Today's Celebration

National Margarita Day!

2010-02-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is SO my day and I'm SO excited to celebrate! We are having friends over this evening to sip some margaritas with and hopefully the rains holds out until tomorrow so we can even have one outside, watching the sunset, the way a margarita should be enjoyed!
So here's my no fail, pitcher always emptied margarita:
1 can frozen lime-aid
3 cans filled with water
1 can filled with tequila
2 oranges cut in wedges
Empty first 3 ingredients into a pitcher, squeeze the orange wedges on top and drop orange rind in, stir, fill a glass with ice, pour marg on top and ENJOY!

Side note: Ryan hates tequila, so I make a vodka version for him with just the lime and orange.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day!

2010-02-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

Spilled milk happens to the best of us but don't let that get you down,

keep your thoughts on all that is good!

Homemade Soup Day

2010-02-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

Mmm, I don't know about where you are, but where I am a nice bowl of soup sounds great to warm up the home and body!
I recently acquired a crock pot (thank you Jamie!) that has truly changed our lives! It's a remarkable appliance and in the last 3 weeks I've made, chicken wings, and 2 amazing soups and will be making another for tonight.

On the menu tonight:
Southwest Corn, Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Choo Choo!

2010-02-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 97th Birthday to Grand Central Station in New York!
Two very obvious things come to mind when I thing about this day - Trains and NYC. Well, actually 3, now I want to go on vacation!

So, with that in mind here are some quick travel tips.

When looking for plane tickets always check out Kayak. I could fly from LAX to JFK this Friday and return Monday on Delta, Virgin or United for $207 (hmmm, would they really miss me in the Desert this weekend for Super Bowl?). I know what you're thinking...you probably have 5 stops, leave at 5:45am and get in at 2:10am. No, not true, these are non-stop flights leaving at all times of the day! So, check it out next time you fly. It does not check Southwest or JetBlue though so don't forget to check them out too.

Speaking of travel deals, I love BudgetTravel. It is a very user friendly website that is updated constantly so I haven't found any prices not current. I really like the "Leaving From" tab, so I can chose Los Angeles and see that I can get Kauai, 5nights/air/car for $621 if I book by March 10th! I can hear the waves crashing now...

National Grapefruit Month

2010-02-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

February gets a kick start with National Grapefruit Month!

I LOVE grapefruits and now they are in peak season.

When in season we typically eat a half grapefruit every morning but my favorite way to enjoy the fruit is in it dessert form. It's a Grapefruit Alaska; I highly recommend you try this recipe this month, maybe Valentines Day...
To serve 4 take 2 grapefruits, cut in half and section the fruit placing the pieces in a colander, then scrape the grapefruit shell clean and place in the freezer for about 8 hours, leaving the grapefruit pieces in the colander on top of a bowl for the juices to drain. Then about 25 minutes before dessert heat the oven to 450 and place 1 scoop of orange sherbet in the frozen grapefruit cup and top with the reserved grapefruit wedges, the grapefruits should be just at the top of the shell, not over flowing. Place back in the freezer while you make the meringue. For the meringue beat 4 egg whites in a glass bowl, mix in 1/4 teas. of cream of tartar and slowly add in 1 cup of fine granulated sugar until the mixture makes stiff peaks. Place the grapefruits on a cookie sheet and add a big scoop of meringue on top of the grapefruit/orange sherbet mixture. Place in the oven until the meringue peaks are browned, about 10 minutes. Then ENJOY!
This dessert is sooo good and is always a crowd pleaser. I can't wait to make it next weekend!

Happy Spouses Day!

2010-01-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day to take the time and tell your spouse all of the little reasons why you love, appreciate, and are thankful for them.

A couple reasons for me happen to be:

The work he does around the house

His love for Costco (opens the doors)

Loves his family

Is a great packer (which if you know us, you can see why this is such a great quality to have), we rarely have anything break.

Is an incredible singer and dancer

He is always up for a good time

Cheers to our lifetime of fun, adventure and love!

Happy Opposite Day!

2010-01-25T00:40:00.000-08:00

This was a great look!

