Raw Meat Bikini

Ok, for the past few years, Lady Gaga has sported unusual, brow raising looks but this one has taken the gold. On a recent cover of Vogue Japan, this bizarre, unconvictional singer/songer writer/performer donned a raw meat bikini. Her pale white body was covered with strategically placed slabs of raw beef. You would think PETA would have a ball with this one but actually Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA, told the Daily New Yorker, "Oh, Lady Gaga's job is to outladish things, and this certainly qualifies as outlandish because meat is something you want to avoid putting on your body." Wow, way to fight for that "poor animal" PETA!

Not your Mama's Lasagna

I love pasta. Who am  I kidding, I love food in general but I have to say pasta is something that I just have to have! Because I love pasta so much, it would only be natural if my best dish was lasagna! My mouth is drowling just thinking about it. It's so packed with meat, mushrooms, onions, sauce, and oh my goodness, the cheese...the perfection of the cheese!! Enough writing about it, I'm going to tell you how you make it!

Things You'll Need

• Cassarole Dish
• Skillet
• Sauce Pan
• Cookie Sheet
• Alumnium Foil
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• 2 boxes of No Boil Lasagna Noodles ( you won't use it all but it's always good to have extra in case)
• 2 16 oz cans of your favorite pasta sauce (my fav. is Hunt's Tomato Paste Basil, Garlic & Oregano)
• 2-3 lbs of ground turkey *if you don't like turkey you can use beef*
• 6-8 cups of Shredded Mozzerella 
• 1 package of sliced fresh mushrooms *optional*
• 1 white onion *optional*
• dried, ground basil and oregano
• Preheat Oven per directions on the No Boil Lasagna Noodles

1. Over medium heat, brown ground meat
2. Chop onions into medium to small pieces. Through half of onion in skillet with browning meat
3. Over medium heat, bring both cans of sauce to a low boil. Add mushrooms and remaining onion and reduce heat to medium-low
4. Place Cassarole dish on cookie sheet and add a spoon full of sauce to bottom of dish. Spread it around
5. Add a layer of No Boil noodles to bottom of dish 
6. Combine meat and sauce in sauce pan
7. Smuther noodles with a generous amount of sauce/meat mix
8. Add another layer of No Boil noodles
9. Repeat steps until you either run out of noodles, sauce, or you have half an inch of dish left
10. Add all of cheese and sprinkle with the dried seasoning
11. Cover with Aluminum Foil and bake for 30 minutes
12. Remove Aluminum Foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes
13. Let cool for 10 minutes
14. Serve with a salad and garlic bread! ENJOY! :)

My family loves this dish!! Even the picky ones... ;)

If you think being stuck behind a tractor this summer sucked, read this!

Here in the Midwest the traffic jams consists of being behind a tractor or waiting for a single lane backed up for half a mile in town due to road construction. I went down to California last year for my Honeymoon and we were on our way to LA to visit my husband's grandfather's grave-site. Well, it was Mother's Day so everyone and their brother were trying to get into that cemetery. This particular one was located about 1 or 2 miles off the freeway and the traffic was backed up for like 5 miles ON the freeway...it was a pain. I swore I would never go back there again if we had to drive anywhere! :) So LA has a tendency to be a little backed up in traffic but it doesn't come close to Northern China's 9 day traffic jam...no you didn't read it wrong, 9 DAY TRAFFIC JAM! A combination of construction work and broken down vehicles is being blamed for this 60 mile bumper to bumper craziness! Just imagine all the full bladders, sleep exhaustion, growling stomachs, and Starbucks deprived people...highway officials better be passing out free sushi and rice bowls, that's all I'm saying!

You can watch the 21 second video (don't blink, you'll seriously miss it!) by clicking the hyperlink to your left------- http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6799028n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Recipe-Apple Pie Drink

If you're anything like me, you love apple cider, apple juice, apple pie, apple dumplings, applesauce, well I guess you get the idea huh? :) I love anything apple so it would only make sense that my favorite drink during fall/winter would be called "Apple Pie Shine". This particular drink will get you into trouble, just as a warning ;) It has a lot of alcohol in it but it's barely noticable (that's why it'll get you in trouble!). I've made this a few different times now and about 90% of the people who has had it, has asked me for the recipe. So here it is, I'm more than happy to share with you one of the greatest ass kickin drinks out there.

