exclusively in Morocco.


Agadir Argan Oil Conditioner: $21


Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner: $8-$18 (depending on bottle size)


One 'n Only Argan Oil: $15 (3.4 oz)


Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal with Argan Oil: $20


You can find the cheaper versions at Target, Wal*mart and other drugstores. If you feel like splurging you can definitely find it at any salon.

PASSION.

Passion (Fallen, #3)Passion by Lauren Kate

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What I really loved about this book was the attention to detail. In every different lifetime you experience Luce and Daniel's romance, you can really imagine what it looks and feels like; what the surroundings would be like in Milan, Tibet, Tahiti or London. I liked this particular book in the series because when you read "Fallen" and "Torment" you KNOW that Daniel and Luce love each other so passionately but you don't know why. In "Passion" (which this book is so aptly named), you really fall in love with the romance time and time again, across many different scenarios one could think up, and across millennium for that matter. It's only when you get to the heart of it all that you really see how this romance challenges that of some of the biggest romantic couplings in history. Beautifully written, cannot wait for "Rapture" to read the ending (or perhaps, new beginning!)!!



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6.09.2011

BANANA CUPPYCAKES.

finished my last final last night (this morning at 12:30am to be exact) so today i had NOTHING to do (of consequence). painted my nails the PERFECT shade of nude/taupe =) afterwards i ended up doing a little shopping and finding TWO dresses for this weekend's festivities and i spent under $30 for them both! WINNING!

anyway, came home, watched some top chef and felt inspired. we had some ridiculously TOO ripe bananas and although they aren't the best to have as a snack, they are PERFECT for baking! found a simple recipe via
foodnetwork.com. i found some other recipes but they called for things like shortening and buttermilk, which i don't happen to have on hand. it's always a good thing to make sure you have all the ingredients before you start baking because you don't want your ingredients to go to waste!




here is the recipe:

Ingredients

* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 stick butter, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 large ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (reserve some for garnish)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 1 (12-cup) muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the butter and the sugar. Beat with a hand-held mixer until combined. Add the sour cream and the vanilla extract. Slowly beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Incorporate the dry mixture and wet mixtures together until thoroughly combined. Add the bananas and walnuts, being careful not to over mix. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 way full. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops turn golden-brown and when a toothpick, inserted in the middle of the cupcake, comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven to a wire rack and let cool before frosting.

they came out really moist and delish!! the original recipe called for a molasses frosting but i just frosted with a cream cheese frosting and it was fine! :)



6.01.2011

MAY QUOTES.

This year I decided to post a quote everyday. A lot of people started posting a picture a day for a year so I thought this might be fun since I read a lot and actually catch myself jotting down noteworthy dialogue! You can check my "Quote of the day" tab to see them all but here I have posted all of the quotes from May 2011. It starts with the most recent first so if you want to see February 1st scroll down to the bottom. Also, you can catch all my quotes starting from January 1st on my quote page which you can find HERE. ENJOY! :)



friends with benefits? (05/31/11)

"You can't sleep with your friends! What is wrong with you people?!"

-Khloe Kardashian; Khloe & Lamar
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more ducks?! (05/30/11)

Cyril: "What's a Canuck?"
Josko: "Canuck? Hmm... a duck? A Canadian Duck!"
(laughter)
Josko: "Yeah, C-A-N for Canadian and U-C-K for duck!"
Cyril: (looks to Kristine) "You guys really are best friends..."

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sharks vs. canucks (05/29/11)

Mel: "What's a Canuck? Is that a whale?!"
Kristine: "It's a duck!"
Me: "It's a Native American tribe."

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squares and circles. (05/28/11)

"Am I gonna see you on Saturday? You're gonna be there, and you're gonna be square! But you're not gonna be a square cause you're gonna be a circle!"

-Kristine
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this type love. (05/27/11)

"The kind of love that would make everything you'd ever done, or would do, pale horridly in comparison. It was beyond comprehension, and far beyond words."

-Nicole Williams; Eternal Eden
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the world. (05/26/11)

"yeah, well... the world is a fucked up place. what are you going to do about it?"

-KAR
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existence. (05/25/11)

"...[I] couldn't stand the thought of you not existing in some way..."

-Eternal Eden; Nicole Williams
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for the hopeless romantics. (05/24/11)

"I searched my mind, trying to find some deep, philosophical reason, but the answer was simple and on the tip of my tongue. I loved him."

