Bon Appetit

Dear Everyone,

Last time I blogged it was winter break. It is now spring break. Oops. Hopefully you've found some other sort of entertainment to brighten your life since I've been gone. If not, you're clearly obsessed with me/my life, and I don't know how you didn't push my page views higher than they are.

This will be my job one day.

Anyway, I've been meaning to do a food post since the beginning of time because I love food, cooking and baking. When I lived with my parents during the summer, I'd say half of my free time was spent cooking or baking, and I'm confident I made close to 200 waffles in August.

With classes, homework, the 4e and two jobs, I don't exactly have as much time for cooking as I wish I did—especially after drooling over all the insanely delicious-looking but time-consuming recipes on Pinterest. With that said, there are a ton of quick and easy recipes you can make during a study break or instead of Facebook stalking that kid you went to high school with but forgot about until now.

So, grab your grocery list and get ready to make Floozy Fajitas. Why are they floozy? Because they're fast, easy, cheap and will leave you wanting more. Enough said.

Floozy Fajitas

Prep and cooking time: 30ish minutes
For two servings, you will need:

EITHER:

• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon. garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

This fajita seasoning is tasty.
For real.

OR:

• One packet of fajita seasoning

And:

• Two chicken breasts (around eight ounces)
• One bell pepper, red or green
• One onion
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 of one lime
• Flour tortillas

Plus, garnishes of your choice such as:

• Lettuce
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Black olives
• Salsa
• Hot sauce

Cut chicken into strips and set aside. Seed pepper and cut into strips. Cut as much onion as you can handle/want to add to the mix.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and heat in the oven once it's ready.
Heat oil in a large skillet, and then cook the chicken over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for five minutes.
Add onion and peppers to the pan. Cook everything over medium-high heat for another five minutes or until the edges of the vegetables are soft.
Add seasoning packet or chili powder, salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and cornstarch to the pan. Add water and stir. Cook for another five minutes, stirring often.
Meanwhile, get your garnishes ready.
When the five minutes are up, squeeze the lime over the top of the chicken and vegetables.
Serve in your now perfectly warm tortillas and dress up with any garnishes.

Nom!

Hope you enjoy! Comment and let me know how your fajitas turned out. Or give me suggestions for something else I should make. Or just keep eating. That cool, too.

Bookmarks Magazine

Up until a couple days ago, Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" to me was the new "Twilight" series. I knew nothing about it, and I just figured it was some sort of sappy love story for teenagers with no literary value. Then I promised two of my friends I'd read it so we could see the movie when it comes out in March. Borrowed Kindle Fire in hand (which I loved. I imagine myself in the future jet setting with one), four hours of last Wednesday were devoted to the book.

"The Hunger Games" is set in the future. North America has been destroyed, renamed Panem and rebuilt with 12 remaining districts, ruled by the Capitol. When the Capitol first took power, the districts unsuccessfully rebelled, and the Capitol designed the Hunger Games as a punishment and warning to prevent another rebellion. One boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each district, and all contestants are forced to fight and kill in a televised battle until only one remains.

Enter Katniss Everdeen, our protagonist. She lives in District 12, located in the Appalachian Mountains and known for its coal production. The entire district isn't as well off as the others, and Katniss, her mother and little sister, Primrose, are very poor. With her father dead from a mine explosion, Katniss is forced to be the sole provider for her family and relies on the hunting and gathering skills he taught her to find food.

Every year, each child has his or her name entered into the Hunger Games, and each can opt for more entries to receive a year's supply of oil and grain for one person in their family. Katniss has done this multiple times and knows the odds are not in her favor, so when Prim, who, at age 12, only had one entry, is called to the stage, Katniss is shocked and volunteers to take her place. Katniss is joined by Peeta, a baker's son, and the two begin the process of getting ready for the Games to begin.

