Book Review: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Stop what you are doing and go read this book RIGHT NOW.

I just finished reading it, which I chose to be part of my Goodreads.com Reading Challenge, that I talk about in this post, and I am left feeling gutted and empty now that it is over.

It is rare that I fall absolutely in love with a story like I did this one, and Karen Thompson Walker, if you are reading this, please write more!

**This Review May Contain Spoilers**

Everything is normal for Julia, a 12-year old living in California. She frequently has sleepovers with her best friend, Hannah, she goes to school and to soccer practice, she has a crush on a boy, she is an only child with two parents and two cats, she takes piano lessoons. Normal.

Until one day, for an unknown reason, the Earth starts to rotate slightly slower than usual. Minutes start tacking onto the days in increasing intervals, until the daylight hours are eventually as long as several calendar days. The same goes for the night, which last just as long.

Seemingly everything is affected by The Slowing, as the phenomenon is soon called; the tides, gravity, the sun and stars, health, crops, animals, people's attitudes and their decision making...

The Government employs a quick solution - that no matter what time the sun says it is, the citizens are to go by what the clock on the wall says. Everyone now needs to go back to living by "clock time", which regulates times to go to work and school, when to wake up in the morning and when to go to bed, when to eat dinner and when to take a shower...

Plants, being over-exposed to the deadly heat of days that last upwards of fourty hours, freeze when the sun sets and the blackness overtakes everything. Lawns wilt and turn to dirt, trees collapse, crops wither and die.

Food crops start needing to being maintained using artificial light in greenhouses that use up so much energy than country-wide blackouts become the norm.

The ozone starts to burn away. Time spent in the sunlight causes massive sunburns, skin cancer and radiation poisoning....

All of this happens while Julia is dealing with becoming a young woman. People start to move away. Some people decide not to follow clock time and instead decide to be awake during times of sun and asleep during times of darkness. Whole colonies of people who refuse to follow the clock spring up in the desert and all across the nation.

I listened to this book on audio, and while driving home during one dark night, I looked up in the sky to see a large, full moon. My stomach dropped and I felt uneasy. I had to remind myself that what was going on with the Earth, only existed in the story I was hearing. That is how powerful this book is. One of the smartest reads I have read in a very long time.

I applaud Ms. Walker for the amount of thinking and research that must have went into this novel, not to mention the concept itself. It is so scary because we may never know what to do if this were to really happen to us - and who's to say it never will?

Find out more about this book by visiting the books website: http://www.theageofmiraclesbook.com/

And as an added bonus, the website contains this video of the book's premise. Enjoy!

2014: My Year In Books

In 2014, I took the Goodreads.com 2014 Reading Challenge, which allows you to challenge yourself by pre-selecting the amount of books you will aim to read that years.

This year, I challenged myself to read 25 books, and I made it by the skin of my teeth. I finished my last book the weekend before Christmas. I always try to read a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction (mostly biographies), both Adult and Young Adult. I love historical fiction, by I try to make sure that's not the ONLY thing I am reading.

This year I also read 2 Graphic Novels.

I was really excited when one of my favorite authors, Lisa See, came out with her new novel China Dolls, about Asian-American's in the US (especially California) during WWII and the Japanese internment.

Fannie Flagg, another favorite author of mine, released her anticipated novel, The All-Girl Filling Stations's Last Reunion, about a set of sisters, whose family owned a filling station, growing up during WWII and their participation in the war effort.

Here are the books I read during the challenge:

It is hard to pick my favorite book of the year, but my Top 3 are: The Age of Miracles, And the Mountains Echoed and The Fault in Our Stars. Runners up were everything else by Gillian Flynn.

My Top 3 least favorites were: Wallbanger, a very predictable and boring erotica novel, Orange Is the New Black (I LOVED the television show, and it is probably my fault that I expected the book to live up to it), and The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy. I AM SORRY, SCI-FI NERDS! I just did not enjoy this book. It annoyed the hell out of me. 

Have you read any of these books? Which one's were your favorites?

Fun New Things #2

Welcome to another post about the Fun New Things that I have discovered recently! Things that I have been dying to share with you in hopes that you find inspiration (or immediately run out and buy them).

