Ten on Tuesday #15

Ten on Tuesday


All About You!!


A. Age: 31
B. Bed Size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: yes - I have one... Shelby :)
E. Essential start to your day: Morning news & GMA
F. Favorite Color: Yellow (and purple... and hot pink...)
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'5.75" 
I. Instruments you play: I used to play the flute...
J. Job Title: On Demand HR Generalist and Thirty-One Independent Consultant
K. Kids: just Shelby :)
L. Live:  Live??  I don't get it...
M. Mother's Name:  Judy... visit her blog! http://judygruppstudio.blogspot.com/
N. Nicknames: Ash, Gruppy, Smash
O. Overnight hospital stays: Maybe one when I was younger?
P. Pet Peeve: dumb drivers
Q. Quote from a movie: “A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.” (John Grogan from Marley & Me)
R. Right or Left Handed:  Right
S. Siblings: none
T. Time you wake up: 5:45am on weekdays... weekends I sleep as late as I can!
U. Underwear:  yes, I wear underwear :)
V. Vegetable you hate: Brussel Sprouts
W. What makes you run late: myself!
X. X-Rays you've had: both ankles & back
Y. Yummy food that you make: Cookies
Z. Zoo Animal: Giraffes

The Best Lemon Bars

The Best Lemon Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
•  
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 lemons, juiced (about 2/3 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar.  Press into the bottom on an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

3.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. 


4.  In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.

5.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. Add powdered sugar.

YUM!!!!

Ten on Tuesday #14

Ten on Tuesday 8.24.11

1. Do you listen to the radio in your car? If so, what type of station do you like?

Yes, most of the time.  I listen to Maryland stations 98 Rock I(mostly talk) and Mix 106.5 in the morning... I like more talk stuff to keep my mind occupied.  Other times I listen to 92.1, 96.9, 99.3, 106.7, 101.3, 103.3... I stop when I hear a song I like.

2. What is the best concert you have ever attended?

That's hard... probably any Kenny Chesney... although I went to my fair share of *NSYNC concerts that I loved too...

3. What is the most embarrassing concert you have ever attended?

I don't think I'm embarrassed by any concert I've been to??

4. If you could have the singing voice of anyone in the world, who would it be?

Carrie Underwood

5. You’re auditioning for American Idol. What song do you sing?

Do I have Carrie Underwood's voice??  If not, then nothing. (you're welcome America)

6. If your previous weekend had its own soundtrack, what would be a few of the songs?

OMG - "Come on Eileen" was in my head all weekend... except I kept substituting "Irene" for "Eileen" :)

7. Most annoying television show theme song ever?

Can't think of one?

8. Are you and your significant other music-compatible?

No significant other here... so sure! =P

9. A song that brings me back to middle school:

10. A song that brings me back to high school:

11. A guilty pleasure song:

I have a ton... I have a soft spot for boy bands, so anything by NKOTB or *NSYNC is my guilty pleasure... lately I've been listening to a lot of Colbie Caillat... is that a guilty pleasure song?

Baked Eggplant and Zucchini

During the hurricane, I decided to try a recipe I had seen online... it was simple and delish!!

Baked Eggplant and Zucchini from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato sauce

1 small eggplant, cut into long slabs

2 small zucchini, cut into long slabs

1 cup each shredded fontina and parmesan

1/3 cup torn basil

As you can see I made some minor adjustments... I added mushrooms and used a 6 Cheese Italian blend cheese.

Directions:

1. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with eggplant, zucchini, 3/4 cup sauce and half of each cheese and basil; repeat. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

First layer...

Second layer (I forgot to put the mushrooms on before the sauce & cheese)

After... yummm...

It was pretty tasty!!  Next time I would slice the eggplant and zucchini thinner.  I also added some Tastefully Simple Italian Seasoning mix which helped give it some flavor.  

Ten on Tuesday #13

I fell really far behind in my bloggin'... so back on track and catching up!

Ten on Tuesday from 8.16.11

1. What do you do for a living?

I work in Human Resources (HR) consulting.  I just started in HR a little over a year ago and really like it so far!