I'm not going to go into what happens during the Games because that's the best part of the book. There are quite a few unexpected twists and turns, and the ending isn't as fairytale perfect as you may expect it to be. Honestly, that's the worst. I hate when authors make endings sugary-sweet (ahem...the last chapter of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows").

But anyway, "The Hunger Games" is an easy and entertaining read, perfect for filling the hours of winter break you don't know what to do with. There are elements of romance, action and "1984"-esque "Big Brother" government. "The Hunger Games" is followed by "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay," and I'm curious to see how Gale (you're going to have to read to find out about him) is incorporated back into the story, how the district and its citizens fair now that the Games have come to an end and just how far Collins is going to take the Capitol's control and the seeds of revolution she's planted in the first book.

Finally, as I hinted at earlier, "The Hunger Games" movie opens March 23, 2012. I'd definitely recommend reading the book before seeing the movie so you know the story in its original form. Here's the trailer:

Interested? Watch the sneak peek here. None of the characters are how I pictured them, so I'm a little nervous it may end up like the "Twilight" series and not hold a candle to the book. I also think Katniss will be portrayed as a nicer person than she is in the book, especially regarding the ending.

If you've already read "The Hunger Games" and have something else to say, let me know. If you haven't read it, it's worth your time. Either way, may the odds be ever in your favor.

New York Holiday Guide

I'm not exactly sure what was going on here.

Welcome to 2012! I hope everyone survived New Year's Eve and has some good stories to tell me. I went to Oshkosh for  New Year's last year, and it was a good time. I'm not about to replace a good time with something else, so back to Oshkosh I went. It's been quite the rushed holiday season (I'm thinking about blogging about it), so today's Jan. 2, and I'm catching up on some personal stuff. I checked my inbox, returned some emails and, of course, sent out my thank-you notes. Can I get some thank-you note writing music, please?

My Thank Yous from New Year's Eve

1. Thank you, Svedka, for making vodka that gets me pretty drunk after three shots. One drink and I was ready to migrate.

2. Thank you, UV Cake, for actually tasting like cake. It was still sort of gross to drink you straight, but hey, it was better than straight Svedka.

3. Thank you, guy who said I couldn't have cups for free because you didn't make any money on the keg, for giving me money to buy two cups from your roommate. That wasn't a very smart business move.

4. Thank you, beer pong partners, for getting all the balls because there is no way I'm chasing a ball around a poorly lit and probably damp basement in a skirt. Also thank you for pretending I wasn't that bad, when in reality, I probably made one cup per game.

5. Thank you, random girl, for arguing with me about whether or not I was wearing a dress. I think I would know, since I'm the one wearing it. Thank you for also getting quite defensive because your boyfriend was trying to figure out if I was wearing a dress, too. He was the one who starting talking to me, not the other way around.

6. Thank you, guy who gave me money for cups, for sharing your champagne with me, too. You were really creeping me out, so you're lucky you had something to offer or I would have been out of there.

7. Thank you, beer pong partner number three, for scamming on me. Nice try.

8. Thank you, people at party three, for all hanging on someone else and making it quite awkward for those of us who were single.

9. Thank you, people of Oshkosh, for not wanting to dance. Two people dancing by themselves is just lame, so there was no way my friend and I were going to get that going.

10. Thank you, sidewalks, for disguising patches of ice as water puddles. At least one person had to have slipped and fell that night.

11. Thank you, guy with sleeve tattoos, for letting me inspect your arms and being really sweet without sounding fake/like you were looking for a hookup.

12. Thank you, long-lost friend, for appearing in my life again. You, your hilarious comments and your bag of fortune cookies were highlights of my night.

13. Thank you, friends I went out with, for putting up with me the entire night. I did get a little spacey and wandered away a couple times, and I am sorry about that.

14. Thank you, people I stayed with, for letting me stay. Your house was much cleaner and warmer than any Oshkosh house I've ever been to.

Elle Decor

How adorable!

