Memorial Day..

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE!

I hope you all enjoy your day off - unless you're like me....and you have to work because your place of employment stays open every single day of the year but christmas lol.

At least I get paid time and a half for being there! :)

As I stated in my last post.....

I was updating my quick links at the top of the page "music, curly head, recipes, etc".

And as I was updating them (so you guys can have quick access to previous posts and such) I came to find that a few of the categories are completely empty!!! I spend so much time, and put so much effort towards my blog, and a big majority of that time goes to updating the links at the top of the page. I hope I can fix it ASAP, I apologize for the inconvenience :)

Let us begin...

[[Today's music]]

COLDPLAY - TECHNICOLOR (LIVE)

[[Today’s restaurant]]

POPBAR

What makes them so Good

"Our secret is simplicity itself. Freshness and high quality ingredients are the main contributors to the unique taste and quality of popbar. Unlike mass produced ice cream that can sit in a warehouse or grocery store for months, our popbars are made fresh daily in our PopLab, for everyone to see. Feel free to take a peek at our certified Popologists while they produce small batches of 24 popbars at a time, using only fresh and natural ingredients."

Attention: popbar consumption may result in addictive behavior.

http://www.pop-bar.com/whatmakegood.php

PopGelato

"PopGelato on a stick is a handcrafted and customizable treat. They are made daily from fresh fruit and ingredients shipped directly from Italy with no artificial coloring or preservatives. Do you love our popGelatos and want to add a personal touch? No problem! With myPop you can create your own unique popGelato... from the stick up!"

http://www.pop-bar.com/ingredients.php

PopSorbetto

"Craving something delicious and refreshing? Our popSorbetto, made with 100% real fruit, is a healthy way to keep you energized and on the go! The possibilities are endless; you can enjoy our basic popbar or personalize it with myPop by adding our premium poppings and dips."

popbar Products | popGelato | popSorbetto | popYogurts | myPop

PopYogurt

"Are you bored of eating your yogurt with a spoon? Try our 100% natural popYogurts on a stick. They are made daily in house with fresh ingredients imported from Italy, and with no artificial coloring or preservatives. Feeling Indulgent? Sprinkle on a few poppings, or splash on one of our premium chocolate dips with myPop! Shhh, don't worry! It will be our little secret."

http://www.pop-bar.com/products.php?catid=1

Ingredients

"All of our popbars are made using just a handful of natural ingredients to ensure authenticity and great taste. In order to offer a traditional gelato experience, popbar proudly selects all ingredients from a variety of sources. All basic gelato ingredients are imported directly from Italy and shipped to popbar locations in the US. Each location sources top quality milk and fruit supplies that comply with our strict quality standards to guarantee the freshness and lightness you are accustomed to.

And it gets even better! All of our popbars are Kosher certified*, Gluten** and Preservative Free! *Individual ingredients are Kosher certified in Italy. Kosher certification for the location in progress **While all popbars are born gluten free, add on Poppings such as granola and brownies may contain traces of gluten. Please ask our Popologists for more information."

Welcome to Pop-bar.com

[[Today's random]]

I'd like to see someone actually use this thing at a cocktail party lol. They would get a lot of puzzled looks.

[[Today’s news]]

A 26 PAGE BROWNIE RECIPE? ONLY AT THE PENTAGON

"Baking brownies is one of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen. Most recipes have fewer than 10 ingredients, and the instructions are simple — measure, mix, bake.

Well, not if you're baking for the Pentagon. The latest viral sensation to hit the Internet is a 26-page document laying out all the rules and regulations you need to follow to bake appropriate treats for our men and women in uniform.

Jeremy Whitsitt, with the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate, tells host Guy Raz that the extra care is needed because military bakers face unique challenges.

"One thing we like to say is, 'What would happen if you cooked a meal, stored it in a stifling hot warehouse, dropped it out of an airplane, dragged it through the mud, left it out with bugs and vermin, and ate it three years later?'" If it were a military meal, Whitsitt says, it would still be edible and maybe even tasty.

Brownies made from the Pentagon’s recipe will probably last about three years if they're packaged properly. But the important question is, how do they taste? We asked Penny Karas, the founder of Hello Cupcake bakery in Washington, D.C., to whip up us a batch. And to be honest, they weren't too good: dry, crumbly and dense. But they did taste as if they might last quite a while if boxed up and shipped to a war zone.

The Pentagon actually updated its official brownie specifications recently. The new document has been streamlined and expanded to cover things like lemon poppy seed cake and chocolate banana nut muffin tops. The length? 31 pages."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127058298

[[Today’s random]]

THE SECRET TO MADONNA’S SUCCESS

I found this slightly humorous lol.

[[Today’s food clip]]

HOW TO MAKE GRILL MARKS! GETTING PERFECT GRILL MARKS USING THE 10 AND 2 METHOD

[[Today's curly head]]

CASEY JAMES

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

Stupid Blogger...

Hellooooo Everybody!

I'm very upset right about now.....blogger why do you do me so wrong?

I was updating my quick links at the top of the page "music, curly head, recipes, etc".

And as I was updating them (so you guys can have quick access to previous posts and such) I came to find that a few of the categories are completely empty!!! I spend so much time, and put so much effort towards my blog, and a big majority of that time goes to updating the links at the top of the page. I hope I can fix it ASAP, I apologize for the inconvenience :)

Moving on...

One of my readers comments yesterday reminded me of a smoothie I saw Dr. Oz present on the Oprah show a while back.

(don't know who Dr. Oz is? Check him out at The Dr. Oz Show - I absolutely adore him, he's awesome!)

