Sideways & Shipwrecked

Coming soon...

Another Giveaway!

Keep your eyes and ears tuned... this one is delicious and inspiring!

 

Sweet Moments... (a giveaway!)

Okay, so I recently mentioned here about the wonderful Sweet Moments brownies I tried and the awesome chocolatey bath products I received from MyBlogSpark... and now it's your turn to be so lucky! All you have to do is leave a comment about how you like to treat yourself after a long day. Is it a bubble bath? A glass of milk with a cookie? A nap? Reading a good book? Indulging in some chocolate therapy? Retail therapy? Just comment on this post with your answer and you'll be entered to win! The winner will receive a chocolate prize pack along-

with a coupon to try Pillsbury's Sweet Moments for free! All entries must be in by midnight EST 10/31 and a winner will be chosen at random and announced Monday!

G'luck! 

St. Augustine, FL

...I loved it there! It felt so good to see the ocean again... well not just to see it, but smell it, feel it, taste it (yeah, I'm weird- but I have been so far away from it the water even tasted good!) We had a great time- we went to the beach, swam in the crashing waves, thought about sharks too often (but never saw one- someone did while we were para sailing though!), collected shells, went para sailing, did all sorts of sightseeing, drank from the Fountain of Youth (but guess what? I still turned 24 yesterday... so much for staying younger :) ), we missed the ghost tours, ate a lot and bought a veteran at a gas station a beer on Memorial Day. We also had a little car fixing adventure in Georgia (near a good outlet mall)- I learned how to jack up my car... I didn't even know there was a jack in my car... woops.

It was truly beautiful there... and despite it being hot the ocean breeze kept everything so much cooler. We decided (well I decided) that if I ever live in Florida (rather WHEN I live in FL) I will definitely live on one of the beaches- maybe not St. Augustine, just because it was so busy and touristy- but somewhere on one of the coasts. There aren't any orange groves in Northern Florida, want to know why? Because it gets too cold. 60 degrees is what they consider too cold... where do I sign up? It's a shame that when many people's minds think of Florida they just think Disney and hot summers. There is so much more there and the history is pretty cool. Go discover it for yourself! 

It was nice to have a long weekend... and then some. We got back on Tuesday and I took Wednesday off as well so I could enjoy my birthday, which I did enjoy. It's amazing how less special a birthday feels when you get older... but I went to lunch with a co-worker, we saw SATC 2, I cleaned for when my two girlfriends get here Friday, cooked for the party we're having, Mr. Wright made tacos for dinner, we ate Boston Creme Pie and watched SATC... the first one. (I love Charlotte.) Anyway, my birthday with lots of relaxing and no computer felt so good... plus Mr. Wright waited on me hand and foot, what a good guy! Here's a glimpse into St. Augustine... like I said, go discover it for yourself!

           

  
 

  
 

















That's all I have time for now, watch for more later!                  

Mmmm.... delicious lemon muffins...

I made these this weekend and they are delicious! (We still have a few left!) They have a phenomenal amount of lemon flavor, unlike a lot of lemon muffins... and they're homemade. They were so simple to make, it makes me wonder why there is so much processed food out there! Basic recipes with basic ingredients make delicious treats with immense amounts of flavor! I'd love to add fresh blueberries to them- I bet they'd be delicious... more delicious than they already are! Enjoy!

You'll need...

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 T. grated lemon peel
• 1 t. baking powder
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 egg
• 12 oz lemon yogurt
• 6 T. butter, melted
• 1 T. lemon juice
• TOPPING:
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 t. grated lemon peel

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.

In another bowl, beat the egg, yogurt, butter and lemon juice.

Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. (Don't over mix or they'll become rubbery!)

 Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes; leave muffins in pan. Using a toothpick, poke 6-8 holes in each muffin.

In a saucepan, combine the topping ingredients.

Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Spoon over warm muffins.

 

Bon Appetit!

I have so been a total slacker!