Half the fun of my college career so far has been living on my own. My parents are on the stricter side, so moving out meant I could stay out as late as I wanted to, go wherever I wanted to and also have a TV in my bedroom.

Living on your own creates a number of problems, though. You now have to clean, and if you don't, it's going to just continue to get more and more disgusting because Mom won't get fed up and just clean up for you. You find out how expensive food is when you get to the checkout with only the necessities and end up spending at least $50.

Once you discover a large chunk of your money will go to said groceries and your rent/bills/housing/tuition, you'll decide making your new home look cute isn't as important as it was before you moved out. I don't know about you, but I always pictured living on my own in an apartment similar to this:

Nate Berkus would be proud.

Unfortunately, my current apartment does not have a glass wall, rustic woodwork (I mean, unless you want to count baseboards) or modern furniture. So, here are a couple ways I did and could jazz up my new home without having to live on Ramen.

Easy and Cheap Ways to Decorate:

I absorb so much knowledge by sleeping above my textbooks.

1. Picture frame wall. I am really proud of this. My summer was spent collecting frames from Goodwill, St. Vinny's, my parents' basement and the Dollar Tree. Many of the pictures I put in the frames are ads from magazines (and they say no one likes ads!). Total cost of frames and the couple pictures I bought: around $25.

2. Bring the outdoors inside. Colorful Adirondack chairs were everywhere this summer, including my room. It's a cute way to add some color and seating to any room. Total cost: $12. An inexpensive vase and long grasses and flowers are another great way to walk on the wild side.

3. Collages. You can find stuff to collage with anywhere. Ask friends and family for magazines, photos or drawings. Add poster board and glue, and you've got wall art. Total cost: for me, $0 (thank you high school art class!) but otherwise around $3 for glue and poster board.

4. Records. Two of my cousins made record borders around their rooms, and they both look so good. You can find cheap records at Goodwill, St. Vinny's and on eBay, if there's a specific one you're looking for. Another idea is to take those CDs sitting in your room and use the inside covers. Total cost: depends how big your room is, but we'll estimate $20-$30.

5. Paint. Choose a bright color you won't get sick of and paint an accent wall. A gallon of paint costs about $15 so if you really hate it, skip the movie that's probably not worth seeing in theaters anyway and get a different color.

6. Living things. No, this does not mean the friend who adopted your couch as his or her home. Plants and fish are nice to look at. Plants will also improve your air quality, and fish will also improve your life. Thank you, Sister Batrill, Young Money and Duncan, for being so sturdy and sticking with me since freshman year. Total cost: less than $10 for a fish tank, some rocks, food and a fish. Maybe $10 for a plant, unless you go for a tree.

It's nothin' to a big
dog, and he's a
Great Dane.

7. Rasterbations. Rasterbating is not as dirty as it sounds. It's basically turning any picture into an image made up of dots. When you look at it from far away, it looks like a normal picture. It's a really cheap way to make a poster of any picture you like, such as my 7-foot Lil Wayne. If that's not impressive, I don't know what is. Click here for a link to the website.


Your new home may not be Oprah's mansion, but really, no one's is. Give decorating on a budget a try, either with one of the above ideas or something else, and get ready to watch your dorm or apartment transform from impersonal box to new home.

WWD

Even then I couldn't keep
my eyes open in pictures.

My personal fashion began as most do, slightly horrendous. I thought the shirt I'm wearing in this picture was the coolest thing ever because 1. it was from my cousin, who I thought was the coolest girl ever (I still think she is) 2. the back is different from the front 3. the sleeves are different from the back AND the front and 4. it had a dragon on it (I loved Pokemon, too, so enough said here). Most of my clothes at this time were something along these lines. I had no idea what brands were and what was supposedly cool until I hit middle school.

