Greek Salad

I need, need, need to get back into the habit of blogging daily. I don't know what it is, but I've been extremely unmotivated in this area, but extra motivated in other areas. I guess it all evens out.

I had the Mediterranean Salad at Old Chicago last weekend, and it was yummy. It inspired me to whip together a Greek Salad of my own. This is a super easy and tasty meal for those busy weeknights.

Here's what you'll need...

• Lettuce (whatever kinds, blends you desire)
• A tomato, chopped
• 1/2 a cucumber, sliced
• croutons
• parmesan cheese
• 2 oz. feta cheese
• black olives
• 1 chicken breast 
• garlic
• black pepper
• sea salt
• olive oil
• Kraft Greek Vinaigrette dressing

Put a small amount of olive oil in a fry pan and fry the chicken breast. Season with garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Once cooked, cut into thin strips.

Combine other ingredients. Most of these ingredients, how much you'll add just depends on your personal preference. Add chicken and toss. Top with Kraft Greek Vinaigrette dressing.

Super simple, but a super tasty combination. 

<3 M

Crazy. Busy. Hectic. Life!

I've been absolutely awful about blogging as of late. Life has been crazy - I had thought that everything would calm down after the holidays, but instead everything seems to have gone into hyperdrive. And honestly, February is looking busier than January! I'm busy, busy, busy with work and planning my campaign for President of my secular group. I'm not going to be able to piece together much more for coherent thoughts tonight due to sleep deprivation, but I thought I'd drop by and say hi.

Hi.

<3 M

Go Away MRAs

I came across a particularly vile blog post today:

http://www.returnofkings.com/2099/the-9-ugliest-american-feminists

This piece of utter crap is from the blog Return of Kings, which of course, is referring to the return of traditional gender roles where the male is the "king" and the woman is subservient. And who brings us this blog overflowing with the sewage of the earth? MRAs of course.

If you're not familiar with MRAs, it stands for Mens Rights Activists. However, what these fools call rights are actually just them being sexist pigs. They basically argue that women should stay in the kitchen, pop out endless offspring, and of course, look really pretty for their man. Men, meanwhile, should sit atop their thrones, being waited on, and having sex with whichever women they choose. Feminists are their sworn enemy, and they despise any female with an education and less than 4 inch stilettos. They have a couple of "issues" that they really push - like sexism in regards to custody battles, but for the most part they just really wish they were Don Draper.

Well, fuck you MRAs.

Kitchen Aid Garlic Mozzarella Loaf

Ever since I got my amazing Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas, I just want to use it all the time. Like every single day. I can't help it - that thing is a rock star. I really can't sing its praises enough. If you don't have one, I'm sorry. I mean, I really am sorry. It does everything - mixes perfectly, so many speeds, shreds meats, kneads bread... the list goes on. One of the many fantastic things you can do with your Kitchen Aid is make Garlic Mozzarella Loaf.

This stuff is dangerous!

You'll need...

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 tbsp. honey
• salt (I used about 3 grinds from my grinder. Probably around 1 teaspoon)
• olive oil 
• mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• garlic
• oregano
• basil
• parsley 

Stir together yeast, 1 cup warm water, and honey. I just put this right into the Kitchen Aid bowl. Let yeast proof for 5 minutes - the honey gives the yeast something to munch on. A bubbly foam should form on the surface of the water. If it does, your yeast is good to go. Add flour, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in, mixing on low speed (I used the dough hook for this). The dough is thoroughly mixed once it is clinging to the hook and not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Let the Kitchen Aid knead the dough for an additional 5 minutes. Grease a mixing bowl and put the dough in it. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

1 hour later, punch that bitch down (I'm talking about the dough). This is really the best part of making bread. Feeling mad, sad, angry... make some bread, punch some dough. :) Separate dough into two portions and form each one into a long loaf. You could make one big loaf, but as I'm usually only cooking for me and the hubs, I like to freeze one loaf. Put these loaves on a cookie sheet, cover, and let raise for 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. 

While it's baking, you're going to want to whip up your garlic butter sauce. This part is a bit sketch, because I don't ever measure spices. I just throw stuff in until it looks/smells/tastes good. This always works for me, but I realize it may be a little nerve-wracking for those of you who don't trust your 6th spice adding sense. Melt the butter down to a liquid in the microwave and add a generous amount of garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley. Also, slice your mozzarella into thin slices.

Once you've removed the bread from the oven, brush with the garlic butter sauce. Really slather that on - this is no time to count calories. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool long enough that you can slice it without it deflating. 

Once the bread has cooled enough, make slice marks half way through the loaf, horizontally about 1 inch apart (don't cut all the way through). Slather with garlic butter sauce (making sure to let it drizzle down into those cuts) and place mozzarella slices in the incisions. Put in oven until cheese melts. Serve warm.

This stuff is tasty, and goes great with pasta. It also tastes fantastic with an olive oil/herb drizzle. 

Happy baking!

<3 M

On the Crest of a New Wave

I thought I'd just ad a quick blurb, since it's been a few days and I feel like I should write something. This blog had 78 views today - that's crazy! I really didn't think that anyone would ever read anything that I wrote here. Thank-you, if you've checked any of it out.

