Tip #2

Do you ever see a recipe and think, "that looks really good, but we don't have everything to make it..?". Well, this post is for you! First off, this used to happen to us all the time! I think we have been better lately with planning our meals for the next two weeks. Makes it a lot easier to have all the ingredients we need for the meal. But it definitely still happens.
So what do you do? You get creative!
Find a substitute for what you are missing, this does take some practice, but most ingredients can be changed without changing your meal too much. Plus its one of the best ways to learn how different flavors and textures combine!
So, now some examples and ideas. One of the first things you can do is google a substitute, a lot of people post lots of ideas. Second, see if you can think of something you have that can mimmick the characteristics of your missing ingredient, for example substituting pine nuts for waterchestnuts in a lettuce wrap recipe to give it a good crunch, or using oregano in place of marjoram to give it a similar herby flavor. Now, remember, the original ingredient will still probably give you the best results, and you may have a few food disasters - so don't expirement when you have company coming over.
The most important thing though is to learn from your mistakes, if it didn't turn ask yourself why. Try something else and figure out what ingredients you like to keep on hand. Some of our staples are butter, garlic and onions, they do a lot for almost any meal. Don't be afraid of new things and keep track of changes you make that turn out tasty, that's kind of how this blog started!

THE HUNGER GAMES

THE HUNGER GAMES ****

Trailer
OH MY GOSH. I have been looking forward to this movie forEVER. Seriously, since I started reading the books years ago I started dreaming and hoping they would make a movie. I thoroughly enjoy the books and was hoping the movie would at least do it justice. Which it DID. It was AWESOME. OH MY GOSH. Seriously. It was one of the best movies based on a book I've ever seen. It followed the book soo well. They left out a few things, tweaked a few others, and added some scenes but I felt that it all worked. The things that were left out were most likely due to time restraints. The things that were added were things that were talked about in the story but not in detail because Katniss wasn't there. I was really worried about Josh Hutcherson playing Peeta because I had really only seen him in movies that were super cheesy and aimed toward a younger audience. So I was pleasantly surprised to see him play the role PERFECTLY. He was spot on. Jennifer Lawrence was also a perfect Katniss. Everyone in the movie did a wonderful job. I am currently in love with this movie. Almost everything about it was perfect. I can't wait to go see it again. And then own it so I can watch it whenever I want. Yes. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. And READ THE BOOKS if you haven't already. Okay. I'm going to go read the Hunger Games now. :)

. . .

Ahem. So now that I'm over my initial high, and am able to look back on the movie a little more objectively, I would like to add a few more thoughts. There may be some spoilers in here so feel free to just disregard this whole section... :)
Basically, I still think they did a fabulous job. The scenes that take place in district 12 are almost the same as the book, as are the scenes in the capital. They even quote it word for word at times. Things are definitely tweaked, but like I said before, I believe it's for timing reasons, making them understandable. The first half of the movie didn't bother me at all, I thought it was great. It wasn't until after the initial blood bath in the arena that things were changed quite a bit. The important things are still there, but she is in the arena several weeks in the book, whereas the movie portrays it as being more like a few days. Which honestly is totally fine, can you imagine what it would have been like if they HAD tried to drag it out a lot longer? The injuries received by the characters are also downplayed quite a bit. They are still pretty bad, but nothing compared to the book. In the book they are pretty gruesome, if the movie had made the wounds that bad it, probably would have been rated "R" for gore. So I was okay with that as well. Overall I was happy with everything until it got to the scenes with Peeta, once they can be a team. Katniss and Peeta were really great at the roles they played. p.s. Did I mention that I really loved Josh Hutcherson as Peeta? I thought he did a FANTASTIC job. Honestly, it's because he did such a good job that I wish they had done more with it. They just cut the whole thing so short! They could have done a cut scene to show a passing of time and just do a little bit more with their relationship building. Oh well. What they did was pretty good, I just wish there had been more. Outside of that, the ending kinda bummed me out. They just wrapped everything up SO quickly that it felt rushed. The ending was pretty important and they just whipped through it. In the end I have few complaints. The movie was really well done and I can't wait for the next chapter. Honestly, I could go on and on about how I've been obsessed with the Hunger Games since Thursday afternoon, but you probably don't care about that! So go see the movie and enjoy it! It's wonderful! :)

