Easy dip for a lazy day

One of my friends gave me a super easy and yummy dip - perfect for a summer day at the lake with friends. Check out the ingredients below. I love to eat this with Tostitos Multigrain Scoops - trust me, you'll need a think chip for this baby.

2 cans corn (I get the low sodium kind)
2 corns black beans (also low sodium)
2 jalapenos, small diced
2 large tomatoes (you can always add more if you like)
A bunch of cilantro (and I forget this a lot, so no big deal)
4-5 limes for their juice
2-3 avocados

Mix the first 6 ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to go a bit nuts, add some garlic salt and chili powder for a kick, maybe even some Tobasco.

Let the dip marinate in the fridge without the avocados up to a day - and add the avocados before serving. Voila, all done! Super easy and a great hearty snack to help soak up some Coronas in this hot Texas heat.

PS - if you have leftovers, it's great on chicken or tilapia. Yum yum.

Bucket List- Yosemite National Park

I love traveling and planning trips - but too often I feel like we don't do enough things that are quintessentially American. Like when is the last time that I visited a national monument or hiked the grand canyon? Um years ago, and never...

So when my parents discussed doing something over July 4th, my Dad and I realized that we had never been to Yosemite! It's one of those bucket list trips that we couldn't wait to take.

I'll share a few of my favorite photos over the next few days, but wanted to share the above of Chris and I from Glacier point - with the view of Half Dome. It was absolutely stunning. We take for granted sometimes all the natural beauty and destinations here in the US. Chris and I were in awe of how beautiful the park was. 

Yosemite is just 4 hours from SFO (see park map below) - and a gorgeous drive not only in the park, but all the way to the park and lodge as well. We had such a great time, and can't wait to go back one day with kids and more family in tow. If you are ever in Northern California in the future for an extended period of time, you should make the trip. It will be well worth it.

Bachelorette Recap - Week 9

Ok - this was a hard week. I really could not tell who Emily was going to let go, although at the same time I was not too surprised to see it was Blake. He had the hardest time opening up, yet he seems more immature than Jef. Ugh, conflicted.

Does anyone else think Jef is the winner? I am avoiding the spoiler alerts, but she seems so giddy around him. I know it's awful to say, but both Jef & Arie seem like they live a more exciting, and expensive life, so maybe that was differentiation point for Emily?

Ok, i'm leaving it at that for this week...I need to digest and get ready for the Men Tell All.

The Dovekeepers - A Great Read

I am always looking for great reads, as I tend to plow through books on a weekly basis. My mom recommended The Dovekeepers, by Alica Hoffman, to me and I busted through it in about a week.

I love reading historical fiction, recently reading more about the civil war and always coming back to the intrigue of Henry VIII and his many wives, so I was excited to read about a different time period to break it up a bit.

One of my favorite reads of all time is The Red Tent, based in biblical times and told through the eyes of women, and The Dove Keepers, is set in a similar time and tone, so if you liked The Red Tent, you will love The Dove Keepers.

In short, The Dovekeepers is the story about the holdout at Masada in 70 CE where less than 1,000 Jews were surrounded by Roman Soldiers as they fought for their lives. It is told from several different women's point of view, which I loved as you will come to see each character in a different light as you get wrapped up in the story.

I won't give too much away, as I didn't know too much about this historical event, and enjoyed being surprised. I hope you give this book a try - you'll love it.

The Bachelorette - Recap Week 8

Oh man, again and and again I try to not get sucked in to the stupidity of The Bachelorette, but here I am again. It hasn't been the most exciting season - there's been a lack of back stabbing, but there have been a good amount of douche bags, that's for sure.

Let's start with d-bag #1 - Chris. What a baby cry - he begged to not get let go last time, he pouts when things do go his way, and fights with Doug. If you are trying to prove that you are mature and are ready for a wife & a 6 year old, pouting like a 6 year old girl isn't doing you any good. Grow up. It doesn't surprise me that it was just announced that he is going on Bachelor Pad.

Ok on to Jef...he seems nice, but he also seems like he is 18. He apparently comes from money (trust fund baby/entrepreneur?) which is clear when you see the spread that his family has in Utah. With that, I wasn't too shocked that his parents were "away on charity" aka "too highbrow to appear on a joke of a dating show for their friends to gawk at." I loved his note though, he won me there. Makes me think he is the one, le sigh.

I'll leave it with my thoughts on those two tonight. More to come on Sean & Arie next time!

New Obsession - Snap Chop App

Ok, so I am weirdly obsessed with the Snap Chop app on my iPhone. I've had way too much fun Snap Chopping recently. If you have an iPhone or Android phone I insist you download it. It will be the best 99 cents you ever spend, trust me.

You upload an existing image, or take one through the app. Shake your phone and it will add a hilarious, or slightly off-color remark. Shake again if you want to see a new one. Save the photo or email it to Friends.

Check out the Betty's Snap Chop, priceless.

Sissy's Southern Kitchen & Bar

Finally made it to Sissy's, the new southern cooking spot located on Henderson right off 75, and it was pretty good!

First off, the restaurant is pretty loud, so don't try to take your parents for fried chicken there anytime soon - they won't be able to hear you say "yummy in my tummy." I with with 3 girlfriends, which was great because we were able to try a lot of the dishes family style.

To start we ordered the deviled eggs and the pimento cheese/ham salad with biscuits. Both were very good and hit the spot. I do wish that the size of the pimento cheese & biscuits was bigger though...fat girl talking.

Now on to the good part - the basket of fried chicken. Yum yum yum. I LOVE good fried chicken - that's crispy and not too greasy and this hit the mark. As sides, we went a bit overboard (good one Michelle...). We split the mac 'n cheese, squash casserole, fried okra & mashed potatoes. The two standouts were for sure the mac 'n cheese and fried okra. The fried okra was lightly flash fried, like shishito peppers at a sushi restaurant - so they weren't slimy or greasy at all.

So, if you know me, you know I love mac and cheese. The fabulous thing about this dish at Sissy's was the fried flecks on top (see below). I would definitely order this dish again!

So all and all, it was a pretty good experience. I would go back and eat the fried chicken again - but just be prepared to wait a bit for the table and deal with the noise.

Cheers!
Lauren

I'm back....

Ok, it's official, i'll be back to blogging in the next week. I tried to stay away, but I just have to much to say!

Stay tuned!!