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Just got done eating dinner – Pork tenderloin marinated in Bass Ale and spices with a Guinness honey glaze and chipotle sweet potato fries. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars. The flavors were fabulous and the sweet glaze was a great accompaniment to the spicy sweet potato fries. I had hoped the glaze to be a bit thicker, but this could be rectified by tweaking the recipe a bit.
I’ve never used Chinese 5-Spice powder before – WOW what a kick of flavor! I like what it added to the pork.
This recipe was a challenge winner for Food Network and has not received many favorable reviews. I believe most of the reviewers are highbrow foodies. I liked this and will make it again – I am a sucker for cooking and baking with alcohol. Here is the link to the recipe if you would like to give it a try. Note: I did not make the slaw that went with this, so I cannot comment on its flavor. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/black-and-tan-pork-with-spicy-ale-slaw-recipe/index.html
I’m going to try an egg-stra special dish tomorrow – Crustless Quiche from a Hillshire Farm magazine ad. Good eating everyone!
It has come to my attention lately that I’ve been eating out A LOT! I can’t remember the last time I made dinner at home and I love to cook! There really isn’t much that I can get out at a restaurant that I cannot make for myself at home – probably more inexpensively also.
While digging through my house today, I was slapped with the reality that I literally have thousands upon thousands of recipes in cookbooks and Food Network magazines that are just waiting to be made. One could say that I am a hoarder of recipes – I have them “just in case I ever need them.” I purged five cookbooks out of my arsenal that were “kid cookbooks” and I will give them to a friend of mine who has a child much younger than mine. I’m hoping they will find the love they so deserve.
With all the others I have left – no, I will NOT get rid of any of them – I am making a goal for myself to make one recipe per day over the next week. I will share my journey – and maybe a few recipes – with you. On “tap” for tomorrow Black-and-Tan Pork Tenderloin from the October 2010 Food Network Magazine. Stay tuned!
How about you? Are you up for the challenge?
Today I did what I’m sure some of you reading this have done before, but won’t admit to. I Googled “sex and calories.” I’ll admit I’ve been intrigued about this, I mean, we are using our bodies after all! Unfortunately, the calories burned won’t amount to the piece of s’mores cheesecake that I like so much, but it sure is interesting! As with the original author of this, I am astounded by the fact that the average lovemaking session only burns 50-100 calories? How is that? Sounds to me like someone needs to kick it up a notch if that is the case!
Anyway, this is what I found – taken from dailymuscle.com
KISSING: Kissing can burn around 120-325 calories an hour, or around 2-5 calories a minute. Engaging in long make-out sessions with your partner is not only good for your relationship; it is also good for your waistline. A 10 minute make-out session with your partner each morning and each evening could burn up to 100 calories a day. That’s 36,500 calories a year, or just over 10 pounds worth of weight loss. When was the last time you made out with your partner.
UNDRESSING: According to an Italian professor, even undressing can burn off calories. Unclasping a bra with two hands burns 8 calories, while unclasping it with only one hand burns up 18 calories. Unclasping it with your mouth can burn 87 calories.
ORAL SEX: 15 minutes of oral sex can burn off the calories consumed in a long sip of wine. There are calories present in semen, though, so if you swallow, there are around 7 calories in a teaspoon of semen. Since the average volume of ejaculation is 1-2 teaspoons, you can expect an average of 7-14 calories per ejaculation. That will easily be burned off during the course of your lovemaking, though.
MASTURBATION: You don’t have to have a partner to enjoy the calorie-burning effects of sex. Masturbation can burn up the calories, as well. You can lose between 100-150 calories for each act of masturbation, according to the Young People’s Reproductive and Sexual Health & Rights Organization. You can raise that amount to around 300 calories, though, through a 5 minute vigorous masturbation session, according to Japanese scientist Dr. Shukan Tokuho.
INTERCOURSE: The average lovemaking session burns between 50 and 100 calories. Having sex 3 times a week burns 7500 calories per year. That’s the equivalent of jogging 75 miles. The more intense the sex, the more calories are burned: up to 15,000 calories annually (at a frequency of 3 times weekly). 15,000 calories wquals over 4 pounds of weight loss per year!
ORGASM: Experts estimate that an orgasm can burn between 60-100 calories.
