Late night...

(I just stopped by my aunts house and she gave me her

'SUNSWEET Ones California Prunes'. They're so delicious! Thanks Aunt Linda!)

Moving on...

Good evening all!

So sorry about the late night post. I was a busy busy bee today!

My day started early - 8 a.m. to be exact.

Shortly after greeting the day - my fellas mom made us this delicious breakfast

Over easy eggs, rice, and some sort of meat with potatoes in it...soooo delicious!

And of course - I had to put Franks hot sauce on top!

Am I the only girl that carries hot sauce in her purse? Lol.

We ate lunch at Potbelly Sandwich Shop at The Greene. Soooo good!!!

And (if you haven't already noticed) I took the new photo today - located at the top of my blog!

Do you like?

I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet- I'm looking a bit pale. (But when am I not? Lol)

It's a lot better than the hot dog photo for sure (No random man in the background lol)

I'm a 'fly by the seat of my pants' type of gal these days. So I think I'm going to take a new photo every month.

I know most (if not all) blogs keep their title exactly the same- but i'm not most blogs.

Sooooo yea - hope you enjoy all of the new title pictures to come!

I'm doing something very out of character tomorrow....

well maybe it isn't totally out of character seeing as I'm doing it lol.

But I shall be blogging about that late tomorrow night.

(Once again - sorry about the late night posts!)

I hope you stay tuned so you see what I've got under my sleeve :)

Let us begin...

[[Today’s music]]

FRIENDLY FIRES – PARIS

[[Today’s restaurant]]

ORANGE

Some of my friends and I took a trip to Chicago a while back to meet up with our fellas who were passing through town. While in Chicago we stayed at a ‘Chicago natives’ house for a few days and had a good ol time.

Johnny (the aforementioned Chicago native and friend) took us “Chicago first timers” to a brunch style restaurant called ‘Orange’. I faintly remember ‘Orange’ but the best things that stick out in my mind are the ones worth remembering.

1. They had some kick ass French toast.

2. The décor of the restaurant was really chill, yet vibrant, just my style.

3. Lastly – they had the most amazing frushi (fruit sushi) I have ever tasted (and will probably ever taste) in my entire life.

I am addicted to breakfast –and any variation of it. So I give this restaurant 2 big thumbs up! If only I lived in Chicago…. I would go to ‘Orange’ every single day!

If you ever take a trip to Chicago - eating at ‘Orange’ is an absolute must!’

[[Today’s kitchen gadget]]

MATCH AND MUNCH

"Moms...are you often puzzled on how to get your finicky little eaters to consume their sandwiches...especially if they are members of crust-haters anonymous? Here’s a super creative way to kill two birds with one cutter...eliminate pesky crusts while making sandwiches into an intriguing interlocking puzzle pieces your kids will want to eat. The cutter is higher than a regular cookie cutter so it easily cut through two pieces of bread without flattening the sandwich. You can create single sandwiches pieces measure about 3.3 inches X 2 inches -- or build an amazing interlocking puzzle pieces measuring about 2 inches square. Dishwasher safe. Made of ABS, USFDA approved food-grade virgin plastic. BPA, Lead and Phalate Free. Both product and packaging are 100% recyclable."

[[Today’s news]]

(1) CLIMATE CHANGE PRESENTS A BURR FOR COFFEE GROWERS

“The effects of climate change may be coming to your coffee cup. The plants that produce coffee beans are notoriously sensitive, and small changes in temperature and precipitation can have big impacts on coffee quality and quantity. It may cause connoisseurs to cringe, but a warmer climate will encourage more coffee farmers to plant the heartier robusta varieties, which are caffeine-rich but bitter, instead of the mild, tasty Arabica coffees that Americans prefer.”

“Growers recently gathered at the World Coffee Conference in Guatemala to discuss how the possibility of a warming planet could affect growing conditions and to figure out how to prepare.”

Want to read more?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125005431

(2) BARCODE COULD REVEAL FOOD’S FRESHNESS

"Knocking on melons. Squeezing avocados. We all have our little ways to pick out which produce we think is the freshest. But a handful of designers are taking that to the next level with the creation of a fading barcode that disappears along with a product's freshness, Treehugger reported."

"When a fruit or vegetable arrives at the store, it's tagged with the Fresh Code. Over time, the lines (or bars in the bar code) fade, showing how long it has been in the store and letting both customers and store owners know when produce is past its prime."

Want to read more?

http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/22/barcode-could-reveal-foods-freshness/

[[Today’s random]]

LED EGG LIGHTS & HURDLE LIGHTING

[[Today’s food clip]]

ASK AIDA – HOW TO GET RID OF FRUIT FLIES

[[Today's recipe]]

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

Really easy and really tasty.

::Ingredients::

Sliced Pumpernickel bread

Sliced cucumbers

Either plain cream cheese (I use low fat) paired with garlic powder

(or)

Flavored 'chive & onion' cream cheese

::Directions::

Lay out sliced pumpernickel bread

Either:

(a) Spread plain cream cheese across the bread and shake some garlic powder on top

or (b) Spread the flavored cream cheese across the bread

I prefer (a) but (b) taste pretty good too...just a different kind of good

Lastly - top em' off with sliced cucumber and there you have it- Cucumber Sandwiches!!

Enjoy!

[[Today's curly head]]

JUSTIN GUARINI

Have a great night everyone!

(Questions, comments, concerns? E-mail me! Jennablack8@gmail.com)