New Recipe Challenge (and recipe 2.1)

I’m excited to test my recipe limits again with a new recipe challenge for myself. It also gives me another reason to photo journal. Woo!

So here’s the run down. Challenge #1 was 5 primal recipes + 1 primal dessert. The stipulation was that after successfully following 5 meal recipes, I would earn a primal dessert recipe to attempt.

What actually happened? I successfully made the 5 recipes, much to my pride and excitement, and then chose my primal dessert. Turns out the dessert wasn’t all I dreamed it would be. I guess sugar/sugar substitute is actually pretty important to making a sweet tasting cheesecake. I found some simpler cookie recipes to try, but those didn’t turn out so nicely either because I was trying to leave out the honey. I did discover how to make primal granola! 😀  But the attempt was made. I’m fine with that. I kinda enjoyed the cheesecake, but mostly because I like the taste of cream cheese…and that’s what my cheesecake tasted like. Real recipe credit to http://www.paleospirit.com

Almond meal crust goes into the freezer to chill

I replaced anything involving the cocoa powder with strawberries, naturally sweet treats!

Blend everything and mix it all up!

Bake to cream cheesey perfection! …really it should’ve just been spread on a bagel somewhere…not that I condone bagels.

Challenge #2 will be 10 primal recipes + 1 primal dessert. The stipulation, I will make the dessert early on, but I need to stay strict to the primal diet during the challenge…and really til July cos that’s when I plan on splurging next. Yeeeeeaaaaah! Play On Con!! So until then, I am gonna fight these mental battles with every ounce of will power in my topsy-turvy mind. I’m hoping this positive affirmation will lead to more positivity in the rest of my life. Namaste.

…okay, okay! I admit that the dessert early is for a specific reason. I’ll tell you about it when it passes. Til then, let’s just say…hmmm…what’s a good excuse? Oh! Let’s say the dessert early is because I didn’t actually successfully complete the primal dessert from challenge #1. There we go. 🙂

So let’s get started! Recipe 2.1 (challenge #2; recipe 1): Meat Crust Quiche…which really turned into a meaty egg cake  thing. Still yummy! Recipe credit to Julie at http://www.paleOMG.com

The recipe called for potatoes. I just added more meat. 🙂

Passing Time

I like to write when I need to pass time. I’ve been doing a lot of that in rehearsal. If I’m not adding to the prop list, I’m being inspired by an incredible director to write more scenes in my play. This guy really knows his stuff when it comes to play development! And he knows another new play expert that I worked with in college…so maybe when I finish this script, they could both take a look at it. 🙂 So this writing is to pass time with thoughts.

I’m trying in general to be more self-disciplined. I want to use my time productively, apply for those few and far teaching jobs, clean my room, watch the words I say, be self-sufficient. Who doesn’t, right? I just thought it was interesting what sparked this sudden inclination. A friend of mine posted to her Facebook page a meme about being proud to be a witch. I have a few friends who are Wiccan so I went along this flight of fancy and did a little research. Very intriguing the way this page describes the Wiccan religion. My first reaction was, “How come all Wiccans aren’t libertarians when their philosophy is to do no harm?” Another point the site makes about Wicca is that it involves a lot of self-discipline and that they don’t actively convert people, especially not children. It’s a choice made by individuals who have thought about it for themselves. These are ideas I think everyone should live by.

Now am I saying I’m going to initiate myself into Wicca? Not necessarily…but I have been looking for a spiritual outlet lately and I know those top three religions are NOT the answer for me. It was just nice to take a look at a website that I believe to be honest about a number of different religions and seeing some that I may not have ever discovered had I followed a different path in my life. And this one seems a lot more up my alley than Judaism being forced upon me as a child.

Okay, that sounds harsh, yes, but you don’t really have a choice when it comes to these things. Religions like the top three like to grab you when you’re too young to say, “Hold on a sec! Maybe I don’t believe what you believe!” …but maybe you do believe what they believe. Some of the basic principles are the same like The Golden Rule.

Life is complicated. Let’s all just seek our own happiness. I’m going to search for my self-discipline because my happiness depends on it.

P.S. – A while back I mentioned I was making a Primal dessert because of that little challenge I offered myself. I just forgot to post about it, but I did attempt it. …didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but I do plan on trying again. I also might try a different recipe. Haha! I’ll talk about that lovely disaster in a future post. 🙂

Better than coffee to start the day

I started this morning with a poignant news article from LRC (lewrockwell.com) that sheds light on this disease of American tunnel vision.

Now I don’t have a problem with Americans. That would be a generalization, which I don’t like to do. You’re American if you happen to be born on this particular giant rock floating in this particular ocean. It’s as prejudicial as saying all black people [insert racial cliche] or all Asians [insert ethnic cliche]. I don’t like when Americans have this particular view shown in the article because it is harmful to those around them. As a libertarian/anarcho-capitalist, I don’t believe in inflicting harm on anyone else except in self defense.

This article points out some truths about MOST Americans. It’s not even our fault for having these views! Because of how we are raised, because of the propaganda displayed in the media, because of our education, we are dumbed down to believe whatever government officials want us to believe.

