Im Tabloid Gossip!

Dear Diary-
Holy CRAP! Can you believe that I am in Star Magazine?!!! Are you freaking kidding me? Me, Jen Isham tabloid newsworthy?! Yes tabloids are news- everyone knows that most of it is true. Hello John for sure was doing the 23 year old teacher and Kate is total BEOTCH! lalalalalaal whatever BUT I am in Star magazine! In the same issue that talks about that Duff girl- not sure which one Haley or Hillary- and her new nose and chin job! I'm also in the same issue as freaking LADY GAGA! Well Diary they don't say my name BUTTTTT I am the only one to get a picture in the issue besides the group shot!
This is the most exciting day!!!!! Engagement Day and Wedding Day were the best BUT this is right up there! OMG Diary- do you think the paparazzi is trailing me? Maybe i need a body guard.....
AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm on Entertainment Tonight's website too! I just need to pour myself a drink to celebrate my 15 minutes of FAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Orlando Sentinel Article

Dear Diary-
Yep that's me with my boy Bobby Flay. Right before this picture was taken we gripped up with the secret FCI grip- no really I'm kidding there is no grip.

So my premiere is coming up. Can you believe that I started this crazy adventure 7 months ago? I mean I could have grown an almost full term baby by now! Anyway went by Dad's office today to scope out my new veneers for my teeth. I'm gonna look all fancy with fancy people teeth! Although I have been warned to no longer open my beer bottles with my mouth. That will be a hard habit to break- but it's either the habit or the veneers. I choose the perfect teeth over the trashy habit.
FOCUS
OK so while I am at Dad's office I pick up the Orlando Sentinel to read Heather McPherson's awesome article on me! hehe It was great! I need to get an awesome scrap book to put all my Food Network stuff in. Then I will be a scrap booking, coupon cutting person. I hope they make cute housecoats....

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-livheather-052709-nextfoodnetwo052709may27,0,677064.column

How is this possible?

Dear Diary-
There are no real words for this... this is our neighbor. Well he's one of the kids renting across the street from us. I do not know or can even come to close to figure out how the mounting and dismounting of this contraption is possible. Is there a ladder in his backpack that can be opened? How do you stop? Balance? Or just "fall" into the grass or oncoming traffic...
Who thinks to stack one bike on top of the other... oh yeah the apparently unemployed kid renting the house across the street. Now I could be wrong- there could be possible employment but if there is I want his schedule... because he is still home when I leave for work and home when I get home from work.
WAIT! I forgot- he collects left over produce from groceries stores and gives it away under his carport- i did get that flyer. As did most of the vagrants and homeless in the downtown Orlando area... this all makes for fantastic views for the people who come to look at our house that is for sale....
CRAP

Dinner #2

Dear Diary-
Wow tonight was a very long but good night. First off I got home from work late- like 7ish because I was there helping plate a dinner for 165 but have no clue why the "chef" decided to cook and then plate and put steaks into a hot box 1 hour before service.... wonder if the peeps enjoyed thier hockey pucks. Anyway I digress back to my original train of thought... my dinner #2 i cooked last night. Our kinda big night dinner. The dinner we had when we signed the contract on the new house we hope to close on- if the inspection passes. Ok so Dinner #2 on the week challenge was a 5 spiced seared tilapia with a red cabbage and red onion with cider vinegar reduction and oriental rice.
* Slice 1/2 small red cabbage and 1/2 red onion
* Saute cabbage and onion in butter and season with salt and pepper- saute until softened and the add 2tbs of cider vinegar and reduce
* Cook Rice and add peas and soy sauce to taste
* Season Tilapia filets with 5 spice seasoning
* Saute a couple minutes per side until fish is cooked thru

So we ate our yummy food and then drove over to Barry Os to sign the contract on the 4/3.... inspection in 7 days... closing at the end on June. Fingers crossed all goes well and we sell our current house.....hmmmmmmm St Joseph you around? Hello.....

Dinner #3

Dear Diary-
WAY OUT OF ORDER... IM NOT A CONSISTENT BLOGGER- JERKIE WOULD BE MAD!

Ok so Gabe is still not home from work yet but Dinner #3 on the $25 a week Challenge was sooo good! A new recipe... and get this my dad who stopped by liked it. This is the guy that does not like "things" in his food. "things" would be anything that is not a hum drum ingredient especially not a mushroom or fungi. Anyway my Thai turkey stuffed peppers were way too good. Gabe's pepper is still sitting on the stove and I'm pretty tempted to eat it and make him a Tostinos. Anyway it was awesome and fit right into the week's tight budget.
* Cut the tops off and seed 2 green bell peppers
* Place in a shallow bowl with an inch of water and microwave for 4 minutes
* Saute ground turkey and season with ginger paste, salt and pepper- drain and set aside
* Heat 3/4 can of coconut milk, 1 tbs of ginger paste, 1 jalapeno pepper sliced, 2 tsp of fish oil and 1 tbs of brown sugar
* Saute 1/2 sliced white onion and 2 green onions- then add to the coconut milk sauce
* Stuff peppers with ground turkey and cover with coconut milk sauce
* Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes
* Top with cilantro
* EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STUPID FU@%ING SCANNER

Dear Diary-
Why do men (or at least my man- although I'm pretty sure it's a majority of men )feel the need to get mad at objects that are not living? I mean I suppose that the scanner not working could cause some frustration yet I do not curse the printer/scanner combo out because I can't figure it out. Well maybe I have had my moments but I don't think I'm that bad. Road rage is one thing- utter frustration over the scanner just seems a bit ridiculous... but makes me crack up quietly to myself so that Gabe doesn't hear me and get even pissed off... hahahahahahh
But it is all over sending back the contract on the house we are buying. My first house that has my name attached... I am cautiously ecstatic... and at the same time praying my butt off that our house sells... it has it's cool sign out front! Anyone want a house?