I'm pretty sure everyone looks at middle school pictures with disgust. My hair went from short and ugly to long and frizz ball, my smile was entirely braces and gums and sometimes my mom forced me to wear shirts I absolutely hated. One time, I wore a sweatshirt over a sweater my mom wouldn't let me get rid of and probably had a heat stroke just because I did not want to be seen in that sweater. I also realized wearing tennis shoes on an every day basis was not something I wanted to continue doing and began my shoe obsession with my first pair of Vans. I spent $40 on them, which was not Mom-approved.

Straight off of MySpace.

High school began my first style with a label, but we (meaning my group of friends and me) didn’t officially accept the label until after this stage had passed. That’s very important. Emo kid goodness for me was sophomore year. I distinctly remember feeling uncomfortable on days when I didn't have at least one article of black clothing on. If I came to school without headphones, I might as well have stayed home, and let's not forget the side bangs. I still like side bangs, but mine at the time were meant to cover my face, and that's just not attractive. For the best part: some kid put a poster on one of my friends' lockers that said "hang all emos." We thought it was hilarious. Why? Because we didn't consider ourselves emo, so obviously this kid was an idiot. Little did we know...

Shirt from the Metro Station show,
black, neon-colored shoes AND
the kiss face. All right here, baby.

Here begins junior year and scene kid fashion. The basics: band merch, preferably purchased at a show you attended, bursts of neon color (extra points if it came from your jeans), more side bangs and a continuous, strong will to resist placement in any sort of labeled high-school clique. Some of my favorite scene kid outfits included metallic, teal leggings, furry bear-paw mittens, checkered shoes and colored shorts with knee- or thigh-high socks. Also, for a scene kid, the tighter the better. We had a teacher that called us the "tight jeans group." Why he was looking at our jeans in the first place has yet to be discovered, but it rang pretty true.

Today, you won’t catch me dead in lime green skinnies or tennis shoes (aside from at the Kress), but both of these very different fashions still have a contribution to where my style is today. I feel like I've reached somewhat of a plateau with my look, but I know it's changed since my freshman year of college, so it's probably still changing, huh? Either way, here are a couple things I like to keep in mind when I'm getting ready to be seen in public.

 

Five Fashion Dos:

1.     Skinnies… are my best friends. Honestly, I feel a little out of place if I’m not wearing skinny jeans. This is probably the bit of scene kid left in me crying out. But anyway, I have yet to meet a shoe they don’t go with. Plus, throw on a pair of heels and a nice shirt, and you’re looking classy enough for dinner somewhere other than Taco Bell.

2.     Vintage. Put simply, the epitome of unique. Thank you, Mom, for giving me your Harley shirt that sells for $59 on shopruche.com and the shirts from your trip to Cali. You had good taste when you were 20, so why did it disappear when you forced me to wear that sweater to school?

Literally, a headdress. Not a
headband with feathers.

3.     Head wear. If it were socially acceptable, I would wear something extravagant on my head every day. I want a headdress like the one in the picture, so if anyone knows where I can wear one, tell me immediately. Hats are precisely why I plan on attending as many high-dollar events as possible. Guys, this one goes for you, too. Hats are the way to my heart. Seriously.

4.     Big hair. It’s pretty obvious I have a bias here, but I wasted hours of my life in high school straightening my hair just because only straight hair was cool. Now, I don't bother brushing my hair. Unless you have curly hair, too, you don't even know.

5. Feeling good in what you're wearing. This is probably the most important one. I still get the uncomfortable feeling from my emo days when I'm wearing something I don't really like. Some days I ignore it and then regret that decision for the rest of the day. I've learned not wearing half my wardrobe is definitely worth feeling better about myself as a whole.


Five Fashion Don'ts:

1. Mixing patterns. I don't care how many times magazines try to tell you this is OK, it is never going to be. You look like you're either 5 years old or got dressed in the dark.

Embarrassing...

2. Wearing pajamas in public. Grime clings to fleece pajama pants like nobody's business. Do you really want to drag the dirt and dust from the floors at Walmart back into your bed? Along the same lines...