#1: Food

Nature's Bakery 100% Natural Fig Bars

These babies are made with 100% natural ingredients, stone ground whole wheat, and wild raspberries. Cholesterol free, dairy free, and kosher! They have several different flavors, all of which sound fantastic (I mean, vanilla raspberry or lemon anyone?) and really taste awesome. They are larger than you think they are and they make a great snack or part of a breakfast. I really liked that they weren't super sweet or lip-puckering as some other fruit bars can be.

Check out their other flavors and products here: http://naturesbakery.com/

#2: For Drinking

Contigo's Jackson Water Bottle

I picked up this puppy at Target for around $10. This semi wide-mouth water bottle has a lid that flips open at the push of a button and snaps shut, which protects the spout from dirt and germs and is 100% leak proof. The colored rink around the top of the lid is actually a carrying ring, so you can hold it that way (or hanging from your pinky as you carry a million other things at once, like I do) when your hands are full. The lid is removable, which I like, as you can fit really big ice cubes in it, and you can fill it up to the brim. 

I never buy bottles that aren't BPA free. Research has shown that babies exposed to a lot of BPA in the womb may develop PCOS later in life. Better safe than sorry!

Also dishwasher safe. 

Buy your bottle on the Contigo website and get free shipping on orders over $25: http://www.gocontigo.com/

#3: For Beauty:

Make Up For Ever's Smoky Extravagant Mascara

If you are part of Sephora's Beauty Club, you receive a free gift on your birthday. This year, I got this awesome mascara. To be honest, the free gift in past years were never my favorite, so this year I was surprised at how much I liked this.

I liked that the brush on this mascara want was large but was tapered enough to coat my lashes and also get into those hard-to-reach places. I always have a hard time with mascara, as I have blonde eyelashes and it is always hard to get product all the way at the root. 

I really enjoyed the lift and blackness it gave to my eyelashes, and once my trail size runs out, I am definitely going to pick up a full-size.

Get the full-size at Sephora for $24 here: http://www.sephora.com/

Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I picked up this book at a Chapters in Canada (love that store) after seeing a movie trailer for the then-upcoming movie. I thought it was a beautiful idea for a book - having the choose between life or death, and I wanted to see how the story unfolded.

**This Review May Contain Spoilers**

Mia is a classical cellist-in-training with the perfect family: down-to-earth Rocker parents, two wonderful grandparents, and a little brother with a head of curly blonde hair.

Mia also has a best friend, Kim, and a boyfriend Adam who shares her love for music.

Mia is on the brink of finding out if she has been accepted into The Julliard School to study cello, her boyfriend's band has just signed a record deal, and her life is going just about perfectly.

Until one cold winter day that all changed. She, her parents, and her little brother were involved in a car accident that immediately killed both her parents, leaving her and her little brother in critical condition.

While her mangled body lay in the hospital, Mia's soul was able to leave her body and watch everything around her, including visits from her grandparents, friends, and a mob of angry Punk Rockers.

Mia has to make the choice - to either let go of everything she has ever known, her life, in order to join her parents on the Other Side, or to stay and live, go to Julliard, be with Adam.

The ending of this book had me flipping the pages so quickly, wondering what she will decide. Will she stay or will she go?!

The author did such a good job explaining what was going on in Mia's head that I didn't know how to root for her... I didn't know whether I wanted her to leave the pain and the sadness to possibly be with her parents, or to stay and fight and live but knowing that her whole family was gone.

I highly suggest this book and can't wait to see the movie.

5 stars.

10 Things I've Learned by Age 27

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday. It feels so strange being on this side of my 20s, and now I know why people are "25 again!!" Trust me, I am nearly there myself.

I wanted to share with you 10 things I have learned about life by now, as they may come in handy.

1. Go To Work - For me, this is harder than it sounds. I am not one of those people who are hard-core dedicated to their jobs, even though the job is what provides the paycheck. I like being at work, but good Lord do I LOVE being under my bed covers when the alarm goes off at 7am. I don't consider myself a lazy person, in fact I hustle pretty hard, but part of my brain feels like there are so many other things I would rather be doing. This was a hard lesson for me to learn. I needed to stop being selfish and to really try to think of how my work relies on me to show up, I am one of the cogs that makes the machine move. On the other hand, if you are seriously unhappy at your job, if you dread Sunday because it is one day closer to Monday, and you practically cry (or maybe you do) when you slide into your sheets the night before and set your alarm, then there is no reason to stay there. Which brings me to #2.

