April Challenge

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!

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!

The Hunger Games trilogy

 sarah's photostream

Aside from the short story fiction classes in college (which was my emphasis as an English major), one of my absolute favorite classes was the modern literature class. I enjoyed reading Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, J.G. Ballard's High-Rise, and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Hunger Games Trilogy fit with this genre because of the underlying governmental interference in the lives of it's characters. I liked the partnership between Katniss and Peeta that developed as the books moved along. "Real or not real?" "Real." 

DIY: towel design

Inspired by this post by Elsie Marley, I made a towel each for Sean and Daniel with a diagragm of the butcher cuts of pork. I think they turned out great (and much cheaper than the Anthropologie towels I spotted in store)!

Skillet Rosemary Chicken

Thanks to pinterest inspiration, I tried a new recipe. The picture looked amazing, but it tasted even better than I had imagined. The challenge Sean and I had with this recipe was using boneless, skinless chicken and trying not to dry it out. The end result flavors were nothing short of perfection.

Ingredients

3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large

Kosher salt

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tbs leaves

1 clove garlic, smashed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon.

Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Per serving: Calories 413; Fat 23 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 87 mg; Sodium 1,055 mg; Carbohydrate 19 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 32 g

{30 BEFORE 30}

I'm a huge listmaker...and I love the idea of accomplishing 30 things before I turn 30. While I typically would do this on my birthday (and fitting for new year's resolutions), I don't want myself to get confused between ongoing yearly goals and fun things to try at least once...but the list is full so I want to go ahead and get started!

♥     ♥     ♥

1. Bake a pie from scratch

2. Bake a loaf of bread from scratch (…that actually rises. My banana bread doesn’t count and the babka I made once before wasn't a huge success)

3. Treat myself to a spa day (mani/pedi and a massage)

4. Treat myself to a unique piece of jewelry from Etsy or online

5. Picnic somewhere beautiful

6. Hike somewhere new

7. Go on a retreat by myself

8. Go on a camping trip

9. Get new glasses

10.See a Broadway show (on Broadway)

11.Shoot a gun

12.Consider a nose piercing or tattoo

13.Retain $1500 in savings

14.Pay off debt with the exception of my car loan (that will be in 2013 hopefully)

15.Reach the $10,000 mark in my retirement account

16.Learn how to sew

17.Make a quilt

18.Learn the art of felting

19.Sell a piece of art

20.Invest in a camera

21.Get comfortable using my DSLR camera in manual mode

22.Take pics of downtown Nashville

23.Scrapbook my childhood photos, schoolwork, art projects that I currently just have in a box

24.Open an Etsy shop

25.Travel Abroad

26.Accept a marriage proposal

27.Adopt a dog

28.Try strength training

29.Run a 5k

30.Celebrate the last night of my 20s in style