TravEliNG tHROuGh TiMee

Today, like many other days, the job search begins. I find that when I am not looking, that’s when all these jobs want me to be a part of the magic, but when I am really really trying to find something, they are all hiding. The irony baffles me, but hey, that’s life

Back on subject.

I took a short break from the grueling work day (jokes), and decided to watch a movie that I have never seen before. I went on my HBO GO page and picked the first movie at the top of the alphabet titled “About Time”. Not sure if any of you have ever heard about it or seen it before, but I really truly liked it. I also thought, what world am I living in for not knowing this movie because one of my favorite actresses of all time was in it. Rachel McAdam’s. Babe.

Carrying on.

Its a movie about a guy who lives a pretty boring life until he discovers that he can travel through time. He does not have the ability to change history but he can, in fact, change some of the major, or not so major moments in his life. This movie is basically a decision of what he makes of this gift.

He immediately goes back in time to try and make a girl fall in love with him, but he soon realizes that maybe she is not the one for him. He moves to London to move on with his life and become as successful as he possibly can, as an up and coming lawyer. He finally meets a girl that takes his breath away, and through his time traveling, and quick wit, was able to win her over. The built a beautiful life with one another.

But what Tim, the main character, realizes soon enough is that his time traveling abilities cannot save him or his family from the unexpected tragedies that affect everyone everywhere in a lifetime.

Tim learns, throughout this whole process, that maybe he didn’t need the time traveling to make the most out of life, and maybe, things just happen…because. It is a funny love story with a touch of sadness, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Obviously the movie isn’t a work of fiction, but it taught me a thing or two about the craziness of life. We always wish that we could change how things play out, but in reality that just takes away from the beauty of it all. If we knew how things were going to work, we would never be able to make the most out of the life that we are meant to have.

“We’re all traveling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.”

This quote says it all. Stop worrying about what you need to change about the past. Live in the now. Focus on the now. Be in the now.

definitely check out the movie though.

THANKSGIVING FESTIVITIES!!

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I have lots on my mind, but specifically, FOOD. I know that there is the typical food that is included in the dinner festivities, like the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. This year, why not try mixing things up a bit and trying different types of foods, and starting new traditions. I know for me and my family, holidays have always been really important to us. Not only was it a time for everyone to finally be together for a night, but we could also participate in something we all know and love so much, eating. LOL.

This year I will not be with my family because I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my boyfriend and his family, but I am sure my mom will have something extravagant up her sleeves for the dinner portion of the night. No surprise there.

I am not that good at cooking unless I have a very specific recipe and a right hand man there to help out, but earlier today while I was on Pinterest I noticed so many different foods that looked so amazing, and especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving.

Here are a couple pictures of what could potentially be some wonderful dishes for Thanksgiving night. Your bellies sure will be HAPPY!

Start with a nice salad to begin the dishes.

Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad

Ingredients

• 6 cups salad (I used a combination of arugula and baby spinach, any spring green mix will do)
• 1 red apple
• 1 green apple
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (such as Diamond of California)
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries

dressing (see note)

• 1 cup apple juice
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar in a pinch)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• scant ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup oil

UGHHH so delicious…

Next we have some Crunchy Holiday Stuffing

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups celery
1 1/2 cups carrots
1 (14 oz.) pkg. stuffing
2 cups FRENCH’S® French Fried Onions
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup Water

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease 3-quart baking dish; set aside. Melt butter in large pot; stir in vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes.
ADD stuffing, broth and water and stir until moistened. Gently stir in French Fried Onions. Spoon stuffing into 3-quart baking dish.
COVER and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Onions. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until Onions are golden.

The results come out to an amazing looking dish, and what I love is that it is crunchier than all the stuffing I have ever had.

And lastly, but could never forget, THE TURKEY!

