Saturday, March 31, 2012

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

ravenous and walking real {rawr}

The Walking Dead finale closed with much suspense, and it was only keeping that we celebrate in high Zombie fashion (SPOILER WARNING: we did not, however, wear the newest accessory…Zombies on leash). Instead, we had a nice array of zombie treats: hummus brain, zombie eyeballs, decayed zombie limbs, zombies in a blanket, and brain cupcakes.



For the hummus brain, I took store-bought hummus and spooned it into a plastic bag. Then I cut a tiny bit of the corner off the bag and sqeezed the hummus onto a plate in the shape of a brain. It turned out pretty good! When we were ready to eat, I toasted some quartered pita bread and also sliced some cucumber with it.



The zombie eyeballs were relatively easy, but they didn't turn out as good as I expected (not realistic looking and didn't have much flavor). To make, I bought some mozerella balls in the cheese section, sliced cherry tomatoes, and secured together with toothpick "swords". To try and add flavor, I sprinkled with basalmic vinegar when we were eating, but it didn't help too much unfortunately.



The decayed zombie limbs is a bit of a stretch, but its name is adapted from my mom's Funny Pickes recipe.
  • 1 jar Claussen pickles
  • 2 pkg. budding beef
  • 1 8oz. cream cheese (softened)                                                                         
  • 6-7 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
  • 6-7 shakes of garlic salt
  • 2 TBS chives
Dry pickles thoroughly. Spread mixture of Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and cream cheese on pickles. Wrap beef around pickles. Let sit in refrigerator. Slice when ready to use.



The Zombies in a blanket was the traditional pigs in a blanket recipe using little sausages and crescent rolls, but securing all around so that only one side of the sausage is exposed (the zombie face).


The brain cupcakes were vegan delights, courtesy of Jackie Chapman...as was the Rogue Dead Guy Ale, brewed out of Portland, OR!


Enjoy the pictures!

Monday, March 12, 2012

yoga

Nearly a year ago, I started taking yoga classes. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I've found that it has been very helpful! While I don't grasp onto the spiritual aspect of it (and class is more about the positions than anything else), there are several reasons why I have enjoyed it:
- the reminder to breathe 
When we started class, Raechel would constantly remind me to breathe when in positions. When concentrating or stressing out, I tend to hold my breath. I started noticing this while sitting at my desk during the work day. Not ideal. Especially when I get headaches almost daily and migraines about weekly. Breathing has been a good habit to get into :)
- maintaining better posture  
I sit at my desk for about 8 hours everyday, leaning toward mycomputer screen. As such, I do not have the best posture in the world. As time goes on in class, I can feel straightening of my spine and have also become more aware of how I'm sitting duringthe day.
- flexibility    
I am able to try and hold new positions weekly. More than that, I feel more able to handle multiple things simultaneously in life without over-stressing.
- awareness 
It has been important to take the time to slow down when everything goes by so quickly...and find energy when lacking. Coffee, while great, can only do so much.
- building strength and balance  
I'm not a huge weight lifter, and I still struggle with balance. That said, I feel like I'm getting better!