Did you not just love Opposite Day growing up? I think it was Wednesday's at my school. I'm trying to remember now the days of the week and I think they went like this:

Monday Marriage Day - you'd decide who you'd be married to for the week - mine was usually a LA Kings hockey player.
Tuesday Tip Toe Day - walk on your toes all day and point out those who weren't (I remember the teachers getting really annoyed with this one, especially if you had an assembly or going to the library!)
Wednesday Opposite Day - you say things at lunch like, "I hate eating donuts" and the lunch table was like, "WHAT!" and you'd say, "Not, it's opposite day!" Or, "I just love Mrs. Simon, she's sooo nice!"
Thursday Throw Up Day - I'm sure also a teacher favorite, but I remember playing this game mostly on the bus - good times!
Friday Flip Up Day - ugh, you could never wear a skirt or dress on this day, but I would often sport a skort on Fridays and would be like, "Ha! Flip what?!" Actually I'm pretty sure no one ever tried to flip up my skirt as I mostly wore LA Kings sweats.

Today, have some fun remembering your childhood and tricking your loved ones on Opposite Day!

Meow?

2010-01-22T00:02:00.000-08:00

Well, today is National Answer Your Cat's Question Day which really has no meaning in our house since we are without cat. However, if we did have a cat it would probably ask something like, "Why do you like the dog so much more than you like me?" And we'd say, "Well, the Man (Ryan) is not allergic to the dog, and the Lady (Lauren) does not like cleaning out the kitty-litter." Boy, it's a good thing we don't have a cat - that would be a tough conversation to have.

I think some more common questions from a cat would be:

Oh, you're still here?
Don't you have some place to go?
Why do you keep calling me Felix? My name is Doug.

For those of you who do have a cat what is it asking you today?

On a side note I came across this great article on catchannel.com while researching the holiday for single cat lover's looking for a mate. It's talks about questions to ask a potential date and acceptable answers. Here's a teaser from the article:
1. What three words would you use to describe the stereotypical cat?
Think twice if words like, “aloof,” “cold” or “stubborn” pop up! However, terms like, “cuddly,” “loyal” or “graceful” demonstrate an appreciation of the feline species — and that’s something you can appreciate in your date.
Click here to read the rest of the article.

Squirrel Appreciation Day!

2010-01-21T00:09:00.000-08:00

We've got someone in our house that appreciates squirrels everyday...Hula, our dog! They use to provide hours of entertainment for her in our backyard in Denver, now she loves chasing them every time we go down to the harbor. The best thing about the harbor squirrels are about a quarter of them have bleached blonde hair - they crack me up - I always picture those squirrels getting their highlights done together and talking trash on the others who have bad roots!

So, what is this day really about anyways? Leaving out a little extra food for squirrels as they are probably running low this time of year. What do they like? Unsalted sunflower seeds, unsalted peanuts, fruits and veggies.

Sounds like the perfect start to some awesome trail mix so get extra for you! Trader Joe's is the perfect place to get all of your trail mix necessities. I like to go 3 cups dried fruit, 2 cups granola and 1 cup nuts (usually almonds).

Cheese Lover's Unite!

2010-01-20T00:54:00.000-08:00

It's National Cheese Lover's Day!

Today is really a day to celebrate, mmm I LOVE cheese! To celebrate today I would suggest having a Cheese Lover's Potluck with the office, neighbors, family and/or friends. That way you can get ALL your favorite cheesy foods from cheese balls, to mac and cheese, to queso dip and cheesecake in one sitting!

While living in Denver we became huge Cheese Fondue fans! It was a great weekend meal we'd share with the Coombe's. Here's a great recipe from Tyler Florence. My favorite toppings include apples, crusty bread, broccoli, carrots and chicken apple sausage.

If you're in the middle of a crazy week like me and don't have time to celebrate today, celebrate this weekend with a wine and cheese party! Check out these party ideas from Rachael Ray's Magazine.

National Popcorn Day!

2010-01-19T00:09:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love popcorn - we always have some in our pantry and it is typically popped in our house at least 3 times per week. I think it is one of the best afternoon snacks around - a whole cup of popcorn only has about 30-55 calories but it is really filling because it's a whole grain food and high in fiber. I always top my popcorn but not with the typical buttery, fatty topping - nope, I top mine with soy sauce - mmm my mouth is watering thinking about it! Don't knock it until you try it, I have converted many naysayers over the years!
+=

If you aren't buying the soy sauce yet another really fun thing to do with kids is to make that crazy colored popcorn. There are two ways to make it - one with food coloring and sugar water and the other with gelatin - click here to see both.

Another great way to celebrate National Popcorn Day is buy indulging in one of those delicious popcorn tins from http://www.thepopcornfactory.com/. They make great gifts and talk about getting creative with the toppings, here they have Banana Cream Pie, Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, White Chocolate Raspberry and Thai Peanut flavored popcorn.

