Checking in

Interviewing for this job has been consuming all of my time and energy lately! I got through to the second interview, so it’s back to studying some more.

Over the weekend I studied in the sun…

Made this dessert from She’s on the Run for a cookout my sister-in-law hosted on Memorial day.

Saw a Today show segment on acing a job interview about two hours before my actual interview. I know I tend to be too rehearsed with my responses and that was one of the negative comments the interviewer had about candidates.

I setup my interview station, complete with my resume taped on our computer monitor, the job description taped on the desk and my notes down below. Oh and some water to sip on throughout, which I needed desperately!

I snacked on a sample of these that came in the mail–they were pretty tasty!

And I got my thank you card out to my interviewer right away. I don’t believe e-mail thank yous are appropriate, even in this technology savvy society we live in. I did thank my interviewer when confirming the second interview time, but I hope she’s impressed when she gets a card from me this week.

Anyone have a funny job interview story to share? I could use some humor since my life has been so serious lately!

I won’t be checking in again until Sunday or Monday. My Friday and Saturday will be spent in Madison on a Wisconsin Cheese tour and I can’t wait to recap it on the blog and share what I learned and ate with all of you lovely readers! I am so thankful to the Wisconsin Cheese Board for sponsoring this trip. I get to meet some fellow WI bloggers too.

Baking, fro yo, friends and family

This weekend…

Craig came back from being out of town. He has had to use up vacation days because they expire at the end of this month. So, he went up north and enjoyed a change of scenery. It was so good to have him back! We really haven’t been apart much, so I was missing him like crazy while he was gone. So were the kitties.

I baked the strawberry rhubarb crumble I made a year ago because I was craving it.

I went to Yo Mama and got cake batter and pistachio frozen yogurt.

This mama (my friend Danielle) got hers totally free because she’s a mama to two cute little girls. I asked if cat children counted, but sadly they didn’t (I wasn’t the only weirdo who asked that apparently). Yo Mama in Tosa had a buy one get one free deal, so Danielle’s first fro yo from there was totally on the house. Lucky girl. She loved the cake batter like I do.

Before that, we had walked a big loop around Hart Park, through a neighborhood in Tosa and then went to Outpost after fro yo because she had never been to the Outpost before. It was a lovely day for a long walk with an old friend.

I needed to balance out the sweetness of the yogurt, so Craig and I had salads for dinner. He requested croutons and I picked up a yummy cheese and garlic natural variety from Outpost. Mmm…they hit the spot!

Today, we took Craig’s mama, Kathy, out for breakfast. We tried to eat at Blue’s Egg but it was packed, so we went with our second choice.

I had a breakfast wrap with hash browns. I ate this whole plate and regretted it later since I didn’t really eat much else all day.

I didn’t get to see my mom today, but I am glad I spent her birthday with her. It’s always hard since her birthday falls right before mother’s day. My brother went over to my parents’ house, so at least she got to see one of her 7 kids! We’re going to do a mother’s day redo together by going to Cedarburg on one of my furlough Fridays. I haven’t been there since I was a kid so I am looking forward to that.

I ran some errands to Target and Kohl’s, pumped up the tires in my bike and went for a ride around the block and then took long walk with Craig. After all of that running around, I read magazines in bed and relaxed for a little while.

And now I am going to go work on a review of a product, which I hope to post early this week! I’ve been enjoying using it this weekend and it’s something I always wanted for my kitchen.

Shopping trip success

It’s been a good weekend! Productive and fun! How was yours?

We worked out Saturday morning and I biked for a half hour at a good resistance! I also lifted weights and walked. My ankle didn’t bother me at all. Woo hoo!

After lounging around the house a while, I decided to go shopping at the mall and to some other places.

I haven’t bought any clothes in a while, but I found a tank top and two shirts at the Gap–all for $20. My husband thinks the black and white top looks too much like my other “French girl” shirts but I disagree. I love these t-shirts from Gap. The material, cut and prints all are wonderful.

I also picked up a free Hand Relief at Aveda (with a coupon I got in the mail) and some foundation (back to using what has always worked for me–Double Wear in Sand) and received the gift from Estee Lauder with a cute chevron bag and makeup goodies.

I ran to DSW to look for some flats, but had no luck. I then went to downtown Wauwatosa to Oro de Oliva (more on that later this week) and finally I popped in Outpost, a local co-op grocery store. Shopping at Outpost was so nice. I found quite a few things and it had me wishing we had one close by. But, then again, when Trader Joe’s opens nearby in August, I’ll probably be there every other weekend.

Back to Outpost–I spotted this DentaTreat and called Craig to see if he thought we should get it. Karma had inflamed gums and he also has tummy troubles (besides his lung being collapsed) and this sounded perfect. It’s a powder we add to his wet food and I noticed it has acidophilus in it, which is great for his tummy. He’s had it twice so far and seems to gobble it up.

Once back home, I pulled this new spice out of the cabinet to add to the veggies I was roasting for dinner.