I thought this recipe might be something of interest to you guys! I've never actually tried this drink - but I've been wanting to ever since I saw that episode of Oprah! I think I'm going to try it here within the next couple of weeks. Howabout one of you give it a go with me eh?

Dr. OZ's Green Drink

Make the breakfast drink that Dr. Oz swears by! This "green drink" is high in fiber, low-calorie and rich in vitamins.

Ingredients

2 cups spinach
2 cups cucumber
1 head of celery
1/2 inch or teaspoon ginger root
1 bunch parsley
2 apples
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender. This makes approximately 28-30 ounces, or 3-4 servings.

While I was perusing around the Dr. Oz show website - reading all of the interesting health facts and such- I found some interesting diets/detoxes. If you've been a frequent reader of my blog then you probably recall my recent post and how I feel so out of shape and sluggish. Well this might actually help to solve that problem! I'm debating on whether I should or shouldn't go on one of this diets (or a variation of these diets)- just for a couple of weeks - to see if my body reacts in a positive way. Even if I decide against these detoxes - perhaps it's something you would like to take on! Maybe you might benefit from these detoxes more than I would (you probably have more will power, that's for sure).

I thought these three were particularly interesting:

The Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet

"This challenge will reboot your body in just 2 weeks! Dr. Oz is helping you rethink your entire diet, from what you buy at the grocery store to when and how you prepare your meals.

You’ll begin by implementing Dr. Oz’s Rule of 5, which forces you to throw away all the food in your house that list ANY of the following within the first 5 ingredients: simple sugars, syrups. white flours, saturated fats and trans fats."

Raw Food Challenge

"The raw food diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit and seaweed. It is believed that heating food above 116F destroys foods’ natural enzymes that aid in the digestion and absorption of food.

Proponents of the diet believe its many health benefits include increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss and reduced risk of heart disease."

Salt Detox Challenge

"A diet high in sodium is associated with health risks that include hypertension, vascular and cardiac damage, and obesity. If you’re consuming more than a teaspoon of salt a day, it’s time break the cycle of addiction and detox your body. It’s time to take Dr. Oz’s 28-Day Salt Detox Challenge!"

Like I said - I'm still deciding whether or not I want to take on one of these challenges. But if I do, then you guys are the first to know! And if you decide to do one - then good for you!

Let us begin...

[[Today's music]]

GRIZZLY BEAR - TWO WEEKS

I love this song/music video - It's so strange....so cool.

[[Today’s restaurant]]

13 GYPSIES

“WITH A HERITAGE FIRMLY ROOTED IN SPAIN, AND DATING BACK MORE THAN 29 YEARS... 13GYPSIES BRINGS HONESTY BACK TO FOOD. YOU WILL FIND NO FUSION IN OUR DISHES... ONLY TRUE FLAVORS REPRESENTING THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. WHILE OTHER RESTAURANTS ARE BUSY TRYING TO INNOVATE, 13GYPSIES LABORS TO CAPTURE AND PRESERVE TRADITIONAL FLAVORS BEFORE THEY ARE LOST IN A SEA OF 'FUSION' CUISINE.

STAYING TRUE TO HIS ROOTS, CHEF HOWARD HAS FOLLOWED AND CAPTURED THE DOCUMENTED GYPSY MIGRATORY TRAIL... OUT OF INDIA AND WEST ACROSS CENTRAL EUROPE, ITALY, FRANCE, SPAIN, AND NORTHERN AFRICA. KEEPING THE RECIPES OF EACH LOCATION AS CLOSE TO TRADITIONAL AS POSSIBLE.

13GYPSIES IS TRULY A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN JACKSONVILLE. WE START EACH MORNING AT 13G MAKING OUR OWN BREAD, FROM SCRATCH. ALL BREAD INGREDIENTS ARE MIXED IN BOWLS, KNEADED AND SHAPED BY HAND. WITH TIME ALLOWING, WE MAKE OUR OWN SAUSAGE, CHEESE, CURED MEATS, AND CRÈME FRAÎCHE. ALL BY HAND. ALL FROM SCRATCH... USING ONLY THE BEST ORGANIC, IMPORTED INGREDIENTS WHEN POSSIBLE.

WHEN YOU EAT AT 13G, YOU ARE EATING TRUE FOOD. AS FRESH AS POSSIBLE. DUE TO OUR APPROACH TO FOOD, WE DO RUN OUT OF MENU ITEMS DURING A SERVING PERIOD. FOR FRESHNESS, ITS FIRST COME - FIRST SERVE.”

Read more about 13 gypsies here: http://www.13gypsies.com/about.htm

[[Today's kitchen gadget]]

MULTIPLE STEAMERS

[[Today’s news]]

NBA COOKS UP EDIBLE LOGOS TO MAKE MARK ON PIZZA AND TOAST

"Suppose you could get a Los Angeles Lakers logo emblazoned across a pepperoni pizza that's delivered right to your door. Or suppose you could get a Boston Celtics logo on the toast that pops out of your toaster. You can stop supposing.The National Basketball Association has figured out what fans are hungry for besides, for many, a Lakers-Celtics championship series: edible team logos. The league recently signed licensing deals with companies that offer these outside-the-box food items — and more. NBA logos also are showing up on everything from headphones to gardening gloves to outdoor grills."

Want to read more?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2010-05-26-nbalogos26_ST_N.htm

[[Today’s random]]

i-360 AT BRIGHTON'S WEST PIER

[[Today’s food clip]]

BIZARRE FOODS WITH ANDREW ZIMMERN – UGANDA

[[Today's curly head]]

MARK FEUERSTEIN

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