Top 'o the Mornin to Ya!

Tomorrow morning when you wake up you will suddenly have an urge to start the day with a beer, more specifically some green beer! It's something in the air on Saint Patricks day that prompts us to want to drink all day! How did this religious day turn into such a booze fest? What if our Irish ancestors could see us now! Saint Patricks day has never really meant much to me, party because I never used to drink until I came to college and partly because no one in my family has ever looked into our family history so I don't even know what nationality I am. But it wasn't until I came to college that I began celebrating the infamous 'get black out drunk' day. At first experience, we had a blast! Getting up at 4am to go to a party until 9am, pass out drunk, wake up at noon to go to the parade, pass out again drunk wake up at 10pm to go out for the night, made for a very long day but made some memories that we will never get again, especially because I will never be able to do that again! Now, just three years later I have absolutely no desire to spend my Saturday in a crowded bar getting beer poured all over me by a bunch of drunk old guys! No thanks! I am not envious at all of my friends who are going down to the city for the parade, am I really getting old??

Anyways, I offered to work on Saturday night in attempt to avoid the typical Saint Patrick's Day crowd. If you are in the same boat, then here's some things you could do to stay in and have a great Saint Patrick's Day party!

Irish Manhatan 

(stolen from Bon Appetit) 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Jameson Irish Whisky
• 3/4 ounce Noilly Prat sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 can Guinness
• 
  

Preparation

• Add the whisky, vermouth, and bitters to an empty mixing glass, then add enough ice to fill the glass 2/3 of the way full. Stir for 20 seconds and then strain into a Martini glass.
• Pour Guinness into a cold glass large enough to hold the whole can plus a little extra (16-24 oz.). After pouring, wait about 90 seconds for the Guinness to settle. Carefully spoon all of the light brown foam from the top of the Guinness and place it gently on top of the drink, in the Martini glass.
• Optional: To make the shamrock, fill an atomizer or small spray bottle with Angostura bitters. Using either a stencil or a thick paper cut-out of a shamrock you made yourself, lightly place the sheet on top of the foam. Spray with the atomizer. Remove stencil sheet and serve.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/03/irishmanhattan#ixzz1pJM6c85T

Apple Martini

1 part Absolute Vodka 
1 part Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps 
1 part apple juice 


To spice things up, rim the glass with cinnamon! 

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

(Stolen from Pinterest) 

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 17 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

To add some decorations, put a candy rainbow on top of these cupcakes. 

How would you like to make a difference?

'Who is this Kony guy everyone is talking about' 

Are most of you wondering, 'Who or what is this Kony thing everyone is talking about and clogging up my newsfeed with?' Well, for those of you who don't already know, take a quick 30min out of your most likely boring day to watch this video that will definitely change your outlook on today!

This post is in joint effort to help make Joseph Kony famous and raise awareness of what it is he is doing to children in Uganda. It boggles my mind to even believe that this cruel obscenity has been going on for over 20 years without anything being done. Americans have been so caught up with the recession and the unemployment rate yet there is a country out there that is enslaving 3 year old children and turning them into sex slaves. We have very little to complain about and I will take a recession any day over living in a world where little children have been brain washed to kill their own parents! I almost feel guilty that I haven't done anything about it or been more active in the community regarding promoting making Kony visible.

This video brought me to a scary realization that horrible activities such as these occur on a daily basis and we here in America take for granted and lose appreciation for our most basic principle: freedom! The little boy Gavin in the video made me think about down the road when I want to make a family and how I would like the world to be a better place for them to live in. As if dealing with bullies, sexual predators and drug addiction isn't hard enough! As I go on my day to day activities, getting ready for work, working the usual 9-5, maybe do some working out or shopping after and then relaxing in bed to a nice movie and a glass of wine, I find some contentment in my life. Although last night my daily routine was not satisfying enough. After watching this video, when I was laying in bed last night with my usual glass of wine,  I realized how much more I could be doing with my life! These 4 people came together with a passion to raise awareness of this monster and cease his existence! My biggest concern over the last couple of days might have been will Syracuse win tonight or how am I going to get the dogs from stopping peeing on the couch? But this all seems so superficial now.