My favorite quote to date is from the movie Bull Durham where Crash Davis is telling Annie what he believes in “…I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.” Based on that and the information in this article, I could potentially burn 23,400 calories in three days. The equivalent of approximately 6 1/2 pounds. Now, to find the willing man…
Geocaching - Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache. – Courtesy of geocaching.com
When I was younger, I was very active in 4-H. I remember orienteering and playing Capture the Flag. Both of these activities were so much fun for me. I stumbled across Geocaching last July in an article. To me, Geocaching took the best of both orienteering and Capture the Flag worlds and combined them. This concept really intriqued me. I signed up for an account on Geocaching.com and did some research on the subject. As most of you know, my life is very full with work, DD and Zumba®. Therefore, my quest with geocaching ended there.
Until around Earth Day 2011 – In speaking with a friend (whom I’ll refer to going forward as JackPine Savage), I had been reminded lately of the things in life that had made me most happy. Being outdoors enjoying nature is something that I have not taken advantage of for many years. I’ve gotten too caught up in being busy and not stopping to “smell the roses.” I have lost the person that I once was. I know that we all grow as we get older and adapt to our environments, but I feel that I’m missing the real me. I’m missing the tomboy girl who grew up in the country (yes, JackPine Savage – it was the country). I was always outside with my brother and the neighborhood kids. We were running the woods, playing in the creeks, riding bikes, building forts, playing kick the can and ghost in the graveyard until it was so dark we could barely see to make it home.
I decided to reclaim that nerdy nature tomboy side of me and I looked up the nearest cache (A container hidden that includes, at minimum, a logbook for geocachers to sign.) to my home. The nearest cache was a mere 8/10ths of a mile from my house. The cache named Nemadji Out Cry is located in a spot so that the geocacher’s awareness is raised about what had happened here over 100 years ago - spoiler alert – here is a video of the spot where the cache is located – http://youtu.be/ufxNTOcI_EA. Anyway, so drizzling outside and cold, I drove myself as close to the cache as I could get. I walked the remaining way in using my iPhone 4 as my GPS. It only took about 10 minutes total and I had located the cache. The container had some “swag” in it and I signed the notebook showing that I had been there. I felt so accomplished…and HOOKED!
Easter Sunday found me 40 miles Southeast of Superior visiting JackPine Savage. We had discussed the geocaching I did on Friday and decided that we would try to find one out there. Well, one led to another and soon we had discovered 5 of them! I have to say JackPine is King of his territory out there which made these finds pretty easy. I had the most fun doing this!!! I am definitely hooked on this new hobby! I’m looking forward to creating and hiding my own cache soon!
If you love the outdoors and searching for “treasure” sounds fun to you, give geocaching a try! You can find a lot of information at www.geocaching.com to get you started. If you have a smart phone, you may already have the navigational tool you need to get started! There are over 4,000 caches located within 100 miles of Superior! Get in touch with Mother Nature, you may learn more about your environment (like the difference between a Red Pine and Jack Pine or an Oak Tree and a Scrub Oak – Thanks JackPine) or you may learn about the history of an area just by taking a little bit of time to find someone’s treasure.
Get the kids out there too! This is a great family activity! I’m looking forward to continued geocaching with my friend JackPine. My friends McManda, Cassadilla and The Rock have expressed an interest and are still geocaching virgins…can’t wait to get them out for one!!
Have a great day everyone!
Every once in a while I’ll take one of the quizzes out on Facebook. Now, normally I don’t put much stock into them because, well, most are quite silly. I came across “What Color Is Your Aura?” quiz – I took it, and the outcome was very accurate! Posting my results below, and those that know me very well I think will concur with the results!
Your Aura is Red -
Reds are physical and sexual. They love expressing themselves through their sensuality and their physical bodies. They live their lives in the here-and-now with zest, strength, courage and self-confidence. Reds love to live in physical reality, to manipulate their environment. Reality must be tangible to them. They must be able to see, touch, hear, taste and smell it. Reds are not abstract thinkers. A wall is a wall and there is no need for further discussion or speculation.
Well, I see that I haven’t posted anything since November 2010! I’ll have to get on the stick and change that! Heaven knows that I sure am not at a loss for things to say! In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite blogs of the moment:
1. Redneck Princess – http://pamperme.areavoices.com/ . This blog is owned by a friend of mine. She has a great sense of humor and tells it like it is. Love reading her blogs! They sometimes really hit home.
2. Possible Baker – http://allpossiblethings.typepad.com/possible_baker/ , All Possible Things – http://allpossiblethings.typepad.com/all-possible-things/ AND My Possible Faith – http://allpossiblethings.typepad.com/my_possible_faith/ . All three of these blogs are by the same person – she is a wonderful writer and I enjoy reading her blogs.
3. 1000 Awesome Things – http://1000awesomethings.com/ . Daily blog entries about life’s awesomeness!
