Cute idea for “THE HOLIDAY” card November 2, 2009

Are you one of “those” that send out the holiday card with every detail from little Johnny and Janie’s past year?  NO?  Well neither am I but I am one of “those” that likes to send out a card with an updated picture of hubs, myself and the dogs if they are lucky.  Yes, it is one of those annoying tasks but let’s face it, the family and friends really like those cards and they tend to hang them up year round (or at least my grandma does).  So what is the best way to make sure this is the easiest task of the holiday season?  You can hire my friend Kristen and her partner Corrie because this year they teamed up to make a special deal for all families in the Cincinnati area.  Check out Five Dot Design & Lil Monster Photograpy for your one stop family photo shoot and holiday cards creation for one low price. 

Kristen and Corrie will be doing a “marathon photo shoot” on December 5th at the Loveland Bike Trail in Loveland, Ohio.  All you have  to do is email Corrie to schedule your 30-minute family photo shoot and you will be ready to rock and roll.  Pricing and details are on thier website too.  Enjoy this family friendly easy peasy holiday idea.

I’m just now realizing these things! October 23, 2009

I wouldn’t call it an epiphamy or anything that crazy but I’m just now realizing how important my girlfriends are to me.  Growing up in grade school I tried to get along with the girls in class but I was always the kid that really truly liked everyone so it was hard to commit to a clique.  You remember that, right?  One clique would want to be my friend and have me sit with them at lunch and play with them on the playground at recess but that would mean that I couldn’t be friends with another clique that day or week or whatever the restriction was at the time.  Therefore, grade school was super hard for me and I would have to try and balance all these crazy girl emotions leading me to junior high/high school. 

Ahhh highschool, this is when I learned some hard lessons and decided to just be friends with all the boys.  They are less to deal with, less drama and you could easily boss them around and make all the plans for the weekend activities and they agreed because they didn’t want to hassle with that part anyway.  Just to note, that isn’t the only reason why I like hanging with the guys….I am bossy but being with them was just different.  I didn’t have to worry if I was hanging with one set of guys (jocks) that the other set (alternative ones) would get mad, they just don’t do that.  So being the friend to the guys was my thing in high school leading up through college and sort of now.  Well until just recently. 

Lately, I have been really hanging out with some important women that I call my girlfriends.  Oh ladies, you know who you are!  Things are different now that we are in our late 20’s (yes, I still freak out that I’m 27) and I’m realizing how important it is to call a girlfriend with any problem I have and they actually listen and take the time to talk and really understand the exact emotions that I’m going through.  Other important factors are that I don’t have to choose one set of friends over the other these days,  instead I’m accepted for who I am, the whole package!  The other side to this is that I’m also becoming a great girlfriend back (or at least I hope I am).  That was the thing with the guys remember, no drama!  Not that there is a lot of drama with these ladies but either way I’m listening to them, trying not to judge or to be too quick to give advice (not everyone wants advice) but just to be there and show support to whatever they need it for.  I really like these relationships and I’m learning that I actually need them more and more. 

So to all my girlfriends…. you know who you are…. I love you girls and I’m so glad that you have entered my life!

Marrrrrwidge, what bwings us togeder today October 7, 2009

For those of you who are married you know that there are going to be the ups and the downs but hopefully you are in it for the long haul.  That is how I feel about “hubs” and I with our marriage, but I have to say with our 4-year wedding anniversary around the corner, (tomorrow) that there have been way more ups than the downs.  Looking back on the past 4 years I’m reminded instantly of our wedding day. 

Married!

We had such an amazing day and I can’t believe it was 1,460 days ago that I was standing in the hotel room with my wedding dress on, make up done – just staring out the window wondering how the next couple of years were going to be.  I’m lucky and blessed to be married to my best friend, every year things get better and better and I’m excited to see where we will be and what we will be doing in one year. 

Tomorrow night we will be eating our sacred Jeff Ruby steak dinner (we go to a different Jeff Ruby restaurant each year) at the Waterfront.  Probably not talking to each other at all as we let the steak melt in our mouths.  Haha, yea right!  If you know me you know I’ll probably be talking the hubs ear off!  But I’m sure we will be thinking about the years together and hopefully looking forward to a fun-filled future!