2. If You Are Unhappy, Work Hard to Change - If you are unhappy with your job, unhappy with your relationship, unhappy with how you feel, even unhappy with the color of your bedroom walls - work hard to change it. I am not saying to drop everything, change your name and move to Mexico and rent jet-skis to tourists for a living (but hey, if that floats your boat...) but if you really hate your job, start beefing up your resume. Maybe it needs some reformatting, update your job descriptions (please delete your high school waitressing job, that is usually no longer applicable by age 27), join LinkedIn, create some business cards (Vistaprint is always having great deals), and maybe even take some online classes. If you just want some experience vs. a degree, try Lynda.com.

If you are unhappy with your relationship, talk to your significant other. See if you can work out differences, find out if anything is bothering them too. If all else fails and you know in your heart of hearts that you would be happier as just friends, or totally on the opposite side of the country, then it is time to leave. It is going to take courage. It is going to hurt, Lord will it hurt, but by the time you are 27, you owe it to yourself to be happy. By now you should probably already know what you like and dislike to do, and the holes in your soul that you would like filled with another human being. Don't stay in a relationship because it is comfortable, because you are used to it. Expose yourself to the world. Let the wounds breathe for awhile. You'll be much happier and much stronger from the experience.

3. Learn To Cook - Ladies and Gentlemen - it is not OK to not know how to cook by the time you are 27. It is no longer acceptable to rely on your mom's leftovers or takeout every night of the week. I'm not saying you need to be a 3-star Michelin chef or anything like that, but know how make a few basic dishes. Learn how to bake a batch of cookies for that work potluck you forgot about. Learn how to cut an onion without crying, and how to boil pasta al dente. A big one that took me awhile was to buy and use an oven thermometer. Not all ovens are created equal (and in fact, the one that I have is off by nearly 75 degrees on a good day) and an oven thermometer is a good way to not turn your food to charcoal.

4. Learn Basic Nutrition - Know the difference between regular- and whole-grain. And don't be that person at a party who has never heard of quinoa and pronounces it "queen-oh-ay". You don't need to be a walking nutritional encyclopedia but health is important and you need invest in some of the knowledge to keep you healthy and happy.

5. Get Your Oil Changed - Unless your dad is my dad, then it is likely that no one is nagging you (or threatening you) to get your oil changed anymore, or your tires rotated, or flushing your cooling system or whatever. But you still have to do it. Do it when it is due. Not 6 months later when your car is starting to smoke. You'll regret it if you ruin something that will cost you thousands of dollars to fix when you could have avoided it for less than $50.

6. Use the Cold Cycle On the Washing Machine - I wear a lot of dark colored clothing. I love the color black, I love navy, dark purple, etc. Use the cold water cycle on your washing machine to help preserve your colors. Hang dry whatever you don't want to shrink (Ikea sells a great clothes horse here), and buy one of these bad boys to help rid your beautiful sweaters and dresses of pilled material and fuzzies. Take care of your clothes. I love to shop (love, love, love) but there is this really annoying thing called a budget, and it really sucks when you have to spend another $30 on a sweater from Target because you put it in the dryer and it shrank, or you washed it on hot and after 2 washes it is already fading from black to... off black.

7. Budget - UGH. No one likes this word. But, alas, no one likes debt either. Especially debt with high interest attached. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down everything that you MUST buy every month. Rent, utilities, gas, student loans, health insurance, credit card payment, etc. Then write down all the things you really DON'T have to buy, but you'd love to be able to do once in awhile. Movies with popcorn, bowling, a new book or two (or four), dinner at a nice restaurant, lunch at McDonalds, Netflix, a video game etc. Then, write down things that you buy, but not every month, like expensive clothing, expensive makeup, a haircut and highlights, new eyeglass frames, etc. Make sure that every month you are saving enough money to cover all of your basic necessities (keep in mind that if you don't pay the electric bill you're not getting your Netflix either, so it's lose/lose). For those of you with a really large family, or for those of us who really like to spoil the people closest to us during Christmas and birthdays, set aside an allotted sum every month for that. Even if it is only $10, by Christmastime you're going to be thankful for having that extra $120 or so.

Live by the 10, 20, 70 Budget plan.

• 10% of your income goes towards debt. Which is student loans, credit card payment, car payment etc.
• 20% of your income goes towards your Savings Acct. (this can be broken down even further into 10% for retirement, 5% for emergencies, and 5% for a specific goal, like saving for a vacation, or those Christmas presents)
• 70% for living expenses.  This is where your rent, utilities, gasoline, etc. comes in. Things that need to be paid or you will not be surviving.