In efforts to try and find some satisfaction out of life and do something with my time other than spending it on my meaningless routine, I am going to do whatever I can within my reach to help support this cause. Being the Director of PR, I am going to use this position to help spread the word and help make Kony visible via social media outlets and networking. So I ask my followers/fans to take just a couple of minutes out of your average day and help me help free the children!

How you can help: 

1. Like Invisible Children Facebook Page 

2. Follow Stop Kony on Twitter

3. Post a tweet to your followers to watch the video

4. Send the video to 5 of your friends

5. Post this on your Facebook page

Just 2 seconds out of your day could really help shine some lime light on a monster that needs to be stopped.  Imagine how fast you could promote this and take a hand in something that is much bigger than you! Just overnight, the video has had over 36million views, it is possible and it's spreading like crazy! We could use our own efforts and social media to make a difference! So today instead of posting a status update about how much you love your boyfriend or how nice it is outside today or how much you wish you weren't working, use the social media platform for something more important and make a useful tool out of it! Spread the word!

If you would like to do more, there are options on the website to order your own Action Kit, Donate or order some bracelets for you and your friends to wear if you are feeling like you would like to do more. And for those of you who have more time or motivation to help, there are options to start your own fundraiser and spread the word in your town. All of this information can be found on their website.

Help make a difference today and create a world where one day we will be proud to raise our children in! 

STOP KONY 2012

The Love of a Dog

There's nothing like walking in your front door and being bombarded by a big furry, slobbery dog! No matter how long you are away, they always greet you with the same love and affection. My parents have an English Springer Spaniel whom they have raised with strict discipline and training. He is the most well behaved pet I have ever come across! When my father goes to sit down at the table to eat, Cooper knows to automatically go into his crate and he doesn't come out until every else is done eating. I love this rule because to me nothing is more annoying than when you are eating at a friends house and their dog is sitting right by your side dripping drool on your lap, just waiting for you to drop a piece of scrap. Cooper wouldn't get caught dead doing this! My parents often tend to walk him without a leash and he stays right by their side. I don't know how they did it, maybe they have too much time on their hands but even The Dog Whisperer should take lessons from my parents!

Just recently, Cooper has been testing my fathers dominance and pushing the boundaries little by little. With an empty nest, Cooper is now the center of my parents attention. So it's funny when I come home to visit how jealous he gets! My dad was trying to help me with something on the computer in the living room and before you know it, Cooper had brought him all of his toys and set them by his feet. We wouldn't have noticed except he began crying when we didn't immediately throw his ball. My dad began to tell me how he thinks Cooper has been sneaking upstairs. If you knew my mother, you would understand why she doesn't allow dogs upstairs. Her OCD wouldn't have any part of the dog hair that would collect in our places of slumber! Anyways, my dad continued to tell me when he came home the other day that Cooper was not right at the door waiting for him. As he proceeded to walk into the house, Cooper was no where to be found. But then when my dad turned his back, Cooper was standing right there? Now, Cooper is no magician, and when my dad walked up the stairs he noticed a spot at the top of the stairway that was warmer than the rest! Although he had no real proof, my father was suspicious that Cooper had been sneaking upstairs to sleep while my parents weren't home. Now, to most pet owners this would not be a big deal but Cooper has been so well trained that this was completely out of his character.

So over the last couple of weeks, my dad has been trying to catch Cooper in the act but Cooper is sneakier than we thought! It wasn't until one night last week, when Cooper got really brave, that my parents finally caught him. My mom woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and landed on her face after she tripped over something! Her immediate thought was to be mad at my father thinking that he left the laundry basket in the middle of the floor after she asked him several times not to do that! But when she turned she was suddenly surprised and startled when something began moving under the blanket at the foot of her bed! It was too big to be a mouse and when the head popped out from underneath she was even more stunned to see Cooper's glowing eyes peering out. How does an old dog learn new tricks? Poor Cooper, ended up back in his crate! Better luck next time buddy!