-Eternal Eden; by Nicole Williams
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eggheads. (05/23/11)

"I love an egg on top of anything."
"I know. I'm a total egg slut."

-Anthony Bourdain; No Reservations
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poison. (05/22/11)

"Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again."

-Divergent by Veronica Roth
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rapture. (05/21/11)

"If we spent more time on transforming the world than promoting the end of it, maybe we wouldn’t be so anxious to leave it."

-Rob Morris; @ROBLOVE146
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it is a beautiful thought. (05/20/11)

"I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another."

-"Divergent" - The Dauntless Manifesto; Veronica Roth
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passion. (05/19/11)

"I don't ever even think of you
I want to be loved by you
Keep these thoughts of me, and you"

-Bridezilla; "Lunar Eclipse"


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FENDI bag lady. (05/18/11)

"Vacate?! I'll be homeless! I'll be a bag lady.. a FENDI bag lady, but a bag lady!"

-Carrie; Sex & the City
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you ain't ever... (05/17/11)

"Yall never seen black people on a train?! You ain't never heard of the underground railroad?!"

-Angela; Why Did I Get Married?
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Jewish wedding. (05/16/11)

"I look like Hitler!! I'm having a Jewish wedding and I look like Hitler!!"

-Charlotte; Sex & the City
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more than... (05/15/11)

"I love you... more than I most likely should."

-Cassandra Clare
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it never matters. (05/14/11)

"We meet. We always meet, somehow we're always thrown together, no matter where I go, no matter how I try to distance myself from you. It never matters. You always find me."

-Lauren Kate
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hate to love; love to hate. (05/13/11)

"You know everyone loves to hate a happy pair of lovebirds."

-Lauren Kate
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angel. (05/12/11)

"Angel! If there were a place that we didn't know of, and there, on some unsay-able carpet, lovers displayed what they could never bring to mastery here--the bold exploits of their high-flying hearts..."

-Rainer Maria Rilke
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music and hoodies. (05/11/11)

"im getting sick of hearing music that makes me feel like im shopping at american apparel for a hoodie that someone else already has."

-Adam Levine
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capable... (05/10/11)

"So often we only do what we think is expected of us, when we are capable of so much more."

-Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
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Holly's World (05/09/11)

"I was like Rapunzel but I was trapped at the top of the Luxor and my hair extensions were not long enough to get me out of there!"

-Holly Madison; E! True Hollywood Story
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Happy Mother's Day!! (05/08/11)

Rory: Well I don't want our first hanging out session to be with my mother either.
Lorelai: Stop saying mother like that.
Rory: Like what?
Lorelai: Like there's supposed to be another word after it.

-Gilmore Girls (see the clip here.)
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give a shit. (05/07/11)

“I hate it when they say I don’t give a shit, because nobody cares more than I do. I’m telling you I don’t know anybody who does this that gives a shit more than I do.”

-Kristen Stewart
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irony. (05/06/11)

"The thick plottens."

-Lev Grossman; The Magicians
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naya rivera. (05/05/11)

"just because I hate everybody doesn't mean they have to hate me too"

"as soon as we get to NY I'm going to move into a lesbian colony... or tribeca"

-Santana; gLee
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if you seek amy. (05/04/11)

“Reading a script and loving a character and not being able to play it… that’s like having a crush on someone and not being able to fuck them.”

-Kristen Stewart; LOVE her.
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gleek. (05/03/11)

"...because i'm obsessed with angry birds and my mom cuts my hair"

-Artie; GLEE
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This year I decided to post a quote everyday. A lot of people started posting a picture a day for a year so I thought this might be fun since I read a lot and actually catch myself jotting down noteworthy dialogue! You can check my "Quote of the day" tab to see them all but here I have posted all of the quotes from February 2011. It starts with the most recent first so if you want to see February 1st scroll down to the bottom. Also, you can catch all my quotes starting from January 1st on my quote page which you can find HERE. ENJOY! :)


winning the lottery. (05/02/11)

"We are who we are. Lotteries suck."

-House, M.D.
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what do you see. (05/01/11)

Kostos: Some people show off their beauty because they want the world to see it. Others try to hide their beauty because they want the world to see something else.
Lena: And what do you see?
Kostos: Everything.

-Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

BREAKING DAWN.

This is a preview for the first Breaking Dawn trailer that will be premiered at the MTV movie awards this Sunday!



Eeeekk!