Implement this to the best of your ability and you can bring yourself back from the brink of bankruptcy, you can pay off that credit card and you can improve your credit score.

8. Pay Your Bills On Time - Credit Scores mean more than people are letting on. Do you want to buy a car one day? Do you want your monthly car payment to be $200 or $400? Credit scores determine that. Do you want to buy a house? With terrible credit no one is going to trust you to own the home of your dreams. This is important. Pay your bills every month. On time. I pay everything on the 1st of the month, regardless if they are due on the 3rd or the 22nd, they get paid. Keep a list of them too, and check them off every month that you pay them. That way you will know if you didn't receive your water bill or if you almost forgot to pay Fido's vet bill. Every time you miss a payment, or are overly late, it brings down your credit score. Booooo.

9. Call Your Parents - And Grandma, too. You're 27 now and chances are that you own a cellphone or can sneak a call in from work now and then. Your parents will be pleased to hear from you, and Grandma, who just turned 80, will love knowing that you care enough to call and see how she is doing. Plus, Grandma knows all the juicy gossip. Keep in touch with your loved ones, because you never know how much longer you have with them. This may sound cliche, but for someone who's family lives mostly in another country and it is hard to get in touch with them, I know how important it is to maintain family ties. 

10. Do Something That Makes You Happy - This is a doozy. There may not be a perfect job for you out there, and I don't believe that we should all put all of our happiness in the hopes that we do find that perfect dream job, either. But do something that makes you happy. Whether that be running, hiking, photography, feeding the ducks at the pond, volunteering at the animal shelter, crocheting, sewing, designing websites, reading, writing, cooking, baking, painting, rollerblading, surfing, whatever! Just something to look forward to. Something that can take us out away from everything else. I picture myself kind of like a paper doll. being picked up from the background that is my job and my home life, and being placed someplace else, which is my hobby life. I love to crochet, I love to watch movies, I love to bake. Carve out time for that precious thing that makes you super happy, because dammit, you deserve it. You work hard, you deserve to play hard too. 

TV Review: American Horror Story: Coven

**This Review may contain spoilers**

Taking place in present day New Orleans, but bouncing back in time during flashbacks, American Horror Story: Coven is the story of a group of young witches who come together at a private school to learn how to harness and control their powers. Each character seems to have their own abilities at first, but towards the end they all become very strong and possess many crazy skills that I wish that I had. Except maybe for going to your own personal Hell and having to get back before the sun rises or you get stuck there forever. They can keep that skill.

Being New Orleans, Voodoo also plays a big role as the counterpart for the Witches. Marie Laveau, who was a real historical figure, also stars in this show as the Voodoo Queen. During the time of slavery, Marie Laveau places a spell on a wicked woman, causing her to live forever, and she is dug up from her live grave just in time to join the witches as they hone their powers.

This show, like many seasons of AHS, contains many different facets: magic, witches, voodoo, Hell, ghosts, Quiji Boards, spirits, demons, crazy Church people, ax murderers, etc.

I really loved the music, the color and the awesome graveyard scenes of New Orleans and this show makes me want to take a vacation there sometime soon.

 

Just for shits and giggles, here is the believed grave of the real Marie Laveau:

Apparently, the X's were part of a ritual from others who practiced voodoo. They would visit the tomb, draw 3 X's, hold their hand over them, rub their foot 3 times on the grave, and deposit silver coins. Interesting!

Overall, I really enjoyed this season of AHS. Can't wait to start Freak Show!

What I Am Thankful For

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend :)

Now that it is the Monday after Thanksgiving. We're back to work and back into the swing of things (for the most part). I don't want to lose that feeling of thankfulness, however, so I am taking some time out of my day to write about the things that I am most thankful for here at the end of 2014.

The very first thing is, I am so thankful for surviving this year. No, really. I don't just say that ironically, or to be cute, but this year was a very hard year for me. I went through a huge breakup, a cancelled wedding, the moving in (and moving out) of a roommate, a loss of a beloved pet (and the beloved pets of some of my friends), and have changed jobs 3 times. When I got back into the dating pool, I went through another breakup after I was cheated on.

I am thankful that I survived all of this.

I am thankful for my amazing friends who were there to talk to me. When I was too busy working, or they were too busy, a quick chat on Facebook was all I needed. I appreciate each and every single one of them.