I haven't updated in 6 days... my goodness! I have been so busy for a girl with a boring life! I have been trying tons of new recipes (pictures and recipes coming soon)... sewing a little, decorating, shopping, getting ready for our week long trip to the Outer Banks of NC, planning a friend's birthday party (a German themed party which I will be posting pictures of soon!), fulfilling a jewelry order for my Etsy site (thanks Eliza!), etc. etc.

I am getting so excited for our trip to the beach... a bunch of friends, a week on a hopefully empty beach, wild horses, my camera and playful puppies getting to run free-want to come? :) That week I plan on writing a whole ton, cooking, sewing and reading... and frolicking on the beach with my girls and Mr. Wright. I can't tell you the last time I had an actual vacation without any plans whatsoever. Seriously. Every time we go to Maine there are a million of things we have to do, it never feels totally relaxing. (i mean having to visit friends, check out wedding things, do girls shopping trips- they are all a lot of fun, I wouldn't trade them in for the world!), but I never get around to reading the stacks of magazines I bring. Hopefully this vacation will be different! Oh, and seriously, you can come. As long as you order from my Etsy shop. (Thanks again, Eliza, I have the best friends ever... even if they aren't coming to the beach!)

Stay tuned... I plan to get blogging some more... and not be such a total slacker!

Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine’s Day, whether single, taken, dating, hanging with the dog, with your best girlfriends, multiple girlfriends (if you’re a man who thinks you’re smart enough to juggle multiple women… which you’re not because you just spent extra money on overpriced gifts and meals for a day that isn’t even a real holiday!) etc. etc. Mr. Wright and I enjoyed ours- we decided that V Day meals get so expensive so we cooked at home and went out Saturday night instead. Before I share the lovely pictures of our dinner at home let me tell you a little bit about dinner on Saturday. (It’s my time to rant, so bear with me.)

We decided to go to 18 Seaboard, in downtown Raleigh, where we had gone for our first Valentine’s Day when we moved to NC. It’s not too pricey, but we remembered the food as being delicious, loved the ambiance of the restaurant and they have excellent Sangria. I should have known not to call on a Friday afternoon, especially when OpenTablesaid there weren’t any reservations left. I called- was told we had the choice of 5:30 or 8:45. Okay, we’ll take the early time slot- we always eat super late, this will be a change. 5:30? Okay. We don’t have seating in the main dining room so we’ll seat you in the Gallery. Okay, sounds good. So we got there and found out that the “Gallery” was a space in a converted part of the building with entirely white walls and a couple of paintings for sale. The tables are basically metal folding tables crammed in- like they figured, “Well we have a full dining room- why don’t we just add on some space in the back so we can make more money?” I’d rather sit in the kitchen than be shoved in the back… “Welcome to Loserville, you didn’t make your reservation in time, you moron.”

So anyway, I debated between a few things on the menu… Black Peppered Beef with Handkerchief Pasta, Ashley Farms Chicken stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese or 24 hour Marinated Sirloin with my choice of sauce. I almost went with choice three, however, I realized that I was most excited about the sauce choices and a marinated steak most likely will have its own sauce anyway! So the great debate ensued… chicken or beef? Mr. Wright almost choose the beef so I decided I’d get it and he got the salmon. First off, have you ever been asked how you wanted your salmon cooked? I never asked that question when I waitressed for Salmon, only tuna. I was also told that I made a great selection. Yeah, a great selection if you want beef stew on top of a piece of pasta, I found out. I mean seriously, if I wanted beef stew I would have ordered the soup du jour. If I wanted beef stew I would have waited until Tuesday- the day I planned to make it in the crock pot… and thrown on a piece of fancy schmancy handkerchief pasta underneath. (Which was basically a lasagna noodle folded over itself.) Needless to say, if you don’t understand my sarcasm, I was totally disappointed. Oh, and the menu made it sound cheesy- yum, chunks of beef with cheese and pasta?- that little tiny dollop that looks like they may have accidentally dumped a creamer on top? Yes, that’s the cheese. Oh, and Mr. Wright’s salmon? How was that you ask? The girl who hates fish wanted to eat his salmon instead… and he didn’t like his salmon. (That’s how desperate I was!) I am not a fish connoisseur, but he said it wasn’t cooked right and didn’t want to finish it. Our waiter stopped by once in a great while… when someone answers the question, “How is your food?” and all they can muster is a good or fine… that should indicate something isn’t good. It may be me, but when something is GOOD! Like really, really good I always say, “Wonderful!” or “Delicious!” I want them to know how great it is… good is just so mild, and fine is basically, not so good. Maybe if I said, “Well his mashed potatoes are good…” he would have paid attention to the fact that or food wasn’t so great.

