I Finally Tried It.....

So I am sitting here and just as I am about to write about my chocolate covered bacon experience, Ace of Cakes comes on and everyone on the show is trying bacon flavored jelly beans.... and the verdict from even the bacon lovers is..... disgusting.  Well, my chocolate covered bacon experience wasn't that bad.  My cousins, mom, aunt, sister and lots of kids were walking down Asbury Street in Ocean City NJ last Tuesday.  It was a little overcast, so we didn't go to the beach, but instead went shopping... not one of my favorite pastimes.  I had separated from the group for a little bit because I was on a mission to find a journal.  When I met up with everyone again, my cousin Laura was in the fudge shop and everyone was saying, "Laura's getting something special for you.. just wait!"  She comes out with chocolate covered bacon!!  We saved in until we got back to the beach house during lunch.  We all gathered around the table, and Laura and I took the first bit from our chocolate covered bacon sticks.  My initial reaction was disappointment. I attribute it to the fact that the bacon tasted smoked.  I'm not a huge fan of smoked bacon to begin with, so right from the bat, my experience was tainted.  It almost tasted like beef jerkey.  It was definitely sweet and salty all at the same time.  I took two more bites and then passed it off..... that was all I could handle.  The decision was split..... half of the family liked it, half didn't.  I'd try it again with non-smoked bacon.  I encourage you to try it on your own... very easy to make at home. 

As Long As Your Happy... That's All That Matters....... Really?????

I had stopped by my parents' house the other day to pick something up and as I walking in, their neighbor two doors down was walking into her house at the same time. I hadn't seen her in awhile so we stopped and chit catted for a few minutes.  So asked me if I was still living in my apartment and if I had a roommate.  I told her, yes, I was still living in my life but had no roommate and and was enjoying living by myself.  She proceeded to say, "Well, as long as you are happy, that's all that matters right?"  I didn't answer back because I was actually overwhelmed by that statement.  Is my happiness all that should matter in life?  To that I say... no. Let's face reality... life is not always happy.  I do believe that we should try to find joy in every situation in life.  Even the Bible says, "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kind." But, my own happiness should not be the driving factor in my life; because when I put me first in everything, I have the potential of neglecting the needs of the people that I hold very near and dear to my heart.  I need to make sure I am making wise decisions and asking myself if the things I do are honoring to the Lord.  I will find complete happiness and joy IN HIM and nowhere else.

Smokin' Betty's

I was in Philadelphia today to volunteer at the Nartional Juvenile Arthritis Conference at the Downtown Marriot hotel.   This conference brings families from all over the country to network, discuss and learn about juvenile arthritis.    It was an awesome experience to be amongst kids from Texas, California, Missouri, Hawaii that have arthritis.  I bonded with a little ten year old boy name Daniel because we found out that we had the same birthday!
During our lunch break I met up with my friends Kate and Gia.  They live in the city so I knew they would be able to suggest good restaurants to eat at.  They agreed that we should go to Smokin' Betty's at 116 South 11th  Street    N.W. Corner of 11th and Sansome Streets  Philadelphia.  I immediately fell in love with this joint.  Very cute, not many frills.  I felt like I was stepping back in time.  Upon entering the front door my ear caught the crooning of Sinatra.  He was followed by many smooth jazz singers.  Definitely my kind of atmosphere.   We had the choice of sitting at a high top or regular table. We chose the latter. Our waitress was laid back yet bubbly and very attentive.  She even ran down to the bank when we asked for change.....wow.   I was looking over their regular menu....the fish tacos caught my eye.....fish of the day topped with shredded cabbage, pickled onions, avacado, sliced radishes, fresh lime and cilantro on flour tortillas.  Served with black bean, mango salsa.  However, it was brunch, and we were only allowed to order off the brucnh menu which was fine, because everything sounded amazing.  I ended up getting the chopped cobb salad... chicken, avocado, cucumber, egg, blue cheese, hickory smoked bacon, tomato and chopped romaine.  It was excellent!   Kate and Gia opted for the California turkey Sandwhich....avocado, sprouts, Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard.  The sandwhich was enormous!  Smokin' Betty's is reasonably priced and very quaint.  I loved it.....I can't wait to go back to try the fish tacos!
http://smokinbettys.com/