I am thankful for my family who provided a place for me to go, a spot in front of the fireplace, surrounded by dogs and beer, where I was able to relax and forget my worries for awhile.

I am thankful for my current relationship, which has been providing me all of the things I was missing in my previous. It feels great to have someone to lean on, who gets me and I understand. Having someone to support you, no matter who it is, is very underrated.

I am thankful for my pets. My wonderful bunny Viola left for bunny Heaven in August, and I was heartbroken for a long time. I decided after a few months to adopt a new bunny to bond to my now lonely boy, Pucci. I now have two wonderful bunnies who light up my life: Pucci and Luna. My Belgian Malinois, India, is the greatest dog someone can hope for. She is sweet and kind-hearted, so mellow and a beautiful dog with short, red hair and big black ears and the most expressive chocolate brown eyes.

I am thankful for my brains. I somehow survived high school, Undergrad and Graduate School. I love to learn. I love reading and watching documentaries and wish that I could afford to go back to school, just for the hell of it.

I am thankful for my health. In 2008, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which has proven to be a big hurdle for me. Mostly it is the weight gain that has me upset and worried about my future health, but it really could be worse. I'm glad that I am as healthy as I am, despite not being in great health.

I am thankful for entertainment. Movies, books, TV shows, music, the internet, YouTube, Pandora, records, etc etc etc. Just adds to the fun that is life :)

What are you thankful for?

Fun New Things #1

I am creating the "Fun New Things" series in order to share with you the awesome stuff that I have found, have had suggested to me, or that I think you absolutely NEED to know about.

First thing's first: The Food.

Raincoast Oat Crisps. Gluten free, made with all-natural ingredients and actually pretty damn good! A friend of mine brought them into work to share with me, and we both nommed the Rosemary Raisin Pecan flavor. They reminded me a lot of those little pieces of crunchy rye bread in Gardettos party mix stuff? Only they aren't loaded with sodium. The Rosemary provides the flavor, the visible seeds added to the crunch, and then the raisins provided just a slight sweetness and chewiness in parts. I really enjoyed these. Not only are they yummy, but they are healthy. They helped to keep my blood sugar from dropping or spiking when I really needed a snack between meals. I would definitely recommend these.

Check them out here on their website: http://www.lesleystowe.com/#/the-crisps/

Second: The Drink.

Ever heard of Kombucha? Kombucha is a black and/or green tea that is fermented using bacteria and yeast. I know that sounds gross, but trust me (though please don't try to make this at home, you could hurt yourself). It is pretty popular in Asian countries, but it is starting to see an upward trend here in the US as a functional food. The yeast gives off bubbles, making this drink slightly fizzy. It isn't super fizzy like, say, a Coke, but it is absolutely tasty and refreshing.

I tried the Dreamy Orange flavor, which I found at Target, and it was really good. And I didn't feel guilty about drinking it. Of course, it contains sugar for an added sweetness, but it is tea after all.

Check out their website here: http://livesodakombucha.com/products

Anyone ever been to Europe and try one of their bottled, fizzy lemonade-type drinks? That's kind of what this reminds me of. If not, move on to the Stuff!!



Third: The Stuff.

Kettlebells. The discount store Five Below is selling 5 lbs kettlebells for $5! I have been wanting to try a kettlebell workout forever but they are something that you have to invest in, and I didn't want to drop the cash if I didn't know whether or not I'd like it. Well, for $5 I can definitely give this bad boy (or girl) a go! I did some research and asked around, and it's recommended that a newbie starts out with 5 lbs. So, it's perfect.

I couldn't find the kettlebells on Five Below's website, but here is some of the other sport stuff that they sell on the cheap: http://www.fivebelow.com/sports/fitness-sports-balls.html


Until next time!

Book Review: The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Are you a Francophile? Do you have an affinity for French cuisine? Do you have a basic understanding of the French language? If so, then this book is right up your alley!

Unfortunately, though I have visited Paris, I do not speak a lick of French and I think French food is chocked full of much-too-scary ingredients that I don't have any interest in trying (hare, oysters, duck confit, etc etc etc).

The Hundred Foot Journey, by Richard C. Morais, started out very well. I picked up the book because I had read that it had been made into a movie, and the movie starred Helen Mirren, and it was about food. So of course I had to read it. 