Mardi Gras!

Although winter has seemed to skip us, with this gloomy cloudy weather how is one supposed to be celebrating Mardi Gras? Without spending thousands of dollars on a plan ticket to New Orleans to have beads thrown at you or being plowed over by a drunk partier in the streets, how can one celebrate this holiday in depressing, boring Albany? Why not mix things up again and bring a splash of summer into our lives with a nice refreshing summer time beverage.

I seem to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, with a sore throat and a bad attitude! I definitely need a pick me up after this 12hour work day! Looking for some motivation, a headline came up on my computer screen with the word 'mint' in it and it immediately reminded me of my favorite drink that my mom makes me while poolside in the middle of July spreading tanning oil all over myself! Mojito!!! This nice refreshing drink won't sit too heavy in your stomach and is sure to give you a summertime feeling. If you are unfamiliar with my very best friend the Mojito, here is my secret recipe that only my blog followers will now have.

Sable's Sunrise

1. Muddle fresh mint, a lime and a little sugar in the bottom of a tall glass.
2. Add a couple of squirts of lime juice to the mix and continue to muddle until you feel as though all of the flavors from the mint and lime have been exacerbated.
3. Add some ice to your glass, with 1 part light rum and 2 parts club soda.
4. Add a little bit more sugar and shake well.
5. Pour into the same glass as to make sure all of the flavors are in tact.
6. If you are feeling risky, after adding the club soda add a splash of real pomegranate juice or green tea if you are looking for a Mojitio with a little bit more flavor!

Now you have yourself a perfect Mojitio to celebrate Mardi Gras! You don't have to worry about drunken people knocking into you or beads being thrown at you. Instead you have yourself a tasty drink and you can enjoy it in your own home at your own leisure! Enjoy your Mardi Gras and remember to drink responsibly!

'Sorry officer...'

Valentine's Day has never been an ideal holiday for me. After growing up working in a restaurant, I have always worked and waited on served lovely couples their romantic dinner together! This year was no different, although I now work in Albany, I was called to work at the restaurant in Syracuse because they just opened an addition and were short staffed. So I decided I could strap my cape on that day and play Superwoman. I woke up extra early to make my Valentine breakfast only to rush into work late and leave early.  Speeding down the throughway I made it just in time for my shift at the restaurant. After a two hour drive, I decided to quickly gulp down some espresso shots before my station would fill up with happy couples. The busy night didn't end much before midnight, putting me in bed by 2am. With only 3hours of sleep under my belt, I was very angry when 5am came and I had to get back in my car and make the trip back to Albany just to make it to work on time. Exhausted from the very eventful evening, it took me a while to get out of bed. My mother was reminded at how hard it was to wake me up in high school!

After 3 large cups of coffee, I made the long haul back to the 518. Running late as usual, I was trying to make it in a record time! Flying with my Superwoman cape on, I almost hadn't noticed the police officer tailing behind me with his sirens blaring and his lights flashing. I was immediately mad at myself for not paying more attention to my speedometer, I didn't even realize how fast I was going. When he came and tapped on my window, I didn't even know what to say but to give him my sob story. I was hoping he would feel bad for a little Liverpool princess like myself having to work on such a romantic holiday! He must have a heart because he did not give me a speeding ticket (how fast I was going I will not say) however, when he ran my license and registration he realized my car was not inspected. With all of the hustle and bustle of my life, I had completely forgot to get my car inspected, which my father so politely reminded me of about a month ago! For some reason I was able to get away with speeding but an un-ispected car is not dismissible.

Upon returning to Albany, I had already started my day on the wrong foot and was only irritated the rest of the day. I ignored some fatigue signs and completely dismissed the headache and sore throat.  After re-doing our Valentine's Day, soon enough it was almost 2am again and I felt that all I had done was run around the past 24hours. I should have picked up on some warning signs that I needed to slow down but it wasn't until 7am the following morning when my head was in a toilet bowl thanks to the flu, that I didn't realize how bad I needed to take a break! Now working three jobs, having an active social life, visiting friends and family on the weekend and trying to find time for myself in between gets exhausting! It's hard to take a step back and realize how much of life we miss! I came to this epifany that I need to start worrying about myself more. I need to take a step back and remind myself what it is I need instead of what my roommates want or that my boss needs help staffing for Valentine's day. I know too often that I have put others before myself and now I need to take care of myself. I think that too many of us do this as well. We get caught up in the day to day activities that we almost lose ourselves.

