Meet and Greet Monday: Kendall Earl

Adequately summing up my youngest brother, Kendall, is just as difficult as accurately depicting Chance in a few hundred words was. One thing I can say, though, is what my grandma always says about him: Kendall's just Kendall. I know it's cliche, but there really is no one like Kendall. And Kendall is like no one else. But those of us who know and love Kendall wouldn't have it any other way.
It's hard to believe my baby brother is just days away from his twentieth birthday. I feel like he should still be my eight-year-old little brother. But when Kendall got his medical insurance cards in the mail a couple weeks ago, he realized he is, in fact, a grown up now. So I guess it's time I came to terms with that fact as well. In addition to being a real-life grown up , here are a few other things Kendall is:
1. an amazing athlete. Kendall is exceptional at any sport he plays, although his favorite is football. I lost my voice many times while cheering on #22 at Tipton high school football games.
2. too funny for words. No matter what he says or the way in which he says it, there are always many laughs when Kendall is around.
3. a very handsome dude. Don't believe me? See for yourself:

4. an animal lover. Besides myself, Kendall is one of very few people who can handle my crazy canine, Deuce, who's quite fond of his Uncle Kendall.
5. a midnight (and beyond) snacker. At any given hour of the night or early morning, one can find Kendall standing in front of the open refrigerator, or even keeping a watchful eye on the steak he has cooking away on the stove.
6. a mean Farkle player. Whenever I'm in Tipton, Mom always asks Kendall to play just one game of Farkle with us. "All right, one game," he will concede, usually grudgingly. But I think he secretly enjoys it more than he lets on.
7. the person I have to thank for my love of Frasier. Until a few years ago, I had never watched an episode of this absolutely hilarious show. I always skipped right over it when channel checking, assuming the jokes would be over my head and/or that it would be booooring. Oh, how wrong I was. Kendall just happened to mention the show one night, talking about how funny the dad and his dog were. So I decided to check it out the next time I came across it and have been hooked ever since. Thanks, lil brother.
8. the only person I know who never went through an awkward stage. Chance and I were always jealous because we had our share of awkward years. I won't go into much detail, but mine involved hideous glasses, a jerry curl, and acne. Kendall, however, has always been adorable or good looking. So unfair.
9. a history buff. Seriously, this kid (I mean grown man [he does have insurance cards, remember?]) watches the history channel for fun! His tastes in television, music, and movies are quite varied.
10. one of the two best brothers anyone could ask for. I'm a lucky sister.

I gave Kendall a hard time when we were younger, which was my job as a big sister. And I worked plenty of overtime. Now, though, I'm proud to say that Kendall and I are not just brother and sister; we're friends. Kendall shares both jokes and concerns with me, and I know he'll do anything for me as well.
I only get to see Kendall a handful of times a year now, which isn't nearly enough, but it's rare that we go more than a week without texting or Facebooking. I hope my baby brother knows how proud his lil/big sister is of him. He's a great young man, and I wouldn't trade him for the world...although, if you would have asked me when we were ten and six, I would have gladly exchanged him for ten bucks or a pack of Skittles.

Smoothie Queen

For the last two weeks, I have been in my kitchen faithfully...every morning. Out of the blue a couple weeks ago, I got a craving for a smoothie like you wouldn't believe. I literally went to bed excited about waking up so I could get one of the new smoothies from McDonald's in the morning. I hurried through my morning routine and left about five minutes early so I could hit up Mickey D's with the rest of the coffee drinkers and scarf-down-a-breakfast-burrito-on-the-way-to-workers. I ordered a McCafe strawberry banana smoothie. And boy was it delicious. As I sucked down my last drop, I already wanted another, but I knew shelling out three bucks for pureed fruit every morning would get pretty pricey. Then I had a light bulb moment. Duh! I can just buy the fruit myself and bring a smoothie to work for breakfast every day.
I immediately Googled "smoothie recipes" and was a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities available to me. But I decided to start simple and just stick with strawberry-banana. It was a brilliant plan, except for two things: I had neither a blender nor a way to transport my smoothies. But I was determined to start eating a healthy breakfast every day, so after work I bought a Magic Bullet knockoff blender and a plastic to-go cup (for $10 bucks!), along with all the fixin's I'd need for my nutritious liquid breakfasts: frozen berries, fresh bananas, apple juice, and a couple smoothies-in-a-bag, one from Jamba Juice and one from Yoplait. Since I have become quite the smoothie aficionado the last couple weeks, here are my reviews of the different types of smoothies I tried.

1. Yoplait: For this smoothie, you just add milk to the frozen fruit and yogurt pieces. This one tasted a bit chalky to me and was my least favorite. It was quite difficult to finish it all. I've still got half a bag of the mix left and don't plan on using it all.
2. Berry-banana: The first smoothie I tried without a packaged mix was a combination of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries with a banana and a cup of apple juice. This concoction was considerably tastier than the Yoplait fail, but the blackberries left too many seeds for me. I had a bit of a texture issue with this one. When I went with all strawberries and a banana, I liked the taste much better. This is the one I will have most often.
3. Orange Julius: That's right; I made my own Orange Julius. And let me tell you, it was bomb diggity. It tastes just like the delectable OJ you get at the mall. Unfortunately, this option isn't so healthy because it uses half a cup of sugar, equal parts powdered and granulated. But that's what makes it taste so good, so I'll probably limit myself to one a week and call it good. To make this smoothie, you combine 3 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup both powdered and granulated sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and ice and blend away. The smoothie is a pale orange color, frothy, and oh so delicious. It's significantly thinner than the other smoothies I've tried, but it's one of my favorites.
4. Jamba Juice: This one is my favorite by a wide margin. I mean, it's made by Jamba Juice. Of course it's sinfully delicious. I'm a predictable girl and got the strawberry-banana in this mix too, but this one tasted much better than the disappointing Yoplait smoothie. It was fresh and fruity with just the right amount of tang and a perfect texture. Unfortunately, at $2.50 a pop, I can't afford to buy one of these for every day of the week, so I'll have to treat myself once every two weeks, most likely.

