Why I doubt my ability to ever leave Texas.......

Love and hate......

I love my job, I have a great work ethic (as long as I'm getting paid), and I enjoy all my regulars who come in (plus the people who I make regulars). Yet every once in a while I encounter something that I am not accustomed to, lately that has been accents.

I know how to imitate starbucks drinks that the customers ask for, I know six different ways to brew coffee, I know how to make a sale, and garnish one helluva drink. However when a customer comes in with a thick New York accent and asks for a medium "cwawfie" in a bag I am at a loss.

A mission?

Well this doesn't happen often, but I've decided to give myself a goal.

I'm not going to post any pictures because
-My camera is in my purse
-I haven't taken many pictures lately
-I'm too lazy to go and get the camera from my purse

Pictures really have nothing to do with the main point of this post though.

THIS IS MY MISSION

By the end of the year I will be able to say that i have seen every movie on this list. I am going to re-watch the ones that I previously viewed when I was too young to understand, so that way it's all fair.  If you want to do this with me let me know :)

1.CITIZEN KANE (1941)
xxx2.CASABLANCA (1942)
3.GODFATHER, THE (1972)
4.GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5.LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
xxx6.WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
xxx7.GRADUATE, THE (1967)
xxx8.ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9.SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10.SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11.IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12.SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13.BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957)
xxx14.SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
xxx15.STAR WARS (1977)
16.ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17.AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951)
18.PSYCHO (1960)
19.CHINATOWN (1974)
20.ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21.GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940)
22.2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23.MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)
xxx24.RAGING BULL (1980)
xxx25.E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26.DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27.BONNIE & CLYDE (1967)
28.APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
xxx29.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30.TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
xxx31.ANNIE HALL (1977)
32.GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)
xxx33.HIGH NOON (1952)
xxx34.TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
xxx35.IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36.MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37.BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946)
38.DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39.DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40.NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41.WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42.REAR WINDOW (1954)
43.KING KONG (1933)
44.BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915)
45.STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951)
xxx46.CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)
47.TAXI DRIVER (1976)
xxx48.JAWS (1975)
xxx49.SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50.BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
xxx51.PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE(1940)
52.FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53.AMADEUS (1984)
54.ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
xxx55.SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965)
56.M*A*S*H(1970)
57.THIRD MAN, THE (1949)
xxx58.FANTASIA (1940)
59.REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60.RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61.VERTIGO (1958)
xxx62.TOOTSIE (1982)
63.STAGECOACH (1939)
64.CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
xxx65.SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991)
66.NETWORK (1976)
67.MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962)
68.AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951)
69.SHANE (1953)
70.FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971)
xxx71.FORREST GUMP (1994)
72.BEN-HUR (1959)
xxx73.WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74.GOLD RUSH, THE (1925)
75.DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76.CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77.AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
xxx78.ROCKY (1976)
79.DEER HUNTER, THE (1978)
80.WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)
81.MODERN TIMES (1936)
82.GIANT (1956)
83.PLATOON (1986)
84.FARGO (1996)
85.DUCK SOUP (1933)
86.MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
xxx87.FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88.EASY RIDER (1969)
89.PATTON (1970)
90.JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927)
91.MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92.PLACE IN THE SUN, A(1951)
93.APARTMENT, THE (1960)
xxx94.GOODFELLAS (1990)
xxx95.PULP FICTION (1994)
96.SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
xxx97.BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98.UNFORGIVEN (1992)
xxx99.GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (196

100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

If you want to add to the list let me know in the comments section

if I have the time I will find and watch the movie 

So far......

TODAY RULZ (I can spell rules like that (rulz) because I'm a "G" and a certified bad ass and because I'm a hip and totally cool college kid who is in with all the latest and greatest lingo, yo)

Today started out not so awesome because:

A little after midnight I decided I wanted some sun chips, and if you've had sun chips lately I'm sure you know what I'm to talk about. THE EFFIN LOUD CHIP BAGS. Sun chips now has compostable chip bags, which is cool and "green" and everything but seriously? It's not like someone knocked on my door and told me to stop eating chips or anything but my apartment is a pretty quiet and peaceful place. In the end the loud chip bag ruined my craving for what was inside of it. Jerks. But if you're interested, read about the obnoxious bags here.

Anyway then I woke up insanely early like I have been doing for the past two days because of my totally messed up sleeping schedule, caused by sleeping for and entire day after coming home from spring break. Yeah it's pretty hard to stay out late and then sleep in when you're crashing on the couch >.< plus I'm trying to prove to myself that I'm not addicted to caffeine by not drinking coffee or any other such stimulant for a week or two. Because since being handed down a 4 cup coffee maker I've been drinking it every weekday, I blame Austin and college. Austin for giving me the coffee maker in the first place. And college for driving me to drink it.

But then my day got awesome!

HULU WIN!

Oh yeah ;)

Fishing for comments....

How many readers do I have?

How many people read this and just don't comment?

I have an awesome plan to help me find out....

But if you want to find out the awesomeness that awaits you must read this post. Muahahahahahahahahhahahaha!

Should I talk my major inappropriate crush on Ira Glass? I feel giving today so I'll spare my potential male readers of the details.

Should I discuss the fact that San Antonio 104.5 and Corpus Christi 104.5 are both classic rock stations? Freaky. Should I tell you all how and why I prefer CC 104.5?

 Maybe I should just give everybody a heads up that my birthday is next month. And that I only live two hours away. And that I enjoy both sushi and hot wings. Or maybe I shouldn't because it's suggestive. I don't want to be suggestive *cough*Brittany/Ruben/Steph*cough*

I think I should tell you that I'm making this for dinner sometime before the end of the week. And that you should make it too.

 And now to the point!

