Valentine's Day gift for Russell

So I was trying to decide what to do for Russell for Valentine's Day this year... The day of. One, because I am pregnant and forgot that it even WAS Valentine's Day... And two, because it is so stinking hard to come up with gifts for men for such a girlie holiday. It is definitely a holiday for women. The men are in trouble if they don't do something for their significant other, but do we as women REALLY have to do anything? No. I don't think Russ would have been surprised OR disappointed had I done nothing. But I still felt I should do SOMETHING. It was our last Valentine's Day just the two of us! So. I searched the internet high and low for some kind of idea. And I found out that you can use sharpies to write on mugs. I thought "that's cool! I can use that!" So I bought a cool mug (only white one I could find) and wrote a bunch of reasons why I loved my hubbie all over it. I put it in the oven to bake as the instructions said and felt quite proud of my accomplishment. Only to have Russell pick it up a couple hours later and smudge my love across the mug... IT DIDN'T WORK. I was a bit distraught that after all my hard work Russ still didn't have a gift. I tried to come up with some way to salvage my beautiful piece of artwork. Each idea was worse than the last. I began to despair until Russell, my sweet, loving, wonderful husband found a solution. Or it may have been me. Don't really remember :). But we found a solution. Albeit a slightly expensive one. Oil-based sharpies.

Apparently when THEY are used on ceramic and baked THEY are the ones that stick. So we washed my words of love down the drain and bought some slightly expensive markers... So that I could make my once only 8 dollar gift into a 15 dollar gift... That took much more time and effort than originally anticipated. Although if you had the right markers from the get-go, this really would be a fun and simple gift. So pitch in the extra couple bucks and DO IT RIGHT the first time. :)

Throw some of your hubbies favorite red candies and a V-day card on in that mug and you have a fun gift. Remember: OIL-BASED SHARPIES. Okay. I'm done now.

I loved this soup when I was first pregnant SO MUCH I had to have the recipe. YUM.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

source: Roberta Hawks (Not sure where she found it!)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 3 strips bacon cooked and crumbled 
• 2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half and then in ¼ inch slices
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 8 c water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 c kale or swiss chard chopped
• 1 c heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. In a pot brown sausage. Remove from pot and set aside. Add bacon to pan and cook until crisp. Remove from pot and set aside. Once bacon is cooled crumble it up into nice little pieces.
2. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water and garlic in same pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. 
3. Add sausage and bacon to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat. 
5. Add kale and cream. Heat through and serve.

Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ****1/2
Trailer
SO SO SO GOOD. I loved the first Hunger Games Film. LOVED it. This movie blows it out of the water. They followed the book almost perfectly. The little clips of Snow and his granddaughter? BRILLIANT. All of the new characters were perfectly cast. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were even more brilliant than the first film. Except for the one super slobbery kiss in the jungle this movie is just AWESOME. I LOVED it so much I went and saw it a second time just a week later. Best make of a book I've ever seen and absolutely phenomenal movie.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ****1/2
Trailer
This movie is absolutely phenomenal. It is cute, clever, witty, funny, inspirational, and clean. I have a newfound respect for Ben Stiller after seeing this movie and discovering he directed it. The cinematography in this film is perfect and the character development is extraordinary. The film is well paced and filled with action moments and satire yet is an overall inspirational and uplifting film. Can I be as inspired as Walter? It's time to stop dreaming and start living.

The macaroni and cheese that burned my arm but tasted so good I forgot...Well... Almost :)

Pancetta Macaroni and Cheese

source: blogchef
Ingredients:

• 4 oz. diced pancetta (or bacon)
• 1lb elbow Macaroni
• ½ c butter
• ¼ c flour
• 2 tsp ground mustard
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 ½ c milk
• 4 oz plain goat cheese
• 4 oz shredded sharp white cheddar
• 4 oz  shredded sharp yellow cheddar
• 4 oz brie
• 4 oz provolone

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain. 
2. Meanwhile,  In a small skillet over medium high heat cook pancetta for about 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels. Allow the pancetta to cool and then crumbed it into pieces.
3. Melt ½ cup (1 stick) of butter in a large saucepan. Once the butter has melted whisk in flour, ground mustard, onion powder and salt. Whisk in milk, a little at a time and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. 
4. Once the mixture has become somewhat thick and starts to bubble, remove the pan from the heat and add in the goat cheese, white cheddar, yellow cheddar, provolone, and brie. Stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. Mix the cheese sauce with the cooked noodles and then stir in crumbled pancetta.

Lumatere Chronicles

Finnikin of the Rock ***1/2
by Melina Marchetta
Book Type: YA, Fantasy
Summary: Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.
Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.
But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.
summary found on goodreads
My Review: This was a fascinating book. I don't usually enjoy this type of story but this one was written very well. It had a similar feel to "Sword of Shanara" (which I only made it a couple chapters into...). It was almost like
"Sword of Shanara" meets "Graceling". It is a story about a young boy as he tries to save a kingdom with the help of his mentor- the King's First Man and a young girl with a mysterious past who claims that she is the only one who can find the missing heir to the throne. The three of them set out on a journey, gain many companions along the way and also develop relationships that seem unlikely early on. It was a lot of fun watching Finnikin's feelings for Evanjalin as they develop. It was fascinating to see all of the prophecies that revolve around Finnikin come true in unexpected ways. I loved how conflicted and confused Finnikin is by his role in the future of Lumatere and how everybody else is so inspired by who he is and what he stands for. I loved the twist at the end, when you finally figure out what the deal is with Evangalin. I loved the character growth that occurs in Finnikin and Froi. I enjoyed all of the adventures that these characters go on before they are able to get to the end of their journey. And I thought the very last chapter of the book was absolutely adorable. I wouldn't have expected this type of book to have such a cute ending. But it pulled together the entire story perfectly. All in all I thought this book was a blast. I'm glad I accidentally stumbled upon it.

I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to regular hot dogs again!

This is a local favorite down here in AZ. It may be something you can find in other hot, deserty, South Western states... But it is definitely popular where we are! It is a tasty twist on your classic hot dog. Seriously fattening, but worth it for sure!

Sonoran Hot Dogs
inspiration: tucsoncitizen.com
Ingredients

• all beef hot dogs
• bacon
• Ranch Style pinto beans
• pico de gallo
• shredded cheese (cheddar, cotijo)
• mayo, mustard, ketchup
• hot dog bun or bolillo roll

Directions

1. Take the hot dogs and wrap them like a mummy with bacon.  Mesquite bacon is good.
2. Fry it on a griddle or BBQ until the bacon gets crisp.  Some people like to fry the bacon a little first and then wrap it around the hot dog and then fry them both in the bacon grease.
3. Take the bun and toast them a little or, in the case of the bolillo roll, steam it for a minute to make it soft. 
4. Put mayo on the bun and insert the bacon-wrapped dog. Squeeze some mustard and ketchup on top.
5. Warm up the pinto beans and put a layer on top of the hot dog. Add cheese and pico de gallo.
6. Serve warm!