I feel like I'm on the crest of a new wave in my life. This seems to happen to me periodically, but I think it has usually been for the best. I started the job that I'm at 5 1/2 years ago. Prior to that, I worked for an awful greasy fast food chain - I was an assistant manager there. I was treated poorly, overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated. Due to that kind of treatment, I had a terrible nasty attitude and it made me into a negative person 24/7, not just when I was at work. When I started at the job I'm currently at, I vowed to turn over a new leaf in all aspects of my life, and I have. However, along with being a nicer, friendlier person, I also became a person that was afraid to make waves in all aspects of life. I entirely let people walk all over me. Until yesterday...

Yesterday I hit my tipping point. You can only take so much before you break or you make a change. I opted for the later. It's funny because I've put up with a lot... and one little email was what did it. And I raged and was upset and frustrated yesterday...

But today I woke up ready to change things. Today I woke up ready to take on the world. Today I woke up ready to get shit done. Today I became one of the motherfucking blower uppers (House of Lies reference :) ).

Let's do this.

<3 M

Ponies!

I have had a BUSY last 24 hours! It started with drinks after work with a friend (always a great time), then I went to a hockey game with the hubs and a friend. It was a blast - we were right up on the glass, and there were quite a few fights. Then this morning, bright and early, I was off shopping with my mom, my sister, and my niece. We went thrifting in the morning, which unfortunately didn't turn up much. I found a couple of cute pieces of furniture, but since we were in my mom's little Forte, and had the babyseat and stroller in tow, there wasn't room. Later though, a trip to the mall lead to my purchase of these:

My red Jellypop Ponies!

At first I picked them up because I thought they were hideous and I was going to make a joke about purchasing them. My mom made a crack about how ugly they were. I said that I kind of liked them... because I was starting to, but all the while knowing that I also thought they were ugly. I decided to try them on... and then I was in love! My mom and sister said they were ugly (I believe my sister tried to be polite and called them "interesting"), but agreed that my quirky self could make them work. I was torn between the red and the blue, but I have been wanting some red shoes. Also, for some reason, the red ones were $5 less. They were on clearance, so these ugly ducklings cost me a whopping $15 (original price $59.99)! Win, win! I'm so stoked to rock these!

<3 M

Love is in the Air!

I took down our Christmas decorations (except the outside lights which the hubs has declared are staying up until St. Patrick's Day) and the house looks... bare.

Never fear, crafter Mandy is here!

I love Valentine's Day - I love the hearts, the flowers, the corny phrases, the explosion of red & pink, spending a special date with the hubs - everything! With nothing but some felt, thread, and scissors I created a heart garland that now adorns 3 windows and an entryway in our house.

I started by making a heart stencil - I used a recipe card, so my hearts are probably about 2 1/2 inches tall. I chose four colors of felt - red, cream, tan, and mustard. I mixed Valentine's colors with non-Valentine's colors to add interest. I cut twice as many red as I did the other colors so that my pattern was red, 2 of the other colors, then another red. The 2 middle colors alternated without pattern, so it was a nice mix of my artsy abstractness with my OCD tendencies. I find myself doing these kind of things often to satisfy both distinct parts of me. Whatever works. :) When I was done cutting hearts, I had 12 red, 6 cream, 6 tan, and 6 mustard.

I threaded a needle with a loooong piece of thread, doubling it over and knotting the end so it was more sturdy. I left about 8 inches in from the end and then strung the first heart with a simple stitch. After the stitch, I did a small stitch with a knot to lock the heart in place so they didn't all slide together on the thread.

I then left about a 5 inch gap and did this same thing with the next heart - stitch and then stitch with a knot. Repeat as many times as you would like.

The great thing about this is you can really do whatever you want - put the hearts closer together or further apart, as many colors as you'd like, patterns or no patterns, etc. You really can't mess it up.

Hang and enjoy!!!

<3 M

It's 2013, Bitches!

Happy 2013! The hubs and I had a fantastic night at one of our favorite local restaurants and enjoyed drinks and reminiscing over the past year.

Did you know that 2013 is the first year since 1987 that has 4 different digits? In your head, you're going back through the years now (I did the same thing) - but it's true! Mind blown!

It being the new year, my brain is in super over-achiever mode, and I've been thinking about things I want to get accomplished. Yesterday, I shared my New Years resolutions:

• I want to cook more. I absolutely love cooking, and I want to branch out and try new things. I also want to cut down on eating out quite a bit.
• I want to make our house more of a home, rather than just a place where we keep our stuff. This place needs to be E & M-ified - see my post about my home decor ideas here. 
• I want to participate in the Sioux Glow 5K event. It's a 5K at night, where everyone decks out in glow in the dark gear!
• As always, E & I hope to expand our family. However, with our difficulties, this does seem somewhat out of our hands, but we will do everything in our power to make this happen. I'm really hoping that 2013 is the year.

I also started thinking about other goals:

• I want our secular group to get together and set some first quarter goals for ourselves. I want to keep us looking ahead and moving forward. Personally, as the VP of Philanthropy, I want us to design our own cause or host our own charitable event. 
• I'd like to take a trip with E - we had such a good time in DC last year, I would like to share new places and experiences with him again.
• I've done quite a bit of volunteer work over the past year, and I want to continue with that. I feel so much better giving back to those less fortunate and encouraging others to do the same.

Looks like I better get busy... :)

<3 M