Cute Girl Coolers FINALLY!

Dear Diary!
Oh happy day! There finally some cute girl coolers out there that can hold all my yummy treats and sips! And best of all... they are PINK! I heart my new pink camo cooler so much. I think I look pretty stylin on the boat with my cooler!


Anyway for all the Diary friends out there if you are looking for a jazzy pink cooler then order away here www.norchill.com they even have some boy coolers too- but not as cool. They make the perfect gifts! If you want a little discount use CARD25 at check out! Maybe I'll bring mine to Maine and carry along my lobster friends inside until I cook them up!

Artichokes and TV Trays

Dear Diary-
I am gearing up for my 4 day long lobster binge which starts this Friday. So figuring that I am about to gorge on tasty, sweet , plump, fresh lobster non stop in just a couple of days I have decided to load up on veggies. Thinking perhaps my system would appreciate some veggies leading up to the onslaught of lobster I steamed up some artichokes last night. Anyway it seems that when Gabe and I eat yummy yummy artichokes we must eat them on the couch on TV trays... strange combo... we look like some TV dinner couple on artichoke nights

My Talented Friend and Mimi And Dolores

Dear Diary-
I have so many talented friends in my life. I think we all need to open up some lifestyle company and I swear we could rock the world with fabulousness- and I'm pretty sure we could do it better than Kimora Lee- or just in a more realistic way I guess. Anyway Diary I wanted to show you and all your friends Keri's Awesome pretties that she creates! I can't wait to hit it big on HSN or in Crate and Barrel and buy all of her stuff! I do heart J Crew jewels.. but Keri's would be so much better!
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http://mimianddolores.blogspot.com

LOBSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Diary-
ohhh Diary it's only Monday and I can not wait until Friday! On Friday we fly out to Maine. I am so PUMPED to eat at Red's. It will kick off my 4 day lobster binge. mmmmmmmmmmmmm I can just picture the nice lobster roll in hand.....

Paint War........... It's On

Dear Diary-
We have been working so hard on our new house... Dad comes over after work to do the grunt work. Gabe's Mom is in to help out too. She took us shopping last night and we picked out such pretty things! Gabe was not a fan of the pretty candelabra- but we liked it. Anyway I think she may be painting our house as we are at work today...I'm working so hard can't you tell? The paint... what a battle. How come I got a husband that has a STRONG opinion on decor? We already had the fight over not putting his 7 foot monstrosity of a fish tank in the living room- even though he thought the light oak coffin looking set up would make a nice centerpieces. Ugh the paint- it was like pulling teeth to get him to agree not to paint the walls taupe. I got him to go for a light gray even though he considers it a gloom and doom color. He doesn't get it. I think I will wait til he leaves for Europe to pick out the paint color and new bedding for the master bedroom- that way I can avoid Paint War II.....

Home Shopping Network Here I Come

Dear Diary-
It's my day off but instead of relaxing and maybe doing some things around the house I will be driving to Tampa. But that is ok Diary because I am training to be on air at the Home Shopping Network- better known as HSN. I know random but kinda cool too. I need to work on my enthusiastic words.... BAM, POW, WOW, PRESTO maybe.... anyway I hope I run into Todd English!

How to Pickle Radishes

Dear Diary-
Mom is proud of her radishes she has grown in Maine... she wants to know how to pickle radishes... i have never done this so i looked it up... BUT dipping them into sea salt is pretty yummy too... maybe Mom needs to make some radish tea sandwiches and put on a hat and gloves- she could find some at the chicken coop antique place up there...
HERE YOU GO MOM!

Easy Radish Pickles
From: LA Times

Ingredients:

2 bunches radishes (about 3/4 pound with tops removed)
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon whole mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions:

Trim the tops and tails of the radishes and quarter them lengthwise. In a large, nonreactive bowl, toss them with 1 tablespoon kosher salt to coat well. Add water to cover and several ice cubes. Set aside until the radishes have softened slightly but are still crisp, about 2 hours. Alternatively, transfer the salted radishes without the water and ice cubes to a Japanese pickle maker and screw down the top.
While the radishes are softening, toast the mustard seed and black peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar, one-half cup water, the sugar and the remaining one-fourth teaspoon salt and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool until the pickling mixture is just warm to the touch.
Rinse the radishes well and pat them dry with a towel. Place them in a small, nonreactive container and pour the warm pickling mixture over them to just cover. Seal tightly and refrigerate at least 1 day to mature.

Mission: Veggie Dinner

Diary-
Gabe is at his conference all week and that means lonely Jen eats by herself every night this week. So I'm thinking about how I am going to make something tasty out of the veggies in my fridge. I think I have a red pepper, an orange pepper, corn on the cob, a red onion, cherries and lemons. I think I'm going to try to make some sort of spiced grilled veggie concoction and sauteed cherries over a lemon cous cous... we'll see how my adventure turns out later- maybe it will be kinda like Morocco- even though I have never been to Morocco. Diary, I think I would like to add Morocco to my list of places I want to see... yes Morocco- I could get a cute dress and some jazzy bangles... wonder if Keri could make me some.