You Are For Me

I attend a ladies Bible study on Monday nights throughout the school year, and two years ago we studied the Life of Moses.  Fascinating study.....  Moses was a murderer, complainer, excuse maker, yet God chose to use him to lead the Israelites for many years.  I loved studying the life of Moses because it forced me to read through books like Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers... usually books of the Bible that Christians shy away from because they tend to be boring.  However, they were included in the Bible for a reason, as all of its words are God breathed.  I think the thing I took away from reading Leviticus and Numbers, which if you have never read through them they are filled with a lot of details about sacrifices and ceremonies, is that I am so completely thankful and grateful that the blood of Jesus has covered my sin once and for all and that I don't have to worry about performing sacrifices and living under the Law.  I now live under grace and I thank the Lord for that....it's so comforting. 
One of my favorite scenes in the book of Exodus is when the Israelites have left Egypt and they come to the Red Sea. (Exodus 13 and 14).  They are freaking out because they see this huge body of water in front of them and they don't know how they are possibly going to cross it before the Egyptians catch up to them and overtake them.  So Moses, who at one point complained to God saying he wasn't a good public speaker gives this quick power-house speech that I think can apply to us today when we are feeling overwhelmed and consumed by our enemies or situations in our lives.  He says, " Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still."

I love this!  How comforting to know that God is fighting for us and we just need to trust him.  More on this thought later....

I wanted to share lyrics to one of my new favorite songs by one of my new favorite Christian artisrts, Kari Jobe.  Enjoy.. to see the music video go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSMfL5LuSo


You Are for Me
Kari Jobe

So faithful



So constant


So loving and so true


So powerful in all you do


You fill me


You see me


You know my every move


You love for me to sing to you






I know that you are for me


I know that you are for me


I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness


I know that you have come down


Even if to write upon my heart


To remind me who you are






So patient


So gracious


So merciful and true




So wonderful in all you do


You fill me


You see me


You know my every move


You love for me to sing to you






I know that you are for me


I know that you are for me


I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness


I know that you have come down


Even if to write upon my heart


To remind me that






I know that you are for me


I know that you are for me


I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness


I know that you have come down


Even if to write upon my heart


To remind me who you are

What Can Brown Do For You?

Here is my thought for today.  You may think I am weird, but these are the things I think about.  Have you ever noticed that UPS hires very attractive men?  I remember when I use to work at an Insurance Office and all the ladies would wait with bated breath for the UPS guy to walk through the door.  As soon as he would, everyone would get giggly and have a hard time focusing and stumble over words.  I'm sure this is a phenomenon all over the nation.  So, I wonder how many UPS/receptionist romances blossom in the United States each year and how many actually lead to marriage?  I tried google-ing statistics on this matter, but couldn't find anything.  Probably because no one else on the face of this planet thinks about this.  It would just be an interesting statistic to know.  Can you imagine being the girl that could say, "One day my prince charming just walked through the door.....literally."

Chocolate Covered WHAT????

One of my favorite places in the entire world is Ocean City, NJ.  It's like coming home.  It's the beach my family has gone to my whole life and the one I hope to take my kids to one day.  My dad was away on a motorcycle trip this past week, and so my mom just wanted to take a day trip to the beach on Sunday.  We left around 6:30 a.m. only to get to the fogged in OC.  It was perfect though.  The fog lifted two hours later and  the rest of the day was just perfect.  I fell alseep on my stomach for a long while and as a result, got badly burnt on my legs. But all in all, it was an excellent day.  I got some reading done, took a nap and just enjoyed the day with my mom.
We went up on the boardwalk to get some Mack N Mancos pizza for lunch.  As we were sitting on a bench facing the stores of the bordwalk, my eye caught a sign that completely knocked my socks off.  CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON.   What??  Are you kidding me?   Sure,  we have chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, but bacon?  Really?  I am a lover of bacon to the point of ridiculousness.  I love bacon. Period.  But I would have never thought to have covered it in chocolate. 

In the words of my friend Hannah:  "I actually really like chocolate covered bacon. Same principal as chocolate covered pretzels. Sweet and salty. Ummmmm."

I really do want to give it a try.  The next time I head to OC, my first stop will be the chocolate covered bacon store.  I'll let you know how it is. 