Chopped up the broccoli and brussels sprouts for roasting!

All done and fantastic! I swear that shopping at Outpost made me want to eat tons of veggies.

To get full use out of the oven, I mixed up this package of muffin mix.

I had one fresh out of the oven and it was delicious, of course!

Later on, I watched a few episodes of Ted Talks on Netflix. One featuring Jamie Oliver and the other, Mark Bittman.

We ended the evening with the movie The Descendents. We watched about 3/4 of it before we went to bed and finished it today. It wasn’t great, but not that bad either.

Today, I cleaned up around the house and then we drove downtown to the central library. I checked out these two books, which I probably won’t start until later this week.

Our next adventure included going to the downtown YMCA. It was such a nice facility. I loved the track. We walked three laps, which equaled 1/2 mile, did the elliptical and lifted weights. The weight machines were different than our Y, but we figured them out pretty quickly. We were hungry after and I really wanted a juice from Fresh juice bar. It was closed. I opted for some guacamole and chips from Qdoba, two bites of Craig’s Culvers burger and a Snickers custard since I hadn’t really indulged in sweets all weekend long.

Amazing Race is on, so I will end this super long post and go watch it. Good night!

The rest of the weekend…

…I watched Mildred Pierce. I liked it! Another period drama to help me fill that Downton Abbey void.

I knew Saturday’s workout challenged me when I woke up sore on Sunday. I couldn’t quite place what made my arms so sore in a particular area.

Yesterday, I went to do more push ups on the BOSU (ball side down) and the pain hit in those exact areas. I guess that move is working, so I’ll keep doing it! The cardio portion of our workout included walking around our YMCA, enjoying the sunshine, perfect temps and gravel trail.

Banana soft serve (frozen bananas grinded with a bit of milk in the food processor) was mixed up when we got home. I added chia seeds and sunflower butter to mine. Yum!

Sunday lunch was quinoa with roma tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, dried basil, kalamata olives and red pepper.

March photo of the day was a corner of our house. Here is our front door with Buddha.

I crammed a Target and Marshall’s trip into the afternoon. When I got home, I sat outside and gave myself a mani and pedi and then read the latest Glamour issue that features Jennifer Lawrence on the cover. Can’t wait for The Hunger Games to be in the theaters this week! I haven’t been this excited for a movie in a while.

Dinner was a small tortilla (that ended up being hard to pull apart so it is holy) with romas, avocado, jack cheese and Frank’s Red Hot.

I was in the mood to bake and I had known since Friday what I was going to make. I saw this recipe for Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars with Brown Sugar Glaze randomly on a blog or website and printed it out.

And then I ended my evening by watching The Amazing Race. They went to my favorite place, Germany! They had a challenge at Neuschwanstein, which is the gorgeous castle we went to on our honeymoon.

Aaah, to be there on vacation right now instead of starting another work week.

If you are looking for a great giveaway to enter, check out Laura’s blog to win a case of Vita Coco. Giveaway ends tonight!

Duncan Hines coupons giveaway and Crinkle Cookies

Ever since I saw Southern Charm’s recipe for crinkle cookies, I knew I’d have to copy her and make them myself!

So, I used one of the coupons for a free Duncan Hines product that I received from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program to get a box of the Triple Chocolate decadent cake mix.

The cookies were easy to make using her recipe and they turned out well. They don’t look quite the same as hers, but they sure taste yummy. Craig said they’re like little brownies. He has a good point–they’re meant to be chewy and soft like a brownie.

Want a chance to win two Duncan Hines coupons worth up to $3.99 each? Enter below by 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 1st! Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comment. I’ll contact the winner via e-mail and post the winner’s name back here on Thursday.

I also got a pie filling coupon that I need to use around the holiday. Sorry, can’t give that one away, it’s just pictured below with one of the coupons the winner will receive.

To enter, leave a comment for each of the following entries you complete:

1) Tell me how you may want to use the coupons for baking this holiday season.

2) Follow my blog via e-mail or google reader. If you’re already a follower, say so.

3) Follow me on twitter.

4) Tweet about the giveaway and provide a link to the giveaway in your tweet.

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED* The winner is:

Jessica from Healthy Dairyland! Congrats Jessica. Please send me your mailing address and I’ll get the coupons out to you right away.

Good luck!

Freedom at last and Pumpkin Cupcakes that didn’t fail

I had a pretty typical Monday…it wasn’t bad and it wasn’t good, that is until 2:50 or so, when the Amanda Knox verdict was finally read. Then it turned happy and joyous. I don’t know Amanda, but I see myself in her. I lived in the Italian region of Switzerland for six months. I know it sounds weird, but I feel like that could have been me in jail for four years, sitting there innocently, reading 1,000 books, and learning to speak fluent Italian so I could defend myself in court. Something about her case just completely fascinated me. More than OJ and definitely more than Casey Anthony’s trial.

source

As the news states, now she has to deal with the stress and fame that comes with her freedom. But, as she heads back to Seattle on that plane tonight, finally leaving a country that betrayed her for four long years, she feels relief. For that, I am very happy.