Things You'll Need

• Pot big enough to hold 3 gallons of liquid
• Two well washed milk jugs
• 1 gallon of apple juice
• 1 box of apple cider bags (I found these by the tea last year)
• 4 to 5 cups of Sugar
• 2 jars/bags of cinnimon sticks
• 1 gallon of water
• Everclear

1. Mix apple juice, water, and sugar together
2. Add apple cider bags and 1/2 the cinnimon sticks and bring to boil
3. Reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 45 minutes
4. Remove from heat and cool
5. Add a fifth of Everclear and then some to taste to the cooled product
6. Pour into milk jugs and split the remaining cinnimon sticks between the two jugs
7. Refridgerate and enjoy :)

Always a good party drink

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Now that Fall is right around the corner, I'm getting very anxious for the smell of baked apple spices to great me when I walk through my sister-in-law's front door. I can't wait for the intoxicating scenery to grace us with it's presence. My favorite part of Autumn is the smell of pumpkin pie baking! Although this is one of my favorite smells, I must confess it is not my favorite dish. I can't really even say I like pumpkin pie all that much. I know, I know....how can I not like pumpkin pie, right? Well, I think it has something to do with having it as a child and the person who made it, made the pie way too runny for me. Anyway, I just don't care for it much anymore so I tried finding recipes last year to allow me to still have the same great taste of pumpkin but with a thicker consistency. I found the perfect solution to my runny dilemma....Pumpkin Cheesecake! It's definitely a new favorite of mine and hopefully you'll find just as delicious as I did :) ENJOY!

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

COMBINE graham cracker crumbs, butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch spring form pan. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

CHEESECAKE:

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

BEAT cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk. Add cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat well. Pour into crust.

BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly.

TOPPING:

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

COMBINE sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well. Spread over surface of warm cheesecake. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of spring form pan

 
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,196,139163-227202,00.html
 
 
*Don't forget to comment :)

College, Just Do It

I am 22 years old and I'm currently in my first semester at the local community college. I'm going to school to receive a degree in Accounting and get my masters in Business. Right now I'm taking 3 online courses and 2 on campus classes. I love my computer class the most right now. It's a very interesting course and the instructor is great! I feel like I'm going to have a lot of fun learning from him. He's so passionate about what he does and it shows. He's just really animated when it comes to his teachings and that is what grabs my attention. I see him excited and it makes me want to be as excited! More instructors need to be just like him. Anyway, moving on with college life :) As I mentioned before I'm 22 years old and a freshman in college. I was extremely scared to attend college after high school. I wasn't sure if it was the fear of failing or the fear of meeting new people. I've had my fair share of minimum wage jobs and barely over the poverty line before figuring out that in order to become a successful person now a days I need a degree. So for a few years I toyed with the idea of going to college but what for? It wasn't until 2009 when I decided I wanted to become an Accountant. I applied to the college and got accepted, then orientation came and I chickened out. I had a long conversation with my sister-in-law (best friend) about how I was really scared to go to college now that I wouldn't be going with anyone I knew and I was afraid of just not succeeding. Well, she told me that she had been struggling with the same issue for that past 10 years. She wanted to get her degree in Accounting as well so the two of us decided to apply together and just do it! We had no reason to be afraid or feel embarrassed because we had waited a few years before making this decision. The first day I admit I was a little timorous but I soon got over it. I love it to say the least. So my advice to you is, if your a current high school student, recent high school graduate, stay at home parent who never "had the time", even an apprehensive person, who's been fooling around with the thought "Well I want to go to college but I don't know if I want to do it right now." Don't think another minute, stop making excuses and JUST DO IT! If you don't know what you want to do exactly, just take the core college classes and think about what you'd like to do. You will thank me later. :)

Smoking Toddler...Really???

Honestly, this story infuriates me. This is a two year old who throws a fit if he isn't given a cigarette. The story makes me sick to my stomach. There isn't anyone to blame but the parents here. This child is two! He has no clue it's wrong for him to be doing that because someone must have showed him it was OK. Think about it, how would a toddler know to pick up a cigarette and put it to his mouth, then figuring out how to spark the lighter? He wouldn't know how, someone had to have taught him that. Also, he shouldn't have to go into rehab for smoking. Just take away the smokes. Stop giving him them and just deal with the screaming. He'll eventually quit screaming for more. This is big time child neglect. What kind of parent would allow their child to smoke?? Apparently a parent who wants their child to die at a very young age. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvI157l09xE&feature=related