Okay, so I need to bake. I want to make cinnamon rolls but the recipe I use makes a lot. So here's my solution, the first 8 people to comment get a pan of cinnamon rolls that I'm gonna bake the night before I head down to Corpus for spring break. Awesome right?! Just leave a comment and let me know if you want regular icing OR a coffee flavored icing :)


ONE PAN PER HOUSEHOLD

No, I'm not dead.....

I'm hungry, sleep deprived, and midterms are robbing me of my soul.

Wow, that was dark.

Here's a treat to chew on while I get beaten into submission by college. I haven't taken a picture of myself in a long time so my new "I'm with COCO" shirt seemed like the perfect time. As you can tell this was before my lip piercing impulse. More about that at a later date.

Off to heb for the joy of cheap sushi and other food items.

Peace and love-Natalie

Ode to Paula Deen.....

This is what I did instead of writing a blog last weekend. Not exactly in that order but that's pretty much what I did.

So, because I really don't want to discuss this picture.....

 

And because Monica told me to via facebook, I'm gonna post my first ever, baked by me (and not a disaster), from scratch Pineapple upside down cake using this recipe. It's from PW's site Tasty Kitchen that I've never used before this cake. Plus I've never made a cake from scratch before, don't get me wrong I've baked tons and tons of cookies but never a cake, I've even made muffins (which are harder to make) from scratch but never a cake. Weird right?

Anyway, last week I bought a jar of cherries. I don't know why I did, other than because I remembered how good they were from when I was little. Then when I got home and opened the jar, they weren't as good as I remembered. So this kind of cake is the only thing that I knew those cherries could be used for. And well here it is.

 

 Sometimes I wish that I could be Paula Deen when I grow up, and spread the joy of butter everywhere. Because butter is good for you, and it's amazing. And when you melt butter with brown sugar you get this...

 

Mmmmm, caramel sauce.....

 

Cherries?

 

More cherries?

 

Oh yeah baby, that's how I like it!

 

Anyway, mix AP flour, almond flour (worth the splurge), baking powder, and salt then transfer it into a bowl and set it aside.

 

Mix eggs, sugar, and of course butter until it looks like this ^

 

Then yogurt, and vanilla and mix again.

 

Then add the flour mix.....

  

Then spread it in the super awesome spring-form pan you bought just for this cake as you think about your spatula.

 
 

And if I just happened for forget my spatula in the pan it would be ok, because it's heatproof up to 450 degrees, sweet right? 

Random thoughts.....

*I meant to post this last night but I forgot to press the post button, sorry!*

http://hippobrigade.com/

 I decided to put up links to blogs that I constantly read, for recipes or just laughs. This is Becky, she lives in CA and just pushed out her 2nd kid. She is abnormally funny and her posting times are irregular but when she does write I almost pee pants. These are two of my fav posts from her:

The Tampon Story

My dog has a stinky asshole

http://www.bakerella.com/

Ok, bakerella is a badass, a baking badass, a decorating baking badass. The nutter butter truffles I made this Christmas are from her site! And this is where I go when I want to get inspiration for baked goods, she posts every Monday. And here's two links of course:

Time for pie

Valentine CAKE

This is my woman, I saved her for last, this is The Pioneer Woman! I found her site over a year ago when I was looking for a good cinnamon roll recipe (boy was it good). I check her site everyday because she updates at least one section of it everyday! She now has a bestselling cookbook and just finished her book tour plus she's been on two episodes of the Bonnie Hunt Show. She also takes you into ranch life and talks about her transition from city girl to country gal. I'm just going to post the recipes I use the most often, but her blog is so much more than just recipes:

Chicken Scallopine

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

surf burgers, a recipe from home........

So my boyfriend Austin has been staying with me for the last week of our winter break, then we'll go back to the whole "see ya next month" routine. I've been eating like a broke college kid for a few months, but now he's here. Austin is the kind of college student who has an overpriced meal plan at his school, and that eats three meals a day (insane right?). So since Ramen and experimental meals don't cut it for him, we've been cookin up a storm! (I promise I'll never say that again).

I made chips first, because you always need chips with your burger. I just bought some HEB flour tortillas (I like flour chips way better than corn) and cut them up. One tortilla = Six chips

I heated the oil and cooked the chips on medium heat because I didn't want things to move too fast so the burgers and chips could finish at about the same time.

For the burgers we had ground chuck and mixed in an egg and some ranch seasoning (yes the powdered ranch you mix with sour cream), about half a packet of ranch powder per pound of meat. Then we busted out the can of re-fried beans (I get Old El Paso Traditional) and added about one tablespoon of butter (it gives the beans a nice smooth texture and adds flavor....mmmmm butter).

As you can tell, one of us prefers dark, near burnt to a crisp chips, and one of us prefers light, flavorful, slightly tender chips. You decide which one you like, no pressure.

To assemble, spread some beans on the bottom end of the bun and then put a layer of Fritos on top of that. I just put Fritos until I can't stick anymore to the beans, but then again I don't buy Fritos, I buy corn chips :b

Then toss the patty onto the "corn chip bun bean bed", add cheese, and top that sucker off with pace medium salsa! We forgot to add onions, but you can do that if you want.

If you live in Corpus you wont have to slave over a hot stove to make this, the Surf Club wont  forget the onions unless you tell them to, but they don't have flour tortilla chips.

its been awhile......

So here's some pictures

My sister Reagan, I don't remember why she was so interested in her finger at the time?

 And my brother Noah, who is inspecting the bottom of his shoe?

I guess they weren't happy being locked in a car with me while Mel was in Sears. But I thought I was being pretty cool and fun singing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs, there goes my "cool-big-sister/cousin" rating. Lame.

Will be posting a recipe later today, I think two postings in one day makes up for lost time? Right?