Homemade Jalapeno Poppers

With St. Patty's day approaching, we are starting to compile our list of great appetizers to kick off the day. This bite sized mix of salty, cheese, hot and green will make the perfect treat.

With only 4 ingredients, it is too easy :)

1 - 8 oz block of lite Philadelphia cream cheese

4 - cups shredded cheddar cheese.

10 -  Jalapeno peppers

1 - package bacon

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees, set out the cream cheese so it can soften while you prepare the rest of the dish, and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Next, wash the jalapeno peppers and cut in half long ways. Then core out the seeds with a spoon. The veins and seeds is where most of the heat resides,  but don't worry, these will still have a bite! 

*Remember while working with the jalapenos, keep your hands away from your face to avoid the sting of the jalapeno juice!

After the jalapenos are halved and seeded, you can begin mixing the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Now that the cream cheese is soft, you can use a mixer on the lowest setting to mix in the cheddar cheese. I added about 4 cups to mine but add as much as you want! The cheesier the better ;)

Once you have your cheese mix, use a small spoon to fill your jalapeno halves and place on your cookie sheet.

Next, chop your bacon in half. I think it is easiest to cut it in half right out of the package.

Take the bacon halves and wrap one piece of bacon around your stuffed jalapeno pepper and stick with a tooth pick to keep it together.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until the bacon is golden brown.

What green or St. Patty's day inspired treats are you making this year?

Enjoy!

Jes

American Horror Story Drinking Game

Who are you kidding? The office is quiet.. your mind is on vacation.. and you are only going to do minimal work tomorrow. And tonight is the FINALE of American Horror Story! So grab a bottle of wine and get a little tipsy :)

2 weeks ago, my friends and I made the American Horror Story Drinking Game.

Here are the rules (I adjusted some of rules because some things have changed since the last time we played).

1. If someone has sex - drink 2

2. If you see the young maid - drink1

3. If you see the old maid - drink 2

4. If you see the man in the black rubber suit - drink 2

5. If someone says the name Violet - drink 3

6. If some references being crazy - drink 2

7. If there is a fresh death (someone new dies) - drink 4

8. If there is a flashback - drink 1

9. If you see the red ball roll across the floor - drink 5

10. If you see the new "devil" baby - drink 4

11. If Ben Harmon finally realizes what is going on in the house - drink 5

Hey Ben Harmon

ENJOY!

xoxox, Jes

Spiked Cider

Need a festive fall cocktail? Try some spiked apple cider. My roommate and I had a house/apartment warming  party and everyone was a fan of this easy drink. With only two ingredients, it's hard to pass up :)

2 shots spiced rum (Captain Morgan)
Apple Cider
Alcohol infused caramel whipped cream (optional - Cream is the best.)
A cinnamon stick for garnish.

Easy as pie... pumpkin pie :)

Happy Halloween!

I Have A Confession To Make...

I like Cleveland.

Yep, I said it. I didn't want to admit it at first but I really do. 

People who are from Cleveland even have a love/hate relationship with it. It is the butt of many jokes, in the winter time they report a miserably large amount of snow, and they love to hate this man.

Last weekend I went to Cleveland to visit Adam's family and had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. His family welcomed me with open arms, even though I'm sure his mother would have preferred a Jewish girl ;) JK, they are truly wonderful people.

We started off the day on Saturday with breakfast at the yacht club and an afternoon sail on his parent's sail boat. Without a view of land in the horizon, Lake Erie felt more like an ocean than a lake. It was gorgeous. Sailing takes a lot more work than I ever thought.. it's all manual.. it would take a lot of work and tricks to be able to go sailing by yourself. It was incredible though to see Adam and his dad working together and I would love to say that I grew up on the water.

The Family :)

My Favorite Picture!

Hahaha

After a day of fun on the water (and a nauseously hungover sail) we headed off to Great Lakes Brewery. We tried to get a table for dinner but the wait was too long so we headed down to the bar/cellar for some yummy tastings. We each got a pint of their specialty beers on tap for the week, Traffic Light and Market Street Wheat. I loved the Traffic Light and he loved the Market Street so it worked out perfectly. I definitely need to go back next time I'm in town.

Next, we met up with Adam's old college roommates and our friends from OU for the Indians game. We scalped tickets for $8 a piece and went in around the 5th inning, so we would be able to sneak down with our friends right behind home plate. The seats were amazing. I took this picture with my cell phone from our seats:

Even though we had an incredibly annoying stuck up family in front of us... heaven forbid we say the H-E-double hockey sticks word.. it was an amazing night... and the Indians pulled out a WIN! I am a Reds fan but I love all Ohio teams (except the Bengals). It was really odd because after the game, no one left their seat. It was weird.. usually people are rushing out at the 6th inning to beat traffic.. then we saw signs that said Rock and Blast tonight after the game. We assumed fireworks so we stuck around. Good thing we did.

Rock and Blast was an extravagant fireworks show synchronized to 30 seconds clips of all the rock classics... Adam was in heaven and I thought I was going to have a seizure I was in awe.

So yes, I loved Cleveland and I'm looking forward to our next trip, whenever that may be. The best part is, I was telling my best friend Ally about Cleveland and her boyfriend is from Cleveland too.. she leaned forward and whispered "isn't Cleveland fun?!" like it was a secret :)

I had to:

Slacklining

My brother-in-law Patrick recently turned me on to one of the most exhaustingly amazing workouts ever.