Fall and Chili = Favorite Season September 28, 2009

The leaves are changing and the best season ever is already here.  I love fall, it is when I got married, it has the best colors, it is all about football and of course it is a great time to make chili.   The 13th Annual Wenstrup Chili Cook-off is right around the corner (this Sunday) and the smack talk is already in full swing.  Friends and family are already making test batches of chili to make sure they are “competitive worthy” for this year’s cook off.  Last year was the year I took home the trophy for the best chili and I’m wanting to do the same this year, but I need help.  Do you have a chili recipe that just absolutley rocks?  Send some recipes over and I’ll pick one this Friday to make for Sunday and we will see how I do.

There is only 1 Pizza in this town for Me! September 24, 2009

my “go-to” pizza and awesome badge (I’ll get to that later)

I used to think LaRosa’s was THE pizza to have in Cincinnati, that is no longer a true statement my friends.  There isn’t new competition in town, but an old friend that has come to the market with a new addition to their menu – Donatos Hand Tossed Pizza.  Donatos is a 46 year old company that got started by a 19 year old, Jim Grote,  in Columbus, OH that borrowed money from his dad to pay for a small pizza shop.  Funny enough, at the time Mr. Grote (the dad)thought that pizza was a fad and was reluctant to hand over the “dough,” get it!  Lucky for us, Donatos traveled south and was opened in the Cincinnati market back in 1993 with their signature thin crust pepporoni pizzas. 

How did we get to Hand Tossed pizzas?  It has actually been 3 years in the making  to ensure that it was done right.  Not only is the crust different but Donatos hand tossed pizzas have all new zesty flavor ingredients as well.  New sauce, new pepporonis and whole milk mozzarrella cheese (delish).

my pizza making buddy, Ken

I’m sure you want to know more about each Hand Tossed pizza we tried with the Cincinnati TasteCasting team and believe me I’ll get there, but I want to make sure to let you know about the amazing staff from Donatos.  The Tastecasting team was lucky enough to taste at the Donatos in Becket Ridge (West Chester), Ohio with their caring and fun team.  Not only was the marketing team an excellent source of information, but they really cared about their brand and wanted to make sure that we were having fun and enjoying the pizzas as much as they do.  Tom Santora and his staff even allowed myself and a fellow tastcasting member, Ken, enter the kitchen to make our own!

Now to the good stuff, what we tasted at Donatos:

For the Starters we tried Chicken Breast Strips, these were actually baked (they don’t have fryers) in a light breading.  Not typical of chicken strips that would make you feel really full but an actual great light starter for a meal.  We also tasted the Chicken Harvest Salad that came with its own Apple Vinaigrette dressing made just for Donatos.  The Chicken Harvest salad was full of craisens, pecans, bacon, flavorful chicken and of course lettuce.

Chicken Strips, Chicken Apple Harvest Salad and 3 Flavors of Hand Tossed Pizzas

The first three hand tossed pizzas I tried were:

Hand Tossed Pepperoni Pizza — made with new zesty pepperoni (not what you will find on the signature pepperoni pizza at Donatos)

Hand Tossed Fresh Mozzarella Trio Pizza — made with fresh mozzarella (of course), pepperoni, mushrooms, and sausage

Hand Tossed Serious Cheese Pizza — they weren’t kidding with the “serious” cheese because it was mounted on there!

And for my favorite……drum roll please…..TIMPANO’s

Had to share the wonderful Cinnamon Timpano, if you go to my husband's blog you will find a picture of the Apple Timpano

The Cinnamon Timpano was the most amazingly crunchy and sweet gloriousness in my mouth!  There were two flavors of timpanos that we tried, the cinnamon and the apple.  George loved the apple timpano and if you go to his website you will be sure to find a picture of it there (do it, it is mouth-watering).

The tasting at Donatos was an absolute A++++++ (that’s right, 6 plus signs).  Please be sure to try the new Hand Tossed pizzas and don’t forget there is a special, $10.99 for a one-topping hand tossed!

 Other pictures of the delicious Hand Tossed creations by Donatos

(or you can check out other pictures on my Facebook page here)

 

*Note – The TasteCasting Team Members are not professional food critics. TasteCasting combines socially networked people and the social media platforms and applications they use to help establishments build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items, distribute special offers and encourage people to visit the establishment.

Holy panick attack batman! September 22, 2009

So I have to admit I did a pretty stupid thing and just realized it today.  Let’s go back – This past Saturday (9/19) I was hanging out at Salon Bastille with the rest of the Sparks/Herron wedding party and decided to go ahead and purchase fake eyelashes for my make up application.  Tiny backgrouond on my eyelashes, I completely hate how short they are and would rather have fake ones that make me feel prettier – so I do!

you can't see my eyes b/c my eyelashes are that awesome!