Culver's

Culver's

location: Tucson, AZ
We had heard that this restaurant was really good so we decided to go check it out. YUMMY. They make what they call "butter burgers". Basically they toast the bun in butter before they make your burger. It is incredibly delicious. We loved the milkshake and burgers both. Everything was soooo good.We will definitely be going back. The prices were average I believe. Probably about 3 dollars for a burger, tack on a little more for the fries and 3 to 4 bucks for the milk shakes. They make fresh frozen yogurt daily, it's sooo yummy. MMmm... I'm salivating.

Couch

So for those of you who don't know. We have an ugly couch. Okay. I've seen worse. But I definitely am not a huge fan of the huge floral print that you find on our couch. Seriously. It's bad. And just NOT me. Oh, and did I mention that it's white? Well, was... Anyway! Point is. I don't like the way my couch looks. We don't have the money/time/drive to buy a new one. So... What did we do? We fixed the one we have. BY buying a couch cover, I am SO not skilled enough to make my own. And we made pillow covers. We bought fabric we liked and thought went well together and MADE our own pillow covers. Awesome right? I know. I am just so great. Okay so Russ did a lot of the work. Probably most of the work... In all fairness I have been feeling a little off in the health department for about a month...So you know. It was fair that he did more than me. Because he loves me enough to do it. Anyway. Would you like to see our project?? If you're still reading this you must... So here you go!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Amazing right? Right? Hold the applause! No really though... SO MUCH BETTER.

El Molinito

El Molinito
location: Tucson, AZ
If you're looking for cheap Mexican, this is the place for you! Looking for delicious Mexican? It's definitely not the right place for you... The mild salsa is a can of crushed tomatoes... Basically. But, you get a ton of food for your money. I would go back for the tamales, THOSE were yummy. Everything else mediocre at best. But really? For 3-5 bucks a plate, you could do worse. We ordered WAY more food than we needed thinking that a couple tamales and couple enchiladas would be just right. Turns out we were wrong, it was just right for 4 people. :)

Just One Wish

Just One Wish ****
by Janette Rallison
Book Type: YA, Fiction
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman knows about the power of positive thinking. With a little brother who has cancer, it's all she ever hears about. And in order to help Jeremy, she will go to the ends of the earth (or at least as far as Hollywood) to help him believe he can survive his upcoming surgery.
But Annika's plan to convince Jeremy that a magic genie will grant him any wish throws her a curveball when he unexpectedly wishes that his television idol would visit him. Annika suddenly finds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right?

summary found on goodreads
My Review: Implausible, impossible, far-fetched, silly, over-the-top, unrealistic, in-your-dreams, totally and completely off the charts concept. 
I loved it.

The story is so far-fetched and the outcome is even more so. But for some reason, I loved it. It is clever, witty, cheesy, funny, unique, and touching. The relationship between the main character and her little brother is cute. The ending got me a bit teary eyed and I wanted more. I will most certainly be buying this ridiculous book. I did confess once that I am a sucker for cheesy romance novels on occasion did I not?

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers ***
Trailer
Have you seen the classic Disney movie called "The Three Musketeers"? It is a FABULOUS movie. At least I love it. It is seriously funny and entertaining in every way! So I had to watch the new one. I didn't have high expectations, which is good. Because this movie was cast perfectly, the actors were all fantastic but the plot? Weak. Weak. Weak. I don't know what it was about the movie... I guess, the ending doesn't wrap up anything so you end with a feeling of "and?" So, the movie had it's entertaining parts and it's not so entertaining parts. Overall I'm glad I watched it, but I won't be watching it again anytime soon. If ever. Just saying.