<< the Slack Line >>

What is slacklining?
Slacklining is the act of balancing along a narrow, flexible piece of webbing usually low to the ground. Originating in the climbing world, it has become popular for balance and movement training, core strength, and FUN.

*The slack line we used was a 2 inch Classic Slack Line purchased from Gibbon.

They sure do make this look easy...

After his first experience with a 1" slack line, he purchased a 2" to master first. We set up camp at Newcom Park in the Oregon District, finding a perfect set of trees and a nice patch of forgiving grass (assuming we would be falling often). Patrick made it all the way across for his first time and then many times after. Adam made it half way and I was only able to master 6 steps! (but I am very proud of those 6 steps).

Setting up

He made it!

Working up a sweat!

Almost there!

 
Feeling inspired? I know I am. Hopefully we can get a group of people together Sunday nights in the park to master the slack line. SEE YOU THERE! I'm determined to get across! And after that, maybe I'll try out some tricks like these:

YEAH RIGHT!

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

While you read this post about my departure from DC and all the things I will miss, please listen to this somberly/awesome song (yes, somberly is a word. I Googled it to make sure). It helps set the mood.. and I promise that I am listening to it right now on repeat as I write this, so it's only fair... Plus! I haven't made my July playlist yet. Oops. Do you guys even listen to those things anyways?!

THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT WASHINGTON DC! 

*In no particular order* 

but I guess it's only natural to think of your most favorite things first

1. Meridian Hill Park

Meridian was one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen and I stumbled across it one day while exploring the city. The best part was that it was only one block from our apartment. It went a few weeks unnoticed because of the high walls surrounding it, but just beyond lurks amazing landscape surrounding this enchanting fountain:

I wish I took this photo

Meridian is comprised of a labyrinth of staircases that create a Secret Garden atmosphere and also served as my fitness center because I refused to pay $125 a month for a gym membership. At the top of the fountain, overlooking the ledge, you can see the Capital Building, the Washington Monument, the Air Force Memorial, and the skyscrapers of Arlington, VA. Not to mention the amazing drum circles that would gather every Sunday afternoon.

2. The People

I will miss my roommates Mo, Justin, Mugsly and Bowser. My DC relationship with Mo and Justin began way back when with this blog post. I would have been lost in DC without them. I love you guys.

Mugsly

Bowser

I also met a surprisingly large amount of OU alumni. And I will never forget my old roommates, and my many  kickball buds.

3. Diversity

DC is full of culture and I enjoyed being surrounded by so much culture. It was a great learning experience.

Click here to see DC up close and see how your city matches up: 2010 Census

4. The Food

-Ethiopian
-Lebanese
-Indian
-Southern Soul
-Thai
-you name it, DC has it

My favorite DC meals are...

Eatonville - Mac & Cheeese

located at 14th & V (NW)

Tacklebox - Fish Tacos

located on M Street in Georgetown

*unfortunately Tacklebox suffered some damage in a kitchen fire so they are closed indefinitely

Sticky Rice - Sticky Balls

located on H Street NE

5. Sculpture Garden

I will miss dipping my toes in the water at the Sculpture Garden. 

6. Public Transportation

Of course it would have been nice to have a car for those days when you want to go on a big grocery run, or when you want to "accidentally" spend too much at Target, or even for those lonely days when I just wanted to hop in my car and drive back to Ohio to see my boyfriend, friends, and family. Don't get me wrong, a car would have been nice, but I'm proud to say that I haven't had a car in 5 years now. I walked/bused/metro/biked every where and I loved it.

I am car shopping this week though so call me a hypocrite. Hey, it was fun while it lasted.

7. The View

I'm just going to let these aerial pictures speak for me (even though I have yet to see a single picture that does it any justice):

I will end this post with a simple love letter:

Dear DC,

You rock.

Xoxox, Jes

Sh*t I find Funny #2: "My Booky Wook"

I'm not a critic and I'm not a writer so bare with me.. or is it bear with me? (see what I mean).

I just finished Russel Brand's, "My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up" It was my Labor Day present from Matt, and it is the best Labor Day gift I've ever gotten!... The only one I've ever gotten, but the BEST!

  

The man. The myth. The legend

As you know I commute to work, which means awkward positions in close quarters with smelly strangers. What better way to make yourself comfortable than laughing out loud (yes, LOL) while you are uncomfortably close to others. I figure that people on the metro have made me feel uncomfortable enough that it was now my turn to make things awkward for them by laughing hysterically, looking up and whispering "sorryyyy" with a smile.

They probably think I'm bloody mad (as Russell would say) but I couldn't help it. "My Booky Wook" is just an easy, laugh out loud, kinda book. The book is about Brand's life journey through a sexually and disastrously drug filed career into a path of redemption.

I was safely above the legal age and under my drug-brella - the device that protects me from all condemnation. Beneath its shelter I cannot be damned, nor can judgements affect me; they are deflected like the rain, as I skip off into the decadent night   -Russel Brand

He not only pokes fun at himself, but religion, western culture, and the industry that he has grown to love: comedy. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

 Of all the consumer products, chewing gum is perhaps the most ridiculous: it literally has no nourishment - you just chew it to give yourself something to do with your stupid idiot Western mouth. Half the world is starving, and the other's going, "I don't actually need any nutrition, but it would be good to masticate, just to keep my mind off things."  -Russel Brand

If you're looking for a book, pick it up. You won't be disappointed... just be aware that you might LOL on the metro and make things awkward.