All I ask is that if you believe these views and you’re okay with that, you do what you do and leave me out of it. We can still be friends. Just expect a few weighty discussions here and there because we’re gonna disagree. A LOT.

I want to fix this skewed point of view. So I’m starting this morning with a big cup of government-needs-to-shut-the-hell-up. It’s delicious! 🙂

Play On Con 6 Promo

Play On Con is a gaming convention in Birmingham, AL. This year it will take place at the 4H Center just outside of Birmingham. POC combines every type of gaming you can imagine. Board games. Card games. RPG. LARP. Video games. Casino games. Miniatures. Tournaments. Other things I don’t even know how to categorize like table tossing and Clay-o-rama! Not to mention some fabulously fun parties and costumes! (No, you don’t have to dress in a costume. I’m theatrical so I adore dressing up.)

I’m happy to say the boyfriend and I went last year and had the time of our lives! It’s a small convention in its sixth year. I want to make sure we get the word out because the founders are wonderful people with wonderful ideas for making sure everyone gets everything they could ever want out of a gaming and sci-fi geekdom convention!

If you’re into games of any kind to any degree, even if you’re just a casual gamer like me who only plays when out with friends or there’s a power outage, check your calendars and free them up for the weekend of July 18-21, 2013. Schedule in that vacation time and join us! And/or tell your gamer friends to join us! You won’t regret it!

And in case you didn’t follow the link above, here’s a fan made promo right on the front page to get you PSYCHED!

Playing my first ever RPG! So geeky fun!

There’s a game you want to play? Need more people? Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Brenna Mii

The boyfriend and I at Casino Night

The beautiful Jungle Goddess (my mama) with El Presidente at one of the parties.

Brenna’s monster Zeus from Clay-o-rama.

This is one way monsters die in Clay-o-rama…

Hockey moment

I need to take a moment to acknowledge something hockey related as it is one of my other interests. The Chicago Blackhawks are still UNDEFEATED IN REGULATION!

I only care because my wonderful writing friend from the Chicago area is a huge Blackhawks fan and since they aren’t rivals of the Devils, not even in the same conference, I don’t mind cheering for them too. Go Blackhawks! (At least until we face you in the Stanley Cup finals. 😉 )

…except it’s looking bad for the Devils right now. Haha!

EDIT: 19-0-3!! Go Blackhawks!!

Prepare for LAUNCH!

About seven months ago I created a second blog that I kept under wraps. I didn’t add much, rather I was just fiddling around with it, learning how WordPress works, gathering up ideas for the blog, building the confidence to do any of this, etc.

I’m proud to say that we are nearing our official launch of my second blog: Thoughts On Theatre! It’s a theatre advocacy blog to promote the importance of theatre in developing well rounded individuals. It’s not necessarily to promote tthe advancement of heatre in public education (says Brenna’s inner libertarian) but rather to promote theatre for theatre’s sake. No politics. Just the love of the arts.

Anyone interested in where my dad’s $4000 a semester went and where my true passion lies, go over and check it out! We haven’t launched just yet, but I am starting to get some preliminary posts up as the countdown begins.

Bookmark the page, spread the word, and join us for when we really get the ball rolling! Hope to see you there!

Two nights in the big city

I indulged last night because we were having such a fantastic time! My parents took me to see a burlesque show Thursday and Friday night. They’re friendly with a lot of the performers as well as the producers of the show so I got to meet some high end people in the world of NYC burlesque. Also we had dinner at a churrascaria BOTH NIGHTS! I ate so much meat, it was heavenly bliss. Primal heaven. And it was only Friday night that I indulged in a little dessert. I was also slightly tipsy, but I feel like I’ve been very good lately since conquering some mental battles. I was proud of myself. I was wearing my size 8 dress. I was feeling good! Everything was just feeling really good! Beautiful food! Beautiful men and women! Beautiful atmosphere!

(Maybe I’m not the best person to take primal tips from… 😛 Nah, I think I do pretty well. Haha!)

Now it’s time to indulge in a low carb/low sugar/high fat/high deliciousness dessert option! That’s right! The time has come to start prepping for that primal dessert I earned!

I don’t know if I mentioned here (I know I did on my Facebook page, which always reminds me that I should make Facebook sound less like a blog and make my WordPress sound more like the blog it should be), but I challenged myself to make 5 primal recipes. 5 SPECIFICALLY primal recipes. I made beef and sausage meatballs, fried chicken with a macadamia nut crust, “Grok”-amole salad, fat guacamole devils (deviled eggs with avocado, and…one last thing I can’t remember. Once I completed the challenged, I would earn a primal treat. Now is the perfect time to make that primal treat. …Valentine’s Day? What’s that? Anyway, I know primal says moderate the hell out of dairy, but with this dessert, that just wouldn’t do it justice. It’s one of my all time favorite desserts, and I can’t see my life without it. It’s special to me and to my special man, but the boyfriend isn’t as pro-primal as I am (yet? 😉 ) so I’m trying to be respectful of that as well. At least this time around I’ll keep the dairy as fatty as possible, but gluten free, it shall be!

And hopefully it will make for a happy anniversary too! 🙂 Any guesses?

EDIT: IT WAS A BACON TACO! THE FIFTH RECIPE WAS A BACON TACO! Ugh! How could I forget??