I'm looking forward to enjoying some fun flavors today and I hope you enjoy this day with some zesty flavored popcorn too!

Winnie the Pooh Day!

2010-01-18T02:02:00.000-08:00

This holiday was created in honor of A.A. Milne's birthday, he was born in 1882. What a fun day to remember all of the great tales of Pooh Bear and his friends, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Roo, Christopher Robin and my personal favorite Eeyore!

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear." Eeyore

We will be celebrating tonight with one of Winnie the Pooh's favorite treats...Honey! I'm making a family favorite recipe with lots of honey - Baklava! The way we make it in our family is with:

Phyllo Dough - 1 package thawed

1lb finely chopped walnuts

2/3 Cup sugar combined with 2 T. cinnamon

1/4 Cup melted butter

1 honey bear

To make - preheat the oven to 350. Grease up a 13x9 baking pan and then let the layering begin!

Start with about 10 sheets of phyllo dough with just a little brush of butter in between each layer. Then start sprinkling the nuts and cinnamon and sugar mixture in between each layer of phyllo dough. So, go dough, brush of butter, nuts, cinnamon and sugar and repeat until you've used up all of the nuts. Then place in the oven for 20 minutes and take out to cut into about 28 square. Place back in the oven for another 25 minutes until it's a nice golden color. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes then pour the honey bear all over the top and into the cracks where you made the cuts. Let this rest for about 30-45 minutes before enjoying this delicious treat!

“"That buzzing-noise means something. If there's a buzzing noise, somebody's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee. ....
And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey.....
And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it." So he began to climb the tree.” Winnie the Pooh

International Hot and Spicy Food Day

2010-01-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of those days where you either love it or hate it!

Fortunately our house is a fan of the spice and we will be cooking up something spicy for dinner tonight for sure!

We're getting tonight's recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. This Christmas Ryan got a bottle of Sriracha Hot Sauce and an issue of Bon Appetit that had a whole section on great recipes made with this awesome hot sauce. The one we've chosen is a Sriracha-Soy Fried Chicken in Lettuce Leave. Check it out and the other great recipes from this article.

If you can't make this recipe today be sure you make time to pick up a bottle of this awesome and addictive spicy chili sauce. We find ourself putting it on everything from eggs at breakfast, to salads at lunch, and mashed potatoes at dinner. Ryan describes it as like playing Russian Roulette, in that, "you take a calculated chance of extreme spiciness taking over your mouth with each bite." Which is just part of the allure of a Hot and Spicy Food.

National Dress Up Your Pet Day

2010-01-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

Yes! This day was definitely made for people like me whose husband's think it is "weird" to dress up you dog. Now I can officially add another day during the year when it is "allowed" to dress up the dog (the other being Halloween).

CraftPlace.org has encouraged pet owners to craft their own pet attire for National Dress Up Your Pet Day. This year they are having a contest that goes on through the end of the month; you could win a "basket filled with craft goodies" so check out their website to enter today! If you aren't a contest type I still recommend visiting their website to check out some awesome craft projects for not just your dog but also your pet pig, rabbit and llama!

If you don't have the time to make you pet's outfit there are many great places online to buy great clothes like www.doggieclothesline.com where you can find everything from formal wear to hoodies!

Not an animal person? Enjoy a good laugh at us and our obsession with our pets!

Make Your Dream Come True Day!

2010-01-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

Wow! When I heard about this day I thought...that is some major pressure! Then I started thinking about what dreams I have that I want to make come true and my next thought was - wow, think of all of the dreams I've had that have already come true! Today is a great day of reflection and planning for the future.

Here are some inspirational quotes to get you in the mood to make your dreams come true!

"At first, dream seem impossible, then improbably, and eventually inevitable." Christopher Reeve
"Each sunrise gives hope to your dreams and light to your plans." William Ngwako Maphoto
"You always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Wayne Gretzky
"Any dream worth dreaming, is worth the effort to make it come true." Evan Gourley
"If you don't have a dream how can you have a dream come true?" Jiminy Cricket

National Marzipan Day

2010-01-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Magical World of Marzipan
It is an incredible item in the pastry world indeed - I am always so amazed how real looking the treats are made out of marzipan, and their tiny size...a real wonder to me!
When I think of marzipan I always think of the fruit and animal decorations you see in bakery shops but I didn't know it was so commonly used to ice cakes too. Marzipan is basically made up of just sugar and almond meal and must be have at least 25% almond or else it is considered almond paste. Unfortunately tonight I will not have time to create my own marzipan but I am tempted to buy some to enjoy from MarzipanWorld.com. I'm not sure of their reputation but I love the name of their website - it really gives you a great visual of a crazy world made up of marzipan - CRAZY! They also sell an exciting book called "Marzipan Magic" - love it!
I hope you have some time to enjoy some fun and delicious Marzipan today.