Maybe we should have said something, but instead we paid and left… even skipping dessert. Hey, at least the Sangria was good! We tried to be positive saying we learned our lesson… whatever that lesson was… I guess you just feel better thinking you came away from a lackluster experience thinking you learned something! We ended up getting dessert at Coquette Bistro… and their food looked so delicious we almost wanted a second dinner! We had delicious desserts, a great waitress- a waitress with personality?? Gasp!! Afterwards we came home, watched some Olympics and then went out to see Valentine’s Day… fun little movie, even Mr. Wright thought it was funny, and what a great guy for going to a “chick flick!” I loved the area where Ashton Kutcher’s character lived… I went home, looked it up and discovered it’s Venice, CA. Honey, my bags are packed, when are we moving?

As for our Valentine’s Day night… we ate late… almost 11:30 p.m… I guess the day was almost over? We had delicious rib eyes, cheese and crackers, mashed potatoes, squash, mint brownies, chocolate covered strawberries (which were not touched?! Are we crazy?!)  and a nice bottle of Brunello that I bought for Mr. Wright. He has been wanting to get a bottle forever… he had it when he was in Italy and has loved it and thought about it ever since! I made him a video of pictures of us over the last five years… we realized it was our 6^th Valentine’s Day together JWe ate by candlelight and it was sweet and fun, romantic and reminiscent. It was fun to just sit quietly and relax and talk…. And then listen to The Jolly Mon, by Jimmy Buffett and Savannah Jane Buffett… one of my favorite children’s books. Even the pups behaved themselves and were quiet! What a nice evening… see below!

 

 

I made these plates for our romantic evening- just mod podge a plate, sprinkle your favorite glitter over it and then either mod podge lightly over it... or spray with a clear sealing coat. (Don't spray sealer over fresh mod podge though- it won't dry and will not be clear!) Just make sure not to put through the dishwasher!

 
xoxo's!

Back to that no sugar thing...

I made it through 3 WHOLE days! That was my goal... I have had sugar since though... I succumbed! Yesterday at work I had a hot chocolate (which left me with an awful after taste!) and then I had 3 oreos with a yummy glass of milk. So yes, I did have sugar. HOWEVER (yes, there's a big HOWEVER) I was craving sugar like I normally do. I didn't feel like I HAD to have it. I made A CHOICE to have it which is so much different than my body urging me, enticing me, making me feel like I had to have it. I consciously made an effort to think about whether I wanted it or whether I craved it. I wasn't craving it!

 Granted, I was reading some delicious looking blogs yesterday and whatever. made me really, really want Mint Brownies (scroll halfway down and you'll see what I'm talking about!) My mom makes these and they are so delicious- I guess it wasn't necessarily a craving, but a strong lusting for their deliciousness. We'll see how it goes over the next few days... it is Valentine's Day weekend, so I am sure to have chocolate, but I have learned I have will power! I just need to remember that I do have it and not let cravings rule my life! The hardest part is that I love to bake- whether I am eating it or just doing it-  love to bake and have people enjoy it!

Through this I have been eating more fruit and making more thought out decisions- so something good has definitely come out of my little experiment.  Also, I received a suggestion from a reader telling me to check out the book Potatoes Not Prozac so I am interested in checking that out. (Although some days Mr. Wright may think I need Prozac! Kidding- he doesn't really agree with those meds!) Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for reading! Like I said, I will not eliminate sugar, but I am finally in control!

Overcoming My Addicition...