Mom's Maine Salad

Dear Diary-
Mom aka Linda Lou is up in Maine for the summer. She planted a garden with Dad up there back in June... and tonight she had her first salad from her garden...I can't wait til we go up there.. maybe i can find some nice cheese to go with her fresh garden delights!
From Mom...
French breakfast radishes, Red Sail lettuce, Green tower lettuce, Loose leaf lettuce from our plot in the community garden. All planted 6/13/09. Also pictured are wild raspberries from Benz’s walk this afternoon picked along the road side (I washed them very well), and Mescaline mix lettuce sprouts from the salad bowls I planted on the deck off the family room. I was tempted to pick the baby zucchini that seem to grow an inch a day, but I’ll hold off.

Hello Lover

Dearest Diary-
Oh Diary ever since New York I am addicted to beets. I feel like my Mom used to maybe serve canned beets- and as you know Diary, I hate ALL canned vegetables. So I think that is why I was so turned off when Ker and I ordered some bruschetta with goat cheese and beets the night I got kicked off The Next Food Network Star. BUT OHHH MY do I love beets now! BUT you have to roast them... none of that canned crap. Gabe is out at a dinner meeting and I'm gonna dice my beets and make a nice salad with goat cheese and a champagne vainagrette. Maybe beets for breakfast too....it's love
TO ROAST A BEET
Cut off the tops (save the greens for another use- cook them down like turnip greens)
Wrap each beet in aluminum foil
Bake at 425 for 35 min
Wait til they cool
Peel the skin off
Dice into cubes, slices whatever floats your boat..
WASH YOUR HANDS!
>

Eye on the Prize

Dear Diary-
I'm telling you I'm having all these epiphanies lately. First I found the Lord after praying for the wallet and now I'm all pumped and jazzed after listening to an awesome speaker this past weekend. This guy was fantastic and really turned up the heat under my butt to get motivated and moving on achieving my goals. John Schultz - www.beyondthepodium.org GO SEE HIM! Diary, I know before you know it I'm going to be some totally new random person that you don't know...
Anyway during the presentation we were given an exercise. John talked about how to accomplish your goals strategies to staying motivated and energized. Well here is my project. You can't do anything unless you
1. Get Ready
2. Get Set
3. Go
So this is my Get Set.... I'm soon off to the races Diary eat my dust!Just kidding I'll take you with me

2 Years

Dear Diary-
Wow I can't believe it has been two years that I have been married! Wow it seems like I just woke up and drove with Shannon to The Retreat and got ready for my big day. It was such a pretty pretty day. It almost rained and I made Shannon make the call on if my ceremony was going to be inside or out- she picked right it was perfect out. Perfect day perfect groom- until he stepped on my dress and ripped my bustle... anyway good memories and it's been a great 2 years. Can't wait for all the anniversaries to come
LOVE MY GABE!

Saturday

Dear Diary-
So it was moving day/ weekend/ still moving this past weekend. Anyway picture this... we are making a run to get more things to move to the new house, Gabe realizes he left his cell and his wallet on the back of his truck when we pulled away. So this nice lady named Noel calls and says she found the phone and will drop it off- good thing cell check wallet who knows. Gabe then instantly is thrown into a panic/ hissy fit. So being the good wife I am and with hopes that perhaps I can find the wallet and our entire weekend will not be ruined I go off to look for the wallet. As I scour a 3 mile stretch of pavement and curves looking for his little wallet with no glasses on I am praying to God that I find it or some nice person like Noel found the wallet and put it in our mailbox... I would do that! Anyway I am praying and praying and I spot the wallet! I instantly swerve over to the side of the road and then get honked at, yelled at and flicked off by the angry driver behind me- yeah Happy 4th of July to you too jerk off. Anyway so I grab the wallet just to find it empty. I think dang it some idiot stole all the cards and ditched the wallet. Then I see this glimmer of gold... the AMEX! WOOOOO WHOOOO then I see more and more cards. Keep in mind Diary I am dodging cars and picking up strewn cards across 4 lanes of traffic- in a really attractive outfit covered in pain primer and flip flops. Ok so I gather the contents that I could find and I am pretty sure that I got it all. I hop back in my car and turn around to go back to the new house and tell Gabe that I saved the day. Now this is when it gets interesting... as I am passing over Mills Ave and smiling ear to ear I hear myself say OUT LOUD "God is Good". Yes Diary it seems that I had a true moment- that I was reborn and have realized the power of prayer... I decided I needed to go to church since I prayed so hard to find the wallet and it showed up. I did not go as far as raising my hands up to feel the power of God's love but it was close.
So feeling full of pride, happiness and the Lord Our Savior I pull up to the new house and honk the horn to tell Gabe the good news. I see my Gabe and proudly waive his wallet at him- which he takes and looks thru... Diary I was thinking he would be so excited and hug me and thank me and feel the power of God too... well this is what he said
" Where's my concealed weapons permit? "
Apparently dodging traffic and bringing home all of his cards was not good enough because the weapons permit was not recovered. Well Diary I felt the happiness and the Lord leave me as I went inside to call Gabe's mother and curse him out.
I didn't get to church the next day...