**This review may contain spoilers**

Hassan Haji is an immigrant from India who finds his culinary calling in the kitchen of his family's Indian restaurant. After his mother dies, his family immigrates (more like RUNS) to London. Hassan's father, feeling lost, packed the car full of the family and takes a culinary tour of Europe. The car finally breaks down in France, in a small town in the countryside. On a whim, Hassan's father purchases the large house for sale next to their broken down vehicle and decides to open up an Indian restaurant in an area of France where it is likely no one has ever tried an Indian dish. Little do they know, however, that the inn across the street is home and restaurant of a famous 2-star chef, Madame Mallory, who becomes insanely jealous that such an exotic restaurant is ruining the ambiance and drawing in a good deal of customers. 

After several failed attempts at closing down their restaurant, Madame Mallory finally breaks down and tries their Indian food, discovering that Hassan, who is manning the kitchen, has a real talent for cooking and she believes he has the potential to be a great chef. She takes Hassan under her wing, after a hunger strike outside of the Haji's home, and molds him in her wake. 

I thought the first have of this book was great fun, lots of Indian dishes and flavors and spices I could understand and I could picture the meals in my head. I also listened to this on audiobook and the narrator had a great way of pronouncing both the Indian and the French words and accents of the speakers. 

After Hassan leaves Madam Mallory and goes out into the culinary world is when I became a bit bored with the story. While it was very well written it didn't hold much for me in terms of my interest. I really disliked how a lot of French dishes were named, but not described, as I had no idea what they were.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend it, again, for Francophiles and those who enjoy French cuisine. 

Foodie Favs: Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala!

I have been on a curry and Indian food kick for some time now. I think I narrowed it down to a reason - a) I work in a library that has a large Indian population, and this includes some of the employees who bring their delicious lunches and heat it up so the entire break room and the rest of the library smells like their amazing food *INHALE*. And b) I am listening to "The Hundred Foot Journey" (review to come) and the beginning is highly steeped in Indian food. Remember in my last post how I wrote about how crazy I am about bold flavors? This one takes BOLD to the ultimate. I mean with onion, garlic, tomato, lemon, Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and coconut milk, how can this NOT be packed full of flavor?

I cooked this in the crockpot and the chicken was so moist and tender that it fell apart with a tap of the fork. The potatoes, after 6 hours in the crock pot, still had a little bit of give to them, which I like better than mushy potatoes that fall apart and get all mixed into the sauce like mashed potatoes.

I recommend serving this with brown rice, with naan, or over broccoli (natures sponge) as a healthier alternative because this yields a lot of sauce.

This recipe was found on Pinterest and links to this site.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used fingerling)
• 1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly, finely grated ginger
• 1 (29 oz) can tomato puree
• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Garam Masala (found in the spices section of most grocery stores)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1-3 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 2 and it was pretty hot for me)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• Chopped cilantro, for serving

Learn Basic Food Safety Tips

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine onion, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, yogurt, oil, lemon juice, Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne.
2. Place the chicken and potatoes in the slow cooker then pour the sauce over. Gently stir to coat.
3. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked.
4. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, mix together coconut milk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker and let thicken. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

The only thing I did here was I used 2 chicken breast instead of 3 (but regretting it, the chicken is so damn good), and I used onion powder instead of an actual onion. I also used 3 tbsp of flour instead of cornstarch because I totally thought I had it and I didn't.

ENJOY!

Foodie Favs: Curry Beef with Peas and Teriyaki Sweet Potatoes

I know, I know, curry and teriyaki don't necessarily go together (well, it depends on who you ask), but I am a huge fan of bold flavors. I think that's why I like condiments so much. Sweet, sour, savory, spicy, you name it, I love it.

I have been trying to eat healthier - especially having less processed foods. 

Both of these recipes come from one of my absolute favorite recipe websites: www.budgetbytes.com. So many flavorful recipes for all budgets.

Curry Beef With Peas:

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 inches fresh ginger
• 1½ Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• a pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium potato
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp flour
• ½ lb. frozen peas
• to taste salt

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic, peel and grate the ginger. Use a vegetable peeler or scrape with a spoon to remove the peel of the ginger. Cook both with vegetable oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until softened.
2. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes more. Add the beef and continue to cook until fully browned.
3. While the beef is cooking, peel the potato and then cut into small cubes. Once the beef is fully cooked, add the cubed potatoes, beef broth, and flour. Allow the whole skillet to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have softened and most of the moisture has evaporated off (about 15 minutes). If it gets too dry before the potatoes have finished cooking, simply add a little bit more water and continue cooking.
4. Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the frozen peas and heat through. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Serve over rice or with naan bread.