So apparently a sugar addiction is just as bad as a heroin addiction, or a cocaine addiction… or like smoking. I have no idea what it’s like for people who do any of those, but I know what it’s like to quit sugar. For three days, yes, three whole days I have been in agony. Well, not agony, day one was pretty easy… day two… ehhh…. Day three? AGONY. Seriously. I have had headaches, dizziness, fatigue and just over all cranky and irritable and STRESSED. My god, I feel like crapola. They say (whoever the hell they are!) that if you can go for three days without sugar then you will no longer crave it. Talk to me tomorrow (between bites of chocolate cheesecake) and see how that “no more cravings” lie works out. I am already planning my first dessert. Or maybe, it will be a miracle and I won’t want a single bite.

 

It’s not that I am trying to lose weight (although I am), but I saw last weeks Oprah about diabetes. It scared me a bit. I love dessert. Before I had seen it I had this piece of delicious, sugary cake at work and another co-worker and I decided to swear off sugar. Then I saw Oprah that night and it furthered my wanting to not imbibe in eating too much sugar. Not natural sugars, but added sugars.

 

I am not giving it up all together- just trying to remove that craving I often feel. (Especially for chocolate, although they- and I like whoever this they is- that chocolate is good for you!) I will continue to eat sugar, but basically I am trying to gain a tad bit of will power… so I figure if you eliminate the “addiction” then it won’t be so hard to restrain myself…. Right…… right?? Right?! RIGHT?!?!!?!!  I’ll get back to you on that….

Commerical...

I crack up every single time I see this commercial. I love it! Tomorrow, we'll discuss my favorite Superbowl ads... that's why we watch it right? Who cares about home runs... err.... ummm... touchdowns, smack downs, whatever happens during the game to get the men those points! :) Kidding, I know football is touchdowns, but to be honest we critiqued the commercials more than the game! Good thing we weren't watching it with big sports enthusiasts! Truth be told, the girls left early anyway to go see Dear John (not the best Nicholas Sparks movie- I didn't even cry!) but we knew the Saints had it anyway- we didn't need to stick around. Anyhow, for the commercial...

 

 

It took me a few times watching it to realize what she was saying and that it was so funny... "Minced? Minced? Have you ever caught a minced fish?" I am not a huge fish fan, unless it's very fresh and made at Andrew's Harborside (Haddock Lester, yum!) but if I had to settle on frozen fish (or even eat fish) I have to admit, Mrs. Paul's is not bad. Just remember- you never catch a minced fish- so don't eat one!

Blizzard Hits NC...

So we got a blizzard... well a blizzard by Southern standards. We may have gotten about 5 inches and I loved every minute of it! Except for the roads. My car and I both hate driving on snowy, icy roads without studded snow tires. But, with icy roads, two snow plows in the entire state and no sand... well I guess I have to stay inside. Stay inside and take a bubble bath with tons of candles and a good book, sew until my heart's content, finish things for ETSY, take puppies out to run in the snow, clean the house, play Wii, look up yummy recipes, make baked french toast... it was all so delicious. Cozy too, snuggling in all day with my love and two baby loves. Here's our day....

I no longer need fake snowflakes on my windows! She really wants to go out and play!

I know the Rosemary will survive the snow... it survives everything!

I learned, that while BMW's are cute cars, they suck in snow. That red BMW convertible could barely get out...  my little car made it out though! I swear the woman tried for 15 minutes... or maybe she just can't drive!

Taking pictures of Mr. Wright taking pictures of the snow...

Playing Wii Fit...

Baked french toast... Melt 1 stick of butter mix in 1 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread in the bottom of the pan. Laybe 15 slices of bread on top. Cover with egg mixture- 6 eggs and 2 cups of milk. (Or you can add cinnamon now... which is what I always do because I forget about it.) Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with syrup. Broil for a minute or two longer. When serving flip upside down to have sugar part on top for ultimate deliciousness! Enjoy!

Enjoy with some veggie sausages and you've got yourself a delicious brunch!

All in all, a great weekend!