2. What’s your favorite thing about your job?

The people I work with :)

Some of my co-workers

3. What’s your least favorite thing about your job?

Getting up early!  Blech.

4. If you weren’t a ________, what would you be?

My dream job is to be an event planner... more specifically a wedding planner.  Yes, I want to be J. Lo.

5. What is something that you would love to get paid for that you think no one would ever pay you for?

Umm... fun stuff... watch movies, go out to dinner with friends, eat ice cream, drink wine :)

6. If you could have any job for exactly one day, what would it be?

I think it'd be fun to have Ellen DeGegeneres' job for a day... lots of fun, meet famous people & give some cool stuff away :)

7. If you had to do manual labor, what would you do?

Something that would give me a little exercise & maybe a tan... but nothing where I would get too dirty. LOL

8. What is something you were forced to learn in high school that was supposed to be super important, but you never actually use?

Probably science stuff... 

9. Who was your favorite boss? Why?

I was lucky enough to have many awesome bosses... Ted @ Bob's Pizza back in my college days, Erika @ Grandma's House for Pets back in my summer college days, and Lesli @ WorkforceTactix now :)

10. Where would you rather work: Dunder Mifflin Paper Company (The Office) or Initech (Office Space)?

Definitely the office... looks like a lot more fun!!

Ten on Tuesday - #12

I took a little blog-vacay last week... now time to catch up!


Here is ToT from 8/2/11...

1. Do you do laundry all at the same time or a load here and there?
Both!  Normally all at the same time, but sometimes here and there when I'm busier.


2. What kind of detergent do you use?
Gain... it's the best!  Smells so good!

3. Do you use fabric softener?
Yes! Snuggle... also smells sooo good!!

4. Do you use dryer sheets?
Yes! I think the ones I have now are Gain dryer sheets.


5. Do you iron your own clothes or take them to a cleaner to get pressed?
Iron them... normally in the morning right before I put them on!


6. Do you like heavy starch or light starch?I don't use starch or take my clothes to the cleaner.  But if I had to pick, I'd say light starch.


7. Do you wash all your laundry at once or separate it?
Separate it by clothes that go in the dryer and clothes that do not - lol!  I'm only one person so this seems to be the most 'energy efficient.' Every so often I will separate my whites and add a little bleach.


8. How do you separate it? By people or by colors?
See above :)

9. What clothes get hung up and what goes in drawers?Jeans, PJ pants, exercise stuff, t-shirts, & tank tops go in drawers... everything else gets hung up.


10. Do you use plastic, wire, or wooden hangers? Do they all match?
Plastic & heck no they don't match.  I have all kinds of colors, shapes & sizes.

Ten on Tuesday #11

Ten On Tuesday
Find questions at the Roots & Rings blog!!

1. What color are your toenails painted?
Fluorescent pink!  One of my summer favorites! J

2. What color are your fingernails painted?
Au naturel...  I haven’t been taking care of them lately.  I am trying to get them all one length, but I’m not putting on the clear coat to keep the long ones long and help grow the short ones.  So, I think I’ll file them all short and start again!

3. What is your favorite brand of nail polish?
Definitely OPI!

4. As the norm, do you DIY your nails or get mani/pedis?
I used to get bi-weekly manicures, but then some tragic stuff happened with my income, so now I do them myself.  And I get one pedicure a year, at the start of the summer season!

5. Have you ever had a gel mani? Do you recommend it?
Nope

6. What is the last movie you watched on television? (TV, Netflix, Redbox, etc.)
Holy cow, I can’t remember!?

7. What is the last movie you watched in the cinema?
I think it was Bad Teacher?

8. Is there a movie that everyone talks about as if it is a classic but you haven’t seen?
There are a lot of old classic movies that I have not seen. 

9. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
I have a couple – My Best Friend’s Wedding, Lizzie McGuire Movie (don’t laugh), Lilo & Stitch, Music & Lyrics…

10. Have you ever seen a movie and thought it was better than the book it was based on?
Never!!  The book is always better!!!