So this morning when I was abruptly woken up by my violent cough, I decided that the only way to kick this flu was to care for myself more. I promised myself that even with everything going on in the day that I am going to make more time for myself. I used to read almost every night before bed and I would like to get back to that because that was at least an hour to myself that I could escape from the world and just dive into a great read! The time we spend with ourselves and our own thoughts is one of the most important parts of the day and I think we all need to do more of that. I also notice that even when I get an hour to myself I am in a much better mood! So give it a try, spend at least an hour out of every day to yourself, rather it be running, working out, reading, painting, scrap booking, cooking or even just sitting quietly. Collecting your thoughts and compartmentalizing your day in your head will make the day a lot less stressful and you will feel a lot better! If your schedule is as busy as mine, wake up an hour earlier while the world is still asleep and take advantage of the quietness! These are the times we take for granted!

Cook for Love!

Although I have been called the scrooge of Valentine's Day, with only one day left I sort of feel guilty for boycotting it this year! I will stand behind my beliefs that it is a stupid holiday but not everybody feels that way and I feel bad for pressing my opinions onto others! So with only 24 hours left until the day, I am going to change my attitude around. After work I am going to swing by Target and purchase some Valentine's day cards to send to my friends and give to my roommates tomorrow. Since I am trying to budget myself, I will still not be purchasing any gifts but might be thinking about cooking something cute for the roomies in the spirit of love! Since I love to cook, I thought this was a good compromise! So here are some last minute ideas for those of you who are in the same boat and are searching for a simple Valentine's day activity! 

Homemade Marshmellow Hearts! 

Who doesn't love those cute little heart shaped candies! Here is a recipe to make your own and that way you can write your own sayings on them! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Yum!!!! Although these are tough to make, the pay off is well worth it! And red, how perfect for the Valentine's Day theme! 

Heart Shaped Toast

This simple breakfast could start your Valentine's Day off right! All you need is a heart shaped cookie cutter and you can use what you have already in your fridge for breakfast ingredients! 

Heart Shaped Hot Cocoa 

Simply freeze some Cool Whip on a tray, let it set, then cut out your desired heart shaped toppings for either hot cocoa or coffee! This along with a heart shaped toast and eggs will be sure to make your Valentine fall in love with you again! 

Heart Shaped Fruit

Cut out some homemade pancakes into hearts topped with heart shaped fruit makes for a nice romantic breakfast! Maybe even add some heart shaped strawberries to a mimosa to really start the morning off right!  

Lunch Packed with Love

If your Valentine is not a breakfast person or if you just simply don't want to wake up before the sun rises to make breakfast, pack his lunch for him and cut his bread into heart shaped slices and he will be sure to think of you while he is taking his lunch break at work. 

Simple Heart Cookies

Another perfect food to pack for your loved ones lunch! Although he might get made fun of in the office, all the other guys will be jealous they didn't receive delicious homemade cookies in their lunch! Simply make his favorite cookie recipe but cut them into hearts! 

If you are like me and would rather work on Valentine's day and don't have enough time to make something extravagant or refuse to spend your week's budget on a dozen roses, these simple cooking ideas will be sure to keep you out of the dog's house for not celebrating Valentine's day and are also easy enough to not consume your whole day! 