Dinner #1

Dear Diary-
So the $25.00 challenge- i did it! Well at least the shopping part on the budget! Here was Tuesday's Dinner...
*Slice the Eggplant 1/2 inch thick slices
*Dip in Egg
*Coat in Breadcrumbs ( i used left over herbed croutons- mashed them up into crumbs- TASTY!)
*Saute in oil and butter in saute pan 2 minutes per side
*Top with Mozz Cheese and put under the boiler to melt cheese
Layer one eggplant slice on toasted hamburger bun, top with spicy tomato sauce,top
with second slice of eggplant, top with more sauce and basil leaves ( have some
growing on my porch! )

served with roasted asparagus and sliced shallot.... mmmmmmm yummy- smokey and crispy and tangy

So I cheated by using left over croutons for breadcrumbs, butter, salt and pepper and used my basil that grows on our back porch... but other than that all ingredients were bought on my $25 budget! I think that is still pretty damn good if i don't say so myself...

Vintage Dear Diary

Dear Diary-
DECEMBER 2008- when I found out I was going to be on The Next Food Network Star!

so I am going to “pursue a new career opportunity” in T minus 27 days- it is also my big 30! So anyway I get the call at Chili’s over a happy hour glass of Chardonnay with my Colleen and Mel- buddies from the CP Universal. So as I was finishing up talking about my trip to NYC last week and what I did at the audition the phone rings and it’s a 323 area code. I instantly recognize the number as no other then chick from the casting company. So I freak and Colleen freaks and then I get up out of my chair in the bar and leave my second glass of Chardonnay on the table to talk to the casting girl. Diary my heart was beating so fast! And I had already started to cry. Then she tells me I’m on the show- I cry more and my Colleen cried too. So I don’t really remember what she told me but she said to call her today- which I just did and got her voicemail DAMN IT BOBBY! So I sat back down after hugging my Colleen and was touched that both her and Mel had tears in their eyes- I had mascara on my face. My old boss was there at that point too and was there for the big news. So I decide I’m gonna tell Gabe in person and sat there shell shocked. So I text Shannon and told her I’d call her in the car. So I ditch my plans of attending the CP Universal Christmas- oops must be PC “Holiday Party” and went home to tell Gabe. So I call Shannon and she is still at work busting out some awesome bowl game stuff and she has to call me back. I call my parents and get no answer- come to find out they were on their aerobic walk- because Dad’s cardiologist told him he needs to get in shape or he’s gonna drop from a heart attack. ( He had to buy tennis shoes ) So I pick up a bottle of Champagne- which is not part of my 75 a week budget Gabe has placed me on just in case I actually got the call I got last night. So I get home- he is in the shower and I go in there and tell him that I’m gonna miss him. And I cry some more… then I had champagne and Shannon and Scott came over to toast well. So I had 2 glasses of whit wine- champagne and then the red wine came out. Needless to say dear diary I do not feel too hot today. Then my mom shows up at work with flowers- she is not good at keeping secrets. BUT she also showed up with a mini cooler with her FLU SHOT KIT! She insisted that I go into the bathroom with her and she shoots me up with the flu shot so that I am not sick when I got to Jamaica and then to NYC! Seriously dear diary- who’s mom shows up at work with the flu shot? RANDOM!


GOOD THING I GOT THE FLU SHOT IN DECEMBER- PERHAPS IT PROTECTED ME FROM THE SWINE FLU.....

House Hunting

Dear Diary-
I want the house- the new house the 4/3 with the pimp master bath- but the sucky kitchen...the red tacky small kitchen.... no room for my awesome serving dishes :(
BUT waiting and crunching numbers for the prospect of the big 4/3 on a double lot in the desirable zip is making me want to hit myself in the head with a hammer......

Coupon Lady

Dear Diary
I think I need a housecoat and slippers... I have just crossed the line into coupon land. I figured if I found some coupons that my $25 challenge next week would be a little easier. Now there is no turning back- I signed up on a website for coupon junkies...what's next a cat? I can see how this can be engulfing and that there is a very real danger of this turning into an OCD hobby and i could turn out to be a recluse with tons of plastic tubs filled with cut out pieces of paper. Wonder if Gabe would still dig me....
meeeow

Kick Off

Dear Diary-
I sit at my desk wanting so badly for the damn clock to read 5:55pm so I can be in my car at 6pm.... that being said I'm also running multiple wants thru my cluttered head. First fame and stardom from my fantastic venture on the Next Food Network Star... tune in Sunday nights at 9pm eastern and pacific time starting June 7th to see if I will be the Next Food Network Star- that was the line i learned at PR training last week- sound professional? Anyway NFNS, selling our house, bidding on the other. And then the economic challenge I'm about to set forth on. $25 a week to spend on groceries to cook dinner for 2 for 5 nights.... it's going to kick off on Sunday May 10th. Diary I will steer clear of all canned veggies and boxed dinners- the goal is to dine on sumptuous tasty meals and stay within the confides of a twenty and a five....it will be tough but if i succeed it will be more money to spend on jazzy things for the new house that we hope to get- if the freaking realtor would come back with a response to the offer. Oh yes and i will be filled with elation over my culinary triumph...wonder if i can get Morimoto to be proud? Ok off to rub Icey Hot on my aching shoulder- it still hurts from my inexperience dancing the hora at Ker's wedding 10 months ago.... who the hell hurts themselves doing that?! Oh yeah I do....