Jessica

A Girl’s Gotta Have Quirks!

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Ok so, my good friend Lindsey tagged me after a post on her blog Anchored, and now you guys get to learn a little more about me, and my quirks. First what is a quirk?

quirk

[kwurk]

noun

1. a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality;mannerism: He is full of strange quirks.

Now what are my quirks?

The teapot I got in Ireland 🙂

I LOVE tea. Believe it or not but my first phrase after mom and dad was “hot tea”. This could be a byproduct of the fact that I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, who drinks a lot of tea. This could also be where I get my habit of collects unique and antique tea pots, and sets from. I almost always have at least 10 varieties, and EVERYONE who knows me knows I think a cup of tea fixes nearly anything.

I am fascinated by the sky. Growing up I covered my bedroom with stars, moons, suns and clouds. Every time I go through pictures I always find a couple pictures of the clouds, apparently I thought they looked cool at the time. I will make Chuck pull the car over so that I can take pictures of the setting sun, no matter where we are. I find nothing more peaceful than staring at the stars at night.

Source

I am not good at sitting still. I can’t even just sit and watch TV for more than an hour, unless I’m deathly ill, so I make jewelry or craft while watching TV. I have even been known to read while watching TV, unbelievable I know but I’m telling you it can be done. Even when I am enthralled in a book I tend to squirm and react to whatever’s happening in the book. I just can’t sit still.

Source

I cannot make plans more than a week in advance. I’m trying to change this one, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Making plans too far ahead of time actually cause me stress. I’m constantly afraid of overbooking, or changing my mind, it’s ridiculous I know, but hey that’s me!

I listen to the most ridiculous music. Most people pin me for an pop type person, and though I do like some of it I still have a wide range of strange states. My list of favorites includes: Joss Stone, Michael Buble, Staind, Atreyu, Little Big Town, Bullet for my Valentine, The Band Perry, Kenny Chesney, Erykah Badu, Josh Turner, From Autumn to Ashes, Eric Church, As I Lay Dying, Darius Rucker, Hoody & the blow fish, Rihanna, Anberlin, Tegan & Sara. Do I really need to go on?

Now What are some of your quirks?

Fall Bucket List: Bake Pies

By Jessica

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Since it’s just me and Chuck around here the idea of making a whole Pie seemed a little silly, so I opted to make a little start instead! It was super easy and took no time at all. Served with vanilla ice-cream and a little caramel made it the perfect fall treat!!

Rustic Skillet Apple & Vanilla Tart

2 tbsp flour for surface

1 pie crust, rolled out

1 tbs sugar

1 tbp flour

½ tbs cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

2-3 Large Apples Cored and sliced

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin with a dry, oven safe skillet, and lightly flour the entire cooking surface, and place the piecrust over the top. Carefully push the crust down into the pan, patching any holes that appear. In a bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the apples and toss to coat. Arrange the apples in the skillet, and drizzle with vanilla. Dot the butter around the apples. Gently fold the crust edge over the apples, to make your selected arrangement. And lightly sprinkle some additional sugar over the top should you choose. Place the skillet in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust has become golden and the sugar melted. Serve warm.

Fall Bucket List: Carve Pumpkins

By Jessica

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In our family any excuse to have a party is a good excuse. My parents have thrown a pumpkin carving party every year for as long as I can remember. We have chili, and wine, and hot dogs for the young-uns. Then we take over the table carving pumpkins, and fighting over the seeds. We all want to take them home. It’s all a very civil affair; there’s certainly no shouting over politics, or pumpkin goo flinging at all. We certainly don’t compete for the best pumpkin or anything. Ha!

This year I found the cutest little baby pumpkin and of course carved a little baby face, with a bow, while chuck went the more traditional route with fangs.

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Fall Bucket List: Fancy Drinks

By Jessica

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Remember that fall bucket list? The one above? Yeah I am still working on it.

I am not a coffee drinker, so I don’t get all excited for the pumpkin lattes or whatever comes out now. One thing I do get excited for is fresh cider; warm milled cider to be exact.

All you do is toss a bit of cinnamon, allspice, a few cloves, and cider in a pan and bring it to a simmer. It is the quintessential fall drink. I mean cider is at its best when it is fresh, and delicious.

While we are on the topic of fall drinks I wanted to talk about a new protein shake that I have been in love with lately; Warm Chai Tea Protein Shake. I have been finding it harder and harder to get out of my nice warm bed in the cold fall weather so i havent had alot of time for breakfast, and this has been a great fill in, because I can drink it in the car on the way to work.

Warm Vanilla Chai Tea Protein Shake
3/4 cup milk, warmed
1/2 cup water
2 chai tea bags
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
Bring 1/2 cup of water to a simmer. remove from heat and steap with both tea bags. Once fully steaped, the water should be a dark color. Place all ingrediants in a blender and mix well. Serve warm.

I use loose tea when I make it so I can make the chai as strong as I want. I also use a protein shaker bottle instead of a blender, less clean up that way. If you want you can use a prebought chai mix as well just warm it up with the milk. I have also been known to make regular tea and spice it up myself with cinnemon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Another thing that you can do is add a 1/4 cup of oatmeal to thicken it up and add some carbs. It’s really about whatever floats your boat.

How is your fall bucket list going?

Onion & Cheese Tart

By Jessica

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I am always looking for new side dishes to spice up a meal. This isn’t easy if you have a meat and potatoes kind of guy like myself to please. This particular recipe was a big hit with him, probably because it contains cheese and potatoes, I mean seriously what’s not to like?

He said it reminded him of French Onion Soup, but dry (obviously). I served it with a nice steak, but I bet it would go wonderfully with a roast, or a fresh salad for the vegetarians out there.

I opted to leave mine in the pan out of laziness (No need to wash another dish!), however you can flop the whole tart onto a plate and serve it upside down, this will show off the gorgeous caramelized onions underneath. Personally I think the melted cheese is just as pretty.

Onion & Cheese Tart (serves 2)

1 tbsp butter

½ tbsp. rosemary

1 large onion sliced

1-2 large potatoes sliced thin

1/2 tbsp EVOO

½ cup grated Gruyere Cheese

½ cup grated mozzarella

Salt& Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Melt the butter in a small oven proof frying pan. Add thyme and onion and cook until the onions begin to become translucent, roughly 5 minutes. Place the potatoes on top, drizzle with oil and cover with a mix of the cheeses. Place the pan in the oven until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Flip onto a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper to serve.

Note: I did not peal the potatoes first, I simply washed them well and sliced them thin. I don’t think pealing makes much of a difference, save yourself the trouble!

Jessica

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