Summertime Cookouts

I have the privilege of living in an apartment building with many young professionals that come from all different walks of life:  engineers, artists, actresses, furniture makers, accountants, doctors, chefs, musicians.  We are an eclectic group. Last winter, my friends Joe, Becky and I started a party planning committee here at our building where we wanted to plan events for the whole building.  Our first event was a progressive dinner around Christmas time.  We moved from loft to loft for different courses of a meal.  The idea was pretty well received and we had a blast.  It was fun getting to know my neighbors; people who you live in such close proximity to and see almost every day.
Over the weekend we had a cookout because many of my neighbors are moving out for a few different reasons.  They are really cool people, and I am sad to see them go.  Saturday was filled with chicken pot stickers, noodles and cabbage, butternut squash, sausage filled peppers, hummus, veggies, fruit, corm on the cob, berry pie, carrot muffins, and a whole bunch more deliciousness.  There was impromptu singing as 90's music filled the air.  New friends were made; ideas and philosophies exchanged.  The rain held off and it was just a great time.
At the end of the evening we gathered in my friend Mark's empty apartment while he made a ceremonial goodbye speech. "....I now pass on the responsibility of keeping a good community around this place."  With that he unplugged the Christmas lights that had been on since our Christmas party and handed them over to Roger, the new "Mayor" of Auburn Station.  It was actually a really sad moment.  We have had some awesome times, this community of neighbors.  But now those of us that remain look forward to meeting new people and continuing on the tradition of party on the patio at Auburn Station. 
What are some of your neighborhood stories???

Chicken Piccata

As most of you know, I am not a huge chef.  You will not see me on America's Top Chef.  You might, however, see me with my good friend Kristi on "Worst Chef in America"... oh the stories we could tell.  :-)

When I was down in North Carolina a month ago visiting my friends Jill and Ben Ressler, I was introduced to an easy, tasteful recipe called Chicken Piccata.  A whole new world has been opened to me.  It is delicious.  I like using the white wine instead of the chicken stock.  It gives it just that extra flair of flavor.  I made this for my mom for lunch yesterday because she was celebrating her 32nd Wedding Anniversary without my dad because he is on a motorcylce trip with the guys.  She was impressed... so trust me when I say if it was good and I made it, YOU will have much success!!  Bon appetite.....


Chicken Piccata



1 teaspoon garlic powder, pepper, and dry basil


2 tablespoons butter or margarine


2 tablespoons olive oil


1 cup white wine (also can use beef or chicken broth)


3 tablespoons lemon juice


1 lemon, thinly sliced


2 tablespoons capers, drained


Cut chicken breasts with the grain into ¼ inch slices. Pound any end chunks to about ¼ inch thick. In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, pepper and basil. Rub into chicken slices. Coat chicken evenly in flour, shaking off excess. Heat butter and oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat and add chicken slices. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. Once chicken is all cooked, add wine and lemon juice to pan. Arrange lemon slices over chicken. Reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with capers.

Rediscovering Allentown

So I have lived in Allentown my entire life and consider myself a city girl.  I loved growing up in my parents' house off of Lehigh street, and now find myself living in one of the coolest apartments in Allentown (in my own humble opinion).  I will blog about my place at a later time.  Recently my boyfriend was visiting from South Carolina where I guess life just isn't as exciting as it is here in A-town. He kept saying, "This place is so happening".  I looked at him with a smug look on my face and said, "Really?"  I guess I have taken some of the wonderful places in Allentown for granted; the Rose Garden being one of them.  John and I went for a walk there the other day and let me tell you.... I hadn't been there in a few years and the city of Allentown has completely redone the place.  It is absolutely breathtaking.  The day we were there, there was a bridal party getting pictures done, which is a regular occurance at the Rose Garden.  My mom told me she used to have her mom drop her off at the Rose Garden on a Saturday and she would sit there for a long time and admire all the beautiful brides that would come through.  My mom and dad themselves had their wedding pictures done at the Rose Garden.  It really is just a peaceful place... I recommend going on a Sunday just around noontime..... complete peace.    There is always ample parking and the scenary is just breathtaking... roses, statues, stone structures, ponds, bridges... gorgeous.  I fell in love with this place so much that I recommended my mom, sister and I take pictures here for my dad for Father's day.  That is all he wanted... pictures of his girls.  We were planning on going down to Lehigh Parkway, but after visiting the Rose Garden, I knew we had to go there.  I encourage you to take a visit to the Rose Garden real soon and let me know what you think.  Are there any place in Allentown or where you live that you have rediscovered? Tell me...