The Power of Television

As you well know (if you are a regular reader of my blog), I love reality tv.  One of the shows that I watch on a regular basis is Bethenny Ever After.  Some of her products are a bit 'out there' (i.e. the cleanse...which I would never do), however, her new cocktail Skinnygirl Margarita, is delicious.  I looked online to see if it was sold here in my area of my state (Farm Country), and was excited to find that my local grocery stocked it.

The last time I went grocery shopping, I purchased a bottle.  I'm not a huge fan of tequila, so I was unsure if I would enjoy it.  I found it very light and refreshing, though.  I think that it's only 100 calories for a 4oz serving, which is large enough for this lightweight.  :)

Here I am being a dork with my Skinnygirl Margarita

I can imagine how refreshing this will be on a hot summer evening while I sit on my deck swing while reading a book. 

***Disclaimer:  Bethenny has no idea who I am and this is not a paid advertisement for Skinnygirl. 

By the way, have you entered my giveaway yet?  Click here for a chance to win my friend's book Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go, a Chicago travel guide for families of tweens and teens.  You have until next Tuesday to enter. 

Party in the USA

I got sucked into American Idol last night.  I will admit that the only reason I am watching this season is because my pretend boyfriend is one of the judges.  And did he look hot last night or what?  Also, this part of American Idol, the choosing the people to go to Hollywood, is the most entertaining....and could likely be the only part of the season that I watch.  The reason being is I can only name about a handful of people that actually made it big after the show.  Also, after Simon told Jennifer Hudson that she would never 'go anywhere' (Hello? Simon...did you see that Oscar she won after you told her that?  Do you like the taste of crow?) I was pretty much 'over it.'  After they choose the final 20 or 12 or however many finalists there are, I may start watching again...you know that time when they have to sing in groups and work together, yet try to stand out without taking the spot light off of others?  That is my least favorite part of the series.

But now...I have some eye candy to look at even though I get to listen to Scott, who is sitting next to me, saying, "Is he going to sing 'yes' for everyone?"  Or, "is he going to be that annoying every week?  because if he is, I'm taking your cds and throwing them away."  Um, listen, cowboy, you as much as touch my Aerosmith cds, we will have a problem.  ;)  So, just sit next to me and enjoy looking at Jenny from the Block...you know you love her.

Here is my favorite part from last night's show...enjoy!  :)

Crazy Train

One of my guilty pleasures is watching mindless tv.  Anyone else out there watch The Bachelor?   Come on, you know you love it!  Anyway, in case those of you who read this don't know, there is a certain someone on this season's Bachelor (named Michelle) who is definitely making things interesting for us.  She is certifiable.  It's fun to watch, almost.  Every time I see her, I get a song plant.  Thanks, Michelle for entertaining us!

Let them eat cake!

The Boy and his girlfriend came to visit for a few days when camp was finished. (He met her at camp...we like her...and that's all I'm going to say about that.) I went grocery shopping (according to The Man, we never have food in the house unless The Boy is coming home...whatever!) and started planning what to cook. I saw some blackberries at the store, so I wanted to bake something with them in it.

When I asked TG (the girlfriend) if she liked blackberry cobbler, she said that she normally didn't like cooked fruit. I don't like RAW fruit! lol This is going to sound really weird, but bananas gag me. Watching someone eat a banana gags me. Peeling bananas gags me. HOWEVER, I love banana bread (once I get over the peeling part and the smell of the raw, overly ripe bananas....that just gives me a willy!)

Back to the blackberries. I went through some cookbooks and settled on a recipe in my Southern Living cookbook that Mimi bought for me years ago. It's the 1986 annual recipes book. I love this cookbook! I use it every Christmas for my peanut blossom cookies, among other yummy dishes. The original recipe calls for blueberries, but I substituted blackberries.

Huckle-Buckle Blueberry (Blackberry)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 egg
1 2/3 flour, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups fresh berries
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I only used 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup butter

Cream softened butter; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well.

Combine 1 1/3 cup flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into greased 8 inch square baking pan. Top with berries.




Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/3 cup flour, and cinnamon. Cut 1/4 cup butter into mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over berries.



Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.



We had vanilla ice cream on the side and I think even GF enjoyed it. ;)

*This obviously wasn't the cobbler that I originally thought I would make. It was more like a coffee cake...a very moist and delicious coffee cake.

Linky Love

I've been pretty busy the past week. I'll post an update soon. In the meantime, I'd like to leave you with a list of the blogs I enjoy reading....

Suburban Scrawl

My Ever Changing Moods

House of Jules

The Peculiar Homemaker

The Pioneer Woman

The Chocoholic and A Duke Fan

One Step at a Time

Steps of Faith

Enjoy! :)