4. Chronicles of Wulfgarnia – I don’t have a link to this one right now – can’t locate it as I think it has moved. Wulfgar – if you’re reading this, please let me know where your blog has gone!
5. Lovin Life 86 – http://lovinlife86.wordpress.com/ . One of my Zumba® students – funny life happenings.
6. Urban Girl, Interrupted – http://urbangirlinterrupted.blogspot.com . Great views from a Mom and Wife – funny! “My city life turned upsidedown when I moved to raise a family in a blustery town with lake views. I realized recently I can’t do without good coffee and decent sheets. I adore shopping, eating and travel. I’ll write about those things here as well as my nutty, crazy kids.” - Courtesy of urbangirlinterrupted.blogspot.com.
Ok, so just a few for your reading pleasure. If you have any favorites, please reply back and let me know so I can check them out!
Peace, love, Zumba®!
Connie
Sep 2, 2008
Current mood:
cynical
Do men date anymore or am I undateable?
So as I’m sitting here in sweet, sweet solitude (first day of school), I’m wondering… Do men date anymore?
The reason I ask this is because, if memory serves me right, the last time I was asked out on a date was about 3 years ago. It was a complete shock and something that at the time I was not looking for. He was a friend of my younger brother’s and reportedly had a crush on me back in the day. Sadly, I think that was our only real date. 
MEN! - whether you’re married or not, asking a woman out on an actual date makes us giddy. To me that is the highest of compliments! It says – 1. I’m interested in getting to know you better and 2. I’m interested enough that I have the nerve to actually ask you out, putting myself on the line, and that you may say no. It puts us in control. Not gonna lie – we like to have the opportunity to say no – although we rarely do.
So, I continue to wonder, have I been interested in the wrong men? Is dating not the “in” thing to do anymore? Or am I, simply put, undateable? Do I really need to resort to Match.com or EHarmony.com to find someone special? I’m not looking for a husband – just someone to hold hands with, cook for, cuddle with and on occassion go see a good movie. I don’t care if you open doors or pay for things, those things aren’t important. Hold my hand, kiss my neck, hold me as close as you can when we’re dancing, tell me I look good even if my mascara is smeared, rub my back and kiss me as though I’m the last person you’ll ever kiss again, spending quality time together and really getting to know each other = my utopia. 
I’m another year older. Am I wiser? That remains to be seen. I think I’m reasonably attractive, love to have fun, hardworking, love to cook, etc. I believe I have some great qualities that a man would love to have. It just seems that the men that I am attracted to are only out for one thing and don’t want to have the responsibility of actually knowing someone or caring about them. Don’t get me wrong, I love the recreational stuff too, but when it is all that is presented to me it tends to make me question my
SELF WORTH.
Men – not all women are self-serving, beotches. Some of us are caring, loving, thoughtful people who are looking for the same in a man. When am I going to find one that will step up and act like a MAN not a boy? Well, I’m getting down off my soap box now. To all my friends…you are beautiful women and should NEVER settle for anything less than what you deserve! Muuuuuahhhhhhh!
Sep 13, 2008
Current mood:amused
The Mix Tape
Well, I’ve located one of the infamous “Mix Tapes”. Looking at this makes me laugh. I’m going to share these songs with you along with some useless trivia! Come, hold my hand and walk down memory lane with me – well those of you who are old enough to know these songs!
1. All My Love – Led Zeppelin. This song was written by Robert Plant about his 5 year old son that died of a stomach infection.
“Yours is the cloth, mine is the hand that sews time
his is the force that lies within
Ours is the fire, all the warmth we can find
He is a feather in the wind”
2. The Deeper the Love – Whitesnake. This song was released during the short marriage of David Coverdale and Tawny Kitaen. YES, she was in this video too!
“There were times
I almost let you go
When I thought I needed to break free,
But you were there
To whisper in my ear
Why don’t you share your dreams with me.”
3. Don’t Close Your Eyes – Kix. Anti-suicide song. Their only Top 40 hit.
“There’s no one there to hold you
No one hears your scream
You live life up and down
Your nightmares are your dreams”
4. Close My Eyes Forever – Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne. I got nothin on this one…not a favorite of mine.
“I know I’ve been so hard on you
I know I’ve told you lies
If I could have just one more wish
I’d wipe the cobwebs from my eyes”
5. Is This Love – Whitesnake. David Coverdale wears a puffy shirt and Tawny Kitaen’s acting is horrible…but she’s not in the video for her acting skills either!