The only alteration I made to this recipe was using powdered ginger as I didn't have any fresh on hand. Worked just as well!

Teriyaki Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 oz. sesame seeds

1. Wash, peel and cube your sweet potatoes.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and put all of your sweet potato chunks in it. In a separate bowl, mix the sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and soy sauce together until as much as the sugar is dissolved as possible.

3. Pour the sauce over the sweet potato chunks and stir to coat all sides. Cover the dish with foil (or a cover if it has one) and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, stir the mixture and place back in the oven without a cover. Stir every ten minutes after this point, cooking for 30 minutes more total. I added the sesame seeds at the last stir (with ten minutes left to cook).

The only modification to this recipe I made were leaving out the sesame seeds, just because I didn't have any. I bet they would be really good, though.

TV Review: American Horror Story: Asylum

I know I am a bit late on watching this one, but I'm kinda slow at watching TV.

What I love about AHS as a whole, is that every season is a different show. Same actors play completely different characters, totally different eras and subject matter.

**The rest of this review may contain spoilers**

Season 2 takes place in 1960s Massachusetts, in an asylum for the criminally insane called Briarcliff. Lana Winters, a lesbian journalist, sneaks into Briarcliff with the intention of scooping out a juicy story about the atrocities happening inside. Lana is caught in the act by the very strict Sister Jude, a nun that runs Briarcliff, and is admitted into the asylum for the "mental disorder" of being gay.

Inside Briarcliff, Lana finds exactly what she was looking for and the pain and suffering that she hoped to expose. Boiling baths, electroshock therapy, and solitary confinement are just naming a few.

There is a lot going on in this show, which is typical AHS fashion. Including: a serial killer, several different mental disorders, the Devil, an exorcism, aliens and a Nazi.

I honestly thought that the last few episodes of the show could have been left out. The last episode, I believe, was needed, but there were even more twists and turns added right at the end of the show, then hastily wrapped up.

I give this series 4 out of 5 stars because I honestly enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to watching American Horror Story: Coven next!

Book Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

First off, let me start off by saying: listen to this book on Audio! Mindy narrates it herself and I think her voice and her emphasis on certain words really add to the overall experience.

It took me about a week of commuting to listen to this book, and it was one of those books that actually made me look forward to getting into the car.

For those of you who don't know who Mindy Kaling is (aka those of you living under a rock), she is an Indian-American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. You may know her as Kelly Kapoor on the American version of The Office as well as Mindy Lahiri on The Mindy Project. I seriously love The Mindy Project, which is one of the things that prompted me to pick up this book.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? was written back in 2011, so this was before TMP took off. Mindy discusses her childhood, adolescence, time spent at Dartmouth College, her best friends, odd jobs, and career moves. But what also fills the pages are her opinions on: the difference between men and boys, the rules of being a best friend, her demands for a perfect funeral, her hatred for riding bikes, and the difference between terms such as "chubby" and "obesetron" (among many, many other things).

Funny, witty and full of Mindy's personal experiences and opinions, this book was one of those laugh-out-loud reads that you make mental notes about, so as to sound funny at a party.

I give this book 5 stars and will recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and light read.

p.s. Fun Fact: Mindy's real name is Vera Mindy Chokalingam.

Where Are You From??

I am currently living in Detroit, Michigan, but was born in Nuremberg, Germany and have traveled around a lot with a military family, living in California and Georgia at other parts of my life.

I'm curious about my readers! Where are you from? Where do you currently live?

Leave me a comment!

Happy Halloween!

Just wishing my readers a Happy Halloween!!

We were allowed to dress up at work today but I wasn't feeling well this morning and wound up waking up late, so I just threw on my Marvel Heroes dress and went off.

But I think out of anywhere I have worked before, this has definitely been the best year for dressed up coworkers. I have never had so many coworkers participate in Halloween before. It's great! I feel a bit left out for not doing anything, but what can you do? I am saving my strength for a Halloween party that I am attending tomorrow with my boyfriend, we are going as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Honorable mention of my coworker's costumes:

• Hagrid from Harry Potter
• Bane from Batman
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (4 different people)
• Pirate
• Daenerys/ Khaleesi from The Game of Thrones
• A Minion from Despicable Me
• Pete the Cat (a character from a children's book)
• A woman from the Prairie
• A "Fork in the Road", using 2 strips of tape taped onto a shirt as the "road" and a plastic fork taped in the middle..... hahaha
• Where's Waldo
• The University of Michigan coach in disguise (after a particularly terrible football season)
• One of my pregnant coworkers made her orange shirted tummy into a jack-o-lantern
• A Princess
• Finn the Human from Adventure Time

And among my awesome coworkers were a slew of children and babies dressed up. Including a toddler dressed as a Dr. with a white coat embroidered with "Dr. Q. T. Patootie".