3. Wearing sweatpants in public. I have to admit, I'm guilty of wearing yoga pants to class when I woke up late or feel especially lazy, but ABSOLUTELY NEVER wear them more than once a month. I don't care how comfortable you are, you look like a scrub. They make leggings and tunics for that. Once sweatpants become a habit, you'll end up like a girl in my public address class. She wears sweatpants every day, except when she gives a speech. She says she dresses up on those days. What does she wear? Yoga pants.

4. Wearing leggings as pants. Leggings are meant to make dresses less slutty and keep you warm. Neither of these things are accomplished when you pair leggings with a t-shirt. The clothing companies have caught on to the legging trend and make shirts long enough to cover your ass, so there is no excuse to continue embarassing yourself with leggings as pants.

5. Wear something just because everyone else is wearing it. Unless you're in some sort of cult, you really have no reason to ignore this rule. Get past the high-school mentality of buying pre-decided cool clothes, and buy something you like and is flattering on you.


Would I trade my fashion experiences for something else? Absolutely not. They taught me to disregard what people who don't care about me think and focus on how I feel and what I like, and that's all that really matters.

Road & Track

God forbid anyone get within two
feet of this car when I was younger.

I like cars. Any of my family members reading this probably laughed and thought of course, since my dad is a car enthusiast. Growing up, most kids are told not to play by the road. My sister and I were told not to play by the cars. One year, we had a competition to see who could knock down the biggest icicle from the roof of our barn, and I broke one of its windows with my ice chunk. My parents' retort when I told them what happened? "You're lucky a car wasn't parked there."

This past summer, I received two tickets for Road America's Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman. I think it's pretty obvious my dad was my plus-one. Honestly, he was more excited about the tickets than I was. I got them with a basket of other gifts because I ran for Sheboygan County's Fairest of the Fair, and the specialty cheese and hot sticks were the stand-out prizes in the basket at that time.

Before July 17, my experience with Road America was once when I was 8 years old maybe, and my dad took my sister and I to Elkhart Lake to see the cars as they went through town. I assumed Road America was Wisconsin's NASCAR equivalent because what else do typical Americans think when they hear car race?

To my surprise, Road America is nothing like NASCAR. It's about a million times classier and more entertaining. The track is 4.048 miles long with 14 turns and is set on 640 acres of what used to be farm land. It's pretty much Forza brought to life.

Map of the track, except with old sponsors.

Made it through the woods like
nobody's business.

We got to Road America around 11 a.m., after the races had already started. My dad and I spent the first half hour driving around the track because he'd been to the track before and wanted to see what changed since then. It was like having my own tour guide. I discovered one of the side gates was where my dad snuck in to the races when he was younger. I now know where cars go the fastest on the track and where you can get the closest to them. We also drove through the woods because there used to be another close spot to the track on the other side of them (see end for advice about watching from the woods).

I ain't gonna wreck it.

I'm pretty sure the first race we watched was the vintage modified sport racing cars. I don't remember who won, but cars going fast puts a smile on my face. Afterward, the Concours d’Elegance Awards presentation was held by the vendor area. This was equally as entertaining as the race, since it seemed like most of the people there brought out their nicest car, whether it be classic or brand new. My personal favorite? The yellow Lamborghini LP640. Want it. Don't be fooled, I know nothing about cars mechanically. I just know an attractive car when I see it.

We also watched the historic Trans-Am race and the Porsche 356 Challenge. My dad was particularly interested in the Porsche race since he saw a couple Porsches like ones he used to have. YouTube failed me for the Porsche race, but here's a look at the Trans-Am one (it starts with the pace lap two minutes in):

Why You Should Go to Road America:

1. It's really entertaining. If you like racing, you probably would want to go in the first place anyway. If you like cars, there will be a lot to look at. If you don't like either of these things, I'm surprised I kept your interest through this, and it's also a great opportunity to people watch.
2. You will learn a lot about cars. In my experience, car people go beyond the normal hobby enthusiasm. They love to talk about their cars, and they know what they're talking about.
3. It's not something you're likely to forget. Road America is so different from any other summer activity, including NASCAR-type racing, so it's going to be a memorable experience.
4. You'll get an awesome tan. There is hardly any shade unless you want to sit in the woods. I don't recommend that. You'll be eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Taking my other car next time I go.
Sorry, Cabrio.