“I can’t stop the feeling
I’ve been this way before
But, with you I’ve found the key
To open any door
I can feel my love for you
Growing stronger day by day,
An’ I can’t wait to see you again
So I can hold you in my arms”
6. The Angel Song – Great White. This is probably one of my favorite hair ballads. This guy sounds eerily like Robert Plant on their Led Zeppelin tribute album.
“Hollywood ain’t paved with gold
It’s just a trick of light
Sunset falls on stars of old
And blinds you with it’s light
A spiders web of tangled lives
Lays stretched across the hills
From distances it’s glistening
Like El Dorado’s halls”
7. Save Your Love – Great White. Ok, another favorite hair ballad. Sigh, I wish I had someone to dance with right now…lol.
“I wake from a dream
And see you by my side
How could I belong to someone else,
When holdin’ you feels so right?
And here in my heart
Where no one else will ever be
We’ve made it so far,
So lock the door and throw away the key (YEAH)”
8. When We Made Love – Bad Company. This was off of their Fame and Fortune album.
“I can feel every touch again, as real as it is crazy
And I kiss every kiss again, so tender they amaze me
I live through the end again, feeling like I’m dying
And then I touch my cheek, realize I’m crying
When we made love, a love so strong, and I remember
We were so deep in love, so tell me, where did our love go wrong
When we made love, we belong together
It’s those nights I’m dreaming of, they’ll stay with me, they’ll last forever
When we made love”
9. I Remember You – Skid Row. Ahhh, Sebastian Bach I “heart” you. This was the Number 1 prom song in the U.S. in 1990.
“Remember yesterday – walking hand in hand
Love letters in the sand – I remember you
Through the sleepless nights thru every endless day
I’d wanna hear you say – I remember you”
10. Love Hurts – Nazareth. This song was first recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960. Nazareth was the only one to have a hit single with it.
“Some fools think of happiness
Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves I guess
They’re not foolin me”
11. Love Bites – Def Leppard. This was off the Hysteria album that was recorded after Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident.
“Love bites love bleeds – it’s bringin’ me to my knees
Love lives love dies – it’s no surprise
Love begs love pleads – it’s what I need”
12. Heaven – Warrant. Warrant’s most successful single.
“How I love the way you move
And the sparkle in your eyes
There’s a color deep inside the night like a blue suburban sky
When I come home late at night
And you’re in bed asleep
Now I wrap my arms around you so I can feel you breathe”
13. Sometimes She Cries – Warrant. Yeah, sometimes I cry too. Sniff…
“Lisa don’t have a lover no more,
Plays with her pillow,
Stares at the bedroom floor,
Used to have a million,
They’ve come and gone,
No matter what she does,
She can’t figure out what she’s doin wrong”
14. Without You – Motley Crue. Good tune! Supposedly about Tommy Lee’s relationship with Heather Locklear.
“Without you, I’d be lost
I’d slip down from the top
I’d slide down so low
Girl you never, never know…”
15. Never Say Goodbye – Bon Jovi. Never say goodbyyyyyyyeeeiiiiii
“Remember at the prom that night
You and me we had a fight
But the band they played our favorite song
And I held you in my arms so strong”
There are 5 more songs, but I’m tapped out.
Wait – White Lion
When The Children Cry – White Lion
Headed For A Heartbreak – Def Leppard
Hold Onto The Nights – Richard Marx
Right Here Waiting – Richard Marx
Hmmmm, I wonder what would be on a mix tape today???
Sep 12, 2008
Current mood:
nostalgic
Music and our lives
Please bear with me, this blog is rather long. I’m hoping you’ll stick with me and read through to at least post back an answer to my question below!
I just noticed today that my MP3 player is always with me. As habitually as I pick up my purse, keys and cell phone, as do I pick up my MP3 player. As soon as I get in the car, it gets plugged in and plays my 1601 songs I have loaded in random mode while I drive from destination to destination.
I wonder to myself, I can’t be the only one who believes that music is life, can I? Music is, in and of itself, a language. One that speaks to our spirits. The Chinese philosopher Confucious was reported to have said, “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” I believe this statement to be true.
As I sit back and look at my long 40 years of life, I can relate a song to points in my life. “Blinded By The Light” - Manfred Mann, puts me in the back of our Pontiac station wagon (seat belts weren’t required back then) making faces at the people in back of us. My first cassette tape? Emotions in Motion – Billy Squier. That one had the song “Everybody Wants You”. Those of you old enough to know that song, after saying the title what comes to mind? The guitar riff that follows of course (ya’ll know you can sound it out!)!