And there you have it. If smoothies don't trigger your gag reflex and you're looking for a nutritious, filling, portable breakfast, smoothies are the way to go. Just avoid the Yoplait at all costs. If you've got plenty of money to spend on smoothies-in-a-bag, try Jamba Juice's. But if you're like me and don't, just throw a few strawberries (frozen or fresh), a banana, and some apple juice in a blender. You'll be sipping summer in a glass in no time.

That Thing Called Budgeting

My good friend Laura, over at http://www.beautywillsavetheworld-lmh.blogspot.com/, and I have had several conversations about money recently. We have actually set several budgeting goals and decided that this time (the New Year, after vacation, April, May, etc.) we were actually going to stick to our no-eating-out-or-spending-unnecessary-money vows. But there's always something out to get us, such as an irresistible weekly special at LD's or an event for which we need a new outfit, like, you know, the third Tuesday in April. Our good intentions of being diligent savers fall by the wayside at the mention of a sale.
This time, however, we mean business. I have let my checking account get dangerously and embarrassingly low, justifying my spending habits with excuses like, "I can just transfer money from savings" and "I'll replace it next paycheck," knowing that probably won't happen. Seeing a balance in the single digits hasn't happened yet, but I've come uncomfortably close.
Next month (because, let's face it, this month is shot already) I refuse to allow myself to be tempted by the thought of fast-food French fries and super cute sandals that will go perfectly with my new dress. I have potatoes on my counter and over thirty pairs of shoes in my closet. I will make a menu for every day, not just Monday through Friday. (If Randel wants to take me to Carl's Jr. to satisfy my fast-food craving [hint, hint], that's a whole other matter.)
I know my floundering finances are nothing anyone will get excited about, so I'll come clean and admit that I wrote this as a way to keep myself accountable. I have no self-control, but the thought of others judging me when I make a trip to McDonald's instead of making the Hamburger Helper that's on the menu will (hopefully) keep me from making a decision I will ultimately regret.
I'm excited about how much money I will save simply by making a menu and grocery list and sticking to them and by curbing my almost-daily shopping cravings.I plan to write about each successful kicked craving (to see how much progress I'm making), so you may be hearing from me quite a bit in June, when I start this whole budget thing. But until then, I guess I better shop 'til I drop!

Fake Cheese and an Omelet in a Bag

I have been quite the culinary adventurer this week. Be impressed, because most nights I'm too lazy to cook and end up having a bowl of cereal or McDonald's for dinner. But this week I made two pretty impressive dishes, if I do say so myself. The first was an omelet. I know you're probably thinking, What's so impressive about an omelet? Anyone can make a simple omelet. For some reason, I have never mastered the art of omelet making. Admittedly, I've only tried once or twice, but those failures were enough to deter me from ever trying again. Until last Sunday. But the real reason you should be thinking I'm super awesome is because this particular omelet was made in a Ziploc bag.
I know that sounds strange and probably gross. But I'm telling you, this recipe changed my life. The Ziploc-bag omelet is one of the easiest things I've ever made, and it was delicious. My grandma came across the recipe online and told me about it. I know you're dying to know how an omelet can be made in a Ziploc bag, so now I'll tell you how:
All you do is put all your desired omelet ingredients in the Ziploc bag (make sure it's a freezer bag so it will hold up to the boiling water you'll place it in). I just used eggs (well, duh), ham, and shredded cheese. Mash everything together and seal it. Then place the bag in boiling water. Next, you just boil the bag for 13 minutes. (If the water stops boiling when you put the bag in, don't start timing until it comes back up to a boil.) Finally, your Ziploc-bag omelet is ready to eat. Just open the bag and slide your omelet out. It's as easy as that.
The second new dish I tried out this week was my grandma's homemade mac and cheese. My mom and I actually made it to go along with our Easter dinner, but Mom was the expert for sure. My contribution was gathering ingredients and stirring. But there weren't many steps involved, so I figured I could duplicate this delicious cheesy concoction at home. And that's what I did the very next night.
My grandma's mac and cheese only calls for four ingredients: macaroni, milk, cheese, and cream of mushroom soup. That's right, cream of mushroom soup. Many people think it's weird that we put cream of mushroom soup in our mac and cheese, but I can't eat it any other way anymore. Seriously, even if you're just making Kraft mac and cheese, try it with cream of mushroom soup next time. Your life will be changed. But anyway, Grandma's recipe is super easy, so I won't be using the box stuff anymore. First, you just cook the pasta. I used about a cup of elbow macaroni, and that was plenty for just me. Once you've drained the pasta, just add some milk (eyeball it) and Kraft Singles. I myself was shocked that my grandma used pasteurized prepared cheese product in her mac and cheese, but it's creamy and delicious, so who am I to question her decision? Just add as many cheese slices as you want so that the mac and cheese is at your desired cheesiness. I added three slices, but you can never have too much cheese, right? Stir the pasta, milk, and cheese until the cheese melts. You could stop here, but you'd be missing the best part. Now add the cream of mushroom soup. (I added about half a can for the small amount I made.) Stir it all together and be prepared to die and go to heaven.
Looks like dinner for me just got a little more exciting than Mickey D's and Cap'n Crunch.