Another thing that made me smile today? Making Pumpkin Cupcakes that actually turned out well! For the sake of baking quickly on a week night, I cheated a bit and used this recipe from skinnytaste.com, which called for a cake mix.

So, I stopped by Target on my way home and grabbed a box. I think spending more time at the gym tonight than in the kitchen is a good thing, don’t you?

The batter looked much better and thicker than yesterday’s failure batter!

I promise that I will still use the two recipes that other bloggers linked to yesterday in the comments section. I just have to wait until I have more time to bake on a weekend.

Once they were out of the oven, they looked pretty good. I am just pleased that they aren’t sunken in. I will taste one before bed probably without frosting, or just a bit of frosting.

I just hope my co-workers like them when I bring them to work for a going away party this week.

Time to read some blogs, Eating Animals and then call it a night!

Pumpkin Cupcake Failure

Using this Taste of Home recipe, I tried to make some pumpkin spice cupcakes today and they just were a total failure.

Like check out the picture below and feel free to LOL.

As you can see, they were sunken in, not just flat!

I think two major things went on–I may have overmixed the batter and I completely forgot to let the butter and eggs get to room temperature before I incorporated them.

My baking powder wasn’t the issue. I did the test with a teaspoon and 1/2 cup of warm water.

I wanted to post this failure because:
1) I rarely see baking failures posted in the blog world.
2) It’s a good reminder to myself to not do/do the things I think caused the problems with the cupcakes.

The one thing that turned out really good was the frosting. It is delicious, just really sweet! Too bad I don’t have the energy to make the cupcakes over again this evening. I’ll refrigerate the frosting and attempt baking again on Monday or Tuesday night.

On that note, any good pumpkin cupcake recipes to share with me by linking in the comments below? I’ll check out Foodbuzz and other sites in the meantime. I think this All Recipes Pumpkin Spice Cupcake recipe sounds better already. They even have a reminder to make sure the eggs are at room temperature.

Wordless Wednesday

In light of the fact that I don’t have a lot of time to blog, I decided to jump on the wordless Wednesday bandwagon and share some of my day through pictures. I kind of enjoyed doing this because I took pictures of different things than I normally would during the course of a day.

Trying out coconut oil for the first time

Tonight, I made a big batch of Double Coconut Granola and I used coconut oil for the first time.

Tropical Traditions sent me the coconut oil to try out and review.

I really like the recipe I used and I agree with what Opera Girl Cooks says in that cooking it at a low temperature generated great results!

I just took the granola out of the oven, but I taste tested when I was turning the granola over every 10 minutes. It is delicious!

Can’t wait to eat this up north while watching the birds munch on their breakfast outside. Aaah, being at the lake sounds so nice right now! Is it the weekend yet?

Thank you to Tropical Traditions for sending me the coconut oil to try out! I will definitely be using it in more recipes soon and posting the results of those too.

Taste of Home Cooking School Recap: Brookfield, May 25, 2011

Last night, Karis and I went to the Taste of Home Cooking School/Show at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield. Head over to Karis’s blog for her recap too, but here is mine. Have you ever attended a Taste of Home cooking show in your hometown?

The show had a great attendance and it seemed like many people in the audience had been to one before. There was an expo outside of the show and it was just ok. We didn’t really talk to any vendors, but that’s not my thing either.

We did receive a nice bag of goodies when we checked in.

We also got to choose a one year subscription to either Taste of Home or Simple and Delicious. I had seen Taste of Home at the libraries I frequent, so I figured getting Simple and Delicious was the better choice, especially because the title of the magazine sounds more like my kind of cooking!

Overall, the cooking show/school was sort of disappointing because much of the time was spent giving away raffle prizes to the audience and promoting the sponsors. They had some awesome giveaway items though. Karis and I didn’t walk away with anything, but Craig’s Aunt and cousin were there and his Aunt won one of the meals to take home with her. I didn’t know she was in attendance until they said her name and what city she was from!

Our chef for the evening was Guy Klinzing. He offered some good tips on cutting fruit, looking for produce at the grocery store, etc.

We received a Cooking School magazine to follow the recipes Guy was cooking, which included Skinny Crab Quiche, Sweet Onion Burgers, French Onion Soup with Warm Apple-Cheese Sandwiches, Black Bean Stuffed Peppers, Flamin’ Cajun Skillet, Halibut Soft Tacos, Blueberry Upside-Down Cake, and Tropical Crisp.

The recipes I would like to try from that selection are the French Onion Soup and Warm Apple-Cheese sandwiches, Black Bean Stuffed Peppers, and Tropical Crisp.

If they have a show next year, my mom really wants to go with me, so I would attend again. I wish they had one that was all vegetarian recipes! I’ll just check out the Taste of Home website for some of those in the meantime!