I’ve seen artists struggle with their identity…John Mellencamp has been aka Johnny Cougar, John Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp. Prince adopted a symbol as this name forcing everyone to call him “The Artist Formally Known As Prince”. Creative geniuses with identity issues. “Pink Houses – John Cougar Mellencamp, “Is This Love” and “Here I Go Again” – Whitesnake bring back memories of my first serious boyfriend . There were many, many songs associated back to that relationship, those are the ones that stick out now. Think back…how many of you HAVEN’T made a mix tape for an old boyfriend/girlfriend? Yeah, that’s what I thought! I know I’ve got a couple stashed away…that would be a funny blog to list the sappy love songs out!
I remember bringing out my best Jane Wiedlin (Go Go’s guitar player) moves and dancing to “Our Lips Are Sealed” and”We Got The Beat” by the Go Go’s at our high school dances. My Guess Jeans rolled, layered socks, boat shoes and polo shirt with the popped collar – I was the epitomy of coolness. Especially with my backcombed and Aqua Net hair! Oh, and don’t forget the pink and teal blue eyeshadow! Gotta love the 80′s!
I’ve got a few friends that play guitar and to watch them play leaves me awestruck. They are providing, by their own hands, music that we as a society crave. To watch them pick up that instrument, their fingers working over the frets and strings of the guitar in a synchronized manner, eyes closed, their body swaying, feeling every note is an amazing sight to see. A good friend of mine, Mike, has played for me many times. He has played for me some of my favorite songs – at my request. What woman doesn’t love something like that! He specifically learned those songs to play for me – to me that is a priceless gift. Mike has explained to me and has shown me every guitar he owns. He has explained how he prefers the sound of one to another. He is very passionate about it. I was very proud of him when he played onstage for the SHS Battle of the Bands a couple years ago. He was nervous and apprehensive, but he respresented well! It was so awesome to watch him! Mike is a more reserved kind of guy, I could see him being most comfortable playing in a pub acoustically for a smaller group of people. He has a great voice, although is too shy to bring it out! My neighbor, also named Mike, plays his guitar quite often. Now I’m sure most neighbors would be annoyed by the sound, but my daughter and I open the back door so we can hear him better. I’ve sat on my back steps listening, picturing his callused fingers working the frets on that guitar and I am transformed. I feel that music speaking to me, it washes away the worries and stress of the day. It is soothing and I’ll have to share with him how happy and relaxed that sound of his guitar can make me. I’ve actually watched him play, sometimes he almost seems nervous or embarrassed. Thinking more about it though, that music is personal, a piece of his soul…he is vulnerable. I could listen/watch him for hours – because I don’t play any instruments, watching someone who can leaves me awestruck. He has shared with me his favorite guitarists…Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Now, I can tell you the lead singers of bands, but guitarists…no (aside from Eddie VanHalen). But these guys are heroes to these guitar strapping men. Funny, while watching old videos on YouTube the other night, there was Steve Vai right in the middle of my Whitesnake video! “The Deeper the Love” – Whitesnake is probably one of my favorite songs from back in the day. I had no idea who this guy was before Mike shared this with me. To watch Satriani and Vai you can see these guys are so proud to play for others – they have a look of complete elation/ecstasy on their faces…they are sharing something special to them, a piece of themselves with others and I believe that is showing their vulnerability at the same time. Their presense and confidence on stage/video makes them sexy. They are letting us into their world and their love of music. This then transforms us and builds our love and need for music.
My daughter is very involved with dance and baton twirling. Both of these aspects require music of some sort to move to. Kennedy struggles to pick out solo songs for every competition. I don’t believe the struggle is due to her “pickiness” anymore. I think she is trying to find a song that speaks to her, music that will transform her movements into dance, a song that will speak emotion to the audience. I’m beginning to understand this more as I struggle with picking out songs for my Zumba classes. Zumba has opened my eyes to another genre of music…LATIN music. The classes are based on Latin dance moves to Latin music. Now I’m on the same journey to find songs that will make my students want to move, make them happy and make their hips sway to rhythms many of them may never been exposed to before.
Well, I could go on and on here. Bottom line, as my icon says…Music is: Breath, Life, Healing, Therapy, Mandatory, Everything to me. I’ll save all my other music observations for another Blog. Now here is my ask… Respond to my blog and post the name of a song that moves you to tears, causes a lump in your throat, makes you want to dance, reminds you of a special time or affects you emotionally! Bonus points for telling me why it affects you the way it does!
Since I’m asking of you, I’ll provide one of my own – right now the song that comes to mind is “We Are The Champions” by Queen. I best remember this song being played after East Jr. High beat Central Jr. High for the City Football Championship. It was my first slow dance with a boy. Don’t remember who it was, but that was the song!
Peace out yo! Hope to hear from you all!
