An unfortunate change of plans...

Good evening everyone!

My dog likes to sit in my lap when I blog.

She's sleeping :)

Due to circumstances out of my hands and beyond my control....

I’ve decided that it's best that I no longer take my previously scheduled trip to Los Angeles from September 2nd through September 9th. Instead – I will be traveling on the aforementioned dates to Florida to visit my cousin Katie, her fiancée Dwight, and my little cousins JD and Kayden .

Due to the unfortunate and last minute change of plans - I will no longer be able to eat at the restaurants I once adored. I will no longer be able to enjoy the perfect California weather. I will no longer be able to drive though the hills and look at the beautiful mansions. I will no longer be able to taste the sweet sweet delicious goodness of red velvet cupcakes at sprinkles bakery - that I have been looking forward to all week long. And I will no longer be able to celebrate my life and my birthday in L.A. with my friends.

Even though I would love to go to Los Angeles, and the fact that I've decided against going deeply saddens me in more ways than one- I know that I am a lot better off in Florida with my loved ones – visiting their home in which I will call my own beginning in January of 2011. (I will be sure to post plenty of pictures of my trip!)

I wish all of my friends the best of luck and the most fun possible in Los Angeles. I am sorry I will not be joining you. Please eat a cup cake from ‘Sprinkles’ in my honor!! J

moving on....

Guess who's provided you with a delicious recipe today.....

I did of course!!

Just scroll to the bottom of this post to collect your new Stuffed Shells Florentine recipe!

A couple of web sensations I've seen within the last few days....

First up

The leggless cat!

Yes....You heard me right. Legless cat.

Next up-

Bed intruder!

This is a real news clip.

One of the most hilarious I've ever seen!!!!

Time for the remix!!!!!!

hahahahahahahahahaha.

I’ve seen this more times than what I would consider a healthy amount.

Sooooooooo hilarious.

Am I right? Am I right?

I know I’m right lol.

I made a birthday cake for my best friends sister a couple of days ago....

....and it was devoured in less than 10 minutes.

Now you see it....

Now you don't!!

I tried another 'Clif bar' flavor yesterday...

You know how sometimes things are called one thing but taste like another? This definitely wasn't the case with this particular Clif bar! This tasted like equal amounts of black cherry and almond! So delicious! Def. in my top 3 fav.

This little guy kept me full for hours!

While going through my daily "blog check" today I came across a lot of pictures that I find interesting, cool, beautiful, and wonderful in one way or another:

I hope each and every one of you have an amazing day!

Make sure to do something fun - and to eat something delicious!!

Let us begin....

[[Today’s music]]

LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD – PAT BENATAR

“You're begging me to go

then making me stay.

Why do you hurt me so bad?

It would help me to know

do I stand in your way,

Or am I the best thing you've had?

Believe me - believe me

I can't tell you why.

But I'm trapped by your love,

and I'm chained to your side."

[[Today’s restaurant]]

THE CHICAGO DINER – CHICAGO

[[Today's kitchen gadget]]

GARLIC CHOP

[[Today’s news]]

WHAT MAKES US HUMAN? BRINGING FOOD TO A FUNERAL

“Remains of the earliest known feast in a cave in Israel show that humans have been bringing food to funerals for millennia and suggest that burial feasts may have helped shape modern society, researchers said on Monday.

They found the remains of cooked tortoises and wild cattle called aurochs alongside the grave of a high-status woman, perhaps a shaman, at a site in the Galilee dating back 12,000 years.

The people living there at the time were known as Natufians. They had not quite progressed to farming but had settled down.

"Feasts likely served important roles in the negotiation and solidification of social relationships, the integration of communities, and the mitigation of ... stress," anthropologist Natalie Munro of the University of Connecticut and colleagues wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We believe that feasts, especially in funerary contexts, served to integrate communities by providing this sense of community," Munro added in a statement.

Funerals probably date back farther than this but because the Natufians were beginning to settle down, in a dry area, the evidence is clear, the researchers said.

The mourners built a large structure for the funeral and went to a lot of trouble to prepare the feast. "The capture of aurochs and/or 71 tortoises for a specific event represents a monumental undertaking," Munro's team noted.

Earlier hunter-gatherers may not have had the time, resources or motivation to go to such trouble.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67T5Z620100830

[[Today’s random]]

BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION OF SINGAPORE

“Are you obsessed with the right things? ask the new print ads of Breast Cancer Foundation of Singapore. But it is not the words but the images used in these ads that draw attention and require a double take. Using Kryolan body paint and Daler Rowney Expression angled brushes and sponges, illustrator Andy Yang Soo painted a model's body and photographer Allan Ng took the pictures for the ads that suggest that perhaps women should focus on health and have their breasts checked rather than obsess about their big butts, pimples and bad hair days.”

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1779/breast-cancer-foundation-of-singapore

[[Today’s food clip]]

GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER

What an amazing organization.

[[Today's curly head]]

CRYSTAL RENN

[[Today's recipe]]

STUFFED SHELLS FLORENTINE

::Ingredients::

2 cups cottage cheese (I used fat free)

1/4 cup parmesan

1 cup mozzarella

1 egg

10 oz. package of chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 package of jumbo shells

26 oz can of spaghetti sauce

::Directions::

-Cook and drain shells according to the instructions on the side of the box

-After the shells are fully cooked - rinse them thoroughly under cold water (this will stop the cooking process).

- In a bowl mix together the cottage cheese, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

-Stuff the shells using equal amounts of the cheese mixture (about 2-3 tablespoons)

-Pour sauce (reserve 1 cup) onto a baking dish.

-Arrange the shells atop the sauce, stuffed side up.

-Spoon the reserved sauce over top of the shells.

-Sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella on top.

-Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve and enjoy!!

Attention ALL curly heads!!

Want to be recognized for your beautiful, crazy, and all natural curls?

Then sign up to be a featured curly head!

You must provide:

- Your: Name, Location, Occupation

-Tell me why you love being a curly head.

-Fill me in on what makes you a unique curly head.

-Give any tips or secrets you might have about maintaining hair like yours.

-And send 2 photos – so you have a chance to put your curls on display!

(If you would like me to provide a link to your blog, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. for the rest of my readers to see – then also throw that in there! The more exposure you get the better!)

Don’t be shy J Go right ahead and apply!

Please e-mail your application to: Jennablack8@gmail.com