Andrea from the salon was excited to come help me pick them out down the street at the CVS in Old Montgomery.  We walked down, picked out a great pair of fake eyelashes and went to pay.  As I was paying I was making the remark, “wow, I have so much change” and with that I completely dumped my Coach mini and everything fell on the floor.  All credit cards, bank debit cards (yes I have 2), cash, reciepts and of course all the friggin change I was just talking about.  Andrea and I cleaned it up and I just trusted that all was good and sort of took a glance back to make sure I had all that was previously in my wallet.  FALSE!

This morning (9/22) I went to check my bank account to make sure that my house payment was made.  Sorry, little back story here, yesterday I deposited the cash but the rep from 5/3rd made the remark that her computer kept shutting down.  So, I was nervous that with my luck these days my payment wouldn’t be made.  I tried logging in to their online banking and it told me that I needed to reset my password.  FINE, did that but it still would not let me log in to view my account because there was some sort of hold on the account.  I then called the 5/3rd 800 # (which is a ROYAL pain in the rump) and after several attempts I was finally able to talk to a real person.  She told me that the manager at CVS actually called my card in and told 5/3rd that it was left behind and they put a hold on the card and account.  SWEET, thanks so much Craig from CVS you absolutely ROCK!  Little bonus, the lady from 5/3rd was able to check and my house payment did go through.  Is my luck changing?  I sure do hope so because we are finishing a major house project this weekend and planning to put the house on the market by October 1.  Just to be safe, can you cross some fingers for me or just send me good Karma?  Thanks!

A Couple of Classy Ladies September 14, 2009

Wow, I have a new found respect for Beyonce and Taylor Swift.  These two have shown how classy they are from the 2009 VMA awards.  Taylor from when Kanye stole her thunder and how she kept her peace and cool and Beyonce for understanding what Kanye did was wrong and inviting Talor to share in her moment by finishing her speech.  I’ll now be deleting all my Kanye West songs off the iPod.  Kanye West and Chris Brown songs have now been dumped, see ya later boys!

more about “A Couple of Classy Ladies“, posted with vodpod

I dance when I love what I eat September 12, 2009

It is totally true, I do a little dance when I’m enjoying something that I’m eating.  You can always tell when I REALLY love the food I’m eating because I get jiggy with it in my seat and sort of do a happy dance about the food. Yes, I know this is a bit odd but I just really enjoy good food.  Back to my dance, I did this quite a few times while tasting at Cafe Bella in Mason, OH with the Cincinnati Taste Casting Team.  Cafe Bella is a unique restaurant in that it is Mediterranean inspired food nestled in the suburbs of Mason, Ohio.  Bella herself had the dream to open her own restaurant and was able to achieve that dream when she opened Cafe Bella in February of 2008.  Since opening in 2008 she has brought on Chef Ben who has inspired a recently new menu.

Our CincyTasteCast Menu:

Bella’s Hummus with Warm Pita served with Pan Seared Scallop Sweet Corn Bisque Leeks & Shitake Mushrooms

An appetizer at Cafe Bella

I have to admit that I absolutely, positively, without a doubt obsess over hummus.  I can eat hummus on almost anything and be a happy girl so I was really excited to try another hummus.  I was so impressed, my wierd side was telling me that once I finished using the hummus on the pita bread to just go ahead and lick it off the plate.  Of course, my bestie Kendra who was sitting next to me might have laughed but the others at the table would have not appreciated it at all.

Pan Seared Scallop Sweet Corn Bisque Braised Leeks & Shitake Mushrooms

Moving on to the scallops.  I was wondering if I have ever had scallops before and I vaguely remember trying them at my in-laws but couldn’t remember if I liked them or not.  Either way, I gave it a go and it was surprisingly good.  Not too fishy and it had a light taste.  Nice start to the tasting!

Baby Fennel Salad with Mushrooms and Parmesan Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Light and Fresh

Pistachio Salmon Mediterranean Couscous with Orange Cumin Vinaigrette

I did a lot of dancing to this one!

I’m not one that will order the salmon on the menu if there is a steak option as well.  I’ll typically order the filet mignon or another “beefy” food and pretty much avoid ordering the fish.  I keep thinking that if I order the fish that 1. it won’t fill me up, 2. it will taste too “fishy” 3. if I don’t like it then I’ve wasted a good meal and I’ll keep thinking about how I should have gone down the beef path.  Not in this case at all.  The Pistachio Salmon was my absolute favorite (yes, even over the hummus) of the tasting.  I kept taking the smallest bites so that I could savor the flavor and enjoy my salmon till the last bit was gone.  The combination of the Pistachio Salmon served on Mediterranean Couscous was a great mix of flavors.  The couscous was spicey and I enjoyed the pine nuts with the Orange Cumin Vinaigrette.  You guessed it right, I was doing lots of dancing in my seat as I was tasting this one!