Roasted Turkey with Herb Butter & Roasted Shallots

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 15-to-16 pound turkey
• Salt and pepper to season cavity
• 1 1/4 lb. shallots, peeled and cut in half through the root
• 1 carrot, unpeeled
• 1 large celery stalk, cut in half crosswise
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 3 cups (approximately) chicken broth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together softened butter, sage, thyme and parsley until well combined.
3. Remove the neck and other innards from the turkey cavity. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the carrot, celery and onion quarters into the cavity of the turkey.
4. Tie the turkey legs together and tuck the wings underneath the turkey, using small skewers to secure, if necessary.
5. Starting at the neck end, slide your hands under the breast skin to loosen. Smear 3 tablespoons of the herb butter underneath the breast skin. Smear another 4 tablespoons of the herb butter over the entire topside of the turkey.
6. Place the turkey in the roasting pan, breast side up. Scatter the shallots around the turkey, on the bottom of the roasting pan.
7. Cover the breasts with foil and place the turkey in the oven. Roast the turkey for 2 hours, basting it with 1/2 cup chicken broth every 30 minutes.
8. Remove the foil from the breast. If you find that the legs are browning too much, cover each drumstick with foil. Roast the turkey until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh (be sure not to hit the bone) registers 170 degrees F, basting every 30 minutes with the pan drippings, about 1 hour total.
9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a platter, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
10. Remove the carrot, celery and onion from the cavity and discard.
11. Remove the shallots from the pan and serve with the gravy. Use the remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan and the remaining herb butter to make the gravy.

And wow, is that a good lookin turkey!

Ps: These recipes and and directions are found from sites on Pinterest, and are just some of the wonderful dishes I have tried before. Pinterest always has some great pins for the Holiday seasons especially when it has to do with food!

Hope you all enjoy, and potentially use these recipes!

Fifty Shades of “Oh My GOD!”

“Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.”

Not sure if many of you have read the trilogy, “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E L James, but the book is truly insane and memorable, not in the sense that the writing is great, but because, well, you can get the gist.

The book literally is insane. When I started reading it I had no plan in never putting the book down. I could not stop. I did not even really like what I was reading but I was so shocked and taken back that I could not put the book down.

I am not sure if it is an uncomfortable feeling or a hysterical feeling, but I cannot believe I read all three of the books in the trilogy.

I am very excited to see how the movie turns out on Valentines Day. Will the movie be as explicit as the book was, and if so, will that cause a bunch of uproar from parents?

The books were very descriptive and I am not sure it is the best idea to include all of that nitty gritties in a movie!

Having said that, I am so excited to see it! Definitely eager, to say the least!

Would love to know what you all think about these controversial books, and what you hope the movie is like in February!

5 Things

On a day like today, all I want to do it cuddle up, drink hot chocolate, and watch movies all day. Unfortunately, the weekend is over, and it is back to the real world.

It is always hard getting up on Monday morning, and I of all people complain about it..but what we all need to realize is that we are all lucky to have another day worth living.

Here is a list of ten things we should all be thankful for, even on the worst of days.

1. It is such a wonderful blessing to wake up another day, and take that first breath of fresh air. To look outside and see life everywhere is a true reward and we always seem to forget that.

2. We always seem to “hate our ex’s” but in reality, they have only made us the people we are today. Instead of bashing them and regretting the life you had with them, thank them for helping you grow and better understand who you would like to be with in the future.

3. Those annoying parents that you always seem to complain about? Those people brought you into this world, and understandably, at times they might be rough around the edges, but they love you. Just remember, it could be worse. I always find myself making snarky comments to my parents, and feeling awful about it later. Life is too short to hurt the people that you love, so never take them for granted.

4. The mistakes you cannot seem to get past. Certain mistakes that you have made in the past might have brought out certain characteristics that you might dislike or like about yourself. Those mistakes have molded you into the person that you are, regardless of how much you hate the sound of that. Mistakes have to happen or else you would never grow up or mature.

5. The silly fights that always get under your skin. As annoying as it may be, a little fighting every once in a while shows that you do have feelings, and that you do care. If nobody ever fought, we would live in a world of lies. People need to disagree. People need to have differences. Because from those disagreements and differences comes resolution, and resolution rocks!

Life is far better than I, and many others, deserve. Keeping track of what I am thankful for helps me put a lot of things into perspective. Hopefully from this, you too, can reminisce on what and who you are thankful for.