Excited about Road America? Then take a look at their tentative 2012 schedule here. I'm pretty excited for Subway Superbike Weekend and any of the vintage car weekends. Feel free to donate tickets for any of the days to me as soon as they go on sale because I'd definitely drop something else for Road America.

TV Guide

The end of September signals the beginning of one of my favorite seasons to watch. What, Michaela likes sports? Can this be happening? No, no it is not. September is America's Next Top Model season.

Tyra is my idol. She's got it made and has shown the world weird people can do anything but be normal. If my career includes half the things she's done, I'm going to be pretty happy with life. Most importantly of these things, being known to the world on a first-name basis (only half kidding here).


Anyway, cycle 17 of ANTM started Sept. 14. This season, Tyra decided to switch it up and bring back girls from the previous seasons as her Top Models. Called the all-stars, these girls are back to try and win the title of America's Next Top Model that they missed out on before.

All-stars (I guess).

I am not happy with this. Sorry girls, but you've already had your chance and failed. The show is America's NEXT Top Model, not America's Model Who Wasn't Good Enough the First Time. Tyra claims fans wanted her to bring back models from previous seasons, but honestly, I think it was all a marketing ploy.

I highly doubt any of these girls were brought back for their modeling potential. Instead, the producers of the show chose the bitches who will guarantee on-camera drama and the girls people are bound to remember because of _______ (insert random quality here). Top Model has always had its fill of drama but instigating it is veering too close to trashy for comfort.

Also new to cycle 17 is the addition of celebrity judges, meaning people who really don't know anything about the fashion world. Why? Hello marketing ploy number two. Guest judges in the past were usually models or designers. ANTM's focus is supposed to be on fashion because the winner gets a modeling contract that isn't for commercial shoots. However, this season focuses on the winner becoming a celebrity.

Yes, the target teenage-girl audience probably cares about being a celebrity as much as they care about being a model, but still, this show was created to give an "average" girl a break into high fashion. I'm all for progress, but let's not forget where we came from.

Other the positive side, the photo shoots have been good so far. I like the idea of embodying a persona in the third episode (I'm one behind ahh!), since it's really applicable to modeling for a designer. Personally, I thought had the Angelea had the best photo. She's gotten away from her annoying self, and an awesome makeover never hurt anyone. Plus, I can't get over seeing half-chewed food in Lisa's mouth.

Who Needs to Go:

1. Alexandria- Ugly, bitchy and self-centered sums it up nicely. Everything she does is fake, and it oozes through her pictures.
2. Isis- Get over yourself. Andre was right to say your picture made him want to run to his car. It was not good. **Just found out she's gone...YES.
3. Shannon- This is the girl who won't model in lace shorts but will model in a bikini (see picture). You know what you're getting into in the modeling industry, and it's only a short amount of time until she's going to have to do a photo shoot she doesn't agree with. I hope that time comes after she's already kicked off.


Who Can Win:

1. Bre- I really like your personality, so you need to step it up. Your pictures aren't the greatest...yet.
2. Allison- Not a fan of her as a person, but her pictures are really unique, and she has her look down already.
3. Kayla- They dyed her hair back to red because they thought no one would remember her otherwise. What? She's probably the only one who came back strictly on potential. Her picture wasn't great this week, but ones from her original season were fabulous.

I'm not leaving ANTM anytime soon for something else. The show is iconic, entertaining, and I just love Tyra to pieces. Let's get through this ridiculous season and back to what Top Model originally was. Wondering how to change it up? I'd like to see a season of ANTM with male models. Make it happen, CW.