Thank You!

2010-01-11T00:50:00.000-08:00

Today is a day to show gratitude and appreciation because it is International Thank You Day.

I try very hard to show my thanks to friends, family and co-workers throughout the year for the simple and amazing things they do for me throughout the year.

In general when I think of "thank-you's" stationary comes to mind. So today I'm going to create some personalized stationary to have on hand throughout the year.
I used this article to gather ideas on creating our own Kelling Family Logo - I hope you find it helpful too.

Since today is International Thank You Day see below to learn ways to say "thank you" in a variety of languages:

Arigato - Japanese
Tak - Danish
Terima Kasih - Indonesian
XieXie - Chinese
Dank U Wel - Dutch
Danke - German
Ngiyabonga Kahulu - Zulu
Go Raibh Maith Agat - Irish Gaelic

Peculiar People Day

2010-01-10T00:31:00.000-08:00

Ah the peculiar people in our life...we all have them and when you think about them they make our lives so much more interesting and exciting. Some are friends, some are family and many are co-workers (not mine of course!). Who ever they are today is a day to celebrate them and reflect on why they make your life better!

To me, I think we're all peculiar (myself included), and I'm happy about that! When I think of all of my close friends there's not an "average" or "normal" one in the bunch. They all have dynamic personalities with their own unique style. They truly make my life so much more exciting and entertaining which makes me feel very lucky!

So today, which peculiar people in your life will you celebrate?

My Hubby, he is known to make VERY peculiar faces in pictures!

My 3 favorite ladies from college, Heather, Amber and Kadie

So peculiarly wonderful!

My sister-in-law, Jamie, we bring out the most peculiar in each other!

Happy National Apricot Day!

2010-01-09T00:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, apricots deserve their own national day because they are so very healthy! They have a significant amount of beta-carotene, vitamin C and A, and fiber. Which means you are helping protect your heart, eyes, and promoting good digestion. Also, for you calorie counters, apricots are lower in calories than most fruits.

One of the first things that come to mind when I think "apricot" is the dried apricot. It is actually really simple to dry fruit and a great thing to do in the winter because you have to leave it in the oven for several hours, which will keep your house nice at toasty!

To dry apricots:

. Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees

. Wash and dry them thoroughly and cut them into thin slices

. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay the fruit on the parchment making sure they are not touching

. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for several hours until they are dehydrated. Time will vary depending on the thickness and juiciness of the fruit; just make sure the fruit is chewy and not squishy or crunchy.

Enjoy this delicious, healthy snack!

Bubble Bath Day!

2010-01-08T00:23:00.000-08:00

Stop putting off that relaxing evening you keep meaning to "schedule" and make it tonight! Draw a bubble bath, light some candles, turn on some good music and pour yourself a glass of champagne.
There are two reasons you must act on this tonight:
1. You're way over-due
2. It's a designated holiday that must not be ignored!

My music mix:

Ray LaMontagne - Hold You in My Arms
Coldplay - Green Eyes
David Gray - This Year's Love
Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey
Pete Yorn - Last Summer

My top champagne/sparkling wine selections:

Chandon Sparkling Wine Blanc de Noir - has hints of fresh strawberry flavors - $13
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs '06 - rich and complex with flavors of vanilla, peaches and pears (my kind of champagne!) $26
Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label - A classic, you will never be disappointed - $40 (sometimes you can get this for around $33 on sales or at Costco)

Old Rock Day

2010-01-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

I really do love this holiday because there are so many great crafts and projects you can do with rocks and pebbles, and if you find them, chances are they're old!

A rock project I recently did over the holidays was this one from Sunset - it turned out great! I gifted the rock, turned personalized paper weight, with a note pad monogrammed with the recipient's initial, very cute!

Kids also LOVE painting on rocks, trust me I used to be a preschool teacher! The options are endless when it comes to painting them and you can also stack the rocks for 3-demensional creatures - think frog, mouse, turtle, shark, lady bug, and the list goes on and on. Tempera and acrylic paints work well on rocks, just make sure you wash them first, especially the old rocks!

If crafting isn't calling out to you check this out from ehow on how to give a hot rock massage. This looks like my kind of massage!

Happy Bean Day!