Caribbean Spiced Beef New Potato’s with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis

Great spice flavor

House Made Tiramisu

Holy Rum Batman!

WOW, this little number almost knocked me on my booty!  Don’t let these little Lady Fingers in the tiramisu fool you, they were soaked in dark rum and boy will that hit you.  The presentation with the House Made Tiramisu (and all the other food too) was excellent, I proabably took three pictures of it because I thought it looked so pretty.  I was really sad when the tiramisu came out because I knew this was our last food to taste at Cafe Bella.

Open for Lunch too!

Cafe Bella is also open for Lunch!  Bella herself let me snag a lunch menu and at first glance I can say that the prices aren’t scary and the food choices would be a great break up from your normal Chipotle lunch.  Here is something to make your mouth water — Grilled Three Cheese!  This isn’t your Grandma’s grilled cheese sandwich, this is made with feta, goat, and mozzarella cheeses with pesto, fresh tomato, and caramelized onions.  You know about the B.L.T. but have you had the B.L.A.T.?  What do you think the “A” is?  How about marinated artichokes!

I can’t wait to hear about your first experience at Cafe Bella, drop me a line and let me know what you thought!

*Note – The TasteCasting Team Members are not professional food critics. TasteCasting combines socially networked people and the social media platforms and applications they use to help establishments build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items, distribute special offers and encourage people to visit the establishment.

I learned a valuable lesson (Thanks Michelle) September 10, 2009

Who knew taking images off www.images.google.com was stealing?  Okay, maybe you did but I sure as heck didn’t know this information.  Well, not until yesterday at the AMA Interactive SIG presenation given by Michelle Lentz.  Thank goodness for Michelle and her infinite wisdom about adding “cool tools to spice up your blog legally.”  Please check out her great presentation HERE.  Not only will you better your blog by making sure images and content used are okay to use but you will also get tips on neato sites that give you awesome free tools.  Again, I highly recommend you checking it out.

I know that after Michelle’s presentation I have a lot to do to my blog to make sure that my licensing is correct — I don’t want you people coming on my blog and taking all my great verbaige and using it for your own without giving me the proper credit that I deserve.  And I’m sure you don’t want that to happen to you either, right?  Right!  So please make sure to check out www.creativecommons.org and read up for the good of your blog.

All content on my blog by Jesy Herron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

We are moving! September 9, 2009

Okay, well I guess the truth of that statement is we don’t know if we are moving but we are certainly going to put the house up for sale.  With that task (putting the house up for sale) comes a huge “To Do” list that feels like it will never end.  Number 1 priority on that list would be to finish painting the kitchen cabinet doors.  I have been working on the kitchen for oh about a month or more (okay – more) and really just keep putting off this last little bit that needs to be done.  Why?  Well, I guess it is because the painting of the cabinet doors is a monster pain in the arse and I keep thinking of excuses or other things to do instead.  For example, I went to Home Depot on Monday (Labor Day) and decided to buy $50 worth of plants and accessories (needed new gardening gloves) and ACTUALLY planted them that day.

My little garden

Holy cow, what an excuse because I’m seriously still sore from this little garden project.  I think I would rather have done the cabinet doors – I know for certain putting on a second coat of paint to the front of the doors and a first coat of paint on to the back of the doors would have been less painful.  Either way, I can check this off the great “To Do” list that hubs and I have to get done.  I wonder what other things I can do next weekend instead of the cabinet doors….. hmmmm…….. Hopefully whatever it is, it is less painful!

The Great “To Do” List

• Finish cabinet doors
• Tile kitchen floor
• Put up new baseboards in kitchen (after the floor is tiled)
• Add new hardware to cabinet doors (after I finish painting them, yuck)
• Add new hardware to bathroom cabinet doors (no painting involved  here, yeah)
• Spruce up backyard
• Paint front door, back door, shutters
• Put on new handles to linen closet door and coat closet door (the ones we originally bought don’t fit)
• Put up new baseboards in basement
• Organize storage room
• Organize laundry room (who am I kidding, how about organize rest of the house!)
• Get rid of a bunch of stuff!
• Plant statue of St. Joseph in the front yard upside down facing the street and pray!

Pics of more progress to come!