I can't even.

I love Halloween.

What did you go as?

Black Nails

Black nail polish: 90s Goth fashion or popular chic nail color? You decide.

I think black manicures are totally underrated. I am currently rocking solid, shiny black nails and no one has asked me if I like Marilyn Manson. I am even wearing this manicure at work.

I admit that I did choose this color choice based on the fact that Halloween is tomorrow, but I've been known to rock it year-round. In a world of French manicures, vintage red and funky glitter nails, black is unexpected.

Black is taboo. Many people associate it with being strange, or with being Gothic or part of some heavy metal band. But I think it is chic and stylish. It goes with everything, it's nice and dark for winter, when hair and makeup trends tend to get a bit darker.

I like that I can wear it with a dress at work, or with leggings on the weekends, and still look put together.

What is your verdict?

Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Two or so years ago, a friend recommended that I read the book entitled Speak. I added it to my Goodreads List and just now got around to it. I listened to it on audiobook in the car during my ridiculous commutes to and from work.

My reviews are based only on my own opinions and this may contain spoilers. To check out more of what I am reading, take a look at my Goodreads widget in the sidebar.

Melinda is a brand-new Freshmen entering high school. She has no friends, no one to talk to, no one to sit with at the lunch table. The thing is, Melinda is entering school with all her friends, and the people she has gone to school with for a long time. Something happened over the summer that causes all of her friends to shun her, people to throw things at her, call her names, and knock her books out of her arms. She becomes and introvert. She refuses to speak to her parents, she hides her body with huge, ill-fitting clothes, she starts to skip class and subsequently starts failing. She finds a safe haven for herself inside an old, abandoned janitorial closet in her school and goes there when she needs to escape it all, which is often. Eventually, she starts skipping classes altogether.

Halfway through the book we learn her secret, and then it all makes sense. Melinda starts to become tired of her new self, and wants to work towards becoming the person she used to be, but she has to realize how to grow a person, as if a seed, among so much hurt and anger.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good, quick read. This is a YA novel.

Super Amazing Pumpkin Carvings

Tonight my boyfriend and I are attending my friend's annual Pumpkin Carving Party. We all really get into carving, and we all like to be a little silly.

Last year's fun carvings included a Dachshund and a T-Rex (which I carved!)

I have been cruising the internet looking for different, out-of-the-ordinary, funny, scary, and difficult carvings. Here are a few of my favorites:

Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas:

This awesome Merry-Go-Round:

Cinderella and her pumpkin coach:

Chuck Norris!

Sugar Skull:

The Joker! Why so serious?:

Which ones are your favorite? Have any really cool pumpkin ideas for me?

Parks & Rec

After several months of watching, I have finally finished Parks & Rec!

I really enjoyed this show. Amy Poehler plays Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. She works with a host of kooky coworkers, including her best friend Anne, played by Rashida Jones. Chris Pratt also has a role in this show (and mysteriously drops 50 lbs during season breaks, which I am assuming is when she was toning up to start filming Guardians of the Galaxy) as a not-quite-the-brightest-bulb shoe shiner with a band called Mouse Rat.

I loved that Leslie was funny but also was a strong female figure. It is a breath of fresh air having a show with comedy but also touched on some strong points such as female equality and the percentage of females working in government. Leslie is a pusher, and she is constantly pushing her employees, especially April (played by Aubrey Plaza), fellow female government employee with an attitude problem and a love for anything terrible.

My favorite character, however, was definitely Ron Swanson. I think he just may be my Spirit Animal. He is the Deputy of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee. And the kicker: he loathes any kind of government. He is very "don't tread on me", and I love it.

Among the long list of things that Ron hates are:

• Talking
• Feelings
• Lying
• Government
• Vegetables
• Europe
• His ex wives (plural), both named Tammie

All in all, the show was entertaining, funny, and I actually learned a thing or two about goverment. Figure that out!

I rated this show 5 stars on Netflix. Now go watch it!