2010-01-06T00:23:00.000-08:00

Yep it's Bean Day! The first bean that comes to my mind is a jelly bean...mmm...I love jelly beans, specifically Juicy Pear flavored Jelly Bellies, my mouth is watering thinking about them. Probably not the "bean" that the originator of Bean Day had in mind but I couldn't find the originator to know exactly what they had in mind so I had to give some love to the Jelly Bean!

So, the real beans (black, pinto, kidney, refried, baked) really aren't my thing so I'm not going to give you a great recipe with beans because 1.) I probably don't have one; 2.) I may have one but I've never tried to know if it's any good and I really wouldn't want to give a recipe I couldn't back!

What I can back and how I will celebrate this holiday (along with my jelly beans of course) is by donating a few cans of beans to my local food bank. FeedingAmerica.org is a great place to find your local food bank where food donations are accepted.

How will you celebrate Bean Day? I'm sure there are plenty of bean lovers out there - if you have a great recipe please share!

National Bird Day

2010-01-05T00:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm not much of a bird lady but this happend to be what I thought was the best of the holidays to celebrate on January 5th. That said, after doing some research on the holiday I found some pretty cool things and thought of some great ways to celebrate the day.

There is a NationalBirdDay.com that has some extremely facinating information whether or not you're a bird person. And I would especially recommend showing children this page as it reminds us to treat our wildlife with respect and to take the time to appreciate native birds. There is also a really fun activity page!

Now I don't want to force anyone to love birds so if you are one of those that fears birds today might be a good day to share some funny stories of bird mishaps!

Out of respect for the bird, on the menu tonight is seafood! One of birds' favorite foods. I've provided two of my favorite seafood recipes that are easy to make for a good weeknight meal:
Seafood Arrabbiata - Delicious explosion of shellfish with linguine and a spicy tomatoe based sauce.
Fish Tacos - This fish tacos are so delicious made with talapia and you'll love the cabbage slaw that goes with them!

Happy National Spaghetti Day!

2010-01-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

Nothing says

"crowd pleaser"

like spaghetti!

There are so many things I love about spaghetti but I have to say the thing I like best is it's versatility! It's the perfect thickness, a great length, tastes awesome with meats, seafood, and veggies, and the sauces, I could go on all day with the options.

So, let's get right into my favorite spaghetti recipes:

The classic - Tomato and meat based with some basil and topped with parmesan. Yes, it's good, but if you doubt me the name of the recipe is Grandma Shannon's Amazing Spaghetti Sauce, and the recipe is over 90 years old.
Spaghetti Salad - Great for picnics, showers, work-event potlucks.
Spaghetti by the Sea - This is a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis with shrimp and clams in a white wine sauce...yum!
My personal favorite - Spaghetti Pie - Yes, we will be enjoying this tonight to celebrate!

Don't feel like cooking? Maybe you've got an Old Spaghetti Factory nearby for someone else to provide the dirty work for you.

You can also get really creative with spaghetti and the little ones.

Spaghetti painting - this is so fun and the pictures turn out great!
Create some tambourines with your dried spaghetti.
Got a few kids running around the house/school? Try the Great Spaghetti Race.

And don't forget when Halloween rolls around to boil some up and have it in a bowl outside your front door with a sign that says "brains" for kids to feel and get grossed out. See, versatile I tell you!

Fruitcake Toss Day

2010-01-03T00:10:00.000-08:00

Today is truly a day to celebrate because you are actually suppose to throw out that Fruitcake that's been sitting around the house for the last 3 weeks!

Since the holiday falls on a Sunday we will definitely be making a party out of it and so should you!
Our menu theme is "Deconstructed Fruitcake". Fruitcake's key ingredients are actually quite delicious so it's weird that the real thing tastes so bad. We will have cheese plates featured with the yummy nuts and fruits that are usually poorly represented in fruitcakes.
My favorite dish will be the warm brie cheese plate. To make this heat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a 1/2-lb. piece of brie in a shallow baking dish and bake for 4-5 minutes (until oozy/melted). Grind black pepper on top. Serve with walnut bread, and sliced apples and pears. Mmmmm.
To keep you warm during the main event outside check out this recipe from Sunset - Spiced Rum Cider.
Some games we're going to play at our Fruitcake Tossing Party is who can launch the fruitcake the farthest, and for the grand prize, who has the most accurate fruitcake aim (target is the trash can of course).

Ours festivities won't be quite as ellaborate as the annual Great Fruitcake Toss that takes place in Manitou Spring, CO every year but they give us something to strive for!