10 Valentine's Day Gifts!

By now we all know I am anti-Valentines! But for those of you who absolutely MUST celebrate this pointless holiday, I have devised a list of some cheap and clever Valentine's day gifts for couples! With less than a week until the big day, these gifts are perfect and involve minimal preparation. But if you are like most couples and decided to celebrate it this weekend, you better hurry up and get shopping! But while all of you are out there running around spending money on candy grams and chocolates I will be enjoying the company of my best girlfriends enjoying my weekend :)

1. Romantic Movie Basket

 Put together a little basket of his favorite movies, a bottle of wine, popcorn, maybe a snugly blanket, some sticks and marshmallows for the fire and a take-out menu of his favorite Chinese food place for later. This gift should not cost you more than $70 if you play it right and he will absolutely love it! This will also give you two a chance to spend some time together and bond rather than just going to see 'The Vow' in a packed movie theater when you two can't be close or talk!

2. Lotto Scratch Off

I saw this idea on Pinterest (of course!) which is where most of my great ideas come from but I thought this was such a cute homemade gift for both guys and girls! I could not find the exact example I had found before but the jist of the gift is to create your own scratch off where your loved one can scratch off one square a day until valentines day. It will take a little creativity and some time but it should not cost you more than $10. This is a great idea if you two are already planning on going out to dinner because it will be a good lead up to a nice romantic candle lit evening!

3. Dirty Darts

I found this unique idea on a website and I thought it was a great idea because it incorporates sports and romance. This game will be sure to spice up the night and it will also entice his sports side. He will be thrilled to see you got him something sporty yet adventurous. And it is fun for both parties! 

4. Personalized Pub Glasses

On this same website where I found the dirty dart game, I also found these personalized beer glasses which most men would love! Beer and their name, of course they would love this! They also have beer mugs and personalized beer coasters. Another variation of this would be to add chalk paint to beer glasses which allows guests to write their own personalized messages to their glass.

5. Kick Boxing Class

Why not beat up on each other a little bit for a nice romantic Valentine's? Most classes will only cost $50 a class or sometimes LA boxing even offers free classes. Working out releases endorphins and will ultimately put you both in a better mood after. This is a perfect gift for the athletic boyfriend and the healthy girlfriend. Another alternative is dance lessons, especially if you guys are considering marriage or engagement. Perfect preparation for the big day!

6. Coupon Book

As I was searching for more Valentine's Day gifts, I noticed a lot of suggestions to purchase romantic coupon books. So why not make your own personalized coupon books. For example: This coupon is redeemable for one morning I will take the dogs out and serve you your OJ and ham egg and cheese in bed. By making the coupons more personable, this will make him more excited to use the coupons that he would actually do! This involves some time but very cheap! Guys, you could also do this for girls! We would love it :) 

7. Cook Book

Nice way to hint that you would like him to cook more for you ;) Create a cook book of your favorite recipes, maybe throw some of his own in there and on Valentine's day give him a cooking class with one of the recipes in the book! Along with a bottle of wine, this would make for a nice romantic night where you guys are helping each other out and working along side with one another! This will also be a good useful gift for the future because next time he messes up he can refer to the book and be awaiting for you when you get home with your favorite meal already on the table! Hint hint, this will be sure to get you out of the dog house fast!

8. Royal Flush

Chances are he is probably better at Poker than you so let him give you a lesson. At the end of the lesson, play each other and be creative! Bet with something other than chips and be sure to wager something for the winner! This will be sure to boost his ego and also give you guys a common new hobby. So next time a bunch of your friends get together to play poker, your girlfriend could be the one taking home the winnings for you!

9. Gift Basket

Similar theme to the movie basket but this time create a basket with all of his favorite things! Be sure to limit yourself to a budget and stick to it. Include his favorite beer, food, snack, underwear, candy, game and hobby. This will be easy on your wallet and if you know him well enough he will be sure to use everything in your basket! You could even make it cute and more geared towards a Valentine's Day theme. Maybe some heart boxers or movie tickets to 'The Vow.' You can even label your own beer with Valentine's Day popular sayings! How cute :)

10. Volunteer Together

If you and your Valentine are looking to give back to the community, volunteering together is a great option! Find something local around Valentine's Day and volunteer together. Might not be the most romantic Valentine's Day gift ever but it will make you both feel good about giving back to a local cause. Afterwards, you can celebrate by going out to dinner and be proud that both of you are with someone so generous!