Lately...

Friends!  This week was full of work, work, work.  Tuesday ended up being an 11 hour work day (which means 13 hours for my boss).  It simply was not fun, but YAY OVERTIME!!  The rest of the week's workload was significantly lighter and today we were able to make a ton of extras for tomorrow and still get out by 12:30.  

Tomorrow, I will be interviewing for a second job at The Chocolate in Orem.  If you live in the area and have never been, you simply must go.  Their desserts are divine!  On the application they asked what my favorite dessert to make is, how fun!  I LOVE job applications that ask interesting questions.  Back home (in Maine), we have a grocery store chain Hannaford's that has the absolute best application I've ever filled out.  They ask a bunch of questions about food, and questions like what three things do you always have on your grocery list.  That question was interesting to answer as a teenager living with my family; I think peanut butter was definitely mentioned.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Sriracha Lime Corn

When I went to get groceries this week, they were having a sale on corn: three for $1.  You KNOW I was all over that!  So with my excess of corn, I decided to get a little creative.  If you're familiar with Mexican Street Corn this is somewhat similar, but is mayo free, and is insanely delicious!  Seriously it's all kinds of yum, specifically four kinds (does sarcasm come across or is this like texting?)  Regardless, here's the recipe.

Sriracha Lime Corn

Prep: honestly 5 mins.

Cooking Time: 25 mins.

Serves: four lovely people

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn

1 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/4 cup yogurt

1 - 2 tbsp sriracha (depending on how spicy you like it, I like it HOT!)

1 lime

1/2 cup parmesan grated

parsley to garnish (or cilantro!)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to a whopping 400 degrees.  Shuck your corn if it has not already been done, and then slather it up with butter.  Then sprinkle it with the salt, pepper, and paprika and wrap it in tin foil.  Stick that sucker in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.  While the corn is cooking, mix together your yogurt and sriracha (you can test the spice factor and add more of either to meet you preference).  Also, this is a good time to grate your cheese and cut the lime in half.

When the corn comes out of the oven, wait just long enough for you to be able to man handle it and then smooth an even layer of your sriracha yogurt onto the corn.  Take 1/2 of your lime and squeeze it directly onto the corn.  Sprinkle on your parmesan and lastly, add a bit of parsley.  Then dig in, because it is delish!

Solar Roadways What?

I don't know if you've seen this video before, or if you've heard about the plans for Solar Roadways, but...!!!!!!!!  In a word this is amazing.  Can you imagine the kind of change this would have on our country?  This would honestly change life as we know it.  So let's make it happen!
I thought I could do my part and share the video, the fundraising campaign closes on the 31st of May.  Donate if you'd like, but the project has already exceeded it's $1,000,000 goal!!!  Are you excited?  I'm excited.  Who knows, maybe in the not so distant future my road will be telling me to roll up my windows because a skunk just crossed the highway...now THAT would be handy.

Oh The Impressions...

I find that too much Netflix activity tends to leave me feeling very uneasy.  Binge watching entire series of shows is not very rewarding when you think of how that time could have been better spent.  But Netflix can also be home to much film gold.  Those quirky films that you've never heard of, but fit your current mood with such accuracy that it ends up being a joyous two hours.  The Trip is one such film. 

Now, I will say that if you are a person that dislikes films where nothing actually happens, plot wise, then this will not be your cup of tea.  But the dialogue!  The banter!  The rambling!  Oh it's glorious.

Basically, Steve and Rob share an uneasy "acquaintanceship" and end up spending a week doing a food tour of Northern England. 

I highly recommend it, and if you enjoy impressions, you will probably love it too!

21 Days // Cold Brewed Tea

So, it's day eight of the 21 day Tiny Teatox, and my takeaway from this first week is really just how unbelievably exhausting it is to drink three cups of hot tea a day.  Let me first say that I love tea; herbal, green and especially Earl Grey, I'm a fan.  And one of my favorite aspects of tea drinking is the ritual.  I thoroughly enjoy putting the kettle on and waiting for it to scream.  HOWEVER, this ritual becomes cumbersome and quite a hassle when it needs to be done three times a day every day.  As a result, I have turned to cold brewing my tea which has been a massive time saver and an entirely different tea drinking experience.

It's getting warmer here, so I figured most people could benefit in learning this method (and it's so stinking easy!!)
All you need is tea (duh), water, and a container with a lid (think Mason jar).
Step 1: place tea bag into container.
Step 2: fill container with water.
Step 3: seal container with lid.
Step 4: stick container in the fridge.
Step 5: after 4-10 hours, drink that sucker.
It really is that easy folks.  Fun fact though, cold brewing creates different and slightly sweeter flavors from your tea than traditional brewing does.  I never sweeten my tea, but if you're one who does, you might find that you can go without from cold brewing.
Try this out with your tea collection and you'll fall back in love with your favorite teas and hopefully stay cool this summer!

Lately...

Hey friends!  So every Friday here I'm going to be giving you updates on the happenings of the previous week.  It's just an opportunity for me to get a bit more personal and sharey (which is not a word).

Regardless, if you follow me on twitter or instagram (*exaggerated cough if you'd like to you can find me @shewheels *throat clear) then you are probably aware that I went to see HAIM last night, and basically had the time of my life.  I was so close to Este, I could practically feel her bass face.  Also, I nearly cried when they covered XO by Beyonce.  If you are unfamiliar with HAIM (shame on you), then check them out on iTunes.

In other news, I bought a Ninja blender and am quietly waiting in excitement for it to be delivered.  I got the one with the 72oz blender bit and a 40oz food processor.  As a result you can fully expect some recipes featuring this device coming soon; including a chocolate spread that I like to call Almond Bliss!

And to kick off the weekend, I will leave you with this quote I found on tumblr from user c0ntemplations:

"Become friends with people who aren't your age.  

Hang out with people whose first language isn't the same as yours.

Get to know someone who doesn't come from your social class.

This is how you see the world.

This is how you grow."

Does Caring For A Plant Teach You Anything?

A couple weeks ago I had a birthday, and my lovely parents sent me flowers.  I couldn't believe the difference having real flowers made in the feel and the SMELL of my apartment!  I got to see them bloom, and then unfortunately die.  I've now developed a desperate need to have something green in my home.  However, I don't want another bouquet.  I want a living, breathing(?) plant.  One that won't die on me.

Now, in the next couple of years I would very much like to get a dog; so while pondering over a houseplant, I was considering whether such a venture would prepare me for dog ownership.  I've heard it said that keeping a plant is like a first step on the ladder of caring for other creatures.  Do you agree with that?  Do you think that if you fail to keep a plant alive, that that says something about your ability to care for an animal or possibly another human being?  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  What do you think?